MQS 2007 "What fun I had"

Hi everyone,

MQS is over and was a blast again this year. I was lucky to finally meet many of my chat friends from the APQS chat group this year and we had dinner one evening. They are the best gals. Each one just awesome people. I was so happy to get to meet them all. I have pics and will get some posted in about a week as all my stuff is packed still. Staying in Coffeyville a few days waiting on my DH to follow me home on Wednesday. I purchased a used APQS Ultimate I and he is making a flying trip home to help me get it set up on my CQ. Also during the week at the Auction of MQS I WON!! a Claudia quilt. It is really pretty and I cannot wait to hang it proudly in my Studio. Here's a pic. Claudia also won a Teachers Award and "VIEWERS CHOICE" which was a wonderful honor for her. She was very excited and well who wouldn't be. The quilts at the show were just beautiful. Lots of creative entries this year. Do try to attend one year. You will really enjoy the experience. I took Myrna Fickens class on the Harley Fence and Technicalities and Using Renae Rays with Renae and also a drawing class with Anne Bright. I learned a great deal with class and enjoyed them. Also I found the Demos this year were really worth while and wow they are FREE so try to attend some when you go to the show. They are filled with great information for your Quilting Business and or Hobby.

Stan (Owner of Compuquilter) added the parts needed to my Ultimate I for CQ and instructed my husband and I on what to do once we get it home. I was just thrilled with all the work of setting up for the show he still made the time to help me. That is the "BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE". Now I can go home and get right to work. I thought it would be a few months before I could get the machine to Arkansas and then I would have to wait on my Husband to come home to get it installed. He works away from home alot. Now I don't. YEEHAWW with a CHA CHING!!!

Again thanks for visiting and check again in a few weeks I have some really good pics of the show to share with you. Also I begin my first quilt entry when I return home and I plan to share my process with you if interested.

God Bless and have a wonderful SUMMER!!!

Till Next time,

Grammie Tammie

Texas Evening Sky

Just a photo of the sky as my Husband had taken me on an evening ride on the River. We no longer have our boat and now I wish we did. We so enjoyed being on the water away from the phones. It seems my husband is such a good listener when we are alone in the middle of nowhere. I love this photo and thought I would share it with you.

Some of my earlier Quilts

Just sharing a few pics of some tops I have done. Some early on and some just recently. I am still figuring this Blog stuff out so bear with me. I plan to do some catchup posts over the next week. I have some wonderful Photos to share of my family and scenic photos I have taken over the years. Enjoy the pics. More to come. Hugs to ya, Grammie Tammie

Another Quilt Show in Kansas

Well I'm excited to attend this show again. Last year was the best time and tiring all at the same time. So much was learned and I have learned alot through experience since my last visit to the show. I didn't take too many classes this year but some lecture and demo classes that I think will be helpful.
I plan to relax just a little bit more this year. I want to see all the latest inventions and quilting tools that are coming out and I plan to spend more time looking at the award winning quilts. I flew last year but this year I'm in my large van so if I decide to shop over the top I should have some room to just take it home with me.

The Longarm Quilting profession is changing all the time and it is getting harder to keep up with it all. I am the toy junkie you might say and early on thought I needed every tool available to execute my job as a longarm quilter. I have learned to be patient and evaluate tools that are considered useful and those that will be sitting on my shelf after the newness wears off. I'm probably like alot of beginners who are eager to learn and fit in and well be a really good quilter. Since the first of the year I have taken a few steps back in my Quilting simply to pause and get a handle on the direction that I want it to go. My husband is always encouraging but he says and I quote, "It doesn't matter what you decide as long as you move in the direction that you want to go and not the direction that others thing you should go". Once in a while I can hear him telling me that like the little devil is just sitting there on my shoulder or something.

