Beautiful Day

Oh yesterday was one of those perfect days. The weather was cool-ish, the day started out with some shopping at a quilt store (Bittersweet), we grabbed a few things at the local grocery store in Standish on our way home, had an excellent lunch, watched a movie, and then moved into the studio for some work there.

First, a Love Letter block and then the Temperature quilt needed to be caught up. Eight full rows are in. 

Starting to get pretty colorful

I started working on the daily Cowboy Boot block but then got a text from our neighbor three doors to the north saying they would be out to the property. I closed up shop and went for a visit. Jim and I didn't return until dusk. 

This morning we have to go visit my mother. Meaning I'm not sure anything will be done in the studio since I usually try to take Sunday afternoons off. Ah well, at least there was yesterday to reflect on. 😊

The Babies Are Growing

Not only is our youngest granddaughter starting to roll over, the goslings on the lake have lost all their yellow fuzzies and are getting big very fast. We have very few this year since most nests were lost in the high waters in April, but we've spotted two families that did make it. 

Here is what I worked on yesterday...

Quit Diva Pattern by Amy Bradley

Isnt' she funny peering at me through the bars? It made me chuckle every time I looked up.

This is a problem

I love doing raw edge appliqué! There is very little the turns me off about it except what you see above.

Some fusibles leave a nasty ball of glue on the needle. I've recently picked up a new fusible (don't know the name) from Pieces recommended by Susan, but I could not, for the life of me, tell you the manufacturer. It is NOT gumming up the needle on the cowboy boots. 

This however, is not the cowboy boots but the Quilt Diva. From what I can feel I would hazard to guess it may be Heat N' Bond as it has a tendency to do this. And, it leaves the fabric feeling pretty stiff even with the Ultra Lite stuff. 

As I'm long arming this piece, I'm having to clean the needle very often and have already had a few shreds with the build up. 

Today we have to run to Bittersweet to pick up my Tilda Make Do and Mend quilt from her event two weeks ago. I had totally forgotten about it until yesterday. Oops. 

Hanging out until the next one is loaded

Oh...and the Strip quilt is done! I did finish binding it last night as well as making a Love Letters block and blanket stitching another cowboy boot. 

A Cool $300 Later

I picked up five wide backs, a fat quarter bundle, and a kit at Pieces last night all for under $300. Considering the wide backs were normally $54 each I call that a win. 

Here's the quilt I'm working on Marty...

Another Floral Felicity in the making

Recognize this? It's the Floral Felicity pattern Bittersweet quilt shop sells. It's not a very pretty quilt until you get it quilted (the makers' words, not mine). I've done a half dozen of these already and as I remembered yesterday, these are not a quick turn around time.

Some of the quilting

It took nearly all day to get the background fill in the first pass before I could start getting the colors incorporated. I'll be working this all day intermixed with packing for retreat.

I just brought down my suitcase so that part of packing is done and I'll be packing the sewing stuff as I progress throughout the day on quilting. I leave tonight around 7:00 to head to Chesaning for our Creative Passions retreat with the Hale group. I need this break!

In the meantime, have a great weekend and I'll be back here Monday to share all the fun and creativity I was able to experience downstate. 

Welcome New Baby Tree

For our anniversary last year, our eldest wanted to get us a new tree. We didn't 'cash' in on that last year, but decided to take advantage this year. We had every intention to put it near the sign by the barn, but changed our minds at the last minute. Our back room gets VERY hot during the summer and this will provide some shade during those scorcher days. 

Here is some more quilting that went into the Tilda Sampler...

I started work very early yesterday morning because I knew we had errands to run in the afternoon. When a customer came to pick up her quilts and right after lunch we headed to Pinconning to deliver Make Do and Mend. From there, groceries, and then to pick out our tree at Barts in Houghton Lake. 

Today will be spent entirely on the Tilda Sampler. Jim looked to see if I could get the strip quilt onto Bernie and perhaps work on that tonight, but it's too big. I received a call from Gall yesterday and they have looked at DW and are ordering a new circuit board and something else I don't remember. He won't be back for a few weeks I'm guessing but the repairs should be under $1K. Yay! 

Make Do And Mend

It's done! Make Do and Mend is ready to head to Bittersweet for their Tilda event in a few weeks. Here's the issue-I made this quilt specifically to hang on the studio wall. Like the Produce Section quilt currently hanging, it's never been folded. There are zero creases and I'd like Make Do and Mend to stay the same way.

I think we may roll it to get it to the shop today and hopefully they'll honor my wishes to not fold it. 

Above are a few more blocks going into the Tilda Sampler I'm working on Marty which I'll continue to work all day today.

I had a customer stop by yesterday to drop off a top and to have me look over a few of her patterns for editing prior to her putting them out there for sale. She and her husband were here for about an hour. I worked another hour or so on Marty and then got right into working on Make Do.

It took the rest of the evening to get it trimmed, bound, and labeled because I couldn't just make a simple label. I actually made one of the spool blocks to use as the label so it would be cohesive to the quilt. 

I haven't made a label in so long I forgot what I should have put into it. After putting the quilt over DW's belly bar, I remembered I forgot to put the city and state in there so I'll have to do that first thing this morning. 

Lots going on in the neighborhood today. The north neighbors have construction people over trying to get their drainage fixed and their flood damage taken care of from a few weeks ago. The south neighbors are getting their barn lumber delivered and the guy is out at the road trying to figure out how to unload his semi with all their stuff. Wheeee!

Wowsa Thunderstorms

It sure was a strobe light show out there all night. And the thunder was shaking the house. Needless to say, not much sleep took place. But, as they say in Hollywood, the show must go on.

Does this look familiar?

This was done at the retreat last week. It needs to be quilted ASAP for Bittersweet Quilt Shop for display purposes. The owner needs to make room for more Lori Holt items coming in and needs to move this kit.

The first row is completed. And, the first row in the Make Do and Mend is also completed but not without DW and I having some issues (again). 

I tried everything I've learned over the past 13 or so years on how to rectify his skipping issue. And the skipping was becoming worse the longer I fussed with him. I stepped back and thought about the situation and came to the conclusion it had to be the thread. 

He was behaving perfectly until I took the strip quilt off and put the Tilda quilt on. The only thing I did in the change out was give him a new needle and change thread. Why all of a sudden was he skipping so badly? I tried out a few needles yesterday and even altered their position on the post without any luck so it had to be the thread. 

Unfortunately, I did not have another So Fine! cone to switch out so moved over to the Glide thread. Can you see the difference?

So Fine! vs Glide Thread

The circle on the left is So Fine! and the circle on the right is Glide. Pardon the erratic circles as I was again, not correctly quilting as I was watching for skips. So Fine! is a matt thread and Glide is a tri-lobal poly that is shiny. And, since DW is stuck on not behaving unless he has Glide in him, I'm on a time crunch and can't wait for another cone to get here from wherever I could find one so Glide it is. 

Today is going to be a repeat from yesterday. Hopefully thunderstorms will stay away until I'm done long arming tonight. And, since I'm on the big machines for 10 or so hours, not even any piecing is being done. 

Just Cloudy

For the past week, most of our weather report has stated we were just going to be cloudy. Yet, every day, we get a little snow down instead of 'just cloudy'. It's winter and winter requires snow, so I'm good with it!

After doing a crap load of errands yesterday, one of which was to drop off a quilt to Bittersweet and then of course, pick up a few things from there, we ventured in other directions and never got home until well after noon.

I did get the rest of the table runner quilted later in the day and now it's ready for binding.

Ready for binding

Hair cuts first thing this morning and now I'm headed to the studio. The girls are getting baths and Jim is going to take the tree down; the last of our Christmas duties to put the holiday to bed. 

I also realized, while Jim was cutting my hair, that I have a week before our Creative Escapes retreat at The Springs. I only have one item in the bin to work but I do have some pretty easy patterns from Shipshewana, as well as some of the fabric for said patterns, that I could work on. Hmmm??

How to Make a Sizeable Table Runner in a Day

I started this and then we took off for Bittersweet Quilt Shop. What a darling quilt shop. If you need ANY Tilda or Lori Holt fabric/items, she's your best bet to find them.  

We also did some other errands after we dropped off the quilt and are finally home. Chicken and Waffles for lunch today...my favorite!

Yesterday I had a bee up my behind to make a table runner for our dining room table. The bar also needs one and I picked up supplies for that today while at Bittersweet.

Anyway. The table runner was in the quilting process when I shut Bernie down around 8:00. I plan on finishing that today. 

Here are all the steps to completing something a little more intricate in a day. My dumb photos came in reverse as I wanted them to so start at the bottom and work your way up.

What's going in

On the frame!

Auditioning the little stars

Getting the big square together

Making HTS's (my fav...NOT)!

Pulling the fabrics

The video that started it all

I'll be working some more on this this afternoon once lunch is done and we've cleaned up the kitchen. 

Lots of Appointments This Week

Well, for me I have a lot. Wednesday is PT. Thursday is Hale Guild. Friday is nails, and of course, the reunion is Thursday through Sunday. We'll be heading to the reunion as soon as I get back from Hale. I'll buzz into town to get nails done first thing Friday and the rest of those four days are reunion focused.

Today I'm going to be finishing Linda's quilt. Hopefully. I have to go back and unsew part of the border on the top because I messed up centering it. I think I need to ditch the trunk rungs too because I'm not liking how they are laying down. 

Sometime yesterday we received two packages from Amazon. We never heard anybody, or see/hear anything pull into the drive. The dogs never barked. The Ring never fired. We noticed the packages after it had been pouring for a while. Thankfully they put them on the studio porch and didn't get too wet. 

Here's the new pattern I purchased at Bittersweet and then off to 'work' I go...

For anybody who loves books

This pattern is fat quarter friendly and I have a number of them I can use this with. I'll need to purchase background and page fabric, but I couldn't remember the color scheme of my fat quarter bundles I do have meaning I couldn't purchase those Saturday. 

Happy Independence Day Weekend

I tried to post yesterday, but the wifi and channels were pretty jammed with everybody being up over the holiday. We didn't have anybody up, but all the neighbors did and that taxes our little country connection. 

I am about 2/3'rds of the way done with Linda's quilt. I didn't work on it Friday or at all during the weekend.

We headed to Bittersweet Quilt shop yesterday (because they were about the only ones open) after we did some Gladwin stuff (Craft Show, Farmers Market, Lunch) and I purchased another Clover chalk marker, a new pattern, and a new box/basket for the microwave cart we brought up from the barn the previous day.

Yesterday I actually made and attached a binding!!!!! My hand is sore today with all the 'new' movement, but it's great to know I'm actually functioning nearly full throttle...

Binding!!!

The colorful X's and O's is officially done. Now I won't hesitate to finish Gravity on DW because my rule (internally) says I can't take the quilt off the long arm until the previous one is bound. I have to do this or I would never get any of my bindings done. 

And, this morning we start with reunion stuff. The trailer is up...

Just getting her out of the barn

It started to rain just as we got her set on her boards which is good. We need the rain and it'll wash the thing off. Although, this morning's rain is supposed to be brief, we are expecting more this afternoon. Hopefully this isn't going to just make it muggy. It's already pretty heavy out there. 

Spring Flowers

That darn bird is trying to make another nest in the rafters of the studio porch. It truly is spring. 

Here are a few of the flowers around the yard blooming in their glory...

Errands to run this morning: The semi-annual library book sale, Pieces of Thyme, Bittersweet Quilt Shop, and Family Farm and Home. Grilled cheese and soup for lunch since it's not any too warm out today and it's overcast and dreary looking. I'm hoping to hop on one of the long arms later this afternoon. Or, hey, how about some piecing that I haven't done in ohhh, like three weeks. 

Wide Variety

I did a wide variety of quilting things yesterday. First, remove Donna's quilt from DW and get the next backing loaded and started on the frame ironing.

Oh wait, I need to wash and dry this backing for the customer before I can do that. While that was in the washer and dryer I trimmed Donna's quilt, got it billed out, and packed up. She has been called (LM). Once the backing was done drying it was loaded and started the wrinkle free process.

Meanwhile, I worked this on Bernie... 

Another Tilda Snowmen

Here's the start of what's going in here...

Just like the picture

This is how I did the quilt for Bittersweet Quilt Shop and this is what Lynette wanted.

Once the backing was done on DW this was loaded and will be worked today...

Sharon's Flower Power

This one is going to be minimally quilted, BUT there are four layers of fusible in there, so it's going to be slow going around the circles. And look at all those thread changes!

After that was basted in and threads were selected for today's work I got the binding on the baby quilt that was on Foster...

It's a quilt

Jim was very late getting home last night so I started to play with all those threads I've been saving...

Doing some playing in the sunshine 

I love/hate the time change. Love because I get a lot more sunshine in the studio for my work day. 

Here's what it finished out to...

Isn't this weird?

Can you tell it's an apple? Not sure what I'm going to do with it, but I think it's fun. I did not put any batting or a back of any sort on it. It's just a "thing" right now. I'll have to think about this. 

Meanwhile, I'm probably pretty much done with anything on Foster. I'm so excited to be getting the new machine and I know his capabilities so I'm holding off doing any more of my quilts until he arrives.

I attempted to lay out the scrap quilt I'm doing with Susan Smith of Stitched by Susan, but I was having a heck of a time turning things around in my brain and couldn't seem to get stuff right on the design wall (yes, I cleared it off to work on this). Jim is going to have to help me with this one I think. My brain just doesn't work that way.

Off to enjoy another sunny (yet, colder) day in my beautiful place to create. 

Taking Today Off

The nice thing about being self employed is the ability to cherish moments presented to us. Caleb is leaving tomorrow for Ft. Sill for his officers training. We are meeting them, and two of Jims cousins, for lunch downstate a bit. The cousins are coming back home with us and spending the weekend. I'll have my [work] phone on me, but won't be doing any long arming today.

Diane's first quilt is finished. Here's some of the quilting going into it...

