First Order of Business

Wow, did I get some things done in the studio yesterday. I think I was making up for the past two unproductive days. 

First: All the pieces for the Granny Squares top are cut, organized, and ready to head to a retreat. Check. 

Next. Finish the Book Nook quilt on DW. Check.

Next. Get binding on said Book Nook quilt and shoot a photo before putting it away. Check.

The pumpkin was still sweating from the cold night we had so was finally able to get it dollied up for the fall season. Check. 

Get new top loaded onto DW for the 9-Patch Quilt-Along with Natalia Bonner. Check.

Decided on a different border treatment than she put in because I know this quilt-along is a bit simpler than the one I'm doing with Sam from Quilting Curve Studio. How about this?

I'm now ready to actually participate in the QAL since I have the borders and sashing started. Yay!

Because I had spent a lot of time on DW yesterday getting things finished and started, I pulled away from him around 7:00 to do some cutting for the next block on the Quilt Room. 

But today I'll not be doing that. In fact, I should be heading to Crosswell for a fantastic fabric sale going on but it's a 2 1/2 hour drive one way and the sale started yesterday. Chances are, everything is picked over and it's too nice to be in the truck all day long (again) today. 

Jim has applesauce he wants to start. There is another sale next weekend in Harrison with even better prices than Crosswell and I'll just attend that on Friday (Saturday, we have family coming up). 

I need to run into town sometime today to find a foam core board for the super-mini design wall I'm going to need for the Granny Square planning. I also need to wash down the trim and ceiling fan in the guest bedroom to prepare it for painting so I'll start there and later we can run in after Jim fends off all the mean bees out right now while he's peeling and coring apples outside. 

Work After Work

I've mentioned this before. I don't just quilt customer quilts. I have plenty of work to do even before setting needle and thread into their fabric. I have even more work to do after the quilt is quilted even if they don't want me to trim their finished piece. 

One of those 'chores' is removing all the markings. Here is a before and after. 

After

Before

Because this customer wanted cross hatching for the background, the whole quilt was premarked before even loading. Not that I use the marks all the way through (because they become a little off during the quilting process), but they are a road map for me.

After I got done working, Jim announced that last night was the first Spartan football game under the lights at Spartan Stadium. Hmm?

Summer is 'over' since it's Labor Day weekend and the watermelon banner could be taken down. Jim and I made this together. 

That took a few hours to make and then Jim was ready to relax for the day. He wandered out to his man cave. I cut out the rest of the Santa top and got that ready to head to a retreat. I wasn't in a long arm mood so I cut out for the next block in Quilt Room.

I still had a lot of steam left in me so I started putting that block together. Here's the finished block. 

Block eight

Jim and Joe are at a Township/Association meeting this morning. I'll be working on the Temperature blocks until he arrives home and then I'll probably be on DW for part of the day. It's a holiday and I'll wander wherever I want to wander I guess. 

Back in a Week-ish

I was in the studio for more than usual on a Sunday. After doing my daily strip I found something Jim needed for his man cave.

We have a table rubbing against our newly painted walls out there and I needed to make a Spartan-something-or-another to put on the table.

Here's what I came up with... 

Jim calls this a doily thing

It still needs to be quilted and bound, but it'll be here when I return on Thursday night. And, then I'm off again on Friday to spend the day with my brother and mother. 

We set up our retreat room last night at Riverwalk and I'm heading out here in just a few minutes since we can start sewing at 8:00. So excited! This is going to be a fun week because I get to see people I only see a few times a year. 

I have to make a quilt delivery at some point today. Probably later this afternoon during the "sleepy" hour. 

Very (Un)Accomplished Yesterday

I didn't get nearly enough done in what it was I was initially working on...

Some continuous curves in the triangles

Jim was having some tablet issues on DW. Here's what he's stitching out in Mary's quilt...

He kept touching the work portion of the screen and hosing up his progress. We had to restart the machine a few times because he lost connection. It was just one of those days I guess. But we did make it to the bottom with a few inches to spare on that backing. 

By the time he wrapped up his quilting and I trimmed the piece, it was past quitting time so I shut down Marty for the day. 

Jim asked what was next on DW. We have to get these two baby quilts done and in the mail headed for Germany. Customs goes through everything and last time we sent a package it took five weeks to arrive to the kids. We want to make sure these get there sooner rather than later. 

Having said that, this was loaded last night...

