Off to Meet The Wizard!!

As in Joe Cool, The Wizard!

I was burning the midnight oil last night ---after the house had gone quiet I was still awake and wanted to sew, so I tip-toed down to the basement studio, put on a cute movie and cut and sewed and cut and sewed!

The movie? The Third Wish with Jenna Mattison and Betty White --- Oh, I love Betty White! It’s a darling movie, I recommend!

Joe Cool and I are getting to know each other.

He’s got sleek lines, a gentle purr as he stitches, lots of power ---and he does what he is supposed to --- STRAIGHT STITCH!

I’m not sure what it is about these 1950’s import machines that steal my heart and make me adopt them. Some people love classic cars. I just love classic machines and their crazy paint jobs and body shapes. I like the heavy weight of them and how they don’t go bouncing off the table.

And I know it's crazy, but I even like the way they SMELL ---kind of old, full of memories.

He did an awesome job getting the binding on Florabunda ((Which is waiting for hand stitching at some point –)) and I wanted to try my hand at piecing with him! You’ll notice, I’ve taken up Mary’s idea of using the Scotch mounting strips as a seam guide! LOVE IT! They stick and stay, much better than that purple strip stuff. I also like having the strip extend BEHIND the presser foot. It helps guide me straighter at the beginning and ending of a seam.

I love Joe’s chrome trim and his “precision” badge:

Look at the levers, knobs, and the sparkle of his grey/green paint job! He is, definitely – Joe Cool!

And so I cut:

And then I sewed!

THREE BLOCKS DOWN!

Yankee Puzzle, Gray Goose, Battle Ground

And I’m still behind by about 4 blocks – but I’ll tackle those. I don’t leave home again until June 10th ----I’m loving my 2 weeks at home!

Last night about 1:30am I was shutting things down and I checked my inbox one more time --- and there was a proposed cover for the new book! It needs a bit of tweaking, but I’m liking it! So just hang on a bit longer, and we will have a COVER CELEBRATION!!

FRIDAY is JUNE. Is that crazy or what? And you know what else is crazy? The month of June is my 7 year blog anniversary. SEVEN YEARS I’ve been typing my soul out to the blogosphere –and many of you have been here for the whole journey! So I think a giveaway will be in order. Yep. I do! So stay tuned for that too!

What’s up for your Wednesday? Whatever it is, I hope you get time to dream of quilts, pet some fabric, and maybe get some time to take a few stitches ----

As for me – I’ve got another date with Joe Cool!

And in case you think I’ve forgotten about Sophia --- She’s in getting a tune up and a going over since she started having some slipping issues the last time I sewed on her. Could be as simple as needing a new belt –who knows how long it had been since she had a tune up. I should be able to pick her up by the end of the week. I wish it were that easy to tune ME up! LOL!

There has only been 2 responses to keep Yard Sale Saturday going for June. I’ve decided to take the summer off, clean out more stuff as I can and do it big time the first Saturday in September. So check back then!

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Quilt Cam 7/15/2014

This is April’s kitty, Lily!

Doesn’t she seem to be saying “Quilt-Cam AGAIN!????”

Yes, it’s AGAIN.  And I am working on the same project AGAIN.  Because it’s going to take me a long time to get this project to be where I want it to be and this is a designated time for it!

I’m back to working on the Yellow, or I should say rather the NOW Yellow block quarters that have taken over the whole thing.

I may save an additional color for the very last row around the center, but for now – yellow it is.

My reasoning?  The scraps I am sewing as the string part were just too dark against an already dark background –I needed something lighter.

I’ve had some questions on how I cut out the kite shapes.

Believe me, it’s nothing rocket science, in fact it’s rather “Old School.”  TEMPLATE TRACING!

My kite template and a sharpie.

I fold the fabric in fourths, trace the template so the units share a common side with as little waste as possible, and then I cut out on the lines with a rotary cutter through all four layers.

Quick, Easy and Accurate enough for a wonky string quilt!

I’m sewing tonight on JOE COOL!

Everyone needs a Wizard in their life, and Joe Cool is one of 3 Wizard machines that I own.  He was made in Japan by the brother sewing machine company and sold in the USA through Western Auto stores and catalogues in the 1950s, early 1960s.  All metal construction, powerful motor, straight stitch only – he hadn’t come out to play for a while so I’ve been sewing on him today.

Ready to sew with me?  Click the arrow on the screen below to start the feed, it’s Quilt-Cam time!

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iPhone-o-Gram! Hello, Atlanta!

I am in the middle of making my way about 100 miles northwest to Dallas, Georgia!

