Ok it's late....

but a lot has been going on today.  I did write the pattern for the quilt as you go placemats - so I am ready for the class on Monday.  Lots got done in the studio this week - the snowmen custom quilt is finished and I am working on Roz's Clemson quilt.  

The Open House for the PQ3000 is on Sunday and there is still a lot to be done.  It's very scary getting this off the ground, but I am sure that it will all work out in the end.

Bandit, the quilter's dog, is doing well and ate well tonight.  Cherios, milk and Alpo!  Good taste.

I would love to post photos from the iPad, but I haven't worked how to do that yet!!  But I'll work on it - so much to learn.

So it's definitely bedtime.  I have never been an early morning person, so I need to be in bed by 10pm.  That doesn't make sense really - seems I need to go to bed early and get up late!  Oh well - bed now and get up at 6am means 8 hours sleep - pretty standard.  

      

Sleep well everyone - it's a wonderful thing to be able to sleep - so if you cannot, I understand!

Good night All.

Nearly there......

It's been a frantic week and today - three days before the launch - we came up with a really neat enhancement to the frame, so tomorrow will be a busy one, adding the new attachment and modifying the manual.  I'm very happy about the change.  I was already sure that the frame was everything it needed to be, but now I am confident that it's the best!  PQ3000 rocks!!

My lovely assistant Lindsay has been packing the first six frames into boxes and fighting with the box stapler.  Now that's a beast of a stapler!

We are organizing to vend at shows and we may be in Rock Hill SC at the end of October.  We are just waiting to hear about a cancellation - that would be fabulous.  Just before Christmas - can I say Christmas gifts!!  Then in November we will be in Tampa FL, January is Lake Worth FL and March sees us in Charlotte NC.

Running a little behind on the Lancaster Project, but hopefully once the Open House is done and the class on Monday has half a dozen placemat sets made I will get a chance to catch up a little.

On the whole life is busy but very good and I will get some pictures up next week.  And next week we hope to start on the how-to videos, beginning with the PQ assembly instructions.  But I really want to get together a comprehensive set of videos on things like binding, borders, triangles and all sorts of other stuff that give niggly little problems.  And then Block of the Month and mystery quilts!  So many ideas, so little time.

And that leads to the final thought for today - I realize that I really cannot do everything myself and that I am probably a bit of a control freak, so I need people to help and I need to lean on my friends for support sometimes and it is not a show of strength to do it all myself.  Strength is knowing when you need help and accepting that help from those around you - and a huge thank you to everyone who as made this venture possible.

Oh boy........

I think I am in real trouble with my favorite EQ7 student, S.!  I didn't get around to blogging yesterday and so much happened over the weekend! 

My friend and I like to hit the garage sales on Saturday morning but I didn't find anything that I wanted to buy.  However when we went to Ace Hardware to pick up all the hardware for the new batch of PQ3000s I found a key blank with martini glasses on it so, of course, I had to get a new house key cut!  So I put together the hardware kits and we are on schedule for 6 units for the Open House this coming Sunday.

Apart from being lax on blogging I have also been a bit behind with the Lancaster blocks.  But I managed to get 8 done tonight, so now there are 22 and I can get back on track tomorrow. 

In order to finish the PQs and pack, ship and promote them, there has been a flurry of activity.  Boxes, box cutters, box staplers, packing paper, a camcorder for how-to videos, a smartphone for the credit card thingy (it's so tiny I can't fathom the technology!), spiral binding things for the manual, special paper, smart tags (see below - they are amazing!), new business cards, new brochures, shiny advertizing flyers and lots of wine!!

Smart tags - if you have a smartphone you can take a scan of a smart tag and it will take you to a website or video etc.!  So I have a smart tag on my business card and anyone can scan it with their smartphone and it will take them to the website www.quiltersexpress.com - amazing!  So when we finalize the manual there will be smart tags that take people to the how-to videos etc.!  Very exciting and very up there don't you think?  I can't believe that I have been missing this amazing technology for so long!

 

So this is a bigger quilt ready for the PQ3000 - I really want to quilt it and enter it in a show - watch this space!

