Thrift Store Finds

Sears Kenmore Model 95. The note in the back reads Jan. 26, 1967. $131.00.  Thrift store price: $49.98 (as is).  Too bad I don't have room to save it.

Springtime Quilting

I tried to make the jelly roll race quilt with a smaller jelly roll (a standard jelly roll is 40-42 strips, this one was only 20).  Let's just say that it didn't work out the way I expected.  After some ripping, and cursing, and cutting, and sashing, I managed to get it to be more square.

I think the overall effect came out quite nicely.  I even managed to add some of the piecing to the back of the quilt, which is always a nice touch.

The quilting is nice, if you don't look too closely.  I had a bit of difficulty with the tension on the long-arm. I overcame it, but not until I'd quilted more than half of the quilt.  The learning curve for any new machine is something you just have to work through.

Binding attached.  I'll work on getting that finished over the next week.

Here is the back, which is still pretty neat, poor quilting or not.

Don't expect a post for about a week, I've got to work and do all the other things life requires.  Hopefully, I'll be able to sneak in some piecing, though.

Giddy

I am a member of the Fat Quarter Shop's Moda Charm Pack club.  Which means that my fabric habit is constantly being fed.

I pieced together the top (not including borders) in about 2 hours last week after work.  I had to wait until I got back to my sewing suite to add the borders and do the quilting. 

This is Giddy by Sandy Gervais for Moda Fabrics.  Perfect for little people that need quilts.  Don't they all need quilts?  I think so!

Here it is, all loaded up and ready to go.  

I decided to pull from the fabric prints and quilted the blocks with a cute little flower.  Maybe not the most perfect flower, but you can tell it is a flower.

I thought some close-up shots of the flowers were in order.  See, not so bad after all.  

Butterfly-trail loops join the flowers together and help to fill in some of the empty space between the flowers.

I think this one is pretty awesome on the backing.  I just love that bright red flannel.  I'm off to attach the binding.  Not the most glamorous part, but it means it is almost done.

Finish Line

I finally finished the binding on my first Jelly Roll Race quilt.  I haven't decided if I like the front or the back more.  They're both pretty awesome.

I've got some more fabric that is just screaming to become a quilt.  I should go investigate that.  Oh, yes, I am loving the longarm machine!

Cozumel, Mexico

We made a brief stop in Cozumel, Mexico.

We wandered.  We had a couple beers.

I took tourist-y pictures.

We ate like kings.  Authentic Mexican food is an amazing thing (even if it is what they feed to the tourists).  So amazing that I even went home and convinced Darling Husband that we needed to make some pico de gallo and some chicken tacos.  Yes, they were awesome!

We shopped.

We watched the people.  Nothing beats watching a cruise ship regurgitate about 4000 people.  All of them looking for their next sunburn.  All-in-all, we did nothing exciting.  I spent entirely too much time looking for the nearest WiFi so I could check my email.

Key West, FL

While I have been neglecting my blog, I've been to a couple places.  I figured I should share some of the pictures I took while I was there.

This is Mallory Square in Key West.  Souvenirs abound.  Yes, I've got another shot glass that I'll likely never drink from.

I just took pictures of things I though were interesting.  Nothing exciting, really.

We wander around, we took pictures, we watched some street performers.

We watched the tourists.  It was a nice change of pace.

We watched the sunset.

Off to the Races: Final laps!

I spent the next hour, or two, figuring out all the tensions and heights and a bunch of other stuff with the long-arm quilting machine.  I did get it going and I'm probably too pleased with the results.

 I did get it going and I'm probably too pleased with the results.

See those pretty stitches?  Nothing fancy here, just some meander and whatever seemed right.

Almost done! Remember, don't quilt the leader.

I may have had a bumpy start, but I think I managed to pull it out in the end.  Now, to add the binding and finish.  Oh, and a label.  I should come up with a fun name for the quilt.

Off to the races: Go!

Step three, I think.  Sew the two long edges together again.  (Don't worry, I'll get to the pressing later.)

Repeat.

Look at all those fun colors and prints coming together.

Almost there...

Whew!  Got them all sewn up.

See, I told you I'd get to the pressing.  See how pretty that is?

I wanted to add some wide borders to it, besides, I took a little off the edges to make sure the back came out wide enough.

See how the back came out?  Wonderful.  Almost as good as the front.  Time to layer and quilt.

Off to the Races

While looking for a long arm quilting machine, I picked up two packs of bright strips of fabric.  While on YouTube, looking at videos of long arm machines, I found this neat video about the Jelly Roll Race Quilt.  I decided it was time to bust out those bright strips of fabric and give it a try.

The strips are from a company called Blank Quilting.  I thought that this fun white on black print I picked up in Montana a few years ago would be a great contrast.

Step one:  Sew all the strips together end to end on the 45.  Here is the result of that step.  I managed to make it through Step two: Cut this super-duper strip in half and sew the strips together along the long edges.  At that point, I had to run out of the sewing machine to go see a guy about a sewing machine.

After what seemed like hours, I managed to get the frame and the machine home (traffic was a complete mess by the time I left Bonny's Sewing & Fabric.  Darling Husband was so sweet and understanding when it came to putting it together.  No smashed fingers (on either side of the relationship) and the only thing that was dropped was a wrench.

Darling Husband also will not let me plug it in or turn it on until I get a uniterruptable power supply/power conditioner to plug it into.  So, I shall have to go back to the races until we get a chance to run out and pick up this all important piece of equipment.

I'm off to sew up that quilt top.  I'm really looking forward to the quilting process!

Quilt Quest

Yesterday, I stopped at a couple quilt shops.  I've decided to serious look at a longarm quilting machine.

While looking around, I found this fun, pink fabric from a line called Fight Like a Girl.  I know more than a few pink fans that would really like the name if not the fabric.

 

I did manage to try a couple longarm quilting machines.  The Empress is actually the second one I looked at.   I'm still talking to the owner of Bonny's Sewing & Fabric.  I'll let you know how it all turns out.

(I promise to post more regularly and even try to be more crafty.  Sometimes, life gets in the way.)