With Good Intentions

Today is guild day. I'm supposed to be there 16 minutes ago. Since that last time I looked at the clock this morning was 3:42, I didn't figure I'd get up in time to attend. Dogs barking all over the lake (and beyond) and my head would not shut down last night. Maybe I need some sleeping gummies?

The embroidered quilt is done. Nothing on Bernie right now. Here's what I'll be working on today on Marty...

Iila's beautiful reproduction

This is another June deadline and it's a biggie! The vine in the border as well as all the embellishments are hand-turned appliqué. Such patience! It doesn't look like many thread changes though, so that helps. 

Not only did I get the quilt above all ready for today, I had a little time in the late afternoon to get the puppy quilt stitched out. 

A little more loose than what I would normally put into a quilt, but I'm using this as a teaching tool tomorrow; how to machine bind, and needed to get it done quickly. And the little guy I made this for isn't going to use it long since he's almost nearly 4-years old. 

Getting ready to join

After trimming the above quilt I started attaching the binding. This is where our lesson will begin. How to invisibly join and how to turn and continue on from the top. 

I did a Love Letter block and then worked on a cowboy boot. This one is now blanket stitched and took a long time to finish!

I'm frame ironing for the next quilt on DW already and I made one pinwheel on the garden table runner started a few days ago. Only 58 more pinwheels to go. 😗

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. 

Teaching

It's great to teach if you've been classically trained. Like I have. Yesterday was a great day and while I was nervous going in, I settled right back into teaching mode and had a blast. It doesn't matter what age you teach, whether it's six-year olds or 86-year olds, repetition and availability is key. Having smiles during the process and successes after the lesson is priceless!

Happy faces and lots of progress!

I didn't get home last night until nearly 9:00. It was a long but wonderful day. The weather was gorgeous and here's a view of one of Michigans great lakes...

Lake Huron in the morning

I usually only get to see this lake in the afternoon/evening hours, but the morning views are spectacular.

Two quilt tops were picked up while I was up north and after logging those in and getting them into the queue (another fall finish deadline) I'll be working on Sandy's quilt on DW. But first I have to return phone calls that came in yesterday. 

Tomorrow I'll be out of the studio too. I'm (hopefully) heading to Grand Rapids to the AQS show. I haven't been in two years and it's time to pay vendors and quilt makers a visit. 

Collections

I didn't think I would be blogging today since I did absolutely nothing in the studio yesterday; I wanted to give my foot a rest since I'll be on my feet all day Tuesday and Thursday.  

Do you collect anything? I seemingly collect long arms. 😅 But I also collect (kind of) the letter "C". I had these C's randomly scattered throughout the old studio, yet nobody seemed to notice them. At least, they never commented. Except my mom. Who thought they were stupid. 

When everything was taken down off the wall of the old studio so we could paint (including those elusive C's) I  decided not to put them back in the new studio. I knew it was because they were scattered and not really noticed and instead, yesterday, made a collage of them in our bedroom where "Stitch Happens" was removed. 

A small collection 

Cute, huh? Why the letter C? Because I love my name and it starts with C silly.

I'll be working on/finishing Elleens quilt today on Bernie and starting Sandy's on DW. I'll probably be working late since tomorrow is a bust.

Speaking of. Tomorrow I'm going to be in Oscoda ALL DAY teaching the Radiant Suns class as well as attending the monthly guild meeting. My return home won't be until well after 9:00 tomorrow night. Class starts at 10:00am meaning I have to leave here around 8:00am. I'm so excited about teaching again! I probably won't sleep worth a poop tonight! Ah, well, the fun I'm going to have will be well worth the lack of sleep. Happy Monday!

Traveling

I was in the truck yesterday for a little under 300 miles. Presque Isle is a haul from here and yet, I didn't really mind. I took the long(er) way up along the lakeshore of Huron and I was not disappointed in my journey. The colors were beyond words, especially in the morning with the sun reflecting off the lake waters shining up into the trees. 

Here's what's on Bernie this morning...

Something started last year

It's just a cute camping panel with more detail at the bottom. It was started at the long arm event I went to down in Cleveland about a year ago. 

Tina's quilt is still on DW and here is some of the quilting detail going into it...

LOVE doing woodgrain

I was cruising along pretty well and then I received a call from a customer who wanted to come over and drop off a quilt top. She was here for a while and shortly after she left, Christine and Larry came up from the Lansing area to fetch the t-shirt quilt I did earlier this week. The afternoon was pretty much shot for DW work. 

I moved to Bernie and finished the Angela Walters quilt-along panel...

I love doing feathers!

Now all I have to do is find some binding for it. Despite the heavy thread work in here, it's still pretty pliable because I put wool batting into it. Had this had a few other kinds of batt, I think it would probably stand up in the corner by itself. 

We have a beautiful fall day in store for us today. Jim has some outside chores he wants to tackle (transplanting bushes and trees) and I may be able to open the house (and studio) windows to enjoy our Indian summer. 

Another Rush

I had two quilts dropped off last night (around 7:15-ish Jim said) and one needs to be done asap. It's for Bittersweet Quilt Shop in Pinconning. It's a holiday quilt and of course, needs to be displayed for the holiday quilt makers. 

Having said that, here's what's on DW today...

Holiday Critters

She is specific on what she wants in some of the areas, and not so much in the others. Bernie is still sporting the Angela Walters Quilt-Along quilt. I had to turn it last night because I didn't want to chunk the side grey border areas...

Some of the quilting and those grey borders

I had a customer come and drop off during the afternoon hours (my normal business hours), and I have another coming today to pick up. 

A previous customer of mine, who has since acquired a Bernina long arm, just like mine only with the robotics attached, wants me to come up and give a long arm lesson. So, I'll be heading out early tomorrow morning to Presque Isle so no blogging either. 

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.

Too Confusing

The 100 Blocks block posted for the past six days have been the blocks from the previous days I'm posting. (Wow, if that's not confusing). For instance, today is block 7 that posts to Instagram. But on the blog, I would have posted block 6 for yesterday's Instagram post.

That's being changed. The day the block posts on Instagram is the day it'll be posting it here. Meaning today is a bonus day since I have to show both yesterdays and todays blocks.

Block 6

Block 7

I finished this little cutie yesterday on the long arm and actually got it bound between trips to town.

A class sampler for future use

I hope to use it to teach piecing/quilting if anybody would actually hire me teach in their shop.

The long arm is empty and my goal is to get something loaded today. I was just texting Katie about all the unfinished tops I have hanging around here and how I need to get a handle on the volume. The constrictor in all of it is batt and backs. But at least what is in inventory to finish can be started.

Between getting ready for the reunion, I can do a row, or even a block for sanity purposes and try to get some of these finished. That's the goal for the next few days I think.