Three more quilts are done

One got away from me before I took it's picture. All three were for the same person. This is the second one finished.

I put a swag design around all the blocks and stitch in the ditch around everything.

I did a curly vine on the sashing.

A feather type design on the outside border. This is a view from the back.

Another view from the back showing the swag design and the stitch in the ditch.

The third finished quilt is this one.

I did freehand sailboats around the outside border. I used chalk to mark the bottom of the boats so I could keep them fairly close to equal size.

I did a meander with balloons on one of the inside borders and le lace on the other inside border.

Then I did a ribbon design on the sashing, simple meander inside the blocks, and stitch in the ditch around everything.

Here's a view from the back.

Yesterday someone reminded me that I had given myself permission to say yes to less this year. Yes I did and that's still my goal. So let me explain why have I been working so many hours this month. It started with the quilts scheduled to be done in 2008 that I just couldn't get finished. My illnesses, my surgery, the power outage for several days, and a few other things happened that got me very far behind schedule.

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By December I had several quilts that needed to be finished; but, I simply couldn't get caught up. Thank heavens for very understanding customers. Those quilts got pushed back to after Christmas, meaning to be done in January and February, which were already booked for the new year. Had I been able to predict the future; I would not have scheduled anything for January and February. My psychic powers had failed me and I didn't know so many things would happen in 2008.

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Then there is this....

The tree branches hanging on the power lines. When it was first told on the news that we might have another wind storm (a few days before it came through) I wanted to get work finished before I might loose power for a few days. There wouldn't be any way for me to predict how long I might be without electricity if the lines went down. No power means no work finished. Being without power again would be yet one more thing to get me even farther behind schedule.

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So there I was, many quilts behind schedule and facing a possibility of even more delays. Well, I set my mind to go into Christmas rush mode and work extra long hours to get as much work finished as possible before I might loose power. I'm also hoping to be back on schedule by the end of February. It's unfair to those who trusted me to get their quilts finished in November and December if I don't have them done by March.... don't you think? It's already the middle of February and some December work is still not finished.

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Some days when I head for the studio I'm just not too anxious to go to work. Know what I mean? I know the work must be done but my mind is saying take a day off. No one wants to work perpetual overtime. I choose a reward for myself. I tell myself that if I get this much done in a week then the weekend is for other fun stuff.... the reward. I did accomplish my quilting goals for this week. This week's rewards are to have a day of visiting with my daughter and a day of playing with cardboard.

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Yes, I tell myself, I can work the weekend and get even more work finished; but, I do want some other things in my life too. If there are no more unplanned delays for the next couple of weeks; I should be back on schedule. My new schedule is much lighter than any previous year. I still can't get my psychic powers to work though. I don't know what this year's delays will be.

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I did loose power for a few hours during this wind storm. Not because of those branches, they are still hanging. I lost power due to a transformer down the street. I got lucky and that was fixed right away so my electricity came on by about 11 am. A few hours delay is not nearly as bad as several days. Many other people in this area were not so lucky, they will be without power for much longer. Hmm.... upgrading all the Kentucky power lines might be a good thing to do to stimulate the economy with lots of jobs? But.... who's going to listen to a little old lady quilter......

Aww.... gee whiz..... here we go again!

The weather report says we can expect thunder storms and lots of WIND tomorrow. (Wednesday) Winds will possibly reach as high as 60 to 80 miles an hour at times. Normally this wouldn't be so bad but Kentucky still has lots of dangling tree limbs and a very wet saturated ground from all the snow/ice melt and today's rains. This means the winds can blow down those dangling limbs onto power lines. With a saturated ground it can blow over whole trees, roots and all. We are hoping for the best but as you know..... mother nature has not been kind to us lately.

If I do loose power.... I'm ready. I still have my supplies from being prepared for it a couple of weeks ago. If you remember I had a tree limb hanging on the power line behind my house? Well, it's still hanging there. LGE has not been here yet to remove it. That tree limb is what might cause me to loose power IF we get the winds they are predicting.

I've checked with my online friends that live out west. So far everyone seems to have escaped the tornadoes and I'm very thankful. I'll try to check back with them in the morning to see if they are still ok.

Here is the next quilt finished. All batik fabric... front and back.



The sun was coming through the window really bright Monday afternoon so I took a picture of the block designs while still on the machine. It showed up the stitching really nice. When I save enough to get my overhead lights replaced they should make nice bright light like this. I used yellow thread.

This is the borders. A loopy feather on the outside border and a leaf feather on the inside border.

I don't know if you can see this very well but it shows the batik back with the yellow thread.

I didn't really know if I would find time for posting for a few days. Since I was online anyway to check on my friends out west; I thought I might as well show you what I had finished. I'm headed back into the studio for some more quilting before bedtime. I worked from 3 am to 9 pm yesterday. I started at 3 am today and will work for at least a couple more hours tonight. The long hours are hard but with unpredictable weather I have to work while I'm able.

The power is still on

I had my neighbor take some pictures for me. I was too afraid to walk on the ice. Old bones break easily. These pictures were taken when my neighbor was standing in the empty lot next door. Here is the tree branches on the power line I told you about. See the broken part of the tree? See that large branch just above the broken ones? It's normally straighter and not leaning.



Here is where the branches rest on the power line. It wouldn't take much to make the line break. Another falling branch would do it. The one that's leaning above is the one I'm thinking may come down too.



Another view of where the branches are hanging on the lines.

And a view of some branches on the ground.

I won't have to worry about cleaning up the mess though. The man who owns that truck lives in the house behind me. He gathers up fallen trees and branches to burn in his wood stove. As soon as the weather is better he will be out there with his chain saw cutting this mess up into the right size and stacking it in his yard for next winter's fuel. He goes around to different neighborhoods gathering wood every time there is a storm and downed trees.

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I saw on tv the parade of heroes coming into town. The long line of utility trucks from out of state. It looked like thousands. Those guys and gals are certainly heroes for lots of people in this area! This is the second time in only a few months they have come to our rescue.

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I'm getting restless to do something... besides quilting.... for a day or two. The contest quilts are almost finished. I hope to have the last one done today then I'll reward myself by cleaning house. Doing something physical instead of mental for a day gives me energy to get back to the machine.

Ice, ice and snow everywhere



I thought I'd let you know I still have power for now. This is a Dogwood tree near my front door. It's bent nearly double from the ice.




This is the light pole directly across the street. See the ice hanging from the light?

Sometimes I have the best luck! I always say it's because angels whisper in my ear to "do it now" even when I don't think I can afford it. When I follow their advice it's usually a good thing. Let me tell you about one time when I listened. Last summer I had some branches cut off the trees behind my house. I was worried that a big storm might bring the branches down and damage my house. At the time I really didn't think I could afford to pay to have them cut. It was a financial struggle but I did manage. Now I'm so glad!

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These are the trees I'm talking about. I would have walked out to get a better picture but I was afraid I might fall on the ice or something might fall on me. I took this picture from my front porch looking back.

This is some of the mess the storm has left. As far as I can tell, none of it is on my roof.

What you can't see in the picture is a very large branch laying across a power line back there. I tried to take a picture from my back window but the glare from the plastic made it impossible. I'll see if my neighbor will take a picture of it for me later today... if he ventures out.

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That branch could snap the power line at any time. At some point I may loose power if the line snaps. I'm not sure though because I'm not sure if that line would affect my house or not. If I do loose power I have my kerosene heater. Yes, I do know how to use it safely. I used kerosene as heat for 7 years while I saved enough money to buy a furnace.

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I guess I best get into the studio and get some work finished while I still have power. I'm still working on the contest quilts that I can't show pictures of yet. They aren't large but the quilting goes very slow because I have to be so careful.