Passion

Passion Flower grows on my back fence.














My passion du jour is quilting.
I spent another many hours session working on the fish quilt.
New sewing machine with so many bells and whistles got jammed and I could not fix it.
I packed it up and went back to the store. Today Becky, the manager, helped me.
Not only did she fix my problem (it was merely a thread not crossed over the right bar in the threading process),
but she taught me several more facets of my fancy machine. She also sold me two new feet. (Old feet needed to be replaced that did not fit on new machine. And she sold me a "Stitch in the Ditch" foot with a guide for doing just that. Who knew? We think I may need another walking foot, but she was out of those. Good thing. I am really running up a bill on this new passion.
Am trying to free style sew gold Sulky thread into waves along the boarder of this quilt. But I can't seem to make them be short enough.
I am pushing the 'length' button, to no avail. I'll try again later. I keep hoping someone more seasoned in using this new machine will chime in here with some helpful hints.
I learned how to sew little stitches shaped like bicycles today! Now that is something!

Connecting

Yesterday I needed thread so I went to Joanne's to pick some up. I was remembering Gwen, the wonderfully helpful woman who sold me my machine on Saturday. Gwen was new on the job. She had trouble with the computer when it came time to ring up her sale. She had to call the manager several times to get help with this. She'd also brought the manager in earlier when I was trying out the new machine and the Fab-U-Motion device. But Gwen was warm and helpful and I felt caring. After she was finally able to complete the business transaction for me (I'd been in the store for over four hours between playing with the machines, making my decision and finally taking hold of my new acquisitions) she helped me out to my car with the heavy items. She was embarrassed that she had had such difficulty with the computer. She shared with me that her real job was that of a nurse, and she had taken this job just to learn more to use machines she had purchased herself. A nurse. No wonder I felt her good care. When I went in yesterday I sought her out. I wanted to say hi. To ask a few more questions about my machines. She saw me and smiled. She told me she had been thinking of me. She called me by name. It felt so nice to be remembered and thought about by this warm caring person. It really did "make my day".

free style art or mess?

I am working at figuring out how to use the Free Style Motion equipment I got on Sunday. I haven't decided yet if my use of various colors of threads and my oh so free styles of movement around my blocks and around the figures in the blocks (fish/mermaids/etc) are artsy looking or just a jumbled mess. I'm glad I am making this for a teenager. Some how I feel she'll be forgiving. Maybe she'll even think it's cool. But I don't think it falls in any quilters league of fineness. It doesn't have that polished look to it. I pour over quilting magazines and books each night before falling to sleep lately searching for ideas and inspiration. I even feel okay allowing myself to go outside the box on this one. Sometimes way outside the box as my free floating stitches fly over the cloth. Literally. I'm still having fun. And isn't that what's its all about? I'm too tired to post a photos tonight. You'll have to wait to see what it's turning into.

I went to Joanne's to check on sewing machines. While quilting this weekend (Friday-Saturday) I nearly wore out my thumbs pulling and turning material this way and that. I went in to see if I could find a machine upgrade that would have a larger open place between needle and side of machine. Nothing sufficed until I jumped from my $170 model to one that sold for $1050 on sale! It's computerized! Awesome features. It's the Sapphire 830 model by Husqvarna/Viking. Then I saw this device that stole my heart. I spent several hours playing with it. I don't know if any of you quilt, but one "could buy" a machine to do one's quilt tops for around $5000 or more! Well this device called a "Fab-U-Motion" also by Husqvarna, allows you to hook up to your machine and do free style quilting for only $999 on sale! ;-) Needless to say I needed both! And I came home with both! I can buy them over two years interest free! Ta da! I am a happy sewer. My rationale? I only have a limited bit of life left to live (compared to what I have already lived that is) and I want to have fun doing what I enjoy! So still working I can afford them, and will do just that! Hey, my passion could have involved something much more expensive! I think I got off cheap. PS. Several hours later after watching CDs for both programs Machine and Free Style Motion(er) I am terribly frustrated. It took me 45 minutes to master the "automatic needle threader" or there abouts! Then I proceeded to jam the bobbin thread by sewing in the same spot too long. I was able to manuver this device in the store just fine. Anyone else out there have one and can help with some suggestions for getting started? I'd be real open to hearing how you are doing with yours.

