A Technical Problem

My sewing machine has been lying dormant here for a few months so not surprisingly after the last few days of sewing a couple of 'Hardware' blocks it has decided to complain.   Is she unsure of this pattern too? Initially I thought it was just me, being a different model from my machine I use back home I thought it was taking me a bit longer to get used to it again.  Last night she gave out an annoyed groan of protest.  She sure wasn't happy.  Well as you do, I unthreaded and re threaded, no difference.  I changed the needle to a nice new one, no difference.  I rewound and replaced the bobbin - oh oh! when I removed the bobbin I realised the poor creature was in need of a spring clean.  This is what I removed from the bobbin case!!

Just look at the caterpillars I poked out of the feed dogs. Yuck and all that extra fluff.  Some time later after some TLC and a good clean out with a soft brush I put everything back together and threaded her up.  Way to go - singing sweetly again and stitching like a dream.  The jury is still out though on this 'Hardware' project I will finish one more block and then it will be decision time.

Enjoying the Scenery

The temperature is beginning to rise a bit which allows us to get out and about for a drive on a sunny afternoon.  We spent a lovely couple of hours by the side of Middle Lake on the Bow Valley Parkway earlier this week.  It was so peaceful and at one point I felt as though we were the only people on earth.  This was the view from our spot in the car.  

 

 

The sun glistened on the ice on the lake while the breeze rustled in the wolf willow and shrubbery.  We read and drank tea from our hot mugs and I turned the heel of a sock while enjoying the tranquility.  (Can't sit and do nothing can I!). The only activity we saw was a little squirrel who darted from one side of the road to the other and scuttled up a nearby tree I guess in search of food.  The sun shone though the clouds until the distant storm clouds grew closer and eventually obliterated it.  Time to move on and return home.  On our way the only wildlife we saw were a few white tailed deer grazing in a field.

Last night I made my first block from the Hardware pattern.  I was right - extra care needed on the quarter inch, lots of pressing and attention to which way the seams lie.  Still not sure about this one.  I will try out the other colour combination as per the pattern and see how it looks then make a decision.

Enjoy your Sunday and the rest of your long weekend if you are an Albertan!

Hardware

I have almost finished Fall in the City, the quilt featured in the last post.  It's sandwiched and quilted and I am two thirds done sewing down the binding.  I love hand stitching down a binding and haven't yet succumbed to the machine stitched versions I have seen so much of recently.  I might do a little hand quilting around some of the blocks.  It's quite therapeutic and comforting to sit in the evenings huddled under a cosy quilt, hand stitching.  I had no idea the name of this quilt until I found the shipping note with this next little bundle of fabrics.  This is also a kit from Connecting Threads bought back in 2012 I think I had intended taking it home but I guess it had to be left behind as the suitcases were reaching their maximum weight that year.

This kit is called Hardware and each 12 inch block is made up of almost 36 pieces!  Lots of half square triangles - I can see this is going to be a project which requires extra care with the quarter inch seam!  As I look through the fabrics again I can't say I am in love with them.  I must have liked them back then or maybe I had a plan for this quilt which I have now forgotten all about and has long gone passed it's expiry date.  I think my style is changing as I feel this is all too busy - however I will start cutting enough for a couple of blocks to see how they look.  If I'm not sure I may change the pattern or only use some of the fabrics and put in plain or solid substitutes.  The joy of quilting - being able to change and swap things around as the notion takes you.  We will see what tomorrow's efforts at the quilting table brings.

Temperatures outside are rising a little, hubby's cough is still lingering but at least he is feeling a little better, and the jet lag is almost gone.  

Sewing Machine Set Up

Jet lag is still hanging around here as is poor hubby's cough.  We are awake early these mornings and our day starts with coffee around 6.30am, way to early for me.  Hopefully we will soon get into a better routine as the days go on.  Very low temperatures around -20C is also a bit of a jolt. There were not many people out and about yesterday morning when we went for our shopping to stock the pantry.  However the great thing about being here is the days have been clear and sunny.  We have already seen more hours of blue skies since we arrived here than we have seen since last year at home.

Being so cold we have spent a lot of our time indoors, getting ourselves settled in, unpacking, organising and enjoying sitting in the den in the sun, reading and relaxing.  Yesterday I got out all my sewing stuff.  I had a play with my fabrics, set up the sewing machine and found - although it wasn't really lost - this quilt top all ready to be sandwiched.  

 

I made up my mind there and then to piece the back and get it finished before I get involved too much in a new project. I had bought enough fabric for the backing when I had bought the Connecting Threads kit some time ago, this photo was dated August 2012 so probably was purchased earlier that year or even the previous summer.  I don't normally buy backing until the top is finished but I think I decided at the time that the fabric was such good value for money to go ahead and make the purchase.  This top measures 80" x 60" so the backing had to be pieced.  I had some fabrics left so I made five blocks to place on the back, however I only used four. I will probably make a start to the sandwiching process later.

Apologies for the layout of these recent posts I have not yet turned on the PC and unfortunately I am not able to format the page on Blogger when using my iPad.

Have a good week.

Unnamed As Yet

I managed to get this split hourglass quilt finished up just before I left Scotland.  This is the result of another pick from the lucky dip boxes.  Another quilt which hopefully will be used to raise funds for the charity Marie Curie Cancer Care.  The split hourglass pattern with the blues and yellows which are the charity's colours are a fitting reminder of the good work carried out by the Marie Curie nurses.

My niece is in training for one of the 10k runs organised by Marie Curie, which takes place in Edinburgh in May.  She, like all the other participants will be seeking sponsorship and I have decided she can have this quilt to help with the task of her fundraising.  Hopefully she will have lots of sponsors to support her as she runs in memory of her Gran.

This was an enjoyable pattern to make up - initially strip piecing 2 strips of 2.5in by wof then I used my 6.5" square ruler to cut the triangles.  Taking care when sewing the triangles together was essential as the edges were all cut on the bias.  Press the seams carefully too, trim them up and you have the finished 8.5" block. The finished quilt measures up 45"x45"

Blue Skies at Last

Good Morning from the Rockies!  What a long day we had yesterday, it was the start of our long awaited, badly needed, spring break.  We have left Techie behind holding the fort and I think he is secretly looking forward to having the house to himself without the oldies looking over his shoulder. He will also have the sewing machine all to himself if he decides to make a quilt from his old rugby tops!

Leaving the house at 7am is not really something I enjoy - I know lots of people do it every day on their commute to work but I am just not a morning person.  We were picked up by our good friend R. and driven to Glasgow airport for the first stage of our trip.  Our arrival and for that matter our departure from Heathrow was delayed due to the high winds affecting the area.  All the planes were in the wrong positions and we had to be bussed to our awaiting plane to Calgary.

Our dear friends were waiting for our arrival at Calgary airport around 6pm armed with drinks and sandwiches. It's great to see them again looking so well after all their trauma of last year.  A very happy couple delighted to be back in their own home following the flooding last June.  I'm looking forward to catching up over many cups of tea some afternoons.

The temperature on the gauge this morning is sitting at a very chilling -25*C - this is going to be  quite a shock to our systems.  We don't get these low temperatures at home.  I have just looked out the front window as it's beginning to get light now and my favourite view is just the same as always - wonderful.  What a welcome sight!

Quilting updates will return eventually when we get settled.  I have a big quilt top ready to be sandwiched and lots of ideas for new projects for the house while I am here.  

Off to unpack my suitcase now.

Saturday Morning Workshop

Whew what a busy day yesterday - in fact it's been a busy week here.  Last night I was exhausted, but content and happy because I think a lot had been achieved.  Yesterday we had our class workshop, something which has been in the planning since November when three of us decided to try out Improv Pods quilts.  We offered our class the opportunity to try this out as a Saturday morning workshop and yesterday was the first day.

Well to say the least we had a ball!!  The three 'instructors' I think were extremely apprehensive.  Would this work?  Have we enough space?  How do we lay out the room?  Have we got enough equipment for everyone?  Are our instructions clear enough?  Will it be fun and enjoyable?  We needn't have worried.  

Twelve ladies gathered in our craft room eager to learn something new.  Sewing machines were set up, cutting boards, rulers and cutters laid out and the irons switched on, all hot and ready for use - we even started on time!  Fabrics were produced from bags - what a variety of colours and textures every set was stunning.  The concentration on all the faces, the hover of the rotary cutter over the fabric........this is all going against what we have been taught.......slashing fabric at an angle!  No precision necessary - what am I saying?  My mantra has always been 'take time, cut accurately, sew a quarter inch seam, trim your blocks and press, press, press. 

 

A morning of instruction, demonstration and in true 'blue peter style' - here's one I made earlier!  Photos and demonstration courtesy of K.

 

Start with 4 or 5 fat quarters and cut angled strips



then strip piece 4 fabrics



 

 

Slash again

Improv Pod

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Normally our Tuesday evening class can be quite noisy and animated.  The silence was overwhelming and at times you could have heard a pin drop! (If we had been allowed pins). Everyone was concentrating hard,  you could almost see the brain cogs turning.  The sewing machines were humming and the irons steaming.

 

Many Hands - cutting angled strips

 

Not only did we we have fun making 'pods' a few of our ladies were given extra tips on pressing and cutting too.  Why is it we always assume everyone knows the best way to do things?  We have all been taught and taken classes by different instructors, some are self taught and have picked up tips on their own.  I think there were a few 'light bulb' moments yesterday when perhaps time was taken to explain/show different methods and processes. We all know at the end of the day that we will do our own thing but I hope some of the tips passed on will be useful.

 

Almost complete pods

 

All too soon our time was up.  I think a few ladies felt they could have stayed longer, to move on to the next step - but that's for next week.  I think everyone agreed that the morning was a great success.