Summer is in full swing, so I stay in the studio!

Wow! Everywhere in the country it has been beastly hot. Fortunately, here in the mountains it is a bit cooler, if you think 96 is cool... I don't enjoy hot weather, so I have been in the studio where it stays comfortable all year round! There is something to be said for having the studio underground. 

The highlight of my week was finishing the quilting on this beautiful customer quilt. It's the Tula Pink butterfly pattern. She said the directions were not the best, and she had to keep stopping to cut more pieces. There wasn't the usual list of what to cut at the beginning of the instructions, and she had to squeeze to get some of the bits from her yardage. Great job, though!

Judy says she needed a brighter quilt on her bed for the summer months. This should satisfy that wish!

The panto is Flight of Fancy

Swirly patterned backing.

Yesterday, I quilted a couple of Quilts of Valor, trying to get caught up with the stack of them in the studio. I also made some more blocks for the Jacob's ladder project. At the Pigeon Forge show, I bought a new Janome 6700 at a bargain price. I took the big Bernina to Chattanooga for cleaning and service, and picked up the new machine to put to work while the Bernina is gone. First thing I did was sew a sample with the 1/4 inch foot. The machine makes a 3/8" seam, so I moved the needle to the right to accommodate this discrepancy. I also tried the 1/4 inch foot with the guide on the side. Same problem! Why would they make feet for quilting that aren't the correct size? The set of blocks I made are a teensy bit off, but I will continue to tweak the needle position to get it right.

The new machine has its own table, but I have it in the Koala for convenience.

QOV #1

Starry panto

Starry backing!

QOV #2.  I didn't see the pattern the blocks made until I saw it completed. A big starburst!

Panto: Simply Stars

Soft blue fabric for the backing.

All my blocks so far, in no kind of order. I just put them up so I can admire my work. ha ha

We had our evening guild on Thursday night and the show and tell was a real treat. Here are a few of my favorites from the members.

Lauren brought this darling Lego sewing machine she got from an online purchase.The foot pedal is dangling from the side.

Here is the Lego quilter, complete with her scissors!

Remember these blocks from the retreat? Robyn finished the quilt.

Rise made this Bonnie Hunter pattern over two retreats. Too many little pieces for me, but it really is amazing.

This Nascar tee shirt quilt is very cool with its checkered flag bits scattered around it.

Bonnie made this lovely sampler. All paper pieced! Wow. Each block has the name of a place she has been embroidered below it.

I was surprised with a package in the mail from my grandson. He painted a picture of the sunflower field we visited on my last trip to Wisconsin. It now has a place of honor below our ceramic frog in the great room.

He's getting to be such a big boy...I wish I could see him in person.

Sunflowers and frog.

A nice addition to our eclectic decor.

I'll leave you with Mr Wazoo's latest garden accomplishments. He scattered wildflower seeds in a bare spot in the back garden, and they have started to come up and bloom. More to come, I'm sure. He also replanted the pot outside the back door where the pansies gave up the ghost in the hot weather.

I'm off to Dahlonega with the girls today to see what's happening at the Common Thread shop. They are having their 'Stuff the Bag' promotion, and my small purple bag is ready! I really don't  plan to get anything, but it is a nice sale and the size of the bag limits how crazy you can get. We'll see what happens...

All of this area has the wildflower seeds. Some dainty white flowers have opened as well as a few orange ones.

This plant is about to burst with dark red blooms. Sweet potato vines will cascade over the edge in time.