Harlequin Johnny - Giant Harlequin Bowties

I want to complete a Harlequin block to verify the best way to do the inset seams.  I believe that making a giant bowtie first is the most uncomplicated method, and will keep the inset portion of the seams nice and short.  It looks like the giant clown tie at this point.

There are 100 of these ears to put together.  The ear sections go together very well, as long as I use nine pins on each ear.  Two pins for each join, one for either end, and one in each of the three flat sections to keep the papers aligned.  Lots of pins!

I pinned through Mad Men and Game of Thrones on the sofa last night and only managed to put nine ears together.  Of course, both shows are very engrossing.  I could probably pin twice as fast through Big Bang reruns.

One advantage to taking forever to make this quilt is that I had time to think up the perfect setting triangle for the on-point block arrangement.  I am going to paper piece piano keys as setting triangles.  It is a good thing I enjoy the process, because this quilt is nowhere near done!

Introducing Six on Sunday - Week 1

Like many people, our house is crammed full of stuff that we do not need.  In the interest of minimizing the hoard, Larry and I created "Six on Sunday".  Every Sunday for the indefinite future, each of us is going to select six items that can either be donated, easily sold, or thrown out in the upcoming week.

I decided to start with six old pairs of shoes.  I wear tennis shoes every day to work and I have to get a new pair when my feet start to hurt.  I kept one old pair for gardening and my current new pair; the rest can go.  The slippers and the flip flops are completely worn out junk.

Six pairs of shoes - 7.25 pounds

Larry has a more eclectic mix of items.

Pair of shoes, 2 pair too-wide jeans, 1 pair too-short jeans, lunch bag and water bottle 8.25 pounds

An uncluttered environment is supposed to help release creativity. If the growth of storage facilities is any indication, "Six on Sunday" should become the next national passtime.  Make the commitment! We are working on a "Six on Sunday" badge that you can grab and put it on your blog.  Help us make the world a better place.  Join us in eliminating clutter!  

Singer Restoration Saturday - Bentwood Case Restoration

I have removed the old finish and most of the scratches from the bentwood case for "Dollie", the 1922 Singer 99K that belonged to my great-grandmother, Dollie Dunn Henderson. 

Model 99K bentwood case - front, old finish removed

The case used to be really beat up.  It was surprising and gratifying to see how many of the ugly scratches sanded right out.

Before - all scratched up

A little more sanding, and it will be ready for staining and finishing.

I am still not sure what to do about the big scratch on the top of the end of the case.

Before - scratch on end

It got much better, but it still highly visible.

Sanded down end

The scratch is so deep, it will be hard to sand all the way out.  I am afraid I might accidentally go all the way through the veneer to the base wood below.  I am considering placing a label there to cover the mark.  That is probably a better idea than further sanding or wood putty.

More later,

Larry

Grand Illusion - Clue 4 Complete and the Great Chairpocalypse

Finally done.  Larry helped me tremendously doing all the pressing. He says he likes to iron.  (I warned him how picky I am, but he was very brave.) 

 

We had a massive crisis in Shreveport today.  Grandma's lift chair, which she lives and sleeps in, broke.  They had to pull the plug to get her out of it.  We ordered a new chair, since she cannot be without one for more than a few hours.  Her wonderful friends, Edie and Tom, picked up and delivered the chair.  All is good, right?  Wrong. Larry called Grandma, she hates the chair. Apparently it operates too fast for her.    

To make matters much worse, ten minutes after Larry got off the phone with Grandma, I get a call from the nurse.  The new chair broke.  Just kill me now.  Grandma is fine, she just slid out of it unhurt.  La-z-boy in Shreveport agreed to send someone out right away, (thank you Jesus).  Robert, the repairman, was able to fix it, (thank you again, Jesus).  Apparently something just has to be pushed back into place.  I made sure Robert trained the nurse and Grandma on how to make this fix before he left.  God willing, chairpocalypse is over.

So much for the quiet weekend at home in Fort Worth.  I feel like a limp noodle and it is not even Saturday. 

Grand Illusion

I have been plugging away at clue 4 of Grand Illusion.  The first set of broken dishes make for a very long chain.

My units are coming out nicely, though they all need to be pressed. They might look a bit wonky, but they are all very close to the right size.  All that sliver trimming counted for something!

I have started work on a paper prototype of a stand-up needle case. I still have to determine how tall I want it to be, then figure out how to make the top work out correctly so it comes together nicely.  I will have to put my thinking cap on for that part.

I started the needle case with a hexagon base because I have six types of needles that I regularly use:  embroidery, sharps, betweens, tapestry, chenille, and millinery.  I think it would be nice to have a separate place for each needle type.

Nearly Wordless Wednesday - Pinning Grand Illusion, Clue 4

Bonnie might just meld her seams, but I get the best results when I pin ala Sally Collins.  I need to get more pins!

