Thread Tales From A Scrappy Quilter

Sometimes our ideas and our execution of those ideas just don't work out.   Other times we are too hard on ourselves and if you keep going, the end product works just like we had planned.   But you never know, it's a trial and error thing.  But this one is did not work out so forgiving and I want to do better.  With all those backtracking spines and feathers, this one is costing me lots of hours of "frog stitching".   Rip-it, Rip-it! Issues, issues but I'm thinking the end result is going to be nice for this little top.   Work in progress.   The Good, The Bad and The Ugly! Wobbles in the outer curve, melons not consistent size and I'm not sure I like the boxed off feathers.  Maybe I'll place them in an oval fashion on my 2nd attempt.   20" boomerang should arrive today! Quick sketch of design ideas, I like the doubled crosshatch oval.  Open space on the tiny mock up is refreshing.    Things look different on a big block though! swirly feathers

I'm involved with a new group being formed.  Our first informational meeting was last week.   We are calling ourselves the MQBees (machine quilting) and will be meeting once a month to get inspiration, design help, show and tell.  I mentioned how much I enjoyed sewing and quilting with my Juki/Grace frame combo and that I did still have my Juki which I would consider selling.  Someone is interested. I pulled her out of storage under a table in my studio.  Cleaned, oiled and threaded her up.   I'll be sad to let her go but money is always nice and space in my studio is even more precious so if someone wants her I have to sell.  She deserves to have a good home and lots of use.   1500 stitches per minute, extended base, knee lift, thread cutter.  Wow what a machine!  

I wish I had access to my boxed up photos... Angie was such a CUTE baby.  We had Tigg at the vet for some check up (he was our major medical boy from day one) and our vet came out to get us with this tiny black kitten on her shoulder.   I said something about how cute it was and that she would fit right in with our all black kitty household.   She said "I was hoping you would say that, I brought her in for you to see"!  So of course we took her.   Angie (named after the vet Angela Berry) adopted Brandon as her boy 11 years ago and has slept in his bedroom thoughout 3 moves and a year's absence while we were in Hawaii.  Angie and Tigg loved each other too.  We lost Tigg last year to complications with his diabetes and we lost Angie to cancer from her rabies vaccine.  Heres some pics from the past year. Tigg to the rear of the seat snuggled with Ang We love you Angie!

Life is beginning to return to "normal" if there can be anything called normal in our household!   The lack of entries since August represents hectic days moving the family from Florida to Texas while hubby was deployed to Afghanistan.   I'm still amazed I was able to get so much done so quickly but quilting really had to be placed on hold.   Downsizing in all aspects, including the 3 car garage with workshop that my hubby had filled almost floor to ceiling to a basic builders' 2 car garage/1 large door and no space to either side of that door.  We still have this garage packed in boxes with things that don't fit inside and a storage space rented to deal with at some future date.  Christmas came and went, hubby arrived home in time for Christmas (and loves the house!) along with a house full of family followed by weeks of all of us coming down with a very nasty virus.   Whew.  On to recovery and back to quilting! I have a nice space in the loft upstairs for my q