Artisan At Heart - Quilting is My Passion!

Cathie’s Square in a Square

2012-01-29T18:20:00.001-07:00

I’ve been remiss in posting some of the projects I’ve worked on in the past 3 months.

This is a quilt done by Cathie, one of my favorite customers. She is a woman after my heart and worries way too much about whether her points match…!

I love quilting her projects because they lay flat, are square and such a work of art.

I love the pattern on this one; it’s matches the colors perfectly, too! You can’t even see the quilting, though, which is kinda cool….

New Training Video!

2012-01-06T22:15:00.001-07:00

I got a new training video, PajamaQuilter Rethreaded, about freehand machine quilting techniques, from Dawn Ramirez, the Pajama Quilter, in the mail a couple of days ago. You’d think I would have ripped it open, huh? Nope, it’s still sitting on the love seat, waiting for me to have some free time!

I found out Dawn was having a sale from a blog post by Mary Johnson at MaryQuilts.com and decided to splurge a little on it, as I’ve seen some really nice quilting on some charity quilts that she’s done, and she swears by this DVD.

I’m taking the dogs to the groomer, I’ve got a sew day tomorrow, and I need to see about getting some shoes repaired and return a pair. I’m thinking I won’t be viewing the DVD tomorrow, either!

If you haven’t discovered MaryQuilts.com, please visit her site. Not only does she offer free scrap patterns, she runs another site called Heart Strings Quilt Project which makes string quilts for charitable organizations.

Rulers! Rulers! Rulers!

2011-12-14T22:10:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, while I was sick, my husband helped me organize the rulers in my sewing room by mounting all of the hardware. All I had to do was tell him where everything should go!

I bought two wall hangers for my longarm rulers from Simply Renee called Clip it Up. They were initially designed for scrapbooking, but when I saw a photo on one of my quilting Yahoo chat groups where they had been used to organize the rulers, and immediately when I went to the site and discovered they were 50% off! So of course I got two!

The first step was to take everything off the wall. Boy, did I get a reality check on how many rulers I actually own!

Deciding where I want anything hung on the wall, especially when it involves putting a hole in the drywall, is an absolute chore, and it takes me forever to decide! DH always says “I can fix it if you don’t like it there'” but I never change my mind and pull them out.

Once he mounted the first one, I hung the nested circle set, and it took all of 10 seconds to decide to mount the second one right next to it.

I decided to move another hanging ruler organizer that was mounted over the sewing machine over to the cutting table area, too. Then he installed several hooks in various places for those miscellaneous items, and now I have a place for everything. He even suggested that the larger rulers get hung on the wall in the stairwell, since I don’t use them that often and they’d be out of the way. What a great idea!

I love that I can now see all my rulers!

My goal, besides getting everything off the floor, is to remember to practice with the longarm rulers so I will be more comfortable offering them as an option for my customer quilts.

I can even see all of the specialty cutting rulers for piecing that I have, too, and maybe I won’t keep searching for yet another method to make my half square triangles! Maybe I’ll even start that spectacular quilt I’ve been planning.

Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay Mystery dilemma

2011-12-03T09:54:00.001-07:00

Have you all seen the new mystery quilt that Bonnie Hunter is running again this year? I want to participate, but I’m stuck on my colors! I love brights, but they don’t go with anything in my house; DH sort of over-ruled that idea! Ha!

So, we have all of the earth colors and I’m still trying to figure out what I can pull together that will work in the living room, and will be a quilt he’ll actually use. All of this indecision, and the third step is already posted!

…not to mention that I need to make a Bronco quilt for a customer before Christmas, and complete 2 other small customer quilts!

Thanksgiving Vacation 2011

2011-11-27T07:59:00.001-07:00

The time since MQX West has just flown by!

While I haven’t decided on a specific design yet for my wholecloth quilt, I have, completed two customer quilts.

I’ll be working on finishing a third one today.

I’ve been on vacation for the past 10 days, and I’ve certainly enjoyed it! There was a lot of driving involved, which I don’t especially enjoy, but this view sure took my breath away!

My brother flew from New Hampshire to Montana to visit my mother the weekend before Thanksgiving, so I decided to join them. We made our own Thanksgiving dinner early, each of us choosing something for the menu that we wanted to include that we loved from holidays past. It was a very nice dinner and I even made turkey noodle soup out of the leftover carcass.

We also went to the Cat-Griz game, where the highly favored Cats got trounced. This is a big deal since my brother is a Montana State University alum, and my mother is a University of Montana graduate. I wore my neutral Bronco orange and blue stadium coat and cheered for both teams. I went to MSU for a year and would have liked to see them win, but it was dang cold and I just needed to keep warm so cheering for both teams was the best way to do that!

When I got home I spent a lot of time with my husband, including getting the carpets cleaned and going out for breakfast. Two of the dogs got groomed, and Gizmo got his first dental. Poor guy, he’s down to 11.5 pounds and needed some pain medication that evening. I’m happy to report he’s doing much better now and has even submitted to being brushed without too much fuss. The vet said to start feeding him some wet food to try to get some weight on him and I think it’s already starting to work.

We were also fortunate to have friends over the day after Thanksgiving who showed me how to make authentic Malaysian curried chicken. It was delicious and now I’m interested in finding more Malaysian recipes!

Of course, all of this running around means I haven’t been in the quilting room much. Before I left I started straightening up and working on getting the batting rolls hung under the longarm. I still need to complete that project to my satisfaction, but at least I was able to start on my customer quilt before I left.

While working on my customer’s quilt yesterday, I realized I am running out of backing, one row away from finishing! And this is a huge back! I know I measured and fussed with it a lot beforehand to make sure this wouldn’t happen. I have a TON of extra backing on the sides, but the back is about square, too, so I think what happened is that I wasn’t skimpy with where I started the quilt at the top. Of course, it’s a king sized quilt, and I’m not about to unroll it just to find that out, at this point!

I basted down the middle of the border to stabilize it, and I’m going to have to find some fabric to secure to the rest of the backing so I can attach it to the leader and finish this row. This isn’t exactly how I wanted to spend my Sunday morning!

While I’ve gotten a lot done during this time off, there are still items on the list. I supposed that’s the way it will always be, as long as we are living life. The trick, I think, is to make the quilts you really want to make a priority, not just the obligatory or “easy” quilts. It’s in the doing that we achieve that satisfaction and increase our skills. The love always shows.

MQX West 2011–Summary

2011-10-30T11:35:00.001-06:00

Overall, I had a great time at MQX West!

I got to catch up with friends, and made some new ones! Candi from Washington, who’s been quilting for customers for a year and has done over 200 quilts, and Mari Lee Seei, from Off The Edge Quilting, who sells those wonderful pink long arm rulers! She was so delightful, informative, and inspiring with the versatility and amazing designs she’s come up with for her rulers! I bought the new Frill ‘em Up set, which is a baptist fan variation, the Gimme Frills line ruler, the 4” Chain O’ Hearts template… and now I want them all!

I took one hands-on class from Judy Woodworth, and had a wonderful time. Here’s the practice piece I brought home with me:

It was a real confidence booster, especially when Judy told me I was doing a good job! I’m going to put the piece back on my machine and keep practicing until it’s all filled up.

I took a feather class from Linda McCuean, and while the technique wasn’t new to me, I got inspired to make a whole cloth quilt! And, of course, it can’t be a small lap quilt, like the sample she showed us in class, it has to be a king sized quilt! I bought a bolt of 108” wide fabric, batting and thread to go with it, and have been working on a design, mostly in my head at this point. When I got home, I decided that it should have a flannel back, rather than cotton, which I had originally intended. So, I need to get some flannel, but I don’t have to hurry at this point, I can keep my eye out for the right piece while I design and practice!

Today, I’ll be working on a comfort quilt with my lunchtime quilter group, and then back to finish my customer quilt. Oh, what a short weekend!

New Thread!

2011-10-24T06:38:00.001-06:00

I got 4 cones of Aurifil longarm thread at MQX West in Portland last week! I’ve been wanting to try it for a long time, especially since I use it exclusively for piecing.

One of them is a new color, a beautiful autumn, rusty orange! I got it specifically to do a wholecloth that I was inspired to make while taking a feathering class from Linda McCuen.

I saw the technique she presented about 3 years ago, so the class itself wasn’t new information, and I’m very comfortable with the technique. She showed a sample in her class, of course, and it’s just beautiful! It got me to thinking about how I could do the same thing.

While I was visiting a wholesale store in Portland, I purchased a bolt of 108” wide cotton and a couple layers of batting to make a king sized whole cloth! I’m really excited about it, and I can hardly wait to start! After I got home, I started thinking I should back it in flannel, so I need to find an appropriate wide backing.

I was lucky enough to come back to have 4 customer quilts to do, so while I’m working on those I’ll be modifying the design we saw in class to work with a king sized quilt. Since I’ve never done one before, I’m wondering if I should pre-wash the fabric? I always do on my pieced tops. And I’m wondering if I should pre-mark before I load? That seemed to be the consensus in one of my other classes, but they were talking about the chalk marks (I can’t believe chalk wouldn’t come off during the loading process!)

If anyone has experience making a whole cloth, I’d love your input!

MQX West - First Half of Day 1

2011-10-12T23:09:00.001-06:00

I've had my first class at MQX West 2011, the first time this machine quilting expo has been held on the west coast. My class was called Lions and Tigers and Templates, Oh, My! taught by Kimmy Brunner.

First let me say, Kim Brunner is a really good teacher, and I would encourage anyone to take a class from her. She is patient and clearly repeats her information when she's asked and I liked her very much. The class is very well organized and the flow of information worked really well. Kim obviously enjoys teaching. I've been reading her column in Machine Quilting Unlimited, and she touched on the subject of using templates in that article, so I was familiar with some of what she covered, but it was good to have that reinforced, and then hear new materialo in conjunction with it.

The room, though, was not setup properly for this presentation. There were 2 rows of tables for students, holding approximately 12 people, but there were at least 60 people in the class. That meant that everyone else had to try to work on the drawing handouts on their lap, using the notepad that they were supposed to bring to class. To say the least, this was not a good first impression for the organization of the show.

The Awards Ceremony and "sneak peak" of the vendor mall will be tonight. I'm a little disappointed that the vendor mall isn't open during the day because I was planning on using this time to go shopping, especially since my friends are taking classes.

So, while I was waiting to take my first hands-on class since I first touched a longarm, I went to a local burger place, Burgerville, for lunch. Blackberry shake was absolutely wonderful, the half salad, while flavorful, was too small, and so I had to order a sandwich to complete my meal. I got the crispy chicken sandwich and ended up taking off the breading (I didn't realize it came with that) which included a smattering of barbeque sauce....which also needed removing. I think I've experienced all that Burgerville has to offer me.

I'm really looking forward to the hands on class...Exploding Texture and Background Fill, with Judy Woodworth. I really want to expand my free motion repertoire and think this class will help. I'll let you know!

Happy Friday!

2011-09-30T08:56:00.001-06:00

Have I mentioned how much I love piecing with Aurifil thread? It always amazes me how long a spool will last, it's almost shocking when it's finally gone!

I stayed up way too late last night trying to get a block done for a comfort quilt. Of course, I’m not making just one block, I have to do some production piecing! Now I’m wondering what I’ll do with the extra blocks! Hmmm… Anyway, I’ve got to pick one more strip of fabric to add to it and then I’ll post the finished block. It's really cute!

Part of what took so long is that I'm also making this into a tutorial so I can post it on my website as a free download. I’m inspired by people like Bonnie Hunter and Mary from MaryQuilts.com, they do such wonderful work and are so giving with their patterns, talent, and time.

I took today off work to get some chores done, but the Quilt Guardians need a walk first. So, on with my day!

Vera’s Family Heirloom

2011-09-28T06:26:00.001-06:00

This is the quilt that I was working on last week. I’m really glad I went with the Variety panto on it, instead of Brocade! Anne Bright converted the digital patterns for me to paper, since I don’t have a computerized system. Wasn’t that nice of her?

Now that this one is finished, I still need to quilt the “practice” quilt I made so that I didn’t make a mistake on this one! Sort of backwards, huh?

I’ve decided, though, to turn it into a showcase quilt and do a few rows of several pantos so I can show customers how they will look stitched out, and then I won’t run into this problem again. Now I just need to decide if I want to use my Winline bamboo batting that I’m dying to use, or go with a cotton poly, something that would probably be used more often by my customers. Such dilemmas, eh?

I probably won’t get to it in the next couple of weeks, though, because I am going to MQX West! I’m lucky to have family in the Portland area, so I’ll be staying with them and it just turns out that my uncle will be turning 70 at the end of that week! They are going to have a family reunion of sorts, so I need to get a different project done to take with me. Better get sewing!

Oh, and just for the heck of it…I gotta share a photo of Hunter and Gizmo….they just need to learn how to relax!

Testing a Quilt Pattern

2011-09-12T22:59:00.001-06:00

I decided to test the quilting pantograph pattern that my customer picked for her quilt on a quilt top of my own. I’m just not convinced that it’s right for her quilt, because it is really open and airy. If I chose the wrong design, I’ll be picking stitches…on someone else’s quilt no less… and I really don’t want to pick stitches!

So, I created a quilt top out of some leftover 10” blocks (I also cut some new ones) that had been used to make a top using the 10 Minute Block method. Talk about a stash buster!

I have to say, I wasn’t very pleased with it to begin with, but I think it’s OK now. I am excited to quilt it to see how it turns out! I’m not sure what color of thread to use, though, so that’s another decision. I think I may use a leafy green fabric for the backing, and while it doesn’t really go with the design overall, it’s…THE…BACK! OK, I think I’m all settled now, and the perfectionist in me may let go of it after all..

I’m also thinking I may do 2-3 rows of the initial panto to see how it works, and then switch it to another panto; that way I’ll have a “sampler” of sorts to show my customers so they can see the actual quilting design and have a better idea of what they are choosing.

So, until my customer quilt is finished, the pink and white quilt is on hold.

My Latest Quilt–The Process

2011-09-06T20:53:00.001-06:00

I recently saw an article about The Process Pledge, where the author encourages us to write about the decision process that goes into making a quilt. Well, I’m not going to take the pledge itself, but I’ve been working on a quilt this week while I’ve been on vacation, and now that I’m to the point of adding the borders, I’m not sure what to do.

I’ve had this quilt on my mind since last Christmas, and finally started it this weekend! I bought a package with a variety of hot pink 2” strips at the quilt guild garage sale table some time previously. The colors just lend themselves to a Rail Fence design, and I bought some white fabric with a butterfly print to go with it. Really simple, and what a “pop”! I just LOVE hot pink!

Because I was excited to get started, I got sewing and started cutting without an exact plan, aka a pattern, and wouldn’t you know it, I ended up *one* block short! When I first started, I trimmed the blocks to one size, realized that I didn’t like how that looked, and cut them to the current size. Of course, I had used up all of the fabric that would make an identical block, so what do to? No sweat…I improvised! Isn’t this a cool block? The name of the quilt was determined at this very point: “Odd Girl Out”.

So, here’s what I finished today!

Now that I’ve gone through the pain, I’ll be writing up the pattern and posting it on my website; I don’t want to have to go through all that for nothing!

Now for the border, right? I had considered simply adding a thin border of hot pink, and then more white fabric to make it bigger. However, I wanted to see what else I might do with it, so I turned to my, er, trusty EQ7 software program. OK, I’ve had the program for awhile, but I am just not very comfortable with it. The more I use it, the more I’ll learn it, right?

So, here are a few variations that I’ve come up with so far:

Diamonds on point, with butterfly applique blocks in the corners. Now, since I don’t really go after applique projects, this is a stretch for me, but I think it’s really cute!

This is an easy square in a square border.

This is a flying geese border with the butterfly applique blocks in the corner again.

I am also interested in a ribbon border, but I haven’t been able to figure out how to get that to work in the program, though, so no picture of that.

Which one do you like best?

My practice piece

2011-08-08T07:04:00.001-06:00

Thought I'd share with you my practice freehand piece, which is two pieces of fleece, no batting. I'm going to use it as a back car seat blanket for when I have the dogs in the car.

It's the first time I've done this background fill on more than a 12" block and it's the first time I've used the non-stitch regulated mode on my machine. I want to say it’s an Irena Blum design, but I really can’t remember where I saw it first.

I'm practicing it because I'm going to put this design on a baby quilt that is just darling, and I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, or how to manage the size and density (that's still a bit of a challenge), but I really like it!

I still need to post photos of the past couple of customer quilts, but have run out of time this weekend. We got a new-to-us “puppy”, Hunter, a 4 year old Shih Tzu to join the Quilt Guardian team. So, he is a Quilt-Guardian-in-Training!

Summer Progress

2011-07-21T21:43:00.001-06:00

I showed you a sneak peek of Jessica’s quilt in my last post. I really love how this turned out, and am really happy to share the final quilt! I used Anne Bright’s pantograph, Variety, in a dark cherry brown thread. Jessica wanted that “poofy” look, so we used a high loft polyester batting.

Because the top is busy, it’s hard to see until you get up close.

The pattern is much easier to see on the back of the quilt. When Jessica picked up the quilt, she was about ready to have a baby girl. I wish their family all the best, and I can’t wait to see the new little one.

I took these photos of my garden this evening. I don’t know why I’m surprised that the zucchini is ready for picking “already”…it’s been 2 months since I planted it!

Still, I think these are the largest zucchini plants I’ve ever seen! And I grew them! I know I tried something different than previous years, but I can’t remember what the variety is.

Here is my first harvest:

…and here are my first “billy clubs”!

I’ve done two more quilts since Jessica’s, but will have to wait to post those pictures until this weekend. I’ve been way too busy lately, and I’m missing out on my sleep! That is just bad news all the way around!

My (apparently) Monthly Post

2011-06-21T23:04:00.001-06:00

My goal really is to post at least once a week, not once a month! And yet again, once more I’m saying… can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted anything!….

So, what have I finished while I haven’t been blogging?

Jessica’s quilt!

It’s a super cool modern scrappy quilt that I just love, but I can’t post the photos of the finished quilt until she sees it first…that’s only fair! But here’s a preview, as I loaded it on the frame... I loved it the moment I saw it, and I can't wait to share it!

While I was working on Jessica’s quilt, I had a lot of trouble with a cone of YLI cotton thread. It’s the second time I’ve used this cone, and I thought that it was the new batting I was using the first time. This time was very difficult also, and I was not very happy with the tension on the back. And then…I was almost finished, only 1 1/2 rows left to go on the panto and the thread kept shredding, every 3 inches or so! Not only that, when I checked the stitches on the back of the quilt, they were almost railroad tracks in some areas….oh, great….NOT!!! So, I decided the easiest way to remove almost an entire row of stitching would be to remove the quilt from the frame and work on it while on my lap. Not only that, I didn’t want to take a chance that something else might happen on this quilt.

Note to Self: do not remove the quilt from the frame and expect to be able to line it back up properly later. Yes, Self, even if you have a trick for it.

I ended up retiming the machine, then ran into more trouble, and eventually the machine jammed on me! I mean HARD! The needle hit the metal casing and everything! Of course, it threw it out of time again….so that made me REALLY nervous about putting Jessica’s quilt back on so I decided to test it out on another one instead.

Lynn’s quilt!

This is a quilt that our small group put together when one of our members had been having health challenges. I made 2 of the 15 blocks, which I’d mistakenly thought I’d posted photos of because I thought they turned out so darn cute!

Once we got the top together, I quilted it using freehand echo quilting around each of the 12" blocks. There are feathers in the borders and a heart motif in the sashings. Feathered hearts with cross hatching are in each of the four corners. Quilted with Wonderfil's Tutti Frutti thread on top, So Fine in the bobbin and Warm and White batting.

Lynn absolutely loved it, as did I! If you’re interested in getting a closer look, I’ve posted photos of the individual blocks on my website.

Tracey’s quilt!

I was lucky enough to receive another modern design to quilt in a lovely pink, yellow and zebra stripe. It got a large overall meander, and I used Brytes 30# in hot fuscia pink in the bobbin, which I’d never done before. This was after all of the jamming and tension problems, so I was nervous that would be a problem, but it wasn’t.

The back was made specifically so that the quilt could be turned down to coordinate with the sheets and other bedding. The blocks weren’t perfectly centered in the back, but I liked that they could make a coordinating trim at the top, if desired.

Crafting Related

As if I didn’t have enough to do, I joined Dishcloth Mania, which is a knitting forum on Ravelry. I’ve been hopelessly behind on that challenge ever since! But talk about some beautiful patterns! Since I’m not big on applique, I take this with me to work on at lunch or other down times.

On the spinning front, I bought some Corriedale wool roving and started practicing, and think I might have figured out the motion! This was after one of the great gals at Puffy Mondae’s took a few minutes to show me how to use a drop spindle, and it was very easy to apply the motion to my wheel….enough to fill a bobbin full of a strand of various thicknesses! Now I’m considering having them tune up my wheel and glue the sides onto two of the bobbins that have come unglued. They also had a large bobbin on consignment when I went in, and I’ve been wondering if I should snatch that up…hmmm?

Techie Stuff

…and sidetracked, yet again, by another project, which is that my website needs updating…again…

I have an excuse….

2011-05-23T22:43:00.001-06:00

I knew time was flying by and that I had been neglecting my blog; it’s been an entire month since I last posted…and it’s been because I just have been so busy that I haven’t had time to write it all down!

I finally finished my 10 Minute Block quilt…the one I call my “practice” quilt because I practiced 6 different quilting techniques on each of the blocks. I really love how the colors worked so well together, especially since all but the border and backing fabric were from my stash. I convinced a friend of mine to make more of these blocks, to practice the technique, and I will practice quilting on that one, too. She’s skittish about making the decision about the borders, so I’ll have to add those when I get it back from her.

This quilt was a challenge for me to quilt, because I practiced all free motion or used rulers I’d purchased but haven’t used. I really want to get out of the rut of thinking I can only do pantographs; I really like the consistency of a panto, it’s just that I want to develop more confidence in my custom quilting, and the only way to do that is to practice!

I’m working on making enough, and varied, projects that I can have a table at one of the local Saturday markets. I picked up a roll of strips I’d started stringing together last year when I’d put together several to make a lasagna quilt. Being in a hurry, and relying on my newly formed habit of using straight of grain borders, I thought *maybe* I could get away with just sewing the borders on as I went, then cutting them off at the bottom. Nope. See these wavy things?? I recently saw something describing them as “friendly”!…and they sure are! So, no quick and easy quilt to make available here.

In fact, this is so obvious that I decided I really need to write a tutorial to post for future reference, when someone asks “why shouldn’t I just sew on the border and cut it off at the end?” Needless to say, it’s still on the design wall!

I even got my garden in two weeks ago! It was a beautiful day and I took a chance in planting my tomatoes, zucchini and cantaloupe, but they are all doing well. I added a couple of extra feet on either end of the garden and I still have room to plant at least 2 more mounds of….something! I haven’t quite decided what it should be yet…maybe cucumbers?…but I need to get it finished before it’s too late!

Earlier in the year I thought I was going to teach a class in the upcoming Boise Basin Quilt Show in June. I started putting together a project for the class, but we won’t have access to actual sewing machines, and I’m not a hand sewist, so the project stalled. Well, in an attempt to actually clean up the pile of blocks from my cutting counter and the longarm table, I finally started putting some of the blocks together, and collected the rest of my experiments into a bag for later use. I found a really great border and I can’t wait to get that on (properly this time) so I can get a photo posted. It’s really quite feminine and very easy!

I finished working on this customer quilt this weekend. It’s got a purple flannel back and I used a variegated purple and teal thread on it, which really perked it up. The panto really was able to pull in some of the fullness and it came out beautiful!

I started another customer quilt on Sunday, which is going quite well, and I’m almost finished with it. I’m loving how the Anne Bright design is coming out and I can’t wait for my customer to see this one! Two more in the queue, so there hasn’t been any time to work on my personal projects or Bronco Quilts, of which I have several ideas!

All that, and I still want to sit down at the spinning wheel again and try drafting fibers again, now that I borrowed a couple of books from the library and got some great ideas.

I need more hours in the day!

I’ve Had an Amazing Day!

2011-04-23T20:51:00.001-06:00

Wow…I learned a new skill today! Spinning!

I am so proud to announce that I bought a 40 year old Ashford spinning wheel on Thursday night!

I’ve oiled it and tightened up the screws, then buffed it out this morning. It still makes a bit of noise when spinning, even though I oiled every place I can see or think of! All I can say is ..more oil is needed…somewhere!!

I spent the morning with my friend Diane, of Russet Lodge Knits, who has given selflessly of her skill and passion for knitting and spinning, learning the basics of spinning yarn from a raw fleece!

Seriously, the woman should write a book!

She even worked a bit of my raw fleece for me on the carding combs her husband makes, so I could practice spinning!

Of course, being true to my nature, I gave her an opinion on what she should have in the to-be-determined book! Hee hee! I would totally pay full price for such a book!

I haven’t gotten the hang of spinning just yet, but getting close…I *might* be a left handed spinner, even though I am right handed….and I seem to want to spin counter-clockwise, to form an S-curve, rather than the Z-angle clock-wise angle. Maybe that is the machine, maybe that is me….I do seem to do everything backwards!

Now, I am going to ship the fleeces I bought on Craigslist.com to a professional processor, Spinderellas.com, for cleaning and carding. I’ve heard that they provide a good service and the product that comes back is very nice. I spoke with them on Friday; being a newbie, they answered all of my questions and even gave me some idea for blending one of the fleeces I purchased to enhance it, something I hadn’t thought of previously. They have a lot of great information on their website, so I would highly recommend looking at it if you are interested in processing fleece.

Diane writes knitting patterns, and even has a sock Knit-Along going, using a pattern she wrote herself (she has several for sale on Ravelry)!

I SO want to learn to knit socks…but then, knitting cuts into my quilting time! Oh, that, and the fact that I keep reversing the sides of my sock, so that I have reversed sides in the outside of the sock …sigh! I blame the sock affliction all on my friend Christine…

Yes, I could process the wool myself…but as I keep reinforcing to Diane, I am a Quilter who knits, not a Knitter like she is, (yes, with capitals!), and I can have it back in 2-4 weeks and keep quilting! So, I plan to have my fleece boxed up and in the mail on Monday!

I have been considering bringing my Bronco quilts to several of the summer markets, as well as the spinning wheel, to work on some of the yarn production there, if I don’t have a quilt related project I can bring. Bown Crossing is a possibility, which is a part of the Indie Works project, or maybe the Eagle Market, but I haven’t contacted them yet (I’ll post the links later in the week)

Using Up the Stash!

2011-04-15T06:55:00.001-06:00

Woo Hoo! I actually got the borders on two of my own projects…AND took pictures!

I made the tops awhile ago, when I was playing with what I’ve heard described as a Lasagna Quilt, and they’ve been hanging around waiting for me to finish them.

They are a nice size to use for baby quilts, or lap or stadium quilts, since they don’t drag on the ground, but you can still tuck them around your legs or even your feet if you want them to, like when I’m sitting at the computer.

They are quick and easy to do, too, and I love that the finished quilts can look amazingly different, just by adding borders. I must confess, though: I added the borders by simply sewing them onto the existing top. You know, the sure-fire way to create a wavy border! And that’s what I got on the pink top, so I will probably have to fix those wavy borders. I figure that’s a great tutorial to post on my website, because I’ve been asked about this before and why it’s bad practice.

I guess once I fix the border I can move these off the Current Project List…oh, wait, I guess I have to decide if that includes the quilting and binding, or if that only means tops. Hm….

All of this came from my stash, too, including the backing I want to use. It’s a US Post Office print of 37 cent stamps that say I “heart” you . I’ve had it about a year, I just couldn’t pass it up from the clearance bin at JoAnn’s when I saw it. It’s really a bit smaller than what I’d normally say is OK to try to use for a project that is going on the long arm frame, but I’m going to make it work, probably by adding a fabric “leader” to the length, because the colors are just perfect!

I haven’t yet decided what backing to use on the one with the dark purple border yet. Maybe a pink or yellow flannel….

I think I’m going to use up some of my larger leftover scraps of batting I have accumulated, to continue the theme of “use it up”! Sure didn’t make any sort of visible dent in my fabric stash, though!

Focus on Finishing…sort of!

2011-04-10T21:09:00.001-06:00

This weekend was way too short!

I’ve been so focused lately on trying to get everything done that I want, and need, to get done, that it seems that nothing actually gets finished, everything seems to be in various states of completion…and I’m finding that frustrating right now. I feel like I’m just *this close* to having something to show for my efforts, but it’s just not ready yet. I guess that’s how I end up with several projects in progress at a time! Oh, that, and the fact that ideas pop into my head, one right after another, and I don’t have enough time in the day to do them all! Or I need to learn a new skill in order to even start….

I ended up working on the computer for most of yesterday, rather than getting into the Quilt Cave as I’d intended, then stayed up far too late trying to finish up a separate computer project, so I slept away half the morning. That’s just Robbing Peter to Pay Paul…hmmm…maybe I need to make that quilt to remind myself not to do this anymore….!

Today, though, I finished one of my customer’s quilts that I’d started last weekend, although I haven’t had a chance to take pictures yet. Once I finished it and trimmed it up, I started auditioning border fabrics for two small baby quilts that I’ve had hanging in my closet for awhile. I got news that one of my cousins just had a baby girl, and I’d like to send them a quilt, and I’m thinking one of these would be perfect! That is, after all, why I made them!

Speaking of finishing projects, earlier in the week I was excited to find more of the white and pink border fabric I had purchased to complete the flannel quilt. Yesterday I realized that the amount that was cut was actually less than I’d asked for, but I can also use that initial amount of fabric I’d purchased to complete the project. So now I just need to find it, then cut and add the borders. Now, where did I put that?? The backing was purchased awhile ago and the perfect thread arrived last week with my Superior Threads order. I’ve been thinking I should do an overall meander because it’s so busy, rather than a pantograph design, although on flannel, a design could be really interesting. I’m still not sure if I should use cotton batting or cotton/poly, though, considering the nature of flannel, that is. It sure would be nice to have this done in the next couple of days, so I can take it to the Guild meeting on Thursday!

Borders are sort of a stumbling block for me, although I’m not quite sure why. Maybe it’s the pressure of putting them on so that they aren’t wavy when I’m quilting them. Or maybe, it’s knowing that the borders can make or break a quilt; they add such personality! Or maybe it’s just the perfectionist in me….

In any case, I wish I had another day to play…

Keeping Busy

2011-03-30T12:58:00.001-06:00

Where does the time go??? I thought it was just a few days ago that I last posted!

Where to begin?

I completed my customers’ three lap quilts, which you can see in my quilt gallery

and this *darling* pink and white 9 patch baby quilt, which she is giving to her new grand-niece. I quilted it with the Valentine Hearts panto by Gali Design.

She promptly brought me two more quilts when she picked those up! I was thrilled! It sure is nice when someone likes your work and has confidence in your ability.

I was also able to get another customer’s first lap quilt completed, all in freehand feathers. I really like how you can see them on the back of the quilt.

I’ve also been working on wrapping up a project to create a website for a law firm in Helena, Jackson, Murdo, & Grant P.C Disclaimer here, my mom is a partner in the firm, so yes, I do have some affiliation! It’s been a great learning experience and I am even more interested in the prospect of taking on other customers.

I’ve also been playing with the possibility of a website re-design of my own. I like a lot of the features I currently have, but the current site design just doesn’t *grab* me! I have been adding new items to the photo gallery, including my pantograph library, and making the thumbnail images larger, and I want to put my own store back online.

I’ve been investigating additional software packages, too, so I can add more features and take advantage of some new ideas I have…you might say I’m on a software binge!

Most people don’t see any correlation to software, programming, databases or computers to quilting, but I really think they have similar traits. Some of it is science and some of it’s art, and you take the basic building blocks of what you need and you can come up with some of the most interesting, varied, and unexpected outcomes all starting out with the same pieces. It’s amazing, it’s creative, and it’s powerful.

No wonder I like them both!

Pink Flannel Quilt

2011-03-11T06:29:00.001-07:00

I started this quilt on Christmas break. It’s a controlled scrappy pattern I found in Quilt Magazine and the minute I saw it, I wanted to make it. It’s not often that I see a flannel quilt in a magazine, either, but it completely goes along with my goal of working from my stash. I have plans for at least 2 more of these in flannel, and I might be able to clear out a cupboard!

I’ve been working on customer quilts so I had put it aside, but I had a few minutes last night and finished adding the inner border. I’m not sure why, but borders are not my favorite step! I modified the pattern a bit to use a single piece of fabric, rather than piece the border, and I got the flannel at JoAnn Fabrics’ half off sale.

Now that I’m looking at it, though, I’m not sure this border is the right fabric for this quilt, and I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it’s not a dark enough pink? Maybe it just needs a different pink? Maybe it’s the plaid style design against the squares? It’s not “bad”, it just doesn’t speak to me.

Of course, I feel compelled to use the fabric, not accumulate more, but I’ll probably have to visit the fabric store this weekend to see if I like anything else better. Or, maybe I should just go back to the pattern and piece the border. It’s not like I don’t have a bunch of squares already cut. Hmm…..

Quilt video–Awesome!

2011-03-09T05:59:00.001-07:00

This is well worth the 6 minutes, sit down with a cuppa Joe and enjoy!

Reflections on Family

2011-03-07T12:57:00.001-07:00

I’ve been thinking about “family” quilt a lot lately, and the life cycles each of us experience.

Weddings, anniversaries and retirements. My family has been caught up in all of those things in the last month.

Our family is far flung, with my husband’s family in the Seattle area, my mom in Montana, and my brother in New Hampshire. I have more cousins than most, and they are all over the place; I can’t even keep track, especially since they are having their own kids now!

My husband and I flew to Seattle to attend the wedding of his youngest daughter a couple of weeks ago. Even though it was a short trip, I was glad to get back home. We couldn’t pick up the dogs (my kids!) until late on Sunday and the house sure was quiet without them.

Our wedding anniversary is today. We spent the weekend together, going out on Saturday night, talking and re-connecting.

I spoke with my mom yesterday afternoon. She’s getting ready to retire and one of her biggest disappointments is not getting to be near her grandkids, who range in age from 7 to 12. I suggested that maybe she consider moving near them; they will change drastically over the next 10 years, and this is a time that can’t be lived via video chat. While there would be some challenges to address, I think she would regret not taking advantage of the opportunity.

Obviously, there has to be personally compelling reason to move across the country than to do it for someone else. My mother is highly intelligent, well educated, loves gardening and being outside so it’s not like she’s ready to sit back in a rocker waiting for someone to visit. I’m hoping she would write the novel she’s always wanted to write, incorporating the local history into that story or become a visiting professor in a local college.

She was concerned that I not feel left behind. I know my mother cares about me, but re-connecting with her grandkids is something that she needs and wants, and that is most important to me. As I told her, it’s just as expensive to fly from Montana to Boise as it is from Boise to New Hampshire! And I am OK with video chats!

We mark milestones with celebration and quilts and I’m recognizing those events cycling through my life. The year is already speeding by, and I want to slow it down to enjoy it to its fullest.

ACE Raffle Quilt

2011-02-17T06:14:00.001-07:00

I quilted a full size quilt on Sunday, for the Boise State University Association of Classified Employees Chili Feed and Quilt Raffle.

This is an annual event that the Association puts on to assist eligible Boise State University employees with food vouchers for meals on campus once or twice a week. The top was made by a volunteer, who will also bind the quilt.

I did the quilting, an overall meandering style with orange thread and Warm and Natural 100% cotton batting, and pieced the back.

Raffle tickets are available for $2 each, or 12 for $10. Email me if you’d like tickets, and I’ll get you in touch with an ACE Senate member.

Sew close!

2011-01-24T21:31:00.001-07:00

I am *sew* close to having some finished tops!

I thought I was ready to put borders on the flannel quilt, but I measured and I need another row, then I can add the borders.

I found some border fabric for the 10 Minute Block throw, so just have to add those.

And, I went and bought more flannel to make another flannel quilt! Yes, the goal was, and still is, to get that flannel stash used up, but I am making them for my nieces, so it’s not stash building! At least, that’s the plan for now. And they can’t both have the same quilt! Not only that, a lot of the flannel I have left has baby prints and that is not really appropriate for a 7 year old, will be 8 year old by the time she gets the quilt. So, I took advantage of the 50% off sale at JoAnn’s to add more variety and get the backs for both quilts.

I also took in a gorgeous customer quilt on Sunday, and can’t wait to see it finished!

What’s prompting me to clear out my stash is that I want to re-organize and/or remodel the Quilt Cave. So I’m looking over my stash and feeling very blessed.

Dreams. Oh, the dreams!

Pre-Design Studio III webinar–today!

2011-01-16T07:50:00.001-07:00

I signed up for the free Pre-Design Studio III webinar today. It starts at 7 CET, which is 11 am MST here in Boise.

I’m pretty excited about it, because I took the demonstration class for Pre-Design Studio II at Innovations in September and eventually bought the software. However, because of being in school, and the fact that I knew I was going to get a new computer and didn’t want to have to re-register the software, I didn’t install it right away; in fact, I just got it installed and activated about 3 weeks ago. Have I used it? No.

I then saw the notification that there was an upgrade! What?!? I was really disappointed until I saw that one of the new features was to be able to export the file to a format that can be used on a computerized quilting machine or other software! And the best part? It was only a $26 cost to upgrade!! YES!!

So, I’m really excited about attending this webinar, so I can quickly re-familiarize myself with the software and start working on making some original pantographs. I even have a photo in mind to start with.

There’s still time if you want to attend, but you’ll have to sign up here:

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/990072670

Tomorrow Should Be Sunday!

2011-01-09T21:35:00.001-07:00

I set my intentions to enjoy each and every moment this weekend, but I still need more weekend!

I spent time with a friend of mine, who offered to sew up a bunch of the fabrics I cut to make more of the 10-minute blocks. She had a computer problem, which we solved, and she also shared some of her sewing room organizational tips with me.

Afterwards, I attended the Organizing Your Sewing Room seminar that Karen held at Quilt Expressions on Saturday.

Do you see a theme here? I’m not one to set New Year’s resolutions, but I have recently gotten the organizational bug. So, yes, I am wanting to do something in my sewing room.

The “something” is find more space and/or better utilize the space I have. While I feel blessed to have the 10’ x 20’ bonus room over the garage serving as my Quilt Cave, I feel I could utilize the space better. I’ve had a contractor over to look at it to see what ideas he has, and I’ve received a reply to my email inquiry from a local custom furniture maker, whom I need to call back. Now I need to develop a “bubble diagram” to figure out what my work centers are so I can prioritize my tasks and figure out what is needed where, before I start tearing everything apart.

This is probably connected to the other projects I’ve started, namely re-arranging items and clearing off long forgotten residents from my office desk. After working on it most of the afternoon, I can actually see the Formica on the desk top!! It’s not finished, and I still have a couple of very large piles to go through, but now I have a space in which to work! It’s actually comfortable to sit at my desk!

I’m a terrible procrastinator, which is part of why this has become such a problem. I am determined to develop better habits so that I don’t have to spend my precious sewing time cleaning up my messes. Putting it off doesn’t make it go away, and I just have to remember that!

Now that I have an almost cleaned off desk, it feels like tomorrow should be Sunday!

A Great Start to 2011…!!

2011-01-02T18:26:00.001-07:00

Wanna know what I did on my vacation??

Since Thursday, I have been busting my stash! Oh, I did visit Country Quilter to take advantage of their 40% off sale, although I did bring home ONE 3 yard purchase for which I do not currently have a purpose, but I do have an idea! And it is right up my alley in all it’s dark fuscia pink glory!! My intention was pure, though…my purpose for going was for in-progress or planned projects which are to be made in the next 2 months, namely the Vandal quilt. Hey, I don’t have much gold and black, what can I say!?!

I got the gold and black fabric washed up, but haven’t cut any more of it…I got tired of all those small pieces, so I distracted myself:

I started the 10 Minute Block and finished most of the quilt!
To my credit, I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do for the border, then my friend Verna suggested making a skinny dark blue inside of the purple I already added to the quilt. Wonderful! Except I only have about 8 inches of the purple outer fabric left and I’m not sure I can find any more of it. If that’s the case I’ll have to figure out another border treatment. But hey, it wasn’t for lack of trying! Overall, I used up 2 1/2 yards of fabric for the interior…yay!!
After demonstrating the technique to my friend, Verna, I cut this entire stack of 10” squares from my stash to make more 10 Minute Blocks!

I am hoping Verna will want to practice the technique on my already-cut fabric, which will result in at least one, probably two, more quilts! I’m thinking I can donate the results to the women’s shelter in town.
I cut this much of a black and silver (yes, Lola, SILVER!) Irish Chain quilt whose fate is yet to be determined. I worked it up in EQ7 and it’s lovely!

I even started making some of the 9 patch blocks…
Cut and sewed the blocks for a twin sized quilt pattern called Cotton Candy that I’ve had my eye on since Quilt Magazine came out with its December/January 2011 issue!

I woke up this morning and, knowing it was my last day of a long Christmas break before going back to work, I jumped out of bed, grabbed a cup of coffee and started sewing the last of the blocks for this quilt.

I got it laid out before DH and I went to run errands…one of which was to get the border, as I didn’t have enough of one color in my stash to complete the project. I might move a block or two around, but I’m rather liking this one!

And…because I changed up the layout, I have quite a few blocks left over! I see a second Cotton Candy quilt in my future…

Vacation is over so, now, I better buckle down and get some “real” work done!

Quilts, quilts, and more December quilts!

2010-12-31T17:57:00.001-07:00

Today has been a really great day!

I woke up thinking I had finally picked the fabric needed for the mystery quilt hosted by QT Mystery Quilts today. Mind you, the directions say to pick the fabrics out and cut them to specifications BEFORE the day of the mystery!…but then, I’m “mystery challenged”! I have such a hard time not knowing what the quilt will look like, I get paralyzed with not being able to pick out my fabrics….much like the Roll Roll Cotton Boll mystery that Bonnie Hunter is running! Wow, is that one intriguing! I haven’t started it yet, either, because, for once, I’ve stayed focused….

To begin with, I finished the two Bronco quilt orders I had, and they were delivered in time for Christmas…barely!

One was made with a Hungarian blue fabric, which I really liked. This picture doesn’t quite do it justice, but it is an overall lighter colored quilt than the second one.

This close-up shows the Hungarian blue much better:
The second quilt used a very dark, tone-on-tone blue fabric that even my DH thought was great, and I put an orange binding on it for contrast:

During our Christmas holiday, which we got to celebrate at home, I took out a UFO that I’d started during the 2009 Humanitarian Bowl, featuring the U of Idaho Vandals. It’s been on my mind, partly because I promised it to DH last February, and partly as a counter-part to the Bronco vs. Vandal rivalry here in our home…after all, I make BRONCO quilts! DH is a University of Idaho graduate, and played football for the Vandals, so I thought he’d like to use it during football season.

For some inexplicable reason, I picked a log cabin design. Lots of people say this is a beginner’s block, but I truly don’t think so because the narrow strips require precise seam allowances, and the amount of work each block takes to create.

Of course, I planned on making a throw (he won’t go and get one of my many, pink, quilts). I checked with him again as I pulled it out, and he’d really like a bigger quilt…one that will fit on our king sized bed! Oh, the joke is on me!

Well, now that I’m making 12-1/2” blocks, I’ve had to go buy more fabric just for the blocks, and I’ve decided to add borders to make the design work the way I want it to.

I worked up a mock-up in Electric Quilt 7 and I have to say…it’s going to be STUNNING!

Now I know why this amount of work will be worth the effort.

While perusing the Yahoo discussion for the Quiltville mystery, I ran across the 10 Minute Block instructions that someone mentioned. Wow! Talk about making a block fast! Sewing them together and putting on the borders took me much longer than making the blocks!

So, today, rather than working on the QT Mystery Quilt, I finished up the blocks I cut out last night and got it all sewn together. It currently measures 44” x 63 and I achieved my goal of using up almost 2 1/2 yards of fabric! A friend of mine stopped by and made a great suggestion for the outer border, so I need about 1/2 yard more of the purple plaid fabric that is currently shown on the border; I hope I can find some!

P.S. Why is it that photos of quilts rarely look as good as the actual quilt??

Oh, and because my friend was interested in how I made a quilt so quickly, I showed her the technique. Can you see the Bow Tie block? Of course, I had to cut some more 10” squares….and I ended up with the beginning of a new quilt!

So, finishing this unplanned quilt took a bit longer than I had anticipated, and now I need to get back to cutting more 1 1/2” strips for the Vandal quilt, rather than working on either of the mystery projects. That’s OK, because even though I still haven’t picked the color, I’ve decided, that I would start sewing together some string blocks for Bonnie’s project, because they are neutrals and I can work them into any other colors I pick later.

On the home front, we also found out that my DH needs shoulder surgery to repair his rotator cuff. This will require a 4 month recovery, which pretty much puts him out of work for that entire time, as he is a self employed drywaller. Luckily, he carries workman’s comp insurance on himself, and this all started when he was working on a job, so we are in the process of starting a claim. He’s the sort who is very unhappy when he isn’t working, and we’ll both have to deal with the entire recovery process.

As much as I’m not looking forward to his surgery, I am very thankful for the blessings we have and the opportunities the new year will bring. I think many changes are coming for this new year, and I can’t wait!

Happy New Year!!!

My Vacation Report

2010-11-28T15:55:00.001-07:00

I am at the end of my vacation, and I have accomplished quite a bit…which is why I haven’t posted in 9 days!

Two twin sized flannel log cabin quilts have been quilted for a customer and delivered back to her. She was delighted!
U of M Grizzlies quilt
I am almost done with the U of M Grizzlies quilt that my mom commissioned, I just have to finish the borders, which will be done after I post this message! Then onto the quilt frame for completion!
Bronco Quilt #1 – Snowballs and 9 Patches
This is a custom order Bronco quilt that is to be a Christmas present. I have half of the blocks made, and need to cut the other half.
Bronco Quilt #2 – Known as Towne Square
This is a quilt that I started to cut out this summer…or was it last winter?…and never got very far, but I’m dying to see it made!
I created my first Bronco quilt listing on Etsy.com for a Bronco quilt that does not currently have an owner. It sure takes a lot of time to get all that set up!
I scanned some family photos for DH and got them posted online. Next time I’ll show him how to do it!

So, that is what I accomplished.

But, of course, I am scheming to also:

Make myself a cute bag that was posted as a free tote bag pattern from AllPeopleQuilt.com
I need to start cutting the blocks for the home game Bronco Football T-shirt quilts I’m planning to make and sell. I even came up with a great idea on how to make them even more special, which I’m keeping secret right now…can’t wait to show you how it turns out, though!
I’m also thinking I should make some placemats as a Christmas gift for my sister-in-law…but then again, I’ll probably just buy them to go with the cookbook I plan to get her.
Of course, my hubby has been watching football and now that it’s turned cold, the lap quilt I promised him last February has come to the forefront. Better get that one done.
And I’ve been dying to start the new Bonnie Hunter mystery, Roll Roll Cotton Boll. I sorted through about 2/3 of my donated scrap fabrics and started pulling out appropriate colors. I thought I had a photo of how that sorting project is coming along, but can’t find it right now, so will have to post it later. I still have quite a bit left to go through…and then I had an idea for another quilt using some of those pre-cut strips.

On a less frenzied note, I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done, too. Aaah…

I think I accomplished quite a lot in these 9 days!

Holiday Plans!

2010-11-19T09:52:00.001-07:00

My holiday starts tonight!

I was given tickets to the BSU vs. Fresno State football game...of course, it's predicted rain and snow mix tonight! But they are a good team and it will be a fun game. My DH and I had season tickets for the past 5 years, until this year. The prices kept going up and it just didn't make sense to keep spending that money right now. Hopefully we'll be able to buy tickets again.

My mom is supposed to drive from Montana and arrive for the holiday on Tuesday, but with the predicted snowfall and bad weather, she probably won't make it. So, while that will be disappointing, I’d rather have her safe and sound. I will console myself by sewing and quilting all next week, as I have the week off, too!

I still plan to finish the quilt Mom commissioned for her U of M friend by Tuesday, so after running errands on Saturday I will get that one moving further along. Unfortunately, when the fleece back that I ordered arrived on Monday, I found that it referenced only the sport of basketball. Since this is a football quilt, that simply won’t do, so I am returning it and will have to find another suitable back.

After that, I have two other customer quilt tops to quilt, then start serious work on the orders for two Bronco quilts to be done before Christmas.

I also need to find time to post a couple of quilts for sale on Etsy, finish one of my Bronco flimsies, and 3 baby quilts that need borders and quilting. Then I have 3 more quilts in the queue for American Hero Quilts, too, if I get a spare minute!

I’m ordering parts for a new computer this weekend, too, so I’ll need to put that together and get it setup. I’m very excited about that prospect, though, as this is what I’ve been waiting on before installing my new Pre-Design Studio II software.

Last night’s guild meeting was fabulous! If you haven’t seen quilts by Karen Schoepflin Hagen from Genesee, ID, you are really missing something! She was fabulous, and what a depth and breadth of work! Inspiring and intimidating all at the same time. WOW!

I volunteered to do a demo and/or a make-and-take class at the upcoming BBQ quilt show in June. So, now I need to come up with an easy sort of thing to make that doesn’t require a sewing machine. Any suggestions, send them my way!

That’s all for now…

Fun Playing in the Fabric Scraps!

2010-11-16T21:10:00.001-07:00

My customer picked up her quilt tonight and I think it turned out really well. Her 8 year old grandson is going to really like this Christmas present! I am definitely getting better at the consistency in my overall meander. I think it helps that it took less time to actually quilt it than it has in the past, reducing the impact that fatigue plays. Now I’d like to focus on more variety in the overall size of the quilting design and I will get that chance!

I had a surprise request today from someone I work with to quilt two quilts for Christmas. I have already figured out my schedule so I can quilt them in between making the two Bronco quilts I promised for another customer for Christmas.

We finally decided on the patterns and I am excited to get moving on them! The first one is one I designed in EQ7 and I think it will be really fun when it’s finished.

I haven’t had a chance to work the second one up in EQ7 to show it in Bronco colors, but I think it is going to look great, along with being really fun to make!! This pattern is called Town Square by SweetWater, and I contacted them when I purchased the pattern to secure permission to make and sell quilts using their pattern. I have been waiting to get to do this one for awhile, so I’m really excited that she chose this one!

Mom’s quilt is coming along, too. Last night I decided to start putting up the pieces of the blocks on the design board before making any more, and this is what it looks like so far:

Mom will be here Tuesday night and my goal is to have it finished by then. I will need to do some finagling, though, as the back arrived yesterday…just in time, yay!….only to discover (look in the lower right hand corner) that their is a sport displayed in the design…and it ain’t football!

Oh, dear! So, I will have to see if I can return the fleece and go with something else. There was no mention of this in the description, so this is very disappointing. I really hope I can return it. Exchanging it is probably out of the question, as I need it right away.

I’ve also been sorting my big box of donated scraps into colors, and making quite good progress! I bought one of those plastic 5 drawer organizers and it is pretty full, with lots more to add. My inspiration has been Bonnie Hunter’s mystery for this year, Roll Roll Cotton Boll. This quilt will eventually go into her 4th book so it won’t be posted on the site for a long.

Now, considering I have additional quilting and the two Bronco quilts to finish, I will have to delay the start of this mystery. But it sure has been fun playing in the fabric scraps!

Starting out November Right

2010-11-03T22:30:00.001-06:00

I seem to have misplaced the cord for my camera. Of course, it has to be a special cord, it can’t be a generic USB cable. That is one pet peeve of mine, having to have a bunch of different cords for everything! I love my camera, but still!!

