A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I very much prefer to read updated blogs and so I try to post weekly on average, but it doesn't always work out that way. I've been a bit bogged down with the mundane lately, and I needed a break from the pressure of blogging, too. Most of the time I find the blog a terrific outlet, a great way to get feedback from people who are interested in quilting, and a means of connecting with people I would not have the opportunity to meet in "real" life. I have been sewing, but felt the picture taking lately was getting in the way of my creative process, so I decided for once it was OK to put the camera down and just swim in the process, enjoying every drop of creative juice and with no pressure that my work will be seen. Elaine left a terrific morsel on her blog that I will never forget - "Quilt like no one's watching!" and ever since reading that I've started to think about how much the blog work gets in the way sometimes. Conclusions: I am more creative, less nervous, accomplish more when I sew and no one is watching. What I mean by all that jibberish is that I am torn, but am feeling myself land on my 2 quilting feet. I will blog, but I surmise I will show finished products more often, leaving the camera in another room during the process. So what have I been up to?

I've made a skirt, a bag, and mended kids clothes that have been piling up. I suppose I could post pics about that, but I am rebelling, you see. Purhaps when things settle down in my head.

Now for a few of my favorite things:
First, there is this towel. The colors are not as perfect as when I first bought it, but love it so much I'd design a bathroom around it if I could! I hadn't been shopping for towels, didn't need towels, it doesn't match my bathroom but I couldn't resist. There was just something about it. One day I'd love to make a bargello quilt with just these colors (by the way, those dark specks are navy, not black)...

Then, there is this spoon. It has absolutely no function. In fact, my son broke the top off the day I brought it home. No matter, I just want to look at it once in a while...



Ahhh the soft wool scarf. One of those "finds." I love it because of the quilt-like pattern, but I would have loved it long before I knew about quilting. There goes that colorway again. Notice a pattern to my madness?

Then there's this. It cost too much when I first saw it so I didn't buy it. Then I bumped into it again, it wasn't on sale, but I had thought about it over and over and just decided nothing could take it's place. I love this thingy...
Now for some quilting photos. My uncle is a dentist who lives almost a 2 hr drive from my home. I've tried other dentists, there is none like him. Although I've insisted on paying him, he refuses to take it, and after hubby and kids made the trek today I decided to make him a quilt. He has a lot of "chatchkes" in his office relating to his profession, so I'm sure he'll love it. There's only one problem. My sewing machine...




After going back and forth to the dealer 3 times, it was purring, but then I noticed a little "ping" every time the needle went down. No big woop, it happened once before, I'll take it to the dealer again. But then I started to notice the top tension getting stiff again, and worse, that the zig zag stitching was inconsistent in width, plus the machine would slow and speed up ever so slightly. That's bad news, I think. But this machine is 12 years old, a Viking, and supposed to last forever! It has served me well, and I hate my dealer. If he weren't so overpriced and a little bit nicer I'd be throwing my money at him. The repair man I went to is much cheaper, but perhaps he doesn't know quite how to fix it? I think it's worth another try, I just hate the down time. I used to make fun of all the ladies with multiple sewing machines. What's the point? I get it now, and I think I'll be becoming one of those ladies.

Today I did the following. It is unfinished, please don't look at the inconsistent zig zag stitching - it really was the machine and not me!


That's as far as I've come. I had to stop - the machine was depressing me. Kind of like when you visit someone who is sick who used to be vibrant. You hate to see them that way. Likewise, I hated to see my machine that way.