Familiar routines back in control

 Mr Wazoo had a tough couple of days in the blistering heat cutting up and removing the fallen tree limb. He discovered it wasn't a small tree, but a giant limb off a really big tree! A shopping trip to Home Depot for a bigger chain saw, and he dominated the limb. It is all cleaned up now after two trips to the dump.

Before

Almost Done. I'll get the after shot today if it doesn't rain again!

I put the border on the charity quilt and began cutting the next project. This one involves a layer cake pack and background fabric. I didn't have enough of the polka dot fabric, so I used a stripe for the sashing. I have absolutely none of the dots or any of the layer cake fabrics left. Yippee! Stash busting at its finest.

Finished charity quilt top.

It was another trimming marathon with all these half square triangles.

I furiously chain pieced block components, but had to stop at this point to make supper.

Penny made herself at home in the nest of batting under the non-functioning machine. That's another story...still dead in the water with the Forte, waiting for a part.

Day two, I finished the blocks and sewed the top together. After auditioning several fabrics for the border, I decided to bite the bullet and use the leftover bits to make a piano key border.

Top all done! I like it. Very cheerful.

There was a big sale at the local quilt shop on Friday and Saturday, so I spent some quality time there picking out backing for all these tops I've made as well as background fabric for up-coming projects. I spent my limit, and came away with some nice buys!

Back home, I started a comfort quilt for the evening guild, as I am on the committee who keeps a stash of quilts for members in need. We have sadly used all the quilts we had and I am trying to get our supply restocked. This quilt used a charm pack and the white background for the members to sign their names on.

I made simple rail fence blocks, then arranged them into pinwheel 4-patches. Setting these blocks on point made the inner part of the quilt top a decent size.

I added blue sashing and yellow cornerstones to coax a bit more size, and used a floral print for the setting and corner triangles. I know I'll have a small yellow inner border, and have auditioned two possibles for the final border. I like the blue solid. This top should be finished today.

It's time to get going and fire up the machine and sew! I hope I hear something from my HQ dealer today, but I won't hold my breath...

Darn! It looks like rain again.

Having fun and falling trees

 I finished the top of the bear quilt. I think I may make another one with fun colors! This one will go in my guest bathroom after its quilted.

When I finished the bear, I cut out and sewed a charity quilt. I need to add the final border to finish it. I'll do that when I go to the studio today.

It is my go-to pattern, 2-3-2-6

The cute robot fabric is from the sale at the Hayesville, NC shop.

The small border is cut and ready.

I was  finishing up my day in the studio when I heard a big whoosh followed by a thump. I looked outside where the noise came from, but didn't see anything out of place. I figured my neighbors across the street were doing something back in the woods. Au contraire, yes amis! Look what I saw in my own back yard!! A tree fell and is now resting on the garden and Penny's run. Mr Wazoo is going to saw it up and get it out of there today. That should keep him busy for a while. I'm going to be sewing in air conditioned comfort.

Tim-berrrr!

Back-ordered part...More sewing

It is really quiet in the studio with me dead in the water for longarm quilting. The part is back ordered and will not be available until July 7th. Then, they have to mail it and my dealer has to come install it. Sigh...

I have filled my time tidying up the studio and pulling out stuff for the guild yard sale this month. I am finding stuff that I forgot I had. Orphan blocks, some dull fabrics and kits I bought. Every day I have sewn something. I'm getting quite a line of tops to be quilted on my rack. Here is what I have been up to.

Not very pretty, but used up 3 yards of fabric! The green and brown fabrics are left over from the Wisconsin quilt. The acorn fabric was languishing in my stash. The basket weave fabric is one of my favorites and compleats the look.

Here's a look at the fabrics.

This is from a 10 inch squares bundle. The fabrics were a booger to work with because they are all loose weave. I did a whole lot of trimming. In the end, I like the quilt, but will not make one from this type fabric any time soon.

I found 12 orphan blocks in a bag from a project I made years ago. Put together, they were too small for a kid's quilt, but with a nice border they look fine and the size is good.

Another 10 inch squares quilt. This one was an autumnal mix and made a pretty quilt. The border is from my stash.

This is the block; two half square triangles and two squares. Easy-peasy!

Yesterday, I put this one together. There were a lot of tiny bits to cut out to make the bear's face and the birch tree bark, but worth it in the end. I need to add the leaves to the branch and two borders to finish it off. I like this! It may hang in my guest bathroom when I get it quilted.

