Last day and a rant

***EDIT*** This post is from a long time back. I have no idea why Blogger moved it and put it back in play but here it is.*** Weird Blogger!



This is hopefully the last full day of Ray being gone. I have enjoyed the free time to play as I wish, but I'm ready for him to be home. I need sleep!
Last night once again, no sleep until after 4am. Grrr!

I didn't get to play in the sewing room until after 9:30 last night as the daughter came over or some Mommy time. She does that occasionally. It makes me happy.

I have started another stack of pineapples. The hardest and most annoying part is the first round as it has such tiny pieces and I can't do it if my hand are stiff. Normally on good days I will make a stack of them so I can just mindlessly piece rounds. So last night after Kari left I made a small stack. Today since I am bleary eyed but my hands are working I have added to the stack. I have about 30 and want to make about 50 before I quit. I think I can do that tonight.

I need to fuss for a minute so if you're in no mood for it stop here.

I have a Brother Innov'-is QC-1000. I got it about a year before leaving Alabama. I HATE it!! Every time I have to clean out the bobbin area it is a fight to get it back to sewing. I am in the habit of cleaning after each bobbin. I have done that on all of my machines. I also give them one drop of oil in the bobbin area after dusting. The Brother machine takes between 20 and 30 minutes each time because I have to play around and keep adjusting everything so it will sew again. There is something about the way it fits together, which in my opinion, isn't a good tight fit, that makes it temperamental. I know a lady who as the same machine bought just a few months before mine that has the same issues. It s aggravating!
I have taken it to be serviced and spoke to them bout it, thinking it was something I was doing wrong. Nope, I'm told it is a finicky machine. HOGWASH!  Why didn't anyone tell me this before I paid too much money for it?
So now this expensive machine is left for paper piecing and machine quilting. Because beside the fact the bobbin area is a pain I can't get a good 1/4" seam without cuss words. For a very long time I left it in the box. I felt guilty so I pulled it out, but it sure makes me crazy...er.

Ok rant over...back to my regularly sunny disposition. Ha ha! :)

I'm typing on my iPad so the pictures are at the bottom.
Doesn't that look like a mess? You should see the floor!

See Boo? He has a thread on his chin. He was helping me again. :)

I think I can, I think I can...

center of the top going together

pile of border units

If I keep my nose to the grindstone I will be able to get the Pineapple top complete. Fingers crossed!
 Then I can concentrate on packing for the retreat. :)

Back to sewing!!
Diane

360 degrees and lots of yammering

what is that saying? When the cat's away ...

Well I have been playing, in the "studio" as I am having to call it since I have moved ALL of my quilting/knitting/beading/and everything else into one room. Beading and kitting are recent loves but I decided I didn't really want to see them all over the house all of the time. When I am actually working on them while Ray is home is enough.
I already got off topic...surprised? Not me. :)

I took a couple of pictures to show off the new shelves and a drawer unit which I hope keep me more tidy and organized.

This wall of shelves and drawer cabinet is wonderful so far. I have all of my patterns in the red drawers divided by subject; paper piecing, applique, hand piecing, embroidery, etc. The fabrics (not all organized and pretty yet) are sorted by colors except the far right side which is baby/children fabrics.

The white cabinet of drawers holds all of my beading/jewelry stuff and misc. stuff I couldn't decide where to put.

The Great Wall  :)

Paper piecing above, companions below

 While Ray is gone I have been piecing again on my Pineapple Crazy. It is such a mess maker I will be glad when I am finally finished.  I have loved working on it. It is really good for stressful days or insomniac nights, but man at the mess! I didn't take a picture of the trash can and around it, the floor of strings after digging again, the front of my clothes at night before leaving the room. I am covered with threads...covered!

Paper piecing machine and stuff

 I'm not sure how much I love my computer being in here, but I am trying it. I thought I would like watching Netflix or DVDs in here, but I find myself watching the screen instead of sewing.  Music may be my best bet.

Finally all of the pineapples!! Some knitting

 Look! See all of those blocks? That is all of them! So exciting! Of course I thought I had them all finished and then I counted and saw I was one pineapple short. :^/ But I remedied that!

Scrap digging...and a mess

I'm so ADD! Look at that mess. Very far left is three different block/quilt designs I have been working on. Then a pile of light scraps on top of a tray with PP.  The books are some I have been looking through for some new quilt designs then more scraps.  What you can't see is a stack of books and magazines and quilt drawings, two huge plastic boxes of leftovers from fabric cuttings. When I took out my cutting table I lost the area to have my drop box. The drop box is where I put the scraps that are too large to strip into 1", 1.5" or 2" strips, but too small to put back on the shelves.  Right now they are being stored under my cabinet the Bernina sits in.



My constant companions and helpers in all needlework

It us going to take some more thought to get the room clean and organized properly. If you know me you know I will change it three more times before it feels right. But then that would mean I would have to stay home to do this. Fat chance! Ray keep saying he wants to retire so we can travel. I want him to retire so I can stay home! We travel enough! Too much sometimes.

Later!

Diane

Pineapple CRAZY

Still pineappling away...

Sweet! 

😬

I'm not ignoring, just nothing new...

It's kind of boring saying the same thing every time; pineapples and cousin quilt. Yep that is what I'm still working on.
I keep getting sidetracked with knitting. I wanted to put a couple of pretty face cloths in with Laura's quilt so I have been working on a really pretty coral colored one. I found some soft cotton/bamboo blend yarn and it is coming out nice.
Maybe if I take a few minutes later I will post some picture, but they will not be much different than the last ones. I'll have part of a washcloth and more pineapples...exciting!

Later,

Diane

Hello, my name is Diane...nice to meet you

I have been away, in more ways than one. :)
I recovered from the August retreat but it took a while. :)
I have another retreat I'm looking forward to in January. I'm pretty excited as its with Bonnie Hunter.  I'm now in the middle of deciding what fabrics to use in the class. I know some of the quilters will be using shirts, I want to use my Civil War fabrics. I need to decide what colors though. The pattern is Smith Mountain Morning and it is made with browns, blues and muslin. I like that and have pulled more than enough of those fabrics but then my eye went to the pink, brown and muslin and now I'm torn.  I have time to decide, so I will just do as my Papa used to do and ruminate on it.

I want very much to get my pineapples at least into a top before the retreat so I can show it in the Show and tell portion. So many of my friends saw the blocks and the mess I was making with the scraps and they oohed and aahhed over them that I want to have it finished. It's a goal.

(If you want to see a picture of the blocks here is a link to an older post http://www.dyedquilting.blogspot.com/2013/03/design-wallor-cutting-table.html)  I can't find the picture in my folder to link to so just click back.

  I did the math and finding that I miss counted and don't have as many made as I thought I did :(  but if I get 1.6 blocks a day made between now and the retreat I will have it made in time to get it into a top and maybe even quilted if I can bribe a friend into quilting between Christmas and the retreat. Usually the first few weeks after Christmas are used for resting for machine quilters but we will see what I can come up with.

Yesterday I got 30 pineapples in various stages of completion. I feel like I get a rhythm going and it goes faster. If I work on just dark rounds then trim, then light rounds, then trim it feels like it's faster. Maybe not, but I'm going with it. :)

I hear the pineapple calling my name...but wait...the husband is calling too...I guess I will work on pineapples tonight after supper.

Later,
Diane

Sorting and organizing helps

Do you have one of these wonderful little lights? I got mine about 15 years ago and have used it almost constantly. I don't think I have even changed the buld, but if I have it has only been once. I have a floor model of the same color and I have changed the bulb in it.

After a while the light that flips up can get a little loose and not want to stand up. For the longest I didn't know if anything could be done so I would just readjust and go on with my work. Today while trying to clean and organize my work space I had a light bulb moment. Kinda cool since I was looking at a light. Get it? Light bulb moment? Light? Oh never mind I guess you had to be there.
Anyway I noticed the slits and thought, hmmm I think a nickel will fit in there. Sure enough it did and my light now stands at attention! Woo hoo! Happy me!

                                                                                  ***



I realized last night I was spending way too much time digging for the right size pieces. I decided it might make my life easier if I organized myself instead of constantly shuffling through the huge pile of scraps.

messy & oh that nasty ironing board

What a dump! Said with Betty Davis voice.

So I set to work! I don't think there is a thing that will keep the floor from getting so messy but I can organize my pieces by size and I won't have to tunnel through each time I need a piece.




First I measured and marked the sizes needed

Measured and marked

Laid out the sizes

Of course that is just the border tray, but I did the same with the pineapple tray and papers. The goal is to shave a bit of time off of the making of each block. An hour is a long time so every few seconds I shave off by not having to sort and dig will help.

These blocks have been a great stress reliever. Moma hurt her shoulder the other day helping Daddy sit up. So after an ER visit, an MRI and shots, she can't go see Daddy at all for a while. It's just too tempting for her to reach out and try to stop him from falling and then she would be really hurt. So sadly Daddy is at the nursing home alone and Mom is at home, and I am here too far away to help. My sisters do all they can, but they have jobs and children at home. Life gets hard.

Back to the sewing room.

Diane

Design wall...or cutting table

This is what I have to show...doesn't seem like much does it?
Fifty 5 1/2" pineapples. I normally don't love paper piecing, but I am enjoying making these. I will keep at it until I am tired of them. I guess I will know the size of the quilt when I get sick of making pineapples. Right now I can envision this on one of the beds, so I hope I can last that long. I have a twin, queen and a king in the house so fingers crossed. :)

With Ray home I am not getting hours of uninterrupted sewing, but I am getting about an hour so I can get a block a day. I'll take it!

Housework calls.

Later,
Diane

Timing, visitors and goal met

I was wondering just how long it takes to piece one little pineapple block, start to finish.

Start to finish each pineapple, with one seam being ripped and replaced.

 

I knew it took a while but I was surprised it too that long. I admit I am pretty persnickety when it comes to piecing. I pick the fabric, trim it straight, piece, press, and trim each one. I can't stand strings and thread hanging so I trim all of those. Ok I guess and hour isn't that long then. :)

 

It took me a while to get to the sewing room today as I found things that had to be done all day until 3:35pm. That could be why I was in there until 2:45am.  Or it could be insomnia...take your pick.

 

I had visitors this evening

 

Little Girl under the sewing table on her pillow chewing a rawhide.

 

Boo under my chair



They both love their rawhide treat. Little Girl sits so prim chewing sweetly. Boo on the other hand ends up eating it and ripping it all over the room. They are so funny. Boo doesn't bark, ever. He will try to bark when they play, but it sounds like he has laryngitis. It is so funny. He feeds her dinner by scooping food out of the bowl. He is not the alpha dog by any means. He grooms her and moves if she wants the spot he is in. Give him a rawhide and let her come near and he growls like he is about to eat her up!

 

I was going to sew until I got to 50 blocks. I thought I still needed one more, but on recount I realized I was done. I have two more rounds to make it 51. But honestly I was done. That may be who I have so many UFOs. I sew my brains out until I am sick of doing them and move one to something else and sort of forget. Well maybe not sort of...

 

I am going to pull the covers over my head and pray I fall asleep, but I really am wide awake. UGH!

 

Later,

Diane

When the rat's away the wife will play...

Is that how it goes?
Or is it when the husband is gone I don't have to cook for 4 days so I can sew my brains out with no worries. LOL I think that may be better...I don't always think the husband is a rat, just when I want to sew and he wants to eat or sleep on clean sheets. LOL

I forced myself to go to bed at a decent hour last night so at 1:30 am I crawled in the bed. It was only 1 1/2 hours passed my goal time, but still pretty good.

I have been listening to Charles Dickens' book Dombey and Son, and paper piecing some lopsided pineapples. Thought I have made quite a few, it shows how small a dent I've made when you stack the untouched next to the complete and the in progress. So far I have only made one that will be thrown out. I didn't put the edge of the fabric in the correct place and didn't notice until the block was complete. But I am not too upset, only one throw away after so many...pretty good in my book.

At what temperature do you turn on the heater? This shows 67, which is already warmer than the 64 it showed earlier. I know in the summer time I would give mostly anything for that temp, but today I am chilled. Last night I slept under two blankets and my special quilt my friends gave me. Normally I wouldn't have so much on the bed, but I was alone with no one to warm my cold feet so I needed the extra warmth.

Today's agenda:
wash the dogs bedding - half way there!
SEW...on my way!
There is homemade lasagna in the fridge, chicken cacciatore leftovers. Yum! I got this recipe from Judy Laquidara. It is delicious, you must give it a try. I am all set for food at least until Joseph discovers the lasagna. :)

Later gator,
Diane

New Years superstitions and thoughts on them...

Whatever you do on the first day of the year is what you will do all year long.  I have heard that all of my life. My mother's side of the family tends to be a bit superstitious so I have always heard all sorts of things that I think are crazy.
1. Must eat black eyed peas and greens for health and prosperity.
2. NEVER wash clothes on the 1st; if you do someone you love will die in the year.
3. No hard labor on the 1st. If you do you will labor all year long.
There are more I know, but I forget.

#1. No one in my house likes black eyed peas or greens so that one is not done. Could explain a lot about the checking account.
#2. There is seldom a day I don't do laundry. As far as I can remember I have done a load of laundry every single Jan. 1st since I have been married. Can you say rebellious? :)
3. I'm not sure if I have ever dug a ditch or re roofed the house on the 1st but everyday is a day of labor around here. There are beds to make, laundry to do (check #2), dishes to wash, etc.

As far as how I opened this post...I did sew. If any of these superstitions have any truth to them I want to sew all year so I'm not messing with that one!

Here is hoping 2013 is a great year with little stress and lots of love!
Diane

Christmas gifts can be surprising!

I bought myself an early Christmas present. Since my family usually doesn't go the quilting route for my gifts I felt I was safe. Well the book came in Friday and I immediately ripped open the box.

Stop! Why am I so excited?
I was only buying myself the book to add to my collection. I really like Bonnie Hunter and I own two of her books but had never really cared for String Fling as I have enough of a mess in my sewing room without sewing in strings. I have been saving all of my small strings and pieces to mail to a friend since she likes to make crumb blocks. I'm not a crumber either. Not that I don't have everything needed for them, just I don't need the added mess.

Well last night I was a bit on the tired/stressed/aggravated side so I decided I needed some sewing therapy. I love the look of pineapple blocks so I thought I will make me a copy of the pattern and do some mindless sewing.

Hmmm I didn't want to cut any of my strips into tiny bits so what do I do? Oh! I have that bag of scraps! I can dig out a few pieces and no one will ever know.

Do you know what happens when you unzip a stuffed bag? It explodes! This bag weighed over 9 pounds. How many scraps make up 9 pounds?
A LOT!

This is a beauty!
It didn't take very long.
I didn't have to cut any fabric.
The room is a mess, but I had fun and that is all that really matters. 

Merry Christmas!
Diane