She sent me these photos of the quilting she did and I think it looks fabulous, don’t you?!

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When I first got the Viking, I did a lot of embroidery and really truly enjoyed it. The problem with it developed when we moved from Illinois to Texas 5 years ago and my embroidery design software has been lost ever since. So, I can currently only embroider items that I have a design for. My computer totally crashed about a year ago so the software that was saved on it was deleted in the crash and I have no access to any of it unless by some stroke of luck, I find the cd-rom. After 5 years of looking, I’d say the probability of that is pretty low.

It would be difficult for me to say which is the >best sewing machine, there are feature of both that I really like. As I stated in my previous post, my Viking does not let me know when the bobbin has run out of thread and that is super annoying. My Singer not only told me the bobbin was empty, but also would wind the bobbin thread while the bobbin was till in the bobbin case, I never had to take it out! I REALLY liked that. My Viking has a lot more decorative stitches which I use a lot when I’m creating purses, but as far as basic sewing, they both do a great job.

Believe it or not, I have my eye on another machine which is also a Viking. It’s designed more for quilting and has a larger (longer) bed to allow for more fabric to be on the right side of the sewing needle. I also really like it because it has a scissor cutting feature that automatically cuts the threads for you when you stop sewing. It has several other features on it that come in handy when sewing larger projects like quilt tops, but, it comes at a hefty price, the reason it’s still on my wish list. Someday, I will have it, but not right now.

If the manufacturers would do something about the bobbin feature, I’d be a heck of a lot happier!

What’s your favorite machine?

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The first photo is the blocks, made from 3 different fabrics, using 3 1/2 inch strips. Pieced together with 1/4 inch seams, the end result will be strip 3 inches wide.

The second photo is 6 strip sets of 6 blocks each. These are laying on the floor so I can make sure I’ve sewn them all the correct direction before I sew the strip sets together.

And finally, the quilt top all pieced together, sans borders.

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I must admit, because I was somewhat in a creative funk, I haven’t sewn a stitch in over a year, until this week. So, I pulled my new Oliso iron out of it box and unleashed it on all the seams in the quilt top I’m putting together (more on that in a later post). This iron is AWESOME!

This iron always stays horizontal, no need for tilting it precariously on its end, hoping nobody bumps into the ironing board knocking it off. It responds to the lightest touch, as soon as I touch the handle, it retracts its little feet (technically I think it’s called auto-lift) and is ready to press even the thickest and most stubborn seams. It has all sorts of settings and makes quick work of pressing sewn seams. Trust me, I hate to iron, so for me to have positive things to say about an iron tells you just how impressed I am by this!

By the way, I was just excited by the way my iron performed and wanted to share my opinions. I have in no way whatsoever been compensated for this post.

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I pulled out the fabric yesterday and was laying in out to see what all I have. Of course, that’s when our baby decided she had to be a participant, plopped down and stuck under nose under all the fabric and fell asleep. The sound of me turning my camera on is the only reason she opened her eyes!

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Truth is, I haven’t sewn a stitch in at least 6 months, so I have no business going to the quilt show!  I need to stay away from my computer & iPad and maybe I’d get back to sewing!

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I created this tote bag a while back and more recently, my sister listed it on her Etsy site. I was literally tickled pink when my tote bag was selected to be in a Etsy Treasury and soon after, sold.

This bag was very special and I loved making it. The Breast Cancer Ladies on the fabric are amazing and I know this bag has found a wonderful new home.

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We had house guests over the summer and my sewing room was reset in a way to accommodate people sleeping in it rather than sewing in it. In other words, it was converted into a guest room. Since then, my daughter has decided that she enjoys using it as a “sleepover” room whenever she has a friend spend the night because it has 2 twin beds in it. The problem is, when the beds are all set up, it doesn’t leave me much room for sewing and no room for a cutting table. Plus, I feel obligated to keep it neat & clean (i.e., none of my fabric stash spread out, no sewing machine sitting out, no scissors & thread choices, etc) for whenever anyone wants to sleep in there. Having all of my fabrics put away in closed cabinets means that I can’t see them for inspiration. No sewing machine ready to go at a whim makes me feel like I have to get everything set up before I can begin creating, that can feel like too much work and stops me in my tracks.

I do think that I need to put the beds back the way they were and reset my room for sewing, that would be a start. Who knows, maybe when the quilt kit I ordered online gets here (maybe it will be delivered today!), I will find reason to put my foot to the pedal and SEW!!

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