Getting ready

I am spending the day doing laundry, packing, and preparing for my trip tomorrow. I have tried on every pair of shoes to find the ones that are best with my heel pain. Maybe riding in the car and not standing on it will help the pain go away a bit. Walking a lot is going to be a problem. My sister informed me the weather is supposed to be brutally hot this week, so I have re-thought the wardrobe and packed lighter clothes. I don't have a huge wardrobe like most women. I hate clothes shopping, so I am wearing stuff I have had for many years. Oh well, I'm at the time in my life where I don't sweat this kind of thing.
Yesterday, I quilted a project from a customer who took the same class I did, but finished her quilt. I'll finish mine someday...

It is a big quilt, and will look beautiful on a bed!

Panto: Climbing ferns

Nice back, too!

The quilt is made by the same customer who has been patiently waiting for her African quilt. I have made progress on the tribal motifs, but won't finish it until I get home from my trip. sigh...

I chalk on the motif, then quilt over it twice.

Some of the motifs I found in the fabrics, the others were in a book the customer has.

The laundry is done, the bags are packed and I shopped for enough meals to get Mr Wazoo through the week. We'll load the car in the morning and I'll be off on my adventure.

Happy Father's Day to all of you people with fathers! My Dad is well and kicking at 95! We'll chat tomorrow, but now, its time for sleep!

More fun than a barrel of monkeys!

Yup...we got a new car today. We took a day off, spent the wad and got a new Subaru Outback to replace our Honda. I sure hope it was worth it. I'll know better after the trip to Wisconsin!
We're going out to eat at a friend's home tonight, so it has been a stellar day start to finish.

Isn't she a beauty?!

A butterfly landed on the windshield when we got out.

I think it is admiring the reflection.

Where my car lives most of the time since Mr Wazoo has his man cave in the garage.

Happy Flag Day! We fly ours every day.

Home alone, too.

Mr Wazoo went to South Carolina to visit his mom today, so I had the studio to myself. I'm working on the African quilt, and am making progress on the 196 black squares that each get a tribal motif. I'm not quite half finished with them.
Meanwhile, we did some good work after the last post, and I love sharing it with you. We took in a vintage butterfly quilt from a customer whose mother-in-law made the quilt top years ago. She is having it finished as a Father's Day gift for her husband. What a touching gift! She decided on orange peel for the quilting pattern, and black for the binding. Here it is, all finished.

Looking at the fabrics, I would guess it was made in the fifties and  early sixties.

Its an unusual butterfly block, looks like it would be easy to draft and make.

The orange peel quilting turned out nice.

Binding on and hand sewn. The customer came right over when I called her, and she is thrilled with the quilt.

Mr Wazoo and I both finished the quilts that you last saw on the machines. In fact, we are caught up enough to have a little adventure tomorrow. I'll tell you about it later. Here are the two finished quilts.

Mr W did a fine job quilting the block of the month quilt

Panto: Rotorua

The backing is perfect for the quilt.

I had already folded the quilt I finished when I remembered to take a picture.  You can look back to see the pattern. I did an enlarged version of Warm Wishes that I drafted. This was the last of the sibling quilts.

Panto: Beauty, in gold thread

I bound it with the same fabric as the red inner border.

I'll be off to bed soon. After a couple of hours hand sewing squares to the trip around the world quilt, I'm pooped, and my arm hurts. I'll be glad when I wake up one day without the heel and arm pain! Maybe tomorrow...

Sew it up!!

I spent today sewing the finishing touches on two of the sibling quilts. Tomorrow, I will get the last one quilted and bound.

Binding done!

It looks good on this side, too!

The borders on, the backing and top  loaded and ready for quilting.

Mr Wazoo worked in his man cave quilting this sampler. I was gone for a while today, helping clean, re-stock and prepare the machines and sewing kits for Quilt Camp. A kittle distraction from an otherwise busy day.

You're not having deja vu, the quilter took a class with her friend, whose sampler we have already quilted! It really is a lovely pattern.

Its hard to see the wonderful pattern of the pantograph: Come Dance With Me.

The backing is beautiful, as well.

In the afternoon, I had an hour to spare, so I went ahead and quilted this charity quilt for a man recipient.

The fabric combination is quite manly.

I used a simple meander for the quilting.

You can see the quilting better on the back.

Tomorrow we will be working on these quilts. They are both loaded and ready to go. 

After supper, I did a few more squares on the trip-around-the -world quilt, but my aching arm made sewing difficult enough to quit. I wish it would hurry and get better!!

I'll be doing this

Mr W will do this. It is another of the block of the month class projects. Isn't it a smashing combination of colors?!

A rare fun day

Yesterday was a rare day for me at Wazoo. I didn't do customer work. I needed to rest my arm and foot, so I took it easy and played with the antique blocks I bought in Paducah. They have been on the design wall for a while, and I knew I needed to add alternate blocks to make a decent size quilt with them. I had a bag of 165 Civil War reproduction four patches, and decided to use some of them in this project.  I fiddled with how to use 4 1/2 inch blocks to make an 11 inch block, and came up with a chain-type block. There was math involved (yuk) and had to cut pieces with scant 1/8 inch increments. Because none of the initial blocks are the exact same size, there will be some points cut off no matter what I do, but I'm okay with that. Here are a couple of pictures of the process so far. I have them in a straight set, but may go back to the on-point set after I reposition them and take a look. No sewing of these today. I have to work.

Here are the original blocks. I made one more to get  an even 16

I shifted them to a straight set and laid in the four patches

After adding the center strips, the alternate blocks are done

Mr Wazoo finished the last of four quilts for one customer before going outside to spread a truckload of mulch. Chiggers had a field day with him and he is covered with bites!! Maybe they hitched a ride in the mulch...

This was another quilt with a too small backing. I added six inches to the top and bottom of the back after a call to the quilter. Mr W quilted right to the pins on this one! I guess he needed seven inches...oops.

Panto: Splat

I like the cheater backing.

I snapped these two having breakfast at our flower buffet on my way to the studio. Another rain storm in the late afternoon sent us indoors on the back porch for a beer and some conversation. All in all, it was a fun, laid back day. Now, back to work.

Butterfly and bee having an al fresco breakfast

Mr W will have to weigh in on what the plant is...I  don't know what it is.