A much better day

 Hubby Dear let me buy the Bernina 530 which is a wonderful domestic sewing machine with just enough bells and whistles for my needs.  Above is how some of the stitches looked before the surge protector with battery back up.  Not so good  not all the outlets in my house have adequate power to run the machine to her potential.

 This is how the stitches look with full power.  Perfect even stitches.  After playing with the stitches just to see how they look I sewed a pair of pajamas for me from my stash of fabrics.  These interlock knits must be 30 years old,  I bought them when my boys were little and I was sewing little  t shirts and placket front shirts for them.
 As much as I love piecing quilts its fun to use some other stitches once in a while and play with the many different feet for the machine.  The blind hem foot was a whiz for hems and the waist band.  The stretch stitch with a ball point needle and the edging foot made the seams a breeze. And an overcast stitch to make the scalloped edge on the neck and sleeves. Practical application certainly helps the memory the next time I need to turn a hem.  Three mastery sewing classes were included with the purchase of the machine.  One more class on Friday.  I learned so much about the features of the machine and little bit of information that just make some sewing chores easy, super easy.  And a refresher course on choosing the right needle for the fabric and task.  Did you know the quilting needle is for piecing not quilting and you should use a larger needle for binding because you are going through more thicknesses of fabric and batting?  I had forgotten a lot of important information. The classes are on line  at sewingmastery.com taking them in person has been the best.  I hadn't sewn a knit for so long that I had forgotten how much I needed to pin to keep the seams from rolling.  You know my mantra with quilting is its not for 4-H 

but I was beginning to think it could be for 4-H
if I were a few decades younger because I was having so much fun and the inside was looking almost as good as the outside.  
Just enjoying the process.  --Ann--

One of those days

 I woke up to another gloomy grey day, Tuesday, that makes 4 in a row.   I'm ready for some blue sky and sunshine.  I finished sewing the blocks together over the weekend.  My intentions were to pin this quilt top and two others yesterday but.............the day just fell apart.
I sent a text to a friend with a pic of this quilt because she had a cold so thought this might bring some cheer anyway I unintentional sent a group text to 8 of her friends oops.  I hope the colors brought a little cheer to everyone.
Then I tried to sew a couple quilt labels, that didn't work,  I have too many projects going in my sewing room and I just couldn't focus on anything.  I tried sewing on my new machine and my stitches weren't right something about wall outlets and the computer components in the machine so I tried a different surge protector, still didn't help.
Go make lunch.  Crustless quiche with leeks, and mushrooms and a little garlic and onion and a red pepper from my brother.  Saute all the vegetables, chop the pepper and toss it in the mix.  Funny smell in the house followed by a tickle in the throat and a  little coughing and a drippy nose, hubby had the same problem.  It was the hot pepper I had been warned that it was hot.  Bake the quiche.  No problems.  Eat a slice of quiche, my lips were burning and my fingers were burning but not bad I did use a fork to eat.
Make a trip to the W store for a surge protector and a few other things,  there are surge protectors in 3 different spots in the store.  How do I make a comparison? and what are Joules and how many do I need?  
Then to the grocery store, I get the slow check out with the customer who is pushing the limits with cases of pop and presents another coupon after the total, two visits from the supervisor to re check the total then her credit card didn't work, she pulled out another one.  Some people have all the patience in the world for saving a couple pennies.  Finally my turn, no problems.
So I push my cart out to the parking lot and unlock my car, put my purse on the seat then go to the back to open the boot.  It won't open.  Push the button some more go to the the drivers door it won't open.  Its locked with my purse, cell phone and key fob locked in the car.  Push my cart back into the store and go back to the pharmacy because hubby answers the phone if its the pharmacy.  Call hubby Whadidjado that for?  Well it just happened.  He gets to the parking lot and pushes his fob, opens the boot and unlocks the doors and didn't even stop.  But he did roll down his window so he can here me say thank you.  I'm home just a minute after him.  So he carries in the groceries.  I love that man!
I get the groceries put away, make a cup of coffee and try the surge protector.  The machine is still not working right, call the dealership.  Apparently not all the outlets in my house get the same amount of electricity, it worked just dandy when it was sitting on top of the deep freeze so it could be plugged in by the electrical board.  Another trip to the W store to return the surge protector and get one with a battery back up.  That's plugged in and charging.  It needs to charge for 8 hours!  Use the old machine to make a couple quilt labels.  After supper settle in and sew the labels to the quilts and watch NCIS and do some knitting.
My thumb hurts.  Like its been burned.  Odd.  Stick my thumb in my mouth, my tongue is burning.  The oil from that hot pepper is still under my nail.  How many times did I wash my hands??
I sure hope today is a better day. --Ann--

New quilt on the design wall

 I was tired of cutting strips so I looked at what I had cut and thought this pile will be a blue and yellow quilt with white.  Cut triangles, sew strips and cut segments then sew, sew, sew.  Put things on the wall, step back and look.......scatter the yellow 4 patches throughout the quilt and look some more.  Looking at the segments in the blocks is like playing a game of solitaire, I look for things out of place then put them in order.  I want my 4 patches in rows and I don't want matching fabric touching and I want the yellows evenly distributed.  The new device is no help at all in the sewing room all she says is "I'm not sure" then I asked her to play some music and she was happy.  --Ann--

Blogger's Quilt Fest

In 2012 a country school classmate asked me to make three queen size quilts for his kids for Christmas.  He asked me in October of that year  I just laughed and laughed like anyone came make 3 queen size quilts in 2 and a half months who has a life and other projects on the table.  He saw my point and I agreed to make them for Christmas the next year.  He liked those quilts so much that he asked me to make another one for him.  This is the 5th quilt I have made of this pattern.  Piecing the log cabin and fan blocks was tedious since I had done it before but when I got to the quilting it sprang to life.  I quilted the rings one at a time but saved the center for last because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do.  After quilting 5 quilts of the same patterns my machine quilting lines became straighter and the fmq in the background more free but also more uniform. Amazing what practice does to ones ability.  If you want to see the other quilts click on log cabins in the side bar and scroll back if you go back far enough you will also see my design process for the piecing and the machine quilting.  --Ann--
Linking to Amy's Creative Side Fall 2017 Blogger's Quilt Fest.

Technology and knitting

Darling son gave me another techno device, the kind that will answer questions or do things for me.  He gave me a K.....coffee maker a couple years ago which makes it way to easy to drink way too much coffee.  Many of the things she could do need more technology to make it possible like rewiring the house to make everything wifi compatible.  He tried to set it up before he went fishing with his dad but it required some phone calls to our techno service supplier.  So it sat for the week with me getting used to the idea of something that will play music on command and answer all my daily questions.  Like what are you making for supper?  This link appeared on that social media place that can suck up a lot of anyones time.  I laughed and laughed then dried my eyes and laughed some more.  Darling daughter was home again this time for the Garth Brooks concert which she said was AWSOME.  Hubby and I have tickets for this weekend.  She took care of some techno problems for me like ordering a new screen protector for my phone because it blew off a table and broke then bless her heart she set up the new device, she was on the computer and her phone and my phone because it needed to have an app to make the new device work and our internet service needed more "hertz" to work everything and 2 hours later I can give it my first command.  So I say "A.... would you  finish knitting these socks for me?"  She rattles off the name of a book that tells me how and how much it is and asks me if she should order it!  Needless to say we were all laughing to tears again.  Then I asked her to play some Marty Robbins because he is my all time favorite singer.  He has been gone for 30 some years and I hardly ever hear his songs on the radio.  Then hubby told her not to play so loud twice then told her enough because football was on.  I'm taking her to my sewing room and I may ask her what she think will go with this color and where I should put that block.  About the socks.......the sister of a classmate asked me to knit socks to match or nearly match the Christmas socks she and her siblings had as children.  I put a row of trees in rather than the Santa face because I as always am knitting from the toe up.  The book the device suggested is a toe up book which I already have!! She does know things about me, that's scary.   --Ann--

Dog Days

I was going to write a whiney post about summer passing too quickly and then I had my son's dog for a few days. The morning walk was rather pleasant but the late afternoon walk was hot!! I'm ready for cooler days.  She is such a sweetheart and son trained her well.  She won't do the necessary in the short grass so we have to walk until we get away from the neat tidy lawns.  She also knows that at my house she should stay on the hard floor.  Occasionally when I would run downstairs she would be sitting at the top of the stairs on the carpet so I spread out a big terry towel and there she stays.  I miss having a dog except when it is really hot and no wind or hot and really windy, or really cold and windy or snowing sideways, or knee deep in snow, or raining, hmmm that takes care of the majority of days in South Dakota.  I've had my dog fix until the next time the guys go fishing or son goes to a work related meeting.  --Ann-

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Where do the days go???

The days make that weeks it felt like a month I was without a sewing machine I started cutting strips for the Dolly's Eclipse Quilt  and I cut extra.  Why cut one strip when I can cut a bunch right!?! So I have been cutting 2 inch, 3.5 inch, 2.5  inch and 4.5 inch strips of my pastel fabrics.  I need the full width of fabric for the 60 degree pinwheel quilt click, strips on left and I need 78 strips.  More cutting to do............  I don't want to start sewing until all the cutting is complete and the table is clear.  The next 2 inch strips are for 4 patches to go with 3.5 inch half square triangles or tri rec stars, those are not all full width of the fabric.  The 2.5 and 4.5 inch strips will be more  4 patches and half square triangles or tri rec stars only bigger.  So I continue to cut.  This will be another series of quilts because I have cut a lot of fabric.  It doesn't get used unless it gets cut, right.  

I pretty much used up my stash of soft pinks so I had to buy more. That hasn't happened for a long time that I ran out of a particular color in my stash.   A quilter needs the full spectrum of colors.  --Ann--

Lovely Weekend

 The guys went fishing so DD and I had  a girls weekend.  We spent a day shopping on Friday then Saturday we went to the local nature park for a walk then McCrory Gardens since it was insect day and free admission,  lots of educational displays showing the benefits of insects.  We skipped most of that and went straight for the flowers which were busy with insects.  Next stop was the local winery which was harvesting grapes and a tasting.  Home again and put our feet up and watched movies, ate pizza and wine.  It was a lovely weekend.  --Ann--

Eclipse Quilt

 I've been home for a week and a half and this is all I have to show for it.  Where do the days go??  Maybe I'll remember and post about it tomorrow.....................--Ann--

She's Back

 She's back and purring like a kitten.  I always find it amazing how something as innocuous as lint or a needle fragment can cause such a clatter in my machine.  While she was away a cousins's son and his wife had a new baby girl.  I had a boy quilt ready to go but they had a girl and named her Dolly Jean and wouldn't you know I had the exact right fabric to start the quilt in my stash.  A fat quarter with paper dolls and doll clothes.

 I chose fabrics to match the doll clothes as close as possible, some of the fabrics on the wall didn't make the cut but that is why I put them on the wall sometimes the golden yellows look like yuck brown next to a clearer yellow.

The navy star was on the edge at first then I moved it in and surrounded it with yellow stars because Dolly Jean was born the day of the eclipse.  Home again for me and my machine.  Hubby and I were on a short road trip to visit my uncle. Now back to the sewing room and stash sewing.  --Ann--