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Well as most of you may or may not know, I was fired from my job back in mid july. Still have not found any work.

Everyone keeps telling me, do the quilts for income, I keep telling them NO, I enjoy doing it to much to turn it into income.

I told myself when all of this happened that God had a plan for me and I will have to see what happens.

Well I decided to make a go ahead of the business, I now have about 7 quilts that I am working on to take to a craft show and sell. Some of them are ones that I did and then set aside knowing I was getting the LA.

Hopefully all of this will work out. We shall see.

I currently have two king size single Irish Chains, a queen double wedding ring, Queen double Irish chain, an all pink lap/twin quilt and one that I am doing in antique yellow, whites and pinks, I have been on a path.

My husband has threatend to drag me out of the sewing room kicking and screaming by my hair however, h is gone to work from 7a to 11p so I get tons done, and it makes a great hideout from my snothead teenager.

I will post pics when I get them all done, but they are turning out beautifly (cant spell).

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Tracey - I'm glad to hear that you're going to give the quilting business a try. You know, quilting is extremely theraputic. A great way to hide from snot-nosed brats, that's for sure! ;) I've heard some folks even use it to help them grieve when they lose a loved one, or just to help lift depression. Creating things of beauty is good for the soul.

Linda

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For those of you that are new you will be surprised at how quickly you are turning out quality work.

Find your comfort zone. I rarely do panto's they are hard for me and I don't like them. Therefore I'm not really good at them. I've been a longarmer for almost 7 years and have 2 Apqs machines. I only quilt what I would like to see on my quilts. Find the areas you of quilting you enjoy and you will excel very quickly.

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:I Just Finished one of those quilts every quilter has nightmares about. It belonges to a very sweet lady who finished pieceing it after she had a stroke. It is an eight point star with four inch wide sashing and borders. I tryed to talk her into meandering but she wanted SID and fancy work. Most of the stars had no points and she had stitched through the center so many times they didn't match and my needle didn't want to go through all that fabric and thread. OH yess the sashing and borders and some of the pieced blocks were polu/cotten and she tore instead of cutting the sashing and borders, I trimed 1/4" all around the edge in order to get it in the machine. In order to get some quilting in the center of the star I used my HF and made two circles with feathers inside and out and a squiggle ribbon out into each point. When it was all done, rideing by on a galloping horse [ a very fast one] it looked pretty good. This nightmare measured 106 x90. I almost sweat blood over it but she picked it up today and was overjoyed with it and didn't blink at what it cost. I guess the moral to this story is do the best you can with what you have to work with. Believe me I'm ready for an easy one.

Oh Yess about the music comeing on when it wants to. Our power was off the otherday and when it came back on my CD player in the quilting room came on. That didn't spook me as much as what happened this week. THe batterys were down in my flashlight that I use when cleaning the bobben area. I layed it on the floor at the top of the landing, close to the wall and about 6" from the front of the step. I heard some clang and bang and found the flashlight has rolled half way down the stairs, out between the spokes of the rail and was laying in the middle of the dineing room floor. I thought maybe the batterys exploded but they didn't. If I have a ghost I wish it would learn to run the quilting machine! Ha!

Late Happy birthday Linda. We have a grandaughter Bailley whose BD is Sept. 14th. She turned 15.

Keep up the good work Girls, I love this sight and the encouragement you give .

Audria with a quilted heart.

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I have a charity quilt from the local guild to work on today. Nothing fancy at all. Just six inch blocks. Not really sure what I want to do on it yet. Most likely will pick a nice panto or will freehand an overall meander on it. I did consider doing different designs in each of the blocks, but it's really just not that special of a quilt.

Linda

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Whee, I'm on the final stretch. Have to head back to the basement to finish the painting. Finish priming hubbies, space, 2 short walls left to paint in my area, and there's rumor that flooring is on its way...

With a wish and a prayer, all will be finished this week, and Belle will be arriving maybe at the end of the week!!!

I just cannot believe it!!!!

Cynthia

ps. Many thanks to Linda S and Judy who keep talking me down off the ceiling...:P

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Looks like you're gonna make it! I'm so glad. I was just devastated when I had to leave Eowyn in her box in the garage for about a week. I did go out every night and pat her before I went to sleep, so she knew I was not forgetting about her. The day I finally got to set her up was like a dream. The first thing I quilted into that practice piece was my name and the date, and I haven't gone back over that section. I will eventually cut it out and hang it up in the studio as a remembrance. Best luck to you. I'm sure you will be having a blast this time next week!

Linda

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Well fans... I wish I were working on a quilt, but I'm in the middle of getting ready for company. I'm turning my old sewing room into a guest room. I'm sanding and painting a bed frame, painting the room, putting up new closet doors and the like. Meanwhile, it's all I can to keep focused. If I knew I could spend a few minutes here and there quilting, I'd be fine. But, I know that once I start, everything else in life falls by the wayside.

Judy

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I admit I have been in a bit of a slump lately, not much quilting.

I am piecing Xmas gifts for in-laws. Two queen size and one King size quilt. roken Dishes, basketcase quilt and Sarah's Secret Garden.

I have been quilting and piecing for only about ten months. I got my machine in late May so I have alot of practice to do before I quilt for anyone else but family. I sure do enjoy quilting on my machine.

My husband likes the machine because he says it makes him happy to see me so happy. Yeah, I'm in love with this machine and :Dhubby too...

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As I posted in another area I'm a 10 yr.

Ult 1 quilt owner but have never had time to really use it do to work etc. Now I'm retired & moved so can really get into the career I always wanted, QUILTING. So being a newbie I love all the advice & support everyone gives eachother. I'm hoping to get good enough to do quilting for others. I know, practice, practice & then practice some more. Off to the quilt

studio I go now that I'm all physiced up.

