Saturday, December 7, 2013

New Quilt and old machines

    Today, I speed made a comfort quilt for a 9 yr. old girl undergoing aggressive cancer treatment. I got an email from someone requesting this quilt for a girl in another city. I did not think I could do it. However, I remembered I had my mother sew strips together from a jelly roll I bought at Jelly roll fabric during a sale. I had her sew 4 strips together, light and dark alternating. She can handle straight sewing. I pulled them out and if I cut them into 8 1/2" blocks, it gave me 20. I arranged them in the split rail design and used the leftovers to make a strip of 2 1/2" squares for the top and bottom. I had some purple that I cut into 4" strips to border, and then a blue for the sides. It looks custom I hope. I quilted 4 heart shapes meeting in the center of each block with Glide. The borders I quilted with hearts in pink Isacord. I kind of made up designs for the scrap strips and side borders also in pink Isacord. A pink binding done with the glue method, sewed to the front, flipped and glued to the back, sewed from the front in the ditch with invisible thread, YLI, and Aurifil in the bobbin. I put pockets on the purchased tote bag and made a quilt card. I just need to get a book for her. I use When God and Cancer Meet by Lynn Eib for the adult bags, but have not found a good book for children. Any recommendations? I think I will try and find a kid Chicken Soup for the Soul quick.





   Besides getting the 201 up and running, two people brought me machines to revive. Ruthy brought me her grandma's White 639 which had a shredded belt and frayed wire to the controller. A guild member brought me an inherited Kenmore 158.1650 which also needs a belt and was frozen up. Soaking with Tri Flow has it moving. So, the order for parts is out to Sew-Classic and when it comes in, hopefully these two will be done and gone before the holidays.


Kenmore 158.1650 with yucky masking tape to get off, why do they do that?

White 639 soaking in the oil

3 comments:

Peg said...

It's really amazing how fast you can put together your comfort quilts. I'm sure that little girl will love hers. Don't know if you ever read this book: "The Four Agreements" by Miguel Ruez (it's "universally" spiritually oriented - not necessarily "Christian"), but easy to read and be inspired. I try to follow it's advice every day.

Elizabeth said...

I love that quilt! I want to learn how to do the FMQ. very sweet. Both of those machines are workers. I prefer the Kenmore. The White, if you are lucky, won't be too stuck. I find the Stitch length knob to be a problem on Whites. STUCK. Oil and heat. As you know. Goo Gone will help get the tape off, BTW.

Linda Swanekamp said...

As soon as the belts come in, I will see how the machines run. I am not sure how to choose the stitching on the white, the big circle knob, I don't understand it. The Kenmore is pretty straight forward. Love to FMQ, show you anytime.