 

 

 

Ok - this is very haphazard at the moment, but it will come together!  I have to believe that it will be a quilt worthy of entry into Lancaster - I am working on precision, quality and color.  The quilting will be a different challenge - it will be outside my comfort zone since the quilting required will be a whole different level from the work I do for my customers.  They are not looking for show quilting, just lovely quilting for bed quilts or throw quilts.  Apart from 'Lofty' this is new ground!  Remember 'Lofty'?

 

 I was so thrilled to get a 'Best machine Quilting' ribbon for this work!  I know Roz knows that I am so proud of all the recognition that 'Lofty' has recieved, but now I want to produce my own famous quilt! 

So - finally - my final thought of the day!  Believe - just believe - without belief nothing can be achieved. So - Go PQ3000 - it rocks!!!!  Bedtime......

Fire and Ice....

is coming along very nicely.  Pictures don't do it justice, as I have said before, but I am really pleased - and those who know me, know that that is fairly rare.  It's hard being a perfectionist and a quilter!

Fun day playing EQ7 with S. - we got sidetracked so many times we ended up with a squillion quilt patterns, all impossible to make, but truely fabulous.....and this was where I had to stop and leave for the Home Depot to pick up the supplies for six more PQ3Ks!

So now it's Friday afternoon and after a productive day, we have pictures of the PQ3K, a more complete manual and Fire and Ice is off the frame and ready to bind, label and get a hanging sleeve - then it's off to NC for the show.

 

Stilll in progress here, but I love this feather pattern!

 

Fire and Ice and the PQ3000 - a good day's work.

 

Just a little quilt to show what the PQ3000 looks like in action - once this one is done I will load a big quilt on the frame to show that it is able to accomadate much larger quilts.

 

It's been another lovely day here - sunny, bright and not too hot.  So I'm going to stay out in the studio for a while, tie up some loose ends and some paperwork, and then head to the hot tub with my glass of wine.  The next few weeks are going to be hectic - first the Open House for the PQ3000 at Pieces and Patches in Lexington, then all the preparation for the first show for the frame in Tampa FL in November.

 

So my final thought for today is an old one - if you want to eat right don't keep junk food in the house!  Waiting for a pizza to cook for 16 minutes (and then cool down for 5 minutes) is no way to handle midnight munchies! (Oh did I do that last night? No, well maybe.)

Rain, rain, go away.....

my sunny SC was dreary and damp today.  So the trip to Charlotte NC for Ikea was cancelled and I decided to order online - shipping was expensive, but not as expensive as a tank of gas and my time.  Well, that was my justification!

All the stitch in the ditch is done on Simply Fire and Ice so now I need some inspiration for the patterns to use.  Got a picture below.

 

The plan for another 8 blocks stalled after the cutting out was done - it's been a long day!  But it's a good start for tomorrow and if I end up with 22 blocks at the end of the day I will still be on track, or even slightly ahead. 

 

It's difficult to show the vibrant colors of Fire and Ice in a photograph.  The darker fabric glows and the lighter fabric sets off the darker fabric beautifully.  I think it will be gorgeous when it's finished.  An important lesson learned as well - I have seen it often in quilts made of a lighter fabric with darker fabrics next to it - called fabric bleed, it's when the darker fabric is pressed towards the lighter fabric (due to construction limitations) and the darker fabric shows through the lighter fabric.  There is a little bit of that going on in Fire and Ice, but I will have to live with it!

 

So, final thought for today - Bandit says it's time for bed (or at least supper, which is Cheerios for him, and maybe me too!) - Christmas is coming (sorry!) and how to fit twice as much work into the same amount of time, always the question at this time of year.  I would never complain about having work to do, so onwards and upwards and it will be done!

It's all coming together.....

slowly but surely.  The PQ3000 is in production and trade shows have been entered.  When it's all firmed up Lindsay will post the schedule on the website www.quiltersexpress.com .  And lots of pictures.....! 

The Lancaster project is underway - 14 blocks done.



 



That's some of them up on the design wall - not sure that the pictures do them justice so tomorrow I will try to take pictures in the daylight.

 

The first block is the 'Mother's Dream' block and there are six of those.  And this is the log cabin block times eight.  I am very pleased by the way these turned out.

 

So the next block is 'Square in a Square' and there will be eight of those too.  So by the end of the next session I will have completed 22 block - only 28 to go!