I have all sorts of gizmos and gadgets that I’ve kept around because “I might need them”, but they seem to be, shall we say, vintage?…and so, they are useless to me!

Oh, but finally, after over a week, a light bulb went on! I finally remembered that I could plug my color inkjet printer into the computer itself and use the built in card reader! You see, it’s set up using the network, and, well, I always seem to do things the hard way!…..DUH! And I call myself a computer technician…sigh.

But enough of that. This is what I wanted to show you…the BOM that I couldn’t resist buying at the guild meeting last week and that I finished tonight:

I know it doesn’t look like much now, but when it’s all tiled together, it’ll look like a ribbon, and the way I envision it is as in intertwining circle. At least, that’s why I bought it. And I hope I win all of the blocks back, so I can show you what I see!!

I’m definitely going to have to go through my scrap bag and boxes with my Bonnie Hunter 2010 Mystery instructions. Yes, she’s hosting another one this year and I’d like to participate. I am still dying to do the Double Delight, which I pulled all the fabrics for, and did start cutting a BUNCH of little triangles, but never got around to actually sewing.

Not that I deserve to…I won a ruler holder tray from the donated goodies basket last time. I need another ruler holder, too! Thank you to Nancy from www.MummQuilters.com

The blocks aren’t done yet, but here’s a photo of the quilt blocks in progress that I worked on last weekend. It’s a comfort quilt for one of our group members whose throat cancer has returned. She will be undergoing a new treatment and we are hoping for the best for her. She’s a great lady. We’ll be getting together this Sunday to put the blocks together.

You can also see parts of the Grizzly quilt I’m putting together for my mom. I got interrupted with yet another project when I had company two weekends ago and I was hostess to the 9 year old son of a friend of mine. He designed a quilt top 0n my design board, and I am going to sew it together for him. I can’t wait to see it finished, it’s really great! Until I get it sewn together, though, I don’t have any place to put up the Grizzly quilt pieces! So, I’d better get to it!

I’ve been tripping over a bag on the floor for awhile, which is part of what prompted me to start clearing out my workspace. Here’s what was in the bag:

It’s a Pass The Bag project that I participated in last year but didn’t have time to put the blocks together. Now, I have an idea of what I want to do to finish it. I’ll keep you posted!

I’m doing pretty well in my class and I’ll be quilting on my customer’s quilt on Saturday. Life is good!

Busy, busy, busy!

2010-10-19T13:15:00.001-06:00

I knew it had been awhile since I’d posted anything…my mind, and my fingers, have been racing around!

So, what have I been working on?

DH and I have signed up for a series of Community Education classes on Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights. It’s taught by one of the local patent attorneys in town and has been very enlightening. I have some ideas for patterns and I want to make sure I have an idea of what I might be getting myself into!

Homework, of course. Two weeks ago the teacher assigned FOUR chapters for one week’s worth of homework! AARGGHH! I read 1 1/2 chapters, but have not turned in the assignment; this was the week that my middle stepdaughter went into the hospital unexpectedly and had abdominal surgery for an infection, and my DH flew to Seattle to be with her for a few days. You know the saying “when the wife is happy, the husband is happy”? Well, same for the reverse, and he was understandably stressed. I didn’t expect it to affect me quite so strongly, but it did, even messing up my diet for the past 3 weeks.

I also got the tax information in to the accountant; now I have to work on this year’s information, because I messed up my inventory file by trying to adjust it to a new method.

I finished my customer’s quilt this weekend, it’s a simple meander on a purple and white gingham top. I’ll post pictures soon, just haven’t taken any yet.

I haven’t installed the Pre-Design Studio software yet; I want to be able to spend some time with it and I know I will not get anything else done once I look at it. I also would like to get some specs for a new computer; of course, then I have to build it and install my OS….

I’ve also been working on my mom’s Grizzly quilt, so I have lots of pieces and partially finished blocks done. I figured out a really fun, easy way to put it together and it’s going to look so much more difficult than how I actually get it made!

And, I think I’ve finally narrowed the other Bronco quilt selection down for my customer, I just need to send her the photos to choose from. That means I have another one, maybe two, quilts in progress. I got some great ideas at my longarm networking group last week on where to show them off for sale, so need to work on that next.

Guild meeting on Thursday…

CueCat arrived!

2010-10-03T09:06:00.001-06:00

My CueCat arrived this week and I was able to successfully “de-claw” it! That means that the barcode is no longer encrypted to a proprietary format and I can scan all my books into the DataCrow open source media cataloger software I found. So far I’ve got 51 books entered!

One thing leads to another, right? Well, because I needed to pull the books off the shelf to scan them, I decided to reorganize the shelf entirely. And that led to unscrewing one of the boards from the shelf holder in order to cut a semicircle into the board so I could run cords through it. Now that everything is back up it doesn't look much different!

I did however get to work again with the audio cables and the mounted TV now plays audio through the stereo radio speakers, so that’s sort of cool. It makes me want to figure out how to mount the speakers and/or get an all-in-one receiver of some sort, as I used a three way switch for all of the components. I need to call the cable company to see if they have a smaller cable box; yes, we still use one as the other cable services that don't require it cost more money! I still haven't gotten the sound from the Linux box connected to the computer; that wouldn’t work for me for some reason and it sure bugs me! No matter, when I get a new computer my old XP box will get moved upstairs and then it will be a moot point.

I was able to load the customers quilt this week so it's already to get quilted, and I have to work on my QuickBooks today, too. My back is sore from sitting at the computer all week and not moving around enough so I'd better go stretch and see what else I can get accomplished today.

Pre-Design Studio software!

2010-09-29T06:34:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, I ordered a software package called Pre-Design Studio II! It's a software package that allows you to create and print your own pantographs. I saw it demonstrated at Innovations and was really impressed with it.

As wonderful as Adobe’s Creative Suite is, I've been struggling with it for this type of task. I's simply been frustrating because there are so many options in each of the individual applications of that suite, I don't have enough training, and I don't even have the entire suite, further impeding my progress.

I'm hoping that because Pre-Design Studio is designed specifically for doing what I want to do, it will be a lot more straightforward and I'll get more accomplished. I'll report back my findings when I get the software and hopefully I'll have a free design to offer my readers. Hmmm…. maybe even a contest...?

Its big sister, Art & Stitch, is another package I've had my eye on but decided that I couldn't afford at this time. Not only will it allow you to create and print pantograph's, you can digitize the designs for all current computerized quilting machines and embroidery machines. So cool!!

Eventually, I'd like to become a certified teacher for both of these software packages so now I have another project on my hands! One complaint I'll never have is being bored, eh?

CueCat

2010-09-22T16:59:00.001-06:00

The box in the mail yesterday, and today, an email from LibraryThing.com, finally pushed me to make a decision. I bought a CueCat.

I went crazy and bought about 10 books that were on sale by 60% or more before I left for Innovations, and yesterday the first box arrived. I have been looking for a book/inventory database and some way to manage it for some time and came across an open source program called DataCrow for managing library type items. Even though I installed the program, though, it’s a bit daunting to try to enter all of my books, CD’s, and DVD’s so I’ve put it off.

The obvious solution is to get a barcode scanner. Could I get by without it for entering my books…well, sure. But my DH has quite the CD collection, too, and that’s not any project I want to take on by hand! And we really need a list of those titles for insurance purposes.

With the arrival of the box yesterday, I figured it would be a good time to enter the info before they went on my shelf. The problem then becomes which scanner to buy, and they aren’t cheap. I don’t need a really heavy duty one, and besides, I don’t even really know what I need. For $15, I ordered the CueCat. I have other plans for helping to track my inventory, too, so this will be mighty handy if I can get it working properly.

I’ve seen this device before but there’s a history to the device. You can read all about it on Wikipedia, but essentially, it was initially developed with a customer tracking technology installed and privacy concerns emerged. The company website and its services are now defunct, and there are lots of sites around to “declaw” the Cat to remove any doubt about sending out personal information. So, once it arrives, I’ll declaw the cat and get organized!

Innovations 2010 – Second Day, and beyond!

2010-09-22T07:21:00.001-06:00

Wow! As they say, time sure flies when you're having fun! I can't believe it's already the Wednesday after Innovations and haven't posted since last Wednesday night! I haven't had a chance to tell you yet about all the fun things I learned on Thursday or about the great dinner I had that night. Here’s our photo after dinner, from left to right: me, Debbie Wendt’s mom, Debbie Wendt of Wendt Quilting, Marian Drain (CuddleTime Quilts), Marion Carmickle, and Edie Eliott (CuddleTime Quilts).

Marian Drain taught her Incredibly Easy Techniques for Success class for the first time…and it was a hit! She talked all about grain line of fabric and how it affects the quilting process and those waving borders, as well as how to tame them. Way to go, Marian!

I took a Baptist Fan class from Laura Lee Fritz, who is also the author of four different books. I’ve had my eye on at least two of them for some time now, and I had ordered Creative Classics before I left for Innovations. What a great class! Not only did she explain the technique, but we got to go up to the whiteboard and draw out the patterns. Some were shy and didn’t want to go up to the board, so they stayed at their desk and drew, but I really needed the feedback and it helped a lot. What a treat to get to take a class from the author of a book!

I also took a class called Bluming Background Designs from Irena Blum, an award winning quilter, author and teacher. This was also a hands on class and we drew for almost 2 continuous hours, going over the techniques and getting feedback. Some creative students came up with their own unique variations, creating people and animals from the designs which were quite wonderful. The time just flew by!

I flew back to Boise on Friday morning, as I was trying to get ready to sit at a booth at the Hyde Park Festival that weekend, but it didn’t work out. However, I was able to finish a Bronco quilt!

I’ve been looking for a blue and orange variegated thread to use on Bronco quilts and finally found it! Wonderfil, a Canadian company, was at the show and has a line of variegated rayon threads called Mirage. I also bought a spool of their Deco Bob thread, but didn’t use it this time so I could test each separately. Mirage quilted up perfectly, not one thread break! I discovered, however, for this sort of project, that the variegated colors disappear too much for my taste. It’s sort of cool that you see a “shadow” of the football design, but I am going to stick with either a tone-on-tone or solid color that is opposite of the border color.

I’ve got another Bronco quilt top in the queue, I just need to decide if it wants a fleece or cotton backing.

Back to work this week, lots of homework, and quilts calling my name…there’s not enough time in the day! Sigh….

Innovations 2010 – First Day!

2010-09-15T06:59:00.000-06:00

Wow, what a great day!

I met up with one of the Innova quilters who lives in the Tacoma area, whom I met on one of the Yahoo discussion boards. We had lunch together and other people in the area joined us, too. Thanks for the sandwich, Sheri!

I only took one class, called Panto Fun, that was about a really wonderful piece of software called Pre-Design Studio. It will allow you to make your own, original, pantographs!

It has tools similar to those found in major graphic design software packages, and I have been wondering if I should get one over the other. They both have their places, as I knew they would. Pre-Design Studio is designed specifically for digitizing images (not creating the stitch information for the design) that can be used for embroidery and longarm use and all of the tools I need are included in this one application. The stitch-out creation happens in the big sister application, Art & Stitch.

All I can say is “Wow!” Not only can this package do everything Pre-Design Studio can do, it does more…lots more! So, not only can pantographs be created and resized, it can be used to create embroidery designs, including the stitch information, as well as computerized longarm quilting files for all major systems on the market today. Now I just need a computerized system!

A quilt conference wouldn’t be a conference without meeting new people. I had a wonderful conversation with Mavis Rosbach of Quiltbird Studio after the Pre-Design Studio class. I was delighted to hear her story of becoming a quilter, teacher, and pattern designer as well as her upcoming endeavors and she was generous enough to offer some suggestions to some ideas I’ve been tossing around.

I also met Anne Bright while I was browsing her selection of pantographs, which can also be found on her website, AnneBright.com. Since I was at her booth at the end of the day, I decided to look through her catalog a bit longer before making my purchase; she’s having a “buy 2, get one free” sale and I want to maximize my choices.

After the show, I met up for dinner with Marian Drain and her sister Edie Elliott, from CuddleTime Quilts, and Marion Carmickle. Marian Drain will be teaching her first Innovations class, although it’s not her first teaching gig, on how to fix the challenging quilts that come into your life. Marion Carmickle is teaching about leveraging social media and YouTube in your quilting business, as well as a class for new quilters.

Time for bed, I need to get up in the morning for a full day of quilting classes!

Innovations 2010

2010-09-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

Innovations, the machine quilting conference in Tacoma, WA starts tomorrow. This is the third year I have attended and I’m looking forward to reuniting with some of the great friends I’ve met at the conference and hoping to bring back a new skill or two to practice.

I arrived in Tacoma late last night. Know what I did? I booked my flight Saturday, which was late in the game for booking a flight in the first place, and as I went to do my web pre-flight check in for my Monday morning flight, I got a notice that it was too soon to try to check in. What?? It was 9:00 pm and I was supposed to leave the next morning. I re-checked my ticket and sure enough...I had booked the flight for the PM not the AM flight! AARRGGHH!!

So, had to call my friend with whom I’m staying to tell her the bad news, as changing the flight would have cost $75, and I had used my miles to purchase the ticket. As always, she just shrugged it off and said "no problem". When she picked me up last night she said it was probably for the best anyway, as she had had a long night at work (she's a paramedic) in addition to the mandatory morning meeting she had attended, and was exhausted. So, other than not finishing my homework, it all worked out!

I even got to sleep with Elliott, one of the house cats! Today, Chris and I are off to spend some time together. I feel blessed to have such good, long-time friends.

On Saturday, I will be at the Hyde Park Festival. I will be sharing a booth with a couple of other quilters and showing samples of my Bronco quilts and taking orders. Please stop by and say hello!

Post Trip – Pre-Innovations Update

2010-09-11T20:26:00.001-06:00

Wow, lots has happened in the last two weeks!

I started my grad class, visited my family in New Hampshire (those kids sure grow fast, don’t they?), I signed up for Innovations, I’ve gone to a Washington Nationals baseball game against the New York Mets, then off to the Boise State vs. Virginia Tech football game, where I yelled myself hoarse, BTW, and now I have a cold. Ugh to that!

I am making a concerted effort to keep a realistic To Do List, though, and that is keeping me sane. Interestingly, as much as I love gadgets, I love my paper lists. This cold, however, has me in a low energy mode and I need to get at least one Bronco quilt done this weekend, pickling some cucumbers, working on paperwork and getting ready for my trip to Tacoma, not to mention trying to get a lot of sleep…and I still seem to be on East coast time. I have no time for being sick!

On a more serious note, when I picked up the dogs from the dog sitter, Rosie’s eye was watering and red. DH took her to the vet yesterday and turns out she has a laceration on her eye.

I feel really terrible, because I put some ointment on it that we had used for her after she had a cyst removed, and the vet said that made it worse! Turns out that it had steroids in it, and they may have pulled the laceration further apart.

So, now we have drops to give her and she's looking better already. Worst case scenario, though, is that if it doesn't get better, she could lose her eye.

There's no way to tell how she hurt it, could be she rubbed her face on the carpet and there was something in there that got her, or one of the other dogs at the house might have scratched her.

Reboot Your…Plane?

2010-09-01T18:49:00.001-06:00

I am visiting my brother in New Hampshire this week and it’s a two plane trip from Boise, with a layover in Chicago.

While we are sitting on the tarmac in Boise, the pilot comes onto the loudspeaker to tell us why we haven’t taken off yet. Turns out that there’s a small electrical problem and the mechanics have asked them to turn off the plane and then turn it back on to reset the electrical panel. In other words, they rebooted the plane! Good thing they didn’t make that request while we were flying!!

School Has Started!

2010-08-27T05:31:00.001-06:00

Well, school started this week, and I already have too much to do... but then again, that's nothing new!

One problem, though, is that the instructor refused to post the online course until the middle of the week instead of the beginning of the week when school actually started, so I've already lost time, and I'm not very happy about it. Mentally, for me, it's a lot like that bad dream where you show up for an interview without having taken a shower, brushed your hair, or pressed your shirt.

On a brighter note, though, my DH surprised me yesterday with a Kindle! Actually, the one he purchased hasn’t arrived yet, as it was just released this week. He gave me the leather cover it will go into as I was ranting about being behind and the possible scenarios for managing this class, one being to purchase the Kindle edition of one of textbooks. He wanted to know if I’d like to keep it, or go with another technology…that guy! I’ve been wanting one of these for awhile now, but just couldn’t justify the cost, and now it will help with school, too.

Last weekend I started 2 new Bronco quilts. The tops are together and now I'm ready to put the borders on them and decide what the backing should be. I’d love to get them quilted this weekend, but I suspect that won’t happen for a couple more weeks, if I’m lucky.

My mom also commissioned me to make a quilt for her so I've been picking out the fabrics, washing, and ironing. Now it’s ready to cut. We picked a lasagna quilt pattern, so at least that one's a pretty easy one and it should go together quickly. I’ve been planning more of these for Bronco quilts, too, I’m just not convinced I’ll get them ready any time soon.

Innovations, the machine quilting conference in Tacoma, is coming up in less than a month, too. I’m planning on being there, but I need to hurry to get signed up for my classes; the deadline has been extended to September 1st. Oh, and book my flight….

So, I’m making my list and checking it twice. Hmm….that sounds familiar, somehow…..

Accuquilt Give Away!

2010-08-23T16:56:00.002-06:00

Paulette over at Sweet P Quilting has posted a tutorial on the Accuquilt Go! and is having a give-away for one!

The tutorial is very good and explains how the Go! works quite well. I have been considering getting this device for some time, so I would be pleased if I became the lucky recipient!

Weekend Update

2010-08-23T12:20:00.001-06:00

This was a very productive weekend!

Besides getting caught up on making sweet pickle relish and dill pickles for the first time ever, I made enough blocks yesterday to make 2 new Bronco quilt tops!

I still have to sew the rows together and audition the border fabric, but I’m considering simply adding outer borders, and not using inner borders on this one.

Since I’ve got two quilts, I’m also considering using a fleece back for one and a cotton back for the other.

School is starts today…or, rather, it’s supposed to. I am signed up for an online class, but the class hasn’t been published to my account yet. Last semester the professor wouldn’t even give me the list of the books we were supposed to use ahead of time so I could get them ordered beforehand. I’ll have to see if I stay signed up for this class!

More Bronco quilts to come!

Wedding Quilt – complete!

2010-08-17T21:18:00.001-06:00

The binding is done and the quilt is ready to be shipped out! I think the red binding adds a nice touch.

The back is a red flannel; it was supposed to be maroon, but it’s more like a candy apple red. If you stare at it too long and then look away, everything looks like it’s in shades of green!

Thursday is the first quilt guild meeting of the season, show it off there, then it will go into the mail.

So, with all this focus on the wedding quilt, I haven’t completed my SwirlAbout quilt. That’s the one I posted about on July 12th, and I was all excited about the new border fabric I bought for it. I still am, it’s just that I was getting some really bad waves and wrinkles in the black inner border, so I thought I’d save myself a bunch of grief and take it off and see what I could do to fix it; it certainly wasn’t going to get any better by adding another border!

The problem now is that I had intended to get that quilt entered into the Portland quilt show, but I think I missed the entry deadline already, so even if I busted my rump to get it done, it’s probably too late. I’ll have to check, but I have a lot on my plate coming up.

So far I’ve finished 2 of the helmet liners, but they are still taking donations until September 1st.

It’s also canning season, and my DH and I made plum jam tonight; it’s the first time we’ve done any canning together! It turned out really good, too, and we have enough plums to make another batch tomorrow night. This weekend I’ll need to work on making some pickle relish and maybe getting some pickles canned, too.

School starts on August 23rd, and even though I’m only taking one class, Innovations is coming up and I have another trip in the works.

Then there are the everyday, and not so everyday, chores that I have put off which are demanding my urgent attention.

I think I need to clone me!

Wedding Quilt – Binding Needed

2010-08-11T08:17:00.001-06:00

I’ve finished quilting the Wedding Quilt and have the binding made. Last night I went to my longarm networking meeting and was able to whip stitch down the tucks in the back; they aren’t very visible and at lease they lay down now. Tonight I will start attaching the binding and will machine stitch it down.

The Mother of the Bride said this about the preview photos I sent her:

“The quilt is gorgeous....I feel better already… The product itself is so amazing, the extra line on the back side [from machine stitching the binding on the front] is certainly not an issue. I am a bit envious of them having such a quality heirloom quilt, but also proud to have been a part of it. I love what you did to the border -- such an artist you are.”

Since she put together the blocks made by the family, she knew that they were not consistently made, or the same size, so she had her doubts. Quilting certainly makes all the difference in the world to an unfinished top.

I’ll post photos when I finish it completely, as I think the red binding will add another dimension.

Wedding Quilt - update

2010-07-27T22:17:00.001-06:00

I thought I’d post an update to the saga of my latest quilt project, the wedding quilt.

I started it this weekend and even took Monday off to see if I could get it finished. It's for a family friend, and the wedding is at the end of September and I have a million other things I need to do....they drove it here from Washington state, and the mom didn't have enough time to complete it so I ended up putting the borders on it. I used the straight of grain for the outer border, just like Brenda Hennings from Bear Paw Productions suggests. I was determined I was going to get it done Sunday night, as I was going into the 10th hour, and got to the last row and the border was puckering, big time.

So, I decided I couldn't really “quilt it out”, and with it being a wedding quilt, as well as the gal's first quilt and all...so I ripped out the thread holding most of the border and I literally ended up with an extra 2 inches!! Now I have to take it off the frame and fix it, then finish that last row. I'm going to wait until the weekend to finish it, well, maybe I’ll get to the border on Thursday, but I have been ignoring a TON of stuff that needs doing around the house. Sigh, where does the time go??

I've been trying to help DH figure out a billing problem with his business, and now I’ve gotten all riled up. He finally decided that he should take the problem back before I blew a gasket. I probably didn't help him any, and I didn't accomplish anything toight that I wanted to, either. Drat!

Better get ready for bed...well, maybe a row or 2 of knitting on my hat will calm me down first.

Wedding Quilt

2010-07-26T07:06:00.001-06:00

I'm not sure if I’ve mentioned in the past that I volunteered to quilt a wedding quilt for my husband's best friend’s oldest daughters wedding…. did I?

So here's the story: The youngest daughter, DD2, approached me to find out information about making a quilt for her sister's (DD1) upcoming wedding at the end of September. Since I was going to make my own quilt, I thought that it would work well to simply quilt her quilt as our wedding gift.

The catch is that DD2 has never made a quilt before, and she wanted to make a King sized quilt! I am never one to discourage such ambition, especially since I did the very same thing. We discussed patterns and she eventually picked one called True Lover’s Knot, which is much like a Log Cabin. Since many people start on those as first patterns I told her that would be just fine. Personally, I think sewing the narrow strips is much more difficult than the larger strips.

I told DD2 that she needed to get me the quilt before the end of July because I would be starting school in the middle of August, as well as to account for any possible delays. With the help of her mom, she did just that, arriving this weekend from out-of-state with her dad and the quilt in tow. Her mom however had run out of time to attach the borders and asked me if I could do that as well. I agreed, as long as she sent me the border fabric washed and ready to go.

There were a couple of problems, however. First, the border fabric was not the same solid color that was used in the top, and it did not enhance the top in any way. Secondly, several of the seams needed to be picked out and re-sewn. So, Friday afternoon off we went to Quilt Expressions, where Karen H. helped DD2 pick new border fabric and came up with a unique solution for the inner border. We got it into the wash, inspected the quilt for areas that needed to be fixed, started fixing them, and then ironed the new fabric on Saturday.

We had decided to go floating the Boise River Saturday afternoon and we did just that. No need to have me stay home and quilt while everyone else is off having fun in the sun, right? I ended up with a pretty intense sunburn on my legs, from my thighs to my ankles! We also had planned a barbecue for that evening and we had a great time with mutual friends who had recently moved to Boise as well. We had tons of food and I ate way too much!

Dad and DD2 left early Sunday morning, as she needed to get back to work by Monday.

I spent all of yesterday afternoon fixing additional seams that I found that needed to be re-sewn, and in the evening eventually got the borders added to the quilt.

Today, I will finish getting the quilt loaded and start the quilting. Optimistically, given the quilting pattern we selected, the quilting should only take about three hours if each row could be accomplished in 15 minutes. However, I am not fast nor am I optimistic, and it will probably end up taking me the entire day.

So, I better get started!

Sewing Morning

2010-07-18T09:01:00.001-06:00

I have really gotten into working on the knitted helmet liner caps, so have sort of taken a break from working on my quilts…gasp!

I completed one on Friday and started casting on stitches for the next one. Last night I got the ribbing done and have started the main body. I had intended to sew this morning, as we had company coming in the afternoon, but I decided that I should work on cleaning up some of the mini piles that have popped up instead. I’m glad I did, but it sure wore me out! I had to lay down and take a nap! We haven’t seen them in several years, and it was sure a nice visit. I did, however, completely fall off the diet wagon, and I am going to pay the piper in the morning!

As for my current quilting project, I need to “tighten up” some of the half square triangles on the quilt top I am currently working on, that I haven’t named yet, that I took the borders off of early last week. That way I can put the black inner border back on, and I need to cut the replacement border fabric so I can finish it up. I’d like to enter this one in the quilt show in Oregon in September. As a featured guild, the Boise Basin Quilters can enter quilts for no fee, and I plan to take advantage of that!

Border Fabric - Update

2010-07-14T09:40:00.001-06:00

I have decided to go with the new fabric for the borders, and make the black border skinnier. So, the new inner border fabric is not getting used in this project. My mom said it looked sort of brown and blah from a distance, and I have to say I agree with her.

So, last night I removed the borders, then cut the black inner border down 1/2”. I then admitted that there is too much fabric in that border, it would not lay flat for anything and as I was trying to starch and press it out, it simply wrinkled on me. That’s exactly what it would do if I tried to quilt it this way, so I decided to take them off too, and see what I can do about easing them back on and make them flat. I think the fullness is coming from the bias edges of the half square triangles….bleh!

Now I’m back down to where I started on Saturday! Will get the outer borders cut Thursday night and see how I can take in the fullness too, so I can get it finished this weekend. We have company coming on Sunday, and I’m getting my hair done in the morning on Saturday. With all of those distractions I’ll be lucky if I get anything else done! DH invited me to go on a date tonight, so will be spending some quality time with him. He’s such a sweetheart!

Border Fabric!

2010-07-12T13:35:00.001-06:00

I went to the fabric store at lunch today to get more border fabric for a quilt I am finishing up. I got over zealous and cut too many strips for the sides and now I only have one large piece for one of the borders. Since it’s a busy, but large, print I don’t want a seam going down the middle of it, as it would be distracting. So, off I went to get another 1/2 yard. Of course I didn’t bring the quilt with me!

Well! Not only did I find more of my border fabric, I found a different border, as well as a different inner border that I think will make this quilt look great! I was ambivalent about the borders I was putting on, and now I am just EXCITED about getting home to see how this will look! I will post photos of the before and after…because what this means is, all the work I put into getting the borders attached yesterday is going out the window!

I really think it’s going to look 100% better, though!

Once I see it tonight, I’ll put the fabric in the washer and get it ready to finish by this weekend.

Lone Star is finished!

2010-07-09T20:56:00.001-06:00

This is the king sized customer Lone Star quilt that I’ve been working on.

I did mostly custom quilting in the middle. and a large overall meander on the border sections. It has Hobbs Tuscany wool batting with Sew Fine on part of the top and all of the bottom, and a new-to-me shiny silver polyester thread called Hemmingworth Polyselect. She wanted something that looks like fire and to accentuate the star and make it sort of “pop out”.

She didn't want to pay very much so we initially decided on an open "flame" design that would sort of outline each of the 8 petals, and a small stipple in the setting squares, but then the petal was so large that I couldn't reach the tip from the middle of the star to make a smooth motion to make the flame. I also was worried about making the meandering small enough, consistently enough.

So, after beating my head on it for a couple of weeks, I called and asked her if I could just do what I wanted to do, without her knowing the design ahead of time, but still keeping her original idea in mind, if the price didn't change and she said yes. So, now it's finished and I’m really pleased with it!

She picked it up tonight and loves it!

4th of July

2010-07-05T09:20:00.001-06:00

I wanted to share a new project that I started yesterday, that I thought was quite appropriate for the 4th of July celebrations. What? A new project without finishing the other one first? That never happens! ;-)

You’ve seen me post about the organization called American Hero Quilts, who donate homemade quilts to wounded soldiers who come to Madigan Army Hospital in Tacoma, WA.

Well, if quilting isn’t your thing, then I want to let you know about another opportunity to help. The Yarn Shoppe, a local business here in the Boise area, is working to make knitted “helmet liners” for The Idaho National Guard’s deployment early this fall. According to their website:

We are continuing our call for knitters to help make helmet liners for the Idaho National Guard's deployment early this fall. The 116th Brigade from Idaho , Montana , and Oregon is shipping out to Iraq in September. There are about 1500 Idaho soldiers and 1200 from Montana and Oregon involved. We are helping this effort by distributing patterns, discounting the wool yarn needed, and providing a drop off point for the helmets.

These caps are used to help keep the soldiers warm in the winter and can also be soaked with water to keep heads cooler in the summer under the military helmets.

These caps MUST be knitted from 100% wool for safety (acrylic yarns can melt in a fire or explosion) and MUST be in medium to dark earth tone colors (black, grey, browns, tans or greens).

I stopped by their store yesterday afternoon and got a new pair of circular knitting needles and two hanks of the approved wool blend yarn. I started on the pattern last night after dinner and I completed the ribbing before the dogs started going crazy over the fireworks noise. I’ve never knitted in the round before, which is what this pattern calls for, so I’m learning a new skill, too.

Fast knitters can probably complete a cap in 4 hours, and, depending on your gauge, one hank of yarn will make 2 caps.

Please consider making a helmet liner, or recruiting someone to do so. Visit The Yarn Shoppe’s website to find out more information.

This is one small way to let those who give so much for our great country know we care and think about them daily.

Boise Basin Quilt Show

2010-06-30T21:14:00.004-06:00

Well, I thought I had written about the upcoming Boise Basin Quilter’s quilt show…and, now that the event has come and gone this past weekend, I guess I can write a little something!

Not only was the show fun, I bought a ticket to hear the lecture by Marianne Fons, from Fons and Porter’s Love of Quilting. She was quite entertaining and I even got to get a picture taken with her beforehand. I didn’t bring my own camera, as I didn’t realize there was going to be a Meet ‘n Greet, so someone else took the picture for me. I’ll have to post it when I get it.

I had two quilts in the show and got some solid (+) Good ratings. All constructive criticisms were in line with my own perceptions and expectations, which I think is a good thing because then I know I’m on the same track as the judges. I am also very happy to be able to finally post a picture of the Happy Quilt! Once I get a closeup of the quilting, I'll post a picture of that, too, as it turned out quite well and you can't see the variegated thread or the design in this photo.

One particularly nice comment that I just *have* to relay, though, was “outside edges impressively straight and square”. Woo Hoo!

Now that the show is over I can concentrate on the lone star customer quilt that is still on the frame. Almost done, but the free motion design in the star part is giving me a hard time, I can’t seem to get it right….and she wants it back! Can’t say I blame her, I’ve had it quite awhile.

Not all has been procrastination, though. My DH tore his rotator cuff in his left shoulder last week, I re-tweaked my back a bit over the weekend, and the dog went in for a cyst removal and major dental surgery. So, it was a rough week.

Then the dog had to wake me up this morning at 2AM and I couldn’t get back to sleep. So, I’ve been up since 2:30AM…and I’m going to bed now.

A Place for the Onions

2010-06-15T21:58:00.001-06:00

I finally got my garden planted. Not that I didn't have a few challenges along the way, however. You see, here in Boise the weather has been very chilly, windy, and downright undesirable, as far as spring goes. I am a fair weather gardner, however my procrastination has been rewarded! Those serious gardeners, who actually planted when they were supposed to this spring, are re-planting, spending the same time in the nursery that I was looking for plants this weekend and not any further ahead then I am. Whew, off the hook for this year!

Before I started on this journey though, I confirmed with the local nursery that it wasn't too late to plant. Mind you, I am planting in June, which is at least a month later than when I planted last year, and I really felt like I didn't get much produce at all last year; I didn't even can anything! We have really missed the lack of canned goods, too, I can tell you.

So, radiating with the afterglow of a 50% off the edible plants sale, I started calling around for a rototilling service, as DH strained his ankle working last week. I was lucky enough to find someone who would come on Saturday and he did a great job! E-mail me if you would like his contact information, as I definitely recommend his services.

With the soil freshly tilled, I started my early-morning journey to planet the garden. I bent over and reached for a T-shirt on a lower shelf and…CRACK…. I threw out my back. All I could think of was “this is not how I planned to spend my day”. DH to the rescue, as he offered to "help" me with the garden and ended up planting everything where I told him to plant it. With the new space I had rototilled, I was able to make room for one more tomato plant and two cucumber plants for which DH pre-dug the holes.

Fast forward beyond two days of intense chiropractic care and I am now walking and being very careful of how I move, although that is fading fast. I stopped at Lowe's tonight to get a sprinkler head replacement and came out with the additional items I needed for the garden, plus a pack of candy onions. I have never grown onions before, so I'm interested to see how they turn out. Because DH had helped me carefully lay out the other plants, I had to come up with a creative solution for planting the onions. I ended up making a "corner L-bracket" configuration of the onions around a jalepeno pepper plant, which I think will work out just fine.

I decided that I should call my garden “The Salsa and Pickle Patch” because I have planted the majority of the ingredients for both salsa and pickles. This year though, if the peppers don't grow I am giving up on them!

Why so quiet?

2010-05-27T07:59:00.001-06:00

I haven’t posted anything in quite awhile, as I’ve had my head down and just plowing away. I get focused like that, just want to get to a good stopping place, and then, if I’m not careful, I start another row, another block, another stitch, another…something.

So, what have I been working on? The Boise Basin Quilters quilt show is coming up and I have submitted 2 entry sheets for quilts. The actual quilts are due to be turned in on June 5th. I’m putting the binding on one of them now, and the other is the Happy Quilt, which still needs to be quilted! At least I’ve picked out the thread, batting, backing and quilt pattern for that one, but I need to find time to get it done!

I’ve also been working on quilting a customer’s Lone Star quilt. It’s not your typical “home-y” colors that most people think of, it’s purple, dark grey and light grey, and it’s gorgeous! I’m taking my time on it, as I’m using 2 colors of thread on top, and a different color of thread on the bottom, which means I have to do a thread change and I am very particular about the back thread not showing through. The top threads are a bit different in weight, so each time I change the threads, I have to re-calibrate the tension, which means I want to minimize how often I change threads!

