Mid-Week Musings

Yesterday the focus of cleaning was this table.  Well, to be entirely truthful, it was only on this end of the table.  As you can see, the pile is almost as tall as the machine.







But look at it now.  And everything that has been moved has either found a proper home or has been thrown away.












I did finish the scrappy log cabin top so it has been put on the “to be quilted” rack.  Of course I still need to make a backing and binding for it but that is for another day.











I finished the fusing on Fishy #5.  I now have three fused so I will be putting the applique stitching on the “to do“ list.

Oh, and did you notice my new cutting mat?  It is yellow on the other side but I decided that purple brightens up the room.










I drew the pieces for Teapot #10.












And then I got to play with fabric, again.  I now have 4 teapots that need the applique stitching so I guess my machine is going to be humming pretty soon.




But not today.  Although I plan to be back in the studio this morning my primary focus will be to pull out some pantographs to take to chat with some new to longarming friends.  People are always asking for ideas on how to choose easy pantos to learn on.  I have been part of the Urban Elementz club since it started and have lots and lots of examples of easy, relatively easy, and “what were they thinking” pantos to use as examples.  We will also be helping one lady learn to use her Red Snappers.

Back to this morning……if I get my pantos picked out early enough I am hoping to be able to do a little quilting on my owl.  I have some ideas of some of the quilting I would like to do on him so I need to get a move on. 

The cord to my computer died yesterday so I am having to work on battery power.  I am unplugging DH’s computer every once in a while so I can recharge.  This is not fun at all!!!  And, as I look up, I see the wind-up clock has run down, too.  Maybe it is just that this old girl is running down?  Oh, say it isn’t so.     Gari

Progress On All Fronts

How’s this for a bright quilt?  I figure that any little kid would love a bright, colorful quilt like this.  And guess what!  That border fabric is some I “found” in my cleaning.  It has all the same colors as the sashing fabric but MUCH BRIGHTER. 
As for the cleaning, I found that I get distracted pretty easily.  I worked all day Wednesday and got the the cutting table completely cleaned off and everything on it either put in it’s place or thrown away.  The before and after can be seen here.
Thursday I found that I just had to get a new cutting mat so I was out of town all day.
Friday and Saturday I again was in the studio, cleaning. 


This is the top of the cedar chest that sits next to my chair where I do most of my hand work and also take breaks.  It was piled high with magazines, fabric, fabric scraps, and a bunch of other “junk.”  Now it has places for the handwork as well as open spaces for my coffee cup. 




And would you believe there is a couch under there?  Just before I took this picture there wasn’t even that seat showing but DH came in to visit and cleared it for himself. 




Now it is empty with a spot for magazines and even a quilt. 









One of the things I realized was that I felt the need to play with my fabrics.

So I pulled all my batiks from the very messy shelf and refolded it.  Look how easy it is to do when the cutting table is clean.









Look at these very neat piles of folded beauty.






And here they are again in their new home. 

My batiks are now living right next to my sewing machines where I can see them while I sew even when I am not sewing batiks.




But I did do some sewing this week.  I finally got the binding on Henrietta and





And it is finally on the wall.  Funny thing, DH hasn’t even noticed that it is on the wall.  But I know it and love seeing it up there.








Other projects I worked on were:

I drew and prepped the applique fusible for the Fish BOM.  Later this week I will choose the fabric. 









And I am getting ready to correct an embroidery mistake.  This is the back of a denim jacket where the tiger did not sew out correctly.  It was a difficult design that messed up dramatically.




This  is the practice sew out.  I am going to applique it onto the jacket back.






The cleaning is going to continue.  I seem to actually be doing this on an every other day basis so at that rate will have about 1 1/2 weeks to go.   Hopefully after that I will keep up with it…….LOL.

Linking up with Patchwork Times and What a Hoot.

And away we go with 2012

One last shot of the table runners I made for Christmas 2011.  I made 6, 5 for gifts and this one that is currently on our dining room table.  It will packed up today, along with all the other Christmas decorations to make a triumphant return next year.

So, my plan for last week was to spend most of my time doing a cleaning and reorganizing of the studio.  If I tell you that not a lot got done would you be surprised?  Of course not!

 

I did do some, however, and now the machine I do most of my embroidery on has been uncovered.  It sits on a very long table, where I used to do my DSM quilting with my first HQ frame setup, so it is very easy to pile things on. 

 

So I found several started projects while cleaning this table.  Here, at the other end, is one.  This is a string project that I was using as a leader/ender.  I have five completed 8 1/2” blocks and 10 in-process blocks, seen here.  I love how these blocks look so I will be continuing with this project until I find a completed quilt.

 

 

But I also couldn’t help myself and started something new.  The printout in the picture is for the color challenge being hosted by Judy and Vickie.  I have decided to participate and am combining it with an uncompleted journal quilt challenge hosted by Vickie last year.  Also in the picture are the fabrics I pulled from my stash: I think they match the challenge colors really well.

 

My original plan was to just pull the fabrics but once they were on my “design ironing board” I couldn’t help but play.  This is what I finally had to leave in order to get dinner made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the final Christmas fun, DH and I watched old family videos.  DH has been rescuing old VHS tapes and putting them on DVD.  The oldest is one that was originally 8mm movies of family Christmas’ from 1963 – 1969.  This picture is the “recording studio” he has set up in our living room.  He assures me it will find a new home prior to his return to work in mid-January.

 

Here are about a third of the tapes that we have not yet converted to DVD but with that wonderful setup, seen above, it should take no time at all.  Of course, once he has finished with the videos, he is planning on putting slides of the plays he has produced over his 47 years of teaching.  That will take some time, I am sure.

 

Now, next week I hope to have ongoing progress on the above and at least 1-2 more.  However, I may be taking on another Weight Watcher meeting so my time is being stolen, again.  See ya,