Sunday Sundry 3-12-17

As Zep would say:  "It's been a long time, been a long time, been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time..."

Maybe not so lonely, in my case, but a long time between posts for sure.  Unfortunately for you, dear reader, I have no harrowing tale of being abducted by aliens to account for being MIA.  Just, you know, life.

On the subject of aliens, though, two things (Already with the tangents? Yes, indeed!):  (1)  This Saturday Night Live skit never fails to crack me up.  (2)  Arrival.  Good movie.

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Here on the home front, I have finished a couple of kennel quilts from repurposed scrubs. 

First, a pretty basic one, alternating a solid and a print.  The back is also entirely from scrubs.

Next, a Gee's Bend-style housetop quilt.  The wine and cheese themed fabric on the back was a thrift store find.

I made a scrappy bias binding from scrubs, because I'd opted to maintain the wonky, slightly bowed nature of this free-pieced strippy quilt.  I deliberately did not square it up whatsoever.  Amazingly, it lies completely flat with no ripples, which is better than some of my squared up quilts.  Since the poly-cotton blend scrubs were washed and worn many times over, the quilt has a wonderful soft drape to it, and is cozy warm. 

It was hard to capture the true vibrancy of the solid colors in this quilt, but it is better looking in real life.  I like it so much, I may have to hang onto it a little while before it (literally) goes to the dogs.

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It's March, and that means it's time to get in on some fun quilt making for the benefit of other people.  Sarah has just kicked off the 2017 Hands2Help Charity Quilt Challenge!

Click on over to Confessions of a Fabric Addict for all the details and to sign up.  I always enjoy participating in this annual event to make quilts for a number of good causes (or a local one of your choosing).  And, as always, there are great prizes!

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How it went down yesterday on our trip to W@lmart:

That moment when you come up behind your spouse who's pushing the cart at the store and go to toss something in, but he doesn't know you're there and veers to the right, so the item lands on the floor, and the guy coming the opposite way looks up from his phone at just the right moment, like you might be a crazy person who randomly throws things on the floor in other people's paths. Meanwhile the spouse just keeps moving down the aisle. I hate when that happens.

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My dad is happy to be back home and out of the rehab center after his ankle fracture and surgery.  He's still non-weightbearing on the left leg for several more weeks.  Here he is relaxing in his new lift chair.

The day he came home, we had a freak hailstorm.  It was as if Mother Nature decided to throw him a ticker-tape parade, complete with her own version of confetti.

Personally, I could have done without having to shovel pea and marble-sized hail off the wheelchair ramp so he could get in the house, but you do what you have to do.  I got it cleared off in the nick of time, just as my sister was driving in with him.

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What with everything going on after the first of the year, it took a while for us to get around to downloading all of our Christmas pictures.  I thought this was a pretty nice one of my siblings and me (on right).

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I changed up my Pyrex display in December.  Since snow is still in the forecast here, I don't feel bad that it's still up, although probably not much longer.

The tree out front has a great sap-sicle going on.  We had it trimmed recently when it was warmer (upper 40's), and then it got cold again. Seeing one of these on a river birch tree was a first for me.

Winter in the Upper Midwest:  It ain't over 'til it's over!

Consolation

So you know how I was talking about bringing less stuff home from the thrift store and letting more stuff be for the next lucky person to find?  Yeah, I did that the other day and now am kind of kicking myself.

Because you know what there was at the local Goodwill for the measly price of $6.99?  Yes, six dollars and ninety-nine cents.  

Image Source

A vintage Singer 99K. 

This is only a representative photo, not the actual machine, because when I went back yesterday, it was GONE.  Of course.

Oh, I had looked it over pretty carefully.  It was covered in what I thought was cat hair but turned out to be fake fur fluff.  It had some condition issues, like a missing bobbin case and the sliding plate over the bobbin area.  The cord needed replacement/rewiring, as did the connector cords for the foot pedal.  The top cover of the case was missing and the bottom of the case in which the machine sat was pretty ratty and taped together at the corner.

Not a deal breaker, in my opinion.  Besides, did I mention $6.99?  I've spent that on fast food and regretted it more.

There was a nice gray-haired older lady looking at it with me, but she wasn't looking-looking, just supportive looking.  She pointed to the cord and said, "Oh, you can replace that, no problem."  I was enjoying her being on my side, as well as her awesome arm tattoos, while Norm was being slightly more pessimistic/realistic.

In the end, we walked away.  And then I went home to have second thoughts.  I thought about how it might be an interesting summer project to restore "The Mackenzie" to its rightful luster.  Yes, I even named it—something Scottish, because that's where the 99K was made.

But alas, Himself had already been rescued.

And so it came to pass that upon my return trip to Goodwill, I found some Pyrex.  A consolation prize, perhaps.

This ain't the belle of the ball, as far as Pyrex goes (but that's just, like, my opinion, man). It's a funky not-quite-avocado-green, not-quite-brown.  

On doing some research, the color is apparently known as "mustard gold" and the pattern is "Golden Garland."  I bought it because I'd never seen this metallic gold pattern before.

It's apparently a promotional piece.  Not sure exactly when, but I'm guessing in the late "My Three Sons" to early "Brady Bunch" years.  This is a 1.5 quart 043 casserole.

I also found some fabric with neat maps and ships.  

It was in the form of a men's 3XL cotton shirt, which is a pretty good amount of fabric.

Have you ever gone back for the one that got away?

Many Things Monday

Brother Everett and I have been kicking the can further on up the road, metaphorically speaking, moving incrementally forward on a few different things.  Namely, a couple of backings for two quilt flimsies which have been on the design wall for a long enough time.

Here is a peek at the backing for the Tea Towel Challenge 2014 quilt.

The next step on the Tea Towel Challenge quilt is to machine applique around the fused feather/leaf shapes.  Now that I've gotten a little more comfortable with the new machine, I'm ready to get started on that job.

The backing for the improv quilt (above) is from a vintage fabric found at the thrift store sometime in the last six months.  Since it was only 30-some inches wide, I needed to sew two lengths of it together to make it wide enough.  

The next step on that quilt will be to machine quilt in the ditch, and then I may add some hand quilting in perle (pearl?) cotton.  I've never done that before, so it'll be a new experience for me.

Sarah is having a 16-patch quilt-along (see link on sidebar).  I've been unsure what kind of quilt I wanted to make with 16 patches, so I've dragged my feet a bit on getting started.  I did find some 2-1/2 inch olive and brown squares in the scrap bin, however, and just for kicks and giggles, I sewed what was left of those onto a variety of brown scraps, ending up with two 16-patches like so.

I love bright colors, but I'm also very compelled by earthy tones like this.  These are orphan blocks for now, but you never know when inspiration will come along and carry them away into another project. 

As I got to looking around the sewing room, I spied the lovely stack of hand-dyed fabric I'd won recently in the Crossing the Drunkard's Path quilt-along from Vicki Welsh.  Aren't they gorgeous?

I started grouping some of the pieces into light/dark (-ish) pairs and, in the process, hit upon an idea for the 16-patch blocks, to be arranged in a 16-patch and X's quilt (a/k/a Good Night Irene).  I just need to decide on the background fabric, but I'm leaning toward a light gray low-volume print in the stash, assuming I've got enough of it or can find more, if necessary.

I decided it was time to change up the office space Pyrex display.  So it went from this fall-like aggregation:

To this:

This seemed especially appropriate as Valentine's Day approaches, but really it's true all year round.  I *heart* Pyrex!

Here is something else I *heart* lately.  This will definitely make your taste buds tingle.

And your lips burn.  That's a good thing, right?

Snap

We had some cooler than usual temps this past week, which was kind of a reality check for me.  Fall is here.

Oh, I like fall well enough.  Beautiful changing leaves.  Apples and pumpkins and mums (oh my).  The late afternoon sunlight that seems to imbue everything with a golden aura.

It's just that stuff that comes after.  Winter here kinda blows.

~Dad's zinnias a week ago when it was warm~

So when it's been in the upper 70s and sunny and then all of a sudden overnight it's 38 degrees and overcast and drizzling, it's a buzz kill.  Fall is like the cops knocking on the door when the party is in full swing.

"The neighbors have complained.  You need to turn it down."

So you do.  You acquiesce.  But probably not without making a face.

I was sitting in my office chair today, gazing out the west window, when I noticed it.

I had not even thought to change my snowflake Pyrex display all spring and summer long.  (It was also apparent I hadn't thought to dust much during the past X months, but that's another story.)

Well, I could just leave it, I mused.  After all, it's not unusual to see snowflakes in October around here, and that's just a few...

*Record scratching noise*

Wait, what?  NO!  If it's going to be fall already, then fine.  I'm going to decorate for fall—not winter (and forget spring and summer, water under the bridge and all)—and for as long as I can, dagnabbit!  

I don't say "dagnabbit" in real life, but that's the G-rated version.  You get the idea.

So I padded over to the (equally dusty) shelves next to the fireplace, where the rest of the Pyrex collection lives, and started hunting for fall-looking Py.  Basically, everything orange, brown, or gold was fair game.  

But before that, I cleared the snowflake Pyrex out of the other unit.  Dusted too.

This pretty mid-century oak piece was marked six bucks at Goodwill when we bought it a few years ago.  I still can't believe they let us steal have it for that.

And here is the result.  I may tweak a thing or two yet, but I think it'll do.  

The room feels a little warmer already.  Or maybe that's just me.  Dusting and futzing with Pyrex is hard work, yo.

Think I can get away with it until December 21?

Scrappy Table Runner

It has been a good weekend to finish things up...Christmas shopping, of course, and this little table runner.  I just put the last stitches in the binding a little while ago, as the snow fell softly outside. 

We were due for several more inches of the white stuff today, but it seems to be dissipating now and the sun is peeking out.  Snow or no, it's a fine day to be in the sewing room and maybe catch a bit of the Packers game. 

A couple weeks ago, I was playing around with scraps from the drunkard's path pieces I'd cut for the Hemispheres quilt when an idea came together for this table runner.  I machine appliqued the leaf shapes onto a background and then bordered it with wedge-shaped pieces.

I feel like I'm slowly getting my quilting mojo back.  I used Aurifil here as the top thread and, for the first time, tried Superior Bottom Line in the bobbin, which seemed to work pretty well together.  Bottom Line is a very fine thread which almost disappears into the background while giving good thread definition.  If that makes any sense.

I had thought about making a table runner or wall hanging with a charm pack of Blitzen this season, but that probably won't happen now before Christmas.  Nevertheless, this one seems to go nicely with the Pyrex Snowflake Blue pattern.

As a final note, oh my gosh, you guys, I am SO excited about the quilting Elizabeth did on my String Ring Dresden quilt!  It's on its way back to me in the mail right now, but you can see photos of it over at her blog, Such a Sew and Sew.  She did an amazing job and deserves a huge Whoop-Whoop too!

Tea Towel Challenge 2014

I'm so excited that Sophie Junction will be hosting Tea Towel Challenge 2014! 

Last year, as some of you may recall, there was a Tea Towel Challenge at 15 Minutes Play.  Such fun!  My Tea Towel Tess quilt was the result of that.  Sophie did a fantastic Cock-a-Doodle Tea Towel Quilt.

Now there will be another challenge beginning in January.  It didn't take long for me to click over to eBay and buy a couple of prospects.

In her post today, Sophie asked what we collect.  Well, I have several pieces of vintage Georges Briard.  And now, thanks to my recent eBay spree, I have a couple of vintage Georges Briard tea towels to choose from for this challenge.

And then of course there's Pyrex, another fave collection. 

As it happens, I also recently bought a fun Pyrex inspired tea towel from Etsy store Fresh Pastry Stand.  I'm not sure I can bear to cut into this one.  Not yet, anyway.

There's plenty of time for you to join in, too, and find yourself a tea towel that will spark your creativity.  Click the Tea Towel Challenge 2014 button above to see the details and general timetable. 

Processing and Plans

I've been feeling somewhat scattered this week, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  Sometimes when you've got ideas fluttering around, you just have to let them wander where they will.  Eventually, they will come together in formation, or at least that is the hope.

Let's talk about Pinterest.  Talk about a blessing and a curse!  Curse the time suckage and resultant guilt.

But bless all the wonderful things to see, explore, marvel/dream/laugh about, and pin!  In the short span of a couple weeks, I already have more inspiration than I'll need for a long time to come.

What I really probably need is a Pin-tervention—or at least a Pin-terruption.  I want to believe I just made those words up, but I bet if I went looking on Pinterest, there would probably be pin proof otherwise.

The upshot of it all is that I am inspired to try something based on a quilt I saw and repinned to my Vintage Quilts board.

It's currently for sale on ebay (and wow, cha-ching!).  I just love it.  It's apparently based on an old pattern called Flying Swallows.  I stared and stared at it until I about went cross-eyed trying to wrap my head around how it was made. 

Then, via the wonder of Pinterest, a free pattern sheet for making it appeared and the mystery was solved.  Man, I love the internet.

The pattern is for English Paper Piecing, which I have not done before.  All of you who have made hexies and whatnot over the past few years have been there, done that, but I stayed off the tracks while that train rolled on by, so this will be new territory for me.  As it happens, I have a little vacation coming up and have been thinking about taking along some hand sewing.  This may be it.

Then again, I know me.  I know how short the wick is on my patience and how easily I can burn through my level of interest.  An alternative would be to machine piece the block, and here is where I thank Google for providing a solution and instructions for doing just that.  Here is another variation and some history on the block itself.  I like that version too.

So I have options, is what I'm saying.  Plans and options.  It's a good start.

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We made a good start 30 years ago this week, when Norm and I piled into his red Triumph TR7 and drove to the county courthouse to get hitched.

We didn't remember to take a camera, so all our wedding photos in the courthouse are courtesy of a Polaroid borrowed from a sheriff's detective.  You need "something borrowed" for your wedding, right?

Afterwards, we stopped by the law office where I was working at the time, and one of the ladies there had a camera.  I like that Norm is smiling here.  He's generally not an overly smiley guy.  I guess marrying my awesomeness must have put him over the moon (*cough*cough*choke*).  ;)

And here it is three decades later already.  Wow, time flies!

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One other happy note. I helped my sister pack for a move this week (that's not the happy part, yet).  We were boxing up the kitchen dishes when she opened a cupboard and took out a set of Pyrex bowls and held them out in my direction.  "Do you want these?"

Like she really had to ask!