A Special Quilt...

 Roughly 6 weeks ago or so my SIL, Kellie found a panel on Ebay I believe that she fell in love with.  My brother is a huge Civil War buff and she wanted to piece a quilt for their upcoming 19th anniversary. 

 She mostly does English Paper Piecing but is really good at piecing on the machine too but she just doesn't have enough confidence in herself.  I've quilted her machine pieced quilts before and they are good and square.  :)  Sooooo....she told me what she had in mind for the quilt that she wanted to make for my brother.  I told her that I would help her get it assembled. 

 I did cut and frame up the panel and attach it to the surrounding tumblers and she pieced and pieced hundreds of these tumblers.  She did every bit of those tumblers at WORK!  Yep!  At work!  She is a nurse at a peditrician's office and he is awesome about letting them quilt.  There are 3 ladies that work there and all 3 of them do EPP.  He says that as long as all the work is caught up and patients are taken care of that he doesn't mind at all.  He actually encourages them to be productive with something.  LOL!

 So we decided to do a fairly loose stipple and not over quilt the panel.  I also made sure that I quilted around and not over their faces because I didn't want to distort them. 

 She has a ton of awesome fabrics in this quilt.  Their anniversary is Monday April 1st so I figure she will give it to him this weekend.  I told her to video it as I can't wait to see his face. 

 After I got the center panel ready and back to her she sewed like a crazy lady getting all of those tumblers done and back to me.  I then trimmed it up and sewed the outer borders on.  Now like I said, it's not like she didn't know how to do it but she also didn't have a place to actually use the machine and get those sewn on without him seeing it. 

 Oh I forgot it is backed with a brown Minkie and we used Hobb's batting.  I will be doing the binding on it today.  She is so excited to give it to him. 

In the mail yesterday I received this charm pack.  I signed up for a monthly delivery at Green Fairy Quilts for a charm pack each month.  It's $9.99 and FREE SHIPPING!  The charm pack that I got is called Remix.  Not really my style but I'll keep them and use them in something.  :) 

 All for this post...

A Big Job!

 Yesterday I worked on this customer quilt.  First off, I did NOT quilt this beautiful hand pieced Grandmother's Flower Garden but someone else did several years ago.  She just wants me to bind it.  :)  She doesn't want the edges cut straight she wants bias binding going around each and every point.  I love the look of that but it is a job!  

Sadly the backing was smaller than the top so I'm not sure what the deal was there exactly and I didn't ask.  She just asked me to trim it up a little. 

 The quilting looks very nice but does not go to the edge on two sides and that is probably where the clamps were on the longarm.  I folded it back here so you can see.  I'm trimming it even with the backing and binding it.  The lady did a beautiful job HAND PIECING the top.  I'll post of pic of the whole quilt once I get the binding done. 

 Here you can see I have my bias binding all cut and ready to go.  I also trimmed up the edges of the quilt.  This baby is going to take me FOREVER!  LOL!  It's a huge quilt and as you can see there are a million peaks and valleys. 

 Actually since I took these pics I have one side sewn down by machine.  I hope to get all of the 3 remaining sides sewn today and then do the hand sewing a little at a time.  

I also hope to get my SIL's beautiful quilt loaded on the longarm today too.  Those are my goals for the day but to be honest....all of that is probably not going to happen.  LOL!  It's 5:30am and I haven't been to bed yet.  I'll probably lay down and nap for an hour or so after Richard leaves.  He will be leaving in about 5 minutes.  LOL!  

BTW....thank you ladies for telling me how to fix my comments in my email.  :) 

On the longarm...

 I got some quilting done yesterday after church.  I loaded this customer quilt on the frame. 

 This wonderful lady brought me 6 king size tops to quilt for her.  I've quilted for her before and she does a wonderful job piecing so it makes my job much easier.  

 I am quilting it with the "loopy hearts" panto.  It's a fun design to quilt. 

 I also got the binding sewn on the jean quilt this weekend.  I did that while we watched a movie.  I'm glad it is finished. 

 I will be taking the customer quilt off the longarm this morning so I will get a better pic of it.  Not sure how much sewing that I will get done today as I have a lot of stuff to get done.  

If you have read my blog for any length of time you know that I love and collect Jim Shore.  My mom bought this Jim Shore Angel for me from one of our local thrift store auctions.  I love it!!!  

 Look at the back of it!!!!  Oh my!  I would love to make a quilt like that.  Maybe I will put it on my list to make someday...

 Hunter finally went back to school today.  :(  I know he needs to go back but I love having my boys home with me.  He's been off school because of all of the snow.  If I counted correctly he has been to school 2 days since before Christmas.  It's either been too cold or we've had snow.  It's been crazy!!!

