Back to hand work

 Because the Gammill is out of order, I am unable to do custom work while quilting on Millie. What's a gal to do? Hand work! I finished sewing the rest of the circles for my demo sample, and got them all turned and ready to sew tomorrow. The hole where the last four go is for the ones I will demonstrate sewing and turning. After that, I will show the viewers how to add them to the quilt. After the show, and the two demos, the quilt will be done!

This will end up being much smaller after I sew the circles together.

Millie chugged along, quilting this colorful string-spiderweb quilt. 

You know how I love scrappy quilts, and this one is a dandy!

I selected the panto Chantilly, and a variegated King Tut thread in shades of purple. I thought it would show up but not be overwhelming.

A nice lavender thread on the back.

I started the next quilt, and plan to have it finished tomorrow. I also added the label to my daughter's Quilt of Valor, and made the presentation pillowcase. Mr Wazoo will ship them to the QOV person in Arizona tomorrow, and they will make arrangements for the ceremony. I wish I could be there, but I think my grandson will Face-time it for me. 

This one is really pretty. I'll surprise you with the pattern I chose for the quilting when it's done.

The folded quilt, label and pillowcase (on the right)

I drove to my friend Vincent's today for a much needed haircut.. He did a great job! I love visiting him and Dennis. Their garden and all the quilts and stained glass are well worth the trip. We chat, laugh and have fun the entire time. Alas, I had to work, so we parted until I get shaggy again.

Of course, it won't look this smooth and nice tomorrow, but that's okay.

Sick Gammill

Oh dear...yesterday was NOT a fun day. I started early to get the stitch in the ditch done on the umbrella quilt, and get it quilted. No such luck! I left it on Sunday, frustrated that the thread broke every inch of stitching, thinking it would miraculously heal itself while I slept. Ha! That didn't work, either. I spent the next four hours diddling with the tensioners, changing all the parts I had replacements for, blowing with canned air in the places there might be lint or thread, and generally cursing every few minutes when the applied ministrations failed to make it run. Mr Wazoo had gone to Cumming for car maintenance before our trip to Texas, and I needed his expertise to figure out what the heck was the problem. Gratefully, he came strolling in at 3 o'clock and took over. Long story short...we have an appointment to drop her off in Byron to have a repair and tune up.
Meanwhile, I turned all the circles right side out, as you know, and got them pressed yesterday while MrW took over the diddling and cursing task. I also quilted, bound and finished the cherries quilt. Not a totally wasted day, but a frustrating one.
At guild last night I showed and told at show and tell. I showed my daughter's QOV, my cherries quilt and the one made from blocks I picked up the month before. I gave that one to the member who brought the blocks, and it turns out her friend who made them had passed away and the quilt is a wonderful reminder of how wonderful she was. I'm glad it made her happy.
Everything looks better after a guild meeting, so I am down in the studio today, changing gears and doing some commission work. When life gives you lemons....make lemonade!

The day I got the Gammill in 2009, what a beauty!

Set up and ready to quilt in the new studio in GA, 2014

2017, still going strong

Grinding to a halt on Sunday.

This is the quilt I gave away yesterday evening.

Another Sunday Fun day

I had a really good time yesterday quilting and sewing. I finished the big green quilt, and I think it looks wonderful! I cut out the circles for my demo quilt, and sewed up a pile of them. Later, I started the slow task of turning them right side out. More to come on that front! In the late afternoon, I had a couple of hours to spare, so I cut out and sewed up a class sample of the quilt for mt October class. That's how quickly you can make this quilt! It is my go to quilt for a quick gift, and for charity quilts. I just love it. The one I made is geared more to an adult, but this pattern is perfect for those fun juvenile prints.
Today, we're off to an attorney meeting, and then to Cleveland where I need to get another yard of fabric for my demo quilt. I didn't buy enough and need enough to make the quilt a nice lap size.

The quilt maker gave a demo of the block in this quilt at the last guild meeting. It's nice to see how it looks as a quilt.

I chose a leafy vine pattern for the quilting because the quilt is predominantly greens , golds and tans.

Maybe you can discern the pattern better from the back.

Here are the circles, all sewn and ready for turning. They look like colorful pancakes, don't they?

This is a 2-3-2-6 quilt top. I made it yesterday afternoon.

I love the cherry fabrics!

Back at work

The QOV is quilted and has the binding on. I did the hand sewing tonight after supper.I think it turned out really pretty. It is for a woman vet. My daughter, Amy. She is carrier Army and did two tours in Iraq and one in Guantanamo. We're proud of her for serving her country at a time of war, and raising two wonderful kids along the way. I'll be sending the quilt and case off to the Arizona QOV for them to do the ceremony.

Amy in Iraq with her fellow large equipment mechanics. (And a piece of really large equipment!) She's the only female, center of the front row.

Amy with Iraqi school children and their teacher.

Quilting finished!

Binding applied.

Star Swirl panto

Moda Grunge dot backing

I loaded up a custom quilt on the big Gammill and set out to do the stitch in the ditch with invisible thread. I do it this way with every quilt, but for some reason, this one is giving me fits. The thread keeps either breaking or skipping several stitches. I only did 6 umbrellas in over two hours! I decided to turn off the machine and try again tomorrow.

Loaded and ready for quilting.

The umbrellas are all batiks, as is the background.

They're very cute, but driving me nuts.

On the APQS, I loaded a big green quilt and started the quilting. It is about half done, and I will also finish it tomorrow. Right before quitting, I made the label for the moon over the mountain quilt. The pen made a bit of a blob, but I don't really care. I got it sewn on tonight, too.

I had to release the quilt from the roller about half way through because it wasn't laying flat. I'll finish it up with a full float instead. It is a pretty scrap quilt, for sure.

You can't tell from this photo, but the fabric is a lavender batik and looks great on the backing. Darn pen blob...