Hubby and I decided to take a little jaunt up north for a few days. He is so good at finding quilt shops! We stopped at The Icehouse in Grayling but I didn’t buy a thing. The we stopped at QuiltBiz.com. As their name implies, they are an online shop but they also have a storefront. Here are my treasures:
The best part of Michigan has to be the Great Lakes.
And the rocks.
I wonder what we will discover today!
I have been researching some of the available systems for faster loading of quilts on my machine quilting frame. Some people love Red Snappers and some swear by Leader Grips. I have seen tutorials for Mondo Clips and magnets. I have not wanted to spend the $ because for every good review, there is one not so good. I saw one note somewhere using flexible plumbing tubing and rope light tracks. Friday evening we were driving by Home Depot and Stopped on a whim to see if you could even find rope light track. Wow! Under $4 for a 6′ length. $10 for a 20′ length of tubing. For a total of $22, I decided to try it.
It is hard to get a good pic of the track. The red strip is a self adhesive strip that I will leave on. My leaders already had a casing for the 3/8″ tubing.
I only bought enough for three rollers since I generally float my tops.
Once the tube is inserted into the casing, the track clamps the backing fabric to the leader. It is hard to describe but not hard to do.
So now I have a backing and batting loaded.
I guess I better get working on a top!
Until next time…
Spending the day bumming around with my hubby. He is great at finding quilt shops!
He knows the way to my heart!
Okay, today really IS Friday! And this is what went on the frame last.
I’ve had this top hanging around for a while because I couldn’t decide how to quilt it. I decided to do my random grid with occasional loops design. It requires turning the quilt after quilting all the lines one way.
I don’t measure anything or worry about straight lines. Here it is after the lines one way are complete.
And here it is after the second pass.
Here is the back. I hand dyed this piece a couple years ago.
And the front after binding.
And here is the added texture after washing.
I am linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict for “Can I get a Whoop Whoop?” for finally finishing this UFO!
Until next time…
ETA: Yes, I realized, sadly, that this is NOT Friday. Did I mention it had been a long week? LOL! At least I got a finish in and I even have stuff all ready to work on as soon as I get off work today. Then I can have Frame Friday tomorrow!
Here is my finish for the week, Quilt of Valor #14:
I still have to make a label and presentation case but the quilt itself is done. For some reason, I really don’t enjoy making the cases and usually wait until I have a couple quilts ready to ship before I make them.
Anyway, I am thankful that my God never quits working on me. I love this verse, especially in The Voice translation.
I am confident that the Creator, who has begun such a great work among you, will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting you until the day Jesus the Anointed, our liberating king, returns to redeem the world. Phil. 4:6
It has been a tough week at work and this encourages me.
Until next time…
Daughter #3 is a Communications/Fine Arts(Photography) major. She is currently taking a spring semester class. She and I went out early this morning to take a few pics for her class. The town I live in is not what it once was. It makes me sad to see the deterioration of the city. Amazingly, there is still beauty to be found there. Here are a few pics I took with my phone, a couple have Instagram filters added.
Clearly, I was quite taken with the shattered glass. So was dear daughter. It reminded me of the following picture that was originally shared on FaceBook by my church.
I believe this can happen in MY town.
I got up early to get this QOV quilted before work.
Here is my PSA: don’t wear pajama pants that are too long while quilting a pantograph barefoot. You may trip while doing the panto side shuffle and things can get ugly….in a hurry. Bad words could be said, stitches may need to be ripped….
In the end, it got done. Hope to bind it before work tomorrow.
Until next time…
Well, I had a successful shopping trip to find batiks for my dear MIL’s quilt.
The colors are not totally accurate but it gives you an idea. I washed and pressed it all too.
I also got the Take Five top together.
Tonight after dinner, I got the backing pieced and got it loaded on the frame. I had a nice catchup with a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time and my laundry done as well. All in all, not a bad day!
Until next time…
I got 30 of these blocks put together over the weekend for another QOV.
Once again, these are Take Five blocks that I cut with my studio cutter.
I will be making another Take Five quilt soon out of batiks for my dear MIL. She wants a king size! Remember when I said never again? LOL! Before I can get started, I have to actually buy fabric. My batik stash is pretty much nonexistent. So number one job for today is fabric shopping. Tough, I know…
I am also thinking how I might put these QOV swap blocks together. Still in the thinking stage.
I am linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday.
Until next time…
I finally got the borders added to this QOV and hope to quilt it this week. This will go to Gulf War vet who served in the Marines.
I also started piecing more Take Five blocks for another QOV. This will go to a home for homeless vets in the fall. The center is near Detroit and we will need 150 quilts to present to all the vets there to thank them for their service.
Now off to work!
