Friday, November 16, 2012

Quilting done, but still 2 more things to do...

I managed to get the quilting done on my quilt yesterday.
I need to come up with a name for it. Does anyone have any suggestions? The label needs to be added to it yet so I need a good name. What mood does it evoke to you?
Please leave me any suggestions in the comments below.

I still need to make the last 2 journal covers and I have been a little bit in a funk about it. I'm just not sure what I want to do for them. Oh well, I won't get much done today on those as I am going to Tina's to help her with her design wall/doors for her closet this morning and then we are going to a quilt trunk show this evening. It's another fun filled day. Maybe I will get some inspiration while out today.
In the meantime I am going to go to the studio and clean up the mess I made while creating. Do you do the same thing that I do? Pull out lots of fabrics to work from, cut and piece or fuse and leave everything out and about until the project is done and then you look around and it looks like a tornado went through? I have fabric scraps everywhere, fabric thrown all over, threads all over the floor, paper scraps littering all the surfaces. I need to go down now and start cleaning it all up. In the middle of all of that I was doing laundry and I still have all my towels folded and waiting to be put away. So much activity takes place in my little studio and sometimes I just have to stop and put everything away so that I can begin the whole process over again. LOL...

So have a great day and don't be afraid to make a mess and be creative. We have Thanksgiving coming up next week and I know many of my family and friends will be in the kitchen making a mess while creating a wonderful meal for their families. Creativity comes in all forms. Get out there and do it, be messy.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

STILL 2 more things on my list...

I still have those 2 journal covers to make but I did do something else yesterday that I am extremely proud of. It isn't quilted yet, I plan on doing that today, but it is to that point. Remember when I said I needed to be at the quilting step when I am low on energy, well, I was very low on energy on Tuesday and I never did get into the studio to work. So yesterday when I got to the quilting step I quit. This was for 2 reasons. I wanted time to think about quilting motifs that would be awesome and not just mediocre and I also wanted to give myself that quilting to do to get the energy flowing. Enough babbling and here is the photo.
This is for the online class I am taking. The second lesson was to create a quilt that depicted a mood and talked about using transparency as a means to create more depth and interest. I am pleased with it so far. The quilting will really bring the whole piece together. I am also contemplating adding another piece of fabric into the background blue area. I will have to play with that a little and see if it can be done now without messing the whole thing up. You know how something just bugs you and you can't quite figure out what it is? Well that is where I am right now. I really like the piece as it is but I know there is something that could make it that much better. I just have to figure it out. So we will have to see where it goes from here.

I have to run into town later today to make a bank deposit. I like deposits instead of the steady withdrawals that one has to make also have to stop at the pharmacy. So I am off to work now. Have a safe and wonderful day. Be prepared to change something that isn't working for you in your life. You will be surprised how that will lead to a new found peace and lightness to your step.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Still 2 more things on my list...

Well, yesterday was not a very productive day so I need to get moving today. I managed to hand stitch the binding down on the last table runner that I had waiting. I also went to Joanne's with my niece to pick out fabric for the backing of a quilt that she found. I need to wash the fabric and then piece it together so I can get it on Lola and quilt it up ASAP. It's going to be a gift so the sooner I get it done the better.

I hope the rest of the week goes better than yesterday and can get stuff done.

So have a good day and allow yourself to rest when you need to because no one else can rest for you. Sorry for the short uninspired post today.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Only 2 more items left on my list...

Yesterday, I managed to get one more journal cover made and over a dozen bookmarks.
It took me most of the day as the techniques were rather time consuming. I have wanted to try Carol Ann Waugh's stupendeous stitching method and thought that the journal cover would be a good item to try it on. You use the preprogrammed decorative stitches that are available on your machine and different decorative threads to heavily embellish a plain quilt sandwich. It does take a lot of time stitching out these random lines and changing thread frequently but I really like the texture and interest that it gives to the piece. I wouldn't use this for a huge piece but for journal covers, pillow fronts and I even adapted it to the bookmarks it is a great way to add a lot of interest. It is also a great way to use up lots of odd threads that you don't use anymore or empty those bobbins that were left over from other projects so you can have some empty bobbins. My little pile of finished items doesn't look like much for one days work but it was all time intensive not difficult but time intensive.

I got two phone calls yesterday with requests to quilt 2 quilts before Christmas. I am at a good stage with all my other work that I said yes I could do them. So I will be getting one delivered today and maybe get it done soon and the other one I will work on after the craft sale Dec. 1. That will be it though. No more customer quilts for Christmas.

I sent my registration in for the Hawaii class yesterday. I looked up the supply list and it doesn't look like I need to take too much stuff with me so that is a bonus. I am excited to be able to mark off "taking an Esterita Austin workshop" off my bucket list. The class is on using your camera to create a good composition, using some computer editing etc. to create the pattern then translating that into a quilt. I am excited.

So that brings me back to what I need to finish up before the craft sale. I want to make 2 more journal covers and if I can get out and pick up a couple more sets of rings I will make some more casserole carriers but I believe I am in a good place right now that if I didn't get any of that done I would still have enough to create a nice table. So I might get a little fabric dyeing done between now and the holidays. The online dyeing class I am taking has been neglected badly. I have been reading the comments in the discussion forum but I haven't been able to do the actual dyeing past the first weeks lesson. So as you can see I am still quite busy even with all that I have gotten done. I have to get myself down to the studio so I can get to work.

So have a great day, make those to do lists, get things done as soon as possible and don't worry about what you can't get done. It will all come out in the wash anyways, (there is a subconscious thought), I have to do laundry today too. LOL...

Monday, November 12, 2012

Slow weekend...

I did not go into over achiever mode this weekend. I turned down the activity level a bit and rested a good portion of the time. I still managed to "go" a lot though through out the weekend. Friday after Jeff got out of work, we did the late fall dreaded clean up chore. He dug out the ladder and I went up on the roof to clean out the gutters and sweep off all the leaves that were piled up on the house and garage. It is not a fun job. I am not particularly fond of heights. I had a hard time climbing up the ladder because it was a little flexible as you stepped on each rung. It didn't move or shift any but it just flexed a little. Once I was on the roof I was ok except for the leaning over the edge part to reach the gutters. On the back side of the garage was the worst part since a lot of leaves were collected there and as I swept them down and off the roof was wet underneath. Very slippery and so I had to be especially careful then. My mantra was "Don't do a Betsy" and "Don't fall off the roof like Doug". I did slip once but I was sitting down and so the traction from my jeans and shoes did stop me before I got too close to the edge. That is my least favorite job of the year but it is done now and I don't have to do that again for a while.

On Saturday, I prepared my stuff to take to Tina's for Stitch and Bitch group. I made apple dumplings for snack and prepped my fabrics to make 2 casserole carriers while there. The apple dumplings were yummy and I got the carriers constructed but not quilted while at Tina's. I did finish them once I got home. Here they are.
Here are shots of the quilting motifs that I used.
I learned how to draft these from another online class that I took, Machine Quilting with Templates by Kimmy Brunner. The first one is a Mariner's star, that can be created inside a square, a circle, an oval, or rectangle. The sides of the shape do not have to be stitched but can be if you choose to. I did not stitch the shape sides and just let the star shine. I also did some fills in the points and center. The second one is a 16 pointed star with no quilting done inside the points. You can fill the points in with different fills or quilt the background area so the star pops a bit but for a casserole carrier that the quilting is primarily functional and won't be seen a lot I chose to keep it simple.
We also went out to dinner Saturday evening to the school for the fireman's chicken pie supper with Dan and Stephanie and her parents. It was so good and then I had everyone back to our place to finish up the apple dumplings that I had left from the morning. It was quite a full day but a lot of fun.

I also completed a journal cover. It is one of the patterns that we got from Charlotte at the retreat in New York.
I have 3 more journal covers that I want to finish before the craft sale. I need to try to get as much done this week as I will be traveling next week.

I got a photo of the sunrise this morning.
The colors are not as true in the photo but it was quite beautiful.

I got an email from Esterita Austin on Saturday about her class in Hawaii in March. I am so excited about this and am making my plans to go. I told Kate that she would be seeing me in March so she better be there. I also got an email from Carlene who does a fabric dyeing workshop that coincides with Esterita's workshop so I have to get my registrations filled out and sent in. I am so psyched. Things to do while in Hawaii. I definitely want to go snorkling again were we went this year. I didn't get to go parasailing last time so maybe we can do that and I want to go hiking again. I am going to have to get myself in shape so I can do all these things. Woohoo. I am so excited. (Can you tell I am excited?) I am sooooo excited. Can you tell?????

Well, I am off to get those registration forms completed and I hope you have a most wonderful day. Get excited about something. It gets the adrenaline pumping. It makes you feel alive and you might as well get that feeling from something good as opposed to some tragedy that occurs.