Quilty gifts

No quilting today but did get my errands done and look at the goodies that came in the mail from Deb. I know you can't tell from the photo but the fat quarters are autumn colors, the squares are brown and pink, and the small baggie has an assortment of trims and items to use on postcards.

Thanks Deb!

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Finished

Another item checked off my *to do* list is the quilting on this top belonging to Kathy from HeartStrings. Next to be loaded will be one of my strippie quilts so I can play around a bit.

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Machine vibration

I think I'm closer to solving the vibration issue - I made an adjustment to the front wheels on the machine after speaking to a woman at the Gammill booth which made it a LOT worse. This was a good thing however because it let me know I was on the right path. I made a second adjustment and the vibration is better but still there. I know it's something that occurred during the move because it wasn't there before so I'm hoping with some more tweaking I can get it back to pre-move condition.

Can you see the white clamps in this next photo? This quilt belongs to Kathy, a member of HeartStrings and this morning when I was struggling to get it positioned for quilting - I decided to try out these new clamps from Tomorrow's Heirlooms that I bought at MQS. I usually only do a full float on my really small donation quilts (crib size) and do a partial float on all the others. Who knows, after this I may start doing full floats on all of them.

Here's a peak at the quilting - it's a pantograph called Plumage from Willow Leaf Studio.

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Getting ready for Memorial Day Weekend

I'm planning on piecing some RWB HeartStrings blocks over the Memorial Day weekend that will be used in quilts for wounded soldiers. If anyone is interested in joining me - check out the HeartStrings blog where the block guidelines are posted. Chris will be visiting this weekend and I'm going to have him help sew some blocks.


I love that stores are now selling these reusable shopping bags. This morning I used this Target bag to when I walked downtown to the post office to ship packages for Mom and Deb and to FedEx Kinko's to ship HeartStrings quilts to Nancy. Then I filled it back up at Target and walked home. I probably should have used two bags because it was a little heavy both with the packages and on the return trip.

This table is in my entry way and as you can see - it still needs work. I plan to hang a quilt on the wall behind the table and then arrange my Singer sewing machine and some photos. Maybe next weekend Keith can help me hang the quilt. The photos on the bottom shelf need to be hung too.

I also wanted to mention that I'd bought the photo CD from last year's MQS show and have ordered this year's CD too. The detail shots of the quilts are wonderful and are much better than the photos I took last year. This year I didn't bother to photograph any of the quilts except for the photos of Deb with her 2nd place winning quilt.

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Flower boxes

I know you all will probably be disappointed but I decided since I'm not a gardener, that I'd put potted plants on the deck rather than planting the flower boxes. So here's the first quilt (or maybe it's the 2nd one) on the new deck. This goes back to Nancy and her group along with 4 other quilts to bind and donate.

How bizarre is this?? This photo is horizontal but each time I upload it - it turns itself vertical...blogger must be having a problem.

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The sun is shining

We have a neighborhood party to go to this afternoon but it was too pretty to NOT take the bikes for a short ride. The sun is shining and it's in the mid 50's here so we rode across the river to Boon Island Park.
We found a quiet spot by the river to spread the quilt and sit in the sun for a bit. We've both been traveling the last couple weeks and haven't had much time together.

Isn't this a great view of downtown?

I'm going to try and get some labels made and Kathy's top loaded before we leave for the party.

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I can make a tree but....

Can I make a forest??

I've got the tree blocks laying out on the floor - don't know where the design wall is and not sure I'm going to have room for it anyway. These are entirely too orderly lined up in rows.

So I'll try to add some background fabric around the trees and come up with a more *scattered* arrangement for the blocks.

For those that may not have read the previous posts on my Wonky Trees, this is my project for Tonya's Summer Class.

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Catching up

I'd hoped to squeeze in some quilting but at least I got caught up with the mail, paid bills, ran errands....I even cooked dinner. Tomorrow I hope to steal a little time away for quilting.


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Did you miss me?

Just got home tonight from MQS. Deb and I had a great time and she even won a ribbon! Her quilt (designed and quilted by Deb, pieced by members of her guild) won 2nd place in the Theme category. It was very exciting.

