Sunday Sewing

Today was a day for finishing a few projects and a little retail therapy!

I got a call early this morning from daughter #2 asking if I wanted to go to Ben Franklin Crafts? Well of course I do , it is one of my favorite stores. If you have never been in one it is kind of like a small Hobby Lobby or Michaels. But their store is less chaotic then Michaels! I found one of the fabrics I was looking for and a pattern in the discount section.

Later in the afternoon it was a trip to Quality Sewing to pick up a ruffling foot for my machine. The one I had was working fine then it up and quit. But now I have the one made just for my machine and it works so nice.  I think I will be using it a lot!

I finished up a baby gift, and will finish another gift later after dinner. Tomorrow is grand daughter day and she has a dental cleaning. Then we have a date to take a walk to go see some little ponies that are down the road for me. It will be a great day.

What did you sew this weekend?

Happy Sewing
Linda Lou

Saturday Sewing

Yesterday and today I have been sewing a beautiful baby crib set for our new grand baby due in January. Late yesterday afternoon while making the ruffle with my ruffle attachment it decide to stop working. So today I again tried to use it to no avail. So now I guess it will be another trip to my local sewing shop to see if they have one. I so hope they do. It makes such a beautiful pleated ruffle and is so easy to do.
Also on my list of projects is to finish up some bibs I started a few weeks ago. One is for a friend of my sons young baby. It is a Halloween theme bib.
I also have a fleece blanket to finish for my grand daughter and a few of those little baby softy blankets with the ribbons on the sides.
Hopefully tomorrow I will find my part and I can sew while watching/listening to the football game!

What are you sewing this week?

Happy sewing
Linda Lou

I am Home

Spent the last three and a half days helping with the "Grand's" and now I am home and ready for some sewing!

What a beautiful drive yesterday with the fall colors on the trees and shrubs. The sky was clear and the temperature was cool enough that their was frost on the grass and rooftops! lot to work on so this will be all for today. I will put a roast in the crockpot at noon and I wont have to stop and think what to make for our dinner. And their will be extra for tomorrows dinner as well.

So what do you make for dinner on your fall sewing days?

Happy Sewing
LindaLou

Great Day

This has been  a supper great day!
I was able to get the two oldest grand's off to school on time! All with happy similes and the great joy they seemed to have in showing their friends their youngest cousin .

Then it was time for play! She loves to play games on my Kindle. I have found many for free that she enjoys and most with pleasant music.
Then it was time to  pick up around the house and get the dishes in the dish washer.

After the necessary's were done we got out the quilting fabric and while I cut she played with the scraps all the while telling me what she was making and for whom.

Then it was lunch time a little bit of TV watching and a story before nap time. I was able to get three quilts cut and ready to sew when I am able to  get back to my sewing machine. Soon she will be up and the older kids will be home from school and we will have a house full of excitement.(noise)

It is quite cool out for early October but the sun has come out after a morning of heavy rain and lighting and thunder! After snack time we will try to get a good walk and bike ride in.  Hope the weather holds.

Happy Quilting
Linda

Fall is in the air!

I just love this time of year! The trees are turning brilliant red and gold and the green of the fir trees is looking so nice and fresh. Makes you want to make a quilt with those same colors.
 One that comes to mind is Maple Leaf. I think that it could be considered a classic pattern. But what about a split nine patch or even a scrappy strip quilt. Think of sitting by the fire with a cozy long cabin in flannel! The possibilities are endless!

So even if you don't have time to start a quilt this fall put one on your "To Do' list for next year and start collecting some of the wonderful fabrics that are available this year.

This week I am helping with the grand kids and that will keep me busy for a good part of the week.
Then I will be finishing up the quilting on a cute Mother Goose quilt.


Happy Quilting
Linda Lou

Web site I like to follow

http://quiltville.com/blog/quiltvillelinkred125.jpg

May Floweres in the Garden

I thought I would post a few of the flowers blooming in the garden for May.

