What a busy week of Quilting!

Now I just need to get to work on those 17 UFOs

Zoom! Zoom!

Another of my friend Sarah's quilts.  She started this about 4 years ago and I am sure
that she'll be ecstatic to have this one complete and able to present it to her daughter - finally.

Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!

This is one of Mom's quilts. I'm sure she'll be happy to have it.

A fire, A retreat, A storm, Some quilting

So much has happened recently and I have not written about it.  I don't know if I just didn't know how to put it into words, or if I was too busy, or if I was feeling guilty, or if I was trying to pretend it wasn't happening.  Or quite possibly all of the above.

My nephew's house caught on fire and he was burned over 26% of his body.  He was rushed to the Emergency Room and eventually transferred to a larger more specialize hospital out of town.  He was burned on his face and neck and arms and apparently was singed on the inside as well.  He currently has a trach and is getting skin grafts on his face and neck and maybe his arms.  It hurts me to think of poor Daniel lying there in what has to be awful pain.  The hospital has kept him sedated, so hopefully he is unaware of most of what is going on.

I had a wonderful retreat with 6 other ladies.  It was something else of a time. We had originally grown to 12 possible attendees and then as the time grew near, people kept dropping out right and left for one reason or another.  I was beginning to wonder if it would happen at all. But, as usual, things work out like they are supposed to.  Those of us who did attend, had a wonderful time and got to know each other even better.  We did lots of visiting, lots of sewing, and lots of eating.  And in between, we watched to see the news of where Isaac was going.

I didn't get much done.  I arrived with 2 quilts to put binding on.  After a brief time at the sewing machine, I spent Friday afternoon and evening in the recliner in the living room doing binding on a lap quilt and watching movies.  On Saturday, imagine a repeat of Friday, only with a much larger quilt - queen size - and another movie or two or three.  Luckily Ginger was there to keep me company working on her crochet afghan.  Sunday, I was all finished with my binding and was therefore forced to actually cut fabric and use my sewing machine to produce "something".

And the food!  We had a full blown salad bar on Friday at lunch provided by Gaye.  Mmmmmm!  Then we had Rotel Pork Tenderloin, field peas and scalloped potatoes by me.  Tai made the most delicious breakfast complete with fruit, coconut cinnamon rolls and butterscotch banana scones.  I just can't tell you!  After "third breakfast"  we were almost too full.  We didn't even have lunch until about 1:00 with some wonderful chicken salad from Maxwell's.  I wasn't too sure about the chunks of celery in there.  I don't mind the taste of celery, but am not really thrilled about crunching into it.  The taste was wonderful, so much so that I didn't even notice the crunchy celery.  Our dinner cook was one of those who did not come, so we had a "family meeting".  The choice was to do leftovers or to go out and get something.  We voted on leftovers.  Sunday morning, one of our other non-attendees brought us breakfast of bagels and fruit and two type of creamed cheese.  What a treat!  Lunch was leftovers again.  I know that sounds boring, but it really was not. We loved every minute of it. And at the end of the day, we still had to distribute the leftovers for different people to take home.  Sometimes I wonder if we go for the sewing or for the food......

Upon returning home, it was becoming obvious that Isaac was going to make an unwelcomed visit to us here in Baton Rouge, so DBF and I began making preparations for his arrival.  Where we live, we have a water well with an electric pump, so if the power goes out, we lose water as well.  So.....several loads of laundry were done.  Ice was bagged and put into the freezer. The bathtubs were filled with water (to flush with).  All the "missiles" were put away from our yard.  The front porch furniture was turned upside down and all the wind chimes across the front and back of the house were taken down.  We filled our vehicles with gas and got gas containers to run the generator.  He cleaned the carburetor on the generator so we would know that it would work.  We checked on the yards of the neighbors who were stuck out of town and secure some of their items.  We each checked on our parents to be sure they didn't need anything. We took the staples like mayo, jelly, drinks, etc from the fridge and put in an ice chest so if the power went out, we would not have to open the refrigerator. We ran the extension cord from outside the back door around the house and into the utility room through the dryer vent so that we could plug it into the 220 outlet from the dryer.  When the power went out, we were able to run some things in the house, as long as we didn't overload the generator.

We were off work for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Tuesday, we saw a few wind gusts, but really not much else.  We continue our preparations.  Wednesday, we saw lots of wind and some very light rain. I quilted 2 quilts that day.  Late Wednesday night and late Thursday, we had some real blowing rain. There were a few medium sized limbs in the front yard, but mostly small branches and leaves everywhere - leaves and leaves and leaves.  Wet leaves plastered to everything!  Then Friday, I had to return to work. Friday evening, I quilted one more quilt and loaded another.

Life is returning to normal.  Today we are cleaning out the ice chests to put away, readying the generator to put away until next time, picking up limbs, etc., etc.

This afternoon, I'll be quilting again.  Have way too big of a pile waiting......

One more loaded

Sorry, this is my mystery quilt, so I had to keep it mostly covered.  It'll have to remain a surprise for now.  I hope to finish it up today.

One more down

Working my way through this big pile I have

Wasn't Sleepy - more quilting completed

Moving Right Along

All loaded up, bobbins wound, and ready to go first thing tomorrow.

Quilting while it storms outside

Finished up quilting this one for Sarah

Hurricane Party?

This past weekend, I had a wonderful retreat with some great ladies!

Monday and Tuesday were spent preparing for the onslaught of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Isaac.  The stores were packed with people.  There was only one type of bread left and the battery section was pretty well stripped.  Every basket was loaded down and when you looked, there were lots of chips and drinks and you'd think that they were planning for a Hurricane Party instead of disaster preparedness.

Now, we are "hunkered down" in our house hiding from Hurricane/Tropical Storm Isaac.  We saw quite a bit of wind yesterday with the trees whipping around.  So far today, lots of wind and not so much rain.  The first rain we saw was this morning and it was more of a sprinkle or a heavy sprinkle.  We are under Hurricane Warning, Tornado Warning and Flash Flood Warning.  Scary.  We lost power last night and got it back this morning so we were doing our best to keep up with things via the blackberry, emails and texts.

This storm brings back memories of Tropical Storm Allison that came in and just sat on us, just like this.

Spending quite a bit of time watching the Weather Channel.  Really feel for those people down in Plaquemines Parish.  Trying to remain calm and think positive.  It's gonna be a long ordeal.

108 Quilts & Do you keep track?

Do you keep track of your UFOs (unfinished objects) or WIPs (works in progress)?  

For the longest time, I didn't really track anything.  Quilts in various stages of completion were just in different places around my sewing room and I had no idea how many there were.  Then our quilt guild started a UFO Challenge.  At the beginning of the year, each participant would make a list of UFOs and what stage of completion they'd like to reach by the end of the year.  After that I started trying to keep track of things more.  I tried doing it on my calendar.  I tried creating a To Do List. Each process had its pros and cons, but none of them was really perfect.  

In the end, I went "old school".  I have a bulletin board on the wall in my sewing room.  I have labeled areas for different stages of the quilt.  Each quilt is on a small piece of paper and I can move it from one area to another as I go from one stage to another.  Like I said, it's "old school", but it works for me.  It's all in one place where I can see it at a glance.  It makes it easy to see what needs doing at any particular time so it helps keep me on track.

So, do you keep track?  What is your process?

I also have a spreadsheet of all the quilts I have made.  The most recent one I finished, a green snail's trail, was the 108th quilt that I have quilted.  That includes 48 of my own and 60 that I have done for others.  What a shock!  If I didn't have a spreadsheet, I would never have believed it!  

Service Project well on it's way!

I made my way through this crazy snail's trail this evening.  It was something I got from my friend Norma's stash.  It's destined for the Krewe of Quilters Service Project.  The back is rather wild, but it should serve to liven up the quilt, since the front is so subdued.  At this rate, I should have plenty of binding to do at next weekend's retreat.

One down

One down and many many more to go.  Lizzie and I have just completed our first quilt together and it took no time at all.  I just know that this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship.  We are going to be BEST Quilting Buddies.  I've spent the last 2 years without a stitch regulator and to have one now is so wonderful.  I can certainly appreciate it after having none.  It is so much less stressful to be able to sew.  Lizzie is willing to go whatever speed I want to at whatever time and I can changed whenever I want to.  It's amazing!

Here we go!

Finally finished up all the reorganizing and got everything in a position where I can actually use it.

Here is a picture of the first quilt loaded on the frame and ready to start quilting.

This quilt is for DBF's sister-in-law.  Her birthday was on Christmas Day, but I was just too buried to have hers done in time, so I did the next best thing.  I gave her a birthday card with an IOU ONE BIRTHDAY QUILT in it.  It's taken me forever, but I'm finally getting there.  I've already made quilts for him, his parents, nephew, brother-in-law, niece, sister-in-law, niece, brother-in-law and now this final sister-in-law.  Whew boy!  And it only took me 2 years to do them.

Woohoo!

My new pantry cabinet full of fabric

Helping my friend Sarah get her house in order, helped me decide to get my own house in order.  Well, that and buying the new machine, which necessitated reorganizing.

I only THOUGHT I didn’t need any more fabric, but now that I can really SEE how much fabric I have, I KNOW that I don’t need to buy any.  But, as you know, that doesn’t keep me from WANTING to buy more.

The left side of the closet. You can see the floor! 

The right side of the closet where all my fat quarters are. 

Whew!  I’m tired!

Retirement is on the Horizon

I've been stressing and stressing over what to do about converting my time to qualify for retirement.  I was concerned about whether this was in my best interests.  I tried making a list of pros and cons.  Of course the "pros" list was really easy, because that's what I want.  The "cons" list was a lot harder, because I didn't really want to acknowledge them at all.  I've been to Human Resources to ask questions.  I've spoken to LASERS to get some answers.  I've stressed and stressed!

