Happy Ash Wednesday

I totally forgot to wish you a Happy Mardi Gras yesterday.  New Orleans, Metairie and Kenner shut down, but we don't here in Baton Rouge.  And for people who work for national companies, it is just another workday.

When Frank worked for the various incarnations of Dresser they would secure a place on St Charles Avenue and cordon off a street corner to set up port-a-potties, food and an open bar.  They would have customers meet them down there. From that corner they would catch the three big Mardi Gras Day parades.

Can't beat that with a stick!!  If you are going to do Mardi Gras, that is the way to go!!  Most people aren't that lucky though.  I would go sometimes, but Frank spent time with his customers and I found it more exciting to stay home and sew.

Like I did yesterday while Frank worked.    At The Quilt Haus I was able to get the 4 quilts trimmed. Well, maybe it was 3.

The Breaking Bad, the T-Shirt Backs, Southwest, The Saint.  Nope, 4.

Sad thing is, I STILL have not reduced my list!   I am just moving them up the ladder!  Still, it is progress.

I have a few tops and backs sitting by the long arm to be quilted.  And I got two borders on the Batik Curves.  I need a cool name for that one so I will have to see what is going on in my world.  Maybe I should call it Hillary's Downward Spiral.

Candy's Ripples Quilt

I can't find a more finished photo, and it is at The Quilt Haus right now.  the pattern is Reflections and I free cut the curves.  While I was making this at the retreat in 2013, Candy was making the exact same quilt called Ripples but using a specific ruler and placing them differently!  There are really no new ideas I guess.  Neither of us were working from a kit, but our fabric selections were very very similar!  She just didn't put the corners on hers.


I am really having to dig deep to find some of the quilt tops buried deep in the recesses of the quilt room!   But they are just as exciting as any of the new ones!  Sometimes even more so!

Another UFO Quilted (and a brick!)

Started in 2012.......put aside and forgotten.



Quilted in 2016.......how long will it take me to bind the poor thing?

I am thinking this one will go to Malaki.

As you can see, my quilting is not always straight.  Straight lines are really hard.  Really, really hard.  Really.

Here is the next brick installment for Fayne........this one is way too cute, almost stinkin' cute!

If you see a crab this big, RUN!   And get the BIG pot boiling.

This house must be in India....seeing as the family dog is an elephant!

design wall Monday 11-26-12

So I tell Frank that he has only 11 days to make sure he has an Emcee for the CAAWS party on the 13th of Dec.  He panics.  But I am wrong, he has just over 2 weeks, more like 16 days.  Not too bad.  I just wanted to let him know because when he panics the day before and wants me to do it,  I can say not enough time, dear.....sorry.  I really need to prepare anyway, I guess.

Africa or African Women

Southwest

So what I am working on is a combination of things.  I have two quilts prepared for quilting, Southwest and Judy's class she taught, I can't remember the name but I call it Africa.


And I have the Spools that I need to get together, but I can do that on Tuesday at the Red Stick.

I made two journals from the BQ Quilt blocks that were leftover from the two quilts for Dan and Amber (this is a good picture of one of the quilts) were made into journal covers.  A very very very very easy method.  More later when I have a full battery in my camera to take pictures of the process.  One block is so large that it made two books!  And I gave one to Swooze when we met.  I will have to do a post on how to do it, so simple!  Maybe an informal class at the Red Stick!

I am fighting with the tension on the longarm.  I think I got that straight and the stitch regulator is not working.  I spent 2 hours working on the tension issue and finally got that figured out, but not before I #$%@*@  up the tension so that I needed to reset it.  Aughhhh!

You want to know what the problem was?

I bought a pantograph that was 11 inches wide.  My shelf is not, it is more like 8 inches wide.  And the thread trailed along the overhang.  So now I have to cut all my panto rolls down to whatever my shelf width is.  I guess it makes sense, that added a "tension" to the thread as it rolled through the machine.  But I think it was stupid of the machine to react that way.

It could have said, hey, trim the panto and I will work for you.  Instead it threw a hissy fit and set out to give me ulcers.  Stupid machine............

Such Is Life.......Southwest Quilt And A Visit To A Quilt Shop

Since coming home from the retreat on Sunday, I have been so busy it seems like I am in a whirlwind of sorts.

You know my mom started having seizures, and continued having seizures (cross your fingers they have not called me today so far).  They are small and mild, but seizures none the less.  The Hospice RN says this is often the case in end stage Alzheimers patients as the brain aggressively misfires.  They have the doc scheduled to see her sometime, but I can't remember exactly when.

On Tuesday, I spent the day taking McGee for his first heartworm treatment and the rest of the day in court for the revocation hearing for the first set of dog dumpers.  That is a mess.  The judge postponed everything till January since the one who has a lawyer, did not show up.  So we spent all morning sitting on hard benches with no cushions with the dregs of society for nothing.

Then Wednesday I went to Slidell, LA with Ann to pick up Tiger's cat Roscoe for his move to Baton Rouge.  We stopped at Bright Hopes Quilting in Mandeville, LA and I bought some stuff that made me feel good.  Veggies and reds!  Yes.

Then I had a CAAWS Board meeting last night.  And today I just got home from a Bylaws Revision Committee Meeting for CAAWS.  Just in time for the elections in December.

Oh, and I just ate half a bag of potato chips, and if I don't slow down soon I will down the other half.

AUGHHHH!

So here is the Southwest as I added each of the 8 borders at the Retreat.  I love it!

Late, Late, Late with Design Wall Monday 10-1-12

Happy October everyone!

I am so late today, so many things to do including setting McGee up for his heartworm treatment tomorrow.  So I am in a state.

I have red beans and sausage cooking, since today is Monday and it is Southern Louisiana!


I still have the Jack and Gourdy Throw a Party on my design wall, but the back has been completed and it needs to be sandwiched for quilting.  I was thinking I could get some orange an purple cotton thread and do a nice hand stitching on the pumpkins and candy corn.  I think that would be wonderful.  I do have all month, you know!

Tomorrow I will start a new quilt.  I am going to cut out two Southwestern Quilts so Ann and I can work on them during the retreat this weekend.

And I have the Saints quilt for my delightful nephew Matthew, who loves my quilts and the Saints, but not necessarily in that order.  His cats are named Drew Brees and Deuce McAllister (who used to be a Saint, he must have gotten traded off because he is not on the roster for this year!)

This is a similar pattern to the one Patty the Quilt Lady did for a wedding quilt.  I think she may still be working on the quilting.  She does this wonderfully close line quilting that I envy so much.  I have always wanted to do that but get really impatient before the end of quilting.  What I do is quilt lines 1 inch apart and go back if I have the inclination.  (Most times I don't.....)


So that is what is going on, heartworms, the Southwest and the Saints.

glen