Update on (very little) sewing progress

Hi all-

I haven't spent much time in my sewing room lately, but I did get it cleaned up. :) My husband and I had friends spend the Labor Day weekend with us, so I didn't feel like I could just shut myself in there during that time.

I do have plans for this weekend, however, and it fits in with my Refashionista Pledge!

I've loved this skirt for so long, but it's almost always been a bit snug on me. At this point, it's just too small. I plan to bring the waistline down to a wider section, thus bringing the hemline up to just above the knee. I'm still contemplating what type of waistband and closure I want.

Here's another reason I haven't done much sewing the past two weeks:

I've been reading. Each of these books grabbed me and just wouldn't let go. Oh, I forgot to add Swapping Lives by Jane Green. That was a good one, too! I am firmly ensconced in the book on top, The Way of Shadows, at the moment.

Sometimes I just go through a period where I can't stop reading. Swaptree is wonderful and awesome, because it cuts down on the cost when you can go through a book every two days, but now I'm tempted by good books all the time!

Camping, Beach & Allergies

Ok guys- I know I haven't posted in awhile. I took a vacation from my day job, and the vacation slopped over to a vacation from posting, as well!

So in the last few weeks I've been doing many things. First it was camping:

Camping at Champoeg State Park

Then we went to the beach with our friends for my birthday weekend. We stayed in Lincoln City at the Ester Lee Motel & Cabins. It turned out to be quite nice. We had a load of fun playing Apples to Apples, Mad Gab, and little pirate board game my husband and I picked up a few years back.

On the beach at Lincoln City with T, C & Tonka goggie.

No, I'm not frowning, I'm concentrating on my stitching.

Our view of the beach from the room we rented with our friends. Ok, we did splurge a bit for my birthday weekend.

In between camping and the beach, I underwent allergy testing because I am fed up with vertigo and migraines, and I'm finally doing something about it. My husband and I think the migraines may be partially due to my sinus problems, and my sinus problems most likely stem from allergies. Well, we were right that I have allergies. No, I won't show you pictures of the ginormous welts on my arms, because I didn't take any.

So, it turns out that I'm allergic to grass. I live in Eugene, which is part of Lane county, and is situated in the Willamette Valley. Guess what title the Willamette Valley gets? You got it - "Grass Seed Capitol of the World." You don't have to trust me on that, you can go ahead and google it. I'm so freaking thrilled.

Giveaway Alert! Pretty Ditty Apron Pattern + 3 Yards Fabric

The Fabric Shopper blog is hosting a giveaway, and I wanted to make sure you all knew about it!



Here's the dish: Jamie Christina, owner of Phat Fabrics, is giving away one of her Pretty Ditty Apron pattern and 3 yards of fabric from either the Michael Miller category or the Alexander Henry category from her store. She's having Melanie at Fabric Shopper host it, so click on this linky here to go suss out the details!

Psst: the hardest part is singling out only 3 fabrics from her fabulous selection!

Do it quick, because the giveaway ends Sunday, July 17 at midnight CDT.

Zippy Case inspired by Jan

My day job's ISO consultant, Jan, visits us every few months and helps me to ensure our ISO system is running smoothly. It's a GINORMOUS job, especially after adding our largest manufacturing department to our certificate, and I’m still learning all the nuances of it.

Side 1

When she was here in June I noticed her digging in a pencil pouch for her thumb drive. At that moment, the inspiration struck to use some of my Moda "Pack Your Bags" jelly roll to create a cord and electronics pouch for her. It was so apropos; this lady travels a TON. I give props to her, because even though I like to travel, I don't think I could handle doing it all the time. I hope this bag makes her smile a lot. :)

Side 2

I decided I wanted to try my hand at a different type of free-motion quilting. Patsy Thompson Designs has some great templates and ideas on her free downloads page. She does some incredible work with her sewing machine. I'm in awe.

Incidentally, the back of this pouch is what is shown in my “New used Machine and weekend projects” post.



I'll have one similar to this up in my Etsy shop soon. I needed to finish hers first, though, since she was only here on Monday and Tuesday of this week.

