So again, my best intentions don’t get me here with any frequency. I have been busy “quilting”. I have quilted 18 charity quilts for guild members and 8 more that were sent to me either as quilt tops or as quilt blocks AND a rather large quilt that is a wedding gift that I did all the work on since the February guild meeting. I also have one more charity quilt top waiting to be quilted and I “assume” I will come home with more when the guild meets next Tuesday. Also, the gal that I got the tops and blocks from is supposed to post some of my work and I “might” get emails about others sending me tops and blocks (all for charity). In the meantime, I have started a ladybug quilt for my little sis’ 1/2 birthday on the 24th of July. She loves ladybugs and this quilt has 16 ladybugs on it. And each ladybug is 21 pieces and I just got the first one together today. I will back track and do each section for the remaining 15 bugs at a time and then when I have all four major sections together, then I will put those together to make the bugs. My twin is piecing the nine patches, red and white and black and white that will go on top and bottom of the bugs as well as in between each row of 4 bugs. This is really out of my comfort zone with 1/2 square triangles, sashing and borders. Will post pics when I get it done and gifted.

Speaking of pics. Here is what I have done since the last posting of pictures.

So the first five were guild quilt tops that were quilted by me. C actually brought me 7 quilt tops and backings and provided backings with two that needed to be pieced and while I am happy to quilt these tops, I don’t even like to piece backings on my own quilts, and any time I spend doing that on others quilts, means less quilting time, so I returned the 5 quilts quilted and the two without. I got an email from her today saying that all I needed to do was turn the backing sideways, to which I say bullhockey because the backing still wouldn’t have been big enough with piecing. The bottom quilt, the tumbler blocks were in the quilt tops and blocks I got from all over, by way of Iowa and Janet (thank you shout out to Janet) from the guild put them together. I did the quilting and binding with a piece of backing from my stash and binding from my stash and this would is among the 8 quilts that I am taking to donate at the guild meeting on Tuesday.

So, that is all for now. Hopefully, will get back here with ramblings soon. Until then, Keep Calm, Keep Praying and Keeping Quilting.

I certainly didn’t intend to be so long between posts, but even with “shelter in place” I have kept busy quilting, stitching, etc. Then on top of everything else, my computer crashed. I was over a week without my laptop and even tho I could check my email and facebook, I didn’t want to mess with trying to get on here and post from John’s desktop.

So, what is new. We are slowly returning to “pre-covid 19” in stages and no one is really sure about the things that will change forever because of the pandemic. Haven’t seen my oldest two granddaughters or their mom for many, many days. Have seen the little a couple of time for short spurts in the last two weeks. Jeremy is finally going back to work (at work) on Monday. Millie is working two —- 1/2 days a week, it is just crazy.

I have been working on charity quilts both ones that were sent from a blogger in Iowa and 14 from the ladies in my guild with 15 on the frame and 3 more waiting for a space on the frame. I also did 6 from Iowa, one more ready to quilt and the final one which is really small and needs to have borders added so it can become something else besides a wall hanging. I also did a red, white and blue one of my own and a large (small King) quilt, piecing, quilting and binding that will be a wedding gift. Oh, don’t let me forget the 150 masks and all of this since the 3rd Tuesday in February. I volunteered to quilt for the guild members if the quilts were being given to charity. I told you in an earlier post about the smoking house quilts. She has two more for me, which I will need to make arrangements to get when I get the four done I have here a home.

So, during the last few weeks I have had instances with two members of the guild who think that I should be okay with doing more than just the longarm quilting of their charity quilts. The first one, sent two quilt tops which were “just to pretty” to tie (which is NOT quilting) but what she normally does with charity quilts. Neither one had backing fabric large enough to load on the frame. Finally, called her and told her, she would go get bigger pieces of fabric to use for backing. So, she called and said she had fabric and would drop them off (social distancing you know). So, long story short, one was big enough, one was not, neither was a solid piece and since she dropped them off on her way home from the quilt shop, I didn’t get a chance to discuss with her about her piecing the backing. I did make one cut and one seam on one backing and it did give me enough backing to load on the frame. The second backing (after squaring off and straightening the top and bottom edge) was not big enough either in length (because of all the fabric snipped and ripped) or in width if I was going to cut the 108 (actually 112) inch wide fabric in half to add to the length. Told her I needed 78 inches in length and 60 inches in width. Would have ended up with 56 inches wide and only about 75 inches in length. Told her that the cut made at the quilt shop was really, really crooked (crappy). She seemed to thing she could get the quilt shop to give her more fabric and I don’t know if that is the case or not but haven’t heard from her and if/when I do, I will tell her she needs to piece the backing that I won’t. The second gal had 7 quilt tops and backings for me to pick up. When I got there she made some kind of off handed comment about the fabric was not directional and since she was assuming I was eventually going to do this for profit, it would be a learning experience and “you’ll figure it out” which is code for on two of the quilt backings I would need to make two cuts and two seams to make the backing big enough. So, my plan is to quilt the remaining 5 quilts and return them to her with a smirk and a “I can explain how you need to piece the backing to make them work if you need me to”. Needless to say, she is a retired school teacher and she saw this as a “teaching moment”. So, I wrote a little piece for the guild newsletter again asking for extra fabric, telling them if the backing fabric wasn’t big enough, it would be returned, if they sent the backing fabric for me to cut and piece, it would be returned. This evening, I am a little discouraged because the guild chair (president) will contact me and my say isn’t going to be in the newsletter. So, depending on what she has to say, my charity quilting for guild members may be coming to an end. I can hope to grow my donations of quilt tops through the gal in Iowa but we will have to see.

I am getting ready to start cutting and piecing a ladybug quilt for my younger sister for her 1/2 birthday. Millie has a Christmas eve birthday and we decided to celebrate it on her 1/2 birthday on July 24.

On a brighter note, I have quite a few little green black raspberries and it looks like the Madre may have a bumper crop unless it gets really dry while they ripen. Love me my black raspberries.

In the meantime, Keep Calm, Keep Praying and keep quilting.

So, I am trying to switch gears from quilting back to making facemasks. I need to make some for my son, who may be going back to work, work from working at home. My daughter sent me a request to send them to the AZ Indians. I will check their website to see if the actually need them and if they do, I will get some cut and out to them. I am in the process of trying a fabric glue to see if I can glue the edges of the no sew pattern I got off of Facebook. It certainly seems to fit better than any of the other patterns I have seen and if the fabric glue works well, will certainly be the least time consuming, even if they do use a little more fabric. Fabric I got, time is more valuable at this point.

Earlier this week I finished up several more charity quilts. I have posted pictures of several and here are three more. The first one is Christmas fabric and made into a bigger quilt than what I normally make for charity. The top was all put together, but needed to order (inexpensive) fabric for backing, cause I didn’t have anything else to quilt with it and didn’t want to cut off lots of the 108″ wide fabric I had. Here it is.

I used the backing fabric for the binding and an all over big meander pantograph for the quilting pattern. It isn’t “in your face” Christmas Red and Green but it is Christmasy prints.

The next two came to be as a package of pieced blocks. On first glance, I thought, cool there are enough for an easy put together, quick quilt, but after I had completed quilting all the completed tops, I got to looking and it was 22 blocks but 10 were smaller and not enough to make a very big quilt. Even the 12 that were a little bigger, were only going to make a quilt about 36 X 48. So, I cut assorted fabric into 10 — 10 1/2 inch squares and added those to the 10 smaller blocks. Quilted it with Hearts in Bloom Pantograph, put binding from my stash and here it is.

I used some really inexpensive 108″ wide fabric for backing on this quilt and the next — put them on the frame at the same time and did the quilting. I got the fabric for about 4.50 per yard — which is a great price for 108″ wide, not the thickest fabric but for a charity quilt, it is perfect.

Here is the last of the quilts I recently finished. This one was 12 – 12 1/2 inch pieced blocks. So, I set them on point (one of my favorite things to do) added blocks of white fabric between rows and setting along the edge and I told 36X48 inches of blocks to a quilt that was 52X67 and I think with the variety of colors in the blocks, they needed LOTS of white in between, which setting on point provided. Again, the 108″ inexpensive backing and binding from my stash.

Do you see the mis-sewn block? Left hand side, second one down, one of the gold stars has a point that was sewn together backwards. I didn’t notice this until I had the quilt laying folded in fourths on the couch and thought, that doesn’t look right. I think this is my favorite of all the quilts I quilted that came from my professional “go between” from Iowa. I have a couple of weeks to decide if I want people to contact me directly about sending quilt tops my way for me to quilt and then gift to charity. I also had a bag of tumbler blocks that one of the ladies from my quilting guild is putting together for me to quilt and there is a really small, wall hanging size, quilt that I will either make into a wheel chair quilt or have it made into a fussy quilt for the memory care unit at the local nursing home.

So, that’s what I’ve been working on. Since “shelter at home” is coming to an end, I assume I will slowly having less time to quilt. There are 4 quilt tops that I can pick up any time to keep “something on the quilting frame”.

Until the next time, Keep Calm, Keep Praying and Keep Quilting!

So, for most of us in the State of Indiana, except Marion, Lake and Cass Counties and those who have local (city, town) jurisdictions that are imposing more stringent guidelines, starting Monday, we no longer have to shelter in place. Our businesses, restaurants, etc., will be operating at 1/2 capacity starting on Monday. On the 23rd, that will be up to 100% (barring any significant falling off the wagon) with coronaviris cases). I may actually be able to go in a nail salon and get a pedicure starting the 11th, however, they will have to be set up in such a way that only utilizes 1/2 their space AND their patrons can be at least 6 feet away from each other. Ah, to actually be able to go in and sit down in a restaurant and eat instead of having to pick food up from the drive thru and eat in the car in the parking lot.

I have been fairly productive during the last 7 weeks or so since we went to “shelter in place”. I just finished putting together a couple more quilt tops and will get them quilted soon. I was given blocks for possibly 2 tops but both needed extras added to make them a more reasonable size. They are going on the frame together and I am going to do my hearts and flowers pantograph on them as the “blocks” I added are not pieced, but one solid piece of fabric and I think I need more than just a meandering stitch on the quilting.

I have a new batch of facemasks cut out and ready to put together as soon as my elastic I ordered 2 weeks ago comes in. I thought it was going to get here yesterday and still not here in today’s mail. Ordered another 40 yards from Indy (she didn’t have any when I ordered the 50 yards from NJ). So, if they both get here, I will have enough elastic to make at least 230 face masks. I figure that if there is another waive of COVID-19 in the fall, I will be prepared to “make more masks”. I could have made them to sale (and one to give away for each sold one) but would only get paid a buck for each two masks and that is simply too much work for so little money. Not only that, but my Mom fell earlier this week and I believe she is getting really close to the point where she is going to have to have someone stay with her at all times, and that will be me probably at least 4 days a week.

I have another quilt done that I haven’t photographed yet, when I get these other two quilted and bound, I will post pictures of all three.

In the meantime, Keep Calm, Keep Praying, Keep washing your hands and wearing your facemask AND Keep Quilting.

I just saw that Illinois governor is asking his residents to “shelter in place” until the end of May. That is seven more weeks. I don’t know if our Governor will start backing off of “shelter in place” on May 1 or not. That is when the current order is set to end —- but can always be extended. Even then, it won’t be a shelter in place one day and everything back to our “new normal” the next.

I have been quilting (surprise, right?). I just quilted 2 red white and blue quilts for two ladies in the guild which they will trim, put binding on them and then give them away. I also had made a top many weeks ago which added rows of 5″ squares to a panel and I put it on the frame along with top #2 from the guild. Mine has been bound and I am waiting to hear from the gal that passes these along to Spirit of 45 (which is our local bugles across America) and when they have a family there that has lost someone in the military, they give them a quilt. Even tho demand is down for other quilts, these are always needed because they aren’t going to a shelter to be used for warmth. I have 3 quilts to donate when the guild meets again and just loaded the backing for #4 on the frame. Once I get that done, I need to work on facemasks for Jeremy as he will go back to work on the 4th and wants to have masks to wear at work.

I am having a little bit of anxiety about the way this damn coronavirus is going to permanently impact what has been our way of life. It is bound to change things and it certainly isn’t good for the economy. We should be okay, because we should get our retirement and SS checks no matter what. As long as everyone doesn’t go nut raising prices on everyday things we should be okay. I only have 9 more months until I go on medicare and a year until John does, at which time, my insurance premiums will drop dramatically (hopefully).

Here are the two quilts I quilted for the gals in the guild.

And here is my quilt.

You can’t see the quilting pattern very well on mine but I used the same pantograph on all of them and it is a meander and stars. I have another more complex star pattern, but think if I used anything else, it will be the same one I have now, but I will order it with a deeper footprint. Right now, the one I am using is 9 inches and I can easily stitch 12.5 per pass. On these smaller quilts the 9 inches isn’t too bad, about 5 passes, but I think I may want to do another one for Quilts of Valor and they are bigger, so it would probably be nice to have a 12 or 12.5 inch pantograph.

That’s all for now. I am going to get that quilt on the frame tomorrow and get quilting and after the binding is done, I will be back to making facemasks (yippee).

Until the next time, Keep Calm, Keep Praying and Keep quilting!!!

Our Governor is expected to announce tomorrow that he is extending our “shelter in place” designation through May 1. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, don’t think we should “open the flood gates” so to speak, quite yet. I keep thinking about the pictures I saw of the beaches in FL that had been opened and throngs of people on the beach, not even trying to keep away from the others, can you say “pied piper”. It is just crazy.

I am feeling rather discombobulated. It really is a serious case of things changing and not knowing what things are going to look like after this is all over. When, this is all over. I have not doubt it will end, who knows how many rounds of deaths there will be before everyone gets it right.

I keep reading about the economy, got to jumpstart the economy, suicides vs. people dying from COVID 19. Let me state my opinion here, since there is nobody else reading this and I won’t get jumped on for this opinion. A suicide is a personal decision, lifting bans that allows folks, who don’t even know they are infected or are just carriers, out without restrictions, is allowing those unsuspecting (and in some cases, folks that have been tested and suspect they have the virus) on the loose to infect others, just ain’t right. Neither is saying that if you have to “kill” a few old folks to save the economy, no big deal.

I have said all along that people are reacting to something unlike anything any of us have ever experienced, hence the hoarding of toilet paper, leaving your house when you shouldn’t be for non essential things, saying that we may have to decide between life and the economy is just NUTS!!!!!

I finished and took off the frame another RWB “charity” quilt and have 2 more ready to load on the frame now. One of those is my top (just a panel with added squares). I will post pics of all three when I get them done. Then I will be making face masks again for Jeremy to have when he returns to work (at work) in two weeks.

Until the next time, KEEP CALM, KEEP PRAYING AND KEEP QUILTING………..

I was doing better and then…………the masked man struck. Actually, it was a bunch of fabric for 12 different people (one of them being me) and we were each to make 40 masks for Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis. I was Team Leader for Morgan County. It ended up being kind of a gom. First fabric we received was extra heavy (not quilter’s cotton) and when you doubled it up you couldn’t breath through it. I got my 40 cut out and the front and back sewn around and was just starting to pin in the pleats when one of my team members called and said, Karen, you can’t breath through the fabric, and I guess this was was just one bunch of questionable fabric. We lost almost 2 days of work when we were told to go ahead and proceed. The coordinating quilt shop offered new fabric, so we all opted to get a new bunch of fabric, which was dropped off at my house last Saturday. Flash forward to cutting out pieces for 40 more masks, and completing those masks. I collected everyone in the groups masks and took them to Indy this afternoon. They are a lot more time consuming than what you would imagine. LOTS of prep time and then several steps to the actual sewing. I decided to complete each step with all 40. So, 40 sewing around the outside of the mask, 40 pinning and sewing in the pleats, then the bands down each side covering the pleats and then finally the ties (which also covered the raw edges of the mask top and bottom as well as the top and bottoms of the side bands. The prep (without a seam binding tool) for the top and bottom band/tie was unbelievable. I thought I would get 20 done on Tuesday, 20 done on Wednesday and then be done. WRONG, after a trip to the grocery for my mom on Tuesday morning and a late start, I only got 10 done on Tuesday. Cranked it up (and actually had all day) on Wednesday and new I had to get at least 15 done, did 20, so that only left 10 to do yesterday and when I was done, I can’t tell you how relieved I was. Here they are…..

So, before that, I completed another charity quilt where I completed the quilting and binding. I also got the wedding quilt done and they are pictured here.

So, that is how I have been spending my Shelter at Home time. I have a red, white and blue quilt ready to load on the frame after cleaning and oiling. The top was made by a guild member. I have another one (also from a guild member) and then I have a top I put together with a panel and those two will be loaded on at the same time. I still have 1 large quilt top that came from the Iowa blogger/quilt fairy (actually a really good receiver and redistributor of all things charity quilt), which will go to a local charity somewhere. We should have (the guild) a pretty good stash of quilts going into the winter. I also have numerous panels which could be whole quilts OR added to to make a little bigger quilt. I have 2 more that could be little boy quilts (Olaf and puppy dogs which I have done before). I have 2 new pieces that are supposed to look like quilt tops that are just printed fabric which are large enough for 2 lap size quilt tops each. I also have a new quilt kit that is called cultivate kindness which I may try to work up in time for the quilt show in October. I need to start working on the challenge (once I decide what to do) AND I need to work on my Grandmother’s Flower Garden English Paper piecing which is my one UFO that is actually a LTP (Long Term Project) which will hand quilted sooooooo, long time until it is done.

Back to face masks, I did 65 earlier, 50 that went to the guild which was donated to hospital, dr and nursing homes in the county, 12 (6 each) to nieces in MN and 3 to my niece Julia, whose sister-in-law is a home health aid and needed masks.

Hope all of you are avoiding the cooties, Jeremy had what we suspect was the cooties and after 2 weeks off, is back at work this week, but working from home.

Stay Calm, Keep Praying and Keep Quilting……….

We are supposed to shelter in place, which means I am only going out to eat, to the grocery store and to my Mom’s house 4 mornings a week to take her medication to her. I guess I should be glad that I have an “excused reason to be out and about” those 4 mornings a week. However, on the days when I don’t go to my Mom’s (today being one of those days) I usually don’t get dressed until it is time to “go out” to supper. By go out I mean, we go thru the drive-up window, pick up our food, park in the parking lot and eat and then come home. Tonight John fixed steaks and burgers on the grill, so we didn’t “go out” so I am still in my gown and robe.

I worked today on trying to finish the quilt that I left on the frame when I started making facemasks. Another row and about a 1/2 and I’ll having the quilting finished. I put together the semi-scrappy binding today and just ironed it in half, so when the quilt is trimmed, I will be ready to sew on the binding. I will be receiving materials probably mid-week next week to make 40 more facemasks and I want to be done with the quilt if possible. Since the hospital in Indy wants a certain fabric and all o them made alike, they are supposed to send me “kits” to make them with. I really have a much smaller supply of the fabric that I wasn’t likely to use since I made 65 masks. Since it is a bigger size than a lot of them I make, it will take probably 5-6 hours to hand sew the binding on the back of the quilt.

My son, is still sick, but thank goodness, his symptoms have not gotten worse. I know he feels miserable and that is exasperated by the fact that he can’t see his little girls. He is on paid leave from work so he doesn’t have to use his PTO and wipe out a good deal of what he gets for a year. He is supposed to go back to work on the 13th, so he still has over a week to get rested and feeling better. He really thinks this is the coronavirus, but since only people in the healthcare industry and those in the hospital who are really sick are getting tested.

I just heard today that the coronavirus is expected to peak for number of cases two weeks from now. That is also when we are supposed to get our stimulus money. My part will be used to pay down on my credit card balance (unless something else comes up in the meantime). At least our retirements and SS are safe and we will get those checks no matter what. I certainly am not running through nearly the cash each week as I was, of course, I’m not going out to eat by myself or stopping by Wal-Mart to pick this or that.

Well, on to the next project (or back to the one before). Until the next time, Keep Calm, Keep Praying and Quilt on!

Not too many April fool’s day pranksters out there. With the coronavirus looming and still not yet reaching the peak (here anyway) people are scared and serious. Not that being serious is a bad thing. Scared of the unknown, kind of, but I truly believe God has this and there is a reason, his reason, even if it is that old Adam and Eve evil reason. I am afraid for those around me who do not know my Lord and will be lost forever if their host dies, really afraid of that more than what a virus can do to my body.

I have been really busy, even tho the quilt on the frame is no indication. As of the end of today, I made 65 face masks to help those in nursing homes, doctor offices, nurses and home health aids. 50 of those were donated to my quilting guild, which donated 800 to the nursing homes and hospital workers. I sent 6 each to the nieces in MN, who are both nurses and my niece Julia, asked me to make three for her sister-in-law who is a home health nurse (or aid). I will deliver those tomorrow oh, and one of them is for me if I feel I need it (or if they really do suggest you wear it when you leave your home).

So, I hope to be able to finish quilting the quilt on the frame before I have to stop and make more masks. I have several other tops which can go on the frame next, but I’m not sure the two I received today have big enough backing fabric to secure to the frame. There are two more that came from Jo in Iowa that are ready, I just am trying to figure out how to utilize the backing fabric that I have most effectively. One is pretty large, the other smallish, however, I’m not sure they will go side by side on the frame (and not sure I want to use the same pantograph on them both). Then I have blocks or parts of blocks for 3 more tops, two of which will require some piecing and the third LOTS of piecing. The two I received today are from a lady in the guild, who was gifted 2 tops and thought they were too pretty to be tied (which is what she normally does) and I am torn about whether I should try to add fabric to the backings so they can be quilted or if I should just let her know that she will need to piece the backing or provide something else bigger. When I am handed a quilt top and backing, I expect to hand them back to them when then are ready to be trimmed and bound. I don’t want to bind their quilt for them, I want to hand it back and let them finish it.

Not sure where I am with posting completed projects but am sure I didn’t post this. This is quilt #2 that I received from Iowa.

My youngest son, Jeremy has been sick the last 2 1/2 days. He is being treated like he has the coronavirus even though he hasn’t been tested, and won’t be unless he experiences other symptoms. Dear Lord, please let him be okay, he has two little girls who need their daddy around for many years to come. Love you Jeremy.

More later, until then, Keep Calm, Keep Praying and Keep Quilting (solitary quilting).

While semi-confined to home, and since the March Quilting Guild meeting was cancelled and I couldn’t pit up anymore charity quilts to quilt, I decided to start piecing a large queen/small kind quilt for a wedding gift, even tho’ not sure when the wedding will be. I was going to do a periwinkle quilt, but decided that would take too long so I used the squares I cut with that pattern in mind and made up a new pattern where by blocks aren’t square, they are 9 1/2 by 11. There are ten in a row and 9 rows resulting in a quilt that is 90 inches wide an about 94 inches long. I was just going to put the top together (4 pieces in each block times 90) and then put it on the shelf for quilting later, but decided to go ahead and quilt it, why not, I hate UFOs and had the backing fabric and batting. The binding will be scrappy. So, on the frame it went. I did two rows the first afternoon and when starting the 3rd row on Wednesday, realized I had quilted a couple of pins into the row before. The one was close enough the edge that I could work it out but the other one, I marked and will deal with it when the quilt comes off the frame. So we were talking about where to eat that evening when my phone rang and one of the ladies from my guild said they were making facemasks and wanted me to help. So, the quilt is still on the frame. Wednesday evening and Thursday I worked cutting out 144 pieces for 36 facemasks. The one I’m making is two pieces each for the front and the lining. So I spent the rest of the day on Thursday cutting and putting the seam down 72 fronts and linings. This morning I spent clipping the edges of the curved seams and I have finished 2 of the 36. Yikes! Don’t imagine they will have another pickup until Monday, but I needs to crank out some facemasks in the next 60 hours or so. So, that is what I’m working on. Oh, I also spent over an hour today doing some dictation for my very part time at home job. Why is it he always has dictation for me on Thursday and/or Friday. Oh well, hopefully not anymore this weekend so I can get cranking. Already have an idea on how to speed up the process. Will post pics when I get them done. Until later — KEEP CALM, KEEP PRAYING AND KEEP DOING WHATEVER YOU NEED TO DO TO KEEP FROM COMMITTING MURDER WHILE CONFINED WITH YOUR LOVED ONES IN A SMALL SPACE FOR WEEKS ON END. lol