A lazy Saturday leading to a motivated Sunday!

I finished quilting my MIL's quilt yesterday, and .... well.... that was about it! I was pooped and really wasn't in the mood to quilt :0( Cassie had a friend over, and I spent much of my day relaxing on the couch, watching them play the Wii and .... just vegging!

So......ummmm.....Hannah's Rotation????

Have no fear!!!
I sewed and sewed and sewed today with motivation!!!!
Ta-daaaaaaaaaaaa



NOT ONLY did the blocks and top get finished today, I also pieced a backing (not a simple solid, either). A pic will have to wait until later....because....

it's already on the frame with a few paths quilted. I'm using a jewel-toned variegated thread and one of my pantos from Cheryl Barnes' Quilting Dot-to-Dot book. I'm not sure I'm sold on it yet (the pattern and thread choice), but I'm sure once it's off the frame, washed and on the wall, it'll be just fine.

GOSH! I'm so happy to have that monkey off my back! :0) {{almost}}

OH! Yeah! I need to post my Stash Report, but I'm too comfy and lazy to head back downstairs to get my lil' notebook. It'll need to wait until tomorrow.

Happy Sunday!

After-post comment
CRAP! Crap-crap!
Look at Hannah's Rotation with a 'relaxed eye'.....

you see those blasted yellow/black HSTs????????????? UGH!!!!!!!!! They're kiddy-wompas! And I'm NOT about to take the quilt off the frame to fix 'em...

Poop-poop-poop!!!!!!!!!
{{**sigh**}}

I suppose it could be worse....

I guess a little snow that will be gone within a day is okay to live with??? Considering the storms that are happening in other parts of the nation, a little white stuff and cold temps......yeah......it's not that bad.


I finished up my MIL's Quilts4Kids Dino Dynamite quilt last night and created a label for my Leapin' Lizards at the same time. They just await packaging and off they go to Q4K.


I also loaded my MIL's blue quilt in the frame last night (around 10:00), and I couldn't resist getting a few paths done before calling it a night.

I should be able to finish this one up today....

....and then.....

HANNAH'S ROTATION!
Boy, can I really finish up those blocks today?!?!!?!?
Please, please, please....

Happy Saturday sewing!

That's not RAIN you're seeing!

Realllllllly????


REALLLLLLLLY?!?!???!??!?!?!?!?!?!



Come ON mama-nature!!!!!!

Puttin' feet up & How the frame works.

Little Caitlyn didn't allow us (ME) to get much sleep last night. She woke up around 1:00, crying and whining about how her ear hurts; she is a bit of a drama-queen to begin with, but this time it was legit. After a night of tossing and turning, even after some medicine, she still was in tears and running a 102 fever. Therefore, she was able to spend the day at home with Dad; too bad for me though! I was dragging butt a little bit, and it didn't help that I was testing all day, so I had to sit in a comfy chair, grading paper after paper. GOSH---it was sheer discipline to keep my eyes open.

I did pick up a new iron after school though, right before heading to the grocery store for the first food-trip in MONTHS! Seriously---we've only been doing the little "lets-buy-a-couple-of-meal's-worth" trips, but it was TIME to do a full-fledge shopping spree!!! It's nice having a stocked cupboard and fridge again :0)
I don't like having posts without pictures, so ... have a gander...


I don't know if you can see all those egg cartons?!??? Yeah, the chickens are definitely earning their keep; we simply aren't keeping up with them!

So, I'm putting my feet up right now, watching some TV and surfing the net.

On the quilting front....
Amanda was curious as to how the quilting frame worked with a pantograph......
While I was waiting for my frame and machine to arrive, I spent quite a few evenings "researching" on YouTube. How to load a backing, top, how to set up the frame, etc....You name it!
I found a jackpot (in my opinion)! Penny Bubar's channel has everything from loading a back and top, stitching a panto, lining up a panto, and the list goes on and on....
Anyway, the run-down...... there is a table below the machine's carriage that can hold a pantograph (plastic, wood or paper showing a quilting design.) The quilter moves the machine in any direction to follow the design on the panto using a stylus or laser-light. {{Yeah, I'm still using my jimmied-up-thing-a-ma-gig. It works great, so why should I cough up anything for something that quilting companies call "nice"???}}

I travel left to right; I find it easier because it mimics reading.....ya know----left to right.....

