I have invented the Glenda Maneuver

Nearly at a winner for the 2000th post!  Get your post in there and see if you win!  SOON!

I am also a winner because I finished the quilting on Lockblocks this morning.  And I had a very interesting thing happen to me on the last row.

No, I did not run out of thread, or bobbin, as you would think.  This was the most odd situation.  I am sure, like REALLY sure, you have never had this happen to you, I think I invented this.  In fact, I will call it the Glenda Maneuver.  But it will most likely never happen to you, so don't worry too much.

I was quilting the very last row.  When I get to that row I will put a row of pins very very close to the edge of the top to hold down any movement of the top edge.  I have had it fold over and get caught in the quilting, so I try to take the precaution against that happening.

I used the large yellow headed pins so I could see them, sort of, out of the very bottom of my eye.  My Panto Shelf is up top and I really can't see where I am actually sewing when the machine is moving over the panto lines.  Every once in a while I will stop and sight where I am close to a pin, move it if i have to.

But I must not have been paying too much attention, when WHAM! I hit a pin.  Of course the needle broke and there was a loud knocking noise associated with things not being right.  So I take the needle out and change it.  I cut the pin out from the quilt, it was pretty well sewn in there.  The pin is not even bent!

I set the stitching line again and start.  KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.  I stop.  Something ain't right.  I check the set of the needle, turn the machine off and on again.  Looks good.

BANG BANG BANG!  Oh, oh.  I take the needle out and re-set it.  Turn the machine off and on again.  I  move the machine to another position and run my hand under the needle area under the quilt but nothing feels amiss.

Come on, I have 1/2 of a row to finish the darned thing!  Actually I said @#$%^&*()_

I start off again and it seems the noise is a bit quieter.  And I notice it is not really interfering with the quilting part, so I cautiously finish out the row and take the quilt off the rails.

As I move the quilt over the rail, I hear a metallic clang.  Never having heard that before in that room associated with a quilt, I look at everything I think could have done it.  Nothing jumps out.

I fold the quilt up and eat lunch.  Let the dogs out.  Decide to take photos outside.  I move the quilt to the metal bench.  Clang.  How odd.  I hold the quilt up, feel around the edges, it was way too loud for a pin, but I check the edges anyway.  Nothing.  I shake my head and wonder what the heck is making that sound.

I take the quilt out to the wooden deck for more photos.  GLONK.....sounds less metallic but definitely a bang.  What?  Huh? No idea.

 I fold up the quilt and leave for a meeting.  I come home, so does Frank, I say look at the quilt.  He opens it up, and admires it as only a husband whose wife has made thirty thousand quilts that all look the same to him that just sit in every corner of the house at any given time.

Not being satisfied, I open it out and lo, and behold......this is what I find, sewn into the back of the quilt.

I am amazed that it stayed on in all the places I took it.  I would never have looked in the grass, on the deck or on the patio for it.

glen:  I have perfected the Glenda Maneuver!

Prizes will go out this week and the girls are coming over!

The girls are coming to the house today to do some Tuesday Quilting.  I have asked the bassets to be on their best behavior and both say they will.  I know only one of them will.  The-One-Who-Shall-Be-Nameless will probably spend most of his day outside looking in.  he can look so pathetic like that sometimes.

Winners - I have five piles sorted but was hoping to have more stuff to put in each of the piles.  I pulled out my pattern stash and decided on a few I was never going to make.  And now I have a few bunch of stacks of books to go through.  You all are certainly going to be winners!

For some Eye Candy here is a reversible Cotton Theory quilt I made in 2005.  I still have it and use it on my bed on the nights I can't get enough covers because the stupid sweet bassets are hogging all the covers.  It is queen sized and a heavy quilt because of all the double seams but I love it. The other side is lighter than this side and just as pretty.

The Looney Bin quilt is the first one I made for Andrew when Carrie started to become serious with him.  I figured he was worth a quilt if he was going to get cozy with my daughter.  And it impressed the heck out of his mother, which I thought was a nice touch for a boy who had the potential to become my son-in-law. 

Both are machine pieced and machine quilted on my domestic head.

glen

Stuff I can't show you........

I have been cleaning my room, you would be so proud of me! I actually cleaned off a corner of my quilt table!  This piece of my table has not seen daylight in, like, three years!  It was soooo happy. 

Then I organized my shelves.  I took projects that were coordinated fabrics and a pattern (whether it was a pattern or a magazine with the pattern in it) and put them in plastic boxes and shoe boxes.  The boxes fit on the top shelf up to the ceiling.  That moved a lot of stuff

 from the floor by the door where you could barely get into the room!

I can't show my houses yet.  Not until the first of January.  But I have 8 in progress and 4 or 6 finished.  I spent yesterday working on cutting out tiny pieces to make it easier to paper piece the bottom part of the house.  I think I got this conquered.....I think.

Aren't these windows too cute?  A lion and a hippo are looking out of their houses!  LOL.  

I also can't show you the center block I made for the Cotton Robin.  It is too cute!  So instead, you can enjoy this one I did for the 100 Blocks from Quiltmaker Magazine.  Well, I tested the block for them, I didn't design it!  It is in Volume 3.  It is my most favorite block I have done for them.  I really love it. 

I have been piling up a bunch of stuff to give away.  So everyone who responded to the last post, send me your address and I will send you something in a package.  It will probably be next week before I get back to the post office to mail things, but that should be OK. 



You are ALL winners!  Yeah!

My email is obed101(at) cox (dot) net

It feels so good to be back in the world after Dutch, my mom, and all the other crap that has happened recently.  I am quilting with 2 separate groups a couple of times a month, I am doing the Cotton Robin, I created the Mystery Quilt for one of my guilds.  I am in two local guilds.  A group of friends are planning a quilting cruise this year and we have a couple of retreats in the works. 

2012 doesn't have to work all that hard to be better than 2011 !

glen:  Paula and I said we were going to stay drunk until 2011 ended...........

Winners for the book giveaway

Since only two of you were awake enough to post for the book giveaway, both are winners.  I am sending out two books, not sure what the other one will be just yet, but each will get one.

Thanks Jill and Renee!

I have another couple of things to give away this Christmas season, so keep your eyes open for stuff!

glen

Winner announced! CATZ! made!

About 4 posts back I had a little giveaway and I would like to announce the winners.

Since only four of you loyal followers posted I think that I shall reward ALL of you with a pattern from my pattern group.   Say it, good for me for diminishing! 

Swooze, stephanie, jill and marie.  (Stephanie, DiNozzo will be in the mail as well, he ate his 9th pair of sunglasses and learned to open the cabinet that holds the doggy bones.) ( and see below for more bad behavior.)

So send me your name and address in a private email to

obed101 (at) cox (dot) net



I will add two more to the pile and you will each get one.  I need to charge up my camera from today's cat activities to take the extra pattern photos so you will have to wait to see what you won.  I thought about asking you which one you wanted but was afraid one would be so popular and three would get their feelings hurt so I will make the decision blindfolded and just stuff one into each envelope without regard for names.

That is the most fair and least work for me!  Which is what make it attractive, the least work for me part.



What an angel!





What an innocent baby.



While we were at the CATZ! class, DD Carrie stopped by the house to steal  borrow the Spot Bot.  I didn't ask what for because they have concrete floors through the house.  Hmmm.  She brought lunch with her from Taco Bell and set it in the middle of the breakfast table while she took the dogs out to pee.  She put DiNozzo and Dutch inside while she went looking for what Chloe was barking at way in the back.  She returned to no lunch.  She called me quite perturbed and said she assumed it was DiNozzo and that I needed to watch him because he ate the wrappings too and that I owed her a lunch.

I KNOW it was DiNozzo.  Dutch is the GOOD dog!  The way I see it is DiNozzo owes her a lunch so I stopped and bought a bag of dog food for her.

Here are some pictures from the CATZ! tutorial I did today.  We did have some help from the real cats.  Freida wanted to give us technical advice on cat making. 

Ann's is the blue paisley.  It makes a stunning contrast for the cat.  I think each of her cats will be a different color.  She is using some bright colors so it will be a fabulous piece when complete.  And best of all -- Ann did curved piecing with ease!  And she kept thinking it would be difficult - oh ye of little faith!

Paula decided to practice the paper piecing portion.  Hers will be all different colors as well, but her kitties will be Country Barn Cats. 

I am doing batiks leftover from the extra I bought for the BQ.  I will take a picture later when I get a whole one put together.  Remember, I was teaching too!  LOL.

Charlene was the first to finish a whole cat.  And an orange cat!  The rest of us did bits and pieces of a cat here and there.  The best part of the day was the laughing.  And the highlight of that was when Charlene cut -- not once but twice -- the wrong part of her section she had just sewn on to the foundation.  Every time I would look at her exasperated face, I would crack up again.  And you know how laughter is contagious.  Pretty soon we had everyone laughing!

Which is probably why we didn't get too many more finished!  And it wasn't because of that chocolate wine or the pasta e fagioli I made for lunch.  Or the "real made from a pumpkin" pumpkin pie.  But all that helped!

glen:  next time you'll want to come, huh!

FOUR! FOUR! FOUR! FOUR!

FOUR

Since I only had 4 people to choose from, I have decided you all are winners.

Please email me privately with your addresses and I will send you some old issue of Quilters Newsletter.

Yes, I have more than enough to go around!  LOL.  So this is a good thing. It makes me clear stuff out that I love so i keep them, and fondle them, and look through their pages......well, you know how it is!

glen:  congratulations to the WINNERS!  All FOUR of you!