May 2009 Desktop Calendar

Click to expand image to full size, right-click and choose Set as Wallpaper or Background. To really jazz up your desktop, right-click on your background and choose a color that coordinates with the calendar - you'll love it! And you can make all your quilting friends jealous!

Piecing at the Improv

In the words of Britney the Brainless Bimbo, Oops I did it again...

Remember that box I live and quilt in? I tried sneaking out of it again. I took an improv workshop through our guild and the supply list said to bring asstd fat quarters and scraps of any old fabrics...lights, mediums and darks. That was it. No patterns, templates, rulers. Now for some, that's liberating. For me, well, you might as well have told me to go to church without underwear. Are you kidding?!

But I was willing to do it, if it meant growing...stretching.
I pulled a stack of fat quarters out of my stash. I bought them 2 years ago during Sample Spree at Quilt Market (Houston), and, since just buying them was cracking open the window of my box, I felt they'd be the perfect grouping for this workshop. They're from the Katmandu Collection, designed by Mark Lipinski. Aren't they gorgeous?!
Oh! That reminds me! The day after I bought the collection, I saw the perfect buttons to go on a Katmandu quilt, and though they cost an arm and a leg, I bought a bunch, and filed them away when I got home. It wasn't til just now that I remembered them and dumped them out for the camera - and that's when the Obvious Train hit me: they don't go at all with the Katmandu fabrics! They're blue and pink for crying out loud! What was I thinking?!
That could be one of my basic problems...

Back to the workshop.
Turns out that everyone else got the memo that said "Bring lots of variety, don't match, just grab it all." Not having received that memo, mine, of course, all matched. Precisely. I traded for some variety and the teacher took pity on me and gave me some of hers. And my 17 year old MJ further rescued me by driving over with my bin of black and white fabrics. He's a good son.

But finally, my project went from thisto this
I still have to trim and quilt it, and maybe throw on some buttons (no, not those), and get it finished by guild next Tuesday.

All in all, it wasn't a horrible experience, and my 15 year old Gillian says she actually would like to have it. I don't know where she came from...

Button It!

Ever since I found my grandmother Stella's button box, I've collected buttons. After I've totally worn out a shirt or whatever, I take off the buttons before throwing it away. I heard that Cary Grant used to do that, too, so I don't feel so weird...or cheap.
Notice in the photo above, that the little jars even have a button lids. I knew I had to have them the second I saw them!


These are some of the buttons that started it all.


Those giant buttons are about 1.25" across. I probably won't ever use them...


And these remind me of Necco Wafers!


Some of my novelty buttons. I won't use these either, cuz they're too cute!


And look what I found when I dumped out my big button jar! That damn Little Foot I've been missing for over a freakin' year!
Now I have to apologize to the kids, my husband and even the stupid dog.

April 2009 Desktop Calendar

Click image to expand to full size, right-click and choose Set as Wallpaper or Background. To really jazz up your desktop, right-click on your background and choose a color that coordinates with the calendar - you'll love it!

Vintage Sewing Machines

A few years back, I become interested in vintage and antique sewing machines. Not in just collecting them, but also in using them. I'm finding that they are so much better made than the new, improved plastic ones with all the bells and whistles.

Two things really surprised me:
1) I found that most of Singer's (for instance) attachments, were used on machines 100 years ago...hemstitchers, rufflers, binding... Why did I assume these were invented relatively recently for use on only the 'modern' machines?

2) My sewing machine dealer told me with great pride, that my new Elna would still be sewing away in ten years. Gee - that means I could have bought several vintage machines that are still sewing after 100 years, for the same price! You almost can't kill those things.

Here are a few photographs of my small, but growing collection:

Jones Medium C.S. treadle w/Queen Alexandra decal
Serial Number 98833
Circa 1900-1910
Manufactured in North Manchester, England
It came with the original manual, 3 shuttles, 5 bobbins,
a binder, quilter, 4 hemmers and a shuttle tension screwdriver.

Singer Model 99K handcrank
Serial Number Y2303516
1925
Manufactured in Glasgow, Scotland
It came with the original manual, 5 bobbins, a binder,
foot hemmer, seam gauge and the large screwdriver.
My youngest learned to sew using this machine.

Singer Model 201K handcrank
Serial Number EC851510
1940
Manufactured in Glasgow, Scotland
It came with the original manual, 6 bobbins, a binder,
quilter, adjustable hemmer, tucker, gatherer, and the large screwdriver.
My son MJ learned to sew on this machine. He pieced his first quilt with it. Ok, his only quilt. He preferred taking the machines apart and cleaning them.

Singer Model 221K Featherweight
Serial Number EE861595
1947
Manufactured in Glasgow, Scotland
It came with 1 bobbin, a foot hemmer, an adjustable hemmer,
a gatherer, and a ruffler.

The first three are all people-powered and have come in handy more than once when the power's gone out. As a matter of fact, my 2 youngest learned how to sew on the handcranks.

I have a few more machines, but they'll have to wait til the next installment.

Printable Gift Tags

I've had downloadable 'quilty' gift tags on my hobby website for many years, and since I'm planning to phase that website out by the end of the year, I'm slowly moving some of the things over here. 

These tags were designed in Electric Quilt and I've updated the fabric scans and changed the block patterns. You'll find 4 blocks on each sheet with your choice of fabrics from Mark Lipinski, Jo Morton, Amy Bradley and Marcus Brothers' Aunt Grace and Metro Blue.

A group that stayed at the retreat last week had printed out the Aunt Grace tags and the organizer had written their names on them and glued a pinback on so they could have cute little nametags - like this:


They're in separate Word documents that you can download and personalize before printing them out. I recommend card stock or heavy color copy paper, but regular printer paper will work fine, too. Click these links for the fabric tags of your choice.
Amy Butler
Mark Lipinski's Katmandu
Metro Blue
Jo Morton's Civil War Repros
Aunt Grace 30's repros

These have come in handy at my house when we have a gifting emergency and all we can find are the 500 Christmas tags I bought last December 26th.

Love That Green!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day...

My absolute favorite color is jadite green with a titch of aqua. I've got tons of this thread and will probably never actually use it. Whenever I spot this color thread, I add it to my collection.  It's such a gentle, peaceful color, and it just makes me happy to look at it.

Added 6/19/09:

Going Postal

This is the result of 6 hours(!) struggling through a fabric postcard workshop offered by our guild. I live in a very snug quilting box, and this was somewhat outside of it. While everyone else was laughing and enjoying the process, I was in a total stressed out sweat over it. I don't know what it is that makes me:
1) so rigid and inflexible
and
2) want to even try to get out of my box

My friend and fellow Sew-Ho Susi has a box, too. My box is here, and hers is the rest of the world. She came to the next guild meeting with a box of postcards, tied up with ribbons into sets of 9. I had one (1). I wish I could be more like her...just let loose and go with it!
Maybe part of it is because I was raised in a convent (literally), and letting loose wasn't allowed. Or maybe it's just me. You'd think I'd be used to it by now. But it still makes me want to go postal.

Shoe Pincushions!

I'm not really into shoes...unless you count these shoe pincushions! I started collecting them in 1999 and I just can't stop. They remind me of the shoes my grandmother wore back in the 40's and 50's. I just love them!

March 2009 Desktop Calendar

Click to expand image to full size, right-click and choose Set as Wallpaper or Background. To really jazz up your desktop, right-click on your background and choose a color that coordinates with the calendar - you'll love it!