Embroidery Times are . . .

Always longer than stated on the design (machine estimated) I found. If the design says it takes 20 minutes, add at least 20 to 30 more minutes for changing thread colors, re-threading the machine, running out of bobbin threads & changing bobbins, and assorted other interruptions. Last night I embroidered a design that said it took 21 minutes. Okay, fine, I'll have it done by the time supper comes out of the oven. WRONG. The whole thing took an hour, supper was late & over done too. I love doing machine embroidery, but I dislike the amount of time it actually takes to complete it. If I only had all day to sit in front of the machine . . . but I don't. Better planning for embroidery projects is a must from now on.

Finally, a Diagnosis

I've been battling a growth on the rim of my ear for a few months now. Wednesday I went to a dermatologist, had it removed & sent to pathology. Got the report this morning. My guess was right, its basal cell skin cancer, a non lethal form of skin cancer that results form too much sun in my teen years. This news is something I can handle pretty well. At least I know I won't die from it. I'm relieved to know what it actually is. Since I'm a Naturopathic doctor anyway, I'm opting to treat is naturally for the time being, then, if it doesn't respond to my treatment, I might have further surgery to remove it completely. We'll just see what happens. At least I know what it is & what to do about it.

This is my kind of quilt.

Here is the type of quilt I like to do. The design is original, the size is 18 x 24 and there is decorative stitching on also. The other photos show some of the detail of this piece.

HAlloween in Nicholasville

Here's a look at the wall in my stair well, a la Martha Stewart wall clings. There's the witch on her broom , surrounded by bats,and . . .
mice scattering toward the hole from. . .
the high backed black cat at the top of the stairs (look between the rungs of the banister) chasing the mice down the stairs.

This whole scene is Martha Stewart wall clings & takes up the whole wall. We also have a witch (actually a dress form with a head, a mask, a witches hat and a black cape, some more bats, and a fake graveyard in the front yard. Photos of that later.

The 5 Am Quilt

Why is this titled the 5 am quilt? Because I woke up at 4am on Monday, couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up & made this little quilt. I wanted to make it anyway, just hadn't planned to do it so early in the morning. Anyway, I finished it while waiting to get my car worked on. This little quilt (14 x 20) hangs right next to my back door for the fall season.

Did I mention that I have a 'new to me" car? I traded in the Tarus for a PT Cruiser/ The Tarus was just too low to the ground & becoming more difficult by the day to get out of with my bad knees. The PT Cruiser is a bit taller & easier to get out of, besides its fun to drive.

Quilt Journal

I have begun a quilt journal, a pictorial & written account of the quilts I make, starting today, which happens to be my birthday. I don't know how it will turn out, but I plan to write something about every quilted project I make from now on, possibly the unquilted ones too, along with photos & samples of the fabrics in each project. I saw the quilt journal of another quilter the other day & thought I should make one also. I've done several quilts in the past that should have been chronicled somehow. Better late than never. I bought a cheap photo journal at Big Lots (A local store) last night & put the first entry in it today. I may have to get a better quality photo notebook or tape the pages shut in the current one. Its not too sticky. We'll see how it goes.

I'm working on a prototype of the Easter banner project that a local church asked my guild to make. I'll post the whole project, photos & all, once its finished. That will be a whole post in itself, possible multiple posts.

As far as my birthday today, its usually a non-event. I got a new cake pan, the old one rusted out, a new pasta cooker & my hubby made muffins for my breakfast today. They were pretty good. I've had a quiet day, the kind I prefer, so its been a better birthday than some I've had in the past (spending the whole day at the hospital with my brother and grandson one year). The weather's turned off cooler too, which was nice. I guess fall is here now. Gotta go, . . . later.

Playtime on the 830,

Here are photos of an experiment I made on the new 830 sewing machine. I used decorative stitches with a circular attachment that makes the fabric travel in circles instead of in a straight line. I then embroidered my initial in the center. The first two pictures are of the front of the project & the detail of the decorative stitches used. The second set is the back of the little pillow project. I used a quilting design that came with the machine & embroidered an initial in the center. I falling in love with this machine I think. After attending a seminar last week, where I've learned all kinds of things, I'm excited to push this machine to its limits creatively. I plan to make larger versions of this pillow too. Who knows what I'll come up with next. Stay tuned to see . . .