Cutting Table

As I was reviewing my blog posts, I realized that I hadn't posted any photos of my cutting table. I had been using the table that my DH inherited from his grandmother, but I felt one with wheels and storage would work much better for me. So, what to do? I had a base kitchen cabinet with double doors and two drawers(on the right) that I had purchased several years ago to use as a cutting table, but it was too small. DH and I went off to Lowe's to find a base unit with drawers( on the left). We built a base, attached six wheels, set the two cabinets on top, and made a spacer between the two units. The spacer was important for two reasons. The first was to create a vertical storage space on the back. This would be a place to store the long Accuquilt Dies, extra cutting mats, and some  other supplies that wouldn't fit elsewhere. The second was to achieve a table top length of 54". Til next time, Mary

Over the River

Well, we are on the road again. This time to Nebraska to see DS #2 and his wife for the Thanksgiving holiday. The drive has been good, with some rain in Indiana and snow in Illinois. Thank goodness DH is such a good driver.  I have completed the bindings on the kids placemats and am now working on the binding for "Winterberry" by Norma Whaley. Skipper makes it a tad difficult to hand sew as he insists on sleeping on my lap.

Florida here I come

Waiting at Portland, ME airport on my way to see my mom, for her 90th birthday and my big sis, Cathy. Somehow, crocheting mini doilies for the vintage sewing machines calms my nerves a bit. This is the first time in over 30 years that I have flown on my own.
Til next time,
Mary

Four Patch Pinwheels

After a rough start, I completed the quilting on "Four Patch Pinwheels" which can be found in '101 Fabulous Small Quilts' published by That Patchwork Place. I plan to stitch down the binding on our way to Portland this afternoon.
Til next time,
Maru

Bird's Nest

Ugh! I forgot to put the presser foot down!

Getting to Know "Anna"

Here is "Anna", all set up to sew next to the window with two Janso lights, one directed to the needle area and the second to the front of the machine. The overhead light is behind me when I sew, and the shadow makes it difficult to see. I brought the portable pressing table up next to "Anna". I don't mind sewing on a non-motorized machine, but I still want my iron. The light strips aren't on the straight of grain, so finger pressing doesn't work so well.
 I pulled out my drawer of short 1 1/2 inch strip pieces to practice 1/4 inch seams on "Anna". I am thinking about making another "Bricks and Stepping Stones", but this time with brown stones and blue bricks. There is definitely a rhythm to treadling, feeding the fabric, and grabbing the next one. The first few that I did were atrocious, the seam was varying from 1/8" to 3/8". And that was with my seam guide! Now, the seam is more consistent, and I have fewer broken threads.

When I become a little more proficient, I plan to take the treadle out onto the screened porch. This is my view with hummingbirds fluttering about, you can just barely see one to the right of the feeder. They will be gone soon, as will summer.  The view is almost the same from inside, I just have to look through the window. Either way, it is a very peaceful place to sew.

Til next time,
Mary

A Place For "Granny's Hankie"

This beautiful quilt holder shelf came home with me at the same time as "Anna". I found it hiding in a corner behind vintage snowshoes. Originally, I thought to hang it in the quilting studio behind "Kitty". Then, I decided it would be lost and should have a more prominent home. The large entry hall in the basement has two windows between which the shelf fit perfectly.

The quilt is "Granny's Hankie" by Denise Russart. It was a block of the month on her blog a couple of years ago. It took one year to make the top and one year for me to decided how to quilt it. I used to keep it on my bed, but since we've had Skipper living with us, I switched to my "Oklahoma Backroads" quilt by Bonnie Hunter. Now, I can enjoy my handiwork.

Til next time,
Mary

"Anna"

I'd like you to meet Anna, my new (to me) 1913 Singer model 66-1 treadle sewing machine.

Wes and  I were out shopping for a small bookcase for my bedroom when I found her. Partially hidden behind a very large spinning wheel, I couldn't believe my eyes. All six drawers were present in good condition. One small chip of the wood on the lower right corner was the only problem. The spoked handwheel moved fairly well and all the critical parts were there. Dare I look at the price for such a beautiful machine? My heart began to beat a little faster. I turned the tag over...


$200 marked down to $100! My heart is beating even faster, when Wes says, "Everything in this booth is 20% off." I remove the tag and walk (run) to the checkout desk, she is coming home with me!


Isn't she a beauty? This is the Singer Red Eye that I have often read about. It took some work to get the gunk off. The decals are in good shape except for in front of the needle, it was a well cared for and used machine. I removed and cleaned the tension assembly as well as the bobbin area. Lots of dust and lint in there.
After reassembling everything, I attached the leather belt. Good thing I used to put the chain on my bicycle, as the same process is done with the belt.

Now for the test, will she sew? First try, top tension too loose. Second try, bobbin tension needs to be loosened a very small amount. Third try, perfect! Stitch length good. Now, to practice to get the rhythm and not break the thread.

This is a beautiful as well as functional piece of furniture. The three drawers on each side have wreaths carved around the pull knob as well as beading down each side. The center drawer, to hold extra bobbins, scissors and a stilletto, has beading as well across the top and bottom. The real surprise came when the store clerk pull the machine out from behind the spinning wheel.
 On both ends of the cabinet are these wood appliques, a quilter's dream.

 I name my machines after the women on my mom's side of the family. Anna is for my maternal great grand mother, Anna Muthert Oelker.

Til next time,
Mary

 

Sandusky

M & E quilt shop in Sandusky, Ohio. My 1st stop of the Row by Row Experience on our way to Minnesota. A quaint little shop that was busy with a class, shoppers, and an awesome " Miss Ruby" red featherweight. 3 yards of fabric for the sashings on the quilt I plan to make for Emma and a license plate(to be mailed) and we are off to our next shop in South Bend, Indiana.
Til then,
Mary

Screened

The back porch is finally complete. DH did a terrific job screening it in to keep the mosquitos at bay. With 24 yards of fabric and 10 packages of grommets, the curtains are done. I wasn't sure about the color, a little out of my box, but they actually blend nicely with the green trees outside. The fabric is interesting, a woven polyester with some sort of waterproof coating. Whatever it is, it did the job of keeping the rain off the porch. The chairs, small table, and rugs were from Big Lots. Timing could not have been better, as we hit the 20% off your total purchase sale. I already have plans to bring Charlotte, my featherweight, out to sew on those nice non-humid days.
Til next time,
Mary

Ribba Shelves

As soon as we arrived home today, I went to the quilting studio to install the 4 Ribba shelves I bought at Ikea on Monday. They are the perfect depth for the thread cones. The only problem is that I need 4 or 5 more. Unfortunately, the closest Ikea to home is 4 1/2 hours away. Road trip anyone?
Til next time,
Mary

Mushrooms

I came across a website that showed old wooden salad bowls turned into garden mushrooms. I love repurposing things, so I set out to find the bowls at thrift stores. Couldn't find any, not a one. I then enlisted my mom and big sister, Cathy to join the hunt. They are experienced thrifters. In no time, they found several and mailed them off to me for my birthday. With can of red spray paint in hand, I set to work creating my garden mushroom. Two coats of red, handpainted white dots, and two coats of protective finish and I was ready for the stem. I considered a piece of tree, but decided on a brown beer bottle Gorilla Glued to the underside of the bowl. The tapered neck made it easy to stake into the ground. I wonder how many happy colored mushrooms will pop up in my garden this summer?
Til next time,
Mary

Coraopolis

We are on the road again. This time to Coraopolis, PA just south of Pittsburgh. I brought The Queen and Her Court to work on as my main project and 1-1/2 inch squares as leaders & enders. I am working on Four Patch Revisited from Bonnie Hunter's Leaders & Enders book. It requires hundreds of 4-patches. I think if I had to sew them all at once, I'd pull my hair out. But sewing them in between other projects makes it less tedious. See the empty box? I bought another Janso light from Ikea. At only 2 miles from the hotel, how could I not go there. I also bought 4 Ribba shelves to hold my threads for the longarm.  


These are the four blocks I completed this week: 7,8,9 & 10.

They finish at 12 inches with tons of seams so, I resorted to pressing the seams open to reduce the lumps. 

 Til next time,
Mary

Shop Hop

This weekend was the Spring into Summer Shop Hop. Five shops (Quiltessentials, Calico Basket, Cottonweeds, Mariner's Compass, and Alewives) three friends, and a boat load of fun. So, to add the icing on the cake, Betsy from Quiltessentials called me on Monday to tell me that I had won a prize. Woo hoo! Tuesday morning, DH and I hopped in the car and off we went. This is what was in my prize bag. I couldn't believe it. Patterns, wool felt, fabric, thread, roving, and quilt stencils. Now, to share with my hopping buddies.
Til next time,
Mary

Two more Quilts

The weather finally cooperated and I was able to photograph two of the larger bed quilts that I finished this winter. The first is Cassiopeia. It is an original pattern gone awry. Made mainly from 3-1/2" squares and half square triangles. I had all the rows sewn together before I realized that I had flipped the third row down. I debated for a few days whether or not to un-sew it. The "W" formed by the two gold and three green stars reminded me of the constellation Cassiopeia. So, I finally decided to leave it as is and call it a design element. This quilt was made for DH's cousin Jennifer. 

The second quilt is Jamestown Landing from a workshop I took with Bonnie Hunter in May 2013. The pattern can be found in her book String Fling. I chose purples instead of blues as this quilt was made for Elizabeth, the daughter of our dear friends. I really like how string piecing the neutral blocks makes the quilt dance. Not to mention that it is a great way to use up those fabric scraps.

Til next time,

Mary

Springtime

Emma, John & Kent chose to hike on the trails in the woods. I opted for a 15 minute walk up the old road. It is closed to vehicles, so it made for a nice spring walk. Now, I am back working on the Hootie sample for the shop.
Til next time,
Mary

A Table Quilt

When I began quilting in 2006, one of the first books that I purchased was Quilts Without Corners by Cheryl Phillips. I was intrigued by the designs and foolishly thought it would be easier to make than a square cornered quilt, no corners to turn. Eight years later, I finally made a quilted tablecloth from that book.

 It began with a request from my electrician for a quilt to cover his antique dining room table. I spent several days trying to find just the right pattern. Then I came across this one: yes! Next was to choose the fabrics. When making quilts for me, anything goes: vintage thirties, civil war reproductions, novelty, geometric, etc. But when I have to make something for someone else, and there is a monetary value placed upon it, I fret. And fret. And fret. Fortunately, Sabina came over to help me select from my stash. She has a great eye, and I think the final result is awesome. 

The design disappears when you view it close, but really stands out when viewed from afar.

Til next time,

Mary