What happens on a Monday

Monday Motivators is a group that Gail and I started over TEN YEARS AGO at The Hobby Horse Quilt Shop.  The purpose of the group was to offer help to anyone who needed it. The participants pay a small fee and basically get whatever help they need for whatever they are working on. When we started it - we never thought it would still be going strong after all this time.

Now it is my task to help people, but I also manage to get a lot done myself. Since there is never room for me to take a sewing machine, I got into the habit of doing prep work there. Cutting, trimming, applique prep or whatever else was on the agenda. I don't know why the others don't do that. They cut at home - then drag their sewing machine to the store. Oh well - whatever works for them!

So how much can I get done in a typical (and I use that word loosely!!) Monday????    Have a look................

Border Creek Mystery - cut 120 squares for the quaintly queen

Border Creek Mystery - cut the squares needed for the quarter square triangles for this month's clue. The light ones are marked and ready to sew

Border Creek Mystery - the lap size - again - the squares for clue 3 are cut

Border Creek Mystery - the squares are cut and marked - ready for sewing the quarter square triangles

Orca Mystery (Bonnie Hunter) - my handy dandy phone book

That I cut up several pages to get the 72 squares required for the blue pieces

Orca Mystery - finished cutting the 175 light squares required for the half square triangles

Orca mystery - marked the light squares for the half square triangles

Orca Mystery - trimmed those half square triangles (about 1/3) of the required 350!!!!  The rest are ready to sew and be trimmed next week. 

Wait - there's more............................... (although my wrist is tired just thinking about all that cutting and trimming!!!!)

Grandmomma's Feedsacks - trimmed MORE of the half square triangles (only 344 are required!!!!)

Grandmomma's feedsacks (got more cut in half and pressed so they will be ready for trimming next week) - I pressed them at home cause I like MY iron and the iron at the store is always busy

Practiced using the Tucker Trimmer on a scrap quarter square triangle (get over it if those strips bother you!!!!) It is a scrap quilt!!!!!!     

Got more squares from the scrappy quarter square triangle project ready for sewing. 

OK - that is all I did on Monday at the store. When I got home, I did a bit of tidying and sorting through my scraps. I have several more projects on the go as far as scrap quilts go. I spent a bit of time choosing fabric and sorting through the fabrics so I would be ready to cut them next Monday. There are still TONS and TONS of scraps sitting there so I had better get a move on. I have LOADS of creams/beiges, so better find something soon to use them up.

But the other girls were also busy on Monday - here are a few things they were working on..................

Karen - finished this top that she was working on at my house. This was one of those projects that got put in the bag before I could take a picture. 

Joyce making this gorgeous Asian quilt top for her daughter who is arriving from Japan this week. How exciting!!!!!

And we have celebrations as well. Jackie had a special birthday and those require cake and presents!!!

And I get "presents" on Monday as well...................

Bought one meter of this laminated fabric. I think it would be neat to make the inside of cosmetic/swim bag. Or why not a purse or bag. It is very neat and I think there are all kinds of prints available - this was the only one they had at the store. 

I want a SOCK MONKEY kit, but had to settle for this sock monkey Christmas fabric - thanks FLo!!!!!

Diane brings me scraps cause she doesn't want to deal with them!!!   These are flannel which I put in the flannel scrap bin. I just get cutting on that. There is MORE than enough to make a scrappy quilt. 

And Diane always brings in selvedges. I have so many now - I had better get something made with them. 

Isn't this just the cutest address label ever?

Cute address label

If you are interested - here is the link where they can be ordered........................


Family Labels



They have all kinds of stuff including the decals for the car. I WANT that for Christmas.


Oh CRAP - I just ordered something from the web site. But it was TOO CUTE to refuse. Oh well..................



I decided that it is time to try a new sport!  Well not exactly but friends of mine hike on Tuesday morning and have been asking me to come forever. I finally said I would go yesterday. And guess what - there was snow on the ground where we went!!!!!

SNOW - gravel roads (ah - memories of the Dempster Highway!!!) 

But look how gorgeous that looks!!!!!

And look how dirty my car is now!!!!!

But we had a GREAT hike despite the fact that I need walking sticks or poles or whatever they call them. And I might need a few other things but managed just nicely with my cycling clothes. Drat - I can't go next week, but hope to get out with them on a regular basis. So nice to be outside doing some exercise. My knee didn't bother me at all, but it was killing me in the night. Those knives just dug right in and twisted!!!!!  Feels just fine this morning - ooh yes - it is healing. Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


After we had a great lunch at a small restaurant, I headed home to get a quilt quilted.

Customer quilt - now this wasn't too challenging of a quilt to do. She wanted an overall design, but look at the design

While the flowers are easy - those butterflies are a pain as you have to slow down to get around the design. I am getting much better at this design, but still hate to do it!!!!!!

Now when we moved into this house, there was a door leading to the basement. We decided to get rid of that door so the basement (not intended as a studio at that time) would be OPEN to the rest of the house. Well the long arm now sits at the bottom of the stairs and right underneath DH's office. Not that bad except that DH works from home these days. CRAP - he "complains" about the noise. Yesterday - he wanted to make a phone call and said he couldn't because of the noise. So I went shopping!!!!   Well I had to get some stuff from the mall.

Then when I got home - he was still on the phone and I needed to get back to work, so I fixed the problem this way........................

I draped a hunk of batting (several layers thick) over the part of the machine where the motor is. Yes - the machine is noisy and I think they could insulate that metal housing and cut the noise considerably. Hey - if I had a handy engineer (like Marian does!!!) - then I would get them to take the machine apart, install a THIN layer of insulation on the housing around the motor and everything would be perfect. In the meantime - I guess a blanket of quilt bat will have to suffice!!!!!

I do NOT regret getting rid of the door (and no we cannot put it back on, since we also eliminated that wall!!!!)   But having DH work from work - well that is a pain. He is gone today and M is at school so I can make as much noise as I want. Sadly - I will just be quilting all day!!!!


Well - Christmas is coming and thanks to M - the tree is up, the decorations are up, advent calendars are stocked and all the rest. Thanks M!!!!!   How can the Christmas decorations be complete without a gingerbread house? Here are the busy little elves putting the house together.

Elves busy at work

THE house

The elves having fun!!!!   And they even cleaned up the kitchen - not perfect, but they made a valiant effort!!!!   

I get complaints all the time that I take pictures of the elves, but never post them. So I am off the hook for today!!!!

Little Sammy spying on me as I cut fabric!!!!!!

And Sammy is also the quilt tester!!!!   This is another "scrap" quilt from a practice session on the long arm. Just have to serge those edges and VOILA - another dog bed!!!!   These dogs don't need thickness - no they just want something to lay on!!!!!

Guess what?????   Yes - I got another quilt top done.

The THANGLE quilt top - DONE. I'm pretty happy with it. 

And had JUST ENOUGH of the black left for the last border. This is all that was left. I will just use a different black to bind it. Or perhaps a trip to Ruti's today (as a break). The back is done - binding will happen tomorrow. 

As I was putting the borders on this quilt, I wondered about that LIST that Judy suggested I make. I was contemplating that each month I could complete one quilt that needs borders, backing and binding. They are all in plastic tubs and easy to get to. Should I make a list or just grab the next one??????   Then I thought that each month, I could also quilt a minimum of one quilt of mine. Again should I make a list or just grab one???? They are almost all in one spot. And lastly I could complete one quilt (UFO) per month. Again - make a list or just go for it?????   And I should make a list of what I complete so I could see my progress as the year goes on. I will have to think about that. Don't know if I want to choose now what I work on all year. The good news is that I am now completely finishing projects so I am NOT adding to the pile that needs borders, backing and binding. That is a good thing!!!!!

Well I will contemplate what to do about that, but even if I got those 36 projects done, that barely skims the surface of what is hanging around here. Oh dear.........................................    Now let's see - if I live at least another 40 years and do 36 projects a year - well, yes - I might just get the mess cleaned up before I die!!!!!!


I will leave you with this picture. I mean - this sure the heck looks like Santa to me - the REAL Santa.......   It is pretty creepy.

Santa????

Well it is nine o'clock. Time to go to work. Got LOTS to do today, but the important thing is that I am making progress and feeling pretty good about that.



Have a great day!!!!!!




Ciao!!!!!!!