April 25, 2019 Just having a great day!!

I haven't come in to talk about my quilts at all.  Phoebe was out of commission for about 3 months. I'm finally back at work.  I have completed 2 quilts since February; hope to finish my third very soon.  I'll post pictures later this year.  I'm in work mode and don't want to take too much time blogging about the quilts. 

I just want to record that today I'm having a great day.  My back has been giving me grief, but the weather has changed and I finally got a good chiropractic adjustment.  I have good shoes with arches (Birkenstocks) to work in and I'm feeling good to go.  Spring is blooming out here which is always great!  This is my favorite time of the year.

Just got notification that the backing for quilt #4 will arrive Saturday, hopefully, could be Monday, either is good.  I'll put #4 on the frame soon and begin cutting out #5.  Excited!  I love quilting!!

Break has been long enough...back to work.

Just stopped to enjoy my blessings!
d

Back to work! February 14, 2019

Really March 18, 2019

It always seems so long since I last wrote.  This is something I enjoy, but find hard to be consistent.  Life keeps happening.  After my husband's kidney transplant (our blessing), I was simply exhausted.  Went to the doctor this fall because my heart was beating strangely (PAV) and I simply felt depleted.  I started with a medication and vitamin D.  I cannot believe how much better I'm feeling after a couple of months of vitamin D.  My skin and nails are so much happier than they have been in years and my husband is doing awesome!  My back has been giving me trouble; he's been doing all the snow removal and I haven't had to help!

So, now today is February 14, 2019.  About the time of my last entry, Phoebe got knocked out of commission.  She had a thread in the bobbin case that I couldn't remove.  I was afraid I would have to pull apart the bobbin case in order to get her working again.  I don't know enough about the bobbin area, so I called a local person to come to work on Phoebe.  That was back before Thanksgiving.  Finally, I bit the bullet and worked on Phobe myself.  It took me hours and hours to work through what I needed to do, BUT the money for the repairman ended up in my pocket.  So finally, I'm back quilting on Phoebe...Yay!

Quilt #8  Last quilt of 2018 finished in November

 

This quilt was given to my third son.  I made this quilt top  about 1980-82.  We had a mill in Lowell, MA that was still producing fabric then.  We could go in and purchase a brown paper grocery bag of scraps from clothing produced in the mill.  That bag of scraps was $3.  I made two of these quilts for him.  The first was tied rather than quilted.  I thought I would make a second top back then figuring that quilt would not last long.  My son had that quilt on his bed for years.  He took it off to college with him and into marriage 7 years later.  I thought that it had seen its end to find out he still has it in 2019.  When I walked in the door with this quilt, my expectation was that it would be used on the beach when they head there....noooo.  My son claimed this quilt for himself!  end of story.  I guess all four of my sons would like quilts for themselves, especially seeing that their wives and my seven grandchildren all have quilts.  With Phoebe it is possible!!

This is the quilt that I was working on went Phoebe went down.  I started this quilting in 1990 by hand.  The three borders were put on in the early 2000s when I finally found something that I really liked with the patches.  The the white areas are hand quilted.  I finally got to a point where I simply couldn't sit and work on this one.  My neck would get so tired.  I took it off the frame a few years back, then this past fall thought I would simply put it on the long arm frame and finish it by machine.  I'm so glad I did.  It would still be hanging around waiting for me to work on it!!

 

This shows off the Single Irish Chain pattern.  It has just been washed; it smells so good!

 The Pumpkin Seeds in the nine patches are done on the long arm.  I really like the way this came out.

 

The quilt was sitting in the sun in the window.  It really showed off the border quilting.  It is invisible otherwise.

 This is the backing along with the binding and the front border.  I simply liked this picture :-)  This quilt went to my second son and his wife as a thank you for all there help.

