snow left...cold stayed

It is still cold here, but sunny again and good enough for Mr Wazoo to be able to spend a couple of hours outside recharging his batteries! I spent my day in the studio, quilting and sewing. I forgot to add the little baby quilt from yesterday that was a rush job for a new grandma. I picked up the panel and backing she chose at the quilt shop, came home and quilted it, made the binding and had it done this morning and back to the quilt shop! Whew!! Mr W brought it down to the studio for a quick photo, then he was off to the shop with it.

It is a cute panel, perfect for a non-quilting grandma to give to a new baby.

Panto: Popcorn

Backing and binding are the gingham fabric.

I finished the stitch in the ditch on the custom quilt, and began quilting it in the afternoon. I figure I will have it done in a couple of days barring any catastrophes.

The customer quilt that was on the Millie is also done and sent back to Texas along with the charm pack quilt from the day before. They were made by my hostess in Texas and my sister! Both are good quilters and make quilts that are a pleasure to do.

My sister's Parisian quilt, all quilted and ready to ship.

Panto: Fleur de lis

Well, the picture is sideways, but the backing is lovely any way!

After finishing my sister's quilt, I snuck in my orphan block quilt and got it quilted and the binding on so I'll have some easy handwork to do tonight.

This quilt has grown on me, and I may keep it for a while to make me happy.

Panto: Come Dance With Me, one of my favorites.
The binding is the same fabric I used for the border. I managed to use it all up!

The backing was from the sale room in a shop in Dahlonega.

I'll get back to this quilt tomorrow, and make serious headway. Cheers for now!

This is going to be beautiful.

Woody Woodpecker was busy today drilling more holes in the squirrel tree.

Deja Vu all over again

I was supposed to go to the evening guild today, but we had this...

Two customers came early to pick up their quilts, and by the time the second one left, it was snowing giant flakes.

When I started the day it was lightly raining. Then, it turned to a sort of 'slushing' mixture, followed by snow. It snowed the rest of the day and made a white dusting over everything before turning to ice when the temp dropped with the sun.

What does one do when activities are cancelled and there's nowhere to go? Why, quilt, of course!

This customer quilt had  beveled corners along with the pretty interconnected block pattern.

The customer wanted the quilting to look like water, with Eddys and ripples. The Panto: Vortex, was a perfect choice. She also requested light aqua thread.

Here is a look at the back.

I finished the shiny background for my friend's swimmer quilt. She was thrilled to see it and went straight home to work on the next step in her creation.

Whirly, swirly bubbly and (sometimes) fishy!

Another close-up

This is the back. It will be exciting to see how it all comes together.

Between the customer projects, I quickly sewed the borders onto my  orphan block quilt.

3:45 and still coming down...and beginning to stick.

Next on the Millie was this sweet quilt by my hostess in Texas.

I can't remember the name of this Panto, but the flowers and feathers finished the quilt's feminine look.

Nice floral back, too.

I ended the day half done with the stitch-in-the-ditch on the next custom quilting job. This quilt is beautiful and well made.

I loaded this Parisian quilt and did a couple of rows of a fleur-de-lis pattern before quitting for the day. My back was really hurting, and I needed a break.

I told you I would show what goodies I bought at the vendors in Texas. Here it all is!
Fusable web, spritz bottle, some yards of Japanese fabric, two fat quarter bundles of taupes and homespuns, an Aurafil thread chart, two packets of hand dyed wool, wide backing, a monkey panel, a bunch of new permanent pens, three sale priced jelly rolls, a fat quarter bundle and a charm pack of Minick and Simpson's new line, and two fat quarter packs of Marcia Derse fabrics.

Hopefully, tomorrow not will warm up enough to melt the ice on the porch and driveway. The weatherman says it will still be bitterly cold, so I don't think things will be better. Schools are also closed, so I will be in the studio, doing my thing while kids everywhere are driving their folks crazy! I'm glad my commute is a stairway...

Home again, home again jigged jog

The speed trip to Texas was certainly a blur! We did what we set out to do; visit Dad and my sister, as well as see the Local guild's quilt show. I'm struggling a bit to get the show in slideshow format on my new computer, and I hope you can open it. Fingers crossed!
The weather didn't cooperate at all. It was cool and rainy or foggy most of the time. No sunbathing...
I think the highlight was the quilt show on South Padre Island. twenty five vendors, a swell bag auction and a really nice talk from quilt historian and author Teresa Duryea Wong.I bought two of her books, American Cotton, Farm to Quilt; and the wonderful Japanese contemporary Quilts and Quilters. The lecture and trunk show of her won quilts was about the textile industry and philosophy of quilt making in Japan. I even got to touch the quilts as an assistant from the audience!

Her beautiful variation on the wedding ring pattern. This is mostly antique indigo kimono fabrics.

The back shows the sahsiko quilting very well

Teresa's latest project. She used antique fabrics in this one, too. It is the Japanese esthetic to use old fabrics, to give them 'new life'.

This back is made from kimono, which are typically made from 14-18 inch wide fabric.

A small wall hanging with a contemporary twist I love the  polka dot sashing!

In Harlingen, we visited the local art museum to see an exhibit of the challenge quilts (Oak Leaf block) from Paducah's last show. For a small museum, they did a great job showcasing the quilts.

An 'artsy' view of one of the rooms from behind a quilt-as-you-go , hand dyed and discharged entry.

There were two rooms dedicated to the quilts. I'm sorry I didn't take individual photos, but I wasn't sure we could, as they had a book of the quilts for sale in their gift shop.

The well stocked shop had all sorts of stuff. I bought a couple of gifts for family members.

The second room of quilts. If you want to see them up close, I am sure AQS probably has a display somewhere on line.

I went to the quilt show both days (look and shop!) and had a wonderful time there. The bag auction was the type where you get a slew of tickets for little money and put them in the corresponding jar to the bag you want to win. I put in a load of tickets and ac tally won a bag both days!! Tomorrow, I'll post photos of my loot. I haven't properly unpacked the show stuff yet. Here are a couple of shots of the auction in progress.

Patrons looking over the selections and making their decisions.

The ticket sellers kept track of the names of the bidders for the final drawings.

I snuck in a picture of their boutique. Pretty small and not too interesting to me. It was fun to see husbands manning their boutique!

Let's see if the slideshow works. Otherwise, I'll have to re-group and try something different.

On the road again

I finished the quilting on the scrap quilt and got the binding done last night. Yesterday, I taught a class for making and applying binding, then hurried home to pack and get the car loaded for our trip to Texas.
Of course it was pouring rain this morning and we got off to a slow start, leaving the house around 7:30. Mr Wazoo said he would drive as far as Atlanta and then I would take over. He never gave up the reins and drove all the way to Baton Rouge! I can tell he is really tired, but he did a great job!
Molly was a good girl the whole day and we rewarded her with a plain hamburger patty from Wendy's where we always get our pecan-chicken salads. Yum!

By the end of the day on Sunday, the sun had come out and the snow began to melt away. It was nice while it lasted.

Ta-Da! Scrappy quilt done and ready to bind. I made some green binding and had it on before going to bed.

Panto: Woven Wind

I love this fabric from my stash. I got it while on a retreat last year. We all took a trip to the local quilt shop and I found it in the sale room for $5 a yard. Great find!

Here's the green binding next to the border. I like it.

My next custom project is this odd looking piece of fabric.  It is a digitally printed  image by Kay Donges, on a shiny silk. She had it printed by Spoonflower, a company that will print whatever you want on fabric.  It was a booger to load, as it is very slippery, slinky and shiny. She is using two layers of Warm and Natural batting to give it stability and definition. I am quilting it to look like under water. There will be a swimmer appliqué onto this background and then quilted again! Wow!

I am finished with the lightest color, and the rest of the colors will have to wait until I get home from Texas.

This is Kay's artist rendering of the quilt  before she started cutting and appliquéing together the hundreds of bits of fabric to make the swimmer. You get an idea where she will be on the watery background.

Monday morning the yard looked like this. Drenching rains and warmer temperatures swept away the snow. It was foggy when I left for my class, and kept raining throughout the day.

Today, we started in our journey in the pouring rain that lasted well into Alabama.

Once in the car, Molly got comfy and snoozed for most of the trip.

Somewhere in Mississippi the rain stopped and we had overcast skies until we arrived at the hotel in Baton Rouge. The temperature change from home to Louisiana was mind boggling. When we left it was 42 and I had on a light sweater. At a rest stop in Mississippi, I changed to a tee shirt. It was 81! Texas should be warm, too. I packed a swimsuit just in case the sun comes out and I can enjoy the pool at my Dad's place!

Molly ate her burger, but was hopeful Mr W would drop something from his salad.No luck tonight, Molly!

We leave bright and early for Texas in the morning. The gas here is only $1.95! We filled up at the station next to the hotel so we'll be ready to roll in the morning.

No sewing for a few days, but there will be a quilt show on Padre Island to attend, and vendors to support. My sister and the lady we stay with in Texas are both members of the guild who is putting on the show. It should be fun!! Stay tuned...