Finished Top - Pinwheels

Size ~~ 32 x 49

8" blocks finished

Ya' know,,,,for a new block experience, these pinwheels were actually somewhat easy to make....a bit tedious while lining up the edges for the seam, but otherwise OK.  

Of course, I only made 8 of them..and my trusty 50+ yo Singer sewed through all the bulk!

Each pinwheel seam is double sewed....one when I attached the wing to each block and one when I attached the blocks together...I changed my stitch length to smaller so there would be holding power.

I am pleased with the color combo....

I taking this along tomorrow when I head to Giddings, Texas (about 2 hrs away) with my quilt group to Gerline's, a lovely quilt shop there. If time allows, we might even go to the other local LQS, Around the Block, which is in town. The thick seams need to nestle into the batting the best they can so it can be used as a quilt if desired...

Also, Really, I am happy with the colors, but look at the outer border...it does bring out the green in the blocks, but I am thinking some other fabric would look better....So I am keeping an open mind and an eye out. If I don't, I will always wonder.... It wouldn't take long to change.

Thanks for droppin' by........

Pinwheels Spinnin'

There was a stack of fabric on my shelves for who knows how long.  Almost every time I looked at them I thought to myself that I had to make Something out of them soon...they were tugging at me.

The chance came.....after tweaking the pile with some additions from a recent LQS trip, these will be joining their com-padres in a  baby quilt.

 I have all but one pinwheel block done (finished size 8") ...4 each....and will soon decide which one will be my 5th wheel,,,,,so to speak....have to see how they look when laid out.

Because of the thickness of the pinwheels, I plan to tie this quilt, using all 6 strands of embroidery thread....short strings....probably will tack each of the folded corners + a few other places....

Yes, there will be borders...

 

New Month, New Projects, and.....Finally! Progress on a Long Time Waiting....

Welcome August!

A LQS trip yesterday resulted in finding the necessary fabric to complete my stash hunt for this next project....

This will have to be a quickie...kinda..... and I will use, in part, these luscious looking goodies...

Peach and "Suede" colors.....makes me think of ice cream.....

At the same time, I am starting another Leader/Ender project....If you remember, I have also started a tumbler stash using my Go Baby...

I have a long way to go before I am ready to use these, ,,,

so I am kitting up some blocks and will be making bow ties out of some scraps and use them as my L/E project in the meantime... no, they aren't sewn yet....

Hopefully the bow ties won't become untied.

This is only about 12 blocks/to/be....and there is still so much of the same fabric left! I have only semi-small remnants and I could have made oodles more...I still am keeping what is left for something else....

Hopefully I won't be overrun by L/E projects instead of main ones....

Talking about a Main Project,,,,look here......

Yes, it has started!  the sewing machine saga has reached another chapter!  My DH is measuring the foam box so it can be smaller (and hopefully less $$ to send) and still protect the machine.  Won't go into detail, but he is going to cut out the excess space and "slide" the other edge next to the machine.  Oh, it is upside down now because the cover is on it and the latches bite into the foam a little.  It was easier and less messy than if we pushed the machine right side up all the way down into the box...we will be labeling the box "This Side Up."

Maybe we can send it soon.....

See Ya...

Wash Day Stars --------DONE!....

The top, that is.....

Measuring ~~~~ 94 x 108 inches......

And laid out on a double bed,.....edges folded up to show border.........

.....and a closeup.....

It should cover the bed nicely.  IF,,,,and this time I say, IF...... I HQ it, the pattern probably will be just straight lines, sewing a little out of the ditch on at least one side of each seam.....maybe hopping over squares to continue with star seams.

Binding will probably be in yellow also....that is a fer distance away yet......

One More Pillowcase - er, Quiltcase....

Picked up an orphan block from our quilting group and combined it with a pillowcase...

I zigzaged it onto the fabric before I sewed the cuff on. 

I'll be taking the pillowcases to the group next Monday.  

Now to start on my short (Ha!) list of quilt tops I want to make.........

Pillowcases - the Easy Way

Believe it or not, I have not sewn very many pillowcases.... it takes me awhile to home in on the easy stuff....

This site and this other site helped me a lot.  This is nothing new,,,The idea is more than 3 years old....but I am linking it because there may be some "newbies" out there....or "oldies" like I am.  As they say,

Everything is new to someone who is experiencing it for the first time.....

These will be used to hold the Wounded Warrior quilts our group have decided to make on an ongoing basis.  After 5 or 6 quilts are made, they will be sent to our contact in San Antonio to be distributed as they see fit...and then we start on 5 or 6 more...etc...We are a small group, but feel we can handle this okay....

Since I have other commitments right now (baby/niece/etc), I know I will not be getting to the WW quilt soon, so I opted to making a few pillowcases for the ones others are working on...

I don't know why it has taken me so long to learn such an easy way to make them!  

Borders.....and to Solve an Irritation......

I just finished the main body of my quilt....all 23 rows of 19 blocks each.

Only have the 3 borders to work on, one set of which I have put together and the other two borders comprising only 1 1/2" wide strips of fabric I have yet to pick. 

Time to think about the next thing to do....

My Singer 503 has behaved beautifully..... still quiet and sturdy....

Except...

The original spindle size is too small for the spools of thread these days.  They are long enough so the spools won't bounce off, but they do bounce....and make noise...

Also, the holes in the spools are too wide for the spindles, and they shimmy and shake.  Sometimes I feel like I am making music for wild jitterbug dancers....

Understand, I can live with this....when the spools are full, they don't move around too much....but I do like to hear the sweet hum of the machine as I sew, and that "ain't gonna happen" as it stands now...

Other than bypassing the spindles altogether and using an off-the-machine holder for my thread, does anyone have a suggestion of something I might be able to use as a spacer? 

Anyone?  Anyone? 

(ie: Ferris Bueller)

Repeat and Repeat and Repeat - Over and Over and Over - That's What Makes a Quilt

I came to the conclusion a long time ago.....Making a quilt is a mixture of mindless repetition and stimulating activity.....

It makes your mind work and also gives it a time to rest. You can be lulled into automation and then awakened........

Well, you get the idea....

I am now to the point of  "Will I EVER get finished with this thing!?"

No, I don't mean....well, maybe I do mean... the packing laid out for that sewing machine for my sister in the background..... (sigh)

I'm not finished,,,,,,yet,,,,,,,but I only have 4 more rows to do....No, not those 4 bundles,,,,those will be one of the 3 borders around the quilt.  

BTW , aren't those clips cute!  Got several packages of 4 each from Harbor Freight...they are hard plastic, hold well, easy on the fabric and big enough to hold bunches...and they are easy to see in amongst a pile of stuff!

I am pinning together the last of my blocks from these...

There are slight variations in the piles....I have gotten to the point that all the 4 square blocks kinda blend in together anyway....

 This project is also ongoing....

  I am still not sure how I will sew the 9 patches so I am stalling by starting on the bunnies....sewing around them several times.... what's that called,,,,,,echoing, shadowing, ?????

See ya.....

Wash Day Stars - Ongoing

I finally have gotten back to my sewing after a great while...

I'm using my bed to lay out the finished/unfinished rows.  Rows 1-15 are together; rows 16-19 are being laid out here; rows 20-23 yet to do, then 3 borders.

Since I have been back, my sewing as suffered, as I mentioned...just other things to do.

...My DH had cataract surgery and he is up and running now; I had to drive him everywhere!

 my house needed TLC when I got back....actually DH kept it nice and neat...just needed a lot of tweaking; 

...A lot of visiting;

...A lot of resting after trip;

...Yard work

One of the loads we took to the back pasture...trimmed trees, cleaned and clipped brush from fence, and vines from this... it still runs, FYI.

BEFORE

AFTER

And guess when we did the yard work?   The week it was  HOT HOT HOT

It hit 104 & 105.......We were in and out during the several days we worked and did most of  it was after 8:00pm when it cooled down to about 85 or 90....

Stranger in Town.....

I feel as if I am a Stranger here....haven't blogged in such a long time...

That being said, here are some pictures....

This is my grandmother's Singer 500.  It has built in stitches.. the large knob has letters on one side and numbers on the other.  The manual matches the decorative stitch with the correct number/letter.  It works like a charm.  This can still use the different cams as well, the space for them is under the lid. 

Behind the machine is the cover...These are hard to find...This one actually still works...it can latch down to it's partner on the machine and can turn this into a "portable" machine...Of course, the machine weighs about 20-25 pounds, but it is portable...

I am sending this to my sister in NH.  I waited until summer when the polyfoam ice chests arrived.  If I angle the machine toward the corners, it will fit in there comfortably with enough space for the manual, foot pedal, various original tools, and extra attachments for it. Oh, and the handle comes off the cover, so that will be there also. 

The lips were in the baggie with the tools...  who knows....

Of course, after I pad and push and pack the ice chest, it will go into another box and I will be putting spacers, padding etc in that also.  Hopefully, it will get to her okay.  Won't be because of not trying...

The machine works like a charm, BTW.  

Also, I still have and am working with my mother's Singer 503 slant machine...so I am not sacrificing at all....

The Housekeeping Part of Quilting

Since I didn't use my Go Baby while on the trip, I am using it now, before I get too involved with my ongoing projects...

I have already outgrown the small temporary container for my 2 1/2" strips and 3 1/2" tumblers.  I plan to make some rectangles and squares also.  I have a lot of ziplock bags stuffed with "possibles" and am trying to go through them..

I spilled out a couple on the floor for effect...

Honestly, this is the first time I have used my Baby to this degree since I got it, so I really haven't decided which dies to concentrate on...I am trying to make as many strips as I can.  I have some larger dies (HSTs), but want to concentrate on some of the smaller dimensions for now.

I chose the tumbler die because I haven't made a quilt using them before...hopefully I will have a variety of colors to choose from when I am ready....

Looking at the above picture......It Really is a Mess, isn't it!

Quick Update....Made it Back...& Made a Quilt....

I'm back from my trip to help with the grandchildren....

My plans regarding all the sewing etc....?  Tried, and they were interested, but too many things to do, new baby to get used to, etc....

I did do something however... on the first weekend there, my DDIL and I went to Walmart so I could pick up some odds and ends...embroidery needles, etc...

We picked out some fabric to go along with some FQs I brought, and while she was in the hospital, made a quickie, one piece w/border, no binding, flipped right side out and sewn edge, quilt. All with the children's help (some sewing, some watching little people, some holding strands of embroidery thread while I separated them, and the oldest cutting and tieing the quilt after I had anchored the thread.  We had it ready and in the porta-crib when Mercy Adele came home...

The Back....

An Unexpected Surprise and a Had To Stop and Tell Moment

Yes, I am still leaving (tomorrow)...car is almost packed, thanks to DH and everything is ready to go.

At the last minute, I decided to give my DS & DDIL some of Mother's Christmas ribbon and other things. I was going through it, taking out the breakable ornaments, and ran across a couple of items, one of which I thought was lost forever!

These are staying here,,,,,well, maybe one will go for a "show and tell"....

She loved wind-up toys.. I laid this one down for a better perspective...it still works..wind it up, turn the  switch (at the top, unseen) and the needle still goes up and down...Best ever!

The other thing is a puzzle my Grandfather showed me when I was real young, pre-teen...Yes, you can find the solution on the internet now, but it was back in the 40s when I saw this the first time....and what was so great was that he had crafted the pieces out of metal himself (he and my grandmother worked with metal and rivets at a local Naval Base during War II.)

Make a block out of these 4 pieces (sorry, they are still as they came out of the plastic bag, I need to clean them a little)

That was easy.

NOW,,,,,,

adding another piece, make a square out of these 5 pieces..

.

How cool is that!

Notice, I did not show you the solution. 

See you in a few weeks.....

No Picture Post - Traveling Again..

Just touching base with everyone....I am driving North to KY later this week to care for my GC.  Their sister will arrive soon and my son and wife need a little help during her first week there.  I am not sure when I will return, but know that it will be somewhere early mid month of May.  I'll be out of pocket, but hope to have some pictures when I get back.  I'm taking two sewing machines, my Featherweight and my Janome, along with scraps,  Go Baby/dies, a few fat quarters, and other items...hopefully, I can introduce sewing to the older children, 4 boys and 1 girl, ... Need to figure out how to keep the youngest 2 busy...

Now if I can just remember my camera....

Motel Sew-In - Part II

I started with the basics...laid out some of the blocks too see the beginnings of the design....I had finger pressed the seams which didn't seem to do much good.  I decided to use my little iron on all. That would help in the trimming.

The motel had an iron and ironing board, but it was big and cumbersome.  I used my little travel iron and the ironing pad I made from a wooden cheese board a while back.

One nice thing....I had a big king size bed to lay the rows out as I decided which ones go where and what blocks I needed.  That I don't have in my room at home.  It was lovely!  I even considered leaving them there at the foot of the bed and sleeping crossways above them, but decided that was a bit much....

This was the night I watched/listened to 3 good movies on TV as I stitched until 2 in the morning....

Of course, these circles kinda caught my eye.  They do fight for attention in the picture also...a band of circles on the end of the bed....

But I finished 3 rows of 38 squares  each.  A good start on a top. 

Finally, I saved the HSTs I cut off the corners in hopes I can use them later on something else..I will have a Million of them when I finish!