Hazel Loves to Swim!

This is Hazels normal routine after dad gets home from work in the evening.

"Grandma" was here yesterday afternoon and she wanted to get a pic of Hazel jumping off the dock. We forgot to tell grandma Hazel usually jumps off the shallow dock rather than the deep dock. She missed the pic but I got a cute short video of how excited our doodle is to go swimming (and we can't say that around her because she knows what's coming) every evening. I'm not sure what we are going to do this fall when swimming stops.

I have been nearly studio absent for the past 48 hours because of family visiting and other outdoor tasks the weather has permitted me to complete. Today is another nice weather day but I'm going to open all the studio windows and enjoy working in here in bare feet with jazz playing in the background (more to drown out the crows who incessantly caw-caw all day) until Jim gets home from work.

I did manage to load this little piece onto the long arm after the customer came to get her quilt yesterday. See...nothing is too small to get on the "big" machine.

The October mantle hanging

Mistakes to Learn By

I thought I could make this plunder work within the Roundabout top.

Oops

The middle arcs are supposed to meet together, which on the left side, they did. Not so much on the right. I could tear it all apart and just substitute the incorrect pieces, but I'm going to make this a pillow instead to go with the quilt once it's finished.

I tried to incorporate it into the quilt but as I've learned, fudging it something doesn't cut it. It'll take more time to try to finagle it in there than just remaking a new set of blocks.

But the rest of the top is sectioned together and will be ready to join later once this new set of blocks is pieced together.

No long arming yesterday. Booooo! I have the customers quilt draped over the long arm to showcase the work done when she comes to pick it up tomorrow. I have family coming up today and a lawn screaming for me to cut, so after this morning, the day is pretty much occupied with other items.

Pro Stitcher Positives

The Pro Stitcher I have on my long arm is the computerization capability to do an edge-to-edge motif without having to manually "drive" the machine.

The Pro Stitcher is a wonderful tool for anybody (you and customers alike) to get a completed quilt in less time then custom quilting.

And the Pro Stitcher is pretty easy to use. I hadn't fired it up on months (like since April) and yet, was able to dig right back in without too much trouble. Select the motif, size it to the area I wanted to have it quilt, fill in the gaps, and go.

There was one point when I selected something I shouldn't have and couldn't figure out why I was having trouble when the first two passes were fine, but it was me clicking buttons and not the Pro Stitcher itself.

The quilt measures 86"x102" and it took a combined total of six hours to complete. I did actually do free motion in the borders, but the body of the quilt was indeed computerized per the customers request.

Customer Low Volume Quilt

I have yet to square the quilt and trim threads, but I'll be able to contact the customer by days end to let her know it's already completed...which is good since this was a rush situation.

Today, after finishing this beautiful piece, I hope to work some more on the Roundabout blocks. Speaking of which, I tried to piece those yesterday while the Pro Stitcher was working away, and found that with every needle stroke, my sewing machine light would dim. Note to self: Contact an electrician to get in here to park off DW to his own circuit breaker. I wouldn't want anything to happen to him because of neglected electrical issues.

Measure Twice, Cut Once...

...except I measured three times and still this happened.

Ummm...not cool!

After unloading the whole quilt, I realized I had taken up too much in the top lead, which is why this occurred. And then things got worse.

After locating an acceptable additional piece, because I didn't have any of the other two fabrics I used in this backing, I sewed the new section together and onto the existing back. Except, instead of sewing it onto the bottom where I'm clearly deficit in length, I sewed it onto the side (this is a nearly square quilt). And, I didn't notice it until I got the thing nearly all reloaded.

Take it back off the frame. Take out the stitching from the added piece. Repress. Restitch. Reload.

I had a bit of a temper tantrum and meltdown after everything on the long arm bed went flying as I was trying to get this back over the back leader bars without any help. I am so done with trying to piece backings from scraps around the studio.

I thought it would add to the scrappiness of the quilt which is why I choose to go in that direction. I'll think way more times than twice next time I try to do something like this.

I have a new customer top coming in today and I had to get this off the frame; that new top coming in is a rush job, and it's quite large from the sounds of it.

During the weekend between working outside and long arming, I got a few of my large Roundabout blocks pieced. Everything to make all the small circle blocks are cut out and a few of those are pieced, and I started my October mantle piece. So all in all, until yesterday afternoon, the weekend went well.

Friday the 13th. Full Moon. More Storms.

I'm just glad I'm not working at the hospital anymore in Postpartum. These days were nuts when combined together.

Long arming did happen yesterday morning and it felt great. With the Long Time Gone pattern this ruler, called the Handi Quilter Straight Edge ruler, works great. It's longer than most of my other rulers and when doing a long set of borders or sashing strips to ditch, this is a great tool to have.

Long Time Gone being ditch quilted with the HQ Straight Edge Ruler

I started another pattern yesterday called Roundabout by Saginaw St Quilts. It's chewing up even more of my scraps and so far it's been pretty easy to piece together. Of course, yesterday was the large ovals. The small ovals will probably be a little tougher as their curves aren't as gentle.

I think I need to rebuild my blog. It's starting to get old looking to me and I LOVE change. Maybe later when the storms are back (expected later this afternoon) I'll do that.

Autumn Thunderstorms

Have we had our share of very wet and very stormy weather the past two days. Holy cow. I tried to work on the Long Time Gone piece three times yesterday and every time I turned on the long arm, here came another storm. Maybe day three will bring better luck?!

I started a new pattern yesterday called Roundabout  by Saginaw St Quilts. Well, 'start' is used loosely here. I transferred my templates and picked out the 52 different fabrics I'm going to put into it from my stash. Today I hope to get one or two blocks pieced and most of the large ovals cut out. This may be a cool retreat project, except retreat isn't for another four months, so maybe not.

Hazel was chillin' on the loft bed (formally Caleb's bed) this morning. She looks pretty sad about not being able to go swimming the past four days because of the weather. Today isn't looking promising either. The quilt she's laying on was the very first one the kids and I practiced on when I first got the long arm six+ years ago.

Just chillin' on a windy, cold morning

We used the quilt for Lily to protect whatever nice quilt was underneath, and it seems to be working out in the same use for now Hazel.

911. Never Forget.

I did manage to complete the Vintage Christmas quilt yesterday. It was a fun process working on this piece. I didn't quilt it to death and left everything organic given the whimsical feel of the blocks within the top. Flowing ribbons throughout the borders and sashing. Simple X's in the cornerstones. Ditch quilting (mostly) in each block with a few fillers to add more whimsy.

Vintage Christmas. Pattern by Lori Holt

I started to load my next top; Long Time Gone as a storm was starting to roll in. And it was a nasty one, so I have everything laying there waiting to set needle and thread to fabric. This pattern is by Jen Kingwell.

Long Time Gone. Pattern by Jen Kingwell

I haven't a clue how I'm going to quilt this piece. There is very little negative space to do much detail work, and it is a very busy quilt. I think perhaps much of it will be ditched and I can get some gentle curves in there wherever possible. I never know until I turn DW on and start laying down thread.

Today is the 18th anniversary of the horrific 9-11 tragedy in New York and Washington DC. Let us never forget those thousands of people who were victims of such a terrible act and even more people who fought to save/assist those affected. The younger generation were just babies during this time. My eldest son was in high school, and my middle son in junior high. My youngest was just a grade schooler, yet they all remember what they were doing during the breaking news. As do I.

Quilting brings me peace and joy. For those disturbed or mentally manipulated people who think killing is the answer, I sew a stitch for you today to hope you use the common sense given to you to make the right choices in life and maybe find your inner peace through something worthwhile rather then senseless acts like 9-11.