Beatles Quilt progress

So, here we are .....just five years later. Looks like the top is done. I keep thinking I will add another border or something, but honestly...I just want to get it quilted. The Legal Adult is absolutely thrilled. I guess he had just about given up on me. I bought black for the back of it, and I think I'm going to use colored thread in the bobbin to show up on the back. I just haven't figured it out yet. I have this cool dragonfly quilting stencil that I want to use on the back. Yeah, yeah....I know. Why don't I have musical notes or something like that. I don't know why, either. But anyway....

I wish I could find the motivation to want to more to this quilt, but I just don't have the energy for it. Truthfully, I am sick of working on this. I have a whole list of others I want to work on. Most people work on many simultaneously, but I have never been that organized. My goal for this year is to make at least 2 quilts. I've also been toying with the idea of getting a new machine. My dream has always been to have a Bernina.

But I'm having a hard time figuring out which machine to look into. Anybody have any ideas?

Look what I got in the mail!!!

Debra Spincic made this great quilt for me! ( I hope she doesn't mind that I stole her picture: see the one on the left  I tried to take and you'll see why!) It was to commemorate getting into LPN school, but wow....was I taken completely by surprise! She talked about it in this post. The funny part is that I actually read it, and never picked up on the fact that it was for ME! She is a wonderful friend, and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank her from the bottom of my heart!  Debra gets me, and that is not a great feat! Thank you, Debra! I smile every time I touch this quilt or see it.....I smile because of you!

Life 101- or is there life after 18 months of back to back school?

I found this some time ago, and thought it summed up the way I feel about things. Apparently, I have a pet peeve: when someone says, "I'm just set in my ways". That seems to really get beside me.  Or when someone says, "This is just the way I am". Really?? Is it? For me, that's the coolest part of life, you don't have to be the same person you've always been. You can change, you can grow, and nobody can do anything about it.

Reinvention is a word I really like. As human beings, we can reinvent ourselves in any area of our lives. You want to learn a new hobby? The Net is full of great ideas. The libraries are teeming with books on any subject that you fancy. If you want to change your interpersonal relationships, you can read about it and change them or hang out in different social circles. Bored with your job? There are assessment test you can take at your local yokel community college or even just take a class on something that interests you. As for me, I started in radio, worked in the legal community and now I'm headed to the healthcare field. Am I scared? Oh, yeah....of course I am. But terribly excited, too.

Right now, I'm trying to get out of school mode, and get into family, quilting, and bumming around mode.  But I've been slipping. Yesterday, on my day off with Hunnybunny, I found myself at a used bookstore with ISBN numbers of books I will need for my first semester in nursing school! But I have to get back into "normal life" mode. I'm finishing up The Legal Adult's quilt, and heck, I might even do a new quilt, but don't hold me to that.

The guys bought me a bike for mother's day. I got it the day before my finals, last Sunday. It's more  "me", being a hybrid of a mountain bike and a cruiser. And truthfully, it's just purty. So, it was decided that Hunnybunny would take The Legal Adult's gift bike to ride. Hunnybunny  filled the tires with air, erring on the side of the maximum requirement. I decided to go on a spin before studying. As I came down the hill, I kept hearing a thub-dub. I braked, and then heard a gunshot sound. The tire went down, and I was in a free fall into the pavement. The handle bars went into my chest, and the whole bike landed on my left hand. It caused edema, and my hand looked like I was wearing a purple half-glove like we did in the eighties.  For my quilting friend, Kathy, Darlin' I should have listened to you and gotten a helmet! I currently lack the courage to get back on it, but my bruises are healing.

If it wasn't this, it would be something else.

Well, about school, anyway. So, here we are about 4 weeks from the end of the first semester, and I find that my credits from my first school (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth!) did NOT transfer. The accreditation is the problem. My school was accredited, just not from the same organization as the community college I attend now. I actually have an A.A. from the same group of schools that my new school is a part of. But because of the credits, the jury is still out on if they will even consider them.
I've decided to go the LPN route as I'm pretty sure I would be put on a two-year wait list. There are several LPN to RN Bridge programs in my area so I will look into those.
Spring break came and went without a hitch. Now...this week, we have the nice weather! As far as quilting goes, I do miss it everyday. I've got to find time to "schedule it in" . I miss it too much. While I struggle with trying to be all things to all people, quilting is the one thing I don't have to be to anyone but myself. And truthfully, I miss blogging. I miss reading blogs. I've always felt like I could circle the globe virtually by reading your blogs. Priorities, priorities......

