My new friend, Babe, the Longarm

I still can't believe the ad in the paper a couple of weeks ago.

It was true!  And the owner was so nice, I nearly started sobbing that she wanted to give her wonderful machine to me!

My family was great.  They moved things, SIL borrowed a trailer, rounded up help and we got her in!

I have a wonderful friend, Loretta Orsborn of Orsborn Specialty Quilting, and she came and helped me oil her and set up a practice quilt and she works beautifully!!!  She still needs a few things, like new leads and fresh thread, but I love her.

I've read it's a tradition to name your beautiful Longarm machine after a grandmother, so I've dubbed her "Babe", after the paternal grandmother I never got to meet.  I'm sure I could have learned a lot from her, but that's another story.

So Babe and I have been having lots of fun together.  She doesn't have any bells and whistles, but we get along good.  She's basic, just like me!

Hopefully future blogs will be full of pictures of wonderful quilts I've made and quilted.

New Projects!

I can't believe I haven't blogged since last November!  Well, here's a quick, ongoing project that I had fun starting at Loretta Orsborn's Bargello quilt class that started last Saturday.  I've tried to attach a downloaded photo of Loretta's quilt. It may our may not show up at the end.

The link to this class is at www.sweettreasuresquilts.com

It is simple amazing!  I hope my feeble attempts turn out even close to the movement in hers.

This is my main stripset

I

So tonight I'm sewing strip sets together.  I finished one as a sample but I need 12. So back to the machine!

It's Sewvember!

Well, I was just saying this evening that it's been about a year since I updated my blog.  Apparently google is telling me it's been a year and a half!  Time does fly!  There has been so much going on with all my needles but I'll just start with the fun of SewVember.

On Instagram, member Bimble and Pimble has started a challenge calling it the ever popular "Sewvember".  We are asked to post a picture each day according to the list she provides.  Since she is on Australia time and I am on US pacific time, I get a whole day extra to think about what picture to take to fit into the category. Here is the list:

So you can see how fun this has been.  With today being the 16th, I'm about halfway done.

Here are some of my posts:

This UFO is now finished.  The inspiration of the post got it out and done!  With a minor modification, I will probably now use it.  Picture next time.  (The recycled denim jeans are no longer my style as they would have been a few years ago when I cut it out)  The 14th.

Of Course I couldn't show my entire library.  And , also of course, I neatened up the bookcase a bit before the picture.  The 15th.

I do love my pegboard area!  (the 16th)

My Stash, or course only an unembarrasing amount!  The  3rd.

Inspiration from my walk around the block. The 10th.

The 13th.

Tomorrow is set to be Planning.  I'm not sure what I will do with that one.  Do you plan your projects in advance?  Or are you a spur of the minute project starter?  I think I'm an advance planner, but when with friends at a fabric store, I can be a spur of the minute kind of gal.

This has spurred me to spend much more time in my sewing room and I'm loving it!  I find I smile without even knowing it and I'm finding myself humming with any music on.  I have some more projects on my sewing table and I'm on my way to getting them started...  

Until next time!

Sew On!

The Sassy Librarian - Part 2, and finis!

This blouse was so fun to make and the class is a great one to take!  If you missed my last post, this is referring to the class I took on Craftsy.com,  The Sassy Librarian Blouse .  This class is good for beginners and advanced sewist alike.
The instructor, Christine Haynes, is a pattern designer and an excellent teacher.  Even though I say it's good for beginners, you do need to know how to use your sewing machine.  She speaks clearly and shows exactly what she is doing each step of the way.  I like how she lets you know if the next section applies to the view you are making or not and it's easy to skip to where you want to go.  Honestly, sometimes if a technique is known to me, I wanted to hurry her up.  I have made blouses and shirts before, but long enough apart that it's always nice to freshen up the 'how-to's.  It is always nice to watch someone else actually doing the step, and see it done smoothly, before you need to do it.  Also, if she struggles a bit (like setting in a perfect sleeve), then I'm reassured my struggles are normal.
I did take the time to watch every step so my blouse took a lot longer than it normally will to make.
Here is the final product:

When I got to the step of the collar, I was so pleased with how easy it was and how nicely it lay:

For the buttonholes, I went to the blogpost by "Dog Named Banjo".  This tutorial really helped me to go step by step with my Bernina 440 buttonholer.  I tried to wing it, but ended up going back and reading the steps again.  She has it laid out very nice.  I did discover the auto feature isn't working on my buttonholer.  It will do one at a time beautifully, so I just did that.   I'll have to go and have my foot recalibrated, apparently.

Speaking of going to the shop, when I got my serger out to help finish off the seams on this blouse, the poor thing decided to freeze up.  She apparently didn't like the move from Arizona to Oregon.  It's been 2 weeks at the Bernina dealer so I'm hoping she's home soon (and doesn't cost an arm and a leg).

My next project is to finish up my 'muslin mock up' with sleeves and facings and have a 2nd version.  It fits well and I think I will enjoy that lightweight fabric this summer!  When my Serging Bernie gets back I will zip that on up!

The making of a Sassy Librarian (Blouse that is)

I am having so much fun taking my new Craftsy class.  It's called 'The Sassy Librarian Blouse' and was a gift from my DDIL.  At first I felt intimidated by printing and taping and cutting out the pattern, but it wasn't actually as bad as I had built up in my mind.

After staring for a day at the stack of printed pages, I jumped in!  It took a while, but I started by laying out the first four pages in a row, lining up the numbers and arrows.

Then acting on the advice of the instructor, I trimmed the border of one side to make it easier to accurately match the arrows and lines.

Sometimes 2 sides had to be trimmed to match up more easily.

This process took me all of one afternoon, and monopolized our large dining room table.  But in the end I had a paper pattern all trimmed out in the size I need for my blouse.

Then came the adventure of making a muslin mock up to make sure it would fit before I actually cut into the 'real' fabric.  I only needed to cut out the front and back to see if the fit was right for me.  I put in the darts and sewed the side seams together.

It seems to fit perfectly with one minor adjustment. I had to let the side seem out at the bottom about 3/4 of an inch.  I unpicked about 4 inches and think I will add paper to the pattern angling down from the 4" mark adding 3/4" to the bottom on each side.  Keeping the 5/8" seam allowance, that should be just right!

So now I'm ready to add to the paper pattern and cut out the real blouse fabric!

Are you taking this class?  Please share your challenges and solutions with me in the comments.

Getting the quilt ready for the quilter!

C & S's Irish chain quilt top is now ready for the quilter.  Sometime back I took a class at our LQS "Material Obsession" about getting your finished quilt ready for the quilter.  So here's what I did:

1.  Square up the quilt.  It's hard to put a wonky quilt on a Longarm quilting machine and not have the wonkiness show up.

2.  Iron and snip.  Even if you were careful about snipping threads as you made the blocks, there are still thread here and there sewn into the seams. 

 It helps if first you can give the quilt a good shake to lose a batch of the loose threads.  Then Press, snip, press, snip, press, snip.  It helps to have a large ironing surface.   One thing I learned is to keep a trash bin next to you for the threads you are getting rid of.  If they brush on the floor, you will pick them up again on your quilt as you continue with the pressing.

One thing I forgot:  Measure the quilt for the back before you fold it up nice and pressed.  I did have to lay it back out and measure for making my backing.  

I am using one of the leftover plain blocks for my label, so I need to make my backing in strips.  I know the quilting will affect my label, but that's okay.

Here is the beginning of the quilt label:

It's kind of big for a label, but I had the extra block and I wanted to try this old applique pattern I have.  It's from Mckenna Ryan's designs but I can't seem to locate the pattern cover right now, but it is an old one, pre block of the month.

Now onto the back!

On my Knitting needles:

I've been finishing up my Seaweed Vest that I started last year. 

  Since we are planning a move and I started packing up my books, I didn't have the pattern so I could do the finishing on the edges.  I know it was planned to be an I-cord finish, but I chose another I had done in the past instead.  I picked up the stitches around the neck and proceeded as follows:

purl 3 rows, knit 3 rows, purl 3 rows.  Bind off loosely.

Do you like how it finished?

For the armhole I just purled 3 rows, then cast off.  It curls in just right and finishes it off without adding to much width.

I like how it turned out.

It's a bit shorter than I wanted, - and I thought I measured well -

so I might just add the same neckline edging to the bottom and it might add about 2".

The Irish Chain saga

I titled this 'saga' but it's not a sad saga.  This was fun starting while visiting my daughter in Oregon, T.  I had an idea of colors, but with her help and a trip to JoAnn Fabrics we came up with these:

Basic triple chain block - 38 done!

New DIL3, S, said she would like neutrals, but T said green is the new neutral!  (It doesn't hurt that that's her favorite color).  But I think the colors work well together and we forged ahead and made all the triple chain blocks together, all 38 of them!

 Then I came back to Arizona, picking up Mom on the way home.  Mom and I worked on cutting and getting ready to sew the alternate blocks.  We had a nice time chatting and I cut - then I realized I had cut the base color too narrow!  
When we originally bought the beige - a very nice linen looking fabric - I bought 2 yards.  When we left T's in Oregon I started thinking I would need more so in Santa Clarita, CA with DIL2, Tf, I went to JoAnn Fabrics there.  Lo and Behold we found the exact fabric!  I bought another yard, so thought I was good till Mom and I chatted my way into a wrong cut.  I know, I know, "measure twice, cut once".  Any way - when we took Mom home to So. CA, a 5 hour drive, we stopped in Hemet at a JoAnn's but after much searching I couldn't find the exact fabric.

Now, back in Arizona, I decided to drive the hour or so to JoAnn's in Bullhead and my girlfriend found the right stuff nearly as soon as we started looking!  Yay!  So I could continue on.

 Now it's all laid out with 3 seams to go!  Son, C & DIL3, S arrive tomorrow from their home in Ecuador so I'm hoping to have this all together as a taste of what's to come.  

So now I have a question for you.  I usually buy my fabrics for quilts in a quilt shop.  This time we did what was easy and didn't search for one in Oregon, but went right to JoAnn's.  I found that a couple of the fabrics frayed.  One is actually fraying A LOT!  Do you find that?  Also, this was the first time I didn't prewash - we wanted to get right to the stripping and sewing since T had that day off work.  Do you think had I pre washed the fraying would've been less?  Just wondering.  Let me know what you think in the comments.  
Hopefully there will soon be a totally completed quilt to photo shoot for the next blog.

Still Sewing ...

Since Felting the beautiful sweater I made for my daughter - that I hadn't even given to her yet - I just haven't had it in me to get into a knitting project.  So I've been sewing & sewing & sewing!  The Mom & Me quilt is still being worked on.  Right now it's the size of a generous baby quilt, but I do have more circles ready to go!   

It is laying on a queen size bed and I'm hoping it will fit a double when finished.

I'm waiting to get together with my mom to work on it some more.  She's such a big help!
In the meantime, I've started a new project.  At the Bullhead City quilt show I bought a 'ruler' called Fun & Done.  Here is what I have started with it:

 I have a ton of strips left over so I'm making this of strips that I already have cut.  I'm using various squares for the backing, and I'm hoping it looks okay when it's all put together!

Here is a closeup of 4 blocks together.  I like them, but I'm already out of one of the strip colors and now need to start varying the colors a bit.










Also, I joined an online swap on www.myquiltplace.com to swap sets of mug rugs.  They are all done, but I don't want to spoil any surprises by showing you them now.  I'll put on pictures of what I made and what I receive when the time is over.
This weekend I'm doing a "Stitch Weekend" on www.stitch talk.com where we only work on one thing all weekend, starting last evening and lasting through Sunday.  I started on an apron for my Sister In Law and am having fun with the details!  
I have some special friends that do a lot of wonderful volunteer work in the ministry and I'm trying to make aprons for them.  I've made 3 so far and have 8 to go.  I hope to have a blog full of wonderful aprons and ideas when I'm done!


That's enough for now - more next week!

Sampler's Galore!

Today I wandered through the 'hometown' quilt show that the Colorado River Quilters put on in Bullhead City, AZ.  I took a couple of snapshots - and I wish I could give proper credit to the quilters - but these Samplers were especially nice.  I'll be teaching a friend how to quilt and we will end up with a sampler full of quilts and these are such nice ideas for setting the blocks ...  enjoy ...

A close up.  Isn't the way she set the 6" blocks in the center
attractive.  They really catch your eye!  

Sampler with Sashing with Posts

This quilt is a sort-of sampler but without a
strong background fabric.  It's done
very effectively and still is pleasing to the eye!

The turtle pattern

Wow, are there a lot of pieces to this Turtle!  We got them all cut out, they are sewn together and now just waiting to be put together.  
Mom had to leave (:-(  but I got the 2 last pieces sandwiched together.  She will return next month and we will get the puzzle put together.
It's kind of cool how this goes together.  
Each piece has 2 pieces of flannel and 1 matching piece of batting.  They are then sewn together as a sandwich, right sides out, batting in the middle.  Then, as you can see on the head, each piece is simple machine quilted to make a pattern for the final quilt.  Very easy and fun!

More to come when assembled ...

The turtle pattern, a photo by desertnettie on Flickr.

The turtle pattern

Sewing, Knitting, Cooking - Can it Get Much Better than this?

So my mom is visiting and the inspiration is thick in the air!  We've started a quilt that I've been wanting to make, but the oomph had gone out of my sales for starting.  It's from a set of templates that I bought at our nice little home town quilt show 2 years ago.  When I saw them again this year (it's a 2 year quilt show) I remembered them and dug them out.  The templates are from www.quiltershaven.com  and make a quilt as you go 'Orange Peel'/'Robbing Peter to Pay Paul' quilt:

You see at the back, it starts as a square of scraps, then the batting and circle is sewn in, then turned right side out (lower right).  These are then sewn into a 4 set block.  Here is a shot of the other side, with the "Orange Peels" showing:

Then we put 4 sets together and got these 2:

These sets will be sewn together then more sets made and added on.  What is so nice is that it is actually quilted as you go, so when we decide it's the right size, it's done!

I'm going to name this "Mom and Me" because this will be the first quilt my mom and I actually made together!

Then we sat in Hobby Lobby looking at patterns and got more inspiration for a Turtle Rag Quilt from a pattern by Simpicity.  It's #2493 and there will be more on this next time!

This Pattern IS Incredible!

That is the "Incredible Custom-Fit Raglan" Pattern from http://www.woolworks.org/patterns/raglan.html. I downloaded the pattern a while back but was a bit perplexed and nervous to start.  Then I took a class on Craftsy.com  from the great knitter and designer, Stephanie Japel, called Fitted Knits and I really felt I had the confidence to start this.  Now I have made a couple of sweaters before, and felt happy with them, but this just works so well for me, I think I will take bits of this with me now to every garment I make!
Having said that, let's get to the actual 4, yes four, sweaters I have completed with this pattern:

 Sweater #1:  I made this one for me.  It starts out with taking measurements and notes.  You must, must, must make a gauge swatch - did you notice I said MUST?  That is the secret to the entire sweater!
   

 Since I did all my measurements and combined with the lesson in measurement taking in my Craftsy Class, I felt confident in starting in:

I tried to take detailed notes, and with the pattern, there is a line for just about everything!  I used some Fisherman's Wool I got at half price at Hobby Lobby.
     One neat feature of this pattern also, is that you cast on for the neck, but don't work in the round until you have the prescribed number of stitches increased properly.  That allows for a lower front neck than back and seems to me that that is the key to this sweater being so much more comfortable than a previous one I made that seems to want to slip up my neck to the back.

     Next, I knew I wanted to decrease for my waist.  My bust is such a size that if I make something to be comfortable on top, the waist seems to get lost, so I learned I could decrease after the bust to give a more flattering waist shape.  After I knitted past the armholes, I tried it on and marked the 'bust points' so I could do 1 decrease at each point.  I also marked the center back and did a decrease on each side of that.  That gave me an inch decrease every inch.  When I knitted to the measurement just above my waist, I knitted for a couple of inches then started increasing.  At the high hip measurement, I made my hem.

At first I did a ribbed hem, but it looked very unflattering.  With my 'ins and outs' it had a balloonish look right where I didn't need a balloon.  So I pulled it out and made a knitted hem.  I had read about it someplace but couldn't find the directions again, so from memory I tried this:

When at proper length, purl 1 row.  Knit a round decreasing 10% of your stitches (K8, K2Tog), continue in Knit for 1 inch, bind off loosely, leave a long tail and whipstitch hem up, folding at purl row.

It's a nice hem and I'll use it again and again I'm sure!

So, being so happy with knitting my sweater in less than 2 weeks, I started in on one for my daughter:

This one is made with some Cascade 220 I had in my stash.  I love using this yarn!
I used the same rolled neck, (just stockinette stitch for about 3"), but put a ribbed hem on hers.  She's about a size 6, so she can handle that .  Also I made her slight decreases on the sides instead at the bust points.

 Sweater #3:  I made this for my 10 yr old grandson.  I decided to use Red Heart Soft Yarn since it would be washable and dry able for his mom.  On the label it says NO DYE Lot.  Well, imagine my surprise when I got finished and in the bright light of the camera flash I saw the line very clearly where I changed skeins!!!.  Hmm,  really Red Heart??
The variation I made on his was to make a ribbed neckline.  I made the rest very straight forward so he wouldn't feel uncomfortable wearing it.

Sweater #4:  This also went very fast, and I also used acrylic yarn, Red Heart Soft yarn.  This is for my 5 (soon to be 6) yr old grandson.  I figured he wouldn't mind a bit of decoration, so I ventured out and tried to add a cable down the front.  It went fast and I was so happy with how it turned out.

Both sweaters have been mailed out, so I'm hoping they fit and will be fun to wear for the boys!


     I started the first sweater at the end of September, and finished the fourth one November 21,  so this is a remarkably fast pattern with worsted weight yarn and large needles.
    If you are thinking of making a pullover or a cardigan and you haven't before, this just might be the pattern for you!
     I hope this sweater diary has helped you on your way!