Quilting Urgency

I received a text yesterday for a request to come on-location to teach/complete a twin-sized top west of our house about an hour away. This weekend. Ummm...no, it's a holiday and like all other businesses I'm closed until Tuesday once today is finished.

Could I come today? Well, since I had finished Evelyns quilts I said I could. Because I'm nice. Because I love sharing the art of long arming. Because this lady sounded pretty panicky. 

I'll be working on a very (very, very) old Singer Stretch. I could not find ANY information on this machine. AI didn't even know a thing about it let alone Google or YouTube. Adventures are fun, right?

Once I get back I'll be starting this quilt for Bernadette if I get back at a decent time... 

Another Tilda

She initially wanted just an E2E in here, but we're not going to do that, are we? Here's the other thing...I've been getting tired way easier than usual the past few days. Like, at 6:00 I'm done for the day. Then yesterday afternoon I started coughing a bit, eyes itchy, sore throat, a little achy. Yep, I think I'm coming down with a cold. 

Every time I go down state to visit the grandkids I get sick. Since my symptoms started on Wednesday, I'm thinking that's where I probably picked up this stupid bug. Well, off I go to see what this old Singer long arm will do.

Class A Success

I was able to finish my coat in class yesterday. Well, I need to press the inside arm seam but I have a finished product and here it is...

Was it worth it?

This coat received glowing reviews from the shop owners, the fellow students, and customers in the store shopping. I guess it's a win. I love it! Jim even said he loved it and that it was cute. 

So, on to my next "garment" project. I can no longer show my knees. My over-sized thighs (thanks skating days) are heading south and heading towards my knees. They are UGLY! Summer is coming and while I do have a few pairs of capri jeans, it would be nice to have something a little cooler and freer flowing in those unbearable 90-degree days.

I love my bib shorts, but again, they show my knees. I tried ordering capri bibs and there are only a few available out there and what is available are ridiculously expensive. 

YouTube produced a vast number of bib overall/coverall/dungaree patterns and then I stumbled upon two Australian ladies who teach beginning garment sewing and how to draft your own patterns. I have hit pay dirt I think.

I have my pattern pieces drafted and cut out. I pre-washed some inexpensive fabric I picked up yesterday at Material Mart from their sale section. I got enough for four pairs of "dunga's" for under $60. One of the few pair on-line I liked were $89 without shipping. 

I was so excited I kept on going. I have the pockets made, the straps and loops made, and will be continuing on today while Jim is trimming the girls. 

Pieces of dungarees

We had a wonderful dinner yesterday after class at Lucky's Steakhouse and just before we left yesterday morning, Jason called and said both the "boys" were ready to pick up. But they were in Grand Rapids. Ummm...no. I have plans and can't make the trip before you are finished with your vendor event. 

Jim is going to take tomorrow off to run down to fetch them in Lansing. Yay. The studio looks empty with two vacant frames, and now nothing on Bernie's frame either. I have a HUGE work week ahead of me I think. 

Life Long Learner

I'm the first person you'll hear say something like, I did not know that or Hey, that's a really cool thing you did. 

My student yesterday came up with a motif I had never really seen occur in the quilting world before, so here's a pic of what she ingeniously invented...

The bottom motif

I like it!

I have a garment class today I'm attending and Jim is heading in with me to do our weekly errands. We're going out for our anniversary celebratory dinner after class.

The girls have already had baths today and while we were getting around for our trip into town Jim noticed two calls from Grand Rapids. Well, two means somebody is trying to get a hold of us. Jason had called from the Plainfield store and said both machines (DW and Marty) were ready to be picked up. BUT, they are in GR not Lansing.

Jim is going to take Monday off and run down to Lansing to pick up the "guys" instead of us having to run the additional two hours to get them. And, quite honestly, I won't be doing much on them this weekend because we're going to be gone all day today...and I don't long arm (usually) on Sundays. 

Class, Quilt Show, and Moving

Class was very fun and I have all the pieces cut out for the quilted jacket. Talk about an emotional thing to do; cut up a completely finished quilt... 

A repurpose exercise

The coat in chunks

So, after we were finished with our class (around 2:00) I wandered over to the Midland Quilters Guild show at the Midland Center for the Arts. What a beautiful venue and what a great show! Several quilts I've worked on for customers were displayed and it was nice to see them in their full glory instead of laterally on the frame. 

I purchased a quilt kit from a quilt shop in Chesaning related to our lake and talked to a LOT of people during both the class and the quilt show. I have one business card left and I had zero intention of doing that. 

After getting home around 4:00-ish I inhaled some lunch and then Jim was able to show me what he did while I was gone. 

Getting ready for Marty on the east wall

DW is now facing the garage

The room looks kind of empty on the east side but only until Thursday morning. Haircuts this morning first thing and then I think I may piece a little before lunch. 

A Gift

I love to get surprise gifts. Maybe I'm selfish but getting something unexpected is always fun to me. Linda brought these with her yesterday when she dropped off her next top for me to quilt...

All Tula Pink fabrics

I was so appreciative of her, the top she dropped off is going to be pro-bono because there are some cuts in there exceeding a yard. 

Before and after my lunch with Linda I worked on Ginny's top and here's where I am starting today...

Day 1 of ???

There are over 16 threads in here meaning a lot of thread changes. And then you miss a spot you already loaded that thread for (three thread changes ago) and have to reload that thread. UGH!

