Questions in my Head

Did you ever have a day that was more quesitons than answers?  Well, today is my day!

The  registration for my new machine gets mailed to:

Singer/Pfaff/Viking

And the website is SVP.com.  I guess they are all in one now?  Anybody know the deal there?  I know the Viking Megaquilter is the same as the Janome 1600.  Same machine, just put the different logos on it.

Can you believe I have this new machine and I have not sat down to sew yet?  Unbelievable.  Maybe this afternoon.  I did, however, clear off a nice chunk of my sewing table in the sewing room.  That was some progress, I get a pat on the back for that, huh?

But now I have this on my ironing board.  Sort of progress, I guess.  Much more needs to be done.  I shouldn't sew more stuff until I get some of this done and quilted......I know.....I know.

How about you?

I just took a call from someone in my fiber group.  She has arranged a show.  Here in Baton Rouge.  There are four of us putting stuff in there. More on that later when I decide what to put in there.  But it is exciting.  Let's see...my Swissy pup, Eiffel Tower, some of the fiber group stuff.

Small, artsy stuff.  We shall see, I need to think on how to hang them.

Breakfast is not my favorite meal.  So I saw on Judy L's blog where she makes a huge batch of oatmeal and freezes individual portions.  Later, she defrosts a "hockey puck" of oatmeal, adds fruit and brown sugar or whatever, and some FF half and half and has a nice breakfast and quick.

I made two 12 hole cupcake pans of steel cut Irish oatmeal which are currently freezing.  It is weird looking but hopefully it works like it sounds.  See the nice ice cream next to the healthy oatmeal?  I wonder how long it will stay there.....?

glen

Sewing Machine Alert!

Unboxed it is beautiful!  And the tension is perfect!  That is worth the money I paid for it right there!  Oh, I am loving it!  (Keep your fingers off, Charlene!  I see you drooling over there!)

So I figured out how to thread the thing, easy.  And I actually got the needle threader to work, like the 12th time I tried.  But it is the only machine that has ever worked for me, so that is a good sign.

Here is the front view, looks like it is on Broadway, all lit up with New York in the background!






Here is the front panel with all the buttons.  I tried to read the "instruction" booklet, but that was little help.  So I just started pushing buttons and figured out most of what I needed to know.  Each of the 160 stitches is programmable in multiple ways;  length,width, frequency of repetitions, width between repetitions  stitch length.  Some can be mirrored.

And, even though the lady at the store said it did not come with an extension table, it does.  A nice one that fits in my roller.  The hard shell cover has places to store things, although it may end up being duct taped closed if it keeps falling open..........

Then there are three alphabets, upper case, lower case and Cyrillic   I must learn Russian soon.  I did my name but I must not have taken a picture of it.





First stitch I did was of course the little doggies!  Can you believe I have a dog stitch?  This machine was MEANT for me!  LOL.

I would work a stitch then I would make Frank look at it.  I would do another one, and make him look at it.  He was just watching a rerun of Big Bang Theory for like the 11th time, so it was not like I was interrupting him or anything.

But I looked over and saw this going on on the sofa:


So I decided to give him a break from the hard work of actually being excited about my new machine, see how exhausting it is?

Now I need something to sew..........I wonder how it sews through leather........Shades of Grey!

glen

The New Baby IIs Home!

The Quantum Stylst is home!

I got the call from the store today and they said my special order machine was in!  I grabbed a man, Frank was the only one handy at the time, and rushed over to the store.

Here it is being carted out








Here is is riding home in it's car seat, back seat facing backwards like the law says.






And here are the dogs greeting it.

 Then Chloe went out about her own business finding bones left out by the boys......

glen

FIFTY!!!?????!!!????

The Elephants do Sri Lanka has taken me over five years and I still need to put the binding on yet.
The Judy Tate mystery quilt has bee at least six, possibly more that that.

So with my historical background of taking vast eons of time to finish something, I have embarked upon a new (long termed) project.  I just picked up Atlas Shrugged on CD from the library.

Atlas Shrugged  Ckick here to see what it is about.

DiNozzo's size in relation
to the amount of CDs

DiNozzo trying to
climb on top of the
CD case holding the book

When the librarian turned from the Holds Vault pushing a wheelbarrow with the box containing the CDs she grinned at me with as smile the belied the happiness she felt knowing that I would be paying overdue   fines that might equal her salary.

FIFTY CDs!!!???!!!???

I have one more CD in the book by Alice Hoffman The Probable Future.  Then I can start Atlas.  I read it years ago wanting to know what this book was that the crossword puzzles all gave as a clue, Ayn Rand Book.  I fell in love with it.  And it applies to today's political climate even though it was written in 1957.  The innovators and industrialists stop producing and the US changes for the worse.

It is a telling story, perhaps of our probable future.  I guess I will be doing a lot of quilting to this book!


