Month: March 2018

My one Monthly Goal in this crazy month

So, I finished my one Monthly goal and I don’t like it one bit.  O, my intent was to use this to practice my curved borders.  However, I got new rulers and got all excited about that and we have some pretty awful ruler work.  I thought about tearing it all out, but I just did not feel like it.  They are not all bad, but there are a couple that are pretty hideous, not to mention that for whatever reason my measuring skills were totally non-existent.  I will use it on my table.  Everyone always makes a big mess anyway…..It will blend in with the quilting.

This is the crazy birthday month.  All the kids’ birthdays are this month, along with my late mother, and my late husband, Derrick.  While I understand what everyone was doing that July before, I just do not understand why, myself included.  Fourth of July is really not that exciting.  So, the month has been getting gifts and making food and it is not over yet.  Still one tomorrow and Friday, Haley has some of her friends over.  Teenagers.  Great.  They will eat all the food, drink all the pop, and be super annoying.  Such is life being the parent of a teenager.

Due to all the crazy birthday stuff, I get little or nothing accomplished from a quilting perspective.  Add in there that I really miss my Mom and I have spent the month constantly thinking about Derrick and feeling a bit sorry for myself.   There have been numerous times that I just wanted to call Mom and talk to her about “things”.   Next month will be Dad’s birthday and I was totally a Daddy’s girl. Yeah.

Then there is the fact that, the first dead husbands brother died.  Haley wanted to see him before he passed.  I took her.  I had not seen these people in nearly 10 years.  It was stressful, but not nearly as awful as I had managed.  Sad that he is gone, I always really liked him.   At least he will have some good company.

Gosh, I sound depressing.  I don’t feel as bad as it sounds.  Sometimes, life just happens.  I need to get more sewing/quilting in and chase away the blues.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

So this is what happens…

So, this is what happens when I baste a quilt.  I was minding my own business and doing my thing when out of no where, Moka, jumped up on the pool table and laid down on my dog quilt, that I was basting.  Yep, that was once a pool table that now holds my projects and lets me baste quilts etc….  I had no idea that Moka could actually get up there.  She just stared at me, like I was the crazy one, then she tried to escape with a cone of thread in her mouth.

So, I decided to put my crazy dog fabric on the back since I was keeping this for myself.  I20180317_205042_resized have been saving this fabric for a really long time.  It is a bit weird, but it totally screams “Crazy Dog Lady”.  Not sure what type of fabric it is.  Not cotton, not fleece, just weird.  It will work though.

I debated a while on how to quilt and was going to go ruler crazy, but then came to my senses.  This is a dog quilt.  You need to quilt dog bones.  So, dog bones it is.

20180317_205004_resizedThen I fell off the not buying and unnecessary fabric wagon.  I had my daughter with me and I was looking through clearance and she decided what I needed.  No plans in any way.  It is a weird collection.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Brought a tear to my eye—Happy Pi Day! – Hand Quilt Along and Ruler Work

So, I feel like it has been forever since I have posted anything.  I have been working on a few things (therapy) and practicing with my rulers.

So, the beautiful dog quilt in the photo was sent to me by me dear Friend Nanette Chopin Cook of Chopin – A Passionate Quilter.  We talk and she knew it was a rough couple of weeks for me for a host of reasons.  She sent me this beautiful quilt top.  I can’t wait to quilt it.  It will be all mine.  I have not stopped smiling since I opened the package.  It is certainly going to be the next thing I quilt.  A perfect top for the crazy dog lady.  Gosh I love her.  She is awesome in every way.

My daughter’s school sells Pi day Shirts and every year we get one.  So, Happy Pi Day20180314_063442_resized.jpg from the Nerd squad!  Cow Pi’s bahahaha.

I have been working on my One Monthly Goal, but have changed the direction I am going.  I was going to practice my scalloped border, but instead lost my mind with the new rulers.  Not sure I 20180313_194211_resizedactually like it on here, but it’s too late now.  I am already committed.  It doesn’t look to bad, but I will have a later post on my additional learnings as I continue to figure out ruler work

Epic fail on hand quilting for the HQA.  So sorry.  I will try to get on the path of straight and narrow again.  To see all the beautiful work of those that are not slackers, click on the links below.

Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Connie, Susan, Jessisca, Sherry, Nanette, Sassy, Edith, and  Sharon

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

What I have learned about Ruler work so far…

So, in my 3 days of owning some FMQ rulers, I have learned a few things.  I purchased A Westalee starter set.  It has six rulers in the package.  I payed $75.00 for them.  I think the 20180306_202815_resized.jpgprice is about average.   I have a Bernina machine, so I could purchase the High Shank set and learned that I could use any long arm rulers, which was good to know.  The rulers came with some non-slip adhesive that sort of reminded me of weird shelf liner.  You can see it in my photo of the rulers.  It is the longer skinny piece (white).  I found that these did not grip good enough, so I purchased the Handi-Quilter ruler grips (the shorter fatter whitish piece in the photo).  They are like sandpaper on steroids, only it is sort of clear.  Worked much better for me.  Provided great grip.

After I started practicing, I ended up having to watch more 20180306_200528_resized.jpgvideos on how to use all the lines on the rulers.  If you can see my clam-shells, they are all off.  Once I watched the video on the clam-shell ruler, I totally got it.  YouTube has tons of videos, even on those specific Westalee rulers.

So, I certainly need more practice, which I hope to get to this weekend at some point.  I am thinking of doing the small clam-shell on the border of my One Monthly Goal Table Topper project.  That remains to be seen though.

 

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

My One monthly goal…and some other stuff (Fluffer Nutter Butter)

So, For my One monthly goal I am going to finally finish this Table Topper.  Not sure I would call it a UFO, it is less than a year old.  I made this with the intent of learning/practicing some type of scalloped border.  I bought one of those fancy border rulers a while ago, so I will finally have a chance to give it a try.  My plan is to have this totally completed.

So, my friend Lynn was telling me how she bought some rulers for Ruler work and it was really easy.  So, since Lynn always has great ideas, I decided that I needed to give it a try.  On the way home from the swim meet on Saturday I stopped by a quilt shop and purchased the Ruler work foot.  A ridiculous $125.00.  Ugh. Then I purchased a starter set of Westerlee Rulers.  I hope to use these rulers to finish the quilting on the table topper before I give it a fancy scalloped border.  I am very excited about my rulers and I am hoping It helps me become a more confident quilter.

The Fluffer Nutter Butter quilt for the mystery quilt…..ugh.  Not much progress. Dang itwatermark_2018-03-05-13-26-48.jpg.  I think I was supposed to post on Feb 28th, but I was busy hitting 20180228_201013_resizeda deer.  I have such luck.

Here is a list of participants in this quilt along:

 

 

 

 

Saturday was the final swim meet.  Yeah!.  I can’t tell you how exciting that is.  Swim practice was 4 days a week and then weekend meets, often at least an hour away.  The school it was held at, had an awesome Natatorium.  Two Pools.  However, the most intriguing part was that the school was decorated with quilt designs.  Odd but refreshing.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting