It's time to quit blogging

 I have been writing here for sixteen years, and I think I'm done. My business has slowed down and I am in a new phase of my life. I don't want to work forever! I want to make quilts, take trips, read books and just enjoy a few days of doing nothing. So, this is the last post. For a while, at least. I think once or twice a month will do me just fine.

Meanwhile, here at Wazoo, I have been mostly busy with repairing quilts. Like a forgetful old person (ha ha...that's me!) I finished one  this one last week and here it is.

I replaced almost 90 of the patches, and some holes on the back.

It takes a lot of time and skill to do this kind of work, I wonder why the customers are so slow picking them up? They are all gang-ho when they drop off the quilt...

After the repairs were done, I gave it a wash.

It is soft and smells good, too!

My granddaughter in Massachusetts loves to hike and climb mountains. She and her friends took a trip to New Hampshire and climbed Mt Major and Mt Straightback. She sent a few pictures from the top to give her grandma a heart attack. She is so happy when she is outdoors!

Merry band of hikers

What a view!

This gives me palpitations!!

Doesn't matter. She is comfortable there.

Back in the studio, I have been working hard  trying to crank out the remaining quilts. My mojo is on vacation, so it has been tough to get in the groove here. Don't worry, though, I'll be okay. I have had slumps before and always came back to my love of quilting. Here are a few quilts for you!

Remember this? It is the custom quilting challenge for the longarm group.

Not too fancy, but pretty.

Maybe it shows better on the back

This customer makes the cutest quilts! I also have two elephant quilts of hers to do, as well.

The panto is falling snowflakes

This is an illustration from a book she has about a ghost quilt. That explains the smiley face!

It is quilted with a paisley pattern

This quilt is for a Florida Gators student

It is the first time I have quilted something with NO batting. Just the Minky backing.

It is more like a blanket than a quilt. Perfect for Florida.

Here we have an embroidered quilt brought to me from a friend. Her lifelong friend made the quilt top and had no idea how to finish it. She wanted custom quilting.

My tip for you is don't add the embellishments before the quilting is done. Your quilter will thank you.

I carefully went around all the buttons, yo-yos and 3-D embroidered bits.

Here's the back

I'll end with another grandkid, going trick or treating with his parents in the costume his dad made. He is a Cyberman from the TV program Dr Who. The outfit is made from thin foam, cardboard and duct tape, then painted silver. My son is so clever!

I never had a costume like this!

Posing with the neighborhood ghost

Returning home.

The haul.

We "Fall back" this weekend, so don't forget to change the clocks! One hour back on Saturday night at 12:00. Ugh...

The blazing red maples at church

The windows are open and Fall is in the air!

 I'm happy to have a few days of cool weather after the unseasonably warm end of Summer. I'm back in the studio most days and doing a lot more handwork on customer repairs. I just finished a long slog of hand embroidery on a wool camp blanket. The customer wanted it repaired, and then backed and quilted so it will last longer. The whole thing is made of 4X6 pieces of wool suiting samples. Nine were so bad, I had to replace them. (Fortunately, I have a big wool stash, and friends who will share what they have.)

All fixed and ready to go home

The original embroidery was done in two colors of red and an off white. I used the same colors to do the replacement embroidery with #8 Perle cotton. The binding is the same fabric as the backing, a soft brushed plaid.

Here is a good look at the back.

I have been working on some customer quilting, as well, and here are the ones finished this week.

This is a sweet bunny baby quilt. 

This swirly panto is a soft contrast to the angular piecing

Neutral backing

Next was this lovely pineapple quilt. The customer said it has been a flimsy for years. Her aunt made it, and the niece is having it quilted as a surprise.

It's a pretty big quilt. Won't it be pretty on someone's bed?!

I used a funky fan pattern for the quilting.

I also have this backing fabric. It is so soft and beautiful!

The color combination in this snowball and geese quilt make it a cheerful project.

This panto, Ikat, is true to the modern vibe of the quilt.

The pieced backing keeps the theme going.

I like the disappearing four patch with sashing! At first, I didn't see that it was that pattern! Very clever.

I used a swirly, paisley panto that echoed the pattern in the upper right corner o this patch.

Complimentary backing.

This week, I made the flimsy for the next longarm group challenge. The pattern was simple; four patches and focus fabric.

Here is my flimsy on the design wall

I chose ladylike fabrics for the project. The challenge is to quilt it any way we like for the heart to heart outreach group. I hope to get to it tomorrow.

Today, I was in Franklin, NC judging the county fair quilt entries. They had fifty six quilts, and they were all very pretty. Fortunately for me, I could give out two Grand Champion and two Reserve Champion ribbons. The four quilts seen on the table in the last photo are the winners. All were impeccably pieced and appliquéd, and had used the chosen fabrics perfectly. An inspiration to any quilter who sees them. The girls who helped with the judging got busy putting the quilts up before the fair opened at 1:00. I had a wonderful time with them.

This girl is a fairly new quilter and told me three of the quilt entries were hers...and she won two ribbons!

They don't have proper racks for the quilts, so hanging them is a challenge. These women did a great job.

Smaller quilts were hung together.

Large quilts were displayed along the back wall. The grand prize winners are on the table, ready to be hung.

In the family news, my grandson is excited to be employed by Sherwin Williams. He's posing for a selfie in his new logo polo.

He looks happy!

My sister-in-law (who was here in May, and who I went to the Grand Rapids show with) took part in a walk over the Macinac bridge. It is five miles across, and she and her friend made it in good spirits. We're all proud of her effort!

Here are a couple of images from Google showing the bridge and the walkers on the bridge. 10,000 people made the trek this year.

This is my SIL's picture

Here they are st the finish line

It began very early in the morning, as seen in the lovely pink sunrise!

Good job, girls!

After a long day os mountain driving and judging quilts, it is good to put my feet up and visit with my favorite girl! Until next time, be happy and keep quilting.