Love how this turned out

Kathi came and picked up her three quilts yesterday and loved them. For Monday I'll be working on this piece for a new customer (Patty)...

Wait! We've seen this before

This was the shop hop sample for Bittersweet Quilt Shop. Patty did hers identically and wants me to quilt it nearly identically. Due Date: November 20th. 

I'm feeling a little pinched for time on some of these, and yet, here I am today, taking another day off. I won't miss any deadlines but it just means more long hours for me in the future. Family is worth it!

Weekend Shot

I didn't do a thing in the studio this weekend other than demonstrating (on Foster) to my grandkids what I do all day. Yep. That was it.

I made up for it yesterday. Sue S.'s quilt is off Bernie. Janice D.'s quilt got moved over to Bernie...

Shift in Location

Why did I move this one? Oh yeah, because it's small enough to go on Bernie's frame, and the next one to load was a biggie that needed to be put onto DW.

Here's some of the quilting going into Janices quilt...

Border Corner

Setting Triangles and Small Border

Partial Block Completion

I'll be working on this all day today. The one being loaded onto DW is also a custom so the Pro Stitcher can't do his thing while I'm working on another quilt. Which is fine. The Pro Stitcher tablet is going kaput. 

In between working on Janices quilt during the day and then again in the early evening, I had to run to Bittersweet to pick up a quilt from a new customer. She didn't know we don't really do that, but I made an exception. 

No customers expected today, but every time I say that, things change. Maybe I should stop saying it?

Didn't Get the UofM Quilt Done

And MSU only won with one second left on the clock and a field goal to give us the W. See...bad juju. However, Michigan lost and so maybe it isn't such bad juju after all.

I started on this while Jim was watching the game... 

Lori Holt's Bee Happy Quilt

I've had the fabrics for over a year, but hadn't gotten the templates to work on this. Tina, from Bittersweet Quilt Shop ordered them for me and Jim picked them up on Friday. Unbeknownst to me, I also needed some bias tape makers, so I ordered those yesterday via Amazon. There are other blocks I can make without them though.

I'll still continue to cut out pieces for the cottage quilt. That's one of those projects I can take to retreat next month because it's relatively mindless sewing/piecing. I did complete the 25 partials from earlier this week, so now I have more than 40 made. 

Unfortunately today I will not be in the studio at all. We are leaving here in about 45 minutes for Lansing to celebrate Bens birthday. That's a whole day shot in the arse. It's a four-hour turn and then the time at the restaurant with all the kids/grandkids. We will probably end up over to their house after we eat, which is more time away. 

Another Project (Done)

The Twirly quilt is quilted and bound. 

Ready for a class sample

Once I finished that I started another little project I picked up from Bittersweet last week...

Love it!

This is already on the long arm and I'm hoping to get some quilting done to it today. It's going to be a giant pillow with which I'm going to try my hand at a zippered envelope back. Never attempted one of those before. 

After loading this last night, my gears shifted (again) to this project...

a Helen Godden pattern

This is going to be for sit-down work, but all the letters need to be traced out first on fabric before any stitching can commence.

This morning I was (once again) on the roof. Our Amish guy finally decided to get out of the hay fields and make our metal for the porch...

Getting the metal on top

It started getting hot out there so I'm glad this wasn't a day-long type of project. It looks so much better than the ice melt/tar paper that's been hanging on for a month or better. 

More fun studio work during the warm part of today. Tonight, when the sun settles down a bit in the horizon, it's time to start working on the trailer and getting ready for reunion. I only have tonight, Monday and Tuesday to work out there because we have family coming over Wednesday after work. And we leave Thursday. I just hope the initial inspection proves our mouse eradicator worked and I don't have all of that to deal with. 

Closed Independence Day Weekend

I will be closed after 4:00 today until next Monday. I'll be working in the studio, but on whatever comes my way or what I feel like. I'm calling it a sewing stay-cation 

It's always nuts around the lake on the 4th, but we don't participate in most of it as we have next weekend to deal with which is exciting enough for people our age.

Here's some quilting detail going into Bernadettes quilt...

I love ruler work!

After working for nine hours on this one, my feet were tired and I wanted to do something sit-down, so I put this class sample together...

Showing the many layouts possible

I had a bundle of 16 fat eights which was just enough to make this sample, which will eventually end up as a baby quilt for some cute little girl. 

I'll be finishing Bernadettes quilt today and then who knows what. 

I picked up a table runner at Bittersweet last Saturday that I'm hoping to get done over the weekend to use as a cover up for the electrical panel in the new studio. And, there's plenty of other things to fiddle with out there and am so excited to be able to just enjoy the space instead of the pressure of working since that's basically all I've been doing since moving in six weeks ago. 

Happy 4th of July weekend!