Danish Scones

The quilt top is complete. The binding and backing have been chosen. All is in a separate package for the day when I get my quilting frame up.

This morning I had an epiphany on the way to work. My studio design was to include the quilting frame in the same room as the sewing machines. Now I am thinking that once I get everything out of the old sewing room and into the Studio I can set up the frame in the now empty sewing room and name it the quilting room. I can run a cable from the Dish transmitter in the Studio into the Quilting Room and set up a TV to watch my quilting and sewing programs. I will put the old DVD player in there and can watch all the movies that DH does not like.

What a mind bender!

Have a great day.

Firm Foundations with Jane Hall

I just had to sign up at Quilt University for this class. Unfortunately my usual procrastination means that lesson 4 is posted and I am just starting lesson 1. Last night I spend time on the first foundation in the class. I decided to make two identical ones at the same time. Twice I cut off the wrong piece of material and had to unsew and put fabric back on the seam.

Foundation Piecing is still a mystery to me but I find I am enjoying the learning experience. I am going to have to spend more time in my studio and less time in the living room.

Yes, my studio. It is no longer a family room. I have put up one of three book cases purchased just for the studio. I also have a desk to assemble that I will put my desktop computer on. I have a quilt designer table and a sewing machine table that has a drop area for my machine. I purchased a iron pad that is rectangular and have put it over my old sewing table. There is very little left in the family room that needs to be kept, filed, recycled or burned. I have so much shredded paper that I can start several fires in the fire place and keep warm.

My quilting frame will be going up shortly. I will be using one of my older machines for in place of a true short/mid/long arm machine. I need to start an escrow account for the mid arm machine of my dreams.

Have a great day.

Are you getting tired of Dutch Breakfast Club?

I finished squareing up the HST in red and sewed the final pinwheels together Sunday evening. The next challenge is to sew the sides to the newest pinwheels. After that is completed I will sew the dark HST and med light HST to the rectangles. Once that is completed I will sew the top, center and bottom strips into blocks. I believe that I have in excess of 25 blocks to sew. At a finished size that will be 40" by 40".

There are still additional fabric to sew more HST and rectangles. That will determine the size of the final project. A lap quilt needs 56 blocks to finish up a 56 by 64 lap quilt. I definitely have enough fabric for that. A standard / queen size quilt needs 192 blocks to finish up at 88 by 104. I think that the queen size is beyond my current stash. However, I bought the red and background fabrics within the last 8 weeks and it should sill be available at my LQS.

All depends on my desire for a new quilt in the master bedroom. Also, it would be the 2nd quilt on my new quilting frame. I have no intention of it being the first!

Have a great day

Studio accomplishments

I have cleared the one bookcase and moved it and a display case back to back between the office area and the hallway from the studio to the sliding glass door. I have started putting quilting magazines into the bookcase. It looks so empty, but when I bring all the magazines from my upstairs office down it will start to take shape.

I move my quilt design table into the official studio area last night. Currently it is being used as a laundry folding table and a sorting table for magazines. I will also start to sew blocks from my BOM club as well as my Breakfast Club.

I still have quite a large area of the family room to turn into the studio. But with the warmer weather it will be easier to work down stairs. I hope to have it all completed and the quilting frame erected in the studio by Mother's Day. What a present for myself and my quilting.

When I get it all finished I will take some pictures and post them here. I am just getting used to posting pictures and cannot wait until everything is set and I can show it off.

Have a great day

I have a quilting frame in my house

Friday the Hinterberg Original Machine Quilting Frame arrived in two separate boxes. I opened the small one and it contained the aprons for attaching the quilt to the frame.

I am debating on whether to finish the wood parts of the frame. There are three possibilities: leave it unfinished, use polyurethane to seal it or paste wax to protect it. I cannot decide. I think I will google it and see what other quilters have done.

During the weekend one of the bookcases was almost emptied. As soon as it is ready to move I will put it out of the way in the downstairs bathroom (temporarily). The area behind this bookcase needs in depth cleaning as it hasn't been moved for almost three years. After this is completed I will empty the other bookcase and put it at the foot of the stairs. I am not sure what I will store in it. Currently it is a combination of quilting stuff and books by some of my favorite authors. The authors can go upstairs in the bookcase with my other favorites and then I can decide what to put in it. I purchased two Sauder bookcases and a desk along with lamps when I first decided to turn the family room into a studio. I wonder if now is the time to pull out the bookcases and start using them? I think I need more work done in the room before I add any more furniture...including the quilt frame.

Have a great day

Family room to a Studio

My husband even complemented me on the progress in changing the family room into a sewing room. I have one large box of things to go through and then I can start to use the TV again. I have a goal of switching out two bookcases and then moving the couch to the north side of the room facing the front windows of the room and facing the TV.

I think I have decided where to put my quilting frame. It will be located on the east side of the sewing room so that I can see the fireplace and TV and look out the sliding glass door on the north side of the house.

One step at a time. I still have to change the east side of the family room before I can put the quilting frame together. I had planned on ordering it Saturday, but with one thing and another I had to put it off. I moved the money I had saved for the frame to my VISA so I can purchase it at any time. I am really excited about getting it.

Yesterday DH and I were talking about the studio and I mentioned that the next thing I want to purchase is the Weekender Mid-arm from Hinterberg. When he found out it was $1,699.00 he hit the roof. I think I will have saved enough to pay cash for it by November or December. It will be my Christmas present to myself.

Have a nice day.

Have not forgetten posting

Sorry about the length between posts. I have been doing a lot of knitting since mid December and the quilting fell by the way side.

You will never guess what I am getting. I am getting my quilting frame. I will buy one that can be used with a home sewing machine and if I ever get the money I will buy a mid or short arm machine.

This weekend DH and I will be making a space for the frame. Until that space is available I will not allow myself to order the frame. The money is tucked into a savings account specifically for the purchase.

Have a great weekend, Karen

Back to posting

I am recovering well from my surgery. I spent four days in the hospital and 10 days in a nursing home before coming home on December 22. I had additional medical problems that made it impossible to be discharged from the hospital directly home.

Quilting has not been an active part of the last five weeks. I am enrolled in a class at Quilt University called "Wheel of Mystery" and received my second lesson yesterday. I have chosen my fabric. I need to start cutting it and piecing.

DH gave me $50.00 as a Christmas gift towards the purchase of a quilting frame. I am looking at a Grace frame.

God bless you, Karen

Monday and Quilting

I had so much fun last night. I spent the entire evening going through quilting books that I had checked out from inter-library loan. Four dealt with longarm quilting. Two on purchasing a longarm machine and frame and two on how to set up your own quilting business. Having had three businesses of my own in the past I was checking up on the differences between them and quilting. Did you know that if you earn more than $400 per year in quilting services you have to include it in your income tax? I never knew that before. Also, if you want to charge off your expenses you have to set up a business and keep books and file a separate income tax for the business as well as your personal income tax. All information for me to file away for the future. I do know that I will not do any quilting for money until after I have retired from the insurance business. One job at a time is all I want in my life right now.

Along with the longarm quilting books I also looked at two that deal with fat quarters as the basis for quilts. They were very interesting and I may purchase these two books in the future. In the meantime I am getting most of my quilt patterns from my quilt magazine subscriptions, back issues of quilt magazines that I am purchasing from E-Bay and the Internet. There are so many free quilt designs on the Internet that I may never purchase another quilt book. Not!

I am super busy at work today, so will have to cut this short.

Have a nice day, Karen

EQ6 all weekend long -- almost

Friday evening was great! My employeer had Vince Gill and Amy Grant Gill come to the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio just for the employees and agents that were attending the August meetings. It was the first time that all employees and all the August meeting attendees were at a single function together.

Amy was really fantastic. She talked and sang and we got to know more about her as an individual as well as enjoying her songs. What a special lady. She was checking her oldest daughter into college on Friday morning, flew to Cincinnati just for us and was flying back to the college to finish the freshman processing.

Then Vince came on the stage. You just have to love the man. He projects this simple calm down home attitude and then belts out these songs that just go clear to your soul. I loved every minute of his singing and then Amy came out and sang back up to one of his songs as an encore.

This is a fantastic couple and I wish them the best in the years to come. We had quality entertainment for a non-stop hour and 45 minutes. My employeer is the best!

Saturday morning I started my EQ6 Sampler class from Quilt University dot com. What a wonderful class! I started and finished the assignments before lunch and had my homework posted on the gallery website at Q.U. before supper. I finished my EQ6 Mystery Quilt Lessons 1 through 3 and posted them on the EQ6 Mystery Yahoo Group Website. To say I am a little psyched is an understatement.

Sunday evening I got out my sewing machine and started sewing strips for my second baby quilt sized Trip Around the World. I will start taking pictures tonight and taking notes of the process as I go. I will post them here if anyone is interested, feel free!

I was wandering aroung the internet after I finished my EQ6ing and went out to the HGTV website for Alex Anderson's "Simply Quilts" videos. Guess what was up first. You will not believe it! Myrna Giesbrecht was her visitor and there were four episodes to watch including a walk through Alex's and Myrna's studios. How great for background on my own studio makeover! So many things are falling into place that I am truly blessed.

I actually attacked some of the chaos in my family room so that I can start on my studio. The crunch to get it finished before September 1 is off. My orthopaedic said I don't need knee replacement as soon as I thought. But the pressure is still on to get my own place to sew and just be calm by myself. Sewing in the living room is a nice way to spend time with DH. But, DH is sleeping most of the time in his easy chair. So much for togetherness.

Tonight is the Caregivers Support Group. I have missed the last two months. I better get my act together and attend tonight! Even if I don't think the meeting help I know that I will need them further down the line. It is called denial and it isn't just a river in Egypt!

I am really leaning towards getting that Grace machine quilting frame. I need more research and to talk to friends in Guild to get feedback. I am thinking and thinking about this. I will not leap before I really can justify the expense!

Have a nice day, Karen