I took a digitizing Class with Suzanne Moreno and a Whole New world was opened up. Digitizing is hard work but not nearly as difficult as I thought it was. I have digitizing every since my class in between quilts and managing my family. I look at drawings so different than I did before I took the class. My skills are becoming really good and the creativity now that I can use my own designs in my quilts is even more rewarding. Although my class time is up Suzanne seems to be the committed teacher offering help whenever I have needed it. For those of you interested in learning to Digitize using Autosketch you should contact her. She now has the means to do it via Internet and wow you don't even have to leave your home. Also the privilege of One on One and even teaming up with a Buddy has it's advantages. I think that is really cool.
Hopefully I will have some of my designs online to sell soon. I have put that off as I have not been completely sure that I would sell my designs. So many wonderful Designs for our Computerized Systems are now available and well I'm not sure another one is needed. I'm just the everyday quilter who doesn't have the Blue Ribbons YET!
I have designed a wonderful wholecloth (in fact 2) and I will be starting on it when I return from Kansas. My first Show entry as I had wanted will be in my HOMETOWN quilt show. After that I plan to enter alot in the next two years. I have stopped taking customer quilts for the most part. I quilt for my local quilt shop and I enjoy doing a charity for a local cause or needy child. It keeps me humbled and gives me great joy. I really love quilting and I love the company of other quilters. There is not a local Longarm group as of yet in my community that I am aware of anyway, but one just over an hour's drive for me. I have found it difficult to make time to participate even at only once a month. I hope to find balance so I can spend more time with other longarm quilters.
I have a small fortune in training classes since the purchase of my machine and I have found that in most cases my money was well spent. I am blessed that my husband doesn't mind that part of the business and he knows that I am wanting to become a seasoned quilter. I practice everyday in some form or another. I mean everyday I go to my machine and freehand something. Of course I'm not home at the moment so I am drawing and designing when I'm away, but practicing has proven to be the key to mastering techniques that a year ago I thought I could never do. I not only can do them but I have added my twist to the technique and found better ways of achieving things or should I say ways that work better for me. I know my machine very well and I test it all the time.
Guess I should say goodbye for now. Sorry such a long post. I just rambled on and on. The photo at the top is me showing my granddaughters and they loved it. They quilted for along time very seriously I might add. I have a natural on my hands. lolol


God Bless,
Grammie Tammie

Been a while

Hi everyone,

Wow I haven't visited or posted since March. Keeping up with a blog is going to be work I am realizing. Life gets in the way sometimes of our being able to keep our feet firmly planted and well I just go with the flow and trust that the almighty has a greater plan and I'm not really running the show.

I have been quilting up a storm and down to six quilts and only one of them is a custom. I am really looking forward to getting my designs test stitched out and on my website. I was bold to announce it and find it was going to take me longer than I thought. Lesson learned. Although I find the designs are really good I am also enjoying my machine and dabbling in some creative quilting. I had such admiration for artists that can quilt something that you are able to just simply stare at forever. I testing out my own creativity. Although I love traditional quilts I love love art quilts. I've been waiting all I can to give this a try.

You probly remember that I mentioned we may be living in a fifth wheel soon but that has had to be posponed as my husband learned he may be going out of the country for two years on a job that he wasn't expecting. He should know something no later than the 1st of the year but likely by the end of this year. Once this becomes a reality I decided to just stay put in our home until he returns. I get to fly and see him outside of US every 65 days I understand so traveling will be kinda cool. Something we have wanted to do for a long time.

I have stopped taking quilts except for the local shop and once in a while I do a charity I cannot say no to but other than that no more 30 plus quilts hanging around waiting for me. Although I love quilting for others and will likely begin again at some point I realized that I had not had the time to piece anymore and even do some beautiful show entry quilts. Also all my adult children are whining that I haven't taken the time to do them a quilt.lolol My husband said I had lost my JOY and that I needed to get back to loving what I do so I'm giving that a try. I left a good paying job that I worked my tailend off at and he wants me to relax and breath and have some fun for a change. He is so supportive that way.

To start with for Mother's Day my Darling Husband purchased me another longarm machine and we are headed to Michigan to pick it up today. I purchased an APQS Ulitimate I and I plan to transfer my CQ to it ASAP. That way I can get really creative with my Compuquilter and my Freehanding on my Milli. I think it will be fun. Also I plan to do wholecloth baby quilts and who knows maybe some fun things too.

Hopefully I can get the knack for posting some photos of some really cool things. I plan to be in Kansas for the Show and I have only a few classes. Going to relax and enjoy this year. It never fails though that a class will become available that I cannot resist. lol I plan to visit and share a room with my dear and good friend Deb from Missiouri. We met at the airport last year and hooked up and well we have been good friends every since. She takes classes until she is dropping dead by the time she gets to the room and we are so excited to share we hardly get enough rest. Although we are in bed with lights out we just keep talking about our day and what we learned. Too funny!!!!!

Till next time,
Grammie Tammie

Taking a BREAK. Wow really!

Hi everyone.

I'm in Coffeeville Kansas this week spending some time with my husband who has been working here 8 months. I brought my two puppies and they keep me really busy. I'll be really glad to have them potty trained. What a job!

I have been working on my digital patterns this week for computerized quilting. I have many to get digitized and I think they are going to be really nice. It is so fun to being learning new things since I left my fulltime job. Personally I think I've wasted time as I could have been doing all these wonderful things years ago but maybe this is my season. The children are grown and living their lives and my husband and I are really appreciating that we can focus on the things we have always dreamed of doing finally. As much as we love our kids we haven't suffered from the empty nest yet. What are they talking about? lol I love photography also and I am hoping to be a quilting photographer someday. I am an ameatur of course but hey I do a really good job at it. I will be posting some my photos soon . Gotta get used to working in this blog. Something new for me too.

I am planning a trip this June to the Quilters Showcase in Overland Kansas. Last year I had such a wonderful time and this year should be even better. Lots of wonderful teachers as always but some of my favorites this year. I stay with a wonderful lady I met last year and at the last minute she invited me to share her room while going to the hotel from airport. I took her up on it and we became fast friends. She loves quilting like myself and is a family person as well. I just love her to death.

Have a great day everyone. Back to digitizing and working on my website updates. We started out doing one thing and have decided to completely change it. It delayed getting it ready as soon as I wanted but I want it to be really well lined out and a place others enjoy visiting. Till next time.

Grammie Tammie's Story

Hi and welcome to my first Blog. I've been thinking about having one for such a long time and finally I got around to it. I have been working shift work for over 15 years. What does that mean? It means I worked a 12 hour shift job (days and nights) and well it was difficult to find time to do much of anything with such a demanding job that had no regard for holidays, birthdays or any other important family event. With that being said I was grateful to have had it and it did indeed bring me to where I am today. I met my wonderful husband there. He retired almost 5 years ago and he now contracts himself out and travels a great deal. I began longarm quilting November 2005 when my APQS Milli arrived. I had considered this large purchase for about 5 years and finally took the step. I have never been happier that I did. I began right away quilting for others and getting better with each quilt. I continue to educate myself on longarm quilting and improving on my skills as a quilter. I am no longer taking customer quilts and will complete all my obligations by the end of April. A big thanks to my supportive customer base as I am truly blessed to have known all of you and to have quilted for you. I will be quilting up a storm but my own projects. I love designing and piecing and will be doing more of that as well. Quilting for others although profitable and fullfilling left no time for me to quilt or design for myself. I love making a quilt from the very beginning when I purchase the fabric to the final end when put my last stitch in the binding. So many techniques I am looking forward to trying. I have designed some wonderful designs too that I am digitizing and hoping others will want to purchase them. Either way I will enjoy the process and the learning with each design. I have had this creative monster inside me for a while and I am so anxious to see some of my creativity come to life. I will be sharing the process with you and by all means please offer your suggestions and any lessons you encountered in your own experiece. We can learn with each other. Art Quilts totally facinate me from the very tiny ones to the beautiful wall hangings. Such creativity and lack of rules to follow. Such freedom.

I quilt in my home Studio which is being remodeled slowly but surely as well as my home. Taking more time than I had hoped. Living in the country presents a problem as Contractors have so much more work in town and getting the best to do the work can be challenging and it requires patience to say the least. I hope that soon Studio photos can be posted. My husband has been away so much this past year that many of the tasks have been delayed as he can do them better than someone else so I patiently wait for him to get a break and be home a while. I trust that whatever will be will be. Thank you for visiting and I do have some fun stories to share in the future so please drop in from time to time. God Bless, Grammie Tammie