Birthday Blocks going to Australia!

Only two ladies in our Birthday Block swap group have February birthdays. Chris's birthday is not until February 28, but since she lives in Australia, I need to get these in the mail much earlier than I normally would.

Chris's fabric color choices are black, grey, red, and white.

This first block is a Bonnie Hunter pattern called Ceiling Fan.  Her directions made an 8 1/2" unfinished block so I just did the math and enlarged my pieces to make the needed 12 1/2" unfinished block.

The second block pattern is called Buzz Saw....

I don't recall ever working much with this color combination (if at all) and I find it very striking.  In fact, I like it so much, and it's so different from colors I've ever used...I may just start making an extra odd block in these colors for myself as I experiment and make new block patterns.

We had a big snow storm yesterday and during the night, and it's still snowing.  It's Saturday and I think I'm going to treat myself to a "sew-in weekend". :)

Production Line Sewing & Other Stuff

It certainly has been busy in my sewing room the past couple of days.  I've been working on a couple more Birthday Swap Blocks (will share in a future post)...and there's several different quilt projects in the works...but all that came to a grinding halt for something else more important.

Most of you are aware of my little side project called Grandma's Promise (supplying Angel/Bereavement Ensembles to hospital NICU's, etc)....in fact, some of you that keep up with this blog are big contributors to Grandma's Promise by sewing and crocheting the items we need.

Last Wednesday I made a trip to a hospital here in New York to deliver 30 complete ensembles.  Then on Thursday (not even 24 hours later) I received a call from a second hospital in New York.  Someone from the first hospital had called someone at the second hospital and told them what a wonderful service Grandma's Promise is providing to families who suffer the loss of a pre-term infant.  This second hospital asked if we could start donating to them also.  Then the next day (Friday), I received an e-mail from a hospital in Tennessee who had received a previous donation from us.  They wanted to let us know that their supply is running low and they are in need of more ensembles.

So I am busy...along with all of the other little elves that craft for Grandma's Promise. :)

Currently I am sewing up preemie gowns, assembly line fashion. :)  Still have many more to go....

While I was cleaning off a spot to start cutting out the gowns to sew...I saw one little project that I needed to do (it took all of 3 minutes) before I accidentally tossed away what I needed.

Remember the Scrappy Trip Around the World crib quilt top I showed you a few posts ago?

Well, I took the scraps from this quilt and made another Christmas Ornament to store along with the quilt (once I finish the quilting part of it).  I've always given each of my children and grandchildren a new Christmas ornament each year...just a tradition I started and now can't stop! :)  So, since I plan to keep this quilt to give to a future grandchild...I will now have that future baby's "First Christmas" Ornament from Grandma. :) :)  I'll just wait and write the name and year on the ornament when the time comes.

One last thing....when I made the delivery of the Angel Ensembles last week to the hospital...one of the nurses that had heard about us, brought a few bags of her scrap fabrics left over from numerous projects.  She said that most of the fabric wouldn't be appropriate to actually use for Grandma's Promise items, but she wanted to give it all to me anyway.

Just look!

I've got things to do now...so see you later! :)

Birthday Blocks going to Nevada!

Another birthday is coming up for someone in my Birthday Block Swap group.  She asked for her block colors to be in Hunter greens, all purples and creams.

Time to experiment making a couple new block designs.

Hummm...maybe I should be explaining how to make all of these blocks in case someone wants to learn along with me.   If I did that, you could learn to assemble new blocks using your own color choices and by the end of the year have enough blocks to assemble a bed size sampler quilt top of your very own.  If so...let me know.  Just send an e-mail to grandmaspromise@yahoo.com or to my personal email address for those of you who have that already.

This first block was really easy to put together....it's called "Tic Tac Toe"....

The second block was a tad bit more involved but was fun nonetheless.  I just had to sit and think about it a few times during assembly to make sure I had each piece turned in the right direction. :)

It's called...."Cross Keys"...

These two lovelies are now on their way to Nevada.

On a side note....do you remember when I mentioned that I'm being very frugal this year and one of my "money saving" decisions is to use up old, half-used spools of thread as I sew.  Well...I finished off another spool of thread.  This one has to be really old...just look at the price!!!! LOLOL

35 CENTS!!!!  Can you believe it?!?!?  Oh well...I feel good about emptying another spool...it is being tossed into my big can of empty spools that will eventually be used for crafts...or go to my baby brother who uses them in the construction of his numerous, weird "inventions". LOLOLOL

Featherweight Spa Day

Everyone knows about me and my love of vintage Singer Featherweights...of course, I've always loved old things, antiques and the history behind them.

My dear friend Marianne has been on the lookout for a Featherweight to call her own for quite some time now.  She was particular about the age of the machine she wanted...so she had to wait until the right one came along.  She finally found her 1948 Singer Featherweight and I couldn't be happier for her!!!

This is Marianne's new baby....

Isn't she a beauty?

To celebrate Marianne's new toy, I decided to give my own Featherweight...the one I've been sewing on the last couple weeks....a "spa day".  She was starting to sound tired again, so it was time for some oil. :)

Silly me didn't think to take a photo of her sitting all pretty on the table. :)  She is a 1947 Featherweight and I love her to moon and back.  She is the first one I "fixed" myself during the basic maintenance class I took several months ago.  I'm still not completely certain what I want to name her....probably "Ruthie"....I'm still thinking about it.

I don't know what possessed me next, but I decided to get brave and work on my oldest Featherweight.  Ray picked her up at an auction and she wouldn't sew once we got her home.  She is so pretty and I've been afraid to attempt to work on her myself....oh well, she wouldn't sew in the first place, so I couldn't hurt her...right? LOLOL

The work was a tad bit more extensive than I was anticipating...but it could have been much worse.  The poor thing had a deformed belt (I think it was stored too long and developed a "hump".  Since I didn't have a spare belt, I worked on massaging the hump out the best I could...then I readjusted the belt tension by tinkering with the motor placement.  Cleaned her inside really nice (she wasn't as dirty as I expected, but she was dry as a bone).  She was so thirsty for some oil and lubricant.  Would you believe I even found an ancient pin stuck in one of the holes on the motor where lubricant goes.  That took some gentle digging out...but thankfully, I finally worked it out.  Then I put her back together, gave her a brand spanking new needle and light bulb, then turned her on.

Light works...check.  Motor runs....check.  Humpy, lumpy belt starts turning for the first time....check.  Needle goes up and down...check.  So I threaded her up, put a bobbin in....oh boy...she is sewing...not great stitches, but that can fixed. :)  Tinkered with the upper tension....tinkered with the bobbin tension...then lo' and behold....she's sewing a beautiful stitch!  I'm so tickled with myself...time to do the happy dance!! :)

She is a 1936 Featherweight and has the beautiful scroll work on her silver face plate.  If I'm not mistaken, the fancy scroll designs stopped with the 1946 models.

The gold decals on her fold-down plate are still in fairly good condition.....

But the gold decals on the actual sewing surface have seen better days.  This actually tells me that she was loved and used A LOT at some point in her 77 years of life.

Where the decals have been scratched off is exactly where sewing pins slid across her as one of her previous owners sewed....probably clothing for herself and family members.

Her motor sounds strong and she purrs like a little kitten.  I'm naming her Adeline which was my maternal grandmother's middle name.

I think me and Adeline are going to get along just fine....she's short, compact and strong as a horse....just like my grandma. :) :)

P.S.  I did some shopping on Ebay after working on Adeline and ordered a new belt and a new pair of shoes (4 padded feet...she was missing one).  Didn't even spend $10.00....I feel good...and productive! :)

Scrappy Crib Quilt Top

Over the weekend I became so tired of the constant cold, snow and dreariness that I decided to snoop around my stash of fabric goodies and see if I could find something bright, cheery and small to experiment with in the sewing room.

I found a Moda Jelly Roll (roll of pre-cut 2 1/2" strips of fabric)....so cute, pastels with a pop of red for a pleasant surprise.  The design line is doggie related so there are dogs, bones, etc...along with florals, plaids, etc., and each fabric has a vintage look from probably the 1930's...right up my alley! :) :)  I needed a few additional strips of fabric in order to have enough for this 48" x 48" square crib size quilt top so I added a few solid pastels to the bunch.

This is SO easy and simple and there is a detailed, step-by-step, color photo, printable tutorial at this link:

Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Trips Around World 

Because Bonnie Hunter is famous for being a "scrappy quilter"...she does not include actual fabric requirements in this particular tutorial.  Don't worry, I did the math for you. :)

My calculations are based on starting out with 2 1/2" strips of fabric that are WOF (width of fabric)...typically 44".  Of course, then you would simply follow her instructions from that point on.

To make a Crib size quilt - (48" x 48" square)  you will need 48 strips of fabric 2 1/2" wide x WOF

To make a Twin size quilt - (72" x 96") you will need 144 strips of fabric 2 1/2" wide x WOF

To make a Queen size quilt - (96" x 96" square) you will need 192 strips of fabric 2 1/2" wide x WOF

To make a King size quilt - (120" x 120" square) you will need 300 strips of fabric 2 1/2" wide x WOF

This truly was a very simple design and it only took a couple days to complete a crib size top.  I'm folding this up and putting it away until it gets quilted...then it will be saved for whenever, if ever, I have another grandchild.  With three more daughters left to one day hopefully marry and have children....I hope I have many more grandchildren.....in the FUTURE. :) :)

Sew, sew, sew your seams...

Forewarning:  

This blog post will jump from topic to topic....that's just how my brain is working today. LOL

Sewing, and anything sewing related is keeping me sane during these recent frigid temperatures.  At 10:30am this morning, it was only 3 degrees outside.  Our heat source just can't keep up with these cold temperatures and I find myself retreating to my sewing room because I don't feel like doing anything else.

Sometimes I just find joy in looking through my quilting books and magazines and "dreaming".  Because of the Birthday Swap Block group I joined, I've spent a lot of time the past few days looking for potential block patterns to make for future birthday ladies.

Thankfully, I can say that I DID finish SOMETHING.....all 32 of one of the block designs needed for my Tennessee Waltz quilt top is complete....whew.....

Now I just need to cut out and assemble 31 - 8 1/2" Snow Ball blocks to go along with the above blocks and then I can assemble the entire top. :) :) :)

It has been decided that this year will be a year that I focus on frugality!  Have I ever mentioned how thankful I am for the stash of fabric and everything else craft related that I have accumulated over the past 24 years of married bliss?  If it were not for the mass accumulated stash I possess...I may be feeling a tad bit depressed these days....but I'm not! :)  It's a good thing that I stuck to my guns during all those military moves we made when I fearlessly stood over my "stash" like a mother hen over her chicks and REFUSED to get rid of anything....but insisted everything be packed and moved with us. LOLOLOL  (And yes, the fact that I could possibly open my own fabric/craft store is beside the point! :) :)

I'm sure that most families are experiencing the effects of the "fiscal cliff" tax ramifications, some worse than others.  On top of that, I'm also certain that we are not the only family who is faced with a HUGE increase in our health insurance premiums.  These two items, both starting January 1st, will have a great effect on our family budget....so it's time for some creative juggling and saving for essentials....and using what I have for my personal hobby.

So my first small way of using up what I have rather than buying new....drum roll please....is to use up those odds and ends,  the half-used spools of thread to do my quilt piecing.

I'm so proud of myself....look at my empty spools thus far.  (You can probably tell by the colors of the empty spools the age of some of the thread.....old!!!!)

It's not much....but it's a start! :) :) :)

Think I'll go load the dishwasher and then go back to the sewing room....until next time!

No Greater Compliment

I can think of no greater compliment than when you make a gift for a friend and they actually like it enough to display in their home!  I can only think of one other quilt I made for a friend that is hanging in her home.  MANY years ago, when I didn't even know how to quilt and was just learning, I made a quilt for my friend Lisa.  It was so long ago that I "tied" the quilt together...but she loved it regardless.  I was able to visit her in Ohio a couple years ago and I was truly shocked to see that the quilt was hanging on a wall in her guest bedroom.  I need to ask her to take a photo of it.  Now I take photos of everything I make so I can keep a photo memory book of my projects.

If you have been following this blog, I'm sure you remember when I made this quilt for my friend Marianne for her 45th Wedding Anniversary.

Did you notice the beautiful wood frame from which the quilt is hanging????  Would you believe that Marianne's multi-talented husband George MADE this so she could hang the quilt!!!!!!!!!!  Isn't it just beautiful!!!!

Hummm....I wonder if he's thought about starting a home business.  If anyone is interested, just let me know and I'll put a bug in his ear. :) :)

Now that I think about it...I can only think of one other quilt I made for a friend that is hanging in her home.  MANY years ago, when I didn't even know how to quilt and was just learning, I made a quilt for my friend Lisa.  It was so long ago that I "tied" the quilt together...but she loved it regardless.  I was able to visit her in Ohio a couple years ago and I was truly shocked to see that the quilt was hanging on a wall in her guest bedroom.  I need to ask her to take a photo of it to add to my collection.  In my early days of quilting, I didn't always remember to take photos of my completed projects. :(

Until next time....