Where does the time go!?!

This year has been another whirlwind & I'm shocked to see May is just around the corner. I swear the older the kids get, the faster time seems to move. Chris has been hard at work polishing up the old Singer. Look at her shine! I'm sure its not threaded correctly, I will need to look this up before I try to use it.

Not much to report this week despite wanting to get sewing in on Sunday afternoon. I did work out some variations of the Carpenters Wheel/Swoon on grid paper and showed my daughter, even included the a mock up of the original Swoon pattern. We all chose the same two patterns as our favourites. I'll be going with the one she likes the best.

It was time for another clean up of my sewing area, moved my machines around, wiped down everything and organized as I went. I love when my sewing area is tidy. I still need more storage and am hoping we can find some this weekend (they were sold out of the color that matches what I already have last time we checked). We got a smaller cube which is working well for odds and ends and is a perfect place for my Brother to rest on top of.  My Desk needs to be refinished one of these days (sigh). What you don't see is the Treadmill in the other corner that has more fabric piled on it and closet that is begging to be cleaned out so I can use it as part of my sewing area. We have a plan for all of that but it won't be happening for awhile so I'll, refrain from getting too excited for now.

See that basket full of jeans (bottom right middle picture)? Everyone tackled their bedroom closets a few weeks ago and all these were marked for the garbage bin. This is just the un-donatable stack that was buried at the back of our closet. I still have a stacks of baskets from the girls to go through (the majority of this will be hardly worn and still in fashion, some girl will be happy to find it for a steal at the donation store, but I'm sure there are few worn out pairs of jeans in there) and get my son to take a few minutes to add his cast off's to the pile. I'm seeing the beginning of what will one day be a Jeans quilt.

I'm surprised to see how my stash has grown in the past year. From having only a small basket with a single jelly roll and a few fat quarters that first month to a year later a large cupboard that I can't stuff any more fabric in. My scraps stash is more extensive than that original selection I had to work with! I've decided I'm going to put myself on a fabric diet for the next while. Now that doesn't mean I'm giving up my fabric of the month clubs. I love getting those little surprises in the mail and what I receive through these clubs are primarily what I use for my Farmers Wife blocks. I just love that what I get is so different than anything I would choose on my own, so in a sense it's broadening my choices in fabric selection (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it). But unless buying a particular fabric will make or break the project I'm working on, I'm refraining. No more planning and buying for future projects until some of the ones on my plate are done.

First step is to revisit the Puppy Love quilt (formerly the Doggie quilt). I still need to fix or redo the backing (too small), figure out how I'm going to quilt it then bind.This quilt first made its debut exactly one year today. Flying By post - April 30, 2013. It took no time to piece together - even the back with the flying geese. I think I like this quilt more now than I did when I first made it. Still have a tiny regret using the brown instead of the black, but that's how we live and learn.

Next at the top of my list is one of my mom's quilts. I always have the Farmers Wife as a fall back if I need a some play time. I'll admit I'm itching to do a block or two of the girls quilts to get a feel for how they will turn out. It's a real incentive to get moving forward!!

Wish me luck!!

Learning Lesson: Trust yourself - Mom's quilts

I found Dick and Jane fabric online that screams of childhood memories. My mother sat with me for hours with these books and know she did the same with my kids when she took care of them during the day while I worked in an office (office closed and I was lucky to get moved to a work from home position when my youngest was 9) . When I purchased this fabric I had a plan. I was going bold and keeping it to primary colors.

Long story short, I told my middle sister about it and she talked me out of using the original color scheme. Here's how she responded:  
That won't work anywhere in mom's house. 
Are you making this to be used or stuffed in a closet? 
She doesn't have anything vintage and nothing is done in primary colors. 
You need to plan the colors around the spare room.

Although the house is over 150 years old it's fairly modern except for one room. This spare room is pinks, greens and white & is where all the kid stuff is stored. It is very girly and has all older furniture. All our old books (including the entire Dick and Jane series) in a bookshelf handmade by my father over 50 years ago, an old refinished vanity, treasures of mine, both my sisters and the grand-kids that were left over the years and most importantly the rocking chair her father gave her when my oldest sister was born (just shy of 50 years ago). So my sister convinced me to change the plan but I'll be honest with the change of plans the excitement I originally had wasn't there.

Mom and Dad are on vacation and we've been doing basement checks every few days so I was able to take some pictures of the room with no one the wiser. Basement check done, I drove to the LQS with the photo's of the room and the new plan. The ladies at the store were incredibly helpful. We worked together and picked the fabric to match the room.

After we had gotten a great theme going that would work with the room, we discussed what I was actually doing with the fabric and what I had originally envisioned, one of the ladies told me what I needed to hear. Go back to the original plan to work with the those panels.

Still loving what we picked to go in that room, we took a quick look at patterns and I really loved the look of the Simply Sassy. We added the middle fabric to the original selection (which kind of works but kind of doesn't) to add an extra pop of color and I like the way it ties the pink and the green in. The bright pink is actually more dusty than in the picture and is going where the brighter yellow is in the pattern. The light grey is the outer border and white will replace the black. Now I have 2 quilts planned for my mother and was hoping to have one finished in time for mother's day . And the best part is the original excitement is back.

The lesson I learned, give yourself a bit of credit, trust yourself and your vision. Just because someone else doesn't love your plan doesn't mean its wrong. Stop letting others talk you out of something you are excited about. This is for my own enjoyment, they aren't commissioned pieces. So I figure this gives me freedom to follow my heart where ever it takes me.

(The top portion of this post sat in draft since I wrote it March 15)
Last weekend we had my parents over for Easter dinner. I took the plunge and showed my mom the fabric for the quilts I had planned for her with the disclaimer, these were to be for Mother's day but I'm not going to make it. When she saw the Dick and Jane selection her reaction told me I had a hit. She is so excited and loves the fabric I picked to go with it. She said they are well worth the wait!

Helpful links I found reading blogs:
Tutorial on burying your knots - I love Crazy Mom Quilts & it seems so simple when it's shown like this!

Quilt as you go based on Ann Peterson's Craftsy class Quilting-Big-Projects-on-a-Small-Machine: littleislandquilting (she got permission to give this quick tutorial) I found this really helpful as I was trying to figure out how to attach the back section. There are other tips and tricks in this tutorial and has moved to the top of my list of classes I want to take.

Off to do some Sunday Sewing, hope everyone has a wonderful day.

My trusty Singer & a Mystery case

My trusty Singer and the Mystery Case

I've mentioned my old singer on here before. I bought it with birthday money from my parents for my 21st birthday and used it non stop until I went back to work right around the time my son turned 2 (he'll be 21 in June) In that first year and a half I made a really incredible polar fleece snow suit with a quilted liner and double zippers (wish I had pictures), some layettes and a precious moments quilt for my god daughter (that was an utter mess), and tons of light weight summer overalls for my son. I loved that machine!

Mystery case hint

After returning to work my trusty singer never came out of the box again. It followed me through a move a year later to a house around the corner from my parents, 2 more children, a divorce, going back to school along with a new career, a new relationship (that would be Chris), and even survived a nasty basement flood. In all those years never did I think to throw it away or put it out in any of our numerous garage sales. Since moving into our forever home 10 years ago, it sat tucked away by the furnace. Writing this I think about what else has been with me as long and I have to say the list is short. Other than my children, a few key pieces of furniture, a few childhood friends (Curious George and Digger) and our family photos, my life has been somewhat disposable.... but I digress.

More hints from the Mystery case

Since I started this quilty journey we moved the box closer to my sewing area and every now and then we'd discuss getting it fixed. The past few weeks Chris started looking around at pricing and sad to say we found we could buy a replacement machine of the same year for less than the work it needed. Now Chris is a pretty handy guy, and have I mentioned he works on huge printing machines with lots of little moving parts for a living. What did we have to lose?

