EDUARD GETS NEW HOME

 Unfortunately, I had to let my A-1, Eduard, go.  I've purchased a new Bernina Q24 and I needed to sell Eduard.  I placed an ad on Longarm University and was contacted the next day by someone in Snohomish that wanted to come check him out.

I think he has found a very good home with the people that bought him.

They came today and tried him out, paid me cash, disassembled him, packed him up and drove away with him hanging a bit out the back of their covered pickup bed.

Good luck to you Eduard!  I'll miss you!  You were a good friend.

ON THE LA

 I got the Rhythm in Blues quilt top loaded onto the longarm.  It took at least an hour to get everything lined up and straight.

Then I stitched some straight lines in the white outside.

This is going to be very challenging to quilt.

ON A BREAK

 I took a break from working on the Rhythm in Blues quilt and started in on the next Nebula block, number 9.

I also did a little more quilting on the Equinox quilt.  

Jelly kept an eye out for the UPS driver and the cats in the yard.

SHATTERED ON LONGARM

 After I finished the Equinox top, I moved right into loading another quilt on the longarm.  Next up is the Shattered quilt.  The back was ready to go, but I needed to piece together some batting.  This quilt is 48" by 64".  I had 60" x 60", and then they jump up to Double 72" x 93".  So I pieced some scraps together.

I'm stitching in the ditch around the plain boxes (on point), then I'm having Eduard quilt a simple pattern in each box.

TABLERUNNER ON THE LA

 I got the backing made, the batting frankensteined and got the tablerunner loaded onto the longarm machine. 

I got a little quilting done.  The poor thing has ruffled borders and isn't the greatest of square.

I had to stop early because I had a zoom meeting with Sew Modern Connection.  While listening to them talk I got the binding made and put on Suspended - it's really done now.

Then I started making improv triangles using fabrics from the scrap bin.  These are for the March instructions of the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild's BOM for this year.  I haven't been really invested in it yet, but there wasn't much else to do.

FINALLY QUILTED

I've had the Suspended quilt on my longarm for a while now.  I've not been enjoying quilting on it - I've had difficulties coming up with designs that I think I can execute correctly.  So, I've been hesitant to do anything.  And it's been holding up a lot of things I'd like to do. 

So, I finally just forced myself to go do something on it and get it moving or get it off the machine.  I wanted to finish the waves I've been putting on before I took it off so I started there.  I came to the conclusion that this is not a show quilt so just get it done and get it off.

I attacked the difficult part of the curves and that went not too badly so I continued on and got the whole thing finished.  It's not pretty and there are a few places that are too sparse, but like I said, it's not a show quilt.  Just get it done!

So I did.  It's off the machine - hallelujah!! 

I also got some work done on the Equinox quilt. I got the needed Kona Everglade fabric from Pacific Fabrics in Sodo - that was the first time I've been to a quilt shop in a looooong time.   I ordered it online then ran down and picked it up.  It was great.   But I'm still waiting on a fabric shipment from Missouri Quilt Company.  The Fedex shipment has been on the road for nine days now with no delivery date expected.  I hate that!  I want my fabric!

BINDING ON OPENING NIGHT

 I sewed the binding onto Opening Night while Eduard quilted on the Floating Squares quilt.

Got them both done!

I gotta say, putting binding on a 90" by 90" quilt is a pain!  I really don't want to do that anymore.  

DOUBLE DOWN

 This morning was another wonderful zoom workshop with Joe Cunningham.  I finished up that last seam on my Shattered blocks from the other day first.

While I watched I finished another set of nine Shattered blocks.  

It had started snowing last night and it never stopped.  There's 10 to 12" of snow on the ground now.  The dogs don't like it.  But, we are staying warm and dry up here in the studio.

After Joe's workshop I started quilting on Opening Night.  I did the big setting triangles with a computerized 'feathers' design.  

MORE FMQ

 Been working on the Improv Daisy free-motion quilting.  Every part is getting a different quilting design and threads to match.    I'm actually enjoying this.  

DAISY ON THE LONGARM

 I loaded up the backing and batting for the Improv Daisy, then rolled the top onto it's bar.  It wasn't happy trying to be straight, flat and square - mainly because its not!

I've got it all ready to go, now I just have to work up the courage and confidence to just do it.

DONE WITH URSUS

 I finished up the quilting on Ursus Abstinere, the bear paw quilt today.  It turned out great.

MORE QUILTING

 I got a little bit more quilting done on the Ursus quilt.

I used a simple computerized pattern in the setting triangles and am just stitching in the ditch around the bear paws.  I'm still contemplating whether to put something in the sashing.

Slow going...

FOUND QUILTS

 I took down a storage box from a closet that has been there, unopened, since we moved into this house.  Inside are unfinished quilt tops.  It was a treasure trove of things I had forgotten about.

This quilt uses William Morris print fabrics in muted purple, silver and greys with metallic.

A needle-turned hand appliqued folkart quilt from a pattern.  It uses mostly plaids and and some flannels.  The border is a cotton print.  The pattern is by Jan Patek and Alma Allen called Millennium Garden.

The photo doesn't do this justice - it's a deep rich burgundy with tan, and black with gold metallics.  What's very interesting is the variety of fabrics.  There is that border print, African fabrics, a novelty print, some Smithsonian fabric and even a Debbie Mumm fabric.  

This last one, named 'Ursus Abstinere' also had a backing made with a label.  It says made in July of 2001.  

I loaded Ursus onto my longarm, Eduard, and started quilting it.  I love it!

MORE THREAD ISSUES

 Okay, so I was using the bobbin thread to finish off the top and used a 40wt grey Aurifil on the back for the quilting on my Covid quilt.

I almost made it all the way, but one and half passes from the bottom I ran out of thread again! 

So, here's where I ran out of thread again - just one more row to go!

So, I just used that grey Aurifil for the last of the quilting and called it a day.  It actually matches pretty good.  The thread is a bit small in diameter, but I doubt if anyone will notice. 

So, it's done and off the longarm machine.

SCREECHED TO A STOP

 I thought I could finish the quilting on the Covid quilt today - and I could have - if I hadn't run out of thread!

I had loaded up three more bobbins, because I went through three bobbins on the first half.  So, I was down to the last few rows when :screeeeech: I ran out of thread on the top.  

As I was pulling out some of the stitches so I could knot them off and bury them I was thinking about how to proceed.  I figured I'd call the store where I'd bought this thread a long time ago and see if they had another spool.  That would mean I'd have to drive to Southcenter to buy it.  I don't like driving and I don't like taking time out of the day to go get something like that - it seems like such a waste.  And, I'd have another giant spool of thread I'll not be likely to use again.

Then!  it occurred to me that I could use the thread in the bobbin and use a similar thread that I had on the backing.  So, tomorrow, that's what I'll do!  Today I'm going to zoom and watch a Patricia and Joe chat and then a Brave Patch sew-in.

LOADED COVID ON LONGARM

 I finished the backing for the Covid quilt this morning.

Then, I got it loaded onto my longarm, Eduard and the fun began.  I'm quilting horizontal lines all across and down it.  They are about 1/4" to 1/2" apart.  What was I thinking?  I'm using King Tut 40 wt. thread and I'm going through a lot of it.

I got about half way done today.

QUILTED YUKI

 I got my order of Hobbs Tuscany Cotton/Wool blend batting.  I thought I'd try it out, it sounds interesting.  I set up the Yuki quilt on my longarm and quilted a pantograph.  It didn't take long. I was done before lunch.  But, it did take longer than it should have.  My machine kept losing it's mind and not understanding where it should be when I'd roll the quilt.  It did it three times.  I had to shut everything off and clear it then restart and reset it up.  Luckily, I had picked an easy panto that didn't need a lot of tweaking.  It's called Ginger Snap.

STILL LIFE - G

 In the morning I quilted the Pegasus quilt.  It's small and I helped the computer do it.  It didn't take long.

After lunch, I finished up the G Still Life.  I really like this one.

FINISHED QUILTING RIBBONS

 I told D this morning that come hell or high water I was going to finish the quilting on my Ribbons quilt.  And I did.  Yoohoo!

I still have to bury some threads and bind it.

SUNDAY

 I worked a bit on quilting Ribbons.

I finished the backing for the Pegasus quilt, one from Joe's Quilt Freedom Workshop.   I love it.  Still need to put a label on it.

And, to top off the day, I made another silly doodle sketch with watercolor.