I’m sure glad I have zippers on my LA.  I finished this quilt tonight and took it off the machine and realized that I had missed one area. It was nice being able to just zip it right back on, quilt the area and then zip it back off in a matter of minutes. I thought I’d gone over it good before taking it off, but……not good enough I guess.

Anyway, I finished this tonight. I didn’t quilt much on it yesterday as I went to the eye doctor and ran a couple errands, but I knew I had to get it done today because I have one that has to be finished by Saturday and it’s not on the machine yet. I know what I’ll be doing tomorrow!!! Luckily it’s going to be a fairly easy one to quilt. I hope!!

I wonder why it is that I can think of things to write when I’m not at the computer and then when I finally sit down to write something here, my mind goes blank??  Oh well.

That’s it for now.

Theresa

http://community.webshots.com/user/alwaysquilts

I quilted another one today. It was a small quilt for a ladies GD. I also loaded the next quilt that I need to get done. It’s a combination of log cabin blocks and fan blocks. I’ve never seen a quilt like this before.  It’s pretty neat looking.

The lady that made the truck quilt picked it up today and loved it! She was so excited about getting it binded and giving it to her GS for Christmas. His favorite trucks are cement trucks! She liked the way I quilted the cement trucks in the borders.

I think I’ll go quilt a little before going to bed.

Have a good one!

Theresa

http://community.webshots.com/user/alwaysquilts

After taking the weekend off, I was ready to quilt today. I quilted a small quilt. It’s for a little boy that LOVES trucks. His Gr’ma made this for him. I tried to draw the cement truck from the fabric and put one on each of the borders. I guess it looks ok. I’m sure he’ll like it. Here’s a closeup of the truck.

Anyway, that’s what I accomplished so far today. I ordered a bolt of white muslin last week and it came today so I need to go cut a piece for the back of the next quilt that I need to do. I was hoping to get that next quilt loaded before going to bed, but I don’t think that will happen. Oh well, if I at least get the back cut and squared up, I’ll be ready to load in the morning.

I guess that’s it for now.

Theresa

http://community.webshots.com/user/alwaysquilts

I didn’t do any sewing or quilting this weekend. I quilted 3 quilts last week. (all custom) So yesterday, I drug my DH with me to Walmart and the grocery store then last night we went shopping for new kitchen furniture. We also bought a new curio cabinet. Today we went to church then out to eat with my bro and his wife then came home and just messed around watching TV and stuff. I didn’t feel like sewing. I guess I needed to take a couple days off. Anyway, tomorrow I have to get back to quilting.

Have a great day.

Theresa

http://community.webshots.com/user/alwaysquilts

I got carried away today buying fabric. My LQS is having a sale today to celebrate their 11th year in business. So for each 11 yards of fabric that you buy, you get 11 yards free. I went with the intentions of buying 11 and getting 11 free, but I just kept going and ended up buying 22 yards and getting 22 yards free. So I came home with 44 yards of fabric! I only have plans for one of these fabrics. But I’m happy!!!!!!

My guild is having a pokadot challenge in March, so I’ll use this in my challenge quilt for that night. I haven’t decided what pattern to use yet, but I thought it was a neat pokadot print.

I think I better get to work now. I put a good dent in my checking account! LOL!!!!

I hope you have a wonderful day!!

Theresa

http://community.webshots.com/user/alwaysquilts

I spent most of the day (between bus routes) quilting. I hope to get it finished tomorrow. Tonight I decided to work on a challenge for the longarm group that I belong to. (Although I seldom go to the meetings) But the challenge is a kit where each person makes the same identical quilt and then machine quilts it however they want. They are due in January at the MoKan meeting, but I figured I might as well get the top done and then try to think of how to quilt it. These will hang at MQS next year so I want it to look fairly nice. It’s not my colors, so I’m not too sure about it. I think it will have to hang on the wall and talk to me for awhile! LOL!!

I have all the blocks finished on my 8 year old mystery. I needed 30 of them. I had to cut a few more pieces in order to have enough. I’m glad that I kept all the fabrics in the same box. I’m working on adding sashings to the blocks now.

I haven’t worked on the new mystery that I started for awhile. I have most of the blocks pieced but put them aside to work on the old mystery. I can’t seem to work on 1 thing very long. I always want to do something different. Start something new!!! I guess that’s what I did tonight. (Piecing the MoKan challenge.)

I guess that’s it for now.

Theresa

http://community.webshots.com/user/alwaysquilts

 

I love quilting. When I made my first quilt, I hand quilted it. I was self taught and really had no idea what I was doing but I was hooked after I finished the quilt. I then made my second quilt. All the blocks were hand pieced and I sewed the blocks together on the machine. I then hand quilted it. My 3rd quilt, I took a class and discovered rotary cutters and mats! WOW!!! what a difference those little things made. Anyway, I hand quilted that quilt also. I entered it into the local county fair and won a blue ribbon it. I was shocked!! It took me a year to get it finished. A friend of mine took the class with me and had hers done within a few months because she sent hers out to be quilted. I was devastated when I saw her quilt come back with a panto pattern on it. I swore at that time that I would never have a quilt machine quilted. I went on to make several more quilt tops and hand quilted a couple more but by this time I thought I had to make every neat quilt I saw so I was getting the tops made faster than I could hand quilt them. Then I saw what they were doing with machine quilting! WOW They were quilting tops and focusing on the quilt pattern, not doing pantos!! I had to have one of these machines and shortly after my discovery I bought my first longarm. I began quilting focusing on the pattern of the quilt, giving them detail. I still do that today. All these years later. Sometimes I wonder if I should do them faster and simpler but then I remember why I quilt and I put the extra hours in them because I want the quilt to be the best that it can. I am proud when I see quilts hanging at the county fair with blue ribbons on them and I’ve quilted them. Or at a local quilt show where a quilt that I’ve quilted has a ribbon. I love quilting and I take pride in what I do. I guess I don’t quilt mainly for the money although I do have to quilt to pay bills but I quilt because of the love I have for it. To see the look of pleasure on the customers face, to hear the words “I was going to give that away, but now I think I’ll keep it!” or just getting a hug because I’ve taken what they called an ugly quilt and made it into a beautiful swan! Yes, I LOVE what I do. Why do you quilt?

Theresa

http://community.webshots.com/user/alwaysquilts

I managed to get the motor changed on my machine this week. Boy what a hassle!!!!!! It started acted up and I called APQS and they said that I probably needed new brushes in the motor. OK…….I ordered a new set of brushes. They came the next day. I didn’t have time to work on it that evening, so the next day my DH came home from work and said let’s get it done. So we took the motor off and changed the brushes. Then, we couldn’t get the motor put back together right. It just wouldn’t fit!!!! Needless to say, my DH was getting tired after working all night and in the process of trying to get the motor pulled apart AGAIN. he caught the corner of the piece that holds the check spring on there and broke it. Well, so much for that motor! I then called APQS again and they said that they can’t fix that part of the motor. Since I live close to KC she gave me the company that they buy the motors from, I called them and they were able to have the correct motor at the store the next day, so yesterday morning I went and bought a new motor and without my DH’s help. (He feels soooooo bad about breaking the first one) anyway, I put the new motor on, retimed the machine and got back to quilting last night. Mission accomplished!!

Now I’m off to go quilt. Have a great day!

Theresa

http://community.webshots.com/user/alwaysquilts

I never thought my quilting would get me anywhere. BUT I was wrong….if I didn’t quilt for people the following would never happen. So, on with the story. I have a friend that I quilt for and she has a friend that I now quilt for and that friend just happens to live in Italy. Well……I’ve been invited to go to Italy next year for the quilt show that her friend is involved with. She sent me an e-mail saying that they had their quilt show and that the Italians were quite taken with my quilting so Pam and I should come next year for the show. It’s held in a mountain village there in northern Italy. Pams been to Italy twice already and she had told me that we should go sometime. When I got the e-mail from Jill, I thought “let’s go” Of course my DH wasn’t as excited as I was. I think I have him talked into letting me go! He’s worried that I would be half way around the world without him!! I get so excited when I think about gong to Italy!!! So does Pam! She called the other night and we talked and talked about how much fun we would have. We would go to Venice for sure. That’s the only thing other than the quilt show that I know we would do. I hope it works out. I have to start saving my money!!!! And get a passport!!!!! And loose a few pounds because I hear the food over there is wonderful!!!! Oh, I’m getting myself worked up again. I better go make some money. Have a wonderful day!!!

Theresa

http://community.webshots.com/user/alwaysquilts