Time to Quilt

Mary asked when I get time to quilt with working and doing long arm quilting for customers.

I guess because I love to quilt and it is so relaxing it becomes a priority for me. I work four days a week so have a 3-day weekend every week. I can spread the errands, laundry and other household chores over three days allowing me some time to sew on the weekend. I also cook things on the weekend in the crock pot or make a meal that I know will have left overs so in a couple of nights I won't have to cook. My husband and daughter are fine with that, as long as it is something they like.

This past week was very busy for me at work, plus getting my daughter ready to start high school took up a couple of the evenings with school open house and buying school supplies. Needless to say I didn't get much else done other than dinner on the table and early to bed.

I am trying to make up for it this weekend. I quilted one small quilt yesterday and another today and have the backing on the frame for the third. Luckily all of the customer quilts I have right now are fairly small so they don't take all that long.

For a few days our DSL at home wasn't working so I didn't get a chance to post these pictures before. One is a customer quilt and I wanted to post this picture because I just LOVE the turtle fabric. The other is a couple of really bright table runners I quilted last weekend. Doesn't the flower power backing remind you of the 1970's???

Kathie

Monday Again.....##@@@@!!!!

Even with it being a busy weekend I managed to get several projects done but since our DSL at home is acting up I can't post any pictures today.

I did get two table runners quilted on saturday night. Yesterday I quilted a small customer quilt, got bindings on the two runners and machine stitched around some fused applique on a couple of more runners.

Busy at work this week and a couple of evening activities will interfere with my sewing for the next couple of days but if my internet at home is working later will at least post a couple of pictures from my weekends accomplishments.

Later in the week I hope to get at least a couple more table runners done and then put the next customer quilt (also a small lap quilt size on the frame).

Kathie

Concert

The American Idol concert was great and everyone did a good job with their songs. The downside was that it was WAY to loud. Sometimes the background music and singers were so loud that it overpowered the singers and the words were not clear. I thought it was just that I am getting older and can't take the volume but my 14 year old also ended up with a bad headache. Wish they could have just taken it down a notch and people would have been able to enjoy it more.

We didn't get home from DC till midnight thursday night so I was pretty tired yesterday and didn't get a lot accomplished. I did finish quilting on a rail fence I had been working on over the last few days. This one is destined for the quilts of valor project and will be donated through our guild. I wish I had thought to take a picture of it before it was picked up. It was red/light tan and blue but more medium blues were used than the usual Navy and it looked very nice.

Today is back to school shopping but hope to quilt up a few craft show table runners tonight and then back to a couple of customer quilts tomorrow.

Kathie

American Idol

During the beginning of the year my daughter and I were big American Idol fans and never missed a show. Tonight we are getting to go see the American Idol concert tour in Washington DC. My daughter has already warned me that she will be one of the screaming teenagers when David Archeletta walks out to sing. Now where are my ear plugs? I hate crowds and usually try and avoid them but I am looking forward to the show.

I have been really tired when getting home from work the last couple of weeks but have been trying to use the idea from the Stashbusters group to do something for at least 15 minutes a day and it all adds up. I spent 30 or 40 minutes last night in the sewing room last night and got a couple of feel of my latest charity quilt quilted and machine stitched down a fusable applique on a table runner. Not big accomplishments but it all adds up.

Kathie

Tuesday

Quilt guild was last night and we used the evening to discuss ideas for increasing membership, ideas of what types of programs people would like to see and also most importantly fund raising ideas to supplement a low treasury. A lot of good ideas presented and I think implementing some of them is going to energize the guild.

My goals for the next couple of days are to fully load a charity rail fence quilt that I only have the backing on the frame so far. I like to have something on the frame ready to go so when I have a night with the time, energy and weather (can't run the machine in a storm) I can just start quilting. I also hope to be getting a couple more bindings on and out of the way.

Kathie

Weekend Progress

I had a great saturday, I met up with a few friends and spent a big portion of the day sewing. My idea of a nice way to unwind and spend a saturday.

I made a craft show table runner top and also worked on piecing a large backing out of 10 1/2 squares for a Christmas quilt I made a few months ago.

I was surprised that I wasn't all sewn out and last night quilted these two runners that had been on the top of my stack of ones to be quilted and got them off the frame and ready for binding. I guess I better start doing a little hand work in the evenings before all my bindings back up on me.

I am bummed, a little bit ago I was thinking that it was still saturday for some reason. Then it dawned on me that today is SUNDAY so back to work tomorrow.

kathie