New used Machine and weekend projects

Last week I finally took my poor little Betsy into the repair shop. I got the prognosis on Friday: Betsy's nearing the end of her usefulness. The doc didn't say how long she has to live, but that she's got some parts that were manufactured cheaply and that are worn out. He said it's really not worth the labor to try and fix this type of machine, as they're basically built to be disposable (i.e. the labor and parts would cost more than a new machine).





Because of this built-in obsolescence, she's skipping more and more stitches lately when I'm trying to do free-motion quilting, and I'm cursing at her more and more. You can see the evidence of her unruliness if you look closely at the stitching in the photo above.


Soooo.... My dear, sweet husband started looking for machines on E-bay and Craigslist this weekend, and decided to pick up this little beauty for $50.

I don't know what to call her yet, but I've positively fallen in love. This one's a Singer Stylist 834. I love the older machines. They just seem sturdier- better built. And she just HUMS. Even before Betsy started doing the "chunka-chunka-chunka" routine, she never hummed.

At first I was a bit wary- I'd never used a machine with a drop-in bobbin before. But she came with a manual and the purchase paperwork. Someone bought her new in 1980 and took great care of her.

Anyway, I read through the manual and got her going. The threading was a bit complicated at first, but I figured it out. She runs SO SMOOTHLY. I know I'm going on and on about this, but this is the first machine I've had that just... PURRS! *Insert Happy Dance Here*



I also LOVE the little envelope that all the information came in. Isn't it just darned cute?!

Another really cool thing about this machine: I found the repair manual online. So if she starts acting up on a Sunday, I'll be a bit more confident about tearing her apart and tinkering with her.

Not that the lack of a repair manual stopped me from doing the same to Betsy when she started to seize up a few weeks ago. But hey, after I oiled her innards (had to tape an oil bottle to a chopstick) she ran fine. Except for the chunka-chunka. Which is due to the badly-stamped plastic parts.

However, I wouldn't have been able to use her at all had I not taken off the bottom cover and dove right in. Just sayin'.



Here's the new machine next to Betsy. Richie says we can put Betsy in the living room and I can delegate straight seams and easy stuff to him to sew on her if I want. How on earth did I get so lucky to find this man? Oh yeah. I chose him and laid in wait for him. Heheheh.



This last photo below just shows a bit of the projects I was working on this weekend. If you're wondering about the stippling, I found a great site with some great free-motion quilting ideas and templates: Patsy Thompson Designs Ltd. I took the idea from the Revolving Axis free motion quilting designs in her free downloads section, then I free-handed it. I drew it on paper first, just to get the feel of it, then free-handed it with the machine. You can print it out and pin the paper to your quilt sandwich as well. I found her Pre-Flight Checklist for Newbies helpful as well.

First Quilt Finished & Crinkly!

Here it is, all crinkly and soft. I'm very pleased with it, even though it is as flawed as I am. :)

I think I have to take my machine in for a tune-up now. Stay tuned for more purse goodness soon!



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Scrap Giveaway on Sheree's Alchemy

Hi folks-

I thought I'd let you know about a giveaway going down over at Sheree's Alchemy. She's got some beautiful scraps to give, and they're mostly of Amy Butler fabrics. There are even some out of print fabrics from when Ms. Butler was designing fabrics for Free Spirit Fabrics!

Oh! I almost forgot about the purse pattern that Sheree will be including.

Don't miss out on this great giveaway. Head on over to Sheree's Alchemy and post a comment. Or three.


On a separate note, I'm almost done with my quilt. I had a setback in the form of a migraine for the last two days, but hope to get it finished up tonight or tomorrow. I'll post pics soon!

Learning to Quilt

I just joined this Quilt-Along at Old Red Barn Co. I've done some piecing, and smaller patchwork projects, but no quilts so far. There is a prize associated, a Janome 6600P sewing machine. This thing makes me drool.

Thanks to Mare for finding the tutorial and contest! Unfortunately, it's already on week 3. Can I do it? I think I can!

To save myself a bit of time and to be able to catch up, I just ordered this jelly roll. I've had my eye on this fabric for awhile, and it sure helps that it's now on sale! I think it should turn out quite nicely.