Catching Up

No pictures tonight!

No sewing this week. Not on the long arm anyway........

I HAVE been piddling with my Scrappy Paper Pieced Pineapple blocks. I started these blocks without working out how many I would need for a complete quilt. I have also decided that I want to set them on point. I didn't do the math. I don't know how many whole blocks I'll need & I don't know how many half blocks I'll need. Do you know how many I have completed? 33. That's it. 33! Right now I don't know if I REALLY want to fill in the sides with "half" blocks. I might just decide not to make the half blocks & try out some fancy feathers in the borders...I don't know...I just feel so hopeless right now. Sort of like I'll never finish! DD#1 is graphing it right now! So we'll see what damage I'll be doing to my sanity shortly. DD#1 just said 179 whole blocks and 36 half blocks....hopeless, I feel hopeless......:(

Anyone that quilts, knows as well as I do, that WHEN I finally finish this quilt, it will likely be my new favorite!!!

I am going to take a break from these blocks and finish my Star Struck Quilt. At least I'll feel like I am getting something done. Maybe if i do 40 a month i can get the Pineaplle Quilt done after Christmas????????????

Oh! I had signed up for AT&T phone service when we moved in back in June. Well - i wasn't looking for anything - but as a *new* customer I got some gift cards. One for $100 & another for $50. And after 9/1, I get another $100 gift card because we signed up for DSL. With the $150 that came this week, I bought (can you guess?) some long arm patterns, an instructional DVD , and 2 books. All from Kimmy Brunner.

I belong to a longarm list and there was some really good reviews on her instructions. So? I ordered them. I used the cards. I can't wait to see the DVD. You know what's funny about instructional DVD's? No matter how anxious I am to see them, no matter how animated whoever it is on the DVD - I can only watch about 20 minutes of one at any one time because i fall asleep!

Years & Years ago, "Sewing With Nancy" used to come on television on PBS , Saturday's & then it was before Nancy or after, but Martha Pullen came on too. I never made it through both. I'd fall asleep and snore through it all. It's a family joke between the girls & me. they can't understand WHY I still buy instructions on DVD's. Well it's DVD's now, it used to be VHS tapes. I think i have 10 or 12 VHS tapes of Eleanor Burns!! EB has got to be one of the MOST animated people (saw her inperson @ Paducah...) and I fall asleep watching her too. Karen McTavish, Lisa Calle, Dawn Ramirez, Sharon Schamber. I fall asleep watching any & all of them - and I have DVD's from ALL of them !!! I sure hope that if any of them are bored enough to be reading my blog that they don't take it personally...it has nothing to do with WHO is on the DVD or WHAT they are instructing....I STILL fall asleep. ha ha ha

Well - folks - It's Friday & I have a 3 day weekend in front of me. DD#2 is coming home from college. We are going shopping on Saturday. I don't LIKE shopping. Not for clothes. DD#1 has to shop for *office* clothes....I LIKE shopping for fabric.......usually.....but I don't need any fabric, want fabric (yes) need fabric (no)..

Y'all have a good night!

Sam

Skittles Quilt

You can't see the quilting onthis quilt because I used monofiliament thread & I also used a pantograph (by Willow Leaf Studio) called "Bubbles". It echos the round design on the fabric. Very hard to see!
These colors are not my normal palette. But they always cheer me up!

Sam

The FAVORITE fat dog

Here she is in all her glory.

I love this dog.

Sam

Bag Photos

Here are the "bag" photos.

The dog's name is Beans. He bleongs to DD#1. Beans has a brother. His name is Cheese.

Yes, Beans & Chees. DD#1 has a sense of humor.

Sam

Re-Usable Bags

I made my own re-useable bags. I have 5 (I thought I had 6 but one's gone missing) of the Wal-Mart re-usable black bags. they function well enough. BUT #1 they say "Wal-Mart" on them. #2 they are BLACK and #3 I can not get them clean. (or clean LOOKING). It's more of #3 than of #2 !! Well...I decided that I needed to get off my keester & make one! Or 9.....
I had about 10 yards of pillow ticking. I bought it a while ago to make a dust ruffle for one of the rooms. I would still like to do that, but right now, i want the bags more than I want another dust ruffle. I simplified the construction. It is the exact same size. i made the little loop too . And I even found an old applique that I sewed on it! Raggeddy Ann! I some Hello Kitty appliques and one of Gumby & Pokey (remeber THEM< ?) Anyway - I have only finished ONE. But I have 8 more cut out.
My prototype turned out pretty good. And I LIKE them.

I got more PP Pineapple blocks finsihed too. I found some in my scrap bin that were a little more than half done -so getting so many done so quickly was sort of like a cheat.....I forgot I had that many done....Ha Ha -

I have to run down to the basement & grab my "bag" & then add it to this post. I'll likely post the pics in another post.

Sam

Seven Sisters Quilt

This is the raffle Quilt that I am quilting for the Collinsville Quilt Walk. I was supposed to have it done last Saturday - but we were working on the wall in the shop again. I NEED the wall up, so i had to put off quilting.

This is a traditional english paper-pieced Seven Sisters pattern. It reminds me of a Chinese Checkers board. I am going to buy lots of raffle tickets because I really like this one! the muslin background is a tone on tone print with little roses on it. So I chose to quilt it with a pantograph called "Rosewood" by Willow Leaf Studio. It has rose buds on it & compliments the quilt very well. I am usning monofiliament thread on the top too.

this post also shows you the progress we have made on the "studio" too !

Sam

Kitty & Her Mittens

Okay - I have already got a bunch of grief from people I know because I got the cat declawed. This is Fiona. My "Grand Cat". DD#2 had her at her apartment at college. Got too busy & couldn't take care of the cat PROPERLY. Not right now. Since DD#1 is living "at home" now, the cat came home. She is a farily GOOD cat. Very active, very affectionate, and very curious. She also tears furniture up with her claws......Fiona has scratched up DD#2's chair, my recliner (not superbad, but noticible to me!) and she's been clawing my living room rug. Well, I made the decision to have her declawed. That was last Thursday. Brought her home on Friday & she had these bandages on. They didn't seem to be bothering her. Saturday she started chewing the bandages off. Sunday she broke open her wounds & bled all over the masterbedroom floor. DD#1 & I spent all day Sunday cleaning the carpet. Pre-cleaning & steam cleaning. It finally came out, but Fiona is in confinement. I put her in the dog crate. It's a HUGE dog crate. She has food, she has water & even her own litter box. We have to keep shredded paper in the box instead of regular litter, until her wounds heal. did you know that cats really DON'T like shredded paper??? She is miseralbe. Yowling & crying. I feel terrible...but what can I do? I get furniture, what?, every 10 years??? I have not been successful in changing or curtailing her behavior - so the claws had to go! Soon as her scabs start healing - she can come out....She really is a good cat & once we're past this little hurdle, she'll even be better because she can't do any damage.

Sam (who is feeling like a cat hater, but I'm NOT)

My Messes - Plural !

Photo #1 is of my upstairs sewing room. It's still a work in progress & it's always pretty messy. I am working on PP Pineapple blocks from my scrap bin(s) and tend to keep a huge pile of scraps on the sewing table to choose from. It's a nice work space. Under the ironing station is the plastic bins with kits in them. I more downstairs.....

Photo #2 is of the stack of fabrics that I have gathered for the *new* paper pieced Pineapple Quilt called "Color Me Blue" (that may NOT always be it's name.....we'll see....) Awesome stack of fabrics, isn't it? You also see scraps that I have turned into 4-patch units. These are the left overs from the strip set units from the Star Struck Quilt. I will , eventually, turn these into baby quilts to gift away.

Photo #3 are the COMPLETED PP Pineapple blocks. I thought I only had 10. There are 13. I just love them! They are so colorful & eclectic at the same time. Civil War Repros & Thimbleberries are the predominant prints.....

I'm NOT getting any sewing done if I am getting posting done!!

Sam

Quilt Guild Meeting

I went to the Quilt Guild meeting tonight. It starts at 6:30 PM - but turns out that most of the guiild members get there in the morning & spend all day. So? It was a very short meeting. I walked into a very full house & was required to introduce myself. It went well, the ladies were all really friendly. It is held at a Church of Christ & they have a d=storage room & then another room with tables, cutting mats etc. They had Show-And-Tell - I'm glad that there are other overachievers! Good Company, I hope!!! They also meet on the 4th Saturday. Sort of like a "sew-in". I hope to come to that one.
It will be the Saturday following the AQS show in Nashville. I am taking off Thursday & Friday & have a friend coming from Alabama (Hey Kat!) & she has to be back in AL to see her DS#1 play football. (You should see this kid....he's going to be a lady killer.....a real treat for the eyes, that one!)
I have plans of being on a fabric diet while at the show....I need 4 yards of white(or what reads white...for the *new* PP Pineapple...) and then I neeed to replenish BLUES. Dark Blues. I'm a little short in that department. I don't need anything. I counted them up & I have MORE than 20 quilt kits ready to be sewn. Either in progress quilt "kits" , purchased quilt kits, or kits I made up with fabric & pattern because it was somehting I'm interested in. We are NOT even going to discuss the fabric that isn't included in kits. We just aren't....
Anyways.............
I was home by 7:15 PM & had dinner with DD#1. I had put a pork roast into a crock pot this morning just because I wasn't going to be home to cook. It was SOOO good. I know it has more taste because it has more FAT!!
Gotta go, I am going to grab about an hours time worth of sewing before beddy-bye. I have to get DH up at 1:30 AM - he has to be in East TN for some training......I'm glad I don't need that training!

