Ode to sewing machines #39

Many of you follow my "Ode to the Sewing Machine" posts.  We've all seen the 

ads on craigslist, ebay and elsewhere.  The clueless sellers give those of us who sew a belly laugh, or two!   Here's installment #39… 

For the low, low price of $77, you can own
35 lbs of rust and filth. OR make payments on it.

This is the only picture and you have to show up to find out what is inside. 
All for $2,500!

Latest quilt top

While waiting for my grandson to be born, I worked on a new quilt top. This one is going to be donated when finished.  The pattern is called Chandelier. You can download it for free at this website:
https://blog.lellaboutique.com/2021/03/free-downloadable-chandelier-quilt-pattern/
Click on the picture of the Chandelier quilt on that page.

Samuel James

 Welcoming: Samuel James Chamberlain

1:03 AM after 12 hours of labor

A healthy 6 lb 8.9 oz

Psalm 107:1

 

Ode to Sewing Machines #38

Many of you follow my "Ode to the Sewing Machine" posts.  We've all seen the ads on craigslist, ebay and elsewhere.  The clueless sellers give those of us who sew a belly laugh, or two!  Here's installment #38…

I wouldn't give $4.75 for this one!

Hour Glass wallhanging

 My quilt guild is holding a quilt show this weekend in Mebane, NC. Opening day is tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 21st.  I spent the day today volunteering at the quilt show, helping hang quilts and working on the programs that will be handed out to each visitor.  I love quilt shows!  A lot of work goes into organizing and planning.  

I entered a small wall hanging, which won a ribbon for Honorable Mention!

This pattern is a free download, here's the link!  
https://fabshophop.com/downloads/freepatterns/free-pattern_a-quarter-charmed_maywoodStudio.pdf

  

Fall in Love with Quilting Quilt Show

 If you live near North Carolina there is a great quilt show coming!  The Quilt Show, “Fall in Love with Quilting”, runs Oct. 21 – 23, 2022.  It will be at the “Old Rec” Center, 209 W. Jackson St, Mebane, NC 27302.  The show is open Fri & Sat 9am-5pm and Sun 10am-3pm.  The cost is $7/day, 10 & under FREE, maximum of $20/family/day.  

There are 138 quilts entered, with 87 to be judged and 51 display only.  It’s a wonderful assortment of quilts and techniques to admire and to get you inspired.  We will have 10 vendors on site --  Cary Quilting Company (Julianne Walther, the owner, is a member of our guild!), Rona the Ribbiter, G's Quilt and Craft Retreat, Loving Stitches, Bull Town Fabrics (Leslie Moyer, the owner, is a member of our guild!), Wood Quilt Blocks (Thomas Hannon), Bernina World of Sewing, Empty Pockets Alpaca Farm, Quilts Like Crazy, and Whatever's Quilted.  We have Raffle Baskets, a Raffle Quilt, the Silent Auction, the Boutique, and the Children’s Donation Challenge. 

QOV awarded to a veteran

 I have the honor and privilege of longarming Quilts of Valor for both our local sewing group and for the national foundation.  I was happy to receive photos from the award ceremony of one recent quilt.  This quilt was awarded to Army Veteran Master Sergeant Christopher Pfahl.  His military service began in 1997.  He went into the Army reserves after two enlistments and has been deployed twice to the Middle East, once as recently as last year.  

Thank you for your service Master Sergeant Pfahl!

 

Ode to Sewing Machines #37

Many of you follow my "Ode to the Sewing Machine" posts.  We've all seen the ads on craigslist, ebay and elsewhere.  The clueless sellers give those of us who sew a belly laugh, or two!  Here's installment #37…

He's dreaming of a good offer. Maybe he'll wake up soon.

Another one of my own

 I placed a small wall hanging on my frame this morning and put the binding on it this afternoon!  I made this one in May.  Sometimes you need to just sit down and piece!  And that's what happened with this wall hanging.  I made it all in an afternoon.  I plan to put this in my foyer above the Singer 201 sewing machine table.  I'll go back to client quilts tomorrow morning!

The pattern for this quilt is a free download, click here!

One of my own quilts

I've been stitching quilts for others for so long I forgot I had some of my own to get finished.  Today I put one of those on my frame.  Here it is!  This one was made 6 years ago!  It has 1840s reproduction fabrics used in it, and they are homespun all except for the background fabric.  I hope to get one more of my own on the frame before I start back on client quilts!

It's a boy!

 My daughter is pregnant with our second grandchild and we found out yesterday it's going to be another boy!  We are thrilled to know Joshua will have a buddy to grow up with.  This is the quilt top I made to celebrate.

Celebration!

 

The latest quilt top on my frame

I've taken a week off from stitching because I stretched a ligament on the side of my knee. Not wanting to make it worse I rested my leg for several days to give a chance to heal. Today I'm gingerly walking around my longarm frame to start a quilt for a customer. Here's a photo! You can't see it in the photo but I'm stitching the Linda's Daisies pantograph on it with pink thread.

Ode to Sewing Machines #36

 Many of you follow my "Ode to the Sewing Machine" posts.  We've all seen the ads on craigslist, ebay and elsewhere.  The clueless sellers give those of us who sew a belly laugh, or two! Here's installment #36…

Did you know?

 In July of 1839, a group of Africans illegally taken into slavery from Sierra Leone, carried out a mutiny on a Cuban ship called The Amistad. Not knowing where they were headed, the Africans landed on the shores of Long Island where they were imprisoned on charges of murder. The case eventually made it to the United States Supreme Court where former president, John Quincy Adams, defended the Africans' right to liberty, leaning on the words of the Declaration of Independence—that all men are created equal.

Today, I think of my great, great grandfather, who fought in the Civil War on the Union side from start to finish. If you'd like to see his story click on the Civil War link at the top of this page. I'm very proud of our nation. We have fought for injustice since the beginning in 1776. Slavery was abolished and freedom is guaranteed every person no matter their color.

How grandchildren perceive their grandparents

1. I was in the bathroom, putting on my makeup, under the watchful eyes of my young granddaughter, as I'd done many times before. After I applied my lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, "But Grandma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!" I will probably never put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye....

2. My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, 72. My grandson was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"

3. After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice, "Who was THAT?"

4. A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like. "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods." The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"

5. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo and I said, "No, how are we alike?'' "You're both old," he replied.

6. A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story.

"What's it about?" he asked.

"I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."

7. I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I continued. At last, she headed for the door, saying, "Grandma, I really think you should try to figure out some of these colors yourself!"

8. When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."

9. When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not sure." "Look in your underwear, Grandpa," he advised "Mine says I'm 4 to 6." (WOW! I really like this one -- it says I'm only '38'!)

10. A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today." The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. "That's interesting." she said. "How do you make babies?" "It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'."

11. Children's Logic: "Give me a sentence about a public servant," said a teacher. The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder pregnant." The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked. "Sure," said the young boy confidently. 'It means carrying a child."

12. A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties.

"They use him to keep crowds back," said one child.

"No," said another. "He's just for good luck."

A third child brought the argument to a close. “They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants."

13. A 6-year-old was asked where his grandma lived. "Oh," he said, "she lives at the airport, and whenever we want her, we just go get her. Then, when we're done having her visit, we take her back to the airport."

14. Grandpa is the smartest man on earth! He teaches me good things, but I don't get to see him enough to get as smart as him!

15. My Grandparents are funny, when they bend over, you hear gas leaks and they blame their dog.

A recent customer quilt

 This quilt top is from a friend of mine who is also a customer.  She found this top for $15 at the Scrap Exchange!  The Scrap Exchange is a thrift store where any type of leftover materials can be donated.  You might find a microscope, pool noodles, beakers from UNC or anything you can think of!  Businesses, individuals and Colleges donate their leftover scrap/materials and you can buy it for a song. 

A good reminder

 

Definitely!

 

Ode to Sewing Machines #35

 Many of you follow my "Ode to the Sewing Machine" posts.  We've all seen the ads on craigslist, ebay and elsewhere.  The clueless sellers give those of us who sew a belly laugh, or two!  Here's installment #35…

No doubt about it

I studied at Faith Baptist Bible College in the 80's. During my first year, a brilliant man named David Powell was one of my instructors. His class on Old Testament Theory was, by far, my favorite class. He taught in a way that made you think outside the box, to dig deep for the answer. I loved his class. After each test, I found myself striving to get a better grade than the one before.

In 1985, I was 25 years old. 7 years earlier I almost flunked out of high school. I received a 1.42 out of a possible 4.0 grade average. While enrolled at FBBC, I worked 50 hours a week, drove an hour each day to classes, and studied when I could. I worked full-time as the owner of a small business with 5 employees. I also worked part-time as the manager of a 64 unit residential facility. I could only attend FBBC part-time, it was all I could afford at the time.

In David Powell's freshman class, as we studied each book in the Old Testament, one of his assignments was to create a graph of the book. We were to break the book down into events and chart each one as it progressed to the next event. In the evenings, I dove into each graph with gusto. I learned things about the Old Testament I'd never thought of before. I started out the class getting a B, or 80%, but by the end of the semester I received 100%+ on my graphs and tests.

In the middle of the semester, mummering started on campus. At first, I tried to ignore the whispers that reached my ears, as I studied in the campus lounge above the cafeteria. But the whispers became bolder as time went on. Freshman who were in the class with me began to grumble about how hard the class was, Powell was a bad teacher, he did this and he did that...mur-mur-mur-mur. And I began to wonder why am I doing so well if he is such a bad teacher?

Once, I nearly stood up in class to ask them what was going on. Mr. Powell was late to class that morning and the little rebel inside me wanted to ask why someone who nearly flunked out of high school 7 years earlier and worked 50 hours a week was getting A's and they weren't? I chose to remain silent. Instead, I chose to make my sentiments known in Dr. Houghton's presence. 3 decades later I still regret my decision.

As each decade has passed, I've often thought of my time at FBBC. I love my school and pray for the students and teachers to this day. Dr. Walton and Dr. Shipp changed my life through their kind and loving example. They loved us, truly loved each student. It was an honor and privilege to attend FBBC and I look back at my time there with fondness. Today, I look forward to reading the alumni newsletter and always look for people I knew in the pages.

But I'll never forget how gossip took away a brilliant teacher. A few students wanted mediocrity. They wanted an easy road and they received it. He was let go at the end of the semester. He was replaced by someone, I don't remember who they hired. Through the power of gossip, a truly great teacher was sent away.

Gossip destroys. It should be hated by more than just One Person.

Winter is over

 Winter is definitely over in my part of the world.  And the slow period of longarming is over, too!  I have 11 quilt tops to get longarmed over the next 2 weeks.  I love the busy season.

I finished up a table runner I've been working on.  It took awhile to applique the pieces.  I used the invisible applique method with monopoly monofilament thread.  This was a laser cut quilt kit and it was so easy to iron down the precut applique pieces.

ForeverMore Quilt Progress

 I've made good progress on the ForeverMore BOM.  I'm ready to begin sewing the setting triangles to the blocks.  And after that comes assembly of the quilt!  The yellow tags are the block #'s.

Donation Quilt

 I made this quilt in December and longarmed it last month.  I finished the binding over the weekend and it will be donated to one of the women at the Pregnancy Support Center here in Durham.  

The pattern is called Garden Trellis and it is a free download here!

Quilt of Valor

 I haven't posted a quilt top in awhile so I thought I'd show the Quilt of Valor top I'm longarming today.  I love QOV quilts.  I attended our group's last awards ceremony where we awarded over 25 quilts to deserving veterans.  The man I gave my quilt to gave me 3 hugs because he was so grateful.

If you would like to serve veterans in this way you can visit the QOV Foundation website to find a quilt sewing group in your area. 
There are groups all across the country!  https://www.qovf.org/about-qovf/whos-in-my-area/
 The search function on their site doesn't work very well if you enter a zip code.  You have better results if you zoom in on your location using their map.

Ode to Sewing Machines #34

Many of you follow my "Ode to the Sewing Machine" posts.  We've all seen the ads on craigslist, ebay and elsewhere.  The clueless sellers give those of us who sew a belly laugh, or two!  Here's installment #34…

Outrageous price for a machine with mold growing on it.

A rust bucket for only $700!

Start to Finish: How to stitch a pantograph

 I had a few people ask me to make a video showing how to stitch a pantograph from beginning to end so I made a video showing just that!   I hope this helps!

ForeverMore center block

 I took a few months off working on the Forevermore Block of the Month to do longarming for customers for the Christmas stitching. I'm working on it again and I just finished working on month 6 and will start month 7 now. Month 6 was the center of the quilt.