Catching Up

     When I looked at my camera, I realized I had not taken photos off in a while. I can't seem to do it quickly, as I label them as I take them off, put them in folders, and try to remember what is where. I don't just wholesale remove them in one folder as I know I will never get the time to sort them. A lot has happened since I took the first photos. My guild and some friends did a quilt retreat at Stella Niagara Center of Renewal in Lewiston, NY. Friday, Saturday and Sunday the last weekend of February was lots of fun. I kept quilting on one quilt, which is not done yet, so I am not showing it.
    Here are some of what other people worked on.

Ten minute table runner and purses

A quilt for WNY Heroes

Judy Niemeyer Paper Piecing

Twister pattern

     Before I left, I did two blocks for a collaborative quilt. It is a wonky star. I love the idea of wonky, don't know if I like the stars. I think I would have to crop the block smaller to be happy.

Batik scrap scarf

   I love scraps, tiny batik ones too. I have made some small wall quilts with them and I decided to try a scarf. I used 60" x 6" of sticky water soluble interfacing on my table and added background scraps, light blues. I overlapped and layered them. Then I added greens for leaves in separate areas. Last, I added colors for flowers. I was thinking roses, but I am not sure that is how they will turn out. Before I layered another water soluble interfacing piece on top (ran out of sticky water soluble), I drizzled a little washable Elmer's glue. Where the drops were too big, it ate through the top layer of interfacing. Hmm, better think that out better next time.
  Then I free motioned densely over all the scarf with YLI invisible thread on top and Bottom Line in the bobbin. Then, using blue Glide thread, I FMQ the blue background, the green thread over the leaves. I am debating about dissolving the interfacing now, and then FMQ the flowers so I can see them better. I tried to photo the steps so you could see the process.

Laying out the background

Continuing to add pieces

Lengthwise

 

Layering leaves and flowers

Flowers down the length

Free motion with Singer 15, works like a charm

Blue thread being added

Green thread on leaves

Cat in the woods

    After painting class, I put my snow scene (based on a photo from the Thanksgiving quilt retreat), on a chair. Unfortunately it was the favorite chair of Cassie and she climbed up as usual to nap. It was a big humorous, like she was in the woods. 
   

The painting looks washed out here from the flash, but you get the idea

     Last week was my baby girl's birthday. She is 28. Yikes, how did that happen? She loves the ADK, so I made her a scene on her card. Batik scraps, heavy weight interfacing, free motion quilting, variegated blue Isacord thread, metallic thread, yarn edging on cardstock. Wouldn't a whole quilt look great like this?

Pin basting and tables

    For my Christmas present, my husband bought me 3, 6' tables- the plastic ones that fold in half for storage. It was the best present. Finally, I can baste my quilts, and not lay them out not on the floor. It is great. Over the weekend, I was able to baste 4 quilts. I usually spray baste the lap size, but it is too cold for the spray to work outside. I hate to pin baste mostly because it rips up my fingers. I always leave the pins open in the container, but closing them is not fun. Someone at my guild suggested a grapefruit spoon. Lo and behold, there was one in my drawer. However, I did not know how I was supposed to use it, on what part of the pin? After about 10 minutes of fooling around, I realized that the serrated groove in the spoon holds the pointed shaft of the pin and the other hand pushed the clasp to it. Sorry, I am not the sharpest crayon in the box. So maybe someone would benefit from this simple tip, like I would have. I have to say, not one shredded or poked finger after 4 quilts, so it works like a charm. Don't you just love when something so simple works so elegantly?

3 new tables!

The inspector general checks out the pin basting

Catch the pointed shaft in the teeth of the spoon, it helps to tilt the spoon

Push the catch to the spoon and click, no ouchies

401 cleaned and out the door!

     The 401 is totally cleaned and tuned. I delivered it to its owner, the receptionist at my PT on my visit for the neck. After all the gunk was cleaned out and oiled. there was a little corrosion to the tension discs in the tension dial. I had to disassemble, polish and reassemble. Good thing I have a 401 so I could check I was putting it together right. I always forget to photo something before I take something apart. I guess I am just too eager to jump in and fix. There was some other corrosion starting in the hook and thread guides. It needed a new spool pin, new felts, a new bobbin tire and lots of oil. The finishing touch was polishing with TR3. Just love the stuff. It does not harm the decals and the shine is so glass-like. It was missing the drip pan, it sits in a cabinet and I could not talk her into buying one on ebay. It has all the accessories except the straight stitch foot. 

All shiny! Yes, I know the spool pin is still missing in this photo.
I had not drilled out the old one yet.

No more gunk or corrosion

All the lint scrapped out along with hard gunk.
Isn't that machining just gorgeous?

401 Bubble bath time!

   Well, not actually a bubble bath, but serious scrubbing time. The receptionist at my physical therapist's office told me about an old machine she had and didn't know if it was worth tuning. I told her to bring it and I would grab it at the next appointment. It was a wonderful 401! Her husband had bought it used for her when they got married. It was running, but very gunky with hardened oil and grease. I have it almost cleaned except for the tension dial and polishing with TR3. I used rubbing alcohol to get rid of the gunk with qtips and wooden pointed sticks in all the gears and cam stack. Everything was pretty hardened up and stuck on. I love when it all comes off and the metal looks like new. I have not taken the finished photos yet. It is a great machine.

Under the hook

Camstack with gunk

Handwheel removed

Needle bar area

Getting the values right

    I have been sewing, well mostly fighting with sewing machines. I have been having migraine issues which make it hard to get these blog posts written. However, I want to pass on a tip to get the values organized with a quilt. I am working on my daughter's quilt that is all curves (Circle Dance from January 20th)  and have to line up the values. I used the camera set on B&W to see the values and rearranged the fabric until it flowed from the darks to the lightest values. I find that the red cellophane window works mostly ok, but the turquoise values will read as really dark with the red. This value chart will help when I sew the curves together so I have the most contrast to keep the eye moving. I still tweaked a couple after the photo.

The two parts of the drunkards path from dark to light

You can see the progression much better in black and white