Longarm Frustrations

I'm not sure how long I had this quilt on my longarm, but I'm sure it had been at least six months. I am pretty confident that I will be getting a new longarm soon. I am done trying to figure the one I have out, plus the company is out of business so I have no support for it. My plan is to do some research, test some machines out, ask a lot of questions and get the right one for me. 

I was really looking forward to getting this quilt done, but now I just cringe looking at the quilting. There were many skipped stiches and no matter what I did, nothing helped. So frustrating! I just hope the individual that commissioned me to make this one and two others will understand. My goal is to finish up the quilts I have been commissioned to do and get caught up a little bit. Hopefully 2020 will be more productive for quilting! 

Five Rag Quilts in Eleven Days

I cannot believe the pile of t-shirts I received on the 20th of November have been transformed into five quilts already. In between all of the sewing and cutting, I hosted Thanksgiving as well. I do have to give credit to one of my quilting friends that did sew one of the quilts together on Thanksgiving day after all of the festivities were over. 

Memory quilts are both something I love and hate to do. The main reason why I love to do them is that I know it helps the family heal and provides them some comfort in a difficult time. The reason why I hate doing them is that I know that a family suffered a loss and I feel for them. In this case, two children lost their dad and I can't begin to fathom what they are going through. 

I just hope that when I make these quilts, I am making them the way they envision them. I make sure that I follow their instructions carefully (they didn't want one side of the shirt in the quilt) and get it right. I probably get annoying by calling and texting if I need clarification on something. I want to get it right. Once the shirts are cut, you can't undo it. 

I hope these quilts do provide some healing for the family. I am happy that they will have these quilts for years to come. 

I would love to take a break, but I have some other projects that I have been commissioned to do and I need to get those done as well. Those projects have been put off far too long and need to get done. I feel bad that I put these five ahead of them but I think they will understand. 

Time to get back to quilting!

Quilt Retreat Fun!

All I can say is wow, what a weekend! I went the Quilted Steeple up near Lone Rock, Iowa. It is a great place for a quilt retreat. There were fourteen of us and I think all of us had a great time. I ended up going up on Thursday and it was a good thing that I did. I managed to get three quilts done by the end of day one. Friday wasn't as productive since I made two different kinds of homemade soup that morning. On Saturday, I was able to get three more quilts done and started my second scrappy mountain majesties quilt. Sunday morning I was able to finish two more quilt projects for a grand total of eight quilts. That is the most I have ever finished at a quilt retreat. 

Bonnie Hunter Scrappy Mountain Majesties Quilt #1

My quilting friends often ask me how I get so much done at retreats. I try give them as many tips and suggestions as possible even though I am far from being an expert. This is what works for me, but figure out what works best for you.

1. Plan ahead. If you know that you are going to a retreat, figure out what you are going to work on well in advance. Get all of the fabric you may need. Try not to bring partial projects if you are missing fabric.
2. Make a list of the projects that you want to work on and prioritize. If you need to get a wedding quilt or graduation quilt that is coming up, get that one done first so you don't run out of time later on during the retreat.
3. Cut all of your projects up ahead of time. Make a test block if you can to make sure you have the right measurements. I have seen a lot of quilters cut their project up wrong because they were too busy socializing and not paying attention to what they were doing. I have also seen quilters cut things wrong because the rulers they are borrowing are different than what they are used to. 
4. I put all of my projects in Ziploc bags and label them. I also have the instructions in there if I need them. I sometimes have instructions saved on my phone or laptop. If so, I will indicate that on the label so I am not hunting for them later because I can't remember where they are.
5. Do research on the retreat itself if you have never been there before. Not all retreat centers are created equal. Some have limited table space, others have limited design wall space. Do research helps you know what tools to bring and what to leave behind. For example, at this one, there were plenty of irons. They also had really good chairs so I left mine behind. I also left my design walls (vinyl table cloths) behind since there is limited wall space. 
6. If the retreat center offers an extra day and you can afford it, do the extra day. It is amazing how much can be accomplished with an extra day of quilting. I know that this doesn't work for everyone if you cannot take off work or if you have health issues. Having the extra day also enables you to have all of your stuff ready for the next day when others are arriving. You are quilting away while everyone else is trying to get settled in.
7. Wind your bobbins ahead of time. I have a bunch of bobbins for my machine. This weekend I ended up going through twelve bobbins. It is nice to pop a new one in when one runs out. I hate wasting time in a middle of a project waiting for me to wind bobbins.
8. If you get stuck on a project or just get tired of it, don't be afraid to put it away and work on something else. This weekend I had to put my house quilt project away because I got tired of making houses. I went onto something else and came back to them the next day and finished the project.
9. Bring extra projects.  For this last retreat, I brought a total of twelve projects. I knew that I would never get that many done but what this does is gives me options on what to work on. Sometimes, I look at a project and I won't be in the mood to work on it at that moment. 
10. Don't forget to socialize and have fun. Walk around and see what others are working on. Take a break if you need to. Go shopping for more fabric if you have the opportunity. 

Bonnie Hunter Scrappy Mountain Majesties Quilt #2

Marmalade Squares II Quilt

Big Calico Kitty Quilt

Giant Star Quilt

House Quilt

Square Quilt 

Rocky Mountain Puzzle Quilt

Hopefully I can get to my next retreat in January. I will be cutting projects for it soon. No more quilting this weekend, but tomorrow I will get to work!

Happy Quilitng!

Getting Back to Quilting

I can't believe that it had been since May since I last posted. The past few months have been crazy to say the least. While I have gotten a few tops done, I am no where near I thought I would be with projects this year. This summer was dedicated to hosting a baseball player that played for a new collegiate team in Fort Dodge over the summer. It was great experience and I had a lot of fun going to the majority of the games. I also ended up as the unofficial team photographer and was able to practice my photography skills. I even bought a new camera in the process!

I have been busy at work as well. There is simply not enough hours in the day to get everything done that I want to do. I was able to go to a quilt retreat a couple of weeks ago. I did manage to get three tops done that weekend. I cant wait to get them quilted. Oh yeah, my longarm is not playing nice again. When I get a chance, I am going to be shopping for a new one.

This year had been the year of buying sewing machines. I was able to get my hands on a featherweight. I am really excited about it. I also received a call from my aunt. She is going to give me my great grandmother's Franklin sewing machine. I am going to pick it up in a couple of weeks. I can't wait. She told me that she has never plugged it in and doesn't even know if it works. I am going to get it working regardless. I have also purchased some other random machines at thrift stores. It is kind of interesting to see all of the different brands. I plan on tinkering with them at some point. 

Hopefully in these last two months of the year I will be able to get back in the groove of quilting. For me, it's therapy. I need that time to create and play and get lost in the fabric! 

Happy Quilting!

Patriotic Big Wonky Stars Quilt Complete

Yesterday I was able to finish my Patriotic Big Wonky Stars Quilt, by Missouri Star Quilt Company. Once again, I had the top done for a while. My motivation for finishing it came from the fact that I wanted to use some of the leftover backing fabric for another Quilts of Valor project. I had get the backing and batting cut and ready for the long arm. Since it was all ready to go, I figured that I might as well get it done. 

While I like it the way it is, I should have added a border. I think with a border, it would have made it look even better. The next time I make one, I will add a border. It is a quick and easy project to do. 

Big Wonky Stars Quilt Tutorial

On a different note, I drove up to Humbolt to the variety store tonight. They have a great selection of quilt backing at decent price. Since I have so many projects piling up again, I wanted to get backing fabric for some of them I ended spending way too much money but I got everything I needed and then some!

I ended up buying 32 yards of quilt backing fabric. It should keep me busy for a while! 

Quilting on Memorial Day

Since today has been a wet and windy Memorial Day, I decided to stay indoors and quilt. I was able to finish another scrappy rag t shirt quilt that I will end up donating somewhere. I have one more that needs the rows sewn together. I am hoping to get that one done next week. I have no shortage of t shirt scraps. I have started the first of three t shirt quilts that I have been commissioned to make. Yay, more t-shirt scraps!

I know most sane people either throw the t shirt scraps away or use them as rags. I cant bring myself to do either if I can make a quilt out of them. I know someone will enjoy them! 

Scrappy Hourglass Quilt Complete

Have you ever been in a quilting slump? It seems like I have been all year even though I'm making progress on several quilts right now. I think started this quilt back in January. I worked on it at the quilt retreat in February and nearly had the top finished then. I set it aside several times since.

I made one just like it last year, except on that one, I used dark blue sashing. I am not usually a big fan of purple, but for this quilt, I really like it. Sometimes it's nice to branch out and use colors that you don't normally use!

I really hope that I can get a couple more projects done this long weekend. I also hope people take a moment and reflect on why we celebrate this holiday. It isn't all about barbeques and camping. 

Happy Quilting!

Flannel Baby Quilt Complete

Flannel baby quilt complete. It took me a total of two evenings to compete, one to sew the top together and one to quilt and bind it. The squares were given to me by a fellow quilter. The batting was leftover from other projects. The white flannel backing and binding was off of a bolt that I bought from JoAnn's during one of their Christmas specials. I am trying to use up the bolt since I've had it in my stash for a few years. Pretty much a free quilt!

Sorry about the cat butt. He wouldn't get out of the way!

Scrappy Rag T-Shirt Quilts Galore

I can tell already that this is going to be a long process. I have been working on cutting scrap t-shirt scraps for what it seems like forever. This is the second rag quilt I have finished this month and I think since it will be such a long process, I am going to make two a month and work on other projects in between. By doing it that way I won't get bored and lose interest doing the same thing over and over again. In a prior post I mentioned that these will be donated. I'm hoping these quilts will make someone happy. One good thing is the low cost of making them. I still expect to make at least twenty, if not more. So many quilts, so little time!

Scrappy Rag T-Shirt Quilt Complete

I know this quilt is nothing to look at, but I hope it will make someone happy. I hate throwing anything away, especially scraps. Recently, I discovered that I have at least seven totes of t-shirt scraps leftover from all of the t-shirt quilts I have made. This quilt is made of 8 1/2 inch squares. I am I used leftover batting scraps as well. I have an abundance of batting scraps taking over my life, or at least my fabric storage.

Of course, Mr. Weasley is right there to help sew together the rows. He was actually behaving for once and allowed me to get something done.

My stacks of 6 1/2 and 8 1/2 inch squares that I have been cutting up. These will be turned into more rag quilts. 

My stacks of 4 1/2 inch squares that I have been cutting up. I plan on putting scrap interfacing on the backs and make scrap quilts out of these. I hate to know how many I've cut up so far. It seems like the cutting never ends! 

I expect to make at least a couple dozen quilts out of all of these t-shirt scraps. My plan is to donate them to various organizations. My goal is to make one once a month. Once I get everything cut, it should go a little faster. The good thing about these quilts is they cost me next to nothing to make. The backs are made up of sheets I bought at Goodwill several years ago for $2.00 a sheet. Talk about a bargain!

Chicago Cubs Quilt Complete!

Fly the W for me! I finally got this quilt on the longarm and completed. I am giving it to a friend of mine who lost nearly everything in a house fire several years ago. I offered to pay for her to get new family pictures taken but she either forgot or just never took advantage. I didn't forget and wanted to  make sure I followed through on that offer somehow. I think a quilt will work for her instead!

I visited her a couple of days after the fire happened. They were very lucky that day to get out unharmed. Unfortunately, she lost one of her beloved poodles. I learned a lot that day. Things can be replaced but your loved ones can't. 

Amanda's T-Shirt Quilt Complete

The challenge with this quilt was not the quilt itself, it was battling Mr. Weasley while making it. He wanted to be a helper, which he clearly was not. He's still cute though! 

My daughter graduated from high school in 2015 but still had quite a few t-shirts that she wanted to keep. I made her a rag quilt with all of her red and black shirts when she graduated. In this one, there are a few of her college t-shirts along with ones she wore in high school. Hopefully this will bring back some memories for her! It did for me while I was making it. 

I think Mr. Weasley knows he's in trouble!

Different picture, same attitude!

Time to move onto the next project! Hopefully Mr. Weasley will let me.

Happy Quilting!

Oldie But Goodie Quilt

A few months ago my aunt gave me her quilt back to repair. I gave this to her about 33 years ago. I had to have been around 13 years old at the time. I wanted to make quilts but had no one to teach me how. I knew how to hand sew, so that's what I did. Back then, I scrounged up any fabric that I could find. I raided my mom's small stash of scraps. She made curtains, seat cushions and occasionally clothes for us. She didn't quilt though. Repairing this quilt brought back all sorts of memories. There are pieces of clothing from nearly every family member including all sorts of double knit polyester that both of my grandmas wore. I am grateful that my aunt not only still has this quilt and still uses it on her guest bed, I'm grateful that she gave it back to me to repair. Hopefully it will still hold together for another 33 years!

I think this was the third or fourth quilt that I made. This was also the size and pattern that I made for at least 25 years. I finally discovered a quilt guild and you tube videos and really learned a great deal the last few years. These old quilts will always hold a special place in my heart.

When I got this quilt from my aunt, I wasn't quite sure how I was going to repair it. I finally decided to take the back off. When I originally made this quilt, my mom told me to place the two good sides together, sew all the way around it except for a small part to be able to turn it out and sew that part shut. It was loosely tied with thread. There wasn't even batting in it! It was really easy to take apart.

Once I got the back off, I went through it and decided the best way to fix it was to iron on fusible interfacing on the fabrics that were fraying and hand sew the pieces together. There was only one square that I couldn't save. I ended up replacing that square with a piece of my original stash. It blended in very well.

Once everything was fixed, I found an old sheet that was pretty close in color to the original backing. I ended up using that sheet for the backing since it was larger than the original. I ended up putting the quilt on the longarm. My thought was that it should stay together better than a loosely tied quilt. I put batting in it as well. I ended up using the original backing fabric for the binding. I really hope my aunt likes what I have done to her quilt!

I may look at doing the same thing to some of the other original quilt I made since many of those are still in the family.

So many quilts, so little time!

Happy Quilting!

Blizzard Quilt Retreat 2019

What a wild weekend! The weather started out fine Thursday. Friday night saw freezing rain. Saturday afternoon consisted of rain, freezing rain, snow, wind and more wind. It was clear that none of use were going anywhere anytime soon. When I looked at the forecast earlier in the week, I knew there was snow forecasted, but I didn't see anything about a blizzard with 8 to 12 inches of snow!

Despite or in spite of the weather, I managed to get four quilt tops finished. I started out with my t-shirt quilt that has been cut up for over a year now. It was nice to get it sewn together.

I was able to get a few pictures of how bad the weather was. I'm not sure who's car this was but she did get it cleared off and was able to head home. 

Another Iowa State quilt top completed.

Please note the size of the drift by the building. The wind was crazy. I am just thankful we didn't lose power!

Another Chicago cubs quilt top complete.

Last but not least, I  finished this scrappy hourglass quilt top today. Day number five of the retreat due to the weather. The Twin Lakes Bible Camp staff were simply amazing the entire weekend. They let us stay an extra night, fed us an extra meal and plowed us out as fast as they humanly could. In addition, they help many of us load our vehicles. I cannot thank them enough. 

As fun as the weekend was, I'm happy to be home with the car unloaded and everything put away. It will be nice to sleep in my own bed tonight dreaming of my next quilt project!

Happy Quilting!

Selvage Quilt Top Complete

 It seems like the first part of 2019 has been a busy one. I've got a few tops done but haven't got anything loaded on the longarm yet. Something that I need to keep in mind is that I've been working on a few projects that are time consuming. For example, this selvage quilt top took a little bit longer than expected. I've also been doing quite a bit of cutting getting ready for the retreat at the end of the month.

One thing that I started last Sunday were these hourglass blocks. I plan on taking these with me to Texas next week and get them trimmed up. It will be a good hotel project! One thing that I noticed while making these is how much more accurate my points are. The hourglass quilt that I made last year had quite a few points that didn't line up at all. It is nice to see my skills improving! I know that I am far from perfect. My thought is to make the best quilt I possibly can with the skills I have at that point in time. 

I should get back to quilting. I probably need at least another 300 hourglass blocks. 

Happy Quilting!

Selvage Quilt Progress

It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted. I've been making slow and steady progress on my selvage quilt. Apparently, I struggle at counting since I was seven cornerstones short when I laid the quilt out. I have since made the seven cornerstones. I'm glad I took the time to lay it out. I plan on bringing it to the quilt retreat next month to finish up. That would have been fun to discover that I was short! 

With this quilt set aside, I am starting to cut a few more projects up for the quilt retreat. I try to avoid cutting anything at retreats. I like to have projects all ready to go to avoid mistakes and wasting precious sewing time. I also like to make a checklist to ensure that I have everything I need. There is nothing worse that forgetting something at a retreat. One nice thing about the retreat I'm going to next month is that I've been there two other times so there is no mystery of what I need to bring or leave behind. I've heard of retreats where space is very limited and I cannot imagine how anyone gets anything done. It's nice to be able to spread things out. 

My goal the rest of the week is to finish cutting projects up and to also take a look at my UFOs to see if make any progress on them. I also want to get a quilt loaded on the longarm and start working on some of the tops that I have piled up. I don't want to be in a situation like I was in last year where I ended up quilting nearly 50 quilts in less than two months. Not fun!

Happy Quilting!

2018 Quilting Year in Review

2018 was a fantastic year for quilting. I made it to one quilt retreat and finished a total of 61 quilts. I still have about 10 quilt tops to finish and 7 quilts that are cut up and ready to go. I also have three more that are close to being done. I also got my longarm fixed which was huge in finishing all of those quilts. I had a total of 81 quilts in the Fort Dodge Area Quilter's quilt show. I was also awarded a quilt of valor. It was really weird to be on the receiving end! Finally, I was recognized for quilting while I was deployed. You can see the link here:  https://www.dvidshub.net/video/637317/combat-quilting 

In October, I was able to go on a couple of road trips. The first was to Elkhorn, Nebraska to go to a Bonnie Hunter trunk show. The second was down to Hamilton, Missouri to see Jenny's trunk show. The funniest thing was the shows were in the same week! 

What, I think its time to look forward to 2019 and make some goals for the new year. They are pretty much the same as last year's with a couple of additions:

1. Finish 1 quilt a week (52 quilts)
2. Go to four quilt retreats
3. Finish all UFOs
4. Get 1 vintage sewing machine taken in to get cleaned/fixed
5. Take a longarm quilting class
6. Organize quilt stash
7. Make 4 Quilts of Valor
8. Donate 1 quilt every other month to a local organization

It is going to be another fun year and I'm looking forward to it!