Some time off... and a great find....

was lucky enough to have 5 days off (in a row) and got down to some serious quilting!!! BUT.... I was also lucky enough to purchase a second hand serger for a great price... I have wanted one for awhile, but couldn't justify the price of a new one; and, when you buy second hand you never know what you are getting. I was able to buy this from a trusted source and try it out before I bought... so I am the proud owner of a Janome serger.... WooHoo!!

I spent the last 4 days doing my first Trapunto quilt (well, LARGE size trapunto quilt - LOL) I have done smaller pieces but was asked by a friend to do a larger piece as a gift for a family member. I am sooo pleased with the result - I followed Karen McTavish's instructions and I think it came out pretty well. The greatest amount of time was spent marking the top, not the actual final quilting. This first picture is quilting around the motifs with water soluble thread.

The picture below is of the quilt before I soaked it to remove the blue marking line and the water soluble thread..... and the final picture is of the quilt being blocked. As it was wet and can shrink up it is important to block the quilt but pinning it to the correct length and width. I will definitely be doing more of this type of quilting... as I really enjoyed it.

Thought for the Day

And finally, I want to acknowledge that making changes in your life is never an easy task. The key, however, is not to get caught up in the distance you have to go to get to where you want to be. Nor should you despair over the amount of control you have over your circumstances. Progress is made in the small, intentional steps, and chances are, you have more power than you think. By focusing on little steps you can take every day, the progress you make will motivate you to continue your journey, and eventually, you can go wherever you want to go. The important thing is simply to begin. Stephen Cherniske