Getting things done.....

I spent the day at the store signing up for all kinds of social media - ugh!  Not really but it's a lot of work to keep up with all this internet stuff!  Who knew!?!?!

At home I'm stealing moments (between and during my TV shows) quilting or like this morning before I left for work I managed to get part of Block 4 done (Amish With A Twist), finished it when I got home.

I'm curious, "What kind of quilter are you?" I'd love it if you comment here, it's kind of a little survey.

I have been working on Amish With A Twist (as per www.cockadoodlequilts.blogspot.com)    but I like to do continuous piecing.  Since I'm working on one block at a time, continuous piecing doesn't quite work, unless you add another project and it's not like I don't have a few projects to work on (haven't touched the infamous 9 yet!).  I finished my serging of my Radical Rail Fence blocks (144) on Monday morning, so I figured why not.....

So far I have 8 blocks done - that's probably about 1/4 of the quilt top.  I'm thrilled, especially since I've been working on (not working on, meaning to be working on) this quilt for 6 years approximately.  Seriously, I started it in 2007, Barb will verify that since she cut all the homespun strips for me....

It feels good to be getting two things done at once, slows things down just a tad but it;s worth it.  Oh and do I make mistakes - yup!  Believe it or not I actually had to "unsew" three Rail Fence blocks because I sewed them together wrong - don't ask!  I couldn't have picked an easier project, a real no brainer, I mean I don't even have to match up blocks here but I still managed to get a few wrong.  It's all fixed now so I can continue, hopefully without making to many more mistakes....

Just have to focus!  Tomorrow, I am teaching hand piecing/quilting in the a.m. and Linda's coming in to work on her O Tennanbaum quilt which she was working on today, so it's going to be quite a busy day.....

Saturday is my god daughter's wedding - and Jonathan, as usual, has no clothes ready to wear so I'm not sure how we are going to rectify that new emergency, but we will!  Guess I have to find a Same Day cleaner near us, or near the store.  Gotta love the drama!

Sunday is the monthly Sit & Sew for the girls!   4 days off and right back into the fray!  Gotta get a newsletter done too!  That's the agenda.....never a dull moment!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann  

Uh Oh.....

4 days off may be too long for me!  Day one went pretty good - I quilted a little, I slept a lot and I finally got 5 loads of laundry done!

Day 2 - I quilted a little and then, oh my gosh, then I got stuck into organizing and cleaning my bedroom.  I knew (have known for awhile) that I needed to do a bit of rearranging in order that when I sit and watch TV I am not idle, just sitting and doing nothing.  For most people this would take an hour or two but for me, with all my aches and pains and my quickness to tire, this took all day and night.  I was vacuuming at 2:30 A.M.....

I have this fabulous antique seaman's chest which can serve as a "coffee table"but was butted up against the foot board of the bed.  I just needed to figure out how to position it in the room so that it worked for me.  This way I can have the computer set-up and also have my Farmer's Wife handy for hand work while I watch TV.  It's been awhile since I've been able to work on those blocks.  I really just want a place where I can comfortably do hand work and watch TV and this configuration now seems to work.  Of course I had to move and sort through a bunch of bags full of projects.....

 My new workspace/TV area

This is what prompted THE LIST! (That's the uh oh!)  Okay, so there were some rules!  I could only LIST the stuff in the bags or on the floor, only the stuff that didn't have a "home".  That netted 9 (yup - NINE!) projects.    When I first moved in I took out my closet doors to make room for some storage and an extra dresser that I have.  Using those see through shoe boxes and other see through containers I stacked a bunch of ongoing projects in this area.  They are not on the list (I don't have enough paper for that!  ha,ha!)

