Saturday sew-in status...

1. Piece Maltese Stars step #5 - DONE!

2. Piece Blue Ridge Beauty blocks into a top (and open up my design wall!) - SORTA DONE!
I pieced the blocks together into the quilt center, but haven't added borders yet. However, my design wall was finally clear again :0)

3. Write step 2 of Raven Stars - DONE.

4. Piece 1 OR 13 more Red Blossom (Pineapple Blossom) blocks - NOT DONE, but the blocks have taken over my design wall.


DH was off of work early yesterday, so he volunteered to drive the 80 miles down to Eau Claire to pick up my machine that has been sitting, waiting, since Monday. Ah yes, a lovely husband :0) Mind you, he also enjoyed his stop at the Sporting Goods store down in that area... :0) The verdict on my machine: a gear had loosened which is why is was so noisy, and the fact that the gear was loose was causing my needle/bobbin to be out-of-sync. No gear replacement was needed; just a tightening.

And all day long, I've been working some more on the RRCB HST units as my leaders-enders project.

But now...I'm a bit peetered-out. DH was up bright and early at 5:30 to head out with a family friend for a day of ice-fishing. As hard as he really tries at being silent, it still doesn't matter. I'm such a light sleeper. He apologized when I came rolling out of the bedroom at 5:45, but I simply shrugged and said "no biggy." It's the weekend! No stress and I can get my day started before the girls wake up.

Perseverance despite!

For those of you who have been around my site for awhile, you'll know that this is (sadly) not the first time my sewing table looks a little bare..... **sigh**....

I was up a bit earlier than a normal Saturday. Candace slept with me (although it was more like sleep/spin-in-circle/kick-mom-in-face type of sleeping for her). By 7:15, I had already read up on the latest blog posts and had a cup of coffee down, so I headed downstairs to start working on the Maltese Star mystery, step #3. This step was actually posted last Friday, so I am was a week behind since I wasn't home last weekend, nor was able to get much sewing in this week. A little before 9:00; step #3 was complete.

I then took a quick coffee and bagel break, but got right back to things after printing out step #4 that was posted yesterday.

I dunno....I was clippin' along.....and I noticed my machine had a "noise." My best description; it sounded like an ol' hand-crank model engine....she was "laboring."

Then my thread broke......twice. The 2nd time, I took everything apart, did some oiling.....and tried again.

Then.....click, click, click, click.

The needle and bobbin were out of time/sync. The same thing that was wrong last July.

:0(

So my buddy Lee was called; told him the symptoms, and let him know that I'd be arriving in one-n-a-half hours.

**sigh**
Not QUITE how I wanted to spend much of my day, but what's one to do when the closest Bernina dealer is 80 miles away?

Before I left, I sorted some piles of clothes and showed Cass how to run the washer/dryer again. I figured she could at least continue a few loads while I was away.

I also put my thinking cap on before I left! I decided to stop at the Public Library on my way out of town in order to check out a book-on-CD. A 90 minute one-way drive allows for too much "thinking time," and with everything that's going on lately around my school district, I simply didn't want to "think."

Short version: 11:15 a.m. 90 minute drive. "Hi Lee. Here it is." "Okay Amy, looks like she'll have to stay at the shop for awhile." "Yeah, I figured that much. Keep in touch!" Subway lunch stop. 60 minute drive. Stop at Walmart to buy valentines and other necessities. 30 minute drive. Back home. 3:00 p.m.

2 minutes later......my ol' standby Brother machine was out on my sewing table, and I was back at it!

By 4:00, I was finishing up step #4.

I've spent about 4 hours downstairs since dinner working on details for the Raven Stars quilt along. If you haven't read about that yet, the informational post will give you all the details so far.

I also spent some time pressing part of the bazillion HST's needed for Bonnie Hunter's RRCB step 5. I thought I took a picture of the 120 HST's I pressed together tonight, but obviously I didn't, cuz dey ain't on da camera card! But, before I completely turn everything off downstairs this evening, I reminded myself (FINALLY) to remove my ironing board cover in order to throw it in the washer. I LOVE the homemade spray starch recipe from CrazyMom, but it sure cakes up on the cover. This'll be the first time I've washed the cover.

My Brother is not a super-great piecing machine, but definitely better than nothing! I need to wiggle the fabric pieces around quite a bit in order to get and keep a consistent 1/4" seam. I'm sure glad I decided NOT to get rid of it when I purchased the Bernina!

And finally.....


G O   P A C K !!!!!

Home again...in a QUIET house....

There is something to having peace-n-quiet....but now that the girls are older and more independent, it isn't as easy to "let them go" for a couple of weeks while I'm doing classwork. In years past, I will openly admit that having a break from the constant "neediness" of them at their younger ages was nice.... but now, so much more can be done with them during the summer, and two (maybe even THREE) weeks is a long time to be apart. ...... DH and I headed out from my sister's around 12:30 this afternoon, waving goodbye to the girls as we left for the 5.5 hour drive back home across the state. They will stay with my sister for a week, and then be handed over to my parents for another week (or two).

We drove through two storms along the way; one of the eastern part of the state, and the other on the western part of the state.

OH!!! AND GOOD NEWS! My sewing machine techie worked out a "hand-off" with his neighboring business "Chicken Unlimited" for me to pick up the Bernina since the quilt shop isn't open on Sundays. I should have taken a pic of the chicken place, but simply wanted to get my machine, say SUPER DUPER THANKS to them for being willing to "babysit" my machine so that I could save a 3 hour round-trip some OTHER time in the week to pick up my machine, and be on our merry way again.

So....DH and I already took a walk through the garden, picked a container full of cucumbers, did some minor weeding, unpacked the car and bags (a little bit), and are sitting reading through the mail and just relaxing after the drive.

Thank you for all the CONGRATS comments for our 12th year; he IS a keeper for sure :0)
Happy Sunday.

A comment from Sandi B (no-reply)

And Sandi writes....


Sandi B has left a new comment on your post "Someone take MURPHY AWAY!!!! - UPDATE":

I have an older Bernina 1090 that is very fussy about the thread I use. If I use anything besides Aurifil (extremely low lint and slubs), the machine will get knocked out of time & has to go into the shop to be reset. If I had to place a bet on yours, I'd say you also have one that's picky about what thread it wants. While the Aurifil is pricey to start with, it's certainly cheaper than going in for service AND the thread lasts FOREVER!! You might give it a whirl! Nice quilts, by the way!


THANKS for the input Sandi! I'll have to ask my tech guy if he thinks that may be the problem and invest in some Aurifil!

Someone take MURPHY AWAY!!!! - UPDATE

The day started lovely....caught up on blogs and emails. Was downstairs by 9:00!

Judy's June Mystery step #5 called to me first since it was still on the table, partially sewn. All 18 blocks done (2 identical blocks of 9 different colors). I haven't peeked yet to see if step #6 is posted. {{NOT that I'll sew it today!!!!---this'll make sense more by the end of the post}}

Then I moved to Dizzy - QOV Mystery #22, and it's living up to its name!!! Here's one of the blocks...

...and the other. This mystery kept me CLUELESS right up to the end.


Being on a roll, I pieced the top together, lickity-split!
Yes, yes.....Dizzy is DEFINITELY a perfect name for this quilt!!!!!

And...GRRRRRRRR.......as I was sewing on the final border.....

click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-....

ummmm.......yeah.....that'd be an attempt to demonstrate what my machine was saying to me...
;0(

And NO...that's not my Bernina packed up for a sewing retreat :0( She's packed up, off to the doctor.....**sigh**. Maybe she wanted that needle-threader fixed sooner than later, so she put up a fuss! **sigh**..... Again, I'm no "doctor," but the needle and bobbin are "missing each other." I called Lee down at my fix-it-up shop (OVER an hour away!!!), and he said what I expected. "Can you bring her in?" So....I'll wait until DH gets home; he needs to head down that way for something, too, so maybe we can make the trip a family outing. **yet another sigh** I'm really not trying to comercialize Bernina as a bad machine/company. I REALLLLY love my machine; I think I was just unlucky and got a lemon of a machine :0(

pout-pout

Good thing Cassie has lost some interest in sewing over the past few days because.....
Trusty ol' Brother made an appearance again. Grrrrrr.....I STILL don't know how I survived with this machine for so long! I guess, what one doesn't know won't hurt her, huh? After my Bernina, other machines just don't "have it."

I contemplated putting the Juki on the table for piecing....

but maybe this minor setback is a way for Murphy to say...."get some quilting done!!!!" I pulled out Seven Shirts last Friday, debating if I wanted to load it up in the frame. Is this a lil' push, ya think???

Or maybe I will attempt to do some piecing with the Brother, because Dizzy is just a wee bit too small for my liking. I pulled out the pinwheels I made from the bonus triangles cut from earlier steps.....time to tinker.....

Happy Tuesday. Your day HAS to be going smoother than mine!

3:19 update
I gave my Brother a lil' hug, and said..."Alright girl! You and I know you're not my #1 anymore, but you'll still treat me right, right?"

Dizzy Plus (61" x 71")

Thanks Brother 'ol gal! What should we attack next???

Moondance recipient smiled :0) and....needle threader!!!

The picture says it all. She said she loved it {{and I believe her}}
I shared the story of the Too Good to Cut Challenge, so that tickled her fancy even MORE, knowing that she was receiving fabric that was "too pretty for me to cut into." I truly truly truly LOVE giving quilts away when the recipients are as appreciative as Dolly!!!



Do you have a threader on your machine?
Do you LIKE your threader??

{{pout-pout}}
I LIKE MINE TOO!

but you see that piece of metal???

And now the question becomes: Just HOW important is this threader to me? Enough to give up my machine for a few days for it to be fixed??? Or can it wait until my annual servicing???

{{shrug}}

I'm fine without it {{I GUESS}} if it means I can sew, sew, sew!!!

Alycia's quilter's accountability post today guilted me, challenged me into pulling out my Carolina Christmas partial top to git 'r done! I am in the process of borders; I can't exactly remember. So, that's my goal tomorrow!

Losing patience; quilting frame experience learning tips--{{UPDATE}}

Okay...three hours into quilting this thing and I need a break! It is soooooooo slow! And putzy!

I'm tyring my Bernina on the frame; I lose about 2 inches of quilting space, but I knew I wanted to try some more precise quilting, so I really wanted a stitch regulator available.

So...a few things I've learned....

a) It's hard to see the quilting area when on the Bernina. Here's my line of view from the front. Can you see the needle?
Yeah...me either. So, I've had my Yoga alotment for the day trying to maneauver to see where I'm going...bending to the left, bending to the right, squatting down in front...

b) The Juki98 quilts MUCH faster, but no regulator :0(

c) Doing echo quilting with only 5" of quilting space IS NOT fun, easy {{or very consistent}} when the blocks are 8+. :0( Once I get this thing done, I'll show you the attempt at echo quilting around the flowers.

d) Until I either get i) a larger throated machine or ii) a stitch regulator for the Juki, I will most likely stick to pantographs or simple {{thoughtless}} meandering designs.

Alright, alright.....another hour and THEN maybe I'll hang up the quilting shoes for the day....


**{{sigh}}**
It WOULD be nice to finish this today before DH needs to leave for Marshfield, cuz then he could take it with him to deliver to MIL {{oh yeah...it's her quilt she asked me quilt up for her}}. But I don't think that's going to happen.....

2:00
Alright...I stuck the "git 'er done" motto in my head.....

Six hours of quilting, and it's finished....

Echo quilting around each of the flowers; my first real attempt at it...

The flowers had such a "poof" to them that was fun, so I onlly did a little swirly-gig on four of the petals...Can you see in this picture?

Here's a darker flower...

....hmmm....looking at this picture makes me think I could have (should have) done a swirly-gig on each petal. Oh well...se'la'vee (sp?)....it's already in DH's truck on its way to MIL. It is what it is.....

Okay---2:00.....lots of day time left; cloudy, rainy day (AGAIN)....
Cassie is begging to sew, so I'll see about setting her up on my Brother.
Cassie is begging for a "purse," so I'll kill two birds with one stone...

A week in review; 4 finishes; Bernina back *yippee*; Stash Report 3/8-3/14

First things first----
after another week of mostly NO sewing, my Bernina shop guy called me Friday afternoon to let me know she was fixed. Directly after school, I hauled my lil' tuckus down to Eau Claire to pick it up before the shop closed at 6:00. I JUST made it!!!! With a few other stops on the way back home, I waltzed in around 8:30; too late to really begin any sewing.

But Saturday-------whoa yeah!
Quilts for Kids - NICU quilt #1 quilted {{Precious One}}


Quilts for Kids - NICU quilt #2 quilted {{Beary Precious}}


And Quilts for Kids - NICU quilt #3 quilted {{another Beary Precious}} -- NO PIC.

Then I moved on to Paintbox quilting.....


Family time-out

Paul took Candace out fishing on Tuesday, with his brother and buddy. I don't have a picture of the ice TODAY (Paul didn't take the camera), but we have (finally) had some warm weather hit us since Tuesday---hitting near 60 today. Actually, I haven't checked actual temps today, but I would beg to say it was over 60 degrees. It was GORGEOUS today!!!!! Set up Cassie's basketball hoop, grabbed the shovel and moved some dirt around in the front yard......
(fish from last week....)

anyway......
back to sewing....
Today, I worked a bit on some WIP blocks.....
Carolina Christmas -- 15 more of step 4....


Another Hannah's Rotation. GOSH---putzy, putzy pattern. Very much like putting together a puzzle....


Paintbox - set number 8...



I usually don't set goals for a week, BUT...
I need to label 12 quilts this week so they can be handed over to MIL next weekend. She is setting up for a craft sale the last weekend of March and she is willing to put some of my quilts out...

• Class Act (baby/crib)
  
• Steppin' Out (full)
  
• Christmas Lights (throw)
  
• Irish Chain (lap)
  
• Lucidity (throw/twin)
  
• Double Wedding Ring (wall-hanging)
  
• Candy Dish (previously Now-n-Forever) (lap)
  
• Kaleidoscope (baby/crib)
  
• Paintbox (lap)
  
• Baby Pin (previously Pinwheels and Prairies) (baby/crib)
  
• and then the three Quilts for Kids labels
  

Stash Report: March 8 - 14
Used this week: 6.569 yards
Purchased this week: 0 yards
Used-to-date 2010: 77.304 yards
Purchased-to-date 2010: 86.25 yards
Net used: -8.946 yards

Happy Sunday

Happy PI Day too!!!!! (3.14159.......)

Machine needs surgery, been cutting and cleaning, Wanna see how much you know?

Okay...sad news from the Tech Guy on my Bernina; a "unique injury" that doesn't occur too often has occurred. It will require ordering parts and a day or two of a "learning curve" since he has never seen this "injury" before. All I know is: warranty SHOULD (it BETTER!!!!!) cover the parts (she's ONLY 19 months old!), and that she'll need another full week before she'll be on the mend :0(

So....Brother, ya gotta keep helping me out.

I sewed up Set #6 of Paintbox blocks Monday night (pics in camera downstairs--too lazy to get it).
Then last night, I had a weird motivation of CLEANING and de-CLUTTERING! I took some before pics (again, downstairs in camera), but no after pics yet. I'm not quite finished. So, that's on the agenda as soon as I finish up this post.

Finally, I receive a weekly email from About.com: Quilting. There was a fun link that is worth sharing....check it out:

Know your blocks? Try this quiz!
NOTE: My score was 16/30. Yikes! BUT, give me a math quiz, and I'd kick yer butts! :0)
Happy Wednesday!

Paintbox 3, 4 & 5; Carolina Christmas part 5

I've been getting a couple of hours of sewing in each night....
Wednesday night: Paintbox set #3 (hit the blues)

Thursday night: Paintbox #4 (in come the greens)

Tonight: Paintbox #5 (and the yellows)
These are so fun and quick to sew up; right around an hour from cutting-start to pressing-finish. Oh----can you find the boo-boo on set #5? When I realized what I had done, I simple said..."psht! Hardly noticeable, specially once all 80 blocks will be sewn together." You see it yet?


And I've also been working on Carolina Christmas step 5's Pointsetta blocks; 10 completed Wednesday evening, and 11 more tonight.

I am SOOOO thankful I have my Brother as a backup machine. My piecing is DEFINITELY not as good using it, but.....hey! At least I can still sew!!!! I have plans to hit the road tomorrow AM a bit before 8:00 so I can get to the shop by 9:00 to drop off my Bernina. Sadly, I won't be able to get it back until the following weekend because it can't get looked at tomorrow. So LAUREL-----if you are around, I'll be at Sew Complete at 9:00!!! ;0) But I'll be turning around right away; I don't want to "waste" the day completely.

Happy Friday :0)

Determined, despite "surgery"...Now or Forever sees a finish!

The morning started later than usual, awaiting my parent's departure, but eventually I found myself chaining through 104 broken dishes for Carolina Christmas, part #4.

Then I grabbed Now or Forever and started quiltin' along....until ...."cher-chuck, chuck, clickity-click, click....."...

The sound sure wasn't normal, so I figured I'd give the machine a good cleaning and oiling. Sadly, it didn't help. I'm not a technician, but I have trouble-shooted it a bit----the needle/bobbin-case are "missing" each other. Either the needle is a fraction of a second too early, or the bobbin case is a bit late. ((**sigh**)). So, after sitting STUMPED for a few moments (maybe 10 ???), I finally faced the inevitable and packed her up for a trip to the shop. Sadly the shop is an hour away, so she'll have to wait until the weekend, which will mean at LEAST another week after THAT before I get her back....

....so ol' standy-by "Brother" made an appearance.
I was soooooooo close to being finished with the quilting, and I remember the frustration I used to have with the Brother when it came to FMQ...BUT, after a practice patch and adjustment of the tension, I was off-n-runnin' again! By mid-afternoon, the quilting was completed and binding sewn on, still awaiting hand-stitching though. I don't have a walking foot for the Brother and I SURE MISS IT!!!!!! In fact, there are a FEW things I am now taking for granted on the Bernina 440 QE that my Brother doesn't have...
1) The needle up/down feature
2) the on/off button when FMQ
3) the stitch regulator! But it sure was fun and relaxing to take the quilting at a nice leisurely pace.
4) the needle threader (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
5) the 1/4" foot
6) the bigger "table"
...to name a few...
but, she came through when I needed her.

And then.......with only an hour left of guilt-free quilting time, I figured it was a perfect opportunity to tackle the "true" Paintbox quiltalong. (See side bar for link).
Carol (Cornfield Quilter) sent this BEAUTIFUL jelly roll of Moda fabrics when she returned Perkiomen Daydreams from quilting. What a lovely PIF gift!!!!!!!!!

The quilt-along uses 10" squares for the "focal" fabric part, but the pattern works perfectly with 2.5" strips too! I first cut off 2.5" square, then a 2.5"x3.5" rectangle for the back, then need to thin the strip to 1.75"....

JUST enough is available in the strip to cut 2 each of 6.5" 5", 4", and 2.5" rectangles!!! It's was meant to be.


My first set of Oh Fransson Paintbox's :0)

I'm a bit behind, but should be able to catch up in no time. As clearly shown in the picture, I am doing the variation with white. Thanks again CANDACE for the beautiful motivational Paintboxes on your blog!!!!