Grand being with Grandkids

Today I took the fish quilt and my sewing machine with me to the kids house. I quilted while they napped. The parents were off car shopping. When the kids awoke and even before I had a "sewing machine" session with them. The first one was actually showing them how I quilt on the machine. I had a child on either side of me, they on chairs on their knees and leaning into my arms (it felt like heaven)...while I ran the machine explaining each step and they were mesmerized. I taught them 'stitch in the ditch'! Later after naptime, Grandson wanted to ask questions about "your machine". He sat on a dining room chair in front of the "machine" and I told him the cautions first: The cutting device could hurt him, as could the sharp needle so he was not to touch them. He then sat with soon to be 3 yr old arms folded in front of him leaning into the machine. He asked me about each and every facet of the sewing machine. He now can tell you, as he did his parents later, about all the "feet" the machine has, about the bobbin, and thread and needle. He liked the little metal plate that works like a screw driver and he saw me tighten the screw on the presser foot and later did it himself and told me "I fixed it for you grandma". I just have to tell you that there is nothing, nothing in this world more wonderful than grandchildren. Nothing. I'd say we spent more than half an hour there. They took their new naptime quilts to bed at naptime. We put them on their new little toddler beds. But after parents left I heard movement and noise so went in to check. They were both out of bed and were rangling with their quilts on the floor. I asked what was up, Daughter had said to be firm with them, and they told me they wanted to sleep on the floor. I think as that is how they will do it at school on Monday. So I said okay and smoothed them out and adjusted pillows and told them they could sleep on the floor as long as they were quiet and went right to sleep. That we had to find out if these quilts 'worked'. Well guess what? They did exactly as I told them and when I checked about three minutes later they were both asleep. And they slept soundly for about 2 1/2 hours! Daughter said they might sleep an hour! When the parents came home later they told them that "the quilts worked!" They loved the quilts btw. They identified their names first letters. He knew the "A is for me", and she that the Y was for her. I could go on and on about how wonderful they are. They both played guitars and sang duets for another half hour. We played with a little boomerang outside for a long time. We put a train together. Or I should say THEY set up an entire track and ran the train themselves. I get such a kick out of seeing them play with these toys I gleaned for them. He is riding his scooter fast now, so fast he NEEDS to wear a helmet just incase. She loved painting again and she delights in painting herself. They both love story time and we read a ton of books. They now know the Title of a book, the front, back and spine of the book, and the author. Amazing. They are so smart. And they are talking a blue streak and I understand every word. Did I mention that grandchildren are just the best thing since vanilla ice cream? Or chocolate even? Yep. Daughter said I can now please make quilts for the new toddler beds. She'll help pick out fabric.

Naptime quilts going to their new home

A month ago my daughter told me she had a project for me. She said the kids, my soon to be three year old grand kids (twins) were going to start going to a new pre-school, and needed mats for nap time. Would I make some quilts the size of preschool nap time mats?

Okay! I love making anything for my grand kids. I got cute kitties with ABC's for the girl, and all sorts of vehicles for the boy. I had enough material left over to make little pillows too and made ties to adhere them to the mats. I did my first ever free style quilting with hearts down the boarders on the kitty mat. It was fun, and today they get delivered. Cant' wait to see the kids reactions.

I took a whole applique class to learn how to make their names on the bottoms of the boarders too!

They wrap up nicely with a tie to shelp to school each week. The pillow cases close with buttons and there is an inner pillow so the cases can be washed separately.

Just back from the quilt shop where a woman helped me cut and sew the backing for my quilt. And showed me how to pin the top to the batting and back. Now it is ready to sew/quilt. But my back hurts from what I've done already today. Might do a little sewing, as I can't stay away from it. More on Sunday.

Thank goodness for all the helpers at the shop. And for the huge tables to lay things out on. I have nothing, not even floor space to lay this thing out fully on. They said I could come back anytime to get help.

And it's FREE. I did buy $10 worth of safety pins as I ran out of the ones I had.

See the pins! See the backing that is supposed to look like sea shells. (far right) And see the batting (middle layer/white) hanging down below the boarder.
It will be cut off after all the quilting is done.

The new gardeners I just hired did a bang up job of cleaning my yard(s). I sent an email and a letter of termination to the former gardener!They obviously did nothing but mow and blow as I had to pay the new guy $350 to clean up the place. Did I not just do that to the last gardener? YES I DID!I will keep a closer eye on things this time. I will. It's nice when folks do what they agree to do at time of first hire.

Boarders in place

Day Five: The boarders are on! I like the almost stained glass effect on the lower right corner.
That of course is just because of the lighting in the room and outside. It's hanging in front of the sliding glass doors
to outside.
Next step: sandwiching with batting and backing, and then on to quilting!

I can't tell you how much fun I am having making this quilt.
And I'm excited to realize that's its big enough to be a nice sized lap quilt if my granddaughter wishes to use it that way rather than a very large wall hanging.
Onward!

The top is competed! I feel PROUD! I DID IT! Wow! Excuse me while I sit here patting myself on my back.
You need to understand when earlier this year, actually just a couple of months ago, I decided to learn how to quilt, I was not at all sure I could do this. But I think I AM doing it and it feels so good. My apologies to artist Judy S. for my mistakes in pattern placement, but I am okay with it. No one told these fish were to swim or the seaweed where to grow! LOL They are just doing their thing.

Now I can start worrying about the quilting part. First I have to sew the borders on. Then I can start worrying about the quilting on top. I tried a little free style quilting on some nap time quilts for my grand kids a few weeks ago. They came out cute. But this is a much larger and more involved project. I have ideas. Wait and see. I just don't want to mess it up.

You might wonder why I decided to learn to quilt. This is a "later life crisis" kind of thing. The kind that comes way after "mid-life crisis". I was filing for social security and it dawned on me that I had a far shorter time to live than I had already lived, even if I lived to a ripe old age. (wishful thinking) And I wanted to leave my mark. I wanted to be remembered. So it's my way of instilling memories into my grand children's generation. And also giving them some joy. It's also about learning new things. It took me a while, but I went to college, I got three degrees: AA, BA, MA. I did all that. I have a career. I taught myself to crochet as a much younger woman. Then to knit last year. And now on to this new challenge. Do I quilt until I die or my mind goes? Or will there be other new things to learn? Don't know, but I'm OPEN to it all. Life ain't over yet! That's for sure!

Day three on the Fish Quilt. Here is a sneak preview of all the pieces laid out on my bed on a flannel sheet. My big worry now is that all my 9 patch blocks are not all exact in size. How will this affect my sewing them all together? Will I be able to adjust so it will fit well enough? Pretty bold of me airing a work in progress. But it pleased me to see it laid out like this and I had to share it. Also debating on the inner boarder? I think I like the light turquoise best (so far) or could use the green seaweed looking stripe, OR could use the red/brown/green/turquoise reeds. Want to vote? I love the mermaids and how their gold blends with the gold spots on the outer boarder. Onward!

Quilting class was a mixture of fun and stress yesterday. Remember I am a BEGINNER!
The name of the class and quilt pattern we were making is called '9-Patch Pizzazz' and it's by Judy Sisneros. My beginning pieces shown here are not all the nine squares or use of colors as I only had time to do one set. There are two more sets to go. The book cover says "Fast, Fun & Finished in a Day." Yeah, sure! Not even close Ms. Sisneros! But a full day of good, hard work!

The class was small, just four of us and the teacher, which was good, as I see myself as "high maintenance" needing lots of help. The teachers in our local quilt shop are very willing to help and I do appreciate them. I've never been a precise crafter even in knitting and especially not in crochet where mistakes are easily hidden. Maybe it's from coming from a more laid back hippie era when we didn't yet know the word stress, but in quilting it's just not so forgiving. You really are supposed to be exact. So therein lies the difficulty for me.
Measuring and cutting precisely are a real challenge. Thus my only getting part of the sets done. Others, more experienced than myself nearly had all their pieces cut out and laid out in full by the end of the day. But I do enjoy it.
I come home with a very sore back, but it's okay. An ice pack was all that it needed and is fine today.

I'm making this particular quilt/wall hanging for my soon to be 14 yr old granddaughter.
It has mermaids in it too that can't yet be seen. I think she'll like it. Hope so anyway. Not sure if she'll get it for her birthday next month or a larger holiday in December!

I'll post more of it as it moves along.

Learning to Applique and to quilt

This summer I made a decision to learn to quilt. My local quilt shop offered a class in applique too so I took it after the beginning quilt class ended. This photo is the first applique project I completed. I just sent it off to my MIL who loves to feed the birds where she lives. I think it will brighten her days, as she recently moved to a Live in Care Center, no longer able to live on her own.
Applique was fun, but very time consuming...lots of tiny pieces to trace and cut out and then sew down. I did some of this on the machine and some by hand. The smaller pieces were best done by hand using a hoop. Actually it's very relaxing to do in the evening when unwinding from the stress of the day.