New Ironing Board

The original top on my ironing station was 4 ft long. For piecing, that was fine but for quilt tops is was too short. So dear hubby took me to Home Depot today and  bought me a 6ft board. It took the better part of four hours to get it made and installed. Here it is. Now to finish hubby's quilt.
Til next time,
Mary

Recycled Shirt Cuffs

I've discovered two uses for the cuffs from shirts that I am recycling, scissor cases and cord minders. For both, carefully trim the fabric close to the stitching. That's it for the cord minder. Use it on irons and sewing machine cords.
For the scissor case, fold up the button side about 2/3 of the way. Fold down the button hole side to check for size. Adjust to your preference. Then, stitch both sides to form a pocket. I chose to leave both buttons on as it gives me greater flexibility as to which scissors travel in the pouch.
Til next time,
Mary

Allietare Clue #3

Happy Monday! I have completed Clue # 3 for the Allietare Mystery going on over at Quiltville. I really stretched my definition of "neutrals" for this quilt. Pulling from deep stash to make it fun. I want it to be one of those quilts that pulls you in to find the fun fabrics. Monkeys, sewing machines, polar bears, fairies...they are all in there. I also finished Clue #2 from last week. These went more slowly as I had to be careful not to stretch the bias.
Til next time,
Mary

Command Hooks

I am always finding great uses for Command Hooks from 3M. I use cones of thread on my vintage machines which requires the use of a stand. The thread needs to be guided to the first guide on the machine. I was using safety pins and binder clips. Then, I thought of the mini 3M command hooks. They are perfect. And I've had no more thread breakage problems !

Til next time,
Mary

Big Quilt

I have completed the top for Adam & Tess's double wedding ring quilt. The pattern is from Sew Kind Of Wonderful with a couple of modifications, of course. The first is that my rings are made of 1" finished strips instead of 2". The second is that I added borders. I just have this thing about quilts needing borders. Like matting around a picture in a frame. The backing is washed, ready to be sewn together later today. This quilt is big, 90" x 108". Eight yards of fabric, which I had the foresight  to purchase last year at Keepsake Quilting in Center Harbor, NH. If you are ever near there, it is worth the trip to stop in. Eye candy for the quilter's soul.
Til next time,
Happy Quilting!
Mary

My New Machine!

Meet Lyla, my new long arm. Well, technically, she is a mid-arm. I traded in Kitty, my Voyager 17, for Lyla, a Nolting Fun Quilter 17, at the Vermont Quilt Festival last month. It was perfect timing as we were driving to Nebraska to see family the week after the show. This enabled me to switch machines at Nolting in Iowa. I have already quilted my first quilt, Oscar, a baby quilt for a little boy named, what else, Oscar. Now, to get to work on the wedding ring quilt for the son and daughter-in-law.
Til next time,
Happy Quilting
Mary

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