Phew.....

Talk about a productive evening....Last night I was like the old "energizer bunny"!  When I got home, I made a quick dinner and then got right down to work.

First I completed my September and October 9 Patch exchange blocks.....

Then I started cutting for a new store sample and worked until about 9:00 P.M. on that....you'll have to wait and see more later on that one.

At 9:00 P.M. I decided I wanted to get down to some serious TV watching - Thursday is definitely my night for TV - Grey's Anatomy, Elementary, Last Resort, Person of Interest and last but not least Scandal.  Thank heavens for time-shifting.

On Wednesday night I had used up the last of my Soft Fuse so the project I had started working on could not be completed until I brought home some Wonder Under (second choice).  I dug this up out of my stash, I had bought the kit when I was on a retreat in Pennsylvania at Critter Pattern Works back in 2001 but it really seems appropriate now and will probably segue into a machine applique class.

With the Pandas coming to the Toronto Zoo I thought the timing was good so I started making up all the applique on Wednesday night while watching TV - only had two pieces left to do last night and then needed to put on all the markings and adhere everything to backgrounds......here they are -

All ready to do the outlining with the machine......here are the individual patterns!  They are all so cute!  I marked them all and placed them and then during commercial breaks, went out to the ironing board to set them in place.  Worked out great!

All of the fabrics were included in the kit which was amazing but I think I will still be adding some of my own fabrics for the bamboo bits around the edges, also I'm not sure there is enough to do the border and I will, of course, have to find a binding and a backing....

Debbie at Critter Pattern Works has a great tutorial on her website for her machine applique method so I will practice a bit before I tackle the edgings.  It's been awhile since I did one of her patterns.....will post my progress!

Tonight is Sit & Sew - NO MACHINES ALLOWED night and it's going to be a crowd....gotta go start dinner!  I am going to try to get the last 4 blocks of my Lithia Park done and maybe work on some blanket stitching on one of my Lori Smith patterns....will post pictures later.....

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

Finally....

I have a sewing center at home!!!!  Since my heart attack it's been a chore getting anything done at all.  Finally last Saturday night I steeled myself to set up the dining room table and surrounding area for mass production!!!  Okay, just kidding but I really needed someplace to set up and work....

 Sonia (my Janome) is set up for piecing

Bernie (my Bernina) is set up for quilting and my fine work

Sergio (my Janome Serger) is set up for other projects I'm working on

Tonight I finally got down to business - working on my 9 patch exchange blocks.  Need to catch up and get October's blocks done.

 

With the move going on at the store I have made a "list" of all the projects that were at the store and need to be completed.  I brought two bags home last night and got nothing done on those, nor did I add to the list with all the projects I have waiting at home to complete.  I truly do not want to know how much is here - that would be counter productive.....just overwhelming!

 

I even have a cutting area set up which is everything I need to become productive again.

I'm hoping to be able to report regularly on my progress....

 

Okay back to work -

 

Have a great day everyone!

 

Jo-Ann





I'm not sure.....

I'm really not sure I've gone this long without posting something since I started this blog?

Many of you are up to date as to what's been going on with me but I'll give you a quick update none the less, for those who don't actually know.  The last blog was posted on June 19th and it appears I was very, very busy.

About that time I started getting Angina attacks and exactly one week later at around 4:00 a.m. found myself on my way to Trillium by ambulance having a heart attack.  Long story short - an angioplasty was performed and one week later I was back at work.  The miracle of modern medicine for sure!  In retrospect I know I should have taken more time off but when you own your own business you sometimes have to make decisions that are not always in your own best interest!  I have fabulous friends (and customers) who certainly helped me get through the past few months especially when it came to any physical labour required.

Today is the anniversary of my mother's passing two years ago and I realized how much I miss her.  With everything that has happened over the past two years I have not had much time to grieve.  I've been thinking about her alot, wondering how she handled all the stresses of being in business and she certainly had her share.  It's funny how much you realize you forgot to ask when they were alive.....

