Cheesy Photo

QB1 took this photo of me while we were @ Paducah last week. This was the cardboard image of Eleanor Burns in front of her shop in downtown Paducah. We had walked all day & I have been recovering from wrenching my back (no clue how I did that!) so I was forcing that cheeser smile.

Funny story........QB1 & I got to the tent that Quilt In A Day has @ the fairgrounds & QB1 is standing in line to get her book autographed by EB. She's like #5 in line. Well one of the show henchmen comes up & says that book signing is stopping @ person #3 - QB1 was a little angry because she'd been standing there........THEN after EB comes down off the stage - she walks past all these OTHER people that were not even in line & signs books.........oh my! QB1 was NOT happy...........It wasn't EB's fault. Her employees should have stood in the back of the line & stopped people there...But oh well. They had lots & lots of fabric discounted - but I just didn't see anything that screamed it needed to come home with me.

We really had a good time though. Lots & lots & lots of vendors. That's my FAVORITE part of the "show". I bought a bunch of patterns - some thread (that I'm not going to use)and 3 new pantographs & not much else. The fabric was overwhelming. But I just am NOT going to buy it for $9 per yard. I don't need it that badly.

Oh yeh! I think I have my thread issues corrected. I fiddled & fiddled - said some REALLY ugly things - and finally got the stitches to look NICE. On top & on the bottom. Bourbon is going to like his sheet quilt. Babtist Fans on blue pinstriped sheets. Thread is some plum/purple that I have NEVER used. This is one ugly practice peice. Good thing he don't care. I , probably, won't post pictures of this doggy quilt, fix the tension, practice peice..........it's not my best work.

Sam

Thread Woes

Oh My Gosh! What is the opposite of the Midas Touch? What ever it may be, I have it.

I have spent all day - not an understatement - ALL DAY - with thread tension issues.

I am so angry with myself right now - that I am afraid to even TRY touching any machine.

I bought Superior Thread at the Paducah Show on Friday.

I finished quilting the Grandbaby's Quilt yesterday - BUT ! I have fiddled with the tension SO much with the YLI thread & the Superior thread that I can't get it right on my Perma Core thread. The stitches LOOK good, but now? NOW???? The top tension is so tight, the thread keeps breaking. What's the solution? Loosen the top & tighten the bobbin. Yes, that would be it, but I'm not ready for another 3 hour round of thread fighting. There is NO winner in a thread fight. Trust me, I won't lie!

ACK !! I am so aggravated right now. Absolutely, not kidding, rotten to be around, don't even want to say nice things to the dog, want to punch holes in the wall, ugly ugly personality, just plain angry. Can't be any more angry that that?

And I want a Coke & a Chocolate bar. I know I'd feel better after those. Guess what? Don't got none.

Sam

Quilting the Grandbaby's Quilt

ACK !! I am frog stitching. Major, big time FROGGING. I am backing the quilt in a Cowboy print. Bucking Broncos. It's an older Michael Miller fabric. And since the top is a dark navy blue - I wanted to quilt it with navy blue thread. Well.........the only dark blue thread I have it YLI.

I don't know what YOU use, but I don't use YLI. I have about 12 cones of YLI that I got when I bought the machine. I can't make it work, I have never been able to make it work. It shreds easily, and has too many slubs in it. I hate it. I dislike it, I can't even pretend that I like it.

But it was NAVY BLUE !!

So I loaded the quilt up, and quilted 2 rows of stars & loops. Well, now I am frogging said 2 rows. It's going to take me 2 days to frog stitch all this quilting. The top looks great, the back looks like ......... nasty. Loops and little nests. I fiddled with the tension, I fiddled with the bobbin tension, I threaded & rethreaded the machine.........I said some really NOT NICE words about that YLI thread, and NOW I am frogging it all out.

Cotie's husband once told me that 2 minutes quilting on a long arm equals 2 hours of taking it all out. I think he's understated that action. I am a 1/3 done, of frog stitching. I been doing it all night.

