Busy Times

Things are moving at warp speed.  The kids have just started 2nd quarter of school.  When I am not pulling out hair over getting them to do all of their work, I am trying to get crafty with how on earth I will possibly get all of my work done.  This week I did get an article wrapped up and submitted, but now I have to get planning on the next one due January 3rd.  I have a very special, very secret (for the time being) project that has kicked into high gear this week.  Truth be told, it's kicking my butt with things to do, but that will pass.  I am just ecstatic that it is happening, and sorry, but you will have to wait a few months for more details.

This Monday and Tuesday were my designated days to pull my hair out on this quilt of mine.  I do like it, but getting it quilted is just taking more patience and planning than I like.  I had goals for these 2 days - mainly to do the green border and the central section.  I did get a couple more areas done too.

This is a before...notice the blue triangles.

And the "after", with a little more definition, and texture.  Inching my way closer to the finish line.

The aqua part of this was not stitched previously.  I knew I wanted to do a daring scallop effect using the red thread.  It brings the red from the outer border, into the center section of the quilt.  It is also where I as the quilter, pass that point of no return.  There is no ripping this out if I don't like it or if it sucks.  Luckily, it didn't suck!  In fact, I rather love it.

 I do still need to finish the pale green of the center circle, but it is mostly done now.  In a few more weeks, when another 4-6 client quilts are knocked off, I will reload this and quilt another couple of days.  Heck, I might actually be done by July at this rate!

Last week, and probably a few days before that, I quilted on this behemoth.  It's a client quilt, and is like 100"x108" -  There are more stars than I can count, and I fessed up to getting bored to the maker. She herself spent 10 years making it!  It is gorgeous, and the quilting certainly brings out great features, but the repetitiveness of it is just hard to do 7 hours a day.

 Here's a set of photos I like.  I had the quilt all done, but I felt like the green areas were not utilized properly.  I suggested to the client to let me quilt some red in them - it needed more texture, and stitching green would not show as effectively as red.  She agreed to the added 5-6 hours.

 Here's the finished look - Boy did that make a difference or what! I love the effect.  This quilt has just a cotton 80/20 batting.  The ivory is stitched with a bazillion yards of 60wt Bottomline, while the red is a 40wt Omni.  The client was very happy.

 Three days ago, I awoke with the intention of taking an easy day, and doing an edge to edge, but I decided I'd start one of Erin's quilts.  I had never done a Fire Island Hosta before!  Her quilt tops are always impeccable, and this is no exception.

I have a wool batting and Glide or YLI 40wt thread.   The printed batiks are hard to get designs to show. There is a TON of ditch stitching with clear nylon, and lots of wavy quilting and fern-like leaves.

 The big fern leaves...

 The back of this one is a contrasting green - love the color.  It really shows the quilting (especially since much of the thread is not green)

It's gonna be another busy week or two, but that's all part of the fun of it!