Four days late.

I saw a post on Facebook that said that January as a "2017 trial period," not an actual month. I can understand that view. I was looking forward to a regular old month but there was nothing regular about it. I had so many plans of things to do but I  fell into a alternative universe where nothing was what I expected. Instead of cozy days in my shop sewing I was in the car going places.

I really prefer staying at home. If it was up to me I would only get out once at twice a month in the winter. Of course I work all summer long and that is thoroughly enjoyable as well. I look forward to work time and I look forward hibernation time.

So to scratch my quilting itch I had to find something portable and according to Alycia Quilts, purple was the color for January so I had the perfect project to pull out and take along on my travels.

I spun my wheels for a couple of days trying for some sun. finally I bundled up and went out in the cold wind to take pictures of the finish.

This started with a quilt top given to me by a friend. It came from her husbands family, and no one wanted it. She had considered doing something with it but she didn't know where to start.

First I took it home and attempted to iron it flat....right....

Every single block was a different size and none of them were remotely square. Some of the seams were scary as someone had decided to wash it and dry it in the dryer. First I took all of the squares apart and picked out the best of the bunch. Most of the squares looked good together but these bright pinks and purples clashed with the more reserved colors. I set aside the calmer colors and focused on these bright ones to play with. First I ironed and starched them as round as possible. Then I squared them up as best I could.

The four in the center came as close to matching edges to make a complete circle. The other sets of three fans sewn together are a bit off at the edge where they match but I wasn't looking perfection considering what I started with.

All of that was started last winter where it went to the box of unfinished projects. When I was looking for a project on-the-go it popped into my mind.

I looked for border fabric online but the two things I ordered didn't look right. Finally I just dug really deep in my own stash and found some of my mothers fabric that was perfect for the border. I believe the purple binding was a thrift shop find. Everything was hand quilted with left over pink and peach thread. I didn't have enough of either so I alternated with both and now those are gone. The embroidered hearts in the center was pearl cotton hand-me-downs from a friend. That peach blade between the navy was some sort of satin and I was worried about its stability so I ironed interfacing on the back before I layered it to give it more support.

The backing was also a thrift shop find. A tiny blue floral that was originally a curtain, perhaps out of someone's nursery.

So, four days late, here is my January Post and I will soon get back to you to let you know what is on the table right now.

Hugs, Sue

A good day to work in the shop.

It has officially started. A brand new year is usually not something I particularly pay attention to but if I want to play with the big kids online I have to think differently. I work at a motorcycle resort for seven months in the summer. In the winter, when I am laid off it is a bit timeless. Most of the time I have no idea what day it is! Ha!

Most years it is fairly warm until the end of December and then the temperature drops. By the middle of February it is so darn cold, my DH and I automatically pack the truck and head for SW Florida to see the kids. We are particularly looking forward to it this year as we had so many health issues last year we missed our trip.

The weather outside is frightful. We are socked in low lying clouds and we are right on the freezing point so it isn't rain, it's glop-ping down.

As I passed through the shop I snapped a photo of a project I am almost finished with.

This poor machine was found at a roadside, community sale in Andrews NC about four weeks ago. The man wanted more than the $10 dollars we paid for it but it was covered with mildew, rust and the case had completely apart in individual boards. He insisted it ran but the wiring was so bad I wasn't about to plug it in.

My husband lugged it into the shop and put it on the table. He cleaned it, oiled and waxed it. He spent some time polishing the chrome and while it isn't perfect it sure looks shiny.  Then he handed it over to me to adjust and rewire. He is a competent electrician but his big hands make it hard to do fiddly little electrical connections that involve soldering. At first I was going to reattach the hardware on the case with new screws like the ones that came out but I decided  that since the wood had been through enough, I went and got small bolts, washers and nuts to put  it back on with to make it stronger. Then all I have to do is touch up the heads with black paint to match and it will be done.

What are you doing on this first day of the year?

Enjoy yourself, I heard it sets the tone for the coming year.

Hugs, Sue

Happy New Year's eve!

On this last day of 2016, I have been reading a number of blogs that have looked back on the past year and are looking forward to the next one. They are posting the  highlights of their past accomplishments and making lists and prioritizing their efforts for the future.

I realize I have not blogged in quite a while and I have missed doing it. I had technical issues, no internet for three months, broken camera and my own and family health issues. This New Year, seems like a good time to restart this party.

I have found the key so lets open it up!!!

Just because I haven't posted for quite a while doesn't mean that I haven't been doing anything. So, I would like to join up with quiltingJETgirl - Linky Party and get back on track. I have been working on my list of projects that need to be finished I have a couple of new ones that are very important to get started on. A certain niece that is graduating might need a quilt, for example.

I also have one ongoing project I may never get completed and that is my 30 plus vintage sewing machines I now have and need to find homes for. Well, maybe not all of them. I have been working on a spread sheet so I can keep track of where and when I got them, their condition, repairs and parts needed and log of what I have spent on them as I work on them.

Expect to see more of me very soon. Have a Healthy and Happy New Year!

Sue

Start to finish.

It all started here. I bought the book Material Obsession 2 and there was one quilt called jazz hands made from one simple kite shaped template . It required hand piecing and I decided I needed a project to sit and do in the evenings while my husband was watching television, to keep me occupied. One thing lead to another and....

then I decided to try for more contrast. By the second block I had quit trying to piece the entire thing by hand. The triangle units were still hand pieced but they were sewn together into the hexagon shape by machine. Frankly I was astonished that the points matched as well as they did. Pressing the back correctly was a major factor.

By the time I got to this block I started looking online for inspiration. I found Marti Mitchell's blog and started reading it from the beginning.

By the time I got to this block I had ordered Marti Mitchell's template "H" for the Kite and Crown which makes a larger hexagon and lead to.....

(By the way, this is my favorite block.)

The good news is that block number 5 was made with the templates I ordered and were rotary cut and completely pieced by machine. The bad news was that I had five blocks laying on the table in two different sizes. The next day my husband had a doctor appointment in Franklin, NC. We stopped at W**M*** to pick up our vitamins and such and I went to the fabric department to see what kind of quilt batting they may have. I spotted this grey/brown polka dot and thought it might be an interesting way to set these hexagons and without any real plan I bought a couple of yards to bring home for an audition. The next day I calculated the difference in size of the smaller units to the larger one and started cutting strips. I surrounded the small hexagons and without any real plan I just laid them on the table and started making up partial blocks to fill in the edges. Once I had a rectangle sewn together I ran upstairs and threw it over my husband and discovered it was way too small to cover up the big guy.

I just started cutting strips for borders and sewing them on. I'd stop and see how they fit my husband. He was laid out on the couch watching a movie at the time. when I finally had him covered with room to spare I pressed the top and set it aside.

While hunting for flannel to put on the back I came across a bag of batting scraps so I sewed together enough to do the job. Then I basted it together and machine quilted it in a sort of wavy line across the quilt because I didn't think I was capable of sewing straight lines. Then I gathered up the rest of the fabric scraps on the table that I could cut
2 1/2" strips and machine sewed on a scrappy binding. Except for the original five experimental blocks, the time to put this together and finish was about 2 days. the fastest quilt I ever made.


Just in time! It's getting cold and my husband has already enjoyed a snuggle under it.

So there it is. I was having trouble getting a picture so I took it to work and asked my friend Bonnie to hold it for me. She was doing a great job until I told her to smile.

The next thing I knew the whole quilt was bouncing up and down and jiggling back and forth as she had a giggle fit. If it's blurry, it's her fault!

Just kidding, dear Bonnie. See her little shoes, isn't she cute.......

Enjoy this blessed day! Sue

Oh good heavens, Sue, I have been telling myself. Get back to it!

The past couple of months have been so busy at work that I come home every day and collapse with something mindless to fill the time until I get to go to sleep. Days off have been a frantic race to get caught up on the house, doctor appointments and other necessary trips to town. Finally I got what I really needed… 3 days off work in a row so I can get some rest and get caught up. I’m too old for working 5 days a week. Not only that but I am married to an old man (I do love older men) and he is a bit time consuming as well.

So, here I am and this is what I have been up to.

I was just getting this quilt started and here I am auditioning borders.

It is done at last. I just pulled it out of the dryer and took it out to hang up for a photo. We have not has any sun, to speak of, for days so this is the best I could do. I absolutely love the way it came out. This is for a soon to arrive grandchild. We do not yet know the sex of the dear one. The parents want to be surprised. I did have a dream though.... I have a feeling it will be a girl. If not I will really be surprised.

I love the texture, I only quilted the background and it made the stripes of the maze pop up. I used two layers of a low loft polyester batting that I had on hand. I wanted it to be soft and fluffy but not hot as it is headed for south Florida

The backing fabric was too narrow to fit so I used my scraps to make a filler stripe. I didn't have much left. I was planning an alternative corner fill in around the central motif that were some fan shapes but I like the partial maze in the corner better.

I am sure I will find something else to do with those fan blades I cut out.

Here we are at the final phase of the remodel on out son's trailer. 

I don't have any current pictures but he is moved in and happy as a clam. In other exciting news, he found a job at Snowbird Mountain Lodge and really likes it. He really needed something to do other than hang around with a couple of old farts like his parents. His boss is respectful of his disabilities as he is a veteran as well.

The view driving to work is as stunning as ever. I leave early every day. I have this thing about being late and consequently, if the fog permits in the morning I have two overlooks to stop and enjoy the view for a minute or two. 

When I stopped at the overlook to see the sunrise, I thought this was a much more interesting photo. Instead or joining them over at the edge I sat in the car and enjoyed them enjoying it as well. 

So now that I have primed the pump, so to speak, I need to take some more photos and show you some more stuff.

See you again soon!

Hugs, Sue

The Process

Strips are being sewn, wedges are being cut, fabric is being tossed willy-nilly about. Not sure exactly where I'm going yet but the process is way over half the fun!

I spent 20 minutes or more sitting at a picnic table eating lunch yesterday. I was totally absorbed with this wall. All of the beauty of Tuskegee valley was invisible as I sat and stared at this. Anybody see a quilt pattern? I was intrigued by the proportion of the various widths of stone and how they meshed with larger and smaller pieces to make up a mostly uniform grout line. 

One other thought. One of the fabulous fringe benefits of having a blog is that the links you put there are available to you by simply looking at your own blog. No more searching for those things you saw but can't exactly remember what the website was called. 

Have fun today, I intend to do so! Hugs, Sue

Interlocking Season's Quilt Block

I surprised myself. I found this cool tutorial link on Amy Badskirt's blog. The actual tutorial is at The Parfait Cafe. It is called Interlocking Seasons Quilt Block. The surprise is that I was able to do this in one short evening. 

I have been reading Amy's blog from the beginning. It is fun, fun and fun, all wrapped up together. I wish I lived next door so I could invite myself over and breathe some of that creative air surrounding her. Breathing in your own creative air gets old after a few decades. 

I think I will set it with big triangles at the sides on point. Gotta go to Iron Horse to work right now and shift gears to paperwork and hospitality. Hopefully it is busy so I won't have time to daydream. I have big ideas for all of that negative space. More to follow..... 

Enjoy this beautiful day! Hugs, Sue