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.

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 :)

Brown bubbles

I'm such a bad, neglectful blogger! I can't even remember how long ago this quilt was finished!! One of these days I'll get on a schedule & stick to it :)

Is this a Churn Dash block? This fun quilt was QUILTED with a Simple Bubble Meander (freehand)

I'm utterly gleeful that autumn is upon us. It's truly my favorite time of the year (with Christmas time almost a neck-in-neck tie.) We did a little apple picking & carved pumpkins this week. All that's needed now is a first fire roaring... but I think we'll be needing some wood for that. 

Earth Rails Quilt

I have to admit I love the way the quilt turned out! 

It's QUILTED with Leafy Swirl (freehand)

Is everybody feeling Autumn creeping in where they are? It's lovely here. The temps have been in the 70's & I'm soaking it up as often as I can. I so wish Smokey was enjoying our walks (perhaps you remember me mentioning my lab has a partially torn ACL??) Instead I've been doing more running with my 18 & 22 year old daughters, so I guess that's not a bad thing either.

Brown Sampler Quilt

QUILTED with Leafy Swirl (freehand)

School schedule is under way; a new quilting schedule is under way; and I'm reveling in the Autumnal weather! 

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. 

Braid in a Day in Blues & Lime

Braid-in-a-Day Top

QUILTED with a Daisy Meander (freehand) 

TGIF peeps! Enjoy the beautiful weekend...

Braid in a Day in Browns & Cream

Braid-in-a-Day quilt in Browns & Cream

QUILTED with Single Reverse Loop Meander (freehand)

Today marks my 100th post for The Longarm Lady! 

I think I'll leave it at that~ I wish there were more posts than there are for the duration of time, but well, life is all up in there.

If you'd like to check out where I was writing & sharing before this blog, check out Montie's Mom Talks Turkey. I'll forewarn you before you head over, what started as a life-sharing & grief outlet gradually became my quilting blog. So if you go there looking for pure eye candy you may be a tad disappointed; for over there is a fair share of family & doggie pics as well as some heavy/sad topics. Enter at your own risk :) 

But then do come back here!!

Crazy Patch Pastels Quilt

QUILTED with a Daisy Meander (freehand) 

There's something about this quilting pattern I love. Simple yet sophisticated! 

Ribbons & Bows & Batman Quilt

A modern play on a memory quilt of sorts~ 

QUILTED with Ribbons & Bows Meander (freehand)

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

Bargello Quilt

                  WOW isn't this quilt stunning?? Some day I really want to make one, but for the time being I was placated to play with it ... eh hem, I mean quilt it like a professional :) 

It was QUILTED in a semi-custom way with ruler work to accentuate the lines of the colors & some basic freehand in the black areas.

Take note of the outer orange stripe. It's not simply a tiny border accent but rather a flange detail. I wish I'd gotten a closer shot of that to show it off properly. 

                       

Another beauty I was honored to work on!

Tree of Life Quilt

Tree of Life Quilt Top; QUILTED Semi-Custom (freehand)

I love the symbolism held within this quilt & the beauty of it's lines. 

It's a complete honor to work on another person's artistic expression! To work on a gift that commemorates a union, a beloved father's passing, a new baby, or a graduation fills me with emotion. These are LIFE CHANGES & I'm helping savor that. Wow. 

I take time to absorb the colors the quilt maker chose, sometimes knowing it's their favorite colors or the recipient's favorite colors. Memory quilts are often filled with t-shirts that give a flavor of the deceased loves, their past times, & hobbies, the jeans they wore, or the brands they favored. 

Sometimes the quilts are just for fun, silly, quirky, but again, you catch a glimpse of the humor or loves of the maker and/or the recipient. The stories I hear, the tones I feel from the quilts are so very precious to me. 

I feel extremely blessed to do what I do. 

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 :)