I drove the approximately 10 miles from my house to my shop today. It was bumpy ice and snow the whole way, and I never went over 30 miles an hour. No problem. I am out of the house, away from the hubby, and in my quilting studio.
Having cleaned and rearranged my closet yesterday and entertained my two grandchildren the day before, I needed to escape today. I can't imagine how the pioneers did it when they were trapped for weeks at a time. Quilting must have helped many a pioneer woman endure those long hours.
This morning I left Joe with Kai who is out of school for the third day in a row. They will play cards and "Hide the Straws," a game invented by our 4 year old granddaughter and refined by Kai and Joe. They will rummage in the kitchen for food and call me at least twice for my suggestions for lunch. They will argue over what to watch on television in spite of the fact we have three working tv's in our small home.
And I won't be there! I will be quilting!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Time to Quilt?
Who has time for quilting?
I am currently wrapping up details for the Heart of Ohio Quilters Guild Retreat with co-chairs Denise and Rosie. We take off for Coshocton on Thursday, February 5th, and won't be home until Sunday, February 8th. It takes a huge amount of planning and thank heavens for Denise who keeps us on track. It will be great fun - "Aloha! Welcome to the Isles of Coshocton" is our theme and we have had such delight finding Hawaiian banners and decorations. If the members don't have fun, it's not our fault -- we have really expanded activities to include different things, like massages. We are looking forward to it as well. Being in charge has not spoiled our own pleasure in going on a quilting retreat.
Then, in my other free time, I am working on the Guild 2009 Quilt Show. My official job is the Show Book and its advertising so I am sending out letters now. Our quilt show in 2007 was a great success with about 1,000 visitors so we are trying to outdo ourselves. This will also get more intense as we get closer to our October dates.
Also I volunteered to work on the Guild website, www.heartofohioquilters.com. I don't know what I was thinking. Fortunately, my cohort Jen is much more computer literate that I am and we are charging right along. I now know what JOOMLA means as well as many other tech terms so it's all good.
Oh, yeah, the shop. I am getting about one quilt finished every three days -- Not as quickly as I should. I am hoping after the retreat I will speed up. After all, the more I quilt, the more money I make, and the more retreats I can go on.
For example, I have been drooling over the National Quilting Association's information on their show in June. I already have my reservation for two days in Columbus at the Drury Inn and will be making up my mind soon about events and classes. Last year I took classes in longarm quilting from my hero, Linda Taylor, the most amazing longarm quilter ever. This year I am thinking of something a little more fun.
Back to work or I don't get to do any of these fun things!
I am currently wrapping up details for the Heart of Ohio Quilters Guild Retreat with co-chairs Denise and Rosie. We take off for Coshocton on Thursday, February 5th, and won't be home until Sunday, February 8th. It takes a huge amount of planning and thank heavens for Denise who keeps us on track. It will be great fun - "Aloha! Welcome to the Isles of Coshocton" is our theme and we have had such delight finding Hawaiian banners and decorations. If the members don't have fun, it's not our fault -- we have really expanded activities to include different things, like massages. We are looking forward to it as well. Being in charge has not spoiled our own pleasure in going on a quilting retreat.
Then, in my other free time, I am working on the Guild 2009 Quilt Show. My official job is the Show Book and its advertising so I am sending out letters now. Our quilt show in 2007 was a great success with about 1,000 visitors so we are trying to outdo ourselves. This will also get more intense as we get closer to our October dates.
Also I volunteered to work on the Guild website, www.heartofohioquilters.com. I don't know what I was thinking. Fortunately, my cohort Jen is much more computer literate that I am and we are charging right along. I now know what JOOMLA means as well as many other tech terms so it's all good.
Oh, yeah, the shop. I am getting about one quilt finished every three days -- Not as quickly as I should. I am hoping after the retreat I will speed up. After all, the more I quilt, the more money I make, and the more retreats I can go on.
For example, I have been drooling over the National Quilting Association's information on their show in June. I already have my reservation for two days in Columbus at the Drury Inn and will be making up my mind soon about events and classes. Last year I took classes in longarm quilting from my hero, Linda Taylor, the most amazing longarm quilter ever. This year I am thinking of something a little more fun.
Back to work or I don't get to do any of these fun things!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Snow Bound
Brrrrr. Brutally cold weather outside but it's warm enough inside the shop to still have Friday Night Free for All. I imagine it will be a small group of diehards who will come tonight to sew.
Binding is my job tonight -- two Guild baby quilts to bind by machine and a larger quilt to finish the hand binding. Making the binding, pressing it, sewing it to the quilt, and then turning it, either by hand or machine, is the process that sews together the three layers of the quilt. It is the last step, and for some people, the step most often procrastinated. Customers often pay me to bind their quilts because they say it would neve get done otherwise. I don't mind taking any quilt all the way through that final step. For me there's a real satisfaction to it.
