Long Arm Quilting - Aspirations and Goals!

 Hello Quilty World!

Ever since I made my first quilt and took it to the longarmer (Windswept Quilting) I have been fascinated by the process of longarm quilting. I spent over 2 hours when dropping off my first quilt with questions and curiosity and I must say that Kim was very generous with her answers and time.  That was in 2016? I have since made several other quilts and taken them all to her for quilting as I did 3 quilts on my domestic machine and decided that it was to much to do a bed sized quilt on my domestic.  The recent plague that has stricken the world had me once again attempting to quilt something on my domestic machine which was my Grandmothers Singer 401A. I was requested to make my only living Grandparent an EXTREMELY warm blanket for her bed.  My solution was to take polar fleece for the backing and polar fleece for the top and put a layer of batting in between and quilt it.  It worked but I noticed that my shoulder injury that I have been nursing for the last 4 years was flaring up big time trying to shove a twin sized blanket around under the domestic.  

Yes yes i know once you have a backing and a top and batting in between it is a QUILT! but as I didn't piece it I was just securing layers I am going with Blanket.

Anyhow this story is about longarming, for the past few years I had been watching various websites that people sell things on looking at available longarm machines and dreaming.  Christmas Eve I  came along a post on my local sales page for a longarm in my area for $4,500.00 I of course messaged the seller and offered $3,500.00 as it was an older machine that is no longer offered as a new machine and was several upgrades ago from the manufacturer.  My theory was that I could by this used machine and if I found I did not like this longarming thing I could turn around and sell it and hopefully recoup my $$ spent. So the day after Christmas I took possession of the Longarm for $4,000.00.

I got it set up that night, and tested the stitching, and messaged the seller that the sale was good and she could go spend her money.

The excitement was boundless!

And then we found out that the headache that my mom had during Christmas had not gone away so we took her to the doctor and found out that she had, had a minor stroke.  Needless to say I didn't get to play with the as yet named machine yet which was good because it had been sitting for several years and really needed a spa day before much use occurred.

I made it an appointment, and dropped it off, and picked it up, and my troubles a tribulations began....

Check back for more of the story to come.

Bonnie Hunter's Good Fortune Mystery Clue #4 AND Clue #5

I admit I have gotten behind... Sooo Far behind.

It was a busy couple of weeks with the preparations for Christmas and making of other presents.

I made this 6"x21" wall hanging for my mom for Christmas

It is not perfect but it was done in time.

Clue #4 we had the option of paper piecing strings, doing strip sets or taking the cop out method.  I took the cop out method.  I was just to busy and so I ended up cutting them the same day that Clue #5 was released and I was cutting the pieces for Clue #5.  Here are my results.

 Clue #5, I don't know if there is a name for the unit but I am calling them 3/4 square triangles LOL  It is Wednesday night and I am still working on them.

I have to work 2 jobs tomorrow so I will not have time to sew.  I am trying to get them all done tonight I don't think it is going to happen.  I will likely also end up working on Friday and I was off on Monday and Tuesday for Christmas.  So this is what I have completed.  I am 3/4 of the way done with the clue as of right now.

All in all it was a very merry Christmas.  Lilipup sure was curious on Christmas Eve as to what all the fuss was about.  She really wanted to help eat Santa's cookies, but don't worry she got a few of her own cookies she was not deprived.

Here she is when I told her that Santa Paws would not come until she went to bed.  She understands bed but she is in my SPOT!!

Anyway thanks for reading.  Back to Bonnies Blog you go (Click Here)

T'was the night before clue release- Bonnie Hunter's Good Fortune Mystery

Happy quilters rejoice!!!

I started this poem while finishing clue #3 those dratted chevrons that gave so many people issues.  I have to admit mine came together very easily.  I didn't have any real trouble, but as I was pushing the pieces through the machine I started writing in my head.  Then I posted it to Facebook, and many were excited!

Bonnie asks us not to redirect people to our own blogs and I wish to honor that request. So if you find this through the mystery link up YAY!!  I will be adding to it as clues are released and as it comes into my head.

Twas the night before clue release and anticipation rises, what does Bonnie have in store to surprise us.

Laundry to be folded for miles dishes piled high, cobwebs and dust reaching to the sky.

The puppy was bored and lying in the chair, and mommy was piecing,and tearing her hair.

Must finish the clue, must be done tonight, for tomorrow Bonnie releases the next clue, right?

The sewing machine hummed and the bobbin stayed full, in the hopes of a finish just before school.

The units were pieced by sewing machine with care, in the hopes that soon there would be a finish to share.

The piles of pieces grew smaller and smaller, while piles of units got taller and taller.

The strips sewed with thread measured and pressed, became 4 patches spun so the seams they would nest.

And what to my wondering eyes should appear, but 1/2 square triangles stacked far and near.

More strips were measured and cut with care, for chevrons and bonus triangles to nest within a hair.

She gave us papers and strings to piece together,  String blocks YAY! Papers out light as a feather.

3/4 square triangles blue, orange, and neutrals nestled so snug, while sugar plums danced dropped on the rug.

Neutral string blocks oh sew fun! Dig in those strings make messes and run.

Picture to come!

Joining our 1/2 square triangles into saw tooth rectangles, and what? We will have to see.  4 patches to 16 patches oh what glee!!

Yah I forgot to take a picture before I came to work :-P


To get back to Bonnie Click ME!!

Bonnie Hunter's Good Fortune Clue #3

Greetings Thank you for visiting

It has been a week, I know it is always a week but this time of year is busy busy busy for those of us who are fortunate to have people to be busy for.  For those of you who don't I am empathetic. So what has had me so busy you ask, aside from working a full time job and raising a 15 year old son, and a 16 month old Labrador puppy?  Well I finished clue #2  Yay ME!!

I started Clue #3 on Friyay!! this quilt is for my older sister so she picked the fabrics.  She has an interest in the SCA and was at one point inexpertly making garb for events.  She had a tunic that she had started that she wanted me to use for the greens. It sparkles.... It has glitter... It is hers!!!

So I washed it, took it apart at the seams, and ran it through my sizzix cutter.

Then I sub cut it down to the required size, cut my neutrals and went and worked hard on cleaning off my DVR (who has time to watch TV??) while I drew lines.... endless lines....

Finally I was ready to sew!!! and I did a test unit...

And I sewed a few more and went to bed because it was late, I have less than 10 made of the umptity zillion... figured I would make more on Saturday while mom did her thing..



My mom decided that she wanted to make Grandma a flannel nightgown, because she couldn't find one in stores that made her happy.  She couldn't find a pattern that she liked either. What she DIDN'T say is that she wanted ME to make them when I helped her find a pattern and in the discussions of how to modify said pattern.  I have no idea how to sew clothing, and reading the pattern did not help, but somehow the woman who does know how has forgotten how to drive a sewing machine. So Saturday was jammie making day. From about 10am to after 2am. But we have an almost finished product.  I will need to add velcro, and she is deciding if she wants a pocket added. 

So to all of you who do make clothing items, you have my respect but I think I prefer making quilts!

My sister brought me an old set of silk sheets a few months ago and asked me to turn them into body pillow cases, envelope style.  Having never worked with silk before I innocently said sure.. After I get my sewing room back because creating in a dark corner is just not as fun!  So she helped me clean and caulk and patch holes and paint and build a design wall, and put up endless amounts of shelves.... Since my machine was all not set up for working on Good Fortune I decided to go ahead and get some quick present sewing done... (Yah right quick...) So I made her 3 silk pillow cases.... I want to BURN the remaining silk!!!!  OMG that stuff is squirrley. I finally resorted to starching the you know what out of it, and it finally submitted to a point but they are done!!!

I also took 2 inches off this IKEA storage box for her so it will fit in her shelves.

This took me all day Sunday.. I really have an intense dislike of working with silk now... Give me nice cotton any day.

