Challenges complete!

Exciting news for me, I actually finished my January challenges in January!

I am in a Facebook group started by Jennifer Schifano Thomas, who also does Quilters Show and Tell.  Each month we commit to finishing something quilt related.   My commitment this month was to quilt my Second sampler quilt. Woohoo, I finished.  I even finished the binding.

I also finished three little pieces.  Every time I clean my studio I find a new place for this little stack of not quite finished pieces.  These three needed binding and or a way to hang them.  So, my stack is smaller.

I signed up for the Craftsy Block of the Month 2015. I've done the 2012 and 2014 BOM's in the past.  I finished the block for January.  I am so in love with these colors.  It will be hard to wait for the end of the year.  

Here is the next quilt up for my longarm. This was a Nancy Rink pattern from several years ago.

Have a Creative Day

Janet

Practice, practice, practice

Working on another sampler quilt on my longarm.  I am getting lot's of stitch in the ditch practice as well as many and varied filler designs.  I'm working up to quilting two of my favorites. One is my Irish quilt.  I plan to have scalloped edges on this one.

The other is from StoryQuilts..  It is called Pick a Peck of Posies. Love this one and wanted to do a decent job quilting.  I plan to add more flowers and some birds and butterflies with the quilting.

I think the butterflies on this block turned out nice.

Here are a couple more.  I only have eight left and than the sashing.  Won't take too much longer.

Have a Creative Day

Janet

eBay and mortality

You may remember I inherited my mom's Singer featherweight sewing machine.  I joined a group on Facebook for people who have these machines and have learned a ton of information.  Mostly I've learned it can easily become an obsession and take over your life.  Not really but sort of...

The attachments you can get, if you can find them, look like so much fun!  I would love to have this attachment but it is very rare and therefore also quite expensive.  Doesn't it look like fun!

http://youtu.be/KvkK1XTR9Jo

Also this one for darning socks

Or making ruffles, oh wait, I do have this, I haven't had a chance to try it yet but I will soon.

Anyway, all this lusting after parts had me perusing eBay.  After awhile it starts to dawn on me, most of the people selling sewing machine parts have no clue what they are selling.  They are either mislabeled, and/or mispriced.  The one that really got me thinking was the "rare Singer Kenmore parts for sale!"  Of course when you add rare the price is automatically higher but for a Frankenstein machine it was ridiculous.

This got me wondering how things end up being sold on eBay as a Frankenstein machine, when they were probably at one time owned by someone who loved them dearly.  Neither of my kids sew, horrifying right?  So, I suppose when I am gone my sewing machines and parts may end up on eBay.  And, unless I get my stuff together they could end up being sold as Singer Kenmore Bernina Innova parts!  So, since I was in the middle of cleaning my sewing space anyway, I have now started labeling parts and have designated boxes for each machine.  I don't want my babies sold as Frankenstein parts!

I stopped cleaning and sorting long enough to finish these bags for my sisters.  This is a Lazy Girl Design called Miranda Day Bag.  I love all the pockets inside.  The outside fabric is from my mom's clothes.  Two are from a denim dress and two from a bright blue pants outfit.  I embroidered a flower on each and quilted some flowers and a hummingbird.  I added a colorful lining because my mom liked color.  The two black bags are for my daughter and myself.  They are from a jacket that already had the colorful stitching, I did echo quilting around the stitching.

I just finished piecing a back for my sampler quilt today.  I liked the last back I pieced so had to try again.  Here is the sampler.

Here is the back.  The strips of color are the same fabric used as a lattice between the blocks on the front of the quilt.

Now to get it on the longarm.

I spent several days trying to get my old Kenmore going.  It has an invisible zipper foot which would help for making clothes.  Instead I have one ordered for my Bernina (it's on back order) because I killed my Kenmore. 😥

Also spent several days trying to get my Bernina to talk to my laptop so I could download embroidery designs.  Managed to download one design and they quit talking.  Still working on that problem. 

Have a creative day

Janet