And It Begins

Jim pulled the trailer up yesterday late in the afternoon. I was already done working and we don't want the thing sitting in the direct sunshine while we have to clean it out from whatever got in it over the winter.

Given what I was cleaning out of it, it appears Mr. Mousy got in earlier this spring when all the Comet had  washed away from around it in the spring rains. Our barn is not weather tight, just resistant. 

Meanwhile, in the quilting world of things, here are a few pics of what I'm putting into Virginia's Pickle Dish quilt.

Feathers in the arcs

Straight lines in the blades and second border

Swag with a feather in the lower portion and piano keys above

After getting the trailer cleaned and prepped for packing (we have some supplies coming for the trailer today and tomorrow so I won't pack much tonight) I came back into the studio to do some other stuff. 

A Love Letter block was done and two more leaf blocks were blanket stitched for Flower Power. 

I had every intention of getting on DW after working the two leaf blocks but I was pooped and it was after 7:30.

One customer coming to pick up this morning and that's about it. 

Yay! Long Arming!

Didn't realize how much I missed the big guy until he was fired back up yesterday. One of the tops completed during the virtual retreat begged to be finished. Or, it was one of the tops that just didn't fit into the tote of Flimsy's. Either way, it's on the frame and half done.

Getting back on the frame

After long arming, work on the reunion Cross commenced. Sections one through eight are completed. 

Laying out section eight

More long arming and Cross building today; and anything else I can find to get into between now and later.  

Moving Along Despite The Virus

I have/had a mild case of the "bug" or "thing" as I appropriately like to call it. I am nearly fully functional and have made some progress on the DeGroot Reunion top the past day or so.

My design wall isn't going to be big enough to accommodate the whole quilt as I build it. I drafted the pattern onto graph paper and then chunked it up into smaller sections to be built independently; 16 in all. I have managed to get to section six and will work on this some more today.

The main cross is designed. 

I haven't long armed in a few days and feel like it's time to get something on DW. He's had his vacation and I was avoiding making so much noise since this "thing" hit Jim pretty hard. While he was in the headache phase I didn't want to inflate the situation by DW's loud presence. 

Now I just need to figure out what to get on him today.

A past customer called this morning about dropping off a few quilts to the house. Since we are on quarantine she is going to leave them in the back room and we can talk later about what to get into them when the time comes.

While the "thing" is not very probable in transference off fabric, there is still a possibility. And as long as there is a possibility, I'm going to leave those customer quilts tucked away until at least Monday just to be sure I'm not responsible for any one else having to deal with this "bug". 

Obstacles and Other Things

Okay DeGroots. It's in the works. Despite having "the thing" running amok in the house, I'm starting the reunion quilt. 

DeGroot Reunion Quilt Begins

Funny, how Santa is in the corner saying "Joyful". A mere coincidence on the photographers efforts. 

We had a B.E.A.Utiful snow fall last night. 

Another few inches to add to our snow

Hopefully today I'll feel a bit more perky than I did yesterday and get to work some more on the DeGroot reunion top. Maybe I'll load something else of mine on the long arm? Not sure where I'll head once the kids are on the road and back to their "real" lives.

Winters Grip

Yep, today we wake up to about a half inch of snow. And, it seems to be an ongoing thing with squalls intermittent with sunshine throughout the day. And the wind is howling...again.

It's a great day to quilt! Here's what's on the frame now.

Barnyard and other animal friends

In keeping with the animal theme, I've included a few more in the setting squares.

Quack!

Bzzzz

The additional critters are done with the Handi Quilter Pro Stitcher, but the rest of the quilt is being free motion quilted. This is the quilt being sent to the reunion for auction this upcoming summer.

I also found myself working on my Jacqueline de Jong pieces last night after helping with more deck work. I'm getting way low on some of the batiks going into the piece. So much so production has stopped until I can get to a quilt shop to obtain more.

And where in the #$^& is my MSQC orders placed over three weeks ago? Seriously, I could have driven out there and back as long as they are taking. But I understand they are probably swamped with all the folks making masks, so I get it, and patience is relevant here. Maybe today?