Saturday - 10/16

[toggpine]

OK, this is bad.

I have been playing in the sewing room with Christmas music making blocks for the Holiday ATWQB. It is now ten minutes to 4 in the AM PST. I have the blocks ready to fuse and applique after some sleep. I don't want to mess these up. So I am going to hit the sack and go for it later today.

I hope you all have a great morning! Happy Saturday!
Cathy

[Texsam]

Re: Saturday - 10/16

Morning

Wow Christmas music already! LOL I guess it helped you with making the blocks. Maybe I should try that so I get finished with mine for the block swap...hmmm Probably just send me into a panic of how close it's getting to Christmas!

Have a great day everyone!

[sally]

Re: Saturday - 10/16

Morning all! I have been watching I Love Lucy shows while I am sewing. Too funny.
Plans for today...Go and find some storage units for my sewing room closet...can't find anything in there! Check out what is selling at a local antique auctioin and hit the fabric store. I was there yesderday and some material was on sale for as little as 2.50 a meter (just over a yard) and it's good material. I have become an unofficial spokesperson for MSQC. While waiting to get material cut yesterday I was asked by a lady in line what I planned on making. I said pillow cases for Chrismtas gifts using the tube method. She thought it would be hard and when I explained the method and told her about the tutoral on MSQC 4 other women grabbed scrap paper and wrote down the info. It felt good because of my finding MSQC I have learned so much and met some wonderful new friends and I wish the same for them!
Well off to have a cup of java...Have a great day everyone!

[janluna]

Re: Saturday - 10/16

I can't believe it's getting so close to Christmas either. Didn't we just celebrate that last week? Oh boy. Well, hope you all are getting your blocks done and sent out. I'm sure your quilts will be beautiful, if you make quilts from your swapped blocks that is.
Cathy what does ATWQB stand for? Forgive me I'm new to this. I figured it means something to do with quilt blocks but that's all I got.
Hope everyone has a good weekend and you all recharge your batteries for the coming week. I love this site and all the friends I have made too, Shauna. Love to you all. I'm going to go cut squares out for my class on monday. I'll be on here and there. Hugs, Jan

[toggpine]

Re: Saturday - 10/16

I have had some sleep and done my morning chores. I'll tackle fusing the two blocks after some breakfast & possibly some coffee.
Sally; it sounds like you found a great fabric deal! Best wishes on shaping up your fabric closet! It was so much fun last night to just go to what I wanted instead of digging. I can see how my disorganization encouraged my fabric spending. Isn't it great that you can be the one with the knowledge to share? I hope those ladies love MSQC as much as we do!
Texsam: I was hoping the holiday tunes would help me get in the mood for making the blocks. I don't really want to think about how close the holidays are either, but denial will only make it worse!
I'll see you all later! Have a super Saturday!

[Lola2Ace]

Re: Saturday - 10/16

Where has the day gone?? I guess sleeping in stole some of it for me! I worked a bit over last night, so didn't get home till 1 a.m.! I have, so far, managed to get the hand-me-down iron out and cleaned up, and it fits better on my ironing board than I thought it would, pressed my last 2 swap blocks and have them pinned and ready to stitch, started another project on my emb. machine, but it's kind of a secret for now........cleaned up a bit of the sewing room in the process and now on to more stitching. I think I will find something to watch while I am stitching, just haven't decided if a movie on the little dvd player or MSQC tutorials.
Lola

[toggpine]

Re: Saturday - 10/16

Jan,
I was a member of a swap called Around the World Quilting Bee (ATWQB). That is why I have so many single blocks of different patterns. Each quilt got block made just for it.
We had so much fun we decided to do a holiday version. I am not sure how many blocks I am into this one, but there are 24 members. It took us over a year to get the first one done. I am a bit behind on the quilt I have since I had my sewing room torn up for two weeks. I have two blocks cut and one fused. The second, a poinsettia is giving me a bit more trouble. I want the stitching to be layered, but it looks like the petals all need to be ironed down at once. I'll get it figured out.
I am sure I am a source of irritation for the "swap momma" at the moment since I have had the one block longer than I should. Oh well. It will be mailed on Monday. Probably both of them will.
Cathy

[Blondie]

Re: Saturday - 10/16

Hey ladies!
What a crazy few days. Glad to sit back down here and really try to get caught up.
Had my Mom in the ER last evening forEVER it seemed. Long story short version is she is coming down with shingles and hopefully have averted the dreaded break out of them. When I saw her yesterday evening after work she had no fever but looked very weak in the eyes. I declare I know my folks the way I know my kids. I probably have made the folks sound like invalids. They truly aren't. They have sound minds, just frail bodies. I am thankful I bossed her into the ER. If she had waited it would have been really too late for any true relief.
No good sleep for me last evening so after work this afternoon, checked on the folks then came home and fell on the bed. Not a real satisfying nap at all but gosh felt good just to lie there and listen to college football (one of my secret passions, thank you Daddy).
Having leftovers for dinner and then hopefully just snuggles with sweet hubs tonite.

Sally you got a great deal on the fabric. And I couldn't agree more about the privilege of meeting some terrific ladies here on the MSQC board.

Cathy, after all that work in the sewing room, you are entitled to a brain freeze now and then. If you can tackle that room ~ and you did ~ you will figure out that block successfully. Walk away and come back to it.

Christmas music? We play lots of it during the year. One of our favorites in recent years has been Trans Siberian Orchestra. If you ever get a chance to see them in concert, GO. Such talent. And definitely not traditional Christmas. Hubs and I can listen to it anytime of year because the entire CD
s are telling a story through song. Other than that I can say I am not ready for the traditional Christmas music. Last year the radio stations in this area started right after Thanksgiving. Gimme a break. I LOVE CHRISTMAS. Merchandising has ruined it.

Check in later, dear ladies.

[sally]

Re: Saturday - 10/16

WOO IS ME!

My computer has lost it's sound so I can't watch any tuturols until hubby gets home next Friday and fixes it. My printer's color has gone wonky every thing is a lime green. (Just replaced the cartridge)
UGGHHH!!!!!
Okay going to get off before something else goes wrong.....EEK!

[Keepstitchin]

Re: Saturday - 10/16

Just reading this thread makes me happy that I have found MSQC and lots of new friends! This mornings' post gave me the giggles, because I see so much of myself in them. And I thought I was the only one who......(fill in the blank)

[toggpine]

Re: Saturday - 10/16

Oh Blondie, I am sorry that you had to go to the ER. It sounds like singles is going to be a real problem this season. One of my MIL's sisters has it now, and I have heard of several other folks who have had it over the summer. YUCK! I am so glad that you were able to get her in and get it taken care of. I hope you get some good sleep tonight.
I found a new group last year for Christmas Music. They are called Straight No Chaser. It is an a capella group of 10 guys. They are fantastic! We went to go see them last spring and they were fabulous in concert too. I bought tickets for their Christmas concert in December. I am giving one to my sister for her birthday and my husband & I will take her out to dinner. If you can find their CD I suggest you check them out. You can also see them on YouTube. I wish I could blame the brain freeze on the room, but no. I was up too late and I wasn't firing on all cylinders yet.
Sally: I am also sad to hear about your computer. I have NO skill at making this thing jump through hoops. We have an uneasy truce. It does the simple things that I ask, and I don't use it as a boat anchor. Sadly it is getting to the vintage that it can't keep up with the latest software & apps.
Lola: I say sleeping in is worth it! It sounds like you are getting your space set up to work for you.

I did get the petals of the poinsettia figured out. I also stopped by the little LQS and pick up 1/8th of a yard of small poinsettias on black to finish out the block in a similar theme to the original. I about died. They were asking $10.99 a yard for it! At those prices, there is a reason I can't shop there too often. I did get the price on the cost to use their new huge longarm. $50 for a 4 hour class on how to use it, then $50 for a whole day or $30 for a half day. I guess the next question is how much of a quilt can you get done in a day and would that price be worth it?? Which is like asking how long is a piece of string.

I shall finish off supper, chores, then get to the second small block and pack those babies up for shipping. Then I can get to the #3 block for which I am thinking about make a snow globe. I am not sure if I can translate my idea into fabric though. I may just bail out and make an angel if I can't get it to look right. You ladies have a great evening and I'll see you all in here sometime tomorrow.
Cathy

[quiltingtrish]

Re: Saturday - 10/16

Hello Saturday to everyone!

Christmas music - I like it to start maybe the second week of December. The merchandise that fills the shelves? The dollar store here has already started filling in the shelves.

The older I get, the wiser I get. I don't really do 'Christmas shopping' in December. I shop throughout the year and usually see things for people I buy for on sale or even at yard sales. For example, right now I have about 6 cookie molds for one of my sisters- the kind that pampered chef sells - brand new - for $1. each - from yard sales and the Salvation Army. I've picked up brand new shirts with the tags on from yard sales for the boys. They'll never know where I got them. I just keep my eyes open for things I know people will like and usually have a gornormous pile by the time the holidays roll around.

I do usually make quilty items too so that rounds everything out normally.

Today I figured out how to get the perfect stitches on my machine for machine quilting.
I watched a tutorial on how to clean out the lint from the bobbin area. After doing that, changing the needle, rethreading a zillion times, changing the tension a zillion times, I finally changed the thread. One book I have says to use Aurifil or YLI machine quilting thread. I found one spool ofthe YLI in my stash and it works! The underside of the fabric is where I was having problems with knots and little side threads sticking where they shouldn't and now the top looks just like the bottom and it all looks like it should.
Tomorrow on the way to my Dad's, I'll have to stop at Joann's and/or Michael's and hope that one of them sells the YLI machine quilting thread. I need it in pink. There are no quilt shops around here for me to buy from without driving an hour or more to get there and they aren't open on Sunday's anyhow.

Well, hope everyone is having a great evening.

Hugs,

[janluna]

Re: Saturday - 10/16

Trish there is a quilting site call nancy ellen quilts, she sells yli thread for $4.50. The quilt shops want $7.00. She has all the colors some shops only sell white or ecru.
Cathy thanks for letting me know what ATWQB stood for. So many people use initials and I'm too dumb to figure them out. Thanks
Good night everyone sweet dreams. Laura I miss you. Love to all, Jan