Waiting on Easy Street's Clue#2

Here is a block I drafted in EQ7. I was able to use the drawing feature to add pieced units where solid squares were shown in the original block library. This sweet little block measures 6 1/2" unfinished size. I also drafted it in an 8 1/2" size to use some more units I have hanging around.
Too cool!!!

In my new/old sewing area I have "Sissy" my featherweight set up for piecing. She powered through a test sew of my new L&E project.
I have a mini design wall right next to the machine. (18"X 20")
It is a leftover piece of the big design wall in the living room. It fits under a shelf between two brackets. In fact it just is wedged between them..no nailing needed. And I have a cut out for the light switch. HA! And the batting is just taped on the piece of foam core board. This has been here for years. But I also have not sewn in here for years. Turning that sewing desk 45 degrees seemed to open up the area more though I need to be careful when I stand up. I sure do not want to hit my head on the shelving.
Things are not as spacious as in the living room. But this room is quite warm and cozy. Everything is so handy. Sissy seems to like it!!!

And last night was a sleepless night for some reason. So I opened up a container of waste triangles and trimmed them up to 2" unfinished. Sliver trimming is a pain but oh so necessary to get your units all the same size. These came from double sewing 2 1/2" squares to another unit. And I do not even remember what these units came from. And I have possibly 10 more containers full to the brim with these waste triangles. I figure this is a good restless night activity. I went to bed around 3:30 a.m. And the whole container is now trimmed.

I watched Our Bonnie Hunter on Quiltcam last night. MaggieMae was watching
Bonnie too. But when I snapped the picture she had moved. I will wait and try to get a better photo tomorrow night.
I made another pair of fingerless gloves while Bonnie sewed and talked to us. When I gave my grand daughters and daughters their gloves on Thanksgiving they were a bit hit. WHOOHOO! I hit the target with these little beauties.

Today I pieced, from a panel, a small lap quilt for DD #2 for Christmas. Got it all pinned up, quilted, labeled and bound. Ready for gift giving!!!!

XOXOXO Subee

Featherweight is up and running.

Our Bonnie Hunter has always some really clever ideas when it comes to setting up the sewing areas or using different sewing tools with different machines. It pays to really listen to her and apply her tips to your own sewing space.

This is Sissy. She was born in 1932. She has the scroll face and sews so beautifully.
I turned my sewing desk (back in the cutting room) 45 degrees so I could watch the TV without turning my head. OK...I like the set up.
And since I had removed the Janome 3160 QDC during the move, I thought I would give Bonnie's idea of putting a Featherweight on an old phone book and use the acrylic table that came with the Janome 6500. I had been using it with the 3160 and it was a bit too wide but the level was perfect. After I tore a few dozen pages from the phone book, Sissy fit right in the opening!!!

So I sewed on her for a bit. What a sweet sound these machines have. And such a nice perfect stitch.

No fiddling around with buttons...just sews a really good straight stitch.
Do not get me wrong...I do like the 3160 QDC. I bought it because it only weighs 12 lbs...has thread cutter...needle up/down...needle threader...all the features of the bigger Janome machines except the knee lever. (which I LOVE) Yet sewing on the QDC is not as pleasurable as sewing on the 6600P.
Right now the 6600P is set up for machine quilting.  The 6500P is on a quilting frame in the third bedroom.
And it seems so nice and cozy warm back in my little cutting room.
I am going to go sew a few more units for a quilt I designed the other night. I really like EQ7. It is the most user friendly of all the EQ software I have used.
XOXOXOXO Subee

Easy Street clue #1 is finished.

A very easy clue#1.
So I am starting this mystery with two colorways in mind.
I do not know if I will keep this up. Just saying....

Below is a photo of one corner way up high in my cutting room. A big container of nothing but 3 1/2" 4 patches. The date on the box is August 2010. I was in an exchange on the HGTV website.
 Hummm..... need to find a use for these!!!!

Two of Bonnie Hunter's fans wanted cat beds. I have mailed out three beds already. These two were a special order. The buyer wanted white fleece. Guess she has a light colored cat. I finished them up today...
cute uhu?

Yesterday I finished quilting the quilt made from my deceased son-in-law's flannel shirts. He was no longer married to DD#1 yet he was still a part of our lives. So I made this quilt for his widow.

It is all quilted, labeled and bound.

XOXOXOXO Subee

Dancing down Easy Street!!

A great day to sew. Cold, windy and snow is coming. And until I saw the first clue for Bonnie Hunter's newest Mystery called Easy Street, I had not decided on my color scheme.
I knew I had yardage of these two fabrics. Of course it was buried. It was in a long plastic container about half way down the stack. The stack was topped off with more loose stacks of fabrics. Did I want to move it all? Not really but I wanted those two fabrics.
So I spent a productive hour unstacking and fondling fabrics and pulled these two fabrics out. They are major old fabrics. And the funny thing is that I bought them twice. Yes...different sacks of them in the container proved that I must have really loved them enough to buy them twice.
This was long before I discovered scrap quilting. So an 8 yard purchase was normal for me. Don't want to run out!!!!

I started sewing on my main machine. Then got a backache and took a nap. I woke up cold so I finished the strip sewing back in the cutting room. Cozy and warm there. A bit crowded but I started out my quilt sewing life back in that room. And my little Janome 3160QDC needed to be sewn on. She was getting lonely.
So now my two colorways are all in "twosies". Who knows if I will be able to sew tomorrow.
But as I was cutting them down into 2" segments I was marveling at how nice the fabrics went together. Each pairing was my favorite until I picked up the next strip!

As I was waiting for the Easy Street mystery to start I did some sewing therapy. I made 240 2 1/2" HST just because I could. I bought a smaller EZ Angle ruler. It seems much better for the smaller size units I like. The larger one works great too. But I am really enjoying the smaller ruler.

And a couple more Moth in the Window blocks were also born.

XOXOXOXO Subee

Fingerless gloves & shirtings

DD#1 casually asked me if I could make her some fingerless gloves. So I just started making some crocheted ribbing and look at the results!!!!

Way too cool!!! I am making another pair in a much softer yarn and a softer color....pastel pink. They will be great Christmas presents!!!

I am thinking I may use my Civil War fabrics for Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street mystery. I knew I had three bolts of conversation prints buried at the back of the cutting table. Found 'em...tore  a few yards from each bolt and pressed them.
Aren't they sweet??

My black and white fabrics for the Quiltville swap were pressed today too.

 And I have about 20 fat quarters of conversation prints too. There is no need to get those out yet since we do not have the first clues yet. They are starting the day after Thanksgiving.
This gal does NOT shop on that day. This gal will be sewing!!!!
XOXOXO Subee

My Log Cabin quilt is on my bed!!!!!!

Sunny day.
Clean sheets.
Curious cat (MaggieMae).
I am so glad I have my Log Cabin quilt on my bed. I made very scrappy binding from all the neutrals in the quilt.
Hubby really likes the size of this monster. 144" X 115"
We only have a queen size bed. It has plenty of room for two humans and four cats. When we are all under there is still quilt hanging over. Perfect!!!!

I actually gave myself two quilts this month. And both are designs by Edtya Sitar of http://www.laundrybasketquilts.com

I really love her color choices...browns...tans...creams...yummmmmmm

I used Minkee for the backing on the smaller quilt. I cannot wait to snuggle under it while hand piecing. The kitties have not found it yet. I have it over the back of a wooden rocking chair. One area they cannot balance on. HA!

Must sew...must sew on something...so I made 100 4 1/2" paper pieced blocks. I also made some border blocks. More like a piano key border. I just wanted to see what they looked and felt like.  (They are in the last photo in this post.)
I like them so will make a bagillion more.
I was saying to DH that even after making 100+ blocks my string supply did not look to have went down at all. He said that is a good thing. My supply is never ending!!! What an understanding Hubby!