It appears I really don't have much time to "feel sorry" for myself right now either!!!!  Maybe that's a good thing!  Getting ready for the big move (the store) and really looking forward to it, hoping it all goes according to plan!  Stress is never far away for me - should be my middle name but I take it easy now!

Rich and I decided, last minute, to go out for dinner tonight and ended up at Zet's for chicken souvlaki - nearly killed him (the garlic) but I absolutely love it!  Their tsaktziki sauce is to die for (it's what kills Rich)!  He has vowed never to go there again!!!!  I will certainly go back!  Liz had dropped by the store late this afternoon and I wasn't feeling so great so I promised I'd call her tonight -oops!!!  I hadn't checked in with Jonathan so when Liz called me to see how I was and I hadn't come home yet - they both got worried!  Jonathan tried calling Rich but he (Rich) didn't hear the cell phone so one thing led to another and Liz picked Jonathan up and came looking for me!!!  Boy did I get in trouble - but sure did open my eyes!  I have fabulous friends #1 and a pretty great kid!!!  ....and I will not do that again any time soon!!!!

After all was said and done I realized how scary that would have been for Jonathan.  I really will have to be more diligent about checking in!  Okay, had a little break from sleep here - could have been the garlic that woke me, but I need to get back to bed - Sit & Sew tomorrow.....

Have a great day everyone and I'll try to keep this blog a little more up to date....

Jo-Ann

It appe

One down, one to go!

I'm sure you are all wondering where I disappeared to and what I have been up to.  If you also read the Cock A Doodle Blog then you know I've been surfacing from time to time but what have I been doing.....

First - my 9 patch blocks for the 9 patch exchange which I could not resist being apart of.  I've been a quilter for 12 years and have NEVER taken part in a "block exchange" so, since we are hosting it at the store I took advantage fo the opportunity.  I'm just finishing up my blocks for July and August - I figure if I stay ahead of the game I won't have to scramble to catch up.

Another project I have been working on is one that I looked forward to doing yet also dreaded and so has been preoccupying my time.  A couple of months ago this very lovely woman came in with two "quilt tops".  Someone had made them from her trousseau linens.  Although she had done an admirable job it seemed she wasn't familiar with the wrong side and the right side of embroidery.  A number of blocks had to be turned in order that the right side of the embroidery was on the right side of the quilt.  This job was turned over to me along with putting borders on the quilt tops.  After alot of procrastinating, for fear I would ruin the quilt top, I completed one this afternoon. 

It isn't often I have time to do this at the store but in the "dog days" of summer (pretty close with this humidity...) I can usually steal a few hours to work.  With a few customer interruptions and a load of determination I was planning on completing at least one of these gorgeous tops today.....and being a part of this heirloom experience.  Once the second one is done I will help the owner choose a long arm quilter and a quilt pattern for these remarkable quilts.

All of the embroidery was hand embroidered on pillowcases by her family members and given to her and her husband as wedding gifts.  What a keepsake to have and for generations to come - a fabulous idea!  Now that I've finished the one - the second one should be a lot easier.

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

Sew she grows!

The newsletter is out, classes are filling up and I still find myself short about 10 hours a day.  I had two days off this past weekend and did NOTHING!  I mean nothing!  I've been told that it was probably what I needed but still I felt guilty...with so much to do and so many projects on the go,  I really felt like I should have done something, anything, to keep up with myself.

I guess I gauge my output by my quilting which is probably not fair.  However, truth be told Rich and I managed to get quite a load of stuff out of the storage unit over the past week.  We want to give up the space and so now the boxes from the basement (from the townhouse and the last move) are finally being dealt with.  It's amazing what I've found, and to think all the stuff that was left behind.

Tuesday I worked at the store and came home to work on more boxes but I also managed to work on Lithia Park - there are 12 blocks sewn together with sashings!  It's slowly growing and since tomorrow night is "Don't bring your machine a.k.a. Applique Club" at the store I will be able to work on the last 2-1/2 blocks for the centre.  Here's what it looks like so far.....

 Lithia Park - 12 blocks and growing.....

It's  funny how when I work all day I can come home and just keep going but when I'm home for the day - I get nothing done!  At any rate I had to progress on this project in order to make room for my next project which is my 9 Patch Exchange blocks.

When I had my sewing room in the house this would not have been an issue as I just would have relocated the Lithia Park project but in the apartment I have limited space available so I really have to be more organized.  Don't get me wrong, my quilting is spread out throughout the apartment but because I share the living/dining room with Jonathan, I have to make sure I don't leave things lying around where they can be misplaced or moved.  A little frustrating but it works because I seem to move forward on projects faster.

So, I chose some fabrics for my first 4 blocks for the exchange.

 Fabrics for April (yes I'm behind) and May blocks.....

This gave me the opportunity to try out a few new products we have in the store.  When it was suggested that we host the 9 Patch Exchange, I was alerted to some great products that would insure accuracy in piecing these blocks.  So - I will try to take you through the process step by step here.

 First, a product called Cutting Edge....plastic strips that mark the underside of the ruler.

 The blocks are 3-1/2" blocks so I needed to mark the 1-1/2" on the rulers underside.

First I straighten the fabric....

 Then I butt the straightened edge along the plastic strips marked at 1-1/2" - and cut my strips.

 Fabric one, then fabric two.....

 Check out the markings, perfect 1-1/2" strips.....now we move to the sewing machine.

 The next product is called sewing edge!  (You can use a few layers of painters tape here instead)

 I take my 3-1/2" ruler and with my needle measure the 1/4" on my machine - then adhere a strip of the sewing edge tape which is about a 1/16" of an inch thick.

 You can cut these tapes but I chose to mark the machine and the table giving me a longer edge.  Then I stitched my first strip.

 Check the perfect 1/4" seam - I was thrilled!  So far, so good!

 The blocks worked out to exactly 3-1/2" - Voila - precision piecing!  To see my pinning method - look up Molly's Meadow on this blog - I give a demo there.

...and my second set of perfect 3-1/2" blocks!

I'm going to try posting this to the Cock A Doodle Quilt blog as a Tutorial Page shortly so you can refer back to it.  Hopefully I will be able to do it - I'm so not a techie!  FYI - you can use painters tape to do either of these things but I have to say I love the ease of these two products and they are both reusable and very accurate.....  

I've also been pretty busy designing quilts - a new mystery quilt for August and a Charm Square quilt as well as a quilt to use up my 9 Patch Exchange blocks.

Okay time for bed - a little reading, then some much needed sleep!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann  

...

Looking forward....

...to getting home tonight so I can work on something I haven't been able to work on for months.  I have a top to complete on my machine and I did want to layer my Amish Shadow but I also thought I might get some time to spend on Lithia Park.

Part of it is done so I'll just be adding blocks but I'd really like to get some of it done.  So like - how many hours are in a day, 'cuz I thought I might work on the newsletter and add a new design to last week's mystery quilt.....ugh!

Okay want to make it home before the skies open up so.....

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

I'll just bet!

I'll just bet that because I am a quilter and I own a quilt store that you all think I know how to do just about everything to do with quilting and quiltmaking.  Well I am going to confess something - I too, have trouble with certain basic quilting skills.

Like binding, not actually putting on binding but that last little bit of finishing - you know where you put the two ends together - well, for those of you who share my "disability" I have found a great little tutorial......

www.online-quilting.com

This website has the best tutorials with Marci Baker and I think I watch the binding one almost everytime I have to finish one off - comes out perfect every time.  Eventually it will sink in and I will be able to do it without the tutorial but in the meantime it's there and I thought I'd share it.  I teach Beginner Quiltmaking and just before I teach this part of the class I go online and watch the video....seriously, it's that good!

Okay - just thought I'd share that now I need to get back to finishing up my binding.

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann