Knew It Was Coming

It's not their kind of quilt anyway but at least I tried. :)

Is My List

 

Honestly, I'm not a list maker.  

But, I answered an ad on Craigslist for this several weeks ago.  I don't remember their asking price but I offered $10. I do this every so often because I really like the drawers. I had  never heard back from the people I offer the $10 to before.  They must either sell the machines for more than $10 or decide to keep them.  Either way, I figure it doesn't hurt to ask.

This time I did hear back and I went out and picked it up over the weekend.  I planned on keeping the drawers for storage and using the machine as garden art (if it had been beyond repair) or offering it up for free on Craigslist again it if it looked fixable. 

 But look at this beauty.  I think I'm in love.  It's a Singer Red Eye model 66 (I think) and it's a filthy, hot mess.  I don't know if I can get it running again but I'm going to try.  Remember the machine from the '70's that I recently broke?

Here's the best picture of the broken sewing machine that I could find.  I never blogged about this project (rice bags) because I never took a picture of it when it was finished.  Rounding them up and taking a picture and writing that post is on my list.

Well, it's a Singer, too and it looks like the Red Eye will fit into the blue machine's cabinet.  Now that I lugged the Necchi upstairs to use I remembered why I bought blue Singer; because the Necchi is freakin' huge and takes up too much space.  

So, attempting to fix the Red Eye and switching the machines out and bringing the Necchi back down to the basement are all on my list.  I can't take too long because I've got three sewing machine cabinets to deal with and they take up more than their fair share of space. 

Oh yeah, I finally bought some backing fabric for the giant baby quilt.  Must work on this today (I'm realizing how long my list is.  Thankfully, I never actually write it all down.  If I did, I'm sure I would give up hope).

The chickens are fine.  They make me think of this:

 

I can't find who drew this or I would totally credit them.  I found it on Pinterest and now the link doesn't go anywhere.  But it describes my life in this moment so well.  I'm so glad we only got two of them.  Dealing with their shit, is my list right now.

Been a little busy

With our latest additions.
Back to sewing soon

Plenty of Denim Lying Around

I spent yesterday on the latest baby quilt, which has a deadline.  I decided that it was too square-ish.  After putting a border on two sides, I realized that the dimensions were off and it needed to be more rectangular. The plan was to add a panel on one end.

 I had plenty of denim lying around.

So, I made a panel that was about the length of one side.  That's when I realized that I needed to extend the border (duh) and had very little dark colored denim left.

This is actually the kind of challenge that I love.  I needed to take the little scraps of darker fabric and make an awesome and interesting border out of them  

 This is the improv part of quilting that appeals to me.

I wonder if I will ever be able to make a quilt following a pattern.

 

I also have to wonder why I ever would?

 

I don't really see the appeal of a planned out quilt.

It's likely that no one will ever notice this little piece of the border, but I had so much fun putting it together.

I'm also really proud of this corner. 

 

It was close, though.  I did have to cannibalize a square from the other quilt to get enough dark fabric.

 

Ta da!  Today I plan on buying the backing fabric and getting started on making the sandwich.  It's actually kind of huge for a baby quilt.  This, I suppose, is the drawback of my lack of planning.

Look At It!

 Yes, I know this is multiple pictures of the same thing.  But look at it!

 Just look at it.

 Now from this side

I'm in love.

I need to add some more width.  Otherwise I'm still in the honeymoon phase.

Shortest Post Ever

 

I risked the rule of three* and pulled out my Necchi to get the quilt top started. 
I'm very happy with it and the sewing machine worked like a dream. 

*Confession:  I have a fourth sewing machine option, so if the Necchi didn't work, I could still have sewn the quilt.  I have way too many sewing machines

Haunted

I was ready to rock.

 

I had my pile of squares ready to be pieced together into a quilt top.

Ah.. That distinctive Featherweight case stink.

 I pulled my Grandma's sewing machine out of the case.  I often think of my grandmother when I use this machine.

All I used from my sewing machine maintenance kit was the oil and compressed air.

She was a Home Ec. Teacher and perfectionist as well.  I have always suspected that she haunts this machine shuddering at my lazy sewing ways.  So I took the time to clean and oil it just to satisfy her. I thought she would appreciate it.

I even spent some time on line reading Featherweight tips and I learned a couple of things about caring for the machine.

I got it all ready to sew and looking lovely, if I may say so. 

 I just needed unplug it, de-tangle the power cord from the pedal cord and re-plug it in to the outlet with the power cord positioned behind the machine.  Just so everything would be perfect.

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What the? 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She still has a sense of humor, I see. 

I May Have Gone A Little Overboard

Here's my pile of squares before ironing. 

After breaking my sewing machine, I switched to my Grandma's Singer Featherweight from the '50's.  It made me wonder why I ever bought a cheap Singer from the '70's in the first place.

After ironing and then spread out all over the floor.

 I think I may have gone a little overboard.  There's a baby quilt there and then some.  Sewing the squares together was so fun, though.

With this quilt, I've been really inspired by Lisa Call.  I found her work on Pinterest.  You know how you see something and it just speaks to you?  

It was like that.  I think her work is gorgeous.

I felt the same way with the Gee's Bend Quilts and also Japanese Boro Quilts. 

 I really love finding those kinds of inspiration.  The typical busy floral or county looking quilt has always left me cold.  I know they take lots of work and technical expertise but they just don't move me.  I think that's why I always feel like my quilts are kinda weird.

So when I see quilts that are so simple but interesting, I really get energized and want to get sewing!

Obviously, that's what happened here.  If I had picked up more pairs of jeans, I think I'd be sewing them into squares still.  

But life moves on!!  On to piecing!  I wonder how many quilts I have here. 

Right Before I Broke My Sewing Machine

 Nine pairs of pants.

 Gratuitous macro shot as always.

 There they are all spread out.

 Here's a picture of my process pile right before I broke my sewing machine.  Something inside got knocked out of whack and I think it needs to be re-timed.  I could take it in or I could sell it "as is" on Craigslist and use one of my many other machines. 

Hmmmm.....

Anyhoo, I find that I really like the squares that are similar in tone and have less contrast.  Somehow the details show better.  

I'll decide later which ones go together.  It looks like more than one quilt at this point, since I have a baby quilt deadline coming up.  Right now I am having such a wonderful time putting them together and playing with making up rules for how they relate and then playing within those rules.  

If I had a computer near a sewing machine I could explain that way better.  It's what I think about when I'm sewing but now, a day later, I am having trouble putting it into words.  I wish I had more time to post today, I have so many ideas knocking around in my head but I seem to always be rushing. 

The Acid Wash Wasn't Heinous Enough

Besides terrifying ceramics, I brought home several pairs of jeans to cut up and add to my latest quilt.  

 I can confidently say that this pair deserved destruction the most.

 Check out that pleated front.  Because the acid wash wasn't heinous enough.

 Maybe this detailing on the back could be slimming...

 

...if it weren't for the giant puffy thighs and butt it's been designed to give even the skinniest person.

 Don't be scared, they aren't going to hurt your eyes anymore. 

 Here's what one can accomplish in one full length movie, two Larry Sanders episodes and one episode of Mythbusters.

She's watching out for them

BY WATCHING YOU!

This Is What Can Happen

 

I went to the thrift shop to buy more jeans for my unintentional quilt.  I got ten pair (I have nine to work with since one pair fits my son).  But, that's not all I brought home.  

For, you see;  I have a dark, thrift shop secret. 

My love of horrifying ceramics.

I cannot pass this kind of stuff up.  Look:  That girl is totally orange.  And, that's not only a  pastel train it's also a glaring, hypnotist bunny.  And, someone thought it was a good idea to stick a huge hole for a candle in the head of a cloying cute little girl. 

But, wait.  There's more. 

I have more than this.  I took about this size of a pile to the library in the hopes that someone would use them for garden art but they were passed up.  Probably too terrifying.

 

 Here's a small portion which, for my family's sake, I've put in the garage. I don't know which one I love the most, the dolphins swimming in water made of glitter?  Maybe the prairie girl with the bonnet that hides her enormous alien brain?  No, it's gotta be the tall headed girl in jammies carrying her evil puppy overlord in her arms.  The part that's even scarier is that I've only just begun taking them home.  This collection is the result of only two thrift shop runs.  ...blush..

 

 This came home with me, too.  But, somehow, this lives in a different kitschy section of my brain.  It's added to my odd bird corner of the basement. 

 The collection I only realized was a collection during the last time I cleaned up my studio and found I had, like, a million stupid bird things.  This is what can happen when you strive let the unconscious, creative part of your brain take over. 

More birds.  Just sayin'

On the other hand, I got some pretty paper

and some fun and interesting stuff to collage with (Wartburg...teehee).

SHE CAN SEE YOU THROUGH YOUR COMPUTER SCREEN!