Yes and no. We have had three deaths in the extended family in a month's time. I need something to occupy my hands but that I don't feel pressured to 'accomplish' so I am going through all my autumnal fabrics and just cranking out eight inch blocks in hourglass and four patch and putting them in stacks. However many I do when I am upstairs of a morning until it's light enough/warm enough to switch to outside chores is a good routine until I feel like assembling them. I don't think I have ever made a quilt where all my blocks were finished before I started assembling them, and that's what I want to do this time so that it doesn't feel like I have a partially made quilt hanging on the wall forever.

I don't think this quilt has a pattern name. If it does, I have never seen it. I'm knocking off an old fifties era quilt my grandmother had. She was blind so I imagine that one of my aunts made it for her and it has that look so typical of that era, and is made of all sorts of odds and ends fabric, but I am using nice quilting cottons instead. No hurry and expect this shall end up being my winter project.

Calliope, I'm sorry to hear of the losses in your family. That's a lot in one month.

Yes, I started quilting yesterday. :) Took Thurs. & Fri. off to use up vacation days. I've gotten my tiny tree project out again and made 3 blocks so far. Only 9 more to go! LOL At least I'm in single digits now.

This afternoon a LQS is having a BabyLock demo. A lady from the company is coming to introduce a new machine. Since I'm thinking about a new machine in the near future I think I'll go. I can at least get an idea of prices.

Donna

I'd like to very much. A friend who used to host a sewing night at her house, is finally available tomorrow...for the whole day! I'm not sure how long I might be able to go for, but I'd love to if we can manage it.

At the least, I'd like to get the binding on DGS's baby quilt. Strips are cut and waiting for me.

Sort of, maybe. Or maybe I'll just bury all the pieces in a box and hide it in the attic.

It started with a doodle, or really it started with seeing a pretty log cabin quilt. The doodling came because while I like looking at and admiring log cabins, I don't care much for sewing them. The doodle went to a pinecone and a later glance at it saw 'flower' and somehow it just took off from there. Not too much later it was a block with four multicolored flowers and a green central square to hold them together visually. 48 blocks = 1 quilt. Looked good in the pencil-sketch, and in the colored version, and while cutting out the petals (about a thousand of them, not that I was counting). Looked okay when I sewed the check-block, and... you know, it takes a while to cut out that many pieces. I sort of liked all the colors while I was cutting, and then I pinned them so each central bud had 2 pairs of petals in various coordinating but high-contrast colors. And then I got worried... that thing is going to be *bright*!

Now I'm thinking that this is so "not me": too bright, too block-looking, too something that just doesn't click. I've got a box that will just hold all those pieces and if it's tucked behind the luggage in the attic, no one will notice it...

I'm not supposed to but does going to a quilt show count? Our big Pacific International show is here in Santa Clara, CA, and I never miss that. I take all sorts of pictures and get ideas and then shop. Surely that counts in the quilting category.

If no one catches me, I may applique a few leaves this weekend if my arm is in just the right place so it doesn't pain me. i get so frustrated with quilts sitting here to be finished.

Meldy~ Don't pack it up!! Finish it! It's good to work outside the box occasionally. I really want to see what you've done!

Linda~ A quilt show is definitely a quilt activity! Can't wait see what you buy for me at the show!! I like batiks and brights! lol Have a great time!

Calliope sorry about the deaths in your family. My husband's grandma always said death comes in 3's.

Meldy would love to see this brightly colored project you have been working on.

Well we got some cooler fall weather today, ... this morning stared with a low of 50*F and at 2pm had only warmed up to 69*F with a cold wind blowing. Went outside in shorts to talk with our lawn guy and give him some gatorade, and hurriedly came back in and put on sweatpants as it is quite chilly here.

This weekend will be helping my son with a school pumpkin decorating project, hubby will thankfully be helping with this project. I am making 8.5" unfinished size granny square quilt blocks and am knitting a scarf for a Christmas gift. Aside from laundry that is pretty much my weekend.

Best to you,
Sandra

Calliope, I too am sorry about the losses... one is bad enough, but so many in such a short amount of time, goodness!

Donna... How exciting to be looking at a new machine! I hope it's no t 10,000 dollars like some I've seen! I know you have a Brother already that you like and Baby Locks are made by Brother, so that may well be a good thing to consider... I wonder if your existing bobbins and feet would fit on the new machine?! By the way, have you seen the new Brother V series Dreamweaver machines (there are videos on Youtube)... they are simply beautiful and have some really awesome features. I know Baby Lock has a new Ellisimo Gold 2, is that the one you'll be seeing, or is it something completely new/different? Have fun!

I will be quilting this weekend... after months of anticipation, the quilt day retreat is tomorrow! We are making a window pane 9 patch... there's going to be about 50 people and breakfast and lunch will be provided. It is from 7:30 AM to 5 PM... a few local quilt shops will have tables set up, there's a silent auction and drawings and a guy who sharpens shears for 7 dollars a pair (and sells and services Featherweights... please remind me that I don't have space for a 4th machine... I'm going to have to chant "I don't need a Featherweight, I don't need a Featherweight, I don't need a Featherweight in my head all day) will be there. It should be fun... I'm buying fabric from the lady who is hosting it because she runs a home based business and I wanted to support her rather than online places or Joanns... and she's cutting it and bringing it for me so I don't even have to think about it. Here's a picture of the fabric I'm going to use (her son sent me 4 pictures of what she had already cut so I didn't have to drive an hour to look)....

So, now I just have to decide what machine to bring... I am thinking about bringing the Bernina and the electronic Brother.... I want to use the Bernina just for fun, but the Brother is less finicky, and I have a quarter inch foot for it, it has a smaller foot print (I'll be sharing a table with 1 other person very likely), the needle threader and bobbin are better.... plus I thought it would be fun to have an extra one in case someone has an issue with their machine, I could let them borrow my spare... I wouldn't trust anyone with the Nina, but if I used that, I could let someone borrow the Brother if their machine failed. I'm just hoping that I don't come home with more machines than I show up with.... I could use the excuse that the car will be full, but Featherweights are small...:o)

Since I'll have do drive an hour and be there at 7:30 AM and pack the car, I am going to have a tough time... I usually sew until 5 AM and then get up at noon. I'm thinking about just not going to bed at all because I don't want to oversleep and miss the retreat, I took a vacation day from work to do this!

Onto other news, I got the tote bag finished for my friend whose birthday is at the beginning of November... not perfect, but he will love it. I still have to clean up a few stray threads, but it's done other than that...

Hope everyone has a glorious weekend.

Calliope~so sorry you and your family have to deal with so much loss. Working on your project will help you.

Bobby~"Nobody NEEDS a Featherweight!" LOL
Your Retreat Sew Day sounds like so much fun and well organized. Take your Brother and keep it simple. The smaller machine should be your travel machine & less finicky is always better so you can enjoy the Retreat without the added frustration of a cranky machine. Can't wait to hear all about your day!

I don't know what I'm doing this weekend. I would like to make 5 Beads of Courage bags for our next Guild meeting and I must complete a block for next year's raffle quilt - Paper pieced and needle turned applique. Last year we gave over 600 Beads of Courage Bags & our goal this year is 700. I would like to make 10 again this year.

Bobby your scrappy bag looks cute. Marsha what does a Bead of Courage Bag look like? Do you have a pic you could share with us?

Best to you,
Sandra

I'm going to my first quilting class in over 20 years! The class is learning Judy Niemeyer's paper-piecing methods by doing her Seasonal Tablerunner pattern. I think I have everything ready, but am so afraid that I will forget something important - like my machine! Everyone is bringing a dish for lunch. So, I hope it will be a fun day and that they are a nice group of quilters.
Karlene

Karlene, it sounds like we are going to have a similar day! I do hope you enjoy your class and that everyone is nice!

The host of our event just sent a mass e-mail reminding everyone what to bring, so I think I got everything... extra bobbins, needles, rotary cutter blade travel iron... I decided to pack everything and put it by the door so that I don't forget it. I think that's just about every sewing supply I own :o) Just need a power strip/surge projector and extension cord and I'll be good to go. I wonder if I should bring a portable Ott-lite too? Oh dear, I'm going to have to rent a truck...

I slept from 11 to 3, but I can't anymore, I'm up for the duration... I decided to pack everything and put it by the door so I don't forget.

Thanks for the sound advice, Marsha... I know you are right, but I just feel more secure having both machines in case something happens with one of them, I'll have the other (I'm not bringing the antique metal straight stitcher though... I'm not that worried!). They are both threaded and de-linted (is that a word?) and the one that takes oil has been oiled, and I've had the "You best be on your good behavior or else" pep talk with them, so we'll see.

I'll try to get some pictures at the retreat...

Hope everyone has a lovely Saturday.

Bobby and Karlene, have a great sewing day! They both sound like fun.

Alas, I didn't get to go to the BabyLock machine demo yesterday. :( A church check was stolen from a mailbox, and the bank recommended immediately closing the account, so I had to go in for a few hours and deal with the fallout from that.

But it's okay...I'm not ready to buy a new machine yet, and I was a little afraid they'd be offering some deal I couldn't refuse (I've been known to make some pretty $$$ impulse purchases LOL).

Donna

I will be happily sewing and quilting this weekend! :)

I'm just back from the quilt retreat day. What fun!

There was no traffic on the road this morning so I opened the sun roof and listened to some fun music and really enjoyed the drive. I got there right on time with no issues finding the place, so another score!

Several people were already there and I recognized many of them from the Sit and Sews... a few of them were new faces that don't attend Sit and Sew, but still know the host...

Part of the fun for me was seeing all the different machines everyone had... two ladies brought Featherweights, there were several Viking Designer SEs and Diamonds, several Janome Gems, and a few nice Berninas thrown in the mix... one lady even had the same exact model as I do, so we had fun talking about that.

I picked a table and began setting up my machine... then I heard someone exclaim, "Oh darn! I guess I won't be sewing today... I'll just be watching and talking!" Someone asked why and the lady said, "I was using different foot and forgot to put the shank back on my machine, so I can't use it. The part that holds the presser foot is at home."

This was a lady who lives near me and we've carpooled to Sit and Sew once before so I went over and told her I had my Brother in the car if she'd like to use it. She said she'd love to use it if I didn't mind. I told her that she was really going to love this machine and went out and got it and set it up for her... I showed her a few basic features and then turned her loose with it while I went back to finish setting up the Bernina...

Everyone couldn't believe that I'd brought two machines and they said it was so nice of me to do that... I didn't do it for praise, but it was nice to be able to help out. If I hadn't brought that machine, the lady wouldn't have been able to sew at all today and that would have sucked for her to not have been able to participate with everyone else.

We had a great breakfast (warm ham/cheese sandwiches called Hawiian Roll Sliders), cinnamon rolls, muffins, fruit, coffee, juice, tea, lemonade, crystal light, bottle water.... really good.

We looked at the silent auction stuff (which had all been donated by local quilt shops) and some people placed bids on what they wanted... It was mostly fabric collections... the only things even remotely interesting to me were the Elna press (but I already have a better one that makes steam), and the Bernette sewing machine (but I already have a real Bernina), so I didn't bid on anything Then, we bought raffle tickets (of course the prizes were more fabric, and I didn't win anything, wouldn't know where to put it if I had!) and shopped the vendors that were set up in the hall. Some of you may remember that I took my first quilt class at a local quilt shop a few years ago (I posted about the experience here).... the lady who owns the shop and who taught the class was there as a vendor... I asked if she remembered me and she did... she said, "You're the one who cut all your blocks on the wrong line!" Somehow, the fact that she is the one who told me to cut those blocks on that wrong line slipped her memory, but it was fun to see her again nonetheless...

Back to sewing, the word spread that I let the lady use my other machine and someone came up to me and asked if I had a lint brush and some oil because their machine wasn't running right.... of course I did... I let her use it, and then 4 other people needed my lint brush, but I got it back at the end of the retreat.

I was pressing material on that small square thing that is a cutting surface on one side and an ironing surface on other... suddenly realized that my iron was sticking to the surface... it took me a minute to realize that I had been pressing on the cutting surface... and warped it! Not too bad, but still it made me mad! As soon as I realized what happened, the lady behind me who had the same cutting/pressing mat I did said that she'd just cut on the ironing surface and sliced a gash all the way down her mat! Then I nearly sliced through the Bernina cord with the rotary cutter and the knob for my travel iron fell off (luckily I had a screwdriver in the car and a spare full sized Rowenta just in case I couldn't fix the knob... but I did, because vintage stuff was meant to be fixed and the travel iron is from the 50s)...

The lady beside me was cursing at her cute little Janome and I asked what the matter was.... the needle threader wasn't working. I looked and told her that her needle wasn't in the highest position... she raised it and that fixed the problem instantly. The same thing had just happened to me with the Brother a few weeks ago at home and I realized the problem only after dismantling half the machine.

I checked on the lady who borrowed my Brother to see if she was getting along with it or had any questions... she said, "Wow, Bobby, this is a sweet machine! It is so easy to use and stitches beautifully! You were my savior today!" I beamed like a proud parent.... I know I didn't invent that machine, but I've sang its praises since I got it and people always seem to want to go with Janome or Viking or Bernina or Pfaff without even considering Brother... it was nice to have someone see what I mean about that specific model...

Then we had a catered lunch... chicken salad sandwiches, coleslaw, chips, and cupcakes... all very good.

Back to sewing, we were all stitching away, when all of a sudden, our machines stopped working and the screens went dark. All those machines, plus about 25 irons (there were 5 ironing stations and several people brought travel irons as well) overloaded the circuits and the breaker flipped. The host's husband fixed it, but it happened 3 more times in as many minutes. I said, "I didn't even get one stitch in, this silly machine takes 3 minutes to boot up and the power goes back off before it's ready to sew!" The lady who was borrowing my much simpler machine looked over and said teasingly, "Well, I have a really nice machine that comes back on instantly... you should try it sometime!" Of course thankfully, we were all plugged into surge protectors, so nobody's machine got fried when the power came back on, but I instinctively snatched the Nina's cord out of the socket each time just in case. I also had to go over to the lady who was borrowing the Brother and remind her to reset to needle to the middle position so it didn't slam into the quarter inch foot.

Kept sewing and then a lady that I'd seen once before at the sit and sews came up to me... a very sweet, mild, quiet lady that I'd really resonated with the one time we met.. she said, "I just wanted to say thank you!" I was like for what, I didn't do anything... she said, "You are the reason I came today. I wasn't going to at first, but your enthusiasm for this event is what encouraged me to come and I'm having a blast... You're the reason I'm here today!" That was unexpected.

Then we sewed a while longer and the host read the results of the silent auction and it was time to leave.

It was a fun day, and definitely worth missing work for! Friendly warm people, good food, camaraderie, laughter, and a room full of sewing machines. It truly doesn't get any better!

Bonus, the lady who I lent my Brother to invited me to go on a shop hop with her one day in the next few weeks, and she'll do all the driving! I've never done that before, so it should be a lot of fun!

This is the old school building where the retreat was held. It functions as a sort of community center now and the profit from the retreat is going to benefit this building and keep it going.

Here's me in all my glory. I didn't have much room on the table and I didn't want my chain pieced quilt parts to dangle on the floor, so I wrapped them around my neck like a boa, much to the amusement of everyone in the room. I noticed several ladies had their shoes off so I slipped mine off too and went around in socks because I couldn't feel my foot pedal with shoes on.

Btw, the Nina was well behaved today! Just a small tension issue that was easily solved and we were good to go, even on a plastic table that rocked violently with every stitch. I hope I didn't knock her timing out! I did break off the tip of a needle, but I blame that on the table not being very stable and me sewing too fast for that condition.

A picture of the room where the Retreat was held... I was stationed behind the lady in the orange shirt on the left.... the lady standing on the right side in the pink shirt and denim capris is the host of the sit and sews and the retreat.

Each step of the process was laid out on the table in order for us to look at.

An example of the finished product.

An example of my wonky block... the ONLY block I completed since I spent most of the day laughing, eating, and fixing machines. The lady who sat beside me said it's ok to blame any crooked sewing on the bouncing tables.

I did NOT buy a Featherweight, but I did feel obligated to support the vendors. Several people there had these seam rippers with the rubber tip on the end and they said they love them. It was only 6 bucks... it works great, but the cap doesn't fit on the end and it is round so it rolls off the table. The lady who sold this to me was selling a huge Janome machine that connected to an Ipad! Craziness! I didn't even ask the price.

So that was my day, sorry for the novel, but I wanted to share it with you all :o)

Donna, I'm sorry that you didn't get to see the demo of the Baby Lock, and even sorrier that it was because of such a crummy reason. Oh well, the longer you wait, the better the technology will be (or the lower the prices will be, you can't lose either way!).

Karlene, I hope your day was as pleasant as mine.

I'm home from Columbus, a 3 hour drive. I went down there to stay with DD while her DH was on a business trip. We did a little sewing and shopping but most of the time we just sat and talked. A couple things I had ordered for the baby were delivered while I was there.

Bobby, it sounds as though you had a very enjoyable day. One of my friends and I have decided that we won't expect to accomplish a lot of sewing when we go to classes or workshops. Part of the fun is visiting and looking at machines and the projects of others.

Linda OH

Sounds like a great time, Bobby! Isn't it nice to have friends that share the craziness??

It's nice when a workshop or retreat is more than one day, or when the days are longer than 24 hours. That way you find time to do all the socializing as well as get some sewing done too!

I was able to go sit at a friend's house and 'sew' a little. Actually, we did a lot of talking and a little sewing stuff. She was working on an applique sunflower, then we auditioned border fabrics, and I traced applique patterns on fusible web. Tonight, I've been able to mostly finish this little wall hanging... about 20 more minutes of work, and it'll be done. (pics to follow tomorrow)

Calliope, sorry to read of your family deaths in such a compressed time...that is a strain..
Meldy_nva, Get it out of the box and go for it...your project sounds lovely ... would like to see a pic!
Toolgranny, Hope you enjoyed the quilt show and yes that does count as quilting...be careful defying your doctor's orders...you don't want to visit him more times than are currently planned!
Bobby, What can be said...sounds and looks like you had a great time! Your fellow quilters were fortunate to have you there ... you rescued the day for a quite a few, awesome of you!
Jen, Glad you day a day to sit, sew and talk...everyone needs a break from daily routine once in a while!

DH and I took two days off this past week to celebrate 25th anniversary, however I was hoping to sneak in a little sewing time. I started down the Swoon block path a week or so ago and have made five (these are big girls 24" square) and they are addictive. After making 5, I see how color contrast plays a significant impact on the overall affect of this block...of course you'd think I would have seen that all along from pics on the web...but I'm a visual experience person and sometimes I gotta try it before it hits home...LOL at dear ole me...Anyway, I now have 5 more to go, w/ 2 of the original 5 being re-purposed! I may put this to the side for awhile and quilt the retreat quilt today.
happy sewing!
V.

Bobby~You are a treasure & a Hero! (Good thing you didn't take my advice!!!!:~) Your 'save the day' loan of your Brother will forever bond you to that Lady!
I'm surprised the host didn't have a spare machine available just in case someone needed one. Again, your kindness will be rewarded.
I have a separate set of misc tools I keep with my machines, and always travel with them. If I don't need them, someone else does. It is hard to remember to take everything to every event. And it doesn't seem to get easier.

The Retreat looks like a wonderful event supporting the local quilting community AND the old building! Wonderful!

Karlene~I have always wanted to take a Judy Niemeyer class.
Did you learn alot of new tricks?

LindaOH~Your time with your Daughter sounds both relaxing and very enjoyable and so special.

Donna~sorry about your theft. Gives you more time to shop for that perfect machine!
It sounds like you all got so much accomplished yesterday - laughter & enjoying quilty friends included. Not me! Maybe today.

I don't know Donna, if I was going to steal I think I would be afraid to steal from a church!

Bobby, thanks for posting about your retreat, you have a really big heart!

I finished a Flynn Rider polyester vest and put it in the mail. I HATE polyester and this raveled so bad it was all over my teenie weenie sewing room. PLUS, there was no pattern, I had to make it from pics on the Net. My sweet grand did send me a thank you, thank you, thank you note, for making this and that made it all worth the aggravation lol!

Cleaned the sewing room and I am finishing a crocheted Christmas afghan.
Rosa

Happy Anniversary, Valerie!

Linda, that was great you were able to go be with your daughter when she needed you...

Yes, Marsha, good thing I didn't take your advice LOL It was good advice though :o) Hope you get a quilty day soon. The host may have had some machines in her car, but I intercepted before it got that far LOL At the very least, she would have probably sent her son home to get one if it was necessary because she only lived 20 minutes from where the retreat was.

We just got a mass e-mail again thanking everyone for coming to the retreat and stating that the feedback was overwhelmingly positive and we raised about 3000 dollars for the school house. The host e-mailed pictures that she had her son take...

Btw, you can see in the picture of my quilt block above where I had the tension issues (the pink fabric puckering), but I did fix it after that...

Just a few more pictures and I'm DONE, I promise...

Another shot of the whole room... the lady who had the same Bernina as I do was the 2nd one on the left side of the middle row of tables... and my Brother is two machines down from that, but the lady was ironing at the time, so she wasn't there...

The lady in the back is the one who borrowed my Brother... I guess I wasn't the only one who put their quilt around their neck!

Here's one without the quilt necklace...

And that's all, I promise promise promise! :o)

Hope everyone has a lovely rest of their weekend.

The Judy Niemeyer class was great! I've only done one other paper piecing project and I sure learned some techniques in this class that are slick. I also like her method. This project is going to look much nicer on the back than my first one did! I highly recommend a class that teaches one of her patterns.

The quilters were wonderful and the only thing I forgot were my pins, but they wanted us to use paper clips so that worked out.

There is a follow up class, so I have some units to complete before then. I was a little frustrated that I did not get more sewn than I did, but the day really went fast. I came home smiling. And enough of my crock-pot meal from lunch was left for dinner so I didn't even have to cook last night!

Bobby, your retreat day sounds like so much fun! That's great that you raised so much money!

Karlene, I'm glad you enjoyed the class. I'm familiar with Judy n's patterns but have not made one.

Rosa, you'd be surprised at what people will steal from a church. Pretty much anything not nailed down really well. We've had TVs, computers, And A/V equipment stolen. We have smash-and-grabs in the parking lot on a regular basis, and once a lady had her wallet stolen out of her purse when she went to take communion during worship! And our church is in a pretty upscale area...Tiger Woods owns a house about a quarter mile away.

I got a lot done on my little tree quilt. I only have five more to go!

Donna

PICTURES EVERYONE!!!! pleeeeease???

Linda~ don't forget to show us what you bought at the show!

Here's what I did... Cute little kit that came from my UFO friend! Measures 6" x 20" It was all fusible applique (I can do that!) applied after the 'quilt' was sewn & birthed. The only thing I had to do as add the satin stitching for the ear muffs up top.

I also got the binding made, attached to the baby quilt, and partially hand stitched before bed. Feeling productive!

This post was edited by jennifer_in_va on Mon, Oct 21, 13 at 8:12

I love Snowmen...So Adorable!
V.

I love the snowman wall hanging. Thanks for sharing a pic!

Best to you,
Sandra

Loving the pictures from all of you! Thank you!!!

SharonG/FL

Pieced my first EVER quilt today! How would you machine stitch it if you were a beginner like me?