Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Sometimes I do swaps with others here on the internet. I like to send/receive little notions from time to time. This latest was a pincushion couples with a needlecase. We can all use more of these in our quilting lives!  Here's the needlecase
Then there's the pincushion. I've been wanting to do a Cathedral Window quilt for eons, so decided to test the waters with the pincushion. Here's both sides

These are going in the mail today. I sure hope both recipients like them.

Friday, May 10, 2013

I told ya'll I'd be back shortly!  Here's Naomi's Kaleidescope quilt, just off the frame.  Fixing to give it to her today.


Now I can get back to sewing my own for a few days. Naomi has another one for me to do, but isn't quite done putting it together yet.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Well, beat me with the wet noodle! I hadn't realized it's been more than a month since I'd updated the blog! Guess I should update the March list, even tho I posted thruout the month. I did get my list finished, except the curtains...matter of fact, it's still on the list of undone! April saw a bunch of new stuff started. I now have two...yes two! Judy Niemeyer's patterns going together. Everyone (or so it seems) at  the guild is doing Desert Sky. I didn't particularly like that final pattern, but one of the gals was doing it more like a New York Beauty & I really liked it, so am doing something similar. The other one is Bird of Paradise, one of her older patterns. I have everything cut out now & awaiting assembly.  I also got a light bulb moment on a UFO that's about 6 years old. I started a lonestar quilt & had titled it "Texas, America's shining star", but my imagination & talents didn't match for quite awhile, so it got put up. Along came an applique pattern called "Liberty". It is the head of a bald eagle. So, I decided to put it in the lower right corner of the lonestar & put the lonestar in the upper left corner & do something else around the rest of it. I sent this idea to another longarmer. A few weeks later, she emailed me telling of her conversation of me putting the eagle in the middle of the lonestar! OK, lets take a look at it that way. WAY COOL! Now I just had to figure out the rest of it!  Think, think, think......jumped off the internet & saw my screensaver! There it was! The new name for the quilt??  "All gave some....some gave all"  Sorry, no more details, you'll have to wait for the reveal on this one!!
I also saw mechanical problems with Queenie in April. Her stitching got all out of whack & after talking to the tech, we ordered a new "Y" cable to the encoders. Sure enough! I had a broken wire to the forward/backward encoder, causing her to skip stitches & make for some really funky looking stitching! All this on a Queen sized Eleanor Burn's Nite & Day quilt that I wanted to put in the Terrell quilt show!  It took me 4 full days to get the stitching out of that quilt! Now it's back on the UFO pile for now.
At guild, we had decided to do these little thread catchers to go into the goody bags for the TAQG rally in July. We only need 500 of them! So, I headed up the gals to sew them. I did 25 of them & may have to do more to fill in the gap of others not doing theirs. They're quick & easy to make, so not a problem there.
I've finally gotten to get back to Queenie. My good customer, Cheryl, sent me 2 quilts to be done & I just finished them. First is a scrappy from the Quiltingboard mystery series.
The next one is a paper pieced one that she made for her new granddaughter. I had a fun time quilting it! I love it when Cheryl says "do your thing & make it pretty"!


Well, that's the latest from my playroom! Stay tuned for more later as I have another customer quilt going on Queenie tomorrow!
 

Monday, March 25, 2013

Well, here's one that wasn't on the March list of things to do. A customer quilt came in! This pinwheel quilt came in from a new customer in Delaware. It measured 97"X97".  It was her 3rd quilt - ever! The last 2 were done about 3 years ago, so, in essence, this was her first one.  I got it on Thursday & had it done & back in the mail today (Monday). How's that for a fast turn around??

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Well, it's been a little hecktic around here, what with Spring Break for the kids, but I have managed to get some quilting done!
I did finish Delectable Mountains. I did finish the QOV & is now hanging in the dining room.
I've also done the 2 T-shirt quilts. Somehow I had a few of doing them & found out they really are easy to do once you get the shirts stabilized. Here they are!

That's Doug from next door holding his & the other went to his sister as a housewarming gift.
 
The other thing I accomplished is the small quilt to go to TAQC for auction.
I used Derwent Inktense pencils to do all the painting. It was really fun to do & not hard at all. This one, along with "New Heart" are going to be auctioned at the rally for TAQC in June.
 
I also started a Judy Niemeyer quilt. Linda, in our guild, offered to teach "Desert Sky" to the members of our guild, but I'm doing "Bird of Paradise", so took it to guild & got it started. Believe it or not, I'm actually following directions! One of the gals is doing her Desert Sky differently than the rest & I really like how hers is turning out & may go back & do one like it. She did the light & dark of each color in each of the blocks, turned them into circles & it really looks sharp with a black background. They look more like a Mariner's Compass the way she's done it.
 
Went to the Dallas Quilt Show too. Test drove other longarm machines. Found out my skills have outgrown Queenie! Time for an upgrade! I've narrowed it down to 3 machines. Tin Lizzie, Handiquilter or APQS. Decisions, decisions!!  Lots of beautiful quilts at the show, lots of vendors to spend money at & just had a great time!  The Tyler Quilt Show is tomorrow, so will go to that with one of the gals from the guild.
We've also got Marti Michell in the neighborhood doing a trunk show tomorrow night & a retreat this weekend. Can't do the retreat, but am going to try & make the trunk show! 
 

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Well, srcatch one of March's off the list! Just finished quilting Delectable Mountains! I pieced this top a couple of years ago & put it aside to do on MY longarm! Well, it still took awhile, but it's finally quilted!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Well, I'm a little late posting the February report, because the internet service was being switched! Sorry bout that!! But we're back up & running with a much faster speed than before & can now upload/download a whole lot quicker than ever.
February list:
1. QOV - finished & hanging in dining room.
2. Customer's baby quilt - done & delivered
3. 2 Scrappies - one done & delivered, other on design wall
4. New Year's QOV - all pieced, awaiting quilting, bought backing for it.
5. Delectable Mountains - loaded on Queenie now
6. Santa - finished piecing, awaiting quilting
7. Wholecloth - still designing, threw out origional design & started over.
8. Coloring baby wholecloth - gave up & put it aside
9. Grandmother's Flower Garden - I'm getting there!

I also did a few not on the list!
Red Bird - finally got the binding on it!
Baby quilt - bound
Forever in our hearts - quilted & finished
Placemats & table runner for dining room table - complete!
Here's the table placemats & runner

And here is Forever in our Hearts:
Now on to March's list!
1. Finish & deliver scrappy
2. Deb's curtains ( been putting this off awhile!)
3. Day & Night - get it quilted & sent off
4. Delectable Mountains - is loaded on Queenie right now, get 'er done!
5. New Year's QOV - get it quilted & finished, sent off
6. Doug's T-shirt quilts - this turned into 2 quilts, get them done & delivered
7. Do the new mystery on Quiltingboard - it's a table runner & I'm making 2 of them.
8. Two small quilts for the Guild
If time allows, knock out at least 1 UFO.

The UFO pile is slowly but surely dwindling. I think I'm down to 3 of them. That's for piecing, then we have the quilting & binding to do on them to finish them up. I'm getting there! But it looks like I'm going to be spending more time on Queenie this month than anything else.
I'm also helping my neighbor make a Storm at Sea king size quilt. This will be his 1st quilt! Right now I've given him the homework of cutting all the pieces out. Then the sewing begins! This is not an easy pattern for a first time quilt, but he insisted, so here we go! Will keep everyone posted as to progress.
Til next time.............Happy Quilting!!