After working on DW to almost dark, I switched to prepping for an art class I'm teaching in May. I've got all the girls marked out and I'll hopefully be starting to stitch out my marks tonight or tomorrow...

The lady with the pearl earring

There are four of these that need to be made in various stages of completion for demonstration purposes. Only three of the four are going to be time consuming since the first one is just a demonstration of the overlay in front of her. 

I'm debating on whether or not to just do these on the long arm or the sit-down machine. I can think about that today while I'm working I suppose. 

Back Home!

What a weekend. Oddly, I didn't take as many pics as I would have thought I would but here's a few...

One of Lauren's Mandala pieces

She's explaining the overall "feel" of this top

Just a little of my "take" from the weekend

Identifying corners with feathers

Another Mandala Lauren did

Working through my Arcadia Avenue quickly

It seemed like a blur of time and was a plethora of information to dissect. Thankfully I had a six hour drive ahead of me to think about and digest some of what Lauren taught and discussed with us over the four days. 

The drive was fine until about an hour into Michigan. Rain, rain, and more rain. I had to pull off at one point because I just could not see a thing.

New customer coming this morning and I have Scrap Petals to get into which is on the frame yet from my departure on Thursday. I had to contact Gall this morning to discuss the tension issue with that new bobbin case. A few suggestions and a solution was given and it'll be worked out with my piece today. Yay!

Plans Going South

From the title of todays blog it sounds like I'm heading towards a southern vacation. But mom and I were actually planning on a trip south to North Carolina to attend the John C. Campbell Folk Art School in August. Mom's hip is really misbehaving and there was a concern for her having to sit in the truck for such a long trek. Just sitting here at our house for a half hour was causing her issues.

Sadly, the trip was cancelled yesterday. I'd rather have mom comfortable and looking forward to the class rather than having to stress about the trip down and back. 

Now I'm on a mission to try to find a retreat/class/seminar to attend later this summer/fall. That'll be tonights project on the iPad. 

Meanwhile, yesterday was filled with errands. Hazel is heart worm free. We have groceries in the fridge after the kids were in and out all weekend with the reunion. I have my tulle for the Painted Ladies, and I started the last WIP!

Happy Camper

This was a fat quarter kit picked up from the Pieces of Thyme quilt shop a couple of years ago. It came with no directions and is left to the quilters imagination. I tried to do something with this at a retreat the winter after getting it and was unsuccessful. I tried to do something with it again last spring. Lost interest. Now we aren't playing around any more. We're going to make this into something. 

I have a customer quilt to work on with the long arm today that should have been worked yesterday. And I'll work on the Happy Camper thing somewhat while it's stitching away and again more intensely this evening. 

Heelllooo Newman

I wanted to say that to Culligan this morning when I called them only substituting Newman's name for Culligan's name. We are [still] having water issues and they need to come out and take a look at the situation. Sulfur, Iron, Calcium all building up on our outlet heads.

Yuck!

Now that this is done, I can move along in my day. Got an early start this morning. Something woke me up...probably the ice freezing on the lake since it makes a small boom with each freeze moment.

Starting to freeze over

Cpt. Morgans quilt is finished! After removing, trimming, and binding her quilt, I was able to move on to UFOs (remember, not starting anything new until these are dealt with). 

Here's one of what was unearthed during Sunday cleaning.

What I started with

It was from a class I took on Craftsy and never really got much further with it. It required a bunch of hand stitching and my interest waned at some point throughout the stitching process. Here's how it was rescued. 

A cool pillow

I'll continue moving along with those UFOs after my day of long arming today. Linda's Presents top is up next, but uncharacteristically did not get loaded last night?! I don't think my heart was in it...or something. 

Free Motion Woes

It's hard to get into something really intense when an 18-week old puppy as cute as Hazel is, wants, and needs, your attention.

Hazel has been very demanding the past two days and it's hard to dive into something for any length of time. At this point however, there are options.

Short snippets of piecing (such as Stripe Me Happy flying geese) is option number one. Researching items needed or techniques/classes on the wish list is option number two. Making a video for Handi Quilter to maybe?? win a chance to get to Utah for a long arm retreat is option number three. Or just wandering aimlessly around the house cleaning and putzing is option number four.

All options were exercised the past 24 or so hours. The video was submitted yesterday. I have found a class on Craftsy for a double wedding ring pattern using paper piecing for Caleb and Lia's wedding quilt. The house sparkles (except for maybe the windows and a little dusting here and there), and the second set of flying geese needed for border #3 are in progress.

Today is starting out to be much of the same.

But who can resist this cute face?

Hello!

Until I receive more batting (ordered on-line because nobody around here seems to have any wool at an affordable price), I am at a long-arm stand still. 

My Janome Horizon (Mike) is being a wiener about free motion quilting those placemats, even though he's been in for service about this very issue (shredding thread in certain directions). After I get what's partially loaded onto and done on DW, I'll finish the placemats on DW rather then struggling with Mike. It's just not worth the hot flashes and prolific language slinging to fight with a machine that has clearly decided it no longer wants to do one of the functions it's supposed to do.

So that leaves my other Janome 1800 (Jay) to piece flying geese, or anything else tugging at my tails, on today. I have three other machines. Two are old, old, old and don't have the ability/feet to try to free motion, and the other machine (Brother Innova Laura Ashley---aptly named Laura) has been tried in the past to free motion with very little success. So ya just make what ya got available work.

Onward, Ho!