I'll re-quilt it later next week. I WILL use navy blue thread, but a guarantee you, it won't be with that YLI thread. Not even one inch.

Anyone want some YLI thread? I am serious. We can trade. I'll count how many I got. (have some mono-filiament too. I refuse to quilt with that stuff too)

What brand do I like? What brand do I buy? PERMA-CORE. Love the stuff. I never have tension problems with the PERMA-CORE thread. But I used up all my navy blue.....

And just for the record. I have used the YLI on a Gammill Optimum and had the EXACT same issues as I am having on my Nolting 24. Yes, maybe you're right, maybe I HAVE convinced myself & now it's simply a mind thing - but right now it's a seam ripper thing. I ain't using that shtuff again.

I was SO hoping to have it quilted & the binding sewn on for the trip to Salem (Opelika, AL) this coming week. Darn it.

No pictures because it's ugly right now.............!!!!!!!!

Sam

Grandbaby's Quilt

Until i finish his I-Spy, this one will do!

1st photo is with out borders, the last 2 are shown with it hanging off the railing of the deck.

Sure wish you didn't see all the crud UNDER the deck, this month or next, we are building a planter around the bottom of the deck & it will have my hydrangeas in it. Then you won't see under it any more!

Sam

Bug Jar Quilt

Shortly after Christmas last year, my friend Donna in southern California, asked me if I could contribute any fabric to make some Bug Jar Quilts.

There was a very tragic accident & one brother of 3 was killed. The Aunt(s) of the boys wanted to make the quilts for the younger boys. I thought this was a beautiful idea & was brought to tears over the whole incident. I dont' wish to intrude in the family's privacy & won't post photos of the boys, nor their names. I thought it was just wonderful that they shared the photos with me.

I managed to send a nice selection of prints & the Aunt(s) were gracious enough to share photos of the compeleted quilts. It's so nice to recognize some of the prints that I sent!

I was honored to be asked to help & doubly honored that they used what I sent. It makes me feel so proud of the nice things that quilters do for one another

Sam

"Thinking Outside the Box" Update

Well, I finished the quilting this afternoon. It turned out really pretty & really BRIGHT. I can not decide if the back is more bright then the front. I used purple thread. DD#2 loves purple.

I already have the binding strips sewn together & ironed in half & ready to apply. Just need to DO IT.

I brought the quilt upstairs to lay out on the floor to photograph & load some photos onto my blog & while I was turning on the computer & connecting to the internet, the dog decides that I laid it down JUST FOR HIM. No encouragement what-so-ever.

I am sure that DD#2 will not appreciate it. I will definately have to run it through the washer after I bind it & before I give it to her.

Soon as I can get it laid out flat, I'll post additional photos.

Sam

Quilting The Quilt

This is a quilt that I made MORE than 2 years ago. How do I know it was MORE than 2 years ago? Well......because, in 2 months, I will have been living back in TN for 2 years. Moved back here in May 2008.

I made this quilt BEFORE I moved. I did, however, peice the backing sometime last year.

I can not decide whether the front is brighter than the backing. I am using a "power" purple thread & a pantograph from Willowleaf Studios called "DIZZY" - I felt like the design complimented the print in the fabric. As of right this second - it's half quilted.

The pattern for the quilt top is from Toad-U-Sew (in Florida) & it is called "Thinking Outside the Block". Very interesting - give s a 3D effect - sort of.....but really? Each block is a quarter Log Cabin.

I started this quilt for DD#2. It's still for her. She will be here on Easter weekend & I hope to have it completed & bound for her to take home with her.

Sam

Found A New Blog To Follow !

You all know how much Prince Charming & I LOVE to make "things", and do home improvement projects.

Well, I (one day) would like to have a wooden kitchen set for the grandkids at my house. I remember having a metal one when I was alittle kid & I LOVED it. It is one of few posessions that I can remember having as a child. ANYWAY.........I was looking for woodworking plans (found some at workworkers) and stumbled on this blog:

www.knockoffwood.blogspot.com

This is another VERY crafty person. I am SO inspired!!

Sam

Pineapple Update

This is the box that I am throwing scraps into for my PP Pineapple. I don't EVER seem to get to the bottom of this box.

I did myself a favor and finally separated the lights from the darks. When I am bored of working on it, the box top with the lights sits down inside the green box.





These are all that I have done. I still lack 38 more. 38! Seems like it will take me a lifetime to do 38.........and that's just for the "body", I still lack the border blocks too. 43, I think. I don't have a deadline, I don't kid myself thinking I am going to finish it RIGHT NOW. This is one of my GO TO projects. Sort of like therapy sewing , you know? Ha! Therapy?? There are 37 pieces per block. When it's done, there will be over 5000 pieces.....More like insanity. but you know what? I already LOVE this quilt. I finsih 10 or 20 blocks & I just can not resist laying them out & just drooling over how much I LOVE this quilt.

QB1 asks me how I am going to quilt them (yes them, she's making one too! AND, I have enough scraps for .......oh, I don't know.........2 or 3 more?) I told her that I just wanted a nice pantograph on it. It is so incredibly busy, that any really nice quilting will be lost & never seen!

So? What do you think? How would you quilt it? Remember, I'm a little ways away from GETTING it quilted. I lack 38 body blocks & 43 border blocks. Might as well be a million!! Ha Ha!

Sam

Stripper Party

On Thursday nights, a few of my QB's & I get together & sew. This started last year around early summer. Started out strong with 4 of us. Now, it's more or less just me & QB1 (Pam!) but recently, we have promoted another girl (Nancy!) to QB2 because she's been coming a little more regularly then before. Don't make me eat my words QB2............

Anyway - because I had an appointment late Thursday night (to get our taxes done) we rescheduled our Thursday night to Wednesday night. Turns out that due to an unplanned report at my real job, I didn't GET to leave to go to my tax appointment & havve had to reschedule.......ANYWAY.....Wednesday night QB1 & QB2 came over to my house & we tackled a box of scraps that I have. QB1 & I cut & QB2 ironed. There were lot's of bigger scraps & if either of them wanted the big peices, we didn't cut them.

Let me tell you! I am SO grateful that we got that container dealt with. I feel lighter. Cleaner. Relieved....Now I have strips! Lot's of 2" strips.

I hoep that I never get that big a pile of scraps again. NOW - after I finish a project, I cut up the scraps into strips - long ones into one bin & short ones into the PP Pineapple bin. I think I have enough short peices of scraps to make 4 PP Pineapple Quilts.

We (yes WE!) still have another plastic container FULL of more scraps to go through.

Another night, I suppose?

Sam

Checking In

Nothing *new* going on. I decided I was NOT going to put a bow tie border on the hugs & kisses quilt. I made ONE side & got very discouraged. I'm just going to slap borders on it & be done. Done is good, and I'll LIKE the quilt a whole lot more after i don't spend mountains of time on it.

Been working on some of the paper peiced pineapple blocks. I have 20 that I am working on, and 37 finished. That means I only lack 39 more for the body portion & 43 for the borders. Will I finish it in 2010? Don't know. Maybe. I want too, but not enough to work on those blocks exclusively.

Cut out a HUGE amount of 2 inch strips & subcut to 5 inces long & then into 2X2 inch squares. Wat for? SPOOLS! Going to swap some with Joan (sorry, I lack the know how to link names to blogs...) Joan is one of the blogs that I follow. She is a wonderful woman. She has a beautiful family too - her blog is called "Keeping You in Stitches" I hope that MY endeavors are good enough to be included in her SPOOL quilt. She is an EXCELLENT quilter!

Last Saturday (02/13) QB1 & QB2 & I went shop hopping of sorts. We got pictures & I'll post them when I get copies. a grand time! I spent every dime. Fabric, fabric & MORE fabric. AND some patterns. Boy! I love Whittles.........

Also been working on some magazine holders from mailing boxes. Those are coming out GREAT! I bought brown paper to cover them, but I don't like it as much as I think I'll like paint or fabric. Wonderful idea.

I cut out some primary colored fabrics to take to Alabama this weekend. My freind, Leslie, is going to embroider the alphabet on the blocks which will go into the grandbaby's I-SPY Quilt! I am SO excited about those alphabets. A few name blocks too.

Have not done any other sewing. Other than what I have mentioned. 2 weeks ago I made 4 baby shirts. you'll have to check THOSE out on my sewing/craft blog @ www.samsewsandcrafts.blogspot.com (also on my side bar. Seems silly to "foloow" my own blog, don't it????

This weekend is MY weekend to drive down to Alabama to visit with DD#2 & her husband & the GRANDBABY. Prince Charming has made the baby a toy box & DD#2 a hope chest. Same pattern......different uses. (he has also made one for DD#1 with an inlaid star in a different color wood - lastly he's making one for ME!) I will be taking both the toy chest & the hope chest down with me. Providing they BOTH fit in my wagon. Weather isn't nice enough to drive the truck. On my way back up to come home, I'll be visiting with my freind Kat & Leslie. I'll be happy to see all. VERY BUSY WEEKEND COMING UP !!!!!!!!!

Good night all! My feather pillows are calling me!

SAm

Hugs & Kisses Update

Somehow I ended up with 4 extra blocks. I don't know how I did that......I thought I had the math figured out perfect.

Well, it's no surprise. My math is bad!

Sam

Hugs And Kisses

Well, that's what the blocks look like to me right now......That may change. This is only 1/3 of the 46 that I have done. All the backgrounds are various different Thimbleberries cream prints.

The body of the quilt will be these "X" blocks, then there will be an appliqued border & then an outer border of bowtie blocks.

Hugs And Kisses, X-Box, X Marks the Spot, X's & O's, I can't decide how I'll name it!!

Sam

Electronic Woes

Well, the DSL has been down all week.

I couldn't get on the internet or check email or anything.

I have 46 blocks finished from the previous post!

Maybe I'll get around to posting photos this weekend. We'll see!

Sam

Project Idea

Last night I sewed a little on the Double Pinwheels Quilt. I now have enough strip sets sewn together to finish enough blocks to make a queen sized quilt. Problem is........I get sidetracked.

The Connecting Threads brochure came in the other day. Normally, I just throw them out, but Bourbon won't eat his food unless I sit in the kitchen while he eats. So I like to leave something on the kitchen table to read while it takes him all of 10 minutes to eat his food....Well, Connecting Threads has some really nice stuff. None of which I NEED. WANT, sure, NEED? Not so much.

They are having a 40% off sale on their books. And I saw a pattern in one of the books that I would like to do. I mean, come on, I NEED another quilt book like I need a tongue piercing. But I do not want to buy a new book. I have enough. So what is a girl to do?

Figure it out without a book.

I don't know the name of the quilt IN the book, but the BOOK is called "Stash Magiic" by Jaynette Huff. I found it on Amazon.com And they SHOW pictures of each quilt in the book. How great for me! The quilt that I like is the Bow Tie quilt. It has them set in crosses (or X's)with alternating blocks of applique. and then Bow Ties in the outer border. While I just LOVE the inner appliqued border , I do not like the alternating applique blocks in the body. I want to make all the blocks int he body of X's, then the appliqued border, then the outer border of Bow Ties. So, I sat down to figure the math.

Keep in mind, i am not mathmatically inclined. So it all has to be in easily divisible numbers. I can get the block in 8 & 12 inches. But I am not smart enough, nor do I want to deal in fractions, to get it to be 9 or 10 inches. 8 inches is a good easy size.

I made 2 test blocks. I like the block on the left, best. The little triangles are 1.75 instead of 1.5 and they give the bowtie image a little more heft. I am going with those!

This si only going to be a scrap project, so it likely will not get finished for a WHILE. How long is a while? I dont' ask myself that question. YOU might ask it of me, but I don't ask it of myself. 2 years, or better. After all, it DOES have an appliqued border. That's going to take some time. Lot's of time!!

I love sidetracks........they can be so exciting.

Sam

Birthday Quilt

I finished the binding on the Pink & Brown Quilt & gave it to DD#1 last Friday.

Monday (the 11th) is guild - so before I go to guild I will run to DD#1's house & pick up HER quilt so that I can sew the label on it & then I can get a photo of it & post on here for all y'all to see.

She really loves it & said that it's very warm. I used a high loft poly batting - but the quilting was very dense - I thought I may have quilted out all the warmth. Eveidently not!

I have been lazy, lazy, lazy........I dragged out an old project I had been working on. I know it's OLD because I have pictures on this blog of where I did 2 test blocks - it's the Double Pinwheel - ala Eleanor Burns. I started THOSe blocks while I still lived in Alabama.

Tonight is our sit-&-sew. QB1 is supposed to come over. I will TRY (try now) to get some photos done & up on this blog. I'm telling you, I am being SO lazy. I don't know if we WILL be able to have the S&S because the wather may not permit it. We're all gearing up for SNOW. BOO! I hate the foul weather. I want to sew. And I want to see QB1 - I think we NEED some girl time. We had a little S&S last Saturday. & another QB came that I hadn't seen in over a month. We really DO have so much fun, sitting around & sewing.



Sam

Binding

Oh my goodness! I think it's been too long since I have put a binding on a quilt. Even with a thimble my fingers are SORE !!! The worst part? I am only 1/4 done on DD#1's birthday quilt...........

I sure need to shape up!

Sam

For Non-Quilting Items

Well, I don't know how long I'll keep it up, but I decided that I would create a blog for my sewing that is NOT quilting related. I really DO a lot of sewing & crafts that are NOT quilting.

So if you're bored enough to see what other things, not quilting related, that I might be keeping myself busy with, you can check me out here:

www.samsewsandcrafts.blogspot.com

I warn you though, staying on a computer takes away from my sewing time. So I'll have to see how much time keeping up with 2 blogs will take.........

Ha!

Gotta sew first , right?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Sam

Snow! Not for me........:(

Darn.

We didn't get ANY.

Just a little teeny tiny dusting of it.

There wasn't even any on the bushes outside of my house.

I was SO disappointed. And this Monday would have been a GREAT day to stay home & sew too!

Some truck pulled down the lines at work & our email & internet was down until almost noon. I could have done a LOT of sewing - if I had a reason to stay home!

Snow WOULD have been a good reason.

I am west of Nashville (I work in Nashville) and when it DOES snow - everything around here just shuts down. We don't get foul weather often enough to warrant having the road equipment to keep the roads clean/clear. So ? Everything just stops. Period.

With all the running around I have done in the last month, I sure would have enjoyed another day o sitting around on my butt & just sewing.

Oh well, maybe we'll have SNOW another time.

Sam

Birthday Quilt - Quilted - Not Bound

Here is the finished product. I quilted it today & serged the edges.

Ha !! I made the bed at 9:16 PM just to take these photos...Only a quilter would understand that I think.

This quilt measures 98 X 98 inches square. A little large for a queen size bed, I think. Oh well. DD#1 said she wanted a really warm winter quilt. This one is big enough for her to snuggle up in. I used a high loft poly batting - but I think I quilted it too densley to hold a whole lot of heat. Here's hoping it's size makes up for it's heat retention!!

Prince Charming chose the "Bubbles" pantograph & I chose the palest pink thread that I had - it came out really nice. DD#1 was very proud of it, and said the quilting looked like bubbles even before I told her that they were!

Those are the pillow cases that QB1 & I made on Thursday night. The contrast edge on them is the same as the inner border ont he quilt.

All I loack is the binding - oh and a label. I'm bad at attaching labels!

Sam