Secret's Out !

I fiddled with a free block pattern this week. It is a free "no match stars" pattern off the UrbanElementz website. (I buy pantographs from them...)

The block is big, and easy. I decided I'd TRY to make a quilt for DD#1. Since I am making so much & doing so much for DD#2 & the soon to be grandchild...I wanted to make DD#1 a quilt for her birthday.

I have been hoarding pink fat quarters & brown fat quarters. Figured I can replace them when/if I get ready to make something for myself.

So , on top of everything else I have started/need to get done/plan to get done , I have added a queen size Pink & Brown Quilt for DD#1.

Don't ever ask me to keep a secret. I can't. Don't ask me to keep a straight face when telling a joke - can't dot hat either. I'm not even very good at telling lies - so I don't!

Here are 20 blocks. I have 15 more cut out.





In other news today - DD#1 & I emptied the purple room of furniture - I know, I know - I was supposed to do this several weeks ago - well I never got started.

Well the purple room is currently empty of furniture - but we didn't get any further in the paiting department then when we started today. Why??? Well ! Let me tell you....

The washer died. We don't know if it has a clutch problem or a belt problem. Prince Charming said he was absent when they covered washer repair in school - I told him I slept through it...so I spent all day running to auto parts stores for a belt. I think (the third try) we got one that looks like it's going to fit - but it was too dark to get it on & test drive the washer. We look like shur-nuff rednecks right now with my clothes washer on the back deck, my dryer in the living room & various other furniture scattered in every room BUT the purple room.

I hope that the belt works -as I would rather have spent all day running around trying to find the RIGHT belt than to go buy another washer. And why only buy a washer? I really want a co-ordinating dryer too.

Cost for the set? $1600. A $7 belt? Priceless!

Let me tell you though - I don't have a LAUNDRY ROOM. I have a double doored closet in the hall way. You CAN NOT slide either appliance out - while leaving the other one in there. No matter how much rigging or pushing or anything. Not without taking the door jamb off. How did we get the washer out? Well, we had to lift the dryer up & over the washer before it would come out of the closet. That's how I remember it getting put in there...WE didn't put it in there - movers did. Little skiiny dude got behind it & taller dude helped him lift it & put it in the closet. It's not a little bitty closet - looks big enough when the appliances are IN there....but try & get one out.....HA, Ha, Ha! We looked comical , the 3 of us. Prince Charming told me that if I wanted to PAINT the laundry closet - i had better do it NOW - because he wasn't going to take those suckers out again....

I really hope that the belt is all the cream puff will need. It's over 10 years old....it may need replacing...I sure hope not.

Sam

Edited to add: event hough we're west of a "big city" there isn't anyone form an appliance repair company going to come out after 12 noon on a Saturday - much less on a Sunday. If I waited until Monday to call - I'd have had to stay home from work to wait on a repairman. Such decisions! It's working with belt #3 - so it's moot now!

50% - Well....Sort Of

Here is the latest update on my Pineapple Patch Quilt.

I am setting the blocks 8 X 9, so this is half the blocks set into rows.

There are 1.5" (cut)sashing strips between each block & then the sashing stips BETWEEN the rows will have little bitty 1.5" (cut) blocks between them....It sounds like a lot (well...it is!) but it's going together SO much faster right now!

I say it's SORT OF 50% because the body of this quilt is the easy part. The body of the quilt is bordered by a 10" border with appliqued flowers & vines & leaves and then a final/outer 2" border. The pattern has the final/outer border in a lavender. I dont' think I'll go with lavender - I may make it blue. We'll see what "speaks to me" when it's to that point & since I'm no where near "that point", I'm not gonna worry about it!

I am going to use that EB/Quilt In A Day method to applique the flowers & flower centers, but the vine will be bias strips & totally needle turn applique.

There is NO WAY that I am going to be able to get this beauty completed before THE baby is here, because there isn't enough time. Maybe I should rephrase that: I don't want to sepnd the time on it to get it done. It's not that important. I'd like to have it done before our guild's show in may , but tha's the ONLY goal.

Soon as the body of it's done, I'm back to THE baby applique quilt - still haven't finished the bunny.....

As you view this photo - remember a few things please: #1 it was after 9PM when I shot the photo #2 It's on a beige floor carpet #3 It's pretty dark up here unless you're under the lights at my table(s). #4 the cat was waitin on the top step, to the right of the photo, to get ON my quilt & the fav fat dog was laid next to the wall onthe left of the quilt -so I was snapping this picture really QUICK so that neither one of them seized the opportunity to get on it.

