Whistle Stop Quilting

Busy, busy-and loving it!

2012-02-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

I dread winter. I hate the cold. If this is global warming-I'll take it (just kidding!). This weather has been great so far. It's hard not to be outside and enjoy the sunshine.
Now for the good stuff!

Finished this quilt for my favorite man quilter! Alvin did a great job on the piecing and I love the colors.

This is a custom quilt I am working on. This is a quilt from my first customer. I did a Thimbleberries quilt for her in 2004. Time flies when you're having fun!
Also listed a few new quilts in my Etsy shop-like I said busy, busy, busy!
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Hope everyone has a great week!

Sweet 16

2012-01-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

These pics are a little dark because I took them at night! I think the birthday girl will really like it!

The back is just as colorful as the front!
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The house is quiet today. Cherry is getting a dental and Trixie is at the groomers! I met a friend for breakfast and now I am going to tackle some cleaning!

This is what $189 and some change will buy you!

2012-01-23T11:50:00.000-08:00

But you can't quilt a quilt without thread!
Just finished this cute baby quilt..........

Yucky weather here in SC. It's almost 3pm and the fog hasn't lifted. I'm heading out to a quilt meeting tonight-I wish it would clear up!

What?

2012-01-19T18:30:00.000-08:00

After hours of troubleshooting ,cleaning, oiling, cussing..........I think I have found the problem. I ran out of thread and opened a new cone. On my practice piece another thread works great! Put back the original thread and it breaks and gets really tight. Switch to another cone and it works great! so-it's got to be my new cone of thread-who'd a thought it!

The culprit!

Lesson learned -Try a different thread first!

There's anew (old) dog in town.

2012-01-19T13:43:00.000-08:00

Katie died in September and Trixie has been spoiled rotten since then. Going with me everywhere. Her favorite was Lowe's because I let her go in the store. But sometimes she can't go-- so The Schnauzer Love Rescue had a senior dog they needed a home for. So I adopted Cherry. Her owner had turned her into the shelter 10 months ago and she has been fostered since then. She is the sweetest dog! So this is the new scene here:

I have been quilting up a storm and then the unthinkable happened. I ran out of top thread and when I rethreaded something was wrong. I fiddled with it for a couple hours, called Gammill (they didn't seem to interested) and so luckily for me (Thank You God) there is a repairman in the area. He's coming tomorrow. There is never a good time to have a problem-but I guess I needed the night off!

I made this quilt last week.

And this one too. These quilts have a lot of quilting on them so I guess my machine needed a night off too!
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Hope everyone has a good weekend! And I hope I'm back to work by then!

Bubbles--I've got Bubbles

2012-01-08T11:34:00.000-08:00

I ran some more patterns today. Goes well with my rug!

It was a lazy Sunday morning. Hope everyone has a great week!

Happy New Year-a week late!

2012-01-06T11:56:00.000-08:00

Time marches on! Running this today.

I sold my other one in my Etsy shop. I love this spiral pattern. I am using a neon yellow on the top and it really looks good.

We traveled to Miami to see Clemson play in the Orange Bowl. The team didn't show up but we still had a great time. Maybe next year!

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Hope your New Year is going good!

On the machine today!

2011-12-29T11:56:00.000-08:00

Running this colorful snowball quilt today.

Also made up these cute mug rugs for my Etsy shop!
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Hope everyone is enjoying the day-I'm off to walk Trixie and be out in the sun!

New patterns

2011-12-27T11:37:00.000-08:00

I have been stitching out some of my new patterns. I like to stitch them out before I run them on quilts just to get a visual on how they look. I have a lot more to do! It also cleans off bobbins and I can use end of thread cones for the top stitching.

I use old fabric from my stash-I think this fabric is from the 80's! Now to list them separately here.
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Hope everyone had a great Christmas and looking forward to a great New Year!

Basket Case

2011-12-14T10:20:00.000-08:00

Is the Christmas rush making you a basket case? Hang in there! This is new on my wall.

This is my Mom's basket quilt. It won best hand quilting a few years back at the SC State Fair. She wanted me to hang it in my studio so others could enjoy it. It has been willed to a family member (not me). We both think quilts should be enjoyed-not packed in a trunk in the attic. A lot of people tell me their Grandma's quilts are in the attic. Why? Get them out and enjoy them. Grandma would be happy to know her work is being used and enjoyed.

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This is a ladder that my Dad found in the highway. It fell off a painter's truck. On the legs is hand carved SP. I covered the rungs with fabric and am displaying quilts on it.

It's a beautiful day here in SC. I will be raking leaves the next couple of days! Hope your Wednesday is great!

Come Sail Away ,Come Sail Away.........

2011-12-07T18:19:00.000-08:00

Just got this one off the machine. It's 9:06 -where did this day go?

The spirals really look good on this quilt!

This is for my fellow longarmers who are feeling the last minute pressures! Tis the season! I always play this youtube video at Christmas-it puts me in the mood to get these quilts done. I've taken a class with Mavis-a very fun person!

On the longarm today......

