Digitizing Hugs & Kisses for in-the-hoop

[Liberata T.]

An update: Hugs & Kisses is not finished yet because knee surgery was indeed in my immediate future --now in my past . The right knee was replaced on July 8th and the left on July 15th. I spent July in the hospital, much of August on the couch when I wasn't at physio therapy or exercising at home. We had a dear friend who was coming to visit us on Aug. 22 and I was motivated to be able to walk with just one crutch by the time she arrived. We even managed a trip to Paris and Tuscany before she joined her tour group on Sept. 12th. I am now walking without any crutch around the house and part time with 1 crutch when DH and I go out. DH finally let me out of the house on my own using public transportation (I am still not allowed to drive) on the 16th. I am resuming my social life this week with book club, my craft group and the cooking group. Not much time for quilting but I am going to make a start next week. :lol:
Now, I hope I remember how to use the 830 ... . :?

[Margo C.]

Hope that all the knee pain is a thing of the past!!

[Pam D.]

Libbi, I hope that you are sprinting around soon. You just need to be able to use the pedal ;-) Take care of yourself, Pam

[karen f.]

I hope your recovery continues to go well. I'm glad to hear the worst is behind you now.

[Liberata T.]

Wow, I cannot believe that it is Jan 2012 and I am FINALLY getting around to finishing the 2010 BOM. I must thank all of you for your good wishes during my double knee replacement surgeries and recovery. To sum up, I spent July in the hospital (some complications with a MRSA not associated with the knees), the first weeks of August on the couch, visitors in August and September with some holidays but still on one crutch, October getting my non-quilting life back in order, and well, Nov. and Dec. preoccupation with the holidays and restarting my social life. I have finished with regular physio and now only see the knee surgeon every few months. One might think that I would have loads of time for quilting since it requires sitting at the machine but NO. There is a lot of getting up and down from the machine to cut, rearrange on the design wall, etc., AND putting the metal to the petal for long periods of time can be painful. It is also difficult to manhandle a large quilt while on even one crutch. But now my New Year's resolution is to get back to work because I have collected some UFOs along the way. Again, thanks for all your good wishes.

[Pam D.]

Libbi, it's great to see you back and renewing your relationship with your fabric and machine :-)

Happy New Year.

[Lotti D.]

hello libbi
glad to read that you're back into fully functioning condition.
have fun ...

[Norma H.]

Hi Libby. Glad to see you here again. You made me laugh out loud, because the sentence metal to the petal is the opposite of what Eleanor Burns used to say. Thanks for a good laugh.

[Liberata T.]

Long time, no post. Where did 2012 go? I had such hopes to finish Hugs & Kisses in 2012 after completing the quilt top and ordering the backing fabric from the USA. But I had to quit my Quilting Guild and the Friday Craft group was without a meeting site. This left me without the means to create the quilt sandwich. I cannot crawl around the floor any more and didn't have a alternative to do it safely and comfortably. I guess I lost interest in quilting with UFOs piling up. So I just did embroidery projects and started a new craft--wire wrap jewelry making. I was busy all through the holidays. Then I made the 2013 New Year's resolution... back to quilting and no more UFOs.
I needed to tackle my FMQ and quilting design skills to do this. I started with Cindy Needham's Craftsy course and found the answer to my quilt sandwich dilemma with her technique. With the proper table the process is a breeze for me. Using her course and Leah Day's, I've completed Hugs and Kisses and now have renewed my enthusiasm for quilting. One more UFO to go!

[Lorna B.]

Beautiful quilt, Libbi!

I'm quilting another top now, but hope to get to Hugs and Kisses and StarCrazy next.

[Lotti D.]

Yeah, Libbi. So good to see you back here! H&K is beautiful and well worth the wait!

[Norma H.]

Hi Libby. Your quilt is beautiful.
I have been thinking of you, missing you on the forum. Glad to hear you are safe.
When I make a quilt sandwich with such a big quilt, I use Sharon Schamber's method with boards.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhwNylePFAA

It works very well. You really have control over it but I guess it works only if you have a wide table to work on.

[Margo C.]

Hey Libbi! Welcome back! Good for you for a beautiful finish!

For those of you who haven't seen Libbi's embroidery on this quilt, check her profile for some great photos!

see-quilts/show-and-tell-quilts/

[Renata L.]

Welcome back, Libbi! Love your quilt--must feel good to have finished it!

[Rita C.]

Great finish Libbi, what a lovely quilt. Nice to see you back on the forum.