I guess that's all for this morning...I have a lot to do today!

Sewing with anxiety...

 Yesterday's sewing started early.  If you look at the pic below you can see that it was barely turning daylight.  Richard had just left for work and we had a snowstorm coming.  

First off, I sewed the flannel binding on the jean quilt and now it is ready for the handwork.  

 Then I sewed the binding on to the Road to Jericho quilt.  Now it is also read for the handwork.  I love hand sewing on binding.  

 By this time it was daylight.  Here is my view from my machine.  If you look real close you can see one of the horses.  They LOVE getting out and playing in the snow.  They were in and out all day.  It's funny how much they love playing in the snow. 

 By this time I was having some anxiety.  If it was going to get as bad as they were saying then I knew what this would probably mean for Richard.  So I just kept sewing...

I got 2 more stars sewn...

 That takes me up to a total of 7 of those. 

 Anxiety and ADHD do not mix well.  LOL!  I bounced around all day worse than ever.  I found some small string blocks that I had worked on a while back.  These are 4" blocks so they are rather small. 

 I added those blocks to what I had and here they all are laid out. 

 Digging around some more I decided to cut out some applique cats with my Accuquilt GO!  I already had a few orange polka dot cats cut but then I found these batik and other bright scraps in my scrap basket and decided to cut some of those. 

 This one is my favorite!  I'm thinking that as I get batik scraps that I will cut out some cats until I have enough for a kid quilt. 

 Here are some that I already had cut so I think I will keep them and maybe do a small baby quilt with them.  I didn't get a pic but I did sew a couple to a white background. 

 As the day progressed, the weather got worse.  In the end we had several inches of snow, falling temps and they declared a Level 3 Emergency.  Even our 24-hr Walmart closed for the evening.  

When this happens and Richard is scheduled to work the next day he is supposed to stay at the hospital because it is their policy.  That way the employees are already there.  With a Level 3 Emergency it is emergency vehicles and people only that can travel the roads without a fine.  Richard was allowed because he is a nurse but it was NOT recommended.  

Now....in 18 years we have never spent 24 hours apart.  I knew that at this point it would be smarter and safer for him to stay at the hospital.  Several texts and calls later he still didn't know what he was going to do.  I did a whole lot of praying because I knew that if he thought he could get home that he would be here.  In the end, I thought he was going to be staying there.  Then I saw him walking down the driveway!!!!  Oh my!  I lost it and got all emotional.  :)  He had to park at the end of our driveway.  His normal 45 minute commute ended up being a 90 minute commute.  I'm not saying that this was the smartest decision but I was sure happy to see him.  Trust me, I also thanked the good Lord above for keeping him safe.  Now as I type this he is on his way back to work.  I am praying for safe travels this morning.  I did notice that they had downgraded to a Level 2 Emergency.   

Hunter had a friend come over on the 4-wheeler through the hills.  They were out and about most of the day in the snow.  Funny thing, when they came in I offered them something warm to drink and Wyatt said, "can I have a jar of pickles?"  LOL!  He loves my pickles!  He always eats pickles when he is here.  :)  That boy cracks me up!

18 and counting....

 Yesterday I get the binding on that king size quilt finished.  It was hand sewn binding so it took me a while to finish.  So now this quilt is ready to be picked up today.  Shew....

 I got this loaded on the frame and the quilting started.   I will finish it up today.  I don't have to do the binding on this one, just the quilting.  She requested a stipple which is fine with me as I can do that faster than doing a pantograph.  :)  It is being quilting in burgundy thread to match the backing.  This one is a king too!  :)  I have it loaded sideways because it fit the backing better that way.  Just wanted to make sure I had plenty once I rolled the quilt to the end. 

 I am soooooo booked up and I have been turning them away because as it is I am going to be cutting it close.  I do this every time that I get stressed and have a ton of quilts.  I worked as hard and as fast as I can and then I just give out.  LOL!  Today I was hand sewing as fast as I could and all the time I was thinking, "I want to crochet something"  LOL!  That's how my mind works.  Part of me wanted to just stop and start crocheting, but I didn't.  I'm sure that once things slow down after the new year I will not be in the mood to crochet.  LOL!  

Just for the record....I keep telling you how covered up that I am...well....  I have 18 more tops to quilt and 3 of them I have to completely piece myself and also 9 memory pillows!  Some of these I have to do binding on and some I don't.  The 3 that I have to make from start to finish are the Cross memory quilts that I have made in the past from shirts. 

Busy Times and Happy Birthday to my BABY!