2011-11-30T14:06:00.000-08:00

This beautiful oriental quilt!

And the borders.

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Now to rush around and cook dinner for "the old man"!

Wonderful day to quilt

2011-11-29T11:02:00.000-08:00

It's rainy, windy, and cold. What a great day to be inside sewing! Just got this beauty off.....

And leaves in the corners. I downloaded the leaves a couple minutes before I stitched them out. I love this digital quilting!

Hope your day is Happy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:05:00.000-08:00

I want to join all my fellow bloggers and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Let's all remember our troops who are away this Holiday season. A special shout out to my son who is missing his second Thanksgiving in a row. Happy Thanksgiving Jon!

Long Day ahead...

2011-11-23T04:20:00.000-08:00

My last BIG custom job of the year. (doing the happy dance) I've got a bottomless coffee cup and plenty of chocolate! Speaking of coffee-Has anyone tried this "B-Skinny Coffee"? They have an ad for it in the local magazine. It is supposed to burn fat by simply drinking coffee. If it works that would be awesome!
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Back to quilting-it won't quilt itself-now THAT would be awesome!

How OLD is OLD enough?

2011-11-18T11:29:00.000-08:00

A lady stopped by yesterday to talk quilts and long arming. Just passing thru and saw my sign. She said she dreamed of having a long arm quilting machine but she was too old. She is 72-a young 72. I bet 5 years ago she said the same thing! How old do you have to be to give up on your dreams? Makes you think. I also heard a conversation between a man and his wife last week. He wants a dog. He's 67. She said no-they mess up the furniture and tear up the yard. How OLD do you have to be to not care if your house is a museum? I thought to myself-Maybe you need a new wife! Some things are better left unsaid!
Here's a peek at the custom quilt I've been working on. Will put ornaments on the border tonite. That crazy song "Christmas Balls" keeps running through my head!

Hope everyone enjoys the weekend!

Autumn

2011-11-17T16:47:00.000-08:00

Got this quilt quilted yesterday. Love the colors -looks like the view from my porch.

This was before the rain came. I have been working all day on a custom job that is turning out great! Pictures to follow!

Just monkeying around.....

2011-11-15T18:38:00.000-08:00

Cute, cute baby quilt!

The back.
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Happy Tuesday!

Fruit Slices

2011-11-09T05:10:00.000-08:00

I named this quilt fruit slices because that is what it reminds me of. I wish you could feel the back-it is so silky! I had it in my stash and it was a perfect fit for this top.

This pattern is called Splat-it's one of my favorites!

Back to work for me-another long day!

Life is Good

Excuse me old lady-Can I help you across the street?

2011-11-08T06:28:00.000-08:00

That's what I think about when I hear Boy Scouts! Just finished this neat Boy Scout quilt for a client.

Now when I think of Girl Scouts -I think of chocolate mint cookies! Yes-I think of Girl Scouts a lot!!
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Got to get out and enjoy this day. Bright, sunny and 75-can't beat it! Hope the sun is shining in your part of the world!

Down on the Farm

2011-11-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

Got this neat quilt done today. I love the tractors!

I like the quilting pattern-it really adds texture!

Also -got this cute duck quilt done.
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Several people have asked me how Trixie is adjusting to Katie being gone. Well-she is spoiled rotten~ she seems to love being the only dog!

And she's pretty cool too! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Busy Day

2011-11-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

Got this custom off the machine today. Went to lunch with a friend. We tried a new place-it was pretty good. We both got the special-chicken salad sandwich. Now to walk Trixie and clean up a little. I have a feeling that November will fly by!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T07:28:00.000-07:00

Trixie in costume

This is the best we can do!

I got this beautiful vintage Trip Around the World top this weekend! As soon as I "catch-up" with my customer quilts I can quilt it. Definitely a great motivator!
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Hope everyone has a great Halloween and eats lots of candy (that's my plan)!

Dragon's Breath

2011-10-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

This is a new pattern I just got called Dragon's Breath. It fills in nicely.

I am still on the mend-LOTS of naps! thanks for all the well wishes!

Back in the saddle..........almost

2011-10-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I was busy quilting and getting ready for a routine gallbladder surgery. Last week I was in the ER because I had extreme pain and had passed out in the doctor's office. Luckily you can see the ER from his office and it was a short trip over! Today I am not 100%-more like 80%- and I tire easily but I am thankful. Thankful that I have friends and family who took care of me. Thankful that the "surprise" tumor they found on my gallbladder was benign and completely removed. Thankful for my customers who have been very understanding. Thankful to God for my health. And thankful to be back quilting-doing what I love to do!

I loaded this quilt and am quilting it today. It's mine to go in my Etsy store.
Life is good.

If you draw it they will piece it.......

2011-09-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

It all started when my client and friend, Helen, came over and saw this on my design wall.
I had traced the pattern from a quilt another client, Alvin, had done. Alvin had seen this on Simply Quilts and pieced his great top.

This is the pattern I sketched and gave to Helen-

So we have gone from this to this-I can only give you a sneak peek until Helen sees it!!

The colors are fabulous-especially the Kaffe Fassett ( I love his fabric!).
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Hope everyone has had a great weekend. Oh and Suzan (Suzan's Patchwork Garden) I have been trying to leave you a message on your blog for weeks and it won't let me! You are a no-reply blogger so I can't message you!

Funky Friday

2011-09-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

This is on the longarm today. The quilting pattern is Funky Aztec-it looks great on this quilt!

Also pulling stash to make some table runners. I have GOT to use this fabric!

I cannot live long enough to sew up all this fabric. The women in my family usually live to be 96-100, so you can imagine how much fabric I have! My Mom told me this week that my Dad's Aunt turned 104 this week.
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Hope everyone has a great weekend. We are going with our DS and DIL to the Clemson game. I hope the sun comes out and the team shows up!

Farmer's Wife

2011-09-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

This is what I am working on today. I stabilized the quilt and freehanded a feather in the border. Now I am putting pumpkin seeds in every block.

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I also found out that I will be having gallbladder surgery this month. I hope my GB weighs 30 pounds-then I will be at my goal weight! .....just wishful thinking!

:):)

Ships Ahoy!

2011-09-12T05:08:00.000-07:00

Working on this beachy quilt today. Puts me in the mood to go to the beach! We are going back to Edisto beach in a few weeks and............ we are taking Trixie! I don't think she will be too impressed with the ocean!

This is what I did this weekend while watching football. These triangles were cut with the Accuquilt but they are still not perfect. I'm sure it's operator error. Luckily I know the quilter and she can "quilt it out"!

Hope everyone has a great Monday!

Scrap Happy Friday

2011-09-09T07:36:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love scrap quilts? Especially with the price of new fabric!
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Hope everyone has a great weekend. Looks like the weather here in SC will be nice. I know a lot of people are experiencing floods and fires -it's just heart
breaking to see the pictures.

Big custom done! woo-hoo!

2011-09-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

And this is the design I put in the blocks.

Happy Wednesday!

Playing catch up

2011-09-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

First -a big thank you to the comments on my last post. Blogger friends are the best! It's been a tough couple weeks but now Katie is chasing balls in doggie heaven!
I'm quilting this today. I needed a bright cheerful quilt and this one has all my favorite colors in it!

The quilting pattern is Graceful Flowers and it's perfect for this quilt.

R.I.P. Katie

2011-09-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite quilting patterns

2011-09-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

This is the back of a quilt I just took off the longarm . The pattern is called Splat. Not many people request it-but it is one of my favorites. It especially looks great on quilts for girls or modern quilts. I like it so much that the quilt on my bed is quilted with it.

I also used it on my tomato wall-hanging.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy long weekend!

Riviera comes home

2011-08-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

This is my 2010 Hoffman Challenge quilt. It's been traveling for a year. I usually enter a quilt every other year-life just gets hectic sometimes! I didn't enter this year -so I better get serious next year!

This is the challenge information they sent for next year. the challenge fabric is pretty. My whole sewing room is a mess -I have been sewing! This is my design wall-

What do you think? :)

Seeing Stars

2011-08-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

Just finished these four table runners for a client. Christmas and babies that is what is on a lot of people's minds!
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We have had to modify Katies's walking. She is just not able to walk very far. This is what she like to do now----and eat (she has an appetite!)

Elegant feather in Oregano

2011-08-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

Working on this quilt today. The pattern is Elegant Feather and I am using a YLI thread named Oregano. This is a thicker thread and the pattern goes back over itself -so there is a lot of thread going on this quilt! I like the look!

Spiraling giraffes

2011-08-19T17:28:00.000-07:00

this is on the frame today. The client chose the thread and I think it was a perfect choice!

Too cute! the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia has a new baby giraffe. I need to go see him (or her?) before he grows up! Hope everyone has a great weekend and finds time to have a little fun!

Beautiful wallhanging

2011-08-18T07:04:00.000-07:00

I am finishing up this wall hanging today. It's all freehand except for the wreaths. I love to mix freehand with computerized designs. The computer can do intricate designs a lot more efficient than me!

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Katie is totally blind. The vet suggested I take her to a specialist in Charlotte-but after talking it over with DH and a few friends I have decided not to. Katie is a rescue dog so we are not sure about her age. When the animal shelter got her she was 11, then she went to a foster home, then she went to several families who couldn't keep her because she bites! I have had her for 3 1/2 years. So she is close to 15. She loves to chase a ball and doing that several times a day kept her too tired to bite! We think the blindness came from her sickness last week with her liver. I've read a lot of information on the internet about how to live with a blind dog. The dogs do better than the owners because sight is their least used sense. I work at home which will make it easier on her! Here she is sleeping while I quilt this morning.

We will adapt!

On the frame, 29 years, and the beach

2011-08-16T09:38:00.000-07:00

This is the quilt I am working on today. I have it stabilized-now for the fun part!

Yesterday was our 29th anniversary. I spent it having dental surgery done! DH sent me these beautiful flowers!