We also took classes from Jamie Wallen and Dawn Cavanaugh both were excellent. Deb did a great job choosing the classes for us.

We met up with quilters from MQResources. How fun to meet Suzanne and the others we've been chatting with online over the few months or so. If you haven't joined this group for machine quilters, you should check them out.

And of course we shopped! I bought a couple new templates from Circle Lord, a couple books on background fills, Superior threads, crystals, wool felt, and probably some other things I'm forgetting right now. I'm make sure to share more information over the next couple weeks as I sort out and start using it all.





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MQS

I leave tomorrow to meet Deb at MQS. We'll be at the bar in the Sheraton Tuesday night catching up with each other - hope to see some of you there.

This afternoon I'm doing laundry and Mom and I are making some more postcards. This one is inspired again by the book Quilt Toppings: Fun and Fanciful Embellishments by Melody Crust. I'm not 100% happy with the result but I'm not unhappy either.

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To busy to blog

I've been having a great time visiting Mom and seeing almost all of my brothers and sisters (we missed you Deb!) that I haven't spent any time on the computer. Friday and Saturday we worked on making postcards - we just started doing a monthly family exchange and they were all looking for ideas.

I was running between them helping for the most part but I did manage to make one myself - the top pink heart is my card and Ann (green) and Mom liked it so much they made their own versions. (Inspired by a photo in the book Quilt Toppings: Fun and Fanciful Embellishments by Melody Crust). Click on the photo to see a larger view.

I'll be at Mom's until Tuesday morning and then I fly through Atlanta to meet up with Deb and we head to MQS.

Happy Mother's Day!

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Gone

I leave early tomorrow for VA and then on to MQS on Tuesday. I won't be home again until Friday night (the 16th). I'm not taking my laptop but I may (or may not) post when I'm at Mom's.

I know I shouldn't focus on the negative but I'm a little frustrated - most of the boxes are unpacked but I'm still having trouble finding things....my fabric sheets for labels, power cords for my electronics, my photo paper....... I'd been searching for the battery charger for my camera for a couple days and only found it today when I was searching for my backup charger for the Kindle to pack for my trip. Everything just takes longer because I have to stop and think (or try to remember) where things are.


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Rain, rain go away!

I'd hoped if I worked this afternoon, the rain would go away and I could walk downtown for some exercise and dinner but it's still raining so I'll probably just stay home.

This is another HeartStrings top pieced by Nancy and her group and the last of this first group to go back to them for binding and donating. (The pantograph is Happy Times - to see the quilting better click on the photo to enlarge it.) I don't usually quilt donation tops and return them - most of the ones I do, I finish and donate myself - but I like working with this group of quilters, after all their church is named St. Mary's......

It's finally starting too look like spring around here - the grass and trees are greening up.

Look at those plantings - I didn't have to do a bit of work and I don't have a clue what's there in but I'll make sure to take some photos when stuff blooms.

Someone is watching from the door trying to figure out what I'm doing outside without him.

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This and that but none of it quilting progress (yet)

MQS
Is anyone going this year? Deb and I fly in Tuesday and leave Friday. We're staying at the Sheraton and will probably end each day in the bar there.

More travel
I'm going to Mom's Thursday (VA) to celebrate Mother's Day with her and then straight to Kansas so I'll be gone a week.

We just planned a neat trip with Keith's sister for September. We're going to fly to New York City (I've never been) spend 3 nights, and then take the train to Washington DC and spend another 3 nights. In DC, we'll visit Arlington National Cemetery where my father-in-law was buried 3 years ago and I hope to see my brother and sister who live in the DC area while I'm there.

A visit from Chris
My son is coming to visit over Memorial Day weekend - it will be fun to have him visit us in the new townhouse and for him to see Minneapolis in the spring. His previous 2 visits were in the winter.

Stepping out of my comfort zone
I've been asked several times to come speak to groups/guilds about my quilting and HeartStrings and I finally said yes to a local guild for August. I'm a bit nervous since I haven't done any public speaking in a while but I've been told that it is a small, informal group so it's a good way to test the waters!

