So I lost count and I didn't even get to 10.  Numbers have never been my friend. 

But it looks like this is going to be my last finish for the the month of February.  I have another one on the frame but finishing this one up set my shoulders to burning.  My husband has a saying, "It's only arthritis." He thinks that it's a bit patronizing to say that to some one. Like that makes it hurt less.  I told him that there are plenty of doctors out there that make a good living treating "only arthritis."  I really think my problem is more with the shoulder muscles.  I tend to get tense when I'm quilting and it's not going my way.

 It was pretty vexing.  The thread kept breaking.  And breaking and breaking.  And wouldn't you know it?  I was using contrasting thread for the backing- so every little restart is immortalized. I was using a different type of thread than I've done the last few quilts in.  It's the type I previously used exclusively, so I find it hard to believe that it's the thread. (Madeira) The thread I've been using lately is from Thread Art. Nothing special- but it hasn't been breaking.  The quilt on the frame is lined up for a different color of Madeira.  If it breaks as often, I'm switching back to the thread art.  I don't care if isn't the same color. It was almost too demoralizing to go on. But I did a lot of deep breathing and made it to the end.

I really like this scrappy quilt.  It's foundation blocks sewn on pages from a phone book.  Do they still make paper phone books?   

Eva came home from a doctor's appointment with two pieces of fabric and a pattern for a dress.  Her daddy treated her to a shopping spree at Joann's. It's a See&Sew pattern and I think we can manage it.  I'll need to clear the cutting table so she'll have room to lay it out. She chose a medium green with tiny green sprigs on it and a tan with tiny autumn leaves.  She's nothing like Bekah who would have chosen something with big pink flowers.  She's my '80s child.  I'm looking forward to helping Eva make her dress.  

My cock's comb pattern- with a thousand knots.

Another finish...

I found this quilt top at an antique mall.  I think I paid $5 for it. It's an odd quilt.  Completely hand pieced. She used stripes in almost all of the squares except the corner stones. the sashing is all striped and she didn't have big enough pieces for them, so a lot of them are piece-mealed together.  She made it work.  Pretty sure an iron never touched it. You can see where she whacked the top and bottom off to try and make it even.  I had to straighten that out. Her stitches were pretty big.  The lilac fabric on the edges doesn't match anything in the quilt.  But she sewed a top by hand.  

I'm loving the randomness of the layout. I'm pretty sure the top was so cheap because it isn't a particularly pretty quilt, but I can't resist an orphan.  Wonder what the story is behind it?  How did it end up in a bin?  I'd love for the maker to know that it's finally reached it's full potential.  I just quilted it in a meandering loopty loop.  That way I could try and hold down as many of the seams as possible. The backing is a sheet I found at Goodwill and the white binding was given to me by a friend. 

I've been trying to quilt as much as possible.  First, I finish a quilting a quilt and then, the next morning, I put another quilt on the frame and before I start quilting it, I put the binding on the last quilt I quilted.  Seems to work.  Getting a quilt in the frame is a bit of a drag, but once it's in there, I can hardly resist quilting just a little bit. And so I progress. The next quilt is a foundation string.  More scraps.   

Finish #5...

Got the binding on this one, this morning.  It's one of 5 string quilts that I made from a string bin.  The one I made Bekah was one of them, too.  Three more to quilt from that collection.  The binding is scrappy from the binding bag.  I have another quilt on the frame and I hope I can finish it, today and get the binding on tomorrow.  It's just a twin size that I salvaged from... I don't remember where.  An antique mall, I think. I'm using just a loopty loop as I have done  a good bit of line work on the past two and my thumb is sore from spinning the fly wheel for every start and stop.  The hazards of the craft;-) 

I almost forgot...

I finished this quilt and even got the binding on- so it's well and truly finished. I used Hobbs batting in it and it's as soft as butter.  Another one for the bin.  

 Button, Button, 

who has the button?  Wasn't that a childhood game?  Simple times.  I've been babysitting the grand daughters a few evenings this week.  We were sanctioned to the quilting room as the older kids were having a Bible study.  I had an epiphany.  My kids used to love to play with my button cans.  Well, some things never change. Essie and Lidia loved it, too.  Lidia was a little less pleased when I made her get down on the floor and pick up the ones she'd "dropped."  She was aggravated at Essie for not sharing.  Splash, the buttons went flying.  Later, Esther spilled her buttons and she was so afraid she was in trouble.  I explained the difference between an accident and a temper tantrum.  How could those sweet little faces ever lose their tempers?  Oh, and I discovered a reason for putting the threads in a waste basket- makes picking buttons up a little more complicated when sorting through the threads.  Now we know.

 I never quilt in the evenings.  It's just not something I enjoy.  I have extremely bright LED lighting out there, but there's just something about it...  But since the girls were out there with me, I found I didn't mind.  I got this on the frame and am almost finished with one pass.  Not a lot of progress, but I'm trudging in the right direction.
 

 You can see under my frame the tubs that hold my finished quilts.  I need to share.  I don't have any problem passing quilts out when I made a specific quilt for a specific person.  But when it's just a whim type of project, I tend to hold on to them.  I don't know why that is. I feel like I'm imposing on them to take a quilt.  Just an ordinary quilt.  Not a special one. 
 

Ever had fried cereal?  1 Tablespoon of butter- I like salted.  2 cups of cereal.  Melt butter in a skillet.  Add cereal and fry until browned. About 5 minutes.  Remove to bowl and enjoy.  I like fruit loops best, but you'll have to let me know if you try it and which cereal you like. 

 High tea...

We were invited to a Scottish high tea.  I wasn't able to go as I was feeling poorly, but I love how the kids got into the spirit of things. They had a wonderful time.  Left to right- Eva-20, Abe-15, Bekah-18, John-22 and their friend Olivia.
 

There's just something about that last pass.  Technically, there's actually 1 and a half passes, but regardless, I can see the end of the quilt. Always a welcome sight.  I'm hopeful I can finish it, tomorrow.  And then to get it bound, next week. 
  

It looks like a hoary haired witch has shed on my quilting room floor.  I should just set the waste basket closer, but there's something very liberating about doing things ala` Sharon Burns- over the shoulder. It's quick business to pick them all up, so I don't know what the harm would be. Funny thing.  I find myself asking myself, "Would Aunt Eva do this?"  She certainly wouldn't be throwing threads on the ground.  All prim and proper.  I'm such a rebel.  

Been a little tied up...

I'd been feeling a little under the weather for a few weeks.  I'd had some considerable pain on my right side, but it let up and was feeling better.  Only I wasn't.  I felt pretty rough.  Hey, I lost 15lbs and no girl will complain about that.  Maybe the way I lost it... William had enough and off we went to get some fluids.  That's how he bribed me to go to the hospital.  Fluids always sound like a good idea to a diabetic.  Only, it didn't stop at a bag or two of ringers.  Oh no, they had to go poking around and do a CAT scan.  Something about a missing appendix.  Inflammation.  Above my pay grade.  But it apparently wasn't an ideal situation as I got to spend three days as their guest. I took in a lot of intravenous antibiotics.  Pure potassium in an IV made me do some serious consideration about the condition of my eternal soul.  It wasn't all bad.  Aren't my flowers lovely?  I have the sweetest sister-in-law in the world.  She makes my brother look really good.  I'm feeling better. Only now I have a cold.  Coughing on top of everything else.  Well, it could be worse. 

 See my feather star quilt?  I put it up for the holidays and still haven't taken it down- need me a tall guy.  John?  John?  He must be out of earshot.  Don't I have the cutest painter?  I must say, sitting in a recliner and watching some one else paint is very satisfying.  And she'll paint as long as I'm an encouraging audience.  How could I not be?
 

 She painted door frames on both sides of the living room.  I should have gotten an after picture.  Now if I could only get the drywall sanded- I bet she would paint the walls for me.  Renovations never end and then it just starts all over again. 

 Our grandson is doing some serious thinking.

I've been looking for a good recipe for banana bread for about 30 years.  Mine is just too dry.  Banana bread shouldn't be dry.  I found a recipe on the back of a bag of flour that my son, Joe, brought home.  (He actually brought home about 25 bags.  They are adorable little 2# bags and nothing I would bother with- it would take 3 bags just to make enough biscuits for this crowd.  He manages a flea market and one of the vendors had flour- you never know what you'll find.) This recipe is a winner and worth the 30 year wait.  It calls for butter and buttermilk.  Everything is better with those two things. 

Best Ever Banana Bread

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup soft butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas(3-4 bananas)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Heat oven to 350*
Grease bottom of 9x5" loaf pan

Mix sugar and butter.  Add eggs, bananas, buttermilk and vanilla, mixing til smooth. Stir in flour, soda and salt until just moistened. Pour into pan

Bake 1 1/4 hours or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes.  Loosen bread from sides. Remove from pans to cooling rack.  Cool about 1 hour before slicing. 

It's a start...

So, I'm setting my piecing quilts aside and trying something new.  Not sure what, exactly, but this looks fun. I found it at Goodwill for 99 cents.  It reminds me of the fabric art postcards I make. The little collages are about 7-9" and each one is as different as can be.  The book is really more for inspiration than anything, although she does show- step by step- how she achieved different effects. I'm feeling inspired.  One of the things that I need to learn is how to free motion sew. I've never had to do that as I've always had a quilting machine. The postcards are so small that it's never been a big deal to spin it in different directions. But, suddenly, it all makes sense. I wonder if I can do it.  Years ago- I think it was 22 years- I saw a pattern in a quilting magazine that I loved.  It had all kinds of techniques that I'd never tried. Applique, paper piecing, embroidery(something I was somewhat familiar with) but I remember making the conscious decision, "What one man can do, another can do."  I made that quilt and it turned out just fine.  One block at a time.  So here I am thinking, "Somebody did that.  I should be able to do that."  It won't be the same, it'll be more me. Which isn't a bad thing.  The sewing machine lesson book has a couple paragraphs on how to free motion sew.  I guess I'll start there.

It's reading night.  Every so often, we decide to spend the evening reading.  All of us.  We light a couple hurricane lamps and snuggle in on the couches.  It's a rainy, blustery night so everything seems just right.  I'm reading the Riddle Master series.  A very enjoyable read.

Don't put it off...

Have you ever had a job looming over you that you've just dreaded?  And so you've put it off, time and time again.  Only to finally tackle it and it wasn't as bad as you thought it would be- actually, it was kinda fun.  It happens.  

So, this is a box that I've had under my sewing chair for longer than I remember.  I'm not sure where it came from.  Did I amass all of these various pieces and throw them into this box?  Did the box just come to me as it was?  I honestly don't remember.  I don't know why I was moved to tackle it- time on my hands since I'm not piecing, perhaps.  There are quite a few duplicate attachments.  Even a few for a slant shaft.  The needles show inflation.  One package was $.70, then $.90 and finally $1.50.  I have about a dozen machines, so I'm pretty sure I have enough machines to match with most of the attachments. 

I've never seen this singer piece before.  It's a razor blade knife and a needle threader. All metal. I think that long pokey thing might be a tool for threading elastic through casings. It would be much easier than using a safety pin.

Score!  I found a manual and 4 bobbins for my newest-to me-machine.  It only came with one bobbin and it's tiresome to stop sewing just to wind a bobbin. and an original manual is pretty cool. This gives me the sneaky suspicion that I have another 66 somewhere around here. Need to dig through the cabinets.  I like the machines in cases better because they don't take up as much room.  I have plenty of table top space, but not so much floor space.  But the cabinets sure are pretty, aren't they?
 

I was able to fit all of the attachments into the small boxes and into a machine stool. 

You know, there was one of the things in the box that I found irksome.  It's a Sewing Skills book from 1953.  It's for a class room setting.  When I was young, I made a prairie skirt and shirt in 4-H when I was about 11 years old.  In junior high, they had a semester of sewing when I was 12.  Made a nightgown.  That was the only time sewing was offered. 7th grade.  I think so much emphasis was placed on getting ready for college that practical skills were dropped.  I think that's sad.  I know I wish I knew just half of the knowledge in that work book. I took a clothing construction class in college, but it was just a basic class that assumed you didn't know how to use a sewing machine. I know that making your own clothing isn't as popular nowadays, but I'd like to know how.  Guess I'll be doing some studying.  

One for Boo...

This is the quilt I finished for Bekah, yesterday.  I had gotten the top on the frame the day before, so it was a quick project. This quilt is from the WUQ collection. WUQ, or woo-Q, is short for World's Ugliest Quilt.  It was a challenge I set up a couple years ago.  You see, I had this bin full of strips and strings- all different lengths and widths.  So I sewed them all together and set about making quilts from them.  I thought I'd get maybe a quilt or two.  I got 5 quilts.  Two queen, two twins and a throw.  I added the turquoise vintage fabric to these strips and Bekah loved it- so to Bekah it goes.  The binding is from the scrap bag of binding remnants- all different colors.  Since I sew almost exclusively scrap quilts, it doesn't bother me to use scrappy binding.  I don't remember the last time I bought fabric specifically for binding.  When I worked at the quilt shop, it would bring a smile to my face when a customer would spend 45 minutes choosing the binding for a quilt. Guess they won't be making any WUQs any time soon. 

At the rate of finishing two tops into full blown quilts and making one top in a week...  well, it's not exactly one step forward and two steps back but it will be mighty slow progress. As far as I know, I only have two more quilt tops to finish, but I need to purchase fabric for them.  And then, I plan on ordering batting from Connecting Threads, today.  They have a 30% off sale and their prices are still better than Joann's. I like the 100% cotton sheets at Target for backings- nice and soft but sturdy.  So I have some shopping to do with the money I made from my last quilting job for a client. 

The cold has returned to reasonable levels- maybe 10*.  Two people lost their lives in the county next to ours with this cold snap. So sad. We had a lot of ashes to clean out of the stove, this morning. It's hard to clean out the stove when you have a fire burning continually.  But we managed. There's almost 5" of snow on the ground and it looks lovely. 

 I don't know what today's sewing project will be. I'm hoping to take down more of the holiday decorations since it's been a week since our celebration. For some reason, the kids are dragging their feet on it.  Abe says, "Why do we need to take it down?  We're just going to put it back up this year."  No.  It's coming down.  It can be slow, but it's coming down. Mama says.