Speeding up the countdown!

 Lying in bed last night, I was thinking about the twelve days of Christmas  and realized I started the countdown on the wrong day. Oops. Well, today you'll get a thrill...two days!

There you have it!

Eight maids a milking.

Seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying, yada, yada, yada.

On with the quilting news. A few days ago, I got an email from IQA who puts on the Houston show. They have gone belly up!! Kaput. No more. In their email they say that if you have a multi year membership (yes, of course I do) it would be great if you donated the amount paid toward their final expenses instead of a refund. Okay...I'm good with that. Then they go on to say there will be a show sponsored by Quilts, Inc.. We'll just have to see what happens. Covid hits the quilting world, too.

Today I had all three machines going. Millie helped with this beautiful reproduction quilt while I quilted another row of blocks on the custom job.

This quilt is so lovely, I wish its was mine! Perfectly sewn, points intact, square and flat with an ample back sized to make the quilter happy.

This panto is a freebie from APQS and doesn't have a proper name. I'll call it Feather Flower.

The backing is a pattern from the top, but in a new color way.

I'm still working the light gray areas, and did this cute dog block today.

The background fill is cursive writing of things dogs say, and some curls for his beard.

This is the door on the schoolhouse block.

Flowers for the flowery block

Later, at the Bernina, I sewed some of the bindings onto the white placemats. I have four more to get the binding onto, but will then have all 12 to sew the binding down waiting for me tomorrow.

They're piling up!

Four to go and one with a flaw. I think I can cut another one from the quilted fabric.

The next quilt is about half quilted, and I left the studio a bit early to get supper started.

Christmas is coming so fast!! Mr Wazoo's big gift still hasn't come. Rats!

Nine ladies dancing! Aren't they cute?

All the other stuff, and a partridge in a pear tree!

On the seventh day of Christmas...

 We were busy elves inside and outside! I finally got to work in the studio and finished the 21 gray and white placemats. I will get the 12 white on white ones done tomorrow.

Here is where I started my day. All 32 mats ready for binding.

Work underway sewing the bindings on. After doing a few completely, I figured it would go faster if I sewed on the binding to all the mats and then sewed all the bindings down. I was right!

A few hours later, I had the 21 gray and white ones completed!

I made the white binding and will do the same to these tomorrow.

The quilt I finished yesterday was trimmed and had it's pictures taken so I could get on with the next project.

Simple half square triangles make a bold statement when done in jewel tones and framed in black.

Panto: African Samba

Bright orange backing is the finishing touch to a sizzling quilt.

Next in the queue was this scrappy foundation pieced strip quilt. The blocks are orderly with the fabric placement, but a couple of them have gone rogue to give the quilt some sparkle.

The bright green sashing and borders were the inspiration for my thread choice for the quilting.

Panto: Splat, in bright green thread!

The backing is from Connecting Threads. If you haven't tried any, their fabrics are quite soft and yet sturdy. For the price, you can't beat them for backs or any quilting project.

Outside, Mr Wazoo supervised the installation of our new fencing in the back yard. We wanted a place for Penny to be able to run and play off leash. Because of the slope and rock garden retaining wall, we only had to have two spans of fencing put in. The house makes the fourth side of the enclosure.

We can't try the gates until tomorrow, after the concrete sets fully.

Penny is taking a close look at her new play area.

There is a five foot wide gate at both ends so Mr W can get his tractor through.

The strip of dirt about two thirds of the way down is where the new electric cable is buried for Mr W's new garden lighting. 

It may not be a huge space, but it is good enough for a little dog to have some fun in.

The first quilt for tomorrow is loaded and ready for Millie. One short trot outside with Penny and I'm off to bed.

I'm getting a little nervous about the main gift I ordered for Mr Wazoo. Only three days left and it still hasn't come!! The surprise has some assembly required, and I wanted to get it put together and in its place to surprise the man. Fingers crossed it arrives  soon. Until then...

Seven swans a swimming...

six geese a laying, five golden rings. Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves

and a partridge in a pear tree!

On the sixth day of Christmas...

 I finally got a haircut!! We spent a lazy day here at Wazoo. I didn't work and Mr W passed on yard work for a wonderful ride in the countryside. Unfortunately, Penny wasn't  having as good of a time as we were, barfing in my lap and down the space between the seat and the console. *sigh* There was no pre-puke warm up to give me a clue what was about to happen; just an immediate flow of kibble and juice. Mr Wazoo was kind enough to clean up the car when we got home, while I changed my pants and washed off my purse and the dog. Penny seems none the worse for wear. Note to self: Get travel sickness medicine from vet!

Mr Wazoo grilled spareribs for supper, and we had a yummy meal followed by a Christmas movie, The Bishop's Wife, with David Niven, Loretta Young and Cary Grant as Dudley the angel. There is a newer version with Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington, but this one is classic, and well worth watching. Everybody went to bed early. It wasn't until this morning that I realized I hadn't posted on the blog! All I can offer is a picture of the other twin's Christmas tree, all decorated and lit up. My kids love decorations as much as I do!

A skinny tree fit for an apartment.

Six geese a laying...

five golden rings. Four calling birds, three French hens, and a partridge in a pear tree!

On the fifth day of Christmas...

 ...I bound placemats. There is a huge amount left to finish, but I'm getting there. I also quilted a customer project, but haven't taken the pictures of it yet. What a slacker!!

Penny and I spent the night in the living room last night. She was in her pen and I was in my recliner. You see, she is still pooping gravel. I think she's done now, but there were a few episodes overnight and I didn't want Mr Wazoo to be disturbed over and over. It was fine, but I'm tired.

My daughter got her quilt and put it on her bed. She texted me the photos with a lovely note thanking me for all the work that went into it. Gotta love kids like that!

The quilt on the bed. Curtains cast a weird color on the fabrics.

Curtains open...way better!!

My daughter in law turned 40 on Thursday. I wish I would have looked that good at 40...

My son baked her cake, complete with Totoro in the decoration! My grandson approved wholeheartedly.

Mmmm..chocolate pound cake with fresh strawberries.

I promise I will have quilt pictures tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll get a full night's sleep tonight!

Less than a week until Christmas! Are your cookies baked and your gifts wrapped?

Five golden rings

Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas

 Binding the pile of placemats has begun! I quilted the white fabric and cut 12 mats from that, then started the binding on the 21 gray and white mats. I forgot to take a photo of the pile. I'll do it tomorrow. 

Meanwhile, sometime before last night, Penny ate some small gravel while outside. Today she is squatting a lot and producing either nothing, or a little stone and then a large amount of poo. Oh joy. We have been in and out many times and she is otherwise frisky and playful. I bet her hiney is sore...We'll see how it goes over the weekend and hope she passes whatever might still be in her. So far, three small pieces of gravel about the size of lima beans. I have to keep telling myself...she's a puppy, she's a puppy...

I wrapped Mr Wazoo's Christmas present and now there are two gifts by our little tree! Opening gifts Christmas morning should take minutes, not the usual hours. And we won't have to get up at five with excited kids!

I promise I will have some quilty pictures tomorrow. For now, enjoy what a lapse of thirty years looks like! 

Our goofy kids in 1987

Our goofy kids in 2018.

Four calling birds,

 three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree!

On the third day of Christmas...

Yesterday afternoon, I joined the line of people waiting to vote. We braved the light rain and the cold wind to do our civic duty and vote in the run-off election. Too bad we still have to endure 20 more days of wall to wall political ads...

I was glad I wore my raincoat. Some people just put up with it.

 I did the most boring job ever today. I need to make 32 placemats for a customer, and quilted rows and rows of the pattern Curley Q's onto white fabric! The back is a gray tone on tone, and there will be 21 of these. Then I will repeat the process on white with white backing for another 12 mats. The binding alone is 1749 inches long! I finished the quilting and cut the 21 gray/white mats. Hopefully, I will get them bound tomorrow while I quilt the next batch.

Quilting on white is boring and hard to see.

The gray fabric was 106 inches wide, so I quilted two pieces of white that were 64 x 42 in succession so I didn't have to load them twice. It worked well and I finished before I had to leave for my eye doctor appointment.

Today was the first time I left Penny out of her playpen in the studio. She ran around a lot but settled down and took a good nap in her furry bed under Big Gammill.

Penny likes to take her nap with a couple of friends.

After nap time, Mr Wazoo took this picture just before they went for their afternoon walkies.

Look at those huge feet! They are like soft furry mittens.

The first table runner gift is finished, and I will be doing the hand sewing on the second one tonight during my Christmas movie fix.

I like how it turned out and I'm glad I picked the red fabric for the binding instead of the black. Hand sewing black gets harder and harder as I age.

I can picture it on a table with a nice pine centerpiece on the birch tree part.

The panto is Falling Snow in off white Glide thread.

I had this fabric in the stash, too, so why not use it?!

I left for my 2:30 doctor's appointment at 2:10 and finally made it home at 5:45! My eyes are dilated and foggy, and I am tired from all the sit and wait. I struck up a conversation with the five other people in the waiting room after an hour of silent sitting, and we had a great time. Two of the ladies asked for my card when they found out what I do for a living. We talked about grandmas who hand quilted and crocheted for them as well as the losses they have had in their lives. The cards were for future tee shirt quilts they want made, and a couple of tops one lady got from Grandma that she would like quilted. Aside from our political views being polar opposites,( I didn't reveal my preference)  we had a wonderful chat about all sorts of things and parted one by one with Merry Christmas wishes. 

Today we have three Franch hens, two turtle doves and a partridge  in a pear tree!

On the second day of Christmas...

 Oh dear! Penny got me up at 3:30 AM to go out and poop. Then she wanted to run and play. Mr Wazoo was not amused, and the dog and I were relegated to the living room to her pen and my chair for the rest of the night. Fortunately, my chair is really comfy and I went back to sleep in a flash. Penny played and napped in her pen until Mr W came out in the morning.

Down in the studio, the quilting continued on the vintage rose of Sharon quilt, and it was finished by noon.  As a Merry Christmas for the customer, I made and applied the binding from 40's pink fabric from my stash. The quilt is beautiful. Later, when she picked it up, she told me she got it as a gift from a friend who found it at an antique shop. Not a family heirloom after all. The customer went ga-ga over the finished quilt and was very happy.

This is the kind of quilt I am always on the hunt for. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. It looks like a kit quilt from the 30s or 40s.

The appliqué  is nicely done and all intact.

I chose to stay traditional with the quilting and chose Baptist fan for the pattern.

Soft, Kona muslin on the back.

Here is a look at the finished binding.

Today's walk with Penny took us on the deer path through our property. There are piles of leaves on both sides of the path for her to romp in and grab sticks to carry around. It was a beautiful day, but brrrrr...cold!

The deer trail goes through our land and over to the vacant land next to us. Deer use this like the super highway to the national forest land behind us. We see loads of them and Mr Wazoo gets irritated when they stop for a snack in his gardens.

Penny is camouflaged by the leaves. She loves to plow and roll in them.

The deer trail runs parallel to Mr Wazoo's path around his garden and the gravel path to the rock garden in the back yard.

Penny stopped to watch the birds fighting over seeds on the feeders. Later, she pooped and walked in it as well as sat on it. I gave her a bath and she had to sleep for an hour to recover. ha ha

I made the backing for the three table runners and loaded it up about 3:00 PM. I finished two of them by quitting time, and had (you guessed it) one row to go on the last one. I'll finish them up tomorrow. The binding was made during Penny's nap, so I am ready to get it on and have them done!

I made one big backing piece and quilted all three in a row rather than load them three times. One row left and it is back to customer projects.

Two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree!