So my Singer 15 had been making a sort of thunking noise somewhere in the arm for a few days now as I stitched. After I finished what I was working on, I gave it a good cleaning and oiling. It still thunked. Eventually, after the upper thread kept breaking going through what was admittedly four layers of cotton, I thought to change the needle. Which I had changed not that long ago.
It was the wrong way around.
The really weird thing here? I have no idea how the machine was still sewing at all with the needle in that way!
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Friday, March 30, 2018
Stressed/Depressed/Working
I hate hormonal depressions. In some ways, I'll be glad when I have my change of life.
Meantime, I'm trying to work through it! Here's what I've been accomplishing. First, the String-X quilt:
Next, the Snuggly Ugly:
Meantime, I'm trying to work through it! Here's what I've been accomplishing. First, the String-X quilt:
It's a kiddie size quilt, a combination of one of Bonnie Hunter's free patterns and my eventual discovery of the Rainbow Scrap challenge. Currently living on the back of the sofa.
Next, the Snuggly Ugly:
This one has grown on me. I quite like it. It's homely - but homey. Atop our comforter, it kind of feels like a weighted blanket.
And here's my current project, a quilt my Aunt Debi has commissioned from me for her mother, Nancy. I need to have it done by Mother's Day next month. Here it is as laid out on the bed earlier tonight, before I started sewing all those string blocks and framed embroidery blocks together:
Right now I've got it into two single-block rows (top and bottom) and four double-block rows (the ones with the embroideries. Tomorrow I hopefully sew the rows together then figure out the math for the inner border (gold, same fabric as is framing the embroideries) and the outer border (mottled green, hope I have enough for the backing also).
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Productivity
Yesterday Wonderful Husband and the boys and I did Wondercon! A little over 13,000 steps, most of it either pushing a stroller with Squiddle or Jazzy in it, or with Squiddle or Jazzy atop our shoulders. Needless to say, we slept well last night. None of us wore costumes, though, which I feel kind of bad about. I need to get back into costuming. But I can't justify the weekend away in San Diego to go to Costume Con, no matter that this is the first time it's been nearby in years! Jazzy is still nursing... it's just not good timing for me. ;_;
This morning, I went to the bank with my fellow quilt guild officers to get all the correct names on and off the guild's bank accounts. After that, since I was already halfway to the garden center and knew they were on sale, I went and picked up a dozen marigolds. This afternoon, I finished weeding garden bed #4, planted seven of the marigolds among the tomatoes, put soil acidifier into the blueberry beds, finished sewing the binding onto the Snuggly Ugly, made lemonade from the fruit of our lemon tree, and started two heads of cabbage on their journey to becoming sauerkraut. I feel kind of productive?
This morning, I went to the bank with my fellow quilt guild officers to get all the correct names on and off the guild's bank accounts. After that, since I was already halfway to the garden center and knew they were on sale, I went and picked up a dozen marigolds. This afternoon, I finished weeding garden bed #4, planted seven of the marigolds among the tomatoes, put soil acidifier into the blueberry beds, finished sewing the binding onto the Snuggly Ugly, made lemonade from the fruit of our lemon tree, and started two heads of cabbage on their journey to becoming sauerkraut. I feel kind of productive?
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
A bit of this, a bit of that...
Last night, after the boys were in bed, I finally sat down and started working on the Snuggly Ugly again. One patch applied, right at the hem, and another loose seam stitched up by hand. I think there are still two or three more repairs to do, ones that I found during the quilting process. But for now I'm midway through putting the binding on. I got it stitched to the backside, then flipped it to the front, and am about a quarter of the way through that side. Funny thing is, when I came to the ends of the binding, where the two ends join together, the spot where they were to join was exactly at a seam in the binding! So I just frogged the extra strip off and joined them, and it was a perfect fit! It felt kind of like getting a perfect dollar purchase at the grocery store. ^_^
I've also been working in the garden. All seven blueberry plants are in the ground, together with five jalepeno plants, five of the six tomato plants, a row of bean seeds, a row of snow pea seeds, and two rows of leek seeds. Three of the seven beds in the kitchen garden are now cleared and planted, and I started pulling the weeds in the next one this morning. Plus I've got thirty-seven strawberries, two more jalepeno plants, and some bush bean seeds started in pots on the patio. (This tally does not include the ornamental patio plants.)
The cleaning and purging continues apace. I found the top of my dresser! And last night actually had tealights burning in two of my candleholders. And while putting laundry away, I culled a large bag's worth of skirts and dresses and shoes I don't actually wear. I need to tackle the boys' closet more, though - I've found a lovely sturdy vintage oak dresser on Craigslist, and we're scheduled to go inspect/purchase it on Thursday. The changing table was sufficient clothing storage when there was only Squiddle, and when Jazzy was littler (and when the weather wasn't playing hot/cold all the time) but we really need more clothing storage for them now, and if I'm going to buy furniture, I want it to be something that I love and that will last a lifetime. (Next, I need to start looking into a bunkbed situation. Squiddle is outgrowing his castle toddler bed, but Jazzy's not ready to move from crib to toddler bed yet.)
I've also been working in the garden. All seven blueberry plants are in the ground, together with five jalepeno plants, five of the six tomato plants, a row of bean seeds, a row of snow pea seeds, and two rows of leek seeds. Three of the seven beds in the kitchen garden are now cleared and planted, and I started pulling the weeds in the next one this morning. Plus I've got thirty-seven strawberries, two more jalepeno plants, and some bush bean seeds started in pots on the patio. (This tally does not include the ornamental patio plants.)
The cleaning and purging continues apace. I found the top of my dresser! And last night actually had tealights burning in two of my candleholders. And while putting laundry away, I culled a large bag's worth of skirts and dresses and shoes I don't actually wear. I need to tackle the boys' closet more, though - I've found a lovely sturdy vintage oak dresser on Craigslist, and we're scheduled to go inspect/purchase it on Thursday. The changing table was sufficient clothing storage when there was only Squiddle, and when Jazzy was littler (and when the weather wasn't playing hot/cold all the time) but we really need more clothing storage for them now, and if I'm going to buy furniture, I want it to be something that I love and that will last a lifetime. (Next, I need to start looking into a bunkbed situation. Squiddle is outgrowing his castle toddler bed, but Jazzy's not ready to move from crib to toddler bed yet.)
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Catching Up
Oops. Over a week without posting. Bad me!
Let's see. Last weekend my mother and the boys and I went to the Friendship Square Quilt Guild's quilt show, where there was an awful lot of eye candy on display. Beautiful work, some of which made me feel horribly inadequate!
Then this week I had the evening guild meeting, where the next Block of the Month seemed to go over pretty well. I took thirty handouts and only one came back with me. I also dumped five boxes and bags of stuff culled from my stash, and only brought one box back home. Someone else also dumped a bunch of stuff on the freebies table, and I deliberately stayed away until it was almost all gone, but hilariously, one of the two magazines I took to flip through had the same pattern (albeit 1" smaller) that I'd picked for the block of the month! I also signed up for the guild's UFO challenge. First project (the Snuggly Ugly!) due next month!
The next day, I had the morning guild, where I spent six dollars on various things, and thoroughly enjoyed the speaker and especially her sense of color! And I sat stitching away on the tablecloth that's been my take-along project for the last couple years. One more motif and I'm done with color number two (of three)! And after the morning guild, that evening I had the last meeting for this term of my writing class. Busy day, rush rush rush.
Today actually felt kind of similar on the rush-rush-rush front. This morning was the city's annual compost giveaway. Despite his belief that 7am does not exist on Saturdays, I coerced Wonderful Husband to get up with me and take his car as well to the giveaway. With the boys in their car seats in the back of my vehicle, there's not much room for containers to hold compost! After we got back, I dug in the kitchen garden for a bit, then took the boys with me to yoga. No one else showed up, so I got a private lesson! Then back home and next on the docket was the Fullerton Arboretum's Veggiepalooza sale with my mother. I got thirteen plants; she got three. Sadly, the offerings seemed somewhat scanter than in previous years.... And then home again and more gardening time. With Wonderful Husband's help, I got six of the seven blueberry plants into the finished amended bed, and then I pulled weeds and dug more amendments (including some of this morning's compost) into two other beds. Then corned beef, carrots, potatoes, and corn for dinner, plus I had some sauteed nettles that I set aside from when I was weeding earlier. (Wonderful Husband and Squiddle tried the nettles, but didn't like them.)
So I know that despite painkillers and a hot shower, I am going to be sore tomorrow. But I got a fair bit done! And over the past couple days I've pulled out my blocks from Betsy Chutchian's books and have sewn up all the Wheel of Fortune blocks I had cut, and started in on the remaining Album blocks. I've also been trying to go through and cut up my overflowing scrap basket (actually a hatbox), and I hit a bunch of fabrics that read as 1800s, so I've been trying to cut those up for those and an indigo snowball nine-patch set of blocks. I did that until late last night and I'd like to be doing more of it now, but I really really shouldn't, so I'm going to wrap up this not-very-quilty post and call it a night.
Let's see. Last weekend my mother and the boys and I went to the Friendship Square Quilt Guild's quilt show, where there was an awful lot of eye candy on display. Beautiful work, some of which made me feel horribly inadequate!
Then this week I had the evening guild meeting, where the next Block of the Month seemed to go over pretty well. I took thirty handouts and only one came back with me. I also dumped five boxes and bags of stuff culled from my stash, and only brought one box back home. Someone else also dumped a bunch of stuff on the freebies table, and I deliberately stayed away until it was almost all gone, but hilariously, one of the two magazines I took to flip through had the same pattern (albeit 1" smaller) that I'd picked for the block of the month! I also signed up for the guild's UFO challenge. First project (the Snuggly Ugly!) due next month!
The next day, I had the morning guild, where I spent six dollars on various things, and thoroughly enjoyed the speaker and especially her sense of color! And I sat stitching away on the tablecloth that's been my take-along project for the last couple years. One more motif and I'm done with color number two (of three)! And after the morning guild, that evening I had the last meeting for this term of my writing class. Busy day, rush rush rush.
Today actually felt kind of similar on the rush-rush-rush front. This morning was the city's annual compost giveaway. Despite his belief that 7am does not exist on Saturdays, I coerced Wonderful Husband to get up with me and take his car as well to the giveaway. With the boys in their car seats in the back of my vehicle, there's not much room for containers to hold compost! After we got back, I dug in the kitchen garden for a bit, then took the boys with me to yoga. No one else showed up, so I got a private lesson! Then back home and next on the docket was the Fullerton Arboretum's Veggiepalooza sale with my mother. I got thirteen plants; she got three. Sadly, the offerings seemed somewhat scanter than in previous years.... And then home again and more gardening time. With Wonderful Husband's help, I got six of the seven blueberry plants into the finished amended bed, and then I pulled weeds and dug more amendments (including some of this morning's compost) into two other beds. Then corned beef, carrots, potatoes, and corn for dinner, plus I had some sauteed nettles that I set aside from when I was weeding earlier. (Wonderful Husband and Squiddle tried the nettles, but didn't like them.)
So I know that despite painkillers and a hot shower, I am going to be sore tomorrow. But I got a fair bit done! And over the past couple days I've pulled out my blocks from Betsy Chutchian's books and have sewn up all the Wheel of Fortune blocks I had cut, and started in on the remaining Album blocks. I've also been trying to go through and cut up my overflowing scrap basket (actually a hatbox), and I hit a bunch of fabrics that read as 1800s, so I've been trying to cut those up for those and an indigo snowball nine-patch set of blocks. I did that until late last night and I'd like to be doing more of it now, but I really really shouldn't, so I'm going to wrap up this not-very-quilty post and call it a night.
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Finished Quilting!
The Snuggly Ugly is quilted! And it was a beast. The top thread (two different spools) kept shredding. The bulk of some of the fabrics was unholy. And the pleats, oh sweet heaven the pleats... this is the first time I've ever sewn my walking foot to a project!
(And Jazzy's frequent wanting me to stop sewing did not help.)
But it's done. 75" x 86", and I've got some fabric of a similar vintage cut, sewn, and pressed into the binding. Chili is bubbling on the stove, bread is almost ready to come out of the breadmaker... all I need to do now is trim the quilt and start sewing the binding on. Nothing is lacking but the inclination.
(And after the binding is on, my work is not done: there's still something like half a dozen spots needing patches that I found during the quilting process.)
(And Jazzy's frequent wanting me to stop sewing did not help.)
But it's done. 75" x 86", and I've got some fabric of a similar vintage cut, sewn, and pressed into the binding. Chili is bubbling on the stove, bread is almost ready to come out of the breadmaker... all I need to do now is trim the quilt and start sewing the binding on. Nothing is lacking but the inclination.
(And after the binding is on, my work is not done: there's still something like half a dozen spots needing patches that I found during the quilting process.)
Monday, March 5, 2018
Purging
So I've finished the String-X quilt and just need to remember to get Wonderful Husband to hold it so I can post a photo. And I'm a little over 4/7ths done with quilting what I'm calling the Snuggly Ugly. It's a 1970s string top that I got in a Goodwill box a couple years back, and... well, let's just say it's not pretty. Or even particularly well made. But for some reason I like it, so I've backed it with flannel (pink, that I had like eight yards of, and the rest of which is going to the freebies table at guild next week) and am working my way through it, as Squiddle and Jazzy allow. I've done nearly twenty patches and mends on it so far, and have found another four (marked with safety pins) during the quilting process.
I'm also trying to do a purge of Stuff. We (I) have way too much Stuff. I started with a purge of quilting magazines and books and pulled a decent number to go to guild. Then I started rearranging my quilting fabric shelves, and... well, that's not going entirely well. I have a problem with realizing "this fabric is objectively ugly and so I should get rid of it." And I haven't even touched the garment sewing shelves.
I'm also working on purging other stuff. Glasses we never use, etc. How many coffee mugs do two adults actually need? (I contend four; Wonderful Husband whimpers at fewer than a dozen.) And then there's the stuff in the boys' closet. Which is full of things that are not theirs, thus leaving little room for the stuff that actually is. And given how the weather keeps flip-flopping between hot and cold (55 a week ago, kissing 80 today), I can't just stash either winter or summer clothes away, so I need a place to store them!
I've gotten rid of nearly a floor-to-ceiling column in the boys' closet today. But I'm also out of boxes to put Goodwill donations in. Dilemma!
Paradoxically to the getting rid of stuff vibe, I've also been spending time and money at the garden center. Because we would like to move in the next year or two, so in addition to trying to clean up the inside of the house (and reduce the stuff we have to move), I'm also trying to spruce up the outside some. The stack of boards on the back patio went away via Craigslist, so I have actually amended and planted the two beds that were previously inaccessible. Next, the kitchen garden. And pruning roses. And and and.
I'm also trying to do a purge of Stuff. We (I) have way too much Stuff. I started with a purge of quilting magazines and books and pulled a decent number to go to guild. Then I started rearranging my quilting fabric shelves, and... well, that's not going entirely well. I have a problem with realizing "this fabric is objectively ugly and so I should get rid of it." And I haven't even touched the garment sewing shelves.
I'm also working on purging other stuff. Glasses we never use, etc. How many coffee mugs do two adults actually need? (I contend four; Wonderful Husband whimpers at fewer than a dozen.) And then there's the stuff in the boys' closet. Which is full of things that are not theirs, thus leaving little room for the stuff that actually is. And given how the weather keeps flip-flopping between hot and cold (55 a week ago, kissing 80 today), I can't just stash either winter or summer clothes away, so I need a place to store them!
I've gotten rid of nearly a floor-to-ceiling column in the boys' closet today. But I'm also out of boxes to put Goodwill donations in. Dilemma!
Paradoxically to the getting rid of stuff vibe, I've also been spending time and money at the garden center. Because we would like to move in the next year or two, so in addition to trying to clean up the inside of the house (and reduce the stuff we have to move), I'm also trying to spruce up the outside some. The stack of boards on the back patio went away via Craigslist, so I have actually amended and planted the two beds that were previously inaccessible. Next, the kitchen garden. And pruning roses. And and and.
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