Mom Cave Designs

I've been hinting around about some big things coming, and here they are! It'll be a minute before the shop itself is open, but Grumpy's Camperteria is coming along nicely! Once it's all done, you'll be able to grab a bite to eat and something to drink, walk around and shop, maybe watch Mabel in action or take a class all at the same time!

Grumpy and I will also be using the space to continue our listings on eBay and Etsy and have everything all in one place so we can regain some use of our house 🤣!

It's going to be amazing.

Big changes are coming! Stay tuned, because you are not going to want to miss this!

When you're not paying attention to how much thread is left on the spool, it has its own way of letting you know.

:D

Grumpy and I got home from our latest trip today and I was able to put the finishing touches on the tshirt quilt I had taken with me. A quick run through the washer and dryer, and it'll be ready to head home!

Still trucking along with Grumpy, rocketing back and forth between Kansas, Arizona, and California. It's been hot and hectic, but we had a little bit of downtime this weekend so I was able to finish the binding on a quilt that I brought with me. And here are just a couple of shots from the past few days.

We managed to stay home for a few days this weekend, and I took full advantage of it and practically lived in the Cave. I got several custom quilting jobs done, organized some piles, and actually felt like I got some stuff accomplished. We hit the road again tomorrow and I'll be taking some work with me for whatever downtime we might have.

With the end of the school year came the end of my bus driving gig (for a few months) so Grumpy and I decided that I'd use my usually slow summer months and head out on the road with him. We've driven over 15,000 miles in the past three weeks, mostly between here and Phoenix - with a quick run to Northern California thrown in to keep things interesting. We're heading to Phoenix again in the morning and once we get home on Friday we're taking a break for a few days. I'm looking forward to getting back down in the Cave and finishing up a few projects, so there'll be pictures of those coming. But for now, here's a few shots of life on the road.

Hey - serious question. How many times do I have to report and block your people? It's really getting old. Stop spamming people with this garbage - if you truly have a quality product, it'll speak for itself and you won't have to send your minions out to annoy business owners with assinine messages disguised as "free gifts".

In case you don't quite understand what I'm saying........GO AWAY.

I was in the Cave earlier, working on a quilt. I knew there was bad weather coming, so I moved upstairs to watch and be prepared. Grumpy is on the road and the boys were at work so I was enjoying some peace and quiet until all hell broke loose.

I ran for the basement, and we took a hit from a tornado. Thankfully I was on the phone with Grumpy almost the entire time so he helped keep me calm - and the boys were texting me from their jobs to let me know they were ok.

The house is standing, and doesn't appear to have any damage. If the boys had been home, both of their vehicles would have been totalled. They both made it home safely after it was over.

It'll be a minute before power is restored, as they shut off power to the entire town for now. The pole that supplies power to our house is down in the backyard so I'm preparing for days with no power. The boys and I will get the generator out and running in the morning before we start tackling the tree damage.

It could have been so much worse.

Another finished quilt that has gone home!

This one also shows a good example of how I can take a patch or logo that typically isn't in a "usable" area on a short and make it usable so that it can be included on the completed quilt. I love making all of the pieces fit together in fun and unique ways.

Another day hanging out in a school bus working on another binding. It's raining and generally icky outside, and I foresee a nap or two in my future since I'll be sitting for another 10 hours or so.... although I might have to make a run into the school for snacks at some point 😀.

Next!

I had a horrifying moment the night before last when I realized that I had committed to make a quilt for a fundraiser several months ago.....and the fundraiser is on Thursday 😳. I texted the organizer, who is a good friend, and apologized because I had forgotten about it and there was no way I could do a quilt that fast.

Then the guilt kicked in and I rethought my schedule for the week. I knew I had the materials, so it was just a matter of finding the time. I got off the bus yesterday morning, started pulling shirts out of my piles, and the concept grew in my mind. With zero interruptions, I had the blocks cut, laid out, and partially pieced by the time my afternoon route came around.

The stars aligned, the caffeine kicked in, the music was loud, and by late last night it was done. So if you're interested in owning this quilt (or any number of other items), you can go to the silent auction that Ms. Mary is having for the Dragon Kids program on Thursday evening.

Kicking projects out left and right this week. It wasn't all that long ago that I was making weighted blankets almost non-stop with an occasional quilt thrown in, and now it's the opposite. This weighted blanket was actually finished last week and is ready to go home.

It's been a busy week, trying to knock out orders and deal with life in general. This one was going to end up a bit smaller than the customer wanted, so I added more blanks from the shirts to make it larger without using additional fabric. I do like the way it turned out, even if it's the wrong team 😉.

I don't think I posted this one when I got it done, but another tshirt quilt is ready to go home to Albuquerque. I made a quilt for his older brother a year or two ago, and love when I'm asked to do more for other family members.

Another day hanging out in a school bus, windows open, breeze blowing, listening to a herd of cows off in the distance and watching the weather for the threat of storms. But at least I can work on binding at the same time!

When I find out that a child may be charged to replace an *accidentally* damaged hoodie, my response will always be "bring it over".

As an added bonus, I learned how to use that serger that's been sitting in the corner for entirely too long.

Working without pants is perfectly acceptable when the pants (or in this case ratty old shorts) need to be repaired. It's also acceptable when you work by yourself in your own basement.

Not my typical quilting venue, but it works. Today I get to drive our high school musicians to an event and while they're singing and playing their hearts out, I get to enjoy the amazing weather (finally!) and work on binding a quilt. I'm sure I'll go for a walk and look for food at some point, but until then I'll see how much I can get done.

It's always cold in the morning when I get up to go do my bus route, so I always wear a hoodie. Then I come home, refill my coffee, and head downstairs to work. After being down there under the lights and over the iron for a little bit, I get hot and the hoodie comes off and gets tossed on "the rack". Then it's time for my afternoon route so I grab my coffee and go. This sequence gets repeated multiple times and then suddenly I can't find any more hoodies......🙄

It's been a minute since I posted anything, but it's not because I haven't had anything to do. I've finished several quilting projects while continuing to work on t-shirt quilts in the background along with a bunch of other stuff. And I get to make a weighted blanket this week too! It's been a little while since I've done one of those and realistically, those are what got me started with this whole business thing 😁. Tomorrow (er, today) is going to be a mostly vintage work day while I have a couple of teenagers home to help me do some heavy lifting. But for now, sleep...,

From an OSU quilt a few days ago to an OU quilt today!

I'm often asked if I can only use tshirts in quilts, and the answer is NO! Although this gentleman was a big OU fan, he also had a lot of flannels and button down shirts, all of which were put into the quilt. Mixing different textures and styles sometimes makes the overall project more challenging, but it also makes it more unique. Don't be afraid to ask if I can include a different item of clothing (or even non-clothing) in your quilt!

Another one completed and out the door!

Remember my little rant about Nacho the cat a couple of weeks ago and how he needed to be adopted? Good news! It happened! A dear friend of ours came and got him, got him fixed, got his shots, got his leg wound cleaned up, and took him to her home where she loved him.

And then a few days later, as I was standing on the front porch talking to a friend, who surprised us by showing up again?

Nacho.

He walked away from her house and somehow made it back to our house - 5 miles away 😳.

Needless to say, he has moved inside. He now owns the couch during the day and the foot of our bed at night.

I give up 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Another finished quilt from a few weeks ago - I had to keep the photos under wraps because it was a birthday gift, but now that it's been unwrapped I can finally show it! I do my best to not ruin surprises and so I don't post photos unless I have permission. This one came out awesome and she was happy with it, so yay!

Despite the fact that my house has always been where plants come to die, I keep acquiring plants. This time they were from a friend who moved out of town, and then I found myself scratching my head and trying to figure out where to put these behemoths to keep the cats out of them. They lived in the bathtub for about a week, and then I did some rearranging in the Cave to make room and had a teenager muscle them down the steps for me. So hopefully if I remember to water them and maybe turn the grow lights on and off occasionally..... we'll see how long they last. Also there will be some sewing machines for sale soon because there are way too many sitting there.

The past couple of days have been days of multitasking. From restocking stuff at our booths at to adding Velcro for patches to a jacket to learning Mabel's new brain to working on a quilt layout to actually quilting, it's been crazy. But I've gotten a lot done and that's always a good thing.

Then toss in the return of our awesome neighborhood kitty after he was missing for several days, and while I'm glad that he's back again, *steps onto soap box and conjures up a Bob Barker voice* spay and neuter your animals, people!! Oh, and stop dumping them!!! This guy...this beautiful, loving, sweet tom cat has been hanging around for a couple of months now. His name is Nacho. He lived in our garage for a while, but....he's a boy. And he sprays. So now he lives in a heated box on our porch and eats 4 cans of cat food a day. And I've been trying to get him to our local shelter, but everything has to be done by appointment and it's impossible to get an appointment if no one answers the phone. So....yeah. Nacho needs a home where he doesn't have to fight other toms who are feral (and angry) for space.