A Thread-aholic in Colorado

Woven Stain Glass

I didn't have another name for it. I pieced it a while back, but with the Regalia long arm in the shop, it was bound to be quilted. Now I need to trim and bind. –R

The Pool Table Cover Turned Bed Spread

We used to have a pool table in the man cave, along with a huge flat screen TV and surround sound speakers. I even had a refrigerator and a microwave. This was long ago and buried in and annals of Smith history. I'm not sure how it happened or even when but gradually the man cave disappeared, little by little. The ceiling speakers were changed out to bright LED lighting. In the place of the fridge and microwave stands a shelving unit with UFOs and bolts of fabric. The TV was replaced with a design wall. It was a blur. Below is a pic and a testimony to once was - the cover of the pool table - now quilted and laying proudly on a bed. All in all I am much more productive now. Funny.

Her name is "Cat"

Yes, I have a design wall and yes, I use it quite often, however today I was lazy and just put my pieces on the floor before I sewed them together.

This was the calm before the storm. Cat found out how fun it would be to ace from once side of the room and jump into the middle of the pieces and scatter them everywhere. Needless to say, I had to start over from the top using the pattern in order to piece everything together again. Cat was banned to the outside for the duration.

Sure it looks like we are having fun, but.....

...no, we are working. What extreme would you go to in order to get that perfect shot? Kim labored for an entire day on her latest project and yet, she still needed just under 500 miles to meet a critical milestone before the end of October. So we checked the weather - decent - tanked up with gas, either donned or packed appropriate clothing/gear - and took off for the mountains. In Colorado, the aspens (a mountainous deciduous tree) begins its color change from green to bright golden, especially brilliant in the sunlight. We left on what we call the Westcliff loop (Hwy50 west, turning south at Texas Creek, etc.) where the altitude gradually rose while the temperatures gradually dropped... Here's a few pics. Kim's leading on her trike - gaining miles on her mind...

Yes, that's snow (Oct 1)

Some scenery

We stop every once in a while to take in the views, until all of a sudden, Kim opens her trunk and pulls out some fabric. Lo & behold! She brought her topper! There happened to be another couple admiring the tree's transformation, so Kim asked if the man would assist in holding up her project against the Colorado background.

Once a few pics are taken, we are off again... we rode 200 miles that day. Check back next week for an update.

 

 

Embroidery Fun Day - visitors from South Africa

See accompanying FaceBook (28 Sept).  After the Friday afternoon/evening setup, everything is calm. If you saw the Facebook post of 8 year-old Alexia, then you know we were going to plan on having a "fun" day. Here is a pano of the event center - ready for the 40+ guests.

You cannot see from here but on the walls and throughout the center are extraordinary designs and stitch outs of scenes, cats, birds, people and places, cultures and floral arrangements. If you are checking this out Friday night, then you still have a little time to attend. At this publication, the 3p-7p slot still had seats. Consider your holiday gift giving and projects now. 719.225.8142 or stop by 805 Eagleridge Blvd, Suite 120. The Event Center is just 50 yards away....

Yes, I know the jacket is on its side. I am not that good at this stuff yet....

What lurks behind those pretty outer shells...

Well, brains of course.

This is why it is best to take your machines to a certified, factory-trained technician. Besides having complete access to Baby Lock, Bernina, and Janome tech support and original parts, a certified technician can provide the best care and maintenance for your machine.

The "possessed" quilt...

We all have them, quilts that just seem to be possessed by some mischievous gremlin. Randy finally had his "possessed quilt".

First... he accidentally sewed all the strips right side to the wrong side - instead of right sides together. It took him 1 hour to sew them together, 3 hours to rip them out, another hour to sew them back together. Yes, this was a rookie mistake, but it happens!

Second... his machine got out of timing and he had to take it into the shop and give it service.

Third... initial layout produced dark triangles pointed in the wrong direction, which resulted in more ripping.

Fourth... our pomeranian believed it was his duty to scramble the blocks on the floor (aka design wall), while Randy's back was turned.

Fifth... upon final layout and strips sewn together, 2 squares – in the middle, of course –  were pointed incorrectly... RIP.

Finally... the discovery of 5 sets of strips left on the cutting table that didn't get included in the layout at all... thus producing a "skinny" quilt.

I do admire Randy for finishing this one. Hundreds of HSTs (half square triangles) went into this quilt, and thousands of ripped out stitches.

He now says it ready for the longarm (meaning me!)  Should I be afraid?  Eeeeek.

Service lesson from your friendly neighborhood technician....

HUBBY POST

You never know what you'll get when you open up a sewing machine or serger.

I appreciate the usage and marvel at the many projects that must have been accomplished with this and many other machines, but don't forget to take your friend to the spa every once in a while to show it you care. Rule of thumb, change your needle often, don't use inferior threads and always use quality fabric.

AND service your machine at least once a year. You will appreciate the results.

 

Antique Motorcycle & Windmill - Finished Project

HubbyNews

Not only is this an experiment on the 10-needle, I am toying with iMovie on the Mac. Need more practice...

 

Windmill & Motorcycle Sept 2016 from First Stitches on Vimeo.

 

A Sunday project - just pieced so far

HubbyNews:

This 52x52" throw was completed with 20 2.5" strips of a jelly roll, then the additional cream and black strips. I think from start to finish took about 8 hours and I am pretty slow. Oh and I was watching a movie...

Rule of thumb, if I can do it, anyone can.

For the baby son of my niece....Braxton

HubbyNews:

A couple of years ago, I was tasked with making a baby quilt out of baby "onesies". I modeled it after a few t-shirt quilts I made previously. It turned out pretty good and my niece was happy. I guess too happy. In order to get another one of my creations, she went through childbirth again, this time producing a baby boy. I got them just after Christmas 2015 and its taken a while between traveling, work and biking around the state with my wife. I finally finished it and here it is - from cutting, piecing and quilting.

Wonky Art...

HUBBY NEWS

Yes, it was actually a pattern and completed 95% on a Baby Lock Serger. Only the decorative quilting stitches between the panels were placed as an after thought - and the metallic thread - I just saw it on the wall and threw it on to add to the modern look.

Free Motion & Simple Stitching

HUBBY NEWS

Tested out the new Baby Lock Jazz and its free motion capabilities. I am a poor example but made it work. I threw a quick square on the background and placed a few quilting stitches to hold the edges.

 

Labor Day and the Opportunity

HUBBY NEWS

After a brief recuperation from St. Louis, I caught up on service/repairs Friday spilling into Saturday morning. Since the weather on Sunday was beautiful here in Colorado, we took the Harleys out for a spin in the mountains.

Today, Labor Day, we went back to the store, but for fun this time. Yes,the shop was open as we had several tourists visit, but the plan was to play a little on the Valiant (10-needle).

I am still learning, but I can tell you its great not to have to thread and re-thread the machine with so many color changes. (...the Tiger had some puckering)

This cross was purchased on line for $1. Not bad for a 4x5"

 

My first iMovie on Baby Lock's 10-needle Valiant...

HUBBY NEWS

Our son Hunter provided the background music - sometimes drowned out by the clacking of the needle...

 

 

Baby Lock Tech 2016 coming to a close -

HUBBY NEWS

Today was the last day of the very successful and informative 2016 Convention.

Tuesday night, we interviewed and set tentative dates for a couple of Baby Lock Educators to come to Cañon City next year.

And this morning, I did get another chance to review the updated features of the Destiny II. All in all, we were pleased with the opportunity to attend and look forward to sharing the ideas, concepts and designs with everyone back home.

Below is me with President of Baby Lock, Steve Jeffrey...