It's Snowing!

Checking out my little weather gal on the blog page, reminded me to say something about the SNOW! It was crazy this afternoon. The snow was really slushy and not really sticking then the storm really blew in and it started lightening and thundering!! and the snow was blowing diagonally North to South. OK it wasn't straight horizontal blowing , but it was CRAZY! The DH and DS3 just came in from blowing and shoveling the driveway and walks. It sure helps w/the holiday spirit to see the snow out there.

Merry Christmas Everyone!! Lauri

The Jacket is Done!

Yea! The jacket is done and I've actually worn it twice and I actually really like it. At first it seemed a bit big and stiff, but I washed and dried it and it softened up a bit.

So this is how I made it. I cut the ribbing off the bottom, cuffs and neckline. I cut up the sides and took out the stitching in the sleeve seam. Then I folded the front in half and cut up the middle. I spread it out on the cutting table and made sure it would lie flat. It didn't have raglan type sleeves like most sweatshirts and I think I would have preferred raglan sleeves. It would have laid flatter. But Oh Well, it's what I had. So I measured it from end of sleeve to end of sleeve and from bottom front edge to bottom back edge. I think it was 68" x 90". Making the lining a bit bigger. I used 3 1/3 yards folded in half the long ways and seamed it. Loaded it on the machine. Laid the sweatshirt on it and used safety pins to hold it down and rolled it up to make sure it fit before I started stitching.

I used Pam Clarke's 1" line stencil on a 45º angle and marked the cross-hatching lines. I didn't use a ruler (too lazy) I just did wavy lines and went back and forth in matching grey thread. It was REALLY boring. But then I got to do the fun part and I added the vines and berries free hand in variegated threads. Yep, Superior Thread. I maybe should have ironed on some totally stable to keep it from puckering up. It only did a little bit and then I tried to be more careful. It's comfy and warm and even looks a bit stylish.

Doing Too Many Things!

So I really have been trying to get back to put something new on my Blog. But Craziness reigns around here. Tis the Season. Right? I have several things in the works and thought I'd share pictures of some of the projects I am in the middle of right now.

First is the Grandmother's Flower Garden that I'm using Ami Simms Invisible Applique techinique to hand piece. I don't have pictures because I want to show a little tutorial when I get a chance. So keep checking back for that. I don't have her book but saw a clip of her teaching it on The Quilter's News Network. It works Loverly, and I'm addicted. I love it because I can sit and do it in my comfy chair in the family room while the family watches a movie.

Second, I've decided that my extended family members deserve a quilt from me. I've made some for nieces and nephews, but I kind of skipped my siblings. So I put a top on that I've had for a while. Here's a picture, but I can't say who it's for right now. I'm working on having a consistent spine. Usually I just freehand it, cuz it's easy. I love feathers. You'll learn this as we go along. I can't help myself I just have to feather things. This is the first time I've tried this curl thingy. I really like how it's turning out.

Then I started a quilted sweatshirt. I took a class at Innovations in Seattle a couple years ago and learned how to do this. I came home and made one. I gave it to my friend Niquie. She loves it and gets bunches of compliments on it. I've told myself TONS of times that I'm going to make more. Then last year I actually bought a couple sweatshirts and guess what? I never did it last year, so here I am doing this year. Basically you just cut the sweatshirt apart. First cut off the ribbing from the bottom, sleeves and neck. Then cut up the sides and the sleeve seam. Then fold the front in half and cut up the middle of the front. I bought a really cute woven stripe and I love it, but because the shirt lays out funky to be flat the stripes won't quite be vertical on the back or front. But I'm going to use the leftovers to do bias binding around the edges and that will look awesome.

My Niece had a baby in October and I promised her a quilt for her little girl, and so I actually purchased a pillowcase kit because they didn't have any yardage of the cute fabric in the kit. So I'm just adding borders and going to quilt that up. Here's a picture of it laid out w/borders. My niece likes frogs, so the center panel and the green border have frogs, insects and cute sayings.

This is Santa's little helper. NOT! This is my 2 yr old that keeps interrupting mommy's projects and probably why I have so many things going on at once, because I can't remember to go BACK to the one I was working on before and then I get started on something new.

Here's the pink quilt on the ironing board waiting to get the seams pressed. Oh Well. Someday.

Til then Happy Quilting!!!

Keep checking back, I have pictures for how I load my quilt and baste the quilt to zippers.

I Can't BreathE!

Well, I'm sick!! Sorry no pictures, cuz I look AWFUL!!! Last week the 2 year old ran a slight fever and had a cough and runny nose. He's doing better now, but now I HAVE IT! and I can't breathe. Well, something good did come of it cuz I decided I was sick and that meant time off work. Right? So I didn't feel like stand up quilting at the LA machine. Sooooo, I started putting together the pink quilt on the design wall. It's amazing how differently a quilt looks when you sew the blocks together and this particular design has some 1 inch and 2 inch strips sewn in to make all the different sized blocks fit together. However, I cut up the extra 2 1/2 inch strips into squares and I piece them and use them for the filler strips. It makes it look more scrappy. But the MAIN reason I do this is so I don't have to measure!!! I can just count the 2" finished sections of the blocks and count that many sqaures and Voila! It fits. (My son in Canada would be proud of me using French in my blog! Yes, he's in the Quebec/Montreal area.)

Which gets me to thinking if anyone reading this blog lives in Canada, my DH and I are heading up there in February to pick our on up and I'm terrified that I'm going to freeze and come home as a block of ice!!! So any hints on staying warm in the Frozen North, I need them!!!! Also, I would love to visit any Quilt Shops in these areas. We'll be in Ottawa, Quebec, and Montreal. I'll just tell my DH and DS that I HAVE to go in and get warm!!! Also, any interesing sites, but I'm sure my son will be able to direct us to many of them because he's been living up there for the last 2 years. But he wasn't being a tourist, so I'm sure we could use suggestions.

I'll post pics of the pink quilt when it's all put together, and then it goes through another amazing change when it's quilted. That picture may not happen for a while as my quilts don't get quilted to quickly. They usually have to "age" a couple years before I actually get them on the machine. LOL!

I'll bet I'll be sewing tomorrow, cuz I'm still breathing through my mouth, I HATE that dry mouth feeling!! Hope you're having a Happy Quilting Season!! Lauri

My Computer is Missing!

So, My DH has been playing with my computer again and again and again. He really HATES Vista! That said he discovered something was wrong when he tried to format the drive and it wouldn't respond. After hours on the phone with the Tech people, he unplugged it from everything and sent it back to HP to get a new mother board!!! So now I have a monitor and keyboard and can't do a thing w/them! I watch streaming TV and listen to podcasts while I LA quilt and with the monitor there I keep wanting to go turn the computer on. It's only been one day and I miss it already!!!



So here's my computer cabinet minus the CPU. Just wires where it should be!! I'm so sad. So how am I posting to my blog. OK we have 2 other computers in the house, they are just up two stories and not as convenient as my computer downstairs. It's a sad little computer, but it works well enough to do what I want to do!


So now on to quilty stuff!! Here's what's on my design wall. It's been on my design wall for a week or two and it's just waiting for me to sew it all together so it can be a quilt!! Well, at least a quilt top, because getting it quilted is another story. As most LA quilters who have customers know. The customer quilts come first. Unless there is a family emergency ie: a wedding, birthday, or other important event that calls for a quilt gift.


I guess I should add this is a quilt designed by Kaye England. I took a class from her at our Utah Quilt Fest in 2006. This is my second quilt from her design. She taught us how to use the Nifty Notions half square and quarter square ruler. I LOVE them!! I don't do much in pink and when I saw the Moda Quilt Pink Jelly Roll I bought it and made this quilt. Yes, I add more colors, I couldn't do it completely Pink!!

And one more thing, someone asked to see if my husbands lighting job went ok. So here! We have a 2 story house, but after one of our neighbors slipped and fell off his roof and had to get pins put in his ankle, DH doesn't do the 2nd story. I used the picture w/o a flash so you could see the cute star lights. Merry Christmas!!!

I'm Back!

Just thought I'd post pictures of the finished quilting! I just did daisies and swirls and stuff. I love it when a quilt just calls for an all-over design. I'm not a pantograph gal, although I do look at some to inspire my all-over designs. However, mostly I go with what will complement the fabric. I usually come up with a design inspired by patterns in the fabric. Thus, the Daisy and swirls. I did use variegated thread from Superior Threads. Awesome stuff!!! I even had a bright pink pre-wound Bottomline bobbin from a variety pack I ordered!! Too GREAT!



I hope to post in the future tips and tricks to help you prepare your quilt to be quilted. For Example, the proper way to put on borders (at least according to your Long Arm quilter). It will help keep the borders from being a wavy mess and finish off your quilt. Also, binding, keeping your block square and any other trick I've learned over the years. So keep

checking back!!

Until then, Happy Quilting! Lauri

Good Morning Neverland!!!!

OK so that's a line from the movie Hook! It's OLD now, but we're exploring new movie options w/the 2 year old, because the family is getting tired of watching all the other animated movies ten thousand times.

Since I started the blog last night, I've had like a hundred ideas running through my head of what to put on it. This morning I did get up and take a picture of what's on the machine. It's a quilt for my friend Niquie. She pieces tons of tops and I have a pile of them in my closet to quilt. She gives away most of her quilts to family and friends. She has a very lucky extended family because most of them have a quilt from her.

So here's her quilt on my A-1 Long Arm. I haven't named my machine like so many quilters have. I find it hard time naming inanimate objects. Oh Well, Poor nameless machine.

Well, tons to do today. I'll get back with you later. Until then.

Happy Quilting!!! Lauri

Howdy!

So, I've tried this blogging thing several times, but now my daughter's got her's up and I think i can do it. I'm gonna be like the little engine that could and think positive. Even though I think adding one more thing to my life is CRAZY! We'll see how this goes.

So Hello! Everyone. HA! Like anyone will read my blog besides my daughter (ocassionally)! Mondays are always crazy around here. Especially when my hubby decides to take the day off work and put up the Christmas lights. Then the 2 year old doesn't want to take a nap and I get NOTHING of my stuff done all day! OK so caps around here don't mean that I'm yelling. Just putting emphasis on my words. It takes too long to underline.

I did get a couple of minutes to quilt today, which is always my main objective. Well, it's the MY time around here. Even though I'm quilting someone elses quilt on the Long Arm, I enjoy coming down and playing w/quilts and fabric. I'll try to get the picture thing figured out and post what I'm working on. Not only did I LongArm today for a little bit, but I'm also hand-piecing a Grandmother's Flower Garden. Yep, I'm pretty much crazy. Actually I'm addicted to the piecing techinic I'm using and my quilt top is taking shape! Yea!

Well, that's enough for today. I gotta leave something for tomorrow, right???

Happy Quilting! Lauri