Quilted Toads

The last time DH and I visited "back home," our daughter-in-law (DIL) asked me to make her a quilt. She was the only one of our 3 DILs that I haven't yet made a quilt for, so it was on my to-do list anyway. Therefore, I was more than happy to oblige.  Then she told me that she had never had anything that had been made especially for her, which made me a little sad for her. I asked her about color scheme and/or pattern preference, and she said she would love anything I came up with. She did mention pink, which is one of the colors I chose for her quilt.

This particular DIL is very fond of miniature schnauzers (she has four), so I went on a hunt for some schnauzer fabric, which I found on Spoonflower.com.  If you've ever followed Project Runway, you know they usually have one challenge where they print their own fabric, and this is one of the features offered at Spoonflower. Anyhow, the fabric was found, so now I had to find a quilt design to highlight the schnauzers so they didn't get lost in the mix.

Our local quilt guild meets on Tuesdays for group sewing on philanthropy projects. This is a generous, fun bunch of ladies who like to share. Usually there are quilt magazines available that members have brought to share, to clear out their stash. Last week I found a design in a 1995 American Patchwork and Quilting magazine that promises to be perfect for showcasing the dog fabric. The pattern, called "Toad in a Puddle" is a 100-year old pattern that was first published in the late-1800s mail-order catalog produced by Ladies Art Company. This is a picture of the main block, the "toad". (Such an unromantic name!)

The so-called alternate block is the block that will feature the schnauzers. It calls for a 9" square, which will be "framed" with contrasting fabric.  So now, I have the pattern, I have the fabric, and am almost halfway through making the "toads".  Now I look ahead to see how the alternate blocks are constructed, and the cutting instructions don't give the measurements for the frame around the 9" square. Yikes!

After panicking slightly for a while, studying the magazine for clues, and finding none, I was in a quandary. What was I to do? Then it dawned on me, I have Electric Quilt 7, which I had used to do a layout of the colors I wanted to use. EQ7 to the rescue! I was able to print out the rotary cutting guide for the alternate block, and of course it includes measurements. Another thing I like about EQ7 is the fact that it will figure and print out the quantity of each fabric needed for the quilt. There are many more features in EQ7 that I haven't discovered yet, but I will figure it all out eventually.

Feeling Like a Traitor

I've always loved the look of the old black machines from days gone by. And I truly appreciate their reliability. They were built to last, and they do. I have so many I am embarrassed to tell the number, and I love each one, although some get used more than others.

So, why am I feeling like a traitor? Last week, I attended the Machine Quilters Expo in Portland, Oregon, and took some machine quilting classes. The machines that were provided for us to use were Janome Horizon quilters edition, and I have to say, I really liked the machine. It provided 11 inches from needle to post, more room even than my old reliable Singer 15, 201, 27, and all the others. It came with a whole slew of decorative stitches and it handled all different types of threads without complaint. I used 30 wt, 40 wt, 60 wt, bobbin thread, even metallic thread and that machines just kept chugging along.

The machines used in the classes were being sold at reduced prices, and if I'd had the $$ I would have bought one. A few people in the classes DID buy one. Since I came back, I catch myself mooning over them online, checking prices, comparing features. Still, there's that nagging thought that keeps recurring, about the fact that it is a computerized machine, that surely wouldn't last as long as my old reliable cast iron models have.

Maybe I'm Crazy

I'm one lucky gal. DH was required to visit Switzerland for a month, for business. It was one of those things where you think, please, twist my arm to make me go. Lucky for me, his company agreed to pay for my airfare to accompany him. To Switzerland!  Since it was my first trip outside North America, I had to apply for a passport, which wasn't a big deal.

Switzerland in the spring is breathtaking. There were flowers everywhere, although the mountains were still covered with snow. And the waterfalls! We saw many waterfalls created by melting snow, which in turn created crystal clear streams, rivers, and lakes.

German is the predominant language there, although some French has made it into the everyday spoken language. Being in a country where little of my native language is spoken gave me a very real sense of how immigrants must feel when they come to the United States. The Swiss are very friendly people and always willing to go the extra mile to help whenever possible. Still, not knowing the language made for interesting challenges when it came to food. More than once I ordered food at a restaurant not knowing what I would end up with. It also made grocery shopping and cooking interesting.  Who knows what measure 3 dcl is? Eventually I figured out it is 0.3 liter, which is the amount of tea you get in a restaurant. It's actually printed on the glass with a fill line. I was tempted to buy a local cookbook (if I could find one written in English) but since the measurements were all in liters and grams, my cups and teaspoons wouldn't really work.

So, because we were there for a month, we did our share of sightseeing and exploring. We went to Luzern, happening upon some sort of festival going on. We also went to the capital city of Bern, a busy city which also includes some ancient (by USA standards) architecture alongside modern buildings. On the way back from Bern one day, DH took a little detour  into the city of Thun in search of a gas station, where we discovered a real, authentic castle.  We were tired and hungry at this point, so we decided to come back to Thun another day to explore the castle/museum. The castle was built around 1190 a.d.  and contained some fascinating historical objects, such as armor, weaponry, clothing, furniture. When my oldest grandson saw the photo of me standing in front of the castle, he decided it was Disneyland and was not impressed at all!

Because DH was tied up at work most days, I had time to search for interesting things to do while we were there. I enjoy visiting thrift stores, so when I discovered one in a nearby town, we decided to visit and see what they had available. What we found was a treasure trove of things I would have loved to bring home with me, including pottery, military items, clocks, and even a couple of sewing machines. One of them in particular caught my eye: it was a Naumann hand crank sewing machine that looks very much like a Singer model 27. The price was reasonable, and I had been thinking about adding a hand crank machine to my collection, so I took a picture. Of course, DH didn't like the idea of having to deal with shipping it back to California, so we left it behind. I posted the photo on The Quilting Board, telling about the machine.  Several others encouraged me to get the machine, commenting on the beautiful decals and the fact that it is something not often seen in America.  For the next week, he teased me about visiting a country like Switzerland and wanting to get an old clunker sewing machine. The following weekend, we went back to the thrift store and brought it back to our lodging. Later he took it to arrange for shipping it back home. So far, I haven't found  much information about the machine, such as when it was built. After winding a bobbin with the hand crank, I have decided the machine definitely needs some serious cleaning and oiling before it will be useful. It also needed a needle clamp screw which was generously donated by AshleyR of The Quilting Board. Thank you Ashley!

DH thinks I'm crazy for loving these old machines, and maybe he's right. The fact remains, however, that these old machines were made to LAST, and with proper care and maintenance they will last indefinitely, continuing to sew as well as they did when new. The same cannot be said for today's computerized sewing machines.

Hello, my name is...

Hello, my name is Ginger, and I am a sewing-machine-aholic.  Uh, I mean, a vintage machine enthusiast. That sounds much nicer, doesn't it?  I just can't seem to help myself when I see a vintage machine. I have to look it over, see if it works, check out its attachments and appearance. Most of my acquisitions have occurred while living in California, so I shall blame it on being so far away from friends and family.

Here is my latest "rescue." It's a Singer model 15-91, built in 1934, two years before my mother was born. Obviously, the base it is in is not the original, but it needed something to sit in.

I love these old machines for several reasons. First, and most important, their reliability. These machines were precision made, all steel, and built to last for generations. If they are kept clean, oiled and lubricated, they will work like new for a hundred years or more. Most machines made today cannot make that claim.

Also, I just like their looks; their lovely decals, decorative face plates and sleek shiny surface. Another great feature is the large opening to the right of the needle. Modern machines seem to be much smaller here.  This large opening is important when it comes to making quilts, which is something I enjoy doing. These older machines will sew just about any fabric you can get under the presser foot: anything from silk to denim.

If It Quacks Like a Duck

As I mentioned last time, our Cara Cara orange tree turned out not to be oranges.  So now we have mystery fruit.  The fruit is large, yellow, and the rind is nearly an inch thick. It looks and tastes like an overgrown lemon. Could it be a Ponderosa lemon tree? At first, we thought it might be a pomelo, but most of the information we could find claims that pomelos are sweet.  So, do we have a ponderosa lemon or pomelo tree? We may never know for sure. At right is a picture of our first harvest.

Probably the biggest drawback to this tree is the fact that it will get huge, and has enormous thorns. The other day when I picked them, I ended up with scarred up hands. Guess I should have worn some leather gloves. I'll remember that next time. This was a particular problem when it came time to begin juicing the fruit, because the juice stung every scratch or prick on my hands. Eventually I remembered the cleaning gloves I had bought at the Dollar Tree. They saved the day, and my hands. With some help from my strapping 6'-3" stepson, so far we have frozen about a gallon of juice. 

The cake stuck to the pan,
but it still tastes great!

I have used the juice and zest in recipes as if they were lemon. It tastes just like lemon to me, and the meringue pie and "lemon" pound cake both tasted exactly like lemon.

Now I need to find lots of recipes to use up all this lemony goodness. It surely has lots of vitamin C and other good stuff, so why not?  I can't continue making pies and cakes and other goodies; all of us need to lose some poundage and sweets are counterproductive.

When Life Gives You Lemons

One of my own favorite sayings is "bloom where you're planted."  I try to live by that, even though I've been transplanted a time or two. The latest transplanting took place nearly four years ago when my husband accepted a job in California. The weather here is lovely; there are none of the extremes we experienced in Tulsa, such as ice storms, hail storms, tornadoes, extreme summer heat and humidity. It does get hot here, but with lower humidity it doesn't seem so bad. Our house seems to do a great job of staying cool too.

One of the first things we wanted to do when we moved was to plant some fruit trees. First we planted a Cara Cara orange tree and a Key Lime tree. Next came the cherry tree, which apparently has grafts of several different varieties of cherries. All of these trees are self-pollinating, which means we don't need two of each to get fruit.

After three years, the orange tree was the only one to bloom, but when it did, it was covered with blossoms. We waited excitedly all summer, watching our baby oranges grow. And wow, did they grow! They got huge!  Now they are ripe, ready for harvesting, but something isn't right. They're about the size of a large grapefruit, yellow, and roughly pear-shaped. The nursery where we bought the tree was surprised, and could not identify the type of fruit, but agreed that it definitely was not a Cara Cara orange.

Now for a taste test.  After peeling away about one and a half inches of rind, I got to the juicy, yellow center, which contains lots of seeds. The sections are separated by a very tough membrane which isn't easily pulled away. It tastes a lot like lemon, very tart.

 I included an orange in the photo for comparison. It looks like the tree we have is a pomelo.  Guess I could make some lemonade. Or would that be pomelade?

Quilted Football

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and we're making plans to visit the family back in Tulsa. I saw this pattern the other day, and thought it would be just the thing for my youngest grandson, who is 3 years old. Because quilting is my thing these days, I decided to make it quite scrappy instead of color coordinating, or attempting to make it look "real."  The pattern came from Jinny Beyer Studio (http://www.jinnybeyer.com). It's a .pdf file, easily printed at home. 

Because the printed pattern has some overlapping pieces, I printed it on regular paper, then traced the pieces onto the dull side of freezer paper. After cutting out the freezer paper pattern pieces, I ironed the freezer paper, shiny side down, onto fabric. This is a great way to be precise when cutting out irregular pieces like this, and the paper is easily removed without damaging the fabric. Freezer paper pattern pieces can also be used again several times. Can you tell I love my freezer paper?

I strayed a little bit from the instructions that came with the pattern. I used fiberfill instead of 100% cotton stuffing. I thought the cotton might make it too heavy and firm for a 3-year old. It turned out firm enough for throwing, yet still soft enough to use as a pillow while watching TV.

Sewing Machines

Some people just don't understand.  Years ago, I fell in love with the look of the old treadle sewing machines. Yes, that's right, the old style black machines. So I decided I wanted a treadle machine. I already had a perfectly good Kenmore zigzag machine that I had bought new in the late 70s, but I wanted a nicer cabinet for it. When an estate auction put an old sewing machine in a nice wood cabinet up for sale, I bought it for $20. I was the only bidder, probably because it didn't have the electric cord or foot pedal. It turned out that my Kenmore machine wouldn't fit into the singer cabinet.

So, I took my "new" old black machine to a Singer repair center to see about getting the cord and foot pedal. This was a mistake. They charged me more than triple what I had paid for the machine. Then I discovered it wouldn't sew. Everything seemed to work, but it wouldn't make a stitch, so my auction bargain became extra space to hold my sewing things, and the machine never saw the light of day.

A few years later, I found a user's manual for the machine, which turned out to be a Singer 201, from 1939. After reading the manual, I discovered that I had been threading the needle in the wrong direction. Once I threaded the needle correctly, the machine began sewing beautiful straight stitches. In researching this machine, I learned that it was considered to be one of Singer's all time best machines! And to think it had been sitting unused for so long. Today, it is my favorite go-to machine for everyday stitching. These days it is mostly sewing together quilt tops.

Since discovering what a jewel I had, I was apparently bitten by the vintage sewing machine bug. I finally got not one, but two treadle sewing machines, both of which are in good working order. I still have my original Kenmore, although it has been promised to my son. My mother's White zigzag machine from the late 60s came home with me after her funeral, and it still works fine too. I have another White machine which was originally a treadle, but converted to electric, and is in the process of being cleaned and refurbished.

The other day, my sister sent me an email with a picture of a Singer featherweight she had just bought from Ebay.  Because she thought her Singer 185k was tiny, she couldn't believe that the featherweight was even smaller. To convince her of just how small the Featherweight is, I sent her a picture of 3 of my machines. The Featherweight is in the front, back left is a repainted Singer 99, and back right is my old faithful Singer 201. Something tells me that Sis has also been bitten by the vintage sewing machine bug. She has told me that her little green Singer 185k is her favorite.

Why You NEED That 4th Rail

I got a Bailey midarm quilting machine recently. I was up in Washington visiting with DS, DIL, and DGKs for Spring Break, so my DH drove to pick it up for me. He had it all assembled when I got back, and he did a great job.  Except, he didn't install the fourth rail. The assembly instructions didn't mention the fourth rail, and he didn't know what it was for anyhow. I tried to install it this morning, but didn't have the right nuts and bolts.

Today, I finally got around to loading up the backing, front, and batting for a quilt. I got the top at a yard sale, and I figured since I didn't have much work or attachment to it, that top would be a good one to practice on. If it turns out really bad, I'm sure the dog won't mind sleeping on it. Anyhow, because the fourth rail wasn't installed, the extra batting just sort of hangs there (floats is the quilting term) attached at the top but not at the bottom. So, we went to the local home improvement store to get the nuts and bolts, along with stuff for the vegetable garden. And wouldn't you know, we forgot the nuts and bolts.

We came home and went right to work outside in the garden. I came in to get a drink and cool off (don't forget, I'm in SUNNY California) and discovered a very good reason for having that fourth rail on the machine quilting frame. This is Bobbie, who thinks she has found the perfect hidey-hole.

Future Quilt

Last year, I decided to make each of my grandchildren (five and counting) a quilt of their own. Four are done and I am still thinking about what to do for the fifth. I posted photos of these quilts on my facebook page. A friend of mine saw the photos and decided she had to had one too. This is the one she picked. What followed was a discussion about what type of quilting she wanted, and she chose to have it be tied instead of paying a long-arm machine quilter. Of course, I had to remind her that Butch the dog doesn't go with the quilt.

I also told her that she had to wait; I already had other quilts in the queue that needed to be finished before I could begin to work on hers. Well, those other quilts are finished now.

So while I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new quilting machine, I went shopping. I decided to go ahead and get the fabric for Lyn's quilt, even though I won't be able to work on it for at least a week.  Why, you ask? I get to spend Spring Break with three of the grands!  Anyhow, this is what a future quilt looks like.

Starting to Get Excited

My car broke down the other day, just refuses to start. We had to have it towed home. DH has tried to fix it, but can't seem to find the problem. So now he intends to take it to the dealership to have it worked on.  The car is old, and was wrecked last year, although the damage was fixed.  DH has been talking about getting another car, but we have no idea where the $$ would come from.
The other day, I was casually opening the mail, when I got a big surprise: an unexpected check made out to me.  $$ that is not earmarked in the budget! :D So now, we'll be able to fix the car. And get a used second car so I won't be without transportation on days when DH can't ride his bike to work. AND get that long arm quilting machine I've been wanting. :D
There will be a learning curve, no doubt. I've done some FMQ on my vintage Singers and managed to get passable but by no means professional results. One of the problems with vintage Singers is the limited amount of space between the needle and back of the sewing area. This new machine will give me twice as much room to work in and it comes complete with a Grace quilting frame, metal rods (as opposed to wooden ones, which have a larger diameter), laser stylus and quilting patterns, complete instructions, and a Stitch Regulator!
I can't wait to get my hands on this puppy. Unfortunately, I'll be out of town next week, so I won't be able to play with it until I get back. That's okay, though, because I'll be playing with three of the grandkids all week. :D:D:D

FMQ

In quilting terms, FMQ means free motion quilting.  It can be done either on a long arm quilting setup, or on your regular old sewing machine. Since I don't have a long arm quilting setup, I'm using my new-to-me but 90-year-old "Red Head" Singer, model 66, while crossing my fingers hoping that there is a long-arm machine somewhere out there with my name on it. This is a straight stitch only machine, without reverse. Which means no backstitching. When you FMQ, it is necessary to either lower or cover the feed dogs, so they don't interfere with the free movement of the fabric under the needle. This machine didn't come with a feed dog cover, and the feed dogs don't lower. So now the feed dogs are in the drawer of the lovely old cabinet she sits in.
I've begun working on DDIL's t-shirt quilt, the actual quilting (FMQ) of it. Believe it or not, marking the quilting lines takes longer than actually sewing them.

I Couldn't Help Myself

I blame DH. He's been surfing Craig's List for a long-arm quilting machine to go with the quilting frame we got a couple of weeks ago. The frame is long enough to handle a king sized quilt if I ever get that ambitious. Anyhow, while he was surfing, he ran across an old sewing machine that he knew I wanted, and showed me the listing. It didn't come with a cabinet or other attachments, but the decals are nice. I'm pretty sure the motor isn't the original, because it looks new. It does work fine, although I haven't sewn anything on it yet. The colors are dull because I haven't cleaned it up yet.

This is a machine that could either be a treadle or electric, and it shouldn't be hard to change between the two. According to the serial number, it was probably built in 1920, making it around 90 years old. I hope to look so good (and function so perfectly) when I'm ninety.


If you count the two sergers, my 'new' Singer makes 15 machines.  Does this mean I'm a sewing machine addict?

A First (for me)

Last weekend we went to pick up a quilting frame.  We plan to build an add-on to enable using a sewing machine with it instead of hand quilting. The first quilting that will be done on it will be one I picked up at a yard sale. It's nothing fancy, and I don't know what to do with it once it's finished, but it will be my practice quilt.  This way, if it gets messed up, it'll be no big loss.

Right now, we're just waiting for the parts we've ordered previously, the parts to build the sewing machine carriage. So, in the meantime, the frame is assembled, sitting in the den. Today, I finished a quilt top for my youngest son. (Shhh, it's a surprise) So, since it was time to build the quilt sandwich, I decided to give it a try, and use it to pin-baste the top, batting, and back together.  It's going to require some practice to get it all straight, but it worked. It seemed a little better than crawling around on the floor. The t-shirt quilt took hours to pin-baste, hours of crawling around on the floor. I was even forced to lock Ginger and Butch in the bedroom while I did it, because Butch wanted to "help." Here is a photo of the quilt frame in action.

Broghetti

It's an all too common problem these days; I, DH, and SS all need to lose weight. We've all gotten a little too "fluffy" for health and comfort.  DH has finally decided to get serious about it, so I intend to help as much as I can when it comes to preparing meals.  DH, however, isn't wild about veggies, so I've had to get creative.

One of my favorite dishes is fettuccine alfredo with chicken, so I experimented with replacing the fettuccine with zucchini. Oh my, was it good!  I had tried this dish at a Mexican restaurant about a year ago and enjoyed it.  This substitution undoubtedly saved a lot of calories, but alfredo sauce isn't exactly low-cal.  So next, I tried a tomato-based sauce in the zucchini/chicken dish. That worked too; you get your protein and veggies, all in one dish. We all like it, including Ginger and Butch, so it has been added to my repertoire of meals.

Butch and Ginger, riding in the car

Then, more recently, I saw a post on the quilter's forum in the recipe section, about healthy eating for diabetics. The person who posted recommended using shredded broccoli instead of pasta.  That piqued my interest, because DH typically won't eat broccoli. So, the next time I went to the grocery store, I picked up some broccoli slaw. It is mostly shredded broccoli, with some carrots and cabbage. All is cut, cleaned, and ready to use in your favorite recipe. Like the post recommended, I sauteed the broccoli slaw in a tiny bit of oil until it was crisp-tender. Then added my usual spaghetti sauce and served it for dinner. I wish I had thought to take a photo, as it looked almost Christmas-y, with the bright green broccoli shreds topped with the tomato-based sauce. This dish got two thumbs up from DH and SS, and of course, Ginger and Butch, who don't really have thumbs, but who quickly polished off the leftovers. The great thing about shredded broccoli is that it is low-cal. One serving, (three ounces) of broccoli slaw has only 25 calories, according to the package.

Next, I may try a light lime-cilantro sauce, with chicken.

Quilt Guild Meetings

Lots went on last night at the quilt guild meeting.  Every meeting they have door drawings, a library we can check out sewing/craft related books, and snacks. Last night there was also a table where they were giving away craft books which covered topics from patchwork quilting to Family Circle's Weekend Crafts.  I looked at the books and chose two; one on patchwork quilting and one on handcrafted gifts and toys. All of the books looked interesting, but I didn't want to be greedy.

The quilt show is coming up next weekend, and the guild is raffling off a beautiful quilt called "Empire Beauty."  It looks like it has lots of appliqué in the border. I hope to win this quilt, but then, probably many others do also.  At the end of our meetings, we have "show and tell" where we get to show off our creations. There were several bunnies there from the class we had a couple of weeks ago; I brought two myself. Every one was different and they were all adorable.

After the bunnies, we showed our other creations. I had brought a little green turtle with a quilted shell. He was a big hit. Everyone encouraged me to enter it into the quilt show, which I intend to do. The entry form requires photos, so taking pictures will be on my agenda today.  After showing my turtle, I sat down.  Then suddenly, one of the ladies came up behind me and handed me a couple more of the giveaway books. I thanked her and returned my attention to the others who were showing their handiwork.  A couple of minutes later, the same lady came up behind me again with more books! Now the total rose to six books. All of them seem to be in new condition. I am now well stocked for craft books, at least for now. :)

Maybe next year I'll have a quilt to enter into the show.

On Order

The den has been rearranged to make room for the newly acquired quilting frame. Well, mostly. I still haven't figured out where to put the treadle sewing machine that is sitting in the corner along the wall where the quilting frame will go. And lest anyone should be silly enough to suggest getting rid of said treadle sewing machine, not on your life. I'd sooner give up the 55 gallon aquarium or the television. I made progress, though. Today I opened the box and took out the assembly instructions to look over, carefully re-taping the box back so Butch can't get at any of the pieces. He tries to eat the strangest things. We're always finding rocks and pieces of wood that he has brought in from outside to chew on. When we take stuff like that away from him, he takes it very philosophically. He knows he can always just go back outside and bring in another rock or hunk of firewood.

Today we ordered the parts from here to make the necessary pieces to turn the hand quilting frame into a machine quilting frame. Of course, if we had ever won the lottery, we wouldn't have to cobble something together like this, but considering that a new quilting machine/frame setup can cost around $8k-$14k, I didn't see any way I could make enough quilts to justify spending that kind of money.

I did see an interesting website today that offers "stretched arm" quilting machines for as little as $1,899, and the company is just a hop and a skip from my place back in Tulsa. They take vintage Singer model 201 sewing machines and cut/paste them into long-arm sewing machines. Okay, it's a little more complicated than cut and paste, but you get the idea.

I have a mostly-completed quilt top that will likely become my practice/learning quilt, and depending on how badly it turns out, it could end up in the dog house. Meanwhile, the t-shirt quilt for DDIL is patiently waiting for me to come to sort of decision regarding the quilting of it. Bobbie and Gracie are in no hurry; they think it sleeps very nicely as is.

Hurry Up and Wait

She's excited to see it, but not before it's finished. I'm talking about the t-shirt quilt for DDIL.  DGD's birthday is in June, so maybe I'll get it finished by then so I can take it with me for the visit. I hate not being close enough to visit anytime, and airline travel is expensive and bothersome. I guess it's worth it though, if I get to see the grands.

Anyhow, yesterday we went to Tracy and bought a quilt frame. It came with lights at each end.  It's still sitting in the box on the floor in the den. We'll have to rearrange the furniture to make room for it. (Know anyone who wants to buy a 55 gallon aquarium with a beautiful mahogany base and hood?) The quilt frame is intended to be used for hand quilting, but DH says he can create an attachment to enable using a sewing machine with the frame. This would be cool.

I've been practicing my free-motion quilting on scraps from the quilt, using my trusty Singer 201-2 in it's cabinet. It's obvious I still need a lot of practice. Coordinating the movement of the fabric with the speed of the machine is the hardest part.  Well, except maybe making smooth curves instead of jerky lines. Now I'm trying to decide if I should just use a diagonal grid or attempt a more elaborate design, and if I should mark the lines or just wing it. I'm also trying to decide if I should wait to see if DH will get his quilter invention done in a timely manner. Meantime, Gracie and Bobbie vie for dibs on the quilt as a bed.

Because the t-shirts used to make this quilt are all from concerts attended my DDIL, I digitized a music notes design for my embroidery machine, with the intent of using it to quilt the border.  It turned out fairly well.

Quilted Delay

So, I rearranged things in my sewing room, to enable me to free-motion quilt the t-shirt quilt for my DDIL.  This is a bed-size quilt and will require a lot of room to enable me to quilt it on my machine.  Because I have several machines in cabinets, I decided to set one of the extras behind the machine I intend to use, which is a 1940 Singer 201-2 in a #42 cabinet. I got this machine on a whim, at an auction, intending to put my 1970s Kenmore in the cabinet. Fortunately, the Kenmore wouldn't fit. I say fortunately, because the 201 turned out to be a wonderful machine, a real workhorse and wonderful stitcher.

Setting the two cabinets together, one behind the other gave plenty of room spreading out the quilt for machine quilting it.  Only now, Gracie seems to have claimed the quilt, and she isn't going to give it up without a fight. I still have some practicing to do before I am brave enough to work on the actual quilt, so Gracie (Lily Grace) will have a little time to find a new perch before she gets evicted.

Quilted T-Shirts, Part Two

Click photo to enlarge

DDIL's T-shirt quilt top is all pieced together. It turned out rather large.  I really liked the fabric in the outer border, and it seemed a shame that there weren't more of it, so I decided to take some of the flowers from the leftover fabric and scatter a few across the top as appliqués.  If you click on the photo you can see it a little more clearly.

My sewing room is tiny and crowded; could this be caused by the presence of 10 sewing machines, four of them in cabinets? And don't forget the two sergers...Anyhow, this is the reason the quilt was laid out on the floor in the den, (don't worry folks, I vacuumed the carpet first) as it was the only place in the house with a large enough flat area to do this. Pinning the quilt "sandwich" together involved several hours crawling around on the floor. I felt like I'd been working!

The next challenge will be to get this top quilted. I've only actually machine quilted one or two small quilts myself. Usually I send it out to have it done by someone with a long-arm quilting machine, but I have the urge to learn to do it myself. This will require plenty of preparation and practice, but I gotta learn sometime.