Too Much Information

This is our cat Thomas. He is King Cat and resides over the house over all other living creatures that dwell therein. He rules over the dogs and keeps them in line not to mention the people. Mostly he sits up on his cat perch where he can keep an eye on the comings and goings thruout the day. At night he roams the house or curls up on a bed. On cold nights when the house cools off he will borrow under the blankets and curl up quite content with his life.

Wish I could be more like Thomas. Well actually I would likely get bored after the first few days of that. Nope my life if full of activity and things that are in need of being done. I am wife, mother, housekeeper, chauffeur, cook, laundry girl, secretary, counselor, tutor, personal assistant. Oh yes and did I forget to mention Professional Longarm Quilter. Well life is sure full and busy with two growing girls and a husband that is most used to referring to me as stay at home mom since the youngest was about one year old. After reading another blog this morning, well I have read quite a few other blogs this morning, not to mention a few quilting websites and I have not even visited all of them yet I came across some real wisdom.

We do live in an age of information. Just think here I sit in rural New Mexico and only wave at my neighbors but never actually speak to them but I converse daily with people from all over the globe without leaving the house. I can while away tons of time in front of (not the TV) but the computer. In fact I do not watch much TV. Nope I am a computer addict.....................ok see there I have said it! The fact is that I go to someones blog and they are describing something. New fabric, new supplies, or some gadget so off I go in search of that on the Internet. Then something else attracts my attention, and on and on. I can just waste away tons of time seeing all sorts of wonderful things on the Internet. I can sit here in my rural house, in my jammies, uncombed hair, and see the whole world. Amazing!

Now I vow to get off this computer and go work on that wonderful sampler on the frame. Yesterday I got the sashing done and had to order more thread. Today I am gonna quilt till I wilt.............................at least that is the plan!

I Changed The Colors of My Blog

Being a person that is all about colors and seeing colors in different ways I was messing around (now I should actually be off quilting). I have been playing with color combinations and features of my blog and came up with this new combo. I would like to hear from you if you like it or hate it, or even if you just don't care either way. Likely I will get bored with these colors and change them again in the comming months. Maybe you remember I began with a black background but soon realized that was too hard on my eyes so went for a softer look. Ok tell me what you think!

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have been hoping for more quilts and seems like everyone is coming out of the woodwork asking for quilting lately. I am so excited! I think I am gonna be pretty busy this month and likely next month as well. I am beginning to feel like people are finding me.

There are gonna be some decisions along the way as I have been getting requests for some (quilts from scratch) lately. One person only gave me colors and she wants something traditional.............nothing else. Now that is gonna be a challenge but then I love challenges. Figure I will get on my thinking cap and come up with a few options from simple to somewhat more complex in a variety of prices and see which one she likes.

My big challenge is going to be trying to get something ready for Machine Quilters Showcase. I downloaded the entry forms from the shows after seeing the links on Suzanne's site. Figure if I keep a schedule and get going now I will be ready. I do have a pile of my tops so just need to quilt something...................now that is easier said than done because my last quilt logged 40 hours of quilting time on the longarm. Thank goodness for zippered leaders so I was able to work between customer quilts. Now to decide on a top!

Meeting Myself Comming And Going!

Have you ever felt frozen to even do anything because of the sheer volume of all the things you have to do. It seems like my life has become a juggling act in the last half year. I just have too many acts and hats to maintain and want it all simpler. Being wife, mother, soccor coach, Ways And Means Chair in my guild, taxi driver for the kids and Professional Longarm Quitler.

I have to put up quilts for a craft show as part of my guild duties tomorrow. Then Sat I have to coach soccor and go back to work at the show and take it all down. Come Sunday soccor will be over, the show will be over and maybe there is a chance that things will calm down a bit. I kinda feel like I just want to sit and work on my quilting and relax with nobody asking me for this and that.

Well already I feel the pull of having to get off the computer to go get things done around here, then there are all the helpers for the quilt show I need to call to remind them where and when to be, soccor certificates to make up for the end of the season party on Saturday, have to straighten up the house..............................looks like a hurricane has blown thru here and I do not have clean clothes to wear much less can find the floor of the closest.

Ok time for a list and a prayer that next week I will be able to recoup and just take a deep breath and begin a more relaxed daily routine!

Ok Fall Is Over, Now Its Winter

Well at least it seem like winter. It is snowing outside. Well at least flakes are comming out of the sky even if they are not sticking they are here. Last night the wind was blowing so hard I thought the roof might blow off the house or I might wake up with the house next to the Yellow Brick Road. It has been blowing all day too and the temperature has been dropping. Dark clouds were brewing to the North and then finally we get flakes. Now we have a fire going. When you live at 7000 feet seems like Winter comes sudden and fast!

I got my leaves pinned to the 2nd quarter of the log cabin border today and now need to get them all appliqued on. I am so hopping to get them on this week so I can put the vines on the next section. The more I work on this top the better I am liking it.

I Hate To Clean House!

I so hate to clean house but even worse I hate a messy house. I guess I have let things go and today was cleaning day at least downstairs. I only have the energy to clean one floor per day and the upstairs will have to wait till next Friday. The problem is yes I did have a housekeeper but got tired of paying her good money and then I would bust my buns to get ready for her and tidy up. Then after she left there were always those things not done. No spider webs cleaned off the walls or ceiling, no baseboards dusted and believe me living in the desert there is dust, no deep cleaning in the corners and crevices. I noticed the shower doors one day and they were looking like a microbiology experiment. Well it was time for her to go so I gave her the boot. Well now instead of helping every other Friday I get to clean one floor each Friday.