So, this year I'm hoping to start and finish eight quilts again.  So far, I have two quilts pieced and quilted and trimmed.  I need to attach the binding on one, cut and attach the binding on the other.  The third is in need of borders, then it will go on the frame for quilting.  Liking the long arm.  Best purchase I could have made.  I Still have another six or seven quilts that have been waiting for years.  I'm enjoying the quilting process more than I ever have and I'm a person that has always enjoyed hand work!  But it feels so good to be able to finally get them finished. And it really stimulates my creativity!!

Enjoying my blessings!!
d

Still Moving Forward!

I'm always so surprised at how fast time goes by.  Last time I blogged was back in April of this year.  My husband had a kidney transplant on March 21st of this year and I was quite overwhelmed!  It was a rough six months to get to September when he finally began to regain some of his energy.  This is the middle of November and I'm just beginning to catch up.  It has been a rough year, but also an incredible blessing.  I have my husband back.  But there is also a down side to this; another family lost someone that was important to them.  Our blessing is some else's loss.  

Quilt # 5  Chinese Flowers
I've had limited time quilting this year although I have manager to get a couple more quilts quilted and finished.  I also made a baby quilt for my grandniece.

 This one was finished and sent off in May (2018).

The background is simply back and white prints, dots and checks.  The flowers are from my own hand dyed fabrics.  I was trying to use what to my eye was Chinese colors.  My fabrics didn't quite do the trick, but it did turn out well on the black.  I went exploring for stitches on my little Janome (not a fancy machine).  Every area that I did was done with different threads and different stitches.  I used a multi colored batik for the binding.  This quilt is free motion quilting on Phoebe, my Grace Q'nique long arm.  Lots of creativity and fun!

Quilt #6  No name

This quilt is not named yet.  I saw a quilt someplace years ago.  If I knew anything about it, I would give credit where credit is due.  I fell in love with the stars in the sashing of this Log Cabin Quilt and worked out the sashing including the stars.  The layout is sort of my own.  I'm sure it has been done before, but I simply played until I got what I liked. The setting triangles and border are made from a green printed with gold stars.  The red centers to the blocks are a deep rust/red pin whale corduroy!  Yes, it washed beautifully in this quilt.

This one is 68" x 68".  I think it is the 2nd widest quilt that I've done and as you can see there is still move room on the 8 foot SR2 frame from Grace Frame Company.

  

 I used Hobb's Heirloom Wool Batting for this quilt.  It was the first time I used it.  It is a perfect weight of a New England Summer Quilt, but only okay for our winters.  This is only November and I'm finding I need and extra quilt over me at night...maybe even two!

This quilt is done with rulers.  The quilting made the stars look awesome!  My centers are anything but perfect, but they were greatly improved by the ruler work.  The Log Cabin block is done in the ditch and down the center of each strip.

This is the center block.  I was never quite sure what I would do in the center,  At one time I thought about hand embroidery there, but I like this so much better.  Again it is ruler work with free motion stippling.  So glad I chose this; it seems perfect on the quit. 

I pieced this quilt back in the late 1990s or early 2000s, I think.  I was overwhelmed with the idea of quilting it by hand.  I wanted to design quilt tops; I used to love designing and piecing them.  Best part for me is choosing the colors.

The binding is complete and this quilt is on my bed.  Not my warmest quilt, but I sure do love the way the wool batting holds is puffiness.  I do consider this a good choice.

Quilt #7  He Loves Me  Jackie Robinson/Maywood Studios

So this is the next quilt.  It is a Jackie Robinson kit.  I love her work because of the specialty fabric for the border.  It is printed in stripes the length of the bolt.  Makes a fancy border easily.  I love the colors as well.  It's not a large quilt; I wanted something for my back porch hammock.  I nap there sometimes on hot summer days.  Funny, I wake up cold if I don't have a quilt under me.  In my back garden are orange day lilies, Gloriosa Daisies (fancy brown eyed Susans) and daisies.  My garden is the same color as this quilt.  Again the quilt top is about 6/7 years old.  So glad to have this quilt finished!

