11/7/11

He who uses the most thread wins!

And, I would be a contender. I don't know how much thread is in this quilt so far. I have the center quilted and this corner and another couple of corners started. And, I've used 14 class 15J, large bobbins so far. That's considerable thread. I'm making them 7 bobbins at a time and replacing as needed with a drop of oil, just to keep my Evelyn working quietly and happily.



I took Friday off last week and it was a good thing, because it turned into a very kid-centric weekend. I used my Friday well, tho. I got some shopping done and some cmas gifts cut out and a cake baked and some yard work done and some quilting.

The above corner is the only one that's finished. The one below is quilted in twice (I'm going over the main design twice to make it stand out better. I've done that in all of the quilt center, too) and has the outline stitching in most of it. There's still some outlining in the area where the machine is. Then, I'll go around the edges with the pearls and finally all the filler. I might be able to do a bit more during the week, but quilting like this takes concentration and I can't do it in 15 minutes here and a half hour there. I need to sit and sew for long periods of time, interrupted by short periods of stretching.

The background work in the corner above took about 2.5 hours, plus another couple of hours to put in the ornaments and outline around them. The below corner is taking considerably longer because there's so much more outlining and so many starts and stops where the wires cross over one another. I started with a simple corner that has trees (not shown here), but didn't do the background work yet. I still need to make sure I can do the lights with the bouncing bananas background filler before I finish the tree corner. If I have to do something different in the lights corner, like pebbling because of the smaller open spaces, then I'll need to repeat that in the background of the diagonally opposite corner where the trees are.



I love this kind of quilting. It hides mistakes. There are so many mistakes in these corners and I was so discouraged, but I know that it looks worst just before I start the background fill. If I can stand it through that part, the background fill causes all the mistakes to just fade into the pattern. It's like magic mistake eraser.
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Saturday was Sydney's birthday.



One of her gifts was getting to wear eyeliner and mascara (weekends and special occasions only for now). This is her trying to look all cool. She also got an email account and will be getting a facebook page.

I found some other shots on my camera that are not so "cool" and we will be talking about what is appropriate for facebook and how quickly it can be shut down if we're not happy. I know we can't protect her from her desire to grow up too fast forever, but for this week, it's our house, our rules, our way. She doesn't have to have internet access. She's gotten this far without it...well, except that one week when she had accidental unlimited access and made all those bad choices and lost her computer access for several months, and even now, is only allowed to use a computer in the living room.

Take care and have a great Monday. I'll be staring at that quilt and trying to find a whole hour when I can sit down and work on it some more. And, wondering just how fast my li'l punkin is going to grow into good choices. Everybody else wants their kids to stay little for too long. I want mine to GROW UP! Lane

14 comments:

Shevvy said...

That quilting looks amazing, I can't believe how much detail is on it!

Happy birthday Sydney, don't forget, half the trials of a teenager girl are learing how to apply makeup that works for your face so its better that she practices at home with it.

Becky said...

The quilting is magnificent, Lane!! I tell you I don't have the patience for that....but I'm sure glad you do!! It is nice eye candy for me!

Happy Birthday Sydney! There will always be times for poor choices...and hopefully they will be few and far between, because the parent just dies for them when they reap consequences for those choices that we can't protect them from. But, that is all part of growing up. Just remember, she has improved in some ways, oh so much. She had a head start on you, but you can and will prevail!!! Love ya! Becky

Marjorie's Busy Corner said...

Happy Birthday Sydney..you don't need the make up; but I know how it is...lol. As for your quilting,Lane; I can't believe it..it is magnificent..are you actually doing this all freehand; or are you drawing it on first? I have no talent like that....congrats to you.

Linda in TX said...

Holy Wow Lane! Your quilting is just beautiful! I love the electrical plug on the lights - what a great touch. Your art is definitely quilting. I look forward to seeing more.

I've been reading you for several months. Let me reassure you (from my grandmotherly perch) that you are a very good parent and you are doing all the right things. Consequences are important and you enforce that along with love and guidance. Good for you!!

Spice said...

Outstanding!!!!!

JustPam said...

Your quilting is beautiful. Thank you for being such a great dad to your daughter. She will appreciate you even more when she has kids of her own.

Lynette said...

She's growing so pretty :) And hey - the public part of the house is the best place for computers, anyway! Our kids were never allowed to have them in bedrooms. Just too much trouble to get into.

Auntie Em said...

Your quilting is AMAZING, Lane! I love it!

Michelle said...

Your quilting is absolutely stunning! So beautiful. Your li'l punkin is beautiful, and growing up so fast. What wonderful gifts you gave her. Happy birthday Sydney!

Andra Gayle said...

LOVE the quilting!

Marla said...

You are doing the right thing as a parent by handling the internet, facebook etc the way you are. Our kids have to deal with so much these days. So much more than our generation did. And you are correct, our goal should be getting our baby birdies ready to fly the nest safely when the time comes not to live there forever!

Elizabeth said...

What a beautiful daughter. The make-up is very nicely applied.

And what a beautiful quilt! I love all the designs you're putting into it.

xo -E

Tammy said...

Hi Lane,
I love, love, love your quilting especially the ornaments. Looking forward to seeing the finished quilt.

Happy Birthday Sydney! She looks prettier every time we see her. And they really do grow up too fast! It seems than in the blink of an eye she'll be grown up, moved out and living her own adventures.

greytone said...

Just got here....LOVE YOUR BLOG...!