Saturday & Sunday

I was up early on Saturday (2/3), determined to get cracking on these customer quilts. I set up the pattern on Pam’s 3rd quilt and wound bobbins and kicked it off:

Considering this is a school themed quilt….I’m going to call my quilting pattern ‘’the wheels on the bus go round and round!’’.

AND…when I went to my spreadsheet to key in statistics on her soft, peachy quilt? It was quilt # 600 for me!!!!! I am so excited that I have long armmed 600 quilts in these 10 years!!! And as unbelievable as it is for me….according to my spreadsheet, 272 of those were quilts I made myself….I am definitely slowing down, considering I only made I think 18 quilts last year :~). Although, I am absolutely getting WAY more customer quilts than I used to....so that could also explain why I haven't done as many of mine....I continue to have a closet full of tops that need quilted :~).

Anyway, by late afternoon the quilting was done:

and Michael and I showered and changed and were ready when Sue & Dennis picked us up for dinner. There were 12 of us going to the theatre, and 9 of us decided to have dinner at the IMPROPER PIG in Fort Mill:

-Sue & Dennis

-Phil & Gale

-Mark

-my honey

-Colleen, Diane & me

Michael and I got pork egg rolls and hush puppies for appetizers…and then a burger and a pulled pork sandwich for dinner.

We headed to the theatre afterwards and met up with Al and Marianna and Lynn for the show. It was the ODD COUPLE:

and it’s been a long time since we’ve seen it. I didn’t think it would have taken much to move it from the 1960’s to the present day…and I almost wish they would have done that….but it made us laugh none-the-less.

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I spent Sunday morning (2/4) getting the ‘’bus quilt’’ off of the frame and all cleaned up. I had 2 thread breaks that I shouldn’t have had….so obviously the problem is not 100% corrected, but is certainly WAY better. People have been asking me what I did to correct it….what didn’t I do!?!?!? I posted my problems on my longarm FB group and got 20 separate suggestions like the obvious re-thread the machine and change my needle, to loosen my quilt sandwich…tighten it…..clean out under the face plate…try a new bobbin…try different thread….try different threading…change the position of the first thread take up lever…and several more. After talking with my dealer and going through a bunch more changes, I thought we were on the right track with the dryness in the air and my thread. I bought lubricant as well as misted my thread, and since June suggested my entire pack of needles could be bad, I got a new needle from a different pack. The first 2 quilts I did for Pam went off without a hitch, the 3rd one (as I mentioned above) had 2 thread breaks it shouldn’t have. In addition to working on that, I have a neighbor who is going through some health problems and seemed really down, so I thought a pretty card could cheer her up:

I got that stitched out and in their mailbox in the afternoon. I did pause around lunchtime to get a massage....heaven!!!

I spent part of Sunday loading up the backing and batting for my first ever king sized quilt. It is huge, so everything takes longer….we will see how the quilting goes on that. I am already not looking forward to it because although I LOVE the quilting pattern my customer chose…it is a VERY SLOW stitch out….and if I have to watch the entire thing because my thread break sensor is not working correctly…..it’s going to be a VERY BORING couple of days….

And the funnies for the next couple of days are courtesy of June:

A nursery school pupil told his teacher he'd found a cat, but it was dead.

'How do you know that the cat was dead?' she asked her pupil.

'Because I pissed in its ear and it didn't move,' answered the child innocently.

'You did WHAT?' the teacher exclaimed in surprise.

'You know,' explained the boy, 'I leaned over and went 'Pssst' and it didn't move'

A small boy is sent to bed by his father. Five minutes later.....'Da-ad....'

'What?'

'I'm thirsty. Can you bring a drink of water?'

'No, You had your chance. Lights out.'

Five minutes later: 'Da-aaaad.....'

'WHAT?'

'I'm THIRSTY. Can I have a drink of water??'

' I told you NO! If you ask again, I'll have to smack you!!'

Five minutes later......'Daaaa-aaaad.....'

'WHAT!'

'When you come in to smack me, can you bring a drink of water?'