The worst thing about all the work is that is just does not stay clean. By the end of the week it is time to do it again. Yikes! I think of other things I could do instead of clean. I could quilt, sew, play on the computer, draw, go for a walk, play with the dog and a whole bunch of other things. Guess it is better to clean than the alternative of having to walk thru all the mess as that is just no plain fun either.

The good news is that I have been working on my applique border the past two days. I got all the flowers sewn on the second corner now and am starting to do the leaves. Once the leaves are done (and they go pretty fast and easy) it will be time to put vines on corner number three. It is finally beginning to look really nice when I lay it out.

Done

I finally finished and delivered this quilt. It was on my frame for what I thought was forever but really only 10 days. I did not work on it each of those days but I did spend quite a large amount of time on it. The quilt is 100x100 and then there were two matching pillow shams (photo on the left). I did load all three items on the frame together. The shams on the left side one above the other and then the quilt to the left. This took up most of the space on my frame (14 foot frame). I did use my Reneas Amazing Arcs for the spines of the feathers that went diagonal across the entire quilt. They really were amazing as the 23 inch one was just perfect for the right curve. Then in the borders I used another curve tool that is made for feathers and this also made for really nice feathers. The customers husband was most excited when I delivered the quilt and loved it so much he went across the street to have the neighbor come over and see it.

Well now I have the sampler back on the frame and I am gonna work on it exclusively till it is finished. I am going to try some new things on this one and will post photos when it is done.

The weather here has gone from cool to cold! The trees are beginning to drop the gold leaves as well. Seems like Fall came and is almost gone. At least the colorful part of Fall. I bet it will not be long before we get our first snow of the season.

On The Home Stretch

Anyone that uses a longarm knows that when you unpin your quilt and turn it for those borders along the side you are on the home stretch. Boy all I can say is that I way underestimated the time that this one would take. Now how hard can it be to do some feathers all across the quilt on the diagonal. Well when the King sized and there are two pillow shams with it. The quilt has been on the frame now since the beginning of the month. I am so hoping to finish today and get it off my frame. I will say that is is a very striking quilt and the feathers look really awesome. I will have to file this experience away in my memory that it takes time and effort. I will post some photos of this one when it is finished.

I wish I could say I had something quick and easy to do next........................nope! I have another high end custom job that is already partially done to finish up. I guess this means that I will be spending a lot of time with my machine trying to get that one out the door as well.

At least I am busy and for that I am grateful.

Balloons!

It is Balloon Fiesta time in Albuquerque again! Just imagine 700 balloons being inflated and taking off. It is a sight that is beyond words. The array of colors and shapes is wonderful to see. This along with people who come from all over the USA and other contries as well. The festivites begin offically at 5:45 am each morning with the dawn patrol. This is a small group of balloons that go up just as there is faint light comming over Sandia Crest. Each time the pilot of the balloon uses the burner to refresh the hot air the balloon glows. Then around 7am before you can see the sun over the top of the mountains the balloons begin to inflate for the mass ascension. Hundreds of balloons are being inflated and as they take off the chase crews are trying to get off the balloon park to go after them. Then another crew comes in to park in that space and inflate so they too can take off. This goes on for over two hours. People are welcome to walk around on the field so you are in a forest of balloons all around.

I have not even had time to go thru my photos yet and hope to do so this week. I will likely go again next weekend as Sunday is the farewell Ascension where they will all go up again. This means even more photos. This is as long as the weather cooperates. In past years there have been times they do not go up due to high winds or rain.

I think this year I will endeavor to submit a design for our guilds Balloon quilt. I know I have enough photos that are mine to come up with a nice composition. There is a contest and one winner is selected and that quilt is created and raffle tickets are sold.

Why Does Life Always Get In The Way!

I really want to be quilting today but there are too many other things to be done today. I have spent my entire morning preparing our travel trailer for taking it to park at the Balloon Fiesta Park. Now to just put things back in and make the beds, put towels in and other things like that. At least the end is in sight for that little project!

Can you say tornado! Looks like one has ripped thru my house. I have been busy the last week and the house blew up. I think it has something to do with my two girls who can't seem to find a place for everything and put everything its place. Well there is a a place for everything if the floor and tabletops count for a place.

I did work on the huge quilt on the frame yesterday. It is coming along really nicely. I am just starting to use guides for the spines of my feathers and what a HUGE difference that makes. I think this one is gonna be gorgeous whenever I get it done. I will post some photos when it is finished.

Now the upcoming Balloon Fiesta should be fun. This year I am going to focus on photography! Each year I wish I would take more and better photos. Good thing for digital cameras with large capacity memory chips. I think I can take about 200 photos so I will start with an empty disk so I will not have to worry about how many times I click that shutter. I am so hoping to get some awesome shots. Of course I will show a few of the best and also hopefully there will be some future quilt designs in there as well.

Feeling Productive Again

I think I am finally out of the quilting funk! I have been in a rut. I had a large sampler on the machine and was just frozen. Well I finally took it off..................thank goodness for zippered leaders. I put on the vintage quilt that I had to do major repairs on. The borders were really wavy so I took them off and reattached them. There were some places where there was no seam..........................yep gaps, so I fixed those. I also had to remove the sashing from the center of the quilt and reattach that as it was puckered! Lots of work but it was done over several days over a week ago. I used my new Quilt EZ baptist fan and wow what a difference that made to the look of that top. I had to do some fussing as there were places the quilt just did not lie flat.................it does now!!!!!!!

The photo is the before it was quilted.................I have to take an after photo.

So now I have another quilt ready to go.......................with a 14 foot table I have the backing loaded and it is pretty close to the sides. I hope to get this one done over the next two or three days. The worst is that the sampler has to go back on too.

With all this I am trying to keep going with my applique border and did work on it a bit yesterday. No way I will do an entire corner like last week. I will try to keep at it though and make progress. My goal on this is to enter it somewhere so the sooner it is done the better.