More Fun To Come!

Where the heck have I been?  Traveling that's where.  5500 Miles on van in three weeks.  Went to California to see granddaughter graduate from HS and visit.  Brought back my daughters longarm system.  The quilter is a VOYAGER 17 married to the HINTERBURG long frame.  This system has all the bells and whistles.  When my daughter moved she had the movers take the quilter apart and move it to storage.  I brought it home and will reassemble the system, get it going and put it to use.  I am still co-instructing a quilting class at the senior center, and plan to have the quilter available for the class members if they wish to quilt their work themselves.  To accomplish this, I am cleaning out my wood shop and will transform it into a quilting "workshop".

Veterans Quilt

Some veterans at our local senior center organized an effort to recognize all veterans by designing and making a quilt.  This quilt will be on display at the senior center.  Any veteran or anyone wishing to honor a veteran could have a square in the quilt.  A quilting class that I co-teach assembled and will finish this quilt.  Both myself, co-instructors, and the class proud to be involved in this project.

 

 

Chickens!

Returned from Florida!  Now must get motivated to get to work.  Still with the quilting group at the local senior center, and carving too.  Just not much lately.  Here's some photos of the neighbor girls chickens. 

The grave is for a "loyal" chicken who passed on.  Chickens name was HI.  Notice the Gnomes that are in mourning.....

Whittling For St. Patricks Day

I am usually in Florida for St. Patricks Day, so I try to have some whittled Leprechaun pins and such ready before I travel.  The pins make great little gifts to waitresses when we eat out.  They even work with bartenders; and I've been known to trade for beer....

Here's an array of projects that have made the trip in the past.

Summer Quilt Finally Getting Finished.

This "summer quilt" measures 90 inches by 90 inches.  It is made of 30's look fabric, with lots of white.  The binding is from the same 30's fabric as the quilt, and is almost half way done.  360 inches is a lot on hand work - for me.  But I do like the look of this quilt.  Reminds me of the old quilts that I grew up with.

Since I'm still helping teach a quilting class at the senior center, I have to make a quilt every now and then just to show the new ladies that I can.  Little story about this.  This just happened last week.  The class just enrolled a new member, and she was very suspicious of a male being able to sew and make a quilt.  In fact, I don't think she thought I could.  After I showed her how to assemble her squares so that the corners matched, and how to make up her binding and attach it she must have rethought her position.  I overheard her talking to herself as she sewed.  This is what I heard:  "I can't believe it! a man just showed me how to sew.  Wait till I tell Mary, she won't believe it either".

Beginners No More!

A few years ago we started a beginners quilting class at the local senior center.  We started with about 10 ladies.  They all had at one time or another used a sewing machine, but few had ever completed a quilt.  The group bonded immediately.  The two class instructors (myself and a very experienced quilter) lead the class the first year, and were supplemented with another experienced quilter after the first year.  Here are some random photos of some of the projects that the class is working on.  The "beginners" are still basically together, but as you can see, are no longer beginners.

Carving To Quilting

Am making the transition from pretty much full time wood carving to a bit of quilting.  Remodeled kitchen now needs some color coordinated place mats.  Been so long since I've used the Featherweight, that some gremlins got into it and messed up the thread tension.  Easy to fix on this machine.

The finished place mats will have 1 1/2 inch squares, and have a border of 2 inches; including the binding.  I plan to use a very thin batting plus a back, and machine quilt them with the Featherweight.  The colors and design were my wife's idea, but I go along with it.  I like the simple look.  I did not like it when I found out that I have to make eight of them.