All ready to begin sewing. Baskets, papers, lights and strings!

A new quilting t-shirt. Gosh this is so true!!!!

And I just had to try a couple Moth in the Window blocks designed by Our Bonnie Hunter. (http://www.quiltville.com)
I used shirts from my dear departed mother-in-law and son-in-law. They look perfect together. I will make a bunch more and use them to make a baby quilt for DGD who is pregnant and due in June. I have time....but they all keep making babies!!!!!! I am not going to be able to keep up someday!

Here are the border blocks on the left. They are 4 1/2" high and not all the same length. I did try to add some larger pieces on the edges so that when joining them I can adjust the seam to make the border fit better.

XOXOXOXO Subee

A new bass guitar!!!!!!!!!

My debut playing and singing did not go as well as I dreamed hoped.
The guitar strap was too long for me. (DH is 6'2" I am 5'6")
Okay...small adjustment.
Then the guitar was not coming through the speakers.
Okay... plug was not inserted all the way after fixing the strap length.
I am so nervous that I will forget the words.
Okay...words went fine it was the chords that I had issues with.
I sounded strained, distracted and lousy.
So sorry DH...you are the talent. I am the background.
Note to self...you are the background, you are the background, you are the background, you are the background..........

 James bought an electric bass guitar a couple weeks ago. Way too heavy for me.
James bought this acoustic bass today.
I LOVE IT!!!
And so does MaggieMae. She sat next to me the whole time I was practicing.
Bass guitar is background...yes it is...whoohooo!!!!!!

James is so talented. He keeps the yard and garden blooming all summer. This is a Gerber Daisy he bought for me in March (BD present). We wanted it in the house but not to let these bad kitties chew on it. So he made a plant hanger. He is soooo talented!!!!

Macy on a baby afghan.

It is too big to fit back in the plastic bag and Macy took advantage of the clean yarn. Sigh! I am nearly done with this mini-ripple. Not so mini I guess. There is nearly 16 oz. of yarn in it!!!!!!

My Pieced Hexie templates arrived this week.  Another gadget for sewing!!!
Thanks Mickey Depre!!!!!!!!! Talented artist designer friend!!!!

Quilt for Leslie's baby boy!

I found some baseball blocks made in the Yellow Brick Road pattern. They were leftovers from a gifted quilt eons ago. My niece, Leslie, is awaiting the arrival of her first child. It is a baby boy. And I thought these blocks would be perfect for her. I also had these two pillow panels. So I combined them to make a nice sized (65" square) quilt.

I simply did some diagonal quilting across the entire body of the quilt.
Blue star flannel as backing. (I pre-washed it since flannel shrinks so much)

I also used Quilters' Dream Puff for the first time. I love it's silkiness and the loft is nice and even across the batting. I can see an entire roll of this batting in my near future. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Macy and Bess just had to test drive the flannel I used on the back. They promise to not leave any cat fur on the quilt. Ya...right...you two BAD kitties. I also used the flannel for the binding. So with the combination of Puff loft batting, flannel on the back and flannel binding, it was a bear to get the binding on. But I did. The corners turned nicely. And the fold of binding is full of batting!!!!!

Tulip Fields is all done!

All done. Labeled,quilted and bound.
It took me three days to machine quilt it. It is only 64" square. But there are many seams and I wanted to make sure the string piecing had plenty of quilting to keep it intact. DD#1 washes her quilts a lot! This will be her Christmas present.

I cannot thank Our Bonnie Hunter (www.quiltville.com) enough for this beautiful pattern. It can be found in her newest book entitled String Fling.

Our Macy Gray is a sleeping spot stealer. She intimidates through glances and getting way too close for comfort. If she would just lay down next to her victims she could gather their heat too. But no.....

She wants it all!!!!

Poor MaggieMae.

She no longer has her heavy fur coat.

And my gigantic Log Cabin quilt is back from the long arm quilter and is all bound. I am waiting to put it on my bed. I want to take it to the next guild meeting for Show & Tell.