Mr W has been busy in the yard, tweaking his garden plans and dead-heading flowering plants. Yard work keeps him happy, and gives me some alone time for sewing. It works out fine for both of us.

A dew covered spider web in the morning sun.

My porch pots are thriving.

I like the color combination in these wave petunias.

The day Lillies are putting on a show.

The juxtaposition of the Japanese maple and the hosta is wonderful.

Green variegated costa and blue leaf hosta are pretty together.

One of the allamanda flowers snuck out the back of the trellis.

Bee balm for the bees and hummingbirds.

A lone kadydid looks lost on the sidewalk.

I'll leave you with the newest member of our backyard menagerie. A one day old fawn and her mother enjoying a stroll in there back yard.

Update...still no quilting

 No word from my Handi Quilter dealer about the part for the machine. Oh well, when I can't quilt, I can sew!

I finished the top with the Jacob's ladder blocks. It has turned out to be a good sized queen and will make a splash on a bed that size. Despite the mistakes, I really like it. It is so cheerful!

The border fabric livened up the quilt even more!

It was fun to make and even better to finish!

The small inner border was just right for stopping the eye at the edge of the piecing.

Meanwhile, I made the next block in our evening guild's mystery project. I know the fabrics are starting to look like a circus, but you never know what you're going to get when pulling fabrics for a mystery. Hopefully, the finished product will be pretty.

As usual, one of the star points doesn't match up with the center of the star. The method for making the points was not what I am used to and didn't come out with the side triangles equal. I wasn't sure I had enough focus fabric to finish the quilt since we don't know what's next in the mystery, so I left it.

My brother and his wife went to the shops in the Wisconsin shop-hop last week, and he sent me this year's Wisconsin panel and fabrics. I was so excited to get them, I set to work designing and making a quilt.

Sigh...another quilt with a million half square triangles to trim.

Well worth the trimming marathon, the center of the quilt came together nicely.

I bought this fabric to use for the background and didn't get quite enough. I wanted a 3" border to enclose the patchwork, but only had one strip of the fabric left. I got the fabric in NC and sure didn't want to make that drive for 1/2 yard of goods, so I went back to the drawing board and came up with the alternative border.

All finished, with a piano keys border of the quilt's fabric scraps, as well as the end of the blue fabric. I like it! Now, if I had my machine fixed...

On the homefront, Penny finally got her Summer buzz-cut. She ran and jumped all over the yard, happy to be cooler and lighter! With this hot weather, it has to feel good.

One happy pup.

Penny lost her hair, and Grandson is losing his teeth! The tooth fairy has been busy at my son's house, and one little boy is cashing in! He can enjoy his new straw hole until the permanent tooth comes in!

 

Well, RATS!! The Handi Quilter won't go...

 I thought I would be in the clear with the Handi Quilter after getting the APQS out of the studio. Yesterday I quilted a QOV just fine, then loaded another one. I cleaned the bobbin area and changed the needle and started to baste the top. The needle went down, then lights flashed, the machine beeped wildly and a message appeared on top of a bunch of Windows screens. Yikes! The dealer isn't open on Monday, so today I called them. "You have to call Handi Quilter with this one," she said, after we tried all sorts of re-booting, unplugging and replugging and clicking buttons. Handi Quilter tech did all the same things again, and he decided he would send me a new computer part (sound familiar? Its deja vu!). My dealer will come out and fix things when the part comes. Sigh...no quilting for a few days.

First this...

then this exploded onto the screen accompanied by several beeps...

The final message.

Here is the QOV that flew under the radar and was quilted before the breakdown.

Panto: Star Streamers

Cool helicopter fabric for the back.

I finished the last three blocks for the Jacob's ladder quilt and sewed the top together today. Moral of the story? Don't use two machines to sew blocks for one quilt. Some corners don't match together like they should, but I am over it and left them alone. My new Janome does not make a 1/4 inch seam and despite my adjustments to the needle position, the blocks were just a hair too small. Tomorrow I'll add the blue inner border and the beautiful floral outer border. It won't be perfect, but not will be pretty!

Wonky but nice. I like it.

This is my border fabric. Gorgeous!

I need to put away the two giant duffles full of quilts from my talk and trunk show. The ladies loved the quilts and asked lots of questions. Then I need to clear off the Gammill table and rev up the machine for a couple of small projects for a lady who is in assisted living and can't get out enough to take them to a quilter. I'm happy to help her out. After all, it will keep my mind off the Handi Quilter elephant in the room!