Baby DeGroots first Spartan quilt

I haven't actually quilted with DW in months. His buttons and weight are vastly different than the two Bernina long arms, yet, we fit together like peanut butter and honey (I prefer honey over jelly). 

And since I already had him loaded (we had to put a panel his his backing to make it wide enough), I decided I hadn't had enough long arming yesterday and tore right into it. 

Me doing free motion

Yep, this is NOT computerized but rather me doing the driving. After an hour or so it was finished and is now waiting for me to get it off the frame and trim so it can be bound. 

But the B's are headed up today (pending their alternator repair on the van) and Jim is pressing cider. I'm going to work in the studio for a short bit to get my BOW done. I had made great progress on it last night but then the Bellers decided to have a fire (Kathy's cancer is back) and we knew we needed to spend as much time with them as possible. They are headed to Florida next week for a month. 

If the B's don't come up, then I'll continue in the studio getting the next DeGroot baby quilt loaded. I have to find a back for it and that's another something I'm going to do this morning. I may need to run to Pieces. 

Quilted and Ready to Bind

Please take note! I'm going to actually hand bind this quilt. I know, I know, I usually don't. My exceptions are the following: 

1) An art piece (such as this), or 

2) An Heirloom piece that won't be used on a daily basis and will be used for guest beds and decoration. 

All other quilts (baby, utility, etc.) get a machine binding. And even some of those art quilts that would benefit from a decorative stitch in the binding may be machine bound.

For me, hand binding is done on those rainy days while watching a movie, or while visitors come to call and we are just sitting and chatting. Many of the later days will occur since Jim can't go visit other people. 

Here's the quilt on the rail sitting patiently for the binding to be completely attached.

It almost looks as good as the day it was made

Katie asked earlier what I was up to today. While Jim and I were getting the new pressing/cutting unit put into the studio, another few WIP's were found. I don't even remember what those were because we were trying to get that done and getting ready for his surgery as well and I just laid them in there until I had time to deal with them. 

Today's studio work is a mystery because whatever's on top in that tote is getting worked on next. Let's hope it's something fun!

Crusin' Along

Here's where the bookmark went in last night...

The bottom half of the "S"

Doing matchsticks over and over (and over again) is extremely time consuming. I think even more so than pebbling. 

I may finish this today depending on Jim's needs and any visitors who happen by. Although, we aren't expecting anybody today since this is Easter weekend and most of our neighbors are staying downstate with their families to celebrate. 

We obviously can't go out at all so I guess this Easter weekend is a wash for us and we'll do it up grandly next year. 

For a Few Days

I’ll  be gone for a few days dealing with Jim’s surgery.

I have, however, loaded a long time ago built quilt. I don’t have any current pictures of it, but this is the latest WIP I found in the tote. It’s Andrew’s old Spartan “S” quilt in dire need of repair. It’s so unstable and needed to get on the frame to start getting some thread into it. It’s too fragile to just leave in the corner where it has lived for the past week since dragging it out of the safety of the fabric bag it was in. 

I started with the outer dark green border quilting piano keys three quarters of an inch apart with a shiny Glide thread. The second off-white border is going to need some marking and a lot of planning. I’ll be using a muted Premo Soft linen color in there and have a feeling the more thread I put into this piece the better it’s going to hold after it’s re-hung in Andrew’s man cave. He was instructed to never “use” this quilt again since it’s barely (and I mean barely) holding together now. 

I still have customer quilts in queue, but decided since I’ll be minding Jim for the next week or so, didn’t want to not have my complete attention on one of their quilts. Better to sacrifice one of my own I suppose.

Sleepy Girl

Hazel was sleeping funny earlier and I grabbed a pic while she was doing so. She’s going to day care for a few days which totally wears her out. She needs it though and will be sleeping like this (again) when she gets home on Tuesday. 

Finally on the Frame

The quilt shop near my house, Pieces of Thyme, had a lingering sidewalk sale this weekend and Katie and I happened to wander over on Friday. She had some very (very) good deals on things to include a roll of backing fabric I happened to spot, which was JUST wide enough to get this big top onto the frame.

Need a name for this quilt.

I haven't named this quilt yet. I call it the colorful rail fence with black and white checkerboards. But that seems too long of a title. Any ideas?

Our Spartans did well in Evanston yesterday and while Jim was being entertained with their playing abilities, I made this.

Go Green! Go White!

I also got the borders pieced for the Roundabout top.

Jim is pressing apples this morning for his annual cider canning. The weather is being sewing cooperative so I'll be in the studio most of the day.