Good bye Molly

I really don't know what to write today. My beloved companion has died. Molly's cancer had aggressively spread throughout her abdomen, and she seemed to be telling us she was ready. For two or three days she couldn't make the walk to the studio, so I carried her down, where she would rest all day on her pillow. She only welcomed one visitor, and I will always remember her "talking" to her with her plaintive yips and cries. Yesterday, we took her to the Vet and he did an ultrasound, revealing the tumors that had taken over her little body. We decided to end the suffering and let her go. It was very peaceful. She just closed her eyes and went to sleep. My heart is broken, but I am sure it will heal, and in time, I will welcome a new companion to my life. Still, I will always miss Molly.

Puppy Molly with her Mama, the day we picked her up.

Skipper and Molly at home in Florida

Molly always kept her favorite toys close to her, lining them up and sometimes laying on them.

Visiting with her bestie, Winkie.

Supervising  Mr Wazoo in the garden

Giving her input for the blog.

Keeping me company in the studio

Always happy, always welcoming and friendly.

Rest peacefully, old friend

Labor Day weekend...already?!!

Wow, time flies in a pandemic! I can't believe it is September already and that Fall is on the way. The entire Summer has been a blur of quilts and my plan is to go back and count how many I have made and quilted for others since the pandemic started in March. I know it has to be a huge number!

I went to a restaurant yesterday for the first time since this all began. We weren't certain when to wear or remove the masks...can't eat with it on, for sure. We socially distanced from other diners and I had a monster of a mahi sandwich. Yummy! After a fun visit full of gossip and conversation, a quick foray to the quilt shop it was back to the studio and work. Of course, I made it to the last row of this Christmas tree skirt I was quilting, and had to leave it until today when the bird chirped 6:00. I did manage to finish the cabin wall hanging, and hope to get it quilted over the weekend.

I had to add the cornerstones because the checkerboards didn't come out even. I think they look fine.

One row to go!

After lunch, we went to the local quilt shop where I signed up to teach a beginner level class of my favorite charity quilt. They need a class sample, so I bought some fun Christmas fabric to make it with. The class is in October, so it will give prospective students an idea for a Christmas project! This quilt is so fast and easy, I cut and sewed it when I got home. Another quilting task for the weekend. I plan to spend Labor Day in the studio doing MY quilts. I wonder how many I can get quilted...

My class sample. I added a small border of the focus fabric to corral those final edge pieces. I'll finish sewing it on today and take another picture. For now, its off to the studio!

Nothing doing...

 Well, I admit, I lost a whole day!! This Covid thing is really messing with my mind. All day yesterday, I thought it was Tuesday... I sort my pills and vitamins into one of those plastic day by day things, and when I went to bed, I saw the Tuesday pills were missing... Really? I took the Wednesday ones and thought I would have to replenish them today. Mr Wazoo just told me it was Thursday! Almost a whole week gone, and I have very little to show for it.

I had a meeting in the afternoon on Tuesday, and yesterday I ventured out to Cleveland, GA for a sale at the fabric shop. I needed backings and they had 30% off everything, so I took advantage of the bonanza of weird backing fabric for the 7 vintage quilts I have to finish for a customer. I also got backing for my BQ2 quilt and the Minick and Simpson whole cloth cheater. But I did waste half a day away from the studio.

The only thing I accomplished was the QOV. I also made some four patches for the borders on the camping wall hanging panel. That's it! Today, a friend from Florida is coming over to visit while they are camping here in town, so I will lose even more time galavanting around with her. My bad.

Anyhoo, here is the QOV and the camp project. I have to get ready for the day and get the studio straightened up a bit for friendly show and tell later.

This is a very nice, although too small, QOV. Because it is square, it doesn't meet the criteria for at least 60x70. It is 63 inches square. 

Panto: Meandering stars

Starry backing. I finished right at 6:00, so I need to get this trimmed before giving it to the binding person.

                                             

The sides are done, but I ran out of time for the other sides. If the checkerboard treatment doesn't come out even, I will add cornerstones. Fix on the fly!

Mr Wazoo got us a yummy piece of salmon for supper, as well as fresh sweet corn and new potato. Everything grilled and soooo good! We have enough left over for a re-heat tonight. 

Non-productive day

 I finished the quilt from yesterday, and loaded a Quilt of Valor. I only quilted a few rows before heading out to Morganton and the meeting. When I got home, I started another project that features a panel. I have so many panels in a bin that I thought were just the ticket...somehow, I lose interest soon after getting them out of the bag! The plan is to whittle down the number of panels and make room for fabric I'll actually use!

Our phone is still out of order, and I have called it into the Windstream automated system. The robot says it will be fixed by Friday. Sheesh...

The finished quilt is very pretty. It had a major problem with one border, but I managed to fix it on the fly and continue with the quilting. The quilter says it was a block of the month at the local quilt shop. It is one of the prettiest ones I have seen.

The panto is Chantilly.

Stonehenge backing keeps the color scheme going.

I see where the new blog format added a 'Medium' size for the font that falls between 'normal' and 'large' I am using it now, because it looks less like I am screaming at you! I hope you don't find it hard to read.

Sunday...Monday

 I promised to show you the quilt with minkie on the back, and here it is!

The quilt maker chose fun prints in vivid colors on black backgrounds. She added the bright yellow pops to be echoed with the minkie backing

I did the quilting with the panto, Jetty in King Tut Variegated thread. This choice, Cleopatra, is my favorite Tut thread. It has all the bright colors from the quilt in it.

The yellow minkie is cuddle soft! I chose a black with colored dots fabric for the binding. The label is also yellow, in order to blend in better. I hope her grandson likes the quilt!

I worked on both the Millie and the Gammill and got these three quilts finished on Sunday.

Here is a colorful batik quilt I did on Big Gammill.

Paper panto: Fork in the Road

Nice botanical print on the back

On the Millie, I quilted pumpkins as the customer requested.

Another KingTut variegated thread in various shades of orange. Panto: Pumpkin Festival

The quilting really looks great on the solid black backing

This batik boxed square quilt was the last of the day, and I put Millie to the test so I could get some sewing done. After all, it was Sunday, and I am supposed to be able to have some fun!

Panto: Malachite

The quilter used the same botanical backing on this quilt, too.

I managed to get the block parts sewn for a BQ2 quilt before the clock chirped 6:00. The pile of quilts to be boxed and sent tomorrow is growing!The shipping and receiving department (Mr Wazoo) has its work cut out for the morning!

The growing pile of finished quilts to be mailed.

Almost blocks...

Monday morning!! I started by loading a king batik quilt on Millie and getting her started. Then, I sewed the BQ2 blocks together and fussed with them on the design wall. By the afternoon, I had the blocks sewn into rows, and the rows into the quilt top. A little border, and it was done! BQ2 is a versatile pattern that goes together quickly and has many sizes included in the pattern. Maple Island makes the patterns and there are six versions of BQ quilts. Google  it and see for yourself!

Ta-Da! I wish the colors came out better under the fluorescent lighting. The shabby chic fabrics are soft and kind of worn looking. This light makes them a bit darker and muddy. 

Once again...the last row or two will have to wait until tomorrow. Quilting a king quilt on a computerized machine takes forever. Especially if the pattern is complicated. I'll have it finished in the morning before I have to go to Morganton for a board meeting. 

The evening guild board wants to discuss whether or not to have meetings in another format, since Covid has shut us down at the church we meet in until the end of the year. I won't be going to any meetings where I don't feel safe. Georgia is not adhering to proper Covid protocol, and cases (and deaths) are on the rise here. Our small rural county has had 480 cases and 10 deaths to date. Georgia has 270,471 cases and 5633 deaths. I'm not comfortable with customers without masks, so why would I go to a meeting with a bunch of other susceptible older ladies? I love to quilt, and see my quilting friends, but want to see them healthy,  so I will pass on getting guild meetings going again. 

Meanwhile, out in the garden, the hydrangea have changed to this wonderful shade of pink. I don't know what this grassy plant is, but it had burst out in these pretty purple flowers. More hard rain last night has knocked my phone out of order. Again. I hope this is a short outage...

Pretty in pink

My friend told me the botanical name of this...but I have already forgotten it.