Today, I finally discussed it with DBF.  Why, you ask, did I not do this before now?  Well, to be honest, I had to decide what I really wanted and what I really thought, before getting into that conversation.  I thought it would be a difficult one, but it was not.  When I brought it up, he immediately told me to "do it.  It's a no-brainer."

If I go ahead and convert my air time to real years of service, then I'll be eligible to retire and walk away in January of 2013.  But I'll also have the option to just enter DROP in January of 2013, which would allow me to make my money back and then some if I work 9 more months while still maintaining the ability to walk away whenever I want to.  And even better, when the legislature brings up the retirement bills again, I would be beyond it.

I have been on the smallest blood pressure pills now for the past 2 years or so.  I know that part of the reason for that is stress from work.  Crazy thing happened to me yesterday.  I went to the blood drive yesterday and when they took my blood pressure, it was 120/50.  Yes, you heard right.  50!  I said to the poor girl "oh no honey, you need to do it again."  She took it again and guess what? It was 120/50.  Amazing what it can do for your stress level (and your blood pressure) when you start to realize that you might be able to retire soon.  That's another PRO to the list, don't you think?

My New Sewing Buddy

It’s been a wild weekend.  I received an email a week or so ago about a woman who had a Tin Lizzie for sale for a really good price.  I let it stew for a while and then on Friday, I finally called her.  It was such a good price!  And I sure would like to have a stitch regulator

It was a long day of disassembling the frame at her house and then taking practically everything out of my sewing room and then disassembling my old frame and then re-assembling the new frame.  Sounds all cut and dried, but you would have died to see how much came out of the sewing room .  The bedroom was totally full of stuff in order to make room.  This picture shows the room after the assembly and before moving all the stuff back in.  

I was totally exhausted, but I am so happy to have Lizzie in my house.  We’re gonna be best buddies!  My first goal is to just meander a quilt and make sure things are working well.  Then, I want to try something new, a new challenge.  I have wanted to branch out for a while now, but have never been comfortable even attempting it.  Now that I have the stitch regulator, I’d like for that to change.

Checking off UFOs

Recent retreats have added greatly to my UFO pile.  I have to get busy quilting some of these so I can get them off the list.  I loaded up Shannon's Fleur De Lis quilt yesterday and got it started.  It is turning out very nice, but I don't have very much stamina.  My back keeps telling me to stop.  I hope to have it done before the meeting so I can bring it for Show and Tell.  

Our Paint Chip Challenge is wrapping up this week at the guild meeting and I'll certainly be glad to have that off my plate.  I didn't mind so much participating in it, but I did not really like being in charge of it.  People ask you how you want to handle the voting and the hanging and all that.  And when you answer them, then they start to tell you how they think you ought to do it.  At this point, I just plain don't care.  I just want it over with.  Have you ever been in that situation?

I hope my friend Sarah has recovered from the ordeal of organizing her quilt stuff. I haven't heard from her yet.  I sure hope she's happy with how things turned out.  I envy her the great sewing room that she has along with all that great sewing furniture and multiple sewing machines, etc.  She has a great setup.

I have another friend (Glen) who got to go on a 4 day retreat.  What a joy!  I would have loved to have been able to join her, but work keeps getting in the way.  Maybe next time.

I am still looking into the retirement stuff.  I don't have the answers to all the questions I need to make a decision yet.  It's putting a lot of stress on me dealing with it all.  And at the same time, it's taken off some of the work stress just knowing that it is possible I could leave it all behind.  We'll see......

Organization - I think

I spent the entire day yesterday assisting my friend Sarah with organizing all of her quilting stuff.  You'd think that means organizing her sewing room, but alas, that was not the case.   She has fabric in at least two other rooms of the house (do you resemble this remark?).  But she also had non-quilting items in her sewing room.

We started out by taking EVERYTHING out of the closet.  Small spaces sure do hold a lot of stuff!  Then we proceeded on to trying to sort things together.  Gather all the fat quarters in the same place.  Gather all the yardage in the same place.  Gather all the backings together in the same place.  Every time we thought we had it all, we found more.

There were lots of questions.  What is this?  Do you use this regularly?  Do you like this?  Is there anything you'd like to donate or throw away?  Did you know you had this many kits?  Did you even know you had this?  It had to have been a very emotional thing for her to have all of her stuff exploded everywhere.

It took from 10:00am until 6:00pm and it was mostly complete.   She said that it was so helpful to have an unbiased third party helping and keeping her on task.  It was exhausting, but it was worth it.  I only hope it is helpful to her.  At the very least, I know that she should not HAVE to go shopping for quite some time, because she has more fabric than she even dreamed until she saw it all together. 

Retirement Planning - Wishful Thinking

I love what I do.  I like helping people.  Lately, it is getting harder and harder to get up and go there.  The  politics is more than I can handle.  It's also getting harder to feel like I am even contributing.  The new group of "golden boys" are constantly going past me and making decisions without informing me and I feel so ineffectual as well as miserable.

Add to that the recent fiascoes in the Louisiana legislature.  The governor did his best to really screw up our retirement system and take away all of our benefits.  He's wanting to privatize everything.  And he has no respect at all for the state workers.

A month or so ago, I sent in a request for an estimate for purchasing qualifying time, which would allow me to retire early.  I had absolutely no expectation of getting back a number that was anything other than outrageous.  Well, this past Thursday, I received my estimate.  I was in shock!  The really good kind of shock.  The number I received is actually doable. I have the money in my deferred compensation account.  If I went through with the purchase, I could retire as soon as January 1, 2013.  I could also put in for use of my annual leave and could leave anytime between September 19 and January 1.  I have been trying soooo hard not to get overly excited.  I made an appointment with my financial person.  We are to talk tomorrow.  I don't want to make any decisions until I've really looked at all the angles to make sure there's not something waiting to bite me in the butt.  If I make it past Debby, then my next stop will be to visit with the people at the Louisiana State Employees Retirement System to see what they have to say.  Then I'll be able to make an educated decision.

I really really really hope I get the answer that I want. I'm ready to start planning the party!!!!!

Retreat & Design Wall Monday

This weekend was our retreat.  I finished up this top that I started at the last retreat.  It's made from a kit I got at Mama's Quilt Shop after Christmas last year.  It's a pattern by Kathy Brown called Take 5 Crosses the Line.

I also finished up the binding on my Paint Chip Challenge Quilt.  It's due at the August meeting on August 2.  It only had to be done to the top, but mine's already quilted.  I don't want to add anything to my UFO list.  The only thing I have left to do is name my quilt based on the paint chip color names.

Then I finished up the guild mystery quilt.  I'll publish it later after we reveal them in November.  Don't want to ruin it for everybody.

After that, I helped my friend Karen with the binding on her quilt.  It was a really nice thing to do, and a great excuse for sitting on the couch watching movies all day.  Win, win!

There were eight of us on this retreat and we had a wonderful time as usual.  It started out kind of bad for me though.  On Friday, I decided to go for a short walk to the end of the street and back.  I only got about 5 feet past the end of the driveway and then I rolled my ankle on a large unlevel crack in the road.  I made it to the end of the street and back.  Then I took some Advil and put ice on my sprained ankle for 30 minutes and went on.  

I know.  Some of you would say that it's really not sprained.  Oh, yes, it is.  It's just that I have sprained these ankles several times pretty bad already so, although the sprain is not as bad as the first time, and I can actually put weight on it, it's still sprained.  And this was my "better" ankle.  I don't have a good one any more.  I'm just falling apart more and more every day.

Now, it's time to work on finalizing my retreat that is scheduled for the third weekend in August.  Some of the participants are the same, but a few are different.  My two groups are starting to overlap. 

Reading!

What can I say?  Ever since I figured out that you could download books from the library to our Nook, I've been buried in books.  So......whenever I'm not quilting, I'm reading.  Lately it's been a little too much reading and not enough quilting.  I need to get on the ball and whittle down this UFO list to a more manageable size.  Hope to have more progress soon.

Another finish - sort of

Made the back and got her all quilted up yesterday afternoon.  Made the binding and machine stitched it on this morning,  All that remains is the handwork.  I think I'll save that for my upcoming retreat.

I have a retreat scheduled for next weekend and one of our favorite times is "Binding and Movie".  We all get into our pajamas, get our handwork and settle in for a movie.

I keep getting things together to have ready to take with me to the retreat and then I keep finishing them up.  By the time the retreat gets here, I may have to look for something new to start.  

The middle is together!

Got all the blocks sewn together.  Looks pretty cool!
Now I need to work on the borders. 

Or not?  The original plan was to put a small yellow border and then a larger blue one, but.....  It's already 48 inches square.  Perhaps just blue binding would be enough.  What do you think?

Feeling Better

I love to keep Joni company when she is sewing, especially when I get impromptu belly rubs.

Turning Out Nice

Well, I got all of my Grecian Design blocks sewn together.  Then I chopped them up.  Now, I'm in the process of sewing them back together.  Again!  These are the first four blocks.  I think it's going to turn out really nice.

Crazy Couple of Days

Our poor little Sweetheart was having a really hard time.  She was sneezing all night long and she was miserable.  And because she was miserable, so was I.  I was up for at least 2 hours in the night trying to console her, and unable to sleep because I was worried about her.

I ended up turning off the alarm and sleeping in, now that I was finally able to sleep.  When I got up, we were off to the Vet.  She was happy to be picked up and loved on, but when I headed for the door, she started looking for a way out.  She knew what was up.

When we got there, it turns out that the issue is her teeth.  Again!  I don't know if it is her breed (Chihuahua and Pomeranian) or something she is doing or what, but we are going to have to put this girl on a regular dental schedule, so she doesn't suffer this way again.

She spent the day at the dentist and was VERY happy to see me that afternoon.  Now, we are into 10 days of antibiotics.  Oh boy! Oh boy!  We get to have cheese twice a day!

My sleep patterns were out of whack so I've been early to bed the last couple of days and have not gotten anything done in the sewing room.

Piles of parts all sewn up

Got my piles of half square triangles all squared up.  Then got the rows sewn together, but that’s as far as I could go today.  Tomorrow is another day.

Design Wall Monday

One block only, but it's a start.

I can't show you the rest of my wall, since it's a mystery.  Don't want to spoil it for the others.

Finally Have a Plan

I've been procrastinating for weeks and months.  I haven't started on my Paint Chip Challenge Quilt before now because I could not decide on a pattern to use.  The colors of my paint chips lead to a baby quilt.  I wanted something rather simple, but not the same old same old, if you know what I mean.  

I saw a write-up called "Chopping Block" in QuiltMaker Magazine of Mar/Apr 2012.  It talked about several blocks which can be constructed and then sliced up and rearranged to make new blocks.  I decided to go with the Chopped Up Grecian Design Block.

This is the Grecian Design Block as originally constructed.

The block is then cut down the middle up and down and then down the middle side to side.  The top right  and bottom left portions are turned 90 degrees counter-clockwise and then the parts of the block are sewn together again, as seen below.  The surprise is that once you turn the blocks and attempt to sew them back together, you will see that the seams on the little pink squares do not line up.  They are off by 1/4 of an inch.  This is as it should be, but it is hard to get used to, when one is used to trying to be very particular about matching seams.

After making all the blocks, they can be put together to form the quilt shown below. 

Well, anyway, that's my plan.

Short week

The work week sure goes by fast when it starts on Thursday and ends on Friday.  I took off on Monday and Tuesday to catch up on some sewing and to jump start my new diet.  Then Wednesday was a holiday.  I was at work yesterday, but had to leave early for a doctor's appointment.  Then today is Friday. Whoopee! Too bad they are not all this way.


This has been a busy year of guild projects for me.

• January-November - Mystery Quilt
• February - Retreat
• February-August - Paint Chip Challenge Leader and participant
• March-April - Quilt in a Box project
• May - Retreat
• May-October - Christmas Lotto Block Committee
• September-October - Guild Auction Committee
• November-December - Christmas Party Committee

Last night was our guild meeting.  It was a bit hectic for me and I had way too much caffeine at dinner so I was a bit fragmented when I got there.  We started selling the Christmas Lotto block kits at this meeting.  We originally made up 120 kits, which will come out to be six quilts.  And wouldn't you know it, we sold every single one of them.  We took a show of hands and then we pre-sold almost another quilt's worth.  So I guess we'll be making 40 more kits and there'll be eight quilts, unless we have to make even more.  It'll be neat to have so many winners at our Christmas Party.

Every year the guild has a challenge and this year the challenge was to be a Paint Chip Challenge which the board volunteered me to head up.  I have my paint chips and I have my fabric, but I have not been able to zero in on which pattern I want to use.  My fabrics are perfect for a baby quilt and it should go fast, but I don't want something that is too simple.  I want to do something unique.  I finally have an idea that I may be happy with.  I'm gonna check it out in EQ this evening to see if it'll work the way I expect.  And then, of course, I'll have to see if I have enough of the fabric to do what I want.  If I can at least decide WHAT I'm doing, then maybe I can get started.  It would be really terrible if I didn't even have a quilt in the competition, after being in charge.  Not saying that's gonna happen!  I'll stay up all night the night before, but I won't let that happen.  Anyway, it's due at our August meeting. Do you see where all the !!!!! are coming from? 

In addition to all these, I've been on two retreats already and have three more scheduled.  I have quilted 5 more quilts for the family of my friend who died last year and two for a lady at work.  I have 5 of my own quilts ready to be quilted, one from a friend (got it last night), and a pile of Mom's at her house.

I may be caught up one project, but I'm way behind on most of the others.    

Caught up...Finally

Worked most of the day catching up on all of my mystery quilt installments.  I can't believe I actually caught up on them.  Tons and tons of nine patch blocks.  I've had enough of them for a while to come.   I've laid out my blocks on my design wall and I have made some educated guesses on where certain blocks will go.  The guild meeting is in two days and then I'll have the next installment.  And then I'll know if my guesses were correct.  I've gone from being soooo very far behind to being well on my way to finishing up on time or even a bit early.

I also cut the side setting triangles as well as the borders for my Take 5 Crosses the line.  I labeled my blocks and stacked them for sewing.  I'll keep them and finish up the top at my upcoming retreat on July 20.


In the mean time, I still have tops that need quilting and I also have a Paint Chip Challenge to start on.  It's due in August, so I'm even farther behind on it.  I know.  Why have I been working on the quilt that is due in November if I have on that is due in August?  Well, it's mostly because I have not actually decided on which pattern I'll use for this challenge.  One day soon, I'll just have to pick something and get started.  After all, I was the one who got talked into leading this challenge.  The least I can do is have an entry in the thing.  

Making up for lost time

I spent my day making up for lost time.  I buzzed through the March installment of the Mystery Quilt and then the April installment, which took quite a bit longer.  I'm in the middle of the May installment now, but I'll have to finish it tomorrow.  I would show pictures, but.....I already showed you the fabrics.  I have to keep something a mystery.  It won't be long and you'll be able to see the final product.

I did seven loads of laundry, including towels, sheets, and the quilt off the bed.  And I also went to physical therapy and the gym.  It was a full day of progress.  Tomorrow will bring more.

Cleaning & Cutting

I finished up Norma's travel bag this morning. It was a real challenge. I had all the pieces that she had already cut. A few had fleece already ironed on them and there was some binding on one part, but that was it. I had a picture of what the bag was supposed to look like, but no pattern. It was a real challenge, but I did my best and I think it came out okay. I totally forgot to take a picture. Oh well. We delivered four quilts and the finished travel bag to Deede. This means that I am finally done with all that of the projects that I had committed to finish for my friend Norma who died last November.

We took pound cake to DBF's father for his birthday and had a nice visit.  We also brought them some tomatoes from the garden.

When we got home, I had designs on getting something done.   Right off, I realized that nothing was going to happen unless or until I cleaned up the sewing room, so I got busy.  I actually got my book and fabric closet cleaned up and organized so that I can get in the door.  I got the sewing table cleaned off and you can actually see the entire cutting mat for the first time in months. 

It's so much easier to work in here.  It's so much easier to get excited about working on something, anything.  

Our quilt guild is working on a mystery quilt.  The first installment was passed out back in January. The mystery is called War Between the States and it was suggested that Civil War prints would be good.  I finally got my fabric about a week and a half ago.  It's gonna be a bit wild.  Today, I actually got it all cut out.  I guess you could say I've finally finished up the February installment. I've only got four more months to catch up on. I'd better get going. I can't believe I've postponed this so long and finally gotten started just before the last installment. I believe that the last installment is to be given out either in August or September (I think September). I only have until November to get this done. At this rate, I'm in trouble.

I took off work tomorrow and Tuesday. Other than physical therapy, I'll be free to get at least something sewn or cut or SOMETHING in that time frame. Especially now that the room is cleaned up. I'd better take this opportunity to make use of these things before they get buried again.

For now, I think it's break time.  I'm gonna go read and let the sewing room just be clean for a while.

Busy Weekend!

On Friday, I left work at lunch and went by the local quilt shop to help them with their move.  Lots of trips back and forth from one shop to the other.  Got quite a bit of exercising of my talent for packing my vehicle.  All kinds of things fit in all kinds of nooks and crannies if you look hard enough.  Lots of vacuuming, etc.  

Then off to a friend's house to visit and get a preview of what to expect on the mystery quilt.  She's quite a few steps ahead of me and was able to impart some wisdom and what to do and what not to do.  Then of course, we were off to dinner.  This time it was Mexican.  Mmmmmm good!

DBF bought a treadmill.  No doubt that he needs one.  His doctor keeps after him about exercising.  One good thing is that he actually used it the night he brought it home.  I wonder if that will continue.  Teenie thinks it's a great platform for hanging out.

That's all fine and good, but now this huge treadmill is firmly planted in the living room.  The house is a mess and I have totally given up on the kitchen, the living room, the dining room, the hall bathroom.  Everything is the domain of the fishing lure.   I live my life in the master bedroom, the master bathroom and my sewing room.  They are the only rooms I have any control over.  Heaven forbid we should ever have company.  I'd be so embarrassed.

Up and out of the house by 9:30 this morning.  Off to the new quilt shop to meet the Christmas Lotto Block Committee to build kits.  We made quick business of that and were finished in about an hour.  Then over to Mom's to pick up the quilts she was binding for me.  Also a chance to visit my brother, who happened to be in town this weekend.  We all had lunch together and watched a movie.  Once home, I commenced to hiding all those threads on three quilts where the threads kept breaking.  A never ending job, for sure, but I'm making progress.  Ten a trip out to Springfield (45 minutes or so) to Charlie's to meet DBH's high school classmates for dinner.  It's a monthly ritual.  After I got home, I had to make a pound cake.  It's in the oven now.  Sooooo, back to burying threads while the cake is cooking.

The cake is for DBF's father's birthday tomorrow.  We'll probably be taking him to dinner and who knows what else.

I have planned to take Monday and Tuesday off this week, just to get a break.  I still have UFOs to finish and I"d like to have some time to breath before I have to return to work.

Delivery

Finished up the binding on Brenda's quilt last evening and brought it to work today.  I left it in her chair for her to find when she got to work.  She had given it to me so long ago, that she had forgotten all about it.  What a surprise!  She called me to tell me how "awesome" I was.  It was a good feeling to finally have something done, to know that she appreciated it, and to make her happy.  Now she has a quilt to pass down to her kids that she actually made.  It may be the only one, but there's one.

Handwork Time

I got the binding on my BQ this evening and am ready to begin the handwork on it and Brenda's.  I hope to be able to bring Brenda her finished quilt tomorrow.  I had better get busy.

