Funeral Day

We are headed downstate here in a few minutes but thought I could blog before we left. Putting together sandwiches didn't take as long as I had anticipated. 

I got my BOW done...

Need to post yet on FB

After that was completed, I loaded the VW bus onto Marty and started quilting that...

Cute!

After lunch I quilted some more and actually got it done. I pulled it off the frame and Jim had a ball game to watch so started working on the back part of the pillow. I put a zipper closure in the back so the exterior could be washed.

Andrew called on his way to Michigan and while talking to him, got the back done and then bound it. I had JUST enough stuffing to get the inside form made and here's the finished pillow...

A Christmas gift for Jims sister

I hope she likes it. After I finished that in the late afternoon, I turned to designing the strip quilt top for the QAL with Natalia Bonner. I think I have everything worked out and it's a good thing I did lay it down on graph paper because I would have did it wrong as I was thinking about it in my head. The fabric for the background strips is ironed and waiting for me to cut out. 

DW's encoder won't make it tomorrow as it is Columbus Day which means no mail delivery. GRR!

Short Week

Another short week in the horizon this week. I'll only be open today through Wednesday. Thursday we leave for reunion. I'd rather be working if I'm being honest. 

The reunion, for most, is a vacation. For Jim and me it's work, work, work. And it's not just the four days we are there. No, it's the three days preceding and the two days after packing and unpacking, cleaning, etc. I could go on all day about this, but this is a quilting blog, not a bitch blog.

Here's the quilting that went into the Lake pillow...

Looks like gentle waters

Once that was quilted, I moved along to another project I started on Saturday; the Helen Godden pattern I downloaded a week or so ago...

Not sure how I'm going to color these yet

This is going to be an alphabet quilt that will be quilted on the sit-down. After tracing all the letters, I now have to color them in. Not sure yet how I'm going to do that; whether it's going to be my luminary paints or with my InkTense blocks. I have plenty of time to think about that though. 

Here's what's on DW today...

Diane's beautiful EPP and hand embroidered top

Diane does such beautiful work. Actually, most of my customers do. I won't be long arming for a bit though because I have two quilts to pull and trim off Bernie and Foster and two backs to get back on them to frame iron. And, we have another thunderstorm going through this morning.  

Shopping Day

Mom texted this morning and asked if I wanted go to Menards with her in Mt. Pleasant. Since I need to start getting fixtures for the [new] studio, and since it's supposed to be a beautiful weather day, decided to take advantage of the fact my mom is still alive and we can do things together.

Once I return I'll be working on what DW is wearing today...

Pillow Covers

These will match the Flea Market quilt I just finished for Debbie. Great use of the leftover fabric from the project.

Merry Christmas Eve Eve

Jim took today off and we ran errands this morning. Hazel went with and enjoyed the truck ride. Not much to report except that I'm still working on Cathie's fourth quilt. I should be able to finish it up this afternoon now that we're home for the day and not expecting any additional visitors or interruptions.

I need to, at some point, start getting ready for the holiday. So. Much. To. Do! Wrapping, baking, cleaning, washing bedding, preparing other foods, making gifts and wrapping them. Sorting what I've been accumulating throughout the year first before wrapping can even begin.

Maybe today, after Cathies quilt is off and I load the next one, I can start working on those pillow covers, which are one of the kids' gifts. The tops are stitched out but need to make the inserts (I'm going to use zippered ones this time so they can be washed too) and need to research on how to do that since "sewing" isn't part of my usual wheelhouse. And the backs aren't on the tops yet. UGH!

Oh, and there's a new wide back fabric out there with kind of a satin feel to it. Mickey purchased some from Pieces and I took a pic of how it looks after stitching it out. 

Stitches sink right down in

I thought the stitches would just sit on top because of the smoothness of the fabric, but with the bamboo batt it really stitched out nicely. Win! 

Broken Needles

I seldom break needles on the long arm. I mean, I can count on one hand the amount I've broken in all those stitches on the machine. But, yesterday was needle number three (or four?). It was an old needle and I wanted to get these pillow covers stitched out before I changed it for Mickey's two quilts. Apparently I was supposed to change it sooner.

Here is what the green buffalo plaids turned into.

There are six covers total

Four of the covers are Spartan heads, the other two are just flowers as shown. 

Here's what was on the frame after the little needle incident. 

Mickey's first top 

I didn't snag any pics of the quilting in here because I was rocking yesterday and actually completed this a little after Jim arrived home from work. And, it was all custom!

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

Mickey's second top

I loaded and actually started the border work last night. DW is going to drive the center section today, but I'll still have to ruler the borders as the quilt is being advanced.

Late Getting Started

Not sure when it was we've had a rainy Sunday morning. The kind of morning perfect for lounging in jammies, catching up on blogs, reading, YouTube videos, and Instagram posts. And I don't even feel guilty. 

Yesterday I loaded another one of my tops onto DW and here's what he's wearing today...

Pattern designed by Linda McGibbons

This will take a while to quilt I think.

I finished the heart top and got the AQS pillow tops made as well as the binding done on the AQS quilt.

I ventured out yesterday afternoon to deliver a quilt and do a little yard sale shopping at a customers home. I did manage to pick up a new sewing machine for Katie as a back up for her should her other one decide to conk out on her. At least she'll have something to do until she can get a new machine. 

And Jim put my new sign in the yard even with one foot barely walkable and the other wrapped up in gauze and post surgery stuff. He rocks!

Isn't this cool?

Not sure how motivated I'll be today. I'll see what comes along and interests me. I exchanged quilting for a few kits at the yard sale yesterday and may delve into one of those sine the other ones are done??

Another Surgery

Albeit it was a small one, Jim had to have a tendon cut on his other foot yesterday (opposite the ankle reconstruction) to relieve a hammer toe issue. This occupied most of our afternoon. I did manage to get the AQS quilt quilted before we left as well as two pillow tops to match.

Pillow tops to match the quilt

I'll often do this with orphan or test blocks to get some use of the fabric in a positive way.

After we returned home from his little surgery, I constructed the flying geese that will be used for the border for the heart project I'm working on. 

Flying geese for the border

Today is a quiet day around the "lake" so a great opportunity to work in here most of the day. I want to get the AQS quilt off, bound, and the pillow backs made to prepare for forms. I'd like to get the heart quilt top completed (great, another UFO to add to the stack of tops needing quilting) or maybe I'll just get it quilted???? 

I have to run a finished quilt over to a customer later this afternoon but that won't take up too much of the day with plenty left for me to enjoy the studio. 

Back on the Iron Hunt

There used to be a commercial out there where a woman was screaming "Calgon, take me away," as her day kept getting more stressful. I feel like screaming out like this about irons.

The iron in the background in the pic below lasted maybe a week before it started showing illness symptoms; auto shut off shorter than eight minutes, steam sporadic if at all, burst of steam usually not present and when it was it was a 10-12 second delay in reaction after pushing the button. And yesterday is started randomly peeing. 

The debunked iron and a small project

So this pillow is the result of trying those scrappy blocks out that turned out I wasn't really all into...too many restrictions on light/dark placement. So I made a large pillow, but, I need some more batting scraps to get the insert finished (which I also made). 

I did about 15 of these this weekend.

The Oranges

This is a nice project for after my long arming day. Not much thought and they go together fairly easy. 

We started moving Jim's things into the downstairs bedroom preparing for his ankle surgery in six or so weeks. As usual, something like that always takes longer than you think its going to, and we are just starting.

Today I'm working on Paulette's king quilt intermittent with a visit from my mom later this morning/early afternoon. 

Holiday Homecoming

Two of the kids are back--from Washington state and we're over the moon having them back home. Once we met them in Midland, shopping, and general merriment here at the house ensued. It's been a year since I've seen my big and my little kid and at least, this season, we'll be with two out of the three. The big kid is abstaining this year due to the "thing", which means we don't get to see our big kid and his wife, or our grandkids either. <sigh>.

The last Christmas order is being delivered today.

Getting the pillows quilted and ready for couching

The three custom ordered pillow casings

I had to wait until yesterday to get the pillow forms and neglected to get a pic prior to getting them packed and ready to be delivered.

