quilting swirls

these take a bit of time but I love the texture

not sure if I showed the final (crossed fingers) 4 Dresden blocks.

I pulled out my CW blues/greys to cut some more 2.5 inch squares for the sashing and the pile is just sitting there...

I quilted the second Baby Life quilt yesterday-random wiggly lines.  I even have the binding sewn to the front.  

Modern Misfits is still sitting in a heap on a chair with about 1/2 of one side with the binding sewn down.  

It's mocking me even as I sit here writing this.

I hate it when they mock me.

*********

Paul put the new wheels and carriage track updates on my HQ on Saturday.  The hardest part was getting the old glue off the carriage.  

He has the patience of Job.  I would have been swearing and thrown the dang thing through a window.

I've been having a bobble in my quilting right in the middle of the table, which I have been blaming on the new table tracks.  After talking with the local rep on Friday, it doesn't appear that was the problem.  I explained this all to Paul and said, please fix it.  I can't have this bobble happening. And then (half serious/half joking) if it can't be fixed, I guess I'll have to get the new table....and as the rep said, 'new table might as well upgrade to the bigger machine...

it didn't even get too much of a reaction  

:(

sigh......

Long story short, my table has a slight bow in it.  The weight of the machine over time and all that jazz.

Paul being the mechanical/fixing/welding genius that he is, got busy and has made some kind of support that hopefully will 'fix' the problem.  As soon as the paint dries, we'll try it out.  

I being proactive have been visiting the HQ site...just in case.

oh. I kid, I kid...

It's back!

I had to fiddle with the tensions, which always makes me sweat.

The CW leftover topper is done and just needs binding.

Autumn Gatherings is loaded and I just need to find the time to quilt it.

I'm running out of year and have 3 of my own tops that I REALLY wanted done and off my to do list and out of my brain.

I've been busy as a bee

the carpet was installed yesterday.  

I've had a migraine since Monday.

The weather is a changing so I'm expecting the headache to leave SOON

I've been moving furniture, rearranging furniture and trying to get everything to cooperate.

and the washing machine timer went last week...we ordered a new one and I did several loads today on the last one there came a loud thumping sorta noise...oh brother, can't wait to tell Paul when he gets home.

And somehow, some way I got poison ivy just a little on my leg and my wrist and under my chin.  Sheesh.

*******

On Memorial Day we went on a long bike ride to The Flight 93 Memorial

It is starting to look really beautiful.  The first time Paul and I went a few years back there wasn't much there, a chain link fence to keep you away from the site, I flag marking the impact area, people left momentos on the fence.  

It was just as emotional then as now.

The weather was beautiful and we were out for about 6 hours; rode with Paul's sister and her husband and one of Paul's friends from HS who just got a bike a few years back.

Me and Paul at Rt. 30 overlook

I've finished a couple quilts, thought I was having trouble again with HQ but I 'pretended' to quilt with it for about 5 minutes and no stalls so now I don't know what to think.  The last pass on this quilt it kept stalling and then I'd have trouble starting it again.

I think I'm going to load a small quilt and try it and see what happens.

Notice the cement floor!  I wanted to get this one done before we had to dismantle everything AGAIN for the carpet installers.

close up of quilting

and Otis inspecting my work!  Haha.

dwmonday

72 x 90

Fire Escape is all together-the color is off in this picture it's not drab at all.  The new lights in the basement are super bright, which is good for my eyes but I will have to figure out how to take better pictures. maybe.

HQ is working fine.  I called about the stall lights and they said it will not cause any problems. But if I want I can send the front handles in and they'll check it out further....hmmm maybe someday when I don't have a ton of quilting to do.  Or if I really get into panto's (after I re-learn how to do them).

I'm about oh 1/3 of the way done with this quilt.   It's going to be very pretty, if I do say so myself; very feminine.  

My work schedule has calmed down but that just means time to do stuff around here.  

And biking season is here finally.  We went for 5+ hours yesterday. (my butt hurt) and saw Cucumber Falls at Ohiopyle State Park.  

Lovely.

 I've been googling waterfalls, thinking that might be a fun destination idea for rides.  We've done covered bridges in the past.  

Prelude to a 'happy dance'

A design wall.....

with blocks on it....

also known as: the light at the end of the basement renovation tunnel is getting brighter.

The blocks above are granny square blocks with signatures of my co-workers.  A comfort quilt gift for another co-worker who was injured in a car accident. 

It is all together now but I can't quilt it as my HQ's power pod went bad.  A new one is on the way.  My nice HQ  dealer let me finish a customer quilt (with a deadline) yesterday on one of their display models. 

Dangerous!

 It was lovely. 

I told my husband I'm now dreaming of 

He said: 'keep dreamin baby, keep dreamin...'

gotta love a guy with a sense of humor ;)

and since he didn't flat out nix the idea...I'll take that as a 'sure honey'

communication is the key to any good relationship you just have to know how these things work.

j/k  j/k hahhahaa

DWMonday

Here is my wall.

I have 4 rows sewn and the first 2 are sewn together.  Of course, the race horse in me would like all these rows together for next Monday's design wall! 

 I'm going to try but the goal on 'THE LIST' is to just get 1/2 of them together--there are 18 rows. 

Check out other design walls at Patchwork Times by Judy Laquidara.

*******

This is an update picture from my previous post.

Sunday evening

TA-DA!
(and we're still married!)


The completed upgrade track and pole system for my HQ16!
  It is so smooth I had a bit of a learning curve with it.
The quilt loaded is a donation quilt for the guild so I'm not stressing  over it.
Now that we have it together and know how to do it.  It wasn't hard.
The actually doing it took hours....
well worth the time and  effort...
and did I mention--


we're still married.
 :)


Fun times, fun times.  Life is Good!

just a quick update

The 2nd Witch is in is finished.

 It was on my 2010 list and I'm glad it's done and put away.

I didn't say anything but I caved further on Thursday;  I took my laptop down to my sewing space and pieced The 12 Days of Christmas from Temecula Quilt Co

I think I might hand quilt it. 

I say that because this is what HQ looks like right now.

GASP!

That black piece on the table is the bottom side of my track upgrade.  We started putting it together this afternoon, well I supervised cleaned up the boxes; Paul is doing the actually assembly. 

 And then the phone rang. 

 He got called into work. 

Always the way it goes.  

*******

This morning was the guild's newbies class.  It was a very informative class. I enjoyed it very much and from an April Cornell charm pack I made this

I think it will be a spring table topper.

I only have 6-7 charms left, looking at the photo now I think I will make two more blocks  and call it a table runner.

I'm very close to having all the little flying geese made for my Small Treasures quilt.  I had to cut out a bunch more 1.5" squares for it. 

****

March Flimsy



Serengeti Dance 73 x 76



I loaded this on HQ (whenever I type "H-Q" I think "Harriet Quigley" I don't know why) so I guess that's her name. HQ for short!

I'm doing an all-over 'stylized swirls' ala The Pajama Quilter.  So Fine thread in top/ Bottom Line in bobbin. 



Block a Day Batik Sampler

I finished sewing the rows together this morning.
 I like it.

It's pressed and neatly folded on a hanger where it will wait for inspiration (and time) to strike for the borders. 

This bunch of blocks are waiting to get up on the design wall.

Block-a-Day Quilt Week 3

Here are week #3's blocks.

I also finished my Color wheel Strings quilt, (68 x 86) in fact just about 15 minutes ago!  (no binding yet)I did a free hand Baptist Fans and Blue variegated Superior thread on top and So Fine, ecru in bobbin.

Here's a picture of the quilting. 

One of the things on my goal list for 2010 was to use my leftover blocks for the backing on a quilt.  These leftovers are very random and I just wanted to get them used. 

This week when I've had a chance I've been working on sewing my small crazy curve blocks together. I'm using the Morris Workshop fabric line for this quilt and it should finish queen size. 

And here is Libby's quilt made with the same fabric line and using same pattern.  She didn't want a queen size quilt so she pieced the front and used the rest for the back to make it reversible.

Monday already?

Well, there goes November!  I have nothing new on my design wall, but yesterday I finally had time to start on the Spring Journey Sampler quilt that I loaded on HQ a week ago! 

I'm doing a feather design in the outer border, so I got the top border done and then started working my way down the quilt, doing SID just to stabilize layers.  Since this quilt is set on point and the setting triangles are so large, I pre-marked the feather spines in the triangles. I am stitching them and doing the SID around each block and sashing first and then I will go back and finish the feathers and quilt.....I don't know what yet in each block...it will tell me what to do when I get there I think (hope-*wink*).  But as I was finishing stitching the spine in one of the triangles I was just "itching" to do some feathers....just to see how it would look.  It's not the best picture, should have turned lights on the machine off, maybe.  It probably wouldn't have helped; I'm a crappy photographer! 

The "design wall"

This is my design wall the little maple leaf quilt is ready for quilting, I will probably just do it quick on my 4.0, I've never tried the built-in stipple stitch. I got this little kit on my quilt bus tour and am glad another project I bought is getting done. 

The 3 embroidery blocks are up there only because I found them in a drawer a few weeks ago.  I made a bunch of these while oldest son was in Iraq, I think the 1st time.  I had more of them (all with different little sayings) but used them for gifts, pillows etc.  These are what's left.  They'll probably get taken down and put away again, until inspiration strikes.  

The other 2 blocks are orphans. 

On Saturday I finally loaded my Spring Journey sampler quilt on HQ but have yet to start. I figure I can work on it a little, while waiting for the dang turkey to thaw. haha.   I've marked the huge setting triangles with the spines for feathers and will probably quilt the blocks and sashing "as the quilting spirit" moves me as I go along.  I know once I start on this, I won't want to stop.  (Its an illness, I know.....)