Hospice House Quilt #11

The 11th Hospice House quilt is quilted, bound and even a label sewn on it. The pretty floral quilt top was donated by Regina. This was my first attempt at doing my version of echoed floral quilting as demonstrated by Dawn on the Pajama Quilter Reloaded DVD.


Thanks Regina, someone will love this spring like quilt.

Kathie

Isn't this Bright!!

Sunday was my daughters birthday so the weekend was busy between birthday things and her dance rehearsals so I didn't do a lot of sewing over the weekend. I did stay laying out her quilt on the design wall and have been sewing some of it together each day.


Since it is a full sized quilt and the rows have to be sewing together in diagonal rows I discovered that my design wall just isn't big enough to accommodate it. I did a few rows, sewed them together and then put a few more on the wall. I am having to be very careful that I don't get the rows confused, luckily I have a pattern of the layout and am just marking it off row by row as I get them done.

My goal for this week is to get three customer quilts done, get the middle section of Mandy's quilt together and to get bindings on two runners that I quilted last week.

Kathie

Reflections

No pictures today though I have accomplished a lot this week.

I finished the binding on my guild challenge quilt, quilted two customer quilts and yesterday finished quilting a Hospice charity quilt and I also pieced a table runner.

With the beginning of May it is now six months since I quit my office job and have been staying home doing quilting as a business. A couple of people asked if I had any regrets which really made me reflect over the last six month.

I do miss the social interation with other people. Even when I was busy at work there was always a little chit chat during the day and I do miss that. I miss several co-workers that I worked with for several years but in reality that is all I miss.

I love being able to make my own schedule. If I just don't feel like quilting a quilt one day I use that day to do house work and run errands and do the quilt the following day. I try to quilt quilts in the order received but if I have done a couple of larger ones in a row I can reorder and do a small baby quilt next.

I am trying to work on customer quilts only during the work week and reserve sewing time on the weekends to charity, craft show and my own projects.

One of the best things is that I have been able to join a day time quilt guild. Our once a month meeting on a wednesday morning I really look forward to. We have so much fun, have speakers, classes and lots of show and tell.

I am also enjoying being able to coordinate the effort to get a lot of quilts made for our hospice house opening this summer. I have 10 completed quilts, quilt 11 is done I just don't have it back yet from binding and quilt #12 is the one I finished quilting yesterday and just need to get the binding stitched down.

So all in all, no regrets. I do miss the pay check but am getting used to spending less.

kathie

Tessellations

I was on a roll yesterday quilting. I finished up quilting my challenge quilt for our May guild meeting.

We picked a crayon several months ago (I received a Plum crayon) and you could only add one color to it. I added a bright raspberry pink and my friend nicknamed the quilt "Wild Berries". I made the binding this morning and hope to get that put on later today. I am not going to post a picture of it until it is completed and our challenge it over.

In addition I quilted this quilt for Betty yesterday. This pattern is called Anything Goes Star Tessellations from a class that many members of our guild took last month. I love her pink version and had fun quilting it with a bright pink variegated thread. The quilt I am making using this pattern is all out of Christmas fabrics but I have only finished a block or two since the end of the class. I really need to move that one up on my "to do" list.

Kathie

Weekend Ups and Downs

The weekend was HOT for April in Maryland. I don't think I am ready for summer weather yet.

Saturday was the second anniversay of my Mother's passing so I tried to keep myself busy all day to keep my mind off of it. I went to our local quilt show, ran errands and worked on my daughter's quilt. I don't know why we can't use those anniversaries to think of all the fond memories, but I couldn't help spending the day thinking of how much I still miss her.

My weekend did end on a good note. When I went to pick up my quilts from our local quilt show last night I had a wonderful surprise. No I didn't win any ribbons, but better than that I won the raffle quilt.

Funny thing is that I quilted the raffle quilt for them back in December so nice to get it back and it is all mine!!! Well the cat is already laying on it so I guess he thinks it is his.

Here is a picture of the quilt.


Kathie

Southern Maryland Quilt Show

There is a small quilt show at our local park this weekend. It is an annual event and always has a good variety of entries. Here are a few pictures of some of my favorites. I would have taken more pictures but since I dropped my camera the battery only lasts a few pictures before having to be recharged.

Retreat

I went to a one day quilting retreat yesterday with ladies from my one quilt guild. We had a blast, good company, great food, a location right on the water and of course a lot of sewing.

I had gradually cut out my daughter's quilt over the last week or so and spent all of yesterday working on it. The quilt is basically made of solid squares, 9 patch and rail fence blocks. I didn't remember how many of each I needed since I am making it larger than the pattern directions. When I checked last night I found that I only need 8 more 9-patch blocks and I have about half of the rail blocks finished. It was great to have accomplished so much yesterday.

Now I have to get back to customer quilts for a couple of days.

Kathie L.