A Wonderful Surprise and Another Finish

 Let me set the scene...

It's Thanksgiving morning, DD and 2 grands came early to help get the bird in the oven.  With that complete, the side dishes ready to bake, granddaughter (Lump) from Kansas, here visiting with her mother, arrives to spend the afternoon with us.  I'm gathering the Thanksgiving dishes and flatware, pulling out the serving spoons when I look up and there in real life is our son from Kansas standing in front of me.  I latched onto his neck and he held tight while I sobbed.  I haven't seen him since June.  When I finally let go I realized his wife was standing behind him.  Another hug and more sobbing.

Next, it's dads turn.  DS walks into the living room without saying anything and stood in front of his dad until he looked up.  Another locking hug and hold on while dad sobs.  He hasn't seen him in a year.

Any of you that have followed along with our story know that DS and Lump lived with us for 4 years before moving to Kansas in August 2020.

What a wonderful Thanksgiving surprise.

They stayed until Saturday morning and then headed back to Kansas.

The quilt that I had on the frame when they arrived was for their second oldest.  So I got it finished while they did some Christmas shopping and they took both of the oldest girls' quilts home with them.  One got the Morewood Mystery QAL made with black and white fabrics and the other got this Morewood Mystery QAL made from my stash.

I love the after quilt on the back as much as the front.  I used up all of the fabric.

This is #11 of my PHDs

I have surprised myself at what I have accomplished this year.  With a little encouragement (thank you quiltinggail.com) and a lot of determination, I am amazed.

I'm hoping to complete one more before the end of the year.  Not sure how that's gonna go.

Wishing you more stitchin time than I will have.

Rose

Linking with:

Oh Scrap

Purple Curves for a Dear Friend

 I can post this before she gets the package because until it arrives she doesn't know about my blog.

My dear friend from high school had a daughter with epilepsy. Her daughter is no longer with her but her memory will never go away.  Another memory that will never go away is the one of those horrible gran mal seizures.  Because of this she pours herself into Epilepsy Awareness.  November is Epilepsy Awareness Month and she wears purple every day for the month.

On October 30th she posted this picture "in preparation for her purple month."

She is dedicated!!  This year she is having a fundraiser if anyone feels inclined.  Asking for contributions is way out of her comfort zone.

She is also an avid reader.  What better gift to give a reader (besides a book) than a quilt to wrap up in while you read?  A quilt that I made for her in memory of her beloved Bean and in honor of her dedication to epilepsy awareness.  I sew hope she enjoys it.

The pattern is Metro Rings from Sew Kind of Wonderful.  I also copied their quilting pattern.  I'm thinking about doing this quilt again with a jelly roll that I have on hand.  It took 61.5 hours from start to finish.  Part of the reason it took so long is my inexperience with FMQ on a longarm.  And my longarm is actually a sit down machine on a carriage so I have to use the foot petal.

I managed to complete this on time because I have been isolated with COVID19.  Being fully vaccinated, I believe, kept me fully functioning.

This is the second quilt completed on the Gracie Queen frame that wasn't meander.  It turned out beautifully.

I wish I could take a good picture of my quilts.  The color does nothing for it.

Wishing you more stitching time than I will have.

Rose

No. 10 for the year

 To finish 10 quilts in a year, especially this year, is quite a feat for me.  And this 10th one has really been a challenge.  You see, as the wife of an only child, I have been put in charge of my 90 year old MILs healthcare.  She has been in the hospital 15 of the last 20 days and in a rehab facility for 3 more.  One of the hospitals she was in was 52 mile away, so after work each day I would drive to sit with her for an hour or so and drive back home.  The rehab facility is 25 miles away so still a drive but not nearly as bad.  The point being, my studio time has been very limited.

Even so, Susan's #3 memory quilt is now complete.  I labeled them "Memories of PopPop", "Memories of PopPop 2" and this one is "Memories of PopPop with a twist" 

Her son is an LSU fan and PopPop was an Auburn athlete.

I did have an opportunity to visit J Light Quilt Shop, in central Alabama, that was closing for the winter.  They had 40% off everything.  I purchased 23 yards of fabric, a package of 52 pre-printed labels and several other notions.  I'm already looking forward to them reopening in the spring.

Until next time, wishing you more stitchin time than I will have.

Rose

Two more PHDs are now PDs

I finished 2 of my PHDs are Projects Done and that puts me back on track.

First I finished Clementine.  This was a BOM over at the Fat Quarter Shop.  Your make a $5 donation to St Jude's for each block pattern.  I only made half of the blocks and called it done.  It was started in February 2019 and made with scraps.  There is an oops that I decided to leave.  It was the second quilt done on the Grace frame with a meander. I have donated it to be given away at work to one of the contributors for our annual Charitable Contribution Campaign. Maybe it will encourage a little more participation.

