Pineapple and Puzzle Box

I have been busy the last several months, but very lazy in posting to this blog.  This past week, I gifted both the Pineapple and Puzzle Box quilts to two very special friends of mine, Debbie Oyadomori and Val Takata.  Judging from the smiles on their faces, I think they liked them!

Hexagons

Several months ago, I attended a monthly meeting of the Hawaii Quilt Guild and they had a tutorial on these little hexagons.  Instead of working on my Hawaiian Applique', I've taken a short detour and have been playing with these.  The finished "flowers" are only 4 inches across.  A quilt would take a kabillion of these hex's.  Dunno if I'll get that far, but it's something to do to keep my hands busy.

Family, Tattoo, Orchids

Our eldest son, Bryan (the one on the left), has quit the only job he's ever had (since he was 14) and decided to return to school.  Yay!  However, he decided to go to the mainland and we have spent the last couple of months getting him ready to go, shipping his truck and his belongings.  He left last week and I am missing him something fierce!

The day he left, however, was a little unusual.  He went down to Waikiki where one of his best friends is a tattoo artist and he had to get one before he left.  BUT he talked me into going with him.  And I came home with a little one, too.  I think he expected me to wimp out.  Hah!  I'm a mom to two boys.  Can't be wimpy!

In the middle of getting Bryan ready to go, I lost my mom.  She had been in a care facility on the mainland for the past 5 years.  She had suffered a stroke and, thanks to my sister calling me in time, I was able to fly home to see her and tell her I loved her.  I would like to think she knew I was there as well as 3 of my 4 sisters.  She peacefully passed away the day after I returned to the islands.  The little honu in my tattoo is in memory of her.

AND for the second time in probably 8 years, my one and only orchid plant blossomed!!!  I guess benign neglect really works.

There!  Now I think we're all caught up.

Pineapple Paper Piecing

My second paper piecing project is the pineapple.  I got it on the frame and nearly halfway quilted when my machine starting giving me fits with the top thread breaking every few inches.  I tried everything -- changed the needle, tried different threads,  futzed with the tension, cleaned, oiled the machine.  After several weeks, I gave up and took it in to the shop.  Seems I've been so hard on the machine, it just needed a tune up.  Works like a charm now!  Next time, I won't wait so long or get so frustrated.

Cogwheels

I have not been quilting very much over the summer.  On a trip to the mainland in August, my aunt, uncle, and I took a day trip into Glacier National Park.  It was beautiful weather and we had a wonderful time.  On the way back, we stopped in at The Quilt Gallery in Kalispell, Montana.  I found a fun quilt kit, Cogwheels.  It's a fun, easy one to do and will make a nice Christmas gift.

Blue Hawaiian Quilt

I've added this one to my wish list.  I'm not sure I can create a bed-size Hawaiian quilt using the traditional methods.  But I saw this one and it looks more manageable.  Will have to think on this some more....

Now to find the time....

Catching Up

It's been awhile since I've posted and my quilting has taken a back seat.  I did finish the Dresden Fan below.  It was the first paper piecing project I've done and I had a good time doing it.

My second paper piecing project is the pineapple.  I got it on the frame and nearly halfway quilted when my machine starting giving me fits with the top thread breaking every few inches.  I tried everything -- changed the needle, tried different threads,  futzed with the tension, cleaned, oiled the machine.  After several weeks, I gave up and took it in to the shop.  Seems I've been so hard on the machine, it just needed a tune up.  Works like a charm now!  Next time, I won't wait so long or get so frustrated.

Our eldest son, Bryan (the one on the left), has quit the only job he's ever had (since he was 14) and decided to return to school.  Yay!  However, he decided to go to the mainland and we have spent the last couple of months getting him ready to go, shipping his truck and his belongings.  He left last week and I am missing him something fierce!

The day he left, however, was a little unusual.  He went down to Waikiki where one of his best friends is a tattoo artist and he had to get one before he left.  BUT he talked me into going with him.  And I came home with a little one, too.  I think he expected me to wimp out.  Hah!  I'm a mom to two boys.  Can't be wimpy!

In the middle of getting Bryan ready to go, I lost my mom.  She had been in a care facility on the mainland for the past 5 years.  She had suffered a stroke and, thanks to my sister calling me in time, I was able to fly home to see her and tell her I loved her.  I would like to think she knew I was there as well as 3 of my 4 sisters.  She peacefully passed away the day after I returned to the islands.  The little honu in my tattoo is in memory of her.

Several months ago, I attended a monthly meeting of the Hawaii Quilt Guild and they had a tutorial on these little hexagons.  Instead of working on my Hawaiian Applique', I've taken a short detour and have been playing with these.  The finished "flowers" are only 4 inches across.  A quilt would take a kabillion of these hex's.  Dunno if I'll get that far, but it's something to do to keep my hands busy.

AND for the second time in probably 8 years, my one and only orchid plant blossomed!!!  I guess benign neglect really works.

There!  Now I think we're all caught up.

Puzzle Box

A group of coworkers and I call ourselves "the lunch bunch" for obvious reasons.  I've lived in the islands for 15 years this month and soon after my arrival was included in this group.  These ladies, as well as many others,  went out of their way to make me feel welcome and for that alone, I owe them and can never adequately repay.  It's this feeling of aloha that is so pervasive in this culture.  It's hard to describe it exactly but it just...is.

As a way to try to repay their kindness, I started making quilts and giving them as gifts along with my love and aloha.  Now it's become a guessing game to see who gets the next one.  Yesterday was another one of those days.  A surprise birthday party was held for one of the "lunch bunch."  And she got her quilt.

This is a Puzzle Box and the floral print was an Asian fabric so it had gold in it.

Happy Birthday, Julie!  I hope you enjoy your quilt!

1934 Singer 15-91 (I think)

A friend of mine called a couple of weeks ago saying, "you remember me telling you about an old sewing machine we had in storage?  Well, it's yours, if you want it."  So this is what came home with me yesterday.  As near is I can figure out, she's a 1934 Singer 15-91.

She needs a really good cleaning and there's a fair amount of rust where it should be shiny and silver.  And all of the electrical needs to be replaced.  But the cabinet is in beautiful shape.

But she's pretty.

My husband, bless his heart, just rolled his eyes and didn't say a word when he helped me unload her.

Knittax Yarn Winder

I seem to have this "thing" for yarn winders.  I love them.  It must be the rhythm of turning the handle.  And I have lots of memories of helping my mom wind yarn when I was little.  Recently, I found one identical to my mother's.  However, I could not find the right size o-ring to fit it or a clamp to attach it to the table.  I was discouraged.

Then I saw an one on a blog that was really different from the typical yarn winder.  It looked really solid, was all in one piece and, of course, hasn't been made in the last 30 years or so.  It took me a couple of months to find one and it was on eBay.  After sheer determination and some fierce bidding, I won.  

I am thrilled with it.  I've rewound all the yarn I have (which is not much!).  Maybe I should learn how to knit....

Grace Hoop2

I have been learning how do Hawaiian Applique' quilting the last several years and really enjoy it.  To do the actual hand quilting, I have a Grace Lap Hoop that has been great.  But my projects have been getting bigger than the wall hanging size, so I wanted a larger hand quilting hoop.  Wrestling with all that fabric in my lap was trying my patience.  For the last several months, I've been toying with the idea of getting a larger frame, but had not decided what kind to get.

While browsing on eBay a few weeks ago, I saw the Grace Hoop2 with a 24-inch hoop.  The first one I found, the shipping to Hawaii was almost as expensive as the hoop!!!  A few days after that, I saw this one.  Because the shipping was VERY low, I knew it was going to come over by "slow boat."  But I got it anyway!  It's in pretty good shape, but was missing quite a few of the bolts to put it together which prompted a trip to the local City Mill.

Now I have to hurry up and finish the project I'm working on!

Olive

My son's best friend, Adam, became a first-time father the other day.  We have been anxiously waiting for this beautiful little girl to arrive.  My son, Bryan, asked that I make a "girlie" quilt that had to be all pink and this is the result.

Adam has always called me "Mama Dos" (Mom #2) so now I am an honorary grandma and Bryan is an honorary uncle.  Olive (actually Olivia) was born in the Year of the Dragon.

Here she is less than 24 hours old.  I think Bryan was a little scared of her at first, but it looks like she just fits.