Sunday Summary

Another week has gone zooming past.  I finished quilting the Quilts of Valor quilt and went to my monthly QOV meeting on Friday. 

Then I went to a class on Saturday to learn how to make a 2-Hour Backpack.  A local quilt shop a little north of me, Scrap & Sew, offered the class.  I am making mine to give to kids in need.

Ha!  There’s no such thing as a 2-hour backpack.  We were instructed to cut out all of the pattern pieces and have them fused to the interfacing before we went to class – that took me an hour and a half on Friday night.  Then the class took three hours and we all took the entire time to make our projects.

this was the class sample

The above pictures are the projects made by two other participants in the class.  Don’t you love their fabric choices?

And this is mine.  I LOVE IT !!

I will be making more of these – it was great fun once you understood the pattern (parts of it were not clear/instructions not included but the picture was there/conflicting instructions, etc).  Good thing the instructor had made a sample because we referred to it often, but the process will go more quickly the next time.

Hand Work Before Quilting

The local Project Linus group was given this darling piece to use for one of their quilts:

The pretty pink-checked gingham fabric is mostly finished with “chicken-scratch” embroidery.  Remember chicken-scratch?

 "Chicken scratch embroidery" is a form of cross-stitch

            embroidery done on gingham fabric, also known as "teneriffe,

            depression lace" or "snowflaking" among other names.

Almost everyone’s mom had some checked gingham aprons in her kitchen drawers with embroidery on them:

photo credit:  Blog Second Hand Roses

http://tinyurl.com/lqk3pg7

So before I attempted to quilt this one up, I decided to dig out all of my embroidery flosses and see if I could remember how to work these stitches and finish this little project.

I was organized many years ago!  This is box 1 of 2.

This is where it looks like someone else had the same idea to finish it, but gave up on completing the work – this heart was partially completed:

 

No two stitchers have exactly the same touch – and this little piece as a slightly different look than the heart on the right of it.  My stitches are likely to look slightly different also, but by the end, they will all blend in and the piece will be darling!

The one design is done using the Circle-Stitch and the other is the New Smyrna Star Stitch.  Yep … I remember how to do those.  So now I have something to do while sitting in waiting rooms … I should be done by this time next year – LOL!

BIG SMILE !!!

I’ve Been Working

I’ve been knocking myself out on a quilt that is much larger than I am used to.  I won’t be able to show it here until it is given away, but here are two sneak preview pix:

 

Front

Back

Odd fabric choices, huh?!  But I am happy with the finish and I’ll be sure to show the entire project later.

Meanwhile, here is the sunset reflected in the clouds outside my sewing room window:

And knowing how goofy I am, it won’t surprise anyone to know that I let some of the weeds grow from the birdseed that I put out just to see what plants come up.  This was turning into a beauty but I had yet to identify it – I was waiting for a blossom or something:

But I waited too long and the deer decided it was good to munch on …

Now I’ll never know what it really is – I think the deer just call it “tasty” – LOL.

A Non-Sewing Day

I volunteered to escort a little Flat Stanley around for a young Boy Scout who’s Mom is a quilter in Minnesota.  So they sent me a sample Flat guy and I colored him up to go visiting here in Florida.

Today’s visit and Kodak moments were in Dunedin, FL.  First a little background:

Dunedin is on the west-central coast of Florida bordering the Gulf of Mexico.  It is the sister city of Stirling, Scotland and cherishes its Scottish roots.  Learn more at this site:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunedin,_Florida

A few highlights of Flat Stanley’s visit:

Flat Stanley was first introduced to a Highlander playing the bagpipes, so Stanley had to try it out on his own set of pipes.

I’m afraid that poor Stanley wasn’t very good at it, so he decided to climb the Welcome Sign instead – can you spot him?

Then Stanley started to explore Dunedin – on the outskirts of Downtown is the Spring training stadium for the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team.

Right in downtown Dunedin there is a wall mural by Anna Hamilton on the side of a restaurant that supports the Dunedin Doggie Rescue group – Stanley thought he’d look good in a photo with all these puppies – check out the name on the mural – Dogedin!

Also right downtown is the old Railroad Depot where Stanley decided to climb onto the luggage cart – get down from there Stanley!

It was a very hot day, so Stanley ducked into the Orange Café that is located in an old railroad car … Stanley ordered an ice cold lemonade.

Then Stanley left downtown and wandered over to watch the boats go by on the Gulf of Mexico.  Since there was a stiff breeze, Stanley couldn’t catch a sailboat in his picture, but they were out there!

Altogether, it was a very nice day for Stanley.  I expect Stanley will be out and about again next weekend.  As for me – I’m pooped!

Having Trouble Staying on Task

I'm getting a new quilting machine and frame!  I'm so excited ...
I'll have my first lesson on the new setup this Tuesday while it's still in the local quilt shop.  And the thing is huge.  Make that HUGE.  I've been doing this to clean out some things and make room for it:

that dresser in the back will be leaving the premises

The mess is even worse now.  But my tabletop machine is still active and I've been finishing a UFO.  I need more fabric to add borders (can you say "shopping"?!).  And that light purple block in the dark star is making me nuts, so I'll have to rip it out and move it.  It'll take a little finagling since I can't just replace it with that dark blue square above it - that would put 2 dark blues together in the dark star, but I'm making progress at deciding what to do - it might take a Rubic's Cube puzzle person to solve it for me!

this will go to Quilts of Valor

It’s Still All About the Machine

I went to “Bernie school” last night to learn all about how to use my new Bernina efficiently and effectively.  The instructor was great - I learned a lot of tips and now feel like my new machine is an old friend.   This class was about the feet (lots of feet) and tension and how to oil and clean the machine.  I also had a moment of “machine envy” for the people who had the high-class embroidery machines in the class, but that passed quickly because that’s really not the kind of sewing that I want to do!

