A cautionary tale

The weather is crazy here - well it's likely crazy where you live as well. Yesterday we were sweltering in heat and humidity and today it's cold. Ah - global warming! Either way, my studio is in the basement and it's almost always cold so I wear a sweater - always.

I love to get pictures of quilts that students from my classes have finished. I've got a couple to share with you today and some stuff that happened in my studio yesterday.

A while back, I taught a class on Elizabeth Hartman's Fancy Forest. Here are two quilts that got finished in that class. Janice and Trixie made the smaller version which is one fourth the size of the big one. Janice's is completely quilted and I love the fact that she added glasses to one of the foxes and one of the hedgehogs. Super cute!!

Janice's Fancy Forest

When I saw what Trixie was using for her background, I got super excited. The original quilt was done with a grey/neutral background and that's what I used for mine as well. But this bold green with the rust/oranges for the animals??? Well, that just pops. I LOVE IT!!!!  It's on Trixie's "to be quilted" pile.

Trixie's Fancy Forest

When I was looking through my phone last night, I realized that I had one more picture for the Farm Girl Vintage show n tell. I had taken it at Monday sewing. I've added it to yesterday's post, but for those of you who read yesterday's post yesterday, here it is.

Big and little block for Farm Girl Vintage

I managed to accomplish a lot yesterday. I'll share some of it today and you'll get to see the rest tomorrow. This workspace was empty when the morning started. But I needed to pull out the serger - more on that story tomorrow.

I had to finish piecing the quilt for the magazine which I did bright and early. Then it was on the long arm and it quickly got quilted. The quilt isn't that big. Tried one or the freebie patterns in the software and it very much suited that quilt. I'm getting the hang of that software (more on that tomorrow).  Then I had to pull out a sewing machine to stitch on the binding and that got done and the quilt got boxed up and it's on its way to the US.

I had that monster quilt to bind for a customer. Since I'm seeing her today, that had to be completed. 

Work table in the morning

Trust me, I'm grateful for my sewing space. It's very flexible and while I have my smaller sewing machine set up, sewing a binding on requires a special configuration. You can see in the picture below how that monster quilt is supported with that extra table.  That makes putting on the binding a super simple task. Otherwise, it wouldn't be pretty and then becomes a very physical job.

Sewing on the binding with an extra table for support

This is what the work tables look like this morning. I left the serger up as I might try something else since it's out.

Work tables are pretty clear at the moment

OK - so I lie. As soon as that big quilt was off and I had taken the picture, I put something else on the table. I've got a pretty wide open weekend and only one small quilt to quilt. It's a custom job, but still, I don't think it'll take too long. So my plan is to hit the studio and get some of those tasks on The Task Master DONE!!!!

And it might not be a bad idea to get some of this done. Chair on the left has quilts that need to be trimmed. Chair on the right - quilts that need to be bound! All of these are mine. Isn't that scary???

Quilts to trim and bind - a chair full of each

When we had Sit n Sew last weekend, I had to remove the projects that were on the design wall so Ronda could use it for her Elvis quilt. It was such a wide open space that I had to put something on it. I grabbed a stack of blocks for a quilt that I pieced YEARS ago and put them up. Each block requires a small frame around it, they need to be placed in some order although I don't think that will make a whole lot of difference and then to add the sashing - hmm - white or black? I could do a small white frame and then black or DARK BLUE sashing or the reverse. I need to experiment. But this is NOT on The Task Master list. And that's why I'm behind on what I'm supposed to be doing!!

Blocks from Pointless Wonder quilt

I've almost gone through all those stacks of paper for the shredding date today. Even if I don't get any more done, I'm happy with what I got done. I had a laugh at some of the papers that I found. Does anyone remember these??  A postal money order from 2005. Well - it's history now. 

A postal money order

Does anyone have any idea what this foot is used for???  Someone asked me on the weekend and I've no idea, but I'm thinking it's some kind of binding? ruffling? foot.

What is this foot used for???

I'm liking my new tea press even though I haven't had tea in almost a week. What's wrong with me? I used to CRAVE that tea from Tim's and to be honest, I don't even think about it anymore. I'm cured!!!  Only took 20 years to get addicted and get un-addicted. I mean, I would clean my car off in the middle of winter to go to Tim's for that tea. Now I'm OK if I don't even have one ALL DAY.

But this new tea press is amazing. When I made the iced tea, I put ice cubes in the container and 24 hours later, some of the ice was still there!!!!

Ice still remaining in the tea press after 24 hours

 So I mentioned that people send me pictures of their quilts and if you send me pictures and you give me permission, although I think if you send it to me, that's permission enough! Anyway, Trixie has a cautionary tale to tell. She was merrily cutting (with her rotary cutter) and had a slight accident with the tip of her finger. She sent me this picture. That's a pretty big bandage.

Oops - be careful with the rotary cutter

Then a couple of days after she sent me that picture, she sent me another without the bandage. YIKES - I think I screamed - well not quite, but I jumped. Yikes - I did NOT need to see that! I don't like looking at that stuff - thankfully there was no blood or I'd likely have been on the floor where Murphy would have come to my rescue by licking my face until I woke up! I'm sparing you the gruesome picture!

The bottom line - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep your rotary cutter CLOSED when you're not using it. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pay attention when you're cutting. Accidents happen - I get that, but if we can avoid them - that is good!!!

On that note, I'm out of here.

Have a super day!!!!!


Ciao!!!!