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. 

Everest

Doing a Jacqueline deJonge quilt is a quilters Everest. I've attempted one myself and only got through about 1/3 of the pattern and decided to just quilt that. The one I'm quilting for a customer right now is HUGE! After working on it for about five hours, I've gotten the first 12" done. Whew!

Yep, took me five hours

And why did it take me so long? All the marking and color selection takes up a lot of time. 

Marking for the slim sliced triangles

Those are 1/2" intervals, times 98 inches. And that's just the side portion. I'll be chipping away at this intermittently over the next few weeks. The customer isn't going to be back until mid-April so there's no hurries on this one. 

Meanwhile, and while I was working on this piece, I was frame ironing the back for this one now loaded onto Bernie...

Bernadettes Tilda Houses

I don't think there's actually a pattern for this. I think Bernadette selected pieces and parts of a pattern and made this one up. I'll be working on this today. 

BUT...we had severe winds for the time being so I'm going to have to quilt cautiously. They are supposed to calm a bit here shortly and I'll keep an eye on things before actually turning on the machine. I have threads to pick out and design elements to decide on first. 

Jim worked in the new studio last night getting the last of the main floor laid. The closet floors still need to be done, but first the closets themselves need to be finished. He also worked on some of the window trim that hasn't been finished yet but with the gloomy day yesterday he ran out of light. Maybe tonight? 

Accident Day

Not a car accident or anything remotely Earth shattering as all that, but ding-yourself-up-accident day definitely happened. Those dumb Japanese Lady Beetles (affectionally known as bean bugs) started coming in the house yesterday. Time to get out the dust buster and keep on top of them; banged my shin up pretty good on the chair I was using to get at them.

Once I doctored myself up from that I finished quilting Scrap Petals and took it off the frame. I built the binding and was putting that on when I decided to sew through my finger, nail and all. It's kind of interesting to see a needle sticking through your finger and then having to go find the needle nose pliers to pull the damn thing out. 

But I did manage to get the binding on and the Scrap Petals is complete. 

Ready to use

Frog and Owl are also completed and hanging in the bathroom.

Who?

Jim brought the mail into the studio right in the middle of my needle-in-the-finger crises so I wasn't able to check it out until later. This came yesterday! So excited!

This is the smaller one measuring 46" x 52"

I wish I would have paid attention when I purchased this because I really wanted the bigger size. But this will make a decent throw when I border it out. The pattern is jelly roll friendly but I don't have one with 42 varying colors. I think I may make it a little scrappy and pull from my stash instead. Hmmm???

Putting a customer quilt on who has already bound the quilt and needs me to re-quilt it from her previous quilter who messed it up. I'll have to baste temporary leaders on it first to get it loaded and then see what I can do from there.

Friendship

I am very fortunate to have about four or five close friends; those people you can tell just about anything to.

And I am blessed to have many other friends whom I can share quilting pitfalls and accomplishments with. Sarah McNary is one of the new AIQ friends. You can see her on the latest HQ live talking/teaching/inspiring about color theory. Which, until this week, was a yawner subject to me.

Sarah talked about the color wheel (don't yawn until you watch her video...seriously). She made one and although didn't out-and-out challenge us to make one, there was a challenge where I was concerned. Here's mine in the works yesterday.

A very fun, but very challenging project

This was probably one of the hardest things I've had to do in a while. I could go on for hours about what it took just to prep the underlayment.

Here's another project I've always wanted to tackle in my quilting world.

Double Wedding Ring Wall Hanging 

This was a class on Craftsy/Bluprint by Jackie Kunkle. I wanted to see if this was a direction I would head in with Lia and Caleb's wedding quilt. It. Is. Not. It took three days over the weekend to get a 30" wall hanging pieced and while it's beautiful, I'm just not going there for their quilt. Next option.

Work yesterday, work today and then tomorrow I hope to get some long arming started on the new Dresden a customer brought over last Wednesday.