Keeping Busy

Past few days been working on so many projects and doing quilting for others.

This cute wall hanging - customer said its going in a new baby room.  Too small for blanket but will look nice hanging.

Managed to get yet another bear done.  - This is for great grandson Tavyn - one more to go before Christmas. I think I just might make my deadline.

Yesterday was sew day with the girls, and a funny thing.  Nobody brought their sewing machine.  We were all lazy and did hand work.  I stuffed the bear while others spent their time knitting, appliqueing and cutting out fabrics.

Last night I finished this fun fur scarf for daughter Stacy - she liked the silver one so much wanted one for herself.  However, I couldn't find the same yarn, so instead I picked up a skein of the feather yarn.

Today I made a burp rag for baby Gus and also worked on the wild Rail Fence.  One more row and the borders and it will be ready for quilting.

I also managed to quilt a Tshirt quilt for one of my customers

While Wayne was taking his nap I  put up and decorate the Christmas tree.  I waited until he took a nap.  He would have given me an argument about moving the furniture, so to avoid that I waited until he was napping.  This way I can do what I want without having the bah humbug discussion we have every year.

The only thing he likes about Christmas is seeing the little ones with their presents.  Well I keep telling him you cant have presents without the rest of Christmas.

So I usually wait until he is distracted to do my decorating.  I have more to do but will wait until tomorrow to finish.  Probably when he is napping again.

Easy Quilting

Aaaaah  today was so much easier than the last few days have been.

1st - small wall hanging by Margie "Barn Swallow"  a Buggy Barn pattern

I finally got to use a new thread I purchased in Houston and I can tell you I love this thread.

I am going to have to order more of it. Has a beautiful sheen that looks almost like gold.

Comes in many more colors and I would love to have all of them.

2nd - full size quilt by Marilyn:  I used the same thread and again its amazing.

Tonight we went to Kylee's birthday dinner.  Toby made spaghetti with garlic bread and it was delicious as usual.  He is a great chef - dessert ice cream cake.

Ky is has a cold or sinus infection so when she is near Gus she wears a mask.  Her dad made this  mask so she could be near baby.  She helped changing poopy diapers.

I gave her a heat iron tool and crystals to decorate clothing or whatever.    She will be decorating everything in sight.

Of course we had many pictures of Gus - he is doing great and so cuddly.

It is so hard to believe she is 12 already.  I remember when she was "the" baby. Now she is the big sister.

Before And After

Double Wedding Ring:

Before

AFTER

Its finally finished - Never before have I had this big a challenge - the entire quilt was curled and out of square.  I discovered the reason about  half way through.  Grandma had used 100 percent cotton for the ring, but used a poly bed sheet for the background.  Someone washed this before it was quilted which resulted in the cotton shrinking but the sheet did not.

There were so many folds and excess fabric that had to be worked in - I'm talking inches and inches not just a little bit here and there.  The only solution that I could come up with was to quilt the heck out of this and actually had to make hundreds of pleats in the fabrics to ease all the excess in.   

It looks great in the pictures and the real quilt is not bad at all.  The only thing I can suggest at this time is to wash it again to get a quilty look..  The backing and batting have not been prewashed, so this should create the quilty look and will hide the pleating I had to do.

I trimmed the edges and had to take extra off to square as much as possible.  The only way to even come close was to measure from the rings to the edge and use the same measurement all the way around.  It is still out of square but is not Waving on the edges anymore.

Thanksgiving Has Come And Gone For Another Year

Well you can put Thanksgiving 2012 in the books - its done and it was GREAT!!!

Everyone came to our house for the big dinner and to our great and happy surprise Toby, Sarah and baby Gus came as well.

Just a few photos hehehehhe!!!!!

Everyone took their turn at hold baby, well almost everybody, the woman for sure.  Offered Wayne and he said nope waiting until he gets older.  Scaredy cat!!!!

This morning out for breakfast with Bill and Donna and they the 3 of us went to visit our niece Debbie.

Last night a good friend and quilt customer dropped off a quilt top for one of her friends.

We opened it up a little and took a quick peek, but did not examine it very much.  The friends grandmother made the quilt years ago and now the friend is having it quilted.

After returning from my visit with Debbie I proceeded to take another look and realised it needed some serious ironing. While ironing I knew immediately this was going to be a big problem.  It was hand pieced and nothing on this quilt is square or lays flat.

In process of ironing

Hand stitched

This is how it lays on the quilt machine

  Before doing any stitching I called My friend and told her the problem.  This is not going to be a quick quilting at all.  I'm going to have to be very labor intense in easing and stitching and the cost is much more than it normally would be.

After a phone call to her friend, she ok'd me to proceed and do the best job I can. So far I have done about one and half pass and this is what its looking like right now.  

There will be many puckers and pleats but I'm trying my best to hide them and still make a beautiful quilt

After the first row this is what I have to work with on the second and the remainder of the quilt.

I do think when all is said and done it will look beautiful and hopefully the customer agrees.  It, like I said, had been made by her grandmother and will be a keepsake.    I'm thinking once its quilted it should be washed just once to get the "quilted" look to hide any puckers and pleats.

This is not one of the quilts done in a day quilt, I will be working on this one for a few days.