Pondering -

 

 

While I pondered which one to quilt next -

 

I decided to trim my Upstairs/Downstairs - Winter's Grandeur - 

 

So that it is ready for the next step - binding - 

 

The binding - Scrap Card - Heart - and Label are already made - 

 

 

Next - I think I'll quilt the Batik - 16-Patch - Kiwiberry - 

 

I chose a pretty PURPLE batik for the backing - 

And some PURPLE thread - 

 

The batik is actually a bit darker than the photo shows - 

And I thought that I had it ready to go - 

 

But it's in two pieces that need to be sewn together - 

Each piece is wide enough - but not long enough all by itself - 

So - now I REALLY need to decide how I want to quilt it -

While I piece the backing - 

And baste on the zippers -

 

Any suggestions? - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

Staging -

 

 

The next two to be quilted - 

 

#6 - Batik 16-Patch - Kiwiberry - 48 x 48 - 2017 -

 

#9 - Crumb - Blue Floral - 52 x  64 - 2018 -

 

The back is already made for #9  -

 

Upstairs/Downstairs - Winter's Grandeur is on the insert table - bottom left - 

Batik - 16-Patch - Kiwiberry - is draped over the rail on the left - 

Crumb - Blue Floral - is draped over the rail on the right -

 

I already had the Scrap Card and Heart made for the Batik - 16-Patch -

 

So I made the Label to go with it - 

 

Then I made the Scrap Card - Heart - and Label - 

 

For the Crumb - Blue Floral  -

Now I need to decide which one to quilt first - 

 

Then baste the zippers to the backing - 

And decide how I want to quilt it - 

One step at a time - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

Three more passes -

 

 

And my Upstairs/Downstairs - Winter's Grandeur is quilted - 

 

YAY!! - 

 

 

According to the "stats" - this took about two hours to complete - 

So I guess I "could" quilt the whole thing in one day - 

But it's more fun to play with it for a couple of days - 

 

I get to see and touch each little patch one more time -

 

Tomorrow I'll play with getting the next two ready to quilt - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

Three passes -

 

 

On my Upstairs/Downstairs - Winter's Grandeur - 

 

 

In my favorite three-line grid pattern - 

 

Changing direction - horizontal / vertical - with each new block - 

 

And half of the quilting is done - 

 

When I load it sideways - 

There are 6 rows with 8 blocks in each row -

 

So I can quilt more blocks in one pass - 

 

And have fewer "advances" of the quilt - 

It feels like it's faster this way - 

And this grid is very forgiving - 

 

If I make a boo-boo -

 

It's hardly noticeable -

 

Especially when the thread color "blends" in nicely - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Loaded -

 

 

My Upstairs/Downstairs - Winter's Grandeur - 

 

 

Is loaded and ready to quilt - 

The colors in the first photo are more "true" - 

And the binding is made and ready to go - 

 

 

Now we'll see how long it takes me to quilt this one - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

32 -

 

 

Yesterday I said that I had 32 tops in the closet - 

 

Waiting their turn to be quilted -  

 

Some are pictured here - 

 

Here's the list - 

 

  1 - Big & Bold - Red Cosmos - 68 x 84- 2011

  2 - Big & Bold - Black Cosmos - 68 x 84 - 2011

  3 - Big & Bold - Red Stripe - 68 x 84 - 2011

  4 - Scrappy Tripping - 30 x 30 - 2011

  5 - LHQSQ - Red/Brown - 104 x 104 - 2012-2013

  6 - Batik 16-Patch - (Wanda S. Hanson - Exuberant Color) - 48 x 48 - 2016

  7 - Crumb - Black - 2018

  8 - Crumb - Cheddar - 2018

  9 - Crumb - Blue Floral - 52 x 64 - 2018

10 - Crumb - Deep Red - 2018

11 - LHQSQ 2.0 - Turquoise - 2019 

12 - Batik Bento Boxes - Glowing Embers - 48 x 60 - 2020

13 - Karma Churn Dash - 52 x 65 - 2020

14 - Sevilla Blues - U/D - 50 x 60 - 2020

15 - Hear Wave - U/D - 50 x 60 - 2020

16 - Dresden Plates - 84 x 112 - 2020

17 - Citrus Chips - 48 x 64 - 2020

18 - Mint Chip - Batik - 48 x 64 - 2020

19 - Meredith - U/D - 60 x 80 - 2020

20 - Gleaned - U/D - 60 x 80 - 2020

21 - Iris/Rose Mix - U/D - 60 x 80 - 2020

22 - Pink/Orange Squirrel - Churn Dash - Hot Basics - 2021

23 - Sakura Churn Dash - Batik - 2021

24 - Blushing Peonies - U/D - 60 x 80 - 2021

25 - Sherbet - U/D - 60 x 80 - 2021

26 - Blue Moon 16-Patch - (Wanda S. Hanson - Exuberant Color) - 64 x 80 - 2021

27 - Mulberry 16-Patch - (Wanda S. Hanson - Exuberant Color) - 64 x 80 - 2021

28 - Basic Math - Enchanted Forest - 54 x 60 - 2022

29 - Seedlings - U/D - 60 x80 - 2022

30 - Color Blast - 52 x 81 - 2022

31 - Basic Math - Little Sir Little Miss - 54 x 60 - 2022

32 - Sampler - Hand-Pieced - Partially Hand-quilted - From a booklet (c) 1988

 

That last one was Hand-Pieced - 

Just so that I could say that I did - LOL - 

But since I can no longer do hand-stitching - 

I may finish it on the longarm - 

 

Two on the list are too big for me to quilt on my frame -

#  5 - LHQSQ - Red/Brown - 104 x 104 - 2012-2013

#16 - Dresden Plates - 84 x 112 - 2020

My "limit" is 82" - so I might have to quilt those "by check" -

Or not - depending on what the "going rate" is - LOL -   

 

If you enter the name of the quilt in the top left corner "search" box - 

By the WHITE "B" in the ORANGE square - 

You should be able to see the posts written about each one - 

 

After I finish my Upstairs/Downstairs - Winter's Grandeur - 

 

 

I think I'll quilt #6 - Batik 16-Patch - 48 x 48 - 2016 - 

I have backing fabric ready for it -

And it's on the "small" side - 

So it should quilt up fairly quickly - 

Once I decide "how" I want to quilt it -  

 

Then #9 - Crumb - Blue Floral - 2018 -

 

The back is already made -

 

Having backing fabric ready to go - 

Or having the back already made - 

Sure helps move it to the top of the list - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -  

 

Longarming -

 

 

If you had told me a year ago - 

 

That I would be playing with a longarm today -

 

I would not have believed you - 

 

I was happily making a bunch of quilt tops -  

 

And hanging them in the closet - 

Not worrying one teensy little bit - 

 

About if or when they would ever get quilted -

 

AND THEN - 

 

Last summer (August) I got an email regarding a sale for a frame - 

 

And fell down a rabbit hole - 

 

Since then I have had a GREAT time with my new toys - 

 

When I first got my Q'nique 15PRO - 

(Which is no longer available - replaced by the Q'nique 16X Series) - 

 

And the Q-Zone Hoop Frame - 4-1/2 ft. wide - 

 

I played with a "Practice Quilt" and then quickly quilted 4 more quilts - 

 

Sorry - Blogger decided which photo went where - 

The frame is on the bottom left -

 

#1 - Practice Quilt - bottom right -

#2 - Red/White/Blue "Cheater" Panel - 40" x 40" - middle right -

#3 - An old UFO - Red/White/Black - 48" x 48" - upper left -

#4 - I Used To Be Placemats - 42" x 44" - bottom middle

#5 - Antique Squirrel - 72" x 90" - upper right - 

 

While I was wrestling with the larger quilt - Antique Squirrel - 72"x 90" - 

I decided to upgrade to the Q-Zone Queen Frame - an 8-1/2 ft. frame - 

So I could quilt an entire row in one pass without having to "re-hoop" the quilt -

I knew that I had a bunch of Upstairs/Downstairs quilt tops at 60" x 80" - 

And thought that the larger frame would work MUCH better with those -

And it does - so I'm glad that I upgraded when I did - 

 

When I got the new frame - I quilted another eight before the end of 2022 -  

 

#  6 - Upstairs/Downstairs - Wild Things - 60"x 80" - top middle - 

#  7 - Simply Woven - 60" x 60" - bottom left - 

#  8 - Halloweenie Interweave - 48" x 56" - middle left - 

#  9 - Upstairs/Downstairs - Christmas Green - 60" x 80" - bottom middle - 

#10 - Upstairs/Downstairs - Christmas Red - 60" x 80" - top left - 

#11 - Big & Bold - 62" x 86" - middle right - 

#12 - Woof & Whiskers - TT - Confetti - 48" x 60" - bottom right - 

#13 - Woof & Whiskers - Jiffy Jelly - 48" x 60" - top right - 

 

The center one is the Antique Squirrel that was really too big for the other frame -

 

 

In January 2023 I played with -

 

#14 - Opal KaBloom panel - bottom right - 

Which included two small 4" squares - bottom left and right middle - 

A small beige/white flower - 10" x 10"' - top right -

And a medium sized white/blue flower - 15" x 15" - top left - 

 

They were fun to quilt - but aren't really 4 separate quilts - 

More like 2 mug rugs and 2 pillow tops - 

So I'll just count them as one - 

I'll count the large pink flower as a separate one when I get there - 

 

Then I played with a few more tops - 

 

#15 - Noah's Ark - 36" x 42" - middle right -

#16 - Bee Happy - 36" x 44" - bottom center - 

#17 - Opal KaBloom - Pink Flower - 26" x 26" - bottom right - 

#18 - Red Squirrel - 46" x 57" - top right - 

#19 - Imperial Bargello - 60" x 80" - middle left - 

#20 - Happy Trails - 32" x 40" - bottom left - 

#21 - Upstairs/Downstairs - Pastel Brights - 60" x 80" - center - 

#22 - Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold - 60" x 80" - top left -

 

Between my U/D - Pastel Brights and U/D - Marigold I had tension issues - 

But I think I have those resolved now -

And - because of those - I un-sewed and re-quilted my Imperial Bargello - 

Maybe I should count that one twice - but I won't - LOL -

 

Anyway - that's 22 quilted since I got my new longarm set-up - 

Some are obviously smaller than others - but there are some at 60" x 80" -

 

Next up is - 

#23 - Upstairs/Downstairs - Winter's Grandeur - 60" x 80" -

 

 

And - according to my list - 

I have another 32 tops in the closet - 

 

Waiting their turn to be quilted - 

Maybe - if I get on a roll - 

I can finish a bunch of them -

Before the end of the year - 

 

And - YES - I said 32 -

 

I'll post the list tomorrow - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

Stepping up the pace -

 

 

Yesterday I made the Scrap Card and Heart - 

 

For my Upstairs/Downstairs - Winter's Grandeur - 

 

 

Then I made the label - 

 

And cut the binding strips -

 

But - before I made the binding - 

 

I thought I should sew the "join" - 

 

And sew the binding to the front -

 

On my Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold -

 

To finish that one before I added another one to the pile - 

 

I like how the 'flange" binding finishes these quits -

 

And makes them look "fancy" -

 

Now I can finish making the binding- 

 

And load the Upstairs/Downstairs - Winter's Grandeur - 

 

To get that one quilted - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

Another slow day -

 

 

The smaller pieces were easier to  un-sew - 

 

 

So I quickly made little piles - 

 

Then pressed them all - 

 

And then I pressed the larger pieces - 

 

Making more piles - 

 

Then pulled one of each for the Scrap Card - 

 

And one for the Heart - 

 

The Heart will need some of the larger pieces added to it - 

 

But one step at a time - 

 

Inch by inch -

 

I eventually get stuff done - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

An even slower day -

 

 

All I did yesterday was un-sew some of the scraps - 

 

From the cut strata - 

 

For my Upstairs/Downstairs - Winter's Grandeaur -  

 

I started with the larger "ends" - 

 

So when I un-sew the smaller ones - 

 

I can sort and press them and make the Scrap Card - 

 

Then press the larger ones and make the Heart - 

 

Before I load the batting and quilt top - 

Or after -

 

I haven't decided yet - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

Slow day -

 

 

After such a BUSY day Sunday - 

 

I was due for one at a much slower pace - 

 

So yesterday all I did was sew the binding to the back - 

 

Of my Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold - 

 

 

Not much progress - 

 

But it's better than nothing - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go- gotta sew - 

BUSY day -

 

 

I switched back and forth between playing with - 

 

My Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold - 

 

And my Upstairs/Downstairs - Winter's Grandeur - 

 

So - not necessarily in this order - I was BUSY -

 

Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold - 

 

I trimmed it -

 

 

And cut the binding strips - 

 

And made about 4 miles of binding - 

Not really - but it always seems like miles - 

Upstairs/Downstairs - Winter's Grandeur - 

I chose the thread color - EGGSHELL - for the top and bobbin thread -

 

 

Tore the backing to size - 

 

Basted the zippers on - 

 

And loaded it on the frame -

 

 

Unzipped the top zipper to release the backing from the frame - 

 

Tested the tension on a practice piece - 

 

 

The tension looks good to me - 

 

So I cut the batting to size - 

 

And it's ready to load tomorrow - 

I don't want to jinx it - 

 

But I would like to quilt as many tops as I can - 

 

While my tension still looks good - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

Off the frame -

 

 

My Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold is off the frame - 

 

And the zippers have been removed - 

 

 

I was asked about the tension - 

 

It looks OK to me -

 

And I didn't list "Choose the next one to quilt" as a step yesterday - 

 

Because I already did that - 

 

I chose my Upstairs/Downstairs - Winter's Grandeur - 

 

Because I found a VERY pretty backing for it - 

 

It has the same CREAM/WHITE/GOLD/SILVER - and is large scale - 

 

So I think it will work nicely - 

 

It even has some Holly leaves - 

The color in the photo above is more "true" -

This one looks bluish - and it's not -  

 

 

Now to get the first one trimmed - 

 

And the next one loaded - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -