Merry Christmas

Well, I spent way too long on the Alaska quilt yesterday. It was supposed to be done (in my head) by mid-afternoon, but nope. Not until mid-evening. But, here it is!

It's a finish

Had to do a lot of math to get this pieced border to fit, but it fit perfectly and I'm happy with the finish.

We don't have a lot planned today other than going to moms and making pizzas. Just visiting with her will be a low-keyed day to relax and enjoy each others company. 

Merry Christmas Eve

Today is a play day. I was actually planning on making Christmas cookies today but we have one family who is currently fighting Influenza A and it looks like we may have to postpone our family Christmas to Monday or Tuesday next week. They are keeping us posted. 

Here's some of the quilting going into the Produce Section quilt...

Background work

I've only started the borders and the background and hope to work on this later today. But for now, my goal is to finish the Alaska quilt. I'm changing the borders the author instructed us to do and simplifying things a bit...

I'm going to do a 4-patch rather than a "v" like she instructs. I need to build the borders first before I can get any of them on. 

Jim is going out to his workshop to continue on with the memory boxes for the grandkids. We spent most of yesterday running the roads to pick up parts/supplies/mail/ in two different towns. Why does traveling wear one out so much?

Making a Quilt In A Day

Yep, this quilt was completed in less than four hours. Yes, I did cut out petals/footballs over the course of four sessions, and I took a few hours in an afternoon to grid out the background, but essentially, I have a completed (binding excluded) quilt in a day.

A completed quilt!

Getting it started

The second pic is starting the piece at around 2:30, and first pic is around 6:00. I have the binding made and will be attaching that first thing this morning. Afterward I'll be making two pencil pouches for Christmas gifts for the grandkids.

Okay, I did work all of yesterday morning and part of the afternoon on the customer quilt on Bernie, so I didn't slack off all day. I also had a customer come and pick up and she was here for a while (her husband and Jim were busy talking). 

The body is together

While I was waiting for the furnace to quit running a few times yesterday I assembled the body of the Alaska top. I have two borders to attach. One is going to be pretty easy. The other is something I have to come up with because the one given isn't going to happen. 

While working on things today I need to find the next quilt/back to load onto DW. If I keep him naked, a customer quilt will end up on the frame and I need to stop doing that. 

At a Stand Still

I'm kind of at a long arming stand still. I finished the Sue Spurge yesterday at closing time. Now, I'm frame ironing two backs...

Bernie and Marty sitting in wait

I have the table runner quilted...

So until I pick the next project to get onto DW nothing is sitting waiting there. 

Speaking of DW; seems like every time he goes downstate for "fixing" he comes back with another issue. Yesterday was an electrical issue day. If his throat lights are plugged in, his handlebar lights do not work, and the button that selects his speed is also dead. And he stitches at about 4spi. Once I unplugged him and let him reset, he fired back up but the throat lights are unplugged as well. Guess we won't be using those anymore. 

I pieced the blocks together to make big sections for the Alaska top...

And that's where I ended last night because I had knitting to work on for the holidays. Still do have knitting to work, but the other four scarves are much smaller than what I'm making for the DIL.

We are off to get groceries this morning. We have poopy weather coming tomorrow afternoon and we don't want to go to the grocery store the weekend before Christmas. Today is going to be bad enough. 

A Happy Retirement Birthday

My best friend, my husband has his first "retirement" birthday today. It's still weird having him here all day long, but we're adjusting. Slowly. 

Yesterday was a mixture of all sorts of stuff; appointments, long arming, appliqué,
piecing, putting long arms back together, and watching the neighbors yard get torn up while it appears they are going to build a barn. The weather is a mixture as well. Six inches of snow on the ground and today it's raining. 

I finished the quilt on Marty and moved over to this one on Bernie...

Sue Spargo Woodland animals

Here's some of the quilting going into this quilt...

Can you see anything?

After working on this piece into late afternoon, I found a quilt we needed to do a little work on. I had to get a couple of straight lines placed in an area that wasn't quilted...

Inserting some straight lines

After finishing that I finished appliquéing and putting the borders on the last block in the Alaska top...

