Pride Goes Before the Fall

How many times are we warned in scriptures not to lean to our own understanding. How many times are we warned to not to be puffed up in Pride. How many philosophies warn against being being too sure of ones self. How many times have we been told that pride goes before the fall. I have heard these many time in both my spiritual and intellectual training. Yet like so many others I have fallen.

In my haste to finish this quilt I didn't pay close attention to the directions. After all I have already just made one.  So this should be no problem, right. I know what I am doing.  There are 48 blocks in this quilt, so the lay out should be 6 x 8, right? Wrong!  The blocks are rectangles not square.  The lay out is 8 x 6.  

I was making pretty good progress, I managed to sew all but one day this week and finished the center of the quilt. It looked a little wrong but I dismissed it. I measured for the inner border and it seemed wrong but again I dismissed it. I got the inner border sewn on and pressed and still it bothered me but again I would have dismissed it.  Then I was showing the pattern to one of my kids' friends and I noticed the measurements listed for the finished size. I immediately knew what I had done wrong. 

Now I am in the process of tearing out the stitching for the inner border. Then I need to take off the bottom two rows. Once I have the rows removed I need to take them apart.  I will then make two columns of six and sew them onto the end of the rows. It is not an ideal fix but it will work. 

I just hate that now I am even farther behind in completing the quilt. I will have to mail it at a later date and hope it makes it in time for Christmas.  This is so frustrating for me. I hate that it will be rushed. I also hate that I made such a stupid mistake. Quilting under pressure is proving to be a bad idea. 

Hopefully this week I will be able to work on it every night.  But I still need to purchase some gifts to mail this week as well as finish shopping for those ones who live here.  It will be a busy week. But it is that time of year.

I hope you all are having better luck at finishing your projects in time for Christmas.  

Finished is Better Than Perfect

I was about half way through piecing the second ribbon dance quilt when my son pointed out a mistake. I had the top draped over the rollers of my long arm machine and he saw a break in the pattern.  I calmly pointed out the blocks, still not seeing what he saw. Then I really looked at it and sure enough I had made the same mistake several times in both quilts.

The picture on the top shows how the pattern is supposed to look. The colored pieces or ribbons flow across the top of the first block down across the bottom of the second block thus creating the look of twisted ribbons. This effect is created by the white of the center strip of the blocks all going in the same direction across the row. Unfortunately when I was piecing the blocks I didn't notice that little detail in the pattern. In some of my blocks the center strip goes in the opposite direction. That would have been okay if all the block in that row were going in that direction. But when the blocks that are going in opposite directions are joined, you get a chevron effect as is shown in the bottom picture. Which is okay but not as dramatic as the the proper placement.

What really bugs me about this is I am better than that. I've taught my daughters to pay close attention to pattern directions. I was taught this by my mother. And yet I got cocky and thought I knew what I was doing and didn't read the pattern thoroughly enough to do it right. I am just a little disappointed in myself with this one. But not disappointed enough to rip it all apart and correct it.

Jenny Doan of Missouri Star Quilt Company has said many times that finished is better than perfect. I have to agree with her. Any one looking at and criticizing a quilt that is a gift, doesn't deserve the quilt. These quilts are for my granddaughters who are ages 3 1/3 years and 6 months. By the time they are old enough to see my mistakes, they will have been sleeping under these quilts for a long time.  Plus I know their mother will teach them about the love and time that went into the quilts. I would much rather get these quilts done and have my grand babies asleep under them keeping warm. The alternative is to rip them out and start over.  No one would have any of my quilts if I did that every time.

So Finished is Better than Perfect.  I will still strive for perfection but I am not going to beat myself up over this mistake. My granddaughters will still have warm quilts and I will still have my sanity.

Has this happened to you? What did you do?

Holidays Approaching = Panicked Rush

Here it is a third of the way through November and I am already panicking about finishing projects.  The thing is I only need to finish the second ribbon dance quilt so why I am I feeling the pressure. It may be because this is peanut season and work is really busy. Or the fact we had a hurricane and our lines are running seven days a week to catch up. It could be that I am really tired due to this asthma flare kicking up with every weather change. Or the fact that I want my house ready for company and don't have all the time I want to clean it. I just know that I am feeling panicked.

So to put things in perspective, I decided to evaluate my progress on my goals.

1. Three quilts for family - when I get these two ribbon dance quilts done that will be complete.
2. Complete three UFO or NSY - I have one done, one needing binding and labeling and the third ready to quilt. Should be no problem to have it done by the end of the year.
3. Work on something 20-30 minutes a day. - I always start out really good on this and then it slowly fades to the wayside and I am back to quilting on the weekends. Usually because things have gone to pot at work or I am sick.
4. Use what I have and only buy fabric to finish projects - I only partially achieved it. But I have spent way less on fabric this year than in years past. And the fabric I have bought is designated for quilts and not just building a stash.
5. Document Quilts - Still not started this but I expect I will take the time after Christmas when I have time scheduled off from work.
6. Read the technical part of the Thread Waggle quilt blog. - I did this once. I think I will start to focus more on the Quilt Path manual.
7. Try paper piecing - haven't yet. Maybe after Christmas.
8. Do an easy project now and then - working on one with Rorie.  Plus I think I will do up a couple of jelly roll quilts just to do them. I have 2 rolls to do a stack and flip quilt. After the new year of course.
9. Clean up after each project - I am actually doing pretty good at this one. I do like to have a clean space to start the next project. Of course that doesn't mean others using my studio are doing it. But that is okay. My friend Kerri Lynn used to say the first step of every project is to clean up and the last step to every project is to clean up. I think I need to make a sign with that on it for the studio.

So I still feel panicked about finishing the one quilt but I am in pretty good shape with my goals. I am hoping to carve out some time in my life to quilt more and work fewer hours. Maybe after the holidays, things at work will slow down. Who am I kidding, it won't slow down until after the Super Bowl. I just need to push myself to have a better work life balance. That may be my number one goal this next year.

Oh and I have one row of the second ribbon dance quilt put together. So just seven more to go.

Are your holiday projects coming together?

Some Progress and My Little Helper.

I don't know about everyone else but for me time seems to be disappearing.  I am having trouble managing it.  Maybe I am trying to do to much. Maybe I am being unrealistic about how much time I need to do things.  Honestly I think I am just getting older and have less energy. I just can't seem to get things done as fast as I used to.

That being said it has been a rough week for me.  I am still struggling with this asthma flare.  I am feeling better but not well. I ended up coming home from work early one day last week and then stayed home the next day as well. Unfortunately all I did was sleep during that time off. Having trouble breathing makes one very tired. This week is not boding well either.  May boss is at his other plant this week so I have to be at work.

Progress for this week was minimal. I managed to get all the squares for the second ribbon quilt

trimmed and I will start chain piecing the blocks tonight. It is starting to feel as though I may get this project finished. I would really like to get it done by Thanksgiving. But that is only about 19 days away so I am not terribly optimistic.

This is the first time I have done the Easy Eight Method for half square triangles.  I have done the two at a time method and do a fairly decent job. The thing is I am not always as accurate as I need to be. (Usually when I am rushing a project or getting bored with it). With the two at a time method, if you mess up, you end up with one block that is too small and one that can be cut down. So you may lose one block. With the Easy Eight method you may lose 4 blocks. It can be a little frustrating to see that pile of blocks start to diminish.

I think I know where I went wrong though.  When marking the layer cake, I drew diagonal lines, then drew lines 1/4 inch on either side of the diagonal lines.  The thing is my 1/4 inch ruler wasn't long enough and well I probably didn't get things lined up correctly.  Also my stitching my not have been as accurate as it should have been. I used my regular presser foot and stitched on the lines. 

Next time I think I will only draw the diagonal lines and use my 1/4 inch presser foot. I am definitely going to do this method again.  Just need to take my time doing it.

This past week I told my husband that I may have my two year old grandson, Emerson, organize my studio. That way I will know where everything is. He is a great little helper and has some very strong ideas on organization.  I have a very long level for my Millie.  It is hanging in one part of the studio.  At the other end, I have a couple of yard sticks hanging on the wall. I kept finding my level (which has markings on the side for measuring) over by my yard sticks. It finally dawned us that He was putting all of the measuring things together. 

Emerson loves to be in the studio with me. He loves machines and tools. He is very good about picking up and putting things away. Unfortunately it isn't always where I put them.  I have been looking for my Fiskars rotary cutter for about a month.  Some time ago I picked up a Omni-Grid rotary cutter on clearance at my local Walmart. This is the one I have been using for the last month. It is taking some getting used to.  This rotary cutter doesn't have a button or slide for opening the blade. You just press and cut. It is probably a good tool to use when you have little ones around. Especially if you are like me and tend to forget to close the blade when you set the rotary cutter down. I am starting to get used to it.

The other day I was working with Emerson's sister Aurora on a project. I heard their mother say "Emerson what are you doing?" He calmly replied "I helping". He had found a bag of 4 inch squares and had them spread out on the studio floor (fortunately it had just been mopped) and was "pressing" them with my (unplugged) steam iron.  He was getting them ready for me to quilt.  I love that kid. I should mention that he had carefully sprayed each block with what he thought was starch (in reality water) and was spreading them out to dry after pressing each one.  I helped him move the blocks up to my long arm table and when they were dry we stacked them very carefully. Later I put them back into the bag I was storing them in. 

Another thing he did to help was he clipped some blocks together with my wonder clips. Which gave me an idea. If you look at the picture of the blocks at the top, you will see that I have them clipped together.  I didn't have enough random clips sitting around the house so when we were at the flea market I picked up a couple of packs.  These will help me keep sets of blocks and rows of blocks straight until I can revamp my design wall. I was really pleased with Emerson coming up with that idea.  I think I will try and keep him engaged in the whole quilting process. He may help me improve my process in other ways.

What progress have you made this week? Who is helping you in your work space?

Three Weeks Gone

I can't believe it's been almost three weeks since I last posted.  Time is moving much faster than I am these days.  Hurricane Michael came and went leaving a swath of destruction in it's path.  I was fortunate to have minimal damage on my property. The plant where I was worked was not as fortunate and frankly we were luckier than most.

Work was shut down for a week.  I was able to go back a little earlier than some.  My boss kept me out of the major cleaning because of my asthma.  I did go back after five days to do all the environmental swabbing and other testing that needed done before we could start up.  The blanch line started up after 8 days. Dry roasted line took 10 days to get going. Peanut butter line took 13 days. We have been running all out since then.  We need to get caught up on orders.

As I said, home only had minor damage. Some slight roof damage and siding damage. The insurance adjuster will be here on November 3rd around noon. They are that busy trying to get things appraised etc.  He was very apologetic about how long it was going to take.

The real hardship for us was not having power for a week.  No power equals no water since we are on a well. Also no air conditioning, which makes sleeping very difficult in 90 degree heat with 90% humidity.  We were more fortunate than most. My daughter,TK, had power so we moved our freezers to her place as well as our washer and dryer. We lost some food from the fridge but we could have lost so much more.

I have done very little in the way of quilting these past 3 weeks. I did get the half square triangle blocks cut apart and pressed but that was about it.  I turned the binding on the two quilts but haven't stitched it down yet. It was way too hot to sit with a quilt on my lap when I was off. Then I have been so busy at work working 10-14 hours that I haven't felt like it when I was home. Plus we have a lot of clean up to do in the house. On top of that I am in an asthma flare. Which is good and bad.  My pulmonologist had not seen me in a flare and I had an appointment scheduled. So that finally happened, which is good.  The bad is I have no energy to do anything. Everything takes so much energy when you aren't breathing well.

But I am feeling much better and am getting back to work on quilts.  I am behind on my goals this year but I am still working on things and that is what counts.

How are your goals coming?

Quilting with Grand Children

In my continued effort to live a balanced life, I am trying to put down my quilting and spend more time doing things with my children and grand children. Also I am trying to spend less time at work and more time doing the things I love to do.

Currently I am sitting at home in the middle of the week waiting for Hurricane Michael to pass. Right now I have power so I am trying to make hay while the sun shines.

These past two weeks I managed to get all the 10 inch squares stitched for the second ribbon dance quilt.  I will start cutting them apart once I finish this blog.  I figured I would blog while I still had power.

The bigger accomplishment was setting aside the quilt I wanted to work on and return to working with Rorie on her quilt.  We stitched each print square to a neutral square. Rorie is too small to run the sewing machine so I had her putting the block together and handing them to me. We discussed right side and wrong side of the fabric. After a little while she got bored. But Emerson, who is almost 2 jumped into her spot.  He handed me blocks and was fascinated with how the sewing machine worked.

Rorie came back once it was time to press the blocks open though. She and Emerson took turns running the iron and Grandma worked hard to keep her fingers from getting burned. A couple of times it was a very close call.  Rorie just wanted to iron the same block until it flat and stiff.  I had to really work on pressing instead of ironing with her. Emerson was much more the get it done and move onto the next one type. He seemed to understand press and lift the iron much better than Rorie.

With all the blocks pressed open it was time to lay out the quilt. My design wall's flaws have rendered it useless until we figure out a better way to support it. So I reverted to my stand by design wall. Namely my bed. I let Rorie lay out the blocks how she wanted them to be. Once again she got distracted and started laying the blocks out into roads. She created her own little village using the blocks. I just let her play until she got bored. Then when she ran off to do something else, I laid them out the way I needed them to be. I had turn the block so that they were facing the same way. Then I made sure the colors and shades were spread out somewhat evenly.  When that was done I called her back in to approve the changes. She was disappointed that I had ruined her village but accepted the fact that I was going to have to ruin it before going to bed that night any way and that the next time she came we could sew so more.

Emerson was eager to help his sister but she was doing it herself. He decided she was taking too long so he started jumping on the bed.  I had to distract him several times while she was laying out her village.  When she left to do other things, Emerson hung out with me for a little bit, helping rearrange things. He just wants to help with everything.



I managed to get the blocks stacked up in rows and set aside until they come again to sew with grandma. The next day their Mom and I were going to visit one of her friends that had a baby. While waiting for me to get home, Emerson decided he was going to help me sew some more.  His mom sent me this picture of him. You will notice he is at my sewing desk, sitting in my chair, wearing my reading glasses and trying to thread the machine. He is too smart for his own good sometimes. My son Killian describes him as the embodiment of Joy.

As I said I am sitting home in the middle of the work week, waiting for the Hurricane to pass.  But I didn't want to just sit around. I got the binding attached to the first Ribbon Dance quilt and the Christmas Lemonade Quilt as well. Should the power go out I can turn the binding and stitch it down by candle light.  It has been a productive day and it's only 1:00 pm. Of course I could really use a nap right about now. But that comes from getting up at 5:30 am, after staying up until 11:30 for several days straight.  Add to that I haven't had caffeine in a week.

Well I better close since the storm is ramping up and we will lose power anytime now.  Keep safe and warm and Happy Quilting.

A Balanced Life?

I am taking a personal finance class that is being offered through my church's Self Reliance program.  (For those of you who don't know I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And we are very big on being self reliant) I decided to take this 12 week course because I figure I will never have my quilt shop if I don't get my personal finances under control. Once I get them under control I can start look at taking the starting and growing a small business class.  

This class is spiritually based as well as temporally based. In other words we also deal with the spiritual side of finances.  Not just handling money but setting priorities.  There is a gospel foundation principle every week. One week it was counseling with the Lord about our finances. Another week it was paying tithes and offerings. This week's foundation principle is Living a Balanced Life.  In other words getting your priorities straight. Not all work and not all play. Time with Family.

What a challenge to get right as peanut season is starting up.  Top that off with kicking off another segment of my project and I am one busy lady at work.  I haven't worked less than 9 hours in the past 2 weeks, except for the 2 days I had to leave early due to my asthma.  I definitely don't feel like I am living a balanced life. 

Part of the weekly challenge is picking things to work on to live the principle. I have long felt that I never have enough time to do what I love (quilt, sew and craft). It would have been really easy to go that route. Carve out time for myself. But after a little reflection I came to believe that was not truly a good priority. So I re-evaluated.  I chose to spend time with the grand children. By that I mean doing something meaningful, not just letting them entertain themselves.  Another one I chose was to spend time with my kids and not hole up in my room.

Now the tricky part was going to be how to do that and still get some quilting in. Yesterday, I started involving Rorie in quilting. Rorie is 3 years old and pretty smart for her age. We decided her baby doll needed a quilt. I have a bunch of 4 inch squares that I have gathered over the years.  I let Rorie go through them and pick out the ones she liked. After going through them, she chose all of them, I needed to redirect her. Since her favorite color is pink, we went through the blocks again and started pulling out the ones with pink in them. Then Rorie sprayed them with starch and I pressed them. it was a bit of a sticky mess. We have 61 pink print blocks and 61 neutral print blocks ready to start sewing.  Later this week, (when I get home from work and she is here) we will start sewing pink blocks to neutral blocks. Rorie is really excited about this project and by doing it in bites, she will stay engaged in it. 

As for my other quilting projects, I am currently marking the layer cake for the second Ribbon Dance Quilt.  I ended up buying a new ruler to do it.  This ruler is 3 inches by 18 inches. It is long enough to go diagonally across the layer cake. It is short enough to make it easier to handle in tight spaces. I had one but I can't find it.  Emerson has been rearranging my studio again.  I just need him to understand my organizational style. Then maybe him putting things away will not be so traumatic for me. He likes to put things up but not where I want them. He tends to move things around in my studio to suit his likes. So I am missing some things. I need to clean up the studio again anyway, so I am sure I will find them.

That is about it for this week.  I have some homework to do for my class and I am behind.  I need to get on top of it.  Are you living a balanced life? What can you do to bring more balance to your life?

Still Recovering

I have not done much in the way of quilting this week.  I didn't get home until very late Wednesday night and well I have been trying to catch up everywhere. But I did save a little bit about my trip for this week's blog.

I was in the Reno area last week and there are three or four quilt shops in the Reno area. Unfortunately, I was not able to get to any of them. That actually may have been a blessing. I tend to lose what little common sense I have in Quilt shops that I might not ever get back to. I did however get to visit a very small quilt shop in Winnemucca. The name of the quilt shop was Mad Hatter Quilt Shoppe. You can find thier facebook page here.

It was a very small shop and very friendly. There weren't a whole lot of quilts hanging up in the store. Nor was there a huge inventory of fabric. The fabric that they did have was very pleasing and I wish could have bought some of all of it. There was plenty to make several different quilts just not as much as some bigger quilt shops. Like I said it is a small store. But the atmosphere was friendly and inviting.  The store has open sew on Tuesdays and about every other Saturday. That is something that is very appealing to me. I miss having women close by to sew with. They also offer classes and very often the classes are on Saturday, Which is great for working women. If I didn't work I couldn't quilt. Of course because I do work I have precious little time to quilt. Classes on Saturday would be awesome.

The first quilt I noticed was on a design wall in the classroom.  It was a stunning quilt that the owner had started in a guild meeting sew along.  The pattern was simple but the fabrics used were stunning. The pattern is Lily by Jessica Darling and can be found at VillaRosaDesigns.com. A modified log cabin quilt that is really cute.  In this case the fabric choices were what made the quilt, at least for me. She used gold and brown batiks and a off white solid. I would have bought the pattern but she didn't have anymore in stock. So she gave me hers.  I will make this quilt and will most likely make it in batiks. I will have to be careful about the color selection to get a quilt as stunning as hers.

 I did buy two quilt kits.  One was a panel kit, I am a sucker for outdoor prints and this was a beautiful panel with deer on it. The accompanying fabrics were very outdoorsy prints that I fell in love with. In fact I bought some extra fat quarters of four coordinating prints. The quilt is just a throw size but I will probably make it into a wall hanging. The pattern is Log Cabin Trees Panel by CastillejaConttons.com. The fabric are from the Northcott Fabrics High Ridge Crossing Collection. Here is a picture of the panel.
I have lived in the mountains of Utah and have camped in the mountains of Idaho. So this panel reminds me of those times.

The other kit that I bought is for a bigger quilt. Finished, it should be 82 x 98.  The pattern is by Nancy Rink Designs and is called A New Age.  It features the "New Age Muslin" fabrics by Marcus Fabrics. This quilt kit is a block of the month kit. The shop owner said that she learned something new with each block. So that really appealed to me.

When I opened the kit. I was really surprised to find the pattern and fabric for each block in it's own separate bag. I realize that it was for a block of the month but I've done a couple of those before and I didn't get the blocks in separate bags.



The fabrics in this kit are neutral solids. I went with the light background. It has a southwest feel to it. I am eager to start this quilt as well.


So if you are ever in the Winnemucca area stop into Mad Hatter Quilt Shoppe. If nothing else you will have a nice chat with the owner. But you just might see your next project.

Speaking of the next project, I guess I need to take inventory of my kits and see which will be the next one.  I have a quite a few and even though I think I know what quilt I am going to do next, another one pops up.  It is a never ending cycle.

For now I am going to work on the second ribbon dance quilt and focus on that. I need to have it done by the end of November.

What's your next project? Do you buy kits? How many project do you have lined up?

Time Away

This week's blog is a little late in coming out. I have been out west the past few days.  My husband and I went to bless our newest granddaughter. This little sweetie is just two months old and managed to capture our hearts. I am so happy we got to go meet little Winry.

We spent the rest of the time spoiling her and her big sister, Viri.  And spoil them we did. In fact, Viri told her Mother that Grumpy will buy her everything. This sad little girl did not want her Grumpy to leave.  It was so hard to leave them behind.

While we were visiting, there was a small tri-county fair. We went and had a good time seeing the entries and going on rides.  For an area that has two quilt guilds, I was surprised that there weren't more quilts entered. I counted 11 quilts, 2 table runners, and 2 wall hangings.  We all had a favorite quilts.  Arianna's was the giraffe quilt.

I liked the start quilt, although the colors were a little subdued for my usual tastes. the colors still worked together well. I also liked the actual quilting. It was a pantograph in a very pretty star and swirl pattern. 

I also liked this Christmas quilt. This strip quilt that reminded me of a one sided log cabin had little fussy cut squares that had birds on them. The rich colors really grabbed your attention.

Perigrine pointed out this very colorful wall hanging that looked like it may have been paper pieced. The dark background and bright multi-colored rings were really awesome. I especially liked how the rings went right off the edge,

But Perigrine, Arianna and I all agreed this last quilt was the most stunning. Of course I didn't get a really good picture of it but I am including it anyway.  This medallion quilt may not have been perfectly pieced but it was very impressive.  When I say it was not perfectly pieced, I am being very judgmental.  We were inspecting the quilt to see how it was put together and what fabrics they used. We saw some very tiny matching errors. Nothing I would ever have noticed if we hadn't been trying to figure out the pattern.  I wish they had listed the pattern name on the entry description.


The last two items I saw were not in the quilting section.  These were listed in recycling.  They appeared to be small quilt tops that were never finished.  One was a crazy quilt that was put in a frame. The other was a bow tie quilt that was put in an old window frame.  I thought that this was an excellent idea for projects that didn't quite get finished or you inherit from someone else.

 I think this was an excellent idea for those non-quilters who have small quilt tops that need finished. Or even a quilter who didn't like the pattern enough to do a whole quilt.

With fair season going all over I encouraged you all to go see the quilts and get some inspiration.

The Devil in the Details

Not a great week quilting wise.  I worked way too many hours this week.  Which meant I was tired and frustrated by the time I got home. Which is not a good combination for quilting.  So once again most of my work was down on the weekend. And it was not a smooth quilting weekend.

I got off a tiny bit early on Friday and started planning out the quilting for Viri's quilt.  I was going to do a fairy panto but soon realized that the panto wouldn't work with the quilt pattern.  I went through all of the digital quilting patterns that I had and couldn't find one I liked.  So onto the computer and looked for a pattern to download.  I went to the Intelligent Quilting web site and found a couple of designs I liked. It was at this point that I realized that I needed to purchase the winzip program that came as a free trial on my laptop.  That "free trial" was a detail I had missed.

Finally I was able to down loaded the programs and put them on a thumb drive. Now I have ordered from Intelligent Quilting before and had no problem with the programs. Quilt path opened all of the programs just fine. This time however it didn't. It was like the program wasn't on the thumb drive. I checked and it was.  I was so frustrated.  I did some searching and realized that the files weren't in the right format. 

You see each computerized system has their own format. I had mistakenly thought that I needed a QLI format.  The QLI format is for Statdler Stitcher. I have Quilt Path which is a GPF format.  I hadn't paid attention to what format I needed or even if the programs came in that format. Details are important.  Most of the websites include several formats in the down load.  All of the ones I got in the past had GPF formats as well as QLI. Another small detail I missed.

I contacted the web site to see if the 6 or so patterns I had bought could be converted to GPF.  I didn't want to have wasted my money. But I also knew that I wouldn't have the right format in time to quilt this weekend. So I went looking for another website.  I found My Creative Stitches.  On their site, I found a similar pattern to the one I got on Intelligent Quilting.  The website said you got all the formats and so I went ahead and purchased a couple I wanted.  Guess what? They didn't had GPF formats.  I later discovered that they listed what formats they supplied on their "about us" page.  Another email was sent and I was was completely discouraged.

I swear I remembered being told that I could use different formats in Quilt Path.  So I opened up my quilting laptop to see what I could discover, only to realize I needed to finish registering the quilt path installation on the laptop.  I was finally able to do that. The program would work just fine now.  After playing around in Quilt Path and getting more frustrated I resorted to actually reading the manual. There was my answer. right there in the manual. Under the directions for "plug ins".  I was able to open the pattern and then save it to a GPF format.  I was so pleased.

So lessons learned this week:

1. Pay attention to "free trials" on your computers. If you are going to use them just go ahead and buy them.
2. Know what format you need. In my case it is GPF. but fortunately I can get around that.
3. Know what you are buying.  If I had paid attention I wouldn't have been frustrated.
4. Read your manuals. You may very well be able to use other formats. 

I managed to get Viri's quilt done but that is a story for another week.  I need to send a couple of emails and let those website know I don't need the GPF format after all.

Have a good week and read your manual.

Still Plugging Along

It's been a busy week. Lots going on at work and home. The backing for Viri's quilt sat draped over the backing roller until Friday.  I worked late most nights and then came home and made dinner. But the quilt is now on Millie and ready to start quilting.  I probably would have started it but my daughter and grand kids were here and well, we have talked about priorities.

While they were here, Rorie, my 3 year old granddaughter, helped me get all the thread ends buried on the Christmas Lemonade quilt.  I had left them to bury at the end of quilting. Not a mistake I am going to make again.  It is a lot easier to bury them as you go.  Rorie helped me find all of the ends and would pick up my needle threader every time I dropped it. But the thing she did, that she felt was the most important, was to get all the threads off my clothes. Apparently it bothers her to see me covered in threads.  My kids would just let me go out in public that way. But not Rorie. She is very handy with a lint roller.

I also got the Christmas Lemonade quilt trimmed up and ready for binding.  I may just get that sewn on this week. I can turn it and hand sew it down while watching TV. 

Once again I managed to go into a quilt shop and not buy anything.  That is the second time I've done that. I went to Sew Blessed Quilts on Friday afternoon.  I had taken my car in for service and it was only a short distance to the quilt shop. So I dropped in. I had a nice chat with the woman that was there.  I also saw a jelly roll and layer cake in a fabric line I liked. It was the grunge stars.  Very pretty. I may have to buy it.

So obviously I am not going to get the two girls quilts done before I go visit at the end of the month. Just over two weeks before I leave.  I could do it if I wasn't working but alas, I do enjoy that paycheck. There is something about being able to pay your bills and not having creditors calling that is rather pleasant.

Any way I am still making progress even if it is slow going. How are your projects coming along?

Progress and Quilt Owners

At last I feel like I've made some progress on this quilt. 

It has been two weeks since I last posted.  I wish I could say I was busy stitching away during the past two weeks but the truth is I did very little sewing until this past Friday.  I have been busy at work with my project kicking off. Plus it is getting close to peanut season.  So things are ramping up at work.  Then add to it my husband has been home for the past couple of weeks and I have been spending time with him.  And then there is the fact that since I am the first one home, so I get to cook dinner, do dishes, and laundry. Plus pack lunches and do the bills. This house wife thing is cutting into my sewing time. Starting to feel a little empty nest syndrome even though two adult children are still at home.

Friday, I had to leave work early because they were using cleaning chemicals outside my office.  Since my work was done, my day got to be short.  I came home, did dishes, mixed up a batch of bread and took a nap.  Then I started sewing.  I got the last two rows sewn onto the quilt. Saturday I got the inner border on before heading to church for an activity.  Today I got the outer border on and the binding made. Progress at last.

With the binding made and ready to go, I just need to focus on the back. I have the fabric so it is just a matter of cutting and piecing the back.  I should be able to get it on Millie this week. I hope to quilt it next Saturday. It won't be done in time for our trip but I will get the two of them done for Christmas.

I finally decided that this is Viri's quilt. Hence the pink border.  As I was looking at the fabric for the second quilt I realized it has more pastels in it.  Viri is definitely not a pastel personality.  She like her mother is rather bold.  So she gets the quilt made of bolder colors.

Have you ever started a quilt for one person and realize it is really for someone else?  I know that has happened to me before. Sometimes quilts dictate who they should be for such as Viri's quilt. Sometimes you are thinking about that person so much while you are making it that it comes to represent that person to you.  That was the case with the friendship braid quilt I gave to Killian.  Sometimes you just realize that a person needs it, as in the small rail fence quilt I gave to my brother.

I am not sure just how quilts claim owners but I do know that there are times that they do.  I guess it is all part of the magic of quilting. Who are you quilting for?

Time Constraints, Physical Limitations and Distractions

I made very little progress this week.  Between work responsibilities and family needs, Quilting time has taken a back seat. Unfortunately this is happening way too often. I know I am much less stressed and much happier if I am creating something even if I am on a deadline. But I have to work and I have responsibilities to others. So I am trying to find and set healthy priorities.  I can't come first all of the time.

So what is happening.  A project at work, that I am the lead on, is actually kicking off on Monday.  In preparation for the kick off, I worked a split shift last Monday and late most days this week.  Plus I went in early three times.  My schedule is so messed up that I am not sleeping well. That has resulted in me being too tired to quilt.  I know that when I sew/quilt tired my precision is off.  Not that I am a perfectionist when it comes to my quilts but I am trying to improve and therefore quilting tired is not a good choice. The more accurate the piecing is the easier it will be to quilt.

So long days has been my time constraint. Lack of energy has been my physical limitation. What about the distractions.

My distractions, well mainly that has been my grandchildren. I find when they are here, I am much more interested in watching them than sewing.  I watch TV with them and watch them play and create.  It has occurred to me that they won't be around forever and I want to enjoy them. 

Another distraction has been my daughter.  She has a school project due and well, she doesn't do anything small.  She has created and huge castle learning center. She doesn't have time to make it as in depth as she would like but it is amazing. If she ever gets her own classroom, I have no doubt that it will be added on to.

The last distraction is my husband.  He came home Friday night and well, I am spending time with him while I can.  He works so hard and is away much more than he would like. When he is home it is important to be with him.  After all we are married for the eternities. Our relationship like all relationships need nurtured.  He will always come first in my priorities.

Priorities need to be set on the right things. Family has to be high on the list. Especially my relationship with my husband. 

So I have not made the progress that I wanted too.  I did, however, get rows 2 through 4 sewn together and onto the 1st row of Winry's quilt.  Two more rows to go before adding the borders.  I really need to get moving on this quilt. Although I am tempted to make this one Viri's quilt. The colors are less pastel than the layer cake for the second quilt.  Viri strikes me as a little more bold. Not that I think any girl child of my daughter would be less than bold.  I think I will change this quilt to Viri's.  I am not fully decided though.

We are going to leave on August 29th to go visit Viri and Winry (and their parents but lets face it we are going to see the girls). If by some miracle I have the quilts done by then great but if not they will have to be Christmas gifts.  I am only able to do what I can do.  Hopefully things will settle in instead of getting more hectic.

Hope your week was productive.  Happy quilting

Lost Week

I can't believe a week has gone by already. Everything I planned to do didn't get done.  It has been one of those weeks where good intentions just didn't go anywhere.  I was either too tired or too occupied to get anything done. This is how my week went.

Monday - I got up early and took my husband to the airport. That got me to work an hour and a half earlier than usual.  I did get to leave after 8 hours but I went home and crashed. I was so tired and off schedule.  When I woke up from my nap the studio was so messy that I didn't do anything. Well, I did did some laundry and put up some stuff from my business trip.

Tuesday - I had scheduled the day off because of a dentist appointment. My plan was if I got done early enough I would go into work for half a day.  Got to the dentist and my appointment didn't get scheduled.  So instead of an 8:00 am appointment I ended up with a 11:00 am appointment. So no going to work that day. I went home did some chores and cleared off my desk so I could quilt in the afternoon.  Got home to find my daughter and grand-kids were here.  I am paying my daughter to clean my house.  It's not much but it gives her a little pocket money.  So with the grand kids here, no quilting takes place.  Also no nap.  And of course my desk is messed up again.

Wednesday - came home from work and crashed again.  This napping after work is messing up my sleep schedule but I am so tired that I can help it.  That evening I just spent it with Killian and Tatianna.

Thursday - had to go to the dentist after work, Then came home and cleaned a little more.  At this point the Studio needs a good clean and I keep putting it off.  I just don't have any energy. Of course it has been rather stormy every afternoon and that makes it hard for me to get moving.

Friday - Grand-kids again. I do enjoy coming home to a clean house. Aurora wanted me to make her a necklace but I put her off for the moment. Next time they are over I think I will set up a design wall and let her start arranging some squares for a doll quilt or maybe her quilt. It might be easier to keep the studio clean if she is working in there. Who am I kidding, Little man is too busy investigating everything to keep it neat. I couldn't find my hair brush the other day and in cleaning in the studio, I found it tucked away in one of the quilting drawers. Emerson is all about putting things up, just not necessarily where I want them to be.

Saturday - My son took me to breakfast, We ran some errands. Met with a woman and bought her Cricuit Expressions for $60, Then home to clean my studio.  I watched the grand kids and got the studio about 1/2 cleaned up before going to a church activity. Then home to get ready for Sunday and bed. 

Today - still exhausted.  Tatianna and Killian are too. We are fighting off nasty colds and I believe some seasonal depression.  But my desk is cleared and ready to start sewing. Hopefully, I will sew a little each night and get this top done this week. 

I only have about 6 weeks to get Winry's quilt finished and all of Viri's quilt done if I am going to take them with us when we go out for Winry's blessing in September. Then I have the Christmas Lemonade to trim and bind. Plus the Star Quilt to get quilted. I feel like I am very behind and I don't even have a deadline. And I soooo want to start about five other projects.

I am also feeling a little guilty for not having more quilts done.  I spent a great deal of money on this long arm and really haven't used it like I should. I am not at a level that others are who have had their machines for much less time.  But I do work full time and well time is a limited resource.  I need to find a better way to manage mine. I have to do better this week.

On a less depressing note - I did get some free patterns that I printed out over the past couple of years into note books.  I made Aurora her necklace. Now I am getting ready to view some of my new quilting DVDs that I got from National Quilter's Circle. - The Essential Quilting DVD collection. Tips and techniques are always good for improving one's skills.  I need all the help I can get. Especially since there aren't any local quilt shops close by for me to take classes at. It was a sweet deal and for once I had the money to do it. 

 How did your week go?

Happy to be Home

As I said last week, I have been in Illinois on business.  It was an interesting week full of planning, training and networking.  I was out of my comfort zone and it was good for me. I learned a lot for work but nothing for my quilting career. That being said I am really happy to be home.

I didn't get very much done on marking the squares for Viri's quilt. I think I managed to get 4 squares marked. I did make some jewelry in the evenings. It was easier to do that than trying to mark the squares in the hotel room.  That was due in part to the ruler I bought.  It was too long for the area I had to work in.  I should have stuck with the first ruler I picked up.  It was shorter but I already had one just like it at home. I really didn't want 2 rulers that were exactly the same.

The new ruler was recommended to me by the shop owner. It is a 6" by 24" non-slip ruler. It's made by Quilter's Select. When they say it is non-slip, they mean it.  Once you set it on the fabric, it isn't going to budge. At least not without some effort.  So when I laid it diagonally across the the 10" square, I had to have it set just right or pick it up and reset it.  There was no sliding or nudging it into place.  I can see where this will really be wonderful in cutting long strips or trimming quilts.  But for what I was doing at the time, it wasn't so great. So I gave up on marking the squares.  I will get back to that this week or next.

Last week I said I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to fit the ruler in my bag. It was a really tight fit. I had to angle it a bit to get it in.  I carefully packed all around it with clothing. Until I unpacked my bag yesterday, I was convinced I would find it broken.  It survived the trip. It came out a little bowed but in one piece.  I flexed the ruler in the direction a few times and it seems to be as good as new. I think I need to find a place to hang this ruler in the studio.  I am supposed to be careful not to scratch the back.  I don't want to damage the non-slip feature.  My other rulers are either in a tool pouch or stacked with the cutting mats. I think storing this ruler the same way would result in scratches. So I will be putting up a hanging hook this week.

Hopefully, I will get more quilting done this week. One never knows after being out of the office for over a week how much time they will have to put in.  I am hoping there isn't that much to catch up on. Winry is already 3 weeks old and I am no where near being done with her quilt. I haven't really started on Viri's quilt either.  Kim is thinking we will go visit around the beginning of September. That leaves me only a month and a half to get two quilts done.  So much to do and so little time to do it. Will I ever learn to not bite off more than I can chew?

How did your week go?

Busy Week, No Quilting

As predicted, I didn't get much done this week.  I worked two long days on Monday and Tuesday.  Wednesday was spent cooking and socializing with Tim and Tammy Nunn and our kids and grand-kids.  Thursday and Friday, Kim and Tim went fishing. Tatianna, Tammy and I hung out.  Saturday Kim and I spoiled the grand-kids. Lots of activity but not much quilting. 

I did lay out Winry's quilt top and actually got the first row stitched together. But well lots of dishes and lots of cooking and not much sewing.  Some weeks, it's going to be like that.

This week finds me in Illinois on business.  I did bring the layer cake for Viri's quilt top and am hoping to mark it for sewing while in the hotel room. 

I also found a quilt shop down the road (a ways down the road) from my hotel. It is called the Twisted Stitch.  I had sometime to kill before I could check into my hotel room so I ventured into South Elgin to check it out. I had a wonderful visit with the owner. We talked about the quilt shop business, long arm quilting for money and fabric stashes among other things. If you are ever in South Elgin, IL. Check out her shop. She has some cute patterns and will be offering classes again this fall. 

I had forgotten to pack a ruler to draw the diagonals on the layer cakes, she had a new one that she really liked because it didn't slip on the fabric. I went ahead and got it but I am not sure it will fit in my bag for the trip home. If it does it is going to be a tight fit. 

I also found a really awesome citrusy layer cake so I broke my rule about no fabric purchases. But it is really pretty. The name of the line is Sweet and Sour and it is by Wilmington.  The colors are very fresh and bright. It is so pretty and I really really love it.

Then I found a pattern that I really liked that uses jelly rolls. Plus I got an idea for using the Santa panels I have.  So I am counting today as a success quilting wise.

How are your projects progressing? Have you found any new shops or fabrics that are inspiring you?

Missing Week

I am not sure where the time has gone.  I wish I could say I spent it happily quilting but that was not the case. The past two weeks was somewhat of a roller coaster that made me question just what my goals are. 

I wrote in previous posts that I was going to treat my job like a job and not a career.  I have been making an effort to do so but I still fall short sometimes.  I guess it is the work ethic I was raised with.  I will do the best job I can and I will spend the time necessary to do the job right.  But I am trying to make my quilting my ultimate career. So I need to make time for that.

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a recruiter about some job opportunities.  Only one was in commuting distance and the recruiter thought I would be perfect for the job. It would be a step up in responsibility and in authority.  It would also double my commute.  I spent two days updating my resume and contacting my references. I submitted my resume with the thought "it can't hurt to see what they have to offer" I did submit my resume but as of yet I haven't heard back from the recruiter. I have also heard from 3 other recruiters.  I gave them all my resume but made it clear that I wasn't interested in relocating. 

This past week I have been highly involved in a major audit of my current employer.  This is our annual 3rd party audit and is very important. I spent a lot of time and energy on this audit.  This is the first year I've been totally involved.  Plus in another week I will be going to Illinois for a week for work.  This is the first year that I have been involved in the Quality managers meeting.  So I am finding more responsibilities in my current job.

All of this has had me focusing on everything other than quilting. I am considering the possibility of doubling my commute which will definitely take away from my quilting time. More responsibility will take away from my quilting time.  I really need to determine what my work/life balance is going to be.

I did finally get the blocks for Winry's quilt made. I finished the last four blocks today. A single block is composed of six half triangle units. The quilt calls for 48 blocks. Funny thing, I did more work than I needed to.  You see, I only perused the pattern.

I was confused as to what constituted a block. I was thinking that the block was two of he actual blocks sewn together. So as I was sewing the blocks, I was also sewing two blocks together. So I have a head start on finishing the top. But I had a panicked moment when I realized that I wasn't going to get 48 of the double blocks out of the half square triangles I had made.

The real extra work came from making the half triangle units. The Ribbon Dance quilt pattern is designed for 10 inch squares. I used 5 inch squares.  Which was fine since the 10 inch squares were going to be cut into quarters anyway. What I didn't do was read how may squares I was going to need. The pattern called for using 36 ten inch squares to make 288 half square triangle units. I used 168 five inch squares and made 336 half square triangle units. I ended up with 48 half square units left over. I will have to set them aside for a doll quilt later on.

I do really like how this quilt is coming together.  Hopefully this next week I will get more done on it.  That is somewhat doubtful since we are having company for the fourth. But I can try to carve some time out this next week.

Hopefully work is not interfering with you quilting goals.  Have you got a work/life balanced worked out?  What works for you?

Predicted Week

I can't believe how fast this week went by.  It just doesn't seem like it's been seven days.  As I predicted I didn't get much quilting done.  I did kind of get back in the swing of being the Mom though.  Let me explain. 

Since we have lived here in Georgia, my kids have gotten home before me. Hence they have been responsible for dinner and cleaning. But the kids are all grown up now.  Perigrine, the youngest, has been home the most and therefore responsible for keeping the house clean and doing the cooking.  I have been spoiled. 

Monday, Perigrine left for Nevada to help her older sister get ready for the baby.  That has resulted in me losing my live in housekeeper.  While I have two other grown kids living here, one is working 10 hour days, having to commute an hour each way, and the other is working while going to school full time even during the summer session.  So Mom has to step up and start doing the cooking and cleaning.  Well, at least the daily stuff. Which has seriously cut into my sewing time. In fact, it looks like I am going to have to do the dishes before I go to bed tonight. 

I did manage to sew a little on Monday and a little today.  But I still need to make some time to sew everyday.  This may be a little easier with Kim out of town. If Kim is not home, then on the nights I can't get to sleep, I can stay up and sew.  Or if I wake up in the middle of the night and can't back to sleep,  I can sew until I am tired again.  Which is probably how the next two weeks is going to go. Especially since it is getting really hot and humid here in the south. This Yankee still hasn't adapted after 9 years.

As  said I did get to work a little bit on the ribbon dance quilt. But I only got 6 more blocks done, which certainly is not much in the way of progress.  I am now at 30 out of 48 blocks. Only 18 more to go.

I did find and buy the fabric for the back. So now I have everything I need to complete the quilt. Once I get the blocks done, I can get the borders on it. Then it will be time to put it on Millie.  I am thinking of using a fairy panto on this one. I found one a couple of months ago on the Intelligent Quilting site. Since I have 7 granddaughters and another on the way I thought it would be a good one to have.

But first I have to get the blocks done. I am hoping to do a few a every night.  Hopefully, I will really put a dent in the project this week.  I would like to have it on Millie by the beginning of July.  I would really like to get this first quilt to the point of stitching down the binding before I leave for Chicago on July 8th. I could then work on the binding in the evenings in my hotel room. I know I am such a party gal.

I wonder if there are any really good quilt shops near where I am going to be. I guess I should look that up before I go.  I will be in Elgin IL and then Rosemont, IL.  I wonder if I would be that into visiting quilt shops if there were a decent one near by. 

I have to admit I took Mom's Crafts and Fabrics for granted when I lived in Delta, Utah. Check out their Facebook page here.  If you are a quilter and traveling near Delta, UT, it is worth the trip to Mom's.  At least it was when I lived there. She had a wonderful selection and it was well organized.  Plus the classes were really reasonable. I know there are kits available for at least some of the quilts on display.

Oh well I have kind of rambled this week but it has been one of those unfocused rambling weeks.  How are you projects coming along?


 

Lack of Focus, Mechanical Troubles and New Progress

I finally finished quilting the Christmas Lemonade quilt.  It is off Millie and ready to be finished. I really did enjoy manually quilting the border. I need a lot more practice with that particular skill but it did get easier the more I did it. Of course it was not without Mishap.  I had used batting that was too big. It was a batt that I had cut too small for the braid quilt. Well when I put it on Millie, it was too wide for the backing. So I folded it under to get the side clamps on. When I quilted the border, I quilted the excess batting into a section of the design. I wasn't thinking about the excess batt being in the way.  That lack of focus created a mess. This picture was taken after I cut most of the excess off.

Once I got most of the batting cut away, I needed to cut it closer to the stitches. Fortunately, I have a pair of applique scissors. I trimmed the excess batting as close to the stitches as I could. Some of the batting just rubbed loose at this point but some stayed put.


 I then used a clean scrubbing sponge to wear away the batting that was left. It just started to pull apart.  But I did accidentally tear out some stitches.  I had to thread my sewing machine with red thread and re stitch the section of design that came loose. Luckily for me it was all straight lines.

I have kind of set it aside for now.  Mostly because I am procrastinating.  I don't know why but I didn't bury the thread ends as I went. Now I have to spread the quilt out and start burying them.  I should have just done it as I was quilting. It also needs trimmed before I can put the binding on.  My dining room table is currently being used to rebuild the electrical harness for my son's project car. I just need to nag him a little more to clear it off. Then I can spread out the quilt.

Another reason for setting it aside is I need to work on the granddaughters quilt. Winry will be here in just 2 short weeks. I know I won't have the quilt made by the time she gets here but I am hoping to get it done before I go out to visit. Not sure when that will be yet but probably early fall. And I can't take a quilt to Winry if I haven't made one for Viri. Since they will be sharing a bedroom, I wanted the quilts to match yet still be different. Pink for Viri and Purple for Winry. Both are being made with 1930's prints and both will be the Ribbon Dance pattern.

Last week I said I had all the half square triangles for Winry's quilt done. This week I have managed to get half of the 48 blocks sewn. That is despite tension problems with my sewing machine. When I started to sew the blocks together and I was having all sorts of tension issues. Plus the machine was making a loud clacking sound. I hate to say it but I think my little helper amde some adjustments to my machine when I wasn't looking.  The machine ran fine without the bobbin and needle. I took the bobbin holder out, then cleaned and oiled the machine. After I got that done I tried sewing again. Still the loud noise and tension issues.  I ended up tightening the top tension all the way up and loosening the bottom tension all the way down. The stitches were better but the noise remained. The next day I played around with it some more. I switched out the bobbin and the needle. The clacking was better. I tried to adjust the tension again and was able to get it back to a more normal range. I will need to take it in soon and get a tune up done on it but for now I am able to sew. 

This is a picture of two blocks sewn together. I am really pleased with how it is coming together. I am hoping that I will get the remaining blocks sewn this week.   

It would be great if I could have the top done by next week.  I am just not too sure of how much time I will have this week.  My boss will be in North Carolina so I will probably need to work longer than 8 hours.  Also my husband is home this week but only for five days.  I will probably spend most of my time at home with him instead of sewing.  Especially since we will probably only have about 7 days together for the next 3 weeks. Priorities!!!

Plus even if I get the top done this week, I need to get fabric for the back.  I thought I had it covered but didn't realize just how much I really need. I bought 4 yards of pink fabric and 4 yards of purple fabric that was on sale.  I thought I had enough for the backs. Turns out I really need 7 1/2 yards of each. I forgot about the borders. Problem is, I bought it as a store that I probably won't be able to get back too any time soon. So I will have to buy backing fabric again.  So much for not adding to my stash.  At least the fabrics are solids and colors that I will use.  But money is a little tight and I wish I hadn't spent it on fabric that I can't use to finish the project. I will have to do some online shopping for backing fabric.

All in all a pretty good week. Progress made on two quilts. Mechanical issues that came up were dealt with. (I am pretty proud that I can do that). Lack of focus created an issue that made me think out of the box and helped me to use my problem skills.

What did you get done this week?

Progress and Courage

This week wasn't bad.  Actually it wasn't bad at all. I was able to keep my hours at work down a bit. Of course it helped it that I had two 3 day weekends in a row.  But I am still working on leaving at 3:00 to 3:30.  

Then even though the grand-kids were over several days, I was able to get the studio cleaned up a bit.  I have gone through several piles and sorted out paperwork and put a lot of things away.  I really need to spend a few hours a week on paper work.  I probably should plan on organizing the shelves in the studio a few hours each week as well. I did manage to find the binding I made for the Christmas Lemonade quilt. 

Progress - I finally got all the half square triangle blocks for the first Ribbon Dance quilt squared up. At least as square as I can make them. I did learn a little more about using pre-cuts. One, when they are different sizes center the smaller square on the larger square and cut by the smaller square. Two, pre-cuts by the same company are more likely to be the same size. In other words, two Moda charm packs are more likely to match up than a Moda and a Benartex. Third if the charm pack isn't square don't plan on using it for 5 inch squares.

That being said I am looking forward to actually sewing the squares into blocks.  I hope to start that this week. A little each evening would be good.

Courage - Well I did it, I started manually quilting on Millie. At first it didn't go very well.  I had left the Hartley Fence on and that was giving me problems. I took it off and still it seem that I was having to fight the machine. I was ready to give up. The stars looked so bad. I was feeling pretty discouraged

Then last night I realized why it was so hard. I had not dis-engaged the clamps on the drive belts. Today, I tried again and it went so much better. I am feeling much more confident about using Millie without the computer. 

Oh don't get me wrong, I am far from good yet. But I am pleased.  It is a learning process and I feel like I am learning.  I will get better the more I do it. Like all things that are worth doing, it is going to take some practice. 

This will be a quilt that we have out at Christmas time, the grand kids can snuggle under it for Christmas stories. Since it is for our own use, I am not ripping out the mistakes.  They will be there to remind me of where I started. IN the mean time I am about half way done with the borders. I will be finishing up this quilt quite soon.

So I got brave and tackled something new and I pushed forward on the current project.  It feels like a pretty good week to me. How did yours go?

A Few Epiphanies

One definition of Epiphany is: an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure. I noticed that even in the other definitions, it is not stated as pleasant or joyful.  While an epiphany can be a joyous one.  I've had a few this week that were kind of depressing.

Work this week seemed to sap my energy. Partially because my boss was out.  Partially because I started the week being off my usual schedule. Working full time is cutting into my quilting.  I am beginning to wonder if I am every going to put a dent into my projects.  I have come to the realization that as I get older I just don't have the drive that I used to. I get tired way to easy. Part of that is me not taking care of myself like I should.

I had made the decision about 6 months ago that I would work towards making my dream of opening a quilt shop my career choice.  I knew that I would have to continue my current job to pay off some debts first but my focus would not be work.  I would work my 8 hours and go home. I had found work to be a rather hostile environment.  I knew that as long as I focused my energy on that job, I would face constant set backs and disappointments. This helped release a lot of stress for me. I would hear the gossip about me and take the attitude that if the upper management believed it than it was their problem. I would do my job and if they didn't like it they could fire me.  I would still do things to put me in a better position financially but I would no longer treat my job as a career.

One of the Epiphanies I had this week is simply that work isn't going to let me just come in and work 8 hours.  I am not going to be able to just "do my job." I have been given a project at work to head up and am also sitting on a corporate committee to make similar projects happen corporate wide. I did not seek these out. They were handed to me.  I see that I am being groomed to take my boss's place should anything happen to him. Which would be awesome if I weren't 15 years older than him and more than likely I will reach retirement before he goes anywhere. I am not being given the freedom to  just do my job and leave after 8 hours. But I am also not being given compensation to do the extra work either. Which would be fine if I were working on my career. But since my career is build into a quilt shop, this has me a little down and more than a little frustrated.

Another Epiphany was that I am getting very territorial.   I love having a space where I can leave my tools and such out. I just stop where I am at and then I can just pick right where I left off. I don't need to set up my studio every time I want to do something. I love my grandchildren. Emerson is 18 months old. He is all boy and all go.  He loves all the cool things in my studio.  I told my husband that we may have to figure out how to put doors on the studio.  This would not be an easy feat since the whole house is open concept. We thought about gates but well Emerson would just see them as a challenge. He would find a way to use them to his advantage. I don't want my stuff messed with, but I still want my grandchildren to come over. Can't have both the way things are set up right now.

I have been busy squaring up the blocks for the first ribbon dance quilt. There are 336 blocks that need squared up. I have managed to get about 224 blocks squared up.  If I weren't on a deadline, baby coming in June, I would probably have set it aside and started something else.  But I am persevering. I want to get this one and another one done by Christmas at the latest.  It's not that I am bored with it, I just only have so much time and so many projects to get done. Another Epiphany was that I am accumulating more projects and losing sight of the ones I have planned. I need to step back and focus on what I have materials for and just do those.

The last Epiphany was that I am a scaredy cat.  I have not finished quilting the Christmas Lemonade quilt because I am scared to do it. I have started tracing the stars on and just need to switch to the open toe foot. Millie is just waiting for me to start using her.  I always seem to find an excuse not to do it.  I am going to have to set a dead line.  I need to get this quilt finished and off the machine before I have the first ribbon dance quilt ready to go on. Of course as along as it is taking me to get the blocks squared up I will have plenty of time.

So, Three not so pleasant epiphanies this week. Of course, I will just have to find a way to use these realizations to move forward. Not sure how to yet but that is just part of living. Figuring out how to be better.

Any Epiphanies in your world this week?

Good Tools and Better Tools

This week has gone by very fast.  I have not done nearly what I have wanted to.  Work as always has been a hindrance to my quilting. I wonder what it would be like to be financially secure and not have to work. But If I wasn't working, I wouldn't have the money for the long arm let alone, fabric and tools to quilt with. So working is a choice that I have made.  One that I must live with until I have paid down some debt.

Another hindrance, albeit a welcome one, has been the grandchildren.  I am lucky enough to have a couple of grandchildren close by. This week, we got to see them everyday and even had a sleep over.  I am really grateful for this time. I am afraid the reality is that most of my grandchildren don't know me at all.  This time has been good for us to get to know each other.  This too is a choice and one that is easy to make.  They won't be little forever.

Despite these two hindrances, I have done a little bit of quilting. Well mostly squaring up blocks.  In doing this I have found that I am grateful for having good tools.  I have two tools in mind. one is a rotating cutting mat and the other is a squaring up ruler.

I have two rotating cutting mats. One is a Fiskars rotating mat that I bought some time ago.  It is 14 inches square with a 13 inch cutting grid. When I bought it I thought it was ideal. I could easily square up 12 1/2 inch blocks.  I used it for a couple of years but was never really happy with it. It doesn't rotate easily. This is due to the fact that it is simply a cutting mat with a round disk attached to the back. This sits on another mat with a hole in it. It is thin and easily stored but using it is more of a work out than I would like. Still I've held on to it. I keep thinking I will find a use for it. Maybe pass it on to someone else. If nothing else it is a good cutting mat.

Fiskars rotating mat

base of the Fiskars mat

back side of the Fiskars mat

The second rotating mat I have is a Martelli rotating cutting mat.  I bought this about a year ago after seeing it on one of the Missouri Star Tutorials. It is 16 inches round but the useful cutting grid is only about 11 inches. So I am limited in the size of block I can square up. The base is actually a turntable with a felt like covering. This mat rotates easily and squaring up blocks goes quickly.  Mine came with a pressing mat that can be placed on the base instead of the cutting mat. The things is, it is cumbersome to store. I currently store it in the box it came. Once I get my studio the way I want it, I hope to have a cutting table with a drawer to hold it.

Martelli rotating cutting mat

base of Martelli cutting mat

Of the two rotating mats I find the Martelli to be the better choice. If I had to buy one of the two again I would buy the Martelli.

Creative grids 4 1/2 inch ruler

The other tool I have been using is a square up ruler.  I have many of these in multiple sizes. This week I have been using the 4 1/2 inch square.  I have a Creative Grids 4 1/2 inch square ruler that I have used many times. It has a diagonal line to help line up the block. It also has gripping dots on the back.  This ruler works well and I love it. The gripping dots keep it stable. Plus I can use it for cutting smaller sizes. It is a great tool.

I also have a 4 1/2 inch half square triangle Block-Loc ruler. This is a really nifty little tool. It has a little groove down the back that allows the ruler to be pushed up against the diagonally seam. This insures that the diagonal seam is centered.  This ruler is fun to use. It can be used for blocks smaller than 4 1/2 inches. The things is, I don't think it would work very well for other types of blocks. It really is only meant for half square triangle blocks.

4 1/2 inch Block-Loc ruler

back side of the Block-Loc ruler

 So if I had to pick one of the two rulers to buy, I would pick the Creative Grids ruler.  It is far more versatile. I do like the Block-Loc ruler. I would buy it again since I do a lot of half square triangle blocks.  I just feel it is a one trick pony. It would be fine to buy once you have a good set of other squaring up rulers.

This week I will be doing more squaring up of blocks and using my nifty tools.  I have barely made a dent in my pile of blocks. But a little each day is better than none.

What tools dis you sue this week that you really like?