:::Happy Thanksgiving!!:::

The turkey has been eaten, the dishes cleaned, and I wanted to take the time to let you know how grateful I am for all of you!  I started this blog a couple years ago just to talk about longarming and quilting, and it has been such a joy to have the privilege of sharing my life with you.  I still find it amazing ... This way of communicating ... And I get such a tickle out of it!  I hope your day was blessed with people you love!    Xoxo

Stash report

This is my stash report for the last two weeks ... Could someone please stop the progress of time?  The last two weeks have disappeared!

Yardage out - 1 3/4 yds. I didn't get any sewing done, but I gifted this fabric to some wonderful friends!

 

Yardage in -  0

Net used this year -  10 1/4 ... Still on the up side.  I would sure love to get some sewing done and use up some of my fabric.  It is sure hard to get sewing done this time of year!  I'm going to pledge to get in that room and sew ... It always helps whatever is ailing in my life ... So take the pledge with me, ok ... Here we go ...

Raise your right hand ... I, (say your name), Colleen, pledge to get in some sewing time over the next 5 days.  Even though I have Thanksgiving, cooking and shopping, and time with my family, I will make time for myself.  I am always a better person when I take the time to take care of myself.  

I hope you take the pledge with me!!

Painting/sewing/painting/sewing

Today is Saturday, and for the last 7 days I have either been painting or sewing!  My son and his little family are moving into the granny flat finally ... we have waited 11 months to see his cute little face!  Even though the house is small, painting takes time. They picked 5 different colors!  One in the bathroom, and two different colors in both the living room and bedroom.  Each wall has an "accent" wall ... I was skeptical because the house is really small, but it is looking good.  We just finished the bedroom ...the only thing left is the tiny hall.  It's either going to be the same color as the living room or the bedroom ... he wasn't sure what to do with it because they kind of run into each other.  The goal tomorrow is to get all the painting crap out of there, and finish moving the rest of my sewing stuff upstairs.  The carpet cleaners are coming on Tuesday to do the whole house, so I'm not going to set my sewing room up until they have finished. 

I finished a quilt on Wednesday for a friend ... I really wanted to get it done early so she could have it for Thanksgiving ...

Isn't it beautiful?  I made the same quily ... it was a Jan Patek pattern that Catherine Hughes revamped.  Julie and I took the  class ... I made mine the wall size version, and she made the larger version.   I love mine, but I love her's more!!

I stippled the entire quilt except in the applique blocks where I did some custom quilting.

I love the turkeys ... they were my favorite part!  Each turkey got a ltitle different quilting, as well as each pumpkin.

Omni thread in top and bobbin ... this thread by Superior has become my absolute favorite.  It is very reasonably priced and quilts beautifully.  I also love that it is a thinner thread and so lasts longer in my bobbin.

While at work the other day I was eating my lunch outside ... the wind started blowing and all these leaves were dropping ...

... in San Diego there are not many trees that drop leaves, and I really miss the change of seasons.  However, on Thursday I knew it was fall in San Diego!

Then I got this cute little picture ....

Sweet Kylee does not look very happy to be dressed as a turkey.  Apparently her other Grandma was having a good time dressing her up ...

Swirling

My very favorite free motion quilt design is a loopy swirl.  Or as my friend has named it, my "signature" design ... Ha ha!  

Free motion is my favorite type of quilting and when I'm quilting just to give a quilt texture, I want something easy flowing, fairly speedy and simple.  I really love a basic stipple, fairly close together. 

If you look at antique or older quilts, they are not filled with detail quilting.  The quilting usually fairly simple.  I think that's why I love a stipple because it just reminds me of simpler times.  It also could be because I spent lots and lots of time learning to stipple and getting it right.  That is by far the hardest quilting design ever ... It is hard to get the flow and the curl right ... Mine always used to look so jerky.  I finally got it right when I started thinking of them as puzzle pieces ... That's what I imagine when I'm quilting ... As if I am trying to lay each curve as if it could fit into the curve below or beside it.

Anyway, my loopy swirl is my go to quilting design for many reasons.  It looks simple, but not too simple ... And in the case of this quilt which was for a child, the stitching keeps the quilt together and will hold up well to wear and tear.

It took me a little while to pick a color.  I likes all four of these thread colors ... 

Hot pink, turquoise blue, bright yellow and a bright red.    The pink was not the right color ... I liked the blue and the yellow, but didn't think they really did much for the quilt.  The red was a different kind of red, and not much goes with it ... But when I laid the color on the quilt, that was it!

 

I'm really happy with the way the color shows, and my customer loved it too.  It was really a fun quilt to quilt because all those little cats kept peeking at me ..  Look at that fabric!  Who couldn't smile when you see that?

There are some quilts that are just a pure joy to quilt, and this was one of them!

Stash Report

Happy Tuesday everyone ... here's my report for the week.  No sewing going on around here ... busy helping son paint granny flat and the longarm has been humming.  I did manage to give away 6 yards of my stash to a sweet friend who needs help building her stash!  It's her birthday, so part of her present.  Shh ... don't tell!

Yardage out - 6 1/4 yds (1/4 was used to bind a small quilt that I've had for a long time!)

 

Yardage in -  0

Net used this year -  12 yds on the plus side still

How did you do this week?  Are you getting much sewing done?  Inquiring minds want to know!!!

A hundred different things

Well ... not quite, but it feels like it ... I'm going to do a quick recap of the week ... wonderful son came back from Michigan; sweet daughter went on trip to New Orleans; shopping with son; more shopping with son; Christmas cookie baking (yes I did say that!!); longarm quilting; son job hunting; work; adorable granddaughter learned to crawl and is bouncing on her knees; more longarm quilting; painting, painting, painting!!

Just a little quick synopsis ... I'll be back later with pictures of what I've been working on and details!

Stash Report

Happy Wednesday ... My Monday stash report is again late, as I am getting a slow start to the week for reasons I will explain later.

Been two weeks since my last report ..

Yardage out - sadly ... 1 little yard.  No sewing getting done around here

Yardage in - 25 1/4 yards ... Now just so you know I did not purchase anymore fabric!!!  A very dear friend is trying to weed out her fabric, and invited her friends over to help her.  Who was I to let her down?  I came home with charm packs, and mostly larger pieces to be used as backs.  I am so grateful to her!  I intend to share with some friends ...

Net used this year -  well now I am on the other side ... 18 1/4 yds up!  Time to get busy sewing and getting this fabric out of here! 

But first I have several quilts to longarm for some very patient customers!!!