The Way I Sew It

Sunday Sundry 2-12-12

2012-02-12T15:16:00.003-06:00

Cheap Sunglasses
I saw these at a thrift store yesterday. They have "stitching" around the frames and down the bows. They fit my face and are a classic shape, so for a quarter, how could I refuse? I could not.

My dear friends Kathy and Marie came over for breakfast yesterday, and we watched the movie The Help together. The movie was very good. My friends had both read the book, which, it turned out, was a good thing when I needed them to clarify something, though I had first told them to "shut up" when they started discussing how the movie differed from the book less than a minute into the film. Sorry gals. Why they put up with me, I do not know.

I realized recently that we three have been friends for 30 years this year. We met when we all worked for the same law firm back in the day. Our old boss passed away last week, which had me reminiscing on this fact. He was one of those people who seemed larger than life, both literally and figuratively. He ended up doing a stint in the clink for some shenanigans and was disbarred. Yes, those were some strange times. I will say one thing, though; he knew how to pick quality people for employees. I believe he was a good judge of character, despite any shortcomings in his own. May he rest in peace.

Thrift Spotting
So we're in line at the cash register at the thrift store yesterday when I suddenly spotted something 10 feet away that I hadn't noticed before that moment. It was a funky green shallow bowl with a scalloped edge. My vintage pottery radar was activated and I asked Norm if he would please go flip it over and tell me what it was.

"Red Wing," he reported.

Suffice it to say, that was a quick sale.

I trusted my gut on a plate too, which was all by its lonesome on a shelf. I was immediately drawn to its mid-century aesthetics, the clean black-on-white design.

I don't know anything about the maker, but I bought it just because I liked it. Made by Kyoto Fine China, the pattern is Mercury, according to the stamp on the back. Named after the space program, I wonder?

I tried drawing the design on paper last night, like a quilting design. My drawing skills leave a lot to be desired, but I think if I traced it, I could quilt it. Wouldn't that be cool?

(Says she who has been procrastinating and freaking out a bit at the prospect of practicing free-motion feathers, this month's FMQ Challenge...)

The Day the Internet Died...and the Sewing Machine Hummed to Life
My internet and phone connections were hit-and-miss last week, and on Thursday they went down altogether. While I waited for the cable company to fix the problem, and since I couldn't work while offline, I sewed.

I worked on another string Dresden for a quilt, which is my String Thing-Along project. I also finally got around to doing an introductory post over on the String Thing-Along blog.

I am loving how each of these string rings will be different, depending on what scraps are used. I'm also noticing that if I throw in one bold graphic print per ring, it adds just a little extra something-something. On the one above, it's the red/black print that overall forms a five-point star. On the one I laid out last night, it's in blue (no pics of that one yet).

It appears that I am in need of a catnap this afternoon. Lots of yawning going on right now. Hope you finish out the weekend in a good way, and have a bright week ahead!

Scrap Block Challenge

2012-02-08T11:55:00.000-06:00

It's funny where inspiration can be found. The tiles on the bathroom floor, a zigzag coffee mug—you name it, some quilter is bound to be inspired by it.

The day I decided to bounce down off the no-sweets wagon and bake something dense and chocolatey*, I wasn't really looking for inspiration. But there it was, staring me in the face on a chocolate bar wrapper, of all places!

I was admittedly giving in to some serious cravings that day, as well as trying to use what remained of the giant bar of dark chocolate I'd bought over the holidays before my husband could eat it all. He'd already polished off half of it before I'd found out and hidden it deeper on the pantry shelves. So let's say I was managing a security risk by deciding to bake with it that day. Yeah, that works.

After rough chopping the chocolate, I set the wrapper aside. Then while waiting for the chocolate to melt in the microwave, I happened to study the wrapper a little more closely. Probably checked the carb count to see just how much dietary damage this baking venture was going to do.

That's when I saw it. Take a look.

A quilt block, no? And I was supposed to be creating a quilt block for Sarah's Scrap Block Challenge. Could this be just the ticket, the inspiration I needed to get started? I thought so!

The challenge was to use the sizes in the scrap management system described in the book Cut the Scraps! Fabric scraps are cut to measure 2 inches, 3.5 inches, and 5 inches square.

So I scribbled something on paper that more closely resembled a primitive cave drawing than a quilt block. Did some mental gymnastics on the math, trying to wrap my head around how to orient the center square in the way it was depicted on the wrapper. On failing to come up with a solution, I modified the plan somewhat. Close enough for rock and roll! Then I chucked the cave drawing aside and went to play with fabric.

And voila!

Here's how it went together, using 5-inch and 3.5-inch squares.

For the string-pieced centers, you are going to sub-cut a variety of your 5-inch blocks into 4, 1.25-inch strips, and then sew four different strips together. Cut the other 3.5 and 5-inch squares on the diagonal.

I am using two different background fabrics, ash gray and a gray/white print, and two different corner fabrics, a black polka dot print and a wine colored print. (I was literally just grabbing what was lying around on the table, so it is what it is—scrappy!)

Sew the diagonally cut 5-inch background squares to the string-pieced centers. Try to center the diagonally cut pieces; they will be about an inch longer on each end than the centers.

Sew the diagonally cut 3.5 inch pieces to the opposite ends, as shown above. Press open and trim blocks to 6 inches square (actually, 5-7/8 inches square might give you a slightly better match of the corner squares, especially if you sew with a scant 1/4 inch seam, but that's sort of a fiddly measurement and it came out close enough when trimmed to 6 inches square).

Arrange four units into one block and sew them together. The block will measure around 11.5 inches square at that point. You can orient the corner triangles so that there is all one color in the center, or do like I did and alternate. Same thing with the background fabrics; you can use two different ones like I did here, or all the same. You have options, is what I'm saying.

So there you have it! I'm sure it's nothing original, although the way in which it came about for me was. I mean, how many blocks have been inspired by a chocolate bar wrapper? (Quilters, don't answer that!)

I can't wait to see what others have created for the Scrap Block Challenge. Visit Confessions of a Fabric Addict today for the linky!

*I used this recipe, but substituted 1/2 c. honey for the sugar and ghee for the butter, and left off the glaze. It was fabulous and totally worth it!

Sunday Sundry 2-5-12

2012-02-05T11:04:00.003-06:00

I finally got down to the sewing room yesterday afternoon. It had been a long week of not-sewing, aka work, and I so needed some play time. My intention was to start by straightening things up, as it was a royal mess in that space, but really, where is the fun in that?

So I played with some of the scraps that were lying about...and there were a lot of them...and pretty soon I had a couple things put together. Now, these (above) aren't necessarily colors I'd choose to work with for a bigger project, but they used up some oddball scraps, and they will become practice pads for free-motion quilting.

Then I made a different little block. I took it upstairs to show Norm.

P: I made you a Valentine.

N: That's nice.

P: Can you see the heart?

N: (studying it) Uh...not really.

P: What?! (outlining the shape) See...here?

N: Uh...if you say so. I'm sorry, all I see is a "V."

P: (frustrated) Ugh. Fine. Then it's a "V" FOR VALENTINE!

We're so romantic, aren't we? Anyway, I think it looks like a heart. So I made another one.

And I'm loving that raspberry color of that heart/V on the left. The whole time I was working on it, I was thinking of this:

She wore a raspberry beret
The kind you find in a second-hand store...

One day, I will find a raspberry beret in a second-hand store. Mark my words.
Speaking of which, we are off on a thrift store adventure, so this will be short and not all that sundry today. Enjoy the big game, if the Superbowl is your thing, or however else you choose to spend the day.

And remember, Groove is in the Heart! I can't tell you how much I heart this song (which starts properly about 30 seconds in). Just wish I could have found a clearer video, but you have to see the funky dancing (and Bootsy Collins, baby!) and whacked out colors and patterns, which I love. Hard to believe it's over 20 years old already!

NewFO Challenge ~ January Recap

2012-01-31T23:36:00.000-06:00

It's the end of January, for another few minutes anyway, and time to link up with Barbara at Cat Patches with how I've fared so far in the 2012 NewFO Challenge.

I'd say things are off to a good start. In fact, not only did I start a few things, I finished them too!

One of the ideas/plans that I had listed for the NewFO Challenge was to do something scrappy—Scrap Happiness, I called it—and that is what I focused on this month. It worked out well, because I had also joined the Sew Scraps Along at Pleasant Home for the month of January.

So here is what I did:

1. Made a Scrappy String Ring wall hanging. I'm going to continue making these Dresden plate type blocks in the coming months for a quilt. In fact, I joined the String Thing Along, and the scrappy string ring quilt is going to be my project for that.

2. Double Hourglass table mat. Made with some bright, fruit and veggie print scraps.

3. Scrappy Courthouse Steps block...

...which became a sewing machine cover...

...and what was left of the original block got "rebuilt" into a mini quilt!

I think that's it. Looking forward to the start of a new month of NewFOs!

Sunday Sundry 1-29-12

2012-01-29T10:56:00.000-06:00

"We Can Rebuild It...We Have the Technology"
I could not throw it away, that little courthouse steps block I'd cut a hole in to make the sewing machine cover last week. So I started thinking and then turning circles in my sewing room, pondering the stash at hand.

Then I saw it: A bit of Heather Baily Pop Garden fabric, bought on a whim during an online shopping spree last year. The daisies were huge...and perfect!

A bit of fusible interfacing and inconspicuous zigzagging closed the incision I'd made to extract the circle the week before. (Hint: The "scar" is at about the 3 o'clock position, but I hope you can't find it.)

I love how it turned out! Some things are worth salvaging. Like vintage Pyrex fridgies at the thrift store.

If you'd have told me 30 years ago that I'd have a soft spot for chartreuse, I'd have laughed myself silly. Same thing about liking Tom Petty's music, or cilantro. Weird things happen, is what I'm saying.

What shall I call this little mini? The Six Million Minute block? Because that's about how long the process took. (For those of you too young to remember, that's a nod to The Six Million Dollar Man TV series of the 1970s, as is the quote above.) Or something about flowers on the courthouse steps?

Bunny trail: I've got a wedding picture of hubs and me, with my little bridal bouquet, on the courthouse steps. They were not big daisies I was holding then, but they were about as real as that fabric. Hey, it was the '80s, lots of things were fake. And here is where I could say something mushy like, "except our love for each other," which would be true and all, but I don't want you gagging on your breakfast this early in the day.

So here, in collage form, is the life cycle of the courthouse steps block. Quite the metamorphosis, huh?

The Commitments
That is the sum total of the sewing that has happened around these parts lately, but I have committed to two other things this week, namely:

The String Thing Along, the mighty good idea of Brenda of Scraps and Strings. The plan is to play with our strings and make a project by June 30. A new blog has been set up so we all can post our progress along the way. Care to play along? Visit one of the aforementioned links and let Brenda know!

The second is a Scrappy Block Challenge, sponsored by Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. Create a block using the three sizes of cut scraps described in the book Cut the Scraps! Sarah gives all the details HERE. I am going to give it a try and then donate whatever ~~catastrophe~~ block I come up with to her, for use however she sees fit. I will admit to being a little anxious about this challenge, as I don't think of design as one of my strong points, but you never know, I may get a brain rave like I did with the courthouse steps block.

Weird things happen, is what I'm saying.

Wrap It Up

2012-01-26T00:26:00.000-06:00

I have an earworm of that Fabulous Thunderbirds song quoted in the title. What I did to my sewing machine was cover it up, not wrap it up, exactly, but somehow that song floated into my head. It could be that I was listening to Stevie Ray Vaughan Live at Carnegie Hall while I worked on this, and, tangentially, his brother Jimmie Vaughan was the lead guitarist in The Fabulous Thunderbirds. My mind likes to travel down bunny trails like that.

Anyway, the Silver Singer went to visit the repair shop on Tuesday and was back less than 24 hours later, in fine form. He said those mechanisms often seized up on a machine when the fancy stitches weren't used often. Must have been a pretty simple fix to unstick it, and I'm grateful for that.

Silver, Model 600 Touch & Sew, on the left -
and Tammy, my Golden T&S 603E, on the right.

So I wrapped—er, covered it up today with this quilted cover, using up some scraps and stash in the process. I did a little straight line and loopy quilting on it.

The side panels are backed with fusible fleece and not quilted. It was helpful to review this tutorial on Flickr for making a custom fitted cover, but I kept it pretty simple and didn't need to make any holes for a handle, etc.

(Back)

While I had the Juki threaded and ready for free-motion quilting the sewing machine cover, I went ahead and practiced the leaves for this month's Free Motion Quilting Challenge.

This pattern is rather forgiving, in that being less than precise, shall we say, just sort of adds to the organic charm.

At least that's what I'm telling myself. ;)

The sewing machine cover is my third finish for January, and I am linking once again to Such a Sew and Sew's A Stitch in Time 2012 Finishes. Elizabeth is having an open linky every month, and each finish counts as an entry for a giveaway. For January, it's a jelly roll of Good Fortune by Kate Spain, sponsored by the Fat Quarter Shop! Have a look by clicking the button below, and join the fun. I think it's a great way to keep track of your completed projects for the year and stay motivated as well.

And swing by Confessions of a Fabric Addict to see some other finishes worth whooping about this week, and add your own!

Sunday Sundry 1-22-12

2012-01-22T15:59:00.000-06:00

Hi-ho, Silver!
First, the good news. (There really isn't any bad news, maybe just that the weekend is always shorter than my to-do list).

The "new" vintage machine sews like a champ! Straight stitch, anyway. I cleaned and oiled it and took the cover and bottom plates off and lubed the gears. It really is in great shape overall, and doesn't appear to have been used that much. In fact, outwardly, it's in better shape than my Singer 603E, its sister. One is silver (or gray, maybe) and the other gold!

The only glitch—okay, so maybe a bit of not-so-good news—is that one of the levers to change to a zigzag or any of the other built-in stitches seems to be seized up. I oiled the mechanism really well from the inside, hoping it might free it up, but so far it's still stuck. It doesn't look like anything is broken or out of place with the mechanism itself. So it may make a trip over to the fix-it man after all. Still, it sounds great, looks great, and sews a nice, evenly balanced straight stitch right out of the gate. I am thrilled, and I hope dear daughter will be as well!

Knock-knock...Who's there?...Orange...
Orange you glad I found some more Pyrex at Goodwill? Two identical casseroles, one in a lovely turquoise and the other, well, you know. I paired them with a matching vintage fabric found a while back at the thrift store.

And lest you think I buy up all the Pyrex in the county when I find it, I'll have you know there was an entire refrigerator set that I left there for some other lucky thrill seeker. It was a brown speckled pattern with navy blue flowers, and if I weren't feeling so lazy, I'd look the pattern up and use the correct name to describe it, but you obviously don't know me. Wasn't it enough that I left it there? I thought so. ;)

I could stare at pretty Pyrex glinting in the sun all day, but you all don't have that kind of time, so let's move on, shall we?

How about a vintage recipe box glinting in the sun?

It looks happy or hungry...I can't decide.

Cut it Up and Cry
Tears of joy, that is. (Also, that's the title to a really good song by Sonia Dada that you might take a minute or six to listen to later.) But cut it up is what I did to that courthouse steps block. Don't worry, there will be a happy ending.

(I am not as maniacal as I appear.)

The idea was that I wanted to try one of my quilting idol's pieced circle technique. If you follow Dan Rouse of Piece and Press, you'll know what I mean. Seriously, I love everything he has ever made.

So I looked at that courthouse block the other day and thought, now what? I don't really need another table mat or potholder or wall hanging at the moment. Hey, why don't I cut it up and try piecing a circle?
And was I at all nervous about doing this? Well, sure. But as Shay would say, it's only fabric.

But it totally worked! Measure a bazillion times and cut once, was my mantra. Then I pinned the bejeepers out of it all the way around the circle and sewed slowly and carefully. Oh, and I had stay-stitched about 1/8" from the edge of my cut-from-courthouse circle because of all the seams I had sliced through. I was worried about those coming apart as I fiddled with fitting the circles together.

And so now what? Well, Silver, the sewing machine up there, needs a cover. I pulled a couple other scraps, and I'm sure I'll cobble something together. I'm sort of making it up as I go along.

A Reminder
The Veggie Market Quilt is in its final hours of auction on Ebay, but there is still time to bid. You can own this one of a kind quilt and support Japan Quake Relief with your winning bid. The details can be found in the auction description and also at Mom Wald's Place.

Thanks for visiting! T-minus four hours until Downton Abbey! Have a great evening!

Deal or No Deal?

2012-01-20T12:02:00.000-06:00

I think it was a deal! But aside from plugging it in and hitting the foot feed to see if it ran (oh, it purred), the jury is still out.

For less than the price of lunch, this Singer Model 600 came home with me on Wednesday from Goodwill. We took a roundabout way home though.

While shopping, I spied a mid-century sewing table, closed up. The sign said "Sewing Table $9.99." The table had seen better days, for sure, and I really wasn't interested in the furniture. I lifted the lid, however, and peeked inside. There was a machine in there, and I recognized it immediately!

It was just like the one I'd passed up at a different thrift store a couple weeks ago, the only difference being this model had the button to wind the bobbin in a different place (this is a 600 "Auto Reel", that was a 600E).

I looked the machine over but didn't buy it right away. Instead, I went home and—what else—Googled a bit. Then I called a repair guy to find out if he still did repairs (he's been "retired" a while). Sadly, he said his eyesight was failing and he didn't, but he gave me the name of another man he highly recommended. I called the second man, and he said he'd be happy to go over it for me. He just wanted me to make sure it was one of the models with all metal parts (it was).

So I went back to Goodwill and bought it. The sales associate grabbed a screwdriver and helped me remove it from the table, and I "re-donated" the table (that's what they called it, because I didn't want the table itself, and they were fine with that).

I'll give it a cleaning, oiling and test drive this weekend. Then, if it needs any other work, I'll take it to the fix-it man. Daughter, if you're reading this, you may be looking at your "new" machine.

As far as actual sewing, there hasn't been much happening here (work has had other plans for me), but I did make a scrappy courthouse steps block for the Sew Scraps Along.

I've got an idea for this block, but it involves cutting and piecing it into something else, in a way I've never done before. I'll need some weekend time to play around with that scheme, though. If it works, you'll see it again in another form. If not, it was fun while it lasted!

Favorite Things Friday ~ Downton Abbey

2012-01-19T22:03:00.000-06:00

Season 2 of Downton Abbey is well underway on PBS's Masterpiece Classics, and that is my Favourite Thing this week!

This means you will find me tucked under a quilt in front of TV at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday night, unless I have procrastinated on getting my weekend work done, in which case I'll be gone doing that, but then later in front of my computer watching it online. But I digress.

For those unfamiliar with the series, it is a period drama that takes place in the early 1900's around the time of the first world war. The Masterpiece synopsis says it better than I could:

It's 1912, and life in the Edwardian country house of Downton Abbey is idyllic and bustling for the Crawley family, aided by their cadre of servants. Robert, Earl of Grantham, his American heiress wife Cora, and their three daughters, along with Robert's mother Violet, have lived largely uncomplicated lives. But the sinking of the Titanic hits home in an unexpected and dramatic way — Lord Grantham's heir, James Crawley, and his son Patrick have perished. It's personally agonizing (momentarily) for daughter Mary who was supposed to marry Patrick. On a grander scale, suddenly all the predictable succession plans have gone terribly awry, and unheard of questions now loom large — Who will be the new heir to the earldom? And what will happen to this distinguished estate, now in jeopardy?

I love a good costume drama, and this one ranks right up there with many other BBC produced gems, like Pride and Prejudice, Cranford, and Little Dorrit, to name a few.

My favorite character in Downton Abbey is the Dowager Countess Violet Grantham, played by Maggie Smith. It is such a treat to watch such a master of her craft, sprinkling her peppery lines on what might otherwise be a bland scene. Watch her here in action and enjoy!

Sunday Sundry 1-15-12

2012-01-15T18:28:00.000-06:00

I took time to play in the sewing room yesterday. First, I sorted some scraps and strings into piles by color, so that when I'm ready to make my next scrappy string ring, I won't have to go digging.

I heard an organizational expert say that there are two kinds of people, pilers and filers. I think there may actually be a third category, a hybrid—pilers who wanna be filers, or pilers-until-it-reaches-critical-mass-then-filers. At any rate, the pile system, albeit a very loose method of organization, works for me, for the moment.

While I was sorting through scraps, I found a couple strips of fabric I had trimmed off when I was cutting prints for the Veggie Market Quilt that Mom Wald was putting together. I had just enough to make a double hourglass block from each of the four prints, plus a length of scrappy binding.

I used Cluck Cluck Sew's tutorial, using 2-1/4" strips (mostly because that's all the wider my scraps were). Instead of using her cardstock triangle template idea, though, I used a Companion Angle ruler that I had on hand, matching the center strip seam at the 3 (2") mark and the lower edge at the 7 (4") mark. It worked perfectly, with only a bit to shave off the edges when trimming. The final blocks were 7-1/2" trimmed, 7" finished.

I used a bit of a bright lime green print for a border and quilted it with a loopy meander. Another little scrappy finish for the week!

(For vintage pottery fans, that fruit plate up top is a Hull caladium leaf plate/bowl that I found at a rummage sale down the block a few years ago, probably from the 1950s or 1960s, I'm guessing. It was love at first sight!)

Next up: Making some scrappy courthouse steps blocks in conjunction with the Sew Scraps Along. But first, I have to practice some FMQ Challenge leaves!

Speaking of the Veggie Market Quilt by Mom Wald and helpers, the auction for the finished quilt is going live today on Ebay, with the proceeds going to Japan Quake Relief.

You can check out all the details and find the auction link, when it gets posted, over at Mom Wald's Place (Edited to add: You can find the auction HERE). I hope you do check it out, and if you are inclined to bid on this happy, one-of-a-kind quilt, please do so!

I changed the vignette on my hallway telephone table to something funky and retro-ish.

It needed a little height for balance, so I added the lava lamp. It makes me smile every time I walk past it.

There was some thrifting earlier in the week. A stop at Goodwill yielded two identical Pyrex bowls in a favorite color.

I already had one like it at home, but at $1.99, I couldn't say no. Who says three's a crowd?

Have you seen the week of terrific giveaways Elizabeth at Such a Sew and Sew is having? Head over to Such a Sew and Sew to check them out! You have until January 19 to enter any or all five giveaways. While you're there, be sure to leave some birthday and blog anniversary love. She is a most generous and kindhearted soul, and her many projects always inspire!

I'll bop on out of here to Jack Johnson, who kept me dancing around the sewing room to this one yesterday. Hope you've had a great weekend!

Scrappy String Ring Wall Hanging

2012-01-13T10:55:00.001-06:00

The scrappy string ring, a/k/a Dresden plate, that I made as a sample last week has become a little wall hanging. It hangs above my computer at the moment, a fun spot on the wall!

In case you missed it, you can read how I was inspired to make this in a previous post HERE. Although I didn't know it at the time, the subject of the second week of Sew Scraps Along was scrappy Dresdens! Jodi at Pleasant Home linked to a tutorial at Lurline's Place, which is the same one I happened to Google when I was thinking about making my "ring." I went very random with the strings, cut the wedges shorter, and left out the points to get the effect of the inspiration photo, but the idea is essentially the same.

The quilting is just straight-line quilting between the blades, carried out to the edge, and a little wonky spiral in the center (which I did not unpick and do over, after all; we'll call it "organic").

I used the last of my Heath stash for the background and finished the hand binding during some waiting room time with my dad earlier this week.

This weekend, I'm going to pull a pile of strings in these colors and set them aside so I can make at least one scrappy string ring like this every month. By year's end, I should have enough for a quilt!

Sunday Sundry 1-8-12

2012-01-08T20:15:00.000-06:00

You know, sometimes I get to thinking about a Sunday Sundry post and I'm at a loss for words. So this evening, I'm going to focus on some randomness in photo form from the past few weeks. Some are things I haven't mentioned but have meant to. Others are just of a moment I thought to take a picture. Maybe the light was right, maybe it was wrong, but something made me pick up my camera and shoot.

There was Pyrex under the Christmas tree, from hubby!

Apropos of nothing, we watched Crazy Stupid Love last weekend, and, whoa, does Ryan Gosling have some crazy, stupid abs, or what? Very funny movie, though. Steve Carell and Emma Stone really cracked me up.

This past week, I put away the Christmas decorations, except for a couple little things that will stay up a while longer.

(Sometimes the crop feature in Picasa makes a really cool auto-selection. How does it know?)

I was delighted to receive a beautiful holiday wall hanging for Christmas from my buddy Michelle at The Gypsy Quilter!

She did such pretty quilting on it, right down to the holly leaves and berries border. I love looking at it and marveling how she saw to quilt it. The curved lines really work well with the angular nature of the blocks.

I am working on finishing up the the scrappy string ring (dresden plate) from Friday, making the sample block into a wall hanging. I did straight line quilting, mostly, but FMQ'd a spiral in the center circle—a very wonky spiral. I'm debating whether to unpick it and try again, or just leave it as is (leaning toward the latter). In a year, when I look back on it, perhaps I will feel like I have made some good progress in my FMQ skills.

Speaking of which, the first quilting exercise for the Free-Motion Quilt Challenge is up at SoCalGal. Time to make some sandwiches (quilt sandwiches, of course) and get to practicing. Work on that wonky wobble.

Tonight's dinner prep work. In real life, the shadow was not so obvious.

Raw materials, awaiting inspiration. Another lovely Christmas gift from a friend, including the pin:

The sky was pretty at sunset the other day. My hand, not so steady.

View from my back window.
I moved the camera, but I kind of like the effect.


Try, try again.

Those are a few sights from here at Chez P. I'll leave you with a sound heard in my sewing room today. I sometimes get tired of my usual music rotation, so today I closed my eyes and ran my hand along a row of older CDs, telling myself that no matter what it was that I picked, I would play it. It happened to be Sting, circa 1999. Not bad, considering it could just as easily have been Backstreet Boys. When it came to this song, I remembered why I'd bought it; I like Sting's funky side!

Sew Scraps Along

2012-01-07T00:14:00.001-06:00

Jodi at Pleasant Home is hosting Sew Scraps Along this month, and I've decided to join in. Since making something scrappy is on my list of "NewFOs" for 2012, I thought the Sew Scraps Along would dovetail nicely with that plan.

There will be tips, tutorials, and inspiration aplenty for the next few weeks, as well as many chances to win scrappy goodies and prizes. Click the button for all the details!

Last night, I took some time to rummage through my own (disorganized) scrap drawers. I wanted to try making a block I'd seen in one of the books I'd been paging through for inspiration this week, Gwen Marston's Liberated String Quilts. This wasn't one of Gwen's patterns; it was a gallery photo of a 1930s string quilt. The only information was in the caption.

The Dresden ruler I picked up earlier in the week came into play in making my version of what I'm calling a scrappy string ring. Basically, it's a Dresden plate (sans points) cut from a strata of strings. I wasn't sure how this was going to work out, so I selected some pretty humble looking scrap strips to start with for my sample. I did try to keep the colors limited to red, blue, green, cream, and gray.

In order to get good variation, I determined that I would make four different strata of strings, ending in a rectangle that I trimmed to measure 6-1/2 inches high and about 11 or 12 inches long. I cut five wedges from each strata, alternating placement of the ruler for each wedge to add more variation, making a total of 20 wedges per ring.

Then it was just a matter of laying the wedges out in a pleasing way and sewing them together! I made a circle for the center and hand appliqued it down.

Once the ring was assembled, I stitched about 1/8 inch from the outer edge for stabilization, then pressed under 1/4 inch. Now it's ready to applique down onto a background (still experimenting with backgrounds at the moment).

Though it was a bit time consuming, I really like the way it turned out! This little sample will become a wall hanging.

Whoop-Whoop Friday ~ Chain Linked

2012-01-06T11:44:00.000-06:00

Temps in the mid-40s, hardly any snow, in January? In Wisconsin? It's true! It felt almost balmy today as I hung my latest flimsy on the clothesline. I am not complaining; I'll take this any day over all the snow we had last year at this time.

I finished the Chain Linked quilt earlier this week. I'm loving the pops of yellow and orange and turquoise!

The pattern is by Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter. It was a fun one to put together, once I figured out what my sashing colors were going to be (Mink is the dark brown, and Ash is the gray, from Connecting Threads). I ordered a pile of other solids spread out over several orders because I just couldn't seem to hit upon the right combination. Finally stumbled upon it, though, I think.

The other browns and tans and creams that didn't make the cut will get used in something else eventually.

I've got it hung sideways in these pics, because my clothesline is only so high and I didn't want it dragging the ground.

The print fabrics I used included Central Park by Kate Spain for Moda, among others. I combined two different FQ bundles won in giveaways this past year, plus a couple others thrown in, some Paula Prass Woodcut Garden, the orange and turquoise from Joann.

Now I'm wondering what color thread to quilt it with. Always an afterthought!

How about you? What have you been working on this first week of the new year?

Favorite Things Friday - Thrift Score!

2012-01-05T20:37:00.001-06:00

It was a good week for thrifting, despite the frustrating experience described in yesterday's rant. At a different thrift store on Wednesday, I hit upon several really cool things, and those thrift scores are the subject of my Favourite Things Friday post this week!

First up was this vintage Stetson platter, which dates to probably the late 1940s. It appears to be hand painted. In fact, it looks like one of the stems is missing the rest of the leaf. Maybe that's the way it was supposed to be, who knows? And whoever might know the name of this pattern, please tell me. I did some brief research but didn't come up with anything definite.

I love the colors! It's in really great shape too, no cracks or crazing.

Sometimes it's nice to be on eye level with the higher shelves on the racks at Goodwill. That's where I spotted six of these Missoni for Target mugs! I bought every last one. I may sell a set of four on eBay and keep the other two for us to use. I could not believe my luck finding these.

In the fabric area, there were multiple yards of a couple vintage pieces. This flannel:

And this funky-fabulous turquoise, pink, and green piece:

Underneath it is an aqua colored vintage muslin flat sheet which was still in its early 1970s package. It's a poly-cotton blend, but it feels pretty stable. I'll wash it a few times and see how it goes. I'm hoping it will work as a quilt backing. If not, I'll just use it as it was intended.

I also scored a new queen-sized bed skirt and matching pillowcases still in the package. I thought the pattern would go nicely with a scrappy quilt and the dark wood in the bedroom.

I *heart* thrift store shopping, and a fun day of finds is one of my favorite things!

Pop over to Quilting in My Pyjamas to explore some fine folks' faves and link up too, if you're inclined!

Twice in Two Days

2012-01-04T21:31:00.000-06:00

I don't rant a lot on this blog, but for the second time in two days, people in stores have essentially told me I don't know what I'm talking about, when in fact I do. And that irritates me. So I thought I'd share.

Case No. 1: I'm keeping my eyes open for a good used sewing machine for my daughter, who has put her $6 thrift store Kenmore through its paces this past year but now is having more issues with it, issues which do not warrant a $$$ repair bill.

So I went to a local charity-run thrift store in which I'd seen a 1960s Singer 600E Touch & Sew languishing there for several months. One of my main machines is a 603E T&S, so I am familiar with this type of machine. The sign said, "Sews Great." I know mine at home does, and these are all metal parts machines which, if maintained, will sew on for many more decades. So I went to check it out, but it wasn't in the store any longer. I inquired and was told all the sewing machines had been moved to the warehouse down the block, but I could go there and they'd let me in to check it out.

Well, it was there in the warehouse all right, same sign and everything on it, but on closer inspection, number one, it was filthy. Not a deal breaker yet. The bottom had started to separate and was taped back on. Okay, I might be able to fix that. The bobbin cover had slid off completely and was sitting there loose (they can be tricky to replace, but it's doable). I plugged it in and threaded it up and started to sew. The tension seemed messed up from the get-go. Yep, total birds' nest on the bobbin side. The combination of all of the foregoing factors had me nixing the prospect right then and there. For the price they were asking, it ought to purr like a kitten, and it was not.

One of the ladies there told me the repair person came in once a week, and if I wanted to leave my name and phone number, she'd let this person know I might be interested in the machine if she could fix the issues and get it back so that it "sews great" as the sign indicated. Okay, fair enough. I left her my name and number.

She called yesterday. Said the machine was sewing just fine now, that someone must have monkeyed with the knobs when it was at the main store, but it was okay now. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, I said I'd be over to see it again.

Got there, still filthy machine, the bobbin cover had been taped on. I asked what was up with the tape and she said, "I don't think that's the right cover for it." I said it was the correct cover but it could be tricky to replace when it comes off. She shrugged. This is the "repair person," mind you. An older woman, 70 years old, if she's a day.

I had brought along my own swatch of fabric to sew, just an odd cotton jelly roll strip, and I tried to sew a straight stitch. It seemed okay with that, but the tension still felt tight. I reduced the setting a bit and tried sewing again. Bird's nest. Nope, not fixed. It made noise too, so something else was going on. It was obvious that I would have to take the machine in to have it serviced, if I bought it. Might not be the end of the world if the price was right. I showed the repair lady the sewing samples, told her about the noise, etc., and asked if the price was negotiable. Nope, not at all. Um, okay. (By the way, I put the bobbin plate back on while I was trying it out.) But it's still making birds nests on the bobbin side.

"Well!" she exclaimed, noticing that I had turned the tension knob, indicating that was most definitely the reason right there. "The tension is supposed to be at 3. You should always keep it at 3, never change it," she admonished. Huh? That's why there's a dial with numbers from 0 to 9, so you can adjust it when the situation warrants. "No, you should never adjust it," she repeated.

**record scratch**

What?? So I suggested to her under what circumstances one might need to adjust the tension. She just shook her head like I was out of my damn mind. Finally, I said, "Ma'am, I've been sewing on a machine like this for over 30 years, and I know what I'm talking about."

Her response: "Well, I sew on a Kenmore, and I don't know much about Singers."

No kidding? Surrounded by a small roomful of machines, only about half of which were Kenmore, she was the repair person.

So I thanked her for her time. On my way out, she asked if I wanted to look at any of the other machines (most of which had notes taped to them as to what needed fixing. If the machine I was looking at said "Sews Great," and didn't, well...no thanks). Buh-bye.

Case No. 2: Joann Fabrics had 40% off their quilting tools, rulers and the like. I wanted a dresden plate ruler, and I saw online that it was on sale. Instead, I drove to the nearest Joann 30 miles away, picked up a ruler (and a couple yards of fabric) and went to check out. The ruler rang up at full price, which I brought to the clerk's attention.

She asked me where in the store I'd gotten it from, and we walked over to the wall of various quilting rulers where, underneath a sign that said 40% off quilting tools, I'd picked it off the metal hanger, leaving two identical ones still hanging there.

She called over the store manager at that point and told her that it was supposed to be on sale but was ringing up full price. The store manager proceeded to direct my attention to the words on the sign, pointing out with her index finger that it said "quilting tools," and then she told me this ruler was not a quilting tool.

Huh? What would you call it then? I suggested she perhaps ring up any other ruler on the same wall and see if it came up 40% off. She said, "Yes, but those are quilting tools. This is not."

What? But the same thing is on sale online, which she could check out herself if she wanted. She argued that might be a special online sale item. I begged to differ. Again, it's on the wall with all the other rulers, under a sale sign, and it is a ruler.

Finally, holding up the dresden ruler, I showed her how one would use it (as a TOOL) to cut along the edge of the fabric in order to make a quilt piece of a particular shape, just like any of the other rulers that she conceded were quilting tools.

Her response: "Okay, I'm not a quilter." Really? "But I guess I can see what you mean, so I'll do a manual override." Which process took eons involving a manual calculator—at least I think that's what she was using, but it could have been an abacus for all I know. At least I got it for the sale price it was supposed to be.

I don't like to seem like a pain-in-the-butt customer, but I don't like to be spoken to like I'm stupid either. And I know people in retail can't know everything about every item they sell, and the repair person at the thrift store is probably paid minimum wage or maybe is only a volunteer. But sheesh!

/End rant.

New Year = NewFOs

2012-01-02T20:16:00.001-06:00

I've been thinking about what I'd like to do, creatively, in this new year, but I sort of suck at goal setting. Give me some loose parameters and I'm good to go. Too loose, though, and I'll procrastinate and self-sidetrack 'til the cows come home.

I do like to finish what I've started, eventually. Thanks to Myra's PHD (Projects Half Done) Challenge last year, I finished a number of carry-overs from 2010. I've come into this year with only one UFO, which is great! If you count the quilt top I just finished today (below), that makes two.

Anyway, when I read about the 2012 NewFO Challenge at Cat Patches, I thought, hey, that sounds like a great idea! Start something new each month but don't fret about finishing it. I can do that! Loose enough parameters for me to be creative and not sweat the finish line—and move me along towards trying some new things or starting one from the bucket list, bookmarks, or mental wish list. Sounds like a plan!

Here are some things I have in mind, and these are all just general ideas, in no particular order:

1. Throw Me a Curve (drunkard's path quilt or something else with curves)
2. Scrap Happiness (because something scrappy makes me happy) Edited to add: I just joined the Sew Scraps-Along at Pleasant Home too!
3. Stringing Along (a project featuring strings)
4. Library Corner (from any quilt book I already own/haven't tried yet)
5. Love One Another (a charity quilt)
6. Carry On (a purse, bag, fabric basket, etc.)
7. Paper Pieced (so I don't forget how)
8. Oddly Inspired (a quilty creation inspired by something non-quilty)
9-12. ???? (to be determined)

So that's the plan, man. Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind and/or combine any of the aforementioned general ideas into one project. In any case, there will be at least one NewFO per month. And since all I have to do is get started, it leaves leeway for other things, like practicing FMQ (the other 2012 challenge I'm on board with) and other putzing.

Want to join the fun? Visit Cat Patches for the details (you can click the button on the sidebar over there -->. Oh, and did I mention there will be prizes? :)

Starting at the End

2011-12-30T11:11:00.000-06:00

I know it's been pretty quiet around here lately, but fear not, I have not been sitting on my hands (much).

Today is a gray day with light snow falling like powdered sugar. Although nothing has yet accumulated in the way of the fluffy stuff, I do have a couple piles of quilt squares to show for this week.

In fact, I have all the squares pieced, I just have to lay them out on the floor and fiddle with the order before sewing the top together.

I'm working with a pattern by Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter, called Chain Linked. The colors of the framing squares don't show true against the beige carpeting with camera flash, but that is a gorgeous dark brown called Mink, and the gray is Ash, both solids from Connecting Threads.

I'm linking to Sarah's Can I Get a Whoop-Whoop? linky party, the last of 2011. She suggested we show one of our favorite accomplishments from the past year. That would be my kaleidoscope quilt!

I love the bright, happy colors and fabrics that went into it. It makes me smile!

Wishing you all your creative best in 2012!

Sunday Sundry - Vol. 52 - Christmas 2011 Edition

2011-12-25T22:15:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas! I hope you've had a wonderful day with you and yours!

Me, Russ, nephew Cody, and niece Shaina

We spent some time first with dear daughter and her boyfriend, exchanging gifts and visiting for awhile. It's always great to see them. She was feeling a bit under the weather, however, so went home to rest afterwards. Hope you feel better, sweetie.

Norm and I then headed to my brother's house.

I brought a pan of enchiladas, salad, fresh pineapple, and a pecan pie. There was no shortage of good eats. Russ got us started with some margaritas.

We have a Dirty Santa gift exchange after dinner. The cheese head was a hit. Brayden, my niece Shaina's oldest son, is modeling it here:

Shaina and youngest son Chandler. He's such a little peanut.

Nephew Nathan and Chandler:

Here he is with his Grandpa Russ.

And his Great-Grandpa Don. A chip off the old block, huh?

Russ shared some of his toys with us. We played with his Dr. Dre Monster Beats headphones.

Darrell checking out the music.

I'd like a pair of those next Christmas, Santa, please!

Russ, Terry, and Norm

Watching 3D TV. We're on a mission from God.

Sure, we look funny, but it's pretty amazing what you see with those things.

I am up to no good...

Hee-hee!

Me and meine schwester (my sister):

Norm and niece Samantha, giving the festivities their smirk and seal of approval. :)

Hope you had a wonderful holiday. Thanks for visiting!

Monday Miscellany

2011-12-19T17:05:00.002-06:00

I couldn't get it together yesterday for a Sunday Sundry post, so here I am with some miscellany, a day late and a dollar short, as the saying goes.

There has been minimal sewing going on, because other things have taken priority. Final Christmas shopping and other retail therapy, for one. Work, for another. I did buy a sewing aid, of sorts, while I was shopping—a new pair of bifocals. My other pair seemed to be a little weak. So I indulged what there is of my girly-girl-ness with some ruby red, swirly star embellished jobs.

The only sewing that has occurred lately has been of the mending or altering variety. I know, boring but necessary. I fixed a pair of pants for Pa, and then I let the hems down on three new pairs of "ultra tall" jeans/slacks. Yep, I had to let it all out, even on those. Gangly would be an understatement.

Greta Von Riding Crop still wants to know

if you've been naughty or nice.

Also? She knows from gangly.

Also too? She would like

something red for Christmas.

Hey, who likes fruitcake? You know what, I do! Or at least, I used to back when I could eat my mom's homemade fruitcake, which was the bomb, and I'm not talking about what it felt like in my stomach after I ate it. No, not the sickly-sweet brick with neon green candied cherries not found in nature. I'm talking about just a good, dense, fruit and nut inspired cake. The kind you eat a small slice of at a time with a steaming cup of coffee.

As you may know, I have been trying to stay on track with my diet (no gluten, no dairy, no refined sugar), but my craving gave way to caving this past week and I broke down and baked. I can't call it a fruitcake, really, but I can call it good. It is a minimally sweetened, dense, flavorful cake that seemed to hit all the right buttons.

I started with a gluten-free zucchini bread recipe and added a few other things. Here is how it came together:

Mix together dry ingredients in a medium bowl:
1 c. teff flour
1/4 c. sorghum flour
1/4 c. brown rice flour
1/4 c. tapioca flour
1/4 c. sweet rice flour
2 t. xanthan gum
1 t. cinnamon
2 pieces of crystallized ginger, chopped fine
2 t. baking powder
1 t. egg replacer

In mixing bowl, mix together:
2 eggs
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. melted coconut oil
1/3 c. freshly squeezed orange juice
Grated lemon zest (of about 1/2 lemon)
1 c. grated yellow summer squash
1/2 c. pumpkin puree

Add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined. If necessary, add 1/4 c. water (or more orange juice ~ or even rum, maybe?) until mixture is the consistency of thick cake batter. Stir in about 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips and 1/2 to 3/4 c. chopped walnuts. Spoon batter into a greased and floured (with rice flour) Bundt pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Cool for 10 minutes, then invert and remove from pan to continue cooling. Slice when fully cool.

And here is where I wish I had taken a photo of the result. I suppose I could break out the hunk I froze for sharing later, but between you and me, I feel safer with it stashed away in the freezer while I try to recover my willpower. It looked a lot like this though. This is the basic zucchini bread that I've made in the past. Just imagine it studded with chocolate chips and not quite so green with zucchini.

I've been listening to a German musical artist named Clueso lately, whom I discovered by happenstance while perusing YouTube. I don't pretend to know what he's saying, except for the simplest words, but I like the music a lot, which transcends translation. The gist of this song is that he doesn't want any more space, not a single centimeter, between he and his love, "ein Fleck ohne Kontur," or a spot without shape, to put it rather poetically.

Favorite Things Friday ~ Pins

2011-12-16T22:27:00.000-06:00

I suppose the more accurate, fancy word for them is brooches. But I have a hard time with the word brooch. For one thing, it doesn't sound like it looks, although why that should bother me, I don't know; the entire English language is filled with words that don't sound like they look.

So to keep it simple, I just call them pins. I like them. They're my favorite thing this week!

I'm not big on wearing jewelry, in general. I wear no rings, and necklaces only occasionally. I'd rather put a pretty pin on my sweater. Here are a few from my jewelry box.

A lot of these are old, as in outdated (maybe most), but I still keep them. I wore the pink one on a fuchsia sweater set to work last week. It's one of my favorites.

Some are old, as in antique. This one on my wool dress coat, for instance, came from my late mother-in-law.

The green one is also one of my favorite antique pins. It the only one I've bought from an antique jewelry vendor.

None of these are expensive. I just like them for one reason or another and have kept them to enjoy now and then.

If you're old enough to remember the late '80s or early '90s and big, poufy shoulder pads, you might also remember pins that looked like medals. Was the military look in back then? All I can think of is Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation. I played the heck out of that CD.

The fish pin is another from my mother-in-law, but it's not that old. I love the colorful enameling—cloisonne, if you're fancy. (Miss Jackson, if you're nasty... I've got that song lyric in my head now.)

The swan pair is a set I think I got for Christmas probably 30 years ago. Does that make them (and me) antique too? Don't answer that!

Here's another real cheapie (but blingy) snowflake from mom-in-law. No, I haven't pinned the family pet, silly, that's a fake fur collar on a sweater vest.

That's it for my last Favourite Things Friday linkup of the year. Thanks for visiting! Feel free to head over to Quilting in my Pyjamas for a look at other fab faves!

Edited to add: I just had to add this. Still love it! I like her pins too!

Giveaway Day Winner!

2011-12-16T20:04:00.000-06:00

How awesome was Giveaway Day?! I didn't get around to nearly as many places as I'd like to have, but it sure was fun watching the comments come in here and reading about what you might do to change how you celebrate the holidays.

Many of the responses came down to having family together and spending more time with family. There were also a lot of people wishing they'd started their Christmas projects sooner, as well as some who would like to have a more handmade Christmas. Others would focus more on charity. All very good things!

I feel a bit shallow in the fact that I was wishing I could hire someone to decorate for me (and un-decorate when it's over). Oh well...keeping it real!
The winner of the vintage fabric and "Pieces of Time" 2012 calendar is......

#21 - Kirie, who blogs at Shape Moth!

Congratulations, Kirie! Look for an email from me, and please respond with your mailing address, so I can send your sweet package to you right away!

I visited Kirie's blog, and there are oh-so-many pretty things there! She even sells her own paper piecing patterns, like this one:

Shape Moth Fawn Deer PP Pattern

Isn't that just the cutest thing? I love it!

Thank you ALL so much for entering my little giveaway. I hope you had fun! I know I did, and I look forward to visiting many of your blogs in the weeks to come!

Giveaway Day!

2011-12-13T00:30:00.000-06:00

Have you seen all the wonderful giveaways going on over at Sew, Mama, Sew? It's pretty exciting to see so much generosity and handcrafting talent in one place!

I'd been meaning to do a giveaway here before Christmas, so it made sense to link up. Welcome faithful friends and visitors alike!

As much as I love to sew, I also love thrifting and finding interesting vintage items. So my giveaway today is for six half-yard cuts of vintage fabrics from my treasure hunting, along with "Pieces of Time," a 2012 Calendar featuring vintage fabric illustrations by Erin Ink Design. Click the link to see more views of this cute 6x9 inch calendar in her Etsy shop.

Erin also sells fabulous Pyrex inspired note cards and other beautifully illustrated items. (Yes, I have Pyrexia too!)

The fabrics are all 100% cotton and there is one-half yard of each. Note that because these are vintage, they measure approximately 34-35 inches wide from selvage to selvage, instead of the modern day 40-42 inches wide. All have been prewashed and pressed.

Here are the giveaway details:

* This giveaway is open until December 16, 2011 at 7:00 CST. I will ship internationally.

* Winner will be selected at random and notified by email.

* To enter, leave a comment answering the following question: If you could change one thing about how you celebrate the holidays, what would it be? (Shop less? Eat more? Do more for charity? Forget the snow and fly to Mexico?)

* Please include your email address in your comment, or make sure your reply contact setting is not set to "no reply."

That's it! Thanks for visiting, and come back again sometime!

Good luck, and have fun exploring the other giveaways at Sew, Mama, Sew!

Sunday Sundry - Vol. 51

2011-12-11T21:41:00.001-06:00

Can you believe I've been doing these Sunday Sundry posts for a year already? Wow, time does fly!

Friends, I am so tired right now, having worked two of my jobs for a chunk of the day, that I'm not sure I can make sense anymore this evening. And yet here I am, so I guess we'll give it a go. This will be particularly random. In fact, perhaps I will just do a list of 10 various and sundry things, in no particular order.

1. My African violets are so blooming happy right now! I just ignore them, maybe water once every 7-10 days, and they do what they do. Awesome!

2. Something else that made me happy this week was this post about the Veggie Market Quilt over at Three Old Keys. I loved her writeup about it! The auction is slated to happen on eBay in January, with the proceeds going to Japan quake relief.

3. How many episodes of Parks and Recreation does it take to put a single string of 100-bulbs on a 4-foot pre-lit tree which is no longer pre-lit? Two. And two not-at-all-enthused older adults to share a pair of needle nose pliers to cut and twist the pre-lits off, and attempt (twice) to wind the new ones on. If it weren't for Ron Swanson and Andy Dwyer to distract us with comedy, we'd have been in a foul mood.

Did you know that pre-lit just means some worker in China did what we did in probably under 60 seconds on a moving assembly line, fastening every other bulb to a branch with the equivalent of super-strong green plastic bread closure tabs and lightning fast reflexes? Yep, you can probably Google it.

4. I just found this picture on my computer as I was uploading Ron Swanson above. It's from Christmas 1982. That's my brother Russ and I in my parents' kitchen, back when he had hair and we both had perms. I love this picture.

5. That blouse I was wearing reminds me that I've always liked that color red. In fact, I just bought a red wool coat from JCP. All the reviews said the sleeves ran super long...meaning I could hold out hope that it might fit my monkey arms. And it did—score!

Then I scoured the internets for a black and white houndstooth scarf to go with it, because that neckline makes me cold just looking at it. It is the land of frozen tundra here, folks (and how about those Green Bay Packers, hey? 13-0!). I found and ordered this one from Amazon.com.

6. A coworker's Americauna chickens started laying and she gave me one of the first dozen. Their eggs are such a beautiful shade of pale blue-green, almost a cement color. This picture makes them look more brown than they are. Sorry, it's late and I had to use flash.

7. A really good movie just out on DVD now is called The Debt, starring Helen Mirren. It's a suspenseful tale of espionage that flashes between the mid-1960s and 1990s. I was really into the story. It's probably one of the best movies I've seen in awhile. (Yes, better than Twilight: Breaking Dawn, and I can't believe I just said that.)

8. Speaking of vampires, I started the audiobook Dead Until Dark on Friday, and ugh. I.So.Don't.Care. A lot of people loved these books, and the "True Blood" TV series is based on them, I believe. But meh. For one thing, the reader, who is female, makes every male character sound exactly the same, flat, monotone, and uninteresting. The story takes place in Louisiana, and the reader affects an inauthentic sounding accent for the heroine, Sookie Stackhouse, that also puts me off. I will finish the book, however, while I'm waiting for a Lee Child audiobook to come in at the library. Maybe it gets better [edited to add: it did] , but I have a feeling I may be done with vampire stories, unless Stephenie Meyer writes another one.

9. Here's a handy household tip for using batting scraps. I cut mine into rectangular pieces about 5 x 10 inches and use them as dust cloths or cleaning rags. They work great wet or dry.

10. Young the Giant is a new music discovery for me. Here's one I like.

Have a good week, all!

Nick of Time...or Maybe Not

2011-12-10T11:04:00.001-06:00

I finished my holiday wall hanging just a few minutes ago, wanting to get it done in time to link up to Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?, which I thought closed at noon today.

Turns out I was wrong about that—it's midnight—but I'm grateful for the self-imposed adrenaline rush to fuel me through the finish!

The idea for this project came from Karen at Laughter in Quilts who had made a lovely one using the Carpenter's Wheel block pattern on Quilter's Cache. Since my front hallway was desperately in need of something seasonal, I totally ~~stole~~ borrowed her idea! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?

I used some scraps of Christmas fabrics I'd bought at JoAnn last year, along with Kona Snow.

The backing is a vintage piece I thrifted this past summer. The batting is likewise thrifted. I'd found a craft-sized package of bamboo batting at Goodwill, and it worked perfectly. This is the first time I've used bamboo batting. Is that stuff ever soft! It quilted nicely, too.

I need to put up a decent rod in the hallway to hang this, and the hallway is pretty dark for pictures anyway, so I took it out on the front porch for a few shots. I couldn't be bothered to sweep the sidewalk first (I thought I was under the gun for time, remember), and besides, that's what Picasa's "Retouch" button is for. Virtual sweeping—no more debris, dead bugs, or whatever they were.

It's beginning to look a little more like Christmas around here. With any luck, I'll get the little tree re-strung with lights that actually work today. I hope your holiday is coming together nicely too!

Favorite Things Friday ~ No-Moo Hot Chocolate

2011-12-08T22:58:00.001-06:00

I'd be lying if I said it wasn't killing me a little to see all the holiday goodies every-freakin'-where. What I'm not already steering clear of for the gluten and dairy, I'm now avoiding for the refined sugar and high carbs.

I've come up with a workaround for hot chocolate, though, and it is my Favourite Things Friday thing of the week. Also, a bit of a sanity saver.

Simple ingredients: Cocoa powder, coconut milk, 2 stevia packets, and a favorite mug. Oh, and boiling water, not pictured, but you know what that looks like.

Boil the water, open the can of coconut milk and give it a stir to combine any lumpy bits. The fat tends to rise to the top of the can. Don't discard that, it's good stuff. Really, you can Google it. Medium-chain fatty acids, lauric acid, and other words that'll make your eyes glaze over. It tastes good too.

Put about 1/2 Tablespoon of cocoa powder in the mug along with your stevia packets, and dump in about 1/3 cup of coconut milk. Fill the rest of the mug with boiling water and give it a good stir.

Mm-mm good!

Challenge Accepted

2011-12-05T13:03:00.001-06:00

I took the pledge for the 2012 Free-Motion Quilting Challenge sponsored by SewCalGal!

2012 FMQ Challenge

When I saw it mentioned on Elizabeth's blog, I knew right away it was something I needed to do in order to get me to practice and expand my FMQ skills.

See, I don't love free-motion quilting...yet...and I want to love it. But first, I have to make better friends with it, and we all know that in order to make good friends, you have to spend some consistent and quality time getting to know them. This challenge sounds like a good way to do that.

Every month, beginning in January, one of twelve FMQ experts will share a tutorial. If you complete the exercise that month and share it in the challenge, you will be entered to win a monthly prize. That works for me!

You can read all the details and register at SewCalGal. Whether you've been wishing you could, wanting to improve, or waiting for a sign, this may be it. The more the merrier!

Sunday Sundry - Vol. 50

2011-12-04T14:08:00.001-06:00

Deck the halls with...Edward Cullen!

Fa-la-la-la—Ooh-la-la—la-la!

Not the season to be sullen

Fa-la-la-la—Ooh-la-la—la-la!

Dons he now his grey apparel

Fa-la-la—Ooh-la-la—la-la-la!

While I botch this yuletide carol

Fa-la-la-la—Ooh-la-la—la-la!

Oh, the merriment of hanging this poster in my sewing space today! It was a Christmas gift from my friend Marie, who likes me so much she read all the Twilight books just because I would not shut up talking about them. What a pal, huh? Though she has no desire to see Breaking Dawn, and Robert Pattinson does absolutely nothing for her, I sure won't hold it against her.

Hey, if Edward wasn't bored out of his gourd watching Bella sleep every night, I figure he can watch whatever foolishness I get into in the sewing room, right? Although he looks like he may be waiting for me to sew through a finger. All in good time, my pretty. All in good time.

I did manage to bring out a few, more seasonal decorations this weekend, but the going has been slow. Every year, I desire to decorate less.

We needed a catchall for the Christmas cards, so I employed a festive piece of Pyrex for the task.

How do you display your holiday cards, if you do?

It occurred to me that I have no appropriate holiday wall hanging for the front hallway, but I've got a plan to fix that soon with this Carpenter's Wheel block that I saw on Laughter in Quilts. As I commented to Karen, it looks seasonal without screaming "take me down on December 26," if you know what I mean. Here are the fabrics I've pulled for it.

And though I haven't sewn a single seam this week, I did manage to get a quilt cut out. These stacks of raw materials are now waiting for me to bang together at the job site. (What's with the construction reference, P.? *Shrugs*)

It occurred to me that the CDs I was listening to as I pressed and cut fabric kind of matched the quilt's color scheme. Very interesting!

Hubs, who overhears whatever I'm jamming out to in the sewing room, says to me yesterday, "I think you're becoming a progressive rock fan but don't even know it yet."

Don't know? Hello? Who has listened to prog rock since Rush, Kansas, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Yes, etc. were invented? I just go in cycles with music, and there hasn't really been a decent progressive rock sound I've liked in a while...until Mute Math. I don't even know if they're technically considered that genre, but it seems as if they lean in the general direction. By the way, if you want to read something hilariously funny on the subject of progressive rock, see THIS (warning: some people may find this link mildly offensive; I am obviously not one of those people). And Porcupine Tree? Must hear more!

The Black Keys are not progressive rock, but rock they do. I just want to dance with this gentleman. Perhaps without all the literal hand gesturing, however.

Favorite Things Friday ~ Pecans

2011-12-02T20:24:00.001-06:00

There have been many favorite things about this week. Nothing dramatic, but just little things each day that have made me smile. Since I've been a little absent around these parts this week, I thought I'd do a little day by day breakdown of favorites, Monday through Friday.

Monday ~ My physician's assistant, who shot the breeze with me about everything from paleo to palpitations. He's a smart and funny guy, kind of like talking to a friend for a couple hours.

Tuesday ~ Magnesium, which said PA recommended for said palpitations, and whaddaya know, it worked! Plus, I have been sleeping like a log.

Wednesday ~ The office Christmas party. Always good food, conversation, and a little random gift exchange. I received these, made by a 20-something coworker who had no idea how much I love vintage embroidery patterns!

Thursday ~ Brussels sprouts and new music, not necessarily at the same time though.

Moreland & Arbuckle

Black Country Communion

Friday ~ Ebay sales, all packed and ready to go to the post office tomorrow!

But my favorite thing of all was this batch of beautiful fresh pecans that my dad gave me today!

He bought them through my aunt in Louisiana, who shipped them here. Dad spent several hours handpicking them out of the shells this week,making up a bag for each of us kids. They're so much better than anything we can get in the store. What a treat! I'm thinking he'd enjoy a slice of pecan pie at Christmas, were I to make one. I hope I can stop nibbling on them until then!

Sunday Sundry - Vol. 49

2011-11-26T17:50:00.001-06:00

This past week messed with my mojo a little bit, but it's all good. Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the turkey dinner. Hope all of you here in the States had a Happy Thanksgiving and that everyone everywhere is enjoying a great weekend.

We spent Thanksgiving Day at my sister's and had a nice time. I only managed to snap a photo or two early on and then put my camera back in my purse and forgot about it.

I liked her display on top of the quilt rack, some vintage kitchen items she picked up at the flea market we went to in September. Looks like there's even some room for future finds.

Have you seen the Handmade with Love holiday tutorial contest at Pink Chalk Fabrics? There are a lot of fun projects being linked. I explored several of them the other day and decided to make one as a Christmas gift. I worked on it Wednesday night while I listened to the rest of the Water for Elephants audiobook. Hours passed as I sewed contently along. Norm was running the soundboard for my brother's band at a local gig, so it was just blissful me time.

I finished that little project today but can't post a photo here because it is a gift. However, I did upload it to a Flickr group for the person whose tutorial I used, so you can see it HERE. I've asked the recipient not to peek—and if she does, I don't want to know!

Last weekend, we saw Twilight: Breaking Dawn, and I loved it. I wished it could have been different in some parts, but overall I was happy with it. But it puzzles me (disturbs may be a better word) when people bring their very young children (5, 6, 7-year-olds) to a PG-13 movie such as this. Several groups with young children filed in. Seriously? Was Happy Feet sold out?

Friends, you may be relieved to know that I had a brand new Twilight New Moon board game in my hands today at Goodwill, but I put it back. See? I can control my obsession. It was tough, though. I walked around cradling it for about 15 minutes before I set it back down. I hope the lucky person who buys it appreciates my sacrifice.

This, however, made me laugh uncontrollably. We got the holiday ThinkGeek catalog in the mail today. Be sure to read the item description...er, instructions.

It had me in hysterics, I tell ya!

There's a lot of fun stuff in that catalog. Like this T-shirt:


Vitruvian Dude

What's on your Christmas wish list?

Kaleidoscope Quilt Finish

2011-11-21T12:17:00.001-06:00

Norm was right about the binding; it totally works.

I am happy to report that the kaleidoscope quilt is done. I gave up waiting for the sun to come out from under the clouds and went ahead with taking photos of it on the deck this morning. I freezed my freezing fingers off doing it, but that's what big mugs of tea are for, thawing frozen, freezed-off, freezing fingers.

Silly f-words aside, here it is. Although it's not the '70s rock inspired piece I intended it to be, I do love the finished quilt!

There will be a version 2.0 kaleidoscope quilt that hopefully will achieve the vibe I had planned for this quilt. In the meantime, I'm reserving the secret name for the second iteration. (It's based on a song with lyrics weird and iconic enough to inspire, and a glammy, now deceased, front man. That's all the hints I'm giving on that.)

Norm calls this "the candy quilt." That's not the alternate name I had in mind, but I can see his point of view. (There's a part of me that wants to do up the CC label in rainbow-colored embroidery thread with daisies for the asterisks. Actually, I think a little hand work practice might be nice...)

More photos of the back:

The finale of foldedness:

Thanks to Elizabeth D. of Don't Call Me Betsy for the kaleidoscope quilt-along that provided the motivation and method for making this quilt come together! See the Flickr group pool for more eye candy and inspiration.

He Won the Toss

2011-11-18T21:53:00.001-06:00

It seems like forever since I've posted, but there hasn't been much of anything sewing related to talk about. I started the week with some kind of horrendous flu bug, which thankfully passed in a day or two. Then when work wasn't being busy, I was sidetracking myself on other bunny trails, with a bit of dithering and procrastinating in between.

Thank you all for chiming in on the binding for the kaleidoscope quilt. I appreciate your taking the time to visualize and comment. Fairly early in the week, I had pretty much decided to cut the yellow binding and intended to go and do that as soon as I pressed "Send" on an email and got up from the computer. But the getting up part didn't happen (see "sidetracked," above).

Someone needs to invent the computer chair ejector seat, and a portable model for laptop or iPad users (the iEjector?). Preferably with a 3-2-1 countdown sequence, warning vibrations, and rocket exploding noises.
(Or maybe someone already has, but that model comes delivered in a plain brown wrapper...but this is a family friendly site so we won't go any further with that!)

Another day dawned, and I made an impromptu run to JoAnn's to explore other possible binding options, and came home with three (!). I really favored one, but when I asked my husband his opinion later that evening, he favored a different one of the three.

So there they sat the rest of the week, the hunks of fabric on the floor on top of my quilt, while I sat working and dithering and dithering and working and procrastinating.

Tonight I announced, "We have to make a very important decision," as I pulled a quarter out of my purse. I tossed, Norm called. He won.
"Aw, two out of three?" since I am a good loser like that.

"Sure." He won again on the second toss.

"You'll love it. I can see it in my mind already, and it's going to look great," he reassured. He's probably right.

I've got a busy weekend ahead, what with Twilight: Breaking Dawn to be seen in the theater, pretty people to be drooled over, special contacts to be worn, lines to be stood in, medium-rare steak to be eaten afterward, a binding to be sewn, and more work-work to be done. Sunday Sundry will be MIA this weekend, but look for the bound and completed kaleidoscope quilt reveal early next week.

There are also plans in the works for the next project.

I'll be using these two groups of FQs from separate giveaway winnings, but I think they'll work well together in this quilt. That's Central Park by Kate Spain for Moda on the right and a variety on the left, including a Sharon Holland design and Amy Butler, I believe.

There is a whole story about how I finally decided upon the two main frame colors (Ash and Mink from Connecting Threads, shown underneath the stacks), and guess what? It involves a generous amount of dithering and procrastination, along with plenty of sidetracking. I'll show you the stack of rejects another time, but today let's focus on the positive.

Have a great weekend! Ciao for now!

Sunday Sundry - Vol. 48

2011-11-13T09:55:00.001-06:00

I finished quilting the kaleidoscope quilt yesterday (woo-hoo!). It went pretty well, despite the size. The center was a little tricky to maneuver in, and that is where I started. I did a few meanders and—I'm not going to lie—for a brief moment I considered stopping, ripping out my stitches, and calling my local longarm quilter. But no, I had it basted and we had come this far together, just persevere (so went the self pep talk). Keep going, keep going, keep going. And I did. And it's done. And I'm glad!

I am sort of embarrassed to admit I wanted to wimp out, but there it is. I didn't. I took courage from friends who told me they or someone they knew had quilted a king size quilt on a regular machine, and this wasn't even that big. Perhaps it will be an encouragement to someone in a similar situation who doesn't know if they have it in them (you do).

Okay, so here is the latest dilemma. What kind of binding should I do? I mean, the backing is a soft custard yellow with multicolored strips from some of the fabrics on the front. I quilted it in matching yellow thread, which blended well overall. I was thinking a yellow binding, as I have enough yardage in the custard yellow. I also have enough of a light pink print (see bottom left block of first picture above). Otherwise, I'd have to buy fabric (which I'm okay with, if that's what works best), or do a scrappy binding. But I think there is enough color going on in the quilt that something solid along the edge would be more restful. Any thoughts?

It's Genetic
My cousin Peggy in Louisiana discovered my blog and was inspired to start her own Pyrex collection. I am so happy for her! She recently bought a little hutch at an antique shop for her Pyrex display and sent me a photo. Isn't it the cutest?

Back in October, I bought a pretty casserole dish and stand, but as it turned out, I already had it. In fact, there's a picture of it up there in my blog header. Doh!

This, friends, is when you know your collection might be getting out of hand (and/or your memory faltering). At any rate, I figured there might be just the right spot for it—on Peggy's shelves. So I packed it up, along with one of my minis that seemed meant to be together with it, and sent it to my cousin. She loved it! I'm so glad!

At the risk of embarrassing both of us further, here is a favorite photo of my cousins, Peggy (on the left), Patsy, and David, along with my sister and I in the pink dresses (I'm on the right). This photo is from the era that particular Pyrex casserole would have been in circulation.

Who'da thunk we'd reconnect all these years later swapping Pyrex stories?

Holiday Shopping
I started my Christmas shopping on Friday night. I even bought myself a little something for the tree, he-he.

How about you, have you started your Christmas list yet?

Favorite Things Friday ~ 11-11-11 Edition

2011-11-11T20:15:00.001-06:00

It's a good day for playing Favourites with Shay and friends at Quilting in My Pyjamas. I've got more than one this week, and I'll get to the short list in a minute.

But first, did you know it's Nigel Tufnel Day? A day when Spinal Tap fans everywhere (including me) celebrate their own and others' maximum eleven-ness!

Okay, so favorites this week. I have been tuning in to the talk show appearances of the Twilight stars all week, in anticipation of the new movie, Breaking Dawn Part 1, which opens next week. Hands down, my favorite one was Robert Pattinson's appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Oh my gosh, I laughed so hard!

Gotta love those late night TV interviews. This one definitely went where daytime TV did not.

I'm still on a music jag this week. While I was basting my quilt, I tuned into the alternative music channel over cable TV and heard some good new-to-me music, like this version of Fixin' to Die by G. Love.

I also watched a live concert DVD of Mutemath and was totally into it last evening. What a great band. Later, I popped in the CD while I was quilting on the kaleidoscope quilt. The drummer is an animal, and I mean that in the best possible way (check this out). They definitely bring the eleven-ness!

Finally, here is another new-to-me duo, Rodrigo y Gabriela. Coincidentally, this song is called 11:11.

Making it Work

2011-11-07T20:57:00.001-06:00

I moved things in the kitchen as much out of the way as possible so I could baste the quilt on the floor today.

When I was a kid, my dad would shampoo the living room carpeting every once in awhile, and somehow all our furniture managed to get squeezed into the tiny dining room for a day or two while things dried. One year the Olympics were on TV during that time, and I remember watching them perched on top of something that was perched on top of something else. This reminded me of that, but nowhere near as tight a squeeze.

This made just enough room for the quilt. I am standing in the doorway to take this picture. It's a small kitchen. The quilt is a full size, not even a queen.

But mission accomplished with the basting. Yay!

Norm brought the mail in from the box at noon. "Your contacts are here. Try them on!"

He was more excited than I was, but when I put them in, he was less impressed. I think he was hoping they'd be creepier. Me too, actually. Maybe I should have gotten the red ones.

Anyway, they're fairly comfortable and I can see well, so that's good.

This is my normal eye color, dark blue. Or somewhat hungry "vegetarian" vamp? Nah, not dark enough.

And here is with the contacts. "I have been hunting." Pretty subtle. They do make my irises look larger though.

It's not easy taking photos of your own eyes. The mirror shots = Fail. I am starting to get silly here.

Finally I turned the camera around to where I could see the viewfinder in the mirror. Duh. That worked.

Sunday Sundry - Vol. 47

2011-11-06T09:37:00.000-06:00

The sundry items are jingling around like a pocketful of change today, so let's reach in and see what we come up with.

Golden
I found these glasses at Goodwill on Saturday. Actually, at two Goodwill stores, 30 miles apart. The three cocktail glasses have seen some wear, but I couldn't just abandon them on the shelf in favor of their spiffier siblings. It seemed more appropriate to keep the family together.

Besides, I kind of like the patina on them. It shows they were enjoyed in a former lifetime. Can't you just imagine the red lipstick stains and matching manicured hands that held those highballs? Or the crisp white shirts and skinny black ties, and pencil skirts and pumps viewed through the condensation on the cold glass? Is that Dean Martin on the hi-fi?

All I really know is when the new season of Mad Men finally premiers, you can bet I'll be raising one of these.

I also found this piece of old ironstone. Talk about patina, this plate has seen the entire last century and then some.

The mark apparently dates it to before 1900, when the "Ld" (for Limited) was added, so sometime between 1869 and 1900.

Other Things I've Taken a Shine To
We watched Water for Elephants last night, and what a great movie. Robert Pattinson did a wonderful job, and it was good to see him in this role (definitely smiling way more than a brooding vampire, for one thing).

And...okay. The man is just so fine. There, I said it. I was going to be all mature and respectable, but I can't help it, I could just stare at that face all day. Beauty is beauty, and who am I to deny that I appreciate it?

All things ga-ga aside, I think all the actors, including especially Christopher Waltz, Reese Witherspoon, and Hal Holbrook, did an outstanding job in Water for Elephants. I was really into the entire story from the get-go, not just drooling over the remote.

But speaking of vamps, to say that I am excited to see Breaking Dawn in a couple weeks would be an understatement. And I will be wearing these, because I am a big dork who actually called my eye doctor, who had to look at that same link to approve my order.

And I could hear the smirks in their voices on the phone, those white-coated professionals, because, well, just when you think you know your polite and unassuming middle-aged patient, she calls up and asks for vampire contacts, and that right there is likely to make your whole day.

Just wait till they see what Norm wants to get.

Sew...what now?
I finished the backing for the kaleidoscope quilt. And now I am having a dilemma. The quilt is too big to baste as I normally would on my kitchen floor, the only hard floor in the house, and it's bigger than any quilt I've quilted on my machine so far. And why did I not see this coming?

So there's that to mull over.

Meanwhile, the weather is getting colder and I'd like to start wearing my cords and other heavier jeans, but they're all too big now, so I need to do some alterations, several pairs worth (*groan*). But that job is one that has to be moved to the front burner ASAP, like today.

After that, plans are in the works for quilting the black and white quilt, and I've got another couple quilts in the hopper to cut out. Details to follow.

New Music
Mutemath has a new album out called Odd Souls, and this is one of the songs that I've been listening to all week. I would love to see these guys live. Come to Madison, Mutemath!

And, just because, this is a cool acoustic version of an older song.

Go on...break the spell of the Typical!

Favorite Things Friday - Birthday Cake

2011-11-04T23:06:00.000-05:00

It's Favourite Things Friday once again! The post title should really be "Birthdays AND Cake," especially when the birthday is my daughter's.

We celebrated this evening, which is a couple days early, but that is what worked out for us getting together. I asked M. what she wanted for her birthday and she said, "CAKE!"

"How about mint bars?" I asked.

"MMMMMMMMMMM," was the reply. I took that to be a yes.

I haven't baked in so long, people. Something cake-ish, I mean. I think it's been almost six months of no refined sugar for me, blah-blah-blah, I know that's boring and who cares. Long story short: I was going to get my sugar buzz on!

I made a family favorite, which is technically a bar, not a cake, but close enough. Here is the original recipe:

However, since M. and I are dairy-free, and I am also gluten-free, I modified it somewhat.

I used a Pamela's gluten-free chocolate cake mix as the base, and as the second layer, a can of Pillsbury vanilla frosting with 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract and 2 drops of green food coloring stirred in.

The third layer is dairy-free chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of a dairy-free butter substitute melted together.

Folks, these bars are the crack. Highly, deliciously addictive. I sent much of the remaining pan home with others after I ate my share, because they leadeth me into temptation, and I am back on the wagon tomorrow.

By the way, Dad asked M.'s boyfriend what the hand signs meant, and he said, "I have no idea," because he's cool that way. I think it stands for the minimum number of bars you will be compelled to eat in one sitting.

Instead of putting the entire box of 24 candles on the cake, I asked M.'s boyfriend what that was in binary (because he's cool that way too). So the white candles represent zeroes and the pink candles ones.

I sure love my kiddo and spending time with her. She is smart and funny and talented, and I wish her all the best every single day of every year!

Cover

2011-11-02T10:42:00.000-05:00

I needed a cover for Viv, my vintage Singer 301 sewing machine. I also needed to practice my free-motion quilting, and I needed a small project to fill the time until I get an order from Connecting Threads so I can finish a couple other things.

Viv may be old and a little battle scarred, but she's a trooper. She is a good piecer and does probably the easiest and most true 1/4-inch seam. She's also portable (there's a recessed handle at the top) and relatively lightweight compared to my other two machines.

So I've been working on this cover for Viv for a couple days and finished it up last night. I think it came out pretty cute!

I was originally going to make a cover that had open sides and just tied closed, but decided at the last minute to enclose the whole thing.

It was a little fiddly to sew in the rectangles, pivoting at the corners and such, but I managed. In hindsight, I probably should have fused on some interfacing to the backs of the side pieces to give them a little more stability. It also would have been nice to have a hole at the top for the handle to come through, if I wanted to carry it covered. Tweaks to keep in mind for the next version.

I practiced quilting some of Elizabeth's curlicues in the red strips (those are fun!), and some double loop meandering over the aprons, along with some fairly craptastic waves in the black and white parts on the ends.

Meanwhile, I've been listening to a lot of music. I also may have watched the Twilight movie (twice) over the weekend on the FX Channel. While it is no cinematic masterpiece, I have to say there is some really good music in that movie.

Okay, that's kind of like saying that one reads a certain men's magazine for the articles, but I think you know what I mean. Case in point:

Supermassive Black Hole by Muse
Spotlight by Mutemath
Full Moon by The Black Ghosts
Tremble for my Beloved by Collective Soul

Those are all pretty rock intensive songs. On the softer side, however, I also love Bella's Lullaby by Carter Burwell. This video is a version by a different pianist who I think does a wonderful job expressing the emotion of the song without being heavy-handed about it. Enjoy!

Glove Love

2011-10-30T22:30:00.001-05:00

Duuuuuuuude...

Check this out!

I was thinking about those skeleton gloves Norm was wearing yesterday, thinking about how the first time I grabbed his hand to hold it as we were walking, the palms of the gloves felt tacky. He said that's because they were football receiver gloves, so they had this grip surface on the palms. Whatever dude, I thought.

So tonight I'm getting ready to practice some free-motion quilting when all of a sudden—

"Can I see your gloves?" I asked.

"Sure."

I tried them on. They were a perfect fit. I felt the tacky surface again. It was like the underside of a Supreme Slider, the part that sticks to your machine.

"Mind if I borrow these for a bit?" He didn't mind. I took them down to my sewing room.

Duuuu-huuu-huuude!! Those gloves are awesome for quilting!

I feel like I have even more control and dexterity than when I wear my Machingers. They're very lightweight, and I like the Velcro wristband a lot more than an elastic cuff.

And check this out: They even come in pink!

He got his at Walmart a couple weeks ago (and yes, he still had the package tag). Said there were several styles and colors. I hope they still have some left!

Sundry Sunday - Vol. 46

2011-10-29T23:16:00.001-05:00

I'm over the funk, thank goodness. Whether it was a matter of time, a shift in the tide, or the mailman bearing squishies, it's gone. Besides, who can be down on a day like this?

We did some hiking around Devil's Lake State Park on Saturday, enjoying the sunshine and last remnants of fall foliage.

Temps were on the cool side, but as we walked, the layers came off.

The first trail was called Tumbling Rocks. You can see why.

It was a paved path, though. Nothing strenuous, just a nice stroll along the shoreline.

I'm not sure how this happened, but Norm is actually smiling here. It looks genuine, even. Was my hair goofy? Some spinach from lunch lingering in my teeth? (That link is to an awesome restaurant, if you're anywhere near Baraboo, WI. I had the Moroccan chicken, yum. The decor is retro fun too.)

Anyway, this one's a keeper.

Yes, he is wearing gloves that look like skeletal bones. Quite the sense of style (and humor).

We also did a little trail in Parfrey's Glen nearby. The trail was quite different than last time we were there five or so years ago.

It used to wind its way to a big waterfall (that's just a tiny one we passed along the way, above), but the path and improvements got washed out with some major flood damage a couple years ago.

The new trail only goes so far, and neither of us were wearing the right footwear to cross the stream and navigate the mud and rocks to get to the falls. Maybe next time.

Still, it was a nice walk.

Other nice things arrived in the mail this week. One I can't show you yet because it may be a gift for someone who reads this. But here is a surprise that arrived from Shay. She sent me one of her fabric baskets and a fridgie notepad. So sweet of her!

And how did she know the sorry state of affairs on my refrigerator prior to her new notepad arriving to spruce up the joint? The woman must be psychic, I tell ya.

I saw these on Generation Q this week and my mouse made a beeline to the site to order myself a necklace. It arrived in my mailbox almost blindingly fast. I love-love-love it!

The red/black/white project underneath the necklace is a sewing machine cover I started on Friday night. The apron fabric was another treasure from Jenny's goodie box of scraps—a entire fat quarter of fabulosity!

Here's hoping you all go forth and be fabulous today!

Favorite Things Friday ~ My Office View

2011-10-28T23:25:00.002-05:00

My Favourite Things Friday idea came about at random as the late afternoon sun peeked through the window of my office as I was working today.

My camera was sitting on the desk and I picked it up to shoot some quick photos of things nearby. The desk sits in what is normally a darkish corner of the room except at a particular time of day when the natural light is just right. It does make my monitor a little hard to read (and the layer of dust on it all the more visible), but I love that fleeting slant of light and don't bother to get up and adjust the blinds.

This pottery cup is from my sister, who was going to donate it to Goodwill when she moved a couple years ago. I gave it a good home instead. It's the perfect size to hold the phone.

And a stray guitar pick.

It sits on a sweet, heart-shaped crocheted coaster from Mary.

Straight ahead, above the monitor, is a spiderweb quilted wall hanging I made last October, and a vintage Beistle skeleton.

On the wall to the right, one of my favorite photos of my daughter. Hard to believe it's been six years since this was taken. She's got a birthday next week!

To the left above my desk are some favorite vacation photos from a family trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan some years ago. Lighthouses, waterfalls, and beaches were some of the sights we saw. My daughter was picking out her favorite smooth rocks along the Lake Superior shoreline, many of which came home with us.

And finally, propped in the the corner on top of my scanner is this little softie. Too cute to scare anyone properly, but he makes me smile.

So there you have a mini tour of my immediate vicinity as I sit here at my desk. It's only a glimpse of what's in front of me in this corner. I'll save the view of rest of the room for another time. Hint: It includes Pyrex. :)

Thanks for visiting! Now I'm off to peer into your world for a bit...

Soul for the Funk I'm In

2011-10-27T10:26:00.002-05:00

Not a whole lot happening in the sewing room this week. I'm cutting some strips for a pieced backing for the kaleidoscope quilt.

I need to get some more solids to finish the back, and decide on a binding.

I've been in sort of a funk otherwise. I could blame Twilight withdrawals (not even kidding), the weather, shorter days (time to break out the SAD lamp), PMS, etc.

Orphan blocks from kaleido quilt leftovers.

Maybe I'll put them in the backing, maybe not.

Saw this guy, Allen Stone, on Conan last night. Wow. Just...wow. Made it all better.

Mini Mwa-ha-ha

2011-10-24T11:54:00.001-05:00

I needed to finish a few minis I'd pieced together a couple weeks ago, so I did that last night.

This one came about when I found a scrap of the chicken print fabric in the goodie box. It was cut on the curve, sort of a triangular shaped piece generally in the shape it appears here. Curved piecing? Why not. Everything I'd done up to that point had been straight lines. I would like to make a drunkard's path quilt one of these days, so might as well get some practice.

So I just started adding more bits and it morphed into a scene. Spooky eyes lurking in the barnyard or star craziness in the sky...something's got their feathers ruffled!

I can't decide whether to call it Clucky Streak or Clucky Strike??

Next up were the Dia de los Muertos minis.

Since the Juki was still threaded and ready from doing the fruit and veggie quilt last week, I did a little free-motion quilting on these.

Just an overall meander on the larger one, and some outlining and tiny loops on the other.

The back of the larger one...

And the back of the small...

I probably should have done the outlining in the center before I put the backing on, but whatever. Live and learn.

I think I wore out this track on the Foster the People CD while working on these (I love the keyboard part at about 1:00 in). "Focus on your ability...focus on your ability..." goes the refrain. Sounds like a plan!

Fruit and Veggie Quilt Finish

2011-10-22T09:55:00.000-05:00

I finished quilting and binding the embroidered fruit and veggie quilt last night!

This is a quilt that Mom Wald put together, which will be auctioned off for charity, specifically, Japan quake relief.

She brought together fruit and veggie themed embroidered blocks and fabric donations and assembled them all into this quilt. It's adorable!

I just love the vintage embroidery patterns that were used.

Even though there is an abundance of variety in the fabrics, it all works very well together.

Many people donated time and talent and energy for this project. I think she said eleven generous souls participated. That's amazing!

Here is the back:

And my favorite block. Such a happy face! Such beautiful stitchery!

I'll be getting this back to Mom Wald soon, and she is in charge of the auction details. When I know more, I'll pass the information along.

Thanks so much for visiting!

Winner-Winner Chicken Dinner!

2011-10-21T12:53:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the lovely comments on the giveaway post, and welcome to the newest followers! No matter how long you've been reading here, I thank each one of you for that. Please feel free to comment anytime. It really is a day brightener!

Without further ado, here is the winner of the mini Pyrex and mug rug, as chosen by Random.org.

It's Tabatha of Bending Pins! Congratulations!! Tabatha is a kindred spirit in terms of her luscious fabric choices and style. She is not afraid of color and a little drama. I can relate to that!

Here is a peek at what I've been working on for the past few days. I'm getting close to the finish line!

I just had one of those heart-sinking moments before I stopped working on this about an hour ago. I had run out of bobbin thread and when I slid the quilt out of the throat of the machine, my Supreme Slider was missing!

Oh, no! I gasped (or words to that effect, anyway, but I'm trying to keep it a G rating today). I looked behind the machine. No slider. That could only mean one thing, I thought: I had quilted it to the back of the quilt! (Not like that's ever happened before...yeah, right.) More exasperated words ensued. I felt through the layers of quilt. Nothing usual. I quickly flipped the quilt over. Nothing there! Nothing was on my lap. It couldn't have just disappeared!

I stood up out of my chair and it wheeled away a few inches. There was the slider on the floor beneath! Whew! I felt like I'd dodged a bullet.

Who says quilting isn't an adrenaline-filled rush?

Give It Away Now!

2011-10-19T10:30:00.002-05:00

It's time! The follow-dometer rolled over to 150, thanks to newest follower Sandra, so let's have a giveaway!

How about this red and green mug rug paired with an 8-oz Pyrex mini in lime green? Even if you're not that into Pyrex (what?!), surely you'll find a use for this cutie. Sewing notions, paperclips, nuts, Halloween candy, M&Ms, or just eye candy...so much potential.

Besides, I am a good enabler. Your collection—the one you didn't even know you were contemplating—may just need a little kick-start.

The mug rug measures 7.5 x 9.75 inches. Here is the back:

The rules are few but important: Leave a comment on this post. Tell me a little something, or a sweet nothing. Make sure you leave a contact email if your status is set to "no reply" for commenting (or fix that). I'm not making you jump through hoops and I won't either when it's time to notify the winner, 'kay? I'll let Random Number Generator select the lucky one on Friday at noon Central time.

Good luck!

The Final Countdown

2011-10-18T18:50:00.000-05:00

I squeaked out two more minis before I gathered up the scrap piles and cleaned the sewing room yesterday. Must...move...on...

So this is it as far as these scrappy little numbers go. Das ist alles. For now, anyway.

I have decided that as soon as the followers tally rolls over to 150, I will give one away.

Nothing special about 150, it just seems like as good a reason as any, and I kinda like round numbers. Although if I get to 151 or 7,527 (although I know I'm not that interesting), I won't be too bent out of shape. Stay tuned for details.

I think I like the backs of these as much as I like the fronts.

It was basting day today. The kitchen floor got mopped first and then I went to work, thoroughly engrossed in the Breaking Dawn audiobook from the library. This book's been pretty intense. I had several holy crap! moments as I was listening.

I think I may always remember where I was when I heard certain parts of the Twilight series. More accurately, what I was working on at the time.

I was basting this quilt while Bella was in the throes of...well, I don't want to wreck it for any of my friends who haven't read the book. She was in the throes, though. Trust me.

Finally, just so you all can share the ear worm I now have in my head after thinking up this post title, I give you this:

You're welcome!

Sunday Sundry - Vol. 45

2011-10-16T13:21:00.001-05:00

We moseyed through three thrift stores yesterday, with nothing particular in mind, as usual. At the first one, I snagged some zippers, a piece of Pyrex it turns out I already had, and a paperback copy of Twilight!

This clear glass stoppered bottle was also among our finds. I don't know whether it's old or new, or what it may have held in its former life. I just liked it.

The second was a store I didn't even particularly want to go to, as I rarely find a whole lot there. Although I did find an awesome paint-by-number a few months ago, so I guess that's not entirely true. But you thrifters know the kind of place—run down and smelling like a combination of grandma's house and pungent mystery cleaning products.

There was a wig I had my eye on, but Norm talked me out of it. He thought my head was too big for it. Nice guy, huh? Probably right though. I'm not even into wigs, it was just an impulse. It was short and cute, kind of a wispy/spiky reddish brown with lighter red highlights. It probably would have looked ridiculous on me. It was adorable on the styrofoam head though, topped by a military beret, all ready for Halloween.

I did find a hard cover copy of Eclipse in the book section. It's in pristine shape, dust jacket and all.

But here is what made my heart go pitter-patter, and then skip a beat when I saw the 75-cent and 1-dollar price tags!

I almost walked right by these, but then Norm pointed them out (he's got a good eye, that man). They were on a rickety wooden shelf with some terribly junky nicknacks.

Beautiful, gold-leafed Georges Briard glass trays! One is rectangular and the other square, both in perfect condition.

I just love the mid-century modern design.

At thrift store number three, there was a plethora of Pyrex I could not refuse.

I did leave some behind, though. Honest.

It must have been my day for gold embellishments. Isn't that green divine? I can totally see a holiday side dish in this casserole.

So there you have it, our thrift haul. Gads, I need to get some stuff listed on ebay. Time to rebalance the flow, you know? I'm pondering a Pyrex giveaway too, since I've got some duplicates.

Gotta run! Hope you're all having a great day!

Favorites Friday ~ Whoop-Whoop

2011-10-15T12:26:00.000-05:00

I am late joining two of my favorite linky parties, Favourite Things Friday and Can I Get a Whoop-Whoop? But I just couldn't get a post together until today (Saturday).

You see, I've been preoccupied.

Obsessed may be a better word.

But listening to these audiobooks fits in nicely with my other recent obsession, mug rugs and minis. I swear the color scheme of this one wasn't intentional. Subliminal maybe.

They're like potato chips...can't stop at one. I'm talking about the minis, but it could just as easily apply to the book series as well. Here is the back:

As long as I leave the scraps out in plain view, I'll continue to pick up a snippet of this and a bit of that and make fun mashups.

So, tidying up the sewing space is in order, I suppose. Soon, I promise.

Norm has been good about indulging me...he has watched the first two Twilight movies with me so far. I think he's game for the other ones. He likes the cars and bikes and the action sequences and monster encounters. Tends to yawn through the romantic parts. I bet he's over there rolling his eyes in the dark as well.

Here's the thing, I told him: Women want to be desired. Longed for. Craved. And by two rivals at the same time seems like kind of a bonus. Makes for even more tension.

I made it up to him though. We went to see the movie Drive, starring Ryan Gosling. Not what I expected. I had to cover my eyes in a couple parts from the gore.

Next up, after I clear the deck in the sewing space and mop my kitchen floor so I can baste it together, is the veggie/fruit charity auction quilt. I did get the backing ready this week and cut the binding. Baby steps.

But hubby is planning a thrift store jaunt this morning, followed by grocery shopping (blech). This evening we're having dinner with our visitor from Utah, my cousin's husband who has been coming out annually to hunt with my dad. That will be nice.

The weekend will go fast. It always does!

Here's another of this week's favorites. If you're not into rock music with a bit of a dark edge (although I can't help giggling at the falsetto "ahs"...there's something kind of Spinal Tap-ish about it), you can mute the sound and just watch the white lines, especially in the last 30 seconds or so of the video. They would make very cool quilt designs, I think. I am inspired to try something that mimics such lines and waves. Reminds me of watching the old oscilloscope while listening to vinyl albums back in the day. Good times.

Friends Don't Let Friends Blog Drunk

2011-10-11T23:36:00.000-05:00

I swear I felt completely lucid after my scope procedure today. I came home, made myself an omelet, sat out on the deck enjoying the glorious weather and listened to a few chapters of New Moon on my mp3 player. Emailed friends while hubby took a nap—all that waiting around for me must have been exhausting—informing them that everything had come out okay.

In short, WA-HOO!

They tell you not to drive or operate hazardous machinery for 24 hours. I didn't figure that included a sewing machine. Although I have been known to run over a finger or two on occasion.

As for the driving, I just ran a few ditches. I don't think I did too bad. Mostly where I went off the rails was because I had sewn the squares together weird before I left for the hospital.

I was inspired by this tutorial at Don't Call Me Betsy, but I used solids,left some blank space, and arranged the pieces to be more reflective of my personal skill level.

I was never that great at Tetris but I liked the game a lot. You never forget your first computer game. Or your second...Minesweeper (or was it Pinball? Never mind, you do forget your second. Hey, I make it up as I go along sometimes).

You know what I didn't like? Drinking 4 liters of this craptastic prep solution.

See those red lines? I had to drink half last night and half this morning. I didn't want to take one sip more than I absolutely had to, so I got out the old ruler and marked the halfway mark between the fill line and the bottom (3-1/2 inches down/up, as it turns out).

That stuff is called "GoLYTELY." Because "Sh*tstorm in a Jug" didn't quite have the same marketing appeal, I'm guessing. I was never so happy to kick the empty into the recycling bin this morning.

But all's well that ends well, as they say.

We ignored the phone when it rang during a movie tonight. When I checked the caller ID later, this came up.

At least they're being honest?

Sunday Sundry - Vol. 44

2011-10-09T22:42:00.001-05:00

Do you know someone who seems to have their own conception of time? You say, "Let's get together at 11:00," and they say, "Okay, sure," and now it's 11:53 and they're still not here? I'm having one of those moments.

But in the meantime, I did finished one of my jobs for today and now I'm starting a post I didn't think would happen. So I've got that going for me...which is nice.

This past week, I sent off my De-Stash 4 Malawi package. I didn't measure, but my rough estimate is that I packed at least 15 yards of fabric into the box. Click the link on the sidebar to learn more. It feels good to lighten the stash and do something beneficial for others at the same time.

Tabatha at Bending Pins gave me a Versatile Blogger award this past week. I appreciate that! Instead of naming others to pass it on to, because I think you're all fabulous and deserve it, I'm just going to skip the usual rules and do the fun, "7 Things About Yourself People May Not Know" part.

But first, I have to call the person I'm waiting on to see what's up...

Okay, done. She is on her way and thought I had said noon. Because eleven sounds a lot like noon, I guess. Sisters...gotta love 'em.

[Tick-tock, time passes...now it's later in the day.]

We're back from our trip to the outlet mall. I am pretty excited about these shoes being available in my size.

I usually don't wear any kind of heel, but they're comfortable, and I checked and will still be able to clear doorways with a couple inches to spare, so it's all good. They look nice with jeans. I won't bore you the other two pair I bought because they're just sensible shoes, one being waterproof for slogging to work in when it's wet.

Yesterday, we stopped by Goodwill and found a couple cheap thrills. The first one is a bit on the creepy side, but Norm and I stared at it long enough, we ultimately had to have it (though we are still not sure why). Don't look at his eyes too closely, or you may suddenly want a burger or an ice cream cone with a twist like the hairdo. Or maybe you'll feel compelled to make yourself a snazzy pair of red checkered overalls. No? Okay, then. He's a bank, and to remove the money you pop his head off, which some of you may be wanting to do right now, if he's giving you the heebie-jeebies.

At the thrift store, I picked out a little lemon shaped, yellow glass dish and some pins.

I love pins! Both seemed appropriate for this time of year. I think the skull and bones may constitute my Halloween costume. I really know how to party, huh?

Oh yeah, I almost forgot the "7 Things" list! Okay, here we go:

1. I do a pretty good Elmer Fudd impression, but my favorite Looney Tunes character is Foghorn Leghorn. "Boy, I say, boy! Pay attention when I'm talkin' to ya, son..."

2. I cannot sit still when I listen to this song. I have to bounce my leg or something.

3. I used to jump rope for exercise when I was in college. I also smoked cigarettes at that time. Yeah, that made sense.

4. I don't wear a wedding ring anymore. I developed a cyst on the PIP joint of my ring finger so I stopped wearing it. Hubs doesn't wear his either for work reasons. We're cool with that.

5. I am curious about a lot of things, but there are some things I just don't want to know. I can't decide which category the enigma that is Donald Trump's hair fits into.

6. I have never seen most of the classic horror movies, and I like it that way. My brain has a hard time burying disturbing images once they get in.

7. I've never had laughing gas, but I've had gas that made me laugh.

And with that, I'm out of here! Keep smiling!

Favorite Things Friday - Fall Colors

2011-10-06T21:42:00.000-05:00

This is the big ash tree in our backyard. It's always the first to turn colors and shed its leaves.

Right now it is at peak, a brilliant yellow-gold. These photos were taken just before sunset yesterday.

Fall colors are my favorite thing this week!

Edited to add: I noticed just this morning that my neighbor's maple tree is absolutely brilliant. I just took these from my upstairs window.

One Way Road

2011-10-06T10:22:00.000-05:00

I have been preoccupied this week, which is a good thing—otherwise I would be thinking too much about what happens next week, which I'll get to in a minute.

I've been sewing, still on my little things, and even doing a bit of organizing in the sewing room. But what I have been preoccupied with is listening to this.

Now I know I'm late to the party on this one, but oh, it was a good story!

"I just don't get the whole vampire thing." How many people have I said that to in the past few years? (Don't answer that.) Well, I still don't get it, but like I said, it was a good story. A love story.

A friend offered to send these to me to listen to. As it happened, I was getting tired of listening to public radio and pretty much my entire music collection while I sewed. So, why not?

Now I have lined up the other books in the series. I'd be listening right now, but the ding-dang digital audiobook I got from the library yesterday is broken, so I'm waiting on the CDs to come in from a different library.

I'm trying to finish up my mug rugs and minis so I can get to the auction quilt I'll be quilting.

These are some I've worked on this week. I tend to like the bright ones, but I've had requests from friends for the softer-hued earth tones.

On Monday, I had a consultation with the specialist for something I've been putting off for a while.

Ugh. Next week Tuesday is D-day. Or C-day, as it were. I am so looking forward to Wednesday and having it all...er...behind me.

I can't help but hear the Imperial March in my head when I think about it. The business end of that endoscope looks somewhat menacing.

Dark Invader.* What was his first name again, Anuskin?

Wrong way going down the one-way road

Gonna turn it all around gonna back it on up

That is not what John Butler is talking about in this song. Catchy tune though. You can find all the lyrics here, if you're interested.

*Yes, I know it's Darth Vader/Anakin...it's a joke, friends.

Monday Miscellany

2011-10-03T16:13:00.000-05:00

I didn't have it in me to do a Sunday Sundry post yesterday after being at the flea market for a good chunk of the day. After all that crisp fall air and bright sunshine, I just wanted to kick back, admire my booty (the purchased kind), and veg when I got home. Then I fell asleep watching Part 1 of the Ken Burns documentary on Prohibition, and that was it for Sunday.

Norm's goal was to find a mid-century black telephone, preferably old enough to have a metal rotary dial and a handset heavy enough to double as a dumbbell.

Mission accomplished! What's even cooler is that it works!

It has that old-timey, somewhat nerve-jangling ring that transports me right back to Grandma's house and the old party line circa 1965. Grandma had a corner shelf about waist high (oh wait, I'm referring to my waist high, so probably chest high for normal people). She had this exact type of phone perched on the shelf, and next to it was one of those 1950's lemon yellow, metal utility stools. This was all tucked into a corner of the hallway next to the "front room." Grandma Frieda always called the living room the "front room." I have no idea why. She also said "toast-bread" and told us to get "offen" things we climbed on, "ach, yay-o-yay."

(If you really think about it, "front room" makes more sense than "living room." I prefer to do my living throughout the house, rather than confine it to one room.)

Poor Grandma. One summer, the four of us kids stayed at her house while my parents went out of town for the week. We had learned the number you could dial to make the phone ring, but nobody was on the other end when you answered it. We took turns stealth dialing (not easy with a metal rotary dial) and then feigning nonchalance as the phone jangled time and again and Grandma stopped whatever she was doing to answer it. Of course, we thought that joke would never get old. Grandma had the patience of a saint and rarely spoke a harsh word to anyone, but I'm sure she was relieved to see the rambunctious lot of us go home at week's end. I think we managed to give her a few more gray hairs, making that cute little stripe down the center of her light brown locks just a little bit wider.

Anyway, back to flea market finds. There was a lot of Pyrex, but I restrained myself and came home with only one casserole dish in a pattern I don't see often. I'm going to need some help identifying this. Any ideas, Pyrex lovers?

I also picked up this fabulous old View-Master Model E. Made in the mid-1950s of Bakelite.

Of course, I had to buy a couple vintage disks to go with it, "Wonders of the Deep," and "Banff, Canadian Rockies." I was able to take a couple photos by putting my camera lens to the eyepiece. Sorry, I couldn't capture the 3-D effect, though.

Other than that, we bought veggies at the farmer's market and just enjoyed having a big look-see at all the stuff. It was a great day.

Meeting Mom Wald
Last week, I met up with fellow blogger and vintage and stitchery enthusiast, Mom Wald of Mom Wald's Place. If you haven't visited her blog yet, please do. She really has an eye for pretty vintage things, many of which you can find for sale in her Etsy shop.

A break in the clouds on a blustery day,

driving to meet Mom Wald!

We got together for lunch in Madison, along with her darling, almost-14-year-old daughter, Little Miss. It was a delight to meet them both!

Mom Wald asked if I would quilt a special quilt to be auctioned off for Japan quake relief. She headed up the effort to make a quilt using fruit and vegetable fabrics, along with fruit and vegetable embroidered panels. Many people donated fabric and/or embroidery pieces to make the quilt. You can see it coming together HERE.

The top is ready to be quilted now — and it's beautiful! She brought it along last week when we met. I'm hoping to get to it soon.

She also gave me this cute little zipper pouch she made! It is completely hand-stitched. There is tiny quilting around each of the parasols! I just love it. Thanks so much!

I hope the week is off to a good start for all of you!

Little Bitty Pretty One

2011-10-01T11:34:00.001-05:00

I was listening to a mix CD I'd made for a big-number birthday party I had a few years ago, and this song (post title) came on. I thought it about summed up my week of making mini quilts and mug rugs. Here are two more finishes.

This one is for a doctor whose birthday is today. I think she'll appreciate the dramatic colors (and maybe my stitches, ha). The butterfly fabric was the inspiration. It was a little piece about 6 inches square, and too pretty to be left fluttering in the goodie box of scraps.

The back (which I forgot to take a photo of) is Heath in black. Machine quilted in the ditch, and the binding hand stitched.

The center strip for the next one also came from the scrap box, as did the green and purple pieces. Just a string block, machine quilted in the ditch and around the back cushion of the chair.

The back is a bright green solid, the binding Heath.

I have several more to be finished, but I'm trying to get pieced what I feel inspired to before I put the Singer aside (i.e., probably a trip to the repair shop) and pull the Juki into place for quilting.

Linking to Whoop Whoop Fridays, a bit late, at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

We're off to a big flea market tomorrow, bright and early. Hope you're having a great weekend!

Huey Lewis:Little Bitty Pretty One Vidéo fidjie sélectionnée dans Musique

Favorite Things Friday - Dark Chocolate

2011-09-30T18:20:00.000-05:00

Dark chocolate. What's not to love? Okay, I know not everyone likes chocolate, and some only prefer milk chocolate. I've been fond of ALL chocolate through the years, but since I had to quit eating dairy products a couple years ago, that put me squarely on the dark side. Which turns out not a bad place to be, after all.

I still have to read the ingredient list carefully. Cocoa butter is fine (it's not moo-cow butter). Milk and milk fat, not okay. You'd be surprised how many dark chocolates contain milk fat (I initially typed fart instead of fat right there...oh, the irony). So I can't just raid the Halloween candy.

This is my current favorite brand. It's not available in my hometown, but I happily drive 70 miles round trip for this stuff.

It's that good.

Sixty percent cocoa content is a bit on the sweet side for a dark chocolate, but it doesn't hurt my feelings. Seventy or seventy-five percent would be better, but 80 percent and up just tastes like charcoal to me. There's a fine line.

I'll have a square or two a day, so a bar lasts several days. Dark chocolate remains one of my only holdouts, as far as eschewing refined sugar, but I've heard it's good for you. I know it's good for me!

How about you? Do you have a favorite kind of chocolate?

Orange Crush

2011-09-28T17:02:00.001-05:00

I'm still making scrappy little things. I've probably made at least a half dozen more flimsies for mug rugs or small square minis since the last post. A couple have been completely finished and gifted.

This one, I'm keeping.

It started with the little scrap of orange seahorses (how cute is that?) not much bigger than what you see here. Then a riffle through the scrap box netted another small scrap of orange dots and a strip of burnt orange with black dots.

I felt like they belonged together. Call me a matchmaker.

I just remembered something, looking at these pictures. My first car was a 1976 Pontiac Ventura 2-door coupe that was burnt orange, with a little natural rust thrown in for effect. Okay, a lot of rust. It had a 350 V8 engine, so it really hauled. Horrible on ice and snow, though. The driver's side door was seized shut, so you had to get in and out on the passenger side and slide over the duct-taped front seat. Cost me $600, and I had to borrow half the money from my mom, having just graduated from college and being broke.

Oh, it was a gem. I loved that car.

The solids are from stash, as is the backing fabric.

Finished size is about 10 inches square.

Orange you glad it's fall?

Scrap Happy Finishes

2011-09-24T11:13:00.002-05:00

Even I need a sense of closure after the last post. Whew! I'm not saying my sewing room looks any better (in fact, it's worse), but here is a pictorial palate cleanser—my small and scrappy finishes for the week! And in case you missed it, the first batch can be seen HERE.

I had this charming, lonely little mushroom scrap, only about a seam allowance bigger than it appears here. Then I found a small scrap of the owl print in the goodie box and paired them together in this little 9.5-inch square mat.

I used the corners of the picture squares as reference points for random straight-line quilting, or what I call Nazca lines.

The back is a neutral leaf print. I machine bound this one.

The cupcake print scrap was the sweet inspiration for this next mug rug. I paired it with some Sherbet Pips scraps left over from the Pips in a Basket quilt.

The back is a scrap from this summer's kaleidoscope quilt-along quilt.

Next, I fished out a delightful scrap of Alexander Henry Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) fabric from the box. Squee!

I just happened to have a bunch of triangles cut from marigold-colored fabric from an attempted second version of a kaleidoscope quilt. They were the perfect size for corner blocks on this scrap. Then I picked up a tiny snippet of hand-dyed red-orange and set that into a black and white outer strip.

This one needs to be quilted and finished yet. It may be my favorite of the whole lot so far!

I had to trim a little bit off the bottom of the above, which then became another slightly bigger than postcard sized piece.

I also strip-pieced a back for it. It needs quilting and finishing yet too.

Finally, there were some trimmed-off sections from a previous project in the goodie box of scraps. I found enough of them and enough matching bits (1974 by Urban Chiks for Moda, according to the selvage) to make this little mini.

There remain some glimpses of selvage in the teal blue parts (tiny perforations), but I think it adds to the charm, if they're even noticeable at all.

Here is the back. It's hard to say which side I like best on this one. I free-motioned quilted a little meander and sewed the binding on by hand.

And that's it from my scrap happy corner of blogland...so far...

To see more lovely finishes, click the button and following the links!

Favorite Things Friday - Scraps

2011-09-22T22:27:00.000-05:00

Scraps, wonderful scraps! It's my Favourite Thing this week, and pretty much any other week of the year too.

(Caution: Potentially disturbing images of disorganization follow. Viewer discretion advised. Sensitive persons may wish to pop a Xanax or pour a glass of wine.)

Under this pile is a vintage sewing table...somewhere.

New fabric is great, but I have a confession to make. I look forward to the end of any project made with new fabric yardage just so I can have fun with the scraps. You too?

So colorful and interesting!

There is a sort of liberation with scraps. You have to use your noggin a bit to make it work. You don't have to do matchy-matchy, unless you want to. Not that there's anything wrong with coordination, but personally, I've grown comfortable with a certain degree of uncoordination.

A small pile to the left of my cutting mat.

Scraps offer so many possibilities. Using the bits and bobs you have on hand can net you something very unique and interesting (and fugly happens too, let's be honest).

To the right of the cutting mat, and keeping the Juki from getting lonesome.

I think the appeal of scraps plays right into my appreciation for people who make something from nothing. Recycle, upcycle, turn trash to treasure, whatever you want to call it. We throw so much away that still has value to someone somewhere.

To the right of the Singer, more black and white scraps.

But I'm not denying the urge to purge. We all go through cycles of accumulating and getting rid of things. Circle of life and commerce and all that.

Currently hogging space on my ironing board.

An attempt to organize by color on the floor (FAIL).

What's cool is when you share your scraps with willing quilty friends, like Jenny did when she packed (and I mean PACKED) a Priority Mail box and sent it my way.

This is after at least half of the scraps had been removed. Still packed!

Scraps on top of scrap drawers (which are full of more scraps).

It was like scoring the jumbo pack of Crayolas with the built-in sharpener! So many colors! Patterns! Potential!

A peek at one of the things I made from scraps this week.

And another peek at something else.

In fact, I'm reminded of my childhood love of coloring with crayons, because that's exactly what it's felt like to play with these. Time disappears. I'm in my happy place. Likely to forget appointments, meals, and basic hygiene.

To be sure, playtime with scraps will come to an end all too soon. Work will get busier. I'll feel the effects of neglect in other areas of life. The phase of the moon will change and I'll get a wild hair to clean up all the clutter. Or I may even decide to quilt a flimsy or two (gasp!).

Still, there's no doubt about it. Scraps kick ass.