I am also filling in with some photos:  here is the vintage apron that went into my Cotton Robin project.





 But right now, i get to go pick up my new baby!

Busy Wednesday

I have a busy Wednesday planned.  First off I have the yearly ultrasound in preparation for the Surgeon next week.

Then I have a meeting with the LSU administrative group touring the shelter for their involvement in our program

Then I have a night meeting at the nursing home with the family council.

Oh and I was featured over on Eva Paige's quilting with Hotties blog about my Taking Names quilt we are working on.
I am on the iPad and I don't have access to my photos right now.    If I get a chance I will post some pics for you during the day.

Finished My Parts

Last night I finished my round one of the Cotton Robin!  I knew immediately what I wanted to do on my row. I can't show you of course, it is all a big secret.   I thought I had the tension right on my little Brother machine ( can't wait for my new one to come in, it will be perfect you know), but after I got all 14 of the little blocks done, starched and ironed flat, I realized that the corners were falling off.  So I had to pull each stitch line out, and re-sew each one.

Wall to Wall People

But the good thing is that I figured correctly and they fit the center block perfectly!

I used a piece of a vintage apron I found in my Aunt's stuff.  It looks really nice.

Dressed Up

And I am eagerly waiting for my packet of background strips for the Taking Names Block Swap.  I   hope to get them before I head out to retreat.

Oh, here are some pic from the Mutts Parade!

Danielle said this morning in her Truthbomb that we should go where the love it.  My take on that is there are too many people who will treat me well to have to stay around those who don't.  I have a number of things to get set up for the retreat.  Can you tell, I am getting excited about the River City Retreat next month?  Who from here is going?  Karen, Joni,

Police K-9 Attack

For pictures of the dogs and the contests check out Julie's great photos:  

Krewe of Mutts Photos 2013

 I thought I had some video but obviously not!  LOL.  Gee, I think I will include it just to give you a good laugh!  The new camera takes video differently than the old one, and I was taking video when the button was OFF!  So check out my weird video.  My sunglasses make an appearance along with my feet.  When you see the plants that means I am staring at the controls on the camera trying to figure out why it is not working!

Design Wall Monday and My New Baby

You would think it would be a new pup, but no.  It is my new baby!

http://www.singerco.com/products/2127/9960-quantum-stylist

They had to special order her for me.  And I will get it in one week, with any luck, before I go to Retreat in Clinton, LA.  I am happy.

It has 600 stitches, several alphabets, numbers and lots of decorative things.  It does have that curvy stitch I was lusting after.  And she was nearly half price, I fell into a deal.......it pays to know people!

It has a table and like 12 feet, and has arms and sews itself!  It is self threading, self bobbin-ing and self cleaning.

And it cooks dinner for you while you are sewing!

Charlene, my fabulous quilter

So while I wait for it to come in, I am working on Taking Names- the Shades of Grey Quilt, binding my Elephants, doing the quilting on Maylee's Baby Clothes Quilt and beginning to put stuff together for the Retreat in February.

CAAWS Mystic Krewe of Mutts Rolls Today

Newsflash:  King Jimmy abdicates his throne, infighting among the cats, who reigns is uncertain.

Remember Jimmy?  He was the dog tossed over the fence.  I have a court date next month for the guy who did it.  Jimmy was named King of Mutts for the Parade today.

Well, Jimmy knows how to unlock the gate.  And last night he got out and is missing.  So I am not sure who will end up being King today.

I will be out there selling t-shirts if anyone wants to come and see me.  I will be by the registration booth on North Blvd.

Come and see us, donate some money to spay and neuter dogs and cats and help decrease unwanted pet population.

glen:  100% of your money goes to the animals, what other organization can say that?

Lard, Stash Report and Taking Names

Once again I have saved the life of McGee.  That dog is so darned lucky.  He learned how to open the pantry.  So while I was on my computer, I heard some noises I couldn't identify.  Upon investigation I found an empty box of lard.  So out came the hydrogen peroxide and his leash.  He threw up hunks of pure white lard along side the driveway.  And now I need to figure out how to keep the pantry doors Basset-Proof.

used this week	-10.65
Used Jan	-14
added this week	3.5
added jan	3.5
used YTD	-14
added YTD	3.5
stash reduction	-10.5

Ohhhh!  My numbers are looking good!

Credit goes to the Scottish Lad quilt that got sent off to Scotland on Thursday and the Taking Names quilt.  I will use up a lot of stuff for the Taking Names Block Swap between now and the end of February.  I am hoping that I have a lot of stuff in my stash and don't have to go buy more. If I do, it will just be a FQ here and there.....cross your fingers

I am loving the Taking Names quilt.  It is a pattern by Eva Paige and the group is testing it.

