Slow Starts.

Dogwood Days began its quilting process yesterday.

But it was not fast moving!

I think I encountered every problem that a long arm quilter dreads.

In my case it mostly revolved around the constant snapping of my top thread - 

My goal was to make it to half-way quilted yesterday, but in all honestly I was happy to make it 1/6 of the way before I had to abandon everything and head to town for an appointment with the Chiropractor.

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Trimming Up and Binding On!

I made it!

I made it all the way around.

Can you see where my hoop is now? It's moving up about 10'' from the edge and I'll start working the cross-hatching toward the center of the quilt.

But first - this quilt needs a trim and a bind!

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Maple Leaf Red

This is where my hand quilting hoop is now on my Abbeygate quilt.

I'm getting close to having the 4th side quilted - Just another evening or two and I'll be able to trim up the quilt, get the binding, label and hanging sleeve on and be rid of the batting fuzzies and the backing ravels as I then work my way to the center of the quilt.

Yes...working from the outside in means I can get the binding on faster and clean up that outside edge.

And this is all because the quilt has been basted well by longarm and will not pucker or shift in the hand quilting process.

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Ice Storm Aftermath -

I don't care about the snow.

But the ice is a different story.

As I write this we are currently on generator power - the electric for the whole area, and much of SW Virginia and into West Virginia lost power on Wednesday.

At one point yesterday morning there were more than 122,000 out of power.

And while I am so grateful to have our generac to the cabin, there are so many others that do not have an alternate source of power.

It's one thing to be out of power in September due to hurricanes when the weather is still nice enough, but in this kind of weather? It's brutal.

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