summer holidays...

it's hot and humid. the beach is fantastic.

we have 8 adults, a 7 year old, a 6 year old, a 5 year old, three 4 year olds and a 7month old, plus a dog, in this house.

the men are golfing right now. i need a shopping day. by. my. self.

it's loud.

home on friday.

Beach Quilt...

Snapshots Quilt,  from the Happy Hour Quilts book (Terry Atkinson)

Machine Quilting the Perpendicular Way

A few people have asked about the way I machine quilt.  Even the ladies at the quilt shop the other day were  amazed that I "LOVED" to machine quilt.  I told them about this way, and they were a little perplexed.   

Basically, I get my settings ready, turn my machine sideways and start quilting.  

I always start from the center of the quilt outwards.  I usually work towards the quilt that is rolled up in the throat of the machine and work from side to side that ways.   Then, I turn the quilt around, and work the other way.   It's not a perfect art.  Sometimes I end up going in different directions, depending how the groove goes, and how much bunching occurs.   I have to tell you though, it is so much easier on your shoulders and your posture, and your hands have a good handle on the fabric and can move your fabric easier.  

If you were doing something more intricate like feathering, or directional design, I'm sure you'd have to tweak the fabric positioning according to your design.   But, hey, this works for me, and it's quite enjoyable.   Here's a very candid video my husband took.  He thinks I'm crazy for blogging.   I think HE'S crazy, especially since the first 3 seconds of the video was just cleavage shots he took of me.   LOL!

It's been decided...

I have ousted the red, blue, and white pain of a quilt.   It has jaded my inspiration, my productivity, my creativity.  I have stopped its production.   I realized today, after so much procrastination and continued procrastination (library, washing floors, washing the BLINDS!!!! truly, it was that bad) that it just was going to pain me for the next week and I still would not enjoy the final end product.  It does not feel like an Andrea quilt. 

So, I have reverted to my original mother in law quilt.  I made it last year.  The one that dh thought was too "granola".  The one that when I chose the fabrics, they reminded me of the ocean, the sand, and the beach - the beach that we visit every year...the beach where mil lives.    It's not a traditional quilt, but it's simple, and that's what I like about it.  I'm simple. It was for her, and I chose the fabrics for her.  

It doesn't match her decor, but, it will be cozy and loved when it's done.   

Here's a reminder of what the top looks like - it's from Happy Hour Quilts:

Do you realize how lifted I feel?  How motivated once again I feel?  How free I feel? 

Let me just say,  it's awesome.   It will be sandwiched and quilted by the weekend....stay tuned.

It's all about the journey right?

So.  I promise this will be the last post of me humming and hawing over this &^^* project.   My last gripe.   The last time I have my husband choose colours and style.   LOL.   I completed 26 blocks, thinking...yeah!  Just a few more and I'll have a quilt done.   I don't know where my brain was.  Honestly.  Math is my strength.   I need another, at least, 80 blocks, like these to get a decent lapsized quilt.   Shoot me now.   These little buggers are fussy seam matching.  And fussy seam matching once I put the blocks together too.  gah.   And then there's the machine quilting aspect too.   Do I do a simple meander? Diagonal line stitching?    See you next year!!  LOL!

One week of summer holidays completed...

Visitors have already left, this morning.  It's empty and quiet.  It was busy.  phew!

No crafty goodness to report on...been enjoying the outdoors and catching up on lots of magazine reading.   What quilting magazines are your favourites?  I love Quilters Home, and I also really like American Patchwork and Quilting, as they usually have a good smattering of modern quilting ideas in there too.  So the stacks of back issues are once again piled by my bedside, a big mess of magazines and inspiration.  This next week, the weather is threatening to be raining all week, a good thing for us, as it has been drought conditions here.  But rain and cool weather makes a quilter happy  - guilt free indoor progress! ;-)

After catching up on a few of my favourite blogs, it seems I am not alone in the dwindling of projects this season.   But here are some of the summer happenings around here...

The tooth fairy has literally been exhausted in her round trips to our house.   4 teeth in a month!   It's pudding and baby food for him! LOL

These guys were lost on my street. By about 4 blocks.  What they were doing in my neck of thee woods, I wonder.   But they wandered through like they owned the joint.  

See here?  They decided to block both lanes of traffic!!

My kids are already climbing the walls....

My little guy..or as many say, mini me!