Biggest Quilting News Ever!

How d'ya like that headline? I hope it conveys the nearly unbridled excitement I am feeling over this latest development.

I AM QUILTING ON MY LONG-ARM MACHINE!!!

Yes, you read that right. After two years of inactivity, false starts, excuses, and issues, all systems are going. Successfully. And below are the first few stitches of what I hope will be many thousands of stitches yet to come.

It's been a long journey, one that has been precisely two years coming to fruition. On November 16, 2017, DH and I drove over to Sharon and Fred's to inspect the long arm she was giving me. Yes, that's right, Sharon GAVE me her long-arm quilting machine. We went to assess its size and to establish a plan for dismantling, moving and reassembling it. Read about that in this post.

Fred and Sharon behind the Tin Lizzie.

Table parts ready for assembly in our basement.

The machine moved to our house on December 8, 2017. We did a good job of assembling it in a timely manner. I was motivated to quilt! After assembly, however, I found many excuses for not quilting. It was daunting! Checking tension, checking needle, threading correctly, loading a quilt correctly, skipping stitches, watching videos, questioning friends. I was overwhelmed and easily discouraged, and consequently, I would leave it for months at a time.

One major problem was that we put the machine in our partially finished basement. It is a clutter catch-all, often damp and chilly, and since we spend very little time down there, we have all manner of dust and detritus. Every fall, we battle mice. Even with all these negatives, DH and I worked like crazy to clean up and clear out the space so that it would be a more pleasant place to work. And in June, I actually loaded a quilt onto the machine. I was GOING to quilt, by gosh! Here's the post for that.

And then I saw a snake. Eww! (He came in through the washing machine drain.) And then I saw mouse droppings. Eww! Before you go thinking we live in a ramshackle sty, let me assure you these creatures go hand-in-hand with country living. Farmland surrounds us, and we have a fair amount of wooded land on our property. We are remote, for sure. Anyway...

Is it any wonder I didn't relish going downstairs to quilt? It creeped me out to think of working in that basement. Until we do some major remodeling, that's just a fact.

Then DH and I had a light bulb moment -- we would dismantle one of our extra bedrooms and move the Tin Lizzie upstairs beside my existing sewing room. Having all sewing and quilting located in adjacent rooms made so much better sense. Why it took so long to come up with this is beyond me, but gosh, once the idea was out there, we really went to work to make it happen. Click back to this post from October first, when we were in the midst of transitioning.

As the bedroom parts were moved out and the long arm parts were moved in, I washed everything with disinfectant before proceeding with reassembly. The photo above shows the frame and machine in its new home, with the quilt draped over the bars in front. With a clean machine in a clean room, I was ready to quilt! Oooh, the excitement!

That plan was soon dashed as my stitches were a mess. I did all sorts of trouble shooting on my own, but this was a bigger problem than I could fix. I called Terry over at the McArthur Quilt Shop, who services Tin Lizzies. After describing the issue to him over the phone, he made a conjecture that there was a problem with an encoder. I needed to take it in for him to look at. This involved, naturally, removing the quilt from the frame, dismantling the machine from the table, lugging it and the roller platform to the car, and driving an hour east to McArthur. That picture above is my dear Tin Lizzie in the back of the car ready for its trip to the fix-it shop.

And I had to do it twice. The first trip fixed the encoder, yet back here set up and ready to quilt, I still had issues. The side-to-side quilting worked great; the front-to-back quilting - ehh, not so much. It made only a couple of correct stitches and then a big long stitch and then the machine just stopped running. So I called Terry again, described this new issue; "it must be in the wiring" he hypothesized, and yes, the machine had to return to McArthur.

And that is how I spent Saturday morning, exactly two years from the date we first went to see the machine at Sharon and Fred's.

Now, for the good news! It's fixed! Terry was fantastic! He did not charge me for that second visit, and solved the issue - bonus: I shopped for fabric while he worked his magic. Back here at home, I put it all back together again, reattached the quilt for the umpteenth time, and took some stitches.

Success! I was quilting! I did a bit Saturday night and finished it Sunday night. Just before bedtime, I removed my first finished quilt from the Tin Lizzie, and ceremoniously spread it out on our bed for inspection.

Here are some glamour shots taken this morning. I couldn't help myself - I took a lot. This is Moda Love.  Click here for the details on it.

