Dead lines...............

Now should the spelling of that word be deadline?  or Dead line  - I wonder if there is such a thing as a dead line?  Probably not!  Anyway - enough of that silliness - yes - I am under an extreme time crunch on several fronts and well - it is pedal to the metal time.

There is lots going on and I seem to be in the car a LOT which doesn't help my deadlines!  I have folders of photos to share with you this week so stay tuned for all that.

First - I have to share this picture with you.

Pauline's Misty Pines!!!!!!!!!!

Yes - she shared this photo on Facebook last night - the top is done!!!!!!   Pauline was in the class two weeks ago - yes a mere two weeks ago and the top is done!!!!!    Awesome job Pauline - very impressed.  I believe I will be seeing the real thing later today.  Tish is also done or almost done her top and is looking for binding.  Wow - I put out a directive to those class participants and they come through!  I wonder how the other five are coming along??   Should I check in with them????

I didn't quite get finished with the kit cutting yesterday - all of a sudden - it is no longer my priority!  I do have enough to get me going on kit making.  There is a slight possibility that one of the kits will be up for grabs. I'll let you know as soon as I figure that out.  Or if your name is Marlene and you contacted me about a kit and I haven't gotten back to you - let me know. Just a slight little paperwork issue.


Yes - I brought work home from the office. I knew that I was going to be playing chauffeur to that last GIANT quilt this weekend so I brought home the backing to finish pressing and the batting that had to be pieced because of the size (the quilt is 96 by 105). While I was teaching the Saturday Sampler at Sew Sisters, I got the text - the top is done!  A quick call to set up a drop off time with the long arm quilter.  

As a result - I did some stuff yesterday that I wouldn't normally do.

Like piecing the batting with the sewing machine.  I HATE to piece the batting and if I have to  - I like to use the fusible interfacing to do the join.  But this batting (not my preferred) is very poly based and I don't think it would iron well.  So there I am doing a very very long join on the sewing machine.

Joining the batting using the sewing machine

And then I did something else I DETEST - I started to put on a binding by machine.  I hate hate hate the look of this, but I have no choice - unless I have an army of hand stitchers descend on my door step today - all these bindings - there are four to be done today - are going on by machine.  

Sewing the binding on the back of the quilt

What it looks like on the front

What it looks like on the back

While this looks not bad - it isn't consistent. Now there are a couple of things that I did that did NOT work in my favour.  First - the stitch length was a bit tight so the next one should go a bit faster.  I started with a table runner which I am NOT done yet.  Like I said - I hate to do this. For me - it would almost be faster to do it by hand!!!!   Second thing - the seam is a tad too big.  But if you don't get it just right - the stitching looks hideous on the back.  Oh well - these are going to be seen from a distance in the booth - well people technically can walk right up to them and touch them!   I will know they are done by machine and I have to say that mine looks better than some that have come in. So I will just suck it up and just get the bloody bindings on!!!!!

In a few minutes - I am off to the long armer to drop off that massive quilt.

Here's an update on the Row by Row Experience.   Want a peek at the license plates for next year???   Check out Zebra Patterns.    While I was in the car (A LOT) yesterday - my mind was thinking about the new theme for Row by Row.  On Friday, my mind was a blank.  Yesterday - I was dreaming up row - vertical rows, horizontal rows - blocks that could be made into rows.  Get me a pencil.  Oh shoot - I don't own a store so technically I can't design a row.

However I am still collecting those darn license plates.  I had lunch with Carol on Friday and coffee with Liz on Saturday to swap more plates.  I had to make a few phone calls last night to help out with the numbers, but I think I am almost done. Many many stores are sold out.   If you have ANY plates that you have bought and do not want - let me know.  There are a few that I am looking for in Ontario and so is Liz - I will try to post the list in a day or so. I am a bit ticked because someone said they were going to get me a plate from a store which I ended up going to and I bought a plate.  I gave my plate to someone else knowing I would get another one and now I don't have one!!!!!   Anyway - I will post the lists and if anyone can help out - that would be awesome.

Plates from Carol

I know - who takes pictures of the garbage cans at Tims.  I do!!!   Do you realize the skill involved in using them????  Yes - you have to use your left hand to throw something and often times your car is NOT close to those garbage cans.  What can we do to solve that problem????   At least these new ones have the back drop so you hit the back and the garbage falls into the container.  I do like that!!!!

Garbage cans that work -most of the time

One of my crazy deadlines today is the T-shirt quilt.  The e-mail from the customer with her choices of what to keep got lost in cyber space but I got it last night. Now the mad dash starts. I won't tell you when this quilt needs to be on a plane but lets just say that it is soon!!!!!

So this is what the "quilt" looked like this morning.

T-shirt quilt - all logos on the wall

And after a bit more slicing and dicing and ironing and cutting - it is starting to shape up nicely.

Progress on the T-shirt quilt

The quilt has to be on the long arm by tonight or first thing in the morning.  You think I will make it????   Thank god those squares are BIG!!!!!!

Well - I have to run to make my appointment with Sandy who is going to do a miracle on this giant quilt.  Don't worry - you will get to see it all once it is hanging in Houston.  The displays are going to be gorgeous.


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


Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!