Long days working

The last few days have been a bit boring for anyone reading this blog. All we do is work. Mr Wazoo took one day off to play in the yard, but I have been in the studio quilting eight or more hours a day, trying to get my back-log to a manageable amount, The quilt I am working on now os another huge custom job that took two full days to stitch in the ditch. About halfway through, I sewed in a long tuck on the backing and had to back up the train, take out a row of quilting, and then re-do the work. See...boring. Yesterday, I finally started the pretty quilting, but even that is pretty mind numbing. The same motif over and over and over...like I said, huge quilt. The saving grace is, the quilt is really pretty, and the fabrics fun to look at.

SID, white stars and tan side triangles done so far.

We had a couple of loud rain storms lately, and I didn't stop the man from mowing and cleaning up the yard. Spring is here, and the grass was getting thick and unruly. He also added the new layer of mulch to the gardens and gravel to the side of the driveway for drainage. Most of the garden plants are self sustaining and don't require much attention, but the lawn is another story. He is constantly trying to get grass to grow in the hard, red clay. Gives him a challenge!

Flowers and shrubs starting to fill in the rock gardens.

Gray gravel along the drive. Looks good!

He did the patch in the back, too, next to the compost staging area.

I have to say that MrW also did his studio work. He has been quilting most days, getting his indoor projects done, too. Its a bit disheartening to have him churning out quilt after quilt while I slog along for days on the same project! Oh well, that's life here at Wazoo. Not much conversation, just the steady hum of the machines.

Cute wallhanging for a grandchild's room

Panto: Star Spangled Banner

Sophisticated baby quilt made with forest friends fabrics.

Panto: Modern Twist

This is a modern art quilt, meant to represent a window.

The customer requested randomly spaced horizontal lines.
I think Mr W did a great job with this custom quilting task.

He loaded this at the end of the day, ready to quilt when we start again.

I am still trying to finish the tee shirt quilt for the Christian school. The customer called and requested a sleeve be attached, so I have been sewing the binding, making a fancier than usual label and making the hanging sleeve. I plan to get this one done today, and ready for the hand sewing tonight.

I made the label on the computer yesterday after work, and will get it sewn into the binding along with the sleeve today.

I hope this entry hasn't made you too drowsy...it would be nice to spend some time on the porch watching the baby squirrels scamper up and down the tree, or the birds visiting the feeders, but the quilting comes first and we have to keep at it to make the customers happy. Don't get me wrong, I love the quilting, but the siren song of sunny warm weather and the awakening of the flora and fauna is strong. We want to go out and play!
Our daughter comes tomorrow, so there will be another dreaded task happening...cleaning. Have mercy! Until later...

Busy day

The phone rang and rang today. Customers are bringing and sending quilts faster than we can quilt them! Mr Wazoo had already told me he would be doing yardwork today, because the weather was absolutely perfect. It figures...I was stuck indoors, quilting and repairing quilts. He did get one done yesterday while I was at guild, so I won't begrudge him a day in the sun digging dirt.

Mr Wazoo quilted spring flowers on this very Springlike Irish chain

I love the scrappiness!

Panto: Splat

Sign...I was in the studio which stays about 68 degrees all the time because it is mostly underground.

I spent the morning finishing the tee shirt quilt for the Christian school. By lunchtime, I was able to load it up and quilt it. I ran out of gas at 5:45 and called it a day before getting the black binding attached. No fear, gentle reader, I had a repair ready for the hand sewing!

This is where I started today...

Here it is finished. The school's  sports name is the 'Lightning", so I added two lightning bolts.

Digital panto: Dazzle

The Lanier Lightning

I put another shirt on the back, which was perfect for the Christian school project!

This little quilt was almost left out of today's show! I quilted it late yesterday. Sweet colors and simple design. Very nice.

The customer wanted it done with circles...so I did!
Digital panto: Bubblicious

Tonight, I did some handwork on a double wedding ring quilt I did a couple of days ago. One arc was really trashed and torn, so I made a new arc and appliqued it in. All done!

I traced a pattern to go by from the damaged arc, cut it apart and pressed the freezer paper patterns to the appropriate colored fabrics, then added seam allowances.Here are the bits ready to make into the arc.

I tried to copy the color scheme from the original arc, seen here.

In this picture, the new arc is glue-sticked down and ready to hand sew.

After hand sewing and re-quilting. Cool, huh? Ready for the customer to apply binding.

Progress

I spent the day, yesterday, working on the tee shirt commission and quilting a nice strippy customer quilt. I also took a speed trip to Murphy, NC to pick up a gift for a friend, and get backing for the tee shirt project. Spring has sprung here in the mountains, and the ride was beautiful with all the forsythia, redbud and other blooming trees showing off their finery in yards and fields.

Pretty 30s strip quilt the customer made for her granddaughter.

She requested a 'teenage friendly' panto, and I think this fits the bill.
Its a new digital design, and I can't recall the name off the top of my head.

The back is a cute bandana print

Here is where I am on the tee shirt quilt. I have to cut the sashings and cornerstones, and figure out the rest of the border before I can sew it together. It will have to wait until later today, since this is Misty Mountain Guild day and I have to preside over the meeting.

Tee shirt quilt is coming along.
I used some writing from the backs of shirts for inserts in the border.

I don't recall showing you Mr Wazoo's latest work on a neat Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. The customer didn't care for the finished top, but I think she'll love the quilt now that it is quilted.

I'm not a fan of purple, but it really blends nicely in this design

Panto: Brocade

Easier to see the quilting pattern on the back.

I also finished a charity quilt for my guild. The binding is done and I'll turn it in today.

The quilt was constructed from blocks made at the guild retreat!
Panto: Quirky

The backing. The binding is the bright turquoise from the front.

Quilting finished, off to be bound.

That's about it for now. My daughter who has been traveling to Australia and New Zealand for six months is coming on the weekend for a visit! She stopped briefly in Arizona to see her sister before passing through Texas to see Grandpa and then here. She posted this picture of herself and my oldest girl while she was in Arizona. I'm excited to see her and hear all about her adventures.

Two of my wonderful children

Sunday, workday.

No rest day for me. I have soooo much work to do, I couldn't have my usual fun Sunday sewing day. I worked instead. Got a lot done, too!
First, I finished the quilt on the frame from yesterday. It turned out to be a very nice heirloom for the customer.

Nice double wedding ring

Digital panto: Flower power

A peek at the back

I have a commission in the works, too. A tee shirt quilt for an auction at a Georgia Christian School. There wasn't much variety in the shirts, in fact there were duplicates of most of them, so that made my design a bit harder. I'm going to add some pieced blocks to add some pizazz to the shirts, and make up for the lack of diversity in the artwork. Here's the plan. The big colored squares represent the shirts.

EQ Scores again

Here are the shirts before I cut them. I laid them out to see if I was happy with the balance of colors.

Can you guess the school colors? ha ha

I got the blocks cut out and almost finished by my 6pm quitting time. There's always tomorrow...

Shirts are prepped and ready to cut down to size

Blocks in progress.

The quilting machine whirred along while I was doing the blocks, and I finished quilting a big piece of fabric a customer is using to make a kimono style robe from. Cool!!

I understand this panel goes on the back of the robe.

Its really hard to see the pattern. It is very oriental!

The backing (lining) is this gold and pink floral.

Walking back to the house, I couldn't help but take a couple of pictures of the Spring flowers blooming in the back yard. Everything is starting to bud or flower! 

Pretty pansies...

Fluffy phlox!