I’ve also been working on a way to make several lap / baby quilts at once. I have a customer who is interested in buying them, so this needs to be an efficient enterprise. I’ve learned a lot in the process (I should probably write those lessons down, huh?) and have been quite thrilled with the results. I’ve used the Valentine pantograph from Willow Leaf on the first two, and will be considering other designs as well. I think this will definitely work for some Bronco quilts, too!

A batting sampler quilt is in the works, too! I purchased 20” squares of Pellon’s Legacy batting at Innovations last year and have been meaning to put this together since then, but never got around to it. I finally decided how I wanted to do this and was able to find some really nice fabric on sale, now it’s almost all cut and ready to sew together.

I’ve recently setup a wholesale account with Sulky thread as well as received some thread samples from Fil-Tec in the mail. I got to see some of the Sulky Blendables for the longarm machines at my last networking meeting and I really liked how it felt, and it was gorgeous!

Fil-tec makes Glide thread, and I’ve heard that Glide is wonderful! I’ll be testing it out on these samples, too, and will report how I like it. I haven’t gotten any of the Sulky thread yet, but I will probably be able to get some before the project is ready to quilt, so I’ll be able to show off quite a few of my threads. They are as fun to collect as fabric! I’ll post photos of the sampler when that is finished, but for now I’d better get back to finishing my quilt show projects.

Upcoming plans

2010-05-18T09:39:00.001-06:00

I wish I were home today, as it is raining and gray outside, the perfect sewing weather! I need to make up some time, as I did not quilt this weekend, as planned. Instead, I updated both my husband’s and my websites, www.GriffinDrywall.com and www.ArtisanAtHeart.com

I am excited that I conquered the challenge of a new piece of software, as well as how the new FAQs now display in an accordion style! There is still a lot of work left to do for my site, specifically getting the store back up and running and configuring it to use PayPal, but that is the nature of the beast!

I am also looking at submitting an application for one of the local farmer's markets to sell my quilts. The table fee is quite reasonable, and I don't have to commit for the full season up front, which is a concern since I don’t have a large inventory of quilts to sell yet.

One reason I haven’t posted much lately is that I have been working on testing a particular pattern to see if I can make some quilts in a production style method, while still maintaining quality, and I have been very pleased so far. I think I can have several lap/baby sized quilts completed in 2-3 weeks, which will make having a table at the market feasible, as well as showing some larger quilts for customers to order in their own colors.

So, I have lots of quilting plans, not to mention normal “life” plans. I feel very blessed to have so much to look forward to. I hope to also achieve balance in my approach, enjoying the entire journey and appreciating the experiences with the busy-ness that can be so all-consuming.

American Hero Quilt Finished!

2010-04-30T12:54:00.001-06:00

I finished the first quilt top that American Hero Quilts has sent me with a pantograph called Star Spangled, from DesignsByVickie.com. It was a bit more challenging than I anticipated, since it has a lot of points and changes in direction, but I think it came out OK for a first try. I will definitely use it again! I used gold King Tut cotton thread on the top and gold Sew Fine! on the back. I’ll be sending them off as soon as I get a box and print a label.

I’ll be doing more quilting this weekend, to get ready for the BBQ Quilt Show coming up in June. Submission forms are due May 20th, so I need to get busy!

Bonus quilt!

2010-04-15T10:35:00.002-06:00

During the flurry of activity of making the Happy Quilt, I made several more blocks to “make it bigger”…I always want a bigger quilt!….and then it just didn’t look right, it had WAY too much going on!
So, the new blocks came off the design board and the Happy Quilt became what it is today…and unfinished top! Not that I haven’t been working on it, mind you. I have the thread, quilting pattern, batting and backing picked out, I just need to seam the backing fabric together to get it ready to quilt. For some reason, that always takes me a long time!
In the meantime, my copy of Quiltmaker magazine arrived last week…with a wonderful pattern inside by Scott Murkin called the Swirlabout! I immediately went back to my left over Happy Quilt blocks and re-arranged them from Happy Quilt 2, which I felt was uninspiring, to the adapted arrangement also offered in the magazine, called Whirligiggle. Click on the Whirligiggle link to get the downloadable pattern from Quiltmaker.

Here are the two versions of the quilt, same blocks, just reversed to show the negative of the other; squint at them if you don’t see it. I’ve decided how I will sew them together, but I’m interested in hearing which one you like best!

Progress to Date

Quilting: My “need to quilt” count now is 3 customer, 3 personal, and 1 American Hero quilts to quilt. Backing to be seamed together for 3 of these quilts.
Tops: This new bonus top needs to get sewn together before the blocks start falling off, or get taken off, the design board so I can use it again, and I have two Bronco quilts in process on which I want to see further progress.
Blocks: I finished my donation blocks for the upcoming quilt show. I cut fabric to help out with making a wedding quilt. I have star blocks from a Pass The Bag event that are still sitting in the bag. Those won’t make it into a real quilt for awhile yet, I’m sure.
Looks like it’s going to be a fun, and busy, weekend!

Official Boise State University craft vendor!

2010-03-30T14:22:00.001-06:00

It’s official!!

I have been been awarded an official Boise State University crafter's license to use Boise State University themes in making and selling quilts to the public at large.

So, in addition to offering long arm quilting services and making custom quilts, I will also be creating BSU themed quilts!

Sample Bronco quilts are in progress, so stay tuned!

Adventures with Zippered Leaders

2010-03-16T09:36:00.001-06:00

The reason I haven’t posted for the last two weeks is that I’ve been extremely focused on tax reports and sewing …more so on sewing!

I finally finished my American Hero Quilt that I started quilting last August, but it still needs the binding. I don’t have a picture of the full quilt right now because I also pulled out a UFO that is made of of LOTS of half square triangles, and they are taking up the majority of space on my design wall where I normally take my pictures.

On Sunday, my fabulous friend, Verna, came over to motivate me and lend a hand with getting the canvas properly cut for my new zippered leaders. I’ve been avoiding it due to the fact that this has to be pretty precise and dealing with the 4 yard length of fabric presents its own set of challenges.

It took a couple of hours to get the fabric cut out properly, and I realized that I’ll need another 4 yards of fabric to make the 3rd set of leaders that I want, but I’ll have two of them for now, which is great!

It is, however, taking an inordinately long amount of time to get this project finished!! Sunday night I was up past midnight because I was serging the edges of the canvas. I remembered someone saying they had color coded theirs, which I think is a great idea (I had red thread in the machine already and loved my test run!)

So, I serged red, then blue and then decided I was going to go for just plain cream/white on the pickup roller. Changed thread and the tension was a mess!! So, I dutifully tried to adjust it (I have a wonderful Pfaff 4785 electronic serger that I NEVER have to adjust the tension on!)...and I spent over an hour messing with it (DUMB, DUMB, DUMB!!) with no satisfactory results...and yes, I turned the machine on and off several times to get it to go back to its default settings.

FINALLY, I decided that hey, the tension on the other colors looked great, just change the thread again. And, voila! the tension went back to being beautiful! Well, mostly...I used the 3 matching dark colors I had left and 1 light color in one of the needle positions, and the light color kept skipping a few stitches, then would catch again, then skip later so that it left large stretches of thread on top of the fabric. So, I put in a contrasting dark color and it worked just fine.

So, why would light colored thread suddenly become my evil nemesis??

Less confident that I would actually finish, I again took up the task again last night. I added another straight line guide down the middle of where I will be attaching the quilt to the leader, then ironed down the edges. That went very well! I went to sew it down with a straight stitch and half way through this long 128" trip, the thread broke but I didn't know it. So I fixed that, not especially happy with the way it's looking, but OK fine, will address that later.

Then I couldn't remember what my zipper foot looked like so I had to look it up in the manual (it's not the usual "half-foot" for the Pfaff) and then had to find in the manual how to move the needle over left and right so I get a tight seam.

Then it was time for bed, and I actually went! No more staying up until midnight, I’m exhausted! So, they are STILL not done! And this is for the FIRST SET! AARRGGHH!

Now to get the binding completed by Thursday night (guild night), finish the leaders so I can get this other American Hero quilt mounted, and finish my tax reports for the accountant.

That's what one calls blessings, huh?

Crazy!

2010-03-02T16:28:00.001-07:00

I actually played this weekend! Not only did I go golfing with my DH and another couple, I actually played with that big box of scraps!

I am really proud of what I accomplished: additional blocks to get a UFO (UnFinished Object) on its way to being finished, and two crazy patches!

I have always wanted to do this block but this box of scraps really provided the opportunity….and I love the result!

Given that I already have several projects in progress, not to mention the list of UFO’s, I decided that, for now, I will limit myself to making 9 blocks to make a wall hanging. I think I will even do some hand stitched embellishments!

Holy Scraps, Batman!

2010-02-23T21:51:00.001-07:00

I am overwhelmed…both by generosity and volume!

A nearby quilter is moving and asked if I wanted a box or two of her scraps....she warned me that there was a lot, and I'd be sorry....but I said, yes, I want them! Of course, I want them!

She called me yesterday to pick up the box of scraps. The box is from Quilter's Dream, the size that you can get the baby quilt sampler batting packs in. Once I opened the box and started pawing through it, the contents started to expand and take on a life of its own!

My goal is to sort them by lights and darks. Medium is not a goal right now. If there are strips, they will be moved to my newly purchased "strip" bins. I worked for over a half an hour and I only got as far as about an inch in a 20 gallon Rubbermaid tub.

And there's another box coming next week!

Zippers coming!

2010-02-19T14:11:00.001-07:00

Hey…I just ordered zippers to attach to my longarm leaders from Zipperstop.com and they should be here Tuesday or Wednesday.

I have been waffling back and forth about using Velcro or zippers, had definitely decided on Velcro and then, after a conversation with one of my online quilt buddies, bam, went with zippers. I’ve never been fully confident that I will be able to attach the leaders straight if I use Velcro, I keep thinking there is going to be a little wiggle that I won’t be able to get out.

I hope I got the right sizes! Since my leaders are 139” long, I’m getting 3 sets of zippers at 128” to attach to the take-up rollers, and the other half will go onto a canvas leader that is about 6” or so wide. I’m also going with 90” and 60” lengths for the smaller quilts, based on standard batting sizes.

Oh, and coming from the west coast, it was so fun to hear a real for-real New York accent on the telephone!

Geek alert…

2010-02-13T20:11:00.001-07:00

Today I literally spent the entire day on the computer. For some people that might not be too amazing but since I do computer support all week, I tend to avoid the computer in my free time as much as possible. However, I just got “in the zone” and ended up knocking off a couple of items from my To Do List. Not only did I try out new shopping cart software for my site, I also needed to update my husband's website with a photo gallery.

Let me tell you, if you use Joomla for your website and need a a photo gallery component, you've got to try JoomGallery! I was astounded at how extremely easy it was to install and how many configuration options were available. It offered the integrated, full featured, photo gallery I was looking for.

Some configurations took more time to figure out what they affected than others, and, being completely new to the software, it seemed to me that a couple of settings had to be changed in two places and I wasn't sure why, although they were not hard to find.

One item that was not obvious, and undocumented, was how to change the display name of the Gallery page, which needs to be edited in the global Joomla language file. That information was gleaned from the forum pages, and is new with the introduction of Joomla 1.5.

I'm ecstatic about this component, and highly recommend it!

I’ll reserve my judgment on the shopping cart software until I’ve had time to populate it with data and test it. So, more to come…

Bronco Quilts – work in progress

2010-02-08T22:23:00.001-07:00

I have been very busy this weekend, working on trying to get some Bronco quilts made…and it is taking forever! I sewed, with a little bit of cutting, on Saturday for about 6 hours, and I only have 28 Nine Patches made…and I need at least 42 for one quilt! After those are made, then I need to make them “disappear”…into a Disappearing Nine Patch design. Here’s the prototype:

I may need to reconsider the size of the strips, or the construction method; I know I’m slow but, dang!

I expected to already have two made, working on a queen sized quilt, and fleshing out other designs….too bad it’s all in my mind!

Gizmo’s mouse

2010-02-03T08:29:00.001-07:00

I just had to share this picture of Gizmo from tonight! While Gizmo and I were playing, DH got up from the couch to go into the kitchen and Gizmo stopped playing and started watching The Giver of Food. So I put his toy on his back and he never even noticed...for at least 10 minutes!

Good news!

2010-01-26T20:38:00.001-07:00

OK, I just can NOT hold this back! I have had a wonderful evening. First, I finally found the border fabrics for my quilt project and I cannot wait to get started getting this top completed!

Second, I had dinner with a fellow quilter who has offered to help me come up with a pantograph design for my BSU quilts and….SHE….DID…IT! The design is absolutely fabulous!!

Third, I finally broke down and got myself a replacement alarm clock; now I guess I have no more excuses for waking up late.

Well, this may not seem like exciting news for most, but it's the most excitement I think I'll have the rest of this whole week, I’m sure!

Lover’s Knot

2010-01-26T16:02:00.001-07:00

I have been helping a new quilter make a very special quilt for her older sister who is getting married in September. This ambitious young woman is the daughter of my DH’s best friend, and I am thrilled to be asked to help her. She has never made a quilt before and wants to make a king sized quilt for the new couple…she’s a woman after my own heart!

She found a version of the lover’s knot pattern to make, which I think is a pretty good beginners pattern; the corner element is a bit of a challenge, but the extra work and patience will really pay off in the end. I think her sister will be thrilled! I will be quilting this one, if it can be completed before I start school in the fall, and I am tentatively thinking of a heart pantograph at this point.

I used EQ6 to work up two color schemes of the quilt, and after I did that, I decided I may have to make one for myself!

Which one do you prefer?

Dark	Light

I won!

2010-01-22T18:21:00.001-07:00

Last night I went to the Boise basin quilters Guild meeting. Since I was in school last semester, I wasn't able to go for three months because I always had a deadline to meet., So I was really looking forward to going. We had a small core group of people last night, but that made it nice and cozy and allowed us all to catch up with those who were there. There never seems to be enough time to talk to everyone I would like to! I even brought zucchini bread that I had made specifically for the meeting the night before.

The presenters were the owners of Granny’s Attic, teaching cutting and piecing techniques. When they called for volunteers to assist them, they awarded prizes. I volunteered on the last segment, which was a great technique on how to create easy mitered corners, and I received an original Granny’s Attic pattern called 3-6-9, Lets Design! Actually, I received a different pattern, but I traded with the other volunteer, as the other pattern was a table runner and I typically don't use those in my home. You know, though, I'm always interested in a new pattern!

It would have been easy to roll my eyes and decide that I already knew all of the techniques to make any quilt and that they couldn't show me anything new. I'm really glad that I didn't take that approach because the mitered corner technique that they showed is very easy and I will be more inclined to use them in my quilts.

Even though I've been in Idaho for almost 5 years, I've never been to McCall. Most of my friends are horrified when they hear that and I suppose I'll have to rectify that situation this summer; now I know of a great destination to include when I get there.

Sew day!

2010-01-10T08:22:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I got to spend the day with our subgroup from the local guild, called Pieceworks!, where we worked on our own projects, showed off projects we have finally finished or are working on now, exchanged gifts, food and stories. Our potluck was fabulous and everyone enjoyed themselves. I really looked forward to getting together with that group of ladies.

In getting ready for Sew Day I had cut out a quilt for a new project and I got a really good start on it. Since DH was watching football playoffs, I was able to continue on it when I got home so I was in hog heaven! I really want to get this project finished in time for the quilt Guild meeting on the 21st so I'd better get busy! I already know exactly how I'm going to quilt it, although I don't know the color of thread. I think is going to go together very quickly and I'm excited to get it finished. No pictures for now, unfortunately.

I also found out that a friend of mine had her baby a month early and of course the quilt top isn’t finished yet. At least it’s halfway done, if I can just decide on some other elements to make it shine; I still haven't heard any suggestions from anyone yet so I guess I'm on my own as to how to change it!

The surprise quilt for DH is also progressing nicely and boy is a lot of work! I don't think I'll be doing a log cabin again for quite a while, although now I have a whole bunch of little tiny strips cut! One thing I may do with them though, is incorporate them into a braided rug project which I have been eyeing. One of the gals at the event yesterday was doing locker hook rug making, and it looked really fun and I loved her project, but I don't know that my tennis elbow would allow me to really get going on a project. Besides, I already have enough projects to work on!

Speaking of that, I'd better get moving on this fine Sunday morning.

December has been a really busy month!

2009-12-31T10:55:00.001-07:00

My husband and I celebrated his birthday in December by going on a cruise right after finals. I still have one research paper to finish and I really need to get working on the reading, but I've really just been enjoying our time off.

The cruise stopped in Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico. On our way back we were able to take advantage of being bumped for a later flight on United airlines in order to allow to Boise State University football players to take their recruiting trip. It was almost like another vacation! They put us up in the Westin Hotel and gave us $30 worth of meal vouchers. We arrived home on Saturday afternoon rather than Friday night; the two free airline tickets made it totally worth the wait!

Once we were back home I loaded my customer quilt and was able to complete it in time for her to pick up for binding and presentation for a Christmas gift. I must say I'm very pleased with the outcome!

This week’s challenge has been to try to complete a couple of baby quilts using some of the with the example blocks I started in conjunction with my quilt class. I'm rather stumped as I can't figure out why these don't look quite right, it's really just so bland! It's also not finished yet as it's only 30" x 30" so I have lots of options; any suggestions?

I have the week off and have been taking advantage of the time by starting a new log cabin quilt project while watching the Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl with the University of Idaho vs. Bowling Green…and the Vandals won 43-42!!

I'm also cutting out a new project in preparation for a sewing retreat day in January, as the log cabin project requires lots of pressing and isn't really a good retreat project. I have another one of my customer’s quilts to do and need to finish quilting the American heroes quilt I started in August. After that, I know the pattern and thread I'll use on the second American Heroes quilt and I'm still stumped on how to quilt the third one. Oh, wait, I only have four days left before have to go back to work!

I guess you can see now why I haven't been posting much! I've even been able to keep up with the Stashbusters Yahoo group postings this week and thanks to a posting there even found another enticing project: http://blocksnswaps.blogspot.com/2009/10/milky-way-quilt-block.html

That makes the third project that I’d like to do this next year, in addition to everything else that I have in my UFO list; I’d better get busy!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T18:43:00.001-07:00

While I have been trying to put together a blog of the recent past adventures, Christmas has snuck up on me!

May you all be able to spend quality time with your sewing machines!

And, simply….Merry Christmas!!

Not quite caught up…

2009-12-13T05:33:00.001-07:00

I haven’t posted in awhile because I’m just finishing up the semester, and I’ve been working on getting my final done. There’s still a 7 page research paper due that the teacher has been gracious enough to give me an extension on. For today, I’ll be sending in the final and taking a break! Interesting to me that even though I never thought I’d post a blog, I’ve missed it; there simply has been no time. I’ve been sick the last couple weeks, too, which doesn’t help a bit.

I haven't exactly completed the quilt class that we started for my school project in that the blocks aren't all done and we haven't covered all of the material, but we certainly have had fun and learned a lot! We'll be continuing the class after the holidays and I'm really looking forward to seeing what my students come up with. I did however get the school project turned in and have had some good comments from a teacher.

Oh, and I had a great business idea come my way….making Boise State University Bronco quilts! I’m not sure if you remember that I made my mom a University of Montana Grizzly quilt? Well, I had started a Bronco quilt before that, just hadn’t finished it because I wanted to create a pantograph design of my own, as I couldn’t find anything out there that I liked. That hadn’t come to fruition and I found a football design so I used that instead and started showing people. They LOVE IT! Now, I don’t think I’m being modest, it’s nice and all, but really, there are much nicer quilts out there….

Anyway, I’ve started the process to get a crafter’s license from the school so I can officially start selling them. I already have an order for 2 quilts, which are roughly 75” x 54” and I’m charging $200 each. They have a fleece back with the Bronco logos all over. Another customer wants a king sized quilt, but I haven’t worked out a price with him yet. I bought a bunch of blue and orange fabric on Thursday on my way home from work, they had a 50% off sale and I’m going to buy the fleece from my wholesale vendor.

We got a birthday coming up next week to celebrate, and then I’m quilting a customer quilt on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this one turns out; I'll let you know!

Sampler Quilt – Class #1 Progress

2009-11-03T08:45:00.001-07:00

Saturday was the first day of teaching my Sampler Class. It was a never ending comedy of errors, definitely a learning experience!

I found that because I had concentrated on providing samples and activities for later in this series of classes that I started to think that I needed different samples to assist with the main presentation. I started to work on those samples at 9 AM with the goal of being at the facility at 1 PM. What I failed to remember is that I had planned to use the sampler quilt that I had previously made for this part of the presentation. It was only later, during the class presentation that I realized my completed quilt would have worked perfectly and that I had stressed out for nothing.

We had some great conversation about color, color value, the grain of fabric and how to cut it, and definitions of fat quarters and what they are used for (lots of variations in your quilt!)

We started with the Roman Block:

Then, because it used the same strips as the Roman block, we progressed to the Log Cabin:

And, having practiced matching points and cutting, we moved to the 9 Patch:

These are not my usual colors, but they fit my living room, so I thought I’d give it a try. Next weekend we are going to work on half square triangles. Woohoo!

Midterm completed!

2009-10-18T21:16:00.000-06:00

Wow, I finally finished it! My midterm ended up being 20 pages long…and am I glad it’s finished! I even took two hours to sew!

Yesterday I found the most fabulous fabric for the borders on my baby quilt sampler!

I started it when a friend of mine, Laura, asked me to teach a basic baby quilt class that had gotten cancelled at the local quilt shop.

The more I look at the class components, though, the more I think this needs to be a beginning quilt class, though. Neither my friend, nor her friend, know how to quilt, so even the basic 9 patch, which is what this other quilt is, are going to be that easy. And who wants to go around in life not knowing how to do a half square triangle? ;-)

So, I talked to Laura today and she reluctantly agreed to a longer class schedule for a sampler class. I will help her get the 9 patch baby quilt completed if and when she still wants to do that project, but since she said she wanted to cover the basics of quilting, I really think the sampler will accomplish what she’s looking for in the long run.

Now, I am compelled to finish this project, then I can focus on my next round of homework! Let’s see, two chapters plus two write-ups, more chapters for the class I just finished, a paper due in a couple days, and starting the outline and journal for the quilt class. Oh, and don’t forget, I have to work and try to exercise, too!… OK, now it’s time for bed…

Teaching a quilt class!

2009-10-13T12:26:00.009-06:00

As I've mentioned before, I signed up for 2 online graduate courses. One of them has a requirement for 12-15 hours of field observation that I'm supposed to journal about. That's a lot of watching!

One of my friends had signed up for a quick baby quilt class, but it was canceled due to low enrollment and my friend asked me if I would teach it to her and to her friend. My mind immediately started in on working out the details of the quilt. On Friday I found out I can teach the quilting class as a replacement for the field observation, and even use the experience towards applying to the program!

I started, and have almost completed the top for, the quick baby quilt pattern that was the inspiration for the class and it is so darn cute! It’s pink and green, and I pulled most of the fabric out of my stash, although I needed a border and backing so I went to JoAnn’s last night because it was the last day of their 50% coupon sale. We have a new superstore in town, although, unfortunately, it does not have the variety of fabric that one would expect with the square footage available, and very long lines just to get your fabric cut...over a half an hour!

I got the most wonderful light green fabric for the back, I think it's considered a fleece. It's very soft and has a nap, with the bubbled up dots as a part of the fabric. Well, it was a bit expensive for a baby quilt, but it is so cute! I may have to keep this one for myself!

I was talking to Marian from CuddleTime Quilts, who not only has a teaching background, but also quilts and teaches for her own business. I really value her advice and she suggested that rather than teaching that specific quilt as a class, to change it to a beginning quilt class that covers more information and extends over a longer period of time. I tend to agree, considering the people who will be taking the class hardly know how to sew, but that will make the class hours longer and increase the preparation time. It would be a better class, though….

I just need to figure out where to hold the class. My teacher doesn’t want me to have it at my home, since that is somehow less professional. Sigh.

I’m also very behind on my schoolwork, have a midterm due and the teacher even extended my deadline but I am still scrambling not only to finish that project but to keep up in my other class. I do NOT like taking 2 classes at once, and it is definitely interfering with my quilting!

Working on my Website

2009-10-01T21:32:00.001-06:00

Well, my website is in transition. I am finally changing hosting providers and got the name servers updated by this morning so the new location is where the domain name points to but, lo and behold, my software hadn’t installed by then!

So, the site was down almost all day, and now I have only the default Joomla installation files on the site. Anyone looking at it will not know it is my site until I am able to put a placeholder up.

Wow, it sure is a lot of work to find something I like, but I think it will be worth it in the end.

Weekend’s coming, got a lot of homework to catch up on, got a mid term coming up in two weeks! Eeek!

Two Weeks Post-Innovations

2009-09-28T21:36:00.001-06:00

I can’t even believe it’s been almost two weeks since Innovations! The quilting was amazing and inspiring, and so much has happened, and so much to talk about, I can’t even remember everything!

I came back from Innovations all fired up to quilt! Would you believe that some of the best instruction happens between classes? I was introduced to Ione Whitney by Sue R. from American Hero Quilts as Ione was getting ready to teach a class. I’ve seen her name in the catalog before, but had not taken any of her classes. I told her that I have the darndest time trying to figure out the continuous lines in a design. I spend more time trying to be efficient than I do quilting!

One simple question from Ione put me on a new path. She asked me “do you think you can’t cross over, or double back on, a line of stitching?” The answer was a thoughtful “yes”. She proceeded to show me how to quilt a 9-patch with a traditional X placed in the middle of each square. It was so easy! When I got home, I put that very design to work on my American Hero Quilt with the set in blocks and 9-patches, and it only took 2 hours to get two rows of 5 blocks done. I still have to quilt the setting blocks, but I was able to stabilize it enough to take the quilt off so I could show my machine to a potential new Innova owner!

I also came back with a sampler pack of 20” squares of batting from Pellon to quilt up and see how they work out. They have a new variety of battings that will not be available in the chain stores. If I sign up to be a distributor, I can sell it to my local quilt shops, if they decided to carry other types of batting, which is a big IF!

The three most intriguing to me are the soy batting, bamboo and cotton blend, and the wool and polyester blend. They feel really soft and I can’t wait to feel how they feel inside of a real for real quilt. I was thinking the other day that I should have bought two of those sample packs so I could quilt one with a flannel back and one with regular cotton. I’m thinking of using a great big feathered wreath, some wonderful King Tut thread, and stitching the name of the batting into the quilt.

Of course, I got together with some of my friends from last year, Edie Ellison and Marion Drain from Cuddle Time Quilts, and Marion Carmickle, and we all met up with some new friends!

The night we had dinner together was not only fun, it was hilarious! The poor waitress dumped a tray full of salad, salad dressing, water, and other beverages and food all over the heads and backs of Marian and Linda Rech, from Finely Finished Quilts. Linda and Marian got their dinners comped, including dessert, which was a chocolate mousse cake!

And, with all that enthusiasm for quilting stirring around, I came back to lots of homework, and an even bigger realization that I have a mid term coming up in two weeks, and I’m very behind on that reading! EEEKK!!

Innovations class - live!

2009-09-18T09:30:00.004-06:00

I am co-teaching a class with Sally Terry, right now, and it is fun!

This is Sally's picture of Vicki's quilt. Isn't it beautiful??

Innovations 2009

2009-09-16T07:26:00.001-06:00

Innovations, the machine quilting conference in Tacoma, WA is starting today!

This is not just a quilt show, it is a place to take classes on machine quilting. Short arm, mid arm, and long arm, it all applies. This year there are classes specific to short arm machines that I did not see last year. Of course, vendors are setup, and you can try out just about any machine in which you are interested.

I will be attending several classes, as well as helping Sally Terry with her class about creating or improving your web presence. I am really looking forward to the experience!

Cindy Roth, the organizer of the conference, is teaching a class on how to use templates, and I am very excited about that class. I don’t have a lot of template rulers, but I want to know which ones I’m most likely to use, and then buy them. Cindy has her own line of circle rulers, which I can’t wait to see put into action.

The Innova dealer, Cindi Rang, will also be here, and I’m hoping to see the ruler attachment that ABM has come out with. From what I’ve read, it frees up your hands so you can concentrate on your work. I’m interested to see how it might also help with curved arcs, if it does. I’m also interested in seeing if they have a solution for doing pantos from the front of the machine. If they do (I know there’s a laser light that can go up front) then I can push the machine against the back wall and free up another 2 feet of space!

There are so many classes I wanted to take, I just had to pare them down to allow time to enjoy the quilt show that is also part of this conference.

And, I can’t wait to meet up with the friends I met from last year! They are a pack of talented ladies, all very accomplished quilters, and they are loads of fun.

I am pretty lucky, because a friend I’ve known for 20 years lives in Tacoma, and she graciously allows me to stay with her while the conference is going on, and I can take the bus to the Convention Center.

Classes start this morning, and the show opens in the afternoon. People can still come to take classes, so if you suddenly get a bug, and you are in the Tacoma area, stop by!

Labor Day weekend

2009-09-08T13:38:00.002-06:00

The plans I had. Oh, the plans I HAD!

I was going to quilt, I was going to piece my Pass the Bag blocks, I was going to try out my ideas for re-arranging my quilting room. Catch up on my reading, write out the answers to my end-of-chapter questions, walk the dog, balance the checkbooks, go shopping, visit friends, and spend time with my husband.

No, that didn’t happen. I devoted my time, instead, to another worthy cause: completing a document that will be used with Sally Terry at Innovations!

Sally is teaching several classes at Innovations. The one we are working on together on Friday, Sept 18th at 8am is called Creating and Improving Your Website. I’m very excited about being involved with Sally, and getting to present some of the information to the class, as it goes right along with my Master’s program, Adult and Organizational Learning.

I’m really glad I had a long weekend to finish working on the classroom document. While I didn't get to sew, I did manage to walk the dogs and spend time with my husband. I even manged to work in a bit of homework last night!

Innovations, here I come!

Back to School

2009-08-30T19:03:00.001-06:00

Yes, it’s that time again. Many people are getting ready to get their kids back into a school schedule and maybe relish some alone sewing time. Me, I’m going back to school!

I started an online Masters program, Adult and Organizational Learning, from the University of Idaho. I still have to get officially admitted to the program, but I can take classes while I work on the application process.

So, yes, I’m a Boise State Bronco at heart. But that doesn’t mean I will let pride get in the way and pass a great opportunity by! Hey…I married a Vandal!

What that means, overall, is that I might not be posting so much. Well, I try to be somewhat consistent. More than anything, I don’t want to blather on without anything real to say.

But I love talking about quilting!…and I have a Pass The Bag to finish for Friday, a Bronco game on Thursday night, so better get cracking!

Customer quilts

2009-08-12T12:16:00.001-06:00

My mom had bunion surgery in February, in Great Falls, Montana. We got into town early before the doctor’s appointment, and I visited Quilt-A-Way on 13th St. S. What a great shop! Open and airy, and the fabrics are grouped in unique displays, so that each category, such as vintage or batiks, are showcased in their own areas.

I introduced myself to the gals at the counter, Lynn and Kathy, and showed them a sample of my work. When I had more quilted samples posted online I contacted them and they sent me three quilts to work on.

The first one is a green, red and tan Stack ‘n Whack.

Lynn asked for an overall meander with a neutral thread. I think it turned out really great!

The second one is called Stepping Stones.

Lynn wanted free standing circles, as you can see, and I also stitched-in-the-ditch around all of the seams.

The third quilt is a shop sample that Kathy had made. She didn’t have a name for it, so I call it the Black, White, and Turquoise quilt. If anyone knows the name of the pattern, please let me know.

She picked a light blue thread and wanted dinner plate sized freehand flowers.

I added loops and leaves around all of the flowers, too.

All in all, I am pleased with the results, and I look forward to working with both of them again. Their piecing is wonderful, I loved their colors, and very nice ladies!

From Good to Great!

2009-08-05T06:47:00.002-06:00

Last night I finally finished all of the blocks for my American Heroes quilt that I started in March! I’m stoked! So much so that I had a hard time sleeping last night. The thoughts that kept running through my head ranged far and wide:

“How am I going to quilt it?”
“I hope that the soldier who receives it will like it.”
“I hope the soldier doesn’t have to stay in the hospital too long.”
”I hope it’s warm enough/not too warm.”

This morning, the dog got me up in a panic to go outside, but not before an idea had blossomed: set the blocks on point and get another quilt out of it.

What a great idea!

If you would like to contribute to the effort to give a quilt to a hospitalized soldier, please contact Sue at American Hero Quilts. If you do not quilt, monetary donations are accepted to purchase batting and backing.

Why Did I Buy an Innova?

2009-08-01T11:40:00.001-06:00

I’ve been asked several times why I bought an Innova, and what I think about the machine, so thought I’d post my thoughts on that subject.

I love my Innova!

Yes, it's the first system I've had, I only did a couple of other small projects on my DSM, then I rented a machine at my LQS. I loved being able to quilt them myself and decided after having done 2 baby quilts that in order to get as good as I want to get, that would require a lot of practice, as with anything that you get good at. Since it is $15/hour to rent a machine, and it takes me about 3 hours to do a baby quilt, I decided that if I could afford that kind of money each month to practice (way more than those 3 hours!), then I could afford my own system at home. Not only that, I'd have the convenience of working on it when the quilt shop was closed instead of feeling pressured to get it done. The only time I could rent their machine was on Saturday, since I work a regular 8-5 job. The shop is about 30 minutes from my house, too. The big task was to convince my husband!

I started shopping around. I had a bit of trouble with the stitch regulator on the major brand machine at the LQS, getting it to respond when I wanted to start up again after stopping and thinking about where I wanted to go next, so that machine wasn’t at the top of my list. I had heard good things about another machine that was much less expensive, but not a short arm, that was in the right price range. When I saw it, though, it didn't have a regular hopping foot, and I had to buy the poles at my local hardware store, etc. So, the advertised price wasn't the actual price and that put me off a bit, although money doesn't grow on trees, either, and even getting a machine was a luxury.

That dealer lives about 2 hours away from me, the Innova dealer lives 8 hours away. I was on my way back from visiting my family and decided to add an extra day to my trip to see the Innova, and after I test drove it, the other brand just wasn't an option for me anymore, even though the 18" version of the Innova was $1500 more at the time. I decided that as bad as I wanted one right then and there, it would be worth waiting and saving that extra money to get the one I really wanted than to settle for one I was only sort of interested in.

Eventually, I decided to get the 26" machine, even though IT was an additional $1500 for the larger throat and subsequently wider frame. I knew I wanted to be able to do large quilts, as we have a king sized bed, I already have a quilt in progress with 12" blocks on point, which needs 17" of quilting space, and I knew I wanted to be able to do customer quilts. If I had only been able to get the 18" machine, though, I would not have been sorry.

It was so smooth, and it has a great sound to my ear and feel in my hand, the stitches are great, it handles all kinds of threads, it's heavy duty, and it has a servo motor; no others on the market have that, that I know of! My engineer brother will tell you that a servo motor is the King of Beers in electronics. Having the servo motor means there is so much power that hasn't even been tapped yet for what I'm doing, and also allows for expandability of the machine, which the company has added since I bought mine, and it's easily retro-fitted if I want those upgrades. Also, as you are comparison shopping, you'll see the maximum number of stitches a machine will go to is 1200 - 1500, but the Innova will go to 3000. That's also an indication of the kind of motor it has. The way the tension works is independent from the hopping foot, which is different than other brands. I have a post here, if you want to read more about it.

OK, so can you tell that I love my machine? ;-)

When I need help with something, I call their tech support line which is available 24/7. They have been in business with the industrial side of quilting machines for 70 years, and many of those machines operate overseas, so they have to be available for them and they are available for us, too. I like that it's made in the USA! I always talk to Michael, the "M" in ABM. Yes, I have them on speed dial. I always play with my machine to see what it will do and that takes adjusting the machine. For example, I bought a kit that had an extra throat plate so I can use heavy decorative threads. Those threads require a very large needle, a size 21. Michael calls them nails, they are so big! Well, the timing on the machine is set for the "normal" sized needle, a 16 or an 18. It does not work the same for a 21, and the tension will not be the same for that thread, either. The next project requires different thread so we go through it again. I KNOW this machine will work properly with dark thread on the bottom and light thread on the top, I've SEEN it, I've DONE it! And when I can't get it working correctly it drives me crazy so I fiddle with it. I have another 2 bobbin cases on order so I can set them with one type of thread and leave it, and that will minimize my having to play with the tension settings in the future.

I am very independent, and stubborn, too. S o, I want to do things myself and not ask for help. I have made things worse by doing that, then I have to call and Michael asks me why I didn't call right away. I understand what he means by that, and I have started calling more easily when I have a question or want to change something so I spend less time tinkering with the machine and more time on my project.

My hubby and I set up the frame ourselves. It wasn't hard, it was just involved. Setting it up with one person would have been difficult but only for those times when you want to put the long beam in the middle to connect the two ends. None of the individual pieces are heavy, except the machine itself. I have pictures of the setup process here: http://picasaweb.google.com/cjloves2quilt/InnovaSetup#

Don't worry if you don’t have a dealer in your area. ABM is literally a phone call away. If you are shopping for a long arm, I would suggest that you do a lot of hands on comparisons between the models you are interested in. It's a very personal choice, not only how much it impacts your wallet, but as a tool, and your mental state of mind while you are creating. My husband is a drywaller, and I want him to have good tools that won't wear his body out, or cause him difficulty by making a job harder, just because he was trying to save money on a tool. Quilting is the same way, as you know. It's very tactile, and the interaction with the tools, thinking of who you are creating this gift for, steeping yourself in the colors and the patterns, and the challenge of learning something new is so rewarding. Having a tool that doesn't interfere with that process is really important, and if it enhances it, all the better. And I think the Innova enhances the experience!

Where’d the time go?

2009-07-21T06:12:00.004-06:00

Wow, 2 weeks sure fly by fast!

Let’s see, here’s a run down, in no particular order:

I volunteered to quilt for the American Hero Quilts organization, and received two lovely quilts. One thing I like about these quilts is that they are a useable size, not just a lap quilt. Then again, I always want to make a bigger quilt! I already know the design that I’m going to put on the Rail Fence quilt, I just need to get the gold thread. My husband helped me decide on the color of thread. He’s pretty good at that, and I appreciate his input.

The second quilt is pretty awesome, and I am going to be challenged on this one. It’s has Ohio stars all over it, so I need to do some research on how to best make it look good. Don’t have a photo of that one yet, though.

I have been busy quilting. I mean really quilting, not just piecing. I finished my customer’s third quilt and handed them off to her sister, who will hand them to another relative to get them to her. In fact, they should be there already, and I am dying to know if she likes my work. I will have to wait to post photos, though. It would be very impolite to publicize her quilts before she’s seen them.

I am also working on a quilt for a toddler; it’s a surprise for someone, so I can’t say much more than that. But it’s just darling, and I can’t wait to see my friend’s face!

A co-worker is leaving us and moving out of the area, so having a pizza party tonight, so will get back to sewing on Wednesday. I can’t wait!

Golf, anyone?

2009-07-10T19:54:00.001-06:00

Last weekend my DH and I played our first round of golf. We have each taken lessons before, hubby most recently as I had hurt my back when the lessons were scheduled, but we had never played an actual round.

We went with another couple who knows the ropes, and we had a blast. I even told DH that I could see upgrading my thrift store clubs to a bare bones set from the sports store. Given that I don’t know what I really want in a set of clubs, I eventually settled on upgrading the driver, as the rest of the clubs really aren’t so bad.

The downside is that I hurt my right arm so much so that the inside of my forearm was swollen for almost a week. Being right handed, this was a bit of a problem, but I was still able to move the quilting machine around.

Tonight, I went to hit a bucket of balls, and on the first swing, I re-injured my arm. So much for taking it easy! But I’ll tell you, I eventually got that new driver to work for me: I was able to hit over 100 yards!

Tomorrow…finishing my customer quilt. Once she picks them up, I can post pictures of all three. I can’t wait for her to see them!

Who’da thunk?

2009-06-30T22:12:00.000-06:00

+ = Good
++ = Very Good
+++ = Excellent

I got my comment sheet back from the judges for the Boise Basin Quilters 2009 Quilt Show.

For the Design components, which include Use of Color & Fabric, Top Design, and Quilting Design, I got a “+”.

I got a “++” for Workmanship, which includes technique (precision, stitches, grain line, shadow-through).

My “+++” rating came from…drum roll, please…..Finishing! The judges comment was “wonderful binding”.

So, I guess it does pay off to hand stitch binding down, eh? Or was it the milliner’s needle I liked so well?

How to Pin a Quilt onto the Leaders

2009-06-18T18:18:00.001-06:00

Jennie Kerwood, a new ABM Innova dealer in NY, posted her method of how to pin a quilt onto the leaders.

Her explanation is quite detailed, easy to read, and easy to follow; you can't go wrong if you follow her directions.

I do a couple of steps differently, mainly pinning from the back. I could never seem to get the pins on top where I could see them, once I was ready to attach the backing, and this was causing the pin heads to drag on the arm of the machine or on the ruler plate.

In order to accomplish this, I let the leader out and keep it wrapped around the bottom bar and up over the top bar towards me so I don't have to lean over the table.

Once it’s pinned, I can roll it onto the take up bar to get to the end of the back and start pinning to the belly bar at the front of the machine.

Hope this makes sense!

Binding, hand sewing and needles

2009-06-10T12:04:00.003-06:00

I usually sew my bindings on by machine, as I'm not much for hand sewing. It's not that I can't sew a slip stitch, it's that I don't want to take the time it requires to do it, I want to move on to the next project.

Well, it just didn't seem right for this quilt, the one I'm finishing for the quilt show. Maybe it is the batik border, maybe it's peer pressure. No, actually, it's that I cut my binding at 2 1/2" instead of 2 1/4" and when I wrap it around to the back, the binding isn't filled out with the quilt sandwich if I only bring it to the seam line. So, I have to bring the binding beyond the stitching line, making it wider in the back than the front. That would leave me with a lip on the back if I used SID from the front, or it would leave me with an "inside line" of stitching next to the binding around the entire quilt. Depending on the project, that's not an entirely unacceptable solution, so maybe it is the batik!

I started out with a quilting needle. Two different brands, even. Those needles were so hard to pull through the fabric that my thumb joint was literally sore the next day.... and I hadn't even finished an entire side yet!

The next needle I tried was a John James Gold'nGlide size 10 milliner's needle, and I can't believe the difference! The difference isn't so much the length as it is the "girth" of the needle, and the eye isn't larger at the end, like the quilting needle. I haven't had to squeeze the needle to try to pull it through, it just slides right through my fabric....my BATIK fabric!

These needles are not the same as some other milliner's needles. I picked up a variety package of Piecemakers milliner's needles before I realized I had the other ones. The eyes of those needles seem a bit larger than the John James needles. I haven't used them, and since I found something I really love, I'm going to see if I can return them. No use messing with success.

I might just consider hand sewing ALL my bindings!......

June 13th deadline - the rush is on!

2009-06-06T09:31:00.001-06:00

So, with all of the changes we made to the studio on Memorial Day weekend, I just had to put my theory into practice....and get my quilt done in time for the quilt show that I already entered it into!

This is a Turning Twenty Again pattern, measuring 89" x 75"

I used a batik border and a batik back, and there is at least one batik in the piecing. This is the first time I've quilted a project with batik...and it was a learning experience!

I loaded this quilt last Sunday and proceeded to mess around with trying to get my tension right. You see, I can't use the same stitching scenario all the time! The Innova handles all kinds of threads, and I want to experiment! That's what gets me in trouble, I guess... ;-)

I used a new-to-me thread called PolyQuilter, from Superior Threads, which is a 19 wt spun polyester thread that feels like cotton. It's really soft, and it is just gorgeous! I didn't pay attention to the weight of the thread on the package, and it never occurred to me I would have to make adjustments, as you would with a decorative thread. Well, maybe that's just me....

I only realized it was such a fat thread when I went to thread the needle. It was much easier to use the size 18 needle just to get it through the eye, which worked out really well because of the batik back. I like to test my tension on loops and swirls in order to test everything I might encounter during the actual quilting. I've used an 18 before with no problems, but, for some reason, I ended up needing to re-time the machine this time because I was getting skipped stitches on my practice loops.

This, of course, necessitated a call to ABM technical support, which is always great. Michael was very patient with me as he walked me through several steps, making sure I was liking how the tension was set and how the thread laid on the back. In order to not have the threads "lying on the top of the fabric" we ended up moving the needle bar height so that the hopping foot was about a dime's height above the quilt top, where I usually have it set to a nickel's height. However, by the time that was all set, it was time to go to bed!

I used Willow Leaf Studio's Koko pantograph. Although I've used a pantograph before, this is the first panto I've used on my machine. Overall it was a pretty easy pattern to follow, although I found that I jerked on the edges of the little musical instrument too much and I have several points, rather than rounded edges. That was probably me going too fast, as I have a tendency to be impatient. Also, since I have the 26" machine, I wish I had more than one row on the pattern so I didn't have to roll so much. Once I figured out the placement and rolling technique, I started to feel much more comfortable with the entire process. I used about
1- 1/2 rows per bobbin, and I used about 8 bobbins.

I LOVE how the thread looks on the back! It's actually more interesting than how it looks on the front. This is part of that learning experience I was talking about...

So, this quilt has taken me a whole week to complete, except for the binding, which I am going to finish this weekend.

Studio Updated!!

2009-05-25T21:29:00.001-06:00

Lots of work on the house this Memorial Day weekend! We purchased a small flat screen TV for the exercise room and for the sewing studio and mounted them on the walls, along with shelves in each room to try to economize the space.

I asked DH to make the corners rounded, and he obliged. I have already saved myself some injury when I bumped my hand into one of the shelves while I was arranging items. I am so glad he installed the screws at the end of the brackets to secure the shelves!

If you haven't seen my studio before, here is the preview picture from March, 2009.

And today, Memorial Day 2009, here is the updated photo of the sewing area:

I am SO excited about the new arrangement! I hope I can keep it this organized when I'm working on my projects.

I am also planning to bring a computer into the area and connect it to the mounted TV screen. I'll have to figure out how to store the keyboard and mouse when I'm not using them, but having a computer here allows me to work with clients in this area without running up and down the stairs, and I'm really excited about that!

I will be able to rearrange the other end of the room so that I can move the cutting table closer to the wall, which will increase the area on the free motion side of the quilting machine. You don't want to see a picture of that area right now, I can assure you!

Animals in the Park

2009-05-14T20:47:00.001-06:00

I've been so busy quilting and trying to keep up with the normal life events that I have hardly gotten the pictures off my camera. I've been dying to get some time to post some of my progress!

This one was done at the end of April. It's another baby quilt for my guild. The top was donated, it has a mitered corner border applied around the outside of the panel.

I just loved the print, it called out "pink" to me, so I quilted it with Superior's Rainbows thread, both top and bottom. It's a variegated thread, and has a slight sheen to it, and I had to use one of the thread bras to keep the thread from puddling off the cone while I was quilting it. But it really came out nice, and I didn't have any problems with the tension once I got it set. I put a very bright pink flannel back on it, and even reduced my stash in the process! That's what a stash is for, I guess!

Garden 2009 - the Next Steps

2009-04-20T14:16:00.004-06:00

So this is the area I started on last weekend, pulling weeds with the dandelion digger. My chiropractor rolled his eyes at me when I said "Well, it HAD to be done!"

My husband rototilled for me this weekend, and even took out another couple of feet of grass so I can expand. Next year, another couple of feet!

Hubby also rototilled one of the sprinker heads! Oops! Not a problem, that just encouraged me to implement a soaker hose option for the area that I've been talking about for 3 years. Can't believe I didn't do it sooner, as the head was only about $6 and 50' of soaker hose was another $6.50.

Check out our new compost bin, too! We sort of made it up as we went, didn't follow any instructions, but made it out of a black garbage can, cut a hole in the bottom and put a side opening on it, with a handle. I can't wait to get some black gold out of it!

I took out the corner rose bush and transplanted it to another area in the front yard. It was almost on top of the underground sprinkler head, so it was rather ineffective anyway, and I was always worried about mildew, even though it got plenty of sun. That's probably what saved it!

So, yesterday I was a bit sore overall, raking and pulling weeds was very good for me, but I kept it to a minimum and my hands didn't get overworked.

So, I sewed!

Getting the garden ready

2009-04-13T18:26:00.001-06:00

I worked in the garden this weekend, pulling weeds for an hour. Will I ever learn??

I was using the weed pulling tool to get out the overgrown weeds that were covering my garden plot, and I over-used my hand. I can feel it in my wrist, arm, and even something in my shoulder. I need to go to the chiropractor and get an adjustment. Oh, will I ever learn? At least it looks pretty good now!

I only was able to work for an hour in my studio this weekend. Probably best, with the hand being sore. I got the back of a baby quilt for the guild loaded on the machine, need to get the rest of it going and figure out what I'm going to do.

Guild meeting on Thursday, so want to have at least 2 to turn in. I already know what I want to put on the third quilt, I just don't have enough backing material. Not only just not big enough for the long arm, with the extra 4 inches all around needed, but it doesn't even cover the back of the quilt! Arrggh!! I know what I want to do with that quilt, but I have to work on the quilt I don't know what to do with. That's life, eh?

Auction Block

2009-04-05T18:33:00.001-06:00

I finished one of my auction blocks for the Boise Basin Quilters upcoming Boise Basin Quilter's 2009 quilt show on June 27th and 28th.

It is a Chinese Lantern pattern from Australian Patchwork & Quilting, although the coordinator doesn't know which issue it came from. She had a quilt done with this block and it was gorgeous, and the pattern is amazingly easy to do! I know I've seen the issue that contains the entire set of instructions, and I can't wait to get my hands on it so I can make one of these for myself!

I'm having a hard time deciding if I should use the same fabric to make the second one, which I've already cut out, or if I should use another oriental fabric. Hmmm....I think a different one. It will make for a more interesting quilt.

Knitting New Mittens & Gloves

2009-04-03T18:47:00.001-06:00

Well, yes, I am a quilt fiend, obsessed beyond belief. But I also like knitting, and I have cold hands quite often. I seem never to find fingerless gloves, much less anything I could use while quilting.

Since I am a computer support technician by day, I need to be able to type freely, which most gloves will not accommodate, and forget about mittens, which are really on my mind!

So, I recently picked up this book: Knitting New Mittens & Gloves: Warm and Adorn Your Hands in 28 Innovative Ways (ISBN 978-1-58479-666-4)

It has some very pretty fingerless gloves, and I just love the looks of them! Especially page 102, Rusalka. Did I mention that I don't start with the easy stuff??

Now, if I can only convince myself that I can do knitting in the round with 4 or 5 needles.....or figure out how to do that with circular needles, I would be in business.

Heck, I learned quilting, I can do this!...why am I so intimated when they say I have to use a 5 needle set?

OK, time to ask my BFF how to do this. She knows everything.... :-)

Another Panel

2009-03-31T07:55:00.005-06:00

I was so intrigued by the results of Thomas the Train panel that I just HAD to try another one.

On Sunday I got another panel and flannel backing, so I will be ready for the weekend to get that one quilted also.

This one is a soft yellow, blue and brown panel of baby jungle animals, a baby lion and tiger and elephant, and it's perfect for a shower gift where the gender of the child is unknown. I love it! This will be one of my portfolio pieces, so I can show off a simple, large meandering pattern. This time, I will use Warm and Natural cotton batting, so I can also show the texture and density.

Darn, I should have gotten 2 of them, and done one in polyester so I can show off the difference. Hope there's another sale soon!