I will add a few more later in the week. I wish you could smell the lilacs that are in bloom. The yard smells wonderful! Until next time Lindahttp://www.facebook.com/

Off Track Baby Quilt

Here are some pictures of the custom baby quilt I have been working on this past week.
I love how soft the minkey is on the back  and using a poly batting made it soft. Just what the customer ordered. I quilted it with a all over daisy swirl free motion pattern.   I also made a burp cloth to  coordinate with the quilt.
Now to start to work on the next custom order.

Lonarm Class

This weekend I am attending a two day work shop using the long arm. So looking forward to this class. I have attended two different programs in the last month that have helped me to move forward in my quilting. It can be quite intimidating when you first get such a large machine. So every time I get an opportunity to add to my knowledge of  how to use my machine makes me a better quilter.

Last week I finished up a rag quilt, my first. I decided to make one as I had a piece of black and white buffalo plaid. I originally purchased it to make a shirt but after washing it the quality wasn't their to spend the time to make a shirt. So I rummaged through my flannels and found to pieces that I thought would work together. Loaded it on the long arm and divided it up into eight blocks squares. This would give me a large space to practice my free motion quilting. Once I finished the squares i wanted to make it larger so found two more pieces that would work well with the original selection. I had  more fun quilting these squares. Once quilted I cut them up and the arranged them in a pleasing pattern and sewed it together. Then came the fun part of sniping the seams. I purchased a pair of Rag Quilt Snips from Fiskars and let me tell you they work great. So glad I had them. I am looking forward to making another rag quilt soon. I may even use up some of the denmin pants that I have been saving for some time for one of the fabrics.
Have a great weekend.

Happy Sewing
Linda

The Quilted Garden

Today I headed to Duvall WA to The Quilted garden. I signed up for a class on how to use a long arm machine. A nice group of ladies learning how to load, and baste a quilt on to a frame. So much fun. I learned several new options on how to load a quilt and some helpful tips on basting.Also some great new ideas on quilting motifs. The best part of going to a class is the sharing that we do.  So now I am rearing to go!!!
But first I have a cake to frost and a few Easter things to put together.
Tomorrow family is getting together to celebrate birthdays and Easter all in one day! It will be busy. So love having all the family together.
I hope every one enjoys their Easter celebrations.

Happy Sewing
Linda

Design Board

The quilt I have been working on was a bit challenging when it came time to put the blocks together. Finally after several attempts of turning the blocks in different directions I decide to use my design board. What a difference it made! I was able to set it near my machine so I could place the blocks on it and just pull them off and sew. Then back up on the board. The pattern is not hard but I didn't want too much of any one color in one place. I was able to spread the colors around and keep my place with my blocks. Even so I ended up with a few closer then  my original design. All in all it is a cute pattern and I am sure the New mommy and baby will love it.

A design board can be as simple as a piece of flannel attached to a wall or pinned to a curtain or as elaborate as a piece of foam insulation board with flannel  or batting attached. You make what fits your space. I am really glad I have mine and plan on using it a lot more now then I have in the past.

Happy Sewing
Linda

Oh Spring ....

Oh MY, I just lost my post! Guess I will start again.

Loving this spring weather. The birds are chirping away as i write. Love it!

Enjoyed the QA Quilt  show this past weekend with my friend. What wonderful work those ladies do on the quilts and so great that we get to enjoy their craft with them.
I had such a great time that I went out again on Sunday and looked at all the quilts. I meet the featured artist and took a few photos of her beautiful quilts. One that caught my eye was "Black Dog".It had won a blue ribbon but that wasn't what made me stop and look. I just lost my beautiful Lab mix two weeks before and the quilt could have been him in his younger years. But then most labs have that special look about them!
Another one was made of men's ties in a swirling kaleidoscope pattern. Spectacular! Then the beautiful embroidery done by a 86 year old mom with a outside border embroidered by the daughter. Just beautiful. Oh and the log cabin in 1 inch strips that end up to be 1/2 inch!!! And my all time favorites are the Double Wedding rings. Their were several variations but i gravitate to the simple rings in the soft colors of the thirties.

till next time
Happy Sewing
Linda

Busy!

