Six on Sunday - Week 4

I cleaned out my closet some more.  Decluttering is getting easier instead of harder.  The only thing that gave me a bit of a twinge is the robe.  My Grandma made it for me 25 years ago and I wore it forever.  It has giant holes in it, as well as dozens of little holes throughout the fabric.  I have lots and lots of other wonderful stuff to remember her by, and Grandma, herself, would have thrown it out two decades ago.  Bye bye robe!

Three Sweaters, a Robe, a Top, and a Purse - 7.75 Pounds

 Electronics day for Larry.  The printer was replaced a year ago when it started to smoke - scary that!  The scanner has not worked for about five years, and I think the PC ran Windows 95.  We brought the electronic bird home from Shreveport a few years ago; it can completely fly the coop now.

Two Computers, a Scanner, a Printer, a Router, and a Parrot - 61.5 Pounds

Look at how much weight we have gotten rid of already in only four weeks.  I added it up, 111 pounds of stuff.  The clothing in my closet is already hanging more freely.  Someone asked earlier what we are going to get to replace what we are letting go.  The answer is nothing!

Happy decluttering.
Susan

Singer Restoration Saturday - Bentwood Case

I think the bentwood case is just about finished.  A little buffing, perhaps, and then begin putting the hardware back on.

Model 99k Bentwood Case

Along with the bentwood case, I have been refinishing a small table that we brought home from my father's house.  It had sat on the patio exposed to the elements for quite a while, and then I used it as a support for painting.  As you can see, the original varnish was essentially gone, and several scratches had been gouged into the top, Then I dripped paint (regular interior wall paint) on it.

Table Top View - Before

Table Legs - Before

Using an orbital sander, I removed the paint splatters, old varnish, and weathered wood. I also sanded out the scratches, as much as possible without leaving dips and valleys in the wood.

Next, I rubbed on a Minwax stain and varnish product to put some color back in the wood.  

Table Top - Progress

Table Legs - Progress

I would like to get the table nearly as dark as the bentwood case, and use it as a display table.  But I don't think the table is taking the stain quite as strongly as the case. When it is as dark as I can get it, I will put on a nice tough polyurethane to protect it.  And then not leave it on the patio any more.

Larry

Wordless Friday

Dear Jane G-2, Mohawk - Lesson Learned

Jane got me again.  After I had completed all four paper-pieced strips I tried to put them together according to the picture in the book. No matter how I shifted the pieces, it would not work. Uh oh, this block was supposed to be mirrored.  Rats!  I wish I could tell just by looking which blocks require mirroring, but I do not seem to have that skill.  I guess I will have to consult my favorite Dear Jane resource more regularly.  This block stays; after all, I am not making a replica quilt and Mohawk turned out nicely.

I made Mohawk out of long strips of a red batik that Larry pulled out of a scrap basket in Wisconsin last Christmas.  Yesterday's Kaleidoscope was from yardage.  Just look at this crazy batik.  I love it so much!  I had to really work at it to locate the best brown veins, but it was lots of fun.

I want to do a blue block from this fabric as well.  Just look at all those yummy blue sections.  It would showcase really nicely in a block having a strong central focus like C7.  The C row is right around the corner; progress is being made.  

Happy quilting,
Susan in Texas

Dear Jane F-2 Kaleidoscope

I was a little sorry to see that one of the most fun DJ blocks, F-2, Kaleidoscope, turned out to be one of the brown blocks.  I only added a brown trip around the world to add depth to the quilt to keep it from being too wild.  I selected the jolliest brown batik I have to keep it from being too, well, ... brown.

F-2 Kaleidoscope

It took me almost as long to fussy cut this colorful batik as it did to paper-piece the block, but I love how it turned out.  Putting the final two halves together was a different story; alignment took forever.  I had to take a single stitch by hand at the very center, and it still did not line up perfectly.  I find centers like this notoriously difficult to work with.  I did manage to spin the seams at the back to reduce the bulk, so the block stayed nice and soft.  

Tatting Tuesday - Crocheted Granny Squares

Since the crochet pattern I attempted first was too hard, I have taken up granny squares as a simpler pattern to learn the art of crochet.  My first attempt:

First Granny Square - half my work

After I tried to get one started several times, this granny square was started by my wife Susan and I finished it.  She said that crocheting into the first few stitches was the hardest (and, of course, she was right).

The next one, I did from start to finish myself:

Second Granny Square - all mine

The most obvious problem is that I am still crocheting too tight. There is barely any room to see the pattern that was clear in the first one.  And, of course, it makes it much harder to make a stitch when you can barely pull the yarn back through the loops.

More practice! That's what I need.

Larry

Harlequin-Johnny - Ironing Completed

The one hundred "ears" of Harlequin-Johnny are now all put together, and my DH, Larry, has taken it upon himself to iron them for me.  I started to add the centers to make the fifty "bow-ties", but I decided to move on to Dear Jane instead.

Ironed pieces for Harlequin Johnnie (and Leaders and Enders)

I got so many half square triangles completed while working on the "ears" that I had to cut some more black fabric to make more leaders and enders.  Larry very kindly ironed those too.  I am so lucky, not only is he becoming an accomplished cook, he says he does not mind doing the simple, but time-consuming, ironing tasks that I hate either.  I guess I chose well 30 years ago today!

Six on Sunday - Week 3

Tomorrow is our 30th anniversary.  Thirty years!  Hard to believe it has been that long.  My Mom and sister sent us these beautiful flowers yesterday.  Aren't they gorgeous?  And today is Cindi's birthday too.  Happy Birthday, Cindi, you are now three years older than me instead of only two.  I always like that.  :)

We are still harvesting our Six on Sunday selections from the master closets, though I think Larry has let go of all the clothes he plans to donate for the time being.  I still have lots more clothing to cull through.  For sure none of these pieces sparked any joy.

5 sweaters, 1 pair sweatpants: 5 lbs

The Neat scanner is leftover from when our home was burglarized two years ago.  Everything we had scanned was in one of the stolen laptops.  That is when we decided scanning was definitely not for us.  Talk about not sparking joy; quite the contrary, that dang thing brings up nothing but bad memories.

2 pair shorts, 2 polo shirts, travel iron, Neat scanner: 10.5 lbs

I hope everyone is having a terrific Memorial Day weekend.  Larry and I are really enjoying just hanging out here at home.

Take care,

Susan in Texas

Singer Restoration Saturday - Bentwood Case

I have been working on restoring the bentwood case for "Dollie", my great-grandmother's Singer Model 99K.  Now I am applying a satin polyurethane clearcoat to protect the stain applied earlier.

Bentwood Case - Top and Bottom

The clearcoat went on nice and shiny, then the gloss 
relaxed into a nice satin finish.

In about an hour, I can gently sand it smooth and apply another coat.

Larry

Just one of those days

Sometimes, it's just one of those days...

Bad Feather Day