The Pain in Pancreas

Amazing Discovery!

An amazing discovery has been made...in my basement, right under my nose, and I didn't even realize what a gold mine was sitting in my guest room!  I inherited an old sewing machine back when my great aunt died.  I had no idea how to use it, how sewing machines work, if this machine even worked, and besides, it was OLD!  We moved it and the sewing cabinet it came in quite a few times, all the extras packed in a box along with the not complete "quiet books" she used to make.  Several times I thought of selling the machine and the cabinet, and in fact, I think I did put the cabinet in a garage sale I had once and it didn't sell, so I just put it back in the basement.  And there it has set...for years and years.  Ahh, but today...today I was invited by my wonderful friend to ride with her to Estes Park to our favorite quilt shop.  She wanted to look at the Singer Lightweights, as she is wanting to buy one.  She found her machine she wanted (yeah!)...and I saw the machine that Maggie Mae sews and pieces with, the only one she will quilt and piece with.  Guess what???  Her machine looks like the machine I have sitting in my basement.  So after we got home from our afternoon in Estes Park, I went down to the basement and got it out.  Not only do I have EVERYTHING that came with the machine, I also have the original Singer oil, the original Singer Lubricant, the original instruction book, the feet, etc.  And it stitches like a dream!!  And a BIG answer to prayer...it does fancy stitches so that I can do my applique stitches for my class.  This is a direct blessing from God, because I really needed and wanted a machine capable of doing these stitches, but no way to afford a new machine.  Now I have the perfect machine for this, it has sentimental value...and it seems to be a collector's sewing machine.  I am more excited than if I had a brand new Bernina!!

My intentions are good, my productivity? Not so good!

It is spring break here...and I am not accomplishing anything well.  Oh, I start projects with the best intentions...and somewhere along the line, I get sidetracked.  Either my machine is not capable of applique stitch, or my brain is still on strike and I totally mess up a whole two hours of work that isn't repairable/reusable.  Or, quite simply, the allure of starting yet another quilt top is just too tempting for me, and again, my brain is on strike, so I sit and stare at color schemes and re-figuring yardage for the size of quilt I want...  My piecing machine is not right, so I suppose after C has taken it apart and fixed it the last 3 times, it is time to take it in to the professional to have it looked at.  But.I.can't.hardly.breathe.without.this.machine.  so I just nearly have a panic attack every time I think about it. 

Buggy is almost done with Lifeguard training classes.  This is his last day...and he did text me that he passed the written part, this afternoon is the action/water part and doing the rescuing.  I am thinking he is going to be happy to be done.  He is toast every night once he is home.  Saving people from drowning is hard work!  Yesterday was a wonderful day...and the closest I am going to get to any real tropical environment any time soon.  Sherrie and I took our boys to the rec center...and Sherrie loves the warm humid feeling as much as I do, so we sat and shouted at each other all afternoon.  I say shouted because an indoor water park with 3 slides and fountains continuously running makes for a very, very noisy atmosphere, and then add to that 300 kids all screaming and hollering and splashing... yep...we shouted just to hear each other, but oh it was wonderful to be warmed to our bones, and so much worth while spending an entire afternoon with one of my closest friends.

When quilting machines go bad

When quilting machines go bad... or when MY quilting machine goes bad...she (Matilda)bites.  Hard.  She goes for blood.  And she usually wins.  What she was angry about I have no idea since I was sweet talkin her and she was behaving.  I think my SureStitch is really to blame.  I was rethreading the needle and it just started.  Yep, out of no where the needle started going 1600 stitches per minute.  My finger was in the way, and thump, thump, thump, thummmmmmmmmmm.  She exacted whatever revenge she had and left the needle broken in my finger for good measure.  Ouchie.  My finger throbs.

The Quilting Bugg

The quilting bugg has bit me but good!  Have a looksie over at my quilt photos for the close-ups...some are for *sale*!

Finally finishing a few quilts...

The one that is dark teal/greenish blue with safari animals is a quilt that I am making for my soon to be nephew...  these 2 other quilts have similar material in them, but different quilt backs and borders and quilting.  I had a lot of fun quilting these quilts, did some new custom work designs.  Oh, Oh, Oh!  I sold 3 quilts this weekend!!!!  Yippee!

Wind.  I strongly dislike the wind.  It sounds cold, and it is bringing in more cold and snow...and yesiree, I am freezing and my pancreas is aware that the weather is changing. I am either going to bind a quilt in front of the fireplace, or I am going to iron fabric for a quilt that I want to try, something...anything to warm up, and I will probably crank the music too so that I can't hear the wind howling outside.  I strongly dislike wind!  Must go defrost my fingers and toes now!

