A big finish!!

 The last of the embroidered quilts is done! I worked doggedly and finished up around five, with just enough time to get the binding on. Yippee!! Only two customers came today, so I got plenty of quilting done. The second mermaid is quilted, and the third of the same customer's four quilts is also done!

I have quilted another one just like this, so I changed it up a bit so I wouldn't get bored. It looks nice!

I did the blocks the same as the first one, but changed the sashing and border treatments.

Lots of fun quilting.

The back looks stunning, as usual. White back and puffy batting. Yum!

Second verse, same as the first! Same panel and blocks...

Same panto, Ebb and Flow, same thread, King Tut.

Wildly different back!! I'm loving those bright birds!!

Number three is a long way from the in-your-face colors of the mermaid quilts. The colors are lively, but much more peaceful and subtle.

Panto: Butterfly Swirl in King Tut variegated lavender thread.

The butterflies and flowers on the quilt inspired the pantograph decision.

This is the fourth, and last, quilt from this customer. She wants a low custom done on it because of the pictures. It is a Camelot type story with a princess, knight in shining armor, excalibur in the stone, faithful steed, and the fairytale castle. Hopefully, I will be done with this tomorrow.

Little miss fur pants was a bit naughty today. She pottied in her crate while Mr Wazoo took a shower and he had quite the clean up to tackle. I was in the studio and missed all the excitement. (whew!) Later, Mr W gave her an empty Popsicle box and she played with it and tossed it around  for a long time. It figures...her two favorite toys are the braided rope I made from tee shirt strips and a box. We had a zoom-zoom playtime tonight and I think we may get some sleep again. She is worn out.

Until tomorrow!

Penny didn't rip it at all, just growled, bit it and tossed it around.

What a nut!

Five hours!

 Our new puppy slept five hours last night! This probably won't be the norm, but it felt nice to have that stretch of uninterrupted shut eye.

I worked on the last of the embroidered quilts all day while Millie chugged along on a pantograph. The determination paid off, as I have finished 16 of the 20 blocks! I should be able to get the last four done today and get on with the sashing and borders. I would show you a picture, but they are stuck in my phone and won't transfer to the laptop.* Sigh* I upgraded the phone and now I am having all sorts of troubles...

Fortunately, I took pictures of the quilt on Millie before this all happened. It is a Laurel Burch panel of a mermaid, surrounded by beautiful, colorful, coordinating fabric  blocks. I am working on the second one just like this now. They are Christmas gifts for lucky Grandkids.

Don't you love the wonderful designs from Laurel Burch?

A watery panto, Ebb and Flow, enhances the piecing. I used a variegated King Tut thread.

The backing is this beautiful stripe.

I also quilted a lovely quilt that reminds me of the William Morris fabrics that were out in the last year or so. It isn't those fabrics, but patterns with small animals integrated in them. Such fun to see the tiny squirrels and owls hidden in plain sight! The customer requested a geometric quilting pattern, and I think I came through for her.

The quilt has a modern flair, but is made from more traditional fabrics. I love the color choices made here. Subtle and effective.

The panto is Bauhaus in a well matched green So Fine thread.

The back is primarily this gingerbread colored fabric.

On a recent trip to Home Depot, Mr Wazoo got something other than more flowers! He did get more flowers...but also some items to make us smile this holiday season. 

We will have this 'some assembly required' snowman stack in the yard next to the little pine tree from our first Christmas here in Georgia. I am a sucker for snowmen, and Mr W indulged my whim and brought these home. 

The other totally unnecessary thing is this minion. When you press a button on his foot, he sings Jingle Bells in minion language. It is hysterical. He bounces around and waves his arms, too. It's in my studio and I have played it many times already, laughing every time.

We also decided to get a small live Christmas tree this year instead of setting up the huge artificial  one we have. No kids or grandkids are coming, so we will decorate the little tree in it's pot and plant it in the yard after Christmas.

 What things have changed for you this year? I see where Bonnie Hunter is foregoing a turkey dinner for steaks on the grill. We'll be having a small turkey with all the trimmings because it is Mr W's favorite. Besides, I won't have to plan what to have for supper for a few days after Thanksgiving! It will be a turkey extravaganza here at Wazoo.

Still tired...but happy!

There pace of quilting has slowed quite a bit while I try to get Penny acclimated to the studio and her routine. Stopping for walkies takes 30 minutes from my work, but it makes both of us better acquainted and happy. She's a great dog! So far, she has been responsive to training and calm with cuddling and handling. So far..

In the studio, when I let Penny out of the pen for some playtime, I throw the batting that's loaded on the machine up onto the quilt so she won't be enticed to chew it. She doesn't mind the machine noise, and sleeps through the music playing or the TV noise. 

I finished this quilt for a girl who loves dogs and sports. Her Grandma wanted a panto that was neutral of gender, but soft enough to lean toward a girl using the quilt. Okay...

A colorful quilt for an active girl

I chose the panto African Samba because it is softly geometric, but still edgy enough for this particular girl. I hope she likes it! The thread is Omni in a bright purple.

The backing is this wild dot fabric.

The last of the embroidered quilts is loaded and the quilting has started. I'm hoping I can get through it by the weekend and move on to the other custom projects I have waiting. I am really trying to eliminate doing custom for people, but have taken two more from people who mailed them to me from other states. I think the first of the new year, I will stop custom quilting altogether. We'll see.

Meanwhile, enjoy your daily Penny fix. I made a couple of pull toys, one from tee shirt strips and the other from some fleece scraps. I simply braided three strips together and knotted the ends. They don't fray, so she can't destroy them! Plus, they are free!

The little stinker got into my binding basket that I have next to the sewing table. I don't want binding all over the studio, or in her poo, so I came up with the braided rope idea.

Here she is with the fleece one. It is a good tug toy, too!

So much cuteness factor!

 

Getting in the swing

 We are getting the new routine organized and running with Penny the pup. She sleeps until 3:30 AM, I take her out...sleeps until 5:30 AM and Mr Wazoo gets up for the day and takes her out. That lets me have 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep before I have to get going for the day. When I come out from the bedroom, Penny and Mr W are watching TV in his chair and enjoying each other's company. She is well versed on current events and the weather, for sure!

Quilting has progressed slowly, trying to fit in walkies and play/training times. I'm getting things done, just not at my usual pace. I finished another repair, and have the last of the embroidered quilts half loaded and waiting. Meanwhile, I am working through the long queue of quilts on the rack, and taking even more in.Until puppy gets bigger, I fear I will be working at this slower pace. We'll see how it goes.

                                       

The man and the pup, bonding over morning TV

Finished with the custom job!

20 blocks, all quilted like this

A peek at the back

Binding on, ready to go home!

This customer came while I was taking my last BQ2 quilt off the machine. She liked the pattern, and I wrote it down for her. Voila! She made this fun Christmas version.

The focus fabric is retro, having that 1950s vibe. She asked for a panto to compliment it, and I used Modern trees.

Maybe you can see it better here. The thread is So Fine in lime green.

It shows nicely on the plain white backing.

One row to go (of course) at 6:00 on this quilt for a greaddaughter who loves sports and dogs.

Number eight ready to load. I have already done one like this, so I won't have to reinvent the wheel for the quilting.

I also finished this repair over the weekend.

I replaced all the rust colored fabric in this block.

The brown fabric with pink flowers and dots is the replacement. I was lucky that five pieces were good enough to leave! I sewed up the open places in seams and darned a couple of small holes in the backing.

The backing is mended, as well. Ready to go!

A student from my class sent me this photo of her finished quilt! She took the mitered border class after  my class, and used the stripe to test her skill. Very nicely done!!

Rough night, better day

 Oh my! I have forgotten how hard (and tiring) it is to have a puppy. Yesterday, Penny woke up at 3:30 crying, howling and barking. I took her outside and then tried to settle her back in the crate. No such luck. At 4:30 Mr Wazoo took her out to the pen in the living room to let me have a bit of sleep. At 7:00 he rushed into the bedroom and said to get up quick, there was something wrong with the puppy. Diarrhea, vomiting and trembling along with the crying. We called the vet as soon as they opened and took the pup over  later in the morning. They have Covid precautions in place, so we sat in the car while the tech took Penny inside for tests and a check over. She got a bolus of subcutaneous fluids, a shot for nausea and a few other tests. We came home with prophylactic, gut calming antibiotics and some probiotic to add to her food. Cha-ching!! Penny settled and slept for hours. I yawned a lot and worked on a repair. No studio time at all.

Today, I am tired again. Penny improved all day yesterday and was spunky and mischievous all afternoon and into the evening. I showed her all around the property and we covered every blade of grass and blowing leaf. Bedtime came and she only cried a bit, then fell asleep...until 3:30. Deja vu all over again. I took her out to potty and put her back in the crate where she sang an entire opera in her native language of yips, whines, barks and howls. After 45 minutes, Mr W had had his limit and took her out to the living room where she slept in his arms until 7:00 when I got up. 

I took her on the property tour again where she frolicked and ran after blowing leaves as well as doing potty three times. Good girl! Breakfast snarfed, she is sleeping again. I'm going to wake her up in a few minutes for a training session and another run around the yard. 

Quiltingwise, I am still working on the repair while staying by the pen we have set up for the pup. I am bone weary tired! Two cups of coffee and a stack of French toast have improved my attitude slightly, and I am still glad we have the little pest  sweetheart with us.

Until tomorrow!