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