Machine Quilting

Well, I held my breath and just BEGAN. I try not to look until I have finished a section because it always feel like the stitching looks stark and intrusive on the quilt. As the stitching theme begins to cover the surface of the quilt top, there is s softening and a new character born in the quilt.

The feed dogs are down under the surface of the sewing needle guard so there is no advance of fabric when the pedal is depressed and the needle begins to sew. You hold the fabric and move it under the rapidly punching needle developing a speed, rhythm,and swing from the shoulders. I am a doodler with pen and paper so I just pretend I am doodling with the needle and fabric. There is a special machine quilting foot with a spring loaded mechanism and a clear plastic ring to allow better visual attention to your pattern.

I chose a blue thread in an effort to make the quilting further color and unify the blocks.

You see my trusty Bernina-consistent, quiet, able to sew at top speed without missing a stitch or tangling the bobbin. Can you see the pattern-like a hot air balloon concentrically repeated several times before beginning in another direction.

I have taken a break and will continue tomorrow. Machine quilting can be very tiring and monotonous and there is always a tendency to RUSH which may produce a sloppy pattern result. I don't want to slip up-this is for my grandson!!

quilt back

I worked on the quilt back today and I am happy with the results. I wanted to make it more interesting and use up some extra blocks. I will bind it in the deepest blue.

I also washed and pressed red fabric for my next quilt. I have a blue loving grandson and

a red loving grandson. They will both be here for Christmas and hopefully they will experience their first real snow............................not just a dusting........... cause they had that in Georgia last winter. BUT a good old fashioned Buffalo SNOW. They will both be snuggled in their quilts and hopefully they will treasure them............................do 7 and 8 year old boys care about quilts???? Hope so :)

Sewing again

This was the scene out my kitchen window today. The leaves are falling, the last of the apples are tasty treats for deer. No, I don't live in the country-these are citified deer apparently having dinner at 5PM with cars whizzing by and people walking about?!?!?!?!

I am reminded that this is October and I have two quilts to make before Christmas. I have moved my precious Bernina into the living room and

am ready to roll. Today I began creating a "stripe" to incorporate onto the quilt back. Tomorrow, I should be able to assemble the quilt sandwich (panini if you are Italian) and begin machine quilting. I am auditioning some stitch designs in my head and am looking for one that will flow. I like to choose a round design for a geometric block ( it's a tip my quilt mentor Lisa shared with me). I am thinking of a bubble design but have never actually tried it before...........or maybe a hot air balloon ..........not a flower.........maybe concentric circles......TOMORROW!!

October surprise memory

Things are settling down and my mom is settling in. We have a bunch of MD appointments coming up with the focus on stabilizing my mom and checking that there are no medical conditions that are left to continue without medical attention. We have been blessed with caring and comprehensive Geriatric specialists and are steadfastly seeking help with good results. Thank you for your prayers! God is good and everything that He does is good!

Thought I would enlighten some and remind the locals of the October surprise some three years ago. There was a lot of snow but the real disaster was that the leaves had not fallen from the trees yet. The heavy wet snow snapped huge branches and sent them crashing to the roof, ground and in our case, through the built in pool. There was much damage in the city and burbs. We were without electricity and/heat for 10 days. WBEN radio via battery power was our life line.

We had three houses hooked up to the generator on the RV. I set my cell phone alarm for 1.5 hours and each tome the alarm went off, we started up the RV and ran the generator for 15 minutes. Each day, the neighbors left gas cans at our door as we kept the basements dry and the meat in the freezers frozen.

We learned a lot about what neighbors can do to help and encourage each other. We learned how to do without and to be grateful for fireplace heat, electricity and light. I actually wore a forehead flashlight most evenings ( you guessed it), I knitted. There was no TV but we did get an extension cord to run the coffee pot once per day. Our next door neighbors treated us one night to a deep fried turkey dinner-delicious!!!!!

Hot cider, hot chocolate,sweaters, wool socks and down comforters.........it's quilt season..........holidays are coming.....................snow flakes and Christmas...........I'm ready!!

Thank You Knitting

I apologize to all my panini blog fans for the absence from my post. We have been going through quite a bit of change at our house. My mom has been living with us for the last two weeks. It has been unsettling at times due to her confusion, rebellion, denial and frustration with all of us who believe that she needs help. The good news is that tomorrow we will have a bed delivered and she will have her own room where all her accumulated stuff will be housed. She'll have her own TV to watch the Nanny and all the Gossip shows and her own telephone with privacy. Also, we got the go ahead from Independent Health to make the appt. with the neurologist. I also put out a letter to all my friends and family explaining what has happened and asking for prayer and advice. I am happy to say that I had an almost immediate response of love and support which was and is an enormous comfort and encouragement to me. My sister got her letter and showed up at the house to take my mom out for the day freeing up my husband to attend to some outdoor chores etc. WHEW!!!

I also must tell you that my knitting has been a delight because of the process and because of the result. The yarn is luscious and the design is really beautiful. The pattern is lace-like and if the yarn were thinner (like a DK weight)-it would look like lace. While my world is whorring by and all is upside down, I can sit in the midst of "madness" and find peace and creativity........Ahhhhhh