Christmas Sewing

I wanted to share a few projects that I recently finished up just in time for Christmas.  I have shared these on my Instagram, but I am not super active over there.  HOWEVER.... I do scan a couple of times a week and I came across Larissa Holland, a designer who makes absolutely adorable wool projects.  The one that grabbed me was the Santa and Mrs Claus that are a part of her T'was the Night series that she will be adding to each year.  Santa was this year, Mrs Claus will be written up for next year.  I had to check out her etsy and I found some of the cutest wool ornament patterns.



But then... I happened onto Wee Mouse Tin House.  So cute!  I decided to purchase the pattern and sew up a little mouse for my granddaughter.  I hope she thinks it's as cute as I do.

 I first attempted to make the teddy bear with flannel that I had on hand, but it raveled way too much due to the bear being so small.  There is really not a lot of room for error.  The next day I found some wool and sewed it up.  Oh! And that quilt for the mouse's bed?  A few years ago I made a sheet of 1/2" half square triangles by mistake and set them aside in my spare HST box.  I decided to use them for the quilt and I love how it turned out.



The other projects I finished up after about three years of starting and stopping are Primitive Gatherings Yuletide Ornies.


The red truck with a tree in the back is so classic, and I can understand why so many people love to use this design.  A few years ago I made a wreath using a red truck in the center that I hang on our front door.  Though snowmen will always be my most favorite, I think this could be a close second for me to decorate with.



Santa was the last ornament to finish because I needed a flat head pin to fuse wool to for the top of the tree.  I finally ended up with a pack in one of my Quilty Boxes one month, so I set them aside--and then they were misplaced for a few months!  I know, it would have been easier to simply just buy some at the time, but I was trying to figure out another method first (so Santa was set aside for a long time!).  I love how he turned out, but I do wish I could have found a cute stick for the tree instead of a dowel, but it worked.  It would be easy to change it out if I ever feel more strongly about it down the road.



And the snowman.  He's pretty cute too.

This will likely be it for my big sewing for 2019.  I have started and finished a few other projects, one of which was Bonnie Hunter's Punkin' Patch table runner.  I started it during a weekend away in Spokane during the WSQ quilt show this year.  I love getting together with friends to sew, it stirs the creative juices so much more for me.  I wish I could do a sewing retreat once a month for this reason alone.  I am still working on my Dear Daughter BOM, and perhaps I will blog again with my updated "chapters".  I am collecting clues for Bonnie Hunter's mystery, Frolic, but right now I am not jumping in.  I have so many projects going on at once, that my focus is faltering!  Plus I think I may want to change the colors, so I am waiting to see the finale :)  I have changed colors in past mysteries and really disliked the outcome, so in the meantime I am enjoying see the progress of others.

Happy holidays!

Updates! A Featherweight and Progress on 2014 SAL

Two weeks ago I purchased a 1947 Featherweight 221 from a friend on the Washington State Quilters list.  I just started looking, put out feelers in case anyone knew of one local that I could purchase, browsed ebay, shopGoodwill (like ebay) and craigslist and was pretty much put off by how much they were being bid up.  I knew eventually I would own one, and decided to be patient.  Well... then came the first of the month when one regional facebook group allows for sale postings.  And Mary W still had her featherweight for sale.

It took me this long to finally sit down with it since I'd been sick and had no attention span to really play.  Today I did, and I think I am in love.  More than I thought I would be!

It has 5 bobbins, bobbin case, 7 feet, brush, screw drivers, manual, needles, keys (2), lubricant, oil... All in great condition. The light also works, but I have since ordered an LED bulb along with more bobbins. Also... an invoice from when it was serviced:

If you look at this at flickr at a greater resolution, you'll see the service date and the price for a cleaning and oil for $5.50, in 1953.


A question for those in the know... is the power cord suppose to be white like this? It seems like it has a powdery substance on it. Should I be concerned?


It sews a great stitch!



I love the original owner's identification still on it.


Such a pretty faceplate!

I oiled it (with the oil I currently have, not sure if the oil in the can is still ok, will have to read on that), and lubed the motor, and tried it out while working on part 4 of Primitive Gatherings' 2014 SAL.


Just two more rounds to go and the top will be finished. Hopefully I will be done before 2015's SAL is announced :)

One funny thing, while working on the top I decided I am going to use up the threads that are on the 5 bobbins before winding with what I have.  I ran out--or I thought I ran out--of the first bobbin, but when I pulled it out I found that it had a different color thread underneath what I had been sewing with :) Making do!  The featherweight also came with a 500yd spool of cotton thread, with a price of just .39!  I don't know if I'll use that or just keep it in the case.  Mary originally purchased the FW on craigslist, I'm not sure how it made its way from Colorado to Portland, Oregon, but I am thrilled to have it now.  I am thinking about naming it Miss Lee which is mine and my mom's middle name.  Seems appropriate.  Or, maybe Josephine? :)

And then I looked across my sewing room and found the kitten found a box (which currently has printer ink stored) to nap in. I'm surprised it didn't fall off the spot it was resting on.

Oh Loki....

Edit: I think I may have found Josephine by the power of the internet.  If it is the same person (and I don't want to renew my ancestry account right now to dig deeper), she lived from 1914 until 2008, age 93, and died in Englewood Colorado (which isn't far from Lafayette).  Still no clear connection as to how the featherweight made it to Oregon.

SBOW: Finished Center!

Tonight, to close out 2014, I finished up adding the extra appliques that extended outside the blocks.  I am still unsure if I am going to do the last applique border, it is already larger than the space I planned to hang it from.  Though, the applique would not take very long so I won't make a decision for a couple more days.  Right now I will keep it up on my design wall so I can admire it before I decide the next step.  As usual, it was hard to photograph, but you get the idea. I really do love it.



Little closer for the center where I changed out my initials for the cat:


2014 had some good and some not as good.  2015 is going to be great with adventures I am positive!  Happy new year!

(Just wanted to add, this quilt is from Primitive Gatherings called Sunflower Gatherings)

SBOW Block 13... again

I have sewn down all the pieces that were extending beyond the original blocks in the quilt top (that were already fused underneath pieces already sewn).  This morning I decided to prep the blocks that need more pieces and embroidery, that's when I discovered that I wasn't paying attention to block 13 when I first prepped and appliqued!

All those leaves... they needed to be under the yellow flowers.  In order to make them fit I had to adjust and trim down.  I was already wondering when I finished block 13, "is this it?" because it kind of seemed bare.  Too bad I didn't double check at the time.

Here's what it will look like when it is finished.

I have five blocks prepped with the extra pieces now.  I plan to watch the Seahawks and sew away!

Slow Stitching and SBOW 12 Finished

It's been a while since I have worked on my Sunflower Gatherings Summer Block of the Week, but today I can say that I am done with #12.  I've had it waiting to be worked on for a long time, but once I got to working on the blue round flowers and leaves, I hit a brick wall.  I couldn't do anymore!  Last night I decided to do some stitching while watching Netflix and the World Series... I was able to get everything but two leaves finished because our power went out.  I was happy that even though the power was out, there was still some buffered video left from Netflix so I happily stitched away by the glow of the laptop until I no longer had any video left.

Looking at the stitches today on the leaf I stopped on... well, I can sure tell the power went out (or it was an intense moment on Walking Dead)!  Yikes.  At least power outages don't happen very often here so we are very fortunate.

I just have one more block left to do, and I currently have most of the pieces cut for it.  Maybe this week I'll be done with that.

We finally got power back today at noon.  We spent most of the outage time cracking walnuts while listening to the Seahawks on the radio.  Kevin received two grocery bags full of walnuts from someone at work who has some trees in eastern Washington.  What a great gift.  We managed to shell 4lbs of walnut meat to save for baking and eating.  Kevin did say that we could crunch up the shells so I could use it for pin cushion filler, but I decided not to do that :)  It was nice he thought about me :)

After finishing up SBOW 12, I pulled out my hexagons that I haven't looked at in over a year.  I only have 23 more to go, with 51 finished.  74 was a number I came up with when I found a layout I liked, but right now I am seconding guessing and considering something different (but I will finish up the 74 for sure and decide from there).  I have enough pieces prepped for 10 more in my box, and fabrics for the final 12 cut and separated in baggies.  Maybe I need to get back to my one a day until I finished?  I did finish one flower (like the one partially made in the photo), and tonight I plan to finish up that partial.

It's hard not to want the hexie quilt to be finished faster, but most of all if I just keep at it I will have a finished hexie quilt.  For all the quilters that make multiples of hexagon quilts, I am amazed at your perseverance.  I get distracted so easily--or I get to the point that I just can't even look at one more.

Two Finishes

I finished up the repair quilt tonight, including a soak in Quilt Wash.  I don't really think it helped get a stain out though.  I am going to leave the rest up to the owner, I am really not sure what else you'd attempt to get out a yellowed stain.

Before:


After:


Binding:

In the end I decided to cut away the old binding and attach the new in a French fold binding.  I am happy with how it came out, and the corners came out very nice.  I attempted to practice the other method on a small practice square and it turned out pretty terrible.


And finally part three is finished with my stitch along.  The reds made my camera go crazy!  I had to redo two sides and when I reattached it, I realized that the flying geese weren't going around in the same direction. Sigh.  I'm not ripping and redoing again.  I have part four ready to go, maybe I will get to it next week.

SBOW: Block 11

Finally, a new update.


I finished up block 11 tonight.  I really should have finished this days ago, but I have been in a bit of a funk and sewing just hasn't been calling to me.  This block has (I think) four more flower pieces to add on after the top is sewn together.  They remind me of Christmas lights, and I can't say that they are my favorite of this quilt.  I should have changed them up a bit.

I have two more blocks left and the top will be finished (minus the applique border--still thinking on that).  The center applique block of this quilt has initials appliqued of the maker, but I am thinking about putting in a cat instead in tribute to my Gracie.  I am pretty sure losing her is a big part of the reason for my moods recently too, she has really left a huge hole in my heart.  I have a facebook friend who recently wrote something about our pets aren't kids, basically to stop referring them in this way (and he does have a dog).  I didn't respond to that, nor did I ever reference Gracie in that way--I know he wasn't talking about anything I said, but the fact is that some pets just leave huge holes in our hearts.  Seeing that he posted it so soon after I wrote about her being put down was not great timing however.

They become a big part of our families (if we are lucky) for  a large number of years.  I think sometimes people say things without thinking--or in an effort to just be a curmudgeon or sarcastic, but quite honestly I have loved our family pets more than some people I have to be in contact with.  Pets have a way of bringing out joy and calmness in people who are otherwise stuck (be it depression or mentally incapable for whatever reason).  If animals didn't bring out these human emotions, service animals would be ineffective and non-existent.

So no, our pets aren't human kids, but you cannot dismiss or diminish their part in the lives of people who love them entirely.  Anyway... I guess I had to get that all off my chest.  I can't say I feel better, but eventually it will be as with any loss.  And for anyone who doesn't know my story, I have buried two parents when I was 32 and 33, along with grandparents, mother in law, uncles, and a nephew.  I do know close loss of the human kind.  Maybe they are different to some, but that loss is still there and the pain can last for a long time.

Maybe now I can get back to sewing again.

SBOW Update

I am a couple of days after getting home from the latest retreat I attended at Royal Ridges in Yacolt, WA, and I think I have my stuff finally organized and put away.  I mainly worked on getting all my four patches and alternate blocks made for my Sunflower Gatherings quilt.  I was able to finish those and the pieced border, though I was two four patches short so I had to wait until I got home to be totally done with the alternate blocks and border.

Yesterday I received the applique border pattern and pieces, but I'm still not sure if I will complete that or not.

Block 9 finished at the retreat:


Block 10 started, and almost finished.  I want to do a little detail stitching on the large leaves and I still need to stitch down the small leaves:


And what I have finished so far.  The outside pieced border is not arranged on the wall yet, but it is finished:


I am so close to being finished.  After getting the last three blocks done I will put the top together and then sew down the applique pieces that extend.

I had a great time at the retreat, but I didn't take any pictures.  Still waiting to see if any show up :)  I think I am fully rested from lack of sleep, but I may need to try an afternoon nap today just to make sure!

SBOW: block 8 finished

Just a quick upload, not a great picture, but it will do.  Beyond the bird tail and branch, there is one more flower that extends to the alternate block.  Not feeling very inspired to prepare block 9 yet, maybe this weekend.

SBOW: Block six

Finally....


This one has leaves extending to the left, and a couple of berries (and maybe leaves, I can't remember) that extend as well.


Six together

Yesterday I started prepping four patches for the border... there are A LOT of four patches involved in this quilt.  I have had a difficult time focusing this week, and when that happens, the simple stuff feels like too much.  I need to get over that and just enjoy it, otherwise: why bother?  I tend to make things because something about it makes my heart sing.  This will likely be the reason I would never create things to sell.  If I don't like it very much (pattern, fabric, process), then I don't want to spend the time.  However, it changes if I have a person in mind, that changes my focus.  I suppose it's all in the perception.

So people who are very practical would probably ask why do I spend so much time and money on a hobby that I won't sell or make it profitable?  It's more expensive to pay a therapist I'm sure.  I find joy in creating, I find that these talents have helped me in giving to others as well.  Creating took a major backseat with the addition of my youngest son, but little by little I am able to carve in a little more time to create.

Yesterday I was in a bad mood and feeling basically sorry for myself.  Things weren't going my way (yes, I know... it is very pitiful, but it is something we all feel from time to time), the time out I gave myself to organize for the outside border of my Sunflower Gatherings (the quilt above) helped give me that space to snap out of that mood.  Cheap 45mins of therapy right there.

Anyway, whatever it is, find something that will make your heart sing and try to give yourself 30 minutes or more a day doing it.  It makes for a great attitude adjustment time, and those around you may thank you :)

SBOW: Sunflower Gatherings block 5

This one took me a little longer to do... I dare say that I may be getting burnt out on wool applique again?  Only eight to go, gonna keep plugging away!  I changed the centers of the blue flowers to be more "Forget Me Not" like, they originally had centers of the same blue fabric from the large part of the flower.  There are two blue flowers that extend into the alternate blocks.

I also got the directions for part 3 of the SAL, so I plan to put that together this weekend.  Flying geese for the that round, along with some more wool applique :)  I think that project is suppose to end in November, so there is plenty of time to join in if you want (from Primitive Gatherings, it's free).

SBOW: Block 4 finished

There is one more purple flower that will extend into the alternate block to the right.  One more down, ten to go!

SBOW: Block Three finished

Last weekend while I had a lot of alone time since all the guys were away at scout camp I had a lot of uninterrupted time to work on a few projects.  One of which was sewing together the backgrounds for the eight blocks (at the time, I have since received a new kit) needing to be worked on for the Summer Block of the Week (Sunflower Gatherings) from Primitive Gatherings (check out the link if you haven't already--isn't it gorgeous? She has a finished series of pictures of it, but I didn't dig too far on the site for it).  It was great to get in the groove and get all the four patches sewn and backgrounds prepared, now all I need to do is cut the wool for applique which tends to go much quicker for me.



Last night I cut and fused down the applique for the block 3, and tonight I am all finished until I get the alternate blocks sewn (it has two more flowers to attach beyond the original background block).  I have a retreat coming up in September, and I am thinking that will be my main project to work on.  The "pink" flowers are actually more red.

Maybe before I receive the kit for block #12 this coming week, I can finish another block!  I started this project 4 weeks after it began, so I was already behind... but I have to admit that I am enjoying the process right now.  After finishing up Folk Art Album, I did not want to look at more wool applique... but this pattern grabbed me, so here I am.  It would be a miracle to finish it in 2014 :)

Old Post 2/16/2013: Folk Art Album

***Note, this is from my first blog which got overtaken by a spam virus, and I ended up shutting it down.  While reading through Feedly (where I read my blogs), I discovered when clicking on my old blog (I never unsubscribed my old blog) I could pull up old posts.  I am thrilled because now I can place certain posts here and save them.  I will have this note on top of any post that is from my old blog****

_________________________________________________________

**update: this top is a finished quilt, but this was a favorite post regarding this quilt so I wanted to make sure I posted this here**

and now I have to consider what the quilting will look like. I won’t quilt over the embroidery, which leaves me with thinking about handquilting because there is more control with that. But hand quilting through flannel (backing is also a brushed cotton) might not be the best idea in the world. Clicking through the photos will take you to my Folk Art Album where other pictures are posted (and you can view larger sizes). I love it. I can’t wait until it is hanging up in our living room. I strayed from the pattern only slightly. The poppies had one change, and I am glad I had enough red/orange wool to be able to add the extra bit for the front part of the poppy flowers: More border details: I wish I had made my coneflowers in the block more like the six I did in the border: and a top corner: I am going to leave this top up on my wall for a little bit and decide if I want to add any other embroidery details. I am still thinking about my initials on the bottom, I thought about adding my full name on each letter (so on the M it would read Melissa, the L Lee, D Devin), and also adding a date on the D. Still thinking on it. The Valdani perle threads and hand dyed wools really make this top shine! The variations in colors give it a lot of depth. Interested in this project? This is where I purchased my kit in 2009, and it still available.You’re welcome

SBOW #2

I finished up the second block (of 13) today.  After the alternate blocks are made, two more flowers will be added to extend the block further.  I am just hoping that I won't lose any pieces before then!  I guess it's time to prep #3, which until I looked at the tiny flower pieces put together to make one whole flower, I was excited to do.  I may change that up a bit.

Summer Block of the Week #1

I finished my first block for Primitive Gathering's block of the week:


I ended up pulling the bird off and re-positioning.  I guess I am not going to begrudge the fact that the fusible tends to not totally adhere when I want it to in that case.  For block #2 instructions for the alternate blocks were given, so eventually I will get the leaves that extend sewn down.  The center square is 6" finished, and with the four patches added: 10".

This week is the 6th week of the project, I wonder if I will ever actually be up to date before it ends? :)

Summer Block of the Week started!

Yesterday I received the first five weeks worth of Primitive Gatherings Summer Block of the Week (SBOW) packets. As much as I wanted to start on it, I absolutely had to finish another row of quilting on the kaleidoscope quilt. Each row takes me nearly an hour and a half to do, but now I am finished with 6 rows--only 3 left to go! I was able to finish the row and now I have some handwork ready to go. I doubt I will ever be totally up to date with the SBOW, but at least I'll have something to do when I am procrastinating on the kaleidoscope quilting.



Prepped and ready to sew!

Looking at the leaf groups for the top and bottom sunflowers... looks sort of like a pot plant.  Hmmmmm... wish I saw that before I fused the pieces!  Oh well, maybe it won't be as noticeable once the rest is on and sewn.

Another bonus yesterday? Part two of the Stitch along was posted! Yah! That one will be quick to do.

What I'm Working On

I actually have a few projects underway, but now that summer has hit, I tend to like to have some sort of hand project in the works.  I suppose I could have pulled out my grandmother's flower garden blocks, but where's the fun in that? I need another UFO, right?  Primitive Gatherings has its 10 Anniversary Stitch Along (SAL) open, and I decided to jump in.  I'm not quite sure how the SAL works, how many blocks will be in this quilt and when the new blocks will post, but I am now mostly done with the first block:


I still have the leaves to attach and stitch the last 6 flower centers. Link to Lisa Bongean's blog, the SAL link with pattern is in a button on the top right side of the page.

I had a little confusion about another quilt that she recently also posted about.  I thought the one I'm working on above was it, but when she posted a picture of the final quilt, I found that this block was not in it.  So guess who decided to purchase that Sunflower Block of the Week (SBOW) project too?  Here is a link to that post: http://lisabongean.com/2014/06/19/the-wool-sbow-finishedsummer-gatherings/  I dare you not to fall in love with that one!

I wasn't sure if I would purchase any other wool projects because of having the dye leave many of the wools in my Folk Art Album quilt, but I decided to go ahead and do both projects knowing full well that washing won't be in either quilts futures--plus I will add that to the labels.

Unwashed top:


So that's my update.  I still need to quilt on the kaleidoscope quilt, I am about a third of the way done.  My plan of doing a row a day hasn't been working out so well.  This is typical of summer for me.  It gets very warm in my quilt room, and sitting at the machine doesn't sound very inviting.  However, I found a small table top fan that I've seen others use at various quilt retreats, and in using it, quilting is much more enjoyable in that warm room.