I also made this cheesecake beauty.  It is worth the calories! Oh my is it good

CAAWS Mystic Krewe of Mutts Parade Rolls Sunday

Come out and see me, I will be around the CAAWS registration doing what I always do, selling the fabulous T-Shirts.

Check out CAAWS for all the details or to make a donation.

CAAWS Mystic Krewe of Mutts Parade

Sunday, January 27, 2013

2013 Theme: Totally Paw-some 80's!

I wish I had a  I found a picture of one to show you, I know you will want one.  They have been collectible every year for the last 14 years and after tomorrow there will be none left.  This parade theme is Totally Pawsome 80's and I am sure there will be a lot of tie-dye going on.

Sunday the Parade starts around 1 but come early we have Bark in the Park with maybe 50 - 70 booths selling all kids of doggy stuff.  There are still some spots in the parade if you want to walk.

That is how CAAWS gets money to fund the rest of the year, by having people walk in the parade for their donations.

Getting a Lot Done Today

I actually got a lot of stuff done today!  I was wondering why and realized that Frank was home and had half the dog duty!  He opened doors and pulled things from the beast's mouth as much as I did.

Todd and the Scottish Lad

I noticed McGee carrying something across the room, heading to the back of the house.  It was the bottle of face wash I had just bought at the store.  I guess he felt dirty.  Then later he carted my shoe out to the back yard, well, that may well have been DiNozzo, he loves to "steal" my shoes and run like hell so I will chase him.

What did I get done?

I cut up 3 1/2 yards of orange for the block swap for Taking Names.  One inch and three inch strips go into 8 packages.

To the Post Office to mail off the 8 block swap packages for the Taking Names project over at Eva Paige and got the Scottish Lad quilt off to the grandmother Debby in California to take over with her when she heads to Scotland soon.

And I got my block for the Cotton Robin yesterday so I pulled some fabrics for the first border!  I am excited!

I made my 12 blocks for the Taking Names project.  I love them.  They will be a bright orange with Shades of Grey!  It is looking supercalifragilisticexpialidotious!

It is not me afterall!

Got this from my High School Reunion Buds:

Ever walk into a room with some purpose in mind, only to completely forget what that purpose was? Turns out, doors themselves are to blame for these strange memory lapses. Psychologists at the University of Colorado have discovered that passing through a doorway triggers what's known as an event boundary in the mind, separating one set of thoughts and memories from the next. Your brain files away the thoughts you had in the previous room and prepares a blank slate for the new locale.

Thank goodness for studies like this! It's not our age, people, it's that damn door!

I am certainly glad that it isn't me after all!  LOL.  What am I here for?  Oh, hey......OFF THE WALL FRIDAY!

Hmm.....I didn't go through a door yet.......

I am working on a swap from EvaPaige Designs.  She tests her patterns by playing with a group of us.  We make some background fabric cuts and send them to each other.  And then we take the various background pieces and create a specific block.  And send them back all scrappy and stuff.  These are triangles, so I was really attracted to the bright shiny objects she was dangling in front of me! I had to jump in and play.

Cool.  

I sent out some bright orange and asked for some Shades of Grey!  LOL.  A bit of sadistic humor there.  

Meanwhile......back at the ranch.......

I am making my Fifty Shades of Grey Challenge piece.  Complete with leather and whips!  That is a smooshed bottle cap with an interesting black M design on it.  And somewhere, I have a heavy zipper pull.  But that may be inside of a dog by now, and I probably need to find another one if my subsequent searches don't turn up anything.

Mentally rotate the picture so the bottle cap isin the upper left corner and it makes more sense.

I need to figure out how to sew the leather to the fabric.  I think I am going to use some decor bond to back the black.  that should give it enough hand to allow me to either sew by machine or by hand and attach the leather throngs.

I am sure my Fiber Mates are coming up with way better ideas, so I might have to do more than one just to save face here.

Speaking of other people coming up with better ideas, check out Nina Marie and the Off the Wall group over there!

glen

The Ellies Are Home!

You know, when you sit in your guild meeting during show and tell, and you like the quilts being shown, you are happy.  But then, someone opens up a quilt that makes the audience intake their breath and sigh because it is so stunning.  I wanted that.  Big time.  And I think I got it.

I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for just the right quilt to come along. An as the Old Sicilian Saying goes, all good things come to those who wait.  And, believe you me, good things came to me!

I can't sing the praises of Charlene high enough.  She did a prizewinning job on my quilt.  Too bad my quilt isn't perfectly pieced or it would win the Houston Quilt show!  The quilting is exquisite!

The Elephants of Sri Lanka started out with a story in the Quilters World Magazine from 2007.  Don't fret, you can't get them anymore because the tsunami wiped out Sri Lanka so there are no more elephants.  The women were taught to embroider and create these blocks to sell in the US.  Cost was $10 per block and it was shipped free.  


