Michael Miller BOM 2020

I stumbled onto a BOM from Michael Miller using the Accuquilt cutter and dies.  Delighted to fine this since I was a new beginner using the Accuquilt system of cutting fabric.  Teresa Down Under is also making videos using these instructions and I have found her information to be very helpful. 

Whenever I purchase a new device it takes me a few projects to begin feeling confident in making it a success.  This has been very true using the Accuquilt system.  I had to rethink everything I did in cutting and laying out fabric on the cutter.  Then I wanted to be as conservative as possible with my fabrics as we all know how expensive fabric is today.  There has been a learning curve. 

After I cut out my last project, I put all the scrapes aside.  Gradually I have gone through the scrapes and keeping every piece that can be used for other projects.  I find that I am looking at every scrape and contemplating how it can be used.  Circles are being considered for future projects.  Half square triangles will be used in a scrappy quilt, maybe.  Crumb quilts, my version, will definitely be considered.

https://blog.michaelmillerfabrics.com/ will have information regarding their BOM.

Here are the first five blocks of the BOM.  So glad to be making this quilt and learning so much information using the Accuquilt cutter and dies.

Apartment Living

Almost five years ago I made the decision to sell my house and move into a 55Plus apartment complex in the small town that I live in.  It was a difficult decision as my late husband and I had built our "forever retirement home" with the intentions that we would live there until the end of our lives. Unfortunately, life did not work out as we had planned and he died in 2012 from Alzheimer’s disease.

I stayed in our home for three years after his death and spent those three years trying to maintain a house and yard.  It was hard.  It was very, very hard.  I was not getting any younger and it just became more than I felt like I could physically or mentally continue with the upkeep of all that was involved with maintenance of house and yard.

I knew that I wanted to remain in our small town and the selection of apartments were minimal.  I did not want another house to maintain and certainly no yard.  Fortunately, I was able to get into a fairly new 55Plus apartment complex and I made the move almost five years ago.

It has been an adjustment but I know it was the best decision for me at this time of my life.  No yard work and no maintenance.  Is it perfect?  No, it is not.  There are problems.  Space is one of them.  In my house I had a very large sewing room upstairs in the bonus room.  I was spread out all over that room with more fabrics and sewing machines than any person deserved.  But I did enjoy it while I had it.  Also, I had a beautiful sunroom that was probably my favorite room in the house.  It looked out to my neighbor’s small farm with his cows, goats and horses.  I loved it.  And I had a nice sized garage.

Now I have two bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom.  My apartment is larger than many two-bedroom apartments and I appreciate every inch I have.  The second bedroom I am using as my sewing room, but it is small.  During this pandemic I have overflowed into the dining room.  My ironing board and iron have been in use so much until I have left it up in the dining room area and the dining room table has been converted to a cutting table and any other use, I needed it for. 

I cut my fabrics on the dining room table.  I start out sewing the quilt blocks in my sewing room.  At some point the blocks are sewn together and the quilt construction outgrows the sewing room and I move to the dining room table.

So, if you ask me about my apartment today, I would tell you I have an apartment for creating and sewing quilts and it has a bed and bath for my personal use.  The apartment has become a quilt haven.

Run Baby Run

Run Baby Run         

There is a story to this quilt.  No, there are two stories to this quilt.

Around 2006 my husband asked me to make him a new quilt for his bed using his high school colors.  His high school colors, black and gold, had no appeal to me as a quilter and I was not very enthusiastic about making a quilt using those colors.    But I loved my husband and he very rarely asked me to make something for him using my quilting skills so I started buying fabrics. 

I decided to use black prints, medium and dark textured golds and cream prints or solids.   I bought fabrics and stored them in my sewing room until I had enough fabrics and had the time to start the quilt.

Then my husband became ill with Alzheimer’s and all sewing was put on hold.  He wanted to be right by my side or have me within his sight until he died in 2012.

The fabric stayed stored until this year.  I pulled out all the fabrics and looked at them for several weeks and then proceeded cutting and sewing.  This is the results.  I love this quilt.  I love the quilt design, the colors and the machine quilting by my friend, Marlin.

He was the youngest in a family of six boys and one sister and his family affectionaly called him “Baby”.  All over town he was known as “Baby Moore”.

When he was carrying the football, running for another touchdown, the football stands would start chanting “Run Baby Run”.  I did not know him at that time but have heard the story from family and friends.

I could think of no other label than Run Baby Run. 

He was a wonderful, kind, loving man who was a great son, brother, uncle, husband and father.  He is truly missed.

Finished May 2019

I finally finished hand quilting this lap sized quilt.  I had so many left over neutrals from various projects over the years and used those.  Also, I had some quilt fabric that was not my favorite but paired with these neutrals it looked better.  Then I added a few brighter fabrics to give it a little shot of brightness.  This is a great quilt for summer as I used 100% cotton batting.  Think I will enjoy this one for many years.

One Down

One of my sewing machines is ill.  It will be going to the repair shop next week and get a much needed and certainly overdue tune up.  I have used this machine for most of the piecing of my quilts and when it started having problems I looked into the inside and saw multi thread clots.  So off she will go next week for a good cleaning and service.

Joy in Athens

I love women’s college basketball.  For the past ten years I have followed most of the teams in the SEC and enjoyed every minute.  Since I am originally from Mississippi I watch MS State and Ole Miss when they are on TV.  And I have also followed UT Vols and UGA Bulldogs on TV and radio.  But have never actually seen an SEC women’s basketball game in person.

Yesterday my two favorite teams were playing in the afternoon in Athens.  My sweet daughter and her husband asked me before Christmas if I would like to go and I said yes, yes, yes.  We went and had a wonderful time and saw the Dawgs beat the Vols. 

Afternoon games work for me and I hope to get back to see more games before this season ends.

Go Dawgs.  Go SEC.

Quilt Backing

I love, love the wide backing fabrics for quilts.  It is so much easier for the layering of the top, batting and backing.  Some of my quilts are machine quilted by a dear friend.  Others are quilted by hand on a quilt frame by a local church group and some are spray basted and I hand quilt them.

With a large quilt I feel that an extra wide backing is almost a necessity.  Now here is my problem.  I live in a small town and wide quilt backing is limited.  The quilt shops close to me (5-10 miles) have a very limited selection and the only other option is the nearest JoAnn's which is 20 miles from me.
Occasionally I will order on line but that has been hit or miss.

I really needed a backing so the church quilters can quilt a quilt for me.  On New Years I went to JoAnn's and finally found one that I think will work.  But it is red, red, red.  It's a pretty red and I do like it but now I am thinking that I had better wash that with color catchers.  Maybe several color catchers.

Please wish me lots of luck washing, drying and folding massive amounts of fabric.