Worked a show and sewed blocks

I needed to get my big table cleared off so on Friday evening I cleaned up from making those covers, pressed FQ's together and then cut blocks for the first of three Halloween quilts I am making. Saturday I sewed a few blocks together, but I had to get ready to help out at a gig for the band.

Oh, was it hot. We were in a parking lot and it was 89 degrees. There were lots of bikes

New and vintage cars. Yes, that is a Lamborghini

Vendors

Here is The Michael Weber Show on stage. My sister-in-law had gone shopping and I now have 5 or 6 vests I need to make for Michael to wear on stage.

I got home about 9:30 and I was wiped out due to the heat.

Sunday I decided to work on finishing up the Halloween blocks for the first quilt. I was sewing away and then the electricity went out at 1:15 pm. I trimmed blocks for about an hour. Once I finished those there was still no electricity so I took a nap. The electricity came back on and I finished the blocks for the first quilt.

Now that the table is cleared off I can go back to working on the ocean quilt. I looked up my deadline and I need to have this finished by August 17. My schedule is filling up. I think I will have to start taking some vacation to sew.

Cover done

With sewing before work, at lunchtime, and after work yesterday I managed to get the fourth equipment cover done. I forgot my camera battery at work, so my sister-in-law took a couple of photos for me. I handed off the covers to my brother last night at the art museum. I was there to pour beer.

The cover was for this slide guitar

He will now have a nice fitted padded cover instead of using a towel.

Now I have to find some clear vinyl I can sew on my machine. My brother wants some small cover for the pedal control panels with a clear top so the musicians can see lights and switches. The search goes on!

Have a great weekend! I have to mow my grass tonight - it is so long, but it has either been raining or I haven't been home in the evening to mow it. I need to get my ocean top done, pin basted and get to quilting it. I can see another busy weekend ahead!

MQG Meeting and another cover

Five of us met last evening. Two of the ladies showed pieces that they made using the multi layered improv cut I had shown. Their pieces came out great!

Here is a baby sized quilt

and the other piece was done for a challenge.

Another member brought a pillow she had made. Instead of making individual blocks, she used one large piece of fabric, arranged her pieces, and then quilted the piece with turquoise thread to look like there were actually blocks. Clever and so pretty!

I managed to get the cover made for the amps. This is one cover for the whole set up.

The cover

Then I get another email from my brother for another cover. It is for this

Here is how the fellow covers it now

This is the drawing I was sent. He just needs a cover for the top and not the whole unit.

The fellow would like the cover quilted. So last night I dug out some flannel, got some batting, and layered those with the car cover fabric and managed to get it quilted last night after quilt group.

So all I have to do to finish this one is to cut it to size, sew the corners, and add elastic to the bottom edge. Let's hope I don't get any more emails today!

QuiltCon, Halloween quilt, and equipment covers

It was crazy yesterday trying to get registered for QuiltCon. I looked this morning and almost all the workshops are sold out! I got the one I wanted so I feel lucky!

I sewed together two Halloween blocks that I already had cut and sitting beside the sewing machine. I needed to get them out of the way for the emergency project.

The emergency project is equipment covers for my brother. I received the roll of car cover fabric yesterday.

I cut out the large cover and made the two small covers.

The covers will be used on this equipment

A few more blocks made

I was tired last evening and managed to get only a few more blocks done on the first of three Halloween quilts. The orange blocks are so fun!

I received my fabric yesterday via UPS for the curtains for the studio and for Peg's room. I bought blackout lining also. The dandelion fabric will be for Peg's room.

Today I have 20 yards of car cover fabric coming so I can make an amp cover for my brother. If he sends me the picture today I can work on it tonight. I need to have it done by Friday morning so I can give it to someone to take it to Pittsburgh where the Counting Crows will be playing.

Mouse report: Last night the little boogers ate an entire package of poison so there has to be more than one of them. They avoided the sticky traps. I will have to pick up more poison for tonight.

Quilting with Peg

What a busy weekend! Before Peg came up to stay overnight and sew, my brother came over Saturday morning to install the new lights in the studio.
The old lights were horrible. They threw off a yellow light and the room was dark for sewing even when they were on.

Here are the new LED lights. It is like daylight when they are on! The difference is incrediable!

Peg worked on a vertaran's quilt. She is not going to applique the stars on or add the border at the bottom, but put a border all the way around to get the correct size required.

I worked on my ocean quilt a bit by sewing the units of beach into rows. I couldn't sew the rows together because I need to use the whole table and since I was sharing the table with Peg it just would have been too difficult to do. After I got as far as I could, I decided to sort out the Halloween fabrics and get the FQ's cut and organized for the three quilts I am going to make. I found that I only had four purple fabrics so either I will just use those and use grays for the rest of the blocks or maybe search out a few more purples.

I had bought the Ghastlies pink fabrics to put with the purples, but once I laid them out together I didn't like the pinks. They are dirty looking next to the gray, purple and white fabrics.

Next I worked on the fabrics for the green and orange quilt. I also starting cutting and sewing the blocks.

The third quilt is going to be one made with only Moda Halloween fabrics. I think I have fabrics from three or four lines.

While my brother was over Saturday morning I helped him move the other sewing cabinet I have that was my Mom's down to the studio so Peg would have her own space to sew(Peg sat at the space to the right). She loved it! She said I could have retreats for one person now since they would have their own sewing space, bedroom and bathroom!

I cooked some tasty food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner - omelet with fresh mushrooms, turkey bacon and cheese, marinated lake trout, brown rice and fresh mushroom, and fresh pineapple, and lasagna. I have lots of leftovers for lunches this week!

Another busy evening

I spent last evening working at the art museum pouring beer. The Downtown @dusk season has started. The band was outside, but we were inside which was great since it was very humid.

I took a few pictures of the garden. With all the rain and humidity things are growing! My candy cane zinnias are now at least 6" tall

I had thrown some California poppies seeds in the flower bed years ago and they reseed themselves. A few still come up. This picture was taken about 8 last evening so they were closing up. I just love these.

The canna and coral bells are doing great.

I went around to the back and saw this little fellow. Yes, the picture is blurry. I took another step forward to get another picture, but he got up and took off.

My brother called and left a message that he needs a cover for an amp. I got out the Evolution fabric I had left to measure and see how much I had on hand. I only have about 8'. I will have to wait for him to call be back and then place an order for more fabric.

Mouse report: we didn't catch anything last night, but we know he was back because he left two turds on my desk and a few on another fellow's desk. We move the sticky traps around so now it is just a matter of waiting to see if we can catch the little booger!

Have a great weekend!

Struggling to get anything done

It has been a heck of a week! Tuesday evening I was still so tired, last evening I had to go to calling hours for my sister-in-law's mother. I did meet my brother at his house and got to spend some time together in the drive to and from the funeral home.

I have been trying to get the studio back up and running. I got the ocean quilt back on the design wall

Found a couple more pieces that may go into this quilt plus I need to make some new pillowcases out of the white fabric.

This morning I got to work and a mouse had visited my desk and pooped everywhere! I made an emergency trip to the store to get traps and poison. I disinfected my desk, but I am still creeped out. I need to go over to a job site and to the building downtown to get a file out of the storage room today. I hope the rain stops for awhile. It rained hard all night and it is humid like a rain forest!

Fixing a hole

I didn't do a lot last evening as I am still pretty tired from the weekend although I did get some fabric pressed, did a bit of cleaning, and patched a hole. There was some damage to the ceiling in the guest room when my brother and I tried to get the new closet doors installed. The doors I ordered were the wrong size and the ceiling got damaged when we tried to force them in place.

I sent the doors back to have them cut down. My brother is anxious to try again to install the doors so I needed to get the ceiling fixed.

I sanded then applied spackle. I could not spackle in one step because the hole was too deep and gravity was pulling the material out of the hole. This morning I applied the second coat and the hole is now nicely filled. I will sand and prime the area tonight.

While I was rooting around looking for something else I found this picture that I had forgotten about. My brother, Bob, had got this for me.

I want to put this picture in the same frame with all my Jimmy Buffett tickets, picks, and backstage passes, but it looks like I need a bigger frame. I have a frame that would work, but it is gold so I am going to have to spray paint it either black or silver.