I'd drop death if that happened to me. Almost as bad as my son's Costa Rican zebra tarantula that escape. It was an aggressive type that threw out its fangs and spit poison. She also hit in the laundry room but I was fortunately not the one to find her.

Home from a long and very rough day at the children's hospital. Time to cook anniversary dinner.

Hope everything went well for you at the hospital. Hopefully you enjoyed some nice anniversary time last night!

:D
I take it you're not the one who keeps snakes in the house? With the exception of fish I don't keep cold blooded pets. Especially ones that can get big enough to eat me.

Yosemitesa: Happy Anniversary! and I hope things went well for your son.
Rodney

:D
I take it you're not the one who keeps snakes in the house? With the exception of fish I don't keep cold blooded pets. Especially ones that can get big enough to eat me.
no rodney--these are pet corn snakes that my son's girlfriend has for her daughter. i personally cant stand snakes but will allow as long as they stay in their cage

Quick check in. Glad everyone is doing well! Still waiting to hear from 1 swapper. Getting concerned. If you haven't heard from your partner in a while, please let me know ASAP!

I think my partner is doing nicely :) no bad news at least! I have still one more round to whip up but hoping to get it to the quilters this coming month for quilting. Then its finish time for me and tada! off to my partner in time!!! I have had a lot of fun with this one at first.. not so much I mean SANTA AND ANGELS in FEBRUARY!!! but then I sorta got to liking it lol and pretty soon I think its awfully pretty. Now just to finish it and pat myself on the back. TADA ok gotta get sewing!

Mom is fine. They think the biopsy got all of it because there want anything really left when they went in today. Lymph nodes were not affected

always nice to hear good news Yosamitesa. Today I worked on the 5th block for the quilt--almost done and will take pic to post tomorrow. Hoping to get a start on the 6th block tomorrow also. If i am real lucky (read ambitious) i might even be able to get it on the frame by beginning of next month.

Peggy, so glad to hear the second surgery went well! :) It sounds like you have the perfect place to sew.

Sewing on the porch, In my dreams I think, snowed here today. Suppose to snow each day through Tuesday, can hardly wait. Got my partner's quilt on the frame and ready to go tomorrow. Making progress!! Soon dabbler soon!!

Yosemitesa I'm happy to see your mother is doing well and Boop56 congrats on your successful surgery and ability to drive again.
Rodney

[ATTACH=CONFIG]468653[/ATTACH]I cant count. when i last posted I mentioned working on Block # 5 when it really is Block # 6. three blocks to go--yay! Hope to get on frame by April 15th.

I have all this week to spend on my Christmas quilt! thinking of doing a ribbon border on it.. nice last touch to a very pretty quilt :) and Jan is right its supposed to snow again on Thursday so it is easy to work on the holiday quilt. Guess the stress of last Christmas has finally worn off! Just getting a baby quilt back from the quilters need to bind that but the best part about binding is its a peaceful evening all in all. One challenge and then the next :)

Dabbler, I'm making progress....your's is quilted. Binding is sewn on so just have a couple or 4 nights of hand sewing and it will be done and ready for you. Have a customer's quilt to get quilted that may take a couple of days, it's 90 X 90. I have to make a king size 118 X 118" at least he says, but need to find a quilter with that big of a table to get it quilted for me. It would go end to end on mine. Too tight for comfort and hubby won't let me knock out a wall:)

Well Carolyn I have finished your quilt! I think it came out lovely. My sister wants it. LOL I told her I would make her one,so she is happy. Going next week for my hand surgery and wanted to make sure your quilt was done,didnt know if I would beable to sew for awhile. I will send you a little sneak peek of it.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]468938[/ATTACH]block #7 completed--2 more to go soon as I locate some patterns for them. then to start putting it all together.

Hugs! I am excited to see :) I finally got the quilting set for all but the main block, :p still havent settled on a design for that. I need to wait till the MQX show cause the thread people will be there and I will have a better chance of selecting the right color thread for the quilting, the show is mid-april (10-13th) if that is ok with you for me to wait till then. The quilting will go fast once I start. :) I hate to hold you up too much. But I really want this quilt to be perfect :)

I am fine with it!! You take all the time you need. I am excited to have it. But I love the mystery of waiting. LOL Can you pm me your address I cant find it ugh.