As the quilter moves along the design, it gets transferred effortlessly to the quilt top :0)

To actually watch this happen, follow the Penny Bubar link....it's the direct link to how she quilts a Panto.
I tell ya, this lady is HA-Larious! I enjoyed watching each of her videos for both the knowledge AND the humor. And a tidbit of information...I use Penny's "unique" style of quilting the panto (only on the left side). It really does give more control. I've also seen a version of this style when watching an air-brush artist----he locked his arms (elbows) at his sides and moved his entire torso when painting. It looked weird, but the art was amazing.


So...there ya have it. I'm loving the frame! I can see the 8-9" throat limitation of the Juki98Q getting old real soon, but I'll manage. ;0)

Happy Day-Before-Friday.

Back away from the iron!

I KNOW what you're thinking......"ha, dufus Amy forgot the iron on her ironing board!"

But.....NO, I didn't leave the iron laying on my ironing board! Honest engine!

Can you see the smoke? I was quilting away, when I hear......"Tsssssssssssss"
When I looked over to the iron, I see a small waver of smoke rising and I thought..."Oh my. I guess a lady bug got too close to the iron."

Then.....a nasty-NASTY smell of burning/burnt/smoldering electrical wires hit the air.....and the iron was taking its last few breaths of life.

When I went over to check things out, I set the iron on the ironing board for a NANO-second, and that top pic was the result. I couldn't BUH-LIEVE it! I can't fathom how hot the iron must have been to have created that mark within a NANO-second!!!!!

The good news:
I had already pressed the top and bottom of the Quilts 4 Kids project that arrived in my mail today from my MIL, so I was able to quilt the entire top.
She asked me to quilt it for her. So, I have my FIRST customer quilt {{but I guess it doesn't count if it's for my MIL and I'm not getting paid for it}} ;0)

The bad news: I couldn't completely finish it because I couldn't press the binding. Therefore, tomorrow directly after school, I'm off to the store to buy a new iron.


My MIL sent another small quilt that she is gifting to her doctor, so I laid it out, decided what pantograph design to use and chose some thread. And that's all I was able to accomplish tonight without an iron :0(
{{yeah, I COULD have pieced some parts of Hannah's Rotation, but I'm saving that for Friday night and Saturday.}}

And again, I have some lovely 'surprises' on the camera's card courtesy of Candace...... LOL.....enjoy the show :0)









Happy Wednesday!

American Classic finished; Hannah's Rotation progress, May UFO

American Classic bound...

Labeled...

...and boxed, ready to be shipped to Alycia.


So, now....I MUST concentrate most of my time on Hannah's Rotation.
The top two rows...

... and bottom two rows
are complete. Just two more rows in the center to finish up this top! GOAL: Finish up the top by Sunday!!! It sure would be nice to put this project behind me.


Nancy (Patchwork Penguin) choose #3 for the May UFO. That would be my Steppin' Out quilt I am making with some batik-ish looking dyed fabrics. Back on April 11th, this was the status of the top...I am VERY near a complete finish with this one; just awaiting a final border and then quilting.


Gosh, I feel good today! I think I really needed this weekend in front of the two sewing machines! I was all smiles today at work; was my normal "cheerleader" self to most of the students who are slowly starting to sense the end of the school year {{sorry kiddos! You have 5 weeks left!!!}}

If I can stay this happy and stress free, Hannah's Rotation just MAY NOT kill me! :0)

Happy Monday!

Planting; American Classic quilted; Stash reports April 19-May 2

The mid-morning hours were spent planting seeds...
the whole family was involved....
Caitlyn and Cassie filling containers with dirt...

Candace checking to see if the hole was there...

Even I had my pic taken. DH thought he was being so sneaky. Hmpf--I knew he was there the whole time!

Yeah---this'd be DH

In the end, oh gosh---I don't even know how many of each we planted: tomatoes, watermelon, peppers, cucumbers, beans... Those of us who live in the cold north don't even THINK about putting plants outdoors until Memorial Weekend (end of May). In fact, last year on June 19 we had frost!!!! I remember this well because we lost LOTS of plants!!! We're ready this year though---have been saving up the milk cartons for mini-greenhouses and frost protectant once we get to the outdoor stage.

This is a cute lil' indoor greenhouse my parents bought for us two years ago; I can't remember what the occasion was. It's fun to watch the little seedlings sprout, and well.....we live in a cold climate! The only way we'd ever had veggies at a decent harvest time is to start them indoors.

On the quilting front...
I finished up Deer Camp last night, binding, hanging sleeve and label all complete. I still need to hand stitch the label and hanging sleeve down, so ALMOST done....

American Classic was just pulled off the frame and I hope to get binding made up and put on yet this evening. I also am working on the label to attach right away too. It would be nice to ship out some of these quilts that have been just sitting around. I have three ready for Quilts 4 Kids and now the American Classic for Alycia's Warrior Games or No Solider Forgotten.

Happy Sunday...
hopefully one more post to come tonight. I haven't done a stash report in two weeks!

8:45 update
Yeah---I've parked my butt and haven't done anything downstairs other than turn everything off. I'm tired and am enjoying putting my feet up.

So...here's the weekly stash report:
Stash Report: April 19 - April 25
Used this week: 1.778 yards
Purchased this week: 18 yards
Used-to-date 2010: 105.05 yards
Purchased-to-date 2010: 131.75 yards
Net used: -26.7 yards
{{uh-oh! Even MORE in the red}}

Stash Report: April 26 - May 2
Used this week: 7.264 yards
Purchased this week: 0 yards
Used-to-date 2010: 112.314 yards
Purchased-to-date 2010: 131.75 yards
Net used: -19.436 yards

Deer Camp quilted; American Classic started....

The quilting room was humming at 7:00 a.m. My littlest alarm clock dragged me out of bed at 6:15 since she was ready for breakfast. I guess there is something to be said about those internal clocks... (YET, this is the one who drags her feet on a typical morning). Hmpf....never fails!

But that's okay---
I finished putting borders on American Classic and then pieced a backing and cut batting. By the time I finished up those steps, it was time for a mid-morning breakfast and then a shopping spree for that brown thread I ran out of last night (the spree also brought home seeds, potting soil and a few other supplies for starting some tomato, pepper and watermelon plants. That project awaits tomorrow morning).

Deer Camp quilting was more time-consuming than Leapin' Lizards. a) it's larger. b) I didn't do an overall panto pattern.

Border treatments used this little design. Also, I wasn't sure about how to do the side borders; I THINK I read somewhere that ladies i) finish up the quilting everywhere else, ii) remove the quilt from the frame, then iii) reload quilt in opposite direction to finish side borders. Well---that's was I did and it worked.

The inner panel was quilted with a panto. They are SO much nicer to follow when first starting out on the frame rather than just doing free-hand.

Binding awaits yet, and that may be what I'll work on when I head back downstairs.

American Classic was loaded around 3:00, and I have a bit more than half finished, but my back is letting me know that I've been quilting most of the afternoon. I find that my frame is a bit too low for me; I wouldn't mind having it a bit taller. Considering how short I am (5'4" on a good day), I wonder how taller ladies manage on this frame.

We just had some "Brupper" {{Cassie's term for breakfast at supper time}}. Scrambled eggs for some; eggs-over-easy for others; toast-n-jelly....

And just a bit ago, I kicked DH off the computer for an hour so I could update. It's almost 7:00 and I hope to have a couple more hours of work to show before the night is over.

Happy Saturday.