longarm quilting · machine quilting · quilting · quilts

Finished One Today! (if you leave comments, please read the edit on this post)


(Edited to add this note: I noticed that a couple of the comments I received were not showing up under the post.  Where were they?  I found them posted underneath different pictures.  Apparently, with this new gallery option, if you click on a pic, a comment box comes up, too.  If you comment there, your comment will be attached underneath the pic, and not the main post.  So, if you have left me a comment, and you aren’t seeing it under the post, you might have left it under a picture. )

This is the Garden Twist I started working on last month, for my friend Betty.  Betty made this a few years ago, and her mother hand-quilted it, in the ditch, for her.  She wanted me to see if I could add some more quilting to it, with my longarm.  It went really well, except for the borders.  I couldn’t quilt them without puckers, unless she removed the binding, which she opted to do.  So, I got it reloaded and finished up today.  It turned out pretty good, I think, considering there was quite a bit of fullness here and there, that really had nowhere to go.  She is very happy with it, so I am, too!

longarm quilting · machine quilting · quilt top · quilting · quilts · stash busting

Happy Easter Sunday!


I haven’t busted any stash this week.  I must confess that last Sunday, after I posted my weekly report, I ordered three BOLTS of fabric.  Hey, it was on sale!  $2.50 a yard for two of them, $2.75 for one.  One is a beautiful Hoffman print, one is Robyn Randolph, and I don’t remember what the other was.  I ordered them mostly for quilt backings.  I haven’t rec’d my order yet, but when I do, I will post a pic.  I ordered them from http://www.fabric4less.com/, after receiving not one, but two emails tempting me with their big sale. 

I did my weigh-in this morning.  Last week I was 145, and today I was 144.  I really don’t know how that happened, as I have yet to get back to exercising.  Maybe just because I’ve been so darn busy. 

I have made lots more progress on the quilt I’m quilting.  I leave you today with some more pics of it.

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longarm quilting · machine quilting · quilting · quilts

“Good Friday” Morning To You


I love Easter.  It’s one of my favorite holidays.  I love having today off of work, too! However, I’m off to a slow start this morning because, of course, I woke up with a frickin’ headache.  Blleck! How aggravating.  After Aleve, Imitrex & two cups of coffee, I’m starting to feel better.  And guess what I’m going to do…something I pretty much NEVER get to do…I’m going to quilt in my pajamas! It’s almost 10:30 and I still have them on…

I started working on that king size custom job last night, and sew far, sew good…knock on wood! I have the top border done…my first time doing a beadboard border…and it looks awesome!  Yippee!  I still need to do some more, ok lots more SID, but I just had to get that first border behind me.  I also tested out my quilting plan in two of the blocks, and I like it!  It’s going so smoothly, it’s scary…surely something is going to go wrong before I’m done.  I will post some pics after I have progressed farther.

In the meantime, if you want to see some BEAUTIFUL quilting, go visit my friend Michele, and see what she has been up to…she has been one of my inspirations pretty much from the beginning of my longarm journey. 

longarm quilting · machine quilting · quilt top · quilting · quilts

Tuesday Tidbits


My customer came for her Cutie Patootie’d quilt today.  She loved it.  She is the cutest thing…84 yrs. young.  She has the sweetest attitude.  I’m glad quilting gave me the opportunity to cross paths with her.  She also brought a quilt top to show me, to see if I could do anything with it.  The top is 60 yrs. old, and it’s in great condition.  She made it herself.  I think she is a master seamstress.  What little bit I got to look at it, it looks to be perfectly pieced.  It’s hard to describe, but it’s a pretty yellow cotton border, that she already has scalloped, and the same yellow setting blocks, on point, alternated with white squares with the state flowers handpainted on them.  It would be gorgeous quilted up.  I do hope she brings it back to me.  I really want to quilt this one.  She had already marked it for hand quilting, and is going to try to get the pencil marks out.  She said it might be middle of next month before I hear back from her.  I’m pretty well booked til then, anyway.  I can’t say why, but I just liked this lady instantly.  I do hope I hear from her again, and that I get to quilt this one for her.  It would be a shame for it not to be finished. 

I have the back of the king custom loaded up, but I haven’t gotten any further than that, other than planning my course of action in my head.  Maybe I will get started on the actual quilting tomorrow.  Maybe….

longarm quilting · machine quilting · NASCAR · quilt top · quilting · quilts · stash busting · weight

Still Busy as a Bee


Sorry you haven’t had much new to read here lately.  I’m spending most of my spare time getting my customer tops quilted.  I finished up both OSU lap quilts, and yesterday, I finished up what felt like 100 miles of Cutie Patootie panto.  It is a cutie, but boy was I tired of it by the time I got this one off the machine.  107″ long, 80 something wide.  I was Patootie’d out.  This is a printed panel top.  I must say, the quilting totally changed the look of it.  I think my customer will like it.

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I really like the way it looks on the back.

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I loaded it with the 107″ length going the length of the table.  I thought I would be able to make a whole pass on one bobbin.  Wrong reindeer!  I wanted the stops & starts to look really good on the back, so I took the extra time to tie off & bury. 

Today, I am working on my log cabin blocks, for the commissioned quilt I’m doing.  Of course, I’m watching the NASCAR race at Bristol while I’m doing that. 

The next project on the longarm will be to finish the borders on my friend’s quilt, if she has her binding removed.  If not, and it’s going to be a while, I will go ahead and load the king size custom top I have waiting.  I don’t have it scheduled to start til next weekend, so if I can get those borders done first, that would be great.  I’m looking forward to getting started on that king, though.  I think I’m going to enjoy working on it.

Sunday weigh in is back.  What was I last time…144, I think.  Well, I was pleasantly surprised today.  I have not been keeping up with the diet & exercise very well, for at least two weeks.  I figured I had gained at least 3 lbs. back, and was happy to see it was only 1!  I was 145 today.  I must get back on track with this.  Hopefully, I will do better this week.  I’ve had some comments from others that no way would they post it publicly.  I find that doing so really helps me to stay on track.  I feel more accountable.  And knowing all y’all know encourages me even more to not want to fail. 

I hope everyone had a great National Quilting Day yesterday.  I better get back to sewing.  The sooner I get done with these projects, the sooner I can get back to working on my own projects, and making progress with my stash busting!

Oh darn! Bobby Labonte just got caught up in someone else’s wreck.  Crap!

longarm quilting · machine quilting · quilting · quilts

I Have Been So Busy


It’s been a whole week since I last blogged.  But between day job work and the quilting work that has suddenly come in, I haven’t had time to blog.  I haven’t touched any of my personal projects since my last report. I finished quilting the interior of the quilt I previously blogged about, my friend’s quilt that was already hand quilted with SID.  I also finished frogging the one border I attempted to quilt.  My friend is so happy with the quilting, she has decided she will remove the binding, so I can quilt the borders.  I will take pics of it when it’s completely finished. 

I quilted this lap quilt yesterday, and have another almost identical to it, loaded up on the machine. This is one that was pieced by my customer’s 83 yr old father.  She is going to finish them up and give them as gifts, to other family members.  The quilts certainly have some “issues”, but the end result is pretty good.  I quilted it with Dave Hudson panto that has cowboy boots & hats, since Oklahoma State University is the “Cowboys”. 

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I also started working on a commissioned full-size log cabin.  I began piecing those blocks today, while I’m watching the NASCAR race.  Then I have a queen panto, and a king custom job lined up.  So if you don’t hear much out of me for a little bit, that’s why. 

Oh, and since it’s my birthday today, my gift to me is that I’m skipping this week’s Sunday weigh in…lol.  Partly because in addition to all the eating on my annivesary, then birthday festivities, I found these at Walmart Friday.

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I love regular Whoppers, but don’t eat them much, due to too much chocolate sometimes triggering a migraine for me.  These stawberry ones ain’t bad! I’m likin’ ’em! 

longarm quilting · machine quilting · Mark Lipinski · quilting · quilts · weight

Sunday Report


I’m still piecing my 9P & Stripe quilts.  Just the two bottom rows to add.  I am this far along on both of them:

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If I manage to finish these two quilts this year, they will take a lot of yardage from my stash. 🙂

I got a call for another commissioned quilt this week.  It will be a graduation gift, so as soon as the fabric for that gets delivered to me, it will become priority one, as it needs to be finished before the end of May.  It won’t be my favorite colors to work on, as it’s for a boy headed to Oklahoma State University, so it’s black & orange.  This one will only be full size, so hopefully it won’t take me too long.  I enjoy doing the commissioned quilts, as usually these are for people, who while they appreciate quilts, don’t have any idea how to make one.  Therefore, when you are finished, and deliver the completed quilt, they are so thrilled.  That’s fun.  I like that.  I will do the standard simple log cabin, so I can get it done in time.  For those wondering, as I usually get some emails asking, for a simple pattern such as log cabin, or rail fence, I charge 7 cents per square inch, for the constuction of the quilt.  That does not include fabric, batting, or thread.  More complicated patterns, or more complicated custom quilting, would increase the price accordingly. 

This is the quilting in progress, of the customer quilt I mentioned yesterday.  The quilt was completely finished, with stitch in the ditch hand quilting.  After machine quilting another quilt for customer, she decided she would like me to try to add some quilting to this one.  I knew it would have some challenges, but except for problems with the borders, I think it’s coming along nicely. 

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I’m concerned about some excess fabric in the back in a few spots, but so far it’s looking pretty good on the back, I think.

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The only big problem I’m having is with the borders.  I may have to just leave them be, as there is too much excess fabric, as you can see on the right side of this pic. 

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Since it is already bound, there is no where for the excess to go.  I already tried to lightly quilt one, and ended up with a big pucker.  So, I will be frogging that when I get done with the rest.  I will probably also leave the sashings alone.  After I get done, I will show it to my customer, and see if she wants to leave them, or remove the binding.  My customer happens to be the friend that brought the pics of mybaby to me week before last.  I think she’s really going to like what I have done, so far.

The weigh-in wasn’t so bad afterall.  I didn’t lose any, but I didn’t gain, either.  So for now, I’m holding steady at 144.  There are still cookies in the house, though!

I read my first issue of Quilter’s Home.  I really enjoyed it, and will be looking forward to the next issue.  No, I’m not just saying that because Mark said nice things about my quilting on that vintage top I posted previously.  😉   I really did like it! 

daily life · longarm quilting · machine quilting · quilt top · quilting · quilts · sewing · weight

An Older UFO


Here’s one I really should finish.  I love this little quilt.  It’s a New York Beauty pattern that was in a Fons & Porter issue.  I had so much fun piecing and quilting this one, that I really would like to find time to do another.  Especially since I have my A-1 Elite now.  I quilted this one back when I still had my Gammill Premier, with no stitch regulator.  I need to add a sleeve for hanging, and bind it.  BUT, I keep wavering back and forth on whether or not to add more bling bling to it.  What do you think?  I really didn’t want to overdo with the crystals, and some days I think it’s fine like it is, and then somedays, like today, I think that it looks unfinished.  Since I added crystals to each point in the center medallion, should I add them to each of the points of the rest of the fans?  I’d love to hear your opinions.

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My baby quilt customer came for her quilt Tuesday, and loved it.  She had also brought another baby quilt, that has a great story.  It was a blue, pink, & white flannel quilt.  I forgot to take a pic of it.  It was pieced by her 83 yr. old father.  The blue fabric had white hearts, so I quilted it with an all over heart pattern, and she loved it, too.  She left me a couple lap quilts made by her dad, and said she has more at home.  The little baby quilt had a few issues, but it quilted up just great.  I had to take one tuck in one border, to deal with a bit of extra fabric, but I just thought how wonderful that this baby will have a quilt pieced by it’s great grandFATHER.  It’s a privilege to get to quilt those! And it’s such a great feeling when your customer comes to get their quilts and they are so happy with them.  She’s a beginning quilter and she was thrilled with them.  Seeing the customer’s happy face is as much fun as getting paid for quilting  🙂  

I got off work a little early this afternoon, and am making some piecing progress on my 9P quilts.  I won’t get much done this Saturday, as I will be on the golf course following my son around at his tournament.  Yep, DH & I will be spending our 11th anniversary together in a golf cart.  Sure hope my son plays better this tournament than he has the last two.  That would be a great anniversary prezzie, to see him have a good day. 

One of my readers asked me to say something in my blog about how I photograph my quilts, to get the quilting to show so well.  Well, I’m certainly no photography expert, but here’s what I do…I plop them down where I have the best natural light coming in, at the time.  Such as the living room floor in front of our glass door & windows.  Or on my bed, with the light coming in from the side window.  I really need to get a photo stand so I can hang the larger ones.  Really, good sidelighting seems to show the quilting the best.  I don’t use the flash, except to get a good pic of the colors, sometimes.

Another reader asked me to share how I’m losing my weight.  I’m faithfully exercising no LESS than three times a week, trying hard to exercise four or five days.  I’m either walking on my Treadclimber at home, or in the mornings, I go in to work a bit early, and walk “laps” at the courthouse.  My office is on the third floor, so as I do the laps, I go down one stairwell, to the first floor, and up the stairwell at the opposite end of the courthouse, back up to the third floor.  I try to do at least 10 of those laps.  The stairs do wonders for your lower body  😉   Also, I’m paying more attention to what is going in my mouth, and why.  Am I really hungry? Also, how much I’m eating.  I pay more attention to fat grams, than anything else.  And that’s pretty much it.

I went for my massage therapy yesterday, and my chiropractic adjustment.  My massage therapist and chiropractor are in the same building, and family.  Between the two of them, my shoulder is feeling pretty darn good today.  The massage was especially wonderful. 

I’m going to get back to piecing, so I can have something else to post about!

Blogroll · food · longarm quilting · machine quilting · Mark Lipinski · quilt top · quilting · quilts

A Heart Full of Gratitude


Wow, what a week! I think I have said “thank you” more times this last three days than I have the last three months.  And I’m going to say it some more.  I have been so touched by all the comments regarding the quilt in my previous post.  Truly, I’m a little overwhelmed.  I was already thrilled with the responses from you, my regular readers, who for whatever reasons keep coming back to visit me here.  Many of you have been with me on different online message boards for longarm quilters since my longarm journey began.  You guys know that I’m that quilter that doubts myself all the time.  I’m used to being the one doing the drooling over someone else’s gorgeous quilting.  You guys have been the best cheerleaders, teachers, and encouragers, and you have no idea how much your friendships mean to me, and how much I enjoy “knowing” you.  I can’t wait to get to meet some of you in person, and give you all a great big hug.  And I have to give credit where credit is due.  You guys are my inspiration.  And those wonderful teachers among you, whose DVD’s and videos I have purchased, and watched over and over, thank you for putting such great teaching products out there.  For the feathers I used on this particular quilt, I have to credit Renae Haddadin, Sharon Schamber, & Sherry Rogers-Harrison, whose book I have.  Also, Jamie Wallen for the inspiration for the feather motif in the very center of the quilt.

Mark Lipinski, you really have no idea how surprised I was when I discovered you had tagged me in your blog.  Or how much I appreciated what you said about my quilting.  I have to thank you for my two biggest blog visitor days EVER! Truly, I felt very honored that you chose to highlight me in your blog.  My husband told me I better quit reading it or I was going to get a migraine from my head swelling 🙂  I found your blog right after you started it, I believe with your very first post.  As soon as I read it, I immediately added you to my blogroll, and have been faithfully reading it ever since.  You are one of my regular stops in blog land.  Now I’m gonna have to get a subscription to your mag. 🙂   Seriously, thank you.

I had another wonderful surprise this morning, from Carla B.  Check out this awesome cartoon she made! She made a “Pickle Award”.  I think it’s FABULOUS!  What do you think, Mark?  I printed it out and will have to find a spot in my quilting room where I can always enjoy it.

And if all the above were not enough, I was suprised by another act of kindess this week.  When I got to work Thursday morning, I found an envelope of old pictures laying on my desk.  A friend had been by and dropped them off while I was out sick Wednesday afternoon.  At first, I was trying to figure out who these kids were, and why did someone leave pictures of them on my desk?  Then it dawned on me…OMG! That is ME, and MY BABY! Do I look like a boy or what?

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Isn’t he a doll?

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These were taken 16 years ago next month, at my friend’s house.  She found them when cleaning out her cedar chest, and thought I should have them.  There were a few more, but I won’t bore you with all of them.

Check out this super cool baby quilt I had the privilege of quilting for a customer yesterday.  I love the fabrics she used.  What a great nursery this babe is going to have.

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Something new (to me) that I discovered this week, is this yummy fruit.  It’s a pummelo.  I liked it!

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Thanks to my friend Diane, who called me last night to make sure I didn’t miss my favorite NASCAR driver, Bobby Labonte, on Trackside last night. 

I really have been flying high the last couple days, and I think I have more than used up my 15 minutes of blog fame,  so one more time, THANK YOU!!

chickens · family · longarm quilting · machine quilting · quilting · quilts · vintage tops

Vintage Quilt Pics & New Chickens


First, the quilt, since this blog is mainly about quilting.

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Now, my new chicken! Isn’t she adorable? 🙂  I found her in a local shop, in the 70% off stuff.  She cost me thirteen dollars and some change, after tax.  Originally, she was $42.99.  She’s big & heavy.  Some kind of pottery, not resin.  I had to bring her home.

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And I meant to blog about this chicken two or three weeks ago.  My friend’s mother came to visit her, and brought this for her to give to me.  She was helping work and estate sale, found this, and thought I needed to have it.  What a nice surprise.

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I should be at work right now.  I went this morning, and shortly after I got there, I got really sick at my stomach. Hope it’s just a 24 hr. thing.  My son is now sick with that upper respiratory flu that’s going around.  And of course, he has a golf tournament this weekend.  After a big “family meeting” Monday night, things are much better with us.  He seems to be understanding the reasons for the rules we were disagreeing over, and that for now, at his age, the rules stand.  I got a note from him yesterday, laying on a plate of fresh baked brownies, that said “I’m sorry. I love you.”