While I was out today, I got a new library card.  When I got home, I spent a considerable amount of time reading up on how to download Ebooks from the library.  I downloaded 3 books to my PC and got them copied to the Nook.  I used to read every night before bed and over the past few years I've dropped off.  It'll be nice to have things to read without having to drive to the library to get them.  I still like the feel of a book in my hands, but this sure is convenient.

Progress and a Big To Do List

Got the binding made and sewn on four of the quilts. I have one left to do tomorrow.  After that, there's a whole lot of handwork in my future.  

I'll continue to concentrate on the quilting and leaving the handwork for when I need a break.  Originally, I was going to save them for a retreat coming in July, but I have a feeling I won't be able to wait that long.

I am really enjoying seeing my UFO list getting smaller and smaller. The weight is lifting.

Binding on - handwork next

Joni. (from Blackberry)

On to the next one

I pieced the back for Brenda's quilt and cut the appropriate sized batting and got it loaded up this morning while I was doing laundry.  Then I was preparing to wind some bobbins when I realized I had some leftover bobbins of Marathon thread that are the same color.  Anyway I decided to use them and was prepared to have more thread breakage like yesterday.  I was holding my breath as I started across the quilt and I actually made it all the way across with no thread breakage.  Wow!  So was it the Marathon bobbin?  Or is it because it's a different quilt with different fabrics?  At this point, I'm just happy not to have to struggle through the afternoon, but eventually I'll need to figure it out.

Four Down!

Well, it was a little slow going.  I continued to have thread breakage and can't figure out why, but I was able to get the whole thing quilted and the stitches look good.  I'll figure it out eventually, but I have to press on.

Mom and I went to check out the area's new quilt store today.  It was farther out than I thought, but it was nice and the ladies were very nice.  They helped me find some binding for a quilt I'm finishing up for Norma's daughter.  And we also found a back and some binding fabric for a quilt I'm finishing up for my friend Brenda.  She had started a quilt a while back and then decided that it was not her cup of tea, so she gave me all her left over fabric and asked me to finish it for her.  I'd like to get both of these done and out of my way. They are both relatively small so I should be able to accomplish that in a short time.  

After that, I have one more of Norma's and at least four of mine that are ready to be quilted.  I have at least nine others in various stages of completion, but they are not yet ready to be quilted, so no pressure there.

I can feel the weight lifting from my back with each quilt I get quilted.  I want to get back to the fun quilting I used to do.

Progress and Problems

I've made it almost half way through the quilt, but it was a little slow going.  I have been experiencing problems with thread breakage.  I changed the needle and made sure it was in straight.  I have adjusted the tension several times and verified my threading.  As I said, I've made SOME progress, but I'm ready to break for the evening.

Next!

This evening I got a new quilt loaded onto the frame.  This one is called Hither and Yon.  It's 90x114 and it really fills up my frame.  I'm really being ambitious tackling this one right off the bat, but then again, that BQ was 75x95 so it wasn't exactly small either.  

This is one of my dear friend Norma's quilts.  It was one of the 20 or so quilts that she left behind incomplete.  It was just blocks, so I had to finish the blocks and put them together and put on the borders.  It's been over six months since she passed and I have this one left.  She had so many things she wanted to do before she went and it caused her great concern.  I told her not to worry and I promised her that I would make sure that they were finished.  It's taken a while, but I'm getting there.

Right now I'm just working on cranking out the quilting.  Once they come off the frame, I am just piling them in a stack.  I have a retreat coming up in July and plan to square, trim and bind just before I go so I'l have bit of hand work to do when I take a break from the sewing machine. Also, with this group, we generally have at least one night when we have "binding and a movie".  Everybody gets into their pajamas and works on hand work while we watch a movie.  I may even be able to enlist some help with the three of Norma's that will be in the pile.  They were her friends too and I'm sure they'll help.

So, anyway, all loaded up and ready to start on the quilting......tomorrow.  I'm gonna wind some bobbins and then I'm hitting the sack.

Woohoo!

One down and *&^*&^* to go.

Well, technically that's two, since I did that Lone Star of Norma's first.

Had a few minor tension issues, but slowly adjusting to find the perfect spot.

What a load off my mind.

Now to tackle the rest of them.

Winning out over frustration

Well, Saturday was a total waste.  I worked off and on ALL DAY LONG on the tension on my sewing machine.

I tried using the So Fine! thread that Nancy gave me in a trial kit, but I couldn't get it to work.  After trying quite a bit with tension, I ended up having to put it back where I started.

Then I put the King Tut back on and thought I turned it back but I was having problems with it sewing along fine and then loops or a snag and then sewing along fine again.  Because of the loops I assumed that the tension needed to be tighter and yet it never seemed enough.

At the end of the day, I finally took a picture of my problem and sent it via email to Nancy at Pennywinkle Ranch.  Once you buy a Sunshine16, you are part of the family and Nancy is always there to help.  She suggested that I needed to check that the thread was all the way between the tension disks.  Her suggestion was that the tension was too tight and causing the thread to jump out from between the disks.  Well, that's logical.  It sews along fine and then all of a sudden the tension is too loose because it jumped out.  Then it was in again and then out again.  So I took a leap of faith and turned the disk a quarter turn looser and still had the problem.  Then I thought I was able to find the original mark I made and so I turned it practically a whole turn looser.  And Wala!  It was almost perfect!  After all of my frustration for a whole day and then I just stumbled into the right place.  Tiny, tiny increments allowed me to get closer to perfect and I think I am finally ready to go again.  Now I just need to make sure I can mark the tension dial to be able to get back here again.

That will be tomorrow's assignment.  So here I am STILL.  All loaded up and ready to be quilted.

And how fitting that my order of King Tut thread arrived this evening.

A good start

Life has been quite hectic lately and every minute seems to be over-committed and over-scheduled to the point where I was getting totally claustrophobic.  My plan for this weekend is to spend some quality time in my sewing room.  It's been a long time.    It's gotten off to a good start.

When I got home today, I pieced the back for the BQ quilt that's been on my UFO waiting list forever.  Then I got it all ironed and loaded on the frame ready to quilt.   It's all ready to go and I'll start on it first thing in the morning when I am fresh. I was beginning to think this quilt would never get finished, but here I am ...... actually doing it.  Finally! 

This will be my second quilt since I got my machine fixed.  I'm still a little hesitant, but after this one, I think I'll have my confidence back in my machine and feel more comfortable quilting again.  

Since the machine was fixed, I have changed to King Tut thread.  It took a bit to get the tension set, but it seems to be working well.  The King Tut thread has a lot less lint than the thread I used to use.  Now that I am happy with the thread, I've decided to go ahead and place an order. I did that today, so for now (at least until my order comes), I only have one cone of green thread, and that means I can only do quilts that this thread can be used on.  I hope that the new thread comes in quickly.

I'll have to go through my other UFO quilts to see which others can be quilted with this thread.  I know I have at least one, but it will be tight to get it to fit on my quilting frame and I may even have to piece the batting, which I am not very good at.  The back for it is not complete either, but I suppose I could get that done as well.  I just have to push myself.  I need to have a sense of accomplishment this weekend.

We'll see how that goes.

Slow down....I want to get off

Lately it seems like I am stuck on a merry-go-round out of control.  Every day after work, there's some place I have to be.  The last few weekends have been last minute harried trips out of town.  My sewing machine and I have not had any quality time together in what seems like ages.  Please just slow down so I can get off.  Aaaahhhhh!

I am hoping against hope that this weekend will be all sewing, but we'll see how that goes.  Most times, I get ready to sew or cut or quilt or something sewing related and then I start to get the guilt feelings about the carpet that needs shampooing or the kitchen that needs cleaning or whatever.   I am going to do my best to keep out the "guilties" this weekend and just do what I want to do.

We'll see how that goes.....

Fabric Sale!

The local quilt store is having a 50% off sale on fabric.  They are needing to downsize before they move in a week or so.  Needless to say, I was there yesterday and today and I may go again tomorrow.  I bought 17 yards yesterday and 11 yards today.  While I was there today, I saw another piece I need to have for a back but I need to check my pattern.  Once I get the numbers straight, I'll go back and get it tomorrow.  As a friend of mine says, "Why not?  It'll never be this cheap again."

Planning?

You have to wonder what kinds of minds are doing the planning when the "powers that be" decide to close 2 of the 3 lanes on the interstate and close an exit on the outbound lanes of traffic just before rush hour.  What were they thinking?  Were they thinking?

My usual 20 minute drive to physical therapy took 1 hour and 45 minutes.  I sure did need some physical therapy when I got there, just to relieve the stress caused by the drive. What a day!

Reunions

I attended my 35th high school class reunion last night.  This is the first one I have been to.  I was amazed at how I was able to recognize people.  There were not a lot of us there, but those who were there had a good time.  Perhaps I'll have to go back for the 40th to see everybody else.

Times Change

I was looking through my high school yearbook and I came across this article.  I'm not labeled, but that's me with the Farrah Fawcett wings and no feet.    I have a reunion this weekend.  It'll be nice to see how everybody has changed and yet still stayed the same.

Design Wall Monday

Kathy Brown's Take 5 Crosses the Line 
Love those polka dots!

Back in Business!

I was having trouble with my Sunshine 16 earlier this year.  As usual, I contacted Nancy and she immediately responded with suggestions and offers of assistance.  Eventually it was determined that Sunny needed some service.  I could have taken her to the local repair shop, but I chose to take her back to Nancy and Jerry.  After all, they are the ones who built her and there can be no better expert than them.

On Tuesday, Mom and I drove from Baton Rouge, LA to Jackson, TN and spent the night.  On Wednesday morning, we went on to Waverly, TN to Nancy and Jerry's.  They changed out the problem part and I spent time with Nancy getting the machine tensioned correctly and getting some very special tutelage.

After returning home, I immediately started in on quilting.  It's been a while now.  The quilt in this picture is one of the ones my friend Norma left behind.  I am quilting them for her family.

Sunny

And piles of UFOs to go!