October sewing...looks like I am really back now!

I have been at the sewing machine for three days in a row. Well actually one day was just cleaning the machine and changing the needle.
I started slow. I was not sure how I would feel. I have been denying myself the sewing because I was in mourning for my cat Macy's death. A death that I made the final decision on. A death that I had to carry out. A death that seems to have broken me a bit. But a death that could not be avoided. A death that was a mercy for her. A death that I had to assume the broken heart for myself to help her.
Enough...I am better. I am.

I got my little Leader & Ender container out and sewed all the 3 1/2" BowTie blocks together. This was all I had prepped. I have more cheddar 2" squares cut but no more calicos cut. I am guessing that this will be all it will be and will get it sewn together tomorrow. Then I look at the two extra blocks on point over there and my head is designing. Hummmm...maybe I will wait and look at them for awhile.

And before I sewed I moved all the furniture out, used my new Shark Rotator vacumm, washed the windows and the curtains and then put all the sewing furniture back but in Winter mode. I am facing the picture window again. I cannot do this during the Summer as the sun is way too strong and I have this issue with bright light in my eyes.

I won a gift basket through FaceBook. I had to go get a prize form notarized and was thinking maybe I had won a longarm machine. But no, a few days later a box arrived that was full of goodies! One of the goodies was a white box that had 6 spools of SO Fine threads. How did they know that is my favorite bobbin thread??? I even have the color charts and have the numbers checked off that I have purchased. A couple of the colors were ones that I have but hey!!! A gal can never have too much thread. Thanks so much APQS!!!!

And I also sewed on this monster of a green quilt. I used the free Sister's Choice from Bonnie Hunter's website. (www.quiltville.com)
There are no repeats of greens in all the blocks. I need to get the backing made and then off to the quilter lady with this one.

And there is Maggie Mae helping me. She LOVES those measuring tapes. I have to keep them in the drawer. She loves to bite them. She is scheduled for her Lion cut on Wednesday.

And here is the Lucky kitty helping me. The trick is to lay on anything Subee seems to be picking up. Could be the book. Could be the tray could be the blocks she is hiding.
XOXOXO Subee

I was only along for the ride!

I bought this quilt kit at the Gathering of Quilters two weekends ago. I knew I was going to add my own Civil War reproduction fabrics to it. As you can see by the pattern cover photo I only needed 24 blocks. I made 114...I could not stop. So suddenly the quilt took on a life of it's own and made it's own design decisions.

I was only along for the ride.

 And what a fine ride it is turning out to be. I am loving how the blocks I made are playing so nice with each other. I made a few negative (LDL) blocks for sparkle. But the majority were all positive (DLD) blocks. And a few of the fabrics were not Civil War reproductions. But their color was right so they came to play too.

 I had to stop to make dinner for DH but this is what I got done with today.

 And I had only two blocks left over. Spooky right? I love how "fate" or "serendipity" plays here at my home. It is like having an angel on my shoulder.

 I did have to do a little sliver trimming on the 9-patch blocks. Some of my 1 1/2" squares were a thread or two too large. That is fine with me. I just had to trim a few. It makes for a much nicer assembly when the units are the same exact size!

 This was my careful beginning this morning...I was not sure if I would like it.

 All the rows need sewn together but I am in love with this quilt. I can see some applique' on a wider type border. I am determined to learn to do applique'. I love the look but have never tried it. As I said I am determined. And after watching that DVD on Needle Turn I think that is the type of applique for me. There seems less prep work involved.

 And as I was sewing the rows together I was using Our Bonnie Hunter's Leaders & Enders technique at the end of each row. I worked from my Cheddar Bowtie box since I sewed all the Kona Snow L&E's last week. And I did get over my OCD obsession to only use that Cheddar thread to sew the Cheddar Bowties with. Otherwise it can NOT be a L&E project!!!!

ALL you Janome users: have any of you bought and used the newer pink Cherry Blossom bobbins? They are soooo pretty.
(I do not like the box they came in...too fragile.)  And two boxes arrived cracked in the mail! I did get credit for that but I am not using them. Too cheap...
The Cherry Blossom bobbins seem to be much quieter in the machine. They also feel a bit heavier than the clear bobbins.

And since quilting has taken over every aspect of my life I now put my pats of butter on my toast "on point". I just had to share that with you.
XOXOXOXO Subee

Spring Cleaning

Finishing the t-shirt quilt had me drooling to just sew on some regular quilt fabric.
Yet with the coming Summer season I NEEDED to rotate my sewing area 45 degrees to the north. This way the sun doesn't bounce off cars in the driveway and hit me in the eyes. Or bounce off the wood floor at the doorway and hit my eyes. This sensitivity to light really has me wondering what is going on. I even have issues with the white screen from the computer monitor! What it seems to trigger in my eyes are weird black and white splashes of images that block me from reading or even focusing on anything small. They go away after 5 minutes or so. And I have not had an event since I went totally off Lyrica. (a med for Fybromyalsia) I still have the sensitivity but thankfully those flashing images have not reappeared.

Anyway, today I cleaned and moved my sewing area. And since DH was home I was able to try a different configuration. I was not strong enough to move this one desk that I wanted to try to the right of my sewing machine cabinet.
                                                    IT WORKS GREAT!

 Here is the new layout North view. You may see some large, heavy ashtrays. I use them to hold thread snips and sliver trimmings. The cats cannot knock them around. I have had these heavy ashtrays since the 70's. I seem to remember some type of home party like Tupperware or Pampered Chef.
I now have cutting areas on both sides of my sewing chair. WHOOHOO!

 West view: I am now quite close to a window and can feel the breezes. And that is a Pampered Chef utensil holder that I have sitting on a Brooklyn round spinning cutting mat. It holds all the tools I need at an arm's reach. I have another one of those in the cutting room too!
You know me by now. If I like something I buy lots of that something.
Well...I have only one large pink velvet pincushion...

 South view: I need to tackle that mess on top of the cabinet. Those notebooks are full of Our Bonnie's patterns and tips. And a few I have printed out from the internet. So just don't look there until I tell you it is clean.

 My little cheap iron took a dump died a dignified death. I went out to my storage area in the garage and opened a new box to another cheap iron. These work so nice and there are not shut off's to deal with. I am going to try Our Bonnie's system of not putting any water in this one. I do have a great spray bottle for water. So my little basket has spray starch and a bottle of water handy to me.
After all that cleaning I simply had to clean my sewing machine too. All lint free and a fresh sharp needle 80/12 Organ Titanium needle.

 One of my Leaders & Enders baskets was getting near the bottom so I finished it up and have a bevy of little 3 1/2" Bow-tie blocks made from a charm set of Moda Gatherings that I have had for eons. But even though that basket was full there are not very many blocks to show for the work. Not to fear I have the entire collection of Fat Quarters of this line of fabric. And I know right where that plastic container is too! HA! No searching will be needed. (Just some pressing and cutting)

 See??? Not too much here. So I put them away with labels and all the scraps that they generated. Their little basket is now waiting in the cutting room for another Leaders & Enders project. I still have my Cheddar Bow-tie's to sew on.

 OK...the day is still young so I started on one of those Saturday purchases. All Civil War fabrics...1 1/2" squares...right up my mini alley! So I got my brown fix today too. It felt so good to sew and cut on fine quilting cotton!!!!

Just 13 blocks made but I am so satisfied...

XOXOXOOXOXOXO Subee