Blues

I have finally gotten the Blues quilt on the long arm.  I'm doing an all over swirly pattern and although it's a practice piece and for our bed, which means the dogs will be on it, I think it's going to look good.  I haven't done anything on the long arm since K's quilt in May, so I had to look up all the directions again.  But...in a couple weeks, H and I are attending the classes that came with the quilter and I needed to get in some practice.  The funnest (I know, I'm making up words) part of this was that I couldn't find the perfect backing fabric so I bought something and then dyed it the color that I wanted it.  I'll take a photo of the backing when I get it off the long arm...    

Progress

I know, it has been forever since I have written.  There just isn't much to take pictures of...  or write about.  Everything is in progress.  I'm in the middle of a really cool basket-making project at basket guild, have marked and just started hand quilting the oak reel quilt (which is going to take me about a hundred years, I have over-estimated my hand quilting abilities to the point where I seriously hope I live long enough to finish this), have finished 3! knitted dishclothes, am about 3/4 done with the baby blanket on the loom, have signed up for another applique quilt class at the LQS (because some really good appliquers are taking the class and I will get better just being around them), and best of all, tomorrow Harold and I are off to order my new Gammill long arm quilter.  It will be really cool to be able to quilt my own tops.  Harold also thinks that I should learn a skill that has the potential to make money (to support my "therapies"), and since I told him that I needed a lot of practice and I don't retire for 4 years, well, you get the picture.  I think I have 4 years to practice, Harold, of course thinks I really only need 4 months of practice... we will see.  He even went down to Detroit with me to see the quilt show last weekend so he could check out the "competition".  I'm not going to be "competition" for a long time.  I think we are going to one of the big national quilt shows this summer, so he can see real machine quilting...  Anyway, I have 4 full size and 4 baby quilts waiting for the LAQ so I will have plenty to practice on for a while.  The baby quilts will be first, since the babies are all here...  It will be a couple weeks and I'll post photos when I get it.