I've also been whittling away at that darn WIPs pile. These are ready to have their sashing attached to them but don't know how much sewing I'll get in this week, which is okay given the trade-off of spending time with my kiddos. 

Sugaridoo BOM from 2020

Hazel missed the kids too.

"What you two doin'?"

She laid in front of their door this morning waiting for them to get up. The kids, however, are still on Pacific time and haven't yet adjusted back to EST so are still snoozing away.

Christmas and Birthdays

I had a customer contact me earlier this morning that she received the Christmas card I sent to her. She also let me know her baby was born on the 9th. Poor thing has to share her birthday with the biggest holiday of the year. As does Jim.

It's usually hard to make the day special and not-Christmas-like when Christmas is becoming so commercialized. But this year is different. This year we are all dealing with the "thing" and very few holiday activities are actually occurring. Maybe with this shoulder shake the masses will wake up and smell the coffee about what Christmas actually means. And birthdays too.

This is what's on the frame this morning. 

Linda's Present top

After quilting most of this last night I worked on more UFO things. 

Orphan block already quilted

A leftover from the Twirly quilt that just had to be made into a pillow top. I don't have enough fluff to make the actual pillow portion inside, but I got it squared and assembled into a pillow cover. 

Next.

Two test sandwiches used when DW was being naughty

These have a relatively nice batting in them and to just throw them away wasn't in the cards. I've square them up and, once again, will make large throw/floor pillows out of them that we can use without worrying about their demise. I've also run out of muslin to make the pillows out of so I'm afraid a trip to JoAnn's is in my future. Groan. 

That about covers the sewing projects sitting immediately on top. Mom's top is next in the pile so once I complete Linda's quilt today I can get moms loaded and worked on before Christmas actually arrives. It was supposed to be her birthday present. Thankfully, she's very understanding. 

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. 

In the Groove

I must have been really rested yesterday. Much was done in the studio.

Joanie's Christmas Quilt with a Minky backing

The minky backing was causing some slide issues yesterday. The batting kept wanting to shift. Which, in turn, kept causing the top to want to shift. Which was causing puckers near the edge of the borders. But we came to and understanding (that silly Minky and I) and got it done by mid-afternoon.

Luann's Big Ole Heart

This wasn't the next one to hit the frame (pictures do not load in the order I send them for some reason), but rather the last one. The table runner below was the next one up. But this big heart has been basted in and is ready to go first thing today. 

Tristan's Christmas Pillow

I'm making these On-The-Go Travel Pillows (pattern purchased at Pieces in Thyme and created by Fishsticks Designs) for each of the older kids for Christmas. This handle turned out on the correct side this time. It was my error with the previous attempt over last weekend. So, apparently I can no longer read.

A Ghostly Tablerunner for Luann

If you look close enough, there are ghosts quilted into the runner. What you can't see (and it didn't want to photograph) is there is glow in the dark thread for the ghosts. Every house is ditched also as are the stars in the center. 

Today I will continue on with the Big Ole Heart and maybe make another pillow for Hannah. While DW was stitching out Joanie's rows yesterday, I was able to start researching all the addresses I've lived in my life. I need to get a hold of my mother and my father both to fill in some of the blanks, but I think I have enough to start making the Colette version of Paulettes houses/memory quilt. 

Production Day

 This was completed yesterday morning, as I had hoped it would be.

Paulette's Crazy Kitties

I loaded and completed two of these for a new customer (Mary Anne) and they turned out so cute. 

Mary Anne's Squadron Leader Quilts

Both of these quilts were done free motion and with ruler work.

This was attempted. Well, it's done, but apparently I either a) can't read directions anymore, or b) the directions were incorrect. I have to go back and see what I did, but the handle got put on the wrong side of the pocket for the little ones to carry their books in.

The handle should have been on the other end

I'd like to make one of these for each of the four older grandkids for Christmas. I'll stick a new book in there for them and maybe a little cash. 