 Soooo....I did not get the last two quilts finished that I wanted to do before I left for vacation!  That's okay, I'm not got to sweat it.  I had one loaded on the longarm and as soon as I started on it, my machine started breaking top thread.  Not sure why and I did try to figure it out but then time got away and I realized that it just wasn't going to happen so I stopped and moved on to something else....cleaning my house.  LOL!  

I have some EPP packed and ready to take on the trip as it will be about a 12 hour or so drive by the time we have to stop several times with the kids.  As I mentioned before there are 14 of us going.  I also decided to take this quilt along and sew the binding on. 

 It's hard to tell much about the quilt in this pic but it is called, Indian Star.  I quilted it sometime LAST year and never did the binding on it.  I looked back through my blog to see when I pieced it but didn't find it right off, but I know it has been YEARS.  LOL!  

We usually take a small quilt on trips because Hunter always wants to sleep and have something to cover up with.  I also wanted to take a smallish quilt to use on the beach as they all want to lay on something and the beach towels just are not big enough.  Last year when we went to VA Beach I took a small quilt too.  This is a quilt that I plan on "using" so I don't care to use it on the beach.  LOL!  So I figure I will do the hand work while Hunter is not using it to sleep with.  :)  

Richard has picked over 8 quarts of raspberries so far and I made a cobbler a few days ago.  They loved it!  I didn't eat any as I am a diabetic but it sure smelled good. 

 I also had a bunch of zucchini that I needed to do something with before we left.  I shredded it up and put 2 cups in each freezer bag.  That will be enough to make 8 of these Chocolate Zucchini Breads.  Richard's grandmother used to make this for him and she gave me the recipe a few years before she passed away. It is good and to me it tastes a lot like German Chocolate Cake. 

 Today is Hunter's 15th birthday!  Where does time go?  Shew...I miss my boys being little.  I took this pic of Andrew and Hunter a few months ago at mom's.  They are such close brothers even though there is a 9 yr age difference.  My boys are my world! 

 Richard has to work today and will not be home until 8pm so we will just have a small celebration as we will be leaving on vacation around 2:30am so just a few hours after Richard gets home.  I told Hunter that sometime after we get back that he could have a few friends over.  

Speaking of friends...last night one of Hunter's best friends had an ATV accident and had to be flown out to the hospital.  I sat up until after midnight waiting to hear something as Hunter was very upset and Richard and I also grew up with his dad.  They flew him to a hospital over an hour away.  We finally heard that he had several broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a fractured neck.  That is all that we heard last night but they were still running tests so I will check again this morning.  Shew....things can change in a blink of an eye.  

So we will be leaving very late tonight and I have a million things to finish up today.  As I mentioned before my MIL is house sitting for us and I need to do a quick once over on my house before she comes late this afternoon.  We also have a good friend/neighbor that is going to come up and feed all of the animals as my MIL is not able to feed the horses, chickens and such.  I also have a few errands to take care of then come home and bake a birthday cake for Hunter.  

I will probably overload my blog with vacation pics!  LOL!  I'm also on Instagram if you want to pop on over there and follow me.  I'm on there under "The Quilted Mule"  :)  

That's all for now....gotta get my long day started!  Please keep us all in your prayers as we travel.

Trimming up...

 Yesterday I trimmed up my SIL's hexie quilt so that I could start on the binding.  I really didn't have to trim that much off.  I was planning on doing a scalloped edge on it but the hexies just didn't fall right and it would not come out even.  So I will be doing a straight edge.

 Trimming the other side...

 This is how the edges turned out before binding.  This morning I will sew the binding strips together and get them sewn on and then do the handwork. 

 Another pic of this beautiful quilt that she worked so hard on.  The binding is the same as the brown backing.

 Another pic of the back...

 I'm thinking that I am going to have to breakdown and buy a new cutting mat.  LOL!  I've had this one for several years.  This is one of the larger ones and most of the time I just use my rotating mat.

 I also cut a few scraps that will be used for my EPP.  I have a bunch already prepped but I will eventually need these as well.

 Yesterday was a long day!  I woke up at 3:30am wide awake after going to bed at 11:30pm.  No nap at all so by evening I was running low.  I did work on the above quilt, canned the kraut, and did a little cleaning.  

I ended up with 18 more quarts this morning so that makes a total of 64 quarts of kraut!  My house is already smelling like fermenting cabbage.  LOL!  

Today my plans are to mostly work on the binding of the hexie quilt.  I also have to run to town after Hunter gets up so that we can pick something up for Richard for Father's Day.  I also need to load a little Flag quilt on the frame.  I wanted to do that yesterday but it just didn't happen. 

