Longarm Quilting and Life

 We are just about at the end of the first quarter of 2022. This time of each year is always a maze of a racetrack for me. I finished all of the Christmas quilting. Attended Myrtle Beach Quilt Party. Hosting One Loose Thread Spring Quilt Camp. Working with Cobblestone Quilt Guild during their show. Attending QSC Spring meeting in Spartanburg. Getting the tax information to the accountant. Then also trying to maintain a longarm business so that my great clients can get their quilts completed in a timely manor. WOW!!! I am exhausted just typing all of this out here. :-)

Thankfully, Pat took care of tax prep for my business. That was invaluable. Dick left a big mess for me to wade through but, I did my best and if I find anything else, I'll just have to file an amended return. I did finish all of the expected show quilts and even finished mine. Delivered all of those to the Cobblestone Show and ......more on that later. Quilt Camp was AWESOME!!! I had such a great group and so much help from everyone. I have been having some really tough knee pain so all of that help was greatly appreciated. 

Now, let's break all of this down to where it might make sense.

Myrtle Beach Quilt Party was so much fun. It was as though I had not been with adults in YEARS!! Pat took one class and I tortured myself  by taking a class on a VERY DIFFICULT quilt. 'Jacks Chain' is extremely difficult for me to work with. All of these set in seams are a real bear.

 

The fact that we were in Myrtle Beach really helped out alot. Had some great food. Spent time with friends that we had not seen in 2 years. Top it off with the chance to sew for a weekend, so, all was good. 

We came back home and Pat was on her way to the delivery of her new Granddaughter. She would be spending weeks with Marley to help out the new parents. Then she will be off on a cruise....

I came home to get everything ready for February (Spring) Quilt Camp. I had held registration to a number that could sew in just one building. So we all moved all of our sewing stuff into the Chapel at Gravatt. Janet and Judy were extremely helpful, especially since I could not move very well with this problem with a knee. We sewed, laughed, ate, even cried a little for 4 days. It was blissful. Kristy, Sally, and Corky helped load me up at the end of the weekend. Then Dusty came and unloaded and put all of the equipment back in storage until our retreat in May.

Mary did bring this back to me for quilting while we were at camp. Oh what a challenge this is going to be. I'll study a lot of pictures and talk to a lot of longarm quilters to get some good ideas before I start the quilting. This has to be one of my biggest challenges in this business. Trying to come up with designs that will work with the quilt so that it does not over power the quilt. 

While all of this was happening, I was working on a couple of quilts for the Cobblestone Quilt Show. One was Lorah's Nebula. She did win second place with her quilt.

Sandra's quilt won First Place in her category!!

Jennifer picked up a second place!

Then there was Verity's 'long term' project. She received a second place on her Dear Jane journey.

Mary's quilt did not ribbon but stood well in the judging. I am so proud that she was brave enough to enter this show.

I did enter 2 quilts. One was the giant 110 x 110 year of scrappy stars. This is the new quilt for my bed. It's time for a new one.  This was not an award winner, but, I still love it. This is the one everyone listened to me gripe about as I put the binding and the sleeve on the night before I went to Charleston. 

Last of all is my fan quilt. I am so totally proud of this quilt. I took the class from Cindy Page of Quilters Gallery. Then I used every bit of knowledge that I had gleaned from classes with so many talented Gammill Statler instructors to quilt it. The ribbon is a Vendors Choice Ribbon from Quilters Gallery. Means a lot that the designer of the quilt pinned this ribbon on my entry. 

I have great pictures from the February retreat to share too. I think I have taken enough of your time for now and we'll have to do that later. Plus, I want to share close up's on the quilting that was done on the client quilts for the show. That will be in another post.

Thanks for stopping by. I think it is now Bull Bat Time plus I need to cook a little supper. It's been a really good weekend, but, I'm now glad to be home. So are Cooper and Loosey.

Tomorrow, One Loose Thread Quilting, will attempt to go back to a regular schedule. I'll spend most of the week playing 'catch up' on client quilts. I don't have anymore 'out of the studio' time scheduled until May Mester, but, I am already (and have been) making plans for that event. 

Cheers to you...........we'll talk more later.............. until then: LET'S GO SEW!!!

Joyce-One Loose Thread