And thus, a new chapter begins here at Jayne's Quilting Room. For my entire quilting life, I have made quilt tops, and have two closets full (well, not full) to prove it. It will be fun revisiting each of these creations as I work my way through the quilting process on them all.

Happy, happy, happy quilting, Friends!

Sewing With Frienzies

We met. We talked. We ate. We sewed.
This annual tradition of sewing on Veteran's Day is now well into its 20 year, maybe more. And it always such a good time. Without further ado, let's just look at the variety of projects.

Linda had a pretty good start on this Dresden Plate quilt made with Kaffe Fassett fabrics on black. Stunning! She worked on sewing the top together and then cutting out the vines which will border the entire quilt.

Sharon cannot pass up any opportunity to sew with KF fabrics, and has been working on this quilt called Seed Packet. Another stunning quilt, right?

And one more Kaffe quilt comes from Kay, the original KF fan of our group. Way, way back in 2007 (give or take), she began buying this gorgeous stuff, and has made many KF quilts in these intervening years. The one above is her project from Monday.

Our hostess Sherrie is always a step ahead; she worked on this heart table runner which she will need for a Valentine's Day charity. She was working with a charm pack and a jelly roll.

Pam had a whole lot of stuff going on, and I do not have a good picture here to fairly represent it. The appliqued blocks here were made by her husband's late aunt. Pam has taken possession of a sizeable fabric stash from this aunt and found many orphan blocks in the collection. I will be writing more about this in a future post.

I worked on back basting a panel for my Lake Effect quilt. I'd traced the design a few days earlier, then attached the blue on Sunday evening. I was able to do a good bit of back basting all day Monday, and feel quite back in the groove with this project.

A couple other Frienzies attended but did not sew. We missed Hettie, our only still-working girl (as in not retired; several of us have taken up jobs in our retirement!). A wonderful day, and an even more wonderful group of friends!

Short and sweet, because DH is taking me out for Mexican!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Works In Progress

I think I start too many projects. Emphasis on START.

On Monday I had a full day set aside on which to sew with Frienzies, and when I went to the sewing room ostensibly to get my stuff ready to go, I had a heck of a time deciding which project to work on.

Aaahh!

I could not make myself focus! I truly want to work on them all, and of course that is impossible, so how does one pick? If I would finish one before starting another, I wouldn't waste so much time deciding.

It came down to choosing out of five options - three needed the sewing machine; two required hand-work. I will tell you what won out after I show you the five contenders.

First, I thought about taking the jelly roll squares - a red pile and an off-white pile. They would have been fun to sew together into the quilt top. Above, the individual blocks are laid out on the bed creating a pleasing red chain one direction and an off-while chain the other. Here's when I started it.

Next, I considered taking Diagonal Madness. It is always fun to sew Kaffe Fassett fabrics with the Frienzies, as so many of them have their own Kaffe stashes and quilts. The diagonal placement of the colors and squares requires attention; could I muster that with the Freinzies? Here's when I started it.

Another contender was the Quilter's Planner sew-along quilt. All the individual blocks are made and now the quilt top needs to be constructed. The background comes together in long strips. The directions have lots of numbers/measurements. I knew I would be talking and visiting - not concentrating, in other words. Again, could I muster that? Here's when I started it.

I have been working diligently on my Roman Holiday table topper with my big-stitch quilting. I have every intention of finishing it before Christmas, so it was a definite contender. I did take it along with me on Monday, but I did not take a single stitch on it. Here's when I started it.

The winner was Lake Effect, the 10-year project that I have basically avoided for about 3 months now. I was at a place where a break just seemed right. I am currently all revved up to do some back-basting, and this was how I spent my Monday. And, happily, several pleasant evenings since. *smile*

While I do seem to lose a lot of time spinning my wheels with indecisiveness, eventually, I manage to focus.

Of these five WIPs, I honestly think I can get Roman Holiday completely finished, and quilt tops for Diagonal Madness and Jelly Roll completed this month. I will allow myself to save the Quilter's Planner for December, and of course, this Lake Effect will take years. I have called it a 10-year project; I am just two years into it, so I have plenty of time left. No hurry, for sure. The fabric was purchased in April of 2017; here's a 2018 post about hexies for Lake Effect.

How do you overcome indecision in the sewing room? Help a girl out with suggestions!
Happy Quilting, Friends!

Donation

Two weeks ago, I had a call from my (non-quilting) friend, Judy, who volunteers at our local Christian Center. This center takes in and distributes gently used clothing and household items to those in need, and manages food distribution, as well. Judy's call concerned a recent donation they'd received -- three bags of quilt fabric. Would I be interested in it?

After driving into town to have a look, I determined that I was NOT going to take any of it. My closets are already full-to-bursting. However, the fabric was worth saving and using. I knew there had to be a group devoted to making charity quilts that would love having a chance at using this fabric.

The fabric was clean, folded neatly, and in good condition. I could tell that this quilter/crafter had known what she was doing. The pieces were somewhat dated - like maybe they'd been purchased in the 1970s and 1980s. The quality was acceptable, if not top-of-the-line. Many of the prints were themed: holiday, patriotic, baby, juvenile. The photos above provide some indication of the types and amounts. Additionally, I found a small stack of pre-cut squares and circles, no doubt abandoned projects.

I reached out via Facebook for suggestions on groups interested in taking a donation of fabric for charitable efforts. Many friends offered suggestions and provided me with names and numbers. It is so gratifying to know of the good souls who care about helping out those in need. All were worthy, however, I handed off the fabric to the first group with whom I had successful contact.

Touching Little Lives, Inc. is a central Ohio charity located out of Groveport. Their Facebook page indicates that they are a non-profit whose mission, supported entirely by volunteers, is to provide for babies in need. They donate handmade quilts, afghans and clothing to major hospitals and other support agencies. I am thrilled to have been able to save this fabric for an organization such as this.

Maybe someday after I stop working, I will dedicate more time to doing good work for others. At present, time just does not permit it. I would like to think that my little part in this larger picture has been a godsend to someone.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

A Party

When life gets really crazy with a variety of activities and obligations what's the best thing to do? Schedule one more thing, right? Then, at the last minute, doesn't it make sense to decide that you need a new table runner to accent your décor? So, you go to your stash and make one?

Yeah, that's what I'd do.

For about 6 weeks, I have known that I had a party coming up. Norwex - are you familiar? It's a company that sells environmentally friendly cleaning products through home parties (a lot like Tupperware from the 80s). As I prepared for my party, I brought out my fall quilts, table toppers and wall hangings. I didn't have very many. So I decided on Saturday to make a long table runner for a Tuesday night party.

Crazy, I know, but I was not to be deterred. I planned to keep it very simple, and be very casual about using stash fabrics in all the colors associated with fall. Below is a representative picture of my fabric pull.

Most of the fabrics started out as fat quarters, and most had been cut into for various scrappy quilts over the years - and I'm talking years. Like more than 30 for a few of these.

I cut 3.5-inch squares and stitched randomly. I tried not to overthink anything, as time was of the essence.

I pulled the fabric, cut and sewed the 5 rows x 15 rows together on Saturday. Sunday evening I selected the backing, sandwiched the layers, and quilted it. And late that same night, I put on the binding. Ta-da! Finished in no time!

My original thought was that I would use this runner on my kitchen table, but it looked so good down the length of my counter top (which serves as a bar on the other side) that I changed my plan.

And for the Norwex party, which was last night, here's how it looked covered up with appetizers.

My party was well-attended with 20 guests. They were generous with their orders, which means I earn lots of free products, so that makes me happy. And after all the clean-up, I am left with a new table runner for my fall décor. Below is the crowd smooshed into my family room and dining area.

I had quite a lot of leftover goodies. I sent DH off on his bus route this morning with two boxes of cupcakes to share with the teachers and children in the Mennonite school. I am anxious to hear how that was received.

Making a table runner was not even on my radar for this month, but I am glad to have deviated from that to-do list. Now, I must get back on task and finish a few of those WIPs (works in progress) that have been gathering dust.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

November Goals and October Highlights

The highlights for October were very much non-quilting-related. Gosh, the whole month seemed to get away from me, and making time for quilting was pretty hard to come by. Let's get into it and see what I came up with.

Top row: I set up my little spot at Greenfield's History Day and took some stitches on the same quilt I stitched last year. It's called Fall Foliage from a Lynette Jensen/ Thimbleberries book called September Morning. Mine doesn't look very fall-ish because I used navy where she had green. Next is a close-up of my big-stitching on the Roman Holiday table topper that I have worked on periodically all month long. Next you see my twin nieces modeling their Aunt Jayne-made Harry Potter robes for Halloween costumes.