I decided to try out some of the decorative stitches today.  These weren’t part of last night’s class since that will be covered next week, but I couldn’t wait.  I made a new placemat to put underneath the machine on my sewing table.  The old one was looking pretty ratty.

It's not really uneven - it's hanging
off the side of the ironing board

A few types of decorative stitches
that I might try when sewing on bindings

I will bind it tomorrow – another adventure on the machine.  I know I told you that she just plain p-u-r-r-r-r-s.  I still love that part.  So this saga will continue …. 

The Week’s Progress

It’s time for a little update from this week’s sewing:

"    I finished quilting and binding the easy quilt with the last of the little happy froggy fabric that I loved.  This one will go to Wrap-Them-in-Love.

            PS  Do you see snakes or Loch Ness Monsters on the backing fabric?

I prefer thinking about Nessie – LOL

"    I finished up the little Rogue’s Gallery top that in no way turned out the way I had envisioned it!  Sometimes I wish I had an EQ program or used Paint to design my improvised quilts, but I know that those would just cut into my actual SEWING of quilts, so I get off of the computer…

"    And, I machine appliquéd a few sailboats for my rows of a Round Robin from the Sunshine Quilt Guild.  The center with the little twisters reminded me of winds and sea colors and the next row looked like night stars, so I thought the top needed a few sailboats.  Do you agree?

 Later this week I’ll be attending my local Quilts of Valor meeting, so I’ll have to finish up the top I’ve been working on.  I’m sure I'll get done in plenty of time to take it to the meeting:

 What’s on your sewing tables and design walls?!



Battle of the Beetles

Well, that title should really read “battling the beetles”.  I have a live-and-let-live policy with bugs … I live in my house and they live outside.  End of story (for the bugs, that is).

That policy was violated yesterday when my DH discovered that his box of dried mashed potato flakes in the pantry had beetles.  Because he has been on a diet restricting potassium for awhile, that box hadn’t been touched in close to 4 months.  I guess that was plenty long enough for the critters to come out from somewhere and multiply.

Cleaning/emptying Pantry in Process

What IS all of this stuff?!  It expired WHEN?!!

Needless to say, we scoured the pantry, threw away lots of old stuff and examined and/or repackaged anything not in a can or tin.  I must admit, the pantry hasn’t looked this good since we moved in 10 years ago, but what a job!

Fortunately, the discovery was made after I had finished off a few things in the sewing room:

I called it Purple Posies

This top was made from some Ohio Star blocks I had made up a few months ago.  I had meant to put them on point, but I didn’t have enough fabric and I wanted this to come totally from my stash, so hence, another rectangle quilt from me.

And this is the border finished on the little cars quilt from my previous post:

The binding will be the dark blue

And this is the start of my swap project with The Scratching Post:

This swap is called “Collections” and the jars can hold anything that can be collected (e.g., bugs, fish, fruit, vegetables, school supplies, nuts and bolts, sewing supplies, … you name it).  Mine are butterflies, fish, turtles, etc. – the novelties were all from my stash again.  Each set has three different size/shapes of jars and three different fabrics.  They need their jar tops yet, but that was when I got interrupted for the Great Beetle Chase.

I knew I was behind on quilting tops, but I found out I now have 8 tops stacked up (I thought I had 3 or 4), so this is the week to get those done and in a box and out of here!

Little Basket 'O Tops is full

Sounds like one of those Best Laid Plans again ….

My First Doll Quilt

I blogged about the Lil’ Twister baby quilt that I made recently (see photo in this post).  The baby-to-be has a big sister (aged 2 ½) and I usually give any siblings a little gift along with the baby gift so they won’t feel left out.  This time I had bought a cute stuffed toy known as a “Pillow Pet” … this little ladybug has a Velcro belt underneath that you can undo and lay the critter flat for a small pillow.  I decided to make the critter a little blankie that matched the baby’s quilt.  It is doll-sized at 12 ¼ x 14 ¼ and I love its diminutive dimensions!

And I am making progress on working on my mom’s storage boxes.  This is why there is too much stuff:

These were all in a Baggie from just from one box of bathroom items (there are more boxes) – and she already has other multiples of these scissors, nail clippers and tweezers in her bathroom at assisted living.  These are going out the door ASAP … then maybe my sanity will come back!

Little Known Fact of the Day

Today is Tolkien Reading Day.  This annual event, launched by The Tolkien Society in 2003,  takes place on 25 March. It has the aim of encouraging the reading of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, and the use of Tolkien's works in education and library groups.

The date of March 25 was chosen in honour of the fall of Sauron, in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.  The day was originally suggested by columnist Sean Kirst, of the Syracuse, NY Post-Standard newspaper. He has since organized Tolkien Reading Days every year since 2008.  Here is an artist's rendering of Bilbo Baggin's home in Hobbiton:

http://www.cedmagic.com/featured/tolkien/h-2-4103-hobbiton.html

And now for "what's on the drawing board":  This quilt will go to the Japan Comfort Quilt effort sponsored by Quilter's Newsletter Magazine and their Japanese magazine counterpart.  My 15 yr old rotary cutter broke today (it had a lovely long and useful life) so I will get another and finish cutting and sewing blocks this weekend.