Busy Week

 I finished this quilt yesterday and am really pleased with how it turned out.  The customer is a neighbor and had a preview of it the other day when she was walking her dog.  IShe  seemed really pleased.  I did get a rack so I can hang a quilt to photograph it and to show the client without clamping it to the curtain rod in the family room, blocking most of the light from the room!  It was a good thing.  Today a friend came by to ask me about an antique quilt she had and saw the quilt hanging in the living room.  She loved it and is going to go through her sons' tee shirts and possibly have some made for them.

This coming week is a short one for me as I leave for Chicago Thursday night to spend the weekend shopping for a wedding dress for my eldest daughter!  I'm going to spend some time working on my Dancing Lady quilt I started at Empty Spools this past spring. In anticipation of spending my time sewing I started  a crockpot full of pulled pork!  YUM!!!

 Pulled pork

Then I set up my computer by my sewing machine and watched a few episodes of The Quilt Show.  I watched an episode with Jean Wells Keenan.  I'm signed up to take a class from her at Empty Spools next spring.  Ricki talked me into it (Ricki Made Me Do It) and now I'm really excited about it!  I need Ricki to push me artistically.  She talked me into taking Ursula Kern's class and I probably learned more from her than just about any other teacher except for Jinny Beyer.  Same same but different.

 Sewing machine set-up

My goals for this week is to quilt the simple Turning Twenty quilt I did for Ally and Josh to give their friends.  I want to take it with me to Chicago this weekend.  Then I get to play with Dancing Lady.  It' took me almost a complete block today to get back in the swing of the process.  I'd like to get the majority of the blocks done by the time I leave.  When I get home I'll get back to making the next tee shirt quilt then I have 2 quilt tops to quilt for another customer.

Until next time,

Happy Stitiching

Unproductive Weekend

You know "those" days.  The ones where no matter how busy you are you get nothing done?  That's been my 4 day weekend.

Thursday started out so promising!  Got up and went to workout for the first time since mid-July.  I was really looking forward to it!  Had a great workout, showered then jumped in the car and headed to the Sewing Expo!  Had my "shopping list" of things I needed and the resolve not to buy anything I really didn't need (read: no new projects).  It was a beautiful fall day for a drive.  Got there in about 30 minutes with little traffic.  Paid my parking fee and found a parking place near the door!  Woo Hoo!  Walked in and up to the counter only to find out it doesn't start until Friday!  Had to laugh at myself.  Oh well!  I figured I'd go to a quilt store with a great selection of fabrics that I rarely go to because it's out of the way for me.  I was half way there so I headed west-not on the freeway but the scenic route.  Unfortunately, the scenic route was not as scenic as it was years ago!  Now I know.  Since I was coming the back way, I was a bit turned around so had to stop and look up the address on my phone (Thank you, iPhone!).  Got there only to find out they were in the process of moving!  REALLY?!?  TODAY?!?  Had to laugh at myself again!  I'm so funny!!!  At least I have a fun car to drive

(My Little Pony) and it was a beautiful day!  I did stop at a little shop on the way back and picked up some fat quarters for a quilt my eldest daughter has commissioned me to make as a wedding gift for some friends that just got married in Maine.

I finally returned home and put my knee up to ice and relax.  I did work the top of the tee-shirt quilt I want to have on the frame this coming week.  Had a quiet evening since Joe was on a golf trip.

Friday was a free day.  I had planned on just staying at home and sewing all day.  Then, silly me, decided to try the Sewing Expo again.  I was really disappointed in the venders.  There wasn't much quilt related.  There were some but not the variety I had hoped for.  I did stop by the Innova booth to see my friends there-Cathy & Jeff.  Cathy told me that a lot of the quilt venders had broken off and were in Birch Run (about and hour away) at new event billed as a One Stop Shop Hop.  OOOO!  It's a nice day so, what the heck.  Looked up the address, plugged it in the GPS and off I went in My Little Pony.  Got there about an hour later and didn't even have to pay for parking!  (I guess karma was with me because I paid for parking twice for the Sewing Expo)  Cut to the chase-it was small.  I suppose it was the first year they have done this and hopefully, it will grow.  I was thinking, after I left, I have been to Houston the past 2 years and to the Grand Rapids show last month.  I've been spoiled.  I have learned to have a list as you walk in and I don't need any more projects to start.

I did get home just as my daughter brought home my grand-dog, Guapo!  She was going out with some friends so I got to spend the evening with "The Guap-ster"!

Saturday I got the Pig Tree decorated!

My Bryn had gotten me a string of pig lights so I decided to get out the pig ornaments I have collected over the years and display them year-round!  After that, I got some of the fall decorations around the house and finished putting the borders on the tee shirt quilt!  

Sunday was a bust!  I got a call from Colleen, who was back home in Grand Rapids saying she had left her laundry (and her room mate's) at our house!  Really?!?  So we met in Lansing, about 90 miles away, and had lunch.  It really took a chunk out of my day.  I did get home and pieced a bit of the turning 20 quilt I'm making for Ally's friend before going to a prayer service for a friend.

So, it's Monday and I'm primed to work.  I've already been with customer service to update a program on my long arm, seen my student, and getting ready to hit the machine!  Woo Hoo!  After quilting the tee shirt quilt, I'm going to work on The Dancing Lady quilt I started last March at Empty Spools.  Next week I'll get back to the customer quilts.

Happy Stitching!

Back on Track!

Home from my wonderful trip to Ireland.  Didn't get a chance to post while away.  Had busy days and enjoyed the Irish beer at night!  My favorite Irish brew was Galway Hooker!  GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER!  A Galway Hooker is a type of sailing vessel!

It took a few days to get back on Eastern Time zone then allow my knee to settle down after all the walking around in Ireland.  Hit M'Lady to get this quilt finished!  I'm really pleased with it!  This picture adds another meaning to "Sunshine and Shadow"!

Next, I finished the tee shirt quilt I made for a client.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out.  I'm always nervous before a client sees the finished product!  Sweatin' bullets!

I'm ready to start on the next tee shirt quilt but I had a cortisone shot in my knee today and have learned the hard way that I have to REALLY take it easy the first 24-48 hours or I will be in tears.  No exaggeration! I've been chomping at the bit to get going but in the mean time, I've come up with another idea to market in addition to the tee shirt quilts!  Hopefully I can work on it tomorrow when I will feel comfortable enough to at least sit at the sewing machine.  Pictures to follow

Until then,

Happy Stitching!

Off to Ireland!

After 2 surgeries ( shoulder and knee), we are off on our honeymoon to Ireland. We had planned to go the spring after we married but babies started arriving, houses were bought, businesses started and parents got ill.  We are finally on our way, 32 years after the fact!  I'm so excited. Hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures from the trip!

It's boarding time!

My New Favorite Notion

While at Empty Spools I was introduced to a new WONDERFUL tool!

The Seam Fix!

It looks like a seam ripper with a funny end you say?  Yes it is, but it's so much better!  Here's how it works.

You use the conventional working end like you do any other seam ripper-cutting through every 4 to 5 stitches and

 pull the bobbin thread from the back.

But then you're left with all the little thread pieces to pick out!

You flip the seam ripper to the other side and "erase" the threads with the funny silicone end!

It really works!  It has 2 different silicone tips, one is on the top cover and the other is on the opposite end of the ripper.  I personally like the larger one on the cover but have used both and different times.

The only problem I've found with it is that the top does not fit on the end of the handle when it's removed.

It comes in 3 colors, Hot Pink, Teal (it looked more like blue to me) and Grey (which looked like black to me).  I got the Pink so I could find it easily when I'm in the throes of quilt making!  I got it at the store they set up during seminar but I found it on Amazon.  Maybe you can find it at your local quilt store.

Pictures from Ursula's Class

Okay. I'm going to try to join the 21st century and post pictures from my iPhone. Please bear with me while I try this. It could be ugly!

The first is a picture of my maquette (or model) of my dancing lady. (If I'm lucky, I'll try to figure out how to post the original inspiration).

The second one is of me showing last year's quilt at Show and Share in front of the entire session.

The third picture is of my friend, Ricki, and Ursula.

The next one is of some of the blocks I completed in their approximate position.

And finally, a picture of Ricki, Ursula and I.

I learned so much that week and I wish I lived closer to her to learn as much as I could from her. The commute to Switzerland is a bit daunting!

I'll post pictures as I work on my "Dancing Ladies" quilt.

Now, let's hope this posts with the pictures!

Happy Stitching!

I'm Baaaaack!

I just returned from 2 sessions at Empty Spools-one session with Ursula Kern (2nd year) and one with RaNae Merrill.  Let's just say, Ursula didn't disappoint and RaNae did.  I took most of my pictures on my iPhone and I need to figure out how to post them here but quite honestly, I'd rather be quilting!

Ursula

I went to Ursula's class thinking my project would be of an image in my mind of a woman at the Pushkar Camel Fair in India.  I was looking through my friend's, Ricki, pictures and came across a picture of 2 women dancing around the fire in the camp where we stayed while in Pushkar.  It was night, so it was very dark. The women were dressed in black, full skirts decorated in fushia, turquoise, white and lots of shesha mirrors.  The image of them swirling with the mirrors flashing, the colors swirling and the fire roaring behind them was magical.  So I completely changed my project and had to buy more fabric (Don't cry too hard but I did have to pack it up to bring home)!

My maquette for my Dancing Lady

The second session with RaNae was on Spiral Quilts.  From the description, I thought we would be studying what makes the spiral spin and how to draft them.  She touched on the drafting but I think she really just wanted us to make our "wedges" from her kit.  That's fine for a one or two day class but we are at Empty Spools for 5 days.  There were more than a few engineers in the class that was hoping for more.  I went ahead and drafted my own wedge for paper piecing.  RaNae had said we had to follow her rules-one of them is doing things her way.  Fine.  I'll try it but if I'm more comfortable with another way I'd like to be able to switch to my way.  She did have some good tips but I did not like not pressing with an iron but she insisted we use-basically a wallpaper seam roller- to press our pieces down.  I think she knew the people on our side of the room were not happy so she stayed mostly on the other side.  She commented on the last day how my pieces had little pleats in it.  I was rather snarky and said that I preferred to use and iron and considered this wedge just a practice!

Now that I'm home and the dust is settling, I'm starting a t-shirt quilt for myself as a sample.

 I'm finding that now that Lady Chamberlain is in the basement I don't have a large floor space without an oriental carpet on it!  Maybe I should get a cheap white sheet to lay over the oriental rug to play with the layout.  Tomorrow I'll get some interfacing and start stabilizing the shirts.  I also have not worked on the Lady since I left and should at least throw something small on to play.

I did quilt and edge to edge quilt for a friend of mine with the Pantovision and she was really pleased!  She has another one for me to do in a couple of weeks.  Got to keep my skills sharp!

Time to put my feet up!
Happy Stitching!