My Holy Grail

Every quilter, seamstress, dressmaker, crafter, or needleworker has a holy grail. "If only I could get a Bernina," one might say, "or the Singer 221 Featherweight". Mine has been neither of those. For me, it was finding my mother's machine for a price I could afford. The machine I grew up watching and waiting for her to pass to me. I grew up a tomboy, and she was very frustrated with my interests. So, she gave it to one of my neices and it's not been seen since. I was heart broken. My mother did not live long enough to know I had become a quilter. I'm sure she is enjoying watching the process.

This beautiful woman on the right is my mother, Mary Ellen, at 19. (How in the world did anyone expect me to live up to that? No wonder my father fell so hard!)




This is a Singer 301. I have been searching for one for about 5 years. Finally, I find one on Craigslist! The very nice lady was selling it for $100 or best offer. She had acquired it from her grandmother's estate. No one in her family has the time or the inclination.









I thought I was never going to get it to turn over. Alot of oil, and alot of elbow grease. Hunnybunny helped me, believe it or not. It cost me $60. The ones I've priced elsewhere were in the neighborhood of $300. This is the "Big Sister" of the Featherweight, Singer 221. Quilters love it because the feed dogs can drop. That means I can finally free motion on a vintage machine.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds....top done

I had a few ....mishaps....as you can see. That's what I get for trying to get done in a hurry. Nothing to keep your ego in check like a major mess up.
I did alot of reading on working with diamonds, and the information all pointed to one secret ingredient: starch! I must have used a whole can of heavy starch on this top.




I was going to use fusible, black bias tape in between the diamonds, to give it a stained glass look. I think I'm going to skip that unless you all tell me otherwise. The borders will be pieced with the scraps from the diamonds. I certainly have enough of those.

Making Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Here we are so far. Now, imagine this double. That's how big the center is going to be. I'm thinking of adding a wide border, like maybe 7 inches, and machine applique The Beatles characters on it. In between the diamonds, you have to imagine fusible bias binding. That will give it a stained glass effect and reinforce the blocks.





The Legal Adult was gracious as he knows I'm only a month into this quilt. His birthday was yesterday...wow, 24! The cliche is, "But where did the time go?" and it's very trite. Some years went by fast, like when he was learning to walk and talk. Some years dragged on, as in adolescence. But after he turned 22, we really started to talk. I found that I not only LOVE this young man, I can say I LIKE him as well. He's always been a handful, but he's my handful. Here he is at 7 months, and I'm a mere child of 22. I have truly enjoyed being his mother as it has never been boring. Jesse(that's his real name)is a charmer and has been his whole life. Happy birthday, Son!

Another Orphan Finds a Home

I'll admit it. I just can't stand to see an old machine thrown away. I've always looked at old sewing machines like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, "All it needs is a little love." And that is most likely my undoing. Several weeks ago, I found myself at the Legal Adult's apartment. One of the Sweet Thing's had moved out, (Should I call them "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" to keep them straight?) and I noticed a sewing cabinet.
"Did she leave her sewing machine behind?"
"No, my friend thought I could use it as a nightstand since I don't have one." he replied. Upon inspection, I found it did contain a sewing machine!

A Singer 6235, made in 1985-1986.
There's no real special thing about this model, but it did intrigue me. The Singer 6235 is half-iron, half-plastic, all metal components and idiot-proof threading, and self-contained bobbin winder in the actual bobbin case. The foot pedal is one of those pneumatic ones that pumps air into the chamber. I know, y'all are bored. Somethings are made better in the past than they are in the present. At least that's how I'm justifying the cost of fixing this one up.


The foot pedal has an air bulb in it. It triggers a sensor that also has a bulb in it. After I paid for the new pedal, the cleaning, timing, and maintenance work, and then found out it needed a new sensor, it cost me around $130.
The stitches are perfect, and since I've got to come up with a crazy quilt for a wedding present by August, I thought I could use it.

WIP Wednesday: 24.....it's not just a tv show

It's the number my oldest son will reach on his birthday coming up in May. With "Stars Fell on Alabama" finally out of the way, I have been cutting fabric as fast as I can. No, I don't have a title yet, but I'm thinking it must be a Beatles song since there is so much Beatles fabric. And you know I try to name my quilts after song titles.

So, suggestions would be appreciated for a name. The Legal Adult is big into John Lennon. It's cut into harlequin diamonds, so "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a possibility. I'm planning on doing the stained glass effect and quilt the top of it in between the diamonds with black bric-a-brac.

Stars Fell on Alabama borders quilted!

Since a couple people have asked, and I'm more than thrilled to have a reason to use my new Sony Cyber-shot, I decided to show you how I marked it. First, let me say that my hat is tipped to those of you who can mark a quilt with chalk. My art teacher told me to stay away from art implements as a child as I just can't draw. What you see here is your garden-variety quilt stencil, although I guess any stencil would work. I made sure there was enough clearance for my binding strip which will be put on next.
What I have in my hand is a Quilt Pounce. It looks like a big eraser, and has dust in it. The dust is a kind of corn-starch material. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if it turned out to be just that.
I run it over the smooth side of the stencil so the rougher side can "grip" the fabric. The best part of using a Quilt Pounce is that if you mess up, it's easily corrected. Maybe you move the stencil slightly causing a double-vision: just take out your iron, and it irons completely off! You just gotta love that....











And there you go. And that's not you..I have a little double-vision aspect going on here. So, do not adjust your eyes. This pattern is a little forgiving, so I think I can follow it.

Thanks for asking. Now we'll get into the squaring and binding next.

Working on the Stars on Alabama Quilt...Still

With all the snow and ice, I've actually had time to work on Grandma Hunnybunny's quilt. All that's left is quilting the borders and binding it. The tension just wasn't right every time I tried to do a sample. I played around with it yesterday and managed to get it perfect, (after a few mishaps and some ripping was involved) so I may be ready to bind it this weekend. Then there's the label to think about. Last time, I wimped out, and had my friend, Debra,do a beautiful label for the Boyscout quilt. I may try to do one, or just get her to help me out again. She did such a beautiful job! By the way, she's working on a special project, the Homeless Teen Project for Willis Independent School District in TX. She's taken it upon herself to provide a twin sized quilt for each teen. If you would like to contribute to the Project, she will gladly pay postage for the supplies or swap embroidery. Just put a note in your box. Email her at debraspincic@yahoo.com. As quilters, we should get behind this very gracious lady and send her some donations of
* Miscellaneous Blocks or Quilt UFOs
* Thread
* Backings like Sheets, Shower curtains, Curtains, Tshirt Knits, Wool blends
* Batting (or Pieces), Bedspread, Wool Pieces, Fleece
* Any Sturdy Fabrics
Debra has a heart as big as the state she's from, and she organized projects where we got Quilts of Valor into soldiers' hands, and quilts for a children's home.
This picture is for laughs. My crazy boys, Hollywood, Dyl Pickle, and the Legal Adult. The Legal Adult and roommate were guests at our house while awaiting their power to be restored. It's always good to see him, and since he's grown up, even more so.

Resolution or Revelation? Thinking out loud...

I'm not really one for resolutions or publicly detailing them. I guess I always feel like if I don't make it, it's right here in black and white. Or pixels. But we've been together a while now, so I'll risk it and let you know what I'd like to change in 2009.

1. More time with God. You know, the Creator of the Universe took out time in His busy schedule to see to it that I walked on the earth, the least I can do is hang out with Him and study His word to hear what He has to say.

2. More family time. This one is actually in the works. Hunnybunny changed jobs so we could actually see him and it's worked out well. Maybe a camping trip would be cool?

3. More quilting time. Oh, yeah, I get the same 24 hours as you, but apparently I'm not using them so well in this arena. It's a crying shame to have FIVE, count 'em, FIVE sewing machines and not use them. I also have every gadget a quilter could ask for so I'm thinking I'm afraid of failure. Ever put off doing something because you're afraid you reek at it?

4. More blog time. Negligent doesn't quite cover it. I've been backing off lately and some of it has to do with the time factor. Some has to do with me thinking maybe there isn't anything else to say. But some of you know that I usually don't EVER run out of things to say...;). And truthfully, I'm writing this blog for me. It's so cool that you all read and comment, (and I appreciate it very much!) but I write to let this stuff out of my heart and head so I don't forget. And sometimes, so I won't carry it around.

So maybe this list isn't as much of a resolution list as it is a time management wake-up call. Perhaps getting organized would make some of this fall into place? I'll give it a shot.

Winners of my Fall Into Fall Quilters Blog Giveaway

Here are the winners of the Fall Into Fall Quilters Blog Giveaway. I thought you might want to see who the lucky recipients are.
This 1 yard piece of fabric is from Caryl Bryer Fallert's Gradations line is going to none other than Terry from Terry's Treasures! Congrats, Terry!
The fabric that "called" to me was won by Rose of Quilted Hills! I hope I don't freak her out with the wildness of it. I haven't heard back from her, so if you know her, tell her to email me so I can send her fabric.
This book by Jan Krentz, Lone Star Quilts & Beyond is going over to Fiesta at Quilting Fiesta! So there you go. Thanks to those of you who entered. It was a blast having that many comments and seeing so many new blogs! Thanks allot!

Progress on Jericho's Project

You remember I had my own student the last two summers? And despite me, Jericho put this top together? She was very happy...I, however, was over the moon! Someone created something and I taught them how. She made every stitch, cut and ironed every piece of fabric.
About a month ago, she had a day off from school and finally put on the borders to this quilt. Very ambitious for a 14 year-old, who had never sewn in her whole life. I know her mom is very proud, but me? I'm just bustin'......

All You Need is Love

My oldest brother, Jim, was a teen in the 60's when the Fab Four swept the nation. No surprise that he passed on his love for the Beatles to me. I'm sure it was funny to hear a 3 year old try to sing "Strawberry Fields" at the daycare center, but I knew all the words by heart. About the time I bought my first Beatles poster, they go and break up. How dare they do that! So, I've always thought, "If I just hadn't bought that poster...." . Anyway, fast forward to 1985. I am having trouble getting the then infant Legal Adult to sleep. I start singing Beatles tunes to him, however off key I may be, and he goes to sleep. In 1989, the portable CD player came out, and came down in price (still $200!) and I buy the Beatles Cd's.
The Legal Adult hears this music, day in and day out and loves it. He has always been after me to make a "Beatles Quilt". The only one I had ever seen was made by sisters, Pat Holly and Sue Nickels and won Best of Show in the AQS show in 1998.How happy I was to learn that Cranston had come along with Beatles fabric from the cartoon! That way, I didn't have to try to come up with Beatle images and loads of applique, which I completely reek at. Well, I guess I could've done the whole fusible thing, like I did for the Boy Scout quilt. But that wouldn't hold up to the Legal Adults wear and tear. He plans on using this quilt. His Aunt made him a quilt as a child and he's still using it!
This spirally, groovy, funky, 60ish fabric is from
Funtastic Fabrics, and I thought it was perfect!

So, the Beatles fabric is PREORDERED from my favorite online shop, Over the Rainbow. I got it for $6.99 instead of $8.75 that allot of other online shops were charging.
Now, to figure out how to put it all together so he can have it before Christmas! Ironically, I found this picture on my computer....you can tell that John was his favorite Beatle, can't you?

The Jury is still out...and thinking

I went to a local quilt history gathering in my town with a quilting girlfriend of mine. One of the speakers was well-known, at least to me, and I looked forward to putting a face with a name.

During her talk, she spoke of supporting our local quilt shops, which I do. More than Hunnybunny would like. And she spoke of her own online shop, which I thought was kind of contradictory, but I let it go. After the meeting, I stood in line to speak to her about my favorite online resource, Quiltshops.com. I guess it's the hormones, but the polite thing to do when someone is waiting to speak to you is to acknowledge your presence. Well, she walked away. My friend and I stared at each other and wondered who did what to her Wheaties. I then followed this woman across the room, where another woman got in front of me and she again walked away. Finally, I caught up with her by touching her shoulder:

"Wow, you're hard to catch!" I laughed. For the record, she didn't.

"I wanted to tell you about Quiltshops.com. You didn't mention them in your resource list." And I told them about the search engine, how you can put a Boolean search to look for this, not that,ect. She proceeded to give me a lecture about supporting our local quilt shops and how using the internet was a way to put small shops out of business.

"I do use them. However, if there's a fabric I can't find, I'll look there next." She again tried to dissuade me against using the internet to find fabric. Finally, I asked her,

"Did I understand you correctly that you have an internet shop?" She nodded.
"How is that any different? Most shop owners are savvy enough to have a site along with their shop's goods. That way, you don't waste precious gas money if they don't have it."

I honestly can't remember what she said in rebuttal, but I remember walking away thinking that maybe I don't need to go to any more of these 'educational' meetings. The sad part is she is part of our local guild, and if I re upped, I'd run into her. I guess I'm struggling with this mentality of "you have to do it this way". The internet has lots of options for people and fabric ordering is probably my favorite. I utterly despise walking into a quilt shop and having to look through all those bolts of fabric.



It's nothing personal, usually I'm dragging some child or husband with me and they are less than enthused. So, what do you think? Is the internet going to be the downfall of the local quilt shop or can they co-exist?

The Stars Fell on Alabama Last Night

Moonlight and magnolias, starlight in your hair

All the world a dream come true

Did it really happen, was I really there

Was I really there with you

We lived our little drama, we kissed in a field of white

And stars fell on Alabama that night

I can't forget the glamour, your eyes held a tender light

And stars fell on Alabama last night

Chorus:I never planned in my imagination, a situation so heavenly

A fairy land that no one else could enter

And in the center, just you and me, dear

My heart beat like a hammer, my arms wound around you tight

And stars fell on Alabama last night

Chorus:I never planned in my imagination, a situation so heavenly

A fairy land that no one else could enter

And in the center, just you and me, dear

My heart beat like a hammer, my arms wound around you tight

Ah, stars fell on Alabama last night ...

This quilt is named for this song, made famous by Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra. This is Grandma Hunnybunny's quilt top without borders. But at least I finished sewing this together today. It amazes me how much I can get done when I pop a movie into the computer...or in my case, back to back movies.

Progress on the "Stars Fell On Alabama" Quilt

Okay, here's my progress on the "Stars Fell on Alabama" quilt for my mother-in-law, Grandma Hunnybunny. Someone asked me why I name my quilts after song titles, with the exception of the Boy Scout Quilt. Well, here's the short answer: composers do a much better job of coming up with a name than I do. And truth is I am a huge music fan, so what better way to combine the two?












The only reason I have posted three pictures for you is so that Grandma Hunnybunny can see it. She knows it's not a surprise after all this time. The surprise would be if she gets it this year.
Just F.Y.I., the blocks are complete, I just stuck it up on the design wall to get my placement of colors right. I have yet to sew all the sashing together or cut the borders.

I still haven't found that 12-step program for

...sewing machine collectors. Okay, I know y'all think I'm crazy, but I just couldn't turn it down. Here's the scoop:

My buddy, Jane, was looking for a black Singer sewing machine for her sister in law. She found one at the same Goodwill I've been lucky at and showed it to me in the back of her van.

"I'll bet it's a 66. Those are great!" becoming glassy eyed. Jane dug in her bag and retrieved the manual! A 66-18! But, there's always a catch. It was a crinkle finish. Another name is the "Godzilla" finish.

A machine is a machine to me, but the sister in law didn't want it because it wasn't a black shiny one. Now, how could I turn it down? It had to have a good home, didn't it? At least, that's what I told Hunnybunny as I picked it up.

(Oh, and I finally got Jan Krentz's book!)


Sorry the top's upside down. See the crinkle skin?
Isn't this a great poster? I bought it off of eBay months ago for about $10. Hunnybunny had it matted and framed for me for our anniversary. I think it's gorgeous! My grandmother was born in 1900, and she might have looked a lot like the seamstress in the poster.

Work in Progress Wednesday

Did you think I had forgotten? Well, I wouldn't blame you if you did. I've been working on some separate projects that don't have anything to do with quilting. But I always come back to the design wall.

Here's A little more work on "Stars Fell on Alabama", which should've been done by now, but life does get in the way. Pretty cool design wall, huh?
It's the back of some table cloth material that I got at half price at Hobby Lobby.

To the right, you can see the finished blocks. I have a only a few to finish of these. There's only 25 in the quilt. You'd think I'd have it done quicker because of that, but not me. I'm special.....



Oh, and Happy Anniversary to me! We've made it six years this past Sunday. He's still such a babe!