A find!

Unbelievable find at an Estate sale yesterday!   Total paid....$20 end of the day price.  It was the last 99K left.....we were told there were 14 Featherwieghts and 4 99Ks in the morning.   It is in such beautiful shape, I can't  imagine what we missed in the morning.
  DD has claimed it....of course!  I will get it oiled and checked out before we leave.

   This morning's hunt was a Barbie gold mine.  I did awesome picking for her.  Actually, the dolls were just lined up on the sofa and I filled my arms with them.


Almost time to go check out some vintage autos......photos to follow.  

Found space!

   I have been whining again about the ironing board dilemma.  I hate setting it up, shifting it around, moving it into the hall for space....and on and on.  I see those wonderful ironing set ups on Pinterest and I am so envious.  Why can't I figure out how to squeeze one into my sewing room?

  I was sitting at my machine preparing to hem some jeans for Sir Old Man, and knew I needed the ironing board again.  It was tucked neatly into the hall closet, and I was feeling really lazy about getting it out.  And then the thunder bolt and lightning struck me!  Right in front of my eyes was a solution.   Of course, you need to realize the solution was covered/buried ---- about 12" deep in books, scrap bin, and 2 project boxes, and the lonely iron.

   This kitchen Hoosier style cabinet has been in my sewing room since we moved.  Most of the items in the upper sections are rarely used.....wonder why I have hung onto them.  It may be due for a clean out!

 The extension  shelf of the old kitchen Hoosier was just perfect  for a pressing space.  At one time I used this area as a cutting station.   That was before Sir Old Man built the cutting table, with all the storage area that I love.  The Hoosier has become the catch all spot.

  I know it took more energy too clean the area off than to pull out the ironing board.  But I had a purpose now.

  And before you ask.....everything else went onto the floor.  I will get it sorted and find a spot for it eventually.




  I found the portable pressing mat I had made a few years ago.  It is simply heavy utility muslin sleeve with a double layer of batting inside.   It makes a perfect temporary solution for this area.




  Temporary?  Yes, Sir Old Man has been given a new "to-do" project.  He plans on making a fitted plywood top ---with an extra extension----as an overlay for the space.   I will cover it with batting and fabric.  This should satisfy most of my pressing needs on a daily basis.  I can pull out the big board for pressing yardage/backings.

Insight:  Open your eyes.  Look around.  Try to see other uses for space and things you have.
Oh, yes, I did finally get the jeans hemmed  :)   And they are being packed for our venture north to Michigan.  It is the Dream Cruise Weekend......lots of 60s muscle cars, Ford metal as Sir Old Man says.  See you when we return next week.  Happy stitching.

Mrs. Claus stitches!

 Saturday was Windows 10 update day......I hate any changes to my computer.  It is like teaching an old dog a new trick.....I would rather chew on a bone!  But, after a few rants and bad words, I lived through it...... found my photos, checked to be sure the files moved properly, and with Sir Old Man's help got the new photos uploaded.   As a side note....I hate the cloud stream photo albums.  They just lump everything together.  I work in Picasa because it is simple to use without a lot of stuff to confuse me.  I keep photos by month, and that's the way I like it.
On to the good stuff......

I have a few doll quilts to share from several Mrs. Claus stitchers.

Mrs. Claus of Texas blogs at HillCountryquilter.  And any Texas quilter must have made a Tumbleweed quilt...ala Bonnie Hunter pattern.  Mary said she saved all the cut off corner triangles and made this adorable doll quilt.  Not only are the points/piecing beautiful....so is her quilting.  Thank you, Mrs. Claus of Texas.

  Mrs. Claus of Michigan, aka Fayejean, sent these two doll quilts.   This Mrs. Claus is part of the Circle of Friends online group.  Her little quilts are very soft and cuddly with adorable decorative stitching for the quilting.  Thank you, Mrs. Claus of Michigan.

Mrs. Claus of New York sent two bright and cheerful doll quilts.  I love the rounded corners that she put on these two scrappy quilts.  I need to apologize to Hilary for holding on to these for a while before showing them.....I had not forgotten them.  Thank you, Mrs. Claus of New York.

And yesterday, I received a package from Mrs. Claus of Nebraska.  Earlier this week I shared a bit of her story.   Carole sent two completed quilts and one top to be finished.  Both of them are just so special.....beautiful piecing and stitching on them.

  Before I took photos this morning, I made sure to add a signature label to both of the finished ones.  I set aside an extra label for  the top I will finish up for her.  Thank you, Mrs. Claus of Nebraska.  May you be blessed for your efforts and by our prayers for you.


  What a great showing of doll quilts....I thank you all.
Hugs and happy stitching.    

A Friday Find!

It's August, and time for thoughts to turn to fall.  Yes!  I know I am ready for cooler days.  Bread baking to follow, and bringing out the seasonal decor.

From  SewCanShe blog

 So when this little fellow popped up on my screen, I immediately followed the link from FaveQuilts to SewCanShe blog.     Wouldn't this guy be cute on a tote bag, or table runner?   Lots of possibilities for this one!

   She is offering this free applique in two sizes through Craftsy.  Don't let that stop you.....just set up an account and get the free pattern into your cart. She also has a few other patterns you might want, as well as daily tutorials.  

As always, please pin directly from the source or Pinterest, and not from here.    Until next week, happy stitching.

Making scraps

   Instead of tossing my scraps---leftover strips, binding, and a few hunks---into the scrap bin last week, I set them aside.  At week's end, this is what I had.....!
  No wonder my scrap bin seems to multiply so fast.  I will sort the 2" strips out and put them into the correct bins.  Anything less than that will be sorted by color for strings.  Some of the hunks will be cut into 2 1/2" squares,  and/or 5" squares.....for a waiting project.   This is not my favorite thing to do.  I think that is why the scrap bin is so full.

   A little more stitching on the table runner.  This is a corner.  It is an awkward shape to fill in.  So once the small feather reached the narrow section, I added a swirl at the top  with an extra outline.  I like the look of this.

   Even though it meant a lot of stops and starts....and hiding tails, I went back and added the swirls around the feather wreaths.  There were 4 narrow sections of light that needed to be filled.  I just did not like them left blank.  It looked unfinished.
   Now there is just the color sections to stitch.  I am going to make that part easy......meandering loops.

   After reading the comments on my last post on feather wreaths,  I had a good giggle on me.  Here I was struggling with the wreaths and everyone else was using a stencil!   Yep, that sounds about right.....I was always the one who did things the hard way.   Or at least known to wander off on my on.
  Anyway, if you plan on trying feather wreaths, I do suggest you practice first with paper and pencil.   I finally realized it takes less plumes to fill the center.  If I try this again I will lightly pencil in the center plumes to get better spacing.   Of course, a stencil does that for you....lol.    Happy stitching.  

Thoughts

 This post is just thoughts I need to put down into words.

  I get several emails each week that touch my heart in different ways.  When I am anxious, or burdened about something, along comes a note in my inbox that encourages me.  It may just be a follower checking up on me.  Several times I have been beset with doubts about what I do here on the blog, in the sewing room, or life in general.  Again, a note arrives that lifts my spirit, makes my day, and lets me know that all of this does make a difference to someone, somewhere.
  I save those notes.   Because each one represents a connection to another quilter that has gained something through my effort.  Each one is a treasure to me.  I gain strength from them.   I gain focus and inspiration.

  And then there are emails that touch me in a different way.  They are the ones that choke me up and bring tears.  They take me to my knees in prayer.

   About 6 weeks ago, Mrs. Claus in Nebraska sent me a note that she probably would not get to finish up her final 2 quilts.  Would I complete them?    Her cancer monster had returned with a vengeance.  She had made the decision to discontinue the chemo treatments.
   Today, her note was to let me know the last quilts are in the mail.  She struggled to get them in the mail and to send a note as she is unable to be up more than an hour at a time.
   I am thankful that she is not in any pain, yet praying for healing mercy.   I am so thankful I got to know her as a devoted Mrs. Claus for the last few years, yet not wanting to let go.  I admire her......the strength it takes to go through this situation, to make the painful decision,  and face what is to come.    Prayers and hugs to Mrs. Claus in Nebraska.

Insight:
   Life is relationships......like fabric and thread.  People come together in different ways and form bonds.....like a quilt pattern.   The importance of our life is not what we look like, or what we have, or how good we are at something.  It is the relationships we build with  others.  It is the sharing.......giving of ourselves to improve their life.    And the profound effect is how much we gain in the process.   Mrs. Claus, you have taught me much.  Thank you.  

A feather wreath?

  The blank space on the Hot Dish table runner was a good area to try a feather wreath.   something a little different for me.
   I needed a circle.....you have to look really close to see the faint pencil marks.  I used a bobbin ring for the shape.   I was not sure if I could follow the circle  with out having a lot of wiggles.








  I began in the center of the ring and lined it with plumes.  The start was good....making the end of the inner ring was not good. My plumes got too skinny at the end.  It is going to take practice.

  Then I moved to the outside and adding the feather plumes all around the outside.  Much easier to do.  I could extend them to fill in a lot of area.

One down and two more wreaths to do.

•   I had to stitch slowly to stay on the faint drawn line.
• I had a slight tension imbalance and the light gray bobbin thread shows in the spots where I paused.   A  quick wash will probably hide them.
•  There was a lot of stopping to shift the runner around so I could see where I needed to be.....I would not do this on a large quilt!  
• Getting plumes to match at the end needs work.....my angle got a bit to severe at the end.  More practice required!

 

 I am not sure how the rest of it will get quilted yet.....hoping for inspiration.    I may stipple the rest of the light areas around the wreath.  There are also some light areas on the edges which I will put in my usual style of feathers....like this one.  

   Don't expect first time feathers like this one.....it took me a year of practice to figure this one out.  Even three wreaths of feathers is only dipping my toes in the water of formal style feathers......I am just not sure if they are my "style" but I tried just to see.  And this small project was just the thing to experiment on.   What a way to start the week.....happy stitching.