FINALLY after way too many delays, I will be sending out the free setting/finishing pattern to everyone that ordered 16 or more of my "Baltimore Rhapsody" Applique patterns. All I have to do is copy some over-sized sheets tomorrow, fold and stuff them in the already folded and collated directions. Out they will fly no later than Saturday morning. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding! The last 18 months of my life have been very difficult, but there may be light at the end of the tunnel (I hope it is not a train). In stitches, Teresa :o)
There is some progress! For everyone who bought 16 or more of my Baltimore Rhapsody patterns and are awaiting their free finishing pattern, I am SO CLOSE! It's all done but some pattern tracing! The good news? Today I found the moving box containing my light box!!!! (lots of cheering...) The bad news? The electrical power cord was not in the same box!! (much hair pulling and profanity...) I'm sure I will find the right box tomorrow... After I have fulfilled my promise and sent out the freebies, I will have them for sale on my store site in case you want to use the elements to design a border for a quilt incorporating less than 16 of my blocks. There are at least 2 people that have already appliqued all 16 of their music blocks, and they are chomping at the bit for me to finish! Drawing is a little slow with my still-gimpy finger, but I guess that situation is progressing as well, although slower than I would have hoped. My policy of getting the house mostly moved into before the quilty stuff was touched ended today. I started moving fabric and quilty stuff this afternoon. I need my quilty stuff...
This summer, we unloaded two huge moving PODS about 150 feet from the house in a fairly tight RV garage. A few days ago, I realized that the RV garage is not as "tight" as I had hoped. There are little scorpions in there! Son of a BITCH! I turn over and scrutinize EVERY box and container as I pick it up! I have killed 6 of them, IMMEDIATELY UPON SPOTTING THEM!!! Then I thought, "oh...I should post about them...and I will once I am comfortable enough to snap a picture before doing the "Mexican Hat Dance" on their ass! They aren't very photogenic squished into the sole of my sneaker... Anyway, I take boxes to the house in this little Kuboto truck, which I finally cleaned out (full of leaves, tools, and going-to-the-woods-to-cut-firewood crap). My Dad made the little red, wooden wagon back extension, so I can load quite a few boxes and containers each trip. Then I pull around to the back of the house where there is a door into the walk-out basement. There is just enough space to get the little truck between the pool and the back patio.
The weather is totally cooperating...dry and blue skies...too dry, really...there is a little mini drought going on in west Alabama, so the leaves aren't very colorful this year.
I went into my Mom's glass workshop today for the first time in months to figure out how to make it into a "quilt cave" in addition to keeping part of it a "shard shop." It was hard to go in, as everything is as it was at the time of the accident...water bottle and pack of gum included. I keep thinking this "moving-into-their-house" thing will get easier, but it doesn't. I did get through Dad's clothes last weekend...
There is a glass work-in-progress on her glass layout table...the over-the-door-transom for the main entrance. I intend to learn how to do this at some point and finish this piece, and a few others for the house that she had already designed.
I will need to clean deeply, as it was a "shop" where glass and some wood was cut. I will put some carpet down in part of it and try and consolidate the glass on one end of the room. There is a door to the outside, which will help get some of these fixtures out and quilt book shelves, etc. in when I have it cleaned up and ready to receive stuff. This door has no knob on the outside, so it is a secure door.
My dad put nice plywood on the walls and stained/varnished it lightly. I think I can clean and use the huge light table Dad built (it is, I think, 48 inches square! I will take the glass samples off the wall and store them in containers.
The room is well lit with multiple fluorescent lights, and Dad put plugs EVERYWHERE!
Dad built the large plywood storage containers with wheels for the larger pieces of glass and they will fit under the big layout table, when I figure out where to put that.
There is a sink and some cabinets on the outer wall...
There is a raised edge around the layout table dad built, so I may just cover the top of the table with heavy plywood and store the work-in-progress inside until I can cope with trying to learn how to finish it. I can use my rotary mat on it or something.
There is a large outdoor window...
Here are 3 of her finished windows from other parts of the house...
The huge family room is just through the door and Dad's wood-working shop is on the other end of the house, along with a bar, TV area, pool table, ping pong table, wood burning stove, and two more bedrooms. These boxes are just dent in the RV shed...SO many more to move...
I feel bad dismantling, or at least moving in with, the glass. I know it is what she would have wanted, but still. If their spirits are here part of the time, I am sure they are spending time in their shops...the security motion sensor in Dad's shop keep disabling the security system, so I am sure he is rooting around in there a bit... If you are going to Houston, remember to look for my "Baltimore Rhapsody - Symphony" quilt. It will be hanging in the "Quilts in the American Tradition" Exhibit."
I'm considering a road trip to see it...it's certainly no farther than Michigan is from here... I have not been to the International Quilt Show in Houston since 1995... Almost...In...Stitches...Again, Teresa :o)
Oh, my friends, I am so sick of this move! We are in Alabama permanently now, waiting for our house to sell in Michigan (there was an open house today...cross your fingers for me...). We have not moved in and unpacked very much of our own stuff, as I am trying to come to terms with the contents of my parents' house. What to do when you are completely overwhelmed and need a break??? ROAD TRIP!!! I drove about 90 minutes due east to attend the last day of the FANFARE 2015 QUILT SHOW & SALE put on every other year by the Heritage Quilters of Huntsville. Thank you to Barbara Black, quilt show co-chair, for letting me know about the event and trying to show me there are quilters in North Alabama! Thank you so much! It was a very nice show, and I took a few pictures before my sciatica told me to stop wandering around and raising my arms to take pictures...bummer. The one pictured above won Best of Show. When I got home, I was sorry to see that I only photographed about 28 of the 201 entries. I'm so sorry I didn't get to them all! I wandered around and if no one was loitering in front of a quilt, I took its picture...not a very thorough or professional way to go about it, but when you are in pain you do the best you can! ENJOY...
Scrappy and pieced to perfection...
This was so colorful and happy...another pattern that I am sure I have in my still-boxed-up quilt stash...sigh...
I loved the simplicity of this 2-color quilt...
I really like interesting house quilts...
Yay! Best Hand Quilting awarded to this next one...of roughly 201 entries, only 7 were completely hand quilted and 6 were both hand and machine quilted...that makes me sad. Either I am a dinosaur, or hand-quilting is a cold-climate game!
This was one of my favorites...
I have the pattern for this next quilt...if I'm not mistaken, the size was reduced to make it a charming wall-hanging size. It was really pretty!
This next quilt also seemed smaller than I've seen it before at other shows...well done and I really liked the size!
If I missed your entry, I am truly sorry! And finally, this quilty moment was brought to you by...100% cotton! Look what I passed on my way home, north of Courtland, Alabama. Funny...it smelled like my quilt cave...
I turned around, got off the divided highway on a dirt road, and got as close as I could get to take a picture. Thank you, property owner, for not shooting me!
Most fields have been harvested, but not this one...
...yes, I now live 'way down south in the land of cotton' again! (and not just in my quilt cave!) Almost in stitches again, Teresa :o)
