Latest Projects and What is Going On

 What you see below is what I have been creating. The top one started it all. A lady in our church wanted a smaller diaper bag for her baby girl and wanted it in purple and pink and girly. This is what I came up with. She loved it, and still uses it. I love the way it turned out, too.  By the end of the day I posted this, I had orders for two more. Those are the ones you see below.

This one is for a former student's baby boy. It turned out so cute! I really like this one. I used six inch squares on this one instead of five inch. It includes Minky Dot which is not a lot of fun to sew with, but love the results. It isn't quite the color she wanted, but it was all I could find locally for Minky. She loves it, too.

 This diaper bag is for a friend from 36 years ago. We attended church together when our DH's were in the Navy. We had our first children on the same day: today: 36 years ago. Yep, our daughter is 36! It doesn't seem like it has been that long ago. She ordered one for someone she knows who is having a girl. She is doing the nursery in lady bugs and pink and chocolate brown colors. I incorporated some fabrics in the bag to go with her theme. It was all pink.

I haven't finished the baby quilt that I was commissioned to make. I have the top finished and began quilting it yesterday. I have the rows and columns blocked in. I want to do a little extra special quilting using my quilting program for my machine on this especially each red corner. I was going to add a picture, but I couldn't get it to load. The weather has been bad this morning, and we have satellite Internet, so you may or may not know what that means. LOL I will most definitely post a picture when it is finished.

We had the grandson and daughter up for a week during the week before Easter. We went to our first Civil War Re-enactment at a memorial close by. It was really interesting to watch. Boy, those cannons were loud! Our grandson who is almost nine enjoyed seeing it and the museum of Indian Arrow Heads, old weapons, etc. there. Mimi and Mama did, too. Papa wasn't feeling too well, so he didn't get to go with us. He is scheduled to have back surgery within the next couple of weeks, so he was in pain. We enjoyed having them visit and miss them terribly. 

I spent one day this week in the doctor's office. DH has been trying for over three weeks to get me to go. My chest was hurting me all the way through my back off and on. I have been coughing, stopped up and overall feeling bad. I got better, but then the chest thing wouldn't go away, and it got bad on Tuesday while I was sewing. My doctor is out of town this week, so we went to the local Urgent Care center. I left there with two injections and three prescriptions. He checked my heart and did a chest x-ray, but the cardiac enzymes would not read on their machine, so the next morning, he sent me to the ER. I stayed there with DH all day long!!! Nothing! She said all my blood work was good, EKG was good, no blood clots, etc. Decided it was bronchial spasms from allergies. I hate the feeling of an elephant sitting on my chest. Don't you? Well, I think this is long enough, but the the fact that I've been sick more than not since Christmas is the main reason I haven't posted often. Not feeling well, leads to not much sewing getting done, leads to not much to talk about. Hope you all had a blessed Easter with family, and be creative today!

God Bless,

Teresa

What's Happening?

Ever had sinus issues that show up with just a headache and painful cheek bone? Yep, that is what has been going on with me. I haven't done very much sewing lately due to this problem. Just haven't felt well, but I'm not blowing, running, etc., just a headache and a little stuffiness. I am slacking on more than my blog posting, too. Sewing is something I really need to be doing, but haven't sewn since Saturday. Still working on the Day and Night quilt for our son and his wife. She saw some progress I've made on Sunday when we had a nice visit with them. They both said they are liking it. I wound up having to order more white Kona cotton to be able to make the last few blocks I need, then it is all go from there. I have started sewing together all the blocks I have made so far. I think it will look really nice when it is finished. I got much better getting my points to come out right the more blocks I made. I'm waiting for the new fabric to come in where I can finish the blocks, but I'm going to sew today and see what I can get done. I also need to quilt our daughter's and SIL's quilt, plus bind our grandson's. The binding may get done today as well. I am also slacking on laundry and house cleaning. It will get done at some time. LOL 

As I've probably mentioned here before, I sleep using a CPAP due to sleep apnea. I have been having problems finding a new mask that works. I went the end of last week to get a new one, and it wouldn't quit leaking around my nose area. I went back yesterday to swap it for another one. I got another no goer. I couldn't get it to stop leaking around my cheeks, so it made funny rackets most of the night. I don't know why I'm having so much trouble with getting a new mask. I have two others which wound up being too large for me. I really need one where I can get a good night's rest again.

While out swapping my mask, I stopped by a fabric store we have locally looking for some military fabric. They did not have what I needed, so I kept looking around. They are carrying some really nice Riley Blake and some other name brand fabric now. I found their clearance Christmas fabric and fell in love with a piece. Who can turn down nice fabric for $2.25 per yard? Not me if I have the money. So below you will see a picture of what I purchased. I got 2 and 1/8th yards for less than five dollars! It has that primitive tea dyed background and red little designs on it. It is made by Connecting Threads, but I can't remember right off hand who the designer is. What do you think?

Well, this is What's Happening around my house? How are you doing? Are you being quilty or crafty?

Have a blessed day!

