Finished Quilting

I finished the quilting today at Sew and Go.  Also got the binding sewn on,so now I just have to get it turned over to the back and this one will be done.  I also got 2 more quilts basted so  I'm marching through them at a pretty good pace right now.  I  counted them the other day and I have 12.  If you have been waiting to bring me a quilt because you think I'm backed up, don't wait.  Let me know you have one for me to do at least so I'll get you on the list, especially if you need it by Christmas.   I seem to be able to get them out in a more timely manner now that the temperature is cooler.

Happy Quilting

Horse BQ 2

Started the BQ 2 yesterday and it is turning out really cute!  I'm using a dark brown thread to outline the horses on the big squares and it shows up really well, and likewise makes the hearts show up on the pink.  I'm leaving the brown strips blank so they will kind of puff up a little.  This is not a great big quilt but it will take me a little longer than usual because I have to bind it too. 

Back to work.

Happy quilting

Elephant quilt complete

Just finished the Elephant quilt.  I hope you can see the stitching on the front and the back.  Using that little elephant from the fabric really turned out cute!  I positioned it alternating right side up and upside down, like it was in the fabric so the quilt wouldn't be directional with a definite up to it.  But you know, sometimes I think we get to fussy with trying to get all the fabric going the same way in our quilts til it makes us crazy and really takes away some of the joy of the process.  For example, the next quilt I will do is a BQ. If any of you have done this quilt it is a simple pattern, goes very quickly until you have a directional fabric and then you have to really jump through a lot of hoops to get it put together so that all the big squares are oriented the way you want them and with the print right side up.  The one I'm getting ready to start has direction fabric, but the piecer did not pay attention to that and guess what?  It looks just fine.  Imagine that! 

Things are a lot cooler outside today-- yippee!!

Happy quilting! 

Elephant quilt

Almost halfway done with the next one.  On this one I made a template of the sideways elephant.  Since it was an easy drawing I just drew it.  If I had not veen able to get clost, I would have scanned it into the computer, cropped it, printed it out the size I wanted and then cut it out on template material.  (All out of template plastic so I used card board.)   I'm putting the elephant in the squares that are more pastel, and the echo flowers in the darker squares.  It's a fun quilt.
   Basted another quilt this morning after I worked on this one and got reallyh hot, so I may be done for the day, but I hope I can get back to quilting.

Happy quilting

Puppy baby quilt

Just finished a baby quilt.  This is made from the BQ pattern, only four blocks, very simple and quick to put together.  I meandered around the doggies on the big squares and put hearts on the red frames and left the black frames empty so they would kind of puff out.  the quilting doesn't show up very well because I just used white thread. 

On to the next one.  Will probably try and baste another tomorrow.  So I can keep on this wave I'm on.

Happy quilting

My Gadget Girl



Gadget Girl

I have a new purse, I have a new purse, la la la la la la .....  I'm doin' the happy dance here. Tthis one is made out of denim, tapestry and "bomber jacket' (a faux leather product--wonderful and soft for straps!!).  I bought this years ago when I was making purses for the public, before I started quilting for the public.  A wonderful source for this fabric (where I bought all this), is Philex.  Locally, You can find it in Moore in the industrial park at I-35 and Shields Exit.  You can also find them on Line, http://philtexfabrics.com/default.asp

Gadget Girl back

If you are local I have to recommend that you go by the store and meet Henry in person and tell him that you are a friend of Mary Ann (the girl that used to be on Oxygen, that made purses).  He'll give you a good price but you'll still have to buy a minimum of 2 yards.  Not bad when you are doing upholstery, but might seem hard to use up when you are making one purse.  If you have a lot of friends making purses you might be able to split some yardage. I used up a most of what I bought selling purses and making beautiful gifts.  And like I said, the bomber jacket makes great straps.  A four inch cross cut (60 inches) makes two straps for a regular purse.  For gadget girl it take two four inch cross cuts.  (To make straps I always fold the piece in half lengthwise and then fold each side to the middle.  Then I fold it in half so it is one inch wide and top stitch down each side with an edge stitch foot so I sttch straight easily---(soooo much easier than trying to turn it with padding in the middle)--this makes a very strong strap.  I just retired a purse made out of drapery/upholstery weight fabric that I have been carrying for at least 3 years and it barely shows any wear except dirt.  I guess I should wash it. Ha.

Sadly the pool is closed

Basted 2 more quilts yesterday.  If you have any quilts to be done for Christmas better start getting them in.  I'm getting caught up so now's the time to get you Christmas gifts in for guarenteed delivery by Christmas. 

Happy quilting

Just a few Words

I'm at my Software class today to learn how to use my embroidery software.  I can feel my brain expanding.  I did finally learn a little bit on my own a couple of weeks ago and managed to get the note card done.  By the way I stitched out 2 more on 400 lb water color paper and mounted it on colored card stock and it looks really good.  I'm getting really inspired to start creating things for the embroidery machine to do.  Soooo many things to create, soooo little time.  (Back in my girlish days I said "So many men, so little time."--,  things change when you become a quilter.)

I worked on my new purse before class this am and will probably have it to show tomorrow.  BTW the lady loved her quilt yesterday!

HAPPY QUILTING.

Finished

Finished this one just now.  I still stressed over the feathers on the border because they are not like the ones in the book.  Then I listened to the words I tell to my students.  "Your quilting will not look like like my quilting because it will look like your quilting."  Duh, Mary Ann!  It's not going to look like the book!,  Just do it like you do it and get on with it!  There it is and it's  very pretty..  Actually it looks better than the book, cause the still looks like it was done by a robot.

I still have a little time to work today and I'm going to start working on a new purse for myself.  Hope this one doesn't take so long to produce!!  Oh yeah,  after the cool, rainy spell I started swimming again.  Boy the water in pretty cool.  Invigorating!! 

Happy quilting

Really Cool animation

Found this really cool animation today and thought you would enjoy watching how the sewing machine works. Click Here: http://inastrangeland.wordpress.com/2009/08/18/so-thats-how-it-works/#comment-5896

Another quilt

I started this one yesterday.   It's on the cover of a book called On a Roll by Heather Mulder Peterson and the name of the quilt is Cotton Candy.  I know all this because the lady brought me the book so I could quilt her quilt just like the one in the book.  I hope I do it justice.  My quilting never looks like somebody else's quilting because of the way I do it.  This quilt looks like it was done on a machine that was guided by a computer so it was all perfectly placed and symmetrically done. My quilting will by equally beautiful and artistic.  She's a new client.  I need to not stress over it and just get back to work and do the fine job of quilting that I know I can do.  After all I'm not a computer, I'm an artistic quilter.

Happy quilting

Go Sooners

Finished Another

This one went pretty fast.  It looks like it was made from fat quarters cut into large squares and the strip that was cut off to make the square was used to make the border.  What I did for the quilting was to divide the large squares into four using a wavy line, (very forgiving) and then put an eight petalled flower echoed twice around in each square.  The quilting went very fast.  First I marked off the divisions with a chaco marker as I went down the quilt.  The chalk actually disappears as you sew with the vibration of the machine.  You can see  a little cloud of dust rising up as you go.  I just mark with my ruler as far as I can, sew that far, mark some more, sew some more, mark some more.  It always seems like more work to me to lay out the quilt and mark the whole thing and then quilt it.  With chalk or Air erase marker your marking WILL disappear before you get done quilting, so you will have to use a marker that has to be taken out like a water erase marker.  Thus Mark it, quilt it, take out the marking.  That's literally doing the design 3 times!!

On the Back of the quilt you can see the divisions easily and also the the echoed flowers.  Those are always fun.  Remember you can click on the pictures to make them bigger and see the stitching.

Happy Quilting

Another Day

Finished this one and basted 2 more yesterday.   Also Set up for our guild meeting/quilter's clearance sale last night so I was a tired puppy when the day ended.  The sale was fun and successful.  There were lots of people there and lots of fun to be had by all.  I got rid of nearly every thing I took with me.  Still have some cotton fabric, but I'll donate that to the guild either to sell or to make charity quilts with so it will leave my apartment.  That was the ultimate goal anyway. 

Got to get to quilting.

Almost finished

I'm going around the last border and then I'll be done with the red and blue quilt.  It took me longer than I thought, but I had forgotten about the webinar this am at 10.  Bernina has Webinars that teach techniques on different things.  Today it was making a crazy patch pillow on a Bernina 830.  They covered couching a couple of different ways, decorative stitches and saving them in your personal programs on the program for future use, bobbin play, button holes and probably a bunch of stuff I can't remember.  If you've never been to the bernina website, check it out.  They have lots of projects and tips and instructional programs for their machines that would probably be helpful even if you don't have a Bernina.  Most of the machines today have lots of different feet and attachments that most people never learn to use.  Trust me.  Those feet can make techniques easier to accomplish. 

Don't forget that tomorrow night is the Quilters Clearance sale at the Mid=Del Stitchin' Sisters Quilt Guild, at the Douglas Blvd United Methodist Church just S of Reno of Douglas Blvd.

Happy quilting

Back to Normal

So here it is 5 am Saturday morning and I've already started quilting a new quilt, taken a picture and posted my blog.  Now that seems normal rutine to me. So back to thre old grind.  Almost.  I still have to go teach a class at 10, but I should be able to start banging out some of these quilts now.  No stopping to clean the apartment or any mundane thing like that. HA!
Had a good class yesterday.  Both students were ready to quilt the world when class was over, so my Job was done!!.  I love watching fledgling quilters go from
"I can't" to just doing it without the excuses.  Just swallowing in all the knowledge. making the connections.

Happy quilting

She's gone

My sister left this morning before 6am.  We  had a really good time.  I was going to post a picture of us together but after i took our picture she said, "Don't put that on your blog, I don't want my picture on the Internet. Sooooo. no pic today. 
Taught Intro to Free Motion Quilting today and will again tomorrow too.  Had a good class but I'm pooped.  If I wake up early tomorrow, I'll start quilting another quilt and then probably baste a couple more on Monday.

Happy quilting.

Questions

I've had some questions about my Egyptian Sweet peas and where to get them.  I think you can purchase them at garden center under the name name Hyacinth.  They have big purple pods that have the seeds and grow very easily.  DON'T eat the peas!!

Still running around with my sister.  he leaves in the morning.  Whaaaa!  o to free motion quilting tomorrow and Sat at Quilters corner in Midwest City.

Happy quilting

Success

I finally had success with my embroidery software and sewing it out.  I know you must think I'm exceptionally computer challenged.  But actually, I just don't have a lot of time to devote to the learning curve.  I'm scheduled for a class in a couple of weeks.)  This is a note card I designed using a design already in the software, adding the the letter "G" (for my sister Gina), then transferring it to my emboidery module/sewing machine and sewing it out on the cardstock.  There are a few issues.  But I think I'll get some heavy water color paper to do the emboidery on, then paste that on the front of the card.  The back side of the embroidery has to be covered and I think that will look better than covering the inside of the notecard.  But I think it turned out great for a first try and my confidence level is a 10!!!
Getting ready for this project that took about 10 minutes took about 3 hours.  I couldn't find the stablilizer.  Then when I finally found it andI was ready to hoop it, I needed to put  wonder tape on he bottom of the hoop and couldn't get the paper off.  Then, being a new hoop, I needed  the spreader spring, so of course I dropped it.  So we looked for that for aboutr 15 minutes.  Didn't find it.  Then, I immediatedly dropped the little bolt the screw fits it. Couldn't find that, but I did find the spring with my telescoping magnet. 
Finally gave up, deciding to get the little bolt off another hoop, and when I went to close the telescoping magnet, there was the little bolt on the end of the magnet waiting patiently for me, saying "Here I am!"

Happy  quilting

Another cat quilt done

Here's the 2nd Cat quilt,  really cute.  Feni flaps, Prairie points and even a place where the tail of one of the cats floats off the quilt.  Not much time for this today.  We're going to try a project today with the embroidery software.  I've designed a note card on the software and will try sewing this out.  We'll see if I've learned anything yet.

Tried out the new Billy Sims Barbecue in Midwest City yesterday.  VERY tasty!

Happy quilting!

No quilting today

My sister got here just after noon today.  I did lots more cleaning and straightening before she got here so no quilting.  Had a great day!!

Happy quilting

Cat Quilt # 2

I only have 2 more blocks to do and the the border of the 2nd cat quilt.  this one has some 3D features like the prairie points in this pictures.  Once again a\I'll get the whole thing photographed before I deliver it.

Day 1 of treatment done and will  start Day 2 any minute.  Very tired last night and kept falling asleep listening to the OU game on the radio.  I was also watching the OSU game on TV with no sound so I was getting confused trying to make the game on TV make sense with what I was hearing.  Oh well, both teams won without me screaming and jumping around.  I like it better when they play at different times and they're both on TV.  (But I like OU best--G Sooners!)

I feel like it's Christmas eve!! My sister comes tomorrow!.. Not that she brings me presents.  She IS the present!  Don't get to see her but about once a year if that often, so it's always very special!!

Happy quilting

Egyptian Swet Peas

This is a picture of my living room window.  I know, where's the window?  that's the whole purpose of planting them there.  It makes the apartment a lot cooler.  Especially THIS summer.  14 days above 100 degrees.  It takes till about August 1st for them to really cover the windows all the way and to start having flowers but they do the job pretty good.

Didn't get anymore quilting done this morning, but I did clean the bathroom floor, go to the grocery store and now I'm fixing to make some banana bran muffins.  Don't you just hate it when you buy bananas that are not quite ripe and they mush up before they even ripen?

Better get on with it. My nurse will be here in about an hour and then I can sit all day!

Happy quilting.  Wish I was at the Laughing Quilters today.!

Another Cat Quilt

Started the other cat quilt this morning and managed to get about halfway done.  I'm hoping to get it finished before my nurse gets here in the morning about 9am to start my infusion.  I still have a lot of other stuff to do so that may not happen.  There's a trip to the grocery store and Walmart that has to happen too so quilting may have to wait.

Oh yeah, and there's that pesky bathroom floor.  I will scrub the floor, I will scrub the floor, I will scrub the floor....  Is it done yet?  Drat.

Well, I think I just went swimming for the last time, unless they keep the pool open after Labor Day.  I can't swim Sat or sun and my sis gets here Monday so I don't know if she'll want to then.  Goodbye summer.

Happy quilting

Finished

Finished the tiger quilt this morning, and I think it turned out pretty good.  The design I did around the outer border is one that I designed a couple of years ago that is really quick to do and travels well.  Originally I was trying for something that would look like a flower in the corners and leaves on the sides and what i got was this loopy '50s style all over design that is really easy to do.  I love it.  You can see it a little better on the picture of the back. 

 After I finished the quilt I went through 3 totes of quilting fabric and culled the fabric I'm not not going to use and don't want any more.  (Got to get rid of some of this stuff so I can get stuff out of the living room/dining room and into the closets.)  Emptied one tote and filled it with the 'get rid of fabric'.  What am I doing with the' get rid of fabric' you ask?  Well..... The Mid-Del Stitchin' Sisters Quilt Guild in Midwest City is having a Quilters Clearance sale on September 14th instead of a program.  There will be lots of booths with quilters getting rid of patterns, notions, rulers, FABRIC, at very good prices.  I will be selling my yardage for a dollar a yard for the most part.  There will also be some craft booths.  Good time to do some Christmas shopping.  This will be happening at the Douglas Boulevard United Methodist Church in Midwest City, OK just south of E Reno on Douglas Blvd (206 S Douglas Blvd I think?).

Happy quilting

Swimming in the rain

Well,  the Talking Heads went swimming this morning.  It was overcast but warm. water was cool, not quite as cold as last week, but then after about 30 minutes it started raining a little.  It was funny at first.  Gee, we're getting wet. Ha!  Then it really started raining and we had to get out and by the time we got our towels they were getting wet, then the raindrops were starting to feel pin pricks.  It was great.  In fact I think it might have been the first time I have ever been swimming in the rain.  Good to still be able to do things I've never done before.

Almost finished the tiger quilt  this morning.  what's slowing me down on it is cleaning.   My sister is arriving on Monday and I'm not much good at cleaning for long periods of time so I just don't do it.  Consequently my house is a mess.  I only worry about it when my family comes.  In 2 days I have managed to get 3 sides of the shower done.  Tomorrow the fourth side and the tub, then Fri, the floor.  (We're talking maybe 6 sq feet!)  I'm also putting away stuff that just gets stacked up.  I'm a great stacker.

I just found out that I won't be able to go to Laughing Quilters this Saturday because I'll be getting my treatment on Sat and Sun before my sister gets here.  That way we don't have to "play hospital" when she gets here and have her watch me get an infusion for 2 days--how fun would that be?

Happy quilting