Dog Update

Well, we talked it through & decided to go ahead with the surgery. Briscoe had his surgery on Wednesday & came home on Thursday. They sent home the bone that they fished out of his knee joint. Honestly? I was HOPING that it was not some itty bitty teeny tiny kidney stone size of a bone. If it had been , I'd have been disappointed. But, I'll tell you - I was totally surprised by the size of the bone that the vet had to remove! It was HUGE. No wonder my poor baby was in so much pain & limping. It iw the size of the top half of my thumb. I mean like fromt he bottom of my nail @ the cuticle to the tip of my thumb. Amazing.

This dog don't model on que - but these were taken after we'd been home for about 2 hours. He's on some good drugs - so he's pain free. Consequently, he thinks he's cured. He has to spend 2 weeks in the kennel in the garage. Only out to controlled walks. Then after the staples are removed from his incision, he'll spend 4 weeks in a kennel out side.

All in all, I am glad we had it done. But let me tell you - getting him to lay down while I ice his elbow 3 times a day - is much easier said than done.

Sam

argh! I don't have my pictures on THIS computer.........

Dogs............& Decisions

This is ONE of my 3 dogs. This is Briscoe. I had him to the vet yesterday. He's been limping for roughly one week. He did this last year too, but the vet gave us some Rymidly (sp?) and he stopped limping. This time? He's not so lucky Turns out he has fractured his elbow on his left front leg. Actually, he's fractured BOTH. It's a bone issue common with GS's....3 x-rays later, we have to wiat on a consultation with a doggie orthopedic specialist. I have no clue what the cost is going to be. I have a number that I cna't go over...but over that? I don't know. We'll see. I love this dog. He's a GOOD dog. He barks a lot.......but you know? He's a DOG. He is in a lot of pain. He is basically being jabbed in the bone of his leg everytime he moves.

I hope the specialist calls today.

Sam

NQR - Re-Useable Shopping Bags

Well, I use some bags that I bought from Kroger. They were not cheap! $3.98 each (I think). I have 12 of them. They are a very good size & the inside is coated with a plastic - sort of. Anyway - I get a lot of compliments on them from various stores & checkers when I use them. But I digress, I am off th topic as to WHY I was making this post. Yesterday, in west TN @ Wal-Mart, I was using my bags & the checker says to me "Oh these are nice, where'd you get them?" Kroger's, I say. She says "They seem small." I say - Really? Because 2 one gallon jugs of milk fit in there with room to spare, how many jugs of milk do you put in a plastic bag? She says "2". Then she says - "well it's a good thing that you have them" - I have not had a good week, so by now I was READY for a DISCUSSION (argument?)I respond to her with Why is that? She says - "well, after the first of the year, we're going bagless!" I told her that I had not seen anything advertised anywhere about that....She says- "Well, you'll have to bring your own, or buy what we have"

So, there you have it. Get your bags before the price gouging begins.

Sam

Ocean Waves SO FAR !!

Well , this weekend I had 2 goals. One was to get my day time job caught up (long story short - Someone resigned & I am "filling in" until a replacement can be hired & trained - and I am behind on BOTH jobs....) Enough of "work" , who wants to hear about that anyway???????? Second goal was to get all the rows sewn together on my Ocean Waves Quilt.

I did that.






13 blocks X 15 blocks. Currently 75 inches by 89 inches. I still lack the half blocks. I dont' have ANY started. None. Then there will be a 1.5" innner blue border, a middle pinwheel border, and then a 6" outer blue border. And it will be done. Don't hold your breath thinking it's going to get done in September. If I get it done before Christmas, I will be happy.

Well? What'cha think of it now?

Sam

Rowing (?)

I have 5 rows sewn together now! They look awesome.

It was 10:30 PM when I got that far, so NO PHOTOS. It would not have photographed very well at all.

I am SO excited. It looks like a quilt now. Those half blocks will definately go far to completing the pattern & giving the design the semetry that I like.

Sam

Ocean Waves - PROGRESS !!!

Here are 8 of the 15 rows that I need for my queen size Ocean Waves Quilt. This 8 has the pinwheels going in one direction & the other 7 rows will have the pinwheels going in the opposite direction.

I don't have any part of the 7 rows started. Well, that's a lie. I have the blocks with all the half square triangles done, just not the "ocean" blocks (meaning the ones with the blue background..)

