No quilting for me...

It's been an entire week since I posted and I have done absolutely NO QUILTING! I know, hard to believe since I have been on such a roll lately.

Biggest accomplishment in the past week? We finally got Julie's APQS Freedom SR all set up. What a task! It came in 7 big boxes that broke down to about another 8 boxes and two manuals, one of which had bad labels on the photos so that was an adventure! The table takes up nearly the length of the spring house and we moved it over to one side so that there was access across the room and there is a place where Julie can sit and relax or even still throw down her yoga mat when she needs to stretch. Probably the best part of putting it all together was that WE did it! No men were involved. Thankfully I have a nice tool box from when I was rehabbing houses out in Washington and that really came in handy. Our BFF, Pam, helped with the initial table set up and then Julie and I did the rest. This project took roughly 8 hours start to finish. APQS charges $500 for setup but the rep suggested that Julie save the money and use it to buy fabric because it wasn't that big a deal to put together. OK - maybe if you have put one together several times taking it to quilt shows and the like it isn't a biggie. For us, it was a major undertaking and we are feeling really good about ourselves and our collective mechanical ability!

I am going over there shortly to put a quilt on the rollers and give it a whirl. Julie's class is tomorrow so she will need to know if it works before she goes! Gosh, I hope it works 'cause I don't want to have to take anything apart. I told her after we had it all together that she can never move or she would have to make the long arm a part of the deal!

I am determined to finish my ugly tablemat today and put the bindings on Emily's quilt. Hope you have a productive (or at least a fun) day!

Glorious day!

I know this is supposed to be my "quilt blog" but this morning is so absolutely gorgeous that I can't begin to quilt or talk about quiting! Autumn is my favorite season. I love the colors of leaves, the smell of firewood burning, the crunch of crisp apples, and the little bit of nip in the air. This morning the sky is that incredible shade of blue that occurs when a high pressure front comes through. This is my "God color". It is the color that my mind goes to when I meditate and just looking at the sky this morning lifts my heart.

I am going for a walk up to my sister's farm and just "be". I hope you enjoy your day wherever you are!

To use or not to use?

In an effort to use up some stash, I decided to make a little table mat that would have a "fall" feeling. In a grab bag of fabric that was labeled as neutrals, I received a couple of pieces from a collection of fabric that is supposed to look like a sampler of needlework. These are not fabrics that I would choose to use for anything. However, they were here, the colors are ok and I wanted to use what I had. This may have been a complete waste of time as I really do not like the outcome. Maybe after I quilt it I will be able to stand it but right now - ick! I will probably practice some free motion feathers in the border and practice is always a good thing.

If it turns out less hideous than I think at this point, I may post a photo. If not, it may become a mat under the cat's bowl. She isn't terribly picky!

How cute is this panel? This is the first time that I bought a "cheater quilt" panel but I had to get it for my daughter-in-law (Maywood Studios fabric). They have two cats and I knew she would love it. I bought the panel back in July and just picked up the other fabrics for the borders a couple of weeks ago. Each of the border fabrics was from a different vendor but they all have a "dotted" feeling to them. I pieced the outer border while watching several movies yesterday afternoon. I am going to get really "jiggy" with the machine quilting on this one. This may be the perfect practice piece on the long arm. I'll just say a little prayer, hold my breath and let 'er rip!

I got up at 4 this morning thinking I would get an early start on the Hidden Well. Well....I made coffee, sat down at the computer to check my email, started reading blog posts and here I am nearly 2 (!!) hours later. I starting checking out other's favorite blogs and I swear it is addictive. I read the blogs of some incredibly talented women and can only dream of attaining some level of competency with my own works. I can either be intimidated, go back to bed and pull the covers over my head or get off my fanny and do something.

Off I go....

My "Happy Jack" is done. Thank goodness!

I went shopping today with a couple of the women in my quilting group. Nothing like a sale to get the blood pumping! I confessed that I had been to the quilt shop the day that the sale started so this was really a second trip but certainly worth the time. I found backing and borders for a wall hanging, added a couple of batiks to my growing collection and picked up a lovely Nativity pattern that I saw when I was scanning their website a couple of weeks ago. I am not foolish enough to think I will get that done before Christmas this year but it will certainly be a goal for next year.

I am anticipating a really quiet day tomorrow so I think I will finish the Hidden Well quilt top and put the first border on Emily's quilt. I would really like to have that one finished when she gets here at Thanksgiving. So much to do and so little time!

I'm Trying...Really!

Lest someone think I have been goofing off...I am working on "Happy Jack", a Halloween wall hanging (Pieces from My Heart). I used mostly fabric from my stash (took a couple from my sister's stash) and did my own thing. I didn't like the way the pattern showed the mouth as it looked kind of sinister to me and not happy at all. I added a couple of leaves for a little more interest and free motion embroidered some vines. I am never one to use a pattern as I find it. All was going well until I started machine quilting a loopy meander just outside the pumpkin. I broke two needles in about five minutes and cannot figure out what's causing it to happen. If I had more energy I would go get "the big dog" and try quilting on that machine. I am going to try again tomorrow morning and see what happens. If I break another needle I will use my ancient, trusty Singer.

And some people wonder why I need 4 sewing machines!