Please, Just Tell Me The Truth!

I am so frustrated by asking a question of a salesperson/company representative and getting only the information they are willing to share at that time.

When I purchased my new KIA from Bob Rohrman KIA, I called in the afternoon to find out the total price and I actually stated, “How much will I need to write my check for?” When we went to pick the vehicle up, the finance manager had all the paperwork drawn up and the FINAL PRICE was $149 more than the price I was quoted over the phone.

The difference was the Tire Tax and Document Fee. HUH?

Well, according to the State of Indiana website the tire tax is 25 cents per tire.

5 Tires came with my new KIA, so, the Tire Tax is $1.25 and the Document Fee is $148.75.
I am appaled that they can charge that much to process the documents for purchasing a new vehicle. Of course, I wanted the vehicle, so I paid the $149, but was frustrated.

My IPhone
I purchased an I-Phone 3G on May 30th and was quite happy with it. They came out with an I-Phone 3GS several weeks later and a co-worker who had made a purchase a week before me said she was upgrading to the new phone.

I called the local AT&T Store and asked how much it would cost me to trade in my I-Phone 3G for an I-Phone 3GS. I would have to pay the difference between the 2 phones, which was $100, plus a 10% restocking fee.

So, I packaged up my phone and took it to the AT&T Store. They were having computer issues and couldn’t process my order. They did run my credit card for the entire price of the phone $199 + tax and said I would receive a refund when my new phone came in. The new one came in 10 days later so I took my old one in, got the new one and I was issued my credit of about $90.

So, that all worked out fine until I got my second bill this week and there is a one-time upgrade fee of $18 plus taxes adding up to $25. When I called AT&T to ask about it, they said it was on my paperwork that I received when I ordered my new I-Phone 3GS. I argued that I left the store with no paperwork, through no fault of my own. I explained that I had called to find out EXACTLY HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST ME TO UPGRADE TO THE NEW PHONE. No amount of talking could convince them to take those charges off.

It wouldn’t have been a big deal to pay these amounts if these companies had given me the final cost that I asked for.

Tomatoes and Meeting My Goals

Looky at our first tomato of the season sitting next to a golf ball to give you an idea of it's size. It's a Giant Belgium and Dan ordered the seeds from Tomato Gowers Supply Company and grew them instead of getting the plants from the local nursery. I can't wait to cut into this one!

On the quilting front, so far I have finished two of my three goals set for this week.

I finished piecing the baby irish chain quilt and I quilted a patriotic tumbler for Quilts of Valor. My last goal for the week is to add borders to the Christmas tree lotto block quilt and I haven't even looked through my stash for that yet.

Last night I loaded a quilt of Carole's that is Kaffe Fassett fabrics. There are borders on the top and bottom, but the sides have a 2 inch strip that is the same as the sashings, so it has thrown me for a loop. I sat and stared for a long time and then just started quilting.

I saw this cute border somewhere and saved the image to Evernote (thanks Angela). The only thing I'm marking is a spot with chalk where the circle will go.



Then in the sashing in between the 2 sashings with the above treatment, I have put swirls that I learned last week.



And then of course, those meandering feathers in the top and bottom borders:

My Design Wall - July 26th

Here's the progress from yesterday:

I had some blocks assembled and put them on the wall around noon:


Then I started sewing the blocks together and here's what I had at 1pm:


I worked on it some more, went to eat at Pepe's with Julie and the children, and mowed half the yard, and here's what it looked like at 7PM:


It's pretty simple, but I think the baby's mother will like it.

Stashbusting Week #30

July 20-26, 2009

Fabric Added This Week - 5.5 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date - 111.625 yards

Fabric Used This Week - 4.75 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date - 166.375 yards

YEAR TO DATE STASH USED: 54.75 yards

Well, it sure was good to be sewing again. It appears that I bought more than I used, but I bought a backing for the quilt that I'm working on and I need to have it finished by Aug. 15th, so I know that I'll use it soon.

