Day Two

Hi Y'all!

This is what I finished yesterday on my Teapotz project. Four teapotz. Doesn't look like much progress, does it?

Well, I do have the rest of the week. I estimate that 16 teapotz of various sizes and shapes will complete the small wallhanging that I have in mind. And, wow, this is a fun way to spend the time here.

While I am posting this, here is a couple of pictures of Karen McTavish, my teacher at Road to California last week. Great show and great class with Karen. She demonstrated "The Art of McTavishing," all the while keeping us "in stitches" with her hilarious stories!




Karen talked about what kind of background fills are popular, what is passe.

She demonstrated her special type of longarm swirls that fill backgrounds and other spaces with incredibly beautiful texture.








Here is our "best friends" picture:





Genie

My Quartzsite Challenge

Hi Everybody,



Today is day one of my challenge to make a small Teapot quilt while parked in the middle of the desert in Quartzsite, Arizona. I am using Stargazey Quilts' quirky Teapotz pattern by Jan Mullen. These are the fabrics that I will be drawing on for my very own little teapotz.

OK, I have sewing to do. Tah, dah! Will post tomorrow if the creek don't rise and my computer connection holds up.

Genie

A Sophisticated Beauty in Black, White and Red

Hi Everybody--

This beautiful quilt was pieced by my neighbor and quilting customer, Sharon Davis. I quilted it for her on my longarm machine, using the quilt pattern Pizazz that I showed in my last post. I tried it out on my own quilt first because I was so nervous about using the IQ (Intelliquilter) on a customer quilt.

Well, it came out great on both quilts!

I wasn't nervous about the IQ's abilities so much as the possibility of "user error". But the IQ is turning
out to be very intuitive and easy to learn .

We are getting ready for another road trip with the 5th wheel. Departure is next Tuesday and we'll be gone for a month. Three weeks in California with our kids and their kids, then a week in .....Quartzsite? But why, you ask? Why would anyone go to Quartzsite? Well, it's not for the scenery. But it is for the fellowship of our fellow ham radio enthusiasts and their families. We have potlucks and visit with one another. Oh, I almost forgot! I do a lot of piecing! Yay!!

Genie

My First Quilt with Electra

Hi Y'all--

What is with all this underlining? Oh, well, Blogger always has a mind of its own...

Anyway, this is my first quilt on my IQ. She now has a name--Electra--and she quilts beautifully in partnership with Emma and I. I started this panto called Pizazz on Saturday and finished the last pass today.



This is near the start of the quilting.



This is right after doing the last pass. The quilt top is a Chinese Coins (also called Roman Coins) using scrap strips. The top was fun to make but I was tired of all the strips by the end. But I don't think I will ever get tired of watching Electra doing her thing!




Here is a close-up of the quilting.


Genie

IQ is Amazing!!!!

Hi to All--

My IQ is here---Helen and Tony came out from Las Vegas on Wednesday to do the install and get me started with some lessons. This is so exciting because the IQ has the capability to do so many things with designs.

Here it is installed atop of my APQS Millenium.

I have already learned how to do edge-to-edge designs and blocks and borders. In theory, at least,
I have, and have just a smidge of practical experience on a practice piece.

Below are some designs that I have stitched out on my practice piece.

The first one is a pantograph (also called edge-to-edge or E2E) named Oh My Feathers which came with the IQ. I love this pattern!






The next picture is a block design that I downloaded from a digital design website.




Well, I guess I'm done playing for today, but tomorrow is sure lookin' good.

Genie

I'm Getting IQed!!!

Hi--

No it's not a test, but it is sort of like a brain implant. It will make me seem a lot smarter and more talented than I really am.

You see, I am getting a computer, called an IntelliQuilter, for my Emma, my quilting machine.

The IQ does so many things. If I can even think of a few of them, I'll be doing well. It stores quilting patterns (for actual quilting the quilt, not piecing patterns). Then you can resize, rotate, flip, combine patterns and add as many repeats as needed to fill the space. Then you tell IQ where to quilt and when to start and when to stop. You can also use it to create and store your own patterns. Wow!

Now all I have to do is wait for the next seven days.

Here is a picture of my latest project, Catlettsburg Town Square, a Bonnie Hunter design that she calls Carolina Crossroads. I just took it off the machine after quilting it in spirals; now I need to finish the binding.





Genie

The Great Kitchen Counter Make-Over!

Hi to All--

First, here is an "Aw, he's so cute," picture of Miles:



And here is DH Jerry after breaking up and removing the old ceramic tile from Jeff and Sherry's kitchen.

They have been working for some time improving their kitchen, mostly by their own hands.
Now it was time for new kitchen counters and the old had to come out. We were out there and Jeff was at the hospital everyday for a while so Jerry went to work.


After tile removal, what was left underneath had to be perfectly level. Yes, a very big job, but Jerry is always ready to tackle those kind!

Jeff called to tell me that their counters would be installed (yesterday). They chose a dark gray Corian. Can't wait to see the kitchen finished.

Genie