Next up was my sister's quilt.  I finished it during her birthday month but not before her birthday.  I really don't think she'll mind.  

It was pieced in April/May 2020 during Covid when we were all sent home from work.  I was sitting with my MIL and I took my Featherweight with me and set up on her kitchen table.  I purchased a layer cake then added the white and it finished 88 x 88.  This is the third quilt to be quilted on the Grace frame and the first non meander.

The borders on this were quilted one side at a time.  The quilt was too big for the machine to reach the borders on the side.  Then I did the corners on my DSM.  I quilted dragonflies on the border.  They have great significance to our family.  Here is a view from the back.

And to wrap up September and begin October I have two of these on the design wall.  I'm in the process of making the pinwheels for a border but it will have to wait because the roll of the dice was not the bunnies this week.

Until next time...Wishing you more stitchin time than I will have.

Rose

Linking with:

Quilting Gail for PHD in September

Concern and Anxiety

Ida to make landfall on the anniversary of Katrina. While my grandson is in Baldwin County, Alabama quarantined to his dorm room after a positive COVID19 test.  

As a fairly new employee of the Emergency Management Agency I am being activated for the first time.  

In preparation for Hurricane Ida we will begin activation today at noon.  My shift will begin at 6:30 this evening and I will work overnight.  I have never worked a night shift before so I'm trying, this morning, to figure out how to get some sleep in during the day, how do I keep myself awake all night, and am I allowed to bring things with me to help with that.

My job is to be there in case they need to purchase/order items to aid in response and recovery from the storm.  

I am going prepared.  I have packed a bag with the kit and instructions for My Favorite Color Is Moda along with a cutting mat and rotary cutter and a mini iron and wool pressing mat.  If I'm allowed I will be cutting fabric to help me through the night.

Wish me luck on this new experience.

Wishing you more stitching time than I will have.

Rose

More progress!

I drove 45 miles to work for nine and a half years and when I finally got my quilting studio situated I managed to go straight to it when I got home to get my 30 minutes of stitching in.  For the last 4 months I have been only 2.1 miles from home, so when I get home now I have an extra 30 minutes to stitch.  I am loving it!

I don't think it will be completed by PHD report time but my sister's quilt is off the frame.  This is only the second quilt I have done on the Grace frame and the first one was meandered.  I will do the outer border on the domestic machine.  It's not perfect but I'm still pretty pleased with it.  I told my sister that it was going to be a practice quilt.  I love this quilt and I kind of wish I had waited for a little more experience before quilting it.  But it's okay.  I'm going to tell her when I'm famous for my longarm quilting she can say she has the first custom free motion quilt.  HAHA!!

So last week I posted that I would be working on an Easter Bunny door hanging.  I have a question for applique quilters.  Do you stitch around each piece as you fuse it?  Or do you fuse them all and then stitch around the exposed edges?

I managed to get all of the bunny pieces fused but not to the background.  The picture had the belly white but the instructions said pink.  I think I'm going to redo it with white.  The parts are just set in place ready to be fused.  I haven't found the border fabric yet.  It's not really the time of year to shop for Easter fabric.  I might have to improvise.

This week I rolled a 2 with the die.  The Crazy Blocks.  I posted about these way back here.

My daughter and granddaughter were visiting my quilt studio one day and decided that this was the one they wanted to hang on a quilt rack.  It earned a numbered tub shortly after that. 

The goals this week were:

Stitch the last row on my sister's quilt👍

Fuse bunny parts👍

Find some striped fabric👎

Stitch 30 minutes 6 days👍

Tidy Organize 15 minutes 6 days👍

Goals this week are:

Get started on the border of my sister's quilt

Finish sashing the Crazy Blocks

Stitch 30 minutes 6 days

Tidy/Organize 15 minutes 6 days

Wishing you more stitching time than I will have.

Rose

linking with:  Oh Scrap

Thank you for visiting.

Continued progress

This week continues with 2019-20 Build A Quilt.  I believe this is the final block and then it's on to the finishing kit.

I have advanced my sister's quilt to the final row.  The outer border will need to be done on my domestic machine because it went absolutely from end to end on the Grace Frame and the machine carriage wouldn't allow the machine to extend that far.

This is only the second quilt that I have done longarm. And the first one was a meander design.

There are errors, but hey, not too bad for number one.  It's gonna take practice that I'm willing to put in.

