Quilt-Cam 9/30/2013

It’s the LAST DAY OF SEPTEMBER!  How did that happen? 

Since I only spend about half the month at home, it seems my months are always coming in short of what I think they should be…September should be savored and enjoyed, not rushed through, don’t you think?

This is a photo that Patsy sent in – she was watching archived episodes of Quilt-Cam and working on her Lone Star quilt --- don’t you love the colors? So vibrant!  Her comment was: “Watching Quilt-Cam while working on my UFO's today!”

It’s my hope that we can encourage each other to keep working on those long term projects and see progress happening! 

I certainly don’t mind keeping you company!  You can find the archived episodes of Quilt-Cam by clicking the Quilt-Cam tab at the top of the blog….Each post will show you what I’m working on during that episode, and share a bit about another Quilt-friend who is joining in and has something to share.

If you’d like to send a picture of your set up while YOU watch Quilt-Cam, just email me at Quiltville@gmail.com and include your photo.

Tonight I’m going back in time. 

To 1885 to be exact!

It’s a good thing that treadle cabinets have wheels and are easy to move.  There is a machine I have been severely neglecting.  It’s my Singer Improved Family, a fiddle base machine with a coffin top in a smaller table.

I wrote about her in this post HERE.   What a life she must have had!

The reason for my delay?  Though she came with a leather belt, it was very slippy and I hate adjusting leather belts.  I wanted to switch that out for a tubing belt.  So today I did:

The tubing belt is so easy, and it grips the wheel so it runs smoothly.

The other problem?  I had to order in new bobbins.  I only had ONE original bobbin. They look like this:

And they really have no bobbin case….they are held in a trap door under the machine like this:

That little door swings open and the bobbin drops out….and the thread has to be caught in that little eye thingy..

I don’t know if you can tell but I threaded with two different colors of thread, pink on top, blue on the bottom so I could see what thread was doing what when I was adjusting tension.

Yes, I know – this machine needs a DEEP CLEANING…but right now I just want it functional so I know it is worth my effort to get the 128 year old gunk off!

What you see here is disintegrating clear coat and places where floral decals USED to be.  This is why I have to be careful with whatever I use to clean her with.  I think it is safer just to leave her be….I don’t want to cause any further damage.

As for how she stitches??

GREAT!!

She makes a delightful little ticka-ticka-ticka-ticka sound when you treadle her.  And her pedaling is smooth!  She has an old style wooden pitman rod ----the rod is attached to the fly wheel and when the wheel turns, that is what moves the foot pedal.

I’m working on string pieced sashings tonight – these are for my Cheddar Sampler.  I’m covering pieces of paper that are 5.5” X 6.5”.  The pieces are scrap papers that were originally 5.5” X 8” and I trimmed them down.  From these covered papers I can get TWO sashings that measure 2.5” X 6.5”.  This will help use up shorter recycled shirt strings and build my variety since there will only be two identical sashings in the quilt ---twice as fast as doing them one at a time, yet is the best use of the sizes of fabric I have, and ease of construction!

Ready to sew with me?  Click the arrow on the screen below to start the feed!  Let’s go!

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Pure Scrappy Love in the Email!

Ria sent this photo of her crumb quilt and I just have to pass it on to you!

You know for the past couple of months I’ve been digging in the crumbs and sewing them strip-style onto 2.5” X 8.5” pieces of paper.

Look what she did!  While mine is still a “work on it when I can quilt in progress” her is done!

She writes:

Hi Bonnie,
Just wanted to show you my crumbs-quilt! Made after your luminous idea of using all kinds of tiny crumbs......
I set the darker blocks on point and used neutral string-blocks to join them!
I just LOVE this quilt!!
And you know what? EVERYBODY LOVES this quilt!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for your great ideas and inspirations to all of us; certainly to me!!!
Love from the Netherlands, Ria.
http://treasurequilts.blogspot.com

I just love it too, don’t you?
 

 

The neutral string blocks are reminiscent of our past mystery, Roll Roll Cotton Boll, found in Scraps & Shirttails II.  I am so happy to see that things we learn during mysteries can be applied to other quilts down the road too!

I don't know about you, but I was also oohing and ahhing over the other quilts in this photo!  Check Ria's blog linked above to see more of what she has been working on.

 

Speaking of Mysteries…we have just about 2 weeks left until I release the colors and fabric yardage requirements for THIS YEAR’S mystery that starts November 29th!  Be watching mid-October for those colors to be revealed…I hope you are getting as excited as I have been while working on this quilt.

 

Don’t forget, tonight is QUILT-CAM!  9pm Eastern.

 

I’ll probably be found treadling on more scrappy string sashings for the Cheddar Sampler quilt..I thought I’d give myself a break from those square-in-a-square cornerstones and do something else for tonight.

 

See you there!

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Outdoor Antiques Festival Fun!

Autumn in full swing!

I pulled off the highway and onto a side road to get this shot of the field and knoll. 

I’m not sure what that yellow weed is, but it is growing everywhere – and the color is just vibrant.

The clouds came and went, so one minute I’d be chilly and throw a denim shirt over my tshirt, and the next minute the clouds had moved, revealing the sun and its warmth, and I’d peel that denim over shirt off and tie it around my waist.  This is the season to live life in layers when you live in the south.

Along with the yellow brushy weed, there is a whole lot of THIS growing!

It’s the palest lavender, and with the sunny yellow centers, combined with the yellow of the other weed….the hillsides are SO beautiful.

We were in West Jefferson for this!

And there was lots of this!  And live music too!

Everywhere you went there were people browsing and buying.

Sadie and I stayed as much on the outside as we could.  I was so afraid of her on her leash, and the close proximity to vintage glass, I was trying to divert disaster from happening.

Barn Quilt Block!

I bought raffle tickets for this one, but I didn’t win – the drawing was yesterday and my phone never rang.  DANG IT!  But I am going to get one made to hang on the side of the cabin.  Just not sure which block I want yet.  I’m thinking of having them do one of the blocks I’ve had in Quiltmaker’s 100 blocks issue.

There were machines!  Though none of them came home with me this trip.

This is a New Home with a leaf tensioner at the top:

The decals were pretty well gone, but this one was threaded, and it stitched – so hopefully someone will snatch it up and give it some love.

Ragged quilts ---which once were cherished and vibrant.

This is a buyer beware --- it’s a Japanese import.

The earliest this could be is 1950s.

The cabinet was cheaply made – the brand is centennial, but the badge is missing on the arm. There are just screw holes where the badge would be.  You can see the knob at the base of the pillar for lowering feed dogs. Old-old machines didn't have this option.

If this is what you want for free motion quilting, it might work for you, but that badge with “DELUXE” on it on the pillar will let you know that it is not “THAT” old and that it was made in Japan.  I’d keep moving…..

1940s-1950s Free Westinghouse electric machine.

These are great machines – they are not belt driven, but pulley/bearing driven.  There is a little rubber wheel that is connected to the motor, and the friction turns the hand wheel.  They can kind of get “un round” and go bumpity bumpity bumpity ---but great decals on this one!

Ashe County Cheese is in Downtown West Jefferson!

The milk tanks actually are made into huge cows…you can go inside the viewing room and see how cheese is being made.  Fun!

Back at the antique mall --- more machines!

I liked this one…the brand name said Pennsylvainia.  Beautiful decals ---and another leaf-tensioner.

This machine could have been made by New Home and branded Pennsylvania.  Many times the manufacturer would re-badge for a retailer who was buying the machines in large lots.

Oh, Poor Thing!!!

This was once a singer red-eye.  Rusted solid now.  And they wanted over $200 for it.  Lots of luck with that!

This is an oldie!

It’s also frozen solid, no way to slide that bobbin cover plate and see if there is a shuttle in there.  The cabinet was also broken so the machine wouldn’t sit right in the hole it belongs in.  Sad!  Going to take a lot of love and care and know-how to get this one up and going!

About this time the battery on my phone died.  And there was no more picture taking!  But what a fun day!

Today is a DESK DAY for me – lots of stuff to handle before heading out to Illinois on Wednesday!

But tonight – QUILT-CAM!  9pm Eastern!

Bring a project and be here!

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Lily Ashbury Layer Cake Drawing….We Have a Winner!

After a yummy dinner out at a local Mexican place we love ((NO ONE felt like cooking tonight!)) I came home and drew for the winner of the Lily Ashbury Layer Cake and High Street quilt pattern!

Wow!  If the response to this give-away is a good indicator of what colors and fabrics you are clamoring to sew with, I think it's safe to say you will like this years mystery – and that is ALL I’m saying about it right now!

((How is that for a teaser?!))

Mean, I know!

But let’s get down to it!

Our lucky winner tonight is JILL!!

She writes:

Well, Jill’s wish is coming true…she’ll be making a quilt for her daughter’s room with these gorgeous fabrics.

I’d also like to thank Stephanie Carter for offering up her beautiful fabrics and pattern for this give-away.  What a generous lady!

Jill, I’ve sent you an email asking for your snail mail address.  Please get back to me with it and I will get these out ASAP to you.

And that’s not all – I’ve had more goodies show up in the mail, so be watching for more give-aways SOON.  And that’s all I’m saying about that right now too!

And while I have your attention --- how about QUILT-CAM tomorrow evening (MONDAY Sept 30th) at 9pm Eastern? 

I head to Illinois this coming Wednesday, October 2nd  followed by a detour to Texas on Sunday returning home on Thursday, October 10th.   It’s an early early flight, so I can’t stay up late on Tuesday – so TOMORROW it is!

I hope to see you there – bring a project!

The hot tub is calling.

So is my own at-home bed.

It’s been a long weekend, and a great one at that!

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Antiquing Day in the Blue Ridge!

This was the view of the beautiful trees as I descended Buck Mountain and headed toward West Jefferson, NC with an antiquing road trip on the agenda.

The leaves are turning!  The air smells so wonderful – I had the back windows cracked down for Sadie, and the sun roof open for me.

Maybe I was a day late, but I didn’t know it when I started out.

I was at my SECOND Antique place before I saw the flyer for the West Jefferson Antiques Festival downtown!  Oh my goodness!

It started on Friday – and all the *GOOD* stuff was probably long gone, but you know what? I wouldn't have missed two days of treadling on my patio looking at the beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the distance for anything.  At least I was getting in on the second day of it!

We stopped here!  Antiques on Main….

With Quilts on the Brain! Ha!

And I wasn’t disappointed!  LOVE this Thousand Pyramids quilt with its extra thick batting and primitive quilting.

Close up of fabrics – wouldn’t it be great to do this in recycled shirt prints, throwing in some indigos and reds and shirtings?

1880 Churn Dash--

This is an old top that was more recently quilted, it had poly batting and a poly blend broadcloth backing.  But LOVE those fabrics!

1940s Ocean Waves!

mid 1800’s Hovering Hawks….this one was pretty shredded, but the fabrics were gorgeous!

Close up of one block, all points intact!

I really like this frame-and-sashing setting.  And the half blocks on the edge!

A blue and gold churn dash.  Another setting I like!  On point, and sashed.

Close up of one block – love those indigos!

1940s radiant star!  The prints in this one are so splashy!

Love the prints mixed with solids.

And I spotted this!  It HAD to come home with me!

It is now living  in the kitchen at the cabin over the door to the powder room!

And I picked up THESE because I love old irons that are heavy, not plastic, and have no auto shut off!

I love the yellow one!  It was $2.99 and the black one was $1.99

How do I know these are the real deal?  Because they say things like “Acetate, Dynel” “Acrylon-Creslan” “Dacron-Fortrel-Codel” “Lurex-Arnel-Triacetate” on the yellow one and “Acrylics-Acrilan-Creslan-Orlon-Zefran” and “Silks-Polyesters-Dacron-Fortrel-Kodel” and “Nylons-Antron-Caprlan-Triacetates-Arnel” on the black one. 

Do we even HAVE these fabrics anymore?  I’m getting visions of  the dress I wore to prom one year, it was made of Quiana!  Slinky stuff!  And those disco shirts and leisure suits…lol!

There are more photos to edit down and upload – I haven’t even posted ANYTHING from the outdoor festival yet, but I want to spend my last day at the cabin sewing, so be watching for those in tomorrow’s post.  I took several pictures of some really cool vintage sewing machines, so look forward to those tomorrow as well.

Tonight when I get home, I’ll be drawing the name for the winner of our Lily Ashbury give-away!  Have you entered?

Some have asked why they can’t see ALL the comments.  We are up to 712 comments, all of which *I* can see – but Blogger will only let readers scroll back through the first 200.  I don’t know the answer to that one, if anyone knows how to change it so they are ALL visible to everyone, let me know, okay?  So if you can’t see your comment post, don’t worry – it’s there and I can see it!

But for today – I plan on enjoying more of this:

Love from Buck Mountain ---

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