Lack of Progress

I missed blogging last week. Mostly because I spent the day in bed trying to rest up fro the week ahead. These past two weeks I have been sick. My husband brought home a cold and shared it with the whole family. It set me back on my heels to say the least. Add to that, my boss was out of town for the first week. I had to be at work as long as I was not contagious and I wasn't. But I felt like crap. I would get off work and come home to a hot bath and crawl into bed. Not a whole lot of quilting or sewing going on.

We did get my youngest off to prom. She looked great. But I am struggling still. So quilting and sewing stuff was pretty much just ordering stuff or planning stuff. Not a whole lot of hands on.

I was suppose to put another practice piece on the long arm but so far I only have the back on. I want to get more practice with all over designs and lining up pantographs. Tatianna and I think we should do 5-6 quilts each before quilting for someone else. We have some projects ready to go but need to have the time.

Tatianna is starting a new job which will limit her time on the machine as well.

My husband on the other hand has been working like a mad man in his rock shop. In the past two weeks he has gotten tons of slabs cut. He loves his slab saw. He has also cut enough cabs to put together 14 or so belt buckles. He has discovered the relaxing/stress busting side of being creative. It has made a difference in his demeanor.

Hopefully I will feel better soon and really get going on the long arm. I just need some time and energy.

Hopefully you all are in good health and enjoying your current project.

Longarm Practice

The studio is not yet put together and my dining room in still a cluttered mess and completely unusable as a dining room. But that didn't stop me from getting some hands on time with Millie.

Millie

 I finally got to eek out some time to play with her. I am by no means ready to quilt for someone else but I am learning. I am getting practice at repairing patterns, picking out stitches, bobbin thread pulling, placing patterns, and advancing the fabric.  I have filled a 2 yard practice piece and am torn between putting another practice piece on or putting a quilt on.

I have decided on a couple of quilting patterns for specific quilts. I am kind of in favor of trying it out on a practice piece before doing it on a quilt. I do enjoy the machine. I can get a lot more done in a much more convenient amount of time. I enjoy watching it go but I also enjoy being able to start the next project with Millie stitching away on the previous project.  My son walked in while the machine was running and he exclaimed that is really neat. My husband thought it was cool. It is fun to watch. It is fun to play with. It is definitely worth the investment.

shamrocks

Some of the patterns I've tried on the practice piece. I like this Shamrocks pattern. I plan on using it on my daughters wedding quilt. I may actually get it finished before their fourth wedding anniversary.  Still I think it will go perfectly on their quilt.
 

leaves

I like the flowing leaves in this pattern. I actually flipped every other row so that the leaves go back and forth across the quilt. I plan on using this on a around the rail quilt.



I am not sure about which quilt I am going to use this on. I just really like the flowers.  I am going find one to use it on though.


I find that I really like most of the patterns in the quilt path but sometimes they don't look as neat stitched out as I thought they would. Plus there are some definite themes I want for certain quilts that are not in Quilt path. I am sure we are going to find some more online. We will have to pay for them. But that is okay, This is an investment.

Some of the patterns are pain to repair the pattern when a thread breaks or a bobbin runs out. I think I will need a lot more practice before quilting for others but I fortunately have enough quilts to do for myself.

This is going to be a fun learning process. Plus I am actually getting some quilting done. Which goes along with my goals. I will continue to work on getting the studio in shape. But I will also keep practicing on Millie. Some thing will go on Millie tomorrow either a practice peice or a quilt. but she won't be standing idle.  Practice is the key to improving.

Expectations Update

The year is already a quarter of the way over. Can you believe it? Time seems to be flying by faster and faster. I wish it would slow down just a little and let me catch my breath.

I thought I would take the time to review my expectations for the year.

1. Complete 3 quilts for family. -  Not off to a great start here. I have one that needs quilted for my daughter and her husband. I have the Christmas Lemonade Quilt that I will probably send to a sibling. Then there are a couple of others that need finished. So this is still do able.
2. Buy a long arm. -  This one is done. YEA!!!! It is set up and I am starting to learn to use it. I am not getting as much time to work with it as I would like.
3. Organize my studio. - This is well on it's way. The walls have been painted, things have been moved around, and the long arm is set up. Just need to find places for things.
4. Sew/quilt for 20 minutes a day. -  Some days are good and some not so good. For a month, while I was was working on the studio, I didn't sew at all. Today, I sewed for a couple for hours. 
5. Work fewer unpaid hours. - This isn't always in my control. Right now It is not happening. We are short staffed again. I am training again and so my days will be longer than I like.
6. Blog weekly. -  I have done this all but 2 weeks since I set the expectations. It isn't always very informative but it does happen.
7. Document quilts. - I am working on the creating a label for my quilts.
8. Use labels - I am working on creating some. When I finish a quilt I will use them.

So not too bad for the first quarter. I have plenty of room for improvement but feel like I have made some progress. I think I am doing pretty good. Forward progression is what it is all about.

How do you feel about your goals, resolutions or expectations?