See Ya !

Sam

A NEW project

I have been working on 2 quilt projects since we moved in. I mean personal quilts...I have been working on a "Star Struck" quilt (pattern by Bonnie Hunter!) in Green & Cream stars with gold & brown accents. And also a scrappy PP Pineapple. I have all my subunits for the Star Struck sewn & have the GOLD accents sewn on. I got very bored with it & lack sewing the BROWN accent squares on all the units. I put that away for a bit...I drug out the Scrappy PP Pineapple blocks. WHOO - HOO, one day when this Pineapple gets done, it's going to be one of my favorites. I just know it. I think i got the foundation off the internet & I enlarged the block. They will finish about 9 inches and each block has 37 pieces in it! I have 15 blocks done & I am working on 40 more. I am not sure how many blocks I'll actually need.....but 55 MIGHT be half. that's why I don't work on it all the time..
But my post is to tell you about a NEW project that I have been gathering fabrics for this weekend. A blue & white Pineapple Variation. It is also PP. And it's gong to be a super favorite. It was a FREE pattern (gotta love those right?) off the Quilters Newsletter website. It is called "Color Me Blue" . Very stunning. i simply could not resist. I know, I know....2 PP Pineapples???? Well, why not? I like the movement of them. I like PP'ing, and I like blue. (red is my favorite color but I tried to visualize the quilt in red & decided that it would be too Christmassy and I REALLY, REALLY want it on my bed....) I figure by the time I get these 2 PP Pineapples completed, I'll likely NEVER make another one again!
Ah ! But you didn't know I was making TWO Ocean Waves Quilts too, did you ? Yep! Ala-Bonnie-Hunter (again) I am making 1 Ocean Waves with a red background & 1 with a blue backgroud. Why 2? I don't know...maybe because I am terrible, terrilbe , TERRIBLE to give my quilts away & then totally dislike myself for doing so...I figure if I make TWO then if either of the DD's "borrow" one, I still have one. Same for when I "gift" one away...I'll still have ONE for myself.
Total selfishness...

It's time for sleep - I hear my feather pillow calling. Monday is back to work

Oh
Oh
Oh, yeah - tomorrow I go to a "local" quilt guild. I'm not much on "organized" guilds....and I am trying real hard not to go tot he first metting with a preconceived idea of what type of people I will meet. For all my vivaciousness, loud mouth, outspokenness, acting ou for a reaction type personality. I am SHY. Yep - I'm really a shy person.....totally scared that I will shunned. But I NEED some "quilting buddies", I relly miss my freinds in Alabama, Badly. Sometimes more than just badly....

Sam

For the record

When you look at the photos , in the below post, my "studio" is the area on the RIGHT of the photos.
Stucturally we couldn't "center" the wall in the basement area, so my area is smaller than the work shop. I'm fine with that. No-one, not even DH complains that I have TWO sewing rooms. Yep, TWO ! Aren't I just the lucky girl?

Sam

New Studio

Okay folks - anyone that has been reading my blog for any amount of time knows that this time LAST year DH & I started building a 2 car garage. 24'X36' - 3 bays. 2 were to be my long arm studio & 1 was DH's wood shop work shop. We FINSIHED the garage in March & moved from Alabama to Tennessee in the last week of May.

WELL........the new house is bigger, but not all in the same places as the last house - so we had to do some rearranging. I have my personal sewing room in a portion of the upstairs bouns room & my longarm machine in an area of the basement. I have the majority of my books and fabrics and patterns down in the basement - but that will only be until I can get the storage arranged in a manner I like - upstairs. I will leave the cabinets in the basement (because I need the storage for my customers' quilts, batting, backing and books....) mainly because the cabinets that I DO have are no longer made & I really have a preferrence for matching mess.....so until I can get enough matching cabinets UPSTAIRS - my STUFF stays in the basement.

Well today we started the wall in the basement that will separate MY studio & DH's wood shop work area. We sort of knocked out 2 projects...we had to remove a bunch of the dropped ceiling tiles in order to start the framing of the wall & we needed to check to make sure that there wasn't still anything wet....

Here are the pictures of the progress. It's going to be a little messy for me to quilt for the next few weeks, but that will be okay. I have 3 (actually 6) sutomer quilts waiting in the wings - and I'll have to use the shop vac to get everything (insert sawdust here...) cleaned up !!!! But now that we hae started, DH & I will NOT stop until it's completed. I really like my space. It's not a big as the studio in Alabama - but , oh well....

We had some help today too. BIL is the one on the scaffold. DH is the one in the burgundy t-shirt.

We also bought another light to intall in my half of the studio. I can hardly wait until it's finished!!!!

The biggest drwaback to having it boxed in (not complaining here - just stating a fact...) since it will be closed off, we'll have to get a 2nd de-humidifier to keep any dampness away. The one we have does a great job! Sucks all moisture right out - but it won't through that wall! It's just not that good!

Talk at you all later!

Sam

DD#1

I couldn't get this phot on the last post...

Daughters & Neice

DD#2 turned 22 this week. DD#1 made her a recipe box. D-neice came to visit & HER b-day was the latter part of last month. I got photos of them all. D-neice is the one pictured with the beautiful dark , dark brown hair. DD#2 is the red-head in the UAB t-shirt & DD#1 is the one snarling, in pink. She didn't want to smile. These are my "girls", all of them! Aren't they just beautiful? I think so!

Last week DD#1, DH & I went to Alabama to move DD#2 to a new apartment. Not *newer*, just new to her. I guess if you say it FAST enough it's "new-her". It's closer to campus.....it was so hot, terribly rotten hot! But it's done & she's moved & WHOO-Hoo only 2 more semesters to go! Oh, happy day! D-neice wil be graduating high-school the same month as DD#2 will be graduating college.

I am proud of them all. I will be breathing down D-neice's neck all through college. No sense treating her any different than the other 2!

See ya !

Sam

Appliance Issues

Came home Friday afternoon and was going to do some power sewing. I thought I had an hour or longer before anyone came home. Well I piddled around & soon DD#1 came home, I noticed water on the kitchen floor, lot's of water....,under the fridge! A huge puddle. I directed DD#1 to go down to the basement to see how bad it might be - she runs down stairs & comes back up & says "It's bad, real bad. We need towels , lot's of towels....!!!!!!!!!!" Well, I had the fridge pulled away from the wall & got the water supply to the ice maker & water turned off - the water stopped flowing & we threw towels down on the floor & we both run downstairs to the basement - Oh my GOSH it looked like it was raining in the basement. the dropped ceiling looked like huge drooping diapers hanging off the ceiling. The towels were very ineffective. We found the shop vac & plugged it in & DD#1 started sucking up water & I got the biggest broom I could find to start pushing water toward the vacum. it was still raining down there. It took us about 2 hours to get it vacuumed up - Once the water was stopped, the raining came to be a little drizzle. We got trash cans & coolers under the biggest dripping pieces of ceiling.

It's still drying now, and we still don't know the extent of the damage under the hardwood floors. the photo I have attached, you have to look really hard , but you can see where the individual boards are cupped up. We have discussed sanding them down & refinishing them - but DH said everything he's read said that we need to leave them alone to dry completely & THEN make a decision. It's not as noticible as it seems, you can FEEL it more than see it. We have to get all the ceiling tiles taken down in the basement & get the insulation down & make sure that there is nothing wet in the floor construction. We still have a big fan blowing down there.

I am glad, glad, glad that the water leak didn't center over my Nolting machine! I suppose that is horribly selfish...I hope no-one thinks so...but It would have had to be sent to the manufacturer for a check up & make sure it wasn't damaged or had water sitting in it!! I am also glad that we had not started construction on the wall separating our 2 work shops...It would have been damaged in this little water escapade!

We still alck getting an appliance repair man out to "see" the fridge - right now - no ice maker or waer out of the door. No big loss....not right now!

Sam

Living Room "After" Photos

When they got here with the furniture, they got the couch about 80% through the front door and decided that they couldn't, it was too big. It has to come through the kitchen door. It looks really BLANK in there - but we're not hanging anything on the walls until we paint. Same color - just not a flat paint.

Oh yes! EUREKA ! I finally found the installation CD for my camera......so? Now I can post photos! Happy dance, Happy Dance, Happy Dance !!

Sam

Living Room "Before" Photos

This is what the living room looked like BEFORe the furniture got delivered.