Being fascinated with words, I can't help but think about giving the quilt away as a binding as well. The quilt connects the giver and the receiver even if they don't actually know each other. I feel enhanced by the knowledge that some of my quilts have gone to soldiers returning from war, to babies being helped in our local hospital, or to women and children in a battered women's shelter. I feel bound to them and hope there is an intrinsic warmth for all of them in the quilts that I have given.
My friends and I will be bound together tonight in our quilting, and not all the warmth will come from the electric heaters. Stay warm!
Binding is my job tonight -- two Guild baby quilts to bind by machine and a larger quilt to finish the hand binding. Making the binding, pressing it, sewing it to the quilt, and then turning it, either by hand or machine, is the process that sews together the three layers of the quilt. It is the last step, and for some people, the step most often procrastinated. Customers often pay me to bind their quilts because they say it would neve get done otherwise. I don't mind taking any quilt all the way through that final step. For me there's a real satisfaction to it.
Being fascinated with words, I can't help but think about giving the quilt away as a binding as well. The quilt connects the giver and the receiver even if they don't actually know each other. I feel enhanced by the knowledge that some of my quilts have gone to soldiers returning from war, to babies being helped in our local hospital, or to women and children in a battered women's shelter. I feel bound to them and hope there is an intrinsic warmth for all of them in the quilts that I have given.
My friends and I will be bound together tonight in our quilting, and not all the warmth will come from the electric heaters. Stay warm!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Taken for Granted
I love being taken for granted -- especially on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons.
Every Saturday evening, my grandchildren have dinner and spend the night. The den gets an inflatable bed with quilts and pillows and they settle in to have an evening of being spoiled by being allowed to watch almost whatever they want on tv and have a kid-friendly dinner. Once in a while what I think is a kid-friendly meal is a flop, but I try to always have bologna and hot dogs in the frig-a-frater. I made my version of the Duggar's Tater Tot Casserole(half the tater tots, double the ground beef), and it was ok with Kai but made a bigger hit with the adults who sampled it.
After dinner, Joe plays games with Quinn in which she makes up all the rules to fit her fancy; and Kai talks about football and Bakugan and I nod a lot while he beats me at chess, which I never was good at. They race up and down the hallway to see what's on tv in the den, to check out what PapPap's doing in his bedroom, and to wonder if I have a snack for them in the kitchen.
Later Quinn snuggles in to read books and fall asleep while her older brother checks out the football playoffs. Sound asleep by 10 and looking like angels, they have no trouble getting up to go to 8:30 am mass with us where we hand them off to their mom.
"What are you cooking for Sunday dinner?" is a question my kids often ask me. It's not whether I am cooking but what. Lisa and her husband and her chocolate labs usually can only come a couple times a month as they live an hour away but I love it when they do. Fortunately, the back yard is fenced and Daisy can go out on her own, although Lily isn't quilte old enough and ends up cuddling with anyone who can get his hands on her. She's still enough of a puppy to crash about every two hours and whoever ends up with her sleeping on his lap usually gloats.
Laura and her family live so close that they rarely miss a Sunday meal -- after all what working mom wouldn't take advantage of not having to cook a meal and occasionally getting to take leftovers home for lunch next week.
It isn't just having my family over that makes Sunday dinners so much fun. I inflict upon them new receipes and honestly they handle it pretty well. I don't worry about it being kid friendly on Sundays although Kai and Quinn know there is always lunchmeat or bread and peanut butter available. This week it was Paula Deen's barbecue pork roast and some Hawaiian type baked beans -- pork was a hit; beans were probably too sweet for most of them. But no one over the age of nine complained. They didn't have to cook it or even do the dishes.
That's another perk of Sunday dinners; Joe usually goes into the kitchen and proceeds to make so much noise no one can hear themselves talk, but he gets the dishwasher loaded and the "big" stuff washed by hand. He and I disagree on loading the dishwasher. I cram every single thing in, big and small, until there's no room left. I will even run it twice if necessary. He will not put large items into the dishwasher even if there is plenty of room; he'd rather wash them by hand. I really don't mind as long as he's doing the dishes and I'm not.
So being taken for granted isn't all bad, I feel very fortunate that it results in such warm and fun family times.
Every Saturday evening, my grandchildren have dinner and spend the night. The den gets an inflatable bed with quilts and pillows and they settle in to have an evening of being spoiled by being allowed to watch almost whatever they want on tv and have a kid-friendly dinner. Once in a while what I think is a kid-friendly meal is a flop, but I try to always have bologna and hot dogs in the frig-a-frater. I made my version of the Duggar's Tater Tot Casserole(half the tater tots, double the ground beef), and it was ok with Kai but made a bigger hit with the adults who sampled it.
After dinner, Joe plays games with Quinn in which she makes up all the rules to fit her fancy; and Kai talks about football and Bakugan and I nod a lot while he beats me at chess, which I never was good at. They race up and down the hallway to see what's on tv in the den, to check out what PapPap's doing in his bedroom, and to wonder if I have a snack for them in the kitchen.
Later Quinn snuggles in to read books and fall asleep while her older brother checks out the football playoffs. Sound asleep by 10 and looking like angels, they have no trouble getting up to go to 8:30 am mass with us where we hand them off to their mom.
"What are you cooking for Sunday dinner?" is a question my kids often ask me. It's not whether I am cooking but what. Lisa and her husband and her chocolate labs usually can only come a couple times a month as they live an hour away but I love it when they do. Fortunately, the back yard is fenced and Daisy can go out on her own, although Lily isn't quilte old enough and ends up cuddling with anyone who can get his hands on her. She's still enough of a puppy to crash about every two hours and whoever ends up with her sleeping on his lap usually gloats.
Laura and her family live so close that they rarely miss a Sunday meal -- after all what working mom wouldn't take advantage of not having to cook a meal and occasionally getting to take leftovers home for lunch next week.
It isn't just having my family over that makes Sunday dinners so much fun. I inflict upon them new receipes and honestly they handle it pretty well. I don't worry about it being kid friendly on Sundays although Kai and Quinn know there is always lunchmeat or bread and peanut butter available. This week it was Paula Deen's barbecue pork roast and some Hawaiian type baked beans -- pork was a hit; beans were probably too sweet for most of them. But no one over the age of nine complained. They didn't have to cook it or even do the dishes.
That's another perk of Sunday dinners; Joe usually goes into the kitchen and proceeds to make so much noise no one can hear themselves talk, but he gets the dishwasher loaded and the "big" stuff washed by hand. He and I disagree on loading the dishwasher. I cram every single thing in, big and small, until there's no room left. I will even run it twice if necessary. He will not put large items into the dishwasher even if there is plenty of room; he'd rather wash them by hand. I really don't mind as long as he's doing the dishes and I'm not.
So being taken for granted isn't all bad, I feel very fortunate that it results in such warm and fun family times.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Business as Usual
I have spent a great deal of time on the computer lately and not doing the fun stuff. I have been finalizing my 2008 records and preparing the 2009 spreadsheets which, because I am self taught at all this technical stuff, takes me longer that it probably should. Every year I say I am going to take a course, but I think I have probably figured out most of the basics by this time and what else do I need.
When I started Heavy Metal Quilting eleven years ago, I had no idea of how much paperwork would go into running a one-person shop. I have gone through two PC's and now have a laptop which I like best. I use Word, Publisher, and Excel for most things with the help of a scanner and a printer. I have always appreciated technological advances; for example, I was delighted when I first had a program to figure students' grades when I was teaching so I didn't have to spend hours with a calculator. And yes, I am old enough to remember when it was an adding machine borrowed from the business classes and even paper and pencil before then.
My Gammill Premier is showing its age but still stitches great and produces a nice product. However, my Gammill and I are falling behind the times in the technical aspects since she is not computerized. All the newest machines offer the ability to regulate the stitch and to push a button and have the machine take off on a particular pattern without much aid from the operator. Now if I had $20,000 or so, I would certainly be sure that I owned one of the top new machines with every bell and whistle, but it's not happening. I wonder too how much the owner of a twenty to thirty thousand dollar machine has to charge customers to make it pay for itself. My prices are reasonable, I think, for the product that I produce and enable me to pay the bills for my small studio in Hebron. My Gammill is long paid for; but I am sure most of the purchasers of new machines are paying monthly bills for the machine alone that are larger than my entire monthly nut.
So, as much as I admire technological advances, my trusty Gammill and I will continue to work our way through over 150 quilts a year and to pay the bills on the studio.
When I started Heavy Metal Quilting eleven years ago, I had no idea of how much paperwork would go into running a one-person shop. I have gone through two PC's and now have a laptop which I like best. I use Word, Publisher, and Excel for most things with the help of a scanner and a printer. I have always appreciated technological advances; for example, I was delighted when I first had a program to figure students' grades when I was teaching so I didn't have to spend hours with a calculator. And yes, I am old enough to remember when it was an adding machine borrowed from the business classes and even paper and pencil before then.
My Gammill Premier is showing its age but still stitches great and produces a nice product. However, my Gammill and I are falling behind the times in the technical aspects since she is not computerized. All the newest machines offer the ability to regulate the stitch and to push a button and have the machine take off on a particular pattern without much aid from the operator. Now if I had $20,000 or so, I would certainly be sure that I owned one of the top new machines with every bell and whistle, but it's not happening. I wonder too how much the owner of a twenty to thirty thousand dollar machine has to charge customers to make it pay for itself. My prices are reasonable, I think, for the product that I produce and enable me to pay the bills for my small studio in Hebron. My Gammill is long paid for; but I am sure most of the purchasers of new machines are paying monthly bills for the machine alone that are larger than my entire monthly nut.
So, as much as I admire technological advances, my trusty Gammill and I will continue to work our way through over 150 quilts a year and to pay the bills on the studio.
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