Sally Said Sew

My Voyager longarm sewing machine is named Patience because I realized early on I needed plenty of it as I was learning a new skill. Today she got her very own "tattooz". I saw these pretty decals called Tattoo Elementz at Urban Elementz where I buy alot of my pantographs. I couldn't resist putting my own touch on my machine. I like how they turned out.

For Christmas this year, I made my son and daughter-in-law a quilt. It was my biggest one yet. Although the sizing said queen, it measured 105" x 105". A very generous queen size quilt. I wasn't sure if it would fit on my quilting frame but it did, with a couple inches to spare. It just fits! With some much appreciated help from my mom on finishing the binding, the quilt was delivered yesterday. Gregg & Markey with their quilt I need to find a way to photograph these big quilts should I ever do one again. Whew!

My sewing space occupies the former living/dining room in our home. With the exception of a butt-ugly chandelier in the dining area, there are no additional built-in light sources. None. Nada. Zilch. During the day it is not an issue - I have plenty of daylight available. The lack of light has always been a challenge when I want to use the long-arm machine in the evenings after work. I have a couple of LED gooseneck lights over the machine itself and a old floor lamp to use, but it is never enough! This past week, I had three quilts to get done for family members plus I had to work during the day. I needed a better light source desperately! I did a little thinking and came up with a way to suspend two shop lights over my quilting frame. $100 later, I have light and lots of it! Needless to say, I got the quilts done and shipped off to my mother and sister so they can finish them up. Mission accomplished!

I just completed quilting a top my mom sent me to do. It's adorable and she put a lot of work into the appliques on this. I did a random meander around the clouds to make them stand out and look more "cloud-like". In the green section, I did blades of grass, although it is hard to see in the picture. Then I added a swirly motif in the yellow border. It is on it's way back to my mom for finishing. I can't wait to see it completed! Meow, Meow!

I don't even remember turning twenty. Years of age, that is. But I recently completed a quilt for my other granddaughter, Courtney, that feels like it took twenty years to finish. I used one of the Turning Twenty patterns but instead of using twenty fat quarters, I did a smaller size with twelve. This is a quilt that made me want to pull out my hair from the get-go. At least it is finished and shipped off to Courtney to enjoy. I called this one Skittles because the colors in the fabric reminded me of the candy. Skittles

I whipped up another Quilts Beyond Borders donation, this time using fleece as the backing and no padding. I like the pattern the quilting made, but I am not sure is the quilt is heavy enough. I am sure it can be put to good use though.   Quilts Beyond Borders #3 Stitch Detail on Fleece Back

My mom sent me a quilt top and all of the fixins' to quilt together on my Voyager machine. I had a few issues but still good practice. I found I prefer to use an 80/20 batting. It is less puffy and easier to work with than the poly I received. Good to keep learning these things! Plus I enjoy seeing the tops my mom makes! I believe she is calling this one "Boxes of Treats for Someone Sweet". Loaded on the Frame Close up view of a Block Finished Quilt