About Me

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I'm a quilting, knitting, sewing, cooking,reading, gardening nut who can never find enough hours in the day to get it all done. Then again, getting it all done is out-of-the question. I'm too easily distracted.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

A Quilter Is Born!

This is Karolina.....and this is her first quilt!
Karolina joined the quilt chicks for the first time today at a winter sewing retreat at the farm.  Quilting was a new endeavor for her, but she took to it like no one I've ever seen before.

Here she is, hard at work but smiling the whole time.

Here is her top, just before trimming.....

And a close-up of her decorative stitches, using YLI Quilt thread in Kyoto Garden.


And here it is her first quilt!
Almost complete with a tiny bit of binding left to be sewn down!

The Quilt Chicks were very pleased to be able to help teach a new quilter the ropes!
We hope she will join us again soon....

Great Job Karolina!

Friday, February 1, 2013

It's A Girl!

And a Pretty one at that!
She doesn't have a name yet, but this Gorgeous Sewmor 414 was at the local Salvation Army waiting for someone to adopt her.....and that someone ended up being me!

I was making my usual Friday morning rounds, and after filling (and I mean filling) my cart with 5 for $5 deals I decided to check out the furniture and gadget wall.  Found an overpriced Westinghouse sewing machine in pristine condition in a well -cared for cabinet....and then I saw her.  Across the isle.
Unassuming in her blue and tan case.  No one else was noticing her, but I did.
I quickly released the clasps's of the case and saw this sparkly aqua steel and was struck with the need to own her....
I put the top back on, locked it up and
Walked Away.

I had the Voice of Reason in my head telling me that this was a Want, not a Need.
I already have 3 working machines and 2 other ones hidden away in a storage area.
I just bought 31 shirts to disassemble and add to my stash......

I paid for my shirts and left the store, thinking about the machine all the way home.

I washed my shirts in 2 loads, still thinking about that little aqua beauty.
I finally got out my computer and did a quick search on the machine.  I found one on Ebay listed
for $199.99.
The machine I had walked away from was $19.99.

I put my coat on and drove back to the store, hoping, hoping, HOPING it would still be there.
And it was.
I pulled open the clasps on her top and opened it up and I swear it looked even shinier and more sparkly than it had when I first saw her.
I uncoiled the power cord and felt along it for fraying and cracks and there were none.
There was a plug just above the shelf she was sitting on and I plugged her in.
Her light came on.
I stepped on the foot pedal and she purred.....Like the day she was born.
I stood back and smiled and contemplated doing a happy dance.
THAT is when I noticed there were 3 people standing behind me, watching.
I looked at them and told them "I'm taking this home" and they turned and walked away.

I would have skipped to the cashier except that this machine weighs somewhere around 50 pounds, I think.

I ended up at the same cashier that I had seen just a couple hours before and she said "Welcome Back!"
She laughed at me when I told her the story, and she shook her finger at me and said "Girl!  You are lucky that was still there!  You've got to buy it when you see it or you will lose out!"
Well, this time I did NOT lose.  I Won!

I'm going to clean and oil her tomorrow and take her for a spin.
Tonight....I've got 31 shirts to deconstruct!
Talk to you chicks later!