Tatting Tuesday - Progress

I was going to post today about finishing my Hearts Bookmark project, after correcting my mistakes in a previous post.  However, I haven't made a lot of progress since last week. All I've managed to do is put one set of the top arches on a heart, before making a new mistake.

Little Progress

I'm certainly seeing firsthand how crochet is a lot faster than tatting, and unbelievably easier to undo mistakes!  So far I have already started with a little practice piece to learn the basic stitches.

Learning basic stitches

And I've started a project (a bookmark - what else?), beginning with a long chain and double crocheting back in what I hope will be an interesting pattern.

Beginnings of a bookmark

I will try to keep up with my tatting projects better, as well as explore my new hobbies.

Larry

Grand Illusion Clue 4 - Progress

I worked on clue four of Grand Illusion this weekend while we were in Shreveport visiting Grandma.  So far, three fourths of the half sections are done.  I just have to assemble the yellow-turquoise-white sections, then, of course, I have to fit the halves together into broken dish units.

Assembling Units

None of the half square triangles were the correct size, so I did lots of sliver trimming.  These colors certainly makes a pretty pile of trimmings.

Slivers Trimmed

While we were in Shreveport, Grandma was interviewed by the Shreveport-Bossier magazine.  People are fascinated by folks her age (103).  Grandma was cute and funny as always, though we had to keep reminding them to TALK LOUDER, because she is profoundly deaf.  I look forward to reading the article, but it will not be published until next month.

It was too bright for Grandma outside, so she borrowed Larry's hat. Time to get out of the sun!

Singer Restoration Saturday - Bentwood Case Refinishing

The Model 99K that belonged to my great-grandmother included a bentwood case. The case was generally in good shape, but had collected a lot of nicks and scratches over the years.

Bentwood Case Base

Bentwood Case Top

To begin the process of refinishing it, first I removed all the hardware.

Front of base

End of base

Top and inside of base

Bottom of base

Scratch on one end of top

Then, I began to gently sand off the old varnish, and sand out the nicks and dings.

Front of base - Sanded

End of base - Sanded

End of top - Sanded

I can already see that I will have to be careful with some of the deeper scratches (like on the end of the top) --  I don't want to sand through the veneer and have to replace it all!  Once I get it all cleaned up, I will sand it again with a finer grit, then re-stain it and spray on a tough overcoat.  

More to come.

Larry

Shopping through Scottsdale

We shop hopped all over the greater Phoenix area while we were on vacation in Scottsdale last week.  It was fun to return to several shops we were familiar with, and to discover a few new gems as well.

I scored two gorgeous Christmas panels for $2 at a quilt show held in the Gilbert Historical Museum.  The show was only OK, but the museum was really interesting.  Women gather weekly to hand-quilt on vintage frames.  Their work was awesome.  There was also lots of military memorabilia and historical re-creations of home-life of early Gilbert; plus, the whole downstairs of the museum is devoted to model trains!

Santa Panel

I was totally unable to resist this gorgeous Christmas panel, despite having about five other Christmas panels already, and never having done anything with a single one.  Someday I will; you'll see. lol

Christmas Door Panel

I am also a complete sucker for quilty novelty fabric.  The tote bags I have designed in my head!  Who can resist "Lake Applique" and "Spool Pond"?

Quilt Country Print

A half yard of "Quilt Girl" fabric needed to make Texas its new home too, as well as this cool vintage sewing machine fabric.  I should make something for my Singer-restoring sweetie-pie out of that.

Fabrics my husband made me get

We went back to the Olde World Quilt Shoppe, which is well known for its selection of wools and wool patterns.  I bought enough white (and it is not at all yellow) to make the snowmen in this pattern, as well as in the pattern I bought there last year.

Cool wool and pattern

I fell in love with this pale powder blue silk dupioni at the Bernina Connection.  It will make the most gorgeous needle case holder.  Now I just need to design one and make it.  I have a large collection of wonderful Bohin needles that need a beautiful home.

Pale blue changeable silk

The Bernina Connection also has a terrific selection of batiks.  You know me and batiks.  Despite having a collection sufficient for the creation of several complete Dear Janes, quarter yard cuts of these seven lovelies beckoned me to buy them and bring them home.  So I did.

Batiks and thread

The bottom two batiks come from 3 Dudes Quilt Shop in Phoenix.  I just love the green with the blue streaks - yummy.  I bought the white Isacord at the Bernina Connection.  I have heard what wonderful thread it is, and I have decided to give it a try.  

Apparently I have been living in a hole because I did not know that YLI still sold some of their thread on wooden spools - yes the yellow thread is on an actual wooden spool.  How cool is that?  Quiltz, which we have visited several times, had an excellent selection of YLI thread, each color lovelier than the one before.  It was a hard choice, but I settled on this rich yellow.

My husband was a terrific sport, as usual, and I bought lots of pretty things for not too much money.  All in all it was another fabulous trip to Scottsdale.  (And by the way, Fountain Hills really needs a brick and mortar fabric store.)