Icy again all day...

Sooo tired of this... And another night with possible freezing precipitation in the forecast...

Spent the day out in the sewing room working on strip paper pieced 3.5" squares with Canela and Lil Bit... Sure tired of winter...

Ice again....

And moisture in the forecast for the next few days.... Grr...

Marvin bought me a Fitbit Wednesday when we went to Walmart in Brownwood to get supper and groceries while the weather was fairly good. We went to Golden Chick for supper for Marvin's first time. I had been once with a friend of mine a few months ago. We got the thigh and wing roasted chicken, green beans and a roll. The chicken and beans were good but the roll was fantastic! Next time I want to try their chicken breast and drumstick... Thighs are ok, but...I'd rather have breast meat...just didn't see it on the menu until we'd already ordered....

On another topic, we have a very old clothes washer and one day last week it made a high pitched squealing noise while in agitation cycle... Since then it's been quiet as a mouse...so I suspicion I had overloaded it. I didn't think so at the time, but as I said... It was probably old when we got it... And we've used it quite a bit... So we walked a half block to Higginbothems and bought a new GE ... It was right at closing time so we didn't take it home, then yesterday was not good weather...today is the same, so may not pick it up until tomorrow... In the meantime, the old one isn't making a peep! I'm thinking the thrift store that benefits the humane society might like the donation...who knows how long it will run for someone else!?!

On the subject of quilting, yesterday, I got only part of the Captain America block done, but I did get a water bottle sling completed to take water with me on walks with Little Bit once the weather clears.

This picture shows a Skinny Girl drink bottle instead of water, but you can get the idea.

The strap is WOF so it's long enough to wear cross shoulder...so it won't be too heavy on me to walk with. It should fit most 16 oz. bottles... Now, if warm weather will just come along...

Heat Wave!

30 degrees at lunch... Things are melting a bit even though it's not above freezing yet! We're supposed to have snow again tonight...and moisture chances the rest of the week except for Sunday... Then another hard freeze and snow again! Yuck! 

We didn't have quilting today...lots of ice still about...none of our group needs out in that! So Lil Bit, Canela and I have been working on quiilt blocks for the BOM from Santa Anna... We finished 2 today and ended up with some bonus blocks to boot!

Brrr!

Noon and 25 degrees...icy. Thankfully there's nothing falling now.

So thankful for a warm safe home and sewing room!

Well, now it's 3:00pm, and still 25 degrees... Oh well, Lil Bit, Canela and I have completed one block for the Sew Sweet Simplicity BOM... I chose Jack and the Beanstalk for the center of this one...

The Avengers...

Since I've been thinking about and making charity quilts this year, I've been focusing on boy patterns. I looked on Pintrest and found some really cute Lego Avenger paper pieced blocks through Craftsy.  I'm so sorry I can't remember the full name of the lady that designed them on her EQ program, but she's Kristy at QuietPlay.blogspot.com. I spent all day yesterday, sewing up Ironman, and all day today was spent with Batman... And while I have a lot to learn on paper piecing and I still have to embroider on Ironman's black around his eyes, and Batman's eyes and mouth, I think they'll be recognizable to the recipient... I'm pleased.

I've already printed out the patterns for Thor, Captain America, Superman, Spider-Man, and Robin...

Not sure how many I'll make to go into a quilt... I know there's also the Incredible Hulk, on the site and Wonder Woman, but I didn't see the Falcon, or the Black Widow... Anyway, if I get tired of those blocks, she also made the Star Wars characters that I'm thinking would make great quilts. the patterns say they make up at 10-1/2" unfinished, but mine end up at 9-1/2" unfinished. I'm sure it has to do with me printing from my iPad which doesn't have a size option on it...It is what it is. So 9" finished blocks it will be! ;) I'm putting the patterns in a notebook to keep because I'm thinking I might have to make more than one of these...

Baby Boy quilt finished...

Third charity quilt is finished. I tried something new for the backing.... I peced it with some leftover material with kids themes on them...

Finished front...

Finished back...

Morning View...

Pa just texted me the view on his way to work this morning.... Is this gorgeous, or what?

Two Flimsy finishes in one day...

This seems to be how I work... Several irons in the fire at once in many stages of completion... Today I was blessed to get two tops finished on the same day. The baby quilt is for CPS for a boy baby and the Roll Roll Cotton Boll is for a Reunion fund raiser....Hope to quilt the baby quilt maybe this week. The large quilt I want to save and quilt after I go to the longarm workshop with Linda Taylor in McKinney on March 19th.

Baby top...

So there was a little hiccup in today's plan...

I did get the riding mower work done but not until after the deck belt came off and Pa had to get it back on for me... But, thanks to Pa, it got done! Then I finished my second charity quilt this year... Right on time. Yay!

Quilting and lawnmowers....

Another beautiful day today! I went to my Tuesday quilting group this morning and took Gertie with me... Needless to say, Gertie was a hit and enjoyed many loving hands trying her out! When I came home, I was going to sew on the patio some more, but the weeds were so high in the yard until I decided that it would be the better part of valor for me to try to get one of the mowers to run. We have 3 push mowers and one riding mower. Of course the riding mowers' battery was dead...so it was a no go... Two of the three push mowers we have here are actually the property of our grandson Benjamin. His big one was too hard for me to pull the rope fast enough to get it to turn over and start. Marvin started it without any problem when he got home. Ben's smaller mower was out of gas and I didn't have any more. So the only push owner I could get to turnover was my old green push mower and it would start for 2 seconds and die...over and over... Well, after last year's experience with the tiller and weed eaters doing that, I knew the carburetor was gunked up from gas sitting in it over the winter. So, it was time to clean up the carburetor... So, to You tube I went, to find donyboy and his awesome tutorials on such matters...sure enough, there was one on my exact carb. By the time Marvin came home I was putting the air filter back on to try and start it after taking it all apart and cleaning it with carb cleaner and kerosene! I can't tell you how proud and thankful I was when it started on Marvin's first pull of the rope and stayed running! Yay me! And Thank You, Lord!

At this point, I had the tank off,  I wanted pictures of how many screws, etc.

The other side view of the carburetor and its screws.

And the front view...

After my pics of how it was supposed to go back together, I got down to work...

And it's running good now. What's up for tomorrow you ask? Mowing, of course! ;)

Just wish Benjamin and Cara were here to help too!

What a beautiful Day!

Canela, Li'l Bit and I are enjoying one of the prettiest days I can remember!

We just can't seem to stay inside... The warmth and beauty of the sun has us in its trance.

For a couple days now I've been working on a charity quilt... And today it came together. It's from a Kaye Wood You Tube video tutorial on how to make a 6 hour quilt. I think it took me a bit longer, but not much, and now that I get how it works, the next ones will go faster. It's made mostly with a serger in a quilt as you go fashion... I did opt to use a standard sewn binding, which I sewed initially on with my little Singer 99 handcrank machine... Then I finished the binding on my Bernina... It's more of a comforter than a quilt in my mind, but it will be nice and cuddly...

Believe it or not, it's exactly the same on both sides... And I get to use up all those narrow strips of batting that are left from quilting on my longarm... That's a huge bonus in my book! This one came out to be 50"x72" just about right for a throw or twin bed.

Gertie is here!

She's totally awesome! She got here around 3:00pm and by 6:00 I had her oiled, adjusted and sewing strip pieced blocks...its 9:30 pm now and I just quit for the night...I've been making paper pieced geese blocks. Wow...my right arm is sore...but it's way more than worth it!

So, ok, what's one more machine?

EBay is the Devil! There I said it, and I'm not taking it back! Yet, I have to say I'm more than a little excited about what I came across and won today! Won is a misnomer, of course, for now I have to pay to get what I Won to me! But it's so cute! Darn Cute! Dang cute! Dagnabit cute! Now, for the most important part...I gotta find a name for her! I'm thinking Galloping Gertie...she'll be a little unwieldy to use, and a little slow... And if you remember that Galloping Gertie was a bridge that swayed way more than was comfortable for the people driving across her... Then when you see this girl, you'll know 

How she'll fit her name...

Yep... She's a hand crank Singer 99, which is a 3/4 size machine.

But just look at the decals!

Her end plate and her...

Crank!

I'm already in love with Gertie!

And check out her case top!

Too fun!

Latest quilt block

From the March-April 2015 Quiltmaker magazine, Bonnie Hunter's scrap quilt block...she used her pink/neutral HSTs from her GIMQ... I used my black/neutral bonus blocks....

Got the top together!

Finally, I have used most of my pink and neutral bonus HSTs from Bonnie's Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt. I added purple and brown in the sashings, then... Well, a pic is worth a whole bunch of words...

Truly inspired by Bonnie Hunter from Quiltville Quips and Snips!

Now, to get it quilted and ready for CPS... I wonder now if pink Minky would be good on the back...hmmm... And what to do with my black and neutral bonus HSTs?

Brrr!

Its turned cold and rainy again...so today was spent in the sewing room working on a baby quilt for CPS...I started with a regular 8 pointed star block and incorporated more of them into the cornerstone and sash setup...I don't have enough put together to really let you see what I mean, yet.. Maybe tomorrow!

Pink Japanese Clone

Well, today was DH's birthday, so we went to eat at Owl Drug for breakfast, then made a quick trip to the bank in Santa Anna before I headed to my Tuesday quilting group. Hubby had taken the day off for his birthday, but wanted me to go to quilting group anyway... When I got back, he was in the garden. He had re- tilled it and was starting to plant the bunches of onions we had bought at the grocery store on Sunday. It was such a beautiful day and in the low 70's, that Lil Bit and I joined him in finishing the planting, then we ate the last of his birthday cake from Sunday with him for a snack...fudge cake...yum!

Now for the pink Singer clone part of the story! A couple years ago, we had bought a pink Singer clone at a garage sale, in a pretty nice wooden cabinet for I believe $5.00... Well, the machine had some issues with wiring, etc., so I decided it was time for me to check it out and maybe work at restoring it to working condition. It was in bad need of wiring, and truly needs a new paint job...so guess I have another project going.

I took lots of pics while disassembling to start the paint stripping process, and cleaned the yucky parts with carb cleaner then oiled it heavy... Ran out of time before I got too far, but here's the pics of the order I've gone in so far...

Thread holder and right hood /top screw.

Left hood/top  screw.

Nose removed.

Motor mount just hung back incorrectly after motor removal.

The back...also shows the cam cover.

This is the tiny screw holding the light to its bracket.

This is the black stitch cam stack.

This is behind the stitch selector knob.

These are the screws holding the stationary tension rod.

This is the stitch length regulator taken off... Note there is a shaft and spring involved with the knob.

This screws out...I think it's the reverse button...

Feed dog drop buttons...

Teeny tiny itsy bitsy cotter pin holding feed dog assembly 

Onto feed dog arm.

Stuck the pin back in to help remind me...

There was a tiny screw holding the chrome back portion of 

The stitch width knob as well.

Then it was time to go to Brownwood to Chili's for fajitas

For supper...pretty productive, and very enjoyable day!

Tomorrow we're supposed to have 100% chance of rain...

And much colder temps... Bring it on... But today was gorgeous!

1912 Singer 127

DH went by the Thrift Shop this morning and brought home this sweet little machine!

It came in a nice cabinet, and has been motorized with a knee pedal...

I checked her number out and she's a little over 100 years old... Dated from November 26, 1912.

I have another 127 that's still in its treadle cabinet... It was dated March 30, 1926 and still runs great, so when I saw this one was missing the shuttle, bobbin, and front slide, I wondered if it would run or not... No worry there...a good oiling and some parts borrowed from my 1926 one, and she was off and running! She still stitches pretty good, don't you think?

I think both of my 127s are amazing!

We also got the new foot pedal in for my white featherweight yesterday, and now Gracie is up and running smooth as silk! Her original toe button pedal was doing jack rabbit starts and stops and was full out in the middle! apparently those old pedals have a carbon buffer type setup and the carbon breaks down with age, making it an all or nothing sewing speed which breaks the thread... A lot! So I'm feeling pretty fortunate! thank you, Lord!