Still trying to get to Carnegie Hall

So, now that my quilts are telling ME what I will and won't do, I decided I needed some practice. The braided portions of West of Paris, Texas need some over quilting. I have learned not to just sit down at a quilt and try something without practicing first. So, I made a practice piece from a piece of old sheet and a leftover scrap of batting. I divided it in half so I'd have strips about as wide as the braid is.



The section on the bottom is what I did first. It's far too left, right, left, right. Can't deal with that. It fills the space, but it looks wierd. I decided that I needed to reduce my scale and leaf size. That's the section along the top. it fills the space better and it isn't so regimented...more organic. And, the leafy feel is going to go great with all that feather quilting.

I've already quilted all the braiding in the ditch and I'm just going to lay this vine over that. I looked at the actual quilt this morning and the prints I used in it and I think I'll be happier with a different leaf; something more like a maple shaped leaf, with three points, instead of the heart shaped leaf. The prints in the quilt feature roses and rose leaves and the maple, with deep cuts to divide the three leaf sections, will be more reflective of that without, the bother of actually making three leaves.

The dryer is delivered today. Yeah! I will be glad when that is done. There's just that tiny bit of apprehension that something will go wrong and that will go away after it's delivered. I made it to the bus stop early enough to see kids I recognize from Sydney's school get on the bus. I gave her the number. Now, we'll just have to see if she's smart enough to find the stop and get off the bus.

It's going to be 108* tomorrow. Way too hot to get out. My plan is to stay inside, point a small fan at my legs and quilt all afternoon. Oh, and all the parts are in for me to work on my Kenmore sewing machine. It needs a lot of rewiring and one of the cabinet hinges was broken. About $25 in new parts is just sitting, waiting for me to sit down and bring that old girl back into production. Right now, she's clean, but her wiring is bad and I wouldn't use her for more than just getting her oiled up. And, she just needs a few new parts. I got her original cabinet while we were on vacation and now I can get her in it and I won't have to stack a machine on top of the cabinet to get to sew. I'm hoping she'll be my main piecing machine. I really like the look of all those flat planes.

It is nice to have such a variety of machines to work with. Next step is to paint the cabinet my National machine is in and get it all glued back together so I can start using it on occasion as well. It's a real beauty too, and very quiet. The motor turns the handwheel by touching a grommet on the motor pulley directly to the handwheel. No belt. For some reason, those machines seem so much quieter. We'll see if that remains true.

I'm pretty sure the first volleyball game is next week. I can hardly wait. I'll be a cheering fan again. Hah! Last year I didn't even know the rules. This year, I know several of the players names.

Stay cool and dry. Lane