Cute isn't it? All 1930's repro prints. 72 blocks, no repeats! It's going to be a keeper for sure!

Sam

Checking In - No Photos Yet

Saturday - my guild went to the Huntsville Quilt Show. We chartered a bus. Since the last time I went to a quilt show, I forgot to put new batteries in my camers - I made SURe I put *NEW* batteries in it - but - guess what? I forgot the camera...We had a blast. I am so glad we chartered a bus.

They had door prizes - every hour - one of my guild members won a new Viking Sewing Machine! I don't think anyone else (in our guild) won anything more.

There were a LOT of quilts. Beautiful too - nice bed size quilts. There were vendors too. I spent my "allotment" - one thing though - I bought another Martelli Curve Master. When I got home I did 2 things. #1 Tried to use the one I bought - but guess what??? The one I bought on Saturday is a 5/8 inch seam allowance. Now WHY would they even sellt he 5/8 at a quilt show? Needless to say - a 5/8 is NOT going to work #2 Now since I knew what the foot was supposed to LOOK like - I found my other one. I am going to try & send the *new* one back (because it's 5/8's) and exchange it for a 1/4". That way, I'll have a spare or a good door prize.

I got to meet up with my freind Kat - she brought her sister & her sister-in-law. WOW - what a great bunch of people. I'm glad I got to meet the 2 of them. Sure wish Kat didn't live so far away.

Well - I will see what kind of pictures I can load later -

Sam

Blooming Again!

This is my Angel Trumpet plant. If you remember - I planted it at Easter.

I must say, AGAIN, I am not a gardener. If I plant it & it grows , it's a GOOD thing.

This plant is now over 8 foot tall. No kidding. And it's blooming AGAIN!!!!! The smell is beautiful - I can't explain it - just lovely.

WOW, it is so beautiful. You would not beleive it. There are twice as many blooms this time, than there were last time. There are so many hummingbirds in it that they sound like chickens.

I don't know anyone ,that has one, that has seen one bloom twice. I nearly cut it back, about 2 weeks ago, until I saw the bloom pods....it's taken over the walkway - you either have to move it or walk under it to get by it.

Once it's finished blooming - I'll have to cut it back.

the photos are a little dark - it was nearly 7 PM when I took these photos. I have never had anything do so well! I am so proud!



Not much sewing going on. I did lay out my Pineapple Patch blocks & stacked them all up to be sewn into rows. And that's it.

Sam

#72 !

Ta-Da! This is # 72. I didn't dig in the 30's bins. (I have 2) - I just pulled out the 1st 30's print that was pink that I touched.

Good thing there are only 4 borders, I'll know when I finish #4 of the borders I won't have to worry about making a 5th!

Sam

71 - I need 72!

Well, I measured the quilt on my bed (finished size) and it's 85 X 98. I like the length & I like the width.

Well.........I started these blocks in July. ? Maybe it was June - I'll have to look back on my blog log & see - doesn't really matter - but with the measurements that I want this Pineapple Patch Quilt to be....I need 72 blocks.

I only have 71. I have 12 red, 12 yellow, 12 blue, 12 green, 12 purple. but only 11 pink. So I need to go downstairs into my studio & see if I can find a pink 30's FQ (only need a fat 8th) and make ONE more block.

These are all trimmed up & ready for the sashing strips.

I am SO excited about getting THIS far! I was trying to make a big push so that I could work on THE baby quilt. Of which I have made zero progress this past couple of weeks.....

Later this evening I need to do 4 things. #1 Make the last Pink block for my Pineapple Patch Quilt #2 Put away all the laundry in the purple room. #3 Move all the furniture fromt he purple room into the yellow room. #4 Pack up all my stuff for guild tomorrow. (gonne get off work early for this!!! yay!)

#2 is neccessary to complete #3. We have lived here for 15 months - I have not painted the FIRST room, nor have I even hung up ONE picture. Nothing. So I am going to paint the purple room. It's a guest room & not used much (and it's closest to the laundry area - hence the laundry - I HATE laundry - always have & always will ) Prince Charming will help me move the furniture into the OTHER guest room. then , after work evryday this week (excluding tomorrow) I am going to fill holes, and paint primer & then PAINT. I am painting both guest rooms a mellow yellow. It's a Benjamin Moore Paint called "Moonlight" in an egg-shell finish. I had this color in my kitchen & in one of my guest rooms in my house in Alabama. I really liked it.

All the rooms in this house are painted in a flat finish paint. Bathrooms & the kitchen too. I am on a mission to change this....

I bought a pattern yesterday. You're NEVER going to guess what kind of pattern. I am tickled over it & likely won't use it for years. Maybe 2...maybe less...I doubt it. Can you guess? It's a pattern for my pending grandchild....are you any closer to thinking what it might be?

Go to Ladder Hill Designs. I bought that pattern.

Gotta go - the laundry calls...if'n I want to meet all my goals this evening!

Sam

Patriotism

I wore my red shirt today - with an American flag on it.

Did you?

I also went to Wal Mart @ 5:30 AM , on my way to work, to buy a flag.

I hung the flag on the patio of the office trailer that I work in.

Sam

Quilt Raffle (I QUILTED IT !!!!)

Wander on over to my freind's blog, Kyra, she is selling raffle tickets for a quilt she made.

I quilted it! I used pink thread & a pantograph from Willowleaf Studio called "Caring Hands".

It's a beautiful quilt.

Here's Kyra's blog name: http://myrakyra.blogspot.com
(I am ridiculously clueless of how to link stuff onto my blog...)

I think I could admit to turning Kyra into a "quilter". No monster there! She does a great job, and I am honored that she has had me to do her quilting.

She also has an on-line fabric store. Great prices!

Talk at you all later!

Sam

Goodies from Greg

Greg - he's one of the blogs I follow - on the sidebar - GREG is from "Flat Out Quilting". He had a Pay-It-Forward obligation & I was one of the recipients of one of his PIF's.

This is what he sent me!

How cool is that?

My favorite color is red, isn't that great?

Needles for my machines. Thread & the pins are not just plain straight pins they ae QUILTING pins - designed for multiple layers of fabric. Never seenthem, but I am going to be looking for some now.

Thank You GREG ! I appreciate your generosity!

Sam

(PS - Greg what type of batting is that? I really like how that feels.)

Cupcake!

This is the Cupcake I got from my friend, Donna.

I got 2 & I was going to give one away, but decided to keep one at work on my monitor.

Sort of reminder of why I need to keep a job...

Cute , isn't it?

Sam

How Do you Say......(in Finnish?)

"OTTOBRE" ?

I oredered several (okay 2) women's Ottobre magazines and several (okay, 2 again) Ottobre children's magazines. (mine will all come in English....)

They are supposed to be for sewing clothing & every pattern they show in each magazine has the multisize pattern included. How cool is that?

My sewing experience began with sewing clothing. My first CLOTHING item was my maternity clothes when I was pregnant with DD#1 - wow, I was 18.

I bought that sewing machine when I was 16. I still have it, too. A New Home. Taht has been a workhorse for sure.

I made clothing for the girls. Jumpers, skirts, short-alls, shorts, sweatshirts, leggings, dresses, smocked dresses, costumes. You name it, I sewed it.

When I made clothing for the girls, I didn't sew much for myself. Some skirts & that was about it. I like them LONG and you can't go to Wal-Mart & buy skirts like that much...

As the girls got older they didn't want "HOME MADE" clothing - so I transitioned into quilting.

Well - while surfing the internet, I have come across many blogs that have people that SEW (not quilts) and it has sparked my re-intrest in sewing again. I also want to sew clothing for the grandbaby - but BOY'S clothing patterns leave a lot to be desired in the the normal pattern companies. I want to sew more than Jammies, you know?

Anyway - some of the blogs that I have seen have used OTTOBRE patterns. So i ordered them! But I'm curious...how do you pronounce OTTOBRE? I mean, I can figure it out in Spanish or English = it would be sort of like Auto-Bray..but that can't be right if it's from Finland would it? So? Anyone know how to say it correctly?

My English leaves much to be desired (let's not even get started on my spelling!) and my Spanish is getting a little better (but the mexican - spanish speaking population in TN stays more than a little segregated and I don't get to practice much) but I'm POSITIVE I know nothing of Finnish (?) or how to correctly say "OTTOBRE".

When I get my magazines, I'd like to, at least, seem like I know what I'm saying...got to keep my image up, you know!

"OTTOBRE" - it's a magazine......

Thanks

Sam

(ps - found out off the quilting forum that's it's pronounced O...TOE....BER. Easy Enough. Curiousity satisfied!)

Up Next For Quilting

This Quilt belongs to QB1 - it is a gift she has made for her SIL (?) Maybe...I know she has to have it for a christmas present - I'm just not sure who it's for.

This pattern is a Focus Fabric Quilt Pattern. The center is a big rectangle - for those fabrics that have large scale prints or you just can't cut it type prints. Then it's bordered. Several borders. One of the borders is 6 inch squares. It's an easy, fast, quilt to make. QB1 lenghthend this one by 12 inches to make it longer.

