Rain, Rain Go Away...........

I hear thunder.........so far no rain today, but I think it is coming.  We have had rain for days.  Sometimes it has been a lot.  The grass and the weeds grow, grow and grow some more.  The yardman was here today.  My yard was looking like a field.  One nice thing, everything is green and actually when it rains it is cooler and the gulf stays cooler.  Down here we are about 45 miles north of the gulf living with the fear of a hurricane dropping in very quickly.  A cooler gulf is good. 

Gabrielle's Quilt

I have been working on grandchild number 2's quilt.  Last posting I showed grandchild number 1's quilt.  I finished the binding a couple of days ago.  And now I am quilting grandchild number 3's quilt.  "George" and I have been rather close.  I have had words (no cussing but close) for George.  I used King Tut thread.  King Tut is one of the best cotton threads around.  George did not like it and anything I did to try to fix it, did not work.  When I bought the machine the company sent me a sample of "So Fine."  So Fine is made by Superior Threads and they are also the maker of King Tut.  So Fine is a poly thread.  I tried the sample, hoorah, it was great, no breakage.  I found a sale and ordered several cones of thread.  Quite by accident I bought the same thread that I using in King Tut.  When the cones arrived I discovered I had the same color thread, so thus stopped using the cotton and changed to the poly.  I am back in good spirits and I like George again. 

This quilt has lots of color.  The center is actually a tree (you can click on picture to make it larger).   I loved this fabric when I bought it.  The scraps are on the back. 

Hope all is well with you.

Design Wall and More George

I have more pictures of George and my sunporch.  Some of you have seen my sunporch.  I took out two very large pieces of furniture and put them in the garage.  I am going to sell them.  I really don't have a use for them.  It has really opened up the sunporch and it will be a great place to use George.  I cannot get George into my sewing room.  I have set the tables up so that if I am using George someone else can sit at the other table and sew or visa versa.  I was looking at the porch and thought about moving my sewing room in there.  It could be done by moving the couch and probably the roll-around carts into the existing sewing room.  The only thing is I would not have design boards and there really is not a place to put them unless the windows were blocked.  I think I will leave things as they are.  It will work.   The colorful tunnel is the kitties tunnel.  They love that thing.  They run in there to hide from the dog.  Smokey loves to attack the dog from in there.  That cat is some kind of cat.  Loving one minute, a holy terror the next. 

With all the reorganization (last weeks blog) I have been rather busy and have not done a lot of sewing, but I have done a little.  This picture adds two blocks to the previous picture of this quilt.  The more blocks I add to this quilt the better I like it.  I am using Kansas Troubles fabric for it.  They have many lines out that have similar color. 

I have also been working on a back for my "figgy" quilt.  I really need to get this finished up.  I have entered the quilt in a show.  I still have another to do and that is going to be questionable.  I am quickly running out of time.  The holidays are not going to help matters for me finishing everything up. 

Hope all is well on your end............

George is Here

George has arrived.  He is still in a box.  I cannot put this "stuff" together (back problems) so thus Claudia made an attempt.  We managed to get the table up but there is some knobs in the package (no directions).  The picture shows the table with the knobs but we cannot figure out how to get them on. 

Here is a picture of the box with George inside it.  You must read the bottom.  You will have to click on the picture to make it large enough to see.   I checked this, and I had trouble reading it blown up, so here is what it says.........
Caution - Extreme Excitement Bundled Inside
Contents may cause excessive hugging, squealing, jumping and fist-pumping.  APQS has a sense of humor. 

There is things on my design wall, but you have seen them in this stage before, so I will chatter about something else.  Here are pictures of my garage.  I am in the process of cleaning up my sunporch and closets.  I have more storage boxes ordered.  I will fill up all the empty spaces.  And my sunporch is going to look terrific especially when I get George in there.  Here is hoping anyway.

I am putting everything in plastic containers with the hopes that the little critters will not nest in them.  And because of all of this fabric, fabric shops are not going to get rich on me next year.  I have just created a quilt pattern.  I had all the fabric that I needed except for the background.  I ordered that.  That is what I am going to do this year.  I am only buying what I absolutely need.  If I don't this fabric is going to be here when I "kick the bucket."  That is not good.  So between bags, pillowcases and quilts I should be able to use a lot of it up with the grace of God. 

It is getting cool.  The day started out warm and humid and rainy.  It has been getting cooler all day and by tonight it is going to be cold. 

Hope all is well on your end........

Design Wall and etc.............

Fig Tree Fabrics has just come out with their 20th line of fabric.  I purchased some of it for a pieced border on a quilt that I had started earlier in the year.  The quilt has at least one piece of fabric from every line that Fig Tree has designed.  This is a scrappy quilt but controlled scrappy.  I just cannot do a scrappy quilt.  It drives me crazy, putting fabric next to something that I don't think works.  That is a wrong way to think because scrappy quilts always turn out beautiful.  But, in the meantime, I would be changing this fabric for that fabric and I would never get it done.  I have this border on the design board but it is not sewn in.  I have to make a side border before I actually decide exactly what I am going to do.  Come back next week, I should have it finished.  I am thinking of adding another border under the red border. 



George

 I went to the Houston International Quilt Festival on the 4th and 5th.  I had a great time.  I thought sometimes I was a bit nutty for being there.  I am still wearing a brace and my walking is not the best but I managed to do okay.  I sat down often.  The quilts were outstanding.  The breast-cancer exhibit was fun.  I spent my money and then some.  I bought a George.  I had been thinking about this for at least a year.  I debated about a long arm stand-up machine or a long arm sit-down machine.  If I bought a stand-up, I would have do some remodeling, minor, but I would have to make changes.  And there is the problem with my neck and my back.  I was afraid that it might cause me a problem.  If I bought a sit-down machine, I would have to move some furniture around, but I would not necessarily have to make costly changes.  I asked a friend, she has both.  She does a lot of quilting.  I asked her if she was to buy a machine today, which would she buy.  She said the sit-down.  I followed her advice, and thus I will have George.  He has not arrived yet.  So while I am waiting for him, I am cleaning out.  I have two large cabinets in my sunroom.  They are going to the garage.  I am buying a large table for sandwiching, that will also be in the garage.  George is going to be in my sunroom.  This is the plans for today.  I am going to buy something to heat and cool the garage to keep it comfortable when I am in there. 

My house has a double garage and two carports.  I park in a carport.  It is easier for me to get in.  The garage is attached so it will be handy day or night for my quilting use.  Sounds like a plan. 

Hope all of you who attended the Houston Festival had a good time and found something exciting.  Besides George, I found a big stack of Luna Notte fabric by Moda.  I had wanted this fabric because it is so gorgeous and never got around to buying it.  It is almost impossible to find it now.  You can find a piece here and a piece there but that is about it.  I am thrilled.  I have no idea what I will do with it, but I will use it next year. 

Hope all is well on your end.