A Well Rounded Day

About the only thing I didn't do yesterday was get on one of the big machines. First thing was the temperature quilt block catch up.

About half of it

That took until lunch time. During lunch I drug out the bag of solids fabrics and started checking to see what would work for the nine patch. 

Most of these are from Amish with a Twist I and II. I jumped on Mike and completed the last cowboy boot before getting into these. Here's the pile of 20 plus one pillow block. These have to be paired with the checkerboard blocks I made at retreat in April. 

Ready for pairing

After working the cowboy boot I started prepping and cutting the fabric for the 9-patch. The neighbor north of us stopped by to repair a cracked step from the new installation going to the lake and then said his wife was at the property. Pause quilt work.

After visiting for a number of hours I headed back home and into the studio and finished cutting and then assembled all 12 blocks. 

Ready for sashing

It was nearly 9:00 when I finally called it a day. See, no time for long arming. 

Happy 40th!

Wow, I wish I was 40 again. No, my eldest turned 40 at 1:06 this morning. We just got off the phone with him and he seems to be handling it okay. Earlier this week when we talked he was having a hard time with it. I did the same thing so I can relate.

Yesterday was a productive day in the studio. I needed to do some spring cleaning out there and straighten out some things in the retreat tote to prepare for that in a few weeks; along with my daily stuff. 

I did the strip first off on DW and then while talking to our kiddo in Germany, stuffed and made the pincushions for the retreat caddies.

These look simple enough, don't they? Even with Jim helping me it took us until lunch to get them all done. And I had already made the inside shell and the outer cover as well as having had everything cut out and pinked. 

Once we finished lunch and he retired into his basketball-filled man cave I headed back in to clean and get organized. 

I have a couple of [secret] projects I'm going to be working on at retreat and had those set aside to go into the tote. When I pulled the lid off the tote I found something I've been kind of ignoring since January.

I worked on this at the Creative Escapes retreat and I knew the border I started attaching there was pretty messed up. Which is why I was avoiding dealing with it. And, this top is huge; muscling it around the pressing table wasn't really on my fun-things-to-do list. 

Amish With A Twist II

But, while the Spartans gained another win at March Madness, I was able to correct the messed up border, attach the other two pieced borders and get the last set of borders attached as well. The flange is made but won't be attached until after it's quilted.  

I didn't come out of the studio until nearly 8:00 working on this and Jims game started at 2:30 or thereabouts. The studio is clean and organized and I've got way more than enough stuff to keep me busy at the retreat. 

No studio time today. It's going to be a rest day because the remainder of Dianes tops need to be done before retreat and I have another customer coming to the retreat that needs her top finished as well so I see long hours in the upcoming week.

Back Home Again

The time has come to return back to a normal schedule. What an absolutely fun and laughter filled retreat we had. There were tears, in-depth discussions, information, advice, and so much laughing. Oh the laughter. I cherish the annual time with some of these ladies I won't see again until next year. 

But alas, all good things must come to an end. However, in my case, goodness continues as I get to spend the day with the big guy(s) (man and machine) who I missed terribly. Especially yesterday while I was fighting with some borders. More on that in a bit. 

Here is what I put together the first three days...

The body is complete

Yesterday I had every intention of getting this completely finished. The table and room situation had other ideas and I only got the first border on. While attempting the second border I was becoming frustrated, I messed one of them up and decided to work on it here where the thing wasn't sliding off the slippery, plastic table while trying to pin or sew. Quilting should be fun; not frustrating.

With the left over second border pieces, I made a quick Easter table runner...

Just enough for the bar during the Easter holiday

And after that was finished, I had to find something else to do. As luck would have it, I was the next name called in the raffle and there was a pillow case kit still available as a prize, so selected that to make in the time I had left with the group.

My last project for this retreat

I always leave while everybody is at dinner. I get too choked up saying good-bye and just like to sneak out before having to endure all the tears and depression. It's still sad to leave the parking lot, but it's easier without trying to drive through watery eyes. 

Until next year...

Today I'll be on Bernie continuing on with the Tilda Girls for Carla. I'll enjoy the music and hum of the machine as I do each day I'm working while watching a new light snow out the windows of the beautiful place where I create. Jim is working in the downstairs bathroom and it'll be wonderful to be able to see him all day long as I miss him terribly when I'm away. 

Every Intention

I had every intention yesterday to work on the quilt on Bernie. I knew I needed to get fabrics cut for retreat though and had another customer coming to pick up. Starting on the Tilda Girls would have resulted in very little progress because the customer was due at 10:00-ish.

It was after 11:00 before the customer left (we were all gabbing; her husband with Jim and she and I) and so that would have left a very small window to long arm. Cutting continued instead. 

After lunch there was a fabric pull mess that needed cleaning before long arming and decided to just cut the pulls laying out. One thing turned into another and it was getting dark before I realized the finishing pieces hadn't yet been cut. 

The quality control brigade sleeping on the job

Getting ready for a retreat is no picnic, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. Here's everything getting all bagged up...

When everything was finally cut out and getting packed, it was then I realized one of the blocks needed to be remade. I didn't remake it at the time because shortage of fabric was in the forefront. And, as I revisited the pattern for said block, sure enough, not enough of the copper color was left.

Thankfully, I've made a different (Number 1 I think) Amish With A Twist and had fabrics left over from it. I scrounged around and found a close color to copper in the stash and remade the block before coming out of the studio. Just in time for the Ice Skating Nationals. 

New block on the left. Old block on the right.

Look at the upper right hand corner of the old block and the bottom right hand corner isn't much better. It was shorter than 1/4" and would have pulled out of the seam allowance so it needed to be remade. Done. 

Have you ever seen the ad on IG about the Luminary Quilt? It's been pulling me in as it's stash busting friendly, very few seams need to match (three at the end) and the finished quilt is stunning. I purchased and downloaded the pattern this morning and want to make a test block. BUT, I have to pack and get ready to head to retreat first thing tomorrow morning. 

Maybe just one test block? Maybe?

Boat Rescue

Upon being woken up by my mother texting me (she's feeling better) to let me know she's awake and headed up north today, and Jim showing me what was happening down at the lake upon my decent from the loft, it's already been a morning. The neighbors aluminum boat was nearly submerged due to the lake rising so much so quickly with the rain/thunderstorms the previous night...

The boat is at about 8:00 from our floating dock

We hopefully got it up high enough to avoid any further issues until later this spring.

On to quitting things. This is what was worked on yesterday...

Tilda Girls

This top has been done here before so it's not new to me, but what's going in it is. Doing each duplicate quilt a little differently gives the quilt it its own personality. Here's a little detail of what I've started on this...

Adding a 1/4" echo around the motifs and starting to get in motif detail

Just had a customer text and want to come today to pick up her quilt. Isn't it Saturday? I'm letting her though because we've had it for a while and it needs to get back to its rightful owner. And I'll be working on Bernie until lunch. 

After lunch I need to continue cutting out for retreat. I've got a whole afternoon/evenings worth of cutting yet to do and then, IF I have the time, I'll start cutting for another. But honestly, I'm not too worried about it. I have two projects to work and AWAT should actually entertain me for the whole five days. 

Ever Heard of Blue Emu?

A few of my quilting customers recommended Blue Emu for the arthritis already setting into my previously broken hand. I just tried it for the first time. A. Game. Changer!

Since Jim started un-decorating yesterday, the house is looking pretty barren. How did I live here before the holiday? The table and the bar both need a winter table runner put on them. I have Christmas ones, but no 'wintery' themed runners, so today, instead of doing what I should be doing, I'm doing that instead. Bernie is free right now and I'll use him to quilt the first one up today once it's finished. 

Yesterday I did not turn on any of the long arms. I had to do a LOT of administrative work for the business and once I got all that done it was nearly lunch time. I pulled fabrics and started cutting for the next AWAT set of blocks. 

Last night, all five were finished...

Isn't it pretty?

Before I worked on those though, I forgot (and didn't remember) until I pulled open the photos app on my phone, other things I worked on. The first was a Spartan football pad for under the hopper and to hold the remotes...

A football field

I remembered a video I received recently on building storage boxes and made one for the brochures for our upcoming early spring retreat...

Much better

The previous one I made was too small and this one, though a little too big, will work as needed.

Merry New Year

And all the decorations are starting to come down. It's the saddest part of the holiday for me to see the house return 'back to normal' after all the festive items have been collected. We always have to leave a tote with easy access because sometimes we find stuff for weeks after the holiday.

I worked on AWAT to start my day after returning from groceries. The block did not turn out well, and, if I have enough fabric left over, will be redoing that block. For now, it's in the tote with the others, but I'll make notes to get it redone if permissible when I get to it in the setting.

Here are a few other things I worked on yesterday...

I plan to continue on with these today while Jim is packing up the house. We have very few his-chores-her-chores in our lives, but this is one of those Jim chores I don't normally participate in. It makes me too sad. 

Regular Work Day

Yesterday was a regular work day for me. I did get the quilt done for Bittersweet Quilt Shop and will call her this morning first thing to let her know. It was after their closing time when I finished so didn't call last night.

Just a few HST's

After getting that off the frame, I made a few blocks in AWAT...

Bow Ties

Flying Geese

After working on these two blocks I jumped onto DW to work a few of the blocks in Produce Section. I've learned that taking a break from the light machines before getting onto DW (the heavy machine) makes it a little easier to transfer into. He's such a beast. 

Our last family Christmas is today. We told my mom to be here around 10:30, but Jim just got off the phone with her and she's just getting ready to leave; it's 9:35 and she lives 10 minutes away. 

Since I still have some prep work to do I guess I'm jumping in the kitchen first thing. No studio work today but I'll enjoy having the second set of grand kiddos here. 

A Few Favorite Things

Next to working in the studio, I love to also work in my little kitchen. Yesterday was the actual Christmas day, but our Christmas with the family is both tomorrow and again either Monday or Tuesday. My two eldest boys can't seem to get along/get dates together due to schedules and the flu this year. 

It's a good thing they're not coming up today though...

Since last night

We are in the middle of an ice storm right now. It's been raining with temps in the high 20's so everything is coated in a layer of ice. And, it's still raining and it's still below freezing, so not sure how much of this we're going to continue to receive.

After we got back from moms around 5:00 yesterday I couldn't settle on doing anything. Until a fire finally lit up under my behind and I pulled out a new project to start (since the Alaska quilt is now done). I remember bringing all of the supplies back from Shipshewana last month and am excited to be working on this for the next?

I've already done the first AWAT so now I'm doing the second

I have all the fabrics and started cutting out for the first block...

Have to make 12 of these

This looks like a simple block, but after cutting, sewing, sub-cutting and organizing, I've only gotten this far...

Everything always takes longer

I'll be in and out of the studio today. I have to make cookies, deviled eggs, fudge, and Jim is working on the ham for tomorrow. With any luck, this rain will either a)turn to snow or b)get above freezing to melt all the ice before people have to head up this way.