And the weekend was spent at Myrtle Beach! DH had a safety conference-so I walked on the beach and did some sewing. This is the view from our balcony.

Need to get back in the swing of working and do some catch-up!

Stars

2011-08-11T12:32:00.001-07:00

This pattern is called All Stars and it was perfect for this modern feel Christmas wall-hanging.

On the home front.......we are dealing with a sick furbaby! :( Spent a lot of time this week at the vet having tests run. We will find out tomorrow if it is Cushing's disease. At least when you know what the problem is you can take the necessary steps. Katie is probably 14-15 years old and feeling her age every minute this week!

ps. Well -Katie doesn't have Cushing's disease. But over the weekend she completely lost her sight. We are headed back to the vet tomorrow for more tests. Hopefully we will find out good news!

Just finished........

2011-08-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

Just got this beautiful quilt off the frame today. It's simple constructed but looks complex.

Do you have a favorite quilting book?

2011-08-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

I buy books and other quilty things on impulse. But this book I have read and reread and I take it with me on trips to read again. I bought it in Sisters, Oregon in 2006 and the authors were there and signed it. I was scouring it again and saw a fabric that looked familiar. I found it in my stash. I don't know where it came from. I asked my Mom if she gave it to me and she said she had never seen that fabric before.

My fabric which is the same as Gwen Marston used in her quilt.

She used it in the center square of this quilt too.
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Just thought it was a neat!

Work attire

2011-08-03T15:46:00.000-07:00

The lady who embroideries my bags made me this cute apron as a gift. I like it but I think I am going to put pockets on it for my scissors and maybe chocolate!

And a close up of the logo.

Funky Aztec in John Deere green

2011-08-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

On the machine today. I like it.

Weekend finish

2011-08-01T04:37:00.000-07:00

This is what kept me busy this weekend! I also started going through my scraps-trying to sort them for our guild's member sale. It's amazing how scraps seem to multiply! I saw fabric I don't remember ever seeing before!

A quilt for me

2011-07-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

Took a day off to work on my quilt and I had several errands to run. Still too hot to do much yard work!

To Market, To Market, To Houston

2011-07-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

In a prior post here I told you guys about a group challenge I participated in. Well-it has been juried into the Houston quilt show! This will be the first time anything I "sewed" on got into Houston. Still debating if I will go.............
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This is on the longarm today. Got to love the pinwheels!

I was the official "picture-taker" for our guild meeting on Tuesday. We always eat good but one of the ladies brought these cheese sausage balls that were great! I definitely didn't need lunch!

P.S. Jeanne-Yes I did get pictures of quilts too!

Daisies

2011-07-15T04:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was supposed to be another day with thunderstorms so I ran my quilt instead of a customers in case I had to turn the machine off in the middle of quilting. I bought this daisy fabric back in 2004. I remember it because it was so expensive. I bought 1/2 yard of each color. Finally decided to cut it. I am going to bind it and wash it today. I don't know if the pattern shows but it's daisies!

New Pattern

2011-07-13T05:34:00.000-07:00

I've gotten several new quilting patterns. This is Fern. You can't see the pattern on the quilt front but it does show up on the back. It's always so much fun to run a new pattern!
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thanks for all the well wishes for Trixie. She did great BUT.. she now she has NO teeth! Poor baby-got to eat canned food for the rest of her life! She was pretty doped up when we got home yesterday but she went straight to the kitchen and demanded food. Two cans later she was happy and went to sleep!

Baby quilt weekend!

2011-07-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

zebras

alphabet

Sesame Street
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This is Trixie when I rescued her from the shelter-she had been neglected. The day after I got her the vet pulled all her teeth except for a few. This past week Trixie did not act like she felt good so back to the vet. They are going to look at her remaining teeth and either clean or pull them on Tuesday. Poor baby! They gave her an antibiotic shot and painkillers for the weekend. It's been a whoosy weekend! Hopefully she will be back to her feisty self by the end of the week.

busy Week.........

2011-07-08T06:52:00.000-07:00

Working on this custom quilt this week. It is taking longer than expected because of afternoon storms and having to unplug the longarm. I have also managed to unload 2 truck loads of topsoil. The humidity is so high that my clothes would be soaked after doing that shoveling. I don't mind the heat but the gnats will drive you crazy. I told DH I made lots of new friends while working outside. People drive by and I am waving gnats away from my face and they think I am waving at them! They wave back and some even toot the horn!!
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Yesterday my Mom and I drove down to Augusta, GA to get our sewing machines serviced. There is a shop that will work on them while you wait. we went to Kohls' and then ate lunch. I used my Kohls' cash to replace my $6 iron from Wal-mart.

And I HAD to buy this fabric from the sewing machine store.......

I've got the cutest quilt up next to quilt! Pictures soon.........

Design Wall Monday (or what I did while watching the "trial of the century")

2011-07-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

Busy week.........

2011-07-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

Did some quilting, some yard work, and spent way too much time in doctor offices. :( This is a cute princess quilt with Hearts-a-Flutter all over quilted on it.

A colorful churn dash quilted with Whoopsy Daisy.

And Blowing in the wind quilted on this red, white, and black quilt.
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Hope everyone has a safe and fun July 4th!

Quilt Mavens

2011-06-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

Quilt Mavens meeting at my house tonight! Tweetie bird says come on out and have a great time!

Tuesday talk

2011-06-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

Beautiful signature quilt on the frame today.

I quilted this log cabin over the weekend. The curling feather really gave the quilt a lot of motion.
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I have been working in the yard in the morning while it's cool. Watering my flowers and hoping for rain!

Venetian Tiles

2011-06-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

I quilted this beautiful quilt for my friend Jeanne. The pattern is Venetian Tiles by Patricia Pepe. Jeanne will be teaching this class at the Quilter's of SC retreat in October. If you or your guild are interested in the lectures and workshops Jeanne offers you can find out more information on her website.
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Happy Quilting...........

New fence

2011-06-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

To make it more convenient for clients to get to the studio I had my porch extended and a ramp built on the side. to do this I had to move the fence back. The guys took the fence down yesterday and replaced it today. Yesterday afternoon I went outside with the dogs and Trixie refused to walk around the gate! I don't who was sillier-her waiting patiently for me to open the gate or me OPENING the gate for her to walk through!

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This was quilted yesterday-Don't you love the bright colors! The client picked out the thread and it's perfect for the quilt.

Guess I'd better get back to work---------the UPS guy brought me a package from Fabric.com today. I'll show you my "lovelies" later!

Tuesday talk

2011-05-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I got a little quilting done this weekend.

I have a client who specializes in Star quilts. The pattern on this quilt is Poisies. Here's the back....

I also love this quilt! It is so cheerful!

Groundhog Day

2011-05-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

Yes it's groundhog day here! I am quilting a duplicate of a quilt I quilted for a client last fall. She donated the original to a fundraiser and wanted another one! It's a little different but basically the same.

Hope everyone is having a good week!

To Market, To Market

2011-05-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

Check this out! I participated in this adventure! we didn't know what the whole picture looked like while we were working on it. DH kept calling my part the "the old lady titty quilt". It did look like it-mine was turnips! Anyway -the whole came out good! Thanks Tommy for putting this adventure together!
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2011-05-10T04:14:00.000-07:00

Last night me and my Mom did a trunk show for Carolina Pine Quilters in Aiken, SC. A great bunch of ladies and a fun group! I also got to meet a fellow blogger who was one of my first followers! Hello to Marj from Eclectic Quilter.
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Not much quilting going on today. I have to take my car in again to get the creaking noises fixed!

This is a picture of my Mom. They have these wild roses that grow along the fence line. They are always so pretty this time of year!

A finish

2011-05-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

Remember this.....................

Well -it's finally finished. Bound and washed-no label though. :(

It's so big I actually have it wrapped around the door! It's about 80 x 80.

I backed it with orange. If you recall this began when a customer brought in a quilt he had made from watching Simply Quilts........

This is Alvin's quilt. I drew it out on graph paper and a couple months later I have a quilt too!!
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It's a birthday present for my son-I don't think he reads my blog but just in case, Happy Birthday Matt!!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T07:44:00.000-07:00

Beautiful quilt

2011-05-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

The best part of this job is getting to see and touch beautiful quilts!

Can I make it?

2011-04-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

For many many years I have given my boys this Biggie Ear rabbit for Easter. Now I have a DIL-so she gets one too! I have mailed a Biggie Ear to Iraq and to Afghanistan. But every year I have broken down and eaten one of the bunnies before Easter and had to go out and search for another one at the last minute! So far so good -only 3 more days and the bunnies are still in the box. But I am getting a little desperate! :)
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On the quilting front I worked all day on the custom quilt from the last post-hopefully I will finish tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who commented about my medical procedure-feeling much better today!

Scaring children in the grocery store.......

2011-04-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

I have had this "mole" on my cheek for 25 years. My dermatologist decided it needed to be removed and set me up a surgery appointment. No big deal! Wrong! The surgeon had to take a 4" incision on my cheek so it wouldn't show after it healed. He basically cut the mole out and then stretched my skin and stitched it up. That was 2 days ago-I finally feel like getting up off the couch ! Anyway, I will survive! This is what I'm working on today-

I've almost got it stabilized and then the fun quilting starts! Also running this top I got off Ebay years ago-

It's huge so I am running the pattern pretty big.

Finally second baby quilt done!

2011-04-15T17:22:00.000-07:00

Finally got around to piecing and quilting the second baby quilt! It's NOT the same material as the first because I could not find the material! SHEESH!!

This was the first.

This is a quilt I quilted this week-love the colors-so pretty! DH has been gone for most of the week and I have been de-cluttering while watching Hoarders! Really- I was cutting out fabric and placing all my scraps in a pile for later until Hoarders came on and into the trash they went!! Less is more!

The wind blew this chair over on the deck -so BooBoo made good use of it! I have pics of BooBoo with my oldest son when he was in kindergarten and he will be 27 next month. That makes BooBoo a pretty old cat! I just try to keep her happy.

Finally, let me wake up Trixie-the popcorn man is home! DH makes them popcorn at night! I think we are all spoiled. Hope you have a great weekend!!

Hot off the longarm......

2011-03-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

This is a Christmas quilt. The Twelve Days of Christmas. Love it because it's different.

What happened to Spring?

2011-03-29T04:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the cold wet weather I have been able to quilt and hold off on the yard work!

This was done on Saturday. It's an Ebay top that I have had for a long time. It was hand pieced. I carried it to my quilt meeting last night because I needed some ideas about the binding. They said a black and white stripe or dot would make it "pop" a little. I am determined to shop my stash and I f~~ound~~ picked this black and white check.

I think it will do nicely! My other quilting has been a baby quilt. Two of the guys wives that my husband works with are expecting baby girls. So Ta Da..........

Looks like we may get some sunshine today so I guess it's back to the yard for me! Hope you have a great day!

The search for a nice looking EASY Baptist Fan.....

2011-03-18T07:08:00.000-07:00

I love the look of Baptist Fan quilting, but it's not the easiest quilting to do. I have tried several designers and decided to give this pattern a try. This quilt is a Citizen Sam quilt. It definitely is the easiest pattern I've done! I think if I run it smaller I will like it better but it still looks good.

Looks like we are headed for great weekend weather -Hope it's great where you are at!

On the machine today

2011-03-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

This is on the machine today-it's a biggie (about 110 inches long).

This is a wallhanging my son bought me in Afghanistan.

Making progress.......

2011-03-08T19:00:00.000-08:00

This is why it's important to use a design board and take pics. I have a block upside down!!

I really love it so far! I'm only working on it at night--it keeps me from eating junk all night!

Design Wall Monday (or Sunday night)

2011-03-06T18:44:00.000-08:00

This is what I have done for the last three hours! Good night moon....................

Katie

2011-03-04T04:25:00.000-08:00

Well I have had Katie for 3 years today. This is my favorite pic of her. It's hard to get a picture of her because she runs when she sees a camera. She still snaps and tries to bite. You might remember she had to have all but 4 teeth removed last year. The next time I took her to the vet for her annual checkup she was snapping and trying to bite the tech who was holding her for her shots. The tech just kept laughing at her because it likes being gummed not bitten (her 4 teeth are in the back of her mouth). It has definitely taken some of the fire out of her! She still loves to chase tennis balls but she is definitely slowing down. We think she is between 13-14 years old.
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I have been quilting and sewing a lot. I also have been de-cluttering (watching Hoarders will get you in the mood to THROW stuff away!) Looks like a great weekend ahead.............. remember to make time for fun each day!

Color Mine Pink

2011-02-28T10:44:00.000-08:00

On the frame today! I must be sick --it's 80 degrees outside and I am inside quilting! Hope everyone has a great week! :)

Neighbors

2011-02-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

A local sewing center (Creative Sewing) is having a contest to celebrate their 10th year in business. This is my entry in the contest. It's titled Neighbors. I got the idea because Creative Sewing is across the street from a restaurant called Zesto. It has a HUGE ice cream cone on the roof. On several occasions people have asked me where Creative Sewing is located. I always respond -"across the street from the restaurant with the HUGE ice cream cone on it".

Zesto's

Hippie house

Post office

Chinese restaurant

Selvage Baptist Church

Military house

And a label listing all the 10's!

Happy Birthday Jon!!

2011-02-26T05:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my youngest-25 today!! This is him this weekend and...............

this is him a couple months ago in Afghanistan!

Done..... except for the binding!

2011-02-20T11:00:00.000-08:00

It feels good to trim this huge quilt! I've got to bind it and wash it yet. I used a new 100% cotton batting in it called Simply Cotton and I want to see how it washes. One of my friends told me it's the batting they sell at Mary-Jo's in Gastonia. It feels good!
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We had gorgeous weather here in SC yesterday. I worked in the yard a lot -still got a lot more to do!

No snow--yeah!

2011-02-10T08:31:00.000-08:00

We missed the snow this time! I walked the dogs at 6am and it was flurries (and very pretty!) but now at 11 the sun is shining and the birds are singing.

This is a new pattern I quilted yesterday if you just gotta see some snow! It's called Snowy Day. The front of the quilt is gorgeous and after it returns to it's owner I can show it!

This is on the longarm today. Love the colors -it's quilting up nicely.
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I'm in a rental. I took my car in Monday to have some warranty work done-bushings or something. Picked it up as the dealership was closing and I didn't think I was going to get home. It felt like I was riding in a bucket! Called back and told the guy and he said bring it in. I could tell he thought I was crazy!! Got there and he sarcastically said ,"the service manager is going to ride with you and see IF he can hear a noise." Great-hop in! He agreed I was driving a bucket. So Enterprise picked me up and I hope they can get it right this time!

Sunbonnet Sue and Trixie's new wheels

2011-02-06T06:51:00.000-08:00

One of my friends found these blocks in an old trunk. The workmanship is excellent. She wants a quilt made. I ~~found~~ had the green (for sashing and borders) and the pink (backing) . The blocks were wrapped in newspaper that was dated in the 1930's.

If you've followed my blog you know I rescued Trixie 3 years ago and we don't know her age but she is old! Several nights a week I go walking with a friend and there is no way Trixie can keep up. I tried to carry her-but carrying a 16 pound dog around for an hour made my back hurt. My other dog Katie goes because she needs the exercise. I tried to leave Trixie at home with DH but she got upset-it didn't help that he turned the stove on and the smoke detector went off! So I bought this dog stroller. We had our maiden voyage on Thursday night and she LOVED it.
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Saturday I helped several ladies get a short-arm or mid-arm ( I don't know which) up and running. A lady donated it to their church group to do charity quilting on. It's called a Stretch and looks like a featherweight that the throat space has been stretched. The lady who donated it had never used it. We got it running but it needs a little TLC. Hopefully it will work out for them.

Quick pic-another UFO quilted!

2011-02-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

I pieced this quilt when I was pregnant with my second child. He will be 25 this month!! I had a local lady quilt it with high loft poly. She only charged $25. It's been used and loved and had gotten stained--so I took it apart and washed it. A lot of the stains came out and I re-quilted it. The fabrics are so thin- I think the fabric came from a Ben Franklin store. I think it's a pretty quilt!

Working Wednesday...again

2011-02-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

Do I only work on Wednesdays or only have time to blog on Wednesdays? This is on the frame today. I'm using wool batting in it and it just makes the quilting "pop".

Also working on the background fill for the sunflowers.
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But the big news is that it is 65 and sunny today so I will be working outside this afternoon!
Enjoy your day..............

Working Wednesday

2011-01-26T11:31:00.000-08:00

I started quilting this UFO this week. See the wide outer brown border? You- know- who cut the backing too SHORT so the quilt will be losing half of that border! I LOVE working on my own quilts 'cause I can improvise! I got it stabilized and then let the computer quilt these big suns in the center.

I'm not in LOVE with them but I also don't won't to rip them out so they will stay!

The computer has done two borders-two more to go! They are far from perfect but I'm learning!
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It's chilly and very windy outside-but toasty in here!

Hope everyone is enjoying this week-I'm just trying to make it to Spring!

Working Wednesday

2011-01-12T12:48:00.000-08:00

This is the quilt I am working on today. It's a Christmas quilt. the customer wanted a panto in the center and a separate border treatment.

I wanted to show this quilt rack that my Mom gave me for Christmas. She also gave me the quilt! It is feed sacks and hand quilted. This is the back.

It is VERY soft. I'm sure you've heard that we have been snowed in for a few days! I have been making the dogs go out and walk. The first day hubby carried one and I carried the other to the dirt road behind our house. They were able to walk a little. I walked them up to the school this afternoon and almost slipped on a slick spot. I have a feeling there will be no school again tomorrow!~~

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Stay warm and keep quilting!

One UFO done!

2011-01-07T11:47:00.000-08:00

I sorta got carried away and finished the whole quilt instead of posting updates! :(
the background

the flower

the leaves

the whole quilt

I did have help..............

Hope everyone has a great weekend and remember to have fun! I'm off to the eye doctor (is it me or do my pics look fuzzy?)--and then off to eat (shrimp & grits) with hubby! And football tonight-go LSU!!

new pattern

2011-01-05T11:51:00.000-08:00

Isn't this a pretty pattern! It's called Full Feathers. It really covers well . Sorry the picture is a little fuzzy.

This is the next one up. It's for a trunk show that my Mom and I do. I think I am going to quilt squiggly lines in the background like I did for my sunflower quilt.

The borders are so busy and the backing fabric is busy too so I'm thinking stippling will add a lot of texture.
Any ideas let me know? I don't want to spend a lot of time because it is not a "show quilt". Now to load it................

working Monday

2011-01-03T17:43:00.000-08:00

Been a busy day! I drank 2 cups of coffee last night ---so at 3am I am fully awake! I get up clean the kitchen , clean out a closet, do laundry, etc.......At 5:30 I wake up the snoring furbabies for their morning walk ( I am so cruel!). Anyway -I got a lot done including a lot of quilting on this quilt. This pic was taken early this morning so it's mainly just the quilt being stabilized. It's a beautiful quilt!

When I finish this customer's quilt I am going to quilt some of my own. I thought it might be fun to document the progress from loading the quilt, the design process, the quilting, ~~the crying and frogging,~~ and the finished quilt.
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Hope everyone had a great day-I'm off to watch some football!

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

Well- I guess we all survived the holidays! this is what I have been doing the last week.

I've got about an hour more work on it ( some SID) and then it ships to Maine!

