So many hobbies!

Random Friday

1. Guys who drive Corvette convertibles should not be driving 10 mph under the speed limit!
2. Due to a misspent youth, I know all the words and can sing the song Sir Robin's minstrels sang in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."
3. Did you know you can sing nearly all of Emily Dickinson's poems to "The Yellow Rose of Texas?"  Try it.
4. August in Michigan is supposed to be hot, sunny and humid, not rainy, cold and damp.  We're getting gypped out of a sunny, warm end of the summer.  It's supposed to rain all weekend.  We are not amused.
5. This has been the worst growing season I've seen in a long time.  My tomatoes have had green fruit for over a month.  They're not ripening.  My zucchini gave me 5 or 6 zukes and between going to work one day and coming home in the evening, died.  Only the beans were happy this summer.
6. It's possible that, in addition to being a Magpie in a former life, I was also a squirrel.  I'm really into stash building to prepare for lean times.  That might also explain my compulsive need to can and freeze summer produce.
7. When it's rainy, cold and dreary outside, all I want to do is stay inside, turn all the lights on and either knit and watch movies, work on a quilt, or bake something sweet and yummy.  Possibly all of the above.

The new girl

 

Here she is.  We had a fun evening sewing spindle boxes.  The sewing store people fixed my problems.  Turns out I didn't have the bobbin threaded quite right and I needed a stronger needle for the many layers I was sewing through.  Actually, I'll be using three different needles when sewing the spindle boxes, each one stronger than the previous one.  You can see one of them laying next to the front right corner of the machine.

I'm itching to start another quilt top.  I've been collecting orange fabric from the Fabric Shack and my local quilt store.  I'm going with more of a creamsicle instead of pumpkin.  Anyone got any scraps to share?  I'll be cutting 4.5" squares.  I may or may not have ordered a quilting book, I'm not saying one way or another since it will only prove that I'm completely nuts for taking on yet another hobby. 

Did I tell you that I've rented a booth at the Fiber Expo in October?  Between now and then, I have to make a whole bunch of spindle boxes and dye up as much roving as I can.  I'm saving the roving for cooler weather so I don't roast in my own house.  Any suggestions or requests for colorways?

Triumphs and tribulations

The good news is, I finished the quilt top:

 

And made some peach salsa:

 

I ran out of steam before I got to the peach BBQ sauce.  I plan on picking up more peaches this week so hopefully I'll get to it next weekend.  And maybe some peach jam.  The rest of this round of peaches and the next round will go into the freezer.

The bad news is my new sewing machine (a Viking Emerald 118) doesn't seem to be handling the multiple layers of my spindle boxes.  I'm getting some looping on the back side of the fabric and the bobbin thread is being pulled to the front side.  None of that happens when it's only sewing through two layers of fabric.  I'm going to be in trouble if I have to buy a more expensive machine to get one that will go through multiple layers.  And really ticked off.  Some time this week I'll be hauling it in to the store to see what can be done.  My after work hours are rapidly filling up.  Again.

Shawl update

 

It's time to move to a longer cable.  I'm making the color changes generally when I feel like it.  I have a lot more brown than I do pink so there'll be just one more strip of pink and the rest will be the Corriedale. 

The plan was to pick up my new sewing machine tonight after work but the bus was late and the shop, which is on the other side of town, closed at 6:00.  By the time I got to my car, there wasn't enough time to get to the store, buy the machine and then learn how to use it.  Plan B is to buy it Saturday afternoon after canning my brains out.  Val wants to see the quilt finished so I may have to take it out of time out and finish it.  The new machine will do free-motion quilting so I'll have to find the time to learn to do that.

I've committed to selling at the Fiber Expo in October - I mailed my deposit yesterday.  Between now and then, I have a lot of spindle boxes to make and fiber to dye.  I've been encouraged to try and get a patent on my spindle box design.  The thought never occurred to me before and I find the idea of owning a patent on my design rather exciting.  Not to mention, incredibly cool.  Now I just have to wade through the government-speak on the patent office website.  Scary!

Have a good weekend, everyone.  Hopefully, I'll have good things to show you Sunday night.

I'm in mourning

My beloved Singer sewing machine has given up the ghost.  It was acting up so I took it in for a tune-up.  The technician said I've worn it out.  Things wiggle that shouldn't and the feed dogs that should be sharp are worn down.  I love that machine!  I feel like I've lost a friend!  I've made valances with that machine, quilts, clothes, spindle boxes and even a doll (who still remains naked so don't expect any pictures).  They don't make Singers like they used to so I have to buy something else.  I need a heavy duty machine that'll sew through lots of layers and still hold up to lots of use.  The first thing they showed me was a Bernina that they happily said was only $799 on sale.  <choke! gasp!>  I told them an $800 machine was out of the question even though it would last me as long as my Singer.   They showed me the next one down, which was a Viking, that was much, much less.  It'll only last half as long as the Bernina but I'll somehow find a way to live with the $500 savings.  <Sheesh!>  I'll be picking it up Thursday after work. 

This weekend it's peaches!  On the agenda besides freezing are Peach Salsa and Peach BBQ Sauce.  Both recipes are new and I love trying new recipes. 

 

Seli decided hanging out on the rug by the front door was a good idea.  Personally, I thought the couch was more comfortable.

The quilt is in time out

It's annoying me and I'm trying to decide what to do with it so, it's in time out.  Both my sister and Maggie suggested I just sew it together as is without the white sashing.  Sis thinks by leaving just the black it'll be like some Amish quilts.  I'm undecided so I'm punishing the quilt until it stops annoying me.  It's petty but I can live with that.

 

Hey, I figured it out!  I'm kinda proud of myself on this one.  I started with the directions for the Wool Peddler's Shawl and tweaked them to get the triple column of yarn overs.  The goal is a warm winter shawl I can toss on the end of the bed or back of the couch and grab when I feel a chill.  I'm waffling on the contrast yarn:  the Merino/Seacell or the ball in the upper corner of the pic above.  It's a Merino/silk yarn I spun a year or so ago.  It's soft and wonderful and... I'm starting to think it needs to be something wrapped around my neck.  Maybe.  Never mind, it's back to the Mer/Seacell for the shawl.

Happy weekend people.  Hey, Maggie, give Clio a kiss for me.

You CAN have too much of a good thing

The more I look at the quilt squares laid out on my bed, the more I think it's too much:  too loud, too busy, too garish.  My love of lots of intense color may be biting me on the ass.  I'm debating on whether or not to finish the top.  The white sashing between each square may tone it down enough to not make me want to put my own eyes out.  Any thoughts or suggestions?  I like my eyes where they are.

Thanks to Maggie who came up with a new order for the squares that works much better than the one I did.  Thanks, Maggie!

I need to plan better

 

I love my sewing machine.  It's a 30-year-old Singer that doesn't do much beyond button holes and it's perfect for me.  I don't need fancy stitches.  Heck, I've hardly used the zig-zag.  I finally figured out how do machine quilting on it (I think) so I may be using it to quilt my quilts.  First, though, it really needs a check up/tune up.

 

I worked on the configuration of the squares for almost an hour and I couldn't come up with a pattern that didn't have the two oranges kitty-corner to each other.  I've got two different purples, a yellow and a pink square left to put on the back.  If anyone has any suggestions that will get those two oranges away from each other, PLEASE leave me a comment. 

I didn't stop to think how big the quilt would be when it was done and it's going to be much bigger than I thought.  Shows you I'm still a novice at this.  I still need to sew the sashing between each square - it's going to be a bit big for my double bed.  I like the main pattern of a quilt to sit on top of the bed and not hang over the sides.  Since I've already got ideas for three more quilts rolling around in my head, I'll plan better next time. 

Don't worry, I'm not giving up spinning and knitting.  I'm trying to start a new shawl, finally, from the Corriedale I spun a couple months ago and the Merino/Seacell from last month.  I'm trying to knit a shawl that, instead of having a column of double yarn-overs down the middle of the back, has three columns of yarn-overs spaced equally in the shawl.  I haven't had much luck so far but I've been trying to start the shawl after work.  I probably should try again in the middle of the day when the light's good and I'm not tired.

  

My cube at work.  I put together the Wall of Art to keep from going insane.  There are a few of my rubber stamped pieces; post cards from vacations, art exhibits, Art Fair, and beading conventions; photographs; and page-a-day calendars.  I change out the picture on my monitor regularly, also in an effort to stay sane.  Each January, I spend the money to get a cool wall calendar.  This year's is a drop spindle calendar.  And yes, I'm a Dew addict. 

The quilt squares are done

Well, almost done.  They'll all be getting a black border.  The black border along with white sashing will make each square pop.  At least, that's the idea.

I watched Secondhand Lions again tonight.  I'd forgotten what a great movie it is.  If you haven't seen it, rent it.  It's really a wonderful film.

Plans change

At first, I was going to just buy a new iron because I didn't know how to rewire a plug.  A new iron would cost me about $20-$30.  Then, I decided to rewire the old iron and googled replacing a plug.  It looked really easy.  So, tonight after work, I headed to Lowe's to buy a new plug.  I asked a couple of the Lowe's guys where to find new plugs which lead to why I needed one.  They both decided that the symptoms of the bad plug were really a bad iron.  Bummer.  A new plug would only cost about $5.  Plus, I was actually rather excited about learning a new skill.  I like feeling self-sufficient and learning new things is fun.  Sadly, I ended up at Meijer to purchase my second Sunbeam iron.  (In case you're interested, I bought this one.)