After those rows, I lack the half blocks, that complete the design. I will need.....wait for it.........56 half blocks. Which is equal to........wait for it.....448 half square triangles.

THEN there is the pinwheel border. No clue YET, how many hst's that will use.

I'm thinking that I don't have enough hst's for the 2nd quilt. Dang. I will have left over hst blocks, so I'll just have to make more. (probably not right away....you know?)




Went to a shop in Franklin - the Quilting Squares (I think) & bought a new pattern. it's an addiction, you know??? the pattern is from Bonnie Blue Quilts called "Belle Meade". It is a Lady of the Lake variation. Belle Meade is a city in Tennessee near Nashville. It a gorgeous high dollar area. I never knew the history of Belle Meade. Originally, Belle Meade was a horse farm. BBQuilts always has a story for their patterns. Makes them so much more interesting.

Anyway - The Lady of the Lake pattern is another of my favorites. since I have SO MANY half-square-triangles, I would'nt have to make more! Remember - I have musling hst's too!



I think it will look very different with plain muslin as the light areas.

I am feeling better this week. Not quite as MANY dizzy spells. Still have them though. They are a huge p.i.t.a. for sure. It's the nasea that comes after the dizzyness that is hard to handle.

Talk at you all later.

Sam

More Progress

I had such big ideas for this weekend. I wanted to get all the rows sewn together on my Ocean Waves. Well! THAT didn't happen. I did get 2 rows done. 2 of 15! And I did get half the ocean blocks done. I have been sick. Sick since Wednesday. I went to the Dr on Friday - he said I had "LABYRINTHITIS" I have been dizzy & nauseated. More nauseated then dizzy today. I (literally) spent all day Saturday in the bed.

So, no sewing. I can't stand up to run the iron. Oh well, the DR said it might last a few days to a few weeks. I hope it's only afew days........I really don't like being sick.

If I get anymore done this evening, I'll try to pot some pictures. The 2 rows that I did get done look SO nice! Porgress, Progress!

Sam

Ocean Waves PROGRESS

Above is the block I am currently making. Photo curtesy of Quiltville.com

Below are photos of the progress I made this weekend. That's me (in all my glory!) and my Bourbon. He is always within touching distance. As I type thispost, he's lying between my legs. He is no small dog.........65 pounds. But he is a lover , and he has took to the grandbaby too.......

ANYWAY........I have made all the dark wings for the alternate "Ocean" blocks. Well, maybe ALL. I have made enough for 72 - but I like big quilts & will likely end up making more because I like my "queen size" quilts to be nearly as large as a "king size". I have half the triangles sewn onto the light side of the wings & maybe tonight I can sew the 2nd half on. I disassembled ( nice way of saying frog-stitched) 288 hst's for these "wings". Do you see what I mean by "wings" in the top image?

It's progress and I am SO loving it. Once the Ocean blocks are done, it's just a matter of webbing the blocks.......Maybe that's the term. (?) Then all I lack are the half blocks that go on the sides, which go on before the the inner border, which is same color as the background. (Blue in this rendition.)

Then I'll have a middle border of HST's set as pinwheels & then the outer border of the background fabric.

It IS progress. I can't wait to start sewing blocks into rows & rows into a quilt top!






I'm sure I mentioned this before, but I have enough HST's for 2. The next one is red. Then I am working on another 2 (yes TWO) Ocean Waves Quilts. Muslin is the background on those 2. Don't hold your breath waiting on ANY of them (including the blue one) getting finished in 2010.

My feather pillow is calling.........

Sam

Swimming

Well, I have been swimming in Half-Square-Triangles on my Ocean Waves. Pun intended (only it sounded funnier in my head.) I have been in meetings all week. I won't get into that - suffice it to say that my "day time job" gets interesting & one sure wouln't guess it because of the industry I work in. So while driving back & forth to these meetings, while I was the passenger , & during the "breaks", I frog-stitched the hst's to make the alternate "ocean" blocks. Ocean Blocks? Well? Wouldn't they be the the ones with the back ground fabric? & the blocks with the hst's be the "waves"? In my head they are......Anyway - I have enough frog-stitched to make HALF of the blocks for ONE quilt. But I am SO excited to get that far! Maybe, Maybe, Maybe....I can get the "Ocean" blocks done this weekend. I want too! You need to see the pile of frog-stitched hst's though..........CUTE !! And you know what? I sewed them together wrong the first time, had to rip out 22 of them. Do you know how SMALL these boogers are? 2".

One day

One day

When I get them done, it will be my favorite. You wait & see what I tell you.

Sam

Ocean Waves X 2 (It's a slow go.......)

Several years ago I decded that I wanted to make an Ocean Waves Quilt. I could not decide if I wanted one red or blue. So I am making 2. those little half square triangles are REAL boring. So i only dig them out when I want to fiddle.

QB1 has been busy getting her father & aunt's houses back to normal after the flood. And I really dont want to work on OUR projects without her. No fun, you know?

So? I dug out a project that needs my attention. Prince Charming choose this blue for the 1st Ocean Waves Quilt.

Pattern? Oh yes, Bonnie Hunter / Quiltville. I am SO determined to get these done.

You know what the BEST part of this project is? All the 1/2 square triangles are done. Done for 2. Yep 2!! All I lack is the alternate blocks. So...that's what I am fiddling with. I either have to cut more triangles or take apart some of the 1/2 square triangles that I already have made. I am taking some apart. I think i have to disassemble something like 144 of them. Hey, I like a challenge right?

that's about all of the "quilting" that I have done lately. -

Guild is tomorrow. I missed last month because we were on vacation. I am not going to be able to go as early as I anticipated becasue I have so much paperwork to catchup on. But I will take my hugs & kisses quilt to sew on the binding. You know, I still lack making pillow cases to match that quilt....

Sam

Quilting

I promise I am going to "do" some quilting.

It's been so hot, and when I can tolerate it, I have been outside.

see ya !

Sam

Washer & Dryer

Okay.........so this post is not REALLY quilting related, but I'll tell you WHY I think it IS quilt related!

I make big bed sized quilts. Probably always will. And I hated my washer ( I hate doing laundry anyway. Period) because it has an aggitator in it & I felt like it was tearing up my quilts & they were not really getting clean. So I used to take themt ot he laundry mat to wash them. Not because they got more clean but because I could use the huge washers that had NO aggitator & wouldn't stress my quilts.

Well, this month, on top of everything (all the hours I've been working, mainly) my dryer decides to stop heating. It still WORKED, just didn't heat the load. Took like 4 times int he dryer to dry a load of jeans. And I don't mean a LOAD. i mean like 4 pair. I cleaned the vent - nothing. So we sort of hobbled through the week. I dried towels & a small quilt on a clothes rack on my back deck. They felt like cardboard when they finally dried. It's so humid right now, it took ALL DAY to dry.

SO.....Monday, Memorial Day, Prince Charming & I went to Lowe's & bought a new washer & dryer. I could not get the front load washer because my laundry room is a closet in the hallway & if I got the doors that open in the front, I could not open it all the way.....dryer still opens in front, but I have always had to only open it 3/4's of the way (who designs these closets anyway - obvciously people that do not DO laundry)......I got the Whirlpool Cabrio H/E set. Super nice! No aggitator. 5.0 cubic foot washer & 7.0 cubic foot dryer. I don't even have to set the water level on the washer. It does it all by itself. And DRY a load of jeans in ONE round! Whoo-Hoo! I feel SPECIAL!

I still hate laundry. I always will. But at least it takes LESS time now. AND....no aggitator to stress out my quilts! Nice big HUGE tub for QUILTS ! I am a happy camper. Thought the hit to the checkbook was hard.......

Sam

p/s couldn't find a photo of the matching dryer............but they're a matched set & I only needed the dryer......but I was super reluctant to buy just the ONE appliance. Besides...I REALLY wanted washer without the aggitator.

Hugs & Kisses Bordered.

I finally got around to getting borders on my Hugs & Kisses Quilt. It was last on my list. See I had to make a "to do" list before I could sew anything more or new. I told myself that WHEN the list got done - I could : Make more Pineapple Blocks, or more Spool Blocks. And I have been really good. It took me over 3 weeks to finish my "to do" list - originally, I thought it would only take me a few days. But since the Flood in Nashville & surrounding areas - my job has come first. I think I worked 70 hours this week. I can't even remember the last time I got paid for 70 hours.