More Christmas In July Photos

There were so many different projects being worked on from Becky's 14 year old block swap, to Mary's Embroidery, to Dottie's fleece throw, to Rita's pillowcases, to Marty's Christmas tree skirt, to Jan's quilted wallhanging, to Darle's Charm Party bag which she started at one of my workshops and plans to give as a gift, and many, many more.
Cheryl brought a cheater panel with a vest and Becky actually wore one of the completed vests today.



And just look at all the yummy Christmas fabrics:

Back from Christmas in July

Well, I'm back and we've had dinner and now I'm ready for a nap. It was a great day and I got quite a bit accomplished.

First things first, look how nicely everything was packed in my car:



And look at these peppers in our garden. The sun was shining on them just right only minutes before and by the time I ran inside to grab my camera, the sun was behind the clouds. Nice peppers, Dan!





My first project was making 2 magic stockings. We are sending filled stocking to the troops this year and the patterns have been distributed and lots of members are working on them. Here are my 2 and below in the collage is a shot of some that MaryAnn made - WOW! - she was on a roll.



Then I assenbled these lotto blocks from last december. I won the lotto and this is the EQ5 layout I was working late last night. I didn't like the outer border fabric I took, so it is borderless, at least for now!



Then I quilted a couple placemats for our Christmas Placemat project. Last year we gave placemats to Meals-on-Wheels and this year they will go to Midland Meals. I'll get the binding on and have some handwork to do this week. They are reversible and in the photo below, you can see the different sides.

Christmas In July

The Common Threads guild is having a Christmas in July workshop today and I have all my Christmas projects lined up and ready to sew, so I'll have lots of photos to share this evening. Seems funny to say that as it is 12:18 AM and I know that I should be in bed, but I wanted to make a design in EQ5 to take with me. Then, I figured I better post this now as I'll probably be in a rush in the morning to get there by 9 AM. I won a Christmas Tree block lotto last year and I plan to put them together tomorrow, along with making some stockings for the troops, some potholders, and maybe a table runner if I have time.

Have a great Saturday!

Stars & Loops & Bugs & Dinosaurs! All Done!

This one went pretty fast, but of course the quilting design is one that I can almost do in my sleep. Turned out pretty cute, I think. The thread is PermaCore Grass Green on top and Signature Lime in the bobbin, the batting is Warm & Natural and the quilting design is, of course, Stars and Loops by Linda Taylor.



Above is the front which is all pieced and below is the back which is a panel with borders added.


A very cute idea as long as you remember to make the back a little larger than the front.

Stars and Loops and Bugs and Dinosaurs!

The next quilt in line is Karen's and she planned to quilt this one herself so the top, batting and backing were all pinned. I took it apart and basted muslin strips to all four sides of the pieced backing, as it was the same size or maybe even a bit smaller than the top.


After I did that I loaded it and called Dan in to give his opinion on quilting designs. The choices included Circle Lord Swirls template, Stars and Loops and a new Dave Hudson Dragonfly panto. His choice was the Stars and Loops panto and since it was already on the table, that's the one I went with.

I also finished piecing Clue #1 of Bonnie Hunter's Christmas Lights Mystery Quilt featured in Quiltmaker magazine.

A Day At The Fair

Our county 4-H fair is happening right now and Dan and I went to check it out on Monday. We enjoyed a ribeye steak sandwich and an ear of corn. It was all I could do to sit there and eat calmly What I really wanted to do is go to the Home Ec Building, where the Open Show items were to see if I had a pretty ribbon on one of my quilts.

But, I sat, and ate, and had a nice conversation with some friends. Finally, on to the quilts....

Here it is, a beautiful ribbon........which means that it will be going to the State Fair, I believe. Several of my quilting friends also had champion and reserve ribbons on their quilts.



This is the whole quilt.

Stashbusting Week #29

July 13-19, 2009

Fabric Added This Week - 0 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date - 106.125 yards

Fabric Used This Week - 0 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date - 161.5 yards

YEAR TO DATE NET TOTAL: 55.375 yards

All quilting for customers and NO piecing makes for a very boring stashbusting report.

I did do a bit of piecing on Bonnie Hunters Quiltmaker Mystery Quilt on Saturday, but I will post those amounts as I finish each step.


I even visited Quilts Plus in Indianapolis yesterday with Janet and all I bought were some quilting stencils.

It's Done!

I finished the quilt for Lois last night, but will have to wait until later today to take a full photo of it.




I am especially proud of the swirl border. Carla has some great tutorials on her blog and I am sure glad I checked them out. I used just the basic swirl and maybe next time I'll try one of the others.



EDIT 7/24/09: Here's a shot of the whole quilt:

Making my way down this quilt...

I'm getting there, but it's pretty slow with 2 stops and starts in each block. Turning out really nice though. The outer borders have those feathers, then a swirl in the inner border, a freehand flower in the floral blocks and a leafy vine in the rail fence parts of the blocks. I really struggled with what to put in those rail fence sections, as they don't actually join in a pleasing way.




I still have a ways to go....what is on top right now is the center of the quilt, so I'm half done!

More Feathers

Last night I went to Arni's to meet a guild friend MaryAnn, her husband Bob, her brother, sister-in-law Ardeth (a member of my online guild), their daughter and grandson. Arni's is a must for those who have lived in Lafayette and moved away. It's just one of those places.

We had a wonderful visit and then I went home and loaded this quilt made by Lois. I decided on meandering feathers for the wide borders. I haven't quite decided on the rest of the quilt, but figured I could get started anyway.

Shipshewana Retreat 2010

Well, while at Paducah this past April with JudyL, Elaine, and Becky, we decided to do a Shipshewana Retreat in 2010. The retreat is not affiliated with any one group, so, if you have any friends that would be interested, please let them know. We're just quilters getting together to sew, eat and shop in Shipshewana. There's no better place to do all 3 of those, in my opinion.

The dates are Thursday, October 21 - Sunday, October 24th, 2010 and we are staying at the Farmstead Inn.

An approximate breakdown of the cost is:
$99+tax for a double room with 2 queen beds per night. (add $10 per night for each additional guest, so if you want to share a bed, it's pretty cheap).
PLUS The sewing room will be $400 for the entire retreat and will be divided among attendees. A very nice complementary continental breakfast is served at the inn, but your other meals will be on your own.

I have a block of 20 rooms reserved and can release any unneeded rooms until 30 days prior to the retreat.
This is going to be a simple quilting retreat and I'm not planning a lot of extra activities, although there will be a JudyL mystery quilt.

If you've never been to Shipshewana, you're in for a real treat. If you might be interested, let me know.

The Shipshewana Registration Form

Good Old Stars and Loops!

This quilt of Carolyn's was just calling out for the Stars and Loops panto. I believe that it is her very first quilt and the red, white and blue made the perfect background for this design. I used PermaCore Chambray thread and the batting is a lighweight poly which she supplied.



I applied the binding on the first side for some extra easy money. Hope she likes it!

Stashbusting Week #28

July 6-12, 2009

Fabric Added This Week - 0 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date - 106.125 yards

Fabric Used This Week - 0 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date - 161.5 yards

YEAR TO DATE NET TOTAL: 55.375 yards

Nothing in and nothing out. I almost made a trip to Rossville Quilts when I hear they had lots of bolts for $/yard, but I didn't really NEED any, so I didn't make the trip. I've heard it's back up to $5/yard now and they are closed for 2 weeks for a wedding, so I don't have to worry.

Leafage

This beautiful flannel quilt belongs to Carole and I used the Leafage panto by Keryn Emmerson, PermaCore Topaz Gold thread and Warm & Natural batting. It is a very cozy, nice to snuggle with quilt.





Gotta keep quilting these tops to pay for the new Kia!

Something New...and It's Not Fabric!

Look what came home with me today - a 2009 Kia Sportage.



Oh my gosh, I love it! Lots of room and a very smooth ride. It was time for a new vehicle. I lOVED my Cavalier, but it needed a new exhaust system, the drivers side window took forever to get back up--if you got it down, the heater/air fan didn't work on low, so you either had no air, or LOTS of air.

Maple Dance

This quilt is Mary's and is a pattern that Mona taught us all at Shipshewana in April this year. There were probably a dozen of these quilts done that weekend. Mine is hanging up waiting to be quilted.



Anyway, I used PermaCore camel thread, Hobbs 80/20 batting and Maple Dance panto by Karen Thompson. It's quite an intricate panto, but I really like how it turned out.





Now I think I'm motivated to get mine quilted!

In case you're interested, here's a shot of the 1984 quilt:

Old Tippe Guild

Our guild meeting last night was the beginning of our 25th anniversary celebration. We were asked to bring in a quilt from around 1984, whether made by us, or for us. I took in a quilt that I made way before I would have considered myself a quilter. I'm not at all sure why I made that quilt. But it was machine pieced using a sheet for the background and also a sheet for the backing. I hand quilted it in a large diagonal crosshatch. If there is one thing good that I can say about it....that would be that the binding (also from the sheet) still looks good as new. It was used for many years and the fabrics are worn thin and it has lots of stains. I must remember to take a photo of it later today and I'll post it then.

Linda shared many patterns and tools from that era with us and It was a delightful evening getting to know more about some of the members

Stashbusting Week #27

June 29-July 5, 2009

Fabric Added This Week - 5.375 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date - 106.125 yards

Fabric Used This Week - 3.375 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date - 161.5 yards

YEAR TO DATE NET TOTAL: 55.375 yards

No Quilting, But A Lot of Sewing!

I power washed the front of the house this morning and that just about wore me out. But after some lunch from Moe's, I was ready to sew.

I made this amp cover for one of Dan's friends this afternoon. We made a trip to Walmart yesterday and got the black canvas. I've made a couple of these and they aren't very hard to make. The ones I made before just had Fray-Check applied to the seams, but since I have a serger now, I used that.



Just look at the nice stitches it makes.



While I had the serger out, I made some diaper sized burp cloths for Stefani. They have 2-3 layers in the center just like the ones you can buy. A package of 3 at the Gap is $18.50. I bought 2 yards of flannel at Joanns for $2.99/yard. I made 5 and still have some leftover.



Here are the front and back of a bear in the works for Elizabeth. I need to buy a nose and some eyes before I go any further with it.

Outside pics

This will give you some idea of how big this quilt is. I think Dan is 5'10" or so and it is rather windy today and I needed him to hold the stand.



Carole didn't piece it, but purchased this quilt top at a Mud Sale. I had never heard of such a thing and had to look it up online.

Private Property?

Is my yard....the one we mow and trim the bushes...our private property? Do we need to post a sign within the city limits stating that? How about 1/2 of the driveway (which is a double wide and we share with the neighbors)....

Our neighborhood does not have sidewalks, so our yard is right there at the street edge. At 11:00 last night the street in front of our house was FULL of people, that we don't know, that don't even live near us, and apparently, people that spent lots of money on fireworks. The neighbors we share a driveway with also must have spent lots of money. Which....who cares how much they spent, that's not the point, but they did light fireworks for a very long time.

The point is that some of those people were in our yard, and in our driveway. When my husband went outside to say something, was told that it's a public street and to call the F.... police if he wanted. So, he came inside and called the police.
A lot of good that did! He was told there wasn't anything they could do until after midnight (the ending time for fireworks in our city).
IT DIDN'T MATTER THAT THEY WERE IN OUR YARD!

They did send a patrol car out and he sat at the end of the street until midnight and then drove by and said, "It's midnight, no more fireworks."

I will go out and pick up all the debris before we mow the grass, but I'm certainly not looking forward to speaking to my neighbors today.

I want to know who will clean up the street!
I believe that it's time to sell this house!

Updated Sunday noon: Oh yea, more fireworks today!

IT'S FINISHED!

Whew, that was almost 8 hours of stitching time, which doesn't really seem like much, but probably the longest time I have spent on a quilt. I will hang it and get some good outside shots tomorrow, but here it is:



The bottom side:


This end is the pillow top: