Just for fun...: October 2008 Archives
It's been a beautiful week for hot air ballooning in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Need a little something to lift your mood? Hot air balloons are just the ticket. As we wind through the final days of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, I've been busy snapping pics to share. I hope they brighten your day.
These are from Tuesday morning, 10/07/08. It was a bit hazy but sunny and blue skies.
Click thumbnails to view larger images in a pop-up window.
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Need a little something to lift your mood? Hot air balloons are just the ticket. As we wind through the final days of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, I've been busy snapping pics to share. I hope they brighten your day.
These are from Tuesday morning, 10/07/08. It was a bit hazy but sunny and blue skies.
Click thumbnails to view larger images in a pop-up window.
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Here are more from Thursday morning, 10/09/08:
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Close your eyes and drift away in a beautiful balloon...
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Can you imagine the sewing machine that stitched this? |
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Close your eyes and drift away in a beautiful balloon...
Click images to open a larger image in a pop up window.I gave Max (if you are new to this blog, my longarm is named Max) a really good workout this week.
I'm not working on anything special...just a practice muslin piece, using red Glide Thread and a coordinating red MagnaGlide Bobbin. I've had almost no breakage or tension problems and the ones I did have were related to operator error (silly me, I didn't notice that my thread had come out of one of the guides). I just *LOVE* this thread. The picture doesn't do justice to the sheen.
This
practice piece is all scribbles in red thread, punctuated with random scribble stars. Here's a close-up.
My goal is not to make a masterpiece out of this. Everybody has to start somewhere. I've read many places that longarm quilting is a lot like dancing and I think that is very true. We weren't born dancing. We have to learn how to crawl and walk before we can dance. The same goes for longarm (and even domestic) quilting. My goal *is* to get really comfortable with quilting on Max. This exercise has been exceedingly successful in doing that. I'm much more at ease as I quilt.
If you're new at longarming, my tip for this week is to put on a small practice piece (just layers of muslin is fine). Now quilt! Just lay down a LOT of thread. Practice, practice, practice. Feel the machine, watch the thread, just let it flow. Don't be afraid. Practice movements in all directions, circles, squares, swirls and anything your heart desires. Then when you're done, scribble over all of it until you can't see any recognizable designs any more.
This exercise has been very therapeutic for me and I've had several small "ah-ha!" moments! Try it--I bet you will too.
My goal is not to make a masterpiece out of this. Everybody has to start somewhere. I've read many places that longarm quilting is a lot like dancing and I think that is very true. We weren't born dancing. We have to learn how to crawl and walk before we can dance. The same goes for longarm (and even domestic) quilting. My goal *is* to get really comfortable with quilting on Max. This exercise has been exceedingly successful in doing that. I'm much more at ease as I quilt.
If you're new at longarming, my tip for this week is to put on a small practice piece (just layers of muslin is fine). Now quilt! Just lay down a LOT of thread. Practice, practice, practice. Feel the machine, watch the thread, just let it flow. Don't be afraid. Practice movements in all directions, circles, squares, swirls and anything your heart desires. Then when you're done, scribble over all of it until you can't see any recognizable designs any more.
This exercise has been very therapeutic for me and I've had several small "ah-ha!" moments! Try it--I bet you will too.
There really is no substitution for practice, practice, practice. Don't be afraid--get in there and just do it!
