On a roll....

Finally - I got my act together.....the quilt from !@#$ is done!  None too soon and with Mary's help the binding went on so I could finish the hand sewing.......

This was my customer's first quilt and she had the top done in time for the arrival of her little bundle of joy but was having trouble with the quilting.  Looks okay from the front and it's exactly what she wanted done so I'm pleased too.....

 Front of quilt

However, the back of the quilt is not what I would have wanted.  The sheet was impossible to keep from shifting.  I admit it is very soft but very difficult to work with.......

 Back of quilt - not nearly as smooth as I would have liked it.

Once that was done I moved on to my next quilting priority - 5 months of 9 patch exchange blocks!  I had an amazing assembly line going and it worked out great.  Sew 2 strips together - press - sew 3rd strip on - press - cut - sew set 1 to set 2 - press - sew sets to 3rd set - press and done!  Finished last night about 9 P.M..  

 5 months of 9 patches - 200 x 9 patches

I am so pleased that this is done!  I wish I had done this at the beginning, well actually I did, but I didn't keep going.  I can tell you that I will not be joining any more exchanges in the future.  I joined this one to make up the 10th person in a group but, in all honesty I have so many other things to do that I really find it difficult to meet these kinds of deadlines.  I was not the only one however, life happens and sometimes other things take priority.....but this is definitely a load off for me.  All of the fabrics I used came from my personal stash too!!!!  That part was nice since I don't often get a chance to dip into my own stash.

Now on to my next project - it's finishing the Urban 9 Patch for a class/store sample.  I am looking forward to getting back to doing that neat curve piecing.....

Urban 9 Patch

I also have to start working on that gorgeous Block of the Month - Amish With A Twist.  If you haven't signed up for it yet - what are you waiting for?  It's gorgeous!  I can't wait to have it done.

I actually thought that I would get started last night when I got home but I was wiped by the time I got home and didn't want to mess it up.....so then I thought I would work on my next "set" of projects today but alas, too tired!  Did get a bit of reading done and plenty of sleep - which I needed (see I said it before you did!) but again, I am disappointed that I got nothing done today!

I am looking forward to my upcoming personal retreat - the store closes Thursday March 28th at 6:00 P.M. and doesn't open again until Tuesday April 2.  4 days of rest and relaxation and nothing relaxes me more than quilting!!!!  I am so looking forward to it - might even get the laundry done and the house cleaned too!  (Secondary priorities of course!).

Hope you all have a fabulous Easter too!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann 

More, more, more.....

As I mentioned on Thursday, I needed to stitch.  It is where I go mentally when I need to think or not think, depending on the project.  It relaxes me when I have mindless stitching  to do and it fills my mind when I have to think about what I am doing....either way, it's great therapy.

I went home Thursday night and decided to "skip" that hard block I was having trouble with and move on to something I could enjoy.  Block #48 - Homeward Bound, is done.

Block 48 - Homeward Bound

I feel this great sense of accomplishment every time another block goes into the book completed.  I can't believe I let this project sit idle for so long - I'm enjoying it immensely.  I believe I dropped the ball in 2011, although I did do a lot of cutting back then and am reaping the rewards of that work by just sitting down to stitch the blocks that have already been cut.  Once I started chemo-therapy I develop neuropathy in my hands and feet and was unable to feel my fingers for quite some time.  My fingers are now much better and I believe my feet are also improving but it has been a long road.  At the rate I am stitching I will have to soon start cutting again - no complaints, it is progress in a good way.

Last night was a whole other accomplishment.  I did not get to work on the Farmer's Wife - I worked on the Urbans.  When I taught the two classes last week I started a new Urban Pods and also an Urban Nine Patch.  I needed to calculate how much fabric was still needed to complete these two quilt tops as well as start the Urban Holiday quilt.  Since we close at 8:00 P.M. on Fridays I decided it would be a good evening to spend cutting and counting and it worked out great.  So expect to see some completed tops in the very near future.

I really am happiest when I'm busy.....speaking of which, an e-mail to all of my fabulous customers to go out about February's Calendar and I know there's some other stuff I need to get done paperwork wise and then MORE STITCHING!!!!!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann