Quilting to a "T"

How are you spending this cold winter Sunday morning?  I'm enjoying a cup of coffee and thinking about what I'm going to do today and a little now writing this lil blog while the coffee kicks in.  I am going to fix us a big ol Sunday morning breakfast and get some cleaning done, YES I know I'd rather be quilting too.  But we've got to stop and be the domestic princesses that we are at times... sucks but reality! I've been working on a custom quilt this this week and close to have it finished up.  Its a clients quilt and its call Rush Hour.  I wasn't sure just how I wanted to quilt this one at first.  I did know I wanted to put a wood grain quilt design in the border but the blocks I was stumped at first.  Then once I had it loaded I looked at the blocks and decided what I wanted to do.  I will post final pictures when it is finished. I also been working with my Quilt 8 design program and have designed a heart quilt I plan on mak...

Not Blogged in a very long time.  This past year was full of many changes for me some was ruff and some was great. I can now embrace the ruff stuff because it has brought me to where I am today. I've closed a few doors this past year and open a new one that is turning out to be the door I've looked for my whole life. Quick update on where I am today.... I met a wonderful man who loves me for me, unconditionally and that feeling is mutual.   His name is Ronnie and he is my Redneck Country Boy.   I am in the process of selling my house which never really truly felt like a home.   I just couldn't get settled there and now I know there was a reason... Ronnie.  He has opened his heart and door to me.  We are getting settled in and loving every minute. This is us... I've also been busy in my studio. Getting it moved and set up took some time and is still a work in progress and the move put me behind.  But I'm working hard to catch up....

I met Lorry when I first started long-arming but at that time it was just a occasional quilt. I believe it was about 4 years ago.  At that time I was still working in retail business and only quilted part time.  I worked for a fabric store and Lorry came in to get some backing and we being quilters clicked right off and was doing a lot of quilt talk, sharing.  I mentioned my friend Deb allowed me the use of her long-arm (purchased my own machine in 2016) and was starting to quilt for others.  Lorry and I swapped info and later met at Star bucks (enjoyed many visits with her here) where she entrusted me to quilt a top for her, then another and another and SEW it began.    Lorry kept my busy for sure.  This was one of those first quilts I quilted for her.  This was one that she made to donate to the v.f.w. She put her trust in me.  Lorry's quilts are always a pleasure to quilt. Today!  We are still quilt buddy's.  We've...

I am sew excited for a couple of my customers I had the honor of quilting for not long ago.  I am very happy for them and their quilt wins! This quilt belongs to a wonderful quilter I met in the wonderful world of quilters on facebook, Kathi Martin. Kathy is a quilt shop owner in Safford, Arizona and her shop is called, The Jack Of Arts Quilt Shop. Don't you just love that name any way if your ever in her area stop in and tell her Tina sent ya  Kathy is a quilting rock star.  The quilt I quilted for her was a round robin, I have to say I've seen some round robins quilts before but nothing as amazing as this one. When you see Kathy at her shop congratulate her on a her win at the Quilt Arizona Jewels of the Desert 2019 win.  Kathy won third place! Next: Got to give my friend I've never met but feel like we've known each other forever a shout out! Edie Elliott another great quilter I've met via facebook!  Like I said above I feel like ...

don't always stay in Kentucky!  So this is how it all happened. I've always loved having a furry lil baby!  But the way I worked before I became quiltin.t it just wasn't a fair life for one.  I was at work 10 hours or plus at times, or out of town working in other stores.  I missed having one badly and one of my goals when I started working at home was to try and have a new furry baby.   I just love the companionship they give, the unconditional love.  If you give to them they will give it back multiplied!  There is just something relaxing and calming having them curl up next to you on the couch after a long day.  Healing powers to some!   My intention was to wait till late spring to find one.  I knew the breed I was hoping to get because of some friends having them and seeing the bond they have with their human parents, I also did some researching.  I know all furry family members can be sweet and cuddly to their human ...

Good morning!  I'm enjoying a cup of coffee and sitting by the fire place.  Its a electric one but it gives you warmth and feel of a real one and I love it.  I like to use it as a focal point while I do my morning meditation.  Clearing my mind and thinking about my day and what I hope to accomplish. So I finished the Round Robin quilt I'd been working on yesterday.  It was a custom and they do take me a lil longer then the edge to edge or the stipple ones.  But I love doing them!  Especially ones that allow me to cut loose and try some new idea's.  Allowing me to do my doodle thing on them.  Yesterday I showed you the before photo, this is the finished! I'm very please with how this one turned out.  It took me almost two weeks to complete it, but remember in that two week time period we had two holidays.  So it was two weeks but not really.  I enjoyed some down time over the past two weeks.  But now its time ...

Today is the first work day for me of the year.  I have a custom quilt on the frame I intend to finish up today.  It's a beautiful quilt I absolutely love.  A round robin quilt. This is one of they best and most outstanding round robins I've seen to date.  The details and care that went into it is beyond amazing and created a stunning quilt.  I have done a couple of round robin quilts in a quilt guild I belong to and they can be a challenge but fun.  A round robin quilt is where a quilter starts the quilt out with a center block, usually ranges in size of 12" up to 18" and is better if it is a square.  After your center block it completed it is then put in a bag that you can not see though, if you want it to be completed in certain fabrics you also place those in that bag along with any wishes of likes or dislikes on a quilt.  Then it has a name of the people on a form on the outside of the bag and it is passed around to each in a group. ...

Happy New Year my family and friends.  Did you ring it in just the way you wanted to?  I enjoyed a evening of watching Netflix and ordered me a free pizza I saved for tonight and had some doodle time.  Doodling for me keeps my mind busy, relaxes me, and helps me to build my quilting skills.  This is the one I completed last night, I like to sometimes put a lil message in them for holiday and such.  I will begin a new book today, for a new year.  If you see my doodles and look at my quilting you will sometimes notice the likeness. My New Years Eve Doodle There is a quilt blogger I  like to follow, I may have mentioned her before.    Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville  I admire her a lot she gives amazing ideas on a scrap saver system.  I have all but her newest books, and I love her quilt style, scrappy which is one of my favorite type of quilts to make.  She is very inspiring and encouraging.  I read her blog every morn...

I hope you all had a amazing and Quilty year! My year was definitely a year of changes and new adventures and above all a very quilty year.  I ventured out and decided to quit my job and take my dream by the horns.  Starting my quilt business!  Scary yes!  But well worth it !   A year filled with many lessons, some learned the hard way some were a Aaaahaaa lesson.  All of which I needed to learn! My year was full of quilting and I've loved every minute of it..... even the boo boo's!  Ok we all make them we are human. I had the opportunity to go on some fabulous quilty adventures... such as going to Paducah for the fall APQ quilt show.  Took hundreds of photos and met a quilting icon, Elenor Burns.  I adore her energy and left feeling inspired.  I enjoyed her trunk show and love her new book.  Oh yeah and did some serious shopping at her store. I enjoyed a few other quilty adventures though out the year, Shipsawana, ...

I just realized it been since Sept since I'd taken the time to blog.  I was so focused on trying to get caught up on quilting quilts that I hadn't blogged.  Now that I'm starting to get a caught up I hope to be more faithful with it. The reason I wanted to blog this morning was to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you all are able to spend the day with those you love.  Then spend a lil time for yourself at the end of the day doing what you love and what makes you happy. I feel very thankful this year for my family and friends, good health!   Thankful for getting to do what I love for a living.  Thankful for you that have played a part in helping me get to fulfill my dream of quilting for a living.  I am thankful for you that allow me the privilege of quilting for you!  Thankful for your patience while I've gotten started. Thankful for the friends I've made this year though quilting. Well I smell coffee and like most of you its tim...

Good morning, evidently the best time for me to blog is in the morning while having my coffee.  Before I get busy in the studio and then when I come up for the evening its late and I have three things on my mind at that point, supper, glass of wine and a long soak in the tub. I'm working on a very special quilt right now... finishing it up actually.  My customer has ask me to not post it on social net work yet until she has a chance to show it to her family and friends.  I can and will respect that as hard as it is to not. Unfortunately this quilt was one that waited a while to get to while I was figuring out how to time and pace the quilts I do.  But once I got started on it... it didn't take me long to get it pieced and ready to quilt it.  This quilt is a memory quilt and when I do memory quilts I can't help but think about the person who worn the t-shirts.  In this case it was for a man who served our country.  He had a lot of shirts but there w...

Good morning my friends and family!  Its early and coffee time for me.  I hope you all had a good weekend and got to do something you love. I worked on a special quilt this weekend and while I was working on it I could hear Linda's voice that gave me some pointers.  I am a self taught quilter and with that I had some bad habits I'd developed.  A lady I'd met and fellow quilter offered to help me when I'd made the comment to her that my quilts do not ever look as nice hers.  She had me come to her house a few times to work with me.  She taught me the importance of making sure I am consistent with having a 1/4" seam allowance , matching seams, and pressing them open nice and flat.... really flat. I can hear her voice now telling me "to slow down and enjoy the process" and to always "BE NEAT."  So when I was pressing this seam nice and flat on the quilt I am working on I noticed this and right away heard Linda say "BE NEAT." So...

Good morning, once again I'm in my four season room enjoying a cup of coffee and listening to the birds waking up.  A humming bird is already hitting on the feeder and chasing the others away.  I have two feeders available to them.  I think I'd like to add another, there are about 8 or so that fuss over the two feeders though out the day. One of the things I want to accomplish as part of my quilting business is teaching others to quilt.  Not in a big group setting but one on one.  I want to teach those who would like to learn how to quilt the basic to help them get started.   I was pretty much self taught.  Learning though trial and err.... still learning.  I would have loved to have had a teacher in the beginning that would teach me how to cut, how important that 1/4" inch seam is, and believe it or not the importance of pressing properly. One of my students is Joyce she wanted to learn to quilt for a long time and the time was right for her ...

Good morning quilt friends and just friends and family, if any are starting to follow me.  I have a favor to ask of you.  If you could please subscribe to my blog and share it with the world for me.  Help me to grow!  Thank you my friends I knew I could count on you. Well its Saturday morning and I'm drinking my coffee and meditating a lil.  Clearing my head of negativity and focus on the tasks I'd like to accomplish today.  I've really been working hard at the quilt frame to get caught up.  When I first started up my business my timing was 4 to 6 weeks.  I'm finding I need to change that to 8.  When you are quilting custom quilts you do not want to rush it.  You want to make each one as special as you can.  It is a heirloom and gifts for someone that I have the pleasure of helping to make happen.   Learning a time frame has been my main challenge on this wonderful endeavor I've taken on. I am very passionate about wh...

Good morning!  I love mornings like this, sitting out in the 4 season room with the window open I listening to my new fountain flowing and the sound of the humming birds flying around fussing.  I'm enjoying a cup of coffee and I have a lavender incense burning.  I usually burn one a day and I like to burn my sage stick a lil as well to reduce negative energy before heading down to my studio for the day.  Its a great start to me. I recently had the pleasure to quilt a quilt top for a local quilt shop   The Stitching Nook .  This is a great shop and offers it all, sewing/embroidery machines, fabrics, battings, threads, patterns and some great classes for all phases of sewing.  The quilt I quilted for them is for a upcoming quilt class they are offering soon.  Better sign up fast if your interested.  If I had the time I'd love to take it my self the quilt is beautiful and would look great on my bed.  Time is the issue I am working hard tr...

Good morning my quilty friends! I hope you all had a great weekend. I took a much needed break from the studio Saturday and spent time with my lil grand girls. Sometimes ya just gotta take that break, especially when you are watching them grow up so fast in front of your very eyes. We worked on designing their own t-shirts. They each picked out a design and we added a little flair to the design.  Aunt Teresa came over to join in with us. Ta-Da! After our fashion show we settled down for a relaxing evening by the fire, cooked hotdogs and marshmallows.  We played a game of telephone that had us laughing hard.  I enjoyed the time spent with them, to me it was time well spent in building memories with them while they are still lil. Sitting by a fire is so relaxing to me, helps me to recharge. LESSONS WE LEARN ALONG THE WAY: One of my challenges with starting my quilt business is learning my timeline.  When I was first begi...

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Good morning! I'm enjoying my coffee while listening to rain and I can occasionally hear the wind chime that hangs in a small tree in my back yard.  This is a new blog spot for me but you can get to my web page and back from it.  Figuring out how to accomplish that was a lil challenging for me but I took my time and eventually figured it out.  My web builder offers a blog but I just wasn't happy with it and decided to come back to what I like, Blogger.   Please subscribe to my blog for updates and cig you could share it for me. The sun is coming up and I'm going to be heading to the studio soon.  I am working on a stunning quilt for my customer, Nancy.  Once I figured out the border I was ready to hit it.  I'm learning new techniques all the time, each quilt I do brings on a adventure for me.  I am so loving what I do and happy that I get to do what I love. Nancy quilt before photo shoot: Choosing a thread color is sometimes eas...