Things I Love...

This weekend I found some things that I love...

• Space.  Moved the couch out of my sewing room. 
• Craigslist.  Listed and sold the couch on Craigslist this weekend.
• Incentives.  Used to get Buggy to move the couch out of the sewing room.  As in Ski trip & $ 2 go.
• Buggy.  For helping and taking apart the couch and moving it out.
• OLFA cutting mat.  Brand new with no grooves and much bigger that my very worn out one.



• Flower pots.  When turned upsidedown and put under the legs of the craft table, it makes the craft table the right height for my back.
• C.  For making me a huge ironing board top that fits on my existing ironing board that allows me to iron one whole yard at a time.  Best invention ever!!  Cuts ironing time in half.  Love it.  Love it!
• Dryel.  Spray starch alternative.  It really works great!  Smells fresh too!



• Superior Masterpiece thread.  Matilda will cooperate and even waltz without breaking, shredding...
• My newly rearranged (again) sewing room, that is clean and pretty organized at the moment.
• The fireplace.  So nice and warm when I get chilled.
• Sunday afternoon naps.  Curled up in front of the fireplace with a snuggley raggyy quilt.
• Homemade chocolate chip cookies.  Yummy.
• Ideas for quilt tops and the fabric on hand to create it.

Slowly, but surely

Slowly,  but surely I am decreasing the pile of my UFQ's  (UnFinished Quilts)  This one I worked on early on this summer, but put it aside when I was done because I didn't know how I wanted to quilt it.  Well, the quilt top was in my pile of UFO's and while cleaning out my stash, it spoke to me how I should quilt it.  So I finished the quilt top, and quilted it.  I really love this quilt, and I love how the quilting turned out!  It is for sale if you would like to buy it!

Material World

Living in a material world, and I'm a material girl.  I would like to say that I am not materialistic by nature, but I have stash that is screaming otherwise.  I have to say that the older I get, the less I need/want, and I can walk thru Target or Kohl's or EVEN Lowe's or Home Depot with a gift card in my hand and not buy a thing...but apparently I HAD a passion for fabric to be quilted and a overwhelming urge to buy it all and love it into my stash.   NO more.  I am destashing.  Currently I have a bazillion quilts I would like to do before I die (and NO, I do not have nearly that much fabric...I do, however, have quilting magazines and book bookmarked with quilts I want to make in all kinds of color schemes) Since I don't have a little girl to leave all my precious fabric to, and can you picture my boys jumping up and down excitedly that they inherited their Mom's stash...I just plan to use the majority of it BEFORE I go. 

   

Fabricstashaholic

I decided to tackle a small task this evening, and it snowballed into this HUGE organization binge that will take the next 3 days to sort, fold and match up.  My name is Suzi and I am a fabricstashaholic.  Embarrassing, but true.  I am exposing and incriminating myself.  I have kept my addiction hidden in totes in various places around the house, but since I decided that I really needed to regroup and come up with a system and I was actually in the mood to do start it tonight...I did.  However, C found my biggest stash tonight while he took apart my sewing machine!  LOL!  My little Jem was rattling so bad that C was determined to take it apart and fix it.  The problem?  It was crammed full of flannel fuzz.  Enough to make a quilt out of all the fuzz!  Hahahahaha.  Now my little machine doesn't shake, rattle and roll when I sew...in fact it is quite quiet!    I would take a picture of my living room which is currently covered in fabric, but I am just too tired tonight, and although admitting I have a problem is the first step to a solution, I am just as shocked as C was that I have so much fabric.  Lots of pieces people have given me, lots and lots of fat quarters, a bunch I don't think will ever match with anything, but as a fabricstashaholic, it is my motto to never let a piece of fabric go unclaimed.  I will adopt and love even ugly fabrics to save them from going in the trash, I especially get attached to those that are free, or a great garage sale find.  And the saddest thing....I have made over 60 quilts, all of those required fabric from my stash, and still my stash is huge.  I seriously need to come up with a great flannel pattern for 4.5" pieces and smaller.  Any pattern ideas out there?

And the Chorus Sang....

Halleljuah!  Finally, the 1600+ fabric pieces has went from pieces into a beautiful quilt top.  Sometimes I even amaze myself!  TBQ  (to be quilted)  as soon as it speaks to me how it should be quilted.  Yes...quilt tops have a way of revealing their quilt personalities.