The Elephants jetted in from
Sri Lanka and were gorgeous.  I was so afraid to cut into them I let them sit for 2 years while I collected fabrics to work the paperpieced blocks with.




Here are all 12 elephants lined up on my design wall.  While I was at a retreat with a group of friends, i began to paperpiece the sashing blocks.  I loved the colors, and of course I love paperpiecing!

Here are two blocks joined.  I have oftne thought they woulld make a wonderful quilt just by themselves.  And after letting them sit for a year or more, I thought about doing just that.  I was still afraid to cut the elephants up!

But when I paired them up with the elephants, they were gorgeous.  I knew I had to complete this quilt-----at least to a top stage.








So here are the ellies and the sashing blocks all put together.  They sat for another year because now I was afraid to ruin the quilt with quilting!  I just can't win, can I?

The elephants were bugging me to get done, so I talked to my friend Charlene Harp, and she agreed to quilt them.  And it was a labor of love for sure.  The elephants are not "delicate" so to speak, but when put on the frame one leg did fray a bit.  And two places in my paperpiecing were not deep enough to hold.  So there are some repairs to do.

Here are Charlene and I displaying the quilt for the first time to the Remember Me Guild.   We got that intake of breath!  YES!

Here are some close up details of the quilting.  Some of the fabrics are so patterned you really can't see the quilting on it.  Which is a terrible shame, she did so much fine work on this quilt.  She should have charged me $1000!

Each of the elephants have the vine in its background.  The border has a leaf, and the circle border had lotus leaves.  The paperpieced sashing is echo quilted.  And the elephants are stitched in the ditch.  There are 5 different colors of thread.  And I can't imagine how many hours she put into this quilt.  

I am so grateful to Charlene for doing this quilt for me.  I love it.

glen

My Contribution To the Quilting World Today

I did not take a stitch today, and yet I contributed to the quilting world!  How?  You ask.

Hooligans?  Come on mom.

what a cute butt!
Like little chicken legs

I spent the morning sleeping, since Frank has been out of town since Sunday, and I have been momma AND daddy to the hooligan bunch, and the stupid cat who can't remember that she just ate five minutes ago.  He is currently on the way home from the baton rouge airport, provided he finds his luggage made the flight too!

I spent the afternoon with my friend Norma helping her set up her blog Stitches 'n Styles.  We learned a lot of things about what we don't know about blogger!  Now I think she has a nice blog that. She can fill in with some of her beautiful work.  She is an accomplished long arm quilter.


OHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

I got the Ellie's!!!!!!!

Charlene of The Happy Quilter did the most amazing job!  I will do a whole post on it tomorrow!

Thank you Charlene!!!!!!!  I love the Ellie's!  The quilting is exquisite!

Court Today - A Minor Victory For Animals

I headed downtown for court today, my monthly sojourn into the legal system abyss of the State of Louisiana Justice System.  Yet another hearing on the revocation of probation for the two women who spent three years dumping over 100 sick and injured dogs at CAAWS in the dead of night.

Since last February, the judge has ordered Norton and Greenwood to have no animals as a condition of their parole.  Norton is 74 and Greenwood is her daughter at 50-something.  Each month the judge has given them chance after chance after chance to disencumber themselves of animals.  This is not their first conviction on animal cruelty either.  The animals on their property are starved and malnourished, not vetted and often stolen probably for the rewards.  For three years we got their sick and injured animals in the middle of the night until we bought security cameras and filmed them dumping helpless sick animals in our fences.  As of yesterday, there are still animals of several varieties on their property.  They

Finally today, the judge, saying he was not happy about doing this, put Norton into jail on the condition that she be released when the animals are gone from the property.

I can't say the wicked witch is dead but she is definitly disabled.

glen

Scottish Lad top complete and a good day all around

Back

Update:  Scottish Lad quilt is quilted and ready for binding!
Front and back:

The corners are black but they disappear into the red carpet!

Yes, a pretty good day all around!

McGee was hunting something in the Aztec Grass.  It was pretty intense!  It kept him busy for over an hour which gave DiNozzo and me some down time!  That dog is pretty intense every minute of the day.  Can't leave him alone in a room or you won't have a room to come back to.

This is the Scottish Lad quilt top.  It is sandwiched and ready to quilt tonight in front of the TV on my Husqvarna.  I need to get it off as soon as I can so I can overnight it to Deb to take with her to Scotland.



And this incredible picture is the sky as I was talking to Julie about the upcoming (this SUNDAY) CAAWS Mystic Krewe of Mutts Parade.  She said, Look at the sky!  So I went outside and took some pictures.  Startling color.



And when I downloaded the red sky photos, i found the purple sky photos!

So here is some beauty for you to feast your tired eyes and be refreshed!


glen