Despite my resolve to get the two album quilts I have going completed (although there has been some great momentum on them recently) I have a couple of new projects to start. I have a friend who does not sew and has asked if I would make and quilt the Faith, Hope, and Love quilt by McKenna Ryan for her. I have a small long arm quilting business, but assembling this quilt for her is just a favor for a friend. She bought a wonderful
kit with all very generous fabric cuts and the patterns and I get to keep all of the left overs! The pattern displays the 9 blocks in the wall hanging done separately and stretched over canvas frames. My friend would like this to be a whole quilt so we will have to see what I come up with.My second project is new electric quilt software.
I was browsing thru ebay and saw this software for designing Baltimore Album Blocks. Since I know there is a future Baltimore Album quilt in me somewhere I thought this software sounded like a good idea. After a little research I found that Electric Quilt had three different applique software programs: 1920s & 1930s blocks, Folk Art Blocks, and The Baltimore Album Blocks and I decided to get all three. Now all this ebay shopping was a little bit of putting the cart before the horse because I do not have Electric Quilt. The applique software is no longer made so it only works on the electric quilt programs from a few years ago, number 5 to be exact.
Sooooo, a little more ebay shopping and I came up with an Electric Quilt version 5. I borrowed some help books from a friend and we will see what I can teach myself. I also have one more resources, I am a member of QNN TV, an online website that has both new and old quilting TV shows for viewing. There is a 10 show series called "Do You EQ" and version 5 was the current software when this show was recorded. I just need to buckle down now and use my resources and learn.
These are my new projects, today is my day off work, I guess there is nothing left to say.
Happy Stitching All,
Have a good weekend all!
My husband came home from work today to the above scene and the first thing he said was "two rooms in the house are not enough for the quilting?" We are empty nesters so quilting has taken over a bit. One of our bedrooms is my sewing room with cutting table, fabric storage, and sewing machine. Then a year or so ago I started a long arm business and took over the lower level 12 X 28 foot family room for that. Today however I was going thru all my bright fabrics and pulling out pieces for Roseville Album, most of whose applique pieces are fussy cut and I got hooked on this old movie we had recorded. The television with the DVR recorder is in the living room so...I just moved the whole project out there. 
I did work this week on Lorrie's cute little spring quilt. She wanted some custom quilting done like I had done on the Civil War Bride Quilt, stippling with a few little dragonflies and other creatures mixed in:
and a bit of stencil work in the borders:
It was a fun little quilt to work on and has looked very cute in my spare bedroom waiting to be picked us this weekend. 
Yea, International Quilt Festival class catalog! I have been pouring over all the classes and finally decided to take long arm quilt classes. We always time a fall trip to visit my son and his family in Houston during the quilt festival. 
Great pool weather this week...
silly string craziness...
again, courtesy of Uncle Rick...
even getting Grandma with the silly string was funny to him...
And all to soon we had to say goodbye
The silly string is gone, the toys are all picked up, the little fingerprints are off the windows and TV and coffee tables. Our home feels empty. We will see you soon when we visit you in Texas this fall.
I have pulled out the Ladies of the Sea (Sue Garman pattern) and all of the sudden gotten a little momentum on this quilt. 
It seems like it has been all prep work on these blocks but finally I am over the hump and getting some blocks finished.
I think one of the things holding me back was the ship rigging. I started penciling them in and then I sew them on the machine with a 12 wt thread. 
Trimming the blocks to the final size has been a trial, the applique fills the blocks and barely leaves the 1/4 inch seam. But trimming applique blocks is always the scariest for me, I don't want to wreck it after all the work is finished.
The pattern, Bouncing Borders (beancounterquilts.com) is a perfect little pattern for large scale prints or to use a panel and comes in two sizes to finish a quilt.
Happy Birthday USA and have a good weekend all,