Check and check!

Things are going awesome! I'm checking off the quilts that need to be quilted and soon - the list will be finished if everything goes as planned.  I'm now down to FIVE quilts in eight days. I'm feeling so good that I'm tempted to add in two more quilts. If I have time, I will. One is mine and one is for a customer - a small one that just popped into my hands last week. Two of the five still need to be pieced (or finished piecing) as both are cut out and one is partially sewn together. Neither one is huge so it's all doable. Let's not forget that I need to take two days out of that loop to write blog posts!

This is one of my quilts that I quilted yesterday. It's for a beginner class.

My quilt - DONE!!!

 This morning, I thought I had better have a better look at that backing for the customer quilt. I cleared off the tables and laid out the backing.  This side looks pretty good.

Nice straight edge

But oh boy - have a look at the other end. I'm not sure what the heck happened here - this is pretty darn wonky!!!

The backing is very WONKY!!!

 When I laid the quilt top on the backing, the backing is short by a small amount. Drat - I can't "stretch" that backing. Anyway, as you can see - there is a little bit of extra on the length, so I hacked that off and resewed it to the side and now the backing is ready to be loaded onto the long arm.

Just a wee bit too small

 But, that wasn't the next one in the queue.  I have loaded another one this morning - at least the backing. It's the biggest one that is left. Might as well start with the biggest and go to the smallest since there is no rush for the remainder of the quilts that have to be done. I mean no rush except to get them done before the long arm goes away.

This customer always leaves me to iron the backings which I'm OK with. I charge her for the work and we're good.  But I think there were a few issues when this backing got sewn together.  See how the blues are not the same length.  Flannel is stretchy and I think one side stretched more than the other. I've loaded it and it seems to be OK and "hopefully" the wrinkles will work themselves out while I quilt the quilt.  Yes - the side is not that even - look at that purple, but this gets loaded on the side and I can live with that.

The backing is a bit off, but it will work

I see that I'm going to have to do a tutorial on preparing quilt backings - didn't I do that already?  It just saves money for the customer if they prep it properly and the end result is better. Or I do it and charge.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I also finished piecing one other quilt yesterday. It got quilted and it's ready to be trimmed and have the binding put on later today.  That one is going to a magazine so you can't see it. But it's a small one and super cute!!!


I had ordered more foam bases for the next tuffet class. I ordered 27 of them and yesterday I had to go and pick them up. I was a tad worried that 27 would not fit in the car.  But they did - just although I could probably have put about 5 in the passenger seat. That's good to know, except I hope this is the LAST order of tuffets for me!

A car full of foam!

Not all of the foam bases are for me. I hope to deliver some of them tonight. I have to cut some upholstery batting to go with the tuffet forms.  Remember my big "roll of toilet paper" that is a huge roll of upholstery batting? It's been tucked in a corner near the long arm.

The big roll of upholstery batting

 I've got it laid out on the work tables and will cut what is required for the 10 bases that are being delivered. I'm not going to cut the ones needed for my class yet. I don't really have time at the moment. But after the machine goes, I'll be focusing on prepping that class.

Ready to cut the batting

 And on top of all that, I managed to get block nine of the pixelated apple quilt done! Block nine - isn't that super exciting?   I'm thrilled and just kicking myself that I didn't think of taking this project to Monday before.

Nine blocks completed on the pixelated apple quilt

 That leaves seven full blocks and four half blocks.  Block 10 is laid out and I've started to work on it. I had to cut a few more reds.  I don't want to cut too many, but I still want some variety. I think I'm going to have to cut a few more for the next block and hopefully use the leftovers to finish on the last block in that row.

Block 10

Now here's a mystery. You know that I've had my fair share of technical problems over the years. Since I moved everything to the desktop computer, there have been fewer issues. Actually, there haven't been any issues other than I don't like the keyboard. So can anyone tell me why the printer is offline?  Sometimes I can print and sometimes I can't. Now, don't get me wrong - I know how to go into the printer settings and switch it from online to offline. I KNOW THAT so don't e-mail me to tell me that. The setting is OFF meaning that the printer is supposed to be ONLINE. But it isn't and it's driving me nuts because I need to print a template and I need to verify the size. So if you know of another trick, let me know. Oh yes - I did reboot the computer this morning. That didn't help.

Time to call the Geek Squad or HP to see what the problem is. Actually, this is a problem that I've had forever and sometimes the printer goes back online by itself.  The printer sits in DHs office and he says he never has issues. I wonder if the issue is somehow related to the internet connection?  I'm connected to the internet.  Oh boy - a mystery that I wish I could solve!

Anyway, on that note, it's time to get to work.

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!