Thanks to all.

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Like the rest of the new folks, the panograms are hard to follow. A tip that Dawn gave us at the beginning class was to start on the right and work to the left. It did help a little but I need a lot more practice.

Free hand drawing seems to be easier. I just purchased a Hartley Fence from a fellow quilter and it works great on circles. I am still waiting on one piece of the machine.. the Idler Arm. This helps make diagonal lines.

I need any and all tips on how to follow the panograms. Does anyone have any other tips??????

Barb

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Barb: This is not really a "tip" but when I first started 5 or 6 years ago, I couldn't follow a panto and they just looked awful. So, for probably 3 or more years, I didn't do any pantos. Then I saw Jodi Beamish's pantso (http://www.willowleafstudio.com/store.html) and I just HAD to do them.

I do a fair amount of pantos now and while I get bored doing them if I have several in a row to do, I honestly like doing them.

So . . my tip is . . continue to practice, relax while stitching and do pantos you enjoy doing.

Remember, it's a guide and if you get not quite on the line, the quilt police are not watching.

I think I sometimes feel like I'm dancing with my machine while doing pantos and since I LOVE my machine, I LOVE dancing with it!! :D

For me, the bottom line is . . I have to like what I'm doing. If I don't like what I'm doing, I don't enjoy it. That makes me tense and anxious to get finished.

I hardly quilted over the weekend and it was so nice to get going with the machine again this morning.

I hope you all LOVE your machines and LOVE what your'e doing!

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Another tip for doing pantos is to follow the design a few times with your fingers. I usually do the length of the pantos 3-4 times before I actually start quilting. It might sound funny but it helps alot. Your hands get into the rhythm and the design flows much smoother. Since I have started doing this little exercise my panthos have turned out great. Give it a try!

Jean

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I love pantos - especially Jodi's. When I first started doing them, my neck would hurt from leaning to the left to follow the laser light. I now step around my machine and hold the left handle with both hands (lightly - not a death grip!). I seem to have more control and no more aching neck! :D

sammi

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Guest Linda S

Looks GREAT! Also looks like you've got a nice big space to quilt in. I'm just home from Innovations so I don't know what to start on first. I learned so much. Such awesome classes, including FOUR with Dawn Cavanaugh, who is a very sweet person and a fabulous teacher. Also took a marking class, one on the Hartley Fence, and took Karen McTavish's class this morning. I'm off to the land of feathers, fills, thrills, and finishes in my dreams! What a great time!!

Linda

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Hi Everyone:

Well I just got home from my bee, lemme tell ya, the conversations we have....you would never know we were christian women if you were listening in on us.

I love humor, and how to incorporate that into my quilting has been interesting.

Here is my idea:

I am entering a quilt into one of my local guilds quilt show which is 10 days away. This is my first time. I did not know I was gonna do it til the last min, egged on by my bee no less. Well..... I realized this morn at guild that I needed a sleeve on it. I have been racking my brain all day for what fabric to use. Well on the way home from bee it dawned on me, use yellow.

Now the humor part of that is this.... when you are a rookie driver in Nascar you have to have a yellow strip on the bumper of your car. Well since this is my first quilt show, a yellow sleeve would be perfect.... what a hoot.

(BTW- my driver is the points leader for the championship and won the last race, it was really hard to work on the LA while the race was on)

I am in such a good mood now, been stressed the last few days, I have a really full plate right about now, but have told myself time and again that God does not give me more than I can handle and that he will work out what is supposed to happen, I am trying real hard to let it go over to him.... this morn was no exception. The power of quilting bees and friendships have really come through for me right now. I needed a good laugh and pick me up.

You all have been wonderful as well.... it is nice to come and read about things here, not only are they helpful, but they are fun to read.

Well the binding and the sleeve are calling.. wish me luck and laughs.

Blessings and hugs

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Linda S- I'm just catching up on reading postings from September till now. I read one by you that told the name you gave your longarm. How do you pronounce it? And how did you come upon that name? I still haven't come up with a good name for mine even though I've had her for about three years. Thank goodness the nasty names I called her in the beginning didn't stick. I love her now and hope a good name will occur to me soon.

Thanks,

Pam

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I got my Millie at the end of May and was at first a little intimidated. I started very slowly and made only a few wall hangings, finished my Thimbleberries Club monthly projects etc. afraid to take on any big projects...

Recently, I began quilting my Guild's philanthropic quilts and I am happy to report that I have made tremendous progress! I am now drawing and incorporating my own freehand designs and am actually doing fancy, intricate designs and when I look closely, I am not ashamed, I am proud of my work, it looks pretty GOOD!!!

My advice to "Newbies" is this: Work through your fears, apprehension, creative blocks, and find something simple to motivate you to keep going. For me, the idea that I was quilting items for children at the Children's Hospital really motivated me to make my work beautiful and fun and drove me to complete them all. Sometimes in the past I have been so afraid to make a mistake that I made nothing...

BUT- when I set a worthwhile goal, I reach it. You may try this. It definitely helps me.

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Guest Linda S

Well, it's like capital A, capital O, and win. If you say it fast, it actually sounds like A-win. She was the warrior princess from Rohan in the Lord of the Rings who kills the witch king. Strong, fearless, and a thing of beauty. HAH! If only her owner could be the same. It took me about two weeks to work up the guts to put the first stitches into my first customer quilt once I got it on the frame! :P Once I relaxed though, all was well. I'm having fun with it now. Go, Eowyn, go! ;)

Linda

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