Jim's ragg quilt is now officially finished. It was in the dryer on fluff most of yesterday lifting off all the threads. It was then picked clean after a day in the dryer and now he has it on his chair waiting for our cold weather to come.

Today is another long arming day with a Christmas top for Joan S. She has chosen Minky for the backing and it's proving to be interesting trying to get the tension right on the bars so not too much drag occurs while DW is stitching out the design. 

Paulette brought a quilt over to show me on her last couple of visits. My theory is that if I can't get something out of my head, I need to do something about it. The quilt had been hand embroidered with all the various places she has lived in her life. While I DO NOT hand embroider (it looks terrible), I was thinking about ways to do each block with all the homes I have lived in my life (I think I'm at 31). 

I was going to do it on the long arm somehow, but, with all the customer tops waiting, don't think that would happen even yet this year. Jim suggested a quilt-as-you-go on my sit down machine. Which is a much better idea. 

I'm still formulating that in my head. How much detail do I want to go into with each house? Do I want to put the years in along with the addresses? Do I want to color each house in the correct thread colors or leave them all the same? Decisions, decisions. Lots to think about while I'm working in here today. 

When You Wish Upon a Star

If you're gonna wish, wish big, right? My two wishes for today:

1) This virus thing go away. People are so misinformed. The media stretches and cuts/pastes what they want the public to hear from physicians and medical facilities. The public is in a frenzy.

2) A sit down mid/long arm machine. My Janome (Mike) just doesn't like doing it. He'll only allow me to go down or to the right. Going left or up results in immediate issues. 

But, those are wishes and the reality is just dealing with what ya got in front of ya. Which I'm fine with. I stay home. Sew. Quilt. Get on-line for interaction with friends/family. It's all good for me actually.

Here's what went on the frame and partially quilted yesterday. 

Valerie's Bookshelf Top

It's loaded sideways in case the bookcase didn't come right into perspective. 

The pillow to match the top for mom was made and marked up two days ago, and I had every intention of quilting it on the Janome. But after trying to quilt my little monthly wallhanging yesterday, decided it would probably be best if I just do it on the long arm. 

Mom's pillow top in the works

Long arming had to stop mid-afternoon since the wind became rather ridiculous. Moving on to the slabs afterwards to complete the red and red/orange set. Once finished with those the May wallhanging was roughed in the day before so I worked on it. 

The wallhanging was background stitched with my double needle prior to adding the appliqué. But when quilting down the appliqué, forgot to add a backing to the dumb thing. Today that  has to be fixed  somehow. It was the last thing worked yesterday and decided I was probably tired and needed to stop at that point. 

Birds in the Air

I talked about friendship yesterday. The PQ challenge this week is based on the block Birds in the Air. I don't have much time this week to work on anything extremely difficult since I have work for three days and long arm the huge Dresden for my new customer.

And...we are leaving Friday morning for Detroit to attend the Garth Brooks concert on Saturday. We won't be returning home until Sunday afternoon.

I found this friendship flannel fabric in my stash and I need a new pillow to use when reading at night for our bed.

I put a wool batt in the first layer to give the pillow breathability. Hot flashes and all.

Doing some straight line quilting

This would have went much quicker on the long arm, but it's occupied.

Here's the finished pillow casing. I'm washing my old pillow to use the stuffing inside and once that gets done, I'll debone it and reuse what I can.

Birds in the Air Pillow

I feel like each of the PQ challenges come out on the cusp of a week where I'm so busy with outside obligations. Darn it all. I'd like to really dig in and do something more creative but at least I'm doing something, right?

Sunny Sampler

Sunny is finally getting off the frame later. Work this afternoon, so I don't know if it'll be today yet, but tomorrow for sure.

My pics aren't wanting to load this morning...maybe because it's 14 degrees outside and everything is frozen.

Meanwhile, here is DW in action doing the cross hatching on the tops of the pillows I made for everybody at work.

DW making cross hatches

 Okay, photos have decided to thaw out.

Sunny Sampler

This was a fun piece to quilt. Lots going on and a few of the blocks were just pieces of a panel so there were no seams to have to deal with. Not sure yet who this is for or whether I'll just post on the sale site.