Hello ... Is anyone still out there!

Hi friends ... I do apologize for kind of dropping off the face of the earth!  Is anyone still out there reading ... My summer has been full of travel and family, and I use Instagram mainly, but I do miss blogging.  So if you're still reading, I'm committed to keeping you company!  

Here's the latest quilt I finished ... A top ... One of my own!!

And here's the latest quilt I quilted ...a friend's ...

Look how simple but lovely this pattern is!

She wanted a loop design, so I filled it in a little closer than I normally would just to give the quilt a lot of texture.  She supplied her own batting ... Quilter's dream ... Lighter than the Hobbs 80/20 I use and incredibly soft and silky.  I used superior omni thread in top and bobbin!

And here's a little snap of my last vacation with this adorable girl a couple of weeks ago!  Getting so big and so full of personality ... Not always the good kind either!

She's a doll though and I love her to pieces!!

Goings on ...

Well we have our second college graduate!  Our daughter graduated from college 2 weekends ago .. I can't believe it!  We are so proud ... Magna cum laude and a couple honors cords ... With a degree in theater arts and communications.  It is bittersweet ... So happy and proud for her, but sad as she will probably not live at home again.  Her degree probably won't land her a job in San Diego ... Maybe Los Angeles, New York or who knows!

It was just a wonderful day.  We drove up with my mom .. And our son and his girlfriend came from Michigan.  My brother who lives in Chicago surprised us by calling at the last minute to say he could come.  It was a wonderful special day, and my blessings just overflow!

We took the opportunity to introduce Kim to Disneyland (son's girlfriend ... She had never been before) ... We had a ball!

It was a perfect day ... Not too hot, not too crowded!  They enjoyed a week in San Diego, and went back last week.  Nick started a new job on Monday and we are so happy for him.  He is due for a change of work environment and are knowing good things are coming for him!

Through it all I've been working hard ...

Look at this beauty ... A wedding quilt

It was gigantic.  My friend requested a tight stitch in a loop design ...

The fabrics are all 30's repro ... Beautiful!

The monster was finished on Monday and I hear is bound and washed ... Waiting for the newlyweds to tie the knot!

As if I don't have enough to do, my friend, Erika, taught me how to crochet!  I can't stop ...

This is a free tutorial on the website Polka Dot Cottage ... A very talented lady.  This is lots of fun and I can't seem to stop!  Perfect for me while I'm sitting in front of the tv at night.  I'm looking forward to having a portable hobby to keep my hands busy when I'm traveling this summer.  What have you been working on?

Full view

As promised last week, here is the full front view of the quilt I did last week!

Quilting and quilting ...

Hello, hello.  Been a busy week, so I have been fighting for my quiling time.  I'm working on my stash sample for April's class's, so trying to fit it all in.  Just finished this beauty ...

Such a pretty quilt ... This was our stash class pattern from a couple months ago.  Love it!

Just did a close loopy loop .. Simple and will look pretty when it's washed and all puckery!

Do you see there is no room at the end of this?  Whew!  I would like to say I did a great job and look how it worked out perfectly ... Except I would be lying to you!!  I was about 2 " short on the backing.  I must have mismeasured ...  Not sure how it happened, but I pulled it off the frame, cut some extra fabric from the sides, seamed it together and sewed it on the bottom.  I just had enough!  This is a friend of mine's quilt, and the backing was pieced already, so I don't think she will mind.  That very rarely happens, but it is the pits when it does! ... oops, I forgot to take a pic of the entire quilt.  I will add that tomorrow.

Working away ...

I am keeping myself busy here ... The next quilt I  finished is a colorful customer quilt.

This is the third quilt I have done for her and they are all quite colorful!  I love the paper piecing in the border.

I decided to do a circle swirl in the center of each block ... Just to do something a little different.

She wanted to keep the costs down since it is quite a large quilt.  I stippled the rest of it.  I had a lovely deep purple thread (which I'm pretty sure I bought for one of her last quilts!), and it just went well with all the fabrics.

I think she's going to love it.

She loves to do the tops, but always asks me to make the backs and binding.  Happy to do it as I like making backs and I do love bindings too!  I got all the binding almost sewed on and realized I was one strip short ... Haha!  Oops ... Guess my math was a little off.

It takes several hours to hand sew a binding of this size ... Probably at least. 4.  Not very cost effective ... So I attached the binding by machine.  You sew the binding onto the back instead of the front.  Then you pull the binding around to the front, and if you are pretty careful, and the stars all align right, you get the stitching lined up perfectly on the back as well as the front!  This is the back of the quilt.

And here's the front ... Even on a big quilt like this it still took 1 1/2 hours to get that all sewn down.  I think she's gonna love her finished quilt!,

Already back!!

Well my blogging may improve ... I just treated myself and bought an iPad.  My main form of communication with this adorable munchkin is FaceTime.

After using my friend's iPad the other day to F/T, I came home and ordered one!  Like everything I buy, it was on sale with a discount ... I bought a completely refurbished one with a one year warranty for the price of a new mini iPad.  Anyway, how nice it is to read blogs, do Instagram, and Facebook with a large, clear screen!  I'm loving it!!

I did a little fabric shopping this week ... If you haven't heard, the Country Loft is closing the end of June.  Since I used to work there, I do get a discount.  I figured I should buy a little fabric while I still have a discount.

Isn't it pretty?  I have used so much of my stash, that I need yardage for borders and sashing.  I always need neutrals!

Here's a quilt I worked on this week ... And guess what, it's actually mine!

It is a pattern and class I took from Kathy Cardiff years ago.  The quilt has been done for a while, but I never made a back!  I love how things work out ... I had a bunch of pinks and some greens ... Thank goodness I had a couple yards of this one green.  Even though it had a youthful print on it, the color was perfect!!

I love it!  Now you know I am a simple quilter.  I mean it when I say that!  Look at how I quilted this one ...

With a stipple.  It's simple, I can whip it out, and when it's on my bed, who can tell it's not fancy quilting?!

I used a tan Glide thread on top and a tan pre wound bottom line bobbin thread.  I haven't been a fan of the bottom line thread because it is a 60 wt poly ... Very light.  But I got my tension perfected, and I was very happy with how it came out.

Got my binding made and sewed that on with the machine.  Now I just get to handsew it down.  I love that part!

And I just want to show you that you can use fabric in your quilts that you didn't think you could.  I focused on the color of this fabric instead of the print itself.  I think it went quite nicely.

I haven't been good about doing my stash report each week, but between the fabric I used in this back and the binding, it cancelled out what I just bought for sure!

So what have you been working on this week?

Daddy and Kim took Ky to a children's museum in Ann Arbor.  How cute is this little fireman's outfit?  She loved it!

Hello friends!!

I know I have been absent ... I am deciding to not apologize, but just to know I am having a hard time keeping up with my blogging!  I have been working hard at longarming and creating samples for my classes.  I took a vacation the end of February to see my granddaughter and son in MI ... My daughter went with me and we had great fun!  Love that special little girl ... She turned 3 while we were there.

Here's quilts I've been working on longarming ...

Isn't this beautiful!  The colors are so unlike what I normally work with and I just  love it!

Love the newsprint fabric!!

The customer wanted a large circle design ... I used a light colored thread that actually had a little of a green cast, but it worked great with the darker fabrics!

Love!

Here is another quilt by the same customer.  Love the richness of these fabrics.

The customer asked for a medium stipple ... I used a medium gray thread that worked great with all the colors.

Beautiful!!  Thank you Jonni for letting me quilt for you!

Making cupcakes on her birthday!

Aunr Kierney made pancakes!!  Love my girls!!!

Here I Am!!

I have lots to show as I have been very busy at the longarm .... Here we go ...

Cute solar baby quilt

Cute little loops you can really see in the border

What a joy to quilt!

Next up ...

My dear friend's quilt ... She calls it a picnic quilt

I had fun trying out a new design a circle swirl with some feather loops every few circles.

Though I love my Omni thread, lately I have been drawn back to my Glide.  It has a slight shimmer and really lays nicely on the top of the fabric.

How about another?

Another sweet friend's baby quikt ...

I love these little embroideries!  I did a little loop and a special tighter design in the frame right around each stitchery.

Oops!  Looks like I forgot a picture of the full quilt!  It was adorable.  

I have a few more, but I'll save them for next time!

This sweetie had her first sleepover at daddy's last night ... My heart is full of joy!  They had a big weekend planned ... What do you do when you live in cold, Michigan?  Drive 2 hours to an indoor water park.  Then they went to play putt putt golf.  I have a feeling everyone is going to sleep well tonight!