Chris spent Tuesday afternoon taking apart my singer and proceeded to completely clean, oil, check every part and even fixed my broken presser foot lift. Right after work I tested it out and have had a hard time leaving it alone since. I'm shocked by the difference. I remember why I loved this machine. Sews straight as an arrow (even though I forgot to change the needle - I'm horrified to say that needle is at least 19 years old), feeds like a dream no matter the thickness, no fuss - no muss. Its a bit noisier than my one year old brother but it feels sturdy. When Chris asked how it was working the only way I could describe it was it felt like butter putting the fabric through. So my $400 Singer from 92 with a simple dial of 18 stitches vs my 2013 computerized $400 brother with 67 stitches, there is just no comparison - the singer wins hands down. This will be my primary machine going forward.

Now to the Mystery Case: Chris was given this old sewing machine case years ago (before we met) along with an electric organ after his grandma Betty died. Like my Singer it survived moves, garage sales, floods, and even a fire during the time he had it. Unfortunately, the case does show the wounds of it's experiences. So here's where the mystery comes in - there was no key to unlock it. While he knew it was an older sewing machine, he had no clue what year or model it was, what shape it was in or even if it was fully intact. We always assumed it would be from the 50's. Inspired after fixing my Singer, he went looking on-line & found an easy way to break into the box without breaking it .... who knew all he needed was a 3mm flat head screw driver. Take a look at what we had:

1924 Singer 128 -13

This is definitely not what we were expecting!! All the important parts are there and considering it was obviously very well loved and used for many years before it was stored for 20 odd years, all the parts are free moving and rust free. The foot pedal is not original but from a 50's featherweight. The serial number of the machine is still very visible even though a bit tarnished & using that we were able to look it up to discover the year and model, with the information on the motor pinpoint it to the 13.

Other than the bobbin, shuttle and a few needles, the side box contained buttons. The light needs some work, looks like it melted at some point, but my dad is an electrician (or was until he retired 10 years ago) and looking at it won't be an issue for him. We aren't too concerned with what it's missing, a quick search on eBay tells us we can get what we need. We can't do anything about those worn decals, but we're going to give her some TLC and make her shine.

While the resale value we figure is under $50, the personal value is priceless! She is a 90 yr old beauty!

Lots of plans and Farmer Wife blocks 6 - 10

    6. Big Dipper                              7. Birds in the Air                             8. Bouquet                            9. Box                

My sewing machine has sat idle for most of the time since my fall over a month ago. I had next to nothing quilty related to show other than a bit of hexies (and even there, not much to show). Last weekend I got back at it and now have Blocks 6- 10 done. Block 7 really didn't interest me as I started cutting out the little pieces. Once I started piecing it together it was worth all the fuss. I really loved how the batik version turned out. I discovered the striped purple fabric has some stretch and would have greatly benefited with a good drenching of spray starch.

  6. Big Dipper                              7. Birds in the Air                             8. Bouquet                            9. Box                

The batik version of Big Dipper and Bouquet are a bit a bit busy. I should have gone more neutral contrast but other than that I'm pretty happy. (used ribbit to make the collages, I'm limited to 4 blocks unless I upgrade to premium).

10. Bowtie

I'm really behind on my personal schedule and haven't even started on my mothers day quilt(s) for my mother. There are two planned quilts for her (more on this later) but neither have had any forward motion and the chances of either being done in time for mothers day are slim to none.... hmm maybe they'll be done in time for my parents anniversary in August or her October birthday.

On a positive note my doctor sent me for more x-rays a week after my fall. Nothing broken but apparently it is visible that I pushed my tail-bone back. Not really sure what that means, but the anti-inflammatory are helping and I'm noticing that the pain isn't insane by noon any more and most days I can manage until bedtime without having to go lie down right after work. Being able to do regular motions, like standing up, bending over and walking up stairs is also getting less painful.

Using my downtime productively (ha ha) I engaged in some retail therapy. I finally found a Canadian on-line store Hamels that has selection galore! This is a huge discovery for me! Between the ever increasing shipping charges from US to Canada and having to go through Customs I can put that extra money towards more fabric!! While I'm still supporting my LQS for other purchases and would love to always have the instant gratification of buying there, they just don't have Designers/Collections that comes close to compare and the popular lines the LQS does receive sells out quickly (typically its sold out before I even knew they had it).

Many months back I bought some batiks that I planned to make my girls quilts with. Long story short, they didn't love (or even like for that matter) my choice of fabric. So we went hunting online through fabric lines and they choose what appealed to them. I bought layer cakes and jelly roll of each fabric to start. I probably should have gone with a fat 8th bundle... but we'll chalk that up as a live and learn lesson.

My oldest daughter picked out Blackbird Design - Plum Sweet
My youngest picked out Kansas Troubles - Token of Friendship.

I'm in love with the Plum Sweet line. I knew immediately what I wanted to do and I've already bought & received the fabric for background, backing and should have enough fabric left over to make a few pillow cases and to add to my scrap stash. I'm planning on doing a carpenters/swoon like hybrid. Fingers crossed it turns out. I'm going to take some practice fabric and make some sample blocks to figure out the easiest way to get the look I want, with the fabric size I have and go from there.

The Kansas Troubles has been exactly that TROUBLE, she discovered it when I was showing her the Sweet Pea line. Since it arrived I've picked up that fabric so many times, waiting for some spark of inspiration and got nothing. Wondering what I was going to do ... I went to my favorite go to site when looking for patterns Quilters Cache and bookmarked a few I knew would work. I showed my daughter my top 2 choices and it's game on! So the trouble quilt will be made in the Buzzsaw Block (I will not be paper piecing this - much better if I figure out the dimensions/angles for the cuts and go forward that way). Now with that decided I was back and forth with making a solid color between or not.The more I thought on it the more I decided on a single beige color to take some of the heavy darkness out. To make block after block would mean I would have to pre-plan everything which is NOT my strong suit. Decision made so I took the plunge. More than enough fabric for background & backing has been ordered. Once it was a done deal the second guessing started up again - is there a better pattern out there? Will the background be what I really want? Now that it's been over a week since I placed the order, I can't remember what I picked so it will be like a surprise pack when it arrives. I figure this quilt is either going to turn out awesome or it's going to be a struggle all the way through. Praying its the former.

Now I'm on the lookout for the perfect fabric/pattern for my son and my two son's from another mother (Chris's boys from his first marriage). My son is so laid back compared to his sisters, you'd think it would be easy but his color choices are very different from mine (he's all about earthy colors) and his choice in pattern preferences always surprises me. Our other two boys are a bit easier, as long as the oldest's quilt is themed in blue/grey tones I should be good, the younger I'm seeing more of a quilt in rich solids with a modern feel. When it comes right down to it, as long as they're all made with love is what counts the most.

I have to admit reading over my to do list I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I see a sewing room re-organization in my very near future to help keep all the work I have planned straight.

You will notice I added a Truth Tea badge. Molli Sparkles had an interesting blog on giving your honest opinion on others work (when and not taking offence. I waffled on whether I was going to add this or not. While I could never say I hate that particular fabric or pattern or bluntly say Oh that's sooo ugly (other than my internal dialogue), I'm a firm believer of Constructive Criticism especially when it comes to myself. If my seams are wonky (which they will be) feel free to say so especially if you know where I'm going wrong or how to fix it!  In my daily job, I write a lot of internal documents. On release I always ask for and appreciate feedback so that I can make changes on the current and/or store away for future. Honestly, Any comments are welcome. I'm a complete newbie and still working out the kinks of fabric choice, pattern selections, lined up seams, straight seams and some days just getting my seams to be 1/4 inch. I'll take any suggestions you are willing to throw my way!

And while I'm talking about honesty, here's a bit of truth I've been holding in for over a year... While I love the Carpenters Star, I absolutely loathed the look of Swoon (which is just a modified CS). I really didn't get the whole bulky surrounds look which in my opinion makes the block take on a squat/stubby quality. That said, I'll admit I've seen a few where fabric choices has made it work so slowly the pattern has grown on me and I don't cringe when I see the word swoon.

Stay tuned - I have another two posts in draft mode that need a bit of TLC in the way of uploading pictures. The one on the quilts for my mom written a few months ago, and the other I started last night.