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. :)

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

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