Fourth of July!

I've been messing around!   Lots of web sites to check out - crazy ideas to follow up on. Then I look at the clock - ACK - it is almost 9 AM. I am supposed to finish all my goofing around including writing the blog by 9 AM.  Well - it is Sunday morning, I'm going to chill for a bit longer!  Just goes to show that you could spend a LOT of time on the computer. I guess as long as it is productive then I can live with that. Trust me - I wasn't idle fiddling around - I was doing some research. Seriously!  OK - I was also taking some pictures for the blog and editing them. Now I am ready!


Taught a class at The Hobby Horse yesterday. Before I get to what the class was sewing, there are TWO things I have to share with you.

It is NOT difficult to spot a Professional Tote. You remember - that bag that I was working on a couple of weeks ago.

My Professional Tote

Well, Pauline stopped in at my class for a quick visit and guess what - she had made one!  I know some of the ladies who sew on Thursday at The Hobby Horse were making The Professional Tote. She did a fabulous job on it - I love the colour!!!!  

Pauline's Professional Tote

The other thing I saw was this. Yes - that is a Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby.  I do believe it is the first model of the Ruby that came out. Donna does a lot of embroidery and LOVES her Ruby.

Donna's Ruby

 I can tell you from all the playing I have done in the last couple of months, this is an awesome sewing machine. If you want a sewing machine that also does embroidery and won't require you to mortgage your house, a Ruby is the way to go!!!!

OK - then it was back to the class!!!!!

It was a full house and this is what we were working on.

4th of July by Judy Niemeyer

My version which I made years ago

As you can imagine, there is a LOT of work in this quilt. Many people got the paper pieced components to one block done and several got the block sewn together, but NOT trimmed. That is why some of them look very wonky.

Donna

Elaine

Paula

Susan

I think there were ten people in total, but people very quickly take their work and squirrel it in their bags so I can't take pictures!!!   I will get the finished tops - oh yes - there are deadlines!!!   Well Susan has a deadline. I will show you her quilt in a couple of months!


Thanks to Lynn, I have gotten the movie bug!   I have a couple of movies from the library and ordered a couple more last night!  Oh dear - that means I had better make sure that I always have hand work. And I do NOT watch them on the TV. Nope - I sit in my office chair and watch them on the computer. No danger of falling asleep!!!!

My project last night was this quilt.

Blues Clues

I have shown you this quilt before. It is a block of the month that I ran at a couple of the local guilds YEARS AGO. I had Kathy D quilt it for me. And there is one part of the quilting that I never liked - I should say that I liked all the quilting, just not the thread colour.  The quilting on this quilt was an experiment and well I should leave well enough alone - it will be a good teaching sample, but NO - I want to change it.

The quilting in the sashing from the back

From the front - I do not like the dark blue thread on the white. 

 Now I requested that Kathy quilt it this way so we can in NO way blame her. She was just doing what I asked. But in hind sight - I do not like the dark quilting on the light fabric - or at least in this case. My job is to remove that quilting. It also means that I am going to have to remove the stitch in the ditch which is also in the dark blue thread.  I have to say that Kathy did a superb job with that because it doesn't really show, but when removing the stitching - some of that is coming loose - so off with its' head!!!

What it looks like without the dark blue cross hatch - I like it much better. 

I will load it on the long arm and do either the same pattern - the cross hatching or a swirl. I will see how I feel when I reload it.

This is why we make labels so we can go "Really - I made that in 2004?????"

Label for this quilt dated 2004

There is still an interesting part of this quilt that is useful for studying thread colours. Check out the dark blue thread on the light blue border. While it is NOT what I would do today, it isn't as bad as the sashing. I know - I am just being old and crochety!!!  I'm allowed - it is my quilt!!!!!   The medium and dark blue borders are quilted as one. See how that thread blends in - I like that much better!!!!

A study in thread colours for quilting

I read in the local paper a headline about the "GIANT" coy dogs that are attacking the dogs in our neighbourhood.  Good grief - they are the size of Sparky - that is NOT giant.  Even though I haven't seen the Coydogs in a while  - I took my camera just in case.  All I snagged were two blurry shots of my girls.

Sparky

Sammy with Sparky running towards her!

On that note - I had better close some of the 25 web sites that I have open because of my research. Then I better get my butt in gear and get some work done!!!!


Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!!