If you are interested in the pattern - let me know - it's a freebie. I can send you a copy.

Isn't this CUTE? All Cowboy/Westerned Themed.

I have one made up (similar) to this - but I'm saving it for the grandbaby....

I will quilt QB1's Cowboy Quilt in a pantograph called "Simple Stars & Loops". By Willowleaf Studio. It's about the only thing I have that even comes close to being western....

Don't know if QB1's quilt is going on EXACTLY next on the rails - because she'a not in a hurry for it. Just wants it back in time to get it bound for Christmas.

Sam

Quilting Finished - String Quilt

Didn't this turn out pretty?

There is little natural light in our bous room - so the flash makes this appear much brighter than it is. It IS bright though....no doublt about it.

I like how the quilting turned out. I like it a LOT.

Too bad this is a giveaway.

Prince charming is doing the quilt holding. My spacing is acceptable. (I am my own worst critic!)

Whatcha think?

Sam

String Quilt Quilting

It's not like I don't have anything else to do. but I wanted to DO something for myself. Or maybe for someone else??? We'll see about the someone else...

This is a string quilt that I have had hanging in a closet for years. It's sort of bright. Orange & Turqoise (sp?), some brown & some red. It's foundation pieced onto muslin. About 73 X 83.

The pantograph that I am using is a new one for the month, for me. It's from Urban Elementz and it's called "Poppies". It's rather tight! As you can see. I normally never suggest using a busy/tight pantograph on a quilt that is busy. Busy meaning - lots of pieces or lots of color. The quilting is just simply lost - and unless (IMHO) you're getting heirloom style quilting - you really only need the quilting as a backdrop - not the front & center of the quilt design.

Tight panto's have a higher price per square inch - they take longer to quilt - you have to go slower & I increase my # of stitches per inch so that the points are more visible. More sittiches means more thread.

Speaking of thread - I had this ORANGE (or maybe it's a Burnt ORANGE)thread in my thread drawer & I have never had the opportunity to use it. I had a Turqoise that matched perfectly - but I have had customers like that one...so I decided to use a thread color that didn't move so well. Ha, ha, ha - on the body of this quilt - you can't even see the pattern of the "Poppies" - it just looks like all orange thread. Good thinkg is that I am using unbleached muslin for the backing & the ORANGE thread really REALLY shows up great!

I prefer busy "backs". I like printed backing, pieced printed, backings - anything that looks different from the front. I prefer them PERSONALLY for myself. And I really liek them when my customers use them. When the backs are just plain - I have to pay special attention EXTRA SPECIAL attention to my spacing between rows.

Anyway - this is probably a giveaway. Not sure who - maybe part of a PIF??? (pay-it-forward) We'll see.

I got no clue what I'll bind it in. I don't have any of that orange star print that is on the outer border - nor do I have any of the turqoise...so I'll likely bind it in muslin. Or if I can find some plain orange...we'll see.

Bright ehough???

Sam

Elbow Jewlery

Oh boy! How exciting for me!

NOT !!!

I have been having a great deal of pain in my right arm. Could not figure out what it is, or what I'd been doing. The pain wasn't there while sewing & not there while operating the long arm machine - but present when I am feeding fabric through the DSM. Not present when hand sewing....

Baffled me.

Hurts the most on Monday & worsened through the week, then got better over the weekend.

I have had this pain in my arm for 6 weeks, give or take a few weeks. WELL ! Last week, I started dropping stuff. No grip. Dropped dishes, boxes. Couldn't throw the ball for the big dogs - okay - I know I throw like a girl - but they really don't care if my aim is off....I couldn't lift anything above my shoulder.

So - I went to the doctor on Friday. Guess what? Tennis elbow. TENNIS ELBOW??? Come on - it had to be Junior High, the last time I played tennis. It's because I spend all day on a computer for a living.

Got this sweet little brace to wear.

If you have not guessed, I'm being super dooper sarcastic. Double doses of it. None of the pharmacies in Dickson County had one - I had to go to a medical supply in Nashville for it on Monday.

I have been wearing my Elbow Jewelery since yesterday at 9 AM. The pain is less. LESS - but still present. I WAS able to throw the ball - with my normal inaccuracy - for the big dogs. I wore it to bed, but I must have loosened it because it was around my wrist when I woke up.

The DR said I'd have to wear it until it got better. Got better or I have to see an orthopedic specialist. I hope it does not go that far.

They had them in black & white. I was hoping for RED or LIME green - but what the heck....it feels a little better than it has in a while - so black is just fine. It sure is noticible against my fair skin though!

Sam