Blue and Yellow Quilt

Love the colors in this quilt. I'm partial to blues with yellows!

This pretty top is QUILTED with Swirls & Curls Meander (freehand)

Time marches through this bi-polar autumn we're having. Today we're supposed to be in the 50's & then plummet into the 20's for tomorrow's high temperature. See, Mother Nature is feeling a little moody!

How are you all faring with holiday preparations? Are you started yet? Dreading it or looking forward to it?

I'm so excited for the Christmas season. I'm thankful this year I should have the long weekend off after Thanksgiving (still keeping my fingers crossed on this one), so that I can jump start the Christmas preparations with a little decorating, a little baking, and a little shopping.  

Beach & Dinosaur Kids Quilts

A beach scene QUILTED with Seafoam Meander (freehand)

Dinosaur Top QUILTED with Single Loops Meander (freehand)

We had our first snow here in Lancaster, PA, this afternoon :) I'm not going to even try to pretend to be irritated by it. Yeah, it made me cold & spotted up my glasses, but the white fluffy stuff just makes me so freaking HAPPY! 

Rainbow Colors Quilt

This was QUILTED with a simple Meander (frreehand.) While the quilting isn't something to get too excited about, I think the colors are stunning.

I'm missing a quilt guild meeting tonight. The quilt machine was down for almost 3 weeks while I waited for the appointment with the technician to come, and thankfully he was able to fix 'er right up! However, this has left me with a hefty backlog, and the semi-custom I had on the schedule today didn't get finished when I thought it would. Sigh... 

I'm done for the night now and am getting ready for Law & Order followed by American Horror Story!

House Quilt

Wall-hanging House Top QUILTED with Stars & Loops (freehand)

My quilting machine has actually been down for a little over a week, but as I mentioned before, I'm woefully behind in posting.

During my forced "stay-cation", I did get to do some things that typically get ignored & I got to do some fun stuff. We picked apples, carved pumpkins, got the kitties in for an overdue appointment, got significant work done on a queen-sized Christmas gift, set up a mailing station, moved around & reorganized my sewing/quilting room, stacked a load of firewood on the back porch, switched my closet & bureaus out for the current fall season, prepped inventory for a month-long Christmas crafting event, and canned apple pie filling! Whew!! I get a lot done when I don't have to work & make money :-P

My machine was fixed earlier today, and I managed to get one small quilt finished before the rain & thunder moved in.

Patriotic Sampler Quilt

Patriotic Sampler QUILTED with a Ribbon Meander

Daisy Baby Quilt

This sweet pink & green baby quilt was QUILTED with a Daisy Meander (freehand)

 

Don't be afraid to quilt using minky or fleece as a backing. They both quilt up beautifully! Just be careful not to create too much tension between your roller bars, thereby stretching the flexible fabric.

I've even used fleece on the back, rolled it forward, and sewed it to the front to create the binding. It makes for a soft edge :)

Scrappy Wonky Blocks Quilt

Our A/C cannot keep up with the heat & humidity today, and the irony is that I hear from my BFF she's just seen her first Christmas advertisement for specials! lol 

Unconventional Log Cabin

Each center showcases a Rose while I meandered in between (freehand)

I'm severely behind in showing client quilts. Perhaps now that we're back in the school swing of things & the schedule becomes more regular, this too will become more regular :) 

Pastel Rails

If I remember correctly, this one was made for a granddaughter! So cheerful!

This one is QUILTED with Bubble Meander (freehand)

Sept 1 brings about a renewal of time-committment for me. After having a more free-float summer schedule, it's time to figure out how to mesh working at home AND outside the home with homeschooling. It's a juggling act to be sure.

It'll be my last year homeschooling. Bi-polar feelings galore over that one! I truly love planning the subjects, learning or relearning things along side a child, but the best part of it is spending time with my favorite people in the world.

I'll miss the one-on-one, the side-tracked, heart-to-heart talks that burst forth spontaneously during school time. But I'll admit, too, that there's a small part of me that's excited by the prospect of reclaiming that time. Enormous amounts of time going into thinking it all through before & during the school year, the endless grading, keeping one step ahead of reading subjects like Chemistry or Anatomy/Physiology to aid in somewhat intelligent conversations with a daughter, researching supplements that go with lessons (like field trips or other experiences), gathering all the curriculum & learning how it can run and then deciding how it'll run for us. It's like an gigantic jigsaw puzzle. OMGosh I love it!!! 

I've been helping my kiddos with school for 20 years! Even the years they spent in "real school" took enormous amounts of time: adhering to schedules, studying for tests & plays, shuttling to/from activities or sports, making sure uniforms/bookbags/shoes could be found. Just think how much time it all takes! Our entire days revolve around those school schedules. 

And next year mine won't. 

Brown Rails Quilt

QUILTED with Swirls & Curls Meander (freehand)

... a quick shot of the backing turned up against the top:

Hand-Dyed Twister Quilt

If you haven't played with the Twister Tools yet, you really should. It can be a "wrap your head around it" experience to begin with, but once you've gotten the idea, it's a cinch & it produces a lovely effect.

This top was QUILTED with Bubble Meander (freehand)

I didn't meet the maker of this top, but I'd love to know if the border was pieced using scraps left over from forming the twisters? Stitch & Craft in Manheim, PA sells this larger Twister Tool if you want to try it out!

Braid in a Day Quilt in Gray, Green, and Blue

Have I mentioned how popular this particular quilt pattern has been this Spring? Perhaps it's due partially to the class Stitch & Craft had on this technique?

The top was QUILTED with a Butterfly Meander (freehand)

Have the "dog days" of summer hit your neck of the woods? We've had some decent summer weather, but I've managed to make it out to the pool only a couple times & I've been in the water just once. The days I've had a little time to run out there have been cloudly/rainy, and on the hot days I seem to be working like crazy or running errands.

In other news, my beastly dog, Smokey, has been put on "rest" for 6 MONTHS. The vet suspects a partially torn ACL... whoever heard of such a thing in a dog?? Leave it to mine... leave it to my dog who loves to take our daily walks (some of you may remember over the years my descriptions of how "over eager" he's been to walk me... err I mean, walk WITH me), who loves to jump enthusiastically into the pool, doing so over & over for 30 or more minutes at a time, who loves to follow me up & down & up & down the stairs as I run hither & yon doing mountains of laundry & cleaning up this old house... to curb his activity seems so mean, but then watching him hobble knowing he hurts isn't fun either. Sigh... 6 months is a long time

Purple Geometric Quilt

Unfortunately I don't know the name of this pattern either. Please forgive me! Many of my quilts are dropped off at one of two quilt shops, so I don't always get to ask information directly. 

No matter, the colors are fun!

This geometric top was QUILTED with Puffy Heart Meander (freehand.) 

I missed most of the sweltering hotness of today working at Stitch & Craft in Manheim. When I got out of work at 5pm, it was warm on the skin but not suffocating like I was expecting. And NOT suffocating on the way home from work is a good thing :)

Ribbons & Bows Quilts

Both quilts are QUILTED with Ribbons & Bows Meander (freehand) 

I feel like I'm finally getting back on track after our spring marathon of birthdays & holiday celebrations. Days are more "normal", I'm getting some sewing done besides quilting & homeschooling, and I'm not completely exhausted ALL the time :) 

Now if I could just wrap up the end of this homeschool year, I'll feel like I can "reset"!

Morning Glory Quilt

This top has been QUILTED with Water Meander (freehand)

I wish y'all a safe Memorial Day weekend! I lot of us look forward to the long weekend, but I hope you'll stop to remember what the day means for our country. Lots of men & women, and their families, have paid the ultimate sacrifice for us to enjoy freedom.

Meander Quilts

A couple client quilts with Puzzle Piece Meander (freehand) on them:

Circles Quilt

I've been terribly remiss in posting lately! These quilts are still from before my Paducah trip. I just cannot seem to get caught up from being gone that week! Throw into the mix my hubby's b-day & a daughter celebrating her 22nd b-day, and my head is left spinning! 

So here goes... I loved quilting this top. This is Cindy's first throw-size top after having completed a table topper. I was working in the shop as she put it together, and relished watching her gain confidence. WALA! And curves so early on... impressive... most impressive :)

Cindy's Top is QUILTED with a Rose Meander (freehand)

Happy Mother's Day to all who'll be celebrating tomorrow. I cannot imagine not having been a mom, and I'm continuously thankful for the privilege.