A quilt for Claudia, Mom and turn around

First, this is a quilt made by one (I have several!) of my best customers, Claudia

I considering myself VERY fortunate to have such wonderful customers... it's amazing!!! Love my job because I get to see and quilt so many different quilts

Semi custom quilting with a border/corner design from Anne Bright named Pearl Feathers

The center field is an e2e, also designed by Anne named Seaweed framed with SID.

Great design with wonderful even coverage and flow.

Wool batting and three threads, Signature and Omni,
two in shades of gray and a dark burgundy for the inner border.

 The backing... paisley print, what's not to love! Great fabrics!!!

I love to see quilters use good quality fabrics for backs.

It adds so much to a quilt.

The rest of my blog post is about my mom (NQR) and my turn around time

Helena, my mother is amazing. Born in the Netherlands, survivor of the German occupation of Holland. Came to America following WWII and marriage to my dad in the late 1940s. They became citizens and started a new life. Fast forward... we moved Mom here to Northern California with us following the death of her husband, my father. She was already in the advanced stages of dementia. So not easy! That was eight years ago and it's still so not easy. I had to set up a Conservatorship thru the court of California simply for the 'right' to take care of my mother. The cost has been incredible with annual hearings and accountings. It's insane! Advice... make sure YOU and your family have directives and a Trust you are comfortable with in place.

Friday morning Mom fell. She cut her face, we believe from her glasses. She was taken to the ER, despite a POLST. Cuts taped and unnecessary tests revealing... again, nothing. She is 99 and there is nothing 'medically' wrong with her... except dementia, which you can die of, but care is not covered by insurance because it's not deemed medical. Frustrating! Other than low O2 sats and a cough, she was released. I took her back to her care facility, went home for a shower, picked up a RX for her cough and spent the rest of the afternoon with her and listened to the rattle as she breathed. If anything takes her, this may be it... and it would be OK. It is heartbreaking. While I was with Mom, Michael went to Immediate Care because there is something going on with him. The PA could not figure out what after a few tests. Michael just called me, waiting in line for a blood draw, glad to find a lab that was open. It's a bit much and I am not getting any quilting accomplished.

Brings the subject back to quilts, turn around time and custom hand guided quilting. Custom quilting is tricky, especially estimating time. For the time being, I am not accepting new quilt work orders for custom hand guided quilting.

Presently my turn around is October going into November with any one of these digitized design options: e2e, e2e with a border/corner set or my custom e2e where I am able to change the repeat pattern or line up a design to a quilt top block pattern. Straight set, alternated or set on point, the patterns are set up on each block, linked and then run like an e2e. To change a repeat, I am able to take them apart, flip, mirror, alternate and then link them back together and run the new pattern that is created like an e2e. I've gotten really good at it on the Innova with Auto Pilot. BTW, my Innova, I have decided to name Helena, for my mother and my Auto Pilot system, will remain Hal because that computer does, on some days, really have a mind of it's own!

Many of my customers are happy with digitized designs and they really do look good! Maybe not as organic as hand guided because the stitching is... perfect... because it's digitized. Some people love it, some... not so much. That's OK.

Again, and I can't say this too many times, thank you to my customers. I appreciate each and every one of you so very much. I know that I have lost a few existing and many new customers recently due to my present turn around time and please know this does not set well with me. I wish so many things but reality is what it is and no amount of wishing will make it different. I will always do my best. Thank you for your understanding. Have a wonderful weekend. Take some stitches! for...

"We will be known forever by the tracks we leave."
Native American Proverb

Tot ziens, Jo