Middle row: My blocks are made from the French General/Moda jelly roll quilt I began in September. I have 42 blocks and now need to construct the quilt top. Center spot in the collage is a picture of my aunt and uncle, their daughter (my cousin), and her husband. DH and I had a wonderful meet-up with them for lunch at Lake Hope Lodge. Uncle Bill is my mother's brother. He, Aunt Ann, Ellen and Greg were going on to Marietta for a weekend of sightseeing, while DH and I were on our way to Hocking Hills for a weekend with our family. And that takes me to the next picture of DH sitting at the firepit outside our Hocking Hills cabin.

Bottom row: Our daughters high atop the HH trail called Conkle's Hollow. It was a slightly overcast morning, but still the views were spectacular. Those girls are pretty darn cute, too. The middle picture is of DH and I at a Halloween costume party, looking pretty darn cute ourselves as Fred and Wilma Flintstone. The final picture is from a second Halloween party we attended - billed as 'Spooky Movie Night.' I have my back to the spooky movie because I'm a big chicken, alongside Lindsey, (another big chicken); we chatted and never peeked once! (At least, I didn't!)

And that's a wrap on October. With the really big assignment behind me in my university classes, I am hoping I can be more productive this month. And with that goal in mind, I made a to-do list last evening.

1. Finish the Roman Holiday table topper
2. Construct the jelly roll quilt top
3. Get the long arm machine running and quilt 3-4 very pressing deadline quilts
4. Work on Diagonal Madness (I'd almost forgotten about it!)
5. Construct the Quilter's Planner quilt top (at least begin it)

I also wrote down vague things like "think about Christmas gifts" and "embroider" - who knows how that will pan out.

I still intend to bring you pictures of the long arm room (as I've been referring to it) - getting it set up and decorated. And I am working on it. Over a year ago, I was given an old step ladder from one of my oldest (as in long-time) friends. It was her dad's, and as she was having to clean out her parents' house, I met her there and well, I just knew I could hang a quilt on that ladder.

On one of those gorgeous October afternoons awhile back, I took it out of storage and gave it a thorough scrubbing.

It is going to lean in the empty corner shown in the picture below. I have an idea that I will display all my Sunbonnet Sue quilts; stay tuned for the reveal whenever that will be - hopefully sooner than later.

Have a great rest of the weekend, quilting friends! We here in Ohio will have an extra hour today, as the time change occurs tonight.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Welcome November!

Goodness Gracious! I was an absentee most of the past month and now here we are at November! While my presence here on the blog was rather MIA, I have been trying to keep as busy as possible on quilting-related endeavors. You all know that I moved the long arm machine upstairs out of the basement, and that continues to fill spare time. With the help of DH, I have it successfully leveled. I have a quilt loaded onto it. Yay!

Hold on. Don't celebrate too soon. Skipped stitches. I called my go-to technician, Terry, over at McArthur Quilt Shop. Over the phone he diagnosed a probable issue - the stitches going left and right seem fine, while the stitches going front and back are long. And then, after a time, the machine just stops. He thinks that the contact points on the encoders need to be looked at - something he will do for me in his shop while I wait. I am almost quilting!! It IS gonna' happen!

So I will dismantle the quilt on the frame, take off the sewing machine, and take it to McArthur next week - Thursday after class, most likely. My week is full-up and getting fuller!

In other news, I have made a good bit of progress on the Roman Holiday table topper that I have been big-stitch quilting. Click here to see it. And while doing that, I have listened to another book about the Kentucky pack horse librarians.

I feel quite well informed now on the topic. While both books (previous one) deal with the librarians, the main characters come from very different circumstances. This Moyes book is the less gritty of the two, and has somewhat of a happily-ever-after ending. I believe I have heard that this is being made into a movie, and a quick check of IMDb leads me to believe that a movie is a ways off - no cast listed, and sparse details beyond director.

We have had quite the week of weather here in southern Ohio. Monday and Tuesday were sunny and warm - pleasant enough to wear shirtsleeves. The picture above was taken Monday morning, and later that day we took care of clearing out all the flower pots and storing yard items in the shed. Wednesday and Thursday were rain- rain-rainy. Torrential, at times, but still relatively warm. Yesterday, after the rain stopped, the wind picked up and temperatures plummeted. Last night we had our first hard freeze, and today very definitely had a wintry feel to it. While sunny, the temps never got out of the 40s.

Tomorrow I will post my October highlights collage and maybe some more on the long arm room decorating.

Happy Quilting, Friends!