Holiday season- There's so much to do

I don't know how it all got done but Christmas came and I managed to have everything ready.  Yes, I made the usual cookies to send to the grand children and all the presents got purchased, wrapped and given.  My husband having cataract surgery on Christmas eve sure complicated the holiday this time but the first eye is done now and we're looking ahead to having the second eye done on Monday before the new year.  2020 will be starting very soon. I still have a few things to do before 8 arrive for New Year's day dinner.  Yup, things don't seem to slow down around here.  I'm always super busy.

Since it's the week between Christmas and New year's day, have you gotten all your FWs oiled, greased and the motor lubed.  This is my reminder for you all to get that done.  I'm working on all of mine.  Hopefully I'll get them all done within the next week.  Once finished I won't have to do the full Spa day for 6 months. I'll still oil every 8-10 hours of sewing and give that gib area of the bobbin assembly one drop of oil each day I sew.

Our Club class is coming up next Friday and Sunday.  I've giving all the information over on the Class Schedule pages.  Go over there to check out what to bring.  I do hope you will all be able to come.  We'll be making the thread catcher and the pin cushion for the FW sewing machine mat that we started last month.  Check this out.  I had a fun time making these.

I know a few people that bought the FW foot controller rest from me had a problem of the cushion sliding and we think we've got that issue solved.  Researching with the stain/glue specialists, we discovered that the two chemicals didn't play well together.  So, I have new rests to replace the faulty ones.  Please email me if yours was a problem and I'll bring a replacement to swap it for the faulty one at the Club class.  The new ones have a very nice slip resistant material that doesn't slide around.

I'm almost done getting all the names on the retreat/workshop list.  I'll be sending out more information very soon.  Thank you to all that got  their deposit checks to me on time. 

And, I wish you a very Happy New Year.  May it be safe and full of wonderful things for you and your families.  I hope to see you very soon!

Thanksgiving is over. Time to start thinking of Christmas and FWs

It was a busy week getting ready for Thanksgiving and then doing all the cleaning up afterwards.  I'm sure I wasn't alone and I hope you all are getting a chance to relax a bit and catch up after all the food and fun.  We had a great time with 10 at the table and a visit from a cousin we hadn't seen in years as well.  He was just in time for dessert.  The last bits of pie and turkey noodle soup are almost gone.  I don't know how many pounds I gained.  I guess I should step on the scale.  Oh no!  That's too scary!

So now, I'm busy getting my Christmas lists made and shopping done. I'm sure you all have all that done but I've got a ton to do.  I haven't made my Christmas cards yet and I have dozens and dozens of Christmas cookies to make for the dear grandchildren and their families.  I do hope I will be able to get it all done.  But, I do have our Christmas tree out on the porch ready to set up.  See, I've started on Christmas!

We have FW Club Classes this weekend.  If you are within driving distance I sure hope you can come.  Skip over to the Class Schedule page and scroll down to see what we'll be doing this month.  We're making a FW sewing machine mat that will take us 2 months.  You can see the picture of the part we'll be doing this month when you check to see what you need to bring.

While I was making the FW sewing machine mat I was reminded that we do need to put a drop of oil on the bobbin assembly teeth  when we start sewing for the day.  Do you remember that I had you run your machine before we did the maintenance for the first time? I wanted you to see how much better your FW would sound once it was oiled, greased and lubed.  Well when I started the FW mat, I stitched a bit of a line before oiling those teeth and was immediately reminded because the sound wasn't as beautiful as I like to hear.  So, I know it might seem like a bother to do that one drop of oil every day but oh my, what a difference it makes in the end.  That beautiful click, click, click is music to my ears.  The clack, clack, or grind, grind makes cold chills go up my spine.  Do oil those teeth. (Yes, I do see that I need to clean out the fuzz but I needed to get this picture first!)

Okay, I hope to see you in a class but if you can't be there, I understand.  I hope to check in with all of you before the big holiday and try to see how you all are doing about getting ready. I'll be honest and tell you all about the stuff that I still have to do.  And, I won't be jealous of you having everything already done.  Well, maybe just a tiny bit jealous.  You do understand, right?  Have a good week, all.

