I sewed for about 4 hours yesterday, working on my oldest daughter's quilt. I have all of the blocks made for it and now will need to finish pressing them and have her lay them out the way she likes them so I can sew the top together today. Nothing to show for it just yet, but a sore back :)
I will have to find a new design wall space today because when she came home from college, she took her room back. Imagine that! But once I get a wall space and the design wall up, I can start playing with the blocks and she can finish off the job and then I can get to sewing. The weather has cooled down nicely and we are back outside, working in the yard in the evenings, which cuts into the sewing time!
Until later
Eph 2:8: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
productive quilting day
I stayed indoors and just played with fabric today. I got four quilts quilted and finished cutting the big strips for my daughter's quilt. I cut 2 or 3 more quilt kits for my friend who is sewing up a storm and I am working on a video of how I make Baptist Fans. I filmed it and am now trying to get it put together so you can see the whole thing. My daughter is helping me and her computer was having troubles loading the video from my camera. So, maybe that will be ready tomorrow. When it is done, you will be able to see how I do my quilting.
Matt 28:19: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
more room for fabric
My daughter and I sorted fabric yesterday. It only took about 1/2 hour to sort through everything and now it looks so much better and there is lots more room for more fabric. I have a few more buckets in the garage and in the shed and I brought one more bucket in last night after this picture was taken. It was so easy to put the fabric where it belonged because the fabric on the shelves was already sorted by colors. The reds/pinks are in the top left, then yellows and oranged, greens, two crates of blues, down to purples, lots of browns, some novelty then white and blacks and greys. Flowers go in the bottom left. Project bucket for all of the cut fabric that has things to be sewn. UFO's have their own project bucket. I really should pull out one of those and work on it today. Summer cold is worse and it is supposed to get to 108 today outside. I don't think we will work outside this evening. Waaaay too hot! Finally, there are two crates of flannels and two crates of Christmas.
Behind the sewing machine, there is another stacking crate with my fat quarters and really large pieces for backings. I still have backing fabrics in with the sorted colors, but the super large 5-6 yard pieces were pulled out already and I didn't feel like putting those in with the colors because they were already sorted so nicely and they have a purpose.
I guess I am off to feel sorry for myself, bind a quilt or two and see what today brings. I know that strawberry pie is on the menu for breakfast :) That should make me feel better! I made it myself.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
take a tour
Here's a little tour of my sewing room, not quite done, but way better than before!
The room is supposed to be the dining room and is the second room you see when you walk into the house. There is no way to close it off from visitors, so we don't have visitors over very often :)
I built a wall out of these stacking crates. There are 20 cubbies now for storing fabric. I still have to get my daughter to help me sort the fabric by size and color, but that will take some time. In the back corner is the bookshelf, overstuffed with quilting, knitting and crocheting books. I think there are even some gardening books back there. You can see the chair to the sewing table. To the right of this picture is a window for light. My sewing machine looks out to the side yard where the trampoline is. When it isn't broken, the kids love to jump on it with the sprinklers on. It is time to order a new jumping pad for the trampoline, they use it a lot.
On the top of the crate, on the right side is the pile of quilts, waiting to be bound. There are about 12 quilts in that pile, maybe more. I will have to bind them when the pile falls on my head. That's the sign that I have too many waiting for their turn. See the long skinny strips hanging from the crate on the right? Those are my binding strips, waiting to be used. I had about 20 of them when I first started binding this week. Now it looks like there are 4 left.
On the end of the stacking crates I have my quilt tops that need matching backs. I have about 20 of them. Since taking this picture, I added another 10 along the front of the crates. My daughter informed me this wansn't a good idea because now you can't really see the fabric in the top two crates, which means I need to quilt faster. On the very top, here on the end are the finished quilts, ready to be delivered to church tomorrow. I think there are 8 done. I may get a couple more done today, maybe not. I have a cold and don't feel very well. I'm tired, with a sore throat and stuffy nose. I should really take a nap. Bah.
If you look to the left of this picture, you see that you will go down the half stairs into the TV room and there is my cutting table, with the laundry basket on it. That holds the current project for my daughter's quilt. I was working on it yesterday and there it sat, waiting for me to come back. The ironing board is to the left of that table. Under that table are 10 rolls of batting. JoAnn's was having lots of coupons the last couple of weeks and I got all of their bags of 10 yards of batting at 50% off. I go through batting quickly, getting about 6 quilts from 10 yards, so this will keep me busy for a while, until they have some more good coupons for me to use.
Here is the quilting machine. It is along the only full wall in the room. There is about 2 feet between the wall and the machine. I have to be able to get in behind it to do the quilting. On the wall are some thread holders. Looks like I need to buy more thread :) Lots of empty space there. I'm making a list of the colors I need and will get them for Christmas. You can see my serger on the table to the left of the picture. It is not useable on this table, but if I need it, I can just switch it with the sewing machine for the time I need it. And yes, that is a spinning wheel in the picture. I'm a jack of all trades, master of none!
My quilting machine is a Janome 1600DB P and a Handi Quilter frame, both of them my mom gave me last summer. They sure have gotten a lot of use! Thanks again mom (and dad of course).
Under this table are three plastic storage carts for sorting scraps. I have 6 1/2 inch squares, 4 1/2 inch squares and strips cut. There are also a couple of junk drawers. I don't know why I have so many junk drawers, but like I said, I'm still working on fixing things up to be super user friendly.
And finally, here is the quilt you saw in the last picture on the machine, all done except for the binding. This top was in one of the bags that was sitting on the table waiting for me at the last Binky Patrol meeting that nobody showed up to so I have no idea who made it. I love the colors and it is really big! Twin size for sure. Just a simple meander all over the quilt and it is good to go.
I am almost done with the scraps of batting that have been given to me. You saw in the last picture the batting with the hole in it. I got a whole bunch of pieces of batting last year and it has just been sitting around taking up space. I got a space bag and squished it all down, so it didn't take up so much space, but then decided to just use it all up as fast as I could. I think the last 10 quilts have used the 'free' batting. I love it!
I hope you get to do something you really enjoy today. I'm loving my vacation. Every minute of it, even the not feeling so good ones. At least I'm not stuck in a room with 32 teenagers :)
Phil 4:6: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Friday, June 26, 2009
fish and waves
I tried a new quilting pattern today from a quilt book I have had for a while. The book is called Creative Classics 250 Playful Continuous-Line Quilting Designs by Laura Lee Fritz.
I am very happy with how this one turned out. I practiced on a piece of paper before starting on the quilt. I just copied the pattern two times and then drew it uptil the paper was full. I had to keep saying, up, up, over, over, back, back, in, out each time I made a wave and fish. Once I got that mental pattern in my head I was able to stitch the fish and waves in both directions on the quilt. I guess qulting is like dancing. You have to learn the steps and get them into your head and then they become second nature. This quilt was really long so I had a lot of time to practice. I only messed up in one spot, but I don't think you could pick it out.
Today was such a low energy day. I'm not sure why, but I needed to spend some time on the couch, just doing nothing for a few hours. I'm not used to just sitting around doing nothing, but after dinner I felt a little better and was back outside working on the yard again for a couple of hours. I am not cut out for manual labor. Who needs a gym?
Rom 12:2: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
keeping up
I just can't keep up with my friend who is learing to sew. I gave her one of my sewing machines and she went home with some quilt kits and started sewing them three days ago. Yesterday, she brought me 7 quilt tops. Yeah, 7. One was done by her mom and 6 were done by her. She called last night and had finished another one and was working on one more. I love it! But I am having a hard time keeping up with her pace.
No, you are not seeing double pictures here. These are two quilts that are the same, but with different quilting. One has baptist fans all over it. I love that quilting pattern for boy quilts. It is really quick and I'm getting better at it. The second one has meandering in the duck panels and the loop-d-loops in the brown strips. Another quick quilting pattern.
Yesterday I managed to quilt three quilts, but I didn't get anything bound. I am also working on a quilt for my daughter. It has a zillion pieces so I started cutting those out. She had to pick out more fabric for it and now I have all of the fabric so I can finishe cutting it out today. She took all of her quilts to college with her and complains that the house is cold in the morning. I think I should get her quilt finished just as she is ready to go back to school. But at least when she gets home for winter break, she will be warm again :) Not really, I should be able to finish her quilt within a week, if I work on it every day. I just don't like zillion piece quilts very much. They take a lot longer to sew together, especially when you put them in a plastic baggie and let them sit by the sewing table for weeks or months at a time. I still have one that I started on January 1 that is waiting for me to get back to it. It will be really pretty when it is done, I just don't have the patience for all of those little pieces :(
It is cool again today which means more work in the yard which means less quilting time. That's ok. You should see my muscles!
Prov 3:5: Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Prov 3:6: in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Prov 3:6: in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
feeling better
After a good night's sleep, I am feeling much better. It is cooler out today, the wind is blowing hard so I think I will have a good day outdoors. I have plans to go to the local fruit stand and get some yummy summer produce that I can't grow in my garden. My tomatoes are doing well, but my zucchini haven't done anything just yet. The winter rains knocked most of the blossoms out of the fruit trees and I only got a dozen apricots this year and there are about 3 pears on the tree adn 2 apples. I should pick up some strawberries for the kids.
Also a trip to the hardware store for some supplies for fixing up the backyard. Every summer we work on getting it a little better. When we moved in, it was just an open, empty space. We put in a tennis court and I put in a pond and planted a lot of things. Lots of things died, but some managed to survive my attempts at gardening. The koi fish have grown to about 12 inches long now from their tiny 1 inch size when I got them 3 years ago.
So, I figured I had better get a quilt quilted this morning before all of the hustle and bustle of the day. But, my kids all decided to get up early today for some strange reason. Only son #1 is still sleeping. My whole day has been thrown off by their early rising! Little guy got up at 6:15am complaining of a sore foot. He went to sleep after I did last night so I have a feeling he will be taking a nap today. I might even join him :)
Gen 1:1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
quick post
I'm not feeling well after a long day of business, but I wanted to check in quickly and update the pictures of the quilts I got done. Two bound and one quilted. Took the little guy to his first tennis lesson and then the middle ones swimming after. I have to start wearing shorts during the hot summer days. I think that is why I'm not feeling well. I think I got overheated while sitting outside with jeans and a black t shirt on.
Phil 4:13: I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
when I get frustrated
I like to get busy with something. It gives me time to think and pray.
Today, I bought a used Xbox from a local lady who sold me the system and a whole bunch of games for $40. But, when I got the thing home, the system didn't work. I talked to her on the phone and she swears it worked at her house and that it was just because it is hooked up to a new TV. Well, now I have a $40 paperweight. I should have asked her to show me that it worked before I took it home, but I am trusting. I could be more pushy and demand that she give me my money back, but I figure I can be the jerk or I can let her be the jerk. I have enough times in my life where I am a jerk and today wasn't going to be one of them, so as I worked through all of the frustrations, I sewed.
Maybe I need more days like this, because look at all that I got done!
Today, I bought a used Xbox from a local lady who sold me the system and a whole bunch of games for $40. But, when I got the thing home, the system didn't work. I talked to her on the phone and she swears it worked at her house and that it was just because it is hooked up to a new TV. Well, now I have a $40 paperweight. I should have asked her to show me that it worked before I took it home, but I am trusting. I could be more pushy and demand that she give me my money back, but I figure I can be the jerk or I can let her be the jerk. I have enough times in my life where I am a jerk and today wasn't going to be one of them, so as I worked through all of the frustrations, I sewed.
Maybe I need more days like this, because look at all that I got done!
These are all bound with 'free' bindings that I had already cut for other projects that were leftovers. I just stitched leftover bindings together that matched by color and away I went. I still have enough binding for 4 more quilts. I was hoping to get those done today as well, but all of the thinking made me tired and I had to take a nap. That plus staying up late last night to watch a really lame movie. Anybody see Benjamin Button? Wow, talk about a downer! There must have been 50 people die in that movie. There were some funny parts, like the guy who got stuck by lightning 7 times...I'm still wondering about the last time he got struck, but most of the movie was pretty sad and strange. And the movie was really long. No wonder I don't go to the movies anymore.
My friend brought me more quilt tops today to add to my pile to be matched to backings and be quilted. I really need to get working on those, but the pile of quilted quilts has been in the way and I need to get those out of here to make room for more.
I have changed the layout of the sewing room yet again (hubby asks, isn't this the 20th different arrangement for that room? Is it going to work this time???) and I like the extra room I have. I now have a place for finished quilts to sit where the dogs and cat can't get to them to lay on them. I have a huge job of sorting all of the fabrics that will fit on the shelves (I added one more row on top of this setup--will post pictures later of the whole thing) and most of the fabric needs to be refolded so it fits better on the shelves. I still have buckets of fabric in the garage and shed that I would like to fit in the sewing room so I could see everything at the same time, but I just don't think I can fit it all. Maybe at the end of the summer, when the 150 quilts are done, I will be able to, but I doubt it. I'm not complaining about the amount of fabric I have. I love being able to pull almost anything I need from the large amount of fabric that has been given to me to use for these quilts.
Well, until tomorrow...
Rom 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Monday, June 22, 2009
one year today
I cannot believe I have kept up with this blogging for one full year today! Where has the time gone? I am not one to keep up with much for a whole year, let alone writing almost every day.
What I love about blogging is being able to look back at the progress of my daily life. The trials of the past days, weeks and months are so trivial when you can look at them through the glasses of the past.
I love seeing the progress I have made on my quilting journey too. I have the very first quilt I quilted on my new quilting machine, hanging in my sewing room and it is a daily reminder of how far I have come in my quilting skills. This blog is also a reminder of what I have accomplished over the past year.
I have loved sharing my life with all of you who have stopped by to read about what I'm up to. It is nice to know there are a few other crazy people out there who love quilting as much as I do. And thanks Dad for always reading the stuff I write too :)
I appreciate everyone who leaves a comment because I read a lot of blogs and don't leave a lot of comments. I'm trying to be better because I know how much I appreciate when others just pop in and say, good job, or nice quilt, or stopped in to take a peek at what you are doing.
I put the counter up to see if people were really out there and from the numbers I can see that people stop by, but when nobody says anything, it makes me wonder...
So, thanks again for stopping by. Today I am going to finish the carpet cleaning. Oh fun. I did the whole upstairs yesterday and I can really feel it in my legs and back this morning. They don't make carpet cleaners for tall people. What's up with that? So, today I have three rooms left. I also cleaned the downstairs hall and bedroom. So, now it is just the three big rooms, living room, sewing room (which has so much stuff on the floor--not sure that will get done) and front TV room. The carpets are so soft and squishy and smell so good. This is going to have to be a summer chore from now on. It isn't that hard to do and makes such a difference in the appearance of the house. Just one of those mind over matter things.
And I'm going to be working in the sewing room, trying to get the fabric sorted today. I also plan to start my oldest daughter's quilt today. She left her quilts at college and doesn't have a quilt for her bed here. I will probably finish it just as she leaves for school again, but at least it will be here when she comes home again right?
Rom 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
What I love about blogging is being able to look back at the progress of my daily life. The trials of the past days, weeks and months are so trivial when you can look at them through the glasses of the past.
I love seeing the progress I have made on my quilting journey too. I have the very first quilt I quilted on my new quilting machine, hanging in my sewing room and it is a daily reminder of how far I have come in my quilting skills. This blog is also a reminder of what I have accomplished over the past year.
I have loved sharing my life with all of you who have stopped by to read about what I'm up to. It is nice to know there are a few other crazy people out there who love quilting as much as I do. And thanks Dad for always reading the stuff I write too :)
I appreciate everyone who leaves a comment because I read a lot of blogs and don't leave a lot of comments. I'm trying to be better because I know how much I appreciate when others just pop in and say, good job, or nice quilt, or stopped in to take a peek at what you are doing.
I put the counter up to see if people were really out there and from the numbers I can see that people stop by, but when nobody says anything, it makes me wonder...
So, thanks again for stopping by. Today I am going to finish the carpet cleaning. Oh fun. I did the whole upstairs yesterday and I can really feel it in my legs and back this morning. They don't make carpet cleaners for tall people. What's up with that? So, today I have three rooms left. I also cleaned the downstairs hall and bedroom. So, now it is just the three big rooms, living room, sewing room (which has so much stuff on the floor--not sure that will get done) and front TV room. The carpets are so soft and squishy and smell so good. This is going to have to be a summer chore from now on. It isn't that hard to do and makes such a difference in the appearance of the house. Just one of those mind over matter things.
And I'm going to be working in the sewing room, trying to get the fabric sorted today. I also plan to start my oldest daughter's quilt today. She left her quilts at college and doesn't have a quilt for her bed here. I will probably finish it just as she leaves for school again, but at least it will be here when she comes home again right?
Rom 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
when things overwhelm me
I have been working today. Working like crazy. I started this morning in the sewing room, trying to find the floor. It looked like JoAnn's threw up in there. I am trying to rearrange things to make more room and organize the fabric so it is easier to get to when I need a specific piece. I wanted to get the fabric out of the buckets and onto shelves where I could see it, but still keep it neat so that it didn't look like a big pile of mess. Well, it is out of buckets. I'm half way there.
So, then I got the great idea to rent a Rug Doctor to clean the carpets. I haven't done that the whole time we have lived in this house and it has been 4 1/2 years now. The carpets are gross. but, most of the house is so messy you can't see the floors. So, I am moving things and cleaning bits at a time. I have one bedroom done and one hallway and part of the living room done so far. I plan to do the upstairs tonight before bed and then finish off the rest of the house tomorrow before I have to take the cleaner back.
I had fresh summer squash from my garden tonight. The first of the season and it was really good. Maybe because I was so hungry from all of the work. The tomatoes are starting to ripen faster than I can eat them. That was the goal, so I could share with friends and neighbors. It just hasn't been warm enough to have them ripen. And the few that have started to ripen have been eaten by the voles we have from the field next to us. I have to pick them just a little green and let them ripen on the counter. They still taste way better than store bought tomatoes so it makes the work all worth while.
Off this computer and back to work or I will never get done.
Jer 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
So, then I got the great idea to rent a Rug Doctor to clean the carpets. I haven't done that the whole time we have lived in this house and it has been 4 1/2 years now. The carpets are gross. but, most of the house is so messy you can't see the floors. So, I am moving things and cleaning bits at a time. I have one bedroom done and one hallway and part of the living room done so far. I plan to do the upstairs tonight before bed and then finish off the rest of the house tomorrow before I have to take the cleaner back.
I had fresh summer squash from my garden tonight. The first of the season and it was really good. Maybe because I was so hungry from all of the work. The tomatoes are starting to ripen faster than I can eat them. That was the goal, so I could share with friends and neighbors. It just hasn't been warm enough to have them ripen. And the few that have started to ripen have been eaten by the voles we have from the field next to us. I have to pick them just a little green and let them ripen on the counter. They still taste way better than store bought tomatoes so it makes the work all worth while.
Off this computer and back to work or I will never get done.
Jer 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
all work and no play...
makes me crabby.
So, I took a very little time out today to play with fabric and now I feel better.
Got the binding on one quilt today and some fabric cut for more quilts. I think 4 or 5 quilts cut and ready for someone to sew together. My friend is having a sewing day on July 12 and I want to have a bunch of quilt kits ready for the group that is meeting at her house. I'm not sure how many people are going to show up, but you can never be too ready.
I have big plans for changing up the sewing room to make it more user friendly. I think if I can move the cutting table and ironing board into another room that doesn't get used a lot, I will have room for shelves for the fabric that is all over the floor and in buckets. It will make it easier to see the fabric so I don't have to pull out a whole bucket of fabric to find a piece that I need.
I will sort it by size and then color. I will put all of the backing fabrics together in one place and then the smaller pieces, like one yard sizes together that will be made into quilt tops.
Last week at the quilt store, they had cardboard boxes that said FQ storage on them. I have been thinking about it and I might want to pick up some of those for storing my fat quarters so they all fit neatly on the shelf, after I have cut a bunch of them for more quilt kits. As I am working through the fabric, I want to see how many I end up with. I found about 100 more while working the other day, so that brings me to just over 300 fat quarters. If I can make a quilt top with 12 fat quarters, I can make 25 quilts out of just fat quarters. That's crazy!
goal for today
Are you ready for this? The kitchen! Yeah, nothing quilt related. Of course, I will be quilting today too, but I figure if I post it here, for the world to see, I will be motivated to get it done. I have bags of canned goods sitting on the floor from my shopping trip yesterday that will not fit in the cupboards. They need to find a home. The counters are under the stuff somewhere and the floor needs a good mopping. 15 minutes at a time, the kitchen will get cleaned today. I will not show you a before picture, but I may be proud enough to show you an after one :) along with whatever quilting I get done as well. Stay tuned. It has cooled down again today, nice breeze. The kids plan to go hiking for a picnic lunch, the day before National Naked Hiking Day. I sure hope nobody decides to celebrate a day early! There is a nice little mountain close by that we used to hike on when the kids were younger. My oldest and her friend are going to take the middle two for the picnic lunch while I stay home and clean up the kitchen. Depending on how much work I get done this morning, I may join them.
Until later.
John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Until later.
John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Friday, June 19, 2009
5 bound, 1 quilted
I was going to get ahead today with quilting, but decided to get some binding done instead. Also took the kids swimming since it was such a nice, hot day out.
I used up some leftover binding from other things for these quilts and I used up some leftover batting for this last bento box quilt. It felt like getting things for free by using up leftovers that would normally have been tossed out. And, I am also cleaning the sewing room at the same time. Of course, you can't really see the progress, unless you know where to look. At least nobody in the family has noticed that I'm working so hard to clean the sewing room. One quilt at a time!
new needles--need some?
http://www.westchestersewing.com/organ/needle1.htm
I ordered some new needles for my quilting machine today. I found this place on the net while waiting to hear back from the place I got the needles from last time. When I bought my machine it was supposed to come with 100 free needles. They sent the wrong kind, so they sent another 100 of the right kind for free.
When I searched their site this week looking for more needles, I couldn't find them so I called today and the guy on the phone said they had the in stock, but didn't know why they weren't on the website. So he looked up the price and I about died when he told me it was going to be over $50 for 100 needles. Yikes! Since it took so long to figure out what was going on with the needles, I had time to look around the internet and find this other website that sold the exact same needles for only $16 for 100 of them. I have no idea why there is such a difference in price, but I decided to order 200 of them, since shipping was the same if you ordered 100 or 200. And since I have been doing so much quilting and you are supposed to change needles every quilt (yeah, right!) I figured I would use these up in the next year or so.
So, I figured I'd share what I found today and if you need some new sewing machine needles, they have a lot of different ones here. Plus, when I lose these needles, I will have the place here on my blog so I can come back and find it :)
I ordered some new needles for my quilting machine today. I found this place on the net while waiting to hear back from the place I got the needles from last time. When I bought my machine it was supposed to come with 100 free needles. They sent the wrong kind, so they sent another 100 of the right kind for free.
When I searched their site this week looking for more needles, I couldn't find them so I called today and the guy on the phone said they had the in stock, but didn't know why they weren't on the website. So he looked up the price and I about died when he told me it was going to be over $50 for 100 needles. Yikes! Since it took so long to figure out what was going on with the needles, I had time to look around the internet and find this other website that sold the exact same needles for only $16 for 100 of them. I have no idea why there is such a difference in price, but I decided to order 200 of them, since shipping was the same if you ordered 100 or 200. And since I have been doing so much quilting and you are supposed to change needles every quilt (yeah, right!) I figured I would use these up in the next year or so.
So, I figured I'd share what I found today and if you need some new sewing machine needles, they have a lot of different ones here. Plus, when I lose these needles, I will have the place here on my blog so I can come back and find it :)
catch up day
I have plans today to catch up. Today is day 14 of vacation and I'm on quilt 13. If I can get one quilted, I will be caught up and on track for my one a day challenge. I have 14 bound so far, so I'm good there. But, I would like to get ahead so when I take a week off in August, I can still be on track for the end of summer. I found out that we have a week less of summer than I though going into the vacation. Bummer. School starts way earlier than I thought. They keep moving the start of school earlier and earlier. What ever happened to starting after Labor day? Oh, well, then we get out earlier too, which I will be so ready for next year. Out here in California, they are going to solve the budget crisis by increasing class sizes. They are cutting hundreds of thousands of teachers and shoving more kids into already crowded classes. Of course, they still expect us to keep up the test scores, or they will take away federal money. Not sure how all of this is going to happen, but I will do my best. I'm reading books this summer on classroom management skills because I'm going to need some new tricks for dealing with more students, that's for sure!
Off to work, check back in later. It's going to be a hot one today. Summer is finally here. Yipee.
Off to work, check back in later. It's going to be a hot one today. Summer is finally here. Yipee.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
really quick update
before heading off to bed.
Two quilts quilted today. Busy day today. Watched my daughter play tennis, took lots of stuff to the thrift store from cleaning out the closets and working a little in the garage, visited the old babysitter and started cleaning up the backyard. Not a lot of time for quilting, but still had to get some work done :)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
do you want to see my piles?
I know you do!
Yesterday my daughter and I worked for about an hour, pulling and sorting fabrics. She really had an alterior motive. She wants to make a quilt for her bed, twin sized, made of turtles. She found a pattern in one of my books and you cut little tiny pieces and sew them back together and the finished block looks like a turtle. There are triangles and diamonds in there and it scares me to death. She doesn't know better, so she thinks it is totally doable! In twin size. She was thinking it needed 54 blocks or something like that, so she was digging through the fabrics looking for 54 different ones for the turtle shells. I suggested she try making a pillow to start with to see if it was even possible. She just laughed.
But, she helped me pick out and sort fabrics for future quilts for Kazakhstan. She said she wanted to go through all of the fabric I own so I can use it all up this summer.
What we did manage to do was match up about 1/4 of the fabric I had in the house.
Then, I had her help me pick backings for the quilt tops I had ready to go. See how neatly the backings are stacked, waiting to be used up? I can be neat sometimes. Not for very long, but sometimes.
These are the quilts we couldn't find backings for. We then went into the garage and pulled another bucket of fabric into the house and found a few more backing fabrics that might work, but I was too tired. I'm old and sitting on the floor for an hour made my back hurt.
These are the bags of fabrics that go together. All of these will be turned into the quick stripie pattern that the ladies at my church love to sew together so much. They are quick and look great when done. I think I have about 20 quilts here.
Plus there are another 10 or so on the table, because one of the fabrics that was needed was on a bolt and that just didn't fit in a bag.
These are the quilts, waiting to be trimmed before getting into the waiting to be bound pile.
And finally, this is the pile of buckets of fabrics, ready for next time's sorting and picking and pulling. There are also future binding in there, some will get cut today :)
I hope you enjoyed my piles!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
more bindings
today was a day of bindings. I got one quilt quilted and these quilts bound and ready to go out the door.
I plan to take a whole load of quilts and blankets to the hospital tomorrow so that when I finish quilts for Kazakhstan I can just toss the in the car so they are ready for church on Sunday. That way, they are safe and out of my way in the house. I have 15 quilts that need binding that are still sitting on the ironing board in the way.
I've found that I like doing two quilts at a time. So, I cut and sew the binding and then sit and do two quilts and then get up to stretch and take pictures.
Have I told you that my 5 year old is my photographer for 90% of these quilts? I usually don't have to crop any of the photos either. He does a really good job of taking the pictures for me. Wonder if he will like taking pictures when he grows up. He is willing to stop whatever he is doing to help me out.
Ah, he just walked up here and handed me a baby tooth! He is only 5 and just lost his first baby tooth. Well, actually it is his third baby tooth. His first one fell out when he was 10 months old. He fell off the couch. He lost his second one at about 14 months old when he fell on the stairs.
But, this is his first official, real baby tooth that he is supposed to lose. He told me it was loose today, about 3 hours ago and now it is out.
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