Hi all, looks like I"m going to meet my personal deadline of having the top of mamawalsh's quilt made for April to get it on the quilting frame to start the HQ'g. As I stated to her, I had a pattern, but my stupid brain always ventures off and changes it. It will definitely be one of a kind. Can't post pics, sorry, it's a surprise. Off to baking for a wedding this weekend. I opened mouth and volunteer to make the desserts, but she's a special person.

Well, I have plans on sandwiching and basting KHandgood's quilt today, and the quilting should begin this afternoon. I made a test block when I started it, and I want to test-quilt it, as well. I think it will be really pretty, I hope she likes it!

YEA!!! Y'all are doing great!!! Keep up the good work!

I sure hope you didnt have any major issues with that storm passing over your area today. We lucked out and got nothing from that storm.....although we all had to go to work :p

Hugs!

I have all the quilting except the snowball center blocks planned, sigh still not sure what I want for that block ;) but by the time it is on my frame I will have it done.

AHHHHH! I'm so far behind! I only have half of my logs done. But I have an excuse. I bought a quilting machine from a lady at work and of course I'd never even seen one up close before. So I got it set up and am absolutely doing something wrong. It sewed for a while but now the top thread keeps breaking. I asked the lady about it and she said it's trial and error adjusting the tensions. What does that mean? Anyway I really want to get to be able to use this thing so I can quilt my log on it. August may be coming faster than I think.

Yes you try adjusting it. You will get a feel for it but it would be nice if she would have spend some time with you. It sounds like your top tension is too tight. also put a drop of oil in bobbin with every change of bobbin. congratulations on your new machine!!!!! sounds like fun or atleast once you have your tension figured out.

Oh, Rose!!! These blocks just keep getting better & better! I saw #6 (aka #5 LOL!) and thought it was my favorite...then came block #7 and I've just decided they're ALL gorgeous!

SO excited - my guild's quilt camp starts tomorrow and I hope to get all your blocks finished so I can take advantage of the really nice design wall they set up so I can audition borders!

I'm so envious of all the people on here who can do their own quilting - I still have to try to get in a "quilting queue" grrrrrrrrrrr! I tried a quilting machine at the Dallas quilt show a couple of weeks ago & it was so much fun but I would be scared to death to try to quilt for real! Even if I did have the talent for it, I don't have the space for a machine! :(

Get into youtube and google "tension tutorial" (or some combination of those words) and there is a huge library of videos talking you through what to look for, how to change, and hints in general.

When I first started with my longarm, I had issues with thread snapping too. If you have the fabric pulled too tight between the bars, that will cause issues. Probably it is your top tension that is too tight - that's why it sews for a bit but then snaps.

Well we were lucky no bad weather just windy! Quilt sounds great,cant wait.

Listen to Mama Hauser uh I use her quilting ! so I know her machines work just fine!!! good luck learning on your new machine however that has to be more fun than you can ever imagine! its frustrating but its like something special once you get it you never forget it *unless your me. Its going to be great!

I am going to hit my center running today. I have 18 blocks done. Now to figure out how many I really will need and then position them accordingly. Its so good to get so far! these I think are the final setting blocks then a simple round of white and tada! its done! off to the quilter (either Jan/jaba's or themamahausers) to have it finished up so I can just put the binding on. Its so pretty. I know you will love it tam moo!

OK KAT, "Here's Your Sign"

Took the plate off the machine cleaned out the bobbin lint and put the plate back on. Couldn't get the screws in tight. Couldn't remember if the screws were that way in the beginning. Even took screws from a different machine and tried them. They didn't work either. Two days I adjusted the tension, fiddle with the rollers, blah, blah, blah . . . but could get the bobbin threat from getting stuck on the screws that wouldn't tighten down.

So I'm on my way to the grocery store and it hits me. Duh! I put the plate back upside down! I'm surprised the machine worked at all.

I'm happy to say that the quilting machine is running as it should. . . and I may attempt a real quilting project . . . tomorrow.

Yea!!! Sorry went MIA...too much testosterone in my house making me pull my hair out. Will be on more this week!!!

Dont feel bad honey.....when I first got mine, after about 2 months, I suddenly had horrible tension issues. For 3 days I fought and tested and practiced and cried. I feared I had broken my machine....then it dawned on me, the last time it was good was just before I put in a new needle :p yep! I put the needle in backwards! I turned needle around and viola it worked great! :) We all do it honey, so dont sweat the small stuff!

For those who dont know, LA needles are completely round at the top, no pretty flat side to prevent putting it in wrong. So if you dont pay attention to where the scarf is on the needles you can easily put it in backwards......or even sideways, although it is rather easier to notice when the eye isnt straight on :p

I have one more day. One more day of hard work and I am finished and its ready for the quilters Tam Moo. I sure hope you enjoy it. I cant wait to see what your doing.. any sneak peaks????

Brat, I had a set back this weekend.... but photos are coming by Friday evening for you....Thanks for ding patient...I think you will like it!

THIS WEEKEND!!! that's FOREVER tam mo! lol. Ok fine I will wait a bit longer.. and waiting and waiting.. very impatient around here! I have all my blocks done and need to get the last two rows on. Probably Wed. Today I am usually good for nothing. Dialysis (BORING!) but get er done is the old saying so I am off to be poked then simply watch tv for three hours. Do you know NOTHING is on tv at this time of day? ugh! this will be a blast!

OMG my partner sent me photos of parts of my quilt......I am so excited, she embroidered blocks :) love the dragonfly and butterfly but what really caught my eye was the Red Cardinal. See cardinals hold a special place in my heart.

So if you all will bear with me, :) I'll tell a story about why the cardinal is special to me.

Growing up, My mom's mother was always there. When I was 2-3yrs old, my parents lived upstairs from my grandparents. Mom was an early to bed/early to rise type person but grandma was a late night person ;) like me. So mom would put me to bed, I would sleep for a bit then get up around 11pm, sneak down stairs and pull the "hassock" (ya'll remember those? for those that dont, it is what New Englanders used to call ottomans) up close to the TV, turn it down low so no one caught us :p and watch re-runs of the original Hawaii 5-O .....She was my best friend, we had a great bond. As we both grew older, she ended up living with my parents, then I ended up living with parents again after my divorce. My son got to meet and grow up a little with my grandma. I took care of her then, took her to dr appts, made sure she ate..etc. Once I was sitting at kitchen table working on my physics homework....she came over and looked over my shoulder and said "wow that all looks greek to me", I busted out laughing, cause in physics we use greek letters to represent the variables in the equations....so technically it was all greek. We both laughed over that.
She used to have a HUGE christmas cactus in a large pot on the floor, with one in a hanging basket over it.....she was always surprised that the hanging basket would suddenly sprout different colors....I finally fessed up that every time my son would knock off leaves from the bottom one I would poke it in the top :p

Well my gran adored cardinals, she had 2-3 bird feeders out her window, she kept food in them all the time. Would constantly gripe about the squirrels stealing the food :) There were 2-3 cardinal families that hung out in our yard for years. She had cardinal shirts, blankets, pillows, etc. :)

When she passed, my neice was only 3-4yrs old. And while over visiting my parents we heard her talking at the window. We asked her what was going on, and she pointed out in the yard, I was talking to granny. There was a pretty cardinal hanging out there. :)

So for me, every time I see a cardinal, I think of my gran, they are truly special to me. I dont hunt them out, which means when they suddenly appear it is more special.

And side note, after gran passed, I broke off and repotted some of her christmas cactus for everyone in the family. Mine would only bloom on my birthday in march and mothers day. When I moved from NM to MA, I had to leave my christmas cactus behind, my best friend took it and is babying it. Got a text photo from her on my Birthday this past month....there was one bloom on the cactus.... :)

So thank you LJDugas, that truly made my day to see that photo. :) Hugs cant wait to see the rest!

That is an awesome recall of past special memories, can't wait to see your quilt. Without a doubt it will be special and very special for Linda making it for you.

wow what a beautiful story and a wonderful memory to have. My mom passed away 3 years ago we were best friends and her favorite bird was the cardinal . so glad I picked that theme. I promise you will like your quilt. Thanks partner.

I have a few blocks to show. Balancing the colors may be the hardest part when all is said and done. The card fabric in the corner doesn't go with this top.