Busy, busy...

Now there is always a project on my plate, but right now there are several.

Finally I have started working on the hexagons from the Hexagon Swap on flickr from over a year ago.  I am assembling the flowers on my lunch hour at work. The plan is to eventually have enough flowers to make an applique throw quilt. 

Assembly line work on a dozen fish bags for the ECMQG bazaar in November. I have 4 done and 8 more to go. 

Using Amy Butler's Weekender Bag pattern to make a bag for my singer featherweight. I have the outside panels pieced but they need quilted.

Two feathers are partially finished for the bag outside pockets. I love Denise Schmidt's Florence line!!

So there you have it - busy busy!! What are you up to today?

ECMQG Scrap Swap Challenge 2013 - Her Light Within

I feel like this post should have the song 'Dust in the Wind' by Kansas playing in the background, not because it's sad - but because the beauty of life is so often taken for granted. We are perfect/complete/beautiful creatures and rarely do we celebrate just who we are.

Ok, back to the real world (the original post here), I wanted this to show the heart and soul I see from this person. Or celebrate her!

If it were not for her scraps being so awesome and so in-tune with her, I could not have made this! She loves the ocean (the blue fabric), she loves the sun (the oranges), she has an uncanny way of understanding and caring for people and in a very nurturing way (the awesome text prints). I just added the kona white for her love of the beach (the beautiful white beaches here) and more teal blue in the binding for more of water feel to the mini quilt.

My points are not perfect, but neither are we as humans - that's the beauty of us!

I wanted the quilt to show how she is - bright, cheerful, and loving. The sun points are pieced, like we build our lives bit by bit. The small sun is her heart, it shines so brightly sending out love from within her.

I stole this pic from Cindy

Here Cindy took a picture showing the size of the small sun points as compared to a dime. To be honest they are small but no different to make than the large sun points.

I just loved the large text print in her scraps and had to put it in the back, just a reminder of our childhood innocence (the Neverland text fabric from her scraps, please someone tell me the fabric designer sorry).

The label is simply a mimic of the small sun printed on fabric.

'Her Light Within' is 18" x 18" all quilters cottons, designed and quilted on a home machine.

Sometimes what is in my head translates into fabric and sometimes - well, it doesn't. This time I feel it did, and that's wonderful! But that's the way of life - sometimes you do the right things and well, sometimes it won't always turn out like you'd hope.

I hope you take a moment and revel in the beauty of life and those around you that make life so much more pleasurable to be living!!!

Getting to know Florence

I recently adopted (yea I'm a bit crazy) a pretty little girl named Florence. She's a petite little thing and has a lot of spunk.

A singer featherweight 221, and I am so luck to have her! My husband found the listing on E-bay and at only $150.00 we couldn't pass it up. The seller said that the motor hummed, but didn't say anything about sewing. This had us a bit concerned but we took the chance anyway.

When the box arrived I pulled the machine out and was amazed by the condition.

Florence is in great shape all except for one blemish in the paint on the fold up bed of the machine. Of course there are pins scratches, this is normal for older sewing machines.

All the decals are in excellent shape, hardly any wear. I can't say the same for the case, it's in very bad shape.

I plugged it in and fearfully pressed the foot peddle, the motor hummed but the machine sewed very slow almost not at all. After inspecting the motor by removing the belt I found the motor ran great. I put the belt back on and checked the belt tension again I tried sewing - still slow very labored almost. After 30 minutes of fiddling I discovered the bobbin winder was tightened down onto the belt and keeping the belt from moving freely. Yes, she sews!!! Amazing something so simple was the issue.

She has a Centennial Badge which I found means "Singer, rightfully proud of its company history, decided to celebrate its centenary in 1951 by giving all machines made that year a special badge. This was the standard Singer emblem of the time but with the inscription "A Century of Sewing Service 1851-1951" around the outside of the oval.

These "limited edition" models made for only one year are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Most have 1951 serial numbers but authenticated models with 1948 to 1952 serial numbers have been located - suggesting that the company held vast stocks and simply badged machines just prior to dispatch. The Centennial Featherweights are mechanically identical to the standard 221 - and only the badge identifies them cosmetically."  I found the info here.

The serial number dates the machine around the end 1950, if you want to date a Singer machine Singer Co is the place to go!

I have been researching the care of Singer Featherweights, not only the basic maintenance but the repair and restoring of these beautiful machines. I spent the day yesterday taking apart the motor because I didn't read before oiling the machine and put oil in the motor grease ports - a BIG NO NO!! Never ever put anything but Singer Lubricant in the grease ports, oil can end up varnishing the commutator (a fancy word for the guts of the motor) and permanently ruin the motor.

I will post pictures tomorrow on the cleaning of Florence's motor and the links to all the great internet resources I used to do this.

Right now I've got the put the binding on that 'Secret Scrap Swap Item'.

Happy sewing!

Scrap Swap Challenge? - Accepted!

Every year on ECMQG anniversary we do a scrap challenge (here is the Dec Christmas challenge and last years anniversary challange pics). Everyone that wants to participate brings a quart size zip-lock baggie filled with scraps which are placed in brown paper bags and at the end of out meeting they are randomly drawn. You then talk to the owner of the scraps and find out what they would like to receive. Sometimes they have a particular need/want or as with my partner and dear friend Cindy, I was given freedom to create anything. We are allowed the use of only one other fabric and a binding.

Cindy's Scraps

I went home that afternoon and dumped the scraps on my bed sorting them, the scraps are lovely shades of orange, low volume, a cute gray tomato print and a larger strip of an aqua print.

The orange prints in my grandmothers old bowl.

Immediately I knew what I wanted to make, but I can't really say just yet because Cindy reads my blog. So I apologize I can't spill the beans on this one until the September meeting.

I am so excited and wish I could show you, but darn it I can't and that makes it even harder to stay quiet! 

I can show you some sneak peeks for now...

Teeny Tiny Piecing

Ignore the sad thumb nail, my hands have taken a beating lately. These pieces are very tiny, and at an awkward angle so I had to use lots of pins.

Pins, pins and more pins.

There are just tiny little scraps left of the original scraps.

Working on the low-volume scraps next, still not sure if what is in my head is translating into it yet but I can't share that with you either - sorry.

It's not finished and I have so much more to do, but it should be completed by the deadline and I'll post pictures after I give it to her.

Have you ever worked on something that excites you and you want to show it to everyone but can't?

Not So Modern Maples - A Finished Quilt

I finally finished binding my 'Not So Modern Maples', and for once I am ahead of schedule (ECMQG Quilt-A-long is due at the September meeting).

I took these pictures and was cropping them and though "how odd, something just doesn't look right" and a panic set over me - did I somehow mess up with the layout of the blocks?! See how the row in the middle goes all the way across, it's not suppose to be like that. How could I have messed up that bad?? I was freaking out...

Until I looked at the layout from the pattern and a saw it! I had photographed my version the wrong way - sideways duh!! 

If I rotate the photo it is now almost like the original pattern - except see those two bottom leaves? They are in the wrong position. Oh well you can't get it all perfect!!

A close up of the large meander quilting.

Pattern Modern Maples by Lark Crafts, finished size 59" by 70". The background is Kona 'Butter', leaf fabrics are by Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett and a few random fat quarters in florals. Quilting thread is Connecting Threads in 'Cream" which matches the Kona 'Butter' perfectly. The backing is by Heather Bailey 2009 Nicey Jane For Free Spirit in Lindy Leaf  in tangerine- cream, pink and gold. Binding is Hoffman Fabrics 'Balbo Blenders' in latte.

Now I have to wait for fall to cuddle up with my 'Not So Modern Maples' quilt.