I'm still here!

Time got away from me and I missed posting here. I am so sorry. I'm not sick or on vacation...just having a life of routine that is kind of boring. I have been sewing and quilting, as well as doing other things I have wanted to do but couldn't because I was always working. I am sure not used to my new free time yet!

First, I quilted the last QOV I had from the guild group. 

It's a pretty 9 patch, scrappy quilt.

My go-to panto: Simply Stars

Wild swirly backing.

I have been busy finishing the big yellow Jacob's ladder, and here it is!

I finished it late in the day, so I didn't trim it right away.

Panto: Arabesque

The backing was from the local shop. They had a big sale recently and I got backings for all my quilts in progress.

Binding on and ready for the bed!! Isn't that border fabric the bomb?!

After that big project, I needed to have some quick gratification, so  I made a quilt from a layer cake of Ruby Star homespuns and I am very pleased with it.

I love these fabrics!! So bright, soft and exciting!

Panto: Woven Wind

I used a Kaffe Fassett fabric for the binding. See the strip of backing fabric in the lower right side of the picture? That's where I made a truly stupid mistake!! When I loaded the backing (a woven plaid) I didn't realize I had the seam on the outside. Rats! Well, it was already quilted, so I appliquéd a strip over the mangled seam allowances and called it a day.

I have only made one more block for the neutral quilt. I got sidetracked on another project and put it aside.

I'm making progress...slowly.

As for the other project, here it is.

I saw this pattern at one of the recent quilt shows and thought I could use my collection of yukata fabrics for it. I have the blocks fused and need to do the sewing down part before adding the sashing and cornerstones. So far, so good! It is called Yusagi, which is Japanese for rabbit.

Wisconsin! is also done. I'll be surprising a friend with it this week.

Panto: Fork in the Road

I had enough of this backing left from another quilt, so I used it.

Binding on...

Label sewn!

I'm trying to finish the kits I made to take to Texas last summer. They have been stored in a cabinet in the garage, and I have been working on them one at a time. Only three left!

This pattern was made from a layer cake. The sashing and background fabrics are from my stash. I had enough bits left to make a small piano key border. There weren't any leftovers from this project!

Panto: Many Baptist Fans

I love this backing. I used it for the binding, too.

I think that sums it up. Tomorrow I am off to Franklin, NC for the Handi Quilter Club at my dealer's shop. I'm anxious to see what it's all about and hope I learn something. It's a long drive, but I think it is worth seeing what they have to offer. I picked up Big Bernina today in Chattanooga and I am happy to have her home.

Our guild had the yearly jumble sale, and I had a table of sewing aids, books and a few panels and small fabric kits. I made $116, which I quickly spent at the shop in Ooltewah, TN after picking up my machine. I can't help it...I love fabric.

 

Part came! Machine fixed!! Off to the races!!!

Yippee! I'm back to quilting after a brief hiccup. My dealer came on Saturday and replaced the defective computer board and the machine is back up and running. I started with one of the Quilts of Valor I have had for quite a while now.

This is a nice use of scraps from previous QOVs.

Panto: Simply Stars

Starry backing.

I never showed you the repairs I finished. The customer is excited to have them ready, and just needs to work out a time for her mother to be brought here to get them.

This is the only quilt I had to machine finish. It was a rag quilt, with the exposed seams on the back. The quilter never did the clipping and washing and the granddaughter  wanted a backing put on to cover the seams. Then she wanted it quilted to hold it together.

Okay...I can do that. I found a nice plaid in my stash and loaded it on the big Gammill. I took off the binding and laid the quilt on the new back. I stitched in the ditches and corner to corner in the blocks.

I put on new binding and machine sewed it down.

The next one was a tough hand sewing project. The quilt is entirely made with double knit polyester fabrics. She wanted it fixed by adding back all the missing ties. A couple of evenings later, the ties are in and the edges restitched.

Six strands of floss was used for the ties to match the original ones.