I was thinking last night that after vacation I want to work on one of my UFO's.  I'm thinking I will finish up my Garlic Knots.  I don't even remember how many blocks that I have done.  I know that I have them all sewn together into a quilt top but if I remember correctly it just wasn't as large as I wanted it to be.  So I would like to finish it up soon.  I don't remember if I had decided to sew a border on it or not.  If I do, it will just be a straight border, nothing pieced.  I'll just have to wait and see once I dig it out.  I really liked how it was looking so I would like to finish it.  I would also like to schedule in a couple of my own quilt tops to be quilted.  I have my huge bowtie quilt that has thousands of little bowties in it and it still isn't quilted.  I would love to quilt it as soon as I can.  I will have to purchase a backing for it as I don't think I have one for it.  

It will still be a while before I can quilt one of mine as I believe that I have about 11 customer quilts waiting to be quilted and 3 of them are custom quilts that I have to piece and then quilt.  

I guess this is enough rambling... Richard just left for work and I need to get my Saturday started.  My silly rooster has been crowing since a little before 4am! 

 

Binding and EPP Coffins

I spent most of the day working on binding!  I ended up cutting the binding 3" because the quilt was so thick after using cotton batting and fleece backing.  3" ended up being a perfect size.  Almost every customer quilt that I do, I end up doing the binding as well.  I don't mind because I enjoy binding and I also get a extra pay for it. 

 I also prepped some coffin shapes for the EPP project that I am working on.  This is the one that I plan on taking on vacation.  Of course, I will only be getting started on it and a long way to go. 

 I love these shapes!  They are 4" long and I don't really remember the width, but I like them....not too big, not too small.

 As you can see, I have a couple of hundred prepped and ready.  Most of these are Civil War scraps or at least something that blends in with them.  I'm finding that I don't have much blue or green.  I do have some showing in the pic above but that is the only ones that I have and only a few of those.  It seems like I mostly have reds and browns.  So I need more blues and greens to break it up.

 I'm almost finished with hand sewing the binding so I will piece the backing to the next customer quilt.  It's the one made by my awesome SIL, Kellie.  By the way...she is taking her EPP to work on during our vacation too.  Currently she is working on a Lucy Boston quilt.  It is beautiful.

11 yards of Binding!

 Yesterday I posted full pics of this hand pieced customer quilt. 

 Now this big baby completely finished and it's ready to deliver!!! Yesterday I cut, pieced, and hand sewed the binding! This quilt measures something like 104x104 so that's 416 inches which also equals over 11 yards of hand sewn binding!!! Usually I divide a big binding job like this over 2 days but this time I did it ALL in ONE DAY!!! Yep...my hand is feeling it but I so enjoy it.  The binding is the same purple flannel as the back. 

 Today I will try to catch up on the housework.  :)

Binding and Wild Animals

It's been several days since I posted but I've just been busy.  Hunter turned 14 on June 30th but we had his party last Saturday, June 25th since Richard was off work.  Hunter had a great time and it just breaks my heart that my baby is growing up.  

I finished up a few bindings.  Finished my Tumbler binding. 

 This is the backside of that Tumbler quilt.  I absolutely love this panto that I used.

 Here are 2 different customer quilts that I ONLY did the binding on.  When the lady contacted me she said that someone else quilted them for her several years ago and was also supposed to do the binding on them.  Her husband picked them up but didn't look in the bag and the binding had not been done.  So someone else did the quilting but I did the binding on both twin quilts for her. 

 Last night I finished the binding on my Sweet Annie quilt. 

 I think I still have 2 quilts that need the binding done that I quilted a few years ago.  Not sure how I missed the binding on those.  I also have one of the frame that I almost have the quilting done on it and then it will go in the pile for binding.  

We have a pretty good size wild raspberry and blackberry patches here on the farm.  Richard picked some a few days ago and I made a cobbler.  It was absolutely delicious!!!!  Topped with vanilla ice cream.  YUM!

 Last Sunday we had our homecoming service at Church and that is always followed with a big dinner.  Look at this precious pic that was taken of Addison my precious niece. 

 Now I will leave you with the creepy visitor that I had a few nights ago.  He chased me around the house and back in the front door.  In the pic you can see he is coming up on my front porch.  He was even trying to attack my bloodhound, Mammy.

Shew...the things that you see when living out in the woods.  LOL!  Mom and my sister saw a bobcat crossing just a couple hundred feet from my house.  Gotta keep a close eye on my chickens.  Several years ago we had a baby bobcat get in the coop and kill some chickens and then it couldn't get back out so it just curled up in one of the nests and went to sleep.  We found it that next morning sleeping in the nest.