An established or customary pattern…in this case a quilt pattern, a very traditional log cabin quilt.  And there is definitely something to be said for tradition.  Why can I hear Topol singing right now?

Here is my latest.  I started this quilt back in October of 2010.  The top was done by January or February of 2011 then is sat.  I finally sent it out to be quilted around June-ish.  I was not ready or experienced enough to handle something this big.  It just seemed way to daunting.  I got it back at the end of August (as promised).  All the quilting was done and all that remained was squaring it up and binding it.  So guess what? It sat some more.  But in adherence to one of my new year goals to finish up WIP/UFOs it’s done.  One big delay was trying to decide how to do the binding, cross-grain or bias.  My trusty friend Teri said just do the old reliable, cross-grain and don’t worry about it.  It set me free to hear that…and here’s the result.

It is the epitome of earth tones for me. 

I would have gotten more outside shots but there were two problems.  The cold and all the deer droppings in my back yard.  I wanted to lay in out on the lawn for greater effect but that wasn’t happening.

No matter…the effect is just as good here.

Can I toot my own horn for just a sec?  I freaking love it!!!  Not bad ETG…

The brown border was not supposed to happen but after initially finishing the patchwork  I realized it was not going to be wide or long enough for my queen size bed. 

So in the instructions to the quilter I asked that the cream border be added on and the original plan to miter the corners kept in place.  You can see above where the extra fabric was added.  I was told that would not be possible.  Ok, I”m flexible and new to the game…I trust you, surprise me!  Boy did she!!!

It’s incredible looking and perfectly frames the top portion of the bed.  That couldn’t have been planned.  Alright maybe, but not by me with my limited experience. 

So who is the genius behind the quilting and modifications?  Eileen Keane of Designing Quilts.  I love this woman!  When we discussed the type of quilting I wanted done I said nothing to fancy or busy (meaning not to heavily quilted).  I said just stipple it.  She said that’s was boring.  How about a leaf pattern since the colors are so “fallish”?  I said leaves??????  I don’t know.  She more or less said trust me and again I did.

All I could say when I opened the box was WOW!!!!!!! 

I could never have done that on my little Brother (the machine I used at the time on the patchwork).

The other thing I’m very happy with is the binding.  I tweeted the other day in response to a question that I had a queen size quilt to bind but dreaded (even though I enjoy it) the thought of hand binding something so large.   Pat Sloan tweeted back a link to her machine binding tutorial…..AWESOME AND EASY AND FAST!!!!  And perfect for this project.  Thank you Pat!

I’m so happy right now and with two of the 3 unfinished projects I started the year with complete, I’d say its high time to start something new!!!  (No I haven’t forgotten the other project….)

But first I’m going to crawl under this beauty with the entire family, roll around and enjoy it.

There is more sewing and quilting inspiration and instruction on this blog than I will ever be able to cover.  A great addition to my growing collection.

Sew Fantastic

And ya gotta love the name.

LOVE IT

Two weeks ago my BFF May May,  found The Orange Creamsicle Cookie that I  posted.  Then commented that she’d also found a recipe for an Orange Cramsicle Smootie and asked if the two together would be too much.  I love her to death!! And of course my answer was a resounding No Way!!  The more the merrier.  So thanks to May May we are still rolling orange-y goodness.

The recipe creator calls it the Orange Push-up Smoothie…a rose by any other name….

TUTORIAL

Here’s one more reason why I’m headed in the clothes making direction.  Who wouldn’t want to learn to make one of these.  I would have another baby just to put this little dress on her (yes, I want another baby and I want a girl).  CUTE!!!!

I mean, I can’t even stand how adorable this is and the tutorial looks so invitingly easy….A good next step for me after pants.

Infant Peasant Dress

Have a great weekend eveyone!

Here’s their story.  How about a vote and some much needed help.

Good luck guys…

I started this so long ago (June to be exact) then it sat and sat but it’s done now and I’m moving onto the next.

When Kira first saw it she called it ABC Animals so the name stays.

Thank you Mother Nature for the lovely background.

This is a panel from Timeless Treasures, it’s so vivid and rich.  I wanted to keep the quilting to a minimum to really bring out the detail.

I outlined each “box” and I think the effect really works, especially on the back.

Have I mentioned how much I love the walking foot on the Bernina.  Not only are the stitches smooth and even but it’s so quiet.

It’s so time-consuming but I really love the look of binding a quilt by hand.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love to quilt.

When things line up just right, it makes me so happy.

I couldn’t have matched this up any better.

Kira just lies on this and studies each picture.  I love to watch her learn, you can almost see the wheels in her little brain turning.

On the next long overdue project.

Of course the recipe is another Pinterest find!!  I’m serious, all the claims on this one are right on!! It was easy, YUMMY, and an awesomely sneaky way to get the veggies in.  Pumpkin Muffins!!!

Ready Mummy…She takes it very seriously.

See the intense concentration?

Ready for the oven.

Almost forgot the most important part….LICKING!!!

And it’s the first time I could let her lick anything with no fear of poisoning her from the raw eggs.

That is officially my favorite picture of us.

Out of the oven in 20 minutes…They are so good.  If you’re not covered in snow like we are today get thyself to the market and start baking.  Thanks to my overly prepared hubby we had everything on hand. 

Now back out to enjoy the snow!!!

BLOG

This blog fueled my rapidly growing interest in sewing clothes.  I know that is the next and logical step on my journey.  It also had some awesome ideas on blogging and making it all look “pretty” (yet another interest).

www.sweet-verbena.blogspot.com

LOVE IT

All I can say about this is, I CAN’T WAIT FOR SUNDAY MORNING.  Slow Cooker Vanilla Bean & Almond French Toast…can it get any better?  I can smell it already….

Thanks to The Naptime Chef for this amazing recipe.

(picture by The Naptime Chef)

TUTORIAL

When I saw this quilt on Pinterest I fell in love with it (as I do all things I find on Pinterest) and added it to my long list. 

 I know I’ll get to it eventually.  Then, by chance, as I was browsing around for this week’s tutorial I found this Mini Bookshelf Quilt Tutorial…What luck!

This I can do and sooner rather than later.  Anyone up for a little mini quilt or a big quilt for that matter? 

Have a great weekend everyone!

During our vacation in Barbados last June I asked my Auntie Pam (the oldest of my mother’s 9 brothers and sisters) to begin making arrangements to have two sewing machines shipped to me.  Well it took 5 months for them to get here (dealing with US. Customs is not fun…), then another 2 months for me to get them cleaned and maybe even working again.    It was all worth the wait!!!!

Allow me to introduce you to my collection…..

This is the machine featured in the post I wrote last month about wanting another hour with my grandmother and great-grandmother.  In a way, Santa gave me my wish. 

Granny Fowler’s sewing machine before…

Here it is after a week with a very talented “repair man” at Hartsdale Fabrics.

1939 Singer Sewing Machine manufactured in England.  Just look at it….I didn’t even know that plate was silver.

Best part…it works!!! As Larry (the owner) wrote on the report, It Lives!! and sews beautifully. 

I can spend time with her now (in a unique way) on her machine.  Sewing to my hearts content.  No I can’t do any “heavy” work on it but a little piece of all my quilts can now be sewn on it.  A simple seam, a quilt block…a little something made together.

The base needs a little repair, which hubby is more than happy to do for me.

There is also a little mystery surrounding this machine.  When Larry was showing me the work he’d done he pointed out the wear and tear on the hand crank.  That type of corrosion he said usually happened when sewing machine were used on or near the ocean.  When I told my mum we both thought that this machine may have been a gift from my great-grandfather (a mariner) to the woman he loved.   But the dates don’t really work.  Suffice it to say (without airing all the King family laundry) that the  incurable romantic in me would like to believe that it passed through both their hands at some point.  And now it rests in mine, maybe even Kira’s someday.

It keeps getting better.  Here is the other machine that was shipped.  It belonged to my mum’s  Tanti Emlynn (not a real aunt but one of those women you grow up calling auntie, I had tons of them as a child).  She is the talent behind my mother’s wedding dress and those of 3 other sisters (7 total).

Here it is before…

And after…I’m in love.  My mother’s wedding dress was sewn on this beauty!! And now it’s mine

I tried finding the model number to date it but the numbers gave no results.  I’ll keep digging.  But I estimate it to about the 20s or 3os.

That is the little storage box set in the base, very handy.

and a bit dirty…Larry left it that way for me to clean but I think he must have known that I would leave it exactly as is.  Another reminder.

Clearly it has no effect on the machine’s stitching ability.  Another one I get to play with.

Now this one is dear to me in a completely different way.  At the beginning of last June (a very busy month for me) I passed by some signs in my neighborhood for an estate sale.  I thought why not.  So my little one and I took a walk.  As I walked around the house it was obvious that the woman who lived there had been a hoarder of sorts.  Everything was everywhere, floor to ceiling packed.  Thank God Kira didn’t mind still being carried in the Ergo on my back.  As I entered a particularly crowded room I saw this case.  There were some other people in the room too (no idea how we all fit) so I peeked in, closed the case headed out to pay.  I had a few other things, old microscope, books, tea cups.  Final cost $40…NICE!!!

Not bad….

1954 Singer Sewing Machine manufactured the US.

Now don’t ask me why but something made me go back into that room…Jack Pot! All the sewing attachments, threads, notions and even the original manual. 

I have no idea who the woman was who owned this machine but it is clear that she took care of it and used it.  It was a bit sad to watch people riffle through her things and even make “not so nice” comments about the state of the house.  Having this machine makes me feel like I’ve been able to preserve even a small part of her dignity.  By the way my buddy Larry cleaned this one up too and another success.  It works like a charm.

The collection grows.  This Singer, maufactured sometime in the 80s, was given to me by my Auntie Fay (my father’s sister) when I was  about  18.  I’d watched my mum sew (on a Sears Kenmore) for years and wanted one of my own.  Wish granted.  But I was young and had no discipline for it at all so it sat.  It sat for 20 years until Kira was born and I asked my mum to make me a sling to carry my baby girl.  She loved the machine and tried to show me again and again how to use it but again the timing was all wrong.  A brand new babe to care for in a one bedroom apartment.   Even if I’d wanted to there was no space or time.  So it sat some more.

The collection continues.  Not as “pretty” as the first three but I owe quite a debt to this baby. To put it simply I learned and fell in love with sewing on this machine. This is what I took to quilting class almost every Monday morning for months. It served me well and I  learned some valuable lessons. And not just about sewing.

When I worked in a knitting store I was a complete snob toward anyone not using Addi Turbos or who wanted to knit “just a scarf” or (God forbid) only wanted to knit with acrylic yarn. I was rude and condescending. When I ran into a problem one day with my Brother machine and asked for help. I was told (my friend you know I’m over this event and only using the story to make a point) well, if you had a Bernina….

In the moment I was so upset but later had a “ton of bricks dropped on my head” realization.  That’s how you’ve sounded you Den…I apologize to everyone.  I’d purchased the Brother because I didn’t have much experience sewing and didn’t feel ready for a fancy machine.  I also couldn’t really afford a Bernina.  You have to work with what you’ve got and I had no respect for that.  I more than do now.

So there they are, my beautiful sewing machine.  Now I just have to find a great place to display them (They also need covers which will be sewn on its respective machine of course).. That may have to wait for a little while until I find a good space and Kira gets a bit older.  The temptation to push buttons and turn handles is just too over whelming right now.  In the meantime I can move and use them when I want to.

Methinks it is a token of healthy and gentle characteristics,

when women of high thoughts and accomplishments love to sew;

especially as they are never more at home with their own hearts than while so occupied.

 ~Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Marble Faun, 1859

I’m never more at home nor is my heart more happily occupied than when I am creating and now with such dear and inspiring company.

As usual this picture does not do these gorgeous bundles justice.  On the left, Hot Spice, the other Pretty in Pink.  These would be so darling in that Lattice pattern.

Simple Modern Sewing…this book just jumped out at me and I fell in love with almost every garment in it.  Next phase…garment sewing.

Some rulers, fabric, thread and other notions also for the Lattice quilt and to finish up another one.

I can’t wait to see what how that variegated thread looks…

Nothing much but I’m happy and ready for my next quilt.

BLOG

Here’s a good one for you.  There is some fun stuff going on over there. 

A Quilting Life

LOVE IT

My friend May found this one on Pinterest and I swear my heart skipped a beat when I saw it.  All this says to me childhood, hot summers and sticky fingers.   Sweetness.  We are both going to try to hold out and make this one next time we’re together.  Good luck to both of us on that one.

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

TUTORIAL

I saw this yesterday and had that old, familiar feeling of I have to start this RIGHT NOW.   But of course I”m still a prisoner of my own rules.  Must complete before I can start…SUCKS!! But I’m holding to it…at least until I can get to the quilt shop to buy a 6.5″ square ruler.  Isn’t it gorgeous? And the instructions look so invitingly simple.

Lattice Quilt Block

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

First completed knit for the year and it’s butter…better than butter and it’s PINK!!  I’m so happy right now.

That is my girlfriend Ann modeling so graciously.  As she was putting it on she said to me.  “Is this wool? You know I’m allergic to wool right?”  I said it is wool and cashmere.  As you can see after a few moments…allergy? What allergy?

And just in time, the weather report for the east coast this coming weekend isn’t promising.  Winter will finally be arriving…in force.

Ready!!!!!

Pattern: Windschief by Stephen West

I opted to knit the cowl instead of the hat (instructions for both included in the pattern)

Yarn:  Squishy by Anzula Luxury Fiber, colorway Wine. 1 skein. (purchased at Katonah Yarn Company)

Needles: #6 & 7

Mods/Notes:  I held two strands together. Worked the ribbing on the bottom on a #6 but then top ribbing on a #7.  Why? I forgot to change needles…(true hurts) but the knitting goddess was watching over me.  I decided to test my “skills” and see it I remembered how to do a tubular bind off (without looking it up).  Success!  I’ve still got it!!

This makes me happy on so many levels.  I can still knit…well.  I can still recall not-to-easy- techniques and I finished another project.

And did I mention…it’s PINK!!!

Just look at that?  Wow…I’ve really missed knitting.  More than I realized.  Onto the next project.