The back is a poly-cotton sheet turned to the front and sewn down. The stitching was almost all out, so I took it out entirely and resewed the edges.

This beauty was slow but easy. Many of the appliqués were coming off and needed to be re-sewn. The binding was worn through, as well.

I fixed the appliqué, removed the old binding and made a new one. I sewed it down and re-quilted where the stitching had come out.

The quilt had a hand painted label that I removed before I washed the quilt, and then, sewed it back on. I sure didn't want to take a chance on it bleeding or washing out! I guess I didn't get a photo of that...

You saw this in my last post. HUGE project. It sure looks great now!

While waiting for the machine to be fixed, I have been working on the neutral quilt. The blocks are quite large. I hope I like it when its finished...

This is how far I've gotten on the blocks.

I show you the yard a lot, but rarely show you the house. I took Penny out for a little walk Saturday morning and snapped a few shots as we came back up the driveway. We have lush vegetation in the Summer, so the house view is a little mystery as you go up the drive

Halfway to the house, the yard is revealed and the flowering trees and shrubs in the foreground.

Next to the drive, the hydrangea is in full bloom.

Mr Wazoo keeps everything tidy and weed free.

This bowl is planted with two varieties of wave petunias.

The lime green bear watches over the creeping yew and pink petunias.

From here, you can see the porch containers, hanging baskets and the side berm.

Hosta, hydrangea, bee balm, butterfly bush and Lillies are blooming now.

I get a good view of the yard, hummingbird feeder and planting pots from my studio windows.

It's no wonder I love to spend time here.

 

A repair finish and a look at the garden.

After a couple of marathon sessions, I finished the double wedding ring repair for a waiting customer. I washed the quilt and it is now ready to add a few patches for the final repair. I decided to wash it first because I needed a true sense of the color I need for the patches! The quilt was quite dirty from years of use without being washed.

This shows how I prepped each center for the repair. All the ring centers were pulled away from their rings and needed to be re-sewn. It took a really long time to do all those rings! I'm so happy to be finished with this part of the repair. The few torn patches will be a piece of cake to fix after this huge project!

After washing and partially drying, I laid the quilt on the guest bed overnight to get it completely dry and ready for patching. I took the picture late at night by the overhead light. Trust me, the large centers are now white!

We've  had a daily rain shower for a week now, so the flowers are happy and healthy. Lots of bees and butterflies, too. 

Last night when I took the dog out before bed, there was a pair of hooded skunks ambling across the garden in the back yard. Fortunately, Penny didn't make a sound, which is great for me! If you haven't seen, or didn't know there were different types of skunks, I looked them up since they were not like the striped skunks I am used to seeing. They were very fluffy and silvery white in the darkness. Nice looking...if you can say that about a skunk!

Wow, I love these petunias!

The hosta are all in bloom, with their tall lavender spikes.

This variety is really beautiful, lime green and vibrant next to the dark mulch..

The bee balm, hydrangea, butterfly bush and day lillies are all putting on a show in the side garden.

This is what a hooded skunk looks like. No stripes!

All quiet on the machine front

 No news from HQ. 

I put the borders on the quilt in progress, and started a big project that will certainly take a while to finish. It is the Moda color quilt, but I am making it without color! I don't do neutral, so this is really out of my box. I saw the quilt in the fabric shop in Ooltewah, TN and bought the pattern and fabrics there. Here is block number one, and the finished comfort quilt top.

Today, I take a break from sewing and work on the repair of the double wedding ring customer quilt. I want to have it done by Friday!

The top is done for the comfort quilt. 

Block number one of the neutral project. It's a giant; finishing at 36" square!

The pattern is a booklet. The cutting instructions alone take up 10 pages!  Lots of trimming again. I'm getting used to having to trim everything!

There is another episode of the congressional hearings for January 6th today, and I plan to watch and listen while hand sewing the customer quilt. I find these hearings compelling and riveting. Time to get organized and get to the studio.

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!