My fun Weekend! (and new pincushion)

Last weekend I drove to Iowa to visit with another blogger friend, Michelle of ~Life With Lou~.  Michelle has already blogged about our weekend here, so, I'll add some 'extra's in my post. 

I stopped at a quilt store on the way to Iowa (surprise there!).  Stitches in Time is in Oregon, Illinois.  I've been there before.  They sell quilt fabric and yarns.  Here is what I purchased, mostly off the clearance table. 

Lots of lovey fabric goodness!

They also sell items to raise money for the local hospice.  They had doilies and such, so, of course I had to get some of them.

includes 2 dress doilies

turtles hold soap pieces

I got to visit with Michelle last year, while on my way to my oldest son's college graduation.  Michelle had made me a great bag, that I've used as a purse ever since then.

bag Michelle made me last year

Well, Michelle taught me how to make another bag over the weekend.  Michelle has made LOTS of these bags, and has taught several other ladies how to make the bags, too. 

Michelle and I got started on my bag on Friday night, while watching the Olympics (I just can't skip watching them).  First, Michelle loaned me a machine.  She'd told me to leave my machines at home, since she has even more than I have, and most of her machines are all in working order (while many of mine are still 'works in progress').  I used a modern Juki straight stitch machine.

'borrowed' Juki (love how it is decorated)

On Saturday morning, the ladies from Park View Lutheran church came over for a sew-in at Michelle's. 

some of the Park View ladies stitching away

We all worked on different projects.  3 of us made bags on Saturday.  Here is my bag.

my bag I made

yes, front pockets are different widths, so my cell phone fits better on one side

inside pockets and lining

Here are some of the projects the other ladies were working on.

coasters, but they were also making pot holders with the same method

cute baby blanket for their preschool ministry

another bag

JoLynne's bag

After the sew-in was over, we headed back to Illinois for a concert at her friends church (Hi Judy & Dave!).  We picked up her brother Jack on the way.  We went to see the Ball Brother's.

The Ball Brother's in concert

What a great concert!  I came home with 4 different CD's of their music.  I just LOVE 4 part harmony!  They were very inspirational, too!

On Sunday morning, Michelle and I worked on some other projects before I had to head home.  I got lots of blocks trimmed, and some fabric cut, ready to stitch some 'Pieced Hexies' from Mickey Depre's book (remember my last post about my birthday)?

Michelle sent me home with some goodies, too.  Last April, I found a Pfaff 360, hidden under the men's clothing rack at a local thrift store. Well, the zig zag lever is stuck (and broken) on the Pfaff.  Michelle also has the same model Pfaff 360.  She pulled her Pfaff out, and we worked on both machines.  Michelle got my knob to move some, and found that her knob was also stuck.  After working on both machines for a while, Michelle got both knobs to start moving (they still have a long way to go before they work), and, since she doesn't sew on her Pfaff, she gave it to me, so that I could try to get one or both of the machines to sew properly.  Wow!!!  I'd love to be able to use all the stitches that come on these machines.  I'll be working on these machines in the next little while.  Michelle also gave me a motor for my Pfaff 130.