My "little" storage area

So what did I find?!?!  I'm not sure I really want to share this - it kind of makes it official - the fact that I am addicted!!!!  Okay, maybe it's a step towards a cure?!?!  No, maybe not.  Well maybe it will keep me focused on all the "bright and shiny" objects I just found.  The funny part is, there isn't one of those nine projects that I would even consider abandoning.  That only goes to show you that I love quilting....  Maybe if I share I will be more apt to get them done....(then I can add the other 20 (approximately) projects lurking in the closet, oh and then there are the projects in the "actual" sewing area in the dining room - we are just not going there!!!!

Okay - so here goes (and don't say I never share!)

1 - Yellow Brick Road - Flannel -  In 2001 I purchased a kit for this on my way to visit my grandmother in New Jersey - It was at Patchwork & Pies in upstate New York.  I had it hidden away for years, all wrapped up.  I started it about a year ago when I was teaching Sharon, a newbie, and she wanted to do this pattern.  Unfortunately I didn't get very far.

2 - YHQG Charity Quilt - This is only one of many that I picked up at the guild.  There are others that I have in various other places.  One at a time, one at a time.  This is already started so it would be nice to get it finished.

3 - Underground Railroad Quilt - started back when we initiated the Underground Railroad Club - I was planning on doing it in both sizes.  I have done a few blocks in both sizes and again, it would be nice to have it done.

4 - Pandas - that one is actually pretty recent.  I wanted to do a sample for the store.  Now with the Pandas in Toronto I really want to finish it.

5 - Therapy In Session - definitely a recent one.  Wanted a sample for the store so I could bring some in to sell.  It's a pre-printed panel type thing and it's really cute.

6 - Farmer's Wife - this one is definitely ongoing!  Started in January 2010 and since it is being done by hand, I really have no definitive end date.  The fact that I keep working on it is already a good thing.  Slow and steady wins the race!  

7 - Country Haven - okay, this one was supposed to be a store sample that never got done.  It's a design by Kim Diehl which I fell in love with and really wanted to finish.  Mostly done and still worth finishing.  It was a free pattern on the Henry Glass website for her fabric line Country Haven.  Do you remember this one?  I still love it.....

8 - Florals of Provence - I bought all the fabrics for this wall hanging (Michael Miller fabrics - I think). It was one of my early shopping trips with my friend Dov in 2001.  We used to jump in the car on any Saturday and just travel all over southern Ontario hitting quilt stores.  This was purchased at The Quilt Patch in Oakville.

9 - Queen of Hearts - a Thimbleberries pattern and was supposed to be a sample for the store but unfortunately it never got completed.  Wow - way too many of these.  Really gotta focus.....

Okay so there are my first 9 that I am sharing....I'm thinking that as I finish one I may add another - the perpetual 9!!!!  Okay maybe not!

Since I am watching Republic of Doyle I think I'll break out the Farmer's Wife.....

Have a great day everyone....

Jo-Ann  

A day in the life.......

At 6:00 P.M yesterday I put the sign on the door that we are closed until Tuesday and started packing up to leave.  Rich came by with sandwiches (dinner) from California Sandwich (FYI - not as good as usual, their buns are different I think!) so we ate them, sans buns pretty much and then off!  

I arrived home around 7:30 P.M., unloaded the car (Amish With A Twist - amongst other things) after a stop at the drugstore to refill my prescriptions.  Jonathan went out for the evening and I settled in for some "me" time.  Actually, all I did was watch TV and ended up falling asleep half way through my shows.....what else is new?!?!  Thursday night usually consists of Grey's Anatomy and Motive on CTV and then Person of Interest and Scandal on CITY.  They keep changing everything so you never know.....

The first opening of the eyes was at 6:20 A.M. and I thought I might make coffee and start my day but after about 15 minutes I decided it would be better to go back to bed......I awoke again at 10:30 A.M. and decided to start my day.

First things first, coffee!  While waiting for coffee I decided to get re-acquainted with "Sergio".  It's been awhile since he's been in service.  Before the coffee was ready I managed to get quite a bit done but then he decided, after my first cup of coffee to throw a wrench in the works.....

Now, when I say it's been awhile since Sergio and I worked together - I mean like two years!  Somehow #3 needle had come unthreaded.  I am stubborn - so for the next 20 minutes I sat and figured out what the problem was and EUREKA!  I actually managed to fix him myself (Usually I just haul him off to the store and call Zack).  I was determined and it actually worked!

We are now on a roll!  As you can see, the piles are all organized and the BIG pile at the back of the picture are done.....YEAH!

 There are 6 piles - the front pile has one side done and

I'm working on the second side - The top pile behind has 2 sides done

ready to start side 3 - pile underneath to the right 1 side done - to the 

left, no sides done - at the back DONE (that's the big pile) and to the left

of the big pile are the scraps I want to use for one of the borders

However, as you can see by the next two pics, which don't really need captions, I have a "bit" of laundry to do....  Okay, I hate laundry!!!!  Well, seriously, it's not that I hate laundry, it's really that I hate the laundry room!  It is the one thing that I truly miss about the house and the townhouse!  Whenever I wanted to I could just throw a load in and be doing 10 other things around the house.  Here, I have to plan a "trip" to the laundry room, hope that there are machines available, and then I usually hang out while the wash is being done and then once it goes in the dryer I come upstairs for an hour and set the timer on the stove.  But for me - this is an ordeal!  I realize it's a personal phobia but I have it and I hate it!

There is just no way around it - unless I go out and buy new clothes every week this has to be done....  I really did try to set a routine with this but I know that this phobia I have constantly gets the better of me, so I go through every piece of clothing I have before I venture downstairs to the dreaded laundry room.  See - I am even ranting now in order to avoid the inevitable......Okay, okay - I am packing it up and I am going!  Wish me luck!  It is now 12:55 P.M.....I'd rather be anywhere else!

To be continued.........

It's now 11:04 P.M. and I just came up from the laundry room!  I know, I know!  Yes I procrastinated - I took a nap, then I made dinner, then I took a nap and by the time I went down to put in the first load it was 8:00 P.M. plus I did a load for Jonathan so it totaled 5 loads of laundry in the end!....and for the umpteenth time I vowed never to leave it that long again!  We'll see!  

There is an upside to this story!  Had I not gone down to do the laundry I would not have known that it will be closed tomorrow all day for plumbing repairs.  On top of that there are two lines of kitchens in the building that will not have water.  Not sure if we're one of them because we live on the first floor and the numbers are different above us.  I could go up and check but honestly, as long as I can get water for coffee in the morning I'll live through it....

Looks like I'll be up for awhile after all that afternoon napping so I'm going to go see what kind of trouble I can get into by the sewing area......

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

Next on the home front......

Besides cleaning and laundry which definitely are screaming out to be done, there are all these bags and boxes of stuff!!!!  Okay, okay they are UFO's!!!  So I came across this box that has been to the store, back to the house, to the store, to the house!  Oh my gosh - it is the travelling box.  How long has it been travelling?  Well, Barb could tell you because she cut all of the strips I used to make up the blocks.....in 2007 I believe!

Look - I had a plan!  Really I did!  I was inspired by a quilt I had seen in a magazine and patterns which Sandy Lindal had written.  I wanted to combine her methods with my quilt idea and I had gotten a decent start on it but you know how it goes - life happens, got busy and it kept getting put aside.  It has now been officially (or maybe unofficially) resurrected.  

The original box - which was full

The blocks and strips all ready to go

Sergio (the serger) is going to be put into service.  This is all part of this great quilt project.  I'm really getting excited about it and got quite a bit of work done on it tonight. I will, hopefully keep working on it this week and start getting it put together so you can see the effect soon.

It is done with mainly homespuns.  Most of them are stripes or plaids and the quilt will eventually be for Jonathan.  I love homespuns!  They really fit into any decor - country, modern, eclectic....  They have a way of really warming up a space.  I'm not sure what size this is going to be but the plan is to use all of the blocks, cut at 6-1/2".  

I am going to write a pattern once the quilt is done so I'll keep you posted when it will appear in the store.

This weekend, however, is designated for Amish With A Twist!  I have 4 days - Friday to Monday - and my plan is to get this quilt top done!  It is going to be gorgeous!

Amish With A Twist

I am really looking forward to a weekend of laundry (not really!), cleaning (ugh!) and quilting (YAHOO!)  If I'm feeling generous - I will share my progress!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

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 

Time

Where does it go?  It seems to be my "theme" this month.  I have a small project at the store that I have been trying to finish for a customer this month and I just can't seem to get to it.  There always seems to be something else that has to get done first.....

I was seriously thinking of not opening the store today as the weather was really getting bad this morning but I realized that I had placed and was expecting an order to come in and if I didn't make it in, the order would come and I would have to track it down at UPS. Weighing my options - I decided to brave the weather which turned out to be just irritatingly slushy, rather than brave chasing down a UPS order.

Turns out, only one customer came in so I got lots done but not nearly what I thought I would.  How do you gauge how much time it takes to do something!  It's like when I'm quilting - I finish the top and all I have left is the borders!  Funny how long it takes to put on the borders!  I don't think I've ever gotten that right....

There has to be a secret!  I make lists and allocate time for each task I have to do.  I even add a little extra for those unexpected snags but, although some projects go exactly as planned - there is always the one that sets you back.

Yesterday I was working on some accounting (government stuff) which definitely had to balance and of course it didn't!  Took me an extra 2 hours to find a really stupid mistake!

I'm going to spend the evening drooling over quilts and quilting blogs and stuff, and maybe make another list of "Things to Do" because that much hasn't changed at all!

If you have any secrets on how to get it all done - please share!!!!

What???

What have I started????

This past Thursday evening was Scrapaholics/Stashbusters Club and I brought in my "scrap basket".  I'm not sure that that's all there is but it was certainly enough to get started with. 

Last weekend was my Birthday Retreat and I was inspired bu Chris O. who has all of her scraps organized so that she can actually work on many, many projects at a time.  Also, of late, I have been motivated by the Bonnie Hunter books available - String Fling and Adventures with Leaders and Enders.

I decided that Thursday nights class/club would focus on organizing scraps.  I had no idea that many of you already do this and was thrilled to get some more good tips.   

 The above picture shows the beginnings of my organization project.  From right to left, I have strips in similar sizes, above these piles are pre-cut blocks in the same sizes and the large pile to the far left are large pieces and strips of fabric that either need to go back into the stash if they are large enough or be cut up into strips or blocks for future use.  Now that I've got a start on this, I will press the strips and put them into "shoe boxes", the see-through kind and label them as to what they are so future projects can be made from them.

The above picture is what is left in my scrap basket that still has to be sorted.  I have decided, since time is a premium for me, that I will devote 1 hour a day to this until it is done.  Half the time to be spent pressing and putting away the strips - which will be "filed" by colour and value and the other half sorting through the rest of the scrap basket.  At this point it looks like I have salvaged all the strips and am now looking at mostly small pieces of fabric - i.e. blocks, triangles, etc.  Once all of this is sorted I will decide on my future projects.

I think one of the most fun portions of this excercise for me was remembering which quilts each of the scraps came from.  Some of them date back to the very beginning and if I'm not mistaken there are still a few piles of "scraps" at home that can be added to these to actually make complete projects....

As a quilt store owner, I have to say, it is hard to sell fabric this way.  But, I look at it another way.  I will still need borders, bindings and backings to complete these "scrap" quilts as will you so in fact - there is still a market out there for fabric......

If I have a little time tomorrow (the girls are coming from Barrie so I may have a few moments after lunch), I will show you one of the projects I have in mind.  I'm excited about it because it is my "own" idea and I think it will be really nice.  Possibly a quilt for Healing Heroes. 

For now - I have to get to the books!  Plus, I have some studying to do - I received the template for our new shopping cart/website so I have to hone up on my virtually non-existent computer skills.

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann