New home in Blairsville, Georgia

We closed on the house in Blairsville and are scrambling to get utilities going and appliances installed. Thanks to my son for taking a few days off work to help load and unload the truck! We couldn't have done it without help, and he volunteered without hesitation.
We went out to the house after dropping our son off at the airport in Atlanta, and the appliances had been delivered and all but the stove installed. We'll deal with the gas company tomorrow, and it will be the last task this trip.
Uncle Leo is keeping watch over the new kitchen, and my rooster is crowing on the fireplace until the rest of the stuff comes. We won't be there for awhile, but our friends will be stopping by to watch over Leo and Buster, the peeing dog. I hope we will be able to get away for the leaf-peeping time...at least for a weekend. Until then, it's home again, home again, jiggidy jog.

Big truck arrives! Mr Wazoo is such a good driver.

Before unloading...nice empty garage

Cabinets with their countertops!

I like the island!

Guest bath

Master bath

Fans are in and I'm ready for a toddy on the deck

The boys unloading my pie safe

Yippee! First piece of furniture in the new place.

Looking good in the guest room.

Everything we brought is now in the garage...one of those boxes has the fabric for my friend's quilt back. We are going to find it tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

Garage cabinets and sewing room equipment ready for the new digs

Buster is 'christening' the fireplace.

Uncle Leo is watching out for the appliance men

Oh, I am sooo happy! Gleaming new appliances!!

The kitchen is looking good

Unloading the flat boxes that will be a bed tomorrow. Thanks, Ikea.

My rooster holding down the fort

Late night musings

Don't worry, Uncle Leo, we won't leave you behind!!

It has been a really long day here at Wazoo. We moved all the stuff out of the studio, swept and washed the floor, and then rearranged the two Gammills so they fit in the room. I'm sure that sounds easy to you, but it was heavy, dirty, tiring work. Once we load all the boxes and some furniture onto the truck on Saturday, we will move the small table and chairs back into the eat in kitchen area to make it look more like a regular house instead of a sweat shop!! Cool.
Along the way, we heard from the realtor that the builder hasn't put in the appliances yet and perhaps we should check on their status...I did just that, and it seems he thought we were ordering them. Oh rats. I called our salesperson at the local Sears store and after much chat and checking for any sign of a transaction, I ordered the appliances he had on his list, but never ordered. Oops. Well, the bright side is, three out of four were hugely on sale for Labor Day and we saved $800! Yippee! We won't be getting them at the house until next Tuesday (fingers crossed this goes well) and they will be installed after we have left town to go back to Florida. I sense another ride to Georgia in the near future to inspect everything and make sure we get what should be there! Hey, if this is the only glitch, I'm happy. We have built a house before, and hit quite a few snags in the process. This has been a smooth ride so far.
After going to Murdock for a board meeting, changing the sheets ( I forgot them in the dryer earlier in the day...can't think why. Duh) and answering emails, I am finally ready to go to bed.
I think that's a swell idea! Goodnight, dear readers, and good luck.

The 'new' studio layout

Shelving out, Mr Wazoo's Gammill in, stacked with bags of quilts ready for pick up

kitchen eating area full of stuff ready to go to the new home

boxes of fabric, books and patterns ready to go

even the front hall has stuff!

Uncle Leo has been displaced to the hallway. I washed his clothes and redressed him for football season

Poor Andy has to sleep in here!

Oh yes, we still have plenty of quilting to do!!

boxes stacked to the fan. My rooster looks out of place there, doesn't he?

bins of strips even Bonnie Hunter would drool over. Wipe you lips, girls, they're mine!

More quilting and packing

Last week was jam packed with activity! I have finished two custom orders and one big pantograph, as well as pack more of the sewing studio and my bedroom closet. Yikes!! We have over 100 boxes packed right now, and took 5 huge trash bags of clothes to the Goodwill.I feel like we are in a good place, move wise, and a fair place quilting wise.
My son Andy is coming to help with the first load to Georgia on Friday. He will be putting stuff in the big truck with Tim and riding up to Blairsville in the car with me. Equal opportunity visiting for both of us! I am totally excited to see the house (almost) all finished. Pictures will follow.
Enjoy some photos of our week here at Wazoo, and be glad it isn't you who's moving!

