New Featherweight

Insanity struck last Sunday.  I had been toying with the idea of getting beat-up Featherweight with the intention of eventually getting it restored and repainted.  So I watched eBay for months and would always chicken out at the last minute.  It's trying to find a balance between "want" versus "need" and I surely didn't "need" another sewing machine.  Then I saw an ad on the local Craigslist that was posted a month ago.  It hadn't sold yet and it lived only a couple of miles from me (so no astronomical shipping charges to pay!)

This machine is a 1946 vintage and was owned by a former professional ballerina, currently in a nursing home at age 95.  There's quite a bit of wear and tear on the bed, but she runs beautifully (especially after I removed the monster fuzzball under the throatplate!).

I knew, on my way over to see it, that I wouldn't be able to refuse and, of course, it was going home with me!  Some things are just meant to be.

New Featherweight

Insanity struck last Sunday.  I had been toying with the idea of getting beat-up Featherweight with the intention of eventually getting it restored and repainted.  So I watched eBay for months and would always chicken out at the last minute.  It's trying to find a balance between "want" versus "need" and I surely didn't "need" another sewing machine.  Then I saw an ad on the local Craigslist that was posted a month ago.  It hadn't sold yet and it lived only a couple of miles from me (so no astronomical shipping charges to pay!)

This machine is a 1946 vintage and was owned by a former professional ballerina, currently in a nursing home at age 95.  There's quite a bit of wear and tear on the bed, but she runs beautifully (especially after I removed the monster fuzzball under the throatplate!).

I knew, on my way over to see it, that I wouldn't be able to refuse and, of course, it was going home with me!  Some things are just meant to be.

Sweet Sugar Swirls

Last year, I saw a quilt in a store in Concord, California, that I really liked.  It was made out of lots of batiks in grays, blues, greens, teals and it was beautiful.  Although I did get the pattern, I forgot to take a picture of that quilt.

When the One Block Wonder got the best of me, I tried making a few blocks of the Swirl using a Moda "honey bun" called Kansas Winter.

Lots of strips and LOTS of bias edges.

Might have to set this one and the OBW aside for just a little while.  Seems we have a brand-new great nephew that needs a new quilt.....

Sweet Sugar Swirls

Last year, I saw a quilt in a store in Concord, California, that I really liked.  It was made out of lots of batiks in grays, blues, greens, teals and it was beautiful.  Although I did get the pattern, I forgot to take a picture of that quilt.

When the One Block Wonder got the best of me, I tried making a few blocks of the Swirl using a Moda "honey bun" called Kansas Winter.

Lots of strips and LOTS of bias edges.

Might have to set this one and the OBW aside for just a little while.  Seems we have a brand-new great nephew that needs a new quilt.....

One Block Wonder

I went to the second class and spent 4 hours trying to "retrain" my brain to see patterns differently.  Donna, the teacher, had to great ideas about how to arrange the colors and patterns in our quilts.  We were supposed to try to arrange them in such a way that our eye could see motion or flow.  I think I have too many colors in my fabric to try to come up with a simple theme to the pattern.

All of us in the class put our blocks together with the straight of grain on the outside edges.  And were feeling pretty proud about doing it correctly.  In class, the teacher would find the odd block and told us we could take it apart, turn the pieces and resew it.  Every single one of us thought that was "cheating."

I've spent the last several weeks tweaking the placement of the blocks into some sort of arrangement that made sense.  I've taken about a dozen blocks apart and resewed them.  Yesterday, I quit.

Now I have 20 strips of 27 itty-bitty triangles.  I shudder to think just how many seams I'm supposed to match in this darn thing.  I guess we'll see just how accurate my 1/4-inch seam allowance is.  If I'm close, it's gonna be good enuf!

One Block Wonder

I went to the second class and spent 4 hours trying to "retrain" my brain to see patterns differently.  Donna, the teacher, had to great ideas about how to arrange the colors and patterns in our quilts.  We were supposed to try to arrange them in such a way that our eye could see motion or flow.  I think I have too many colors in my fabric to try to come up with a simple theme to the pattern.

All of us in the class put our blocks together with the straight of grain on the outside edges.  And were feeling pretty proud about doing it correctly.  In class, the teacher would find the odd block and told us we could take it apart, turn the pieces and resew it.  Every single one of us thought that was "cheating."

I've spent the last several weeks tweaking the placement of the blocks into some sort of arrangement that made sense.  I've taken about a dozen blocks apart and resewed them.  Yesterday, I quit.

Now I have 20 strips of 27 itty-bitty triangles.  I shudder to think just how many seams I'm supposed to match in this darn thing.  I guess we'll see just how accurate my 1/4-inch seam allowance is.  If I'm close, it's gonna be good enuf!

One Block Wonder

This is hard!!  I'm having tough time trying to figure out the block placement.  I know there's no right or wrong, but there's a better or worse.  I m trying to get a feel for it, but it's NOT easy (at least for me.)  It's taken me all morning just to get this far.  Thank goodness I have another week before the next class.  I'll probably spend most of it "tweaking" the block placement.

Wish me luck.  I really, really need it.