Veering off the Path

Jim surprised me yesterday and took us to Frankenmuth for a holiday day. We ate how we wanted (no diet) and we just took in all the holiday festivities. The place was unsurprisingly busy. Once of the shops we visited was the Woolens shop and I was able to find two wide backs at a very reasonable price. 

We actually got home before dark and I then finished the binding on the cathedral window quilt.

All finished!

I pulled and started prepping for the pencil cases for the grandkids. 

Getting ready to put together

I'm making three. Two for each family and then another for me since I think these are so stinking cute. 

Mom stopped by already this morning dropping off some of the bigger presents for under the tree. Our Christmas here with the family won't be until Saturday. We'll head over to moms on Christmas day and make pizzas and visit for a while. 

I have scarves to work on all afternoon today while we watch holiday movies and relax. It's already been a crazy busy weekend and I'm ready to unwind a bit to gear up for the week ahead. 

Making a Quilt In A Day

Yep, this quilt was completed in less than four hours. Yes, I did cut out petals/footballs over the course of four sessions, and I took a few hours in an afternoon to grid out the background, but essentially, I have a completed (binding excluded) quilt in a day.

A completed quilt!

Getting it started

The second pic is starting the piece at around 2:30, and first pic is around 6:00. I have the binding made and will be attaching that first thing this morning. Afterward I'll be making two pencil pouches for Christmas gifts for the grandkids.

Okay, I did work all of yesterday morning and part of the afternoon on the customer quilt on Bernie, so I didn't slack off all day. I also had a customer come and pick up and she was here for a while (her husband and Jim were busy talking). 

The body is together

While I was waiting for the furnace to quit running a few times yesterday I assembled the body of the Alaska top. I have two borders to attach. One is going to be pretty easy. The other is something I have to come up with because the one given isn't going to happen. 

While working on things today I need to find the next quilt/back to load onto DW. If I keep him naked, a customer quilt will end up on the frame and I need to stop doing that. 

What the Heck?

Well, I marked the quilt I was working on Bernie and had intended to fire up the long arm, but then, squirrel. 

What's this all about?

What?

And how about this?

Ooookayyyyy???

Here's the deal. I saw a YouTube video on the Handi Quilter site a few years back. Kim and Kristina were demonstrating how to appliqué on the long arm (rather than having to do all of that on your domestic). Kristina showed a quick blip about a cathedral window she did and then the video was quickly over.

The community outcried for Kristina to do a little more in depth dive into how she did her cathedral window and about nine months later, they indeed did a video on this method of making a the one she quickly showed us previously. I have had the background for this for months, and am just finally getting into setting it up. Jim figured I needed to cut 640 'petals' for what I mapped out here. I have a little over 200 cut. 

My wrist was telling me that was enough so then I moved over to starting those strips from the three jelly rolls I purchased a few weeks ago. 

Here's where I left off around 7:30 last night...

Ready for pressing and getting together

There are fifty strips here (well, one is on the pressing table waiting). All the seams need to be pressed and then I have to join them in the order they are laying here on the cutting table. This is all I'm planning to do today other than getting things around for retreat later tonight. We can't arrive before 6:00 so I have all day to play. The weather is cooperating in that it's supposed to rain all. day. long. Welcome "real" fall. 

Making Up For The Lost Sunday

Yesterday was a completely productive day in here. The Cathedral quilt is complete! And I mean bound and everything. Here is a better pic of the overall effect...

Cathedral by Alison Glass...quilted by me!

Once that was done I immediately got the Puff backing and batt loaded and quilted quickly. I then set up for today and this is what's on the frame this morning...

Jills Stacked Coins/Zipper Top

It was too late in the afternoon to get this going so first thing this morning it will be started. 

The Puff/Biscuit quilt was next. I attached the backing/batting to the top and then birthed the piece. It's been whip stitched closed and while Jills top is being stitched out, will tie between the biscuits to finish it up.