I am bone tired & have not been out of pajamas all day. I have not cooked ONCE this week - last night I got tired of NOT cooking & made Tortellini & Sausage Soup. It was SO good! anyway - back to the list.........I had on there: To bind DD#2's quilt. Repair DD#1's Quilt. Patch a pair of jean's. Bind the grandbaby's quilt. Complete the 200 spool blocks I had half finished. Bind a "give-away" quilt. And machine quilt 2 customer quilts. 2 of the quilts that needed binding, had the bindings 100% machine done. Or they would NOT be off THE LIST.







Anyway - I ran into Stitcher's Garden to find a yellow fabric for the strips & blocks swap for my guild meeting & picked up this brown fabric. I thought that the little images looked similar to the hugs/kisses block that I made.

So I got it. It DOES look really nice as the borders for this quilt. I NOW wish I had had the forsight to get an additional 2 yards to make matching pillow cases. All I had left was enough scrap to cut strips for my Pineapple & 6 blocks for my Spools Quilt.I have not decided How I'll quilt the Hugs & Kisses Quilt, but I might just be lazy & use the pantograph that is already on the table from the last customer quilt that I made. it's called POPCORN - looks more like clouds to me...but I don't name the patterns......ha Ha Maybe use a brown thread too. Unquilted, it measures 83 X 98.

I also cut some strips for QB1.

Y'all PLEASE keep QB1 & her family in your thoughts. Her father's house & her Aunt's house were totalled by the flood. It's so devestating. Her Aunt is over 80 & has been diagnosed with cancer - this is absolutley emotionally devestating for them. The homes are being rebuilt - but all the memories & momentos are gone forever. You never know what you got until it's gone. I feel SO awful that I am not able to help them. I wish I could. I do.


Sam

(who is off to pop some garlic bread into the oven & heat up some MORE Tortellini & Sausage Soup!!)

Quilt Photo Op & "The Tank"

Here you see a few pictures of the "Night & Day" quilt that I made last year. Modeled on the kitchen floor, by my beloved little grandson - whom I have been calling TANK, all week!

Isn't he just precious? 5 months & 19 pounds. We had him out to the Ren-Fest in Triune this past weekend. He was pretty good for being 5 months old. I had bought a teeny tiny little baseball cap @ JoAnn's Fabrics for $1. He got a lot of compliments.

Cute little bugger. Quilt is nice too!

Sam

Freebies

If you have a long-arm machine or a short-arm machine or any type of machine that you can trace patterns then you need to go to Urban Elementz! they have posted some free pantograph designs. Several are very cute. I love the Strawberry Fields.

Of course you'll have to do some taping to connect the pages when you print them, but hey? It's free, so no complaints!

I need more Pantographs like I need a ....um..........nose-ring? Ha ha ha! But i saved them all.

Sam

Twilight In the Garden

Today was day 2 of the "Old Timer's Day Festival". Pretty much a wash out - pun intended. It's rained so much so quickly that there is flash flooding every where. The interstate has even been closed in areas. I-24 in Nashville @ Bell Road is under water. Literally. And the rain hasn't stopped. More to come tomorrow. My basement got a little bit of water. I went into panic mode, and whent he rain let up, it receded. I am still in panic mode. The water didn't come but MAYBE 4 feet into the garage, and it was MAYBE a 1/4 inche deep........but I have my LONGARM manchine in the basement. I have the majority of my STASH in the basement. All I could think about was how I was going to get it all upstairs by myself. So far I don't have to worry about it.

ANYWAY.........The Quilt Guild I belong to, hosts a quilt show during the Festival (I might have the exact title of the "festival" wrong...) and this years' theme was something to do with Garden's . I'm sorry, I didn't pay attention. I am not an extremely floral person, and the 2 quilts that I entered into the show were my "Twilight In The Garden" and "Butterflies for Ryan". The Butterfly Quilt belongs to DD#2. It is currently residing @ my house for repairs. Of which I have not completed.

Twilight In the Garden is a quilt I made while we lived in Alabama. If memory serves me correctly, I bought all the fabrics from Joan. ALL the fabrics, inclduing the backing, are all Thimbleberries. The pattern is from the book ; "Bed & Breakfst Quilts" by Mimi Deitrich. It is one of my very most favorite quilts and I am sure you've seen it on this blog before!




I won a "merrit" ribbon for my participation. QB1 took my photo. We were all sitting around doing handwork & I have my Grandmother's Flower Garden in my hands.

So long for now........I hear more thunder & I need to go let my vey wet "outside" dogs "in" for the night. After being outside, all day in the pouring rain, I think they deserve a nice dry place to sleep.

Sam

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