The plan for today was to get outside for a long walk or a bike ride (or both) but it's raining so I'm going to go load a HeartStrings top on the longarm and do some quilting.


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Lazy day # 2

A few errands, a couple postcards made but not much else accomplished.

I've been playing with some supplies bought in the scrapbook isle at Michael's to make postcards (ones that are more greeting cards than *art* cards) but can't show them because the recipients might see them.

I did manage to finish assembling and stitch the edge of my spring journal card too.



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I'm having a lazy day

Keith left this morning for Chicago and I've just been puttering around here. I managed to spend a couple hours in the sewing room - putting away and unpacking so it's much better but I still have about 5 boxes to unpack and I'm going to need another set of drawers for some of the small bit and pieces that are sitting in bins.

Since I can actually move around in there now - I think I will go make some wonky trees.

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I have a serious lack of artistic talent!

I interrupted my unpacking for the trip to San Diego last week and then chose to focus on Heartstrings quilts this week in honor of National Volunteer Week but I was craving some time in my sewing room.

If you've followed my blog for any time, you know I don't make art quilts - I'm kind of a paint by the numbers girl - give me a traditional block and I can usually make a fairly decent looking quilt. Last fall I started making postcards and am trying to venture out of my comfort zone a bit. While I wouldn't call this *art* this first postcard I made today is simple but kind of cute...

This 2nd one however didn't quite live up to my *artistic* vision. It's kind of based on a much more artistic quilt made by Mary Stori in her new book. She beaded multi colored felt strips to her background and sewed buttons in the breaks. Since things are beginning to green up around here I decided to go with a SPRING theme. The edges haven't been stitched yet because I can't find my blue thread.In case you're wondering WHY I can't find my blue thread - this is what my sewing room looks like tonight....do you think I need to finish unpacking and organizing it before I try to sew anything else?

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UFO #14

This is the quilt I finished binding last night. It was a top pieced by Sandra from blocks sent to her by Stashbuster members and then sent to me for quilting and donating.

Keith and I found a sleeper sofa and coffee table at the first store we went to today. Now I'll worry for the next 6-8 weeks about how it's going to look in this room. I have VERY limited taste and not much decorating sense.

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So much for my sew-in

My intention was to have a retreat tomorrow - a sew-in- in honor of the last day of National Volunteer week but I have some *house* things to take care of AND Keith is leaving Sunday - we'll spend most of the next 2 weeks apart so I'll make some time for him tomorrow AND hopefully will load another HeartStrings quilt on the longarm and start the quilting....we'll see how it goes.

The good news is that I met all my goals for the week already - 3 HeartStrings tops quilted and the binding on a 4th HeartStrings quilt finished. I hope some of you were able to work on donation quilts with me this week.


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Quilting flowers

My Pajama Quilter workbook arrived Tuesday and after trying to draw these flowers unsuccessfully, I quilted the echoed swirls on the 2nd of 3 HeartStrings tops I had on my list to do this week. I kept trying to draw the flowers and last night - I was finally able to do them well enough to give them a shot on the longarm (that was 2 days of practice - you'll note that my whiteboard is MUCH smaller than the one Dawn recommends using but it's what I have here).

Click on any of the photos to see a larger view.

So this afternoon, I quilted these flowers on this small HeartStrings top.

While they're far from perfect, overall I was pleased with the results. Dawn is such a good teacher!
Since I've been whining about my living room, I thought I'd share part of what we've come up with. This room is long and skinny and designed to be a living room/dining room combination. We're skipping the dining room and are going to use it as one big living room. As you can see my furniture is VERY dark but it will do for now. We'll look this weekend for a sleeper sofa or sectional to fill the other half of the room.

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Chesty's much, much better!

Thank you all for your emails - Chesty is eating (I don't know how I'm ever going to get him to go back to dry food after feeding him chicken and rice!) and is feeling much better. He even chased his favorite toy around this evening.

I'm on track to accomplish my goals of quilting 3 HeartStrings tops and finishing the binding on a 4th quilt in honor of National Volunteer's Week. I loaded this top tonight and will quilt it tomorrow. It's another one from Nancy and her group - so nice that I'll be able to send this batch back to them for binding!

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