Yeah for me!!

I finished quilting the wedding quilt and it is off the table! Two more sides to attach the binding and it’s time to sit and sew! Oh yea! It’s really happening! Can you tell I’m excited? Oh yeah, look at my shirt!! DD got them all rinsed and washed!

While I attach the binding I’m thinking about the next quilt.. you know, the photo memory quilt. I’ve just about got all the details worked out. I had to get more fabric to print the pictures on. But I think the design will work out well. I always did crazy quilt style with loads of embroidery but I think I may do a pieced traditional for this one.

Well it’s been almost three months since chaos broke loose around here and other than completing one pink and brown quilt for a dear friend I haven’t spent much time around fabric. In fact my quilt room is seriously trashed! #3 Son has been doing his college work in here and I can admit that his mess is nothing compared to mine! Oh my word! How did I let it get this nasty in here?  Should I stop to straighten up? Naw… that can wait, I don’t know how long I’ll be able to sew. And I sure don’t want to waste any precious time cleaning!

As soon as I get the binding ready I’ll start pulling fabrics for the memory quilt. I’m still going over it in my head and really need to get some graph paper out and doodle some more. If only I could figure out how to use Electric Quilt! But since these are all different size blocks it’s too much to try to learn now.

 

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Red and White Quilt 2 | Virtual Quilter

In my opinion this woman is the Electric Quilt Queen!

http://virtualquilter.wordpress.com/

About Virtual Quilter

I am a quilter who designs many more quilts than I will ever make, and I am sharing one quilt design every day in Virtual Quilter. I also share my completed projects in Stuff-Ups, and Christmas decorations in Christmas Everyday of the Year.

Mix up a collection of red and white 9 patch blocks and see what happens.

Interesting!

via Red and White Quilt 2 | Virtual Quilter.

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I spent Yesterday Surfing!

Thunder is not my friend!

I woke today at 4 am to Mo-Jo-ho-witz panicked by a thunderstorm. Poor little dude is terrified by thunder. We adopted him last year from my niece in Ohio. So now he’s here in the Thunderstorm Capital! I kept thinking he  would adjust to it in time. But I’m beginning to see that is not going to happen.

I didn’t get a thing done yesterday. Seriously, nothing! I guess it’s not too big a deal it was only one day, right?

 But I did get to visit a bunch of blogs! There are some seriously breath-taking quilters out there. (did you notice how many times I say seriously? that’s just weird!) Anyway, I’m going to share some links again today. You’ve got to visit these to see what I’ve seen!

Quilt Obsession You also need to visit the InkLingo site.. she makes you a believer!

Dena Crain Published Author, teacher who is so active in her community it seems like she’s everywhere at once! 

Virtual Quilter This is an Electric Quilt expert.. her designs are amazing and she still insists that one day I will learn EQ! (I’m starting to believe her!)

Quilt Skipper Jenny K Lyons, she is a teacher and award-winning quilter. She just received her acceptance into Paducah this year. You’ve got to see the quilt! On top of all that she’s an absolute doll!

Quilt Inspiration This one is an inspiration… lots of quilt pictures.. color ways .. yep inspiring!

Quilt Dad Now that his arm has healed, keep an eye out for more exciting fabrics and quilts to appear!

Sew Inspired Her’s is a slice of life and a fun read.. I love her year-end collage of all her projects of the year. What an awesome idea!

Garden2day I don’t think there are enough adjectives to describe her .. Talented, inspiring and multi-talented are a few.

Well I could keep this up for hours.. trying to list them all but there’s few. I really have to find a better way to keep track of them! If you have favorites please share! I can’t seem to get enough! 

I’ll have my regular posting up later… after the storm… it’s hard to write with trembling dogs staring at me!

(Sorry.. had to update becuz I forgot to tag this blog…)

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Quilt Design Snaf-fu (seeing the whole picture)

Image via Wikipedia

I am a stripping fool! Hopefully I will get a head start on all these 9 patches so I can get on to the “bubbles”.. this is one of those that the quilting will indeed make the quilt!

I can’t believe that I am excited about the quilting! I’ve actually got a complete plan for this one. I think that may be what excited me about this design. I tried to pick designs that would make me stretch and this one is like that. Too many times I get to the quilting as an after thought. It has become an “Oh, by the way” instead of what it is actually supposed to be an integral part of the quilt.

 I’m happy to see that no matter the out come of this challenge I am “seeing” the problems in my design process. Y’all have been such a blessing! Thank you for opening my eyes to my self imposed limitations!

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Only one Brain Cell left…

After last nights (early morning) trauma with Electric Quilt and reading the comments I will concede and try again. Actually I’ve been working on one since I got up and that’s been two hours. I have only a ba-zillion questions so far. I did lay out the floral diamond quilt and yep I like the white lattice.

Floral Diamond

 I’m not sure this program will ever be my friend though.  It gives me a rough idea of how the quilt will work so at this point I’ll live with that. Maybe I’ll spend more time with it after my challenge is over.

 

Meanwhile I am back to piecing 9 patch blocks (stripping baby!). I’ve only another 168 to go! WHOO HOO! Maybe this challenge wasn’t such a good idea!  No, I can do this.. I will not succumb to negative thoughts!  I did not start this to make quick quilts but to push myself. I will endeavor to persevere!

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Electric Quilt Nightmare!

Oh my word!!

 Virtual Quilter  once told me that if I could use Word press I could use Electric quilt. I really like her! Her designs are amazing and she is just a lovely person… you’re waiting for the but here right? She obviously doesn’t understand my limitations! I loaded that blasted thing, twice mind you, and it has not helped! I wrongly thought it would tell me how many of each block to make. There’s only four fabrics and it is all 9 patches. I designed it and … nope! It doesn’t think I can do it with a rotary cutter! Wants me to cut out a bazillion  two inch squares! Are you kidding me?

Three hours wasted! ARGH! I guess that’s what I get for trying to find a short cut!

Basic design Batik Bubbles

I’m going to call it a night since it’s almost morning!

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Update 8 of 42

Batik Bubble Background..

That’s the background for my batik bubbles.. loads to do before I get to the “bubbles”! I’m beginning to think it’s time to load my Electric quilt 5.. I know I’m way behind since 7 was just released but hey why upgrade if you don’t need to? Right now I’ve got 24 of the 96 nine patch ready.. just in time to mix it up on the wall..

Meanwhile I’m a stripping fool! Making 9 patches and mixing them up to create what I’m looking for. But of course I really don’t know that until I see it.. isn’t quilting fun?

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Following Directions

Image by normanack via Flickr

I don’t know if you’ve figured this out about me but I don’t follow directions well.  I try to stay in line and do what I’m told but.. naw… sorry, I don’t try, that’s a lie. Let’s start again.  For some reason in-between reading the quilt pattern and deciding on fabric, I change, omit or add to it. Sometimes the only thing that’s close to the quilt in the pattern is a block.

When I started quilt making I did follow a pattern or two and yes, I ended up with a quilt that looked just like the picture. But ya know it just didn’t spin my bobbin. A fellow quilter commented yesterday that she also uses what she calls “the design wall in her mind”. That is a really good description of what I do.

When I see a quilt I try to figure out the block pattern then I start spinning them around. Sometimes I see a secondary pattern and think “that’s what I want”. Sometimes it’s the colors that have me entranced. I rarely want the exact quilt in the picture. Instead I want what it has inspired in me. 

There are a couple quilt designers that do that for me almost every time. Nancy Mahoney is one of them. I read somewhere that she uses Electric Quilt to design her quilts. I’m afraid to load it on my computer. I know it will do things like make sure I have enough fabric and spin and change designs until I get what I want but.. will I ever make the quilt once I’ve seen it? Will I follow my own directions?

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I’m ready for Spring!

Image via Wikipedia

Winter is my worst time of the year and just when I think we’re nearing the end of it. Well it’s 34 here this morning. This is just ridiculous! I had the doors open yesterday. This morning my car was covered with ice!

I didn’t get back from taking Mom & Dad to breakfast till mid-afternoon yesterday. She had things she needed done while I was there. So maybe a Quilt Show today? I don’t see that happening though. Sundays well, they are Sundays. In fact it’s nearly noon and I haven’t had a moment to sit and write.

Today I have the big part of my quilt room organization. Get rid of this computer hutch. I have a super-duper computer on its way here to bring me into this century’s’ technology. It’s blam-o fast with tons of cache. So all I have to do is tear this one down and get the new desk out of the closet.

I love that phrase.. “all ya gotta do is___” . It sounds so easy, simple even. But rarely does it work out that way. So I will be computer-less until Tuesday sometime. I’ll be stuck on a lap-top or one of my kids computers. EWWW!

On the plus side I will be able to do two things at once without crashes losing tons of data. I will also be able to learn Electric Quilt which I haven’t even been able to load on this dinosaur. So there ya go…

That’s all I’ve got for today..

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Technology in Quilting

Image by Sammy0716 via Flickr

I used to do embroidery by hand. I did all kinds of needlework;  crewel, counted cross stitch, needlepoint and I loved it.

Now I’ve got a machine to do a lot of my embroidery for me. It is faster and I don’t even have to be in the room. BUT! It is computer based! With computers there is the whole”garbage in garbage out” problem. I get so frustrated. I know it’s not the computers fault but still! AHHH!

So, I’m still trying to remember how to digitize. Last time it wasn’t that hard, I even figured out how to add different stitches. The program I use is only 12 years old. No automatic anything you have to put in what you want… I don’t have those brain cells anymore! Where did they go.. I don’t know but I am close to putting my foot through the blasted thing!

I may have to get new software. The kind that you don’t need to have brain cells to operate. Oh my word!! I’m not friends with that computer attached to the embroidery machine. It’s mean to me! It’s Windows ME based, does that say anything about my plight?

My frustrations over that stoo-pid program took over my thought process for now on three days. (If I’m honest I’d admit I was angry with myself for not remembering how to use the software.)

I’m grateful that quilting isn’t technology based. It can be, but doesn’t have to be. I don’t have to make complicated blocks to make a beautiful quilt. I don’t have to use a computer to design my quilt or figure out yardage. Although that last part sure would save me a lot of headaches! In fact I don’t have to use a machine. I am in the process of an english paper pieced quilt top.

Technology has advanced quilting techniques. But it is the Quilters utilizing it that prove that making a quilt can not be digitized. For that I’m grateful!

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