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Saturday, June 07, 2014

On Travel Irons & Lozenges!

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At home I love my vintage irons.

They get hot, stay hot, and let’s face it – I love the lack of plastic and the vintage appeal they hold. 

Plus the fact that here they are 40 years later and still running, when any plastic travel iron I have ever bought has bit the dust long before it should have.

Enter into the picture Randy’s little Sunbeam ---I am pleasantly pleased and could even push it over the edge to in love with this little iron!

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It fits my hand!

The little temp dial is right where my finger can do the job of adjusting easily –and the “no handle type of handle” means it fits easily in my palm when I press. 

It is a steam iron, and I’m not a steam presser, but if I were –I bet I’d love this too.

It heats up fast, gets HOT ----and wonders of wonders, it does NOT have auto-shut-off ---this makes me happy!

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The undercarriage!

I don’t know if you can see the little black switch on the bottom beneath the sole plate – but guess what?  This puppy is DUAL VOLTAGE!  This could come in handy for those of us that travel outside of the USA.  You’d just need a plug adapter.

Okay, I couldn’t stand it, so I just checked it out on Amazon –it’s for sale for $12.99.  I couldn’t stand it.  I ordered one.  I have a trip to England in August, and I just might NEED one!

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I’ve been using Lozenge blocks as Leaders & Enders!

If you are new to the blog, every year we choose one project to be our Leader & Ender project for the year.  These units are built in between the lines of other chain stitching to keep our piecing continuous.  You can find more about the Lozenges Leader & Ender challenge under the free patterns tab at the top of the blog.

It’s the PRESSING part I needed to remind you of:

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innies and outies!

Look closely and you will see that two opposite corners on every lozenge press IN, and the remaining two opposite corners press OUT.  This is so things will nest when you put units together.

I’ve been stock piling blocks with black corners as black corners were what came with me on this trip.  When I get a good batch of black ones done, I’ll switch to doing some light cornered ones too.

And today’s Quiltville of the Day:

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Holy Toledo from Scraps & Shirttails II!

I was stuck in traffic while teaching in Ohio while this quilt was in progress. Hence the name--Holy Toledo! Holy Toledo is found in my book Scraps and Shirttails II. Signed copies available by clicking the book cover in the left hand side bar.

I’m working hard at getting a top put together tonight.  It’s coming along, but I have a deadline that is looming…I fly to Portland tomorrow evening, and it’s got to be up off the floor by then and I don’t want to loose my block arrangement…I’m working hard to get it together.

Have a great evening, everyone!


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17 comments:

  1. Hello! Target carries that iron in the Dallas/Fort Worth area! Have had mine for about three years now, love it!

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  2. Yeah - I got the same iron at Target and probably paid about the same. I LOVE it - even better than my big iron. It stays so hot and just does a better job! Glad you discovered it!

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  3. Anonymous7:58 PM EDT

    I have one. Bought to use at classes, but have learned to use it all the time. The "big" iron is too heavy and causes shoulder pain. Love this little one.

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  4. I love all your little tips. The iron looks great, might have to get one too! I love the quilt at the top of your blog now. Thanks for all you do for us quilters.
    Carole

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  5. Take a photo of your block arrangement - it will help if you don't get it all together before picking up. I know from experience that even though we're very careful when picking up blocks, it's easy to get them mixed up. :(

    Love that little iron!

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  6. Anonymous9:17 PM EDT

    I have one of those little irons and love it. Got it at Target about 4 years ago. It stays in my class/retreat bag, I have a large iron that I use at home.
    Connie
    cbquilts345@yahoo.com

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  7. I love this little iron, too. I bought one from Amazon about 18 months ago. Last month, it just stopped heating, but it had been used a lot and for $12.99, I decided it was worth ordering another one.

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  8. I too bought this iron at Target for $9.99 6 months ago. Great addition to my sewing room.!

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  9. I purchased a Sunbeam small iron in about 1975 and it was my use for everything iron till about 2 years ago.
    I am so glad to see this new Sunbeam iron and I actually ordered two.

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  10. thanks for this review I need one off to target today!
    Kathie

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  11. I once laid out a quilt on the living room floor and since it was late and I was tired, went to bed with plans to sew it together the next day. Came down the next morning to find that the cats had played havoc with it and blocks were everywhere.....some even made it to the kitchen. Both cats were sitting on the couch looking totally innocent. Now I photograph them once they are laid out.

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  12. Anonymous10:11 AM EDT

    I love my little sunbeam!

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  13. My lozenges are coming along slowly as with summer here, I can not quilt as much as I would like. Thanks for the refresher course on the ironing. I think I have finally got myself int he groove with that. When I add my first two squares, I do them in lighter tones on opposite corners and then press outward. When I add my two darker squares on the remaining opposite corners, I press inward. Great tip and I am looking forward to having my top done sometime next summer. Thanks Bonnie, for all that you do to help us!

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  14. I like your new header look Bonnie. Always great to see your quilts.

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  15. Thanks for the great tip on the iron. I want a new one to take to classes. I'm going on the trip to England with you. I'm excited, excited, excited!

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  17. Thanks for the heads up about the iron, Bonnie! I have the same vintage travel iron you do as well as 8 regular irons, a steam press, and a Laurastar, but I need something like this to use at social sewing events and love that it doesn't have auto shut off. .. I looked at local big box stores and didn't see anything so thanks for the heads up... my sewing is so much better when I have an iron set up by the machine! Now I need to track you down on Facebook so I get the quilt cam notifications in my feed...

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