Thursday brought another roll of the die. Number 4 - Is an Easter Bunny door display.  I saw it in a Quick Quilts magazine in May 2009. I gathered all the fabric needed for the parts and bundled it as a kit and on the UFO list it went....for a long time.  I'm planning to make 2 of them.  One for each of homes of my grandchildren. 

I will need to purchase a striped fabric for the borders but all of the rest is from my stash/scraps.

And yesterday I got to spend the day watching Mini Momma play in a volleyball tournament.

It was such fun.  A long long time ago in a faraway land I played volleyball too.

Goals for the week were:

Stitch a row on my sister's quilt (only 2 1 more to go)👍

Get the back for the Christmas quilt complete 👍

Stitch 30 minutes 6 days 👍

Tidy (fold more fabric) 15 minutes 6 days👎

Goals for this week:

Stitch the last row on my sister's quilt

Fuse bunny parts

Find some striped fabric

Stitch 30 minutes 6 days

Tidy Organize 15 minutes 6 days

Wishing you more stitchin time than I will have.

Rose

Thank you for visiting, comments are always welcome.

Linking with: Oh Scrap

What am I working on?

 

Last week, on Thursday, I rolled a three (3) with the die.  #3 tub is the 2019-20 Build A Quilt.  I completed Block 8 on Monday.  

Monday also brought news that FedEx has done it again!!  They say they delivered my package from MSQC on Sunday.  Left it at the front door.  Well, guess what, it wasn't my front door.  Again.  They have gone to you know where in a hand basket since they started contracting their deliveries.  It is sew frustrating.  I guess my DD won't get the quilt I was planning for her.  I ordered a layer cake "Game Time" from Benartex.  I have asked them not to ship it a third time by FedEx but I can't find it anywhere else.

Tuesday is my normal day for no stitching.  I have a standing evening with my friend.  I call it "Sip and Spill".  We could chat for hours.

Thursday brought a roll of the die.  Number 5.  That's the Christmas quilt.  It needed the backing pieced.  Sew that was the goal for the weekend. 

I completed the backing on the Christmas quilt (picture later)  and Saturday isn't even over so I rolled the die again and rolled a 3 AGAIN.  Block 9 for Build A Quilt is paper pieced (not my favorite).  But I persevered. 

Goals for the week were:

Stitch a row on my sister's quilt 👍

Make a label for Morewood Black & White 👍

Fold more fabric 👍

Stitch 30 minutes 6 days 👎

Tidy 15 minutes 6 days 👎😢

Goals this week are:

Stitch a row on my sister's quilt (only 2 more to go)

Get the back for the Christmas quilt complete 👍

Stitch 30 minutes 6 days

Tidy (fold more fabric) 15 minutes 6 days

I clean up as I go so unless we're talking about the rest of the house.....I'm good.

Have a great week.

Wishing you more stitching time than I will have.

Rose

Linking with Oh Scrap, Can I get a Whoop Whoop

Not a lot accomplished

 When I was making room for the Grace Frame I lost the shelves that the fabric was stored on.

I put all of the fabrics in tubs while the transformation was being made.  Because I have been working on my PHDs I really didn't need the fabric.  This week I decided to get the fabric back out and visible.  Not a lot of stitching has gone on and I still have more work to be done.  I will post pictures when I get it complete.

The week wasn't a total loss.  I did get a couple of rows done on my sister's quilt.

This is the first non meandering quilt on the Grace Frame so there are many mistakes design changes.  I told my sister that this has been a practice piece and she is not allowed to view it closer than 3 feet.  I have come to realize that this is going to take a LOT of practice.  Once it's washed and crinkled nobody will notice the design changes.

The goals for the week were:

Stitch a row on my sister's quilt 👍

Trim Crazy Blocks and start sashing 👍

Stitch at least 30 minutes 6 days 👎

Tidy at least 30 minutes 👍

3 out of 4 is not too bad!!

This week the goals are:

Stitch a row on my sister's quilt

Make a label for Morewood Black & White

Fold more fabric

Stitch 30 minutes 6 days

Tidy 15 minutes 6 days

I visited a new to me quilt shop and it was AWESOME.  If you happen to be in central Alabama, it's called J Light Quilt Shop in Childersburg.  It's an adventure to get to it but well worth the drive.

I didn't over buy while I was there.  I left plenty of reason to go back.  But I did purchase 3 yards of fabric.  2 yards are for DD's quilt.  The layer cake that I ordered for hers was lost and I'm still waiting for FedEx to deliver the replacement that was to be delivered 4 days ago.  Maybe tomorrow.

Yards in YTD (including Frivols)      36.3

Yards out YTD                                  80.9

Net yards                                      -44.6

Wishing you more stitchin time than I will have.

