I have a finish: Grim Ripper. She is going to hang in my sewing room, right near where I keep my sewing tools. I see her handing me the ripper, even before I need it. The funny thing is that I don’t use a seam ripper but a small pair of scissors, but I have the same “grim” feeling when I need to rip out a seam. I should say that the quilting you can see is done using a couple of the fancy stitches on my sewing machine. 
I also finished the first sock of my third pair. I have started the second sock but forgot to take a picture. I have been spending mornings knitting on the deck and some evenings when I am not on the computer. 
I even got into the quilting room and began quilting this top which has been on the frame for 3 weeks. I am quilting this with a large meander and it went so fast that I got it done today. Of course part of that is because my stitch regulator has gone whacky. Right now it is not regulating but acting like a manual stitch but I cannot slow it down so we are “off to the races” when I turn it on. Yes, I will be calling Handi Quilter tomorrow (first time in 7 years).
I did have to piece the batting but with quilting I cannot even feel where the piecing is.
I did make sure that the side grippers were used over the lap of the two pieces so there would be no movement while I was quilting.
But when I was done I realized that I still had about 18” of extra backing. So on went this black batting piece, and
And on went this great Halloween fabric. I am going to quilt it with a bit smaller meander for placemats. There will be some leftover and I will use that for a table runner but I won’t quilt it until I get the stitch regulator fixed.
Oh, and I started a new BOM. This is the first block from Fat Cat Patterns. But the difficulty is that I believe she is giving us 2 blocks a month. When I started pulling fabric for this I realized that none of my white fabric is thick enough to not shadow the black wings. I have looked at almost all the white I have but this may mean I Now one might ask how I came by so much energy to do all this. Well, DH has been gone for 3 days and, except for taking care of the dogs, birds, and cats, I have had all my time to myself. It’s amazing what one can do when there are no interruptions.
Sorry Sweetie!
I did take a little time out to redress Fred. He is now “Harvest Fred,” wearing the hat we found on our trip. And frequently I am finding Stubby, the cat, sleeping in his lap. Unfortunately she jumps down before I can get a picture so you will have to just imagine our black and white cat curled up there. Really cute, huh?Monday I need to do laundry and dishes but that won’t stop the sewing, quilting, and knitting, I’ll just have to work around them.
If you have read this far, be sure to take a break to get ready for a really GREAT week.
Gari
18 comments:
Oh yes, amazing how much one can accomplish when you are all on your lonesome! Adorable penguin BOM!.
You did have a wonderfully productive three days. I love your Grim Ripper, very cute!
I hope your HQ get fixed soon! Great use of that extra backing.
My husband was out of town last week, too, and a lot was accomplished in my sewing room as well! Your sock is beautiful! And the "Grim Ripper" is so cute!
Great Grim Ripper! How much fun can one person have when left to play. Amazing!
I knew someone who used white fleece for an applique design so that the other colours wouldn't show through it. And it added some fun texture, as well.
Love the quilting on your Ripper! Socks and quilting look great, and your porch pal is a hoot. Glad you've been making the most of your time!
Grim Ripper indeed. I share your feelings for ripping, that's for sure. Penguin block of the month? I need to check that one out. Could I actually keep up with a BOM? You are an inspiration for keeping up. I am trying to finish not start -- it's a mantra and it may or may not work this time. You might consider a grey mottled background... hum maybe a moda marble type. He'll look good on lots of different backgrounds... think outside of white!
You are getting a lot done - love the idea of Stubby sleeping on Fred's lap.
Hi Gari...Grim Ripper...how cute is that...I do use a very small ripper which I keep on the handle of my Gammill longarm. It's about the only place I do use one...and not often there...thankfully. I see you are a longarm quilter, too. How fun to find Design Wall Monday and visit your post. Yes, I'm a newbie to this party, but not to the art and world of Quilting. I owned a 'Brick and Mortar' quilt shop from 1996 through 2005, and now I've joined the online Quilt World with A Quilt Store and More ETSY Shop. My 'Niche' in the ever growing and competitive online fabric shopping world is my 'Inventory and Stash' from the years of buying and selling quality quilt fabrics from top designers and manufacturers. I'd love for you to visit me at CollectInTexas BlogShop which is linked to my ETSY Shop and see what is on my Design Wall today. Just click on the signature link below...hope to see you there.
Sue CollectInTexas BlogShop
How funny to find the cat sleeping on Fred. :) LOVE the penguin block - is the whole BOM penguins?
Grim ripper is so good:-) Have fun at the fabric store!
Your Grimm Ripper is a stitch -oops, maybe I should say un-stitch. Cute BOM. Is the whole quilt different penguins? I love that your kitty sits in Fred's lap. You just have to be sneaky and get a cute shot of that.
I love your Grim Ripper - brilliant idea. I have a yellow seam ripper and unfortunately use it quite a bit. I thought a cheery colour would make a difference to how I feel when unpicking stitches!
Love your Grim Ripper!
the grim ripper is so clever!
Oh Gari I do like your Grim Ripper it is so cute; but I have fallen in love with your Grumpy looking fat owl!!!!! and have even printed off the pattern, he just makes me smile so much. You sure have been very productive you won't want your poor hubby to come home LOL. Cheers Glenda
So fun.... love the grim ripper!
Post a Comment