Retreat Quilt is Bound, Labeled, Done!

I can finally count this one as a finish.  That’s a good thing, since I just started a new project.

New Project for the New Year

I fell in love with a block-of-the-month  being offered by my local quilt shop this year called the “Be Attitudes” quilt.  The design is by Nancy Halvorsen and the patterns were published in this book.

 

We will receive kits for two blocks each month for six months. Here is the first one I worked on. 

 

 

I swapped out a few fabrics with some from my own stash and I need to find some embroidery floss before I can make the French knots for the angel's eyes.  I think this will be a fun diversion while I press forward with my Jane Stickle blocks.  Unfortunately the colors are not true in this photograph.  I am so glad that Blogger appears to have fixed the problem that made uploading photographs so difficult.

Mug Rugs

 

 

My mug rug swap partner has received her rug so I can show you what I made for her.  It is the red one at the top.  I enjoyed making it so much, I made two more using my batik scraps. 

 

I experimented with a cheater binding on the last two that involved bringing the backing fabric to the front, much like the utility quilts that my grandmother made.  My only complaint is that it was very difficult to square the blocks up using this method, and they are wonky as a result.  I like them, though, and they are on their way as a surprise to two friends.

 

Blogger still has issues with uploading photos.  I do hope they find a fix soon.



Back to Sit 'N Sew

 

I made five anti-ouch pouches for breast cancer patients at Sit ‘N Sew today.  They will go with me to the quilt club meeting tomorrow where another team of volunteers is responsible for stuffing and delivering them to the appropriate clinics.  I understand our group has been asked to provide 1,000 this year.

This was the first time I had seen some of my sewing buddies in over a month.  Christmas Day and New Years Day both fell on Tuesday.  That along with other commitments and weather issues just made it impossible to join the group when it did meet.  Today was a fun day.

Fun Mail!

I received the neatest mug rug from Linda, my swap partner, in yesterday’s mail.  The workmanship on it is masterful and I am so very pleased.  If you look at the detail in the pieced heart you can see that the sections look like they are woven together.  I am really going to enjoy it.  Thank you, Linda!

My rug for Linda is finished and it will go in the mail either Monday, or Tuesday, depending on when I can make it to the Post Office.  Tuesday is our official mailing deadline, so I pushed it to the absolute last minute this round.  I’ll try to be more prompt next time. 

 

Another Vintage Sewing Box

This sewing box belonged to my grandmother.  I have no idea of its real age, but I do know she died in 1953, making it at least 60 years old.  When my aunts and uncles began breaking up their households, one of them mentioned that it was in the attic and casually asked if I would like to have it.  I had never seen it and knew nothing of its condition, but am so very glad I said yes.  Some months later it made its way into my possession and I prize it greatly.  It is very fragile and its design does not make the best use of space in my sewing room.  So, it serves as an end table in our guest room.  It is one of the few items belonging to my paternal grandmother that I own. 

 

I am linking up with with Coloradolady's Vintage Thingie Thursday page.  Her post today is of special interest to me because it features homes in the city where I grew up, Austin, Texas.

Quick Trip to the Ranch...and What's This White Stuff?

The last of the family that had been visiting with us pulled out for South Texas Tuesday. I fulfilled some commitments on Wednesday and we hauled out to the ranch for some down time Thursday night prior to more company arriving later today.

While there I put my retreat quilt on the frame and quilted it using a pantograph from Urban Elementz called Denise’s Spirals.  It worked up quickly except when I blinked at the wrong moment and caught myself switching directions and retracing lines that had already been stitched.  I think fatigue must have been getting the best of me.  I had not had an opportunity to use my quilter since June, so I was pretty rusty.  The quilt is now ready for the addition of binding and a label.
 

 

We woke up this morning to a very novel sight for Central Texas…snow!  The temps were above freezing, so nothing lasted for long, but it was fun to watch.

Vintage Sewing Boxes

I have always had a love for vintage wooden objects, especially those related to sewing.  For a number of years I have been on a quest to find one of these Wheeler & Wilson boxes at a price I could afford.  When Wheeler & Wilson sewing machines were in production, these boxes were used to hold the accessories that came with the machines.  I don’t know how old this little box is.  According to some information I found online, Singer took over Wheeler & Wilson in 1905 and continued manufacturing a machine under that name until 1913.  So, it may be 99 years or older even though the listing said it dated to the 1940s.  I took a risk when I made the purchase because the pictures did not show the box’s interior.  Fortunately, the red felt lining is still intact.

The other wooden box in the picture is made from two treadle sewing machine cabinets that were hinged together so that one serves as a lid.  I found it at an antique store long before we moved from Alabama and I resumed quilting.

I am linking up with Suzanne's vintage thingies party for the first time.