Showing posts with label avante. Show all posts
Showing posts with label avante. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

One Monthly Goal :: December 2019


Happy December, it's the most scheduled time of the year! In our family, December is especially busy with Sinterklaas (Dutch Christmas) on the 5th, our son's birthday on the 9th, and then our attention finally turns to Christmas. A few of D's friends also have December birthdays, so it makes for busy weekends trying to celebrate each child. And of course, those Hallmark movies aren't going to watch themselves!


One thing I have learned from having a brain injury is how to let go of expectations. If ever there was a month when we feel pressured by the "I shoulds," it's December. Holiday traditions. Memory making. Gift giving. Quilts to finish! My mantra is, "All I can do is all I can do and that's all I can do." Stress triggers brain crashes, so I let it go. Some years I make dozens of cookies. Some years I make done. Some years I finish a flurry of quilts. Some years I don't finish one on my list of UFOs. But every year, I take time to enjoy my family, whether it's doing an activity together, or snuggle on the couch watching a movie. "Together" is what makes memories.

This December is likely to be one of those less active holiday seasons. My mom is home after her double knee surgery (and is already walking with a cane!), I sliced my thumb making Thanksgiving dinner, and we are all ready to relax after a busy six months of moving, renovating, starting a new school, and adjusting to a new city. 
Along those lines, my One Monthly Goal for December is to make time to play with my new-to-me longarm! My local quilt shop was selling the one I took my lessons on, and I was happy to make the splurge as we were just selling the Dream House and I knew I finally had room. It took a month to get it to my new studio and another two months to set it up. For the last three months, I've been too busy with everything else to refresh my memory and start playing. So this month, I will watch videos, ask questions on all my favorite quilting sites, and PLAY!

 To see the ever-evolving state of my new craft room, check out #VesperViewStudio on Instagram. To see what I'm currently working on, follow me at deJongDreamHouse.

Linked to:
Elm Street Quilts

Posted by Jen @ de Jong Dream House at 5:30 PM 2 comments
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Thursday, June 27, 2019

Quilt #127 :: Long Arm Minnie



I should be getting my new sewing studio set up, but it's a rather overwhelming mess, so I will procrastinate a little long to share one more quilt I finished before we left the Dream House.

A while back, I bought several panels on sale with the idea that they would make good practice quilts whenever I got a longarm.

For my birthday in January, the boys bought me longarm lessons at my local quilt shop. Carol teaches on a Handiquilt Avante, so that's what I got to learn on.


Before my first lesson, I added a few borders to my panel to make it lap size. My first lesson was spent learning how to load the quilt (there are a lot of steps!). Then I got to play!


When I came back for my second lesson, I brought the Minnie panel. I used a solid black backing on it and loaded it on the machine with the batting. I didn't really think ahead to what I wanted to do, so i just jumped in, using the borders as my guide. 


I wouldn't usually use hot pink thread with black backing, but it showed my stitches very clearly, which was the goal. It isn't the prettiest of quilting, but I'm pretty happy with it as a first effort. I'm going to hold on to it for awhile as I improve my skill. It'll be nice to see improvement with each quilt. 


Eventually, when I feel better about my quilting, I'll find a new home for the quilt. I'm sure I'll be able to find a Minnie-loving girl who will love it despite my novice quilting.

D wasn't so keen on modeling with Minnie, thought he did do his part to sleep with it. 


Niels was also a reluctant model. 


He came around though, because love conquers all. 


Fortunately, our neighbor was a good sport. She may have a new quilt in her future.


I did take the opportunity to take a last set of quilt pictures on the back porch of the Dream House. (I'm still trying to figure out my go-to spot at the Lake House). 


From the back you can better see what I tried to do with each border. Apparently I lost the muscle memory of the heart doodles I wrote all over my elementary school papers!


For the panel itself, I outlined Minnie and eyeballed straight lines back and forth. I'm looking forward to learning how to use rulers!


But the best part of this process is that Carol, my LQS owner, called me and asked if I would be interested in buying the Avante because she was getting a new machine and needed to make  room. I happily said yes, especially after she agreed to hold it until we moved into the Lake House.


As I write this from the Lake House, we are surrounded by chaos. We are renovating the kitchen and created a family foyer. We also did a lot of painting and swapping light fixtures. In my new sewing studio, we changed lights, touched up the paint, and replaced the carpet with cork. It's hard to unpack with some of the most prominent rooms are under construction, but I'm slowly making progress. 


My new as-of-yet longarm is in her future home, just waiting to be assembled. 


Soon, my new friend, soon.

To find pictures of my progress on this quilt, as well as the setting up of my new studio check out #LongArmMinnie and #VesperViewStudio on Instagram. To see what I'm currently working on, including my 2019 Brain Injury quilt, follow me at deJongDreamHouse.

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Posted by Jen @ de Jong Dream House at 2:05 PM 5 comments
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