Steady progress

Slow and steady wins the race, right? 

It was a strange week, with health scares and weirdness at work.  But, we got through it and made it to the weekend.  As a distraction, I started playing an online game.  That is NOT conducive to quilting and sewing, so I don't know how far I'll actually get.  Probably not far.  It was a great short term distraction, but I'm not willing to put any real time and especially not any money into it.  But, I see how addictive it could be. 

I also decided to switch out the main sewing machine in the studio.  I went from Ken Moore, the Kenmore to Lorene, the Singer 401A.  But, Lorene needs to see a professional.  When I got her, I tried to clean her up and in doing so, I messed up something.  I fiddled and fiddled and fiddled with her yesterday and managed to get a straight seam, but the fabric ripples a little, like the tension is off and just as I started to make progress on that, she started to skip stitches.  So, she went back and my Grandmother's 15-91 came out to play.  This is the machine from the video last week. 

It's been a couple years since I sewed with this machine.  I remember installing a new light kit and I must not have used it again because when I plugged it in, the handwheel started to turn and the needle started to go.  I pulled out the pedal and made sure it wasn't stuck.  And, then I knew I'd made a mistake in the wiring.  But, a quick search of the internet for a diagram and a screwdriver and about a half hour's work and I had corrected that, and from the first piece of fabric I put under her foot, she sewed perfectly.  As always.  This is a very good machine.  When I replaced the light kit, I fixed the bobbin winder.  I wonder what will happen next time I try to wind a bobbin.

I'm making slow and steady progress on the small quilt.  I try to work on it a little bit every day and it's paid off.  I think I'm done with everything except the outer border.  At least I'm going to try not to add any more quilting to the center.  You can see the beginnings of the feathers in that border.  Three lines.  The center one is the feather's spine and the other two are the outer limits.  I need to fill between the lines.  It makes it so much easier to get consistent feathers when I start with these outlines. 

Here it is from the back.  You can really see the texture.  In the picture above, see the border that is made of larger and smaller squares, set on point?  That quilted as the lattice shown below.  You can really see the texture from the two layers of batting from the back.  I won't do that again, but for a one time thing, it's been...well, an experience.  There are plenty of reasons I won't do it again.  I used two layers of wool batting for the texture.  And, I got plenty of texture.  But, that much loft brings its own set of problems in machine quilting. 

And, while my cinnamon rolls were rising, I put the fourth block of Rob's camper quilt together. 

That's cute, but they really get cute when I add the black blanket stitching and outline everything. 

Okay, that's it for me.  Plenty other things to do.  It's another work Monday.  whoopee.  Everybody have a great day and I'm going to do my best to smile my way through it. 

Lane