Teresa

Sixteen Days and Counting

Dear followers,

I want to tell you that Christmas is getting here too fast!!! At least it is for me. LOL I guess you know that, though, don't you? Oh well, maybe there is someone out there who doesn't realize how close Dec. 25, 2013 is. I am not finished or really even close to finished with my gifts for our children for Christmas. I had also planned to give a few homemade items to my extended family, too, but that won't be happening this time. :( 

As you know, I was without my good sewing machine for two months. Then I was so blessed by the Janome company and sent a brand new machine. I almost have my grandson's quilt quilted, and praying I can do that today, then make and add the binding. I still have the pinning and quilting to do on a queen sized quilt and making, pinning and quilting of a king sized quilt. I doubt I will get them done by Christmas. One reason, I only have my domestic sewing machine to quilt on. The other reason, is I don't do a very good job quilting. I am trying to learn to do some free motion quilting and I'm getting some practice on my grandson's quilt. I am not happy with what I've done, but hopefully he won't look at it too closely. He is seven years old. I'm hoping he will be so excited for what I made it of and that it is for his bed, then how Mimi's quilting looks. Then there is a Carpenter's Star by Debbie Maddy that will be pinned with help from my awesome Bama Belles quilting group after our Christmas luncheon. I'm still trying to decide the best way to quilt it. Then, I'm making a Night and Day quilt by Eleanor Burns and will need to pin and quilt it. That one scares me the most. 

I do want to tell you that I'm loving my new machine! I does a beautiful job and runs so quietly! I am so excited that God blessed me so much through Janome. Yes, I believe God blessed me. He knew that I would not be able to afford another machine like that. He knew that I had purchased it using money from my Daddy and Step-Mom's house sale. They passed in 2008 and 2010 respectively. So, it means a lot to me just because of that. This machine has 250 stitches, an 11" harp area, thread cutter, up and down button for the needle, a knee lift for the presser foot, and the Accufeed walking foot system. It is soooo different than my Walmart Brother which is a good machine, too. It only has a 5" harp, so it makes if very difficult to quilt on it.

I am excited about a new adventure that I will do my best to undertake in the new year. A fellow blogger friend Caroline Heinrichs from British Columbia and can be found at http://goodearthquilting.blogspot.com/ is having a crazy quilt quilt along starting in January. I want to learn more about crazy quilting even though I have made two pillows using the crazy quilt method. So, I told her I would give it a try and participate. Keep your fingers crossed that I learn what I can and that I can keep up with her. Check out her blog.
She is also on Google+. 

I didn't share any pictures last time of my machine. Isn't she beautiful? The extension table doesn't come with her. It was from my Horizon, and I was told I could keep it. 

I pray you have a blessed day. Keep me in your prayers that I can get as much finished as I possibly can. Hugs to you all!!!

Teresa

Still No Machine!!!!

Have you ever been frustrated and don't know what to do? Well, I am that and more. My Janome MC Horizon 7700 QCP has been in the shop for six weeks now. I have never had any problems with it until Oct. 15th. I had just finished a baby quilt, that I showed on here, and then repaired the string on two pair of my husband's shorts. I started sewing something right after the repair, and the stitches were skipping. I had never had a problem before, so I tried everything I knew to do and what the manual said and my friends on Facebook told me to try. NOTHING CHANGED!!! So, I called my dealer and told one of the owners what was going on, and she told me to bring it in by the next morning and I would be one of two that the repairman would work on that Thursday. I took it in on Wednesday morning never dreaming they would have it six weeks later! I was not offered a loaner machine until four weeks down the road after it seemed that Janome would not get the needed part sent to them any time soon. Even repairman told me on Monday that he never dreamed it would take this long to get my machine back to me.

While he was trying to find what the problem was (after cleaning and servicing it), the mother board went out. They ordered the part and waited ten days to get the part. When he put that in, he discovered that a required part to make it work was not included in the delivery. Ugh!!! So, we waited over three weeks for that power source part to come in. During this time Janome employees were allegedly having workshops/training, etc., and were not getting anything done in a speedy manner. I understand the need for training, but I also am a firm believer in great customer service. With my blog and all my sewing/quilting FB friends, I can influence a lot of possible customers. I love my machine, but not this type of customer service. I told the owners of where I purchased my machine that I have three quilts that I needed to finish for Christmas gifts when I dropped my machine off. I have called them several times each week for any news. I know they are probably tired of hearing from me. LOL

On Monday, I called, but the owner was teaching a class, so I left a message asking about the part and my machine. The repairman called me to tell me the part had come in and the machine was fixed, he believed, but he wanted the owner to do more stitches on it to make sure. Well, when I didn't get a call from them telling me different, DH and I went to the dealer about sixty miles one way from me, to pick up my machine and take the loaner machine back. We walked in and brought the machine in and was met by the lady who had gotten me the loaner and told me it was not fixed that they were waiting on Janome to call them back from the day before. I spoke to the owner and she told me when she tried other stitches, that the it was still not sewing right, so they may have to send the machine to the company. I am to the point that they just need to get me a different machine. I have been told that this was a problem with these machines and the company received enough complaints that they rebuilt the mother board to "fix" the problem. Well, obviously this didn't "fix" my machine.

Oh well, enough on my frustration. I doubt I will get my quilts finished in time, but I will work hard between now and Christmas. I actually need two of them done by Thanksgiving, but they many not be quite finished and will have to ship them. Oh the joys of quilting and using my talent and love for the process to make Christmas gifts. I had plans to make some mug rugs and various small projects, too, but I doubt that will happen. Unless God gives me the strength to hold up to sew much longer than I usually can at a time, I will not be able to get all I planned done. :( Not a happy camper.

I made the backing for the Avengers quilt Monday and have it and the top ready to pin. I will be sewing together the backing for the other top I have finished today and have it ready to pin, then the quilting can begin. I am not a great quilter and don't fmq much. I really need to practice. I would love to take a craftsy class on this, but I doubt my Internet connection can withstand it. I will post pics of the quilts when they are finished.

What do you use to mark quilting patterns on your quilt tops?

Hugs to all,
Teresa