Catching up at last!

  The quilts have been flying out of the studio and I am counting my cash for Paducah! Tomorrow I'll be taking a day off to accompany a friend to Asheville to pick up her new sewing machine. I deserve the break. I finished the QOV custom job today, as well as a small hummingbird quilt. Yesterday, I finished the schoolhouse quilt and Mr Wazoo mailed it and the big star quilt back to Florida. Let's see some pictures!

Finished Quilt of Valor for a customer's son.

She wanted the stars to stand out

The quilting is simple because the fabrics are so busy, anything else would be lost in the print.

I love the eagles on the backing.

Nil magnum, nisi bonum. without goodness there is no greatness.
Thanks, Audrey for the help with the writing! It's perfect.

Panto: Funky fans

Looks great on the back, too.

Bagged up and ready to go in the box to Florida!

This nice quilt features hummingbirds!

The vines and feathers panto is called Abbie

Hummingbirds flitting all over the back.

Here's the quilt Mr W finished yesterday. I love its scrappy goodness

The customer chose Featherize for the panto pattern.

Looks better on the back.

Mr W quilted this string quilt today. He grumbled and complained loudly until I came to his rescue and triaged the machine. I determined the bobbin case was badly warped (probably from him dropping it on the cement garage floor...) and replaced it for him. I tested the tension, fixed that, and tried a row of quilting. Voila! He was able to finish without too much more sounding off. The strings were sewn to a foundation of black flannel (don't ask...I don't know why) and the seams were pressed to the sides, making for tough going for his small machine. I'm glad it's finished!!

I made and added the binding by machine, as requested by the customer.

Panto: Angel wings

Pretty butterfly backing and the other side of my binding job.

The customer with the hummingbird quilt also had this beautiful quilt here to be done. The order said E2E, so I called to be sure. It is going to be a raffle quilt, and to save money they are having an E2E done.  I picked our best looking panto and started working.

Meanwhile, I started squaring up the second set of embroidered blocks from our customer's mother.
I should be able to start the quilt construction on Sunday.

It took all afternoon to get this far on the  customer raffle project. It is looking very good.

Everything outside is lovely and fragrant. Dogwood, phlox and vinca all happily blooming together along the driveway.

I just adore dogwoods! Don't you?

Mr W got this pink one last year

For a little tree, it is putting on a good show!

After taking the pictures, Molly and I had a breathless climb back to the house.

More quilts, finished and waiting to go home. We're making progress!

I got this picture of Mr Wazoo's mother, Pam today. She is finally able to get up and walk some distance! She fell and broke her pelvis a couple of years ago, and the rehab has been very slow. I have always admired her pluck and vigor! She is 97.
They also have her in an ankle monitor that goes off if she tries to leave the facility. Cheeky Pam up and booked it a couple of days ago, but didn't get very far...about ten feet out the door. She walks very slowly with a walker. An easy catch. Now, she is taken outside to see the garden during the day. I am so glad she is happy and getting some fresh air.

Quilting on a sunny day

We got up this morning with thick fog and cool air. The porch and all the porch furniture were wet, and the grass covered with dew. By ten o'clock the fog had dissipated and the sun came out in all it's glory. It shaped up to be a beautiful day! I missed it, of course. I am determined to get most of the quilts here out the door before our vacation in May. Here's a start.

The finished binding on the pink embroidered quilt

The first of two Quilts of Valor

Panto: Simply Stars

Great patriotic backing

The second QOV

Same panto: Simply Stars

Another great back, too.

Ready to be mailed to Tennessee tomorrow.

Mr Wazoo worked in the man cave, and finished a quilt. He hasn't taken it off the machine yet. He was antsy to get out and enjoy at least part of the day.

I want to see what it looks like! Tomorrow we'll have the photos.

On the Gammill, I have a custom QOV for a local customer. The quilt will be given to her son. I really hope to get it done tomorrow. I did the stitch in the ditch today.

SID completed, on to the fun part.

Remember the leg in the picture of Mr W's quilts yesterday? Here are two of the drawers painted with the color I wanted.

He also cleaned up the brasses. 

Here you can see what the 'before' and 'after' look like.

It's time for bed, and I have to show you the picture my daughter in law sent in a text last night. Dechen in his jammies after brushing his teeth. A mundane moment that warms my heart! Good night everybody!

He has his dad's eyebrows, for sure!!

Taxes!!

I finally had to bite the bullet and prepare our taxes. I dread it every year, and always promise myself to be more organized next year. That never happens, but I am getting better. After eight hours on the computer and on the phone to the CPA at Turbo Tax (remember the commercial, "free, free, free...") I finished the work and filed our return. The happy surprise is that this year we don't have to pay! The return may be small, but it's better than a kick in the pants. Now, back to quilting!!
Mr Wazoo stayed busy in the man cave, quilting two customer quilts while it poured rain and rumbled thunder outside. He doesn't mind staying inside when the lightning is flashing nearby in the woods!

This is an interesting take on Bear Paw. The background is the scrappy part and the solid is the 'paw'. Unfortunately, he got the leg of the dresser he's refinishing for me in the picture. Oops!

One of our prettiest pantos: Come Dance With Me

Beautiful selection for backing fabric, too.

There's that darn leg again!,,, This customer came from over the mountain in Cleveland to have
Mr W do her quilt. Wow, he's popular!

Hmmm...can't see the pattern at all.

Panto: Weatherize

I finished quilting the customer project with embroidered blocks and did the hand sewing last night. There is a second, much bigger quilt to be made and finished, but it will have to wait a bit. I have a tee shirt quilt to do first, plus some lovely custom jobs coming up in the queue.

Here is the lap quilt I made with the six blocks. The binding is solid pink.

Panto: Frolic

The backing is the same fabric as the sashing. Really soft and pretty.

I also quilted this big log cabin quilt yesterday, and I am hand sewing the binding tonight...and probably tomorrow night, too.

This was a challenge.Neither square or flat, with a baggy backing. There were a few small tucks.

Panto: Funky Fans

The pieced back was also a quilting challenge. I plan to talk with the quilter and see if she would like a lesson or two. She is really new and always makes big quilts. Measuring and cutting accurately are important. So is that quarter inch seam!!

At least we had some sun yesterday. The dogwood is starting to bloom and the other plants are also popping out. It still rains ever other day, but we're inching into Spring!

Dogwood blooms nearly open. 

Mr Wazoo's handiwork in the yard.

And this, just for fun.

The pea third from the top looks just like  the yard man himself!!