I checked to see how this quilt top is constructed and I'm floored that I have to use a partial seam to get all the blocks set in around the center block. UGH. I like partial seams about as well as nothing. 

Jim had a b-ball game to watch so while he was doing that I found and attached leaders to the absolute perfect backing for a table runner going to the B's for the holiday. Once all the leaders were temporarily attached I loaded this onto DW...

I had a hair brained idea to knit scarves for all the grandkids, but I've got one in the works for my DIL so I finished getting everything ready for today's work and then went to work some more on that. I don't know if my goal will be accomplished or not? Just gotta keep plugging away at things I suppose. 

Dental Appointment

I have a cleaning later this morning and I can't put it off. I have a tartar issue and if I neglect these cleanings, the next cleaning is so painful. Here's the catch. Jims company cancelled our health/dental/optical insurance on October 31st. So I'm paying cash today. Why do all of these things hit right during the holiday's? This isn't our first low-on-money-because-of-circumstances Christmas. 

Speaking of expenses, DW is back home. Part of the needle that broke off last week was still stuck in the race. They found it and Jim said while Jason was stitching it off, it was running great. We'll see. And the bill for not only his repair but the y-axis encoder was given to Jim yesterday. Cha-ching. 

I have one more day on Marty and then I'll be moving over to Bernie for the beginning of the evening. After I worked into the evening on the long arm, I moved over to framing the three blocks I had blanket stitched the previous day...

Looon

Polar Bear

Lupine

I have one more block to blanket stitch and frame. Maybe tonight? Meanwhile, I'll be in the studio until I have to leave for the dentist. 

Alaska Blocks

I worked on a few more Alaska blocks yesterday. 

Here's one of them. 

Moose in the trees

I have the polar bear and loon both blanket stitched and I have the salmon block appliqued but not yet blanket stitched. That leaves four to frame in total to complete the blocks. After all those are framed and constructed into a top, the pattern has a pretty pieced border that will go around all of it. But, I'm getting way ahead of myself here. 

I'll be working on Marty all day on Toni's Christmas quilt. Jim is downstate taking DW to the shop to get repaired since I knocked him totally out of time with that broken needle situation. Jim is also visiting the kids/grandkids while he's in the Lansing area and he has license plates to renew on my truck. Many birds with this stone. 

Customers on Saturday

Jim and I cherish our quiet time throughout the weekend, but we cherish talking to kind and friendly folks even more. Our customers that came yesterday were so nice and we took over an hour out talking to them.

Two more quilt tops were dropped off; Lori Holts Marketplace. Remember those? I've done about 10 of them already and two more came in yesterday. 

I long armed prior to them showing up and once again after we ate lunch for a total of about four to five hours. I lost track of time when I'm long arming. 

Well after dark, I started working on more Alaska blocks and completed these three last night...

Orca by the Sea

Ursa Major

I don't remember the name of this one

I'm planning on working on more of these today. We actually have some sunshine today which is the first day in a week or more where it's not clouded up right after sunrise. It's very bright out there with all the snow on the ground and will be nice to work with in the studio.

Lost Day

We had expected to be back to the house at a decent time yesterday. Mid-afternoon at the latest. It was early evening before we finally made it home and I had some things to take care of and put away before doing anything else.

Wanderers Path

Cache

Since last night did not lend itself to long arming, it did work for some small projects. I completed two more blocks in the Alaska top...It was 6:30 before I was able to look at a machine. Long arming did not occur because we totally lost yesterday as a production day. So, today I'll be working on the big machines.

And I have a customer who made an appointment last month to come today to drop a top off. Jim has a basketball game at noon and we'll end up with a late lunch time because of it. Which is fine. I received another email from a customer inquiring to her quilts whereabouts. I know! I'm so behind right now and I'm trying to catch up. 

Just A Little Bit Of Quilting

Here is the first border in our week-long project on DW...

I LOVE feathers!

Yes, that's me driving...not the computer! The second border also has a different set of feathers in it but won't photograph well since it's such a busy print and I'm using a complimentary thread.

Can you even see anything?

I worked on this top until well after 7:00 last night and decided that was enough. From there I moved to the Alaska blocks and completed this one...

Bear Paw

I had a surprise pick up yesterday and I have another scheduled pick up this morning. 

Meanwhile, I'll be shifting my energy this weekend away from the Alaska blocks to something a little different. It may not look like much when I'm done, but I'm willing to give it a try and feel like doing something a little new for a quick change of pace. 

Jim has to move the computer this morning since where it currently lives is where the Christmas tree is supposed to go. I'm sure I'll have to direct "traffic" in this endeavor since not only does the computer have to move, but so do the two chairs in the "office" and in the living room. 

On To Long Arm #3

Since I finished the sheep last night after closing time, I'll be today, and an unknown amount of subsequent days, I'll be working this quilt on DW... 

Linda's Judy Niemeyer 

This is what will be going into said quilt...

Look at all the fun!

This is a digitized pattern available for purchase on line. It's several hundreds of dollars. I'll NOT be doing that. I am, instead, going to be driving, with the customers permission.

I have a lot more marking to do this morning to get me started, but the quilt is basted in and the preliminary markings are in, as are the first couple of thread picks. 

I have a customer coming to pick up today. I think. She said Thursday, and I don't know if she meant today Thursday or next Thursday, and I didn't question if it was this Thursday because I thought yesterday was Tuesday instead of Wednesday. 

While I was working yesterday, Jim started on a holiday project we haven't tackled since we moved up here in '18...

Our little Snow Village by Department 56

Here it is in the daytime...

I got the wings blanket stitched down on the dragonfly last night and have gotten all the black shapes cut out for those blocks that have them. I have to construct those and work on the non-black shapes still. 

While I like Misty Fuse appliqué product for pliability, it's not the easiest to work with. I may just start spray basting things down or using a glue stick, because honestly, I have to clean my iron this morning (I wasn't paying attention) and I have plenty more shapes to make (salmon, parts of the loon, and parts of the orca) as well as others I can't remember right now. 

Last Day of Sheep

Once the sheep are done, I have to move over to DW to start working on the HUGE Judy Niemeyer. That one is going to take days and days to complete. 

We did run and get some groceries after lunch. When we returned I jumped back onto Marty to work on the sheep and did so until after 7:00 last night. Because Jim was watching the Spartan basketball game, I started making HST's...

48 of them

Now that those are all made, I started constructing the first block with the frames that go around...

That looks nice

And just when you think you can move onto the next block, realization hits you in the face. I have to blanket stitch the appliqué down yet before moving on. I do have the machine set up with the correct threads and am ready to start tonight after long arming.

Time Management

I thought the sheep were going to only take about two days. I long armed for a solid eight hours yesterday and I'm not anywhere near the half-way point. But, here's some quilting going in...

A fence for the sheep

And here's the sheep themselves...

Baaaaaa

You can't see it, but the faces have the same curls as the body.

Once I was done with long arming I finished piecing the last block in the Alaska quilt...

Got the wings a little off kilter

All of these have to be framed and appliquéd in the next go around. I've cut the squares/strips for the next phase and will get those together in my spare time.

And this is why I will never quilt barefoot

I dropped my scissors yesterday while trimming threads and this would have been my foot. Yep, never going to quilt barefoot. 

More of the same today as yesterday and at some point, Jim and I need to run to the grocery store. We are running out of everything and since we didn't go last week, we're way overdue. 

A Day of Rest

We are taught, from a very young age, all things enjoyed are great in moderation. While I am so very passionate about quilting, Sunday afternoon is a day away from the studio and all things quilting. I don't want to EVER hate my passion so I make myself stay out of there all afternoon and evening on Sundays. 

But in the morning I made the second to the last block in the Alaska top... 

Bear Paw

The last block is in progress, but the author of this quilt has a few blocks as 3D blocks, and I'm choosing to not do that. I'm going to raw-edge the two blocks that have the 3D part written in and the last block is the first of the two. There is some piecing that occurs first and then the 3D part is introduced. 

After the last block is done, most all of the other blocks have an appliqué that is added. This will be my next step in working on this. 

Now that we are returning back to our regularly scheduled programming, here's what's going to be happening in the studio this week. It's kind of like that game show Lets Make a Deal. On long arm number one we have this top...

For a lucky granddaughter for the holiday

On long arm number two we have this Sue Spargo top...

A wooly!