 

Lindsay fixed the projector screen problem today, so I can use the laptop to demonstrate EQ7.  That means the class is on!!!  I also send out quilt show entry forms for a show in NC and for West Palm Beach.  I will have to wait to find out if they accept "Oodles of Sensations" at West Palm. 

 

Hot tub time - it's been a long, productive day and it's time for a glass of wine.  My thoughts are totally taken up with what quilt design I can come up with for Paducah.  The deadline is January 2nd 2013, and there has to be pictures of the completed quilt by then.  Which leaves about 13 weeks to get it done - oh boy! 

 

Oh to be organized.....

would be a dream come true.  I don't think I do to badly, but improvements in organization would help get more done - my pet peeve is to spend time looking for something that is not in its place.  Today's search was for a magazine that had prize winners from Lancaster and Paducah earlier this year - all my magazines are filed in the bookcase, except this one!  It was under a pile of paperwork waiting to be filed - another peeve.

 

See the blank spaces - I cleared out all the cross stitch magazines - I've moved on! and now I can get all the magazines into one bookcase.

 

So the EQ7 class went well.  And thank you S. for bringing your completed Simplicity Six - it's a stunner!  I have been so pleased how all these quilts have turned out.  I should probably get a gallery together to add to the website.

 

 

And since Simplicity Six did so well as a class and a pattern, I have started a new project deemed the 'Lancaster Project' - to be whispered with awe.  The plan is a queen size Simplicity Six using the fabric selection below.

 

Now the entry deadline for Lancaster is mid November.  A queen size Simplicity Six has 50 blocks in it, and the quilting will take three weeks.  Watch this space for updates!

 

So since it is the middle of the day, I don't have any ponderous thoughts to share, but the sun is shining, the air is cooler and life is good.

Such a busy day......

we got so much done.  The rough draft of the PQ3000 manual is done - we just need some pictures of the next one that is made, as a couple of small changes have occurred, mostly to facilitate shipping. 

So excited - it's like having another long arm set up, but just not as much room to quilt - and quilting while sitting down! 

EQ7 class tomorrow and I will be beta testing the class on one of my favorite students!  It's going to be a fun morning.  My lovely assistant will have plenty to do - mostly shopping for the final touches for the PQ3000 accessory bag, the bag with all the bits.

Anyway - time to leave for my Wednesday night supper date - the guarantee that I eat a decent meal at least once a week!

Quick thought for today.  It's been a great day, lots got done, and we were busy and happy - now why can't every day be like that??

Let's talk about flip flop ditches.....and love...

For those who have not idea what a ditch is, I will attempt to explain.

 

Where two seams meet (for example between the gold and the coral on the left hand side of the coral square) the excess on the back is pressed either towards the coral or the gold.  This leaves a 'ditch' where the side that is pressed away from is lower than the other.  Now, for custom quilting, 'stitch in the ditch' is the first thing done to stabalize the quilt and make for crisp lines at the seams.  Stitch in the Ditch (SID) should never be seen - the most expensive part of custom quilting is invisible!! 

 

So - flip flop ditches.  If the seam is pressed badly, part of the seam goes one way, and the other part goes the other way.  This happens quite frequently on long seams, such as borders.  This makes doing SID well very hard, since it will be fairly obvious that the quilter has had to change the psoition of the ditch. 

 

So my point is that the time taken to make sure that seams are all pressed correctly will really help the final look of your quilt! 

 

 

The above picture was a square from a quilt that I made for a fabric challenge a few years ago and I love the colors.  I also love the Dresden Plate (the fan in the middle) and Simplicity Four is a Dresden Plate pattern.

 

Many years ago, before becoming a professional quilter my dearly beloved and I had a fabulous year at the SC State Fair.  I had a number of quilts entered and achieved first and second place ribbons.  But I was most excited about John's Dreden Plate quilt that he made and quilted himself.  He got a second place ribbon and was thrilled.  Pieces and Patches Quilt Store arranged to hang all the prize winning quilts (and there were a bunch of talented people that had earned ribbons!) in the Old Mill in Lexington, SC. 

So there was John's quilt - just hanging around.  Someone saw the quilt and approached John and didn't he just turn around and sell it!  So I had him make another one, which he finished the top and started the quilting, but never finished.  One day I will decide whether to finish it in his memory, or just bind it as it is and just remember him.  Happy memories.

I have finally put together the supply list for the placemat class - those attending will get the email tomorrow (my lovely assistant will oblige!). 

The colors on this one are a bit dated - I made these about 13 years ago!  So I am looking forward to making new ones for the class samples.  I made my aunt a set of eight with ladybird (ladybug) fabric and she has used them every day for the last 10 years.  Doesn't it make you feel so good when something you have made as a gift is so well loved and used!

As I was trolling through the pictures I came across the pictures I took when I was about half way through the process of renovating the house.

 

My office!

 

 The living room - I had hated that carpet for almost eight years!

 

 

Vanity unit gone in the guest bathroom.

 

So this is how it looks now - and I did it all by myself!!

 

 

New office - need to tidy up some!

I think the living room looks so much better with laminate floors - no more tacky carpet!

 

The new vanity in the guest bath - check out the wainscoating!

 

And here is the kitchen floor - I still need to sort out the painting and the baseboards and the paint!

 It's been a seriously long journey in trying to change up things and move in a different direction from where I was when John was alive.  Sometimes it was hard not to feel that I was removing him from my life, but he will always be in my heart.

 

So, just to end this on a positive note - I had a wonderful life with John and we achieved so much - and we planned so many things, some of which I will be able to carry through.  One of those plans was a book entitled 'The Quilted House'.  I want to give you a sneak preview of an idea that will be in the book - one of many, so watch this space!

 

 

Shower curtain - love those grommets!!

 

Bedtime folks - thanks for reading to the end of this long post - tomorrow is all about getting the PQ3K together.  Documentation, marketing, vending and most of all shipping.  Pictures by the end of the day!

 

So, the end of a productive day.  I had a long converation with a friend who has been a widow much longer that I have - we live, work, function and are for the most part contented, but we never forget and are always fighting loneliness - more than anything else we miss the partnership and the cuddles.  So love your partner and always say 'I Love You' at every opportunity and kiss and hug lots.  JB I miss you.

 

A very productive day....

My lovely assistant, Lindsay, was very busy today.  She was working on the written procedures for the kennel and other stuff.  Meanwhile, Joan and I were working on getting caught up on the all over quilts.  The two Civil War quilts are looking fabulous and one is done and trimmed, and the other is about two hours out - tomorrow will see it finished.

So, I am ready for the EQ7 class - I probably left it to the last minute to publicize, but Lindsay helped with Facebook stuff.   I have so many ideas of things I want to do - there are not enough hours in the days!

I wanted to post pictures of the Placemat class, but the sample I made yesterday was not up to scratch, so I need to make another but at least I have come across all the issues that might come up in class.

Lindsay managed to put a page on Facebook today, so I hope that everyone will like it and help make this venture work.

I really need to go to bed now - it's been a long, good day.  Pictures of new good stuff next week.

Final thoughts - it's been a short week due to the holiday, but a lot has been done.  So it seems that even if time is short you can get a lot done if you are focused and do not get distracted.

Going to sleep!

Labor day weekend....

Well it was a busy and hectic weekend.  There was a quilt guild meeting on Saturday and it was, as always, very informative and a lot of fun.

Sunday was set aside for laying the (almost) last of the laminate floor.  Still had some to do on Monday, but it had to wait until I got back from a 5 mile race.  Now that is a long way!!  But I finished and I am very pleased with myself.  I think I might stick to 5k races from now on and work on my speed.

So all of the flooring is laid other than the utility room and the master bath.  This has been an ongoing project for the last two years - I am really fed up with renovating.  It seemed such a good idea to redo the whole house, but it is getting very old now.  But I am nearly there and I would love to finish what's already been almost done by Christmas.  Then the utility room and the master bathroom by the end of next year after a break.

So it's time for the Christmas rush to start and it's always tiring but fun.  I get to see all the amazing quilts that have been made for gifts and the love that has gone into the creating of these works of art.

This means that life will be interesting for a while.  The launch of the quilting frame, PQ3000.  The beginning of the designs for Karma Sensibility.  The Christmas rush.  I am excited!

I think my thought for today is that I need to get to bed earlier, get up earlier and get to my day's work earlier - and live every moment - I am so lucky to have work to do that I love, the health and energy to do it, and the blessings of good friends.  Bedtime!!