Here we are at the beginning of a new month! Spring is just around the corner and sunshine and warmer days are ahead!
Last week was a very busy week helping out with grand children. Then at the end of the week was Sewing Expo in Puyallup! Love going to see what is new! I am thinking I would like to go do some of the classes next year. I haven't done that before and think after attending for over 12 years I should branch out and take a few.
It really is overwhelming to try and see it all and take your time to enjoy it all in one day. Venders from Florida  and local ones  too bringing all their wears to share with the public. I can only imagine how exhausting it must be to run a booth. But we are all so happy that they do!
This weeek I dont plan on going any where so I hope to get a lot done. I have a new custom baby quilt to start on. It looks to be an exciting project. Soft purples, greens, yellow and just a touch of pink. Nice baby colors.

Oh and two days in a row of sunshine! Cant complain about that. Oh except the fact you can now see just how dirty the windows are! Guess I should put that on my list of projects this week too.

I hope every one is having a wonderful time doing what they like best.

Happy sewing
Lindalou

Quilting

I have been working on a custom baby quilt this past week. Turning out so cute. I used my long arm machine to get it lined up and did some loop quilting on it. Then I removed it and did the straight line quilting. I need to purchase some channels locks so I can do the straight line quilting on the long arm machine. They are on my "To Purchase" list. Today I will complete the binding and be done. I used "Minkey" as most of my backing and on the strips on front. It made it so soft!

Waiting for a order from "Fabric Worm" for some cotton to line a few bags. They will be diaper/mom bags that I will post on my web site for sale.

Yesterday was such a bonus day with the sun out. But it looked warmer then it was. Went out at 3 to play with my dogs and change the bird feeder, Temperature was 45 but it felt way colder the that. Spring is on its way as the birds were really singing up a chorus this morning. They must have gotten tired as they have stopped now!
Time to get to my machines.
Happy Sewing
Linda

Friday Again!

I really need to post more often. This week I had company so I did'nt get much sewn. I have started on a baby quilt for a customer. I should have it pieced by tomorrow and then I will get it quilted. After I finish I will post pictures.

I was thinking about when I was a teen and would go buy fabric at Newberrys. That was the big fabric store near me. My dad would take me and wait in the car while I looked for inspiration for a new dress. I loved shopping for fabric and i still do.
Does any one remember the big metal measuring tool they used for the fabric? Not sure what it was called but they slid your fabric in it to measure and then when they had the right amount they pushed down on the handle and it would clip the fabric. Then they ripped it! It kept every piece on grain. They don't  rip fabric any more. Now when you get home you are lucky if you have enough. I find that my fabric is about 4 inches shy of what I asked for. And fabric was only 36 inches wide. Now we get 44 to 45 and all the way to 60!

It is a foggy day here this monring , but we may have sun later today. I hope as I am not fond of fog.
Happy Sewing '
Linda

Friday- Already!

I really do not know where all the time goes! It was just Sunday ,or so it seamed!
This week hasn't been as productive as I thought but I am OK with that. I have done some sewing and tweaked my blog and web site. So I have been busy but not a lot that can be shown.
I worked on my first pantograph project. This is where you use a pre-made design or in my case I made my own, and it is laid on the long arm quilting table. Then you use a laser light to follow the design and it stitches out your design on your quilt. The learning curve it to be steady and fluid and how to continue your design placement when you roll the quilt forward to continue your pattern. Also you are looking at the pattern and the laser and not at the stitching area. So different from your regular machine. So my first attempt will probably go up on Ebay for sale making sure that the customer knows about the stitching flaws. If it doesn't sell that I will donate it to a good cause.

This morning I signed up for a class on garment sewing on the Craftsy site. They have some nice classes over their and some are free! I like free! I do not get paid to say this just like the site.

Time is waisting so I best get busy------

Happy Sewing

Linda

Thank You

I just want to tell you that Brenda over at cozylittlehouse just helped me with some problems that I was having on my blog. Thank You Brenda! 
Now that I have that under control I get get on with my week.
Spent part of Super Bowl Sunday re- organizing my quilting room. My husband just finished some custom  book shelve/built ins that will go next to our fire place in our family room. So that meant we had a extra small shelf that we needed to remove. So into the sewing room I went to figure out how I could use the shelf. Moved my large book shelf to a different wall which gave me a good spot to put my "body double" LindaLou. I like having her as she never talks back and has such good ideas! Then I was able to put the new shelf against the old bookshelf  wall with a 9 whole cubicle shelf on top of it. Every thing has a place and it actually feels bigger! Not sure how that can happen!
Last week I finally made some garment labels. I am putting them in my hats. Hope to post those today or tomorrow at the latest. Found out you need to by law have a fiber content label on your clothing. So many things you do not always think about when you start a small business.
Have a great day and Happy Sewing

Linda

New additions

I just added Blogger+ to my site. I thought I would update a few things.
I didn't get much sewn today. But I was busy doing stuff,it is just some days you don't see much progress! I did get a few pieces of terry cloth washed and folder and several pieces of flannel for some up coming projects.
Tomorrow is a grand daughter day. We have a package to wrap and send off and then maybe a trip to Flower World to see the turtles. We always enjoy that. And it is so fun to walk among all the wonderful house plants and then the green houses to see what is new!
This has been a busy 7 days of birthdays! 1st was sons girl friend then it was grand daughter#1 and tomorrow is daughter #2. Then we get a month off before the next birthday celebration.

Happy Sewing
Linda

Computer!

My friend and her husband dropped by this weekend to help with my computer issues. So now my lap top is for business ONLY!
I really liked using it in the kitchen but I guess no more.Sigh---

This past weekend I did not get a thing sewn.  Some times that is just how it goes. But I did sell my first quilt and so today was spent trying to make some labels. Well lets just say that that didn't go so well either! I guess I just do not understand computers.I was able to use my card stock and craft a nice label to go along with the quilt. It is in the mail and soon will be in its new home. It was like sending it on a long journey and I will never see it again.
But tomorrow is another day and new opportunity  to make a brand new project!

So many projects are filling up my mind that it some times hard to focus. So I think tomorrow will be a bit of clean up and get a few projects lined up to go.Then Wednesday I can spend the day sewing. That might be a good crock pot soup day!

Happy Sewing
Linda

Fixed!

I talked to my daughter late today and she was able to access my web site. So I think their is something messed up in my computer. I will need to get it fix ASAP!
Here is my web page:
http://www.lindalouquilts.com/ 

So now I am official.
Next will be to add some hats I am working on and then a few more quilts.
Maybe tonight I can sleep the whole night through! that would be nice.

Today I found a book I had been looking for. It is Sewing with Whimsy by Kari Mecca. She has been a guest on Sew Beautiful many times and I have enjoyed the way she embellishes her garments. Thinking some of her ideas would look so cute on spring hats for girls.

So now it is time to go do a pedi and relax a little.
Happy Sewing
Linda

Still Not Working!

This is a bummer! Just wrote a post and it was gone! POOF!
So the just of the message was that my web site is still not working. If any one has used one they like let me know. I may be shopping for a new one of I cant get this one up by the end of the weekend. I am not a "Happy Camper" right now.!!
Yesterday was a grand daughter day. We had lots of play time together and story time! But I sure do not get any thing else done around here! Not sure how I used to manage with three! But I love my grand kids and look forward to our visits.

Happy Sewing this weekend!
Linda

Web Site Update

My daughter has been helping with building my web site and we think it is up and running. I still have to check on the payment options  but the site is down right now so I cant take care of it! DARN! But once I get it taken care of I will post the address.
Was busy this past week cutting out a couple of new quilts and next week will get them sewn. I also plan on making some critters to go with my quilts. That should be fun!
I also was making a minky quilt/comforter for my grand daughters 5th birthday that is this Sunday. I had to put a rush on it so had some difficulties with the stretch of the minky. But I took it as a lesson for  future projects.
So glad that the ice is gone and the rain has come back! But I did enjoy all the sun we had!

All for now

Linda