July...Already!!!

My Father told me one time to enjoy each day as they come because they come fast and leave quicker. I thought he was full of it. I was wrong. 

So here we are in July already. I swear I haven't neglected the blog it just hasn't been high on the radar. So to kind of catch up here goes. 

When I last posted, late April, we had just completed our first Binding Bingo. We will be having our second one on Friday, 17 July. We've changed the name to Binding Bingo and Label Lotto. The Not Forgotten QOV participants will be binding and labeling Quilts of Valor from 10 AM until 2 +/- PM while earning a drawing ticket for each quilt side completed and label attached. Elaine has been making and gathering gifts for the last week or so for the drawings. I'll again be in attendance as the Leatherneck Kilted Quilter and calling the Bingo game and acting as the Chief Cook. The menu will include my 53 Chili, five bean, three meat and Loaded Cauliflower and Loaded Broccoli. I made the cauliflower dish in April and it went over pretty well. I guess there are a lot of folks that like sour cream, bacon and cheese with their veggies. 

We have been busy with Quilts of Valor, making awards as well as quilts. Below some of the awards.

Ashton

Kate

                                                                      Brandon

Brendon

Geraldine and Cesar

Jones/Shields

                                                  Mary

Troy

Just to shout out a few. 

To say the longarm has been getting a work out would be an understatement. It has been kept very busy. Speaking of 'longarm'. My next entry will be "Confessions of a Longarmer." AKA the Leatherneck Kilted Quilter. 

THIS WAS A MONSTER...AS YOU CAN SEE BY NEEDING TWO PHOTOS

IT WAS A GRADUATION PRESENT...MOM TO SON.

THIS WAS DIFFERENT. MY FIRST BOW TIE.

THE BLOCK PATTERN WAS QUILTED INT0 EACH BOW TIE SURROUNDED BLOCK

VERY PLEASED THAT THE QUILTER WAS A HAPPY QUILTER

SADLY THIS PICTURE DOES NOT DO THIS QUILT JUSTICE

HERE IS A SHOT OF THE BACK...JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF THE WORK THAT THE PIECER PUT INTO THIS BEAUTY.

I hope you can forgive me for going so long between posts. With so much going on and time actually moving faster than my Father's prediction I don't get to the blog as often as I'd like. Life is like that...ya just don't get everything you'd like. Now there's a surprise. Later...

I am very happy to report Elaine hasn't moved one piece of furniture since the last remodel. 

But with every thing going on I don't think she has had a moment to think about it. For the last several weeks she has been so busy with organizing and selling off a huge donation of fabric she hasn't had time to breath. The garage has looked more like a fabric store than a garage. 

So busy we've been and busy we like to be...time's going by fast might as well be doing something. 



Quilt till you wilt...we do. 

A New Look

A little background. I am married to a woman that spent over 30 years as a Health and Safety Manager and Ergonomics Guru. On top of that she likes to move things...constantly. So whatever you do don't walk around the house in the dark. Because where it was yesterday is not necessarily where it will be today.

Now that's not saying it is a bad thing...I've adjusted and carry a flashlight when going from room to room. Arguing is just a postponement of where and what I will have to move. Many times I'm not even involved. I just walk into a room and where everything was is no longer. Like I said, I've adjusted.

So anyway Safety Mama, a character she created to do Health, Safety and Ergonomic presentations many years ago was eyeballing the longarm room the other day and noticed a flaw in my work space. Admittedly, I hadn't noticed. I have a tendency to work on the left side of the longarm table. I change bobbins on the left side of the quilt I am working on, oil the hook assembly, rethread the machine, test my tension, my air compressor I use to clean out the hook assembly is mounted on the left side of the longarm frame etc. So accordingly the cabinet that contains all of the essential items should be close to where I do the work. Little things like the bobbin winder, tools, CD player, lasers and the like.

You guessed it. All of that was on the right side of the room. So we spent sometime day before yesterday moving the enormous hutch that holds my threads and some storage items from the left to the right and the cabinet with all of the essentials to the left. Makes sense. No really it does and as soon as I get used to it I will save a tremendous amount of steps. But for now when I go to wind a bobbin, change a CD, get a marker, grab my drink from it's coaster or get my wireless headset I will continue to walk in the opposite direction. I'm sure I walked an extra mile yesterday going right instead of left to get what I needed. Okay, I'm a little slow.

So the longarm room has a new look.

The blonde cabinet under the Thread-a-lobra is now where I guess it should have been in the first place. I'm sure once I remember it's there it will all come together.

Another thing that happened along the way was the ironing table and cabinet (more storage) was also moved into the longarm room. Which I have gotten used to and no longer go into the sewing room to iron my tops and backs. That only took a couple of days.

Like I was saying I work on the left side of the table as you can see where my tools, battery operated rotary cutter and compressor are located. The blonde cabinet was where the large chocolate hutch is now standing. I keep my thread inventory and items I don't use daily in there. 

But wait...The ironing table/cabinet was moved from the sewing room. Well we all know what that means. The kitchen island on wheels that was in the back room, the one with the drop leaf, can be moved into the sewing room for a cutting table. "

We can move the sewing stations this way and I can have easier access to the sewing machine and both embroidery machines all at the same time," she says. "We just have to move the sewing desk to here and this table to there and look how much more efficient that is." 

I know the dogs think it's a good thing. Yes she has to be very careful rolling around on that chair. 

But wait!!! 

"Now that the rolling kitchen island has been moved from the Sewing Room Annex," often referred to in many homes a a bedroom. 

"If we buy a couple of shelving units, move this to there and that over here and send this to Goodwill look at all of the space we gain for quilt storage and we can actually use the day bed when someone stays over."

"Yes dear." 

So off to Lowe's I go. She was right of course. We don't have any pictures of what this room used to look like. Think of an episode of Hoarders. 

But it all came together. Then there was this old mid century bookcase in the guest bedroom. Yes we actually have a room not dedicated to sewing or quilting. Well wouldn't you know it. In just a couple of hours of rearranging the Man Cave the bookshelf fit like it was meant to be. Not before moving the desk, credenza, chair, foot stool, trash can, a printer, desktop computer and gathering another load for Goodwill. I know I'm going to miss some of the stuff she designated that I didn't need anymore in the next year or so. 

To think...it all started with,

"Let's move this cabinet over here and this one over there. Just think how much more efficient it will be."

"Yes dear."

Quilt till you wilt...we do. 

Binding Bingo and more...

Where does the time go. I'm not going to say that March went out like a lamb. As a matter of fact April is still roaring. Finally stopped raining late yesterday afternoon. Naturally it started while I was 80 miles from home on Saturday...on the motorcycle. I think I'll be able to bring my leather and boots in today from the garage...they should be dry by now.

April has been as busy as March. Elaine had the QOV Sew Day on the third Friday as usual and we did a Binding Bingo Party on the 22nd. At first we were going to make the bingo cards. Then it hit me...we have a computer and a connection to that Internet thing-a-ma-bob. Well wouldn't you know there are some folks out there that did a fantastic job of connecting bingo with quilters and just what we needed was available on line and very reasonable I might add. We purchased from buzzbuzzbingo.com the $5.95 package with everything we needed. It would have taken me at least two days to create the spreadsheet and table. Not certain I could have done as well as they did. If you want to hold a Binding Bingo or for that matter add a quilting bingo game to any of your sew days check them out. They have a huge selection of topics that have been adapted to the bingo theme. I screwed up my first order...their customer service was fantastic.

Here are a few of the pictures from that great day...

 Preparation...Setting up the family room

Welcoming gift (needle holder) and Bingo sheets

Quilts ready for binding...

Freebies of course...

Tea and Coffee...

The Family Room crew...

The Kitchen Crew...

I was the cook and Bingo Caller for the day...

Binding, Bingo, Food, Chocolate and 

Prizes of course...

It was a long day...you can tell because Lilee is really pooped out. 

And in between all the fun I even got some quilts longarmed. Here's a few...

Well, that's it for now. We hope you are having as much fun as we are. May your days be filled with sunshine, your hearts with love and your bobbins full. 

Quilt till you wilt...we do.