Rose

Two finishes in one month!?!

 Last week I posted about Threadology and this week I finished the first of two Morewood Mystery quilts.

Front

Back

The back was pieced with the leftover fabric and then I added some fat quarters to make it big enough.  This finish has me caught up on my PHD challenge at QuiltingGail.

I believe that because of this challenge I have purchased WAY less fabric than usual.  Other than the Frivol tins by Moda (a collection) I have only purchased one kit and the finishing kit for the BAQ 20-21.  I have worked on projects that I already had started or purchased and I have used what was on hand for backings.  Today I purchased the backing for the Purple Curves which was planned. 

Yards in YTD (including Frivols)      33.3

Yards out YTD                                  80.9

Net yards                                      -47.6

My goals for the week were:

 Stitch a row on my sister's quilt     👍

Finish Morewood black and white    👍

Find a backing fabric for Purple Curves    👍

This week the goals are:

Stitch a row on my sister's quilt

Trim Crazy Blocks and start sashing

Stitch at least 30 minutes 6 days

Tidy at least 30 minutes

On another note, I have been searching for a 12 sided dice die.  I finally found some locally.  I roll a die every Thursday to find out what piecing project I will work on this weekend.  I've been just choosing from the first 6 project but I have 12 project tubs.  Now I can, if I choose, roll the 12 sided die and expand my horizons. 

Wishing you more stitchin time than I will have.

Rose

Linking with Oh Scrap and QuiltingGail for the July PHD report.

If I only knew

 If I only knew what to post.  And if my photos wouldn't disappear maybe I would post more often, then I wouldn't have such long posts.  

The first week of June I took my granddaughter (Mini Momma because she is a duplicate of her mother) on her first airplane ride.  We went to Kansas to bring Lump back to spend some summer time with her mother.  On the way back it was Lump's first airplane ride.

 

One of Lump's classmates was on the same plane.  She and Mini Momma were sitting on one side of the isle and I was on the other.  As the plane started to move Lump started to tear up and Mini said "you don't want your classmate see you cry, do you?"  Mini said the tears dried up real quick.

I sold my old car.  Carvana had the best deal and that was the easiest automobile transaction I have ever done.

A little quilting happened during this time also.  The first quilt to go on the new Grace Frame was Threadology and it was completed too.

This was a QAL from Fat Quarter Shop.  I like how they ask for a donation to Make A Wish for each block.  Here is the front and back.  Made entirely from my stash and scraps.

 

Then I drove to Michigan to get together with my remaining siblings (this doesn't happen often), we live in Arizona, Michigan and Alabama. Michigan was our original home. We gave our parents remains a new/final resting place.  You can see their former resting place beside the tree.  The new resting place is below the tree.  We had a wonderful long weekend with our families as we celebrated the lives of our parents again.

Who knows how long it will be before we are together again.

It's been a lovely/busy two months.  I stated at the beginning of this post that I have trouble locating my pictures after I send them from my phone to the computer.  Well, I have added a Shutterfly account which made this post sew much easier.  I am looking forward to future posts.  I have a couple of projects going right now in stages that I should produce another finish soon.  I'll be ready for PHD this month.

Wishing you more stitchin time than I will have.

Rose

Squirrels, squirrels and more squirrels

 I haven't posted in a while.  Because of all the squirrels I haven't had anything to post about.  Today I'm gonna post about those pesky lovely squirrels.

First there is the Boxy Tote from Quilts Illustrated.  It was great instructions.

It opens nice and wide and stays open with wire inserts (included with pattern).  It has pockets all the way around inside and out.

And look what fits in it!!

And then I had to make one for my friend that serviced my Featherweight and wouldn't take any kind of payment.

I worked on them simultaneously.  Two machines side by side.  One with maroon thread and one with teal thread.  These were a lot of fun to make.

And then the BIG SQUIRREL!!!!!

Set up queen size.

I purchased this used Gracie King frame.  It was partially disassembled.  I told my friends that I might have it in service by Labor Day.

It required a complete overhaul of the sewing studio.

I moved everything to one end of the room.

Then I put the frame together and started rearranging the room.

I had to take down the shelves that my fabric stash was on and I'm not yet sure how I will be storing my fabric.  Right now it's all in tubs.

It only took 4 days to get the frame together working by myself an hour in the morning before work and a couple of hours in the evening.  I did get some help moving it into position.  Then another week to get the room back to some sort of order in addition to assembling a cabinet that is to become my ironing station and an additional cube storage unit.

But not only getting the room in order, I had to do some inventive/creative/imaginative thinking to make a sit-down machine work in a frame without having to hold the foot petal in hand while steering.  I have never used the stitch regulator on this machine but that will change.  For now anyway.