 

I chose a matching plaid for the backing.  Not sure what company, though.  And this one has Quilters Dream wool in it.  This is a thicker batting and I do like it a lot.  It is warmer than the Hobbs Heirloom Wool.  It makes a nice winter's companion with the No Name quilt.

I did in-the-ditch quilting all over, then went back to the triangles to quilt the big flowers.  The centers are ruler work, but the rest is Free motion quilting.  I was beginning to learn quilting directions to get across a row without breaking the thread.  This one is also finished and is now on the foot of my bed so I can grab it if I need the extra quilt.

Problems!

So, two weeks ago I ran into problems with a thread catching in the bobbin area on Phoebe.  I'm waiting for the repair man to call.  The same week I had the problem, he and his wife were at Houston Quilt Market.  I expect this past week he was exhausted.  Hoping to hear from him soon.  I'm missing Phoebe...

I did get one other quilt quilted before I lost Phoebe, but it is not trimmed yet for the binding.  That top goes back to the mid 1980s.  It is basically the first machine pieced quilt I learned to make; it's a string quilt.  As soon as it is complete, I will be taking pictures and posting it.  And I'm working on one that I hand pieced back in the early 1990s and started hand quilting a couple of years ago.  I've moved it to Phoebe's frame.  I just need to finish it.  It is an Irish chain made from 4" squares.  I've hand quilted the large empty white blocks and I'm in the process of long arm quilting pumpkin seeds in the 4" alternating nine patch blocks.  Again, no pics yet.  

Meanwhile, I'm repairing a quilt for a friend.  She purchase it in Lancaster County, PA back in the late 1990s.  Some of the fabric is very weak and wearing out.  I do still enjoy hand work, so I'm enjoying working on this quilt right now.

So, at this point, I have seen seven quilts completed for this year and I've learned so much about long arm quilting.  Special thanks to the FMQ and long arm quilters on YouTube and Craftsy that I have watched incessantly to learn both ruler work and free motion on my long arm.  The stunning part of this is that quilting by machine is now my favorite step.  I tend to want to purchase quilt kits so that I can get tops done quickly.  So looking forward to piecing a top and going right to the quilting process before I start a new quilt.  That will be new to me.

Enjoying God's blessings!

dianne

So many blessings!

There are always so many things going on.

Almost six years ago, my husband was diagnosed with kidney failure. He was told he had 2 to 7 years to live.  It literally changed our lives.  About four months later, my husband was air lifted from Plymouth NH to Burlington MA in a medical emergency.  He started dialysis just after Christmas during this event.  We were forced into retirement because of his health and that seemed to be the beginning of one crisis after another for about two years, maybe a little longer.  I count it one of the most difficult times of my life.  Generally speaking,  I think I've had more difficult times in my life than those I would consider outstandingly good times.  Most day are fine, but great times are few.  This is not as negative a comment as it must seem.  I've had a great life overall, but it has not been easy.

I wrestled with the responsibilities that landed on me, I still do.  My hopes and dreams have been pushed aside for someone else's good.  My dreams postponed.  But one of the most satisfying days of my life was the day the Lord confronted me with an old vow I made before Him so many years ago.  That day I remembered that vow I took on my wedding day; for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health until death do us part.  What most of us do not understand is that Jesus will walk with us through anything that He has planned for us.  That day I stood in the back of the church and looked down the isle at the "boy" I was going to marry, I knew that this was for life and I wondered if I was going to make it.  Life is a long time when you are 24.  I was convinced when I took that first step down the isle that I would learn to love him.  Those were the days before I knew my Jesus.  His prodding on those days before and at the wedding show me how faithful He is.  It was four years and two baby boys before I came to know Him  personally.

This is today, over 46 years later from the day we married; 42 years from the day I met my Lord.  On March 21st, my husband received a kidney transplanted into his body.  Someone died so that he could live.  I'm still having trouble processing what just happened.  It is amazing to me.  And yet I keep thinking about and praying for the family that lost someone.  What a terrible day for them.