And on long arm number three we have this Judy Niemeyer top...

For a Daughter-in-law for Christmas

So...this is my week. Actually, I'll be working on the sheep this morning and afternoon. I'll start on the Judy on DW this evening. And I'll be bouncing between the two during the next two days. At least, that's my plan. I have one customer coming to pick up later this afternoon so business as usual. 

What a Difference a Day Makes

The way our weather is in Michigan is astounding sometimes. Here was our view off the deck yesterday morning...

Yesterday morning

Here's the view this morning...

What a difference

It's so pretty. While I was waiting for this pic to download, I noticed my downloads file was getting pretty messy, so I just deleted off about 500 pics from there. I'll empty the trash when I log out in a bit. 

No long arming yesterday because I got all of these done...

The big dipper

Not sure about the name of this one

The BOW is now a top!

I have two more blocks to work in the Alaska top before I can start the next phase. I have the first block already cut out and will make that this morning. Jim is out cleaning off snow from the drive so I have a few hours to amuse myself in here. 

And these pics were snagged from IG this morning...

Don't they look happy?

Grandbaby (daughter) due in January

This will be number seven for us and the kids are over the moon excited! Wait until they can't sleep anymore because little one is up wanting attention at all hours. Then they may not be as excited. LOL. 

Decorating Without Help

It's been a tradition in our family, since the grandkids were very little, to have them help decorate the house after our post-meal Thanksgiving walk. The weather was atrocious yesterday so no walk. The grandkids weren't here so no decorating. And Jim and I were up very early in the morning and it was nearly dark when mom did leave so no decorations were even brought in. 

While I'm technically "open" today I'm not long arming quilts. I'll field calls (if I even get any) while we are doing the decorating.

While Jim was watching MSU basketball, I did get these trees finished after mom left last night...

Another block in the Alaska quilt

I have my last BOW to make this afternoon after we are done spreading Christmas cheer throughout the house. And since it's the last, I'll also start constructing the top and maybe have it completed by nights end. These blocks are pretty big (21 1/2" square) meaning it's going to take some time. 

Happy Turkey Day

What are you thankful for? My list is way too long and I've talked about this previously the past few days. But mostly, I have a warm house, food in my belly, a loving husband, two great dogs, and a business that's currently keeping our heads above water. 

Here's some more quilting going into the horse quilt...

I love working on DW again!

Since DW was my first long arm, we've developed a wonderful relationship over the years. It's great to be back on him after having 'retired' him for a while. 

I may do this?!?!

A Christmas countdown (the first item at the top of the list). It's free and I have a fat 1/2 yd. bundle I picked up at the Shipshewana yard sale that would be perfect for this quilt. It starts on Monday and if I put the Alaska quilt aside for a spell, it would be doable. This is going be called the BOD since it's a block-a-day type of quilt. 

Because, you know, we all need more stuff to do. 

The last BOW is releasing tomorrow and it'll be a quilt top before the end of the weekend...hopefully. 

I'll be frame ironing a back on DW while working on the meal. I may have some time to work on the tree block in the Alaska top. I started them last night, but because I've been getting up pretty early lately, I'm pooping out quicker at night. 

Find something to give thanks for and let's not forget it IS an important celebration. Let's let the turkey have his day in the spotlight. After all, he was almost our country's national bird. 

A New Retreat

I was in a couple of meetings yesterday. One was with my co-pilot on the retreat we are trying to springboard. The second was with the folks at Riverwalk Place to discuss and view the logistics of our pending retreat, and the third was here to discuss quilting on a HUGE Judy Niemeyer quilt due for the holiday. 

I only got a few hours of long arming in but will be finishing up the 'Tis the Season quilt today. Here's some of the quilting going into it...

This looks familiar

I made one of these myself a few years back and she wanted it quilted pretty much the same way I quilted mine, making things easier all around.

Meetings wear me out and at about 6:30 I was done long arming and moved over to do some paper piecing. That requires very little brain power or energy, so here is the next block in the Alaska quilt...

Alaskan Cache

I've gotta get the quilt on DW done in the next day or so. The large quilt just dropped off needs to be put onto DW just for throat space reasons. Meaning, I'll be moving over to that one next.