Now it is Monday and my boss is sick so I get an extra day off!!!  So here I am writing my blog post having finished the pillow cases.. I finally starched them into submission and figured if I ruined the old sheets with starch my sister would forgive me.  Now I have cleaned my machine tidied away the leavings of the other projects...(I think I want to burn the silk scraps, it will be cleansing) I am ready to resume my sewing on clue #3.  If I get that done I will get started on mom's Christmas present.  It is a sand castle wall hanging. But don't tell... she can't do technology so the secret is safe here, LOL.

Thanks for reading.  Please click here to go back to Bonnie's Monday Link up Clue#3

Bonnie Hunter's Good Fortune Clue #2

Greeting & Salutations,

It has been a very busy week in the Dragon's Lair.  I made a few of clue #2 about 80 or so.. have the rest cut and ready to sew & de dog ear.  My Lilipup dog gives me a horrified look every time I mention cutting off the dog ears.... go figure LOL

So what have I been doing besides working on Clue #2 you ask... I was piecing a backing for this

And playing Pokemon Go... and taking this girl to play in the snow...

Not much snow in Central Oregon but she sure enjoyed it for the few hours that it lasted. 

I wish you all Good Fortune!!! Hopefully I will find time between work and momming to finish up clue #2 before Friyay!

And back to Bonnies Blog and the Mystery Link Up you Go (Click Here)

Bonnie Hunter's Good Fortune Mystery Quilt - Clue #1

Hey Everybody,



Clue number 1was a journey. It started with trying to be as accurate as possible when cutting my strips. An easy way to find out how many units you can make per width of fabric strip is to divide the WOF by the size of the given unit. I used 40 as my WOF measurement so I had plenty of wiggle room for whacking off selvedge edges and squaring up. Next take your total number of units needed I know I know more maths and reading of the instructions.  Anyway take your total number of units needed and divide by the number of units you could get from the WOF strip. This gives you the total number of strips needed to complete the clue. Here are all my strips ready to sew together.

I sewed one set of strips and cut one unit to make a test unit and make sure it would measure correctly per the instructions given.

Next I sewed and sewed and sewed the strips together...

and finally I cut for many many repetitions. I think this is where I got a little sloppy in my cutting.  Instead of cutting 2 strips together I stacked another set on top and was cutting through 4 layers of fabric.  I know I am lazy!!!  Anyway as Bonnie says shift happened.  Here are all of my units cut and ready to run through the machine.

and then I was half way...

And then came the great squaring up.  This is where I started analyzing where my cutting had gone wrong and where the shift occurred. Some of my blocks were a little more special than others.

But like snowflakes, people, puppies, and kittens no two are alike.  Here are the results of trimming and squaring the first half of the units.

Not to bad considering... not perfect, but much better than the first ever 4 patches I did for my Scrap Crystals quilt.

And Finally!!!!  Drum Roll please......................................... The completed clue #1

Thanks for reading.. Hope you enjoyed and hey maybe even made it to the end.

To return to the Monday Mystery Link up Please click Here for Bonnies Monday Mystery Link up #1

Bonnie Hunter's Good Fortune Quilt - Introduction

Hey Everybody!!!

It is that time!!! What time? Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt Season!!!! This year I am not broken (last year I was still in the middle of healing the broken ankle so couldn't participate) 2016 I was caught up in other projects and my sewing room was crammed into the other half of my bedroom so no mystery quilting then either. So yes the last Bonnie Hunter and first mystery quilt that I did was Allietare.


I just finished the top in time for Good Fortune to start.  Here is my completed top. I think my color choices turned out great.  I changed her reds to purples and her golds to turquoises because red and gold are just not my favorite colors. 

This year I am making the mystery quilt for my sister Kathi. She chose the colors and fabrics after the introduction was posted by Bonnie. You can find the instructions and such for this quilt Here on Bonnie Hunter's Blog http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/good-fortune-mystery.html

These are the fabrics that she chose. Some from my stash and some were purchased to meet the yardage requirements.

These are my creative grids project boxes.  2 for the fabric and one for the completed clues.

Have fun and happy quilting everyone!!!