The wonderful stack and whack that I started last week and finished on Saturday.

outer border paisley feather, inner border piano keys, small border circles

pillow tuck border with close lines

All sashings with a triple pass swirl treatment

big stars quilting

Little stars quilting

a peek at the back

colorful scrap quilt

hard to see, but it is custom done

This is one BIG quilt!!!

modern wishbone pantograph

quilt of valor

patriotic quilting

What I'm working on now

Oooo!! Bare windows...no ribbons, stuffed friends,or fun pictures

We're getting there!

Today, I sewed the blocks together along with my friend, Anne. There were a couple of blocks with parts turned the wrong way, but they were easily fixed and now play nicely with their neighbors.
I think it's coming along well, and I am anxious to see how the next border looks.
After supper, I put together a selection of quilts I teach for perusal by the Fort Myers Guild. I love to teach and will go just about anywhere to get my quilting fix. Bring on another group of excited and happy quilters! Nothing could be better.
Tomorrow, I will be back in the studio working on the lovely stack and whack quilt I started on Monday. Now...bed!

The raffle quilt EQ mock up

The center portion sewn

32 years ago...seems like yesterday...NOT!!

Who would have guessed that 32 years later we'd be quilting buddies? Not me!
We spent the day sorting and packing. I got the old photo boxes. What a roller coaster of emotions I have had. So many family and friends have passed away. Seeing them smiling and vibrant made me weep. Please tell your family and your peeps that you love them and love being with them. I wish I had said it more to mine.
On a brighter note, some of the guild girls came over on Sunday afternoon and we cranked out the blocks for the raffle quilt. Yippee! Tomorrow, I meet Anne at Nifty Fifty to get it assembled. The applique squad has their stuff and should be starting on the dresden plate blocks, too. I can't wait to see it all come together.
After taking the day to do the photo thing (and, yes, it took all day!!) I am behind on the project on the quilt frame. Thursday I will be seriously working on it. The stitch in the ditch is done and I am raring to go on the quilting. Right now, I am enjoying a glass of wine with the anniversary boy.
Ciao, baby!

Egad! I certainly was younger...

So was Mr Wazoo. This was before mustache

How stylish are these outfits?! We look like circus clowns!

Everybody's happy when the cake comes!

Blocks ready for sewing together.

                                 

Quilt and pack...quilt and pack

Everyone who knows me knows how much I love my fabric stash. So it won't be a surprise when I tell you that the last few days have been stressful for me. I have been packing up my stash, not to be seen again until (gulp!) next spring! I have kept out some projects to work on and some fabric that I thought might come in handy, but the bulk of it is going in the first truckload when we go to the closing. For the un initiated, moving a quilting studio is a major undertaking. Not just your stash has to be packed, but all those 'notions' you bought over the years have to go too. Rulers, stencils, templates, extension tables, machines, baskets of scraps, books, patterns, stabilizers and freezer paper, fusables, light table, and all the stuff you can't categorize nor live without. Add to this the accoutrements that go with the longarm business, and there's a truck load. My husband asked me when I bought all this fabric...he didn't know I had been squirreling it all over the house for years before we moved here and I got the big room. It is 35 years of accumulation! Some of the stuff will be sold at the guild yard sale or given away to both guild's boutique efforts. Now, what to do with the closet full of quilts and the closet full of quilt tops! Yikes! Anyone want to come to Georgia and help me put it all away?

sad looking shelves

some of the boxes

more of the boxes

I think I am up to 40 boxes so far. Egad!

Meanwhile, we have kept on the work 7 hours and pack 2 hours schedule most days. If it wasn't 100 degrees in the garage, it wouldn't be too bad, but the heat is a drain and then I have to go in and make supper, plus clean it up and do dishes. Mr Wazoo takes his shower while I am cooking, so he is all fresh and ready for TV and bed. I am always doing things until 12 or so before wash-up and bed. Enough whining. I knew it was going to be hard.

Mr Wazoo quilted this bright quilt

He did this one, too

I got to do this dimensional bow ties quilt, because I had to stitch around the centers, not through them.

I quilted an all over shamrock pattern by customer request

See? Each corner is folded, not stitched down.

Another of Mr Wazoo's projects

I got to do this quilt. Isn't it a great pattern?

I love the zinger colors and swirly quilting

Customer brought a picture of quilting she wanted, and I did it to the letter!