Ina's Scrap Quilts #2 & #3

The are the second and third quilts in the series Ina is making for her local care home. When we were talking about these quilts, she asked how much extra backing fabric I needed as her one wide backing was really close to being enough for both quilts. She hadn't cut it yet, so we decided to leave the backing in one piece and I was able to do both quilts on a single piece of backing fabric.

Here you can see that I have finished the first quilt. 

 I left a little bit of space to allow the over stitching of my pantos, and loaded the second top.  After changing the thread color and the panto, I was off and running again.

 Good thing my measurements were accurate.  I usually like to to have a little more breathing room with the batting and backing at the end of the quilt, but it all worked out fine.

 This top is very similar to the one I did last week, but it had the most amount of florals so we chose a more feminine panto - "Popcorn."

This one was Ina's favourite of the bunch and thought it might be for her husband, so we decided on the Mimosa panto that has a bit of a leafy texture with nice movement.

New toy at our house

Look what my husband bought - for HIMSELF!

Nolan has been watching industrial sewing machines on Kijiji for awhile now and had the opportunity to look at this one when he was away last week. He was looking for a heavy duty machine to sew canvas, etc.  Thank goodness he called guys from the office to help him carry it downstairs as it is HEAVY! 

This what we have figured out so far.  It is a Singer 241-13, and based on the serial number I was able to determine that is was built in 1939.  Thankfully I could download an owner's manual online to find out more.

It is rated for heavy and extra-heavy work, can sew between 5 1/2 to 30 stitches per inch (Why would anyone need to stitch 30 stitches per inch?), and can sew 4300 stitches per minute!!! 

Here you can see the motor.  The motor always runs, and you engage the clutch with the foot pedal to start sewing.  As Nolan put it, it seems to have two speeds - "Fast" and "Damn Fast"!

It has a automatic lubricating system and this is the oil reservoir.  (I think it is due for an oil change!)

After closer inspection at home we have noted that it is missing a few thread guides.  We understand that parts are still readily available for these machines, so I will be searching once we determine everything that is needed.  One good thing is that bobbins, bobbin cases and needles are still sold using the same numbers as in the book.

It would be great to know what has been modified with the machine over the years.  The machine head says "Made in the U.S.A.".

The motor and electronics say  "Made in Great Britain".

And the Bobbin winder was made in West Germany.

 Getting this back for full working condition should be a fun winter project. Maybe if I get over my fear, I'll even give it try.

Ina's Scrap Quilt

The is the first in a series of quilts Ina is making for the beds in her local care home.  She provided me with a light weight poly batting that will be perfect for its intended use.  Ina is trying to work he way through her fabric stash and this simple pattern is a great way to tie lots of different fabrics together.

 I used the "plush" panto for a not too dense, nice even texture over the whole quilt, in a blue So Fine! thread that matched the thin lattice strips.

Double Wedding Ring - No Feathers

This lovely Double Wedding Ring Quilt belongs to Gale.  Gale and I have never met, but we did chat on the phone about her ideas for this quilt.  She really didn't have any strong preferences, she just wanted me to know that she didn't really care for feathers.  It seems I have quite a few clients who feel the same way!

This is the first DWR quilt that I have had the opportunity to work on, so I went looking online to get some inspiration.  The vast majority of DWR quilts are loaded right up with feathers!  It was a fun challenge to do something different.

 Gale's quilt is made by appliqueing the ring to the background fabric, and she chose a blanket stitch.  I decided that I didn't want to quilt on the rings, so I stitched in the ditch around them, and added the curls in the melons and a large flower motif in the center.

I wanted to keep the border simple, so piano keys seemed like the perfect option.

Gale provided a light beige backing allowing the quilting designs to come shining through.  Lots of pictures of this one because I am just so pleased with how it turned out!

Retreats are Awesome!

If you ever have the chance to get away for a quilting retreat weekend I highly recommend that you do so.  I attended a retreat this weekend sponsored by the Dauphin Crocus Quilter's Guild of which I am currently a member and the Flin Flon North Star Quilt Guild, which I used to belong to.  The retreat was hosted by Wendy and George at Fabriculous.  I plugged my camera in to make sure it was charged so I could take a lot of pictures, but forgot it at home so I will have to send you over to Kathy's blog for all the details.

I was able to get the borders on my latest quilt with the help of a friend - thanks Kathy!  I had purchased a different fabric for the border. (I actually picked the border fabric first and picked all the others to go with it.)  

When it came time to measure the borders, Kathy gently encouraged me to consider other options. (My original choice was doing nothing to enhance the quilt.)  I had to get my head wrapped around changing my plan but I am glad I did!  Now to come up with a quilting plan, and time to get it done.  Could this be a new pattern for Highway 10 Designs - time will tell...

Iron Caddies

I am very excited to say that it is quilting retreat weekend for me!  I decided to treat myself and my girls to a couple of new iron caddies.

This is my new travel iron tote/mat made from the "Caddy Pad" pattern.  It came with the instructions and the heat resistant fabric.  I found a couple of batiks that I loved and now I have an ironing surface and a way to pack up my hot iron for the ride home.

I had an old ironing mat that I knew I would no longer be using so I decided to repurpose it into a couple of flat iron totes for Kyla and Kendra.  I used this tutorial from the "Crap I've made blog".  

I made a small change from the tutorial and used my old ironing mat in place of the batting and fabric on one side. They turned out really well.   They provide a protective surface when then iron is heating up.

After you are done, you can pop the hot iron into the pocket, pop the cord under the flap and you are safe to throw it in your suitcase or wherever.

The girls didn't know what I was up to with these, but were very happy with the surprise.  I might just have to borrow one to take with me on the retreat!

A Pair of Table Runners

Sheri sent me a pair of table runners.  They come from the pattern "Little Charmers 5" by Anika's Treasures.  It is amazing how different they look in different fabrics.

Sheri requested the "Snow Winds" panto on this Christmas themed runner.  I resized it to 75% of its standard size, so that the scale would be more appropriate for a small project.  I used Magnifico thread in the top and bobbin as Sheri wanted the pattern to show up well on her solid backing fabric to make the runner reversible.

And now her version made with a cool modern collection of fabrics.

 I custom quilted this one with a mix of straight lines, "U-turns" and pebbles.  I love how it turned out!

Love the backing on this one.  I didn't want any pokes of purple thread on the bright white fabric on the front so I used white in the bobbin for the pebbles and love the effect it gave on the back.