When you get to the edge there's another hanger on the other side.

You can see I have scribbled a bit.  When I get finished scribbling I will put one of the UFOs that has no planned destination for practice. 

Can you say EXCITED!!!!  That I am.  

The room is back together and I really like it.

Tubs act as table extension.

Morning sun from this window.

Waiting to be quilted and planning area.

PHDs are not going too well.

I'm ready to get back to some piecing.  Maybe I can get a few of those UFOs done now.  

NO MORE BASTING!!!

Wishing you more stitching time than I will have.

Rose

 

Linking with:  quiltinggail.com

True to my Resolution

True to my resolution I managed to get this Morewood Mystery quilt basted within a week of a flimsy.  Almost.  Well, 8 days.

It took me that long to get the backing put together, the after quilt.  Can't wait to show it.  I used all of the leftover fabric except about a 1/2 yard of the teal. 

I was planning to quilt it like the black and white one, with feathers in the background stripes, but a friend suggested palm/fern leaves.  The flowered fabric is a lily fabric with fern/palm fronds in  tropical colors.

Now if I could just get a couple of my PHDs basted.

Not much progress here.

I have the My Favorite Color is Moda pattern and fabric but I haven't started cutting it yet.  I also have Quilting is my Therapy Build A Quilt 2020-2021.  I haven't even opened the envelopes partially because I haven't finished Build A Quilt 2019-2020.

I have decided I AM NOT signing up for any more quilt-alongs until I get some of my UFO/PHDs completed.  Someone please hold me to this!!!

I really want to get back to rolling the dice on Thursdays to see what I will be working on during the weekend.  I do the quilting during the week and piecing on the weekends.

I will have to take advantage of my evening stitching while I can.  The new job will cut into that, at least for a while.

Wishing you more sewing time than I will have.

Rose

I GOT IT!!!

 I got the new job!!!!.  I'll be working 2 mile from home instead of 42 miles. I will be starting April 16th.  And wouldn't you know today on my way home the interstate was stopped.  A wreck?  A cop?  Or just the end of a spring break week?  I don't know but it took me an hour to get there.  During my detour I went by my new employment location at 4:59.  I was home at 5:04.  I told DH add about 5 minutes to that (clocking out, getting to the car, exiting the parking lot.....) and that's what time I'll be home in about 3 weeks.

I've said all along that I have the best supervisor.  I call her my super super.  When she sent my resignation to the director and assistant director she told them that she may need a few weeks off to mourn my absence.  I thought that was the sweetest!

I've been reading the blog of Zenia Rene.  She adds a Thread for Life at the end of each post.  Today while I was reading her post from June 2018 the Thread for Live was "Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. – Prov 16:24 NLT".     Made me think of my super.

Morewood X 2

I have been working on the Morewood Mystery quilt that I started.  Here is the Black & White version, made from a kit purchased from Bear Creek Quilt Co.  I have started the quilting.  Feathers up and down the background stripes.  This is going to the oldest of my new grand daughters.  She will soon be 14.  Her favorite color is black.

Here is a close up of the feathers.  Hopefully you can see them.

And then, as if I didn't have enough UFOs, I had to do a second Morewood Mystery out of the fabric in my stash.  This one is going to another of my new grand daughters.  Her favorite color at this time is aqua/teal.  I hope it's not a problem that their brother's favorite color is lime green.

I plan to quilt it like the black and white one with feathers up and down the background.  Both have "after quilts" for backings.  I am working on this one now.  And with the New Year's Resolution of having them basted within a week of a flimsy, I need to get the after quilt for this one completed asap.

It's been 112 days since I smoked and I did well not gaining weight for the first 2 months.  But all of a sudden, since February 1st, the scale has creeped up each day.  So far 10 lbs.  

On January 20th I was asked to interview for a job transfer.  I'm hoping that the stress/anxiety of waiting on the interview is part of the weight gain.  The interview was last Tuesday and now it's over. 

The thing is, I love my job and my supervisor.  I don't love the 42 mile commute.  I don't hate it I just don't love it.  The new position would be 2 miles from home instead of 42 miles. But I would work 8 to 5 at least for a while, which would put me home 30 minutes later than I am now.  Although I wouldn't have to leave home at 6:10 each morning.  So I'm not stressed about whether I get the job or not.  I'm good either way.

I joined Weight Watchers a couple of weeks ago.  I have a hard time dieting but if it just reminds me to make better choices at meal time, drink more water, and to get up and move more often I'll be ok.

Wishing you more sewing time than I will have.

Rose