I'm back!

The retreat was wonderful and I had a fun and relaxing time there. The venue in NC is absolutely gorgeous (The Hinton Center), up in the mountains and in the woods. The beds were a little hard, but we didn't spend a lot of time there, so who cares? Next time, I'll take a foam pad to put under the sheet, and my own quilt instead of the nylon spread. I got right to work and made the 10 pillowcases, followed by four quilt tops! Now, I just have to get them all quilted. I did the two smaller ones on Sunday, as well as one of the bigger ones. The rest need to wait...I have loads of work to do.

I just did a meander on the two small quilts. This one has cute animals on the front and bugs on the flannel back

More meandering on this pretty bird quilt

Ticking stripe flannel on the back

I did a new pattern on this modern quilt. Its called Diamonds are forever

I really like the panto on this quilt!

While I was away, Mr Wazoo stayed busy quilting these customer projects.

Sunday afternoon, I quilted, added lace and bound this sweet baby quilt for a new Grandma's soon-to-be grandbaby.
She told me she's not a quilter. I think she did a pretty good job!

I rounded the corners to help keep the lace flat to the quilt. She didn't want it sticking outward because it might be scratchy on baby's skin.

The Angel Wings panto was perfect for the butterfly patterned fabric. The backing is a soft flannel and she wanted Quilters Dream puff for the batting. It is a cozy, soft quilt. I finished the hand sewing last night, and she picked it up today.(Along with her husband. I get quite a few customers who bring their husbands to see the size of my stash. It justifies their stash!)

On the machine today is a quilt for a Florida customer. It is the big star pattern that many quilters have made. This one has butterfly fabric as its focus, so I made a template for marking of a stylized butterfly. Mr Wazoo drew it for me and I cut it from template plastic. I'll see how it works tomorrow after I get home from the guild board meeting.

The stitch in the ditch is done as well as the two small inner borders. I tried marking the butterflies with pounce and with a chalk pencil. I think I will go with the pencil, even though it takes longer to mark. It is easier to see.

Mr Wazoo completed one quilt and loaded his quilt for tomorrow. He even has his bobbins wound and ready! I will be on the quilt I started today for a few days, I think. Stay tuned!!

He finished this quilt today...

and loaded this one for tomorrow. Here he is at the bobbin winder. What a guy!

Sad day, Sunday

June 12, 2016. Another date that will be in American  history forever. The shooting in Orlando was a shocking example of the evil power of the internet. There are so many wonderful things to be discovered on the web, but, as usual, the evil and hateful people; the crooks, swindlers and religious fanatics, the bigots and the just plain stupid people have all added their rhetoric to the mix. Guys (and gals) who feel unappreciated and ostracized are easy prey for the bad people trolling the net for gullible victims. As a society, we need to talk to each other, empathize with each other, help each other, rather than  staring at a screen 24/7 and surfing for acceptance. I feel like our younger generations are isolating themselves and becoming less tolerant of the cultural and societal differences that made America the home of the free. I am sad for them, and for what this great land has become. Pray for the survivors and the families of the dead. They were all somebody's family.

I spent the day prepping projects for the retreat; 10 pillowcase kits, three quilts all cut out and ready to sew, and the sashings and borders for the bug quilt cut.  Then, I pulled out one of my UFOs (from 3 years ago!) and quilted it. I pieced the back because I didn't really have anything I liked in a large length of fabric, and made and applied the binding. I will get the hand sewing done tonight while I watch a movie with a happy ending to try to get out of the funk I have been in since turning on the TV this morning.

I love chickens, and will keep this quilt for myself...for a while at least.

Panto: Paper chase

The pieced back

and the polka dot binding.

Mr Wazoo worked in the studio today, too, finishing this pretty sampler quilt.

Panto: Featherize

Tomorrow, I'll be busy teaching at the Sewcial. I plan to make it a fun day for the girls, and for me!

Busy days as usual

Yesterday we spent most of our time working in the studio. I hand mended two quilts for a customer whose dog got a bit chewey with them. Unfortunately, I forgot to take either the 'before' or 'after' photos before returning them to their owner. Oops.
Mr Wazoo quilted a modern quilt. I think it is very interesting. When I had finished the repairs, I quilted the top I made at the retreat. It will be a quilt for the homeless shelter. I bound it in the same green as the inner border.

Modern hexies

Panto: Vertigo

Jelly roll quilt I made

I don't remember the name of this panto...looks like wishbones to me.

The second quilt for Mr W was a difficult one. It wasn't very square and had many tucks and pleats sewn down by the customer. He did a really good job, and I applied the binding and did the hand sewing while watching the entire PBS version of Pride and Prejudice. Love me some Colin Firth...

Panto: Flower Festival

Binding finished!

While Mr W quilted away on an Eleanor Burns Underground Railroad quilt, I set out to get the class samples made for my guild workshop on Monday. I got everything cut and the partial blocks sewn and boxed up, then picked out fabrics for charity pillowcases I'm going to make at the up-coming retreat starting Tuesday.
We also had to make a 'mug-rug' and get a gift for a 'Secret Sister' at the retreat. My gift is wrapped in an actual Omiyage (Japanese for souvenir or gift) cloth I was gifted on my trip to Japan! I hope my 'sister' likes it.

Underground Railroad quilt

Panto: Orange Peel

Pillowcase kits ready to sew

Soon to be pillowcase kits, ready to cut!

My mug-rug.

Today, I plan to get my projects for the retreat cut and packaged, then pack up the rest of my supplies for the three days of fun. I have already done the laundry, gone to the store for my snacks, and packed my sewing machine and sewing supplies for the workshop tomorrow. Yes, it has taken two days to write this post. I didn't get to bed last night (this morning?) until 1:30, and was too tired to finish it.
We'll see if I have the energy (or even the material) for a post tonight.
See you on the flip-side!

Finished!

This is what a week's work looks like! The monkey wrench quilt is finished, and looks great; just what the customer ordered. I finished it at 6:00 last night, just before turning out the lights in the studio and shifting gears to my other job, chief cook and bottle washer for the household.

All 265 blocks done! Yippee!

I spent the entire day outlining the monkey wrenches

This is a lovely backing. The camera made it lighter than it actually is

Looks great!

After work, I walked around the yard before going in and cooking. Tim has done a wonderful job making our little piece of Georgia into a colorful oasis. The canna are just starting, and the color is deep and velvety. The camera, once again, doesn't do them justice. The other flower is something I don't know the name of, but it sure is pretty!

Sheets and other fun topics

Hi everybody! I was reading the blogs I follow, and saw where Cheryl over at Meadow Mist Designs uses sheets for quilt backs. I have been a longtime proponent of sheets as backings and always marvel at the faces of quilters at my trunk shows when I reveal the backs as sheets! I have used old flat sheets from thrift shops and yard sales as well as brand new ones (I wash them before using) from Walmart, Target, and Bed Bath and Beyond. All work fine. I don't hand quilt, so I have no information on how that works out, but in the comments on Cheryl's post, someone did talk about hand quilting through a sheet worked fine. Jump over to her post at < https://meadowmistdesigns.blogspot.com> and check it out.

My latest finish for my grandson has a sheet for backing!

Here is how it looks quilted

This class sample also has a sheet from Walmart for the back

Looks great and washes like a dream.

This quilt has a sheet from a thrift store for the back. Cost? $6!!

This back is also from Walmart and is on the back of a gift quilt for my Mother-in Law

Yesterday, Mr Wazoo quilted for a while, and finished this pretty pinwheel quilt.

Very lively and modern looking

Panto: Swirl and Twirl

Meanwhile, I spent the hours doing stitch in the ditch on this lovely monkey wrench reproduction quilt. After finishing that, I set out to pounce the first row of quilting. This will be a slow process, with 121 blocks to mark and quilt! Than, I have to go back and quilt all the monkey wrench blocks...144 of those!

One row marked

The customer supplied the stencil she wanted used for the alternate blocks

My marking tools for a stencil; Pounce powder, foam paintbrush and a tee shirt scrap to get the residue powder off. I haven't had good luck using the actual pouncer. It makes a blurry image.

After stitching, the blocks look like this.

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