After the daylight started to wane, I moved along to the Scrap Petal top. I have all the petals glued on temporarily until I can get it on the long arm. So, it's going to hang on the wall for a week or so I think. 

Scrap Petals

The pattern said to cut 64 large petals, which I did. But then upon constructing it, found it was overkill. Not one to waste my efforts, I made the large flower larger than what the pattern called for, and put the last petal falling off the flower. 

Tomorrow I start to pack to get ready for my Cleveland trip. I am SOOOO excited to be spending time with fellow long armers; people I can chat with on a professional and educational level who actually speak my language. I'm planning on coming home with a head full of information, skills, and purchasing needed notions, long arm supplies, and anything else to keep me entertained during the coming winter months.

This and That

Nail appointment first thing this morning and then headed over to Pieces to see how the new building is coming along. Susan gave me a first hand tour and the place is going to be HUGE! Can't wait to help them move!

Bought a few items while there and am finally home for the day. We have sunshine now (it was raining earlier this morning) and will have to jump on the mower later once the grass has dried somewhat. Meanwhile I'll continue on with the long arming of Cathedral until then.

Here's what some of the quilting looks like in it...

A little of the quilting detail

Each blade has a color change and I'm using that color for in between and above the sections. This is an unusual quilting project in that I'll finish out the colors first and then re-roll the entire piece to get all the background filler put in.

After quilting until nearly 5:00 yesterday (was having so much fun) I finished the Puff quilt top.

Probably about the right size for Hazel

That didn't take nearly as long as I thought and would have started on the backing for it, but didn't have any pearl cotton to tie the backing on, so picked up the pearl cotton at Pieces.

I rummaged through my projects to see what I could make next. I decided on this one...

The latest project

I need 64 9" squares for the background and got all but 20 picked, pressed and cut last night before calling it around 9:00. 

Happy quilting!

Taking Advantage of the Early Autumn Rain

Having a cold, cloudy, windy, rainy day is to me, a slice of heaven. Fall is here and coming in with a vengeance. To my glee.

It gives me permission to spend the entire day in here on customer quilts and my own as well. Often, in the evening, when it's nice out, I find myself not as productive because I'm dwelling on and/or doing all that needs to be done outside. Bring on the poopy weather I say!

Here's what's on the frame this morning...

Cathedral by Alison Glass

Yep, this has been hanging out on the design wall for about a week now. I discussed the Misty Fuse fusible I put into this piece (rather than the Heat n' Bond Lite I usually use) and found it is very pliable and not as stiff as the H&B. BUT, it's not as robust either. I was finding corners starting to lift while it was hanging on the wall. 

Maybe I didn't press them down long enough, but whatever the case may be, it needs to be quilted before it all comes raining down from the design wall and separating from the background fabric. 

Angela Walters did a Midnight Quilter video on this exact pattern and I'm going to quilt it similar to how she did it. I'm not going to do the pebbling in the center as she did, and the background fabric will be filled a little less than what she put into it, but all the thread changes will occur as well as some of her echoing ideas.

After quilting the "Welcome" panel yesterday and loading this one for today's work, I continued on with the Puff/Pillow quilt. This is where I left off last night. The below pic is the layout prior to starting on the stuffing. 

It's not turning out nearly as large as I had hoped. But it's not nearly as difficult as I had envisioned either. I think maybe I'll make another one with some of the scraps I have in the dresser and make it much larger than this one. Hmmm???

Another Top Born

What a FUN project! I was worried about the placement of all the pieces, but once I drew a foundation circle from the center, it actually went pretty well. And that Misty Fuse fusible...a dream to work with when getting everything set it. 

Cathedral. Pattern by Alison Glass

Once again, my camera is taking less than stellar pics; this looks much better in person. I can't wait to quilt it! 

Once this was finished I found another "kind of" kit in my little retreat bin (seems like this stuff is multiplying in my studio) to work on. I've got the main body constructed and now just need to get those borders built and added on. 

Still no bobbin case in the mail. In fact, we haven't received mail since Tuesday. Our mail guy is really behind apparently.