It's bright and sunny without a cloud in the sky, but boy is it windy and chilly out there! Brisk 41° :-)

I pulled over into a little plaza for some lunch – and happily found a thrift shop next-door!

A quick walk-through found a familiar case – I removed the lid to reveal a wizard sewing machine, identical to my Joe Cool!

This is one of those days of "catch and release" – I don't need another Joe Cool and the price was $50.

I've been getting a ton of emails about the problem with this morning's slideshow – I wish I could help you, but SkyDrive sometimes throws a hiccup and it's out of my control whether you can view the slideshow or not.

I have not changed my settings – there is nothing I can do to fix it – my suggestion is to give it some time and go back and look at the slideshow tomorrow.

It's one of those free things we love when it works well, get frustrated at when it doesn't – and hopefully it will return to normal in the future.

I am leaving this message here because this is a traveling day for me – and I really don't have time to tell everyone individually who has commented or emailed that there isn't anything that I can do to fix the problem.

I have no idea why the slideshow would work for the crumbs class the day before, and not work for the Blue Ridge beauty class this morning. Like I said – there are gremlins everywhere and there is nothing that I did to change this to have this effect on you.

Go quilt something :-) Cross your fingers and click your heels – come back tomorrow and check again maybe it will be working :-)

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A New Foot for Sophia!

I mentioned that I picked up Sophia from the fix-it man yesterday ---and I waited until I had time to sew today to unpack her ---which meant putting Joe Cool back on the shelf for a while. I hope he doesn’t feel jilted!

No offense, Joe! You are a handsome devil, but I needed to see if the high shank adapter foot I ordered off of Ebay and the 1/4” snap-on patchwork foot would do the job that I hoped for Sophia!

It’s amazing what you can find on Ebay ---THIS is the adapter “ankle” I purchased. I held my breath that it would work. I was in Illinois/Ohio when it arrived, so it was waiting for me when I got home -- -but alas! No Sophia! She was still in the shop.

I also have a walking foot on order for her ---None of the walking feet I had are long shank ones.

I had bought THIS 1/4” foot at MQX in Providence, Rhode Island:

Yes, I do my shopping all over! I had hoped this foot would work better on my Janome ---but hadn’t tried it yet. NOW --- the Janome is at the fix-it shop as well! May as well try it on Sophia!

The ankle fits perfectly, and the foot snaps on! All seems good so far ----only one more thing to test. The 1/4” is measured supposedly along the NARROW right side of the foot. But I’ve come across many a foot that are NOT 1/4” even though they say they are. Will it pass the benchmark test?

YES! I put my seam guide right under the needle, and with the presser foot down, the edge of the narrower part of the foot is right at the edge of my guide! Only thing to do now is a test run!

I stuck down the Scotch mounting strip right next to the guide before removing it..and ran a test seam – I’m happy to say that this foot IS worth the $19.00 I paid for it, and if it works this great on Sophia, I’ll be picking up another for the Janome 6500 --- I really LIKE having my needle center at all times and don’t like to have my needle over to the right to get a 1/4” seam which is what I was having to do with the foot that came with the Janome.

Don’t even start asking me about those feet with the black 1/4” guide..hate them! They don’t extend far front enough of the foot to really give you a good guide, you can't see the edge of your fabric and I don’t find them all that accurate --- But this --- I can do!

I’m loving sewing, cutting out and kitting up – and getting things ready for traveling to Ohio on the 10th. Everything will be cut and ready and in ziplock baggies --- for sewing on the go!

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1800’s Orphans! Modern? Or Traditional?

I Had a great night here at the home of Mary and Joe Koval, where I have stayed during my time here in Bedford, Pennsylvania.

I just love their home, a remodeled old church that was de-commissioned over 30 years go, and transformed into a wonderful living space by Joe several years back.

After a fabulous dinner we sat around while Mary pulled out quilts and tops from a tall antique cupboard, which lead to pulling quilts out of storage down stairs as we talked about this new fangled expression now known as “Modern Traditionalism.”

Yes, this goes hand in hand with the article I wrote for My Stars, the modern division of Kansas City Stars Books. Read it HERE and let me know what you think!

We discussed the difference between the Indiana Amish who were “quite progressive” in their patchwork during the same era that the Lancaster, PA Amish were very rigid.  Were those Indiana Quilters bordering on modern in their own day?

The conversation turned toward orphan block quilts, or “Cotton Crazies”, something we both have a passion for –and Mary pulled out this lovely cot sized quilt from I think 1860 to 1870 range if I remember correctly.

Was this bordering on "MODERN" when this quilter made her masterpiece? Or was it Traditional?

What I would have done to have spent time watching this quilter put this together!!

Isn't this awesome?

Modern or Traditional, it is completely improvisational! ((Okay, I now have the tune and lyrics from Prates of Penzance floating through my head "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General"  LOL!))

CAN you make a modern quilt out of traditional fabrics?  This quilter did!  However, these fabrics WERE very "modern" in her day.

Corner view.

I love that bit right above the 4-patch border…it looks like something was added to square the quilt up before the 4-patches were attached…were these left over blocks, or ones that just didn’t work? She used what she had to put this together in all its graphic wonderful messiness!

Up the other side.

Look closely and you will find perfectly recognizable blocks, and lots of individual block units and elements ---what jumps out at you  first?  The lemoyne star?  The double 9 patch? Or perhaps that partial 7 sisters in blue and white?

Little further up the side..

Do you see that one block with the zig zag around it?  SO wonky!  SO wonderful!  Look:

If I could name this block, I think I’d call it “Wild Night Out!” :cD

Down the other side ---

Love the section in the center that seems color controlled to red, tan plaid and navy…it’s like she worked with the scraps from one project here….slivers of this and that just sewn together randomly.

Can you see it better here?  And I love that row of tiny triangles just before the 4-patch border.

Strips and strings and crumbs and orphans….what a great quilt!

4 partial sisters!  Where are the other 3??

Life is kind of like this.  Sometimes we are left with all of these aspects and ingredients that don’t seem to fit together at all.  we can’t make rhyme nor reason, head nor hair out of how to make it work….None of these pieces and parts were sufficient enough to do the job on their own, but when they were all put together, they became a beautiful whole.

Orphan Quilt Back --

This is what I have on the back of Carolina Christmas, found in Scraps & Shirttails II.  I put this together much the same way for much the same reason ---pieces and parts and blocks that didn’t seem to fit together, but yet they found a place here.  I LOVE this quilt back….I love doing things like this.

Perhaps, if I were ever to meet the quilter that made Mary & Joe’s treasured orphan quilt, we’d find ourselves with plenty in common and lots to talk about!

On my way to Hershey today – I’m planning my route and hoping to find some cool antique places to stop along my journey.  I hope I’ll be seeing many of you there!

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iPhone-o-Gram! Binding Time!

I'm attaching the binding to Florabunda. Finally.

I have a collection of walking feet--and what drives me nuts is that every one is a different width.

In the past I had used the edge of my walking foot with the screw on seam guide and a 2 1/4" binding strip on my Bernie 1080.

The newer Bernies have a wider foot so my strip was too narrow unless I needle over on the Activa 145.

I have 2 different widths of walking feet for vintage low shank machines.

I think I just found the one to do the job---it fits Joe Cool and the binding is underway!

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iPhone-o-gram! Chiro Funny!

Was just in for my "Adjustment" at the chiropractor.

On my way out I was offered some "Adjustmints". Too fun!

When asked if I was enjoying my winnings from last time I had to fess up that the jelly beans are now half gone--

And that DH had used my new gifted trowel to dig holes in the back yard to insert golf cups and flags! Oh well, if it makes him happy--

And remember that Necchi machine I found Wedneday?? My justification is that it cost way less than a dozen golf balls----ha!

Yes, it did come home with me!

I'm on my way to pick up "joe cool" from being rewired, and picking up a couple belts---the machine that Gae gifted me needs one before I can give her a test run--

Oh, it's good to be home!

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iPhone-o-Gram! Evening of Stitching Ahead!

I couldn't stand it any more! I want to sew!

I got out Joe Cool, the grey wizard machine I picked up before going to Moline---wanting to clean him up and get him running. It turns out that though he is sleek, suave and gorgeous on the outside, his insides tell a different story!

I don't trust his frayed wiring! He's being dropped off to be re-wired tomorrow. Even handsome devils can use an inside nip & tuck job after 50+ years, you know?

So Barbie is back up on the desk, humming along while I work on my jubilee blocks!

One down, two to go!

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It’s Raining ((Machines!))

This is getting to the point of hilariously ridiculous – seriously it is.

But what’s a girl to do?

Just walk away?

I don’t THINK SO!

The story goes like this ----I just went to take a couple book orders to the post office yesterday afternoon, trying to keep things caught up before I left for Iowa.

Innocent enough, I assure you!

On my way back, I saw a “parking lot yard sale” at a local little strip mall place that I have to pass on my way home. I tried not to look. Honest, I did ---but….there was this CASE?! I *KNOW* the shape of that case – and I just had to see what was inside ---

And not only that – there was ANOTHER one next to it…AND…

Well, Peeps, I FOUND KEN!

This is Low-Rider Ken --- LOL! His center of gravity is hunky, chunky, and lower to his base than either Marilyn or Barbie –I asked the guy doing the selling about him, and he thought there might be some issue with the motor on this one because it heats up and smokes.

NO THANK YOU! Sorry, Ken, but this Chiquita is a Non-Smoker! This just won’t do ----but you know what? Ken had a friend! Meet "Joe Cool!"

And he is a two-toned handsome devil with a steel-grey metallic paint job accented by ivory and oh --- he’s got the same body style as Barbie…. ((can you see the difference in how much more space this guy has in his mid-section than Ken?

Now, I wasn’t going to buy him. Honestly, I wasn’t – but to the right is an accessory box part – and IN IT was a part that I needed ---not for myself of course, but for MARILYN!

And I couldn’t get the guy to sell me just the part --- but Marilyn can’t live without this part because of her home needle position being left to the center and unchangable ((It’s like Nemo’s Lucky Fin, ya’ll – you just have to work with it!)) So – I told the guy, I really don’t NEED this machine, I need the accessories that come with him, so --- how much would you sell him for?

"$30.00."

$30.00 is a lot for a seam guide that will work with Marilyn, but because Marilyn is a lefty ---and the regular seam guides can’t get close enough to 1/4” without being ON the feed dog – and I didn’t know if I would ever find another seam guide like this….out came the card.

Now Barbie doesn’t have KEN ((He’s kinda short and fat and squatty anyway and he SMOKES! )) She has the flashy Grey Wizard….and Marilyn?

She is now sporting her new curved seam guide that rides out in FRONT of her wider "Lucky" presser foot so she can get a good 1/4” seam and sew happily ever after!

I’ve been looking all over for more on Marilyn Morse – here is a video to see how she runs. You’ll see the gal doing the demo even talks about these being permanent lefty machines when it comes to the straight stitch. ((right after it hits the 3 minute mark on the video --)) But these machines can sew through 5 layers of denim, no problem -- she sews through 3 layers of leather --doesn't slow the machine down. WOW!

This all happened yesterday after 3pm. Is there any wonder why I waited until I was out of town to post this? I didn’t tell DH about the new Wizard addition yet -----

Now that I’m far away in Iowa ----I’m safe!

And yes, this post does come with a theme song --- try to get THIS one out of your head! I couldn’t --- after I replaced the word “MEN” with “MACHINES!!

IS there a cure? Do I want one?

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Antique Quilt Sightings!

I’ve seen some BEAUTIES this trip! And I’ll be on the look out for more – in fact, I have an appointment on Tuesday morning on my way home ---in New Paltz!

You know, it’s amazing the people you meet when you think you are just out there minding your own business and doing your own thing.

Yesterday, after the lecture, Carolynn asked if I’d like to grab a bite of lunch in the school cafeteria ----let’s just say that my healthy choice of chef’s salad was balanced out by my UN-healthy choice of the hugest Black/White cookie EVER! But I needed it ;c)

The day was really beautiful outside, and we spotted an empty bench at a table, and we joined a goup of ladies who were also lunching. Introductions and conversations led to me discovering that one of my new lunch friends was the director of Exhibits, educational and public programs for historic Huguenot Street, a national historic landmark district in New Paltz, NY!

We spent quite a bit of time talking about the fabulous antique quilts in the collection, and she invited me over for a private tour! OOOHHHHH! YOU BETCHA! So I have that to look forward to on Tuesday as I begin my drive home. I hope she will let me do a blog post with photos ----from what she was saying, I’m in for a treat!

I’ve come to realize that I really DO live in a hotbed of antique quilt affordability in NC. The farther north I go, the rarer these beautiful treasures are, and they can get costly. At this point I’m just glad that photos are FREE – and let’s face it --- we certainly can NOT buy them ALL! Where would I put them?! ((That space is being occupied by machines! LOL!)

The simple blue chambray and shirting 9 patch variation in the top photo of this post was $450.00 It was a very nice quilt but not extremely early ---and the trend continued through the antique mall with prices just being….REALLY!? It’s not that I don’t think the quilts are worth that --- of course they are. They are worth far more than that if we really want to talk about time and effort, but just much more than what I am used to in my area.

Just a simple burgundy and white sugar bowl variation. This would be a cool one for setting an alternate block in that wide open space, wouldn’t it?

Double wedding rings are always classic. I loved the mix of fabrics in this one --- not just florals and pretty things, it had plaids and stripes and everythig under the sun. Fabrics are from about 1950.

Speaking of Double Wedding Ring – did you register to win the free Double Wedding Ring package from Inklingo yet? Click to THIS POST to read about it, and click the icon in the post to get you to the right spot! You’ve got a week to register, and it’s a great give-away!

1930’s Flower Garden!

I have lots of questions on how I’m going to finish the edges of my hexie quilt. Here’s one way! Do you see how she filled in the sides of the quilt with half flowers? And then the whole thing is apliqued to a solid blue border….this is one way of preserving that picot edge.

The quilting on this one was really nice ----what’s not to like about blue and white with a bit of yellow? YUMMY!

Here’s another flower garden with a BOUND edge…yes, there is separate binding that goes around each and every side of those outside hexagons! I don’t want to think about how long this took…but this maker did a super job as well. Those hexes are hand quilted 1/4” or so from every seam in every hexagon. WOW!

Can you see that texture? I thought the beige color was interesting ---

Here you can see the binding against the backing fabric --- it does give a nice finish.

As for my hexie quilt? I’ll deal with it when I get there. I have a feeling I’m going to just turn the backing in to meet the edge of the hexagons and blind stitch it closed – it won’t have binding at all….it will just END. That’s a “knife edge” finish. I’ve done it before and it works well. Not every quilt needs a formal binding.

This one was fairly shredded…..hanging on a room divider screen. LOVE the double pinks…and the positivie/negative thing going on. At first I thought it was shoo-fly blocks with sashing, but look again! It’s X blocks in positive/negative set on point! It’s how the corners of the blocks come together that clued me in --- do you see it? What a sweet traditional quilt.

Drunkard’s Path units are so versatile! I love how graphic this is in two fabrics. But you’d have to shoot me before I’d ever make one! I’ve GOT to have more fabrics going into a quilt than just TWO!

A sweet dresden plate in 30’s prints. Love the plate blade border….don’t they look like neck ties? :cD

Simple squares on point…..this is somewhere between 1920 and 1930 --- not a lot of florals, mostly solids and shirting stripes and plaids. Love the coral and purple together! This would be SUCH a great quilt in two colors as well…..SIMPLE and simply awesome!

What’s not to love about classic bow-ties! I love these whenever I see them, but early turn-of-the-century ones with their plaids and stripes and mourning prints and burgundy resists and indigos --- LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Beautiful lone star in wonderful solids!

Isn’t this pattern called something like “Old Grey Goose” or similar? I love how this looks when the blocks are turned – asymmetrical blocks are a favorite for me. But do you see how that one block looks so different from the others? The goose units are turned upside down and the center hour-glass unit is rotated --- was that intentional? Did it mean something to the maker? We will ever know! This one had REALLY GREAT fan quilting ---

What I really loved about this one was the pink plaid backing that was also folded to the front as binding. Just a bit of something unsuspected because the quilt was so black/red on the front! I love backing surprises!

And you know, there is always one thing that does NOT come home with me. I wish this one could have --- but the wiring was SO brittle ---

It says BAMBERGER’S on it!

I was curious enough to do a search on Bambergers --- it was a huge department store in Newark NJ ---eventually bought by Macy’s. This is a “badged” machine --- meaning it was made by another company, but sports the name of Bambergers on it as its “brand”. It’s likely a japanese singer knock-off. It was only $25, but I knew it would take a fortune to rewire it and I"m still waiting for "Joe Cool" to be rewired. ((Yes, I hear my treadle-on friends saying – JUST TREADLE IT and no wiring would be needed!!)) But doesn’t that badge look SO 1950s?!

Am I going to regret not picking this one up for $25? I checked..under that dust and grime she is beautiful and shiny --- oh --- sigh ----

I’m about to head off to the Somer’s Show for my lecture this morning ----a bit more vendors mall shopping ---and tomorrow is a “Jared Takes A Wife” workshop --- and in between it all, I’m getting closer to having those Nearly Insane blocks knocked out!

Happy Sunday, Everyone! I’ve got some drawing to do this evening!

There is still time to register for the Quiltmaker 100 Blocks vol 5 as well by clicking HERE!

I think this is a record --- there are 859 comments as I type this post! WOW!

Tomorrow Eve I’ll be drawing for the winners of Pat Sloan’s “Focus On The Center” book ---if you haven’t registered yet, go leave a comment on that post!

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