I am so grateful for the incredible gift that we have been given.  I will always be grateful for these days.  They are so special!

Enjoying my blessings!
dianne

P.S. to Quilt #4 Completed!

Yes, my granddaughter made the little lavender top for Linsay on her sewing machine.  She really is clever!!

Quilt # 4 Completed!

So much has been going on.  I will be journaling soon all that has happened and has slowed my quilting down.  It has been so worth it.

Meanwhile, this is quilt #4:
 

This is a quilt from a long time ago; I would say back in the early 2000s.  My intention was to use my Handi Quilter table frame and Juki setup and learn how to quilt.  There are twelve blocks and my original intention was to do each one differently.  So...that is what happened finally this year, only I'm using Phoebe, my Q'nique 15R that I received just a couple of days before Christmas.  This is again practice using Phoebe; how to handle her to get the results I want.  I already know how to free motion quilt on my sewing machine.  I have found that this is absolutely my favorite part of quilting.  I think it is because I'm seeing the end results to my hard work.  I'm working on finding a machine finished binding technique that I'm satisfied with.

 I love working with Phoebe!  Such a sense of satisfaction.  I think she was the best purchase I've made when it comes to quilting.  I would hurt moving my quilts under the sewing machine.  I wasn't sure how I would do standing, but I find it so much easier than sitting and moving the quilt around.

Now, I have to show off my granddaughter's work:

 My 12 year old granddaughter crocheted these hats for her little friend, Linsey, about three weeks ago.  She is particularly good with her hands and very creative at the same time.  I remember doing this kind of stuff when I was young.  I'm so proud of her!!  She also has a sewing machine and I know that she sews for her dolls as well.  I'm not sure whether or not she made this outfit.  I think I need to find out!!

Enjoying my blessings!
d

What a good feeling!

This is the quilt I'm working on:

This is Quilt #4.  I've been working on it for a while and I'm almost finished.  I put this top together back in the early 2000s for an online quilting class at Quilt University.  It is put together with 12 plain blocks and a border; each block was to be a different filler. This class was suppose to teach quilting on a small portable tabletop quilt frame with a home sewing machine.  It was to mimic professional quilting frames, but affordable for the hobbyist.  I cannot remember why I never got to work on the class material, but this top got put away and then lost in the attic with other piles of fabric that needed a place to be stored until I needed them.  I couple of years ago, I got back to that stash in the attic.  I was so pleased to find this top again.  I thought I was going to quilt it as soon as I got FMQ on my sewing machine to a place where I could do a somewhat decent job on it.  But I had ideas for new quilts that took precedence over this little quilt.  

I've been working on this quilt on and off for three weeks when I had some free time.  Today I had a good portion of the day to work almost nonstop.  I was working on the border that you can see along the frame's top roller and down the opposite side.  The center 12 blocks were finished yesterday.  

All of this just to say, What a good feeling!  I got Phoebe the Friday before this past Christmas.  This is March 5th, 2018.  I cannot believe how much I've learned.  I'm no longer fighting for control of the machine!  I've  learned the difference between Precise and Cruise control and when to use each one.  I'm also getting the sense of working without breaking thread and I can move my ruler without stopping the needle.  These are huge steps in learning how to long arm quilt.  As you can see, I enjoy detail work, but as I worked across this quilt, I've made sure I have a few edge to edge designs I can use when appropriate.  

As I stood there working today,  I just felt so good!  I truly understand why long arm quilters love quilting this way.  I love it, too!  There is such a sense of creativity and accomplishment having learned to this point.  It is hard when I finally have to say, I'm done for the day; I'm tired.  

I should be finished soon and I'm looking forward to displaying this quilt in my studio. I'm hoping to be able to start quilting for others soon.  Meanwhile, my next quilt is a Christmas quilt top also made years ago.  

I'll be posting this little brown quilt soon.

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying my blessings,

dianne