Winter has arrived

Happy Veteran's Day to all those brave souls that have served at some point in their life and to the families that had to let a loved one go when their commitment meant giving a life physically or mentally.  We are free because of those brave men and women and I say THANK YOU for your service.

I guess a lot of records will be broken today in the weather columns.  I can't remember having this much snow this early but it's here.  We have 3" already and the snow is still coming down. Okay, this picture is more than 3" but if it keeps coming down it could get to be this much.  I drove to the next town to pick up a FW from a lady to fix it and the roads weren't too bad.  People in my neck of the woods are driving sanely.  I didn't see anyone in the ditch.  And, my new car handled the snowy pavement just fine, thank goodness.  I was wondering how she would like the winter weather. I'm back home now just watching it pile up.  It's good to have a nice warm house.

I hope you were able to attend our first FW Club meeting of the winter season.  We did have a fun time.  A few ideas were bounced around for this year's activities and I sure appreciated hearing what you all would like to do. 

We will be focusing on an attachment every month again.  There are so many that people haven't had a chance to see and use.  People that were at the meeting said they want to do these again.  It will take a couple of years to get through all of them.  My favorite is the buttonholer.  We did it at the last meeting.

And, the ladies also told me they like doing a little project each month.  We had so many at the Sunday class that we didn't have a lot of time to make the poinsettia pouches but everyone got the pattern and we started them.  So, we'll be making a FW mat at the next Club class.  I'm working on it now.  Watch the class schedule tab to see what to bring to the next meeting.  I'll post a week or two before class.

And, I'm announcing a challenge for this winter season as well. Drum roll please!  The FW Club Stash buster/Scrappy Challenge has begun.  I hosted one of these on my online quilt guild and it went over well.  You don't have to participate if you don't want but you can participate and bring your projects to any FW Club class to start adding up.  We'll run this challenge until time for me to leave in the Spring.  Totals will be revealed in May, 2020 and there will be a FW prize for the winner.  Here's the rules.

1. You have to use at least 15 different fabrics in each project to be counted.
2. Your project cannot be one that you've already started.  In other words, anything you begin new for this challenge can be counted.
3. You can make any size quilt, wall hanging, or whatever.  The total square inches of your project will be the number added to your total.   If you finish the item by quilting it and binding it to have it ready to use, we'll count 1 1/2 times the total square inches to your total.
4. You need to bring your projects to the FW Club meeting to show it off to be counted.

Okay, the challenge is open.  Get busy using up your scraps and let's see what you make.  I know we're all going to see a lot of gorgeous items.  I can't wait.  I'm going to start working on the prize.  Let the fun begin. Here's one example of an item that could count.  It's called, Jean's Diamonds so you know why I picked this one to show you.

I guess I'll work on machines today.  I have a few to repair/clean, etc. for people.  Keep in touch.  I'm looking forward to a busy winter season of FW fun and lots of sewing projects.  Join me!

Fall is here.... Summer is over!

We're having the last few breaths of summer here this week but the cold will be coming in with a vengeance later today.  Did I hear the 'snow' word on the weather report last night?  I've been meaning to post the last couple of weeks but you know, it's been a busy time.  We've had company non-stop, and the packing is a lot of work for this old lady.  We'll be heading back to SE Michigan very soon though and it will be time to pull out the featherweights and get them cleaned up for the winter.

I hear that the colors are just barely beginning down state.  This may be the most colorful fall we've had in years here in the UP.  Bright reds, oranges, gold and my favorite, peachy leaves are everywhere and such a beautiful sight to see.  I had to drive to town to get a few things before this last batch of company came this week so I took my camera along to capture my drive.  Pictures do not do justice to how gorgeous the colors of fall are this time.  See for yourself!

And, over the summer I've really been busy working on my Little Brown Bird quilt.  I think I've finished maybe 11 of the 40 blocks this year.  I hadn't worked on it very much for a couple of years so without a wedding quilt to make or a Christmas quilt to finish, I got a big chunk of this LBB quilt completed.  I'm down to 9 blocks to finish before starting to put this one together and I'm jazzed to get it done.  No, it won't be done in 2020 but maybe it can be almost finished by the end of the year.  I do love my applique, don't ya know!  Here are 3 of the blocks I've completed this summer.

I've also worked on  things not applique this summer as well.  I'll bring a few of the quilt tops I've put together with Judy, my FW in the UP, when I come to the first FW Club class.  You need to bring your quilting projects made with your FWs as well. I think we'll have a big Show 'n Tell, because I've heard about a few of the things you all have been working on.

Have you heard about the new Featherweight Super belt or the horizontal spool pin thread holder from the FW Shop?  I got a preview of them during my trip to the FW Shop in Idaho back in June.  I've been patiently waiting for the big introduction of these new products.  I'll have them at the first FW Club class for you all to see and I even have one of those tools to show you how much better the belt will be for your machine.  I have a limited supply at the moment but can order more as you all need them.

I've been busy getting things ready for our fall FW Club classes.  You'll have to check out what to bring and what we'll be doing over on the Class Schedule page.  I'm very excited about this year's classes.  Bring your machine and your excitement.  It is always so much fun.

Okay, I have to go start my morning.  With company here, there's always a lot to do.  Don't forget, the maintenance classes will be October 26, 29, and Nov 15.  And, we'll have the FW Club class on Nov 1 and 3.  Mark your calendars.  It's almost time to get this FW season started.

Wait just a minute here!

My featherweights are supposed to sew perfectly, all the time, right?  Well, Judy, my FW that I use all the time here in the UP, just wasn't acting right after I got her home from the retreats.  In fact, she was acting horrible.  I set her up just like she was before I left and I started to sew.  Well, I tried to sew.  She started skipping stitches and not just a little bit. 

Wait just a minute.  I took the tension off and cleaned everything at retreat and I took the bobbin assembly all apart and cleaned that, too.  I knew I had put everything back together correctly.  So what's the problem?  I did all the steps that I tell people to do when they have skipped stitches.

1- take the thread off and re-thread everything.

2- Check that the finger is in the valley of the throat plate.

3- Check to see that the flat side of the needle is on the left.

4- Check to see that the needle is threaded from right to left.

Okay, all that checked out.  I knew it would.  But, still stitches were horrible.  Okay, when did I last change my needle?  I couldn't remember so I changed it.  Still, nothing different.  Urgh!!

So all the usual reasons for skipped stitches were fine.  I guess I needed to check the needle timing at this point.  I watched the stitch being made and could see pretty quickly that the needle and the hook weren't linking up like they should.  And, when I checked out the needle bar timing I found out that the needle bar was set too far down.  So, I fixed that.

Wow!  Judy is stitching okay again.  Wait.  she's stitching when I am sewing two pieces of fabric together but when I go over a seam, she's skipping again.  Okay, I needed to check the hook/needle line up once again.  And there was the problem.

At some point someone had adjusted the needle bar timing to match up with the incorrectly set main shaft timing.  So, it worked before but when everything was taken apart, cleaned, and put back together, the incorrect setting took over and Judy didn't like it even a little bit.

She's all fixed now.  Both the main shaft timing and the needle bar timing are correct and Judy is sewing up a storm.

When you all tell me your machine was working better before cleaning, I guess I understand now.  There is probably something that was 'off' before and now your machine is letting you know there's something 'off'.  You probably wouldn't know exactly what to check.  Sometimes I know quickly and other times I have to think about things and check out issues one at a time.  Sometimes I even have to call the techs at the Featherweight shop.  But, it gets figured out in the end.

Aren't you glad you have a sewing machine that can be fixed so easily?  I'm glad that I know how to fix them. 

The Later August 2019 Retreat/Workshop

Okay, did you notice that I've added the word Workshop to the retreat's name?  That's because we don't just have a retreat.  We have a learning, working, sewing, having fun kind of retreat that's really a retreat/workshop combination.

Here's something that I should do at every retreat.  Someone suggested it this time so we made sure to get this picture before anyone left on Sunday.  It's all the gals in this later retreat.  Okay, we probably look a little tired after 3 days of working and having fun, but we did have a blast with all the stuff we did and all the good food we ate.  If you come to one of the future retreat/workshops, be sure and remind me to get a picture of the group.  I love this picture.  It documents who came to learn.

So, while I'm thinking about it, I should mention this.  Annette G, one of the gals that's not missed any of my retreats, is putting together a Featherweight Club recipe book from all the good recipes that were fixed at the 4 retreats we've had so far.  So, if you came to one of the retreats and haven't sent in your recipe, get that to me ASAP so I can pass it along.  We'll give more information about the book when the FW Club meetings start in November.

Okay, it looks like everyone was working so intently and not having fun.  But we WERE having fun the whole time while we were working, making great quilt tops and cleaning the machines. Again, I heard how the machines were sounding so nice the whole time.  I love hearing that.

There were quite a few quilt tops finished.  This one was in process but isn't it a beauty?

And, I heard another story about some sewing machine repair person charging a lot of money to clean and oil a machine.  We discovered that the cleaning and/or oiling just didn't happen.  Do I have you convinced that learning to clean your machine  yourself is the best way to go?  I hope so.

The BLAST we had will not be forgotten soon. So many cute little gifts were given and accepted.  The drawing table was full of great things to pick from and I thank you all for making this such a wonderful 4 days.  You all are the BEST!

There is only one spot open for one of next year's 4 retreat/workshops.  You should go to that tab and check them out.  Get your name on the waiting list if the one you want to come to is already full.  We do get people drop out when something comes up that they didn't know about when they signed up. 

I will try to post again soon and not wait too long.  The weather is cooling down here in the UP.  It feels like fall already.  That means that it will soon be time for me to pack up and move again, back to the winter house and back to teaching FW maintenance and Club classes.  I've already gotten ideas in mind for the things we'll do each month.  I have those dates listed in the Class Schedule tab. Check that out.  And, if you have any FW questions, don't hesitate to ask.

The Early August 2019 retreat

Where do I start?  The early August 2019 retreat was a blast, as always.  The house was full with 16 beautiful ladies working on more than 16 beautiful featherweights. I think I'll start calling these retreats workshops because we do so much more than sew. We take things apart.  We clean parts and replace things that need replacing.  We put things back together the way they should be and yes, we sew.  If I heard, "my machine sounds so much better" once, I heard it a dozen times.  No, I heard it more than a dozen times.  It was more fun that a barrel of monkeys.

And, what beautiful machines we saw.  Look at this one.  Isn't she a beauty?  And, she sewed like a workhorse all weekend. 

Several ladies worked on the FW dust cover.  They are really cute and so practical to cover up the machine when it's not in use.  I use mine in the UP all the time because my machine up here sits in a cabinet.  I needed a cover for her.

The jewelry cleaner was used so much cleaning parts on the machines, it got hot.  And, I don't know how many times we changed the water.  The tensions and bobbin assemblies were squeaky clean when we went home, Yeah!

In fact, I should tell everyone that when they come to a FW Club retreat/workshop, they shouldn't pay a machine repair person a ton of money to 'clean the machine' before attending.  I always hear stories of gals getting charged around $100 for a machine to be cleaned and then, we find goop and grime  that should have been cleaned out for that price, but wasn't.  I heard stories like that at both retreats this time.  People getting gouged by machine repair people makes me so MAD!

We do have FUN at our retreats, too.  Yup, the Bailey's gals had a very good time!

So, I'll post more about the Late August 2019 retreat yet this week.  I'm still recovering from the whole two weeks.  Check it out when you can.  The 2020 retreat/workshop dates are already set and some are already full.

Next stop... August!

The summer does fly by doesn't it?  Next week will be August already and that means, RETREATS!!  I'm almost ready.  I can't show you the favors I've been making so I'll show you the applique blocks I've been working on.  But, about the retreat, I sent out the final retreat update info last night.  If you are a retreater and you have questions, please send me an email:  jdquilts123@yahoo.com.

There is 1, possibly 2 spaces available for the August 15-18 retreat so if you'd like to join in there is still time.  If you can't join us, you'll just miss a lot of fun.  I will be sure to post some of the ladies and the things we do during the two retreats once I get back home.

Other than scrappy quilts and retreat favors, I've been working on an old UFO this summer as well.  I started this quilt 5 years ago knowing that it would take me a long time to finish it.  But, I didn't realize at the time that I'd start teaching all the FW classes or that I'd start hosting the FW retreats.  Anyway, I haven't worked on this one for a couple of years.  But, if I ever get it done, I have to work on it so this summer I'm getting back to it.  I hand stitch every night while the Big Guy and I watch the Detroit Tigers lose another game or we find a good mystery movie to watch. And here are 4 blocks that I've gotten finished so far.

The quilt, The Little Brown Bird, has 40 of these blocks and I'm done with 23 of them.  It also has appliqued corner triangles.  I'm done with those.  And, the borders are full of applique, too.  I'm more than half done with the borders.  I'm looking forward to starting to put these all together to make this quilt.  No, it won't be done this year.  But I'm hoping it will be a lot closer to done.

So, you all go have a good sewing day doing whatever is on your pile of things to do.  I'll finish up my retreat stuff and keep working on the LBB.  I'll come back soon and give you yet another update on what's going on at the Dalton gang's  hideout.

Coming Soon - The Middle of Summer

Welcome to the UP, home of the monster mosquitoes and black flies that take a chunk of your hide if they get the chance.  They have been brutal this summer.  The Indian will still welcome you but he seems to remain unscathed through the whole ordeal of bugs, rain, and more bugs.  That's me and my dear great granddaughter giving you the Indian welcome sign at the top of the driveway as you get to our cabin.  Do you see those mosquito repellent contraptions hooked on our clothes?  They did help a little.  My sweet great granddaughter was here for a few days during my birthday week.  They came as a surprise and I sure was..... SURPRISED!  We were headed off to the Porcupines State Park on the morning this picture was taken.  We had to check out my favorite waterfalls.

I haven't taught any classes up here this summer but that's okay.  I've had a bit more time to work in my little flower garden and I've gotten some sewing done.  I'm working on using a bunch of scraps to make Preemie Pals baby quilts for donation and I've been doing some applique on my Little Brown Bird quilt that I've been working on for years and years.  Here's a couple of the baby quilt tops that I've gotten done so far.  I'm hoping to get more made but I'm in RETREAT mode at the moment.

Retreat time is sneaking up on us quickly.  I'm busy getting favors made and putting kits together for the FW dust covers.  There will be a few of those made at the retreats along with everything else that people do while we're together.  I do plan on checking a few things out on everyone's machines that I learned at the FW shop during my class.  These are things that you'll only get if you come to a retreat.  One item can only be done when it's dark.... okay, I bet you're all curious about that one now, right?

Speaking of the retreats, there are still 2 spots open for the August 15-18 retreat so if you were thinking you'd like to come or invite a friend and come, send me an email and I can probably still fit you in.  Those spots will be filled on a first come, first served basis so don't hesitate too long.

Are you ready to learn something new about your FW?  This is something I learned at the FW shop class and it's really a good thing to know.

We are always wanting to try and get the best looking finish on our FWs and we've talked about using the zymol cleaner and then the zymol wax to bring back the shine.  The black FWs are the only ones that have the shellac protective coat over the decals.  The white machines don't have a shellac finish.  They don't have any decals to protect.  Shellac is dissolved by so many things, like rubbing alcohol, fingernail polish, many soaps and cleaners.  So what do you use to clean off the black machines?  The FW shop told me that you should only use the zymol cleaner one time.  It takes all the wax off and cleans any scratches and such.  That's why those scratches will show up more after a zymol cleaning.  While the scratches were once full of whatever dust, dirt or gunk got collected in them, once that is cleaned off, scratches will show up more than before.  You HAVE to put a few coats of wax on your finish to shine things up and fill in those scratches after you've cleaned with zymol cleaner.

If you have a lot of scratches or even a few scratches, it's possible for things to work their way under the shellac and cause a bubble of cloudy finish.  So having that protective layer of wax or a few protective layers is really important.  Once you get those cloudy bubbles or cracks in the surface there's really not much that can be done to fix that.  A costly paint job is the only solution and you really have to be careful who you have do a paint job.  That's another story!

After you have the protective wax on the machine it's only a matter of wiping dust off with a dry cloth or perhaps a cloth with a bit of oil on it.  You'll want to wipe off any excess oil with a dry cloth but the shine will come back and last for a few days.  It would also be a good thing to cover your sweet FW when you're not using it.  Put a towel over it or make one of the FW dust covers.  Okay, I plugged the FW dust cover.  Those were fun to make.

Before I forget, the FW maintenance and Club classes have been scheduled for this fall now.  You can go over to the Class Schedule page and find that information.  Get those Club dates on your calendar so you don't forget.  I'm already thinking about what to do at our fall classes.  And, if you know someone that's been wanting to take a maintenance class or you want a refresher class, those dates are set and you can call the Quilt Patch and sign up.

Okay, the day is calling.  I need to get back to some sewing and maybe go out and catch a fish for supper.  Hope you all are having a grand summer.  Do shout out and say, hi!  I miss ya' all.

Our trip to the FW Shop and other stuff, too.

Here we are, the last week of June (and, my birthday week) so it's time for our FWs SPA day.  You can pick any day this week but lets get those precious machines all oiled, greased and lubed for the next six months of use.  Well, you need to oil them more often, every 8-10 hours of sewing to be exact, but the SPA day will help them work at their optimum. 

And what a great trip I have to tell you about.  Kathy and I drove to Idaho from the UP and I took the advanced FW sewing machine maintenance class at the FW Shop.  I have so many things to tell you all about that.  I'll have lots to post about for weeks and weeks.

I learned about motors and gears, special finish techniques and how to repair those handles.  Latch repair was covered as was special info about products to use and so much more.  There will be some fabulous new products coming soon for your sweet machines.  I'll keep you posted about those items as they become available.  At the end of the two days I got a certificate that says, I completed the class so now I really feel official.  That's Christian on the far left, then Carmon, me, and Burl, the head technician for the FW Shop.

And, the trip there and back was gorgeous.  I have to admit that driving over 3000 miles is a bit crazy but I wanted to see the countryside and experience everything along the way. Having airline personnel throw my FW cases into a cargo area was not an option. That last 3 hours before arriving at Kooskia was so beautiful.  US-12 runs along the river winding around mountains with rapids and steep curves in the road.  The Bed and Breakfast owner where we stayed told us how dangerous that road can be and while we were there an older couple drove off the road into the river in a camper and nearly died.  Beautiful and dangerous are the only words to describe that road. Needless to say, we were careful.

We were right in the middle of the Nez Perse Indian reservation so we stopped at that National Park before we returned home.  We didn't get as far as the River of No Return but we were very close.  We were surrounded by beauty and history that clearly spoke to us.  I can highly recommend a trip to see Idaho's panahndle.

Coming back, we stopped at the Teddy Roosevelt National Park and it's another beautiful area to see.  We watched prairie dogs in their little villages and Bison across the way.  You just can't see that stuff from a plane.  The rock formations in that area are so unique. Yes, I love rock formations, too.

And, we shopped at quilt shops and antique stores as well.  You really can't go on this kind of outing and not do a bit of shop hopping. Neither one of us broke the bank shopping but we did find a few things that we couldn't leave behind.

All in all, it was a great trip and, like I said, I have a lot to tell you all for weeks to come. 

How could I forget?

The FW dust cover.... how did I forget to post that one?  I finished it last week.

It's perfect to put over my FW when I'm not using it..... well, that's not too often.

Welcome to Summer

Hello, Summer with your warm days and sunshine.  Welcome to fishing on the lake and sewing in my corner overlooking the water.  I'm so happy to have the  hummingbirds, goldfinches and robins at the bird feeders.  Welcome mosquitoes and black flies.  Wait!!  I'm getting carried away here.  The mosquitoes and black flies can fly away any time.  I'm tired of them already and they've barely begun.

The UP has so much beauty but the bugs aren't one of them.  But, we do have cans of OFF in every room of the house and garage.  There's a can in each of the vehicles and the boat.  When you live in the woods, OFF is the perfume of choice.  That's just the way it is.

We've been here a little over 2 weeks and it feels like home again.  It's a lot of work getting everything unloaded, unpacked, and put away.  We got the dock put out and the boat in the water but as always, there are things that need work now that we're here.  We pulled the boat back out of the water because the onboard trickle charger isn't working correctly.  We'll have that up and running again soon because those bluegill tasted pretty good that we caught the other day.  Fish from a clear water lake are really pretty good.

And, I've been sewing like a crazy woman.  I always bring things to work on and this summer I downsized a bit.  I brought my Little Brown Bird quilt to work on.  It's number 1 on my UFO list.  And, I brought some scraps to make a few preemie quilts for donating this winter after I get them quilted.  Here's what I've accomplished so far.

This one is a scrappy quilt that I made from a bag of 2 1/2" squares that my neighbor up here gave me last summer.  There are some vintage fabrics and I used up one of the grey fabrics from the elephant quilt, too.  I am trying to use up a bunch of fabrics I have this summer to reduce my stash. I already had all those scrappy blocks put together when I came up this year.  I used them for my leaders and enders while I was making the elephant quilt last summer.

This one is a preemie, again made from a bag of scraps that my neighbor gave me last summer.  I don't remember the quilt she made using the instrument fabric but there were just enough of those pieces left to make this one.  Yup, I used up more red scraps from my own stash.

This one is a UFO that I've had on my pile for about 3 years.  I'm calling it my Easter quilt and I just needed to embroider the eggs with Easter stripes or other designs.  I just couldn't find the time to finish it up this winter even though I wanted to have it done for Easter this year.  Maybe I can get it finished for next year. It's ready for quilting now.

And, I'm getting excited to go to Idaho to the Featherweight shop for my additional training on FW repair.  I leave a week from today and when I get back, I know I'll have a ton of things to tell all of you about our precious FWs.

Yes, I'm going to take pictures and it will be time for our biannual  spa day for our FWs when I get back as well.

I hope you all are having a great summer so far.  I love to hear from you when you get a chance.  I'll report back in a couple of weeks.  Till then, quilt away!

April/May activities.... I think I'm ready for summer!

It's been such a long time since I posted.  I'm so sorry.  We had a good time at our last FW Club class but then I was so busy getting the elephant quilt done, repairing several FWs for many of you, and then, the wedding and my duties for that took the rest of my time.   Now, we're headed back to the summer house and some much needed rest.  Of course, there are FW things during the summer as well but not so often or so much.

Okay, people have been emailing me.  Did I get the elephant quilt finished in time?  Well, yes, I did.  It took me 10 days of pretty much non-stop quilting to get it done but I delivered the quilt to the bride and groom a couple of days before we left for the wedding in NC.  Here are a few pictures of the quilting.  I hadn't put the binding on when I took the pictures but that got finished with the teal blue fabric and if I do say so myself, it turned out pretty nice.  I'm really happy to have that done!

The wedding was gorgeous.  It was held in the mountains of NC and the weather was beautiful the entire week before the wedding.  Unfortunately, the rain came on the afternoon of the wedding.  It was supposed to be an outside wedding but it had to be moved inside.  Oh well!  It was still a wonderful celebration.  We're all so happy to see the grandson and his bride give their vows and become husband and wife.

Yes, I made the wedding cake.  That had me on pins and needles the days before the wedding.  I was so nervous.  I wanted it to be perfect.  Well, it come out fine.  The yellow genoise cake with  raspberry filling and white chocolate buttercreme frosting did not melt in the heat, thank goodness.  It was tasty and even though the stress caused some pretty painful neck strain, again, I was glad to get it done.

Once we got back home the business of packing for the move got underway.  That's always a big job  as well.  But the trailer got loaded and we're headed north as I type these words.  We'll be at our summer home tomorrow and the unpacking will begin.  I'm so anxious to unload my fabric and get my sweet FW oiled and ready for sewing to begin.  I don't have a wedding quilt or t-shirt quilt to make this time so maybe I can get a couple of my UFOs done this summer.

You know that the retreats will bring me back down state in August and I'm looking forward to that.  If you are one of the participants, I'll be sending out our next sheet of information this next week.  Be looking for that, okay?

And, I'm so looking forward to my trip to Idaho for my advanced FW training.  I will give you lots of updates when I get back home from that.

Do continue to email me with questions you have and/or problems you need help with.  I do enjoy hearing from each and every one of you.

Okay, I need to get some sleep so I'll be ready for tomorrow's travels and then the unpacking begins.