This is the view from my window. Last week the ground was covered with snow! Yesterday it was a balmy 68 and I worked on raking some more leaves! Just felt great to be outside! Also -for the football fans- I went to my first bowl game on Friday! Unfortunately the Clemson football team didn't show up until the 4th quarter and by then it was too late! :( It was still great to go!!
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I've got big plans for 2011 and none of them include dieting!! YEAH! Hope you've picked your WORD for next year or made your resolutions because the new year is here!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T06:31:00.000-08:00

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Guild challenge

2010-12-23T05:46:00.000-08:00

The quilt guild I belong to is having a UFO challenge for 2011. The grand prize is a sewing machine and there will be monthly prizes. I have spent the last couple days going thru my UFO's. Believe me there is a reason that a lot of these tops are UFO's!! I have several old tops that I think came from estate sales but I can't remember! I'm going to try to quilt them up and then use them. I got all the backs sewn together so they are ready to be quilted.

This should last us a lifetime!
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I hope everyone is ready for Christmas! I am ready for the new year and SPRING!!
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This is my favorite video -I took a class with Mavis of QuiltBird Studio and had a lot of fun!!

Done

2010-12-20T05:34:00.000-08:00

I got the quilt top pieced last night for DH's friend who is deployed. He's a helo pilot so the pinwheels are the blades and the other blocks represent the terrain in Afghanistan. I love it but then again I love weird things!! I am going to quilt it with a fan pattern. I have a Baptist fan pattern but I think I am going to try out a new fan pattern just to see if I like the new pattern better. I would be a longarm quilters nightmare!! The top is a little wonky! I guess I'll have to tip the quilter. :) :)
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ps- Can you guess our friends name? Don't over think this one!!

2010-12-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

thanks for all the nice comments on my last blog! The customer picked up the Mardi Gras quilt and seemed pleased. Spent Saturday burning yard debris. Yes it was raining but we got everything burned. We have a lot of trees and we just pile the fallen branches up and then pick a day to burn. One thing crossed off the list!
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I am working on a quilt for one of DH's friends -hopefully I will get the top finished tonight and I will post some pics.

have a great day!

What's up with the weather?

2010-12-16T13:47:00.000-08:00

I finished my last customer gotta have for Christmas quilt today! Yeah!

I finished about 3pm and looked at the outside temp and it was a balmy 60 degrees! It had barely got in the 30's the last couple of days! So, I grabbed the rake and started to rake leaves. I got a few piles raked and then the rain started. At least I got about 30 minutes of fresh air!

This is the back of another quilt I did last week. She used denim for the back and it quilted up very nice!

And also a couple more pics from the Mardi Gras quilt.
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Hope everyone has a happy weekend and remember to have fun!

Mardi Gras time

2010-12-05T09:53:00.000-08:00

Working on a Mardi Gras quilt! It's really bright and cheerful.

I cut all these strips last night while watching USC get trampled by Auburn! That hail mary pass Cam Newton threw at the end of the second quarter was AWESOME!
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Wish it would warm up about 10 degrees-the sun is out but the wind is blowing and it's cold out there! Good day to quilt!

Cutting up

2010-12-03T05:50:00.000-08:00

First for all my fellow long arm quilters! Tis the season!

Second -these are the blocks I got cut with my GO cutter while watching the Clemson Tigers get pounded last Saturday night! Maybe next year will be our year. I did have a helper but I don't know how much HELP she was!

The weather has turned cold here in SC-great quilting weather! Hope everyone has a great weekend.........

Black Friday

2010-11-26T08:33:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I look forward all year to my Mama's dressing and it was definitely worth it!! The weather was gorgeous here in SC Thursday. Spent time playing ball with the furbabies and enjoying the weather! I also got a lot done on this quilt. I got all the freehand done and now it has been moved to the Statler to do this block.

If it was my quilt I would probably quilt this in hot pink!! No shopping here -didn't want to fight the crowds! I am going to Jo-Ann's tomorrow -my Mother wants some batting. Happy Quilting!

Cross-hatching weekend

2010-11-21T14:56:00.000-08:00

This is what I did all weekend! Also watched a few football games and started on a quilt for one of DH's friends. The weekend just goes by so fast. Looking forward to a great and productive week! And some turkey and ham!

Ready for the weekend!

2010-11-19T04:49:00.000-08:00

Got this quilt finished for the school. See the back? I had to go to Hancock's to buy more backing fabric. While in line a nice looking late 20ish guy with long black hair turned to me and said"you have nice hair". He had the smoothest voice! I said "thanks". BTW if you want to make a 51 year old woman with graying hair happy just say she has nice hair!! Well- I skipped, yes skipped out to the car where my husband was waiting ~~patiently~~ -he said "why are you so happy?" I replied, "there was a hunk in Hancock's who said I had nice hair. DH said" I don't believe it". Me, "you don't believe I have nice hair?" DH- "no I don't believe there was a hunk in Hancock's!" There was. So there.
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I'm off to buy groceries-I think I'll wash my hair first! :) :) :)

How many days til Christmas?

2010-11-16T13:54:00.000-08:00

Got this beautiful quilt on the machine! The colors are just WOW! Can't believe the holidays are so close! Time for a reality check and to make a plan to get all these quilts done! It's crunch time! I need about a week of cold rainy days.

The furbaby has been under the weather for a few days. I made her some fresh liver today and she perked up a little!