IT'S MONDAY AND SUNNY!!

[Monique]

Good morning everyone. I hope all you mothers out there had a wonderful Mother's Day. I got to see my granddaughter over the weekend. I really needed a baby fix. It is only three weeks until my son's wedding day. There are still a lot of preparations to be done. I may not be on here as much as I like.

Working on a baby quilt and hope to make a purse for my future daughter-in-law. Today is sunny and a perfect laundry day!

Have a great day everyone.

Monique

[Loonwatcher]

Re: IT'S MONDAY AND SUNNY!!

Good Morning All! Sunny and looking like it's going to be a nice day. I've got aqua aerobics, work and then a much needed haircut today. Spend the weekend working on a D9P quilt top and cutting some old jeans and work shirts into 5" squares for future projects. I'm planning a rag doggies quilts and a rag tote. One of the work shirts had an embroidered deer which I saved to applique onto a quilt I'm making for my BIL for Christmas.

Have a great day!

[Sandy Navas]

Re: IT'S MONDAY AND SUNNY!!

A wonderful, bright and sunshiny day here, I'm sending it to everyone!! We have the door open and I am loving the fresh air. It is so invigorating. Daughter and DSIL are off to see the OB doc this morning. Sure hope they keep her. She's been so uncomfortable and the girls are eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new baby at the house.

I sit here listening to the blue jays yelling at each other and wonder what upsets them so much. The cardinals have either beaten their little brains to a pulp or just given up because we haven't heard them bouncing off the windows for a while. We watched our first hummingbird pop in to get some nourishment yesterday and hope he rushed off to bring his friends. Al hung the wren house because he thinks he's been hearing them. Last year we watched as a pair made their home and hatched two little ones. It was a joy to watch them emerge from the nest and take flight.

Spent part of the day at the nursing home with Mom yesterday. Lunch went well. She sure was cantankerous though. Sometimes she gets so feisty and ornery but you just gotta love her. I hope I'm as head strong when I'm her age.

Finished the hand quilting on Zoe's quilt yesterday so hopefully this week I'll get the binding on it and put it aside as I start the next one, a D9P for Rita. I have one block made and realized I'd cut at two separate times so one bunch of blocks are 1/2 inch too large all around . . . I'll have some trimming to do!! I am hoping that I can do a quilt as you go on this one. I'm not comfortable doing another hand quilting on a large quilt.

I've decided today that instead of sewing (which draws me) that I'd best get some laundry and cleaning done before the health department shows up. Hopefully Al will realize that I'm 'busy' and won't bother me. I'll remind him again that he needs to raise his hand before talking.

Special prayers for all my friends here!!

[patticakes]

Re: IT'S MONDAY AND SUNNY!!

It is gorgeous out here too! I have the door open as I do my Monday morning cleaning. Yesterday we spent the afternoon cleaning off the patio and scrubbing the siding. Later we enjoyed sitting under the beautifully blossomed cherry tree but realized in a few days the patio will be covered with the falling blossoms. It sure is gorgeous now tho, and I do love nature.
The binding is finished on the Layer Cake D9P and last night I embroidered a label on muslin. Later I plan to finish it off with some leftover fabric and attach it to the quilt. So happy to have a "finish"! Now on to finishing the Surfer Girl quilts...2 more D9P's, a full and a twin size, but with smaller squares - 7". It is bright and cheery so I love working with the fabric and the tops go together pretty quick. Also have to get a backing for a baby quilt I made, thinking of flannel. Has anyone put a flannel back on a cotton quilt? I have not used flannel in quilting at all yet. Might use Minkee too, haven't tried that either.
Sandy - Thinking of you and anxiously awaiting for your baby annoucement!
Wishing you all a great day now....back to my chores!

[rebeccas-sewing]

Re: IT'S MONDAY AND SUNNY!!

I have thought it would be nice to put a flannel backing on a cotton quilt but am wondering about the difference in shrinkage. I guess if the flannel is washed first it would work. Someone said flannel needs to be washed up to 3 times to eliminate shrinkage. I just don't know. If you experiment would you please let us know how it turned out and how you prepared your fabrics.

[rebeccas-sewing]

Re: IT'S MONDAY AND SUNNY!!

Has anyone made larger quilts using the embroidery machine to quilt it? I haven't tackled a bed quilt using the embroidery machine because of the extra bulk to the right of the needle. I was thinking maybe I could try "quilt as you go." I think a queen or king could actually be quilted on the embroidery machine if it was done in two or three separate sections. If anyone has tried this method please let me know if you were successful.

[K. McEuen]

Re: IT'S MONDAY AND SUNNY!!

I have used flannel backs on several quilts. My grandmother almost always used flannel to back her quilts, probably because she lived in Ohio and needed the added warmth. I prewash my flannel once and normally prewash my top material once as well. I've never had any issues on a completed quilt with a difference in shrinkage. The dryer is really what shrinks the material and once you dry that flannel after washing it I think it's pretty much done shrinking. Lots of strings on the ends. I always think I should serge them off before washing and then never do. I don't know that I've ever made a baby quilt and not used flannel on the back. It's just so nice and soft when it's finished and washed.

[patticakes]

Re: IT'S MONDAY AND SUNNY!!

I have used flannel backs on several quilts. My grandmother almost always used flannel to back her quilts, probably because she lived in Ohio and needed the added warmth. I prewash my flannel once and normally prewash my top material once as well. I've never had any issues on a completed quilt with a difference in shrinkage. The dryer is really what shrinks the material and once you dry that flannel after washing it I think it's pretty much done shrinking. Lots of strings on the ends. I always think I should serge them off before washing and then never do. I don't know that I've ever made a baby quilt and not used flannel on the back. It's just so nice and soft when it's finished and washed.

Thank you so much for the info! I am going to use flannel and pre-shrink it for sure, I love the quilter's flannel that I used for pillow cases in the past. Love doing baby quilts because they go so much faster and the top is all finished. Next trip out I will bring the top to find some flannel that matches. Thanks again!

[toggpine]

Re: IT'S MONDAY AND SUNNY!!

I have used flannel on the back of a full sized quilt. I did pre-wash it. It seemed to do fine for the backing. The quilt doesn't slide around as easily with a flannel back either. Very handy if you have a blanket hog for a bed partner. My grandmother uses flannel, or outing as she calls it, for batting in baby blankets. She likes it because it doesn't shift or bunch up over years of washings. It makes a really nice weight quilt when combined with the two layers of cotton on the outside.
K, I do serge all of my fabrics before I wash them, especially the flannel. It eliminates the string tangles and saves the fabric from fraying. If you don't have a serger, you can use a narrow zig-zag at the edge to to achieve similar results. If you keep the stitches in the seam allowance zone, you can utilize the whole piece of fabric for your pieces. With the cost of fabric going up and up, I think every 1/4" is going to be accounted for!
It is grey and chilly here today. No rain yet, but that will probably change before the day is out. I had a long weekend judging the spring youth show. Some of the kids had really put a lot of effort into their animals and their projects, others, not so much. I took my mom with me yesterday. We used to do the shows together when I was in high school and college. She is really starting to age, and it is worrying me. Her mom had a series of mini-strokes and dementia. I really don't want to see her end up like that. She is starting to loose some of the ability to edit her comments while in public. A few years ago she would have never said some of the things she did yesterday where people could have overheard her. I am not looking forward to the next stages of this. Grandma could get really nasty with some of her comments and observations. Things like, "It's a real shame she hasn't lost some of that weight. She might have been able to find a husband by now if she had." These kinds of things were usually said with earshot of the person. Ugh! Soooo not wanting to deal with that!
On a happier note, when I got home my husband and daughter had gone to the store and had found two new spanish lavender plants for our front deck. One has silvery grey foliage with pale purple blooms and the other is the darker green with the deeper purple flower spikes. I love the smell of the spanish lavender. It is like a mix of lavender and peppermint with a hint of vanilla. I keep a pot of it on the front deck near the door. We have to replace it every three years or so. It gets too big and the roots freeze because they are too close to the edges of the terracotta pot. This year I am trying a different planter pot, and hopefully I'll remember to transplant it to the garden after next summer!
I have Em's wild zebra quit top done. Now I need to figure out how to piece the back. It is about 45 inches wide. The fabric once the selvedges are trimmed off will be about 42" wide. So do I split the fabric and add in a section made up of the other colors from the front of the quilt, or do I just add in a piece of the same color along one edge? I am using the zebra skin print for the backing. I got it on a great deal when I used a 50% off coupon. It should be busy enough to absorb the quilting. I'd post photos so you could help me decide, but I can't get them to load on here any more. (Dumb antique mac operating system!)
Well, I'm off to play with it for a while, IF I can keep the little miss from wanting to bounce on it while I have it laid out on my bed. You all have a great day! Check in with you later!
Cathy

[toggpine]

Re: IT'S MONDAY AND SUNNY!!

Dang! That is some serious rambling!
C

[mamaquilt]

Re: IT'S MONDAY AND SUNNY!!

Has anyone made larger quilts using the embroidery machine to quilt it? I haven't tackled a bed quilt using the embroidery machine because of the extra bulk to the right of the needle. I was thinking maybe I could try "quilt as you go." I think a queen or king could actually be quilted on the embroidery machine if it was done in two or three separate sections. If anyone has tried this method please let me know if you were successful.

Would interest me too. So please don't hesitate to post your experience.

[Loonwatcher]

Re: IT'S MONDAY AND SUNNY!!

Dang! That is some serious rambling!
C

LOL!!! That's okay. We love rambling almost as much as quilting!!!

[debinmalaga]

Re: IT'S MONDAY AND SUNNY!!

Dang! That is some serious rambling!
C

LOL, it was a great post, I enjoyed reading about your lavender and your Grandma. Most of my Seniors (I work in a bank) like me and I love them, but one old man actually yelled "Shame on you! Shame on you!" at me for asking him for identification. We're a tiny bank and know most of our customers but I didn't know him and had to ask before I gave his money away - most people realize it's for their protection. This caught me wrong and I had tears in my eyes from anger - which of course made me angrier . So, I can relate and hope things don't work out that way with your Mother. Worry ruins today and can't help tomorrow, they tell me.

My Mother's day was great, so sorry to read that some of my friends here didn't have a good day. I hope next year will be better or easier or more at peace.

My family didn't go over the top but everyone wished me a happy one and my daughter drove home (2 hours each way) from college, during finals, to be with me. She brought me roses and impatiens for my deck planters and made me jump a foot when I walked into the kitchen and she was standing there. Mike took me to J's for batting and thread (had a 40% off coupon) and we went out to lunch at Ruby Tuesday's before they got busy. I know I'm lucky.

Work today was unusually hectic in the morning. We got in over twenty thousand dollars in cash in one deposit, with only one teller on duty. She had to UV scan every hundred dollar bill, checking for counterfeits. This meant a five minute wait for one of our seniors and he wasn't happy about it. I think some people are just negative and looking for something to be negative about. Sad.

There Cathy, I did some rambling, too .

[sally]

Re: IT'S MONDAY AND SUNNY!!

Hello...Been a while since I have been here. Hope all are well. Have been dealing with issues surrounding my mom...loss of her drivers lic, health issues etc. After all she is 90. Sure haven't had much time for quilting that's for sure and now that the weather is FINALLy nice I imagine it will be on the backburner. Well we will see may do some sewing outdoors...Anyhoo just stopped by to say HI!

[Lola2Ace]

Re: IT'S MONDAY AND SUNNY!!

My Mother's Day was pretty awesome. Although the whole family wasn't able to get together we will all be together next weekend and will celebrate Mother's Day and Mom and Dad's birthdays. My DH and DD's surprised me with a Nook Color, so I have been busy getting to know it, and downloading a ton of free books too. I did make a pillowcase over the weekend for a gal at work to give her DGD, and she loved it. I have a matching memo holder, with the glue drying, so I will take that to her tomorrow. I'm sorry to hear that Mother's Day is so difficult for some, I actually spent the day with a friend who is still getting used to that day without her Mother.
Well, I am going to try to get a bit of something more accomplished before bedtime.