Yikes long time no blog.... again

Well I've been busy quilting everything g I can get my hands on. Learning to free motion quilt has been a wonderful journey for me so far.  I can't get enough of it. 

I entered 2 of my quilts and 2 that i had quilted for a customer in a quilt show last week they didn't win anything but I sure enjoyed walking though and seeing my work on displayed. I loved it when I'd see someone stop and look at them.  I also enjoyed looking at all the beautiful work of other quilters.  

Lexy went with me she was adorable looking at the quilts with her Lil white glove on. She would look at the backs and say "oh mamaw just look at these. Look at the details."  

Practicing....

With just beginning to free motion quilt I like to put just some plain fabric in the frame sometimes and go at it.  I like to practice new designs.... well new to me this way before I try it on a "good" quilt.

This is the design I'm working on for a quilt for a customer.  I'm very excited about it.  

Now remember these are just practice ones so your gonna see some goofs.  

I'm also trying my hand at a "One Block Wonder"  so fun how you can take the same piece of fabric and cut it apart and put it back together and it look like a completely different fabric.  LOVE THIS and can't wait to see how it all ends up.  Doing these also changes the way your look at fabric when you are in the fabric stores.  You should see me at work I'm cutting or putting fabric away and its like I look at everyone thinking oh wow that would make a great o.b.w.  LOL

Here is what I have so far..

Well today is my day off and I want to spend it sewing since my sweety is stuck at work.

Quilt.....away!

tina

19 years ago today

I married my bestest buddy!  I am so thankful that our love has grown into what it is!  Kevin you are my somewhere!  Thank you for loving me unconditionally and for always supporting me no matter what I do!  I love you more everyday!

Its a snow day today which means its a sew day today!  Going to be getting a backing ready for a quilt I am making a customer and a binding on another one.  

This is what I got done yesterday for a co worker of mine.  I hope she likes it!  I love quilting on a frame and using a quilt machine.  My friend is so nice to let me use hers.  I am so addicted.  I did all over stippling.  I think I'm getting it down.  Ready to try and learn another design.  

Happy snow (sew) day to you all!

tina

TA DA~~~~

I am so excited!  I posted in my last post about how my friend has been letting me use her quilt machine to quilt and today I got my first job done for a customer.  Very rewarding!  I just did a stippling on it as I'm still learning free motion.  I was very happy with how it turned out and I can't wait to begin the next one.  I got it loaded onto the frame today before I went to work.  This makes me happy!  This one still needs trimmed up and the binding put on but my customer is going to do her own binding.

As I mentioned above getting this one done and another one in the frame today before work really make me happy.   YEP I said Happy!  I can't wait till I can begin quilting this next one!!!

Well best head to bed.  

Happy Crafting!

tina

Gettin my quilt on!

In my last post I wrote about learning to free motion quilt on a Grace frame and a Juki quilt machine.  The juki is not a long arm but it sews beautifully.  I love the machine I do however wish that the throat was a big bigger it only gives me 9" of space to quilt in at a time and that is fine for small designs and once you get a good chunk of the quilt done that quilting space gets even smaller.  The quilt machine that I use is a friend of mine who is so sweet to open up her home and let me come over and quilt any chance I can.  I am very thankful for it for sure.  I've been back over there a few times now and I must say to add to my already long list of creative loves I have free motion quilting has been added and my new love and passion.  There is just something about starting a quilt and then getting to quilt it.  I've quilted a few quilts on my reg. sewing machine and I since I've had the chance to quilt on this I must say it's going to be really hard to ever go back to basting my quilt on the floor and pulling and tugging to quilt it on my domestic machine.  I think my friend has created a monster!

I've been practicing on paper to try and learn free motion quilt designs on so when I get a chance to go over and try it out on fabric I kinda have a idea how to try different designs and how to make them flow.

I've finally got it down how to run the fabric on the frame in the right directions to make it flow.

I love practice on just a solid piece of fabric with white thread so I can see my work.  This allows me to learn what works, what don't, and learn how to make it flow from one place to another.  I learned a new quilt term this week and that "travel" that is when you need to travel back over a spot you've sewn to get out of a corner you may have stitched yourself into.  LOL!  YEP I've gotten in a lot of "traveling" lately.  LOL!  Everything I've read has said you need to practice, practice, practice.  I love it!  I put on my headphones with pandora and I go at it.  Its very relaxing and has become my therapy to get though my winter blas!

Well its been a long day and I need to go get some sleep and rest my body.  My stomach has not been playing very nice past few days so I'm trying to just relax and rest while I'm off on this long weekend.  Today it was better then it had been!  Sorry had a little whiny moment there for a minute!


Until next time Happy Crafting!
tina

Back at it!

Our vacation was a good one we didn't go anywhere but we sure enjoyed our time off together.  We spent every minute that we could together and loved it.  Some people I've heard say I things about when they retire or their husbands that they will drive them crazy.  But I don't see that being our case at all.  We love spending time together and doing things together which was exactly what we did during our vacation.  We stayed up late and slept in, went antique shopping and spent time with family and friends.

But now, well now its back to work.   It dawned on us our first day back to work that between my schedule and his schedule that we won't have a evening together for 4 days or a day off together for weeks.  Kevin is off this weekend and I'm off the next when he is working.  But that is just the way it rolls sometimes not just for us but for many couples.

I also got some quilting done done while on vacation.  For one a friend of mine invited me over to her house where I got to learn how to use a quilt frame and a quilt machine and girllllllllllllllll or boyyyyyyyyyy let me tell you this chick is totally in love.  I'm not very good but wow is it fun and rewarding to quilt like that.  I first did a sample piece of fabric just to get the feel of the machine.

I practiced steppling and my signature swirls I do on everything from doodling to scrapbook and now my quilts.

After this practice piece I loaded my round robin from last year for my quilt group in greenville.  I peiced the center and then 5 other ladies added the borders you see.  Each taking it for one month and add on to this.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this yet I may find a wall to display it on for a while.  So here it is my first quilt done on a quilt machine.

I was so excited how it turned out.  A few boo boo's here and there but over very pleased.  I learned the hard way after having to rip a section out to remember always and I DO MEAN ALWAYS put the presser foot DOWN before you sew.

I've also now quilted my Christmas Quilt and I will show you that next It turned out pretty good for amateur.   My quilt holder is not home tonight or I would have a picture for you to see.  It amazes me how much faster and easier it is to quilt this way.  Like I said earlier.......... this girl is IN LOVE with quilting.

Someone posted this and It has become a great inspiration to me...  I am trying to do better about not being afraid to try new things and to go out and fly and be who I want to be.

Well only a few hours till my sweety pie will be home so I want to work on my mystery quilt before he come home and we can have some snuggle time.

Go create something!
tina

January Vacation 2015

Thursday was the first day of my vacation.  I am so ready for the time off but sure wish it was warmer but just as welcomed.  I so needed this after our busy season at work.  What is even nicer is that my husband, Kevin, is off as well starting on Friday!  We've not had a lot of time off together for past few months so this will be nice and we've not had a vacation off together in well over a year.

What did I do on my first day?  I packed up my car and headed to my friend Linda's house where we along with Cathy spent the day sewing till 300p.m.  We had a great time. 

I got my Jan b.o.m. (block of month) finished for the Winchester quilt group I belong to. I was planning on taking them to group last night but it got canceled due to the bad weather.  I had a hard time picking out what fabics I wanted to use and I was also trying to pick from my stash.  

Day 2 was spent doing a lil Antique shopping at the Centerville Antique mall where I found two Friendly Village Plates to start my collection of them.  I want these to use during the winter months.  This collection may take me a while to get a complete setting but it will be so worth it and I love the hunt.  

While I was shopping Kevin and Bruce looked though records and picked a bunch of fun ones to buy!

Day 4 I spent in my room working on my Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt!  I loved having some time to get to sew on a snowy winter day!  

I got my 100 Broken dishes blocks all finished for step one.  Now moving onto step 2.

Below you can see my leader's and ender's blocks are growing.  Each square I am using in these blocks are 1"finished.  It is going to be a miniature star quilt.

Last night we had some fun with some friends of our that came over to have dinner with us and play wii.  I totally stink at bowling but had a lot of fun.  Also Andy taught me how to make his yummy salsa.  So good!

Well it's a icy-snowy day here and I'm back in my sewing room.  I've started working on step 2.  Going to take a break in a bit and go out with Kevin I want to go to the store and get the fixings for chili.  Then plan on spending some time with him either playing a game or just snuggle on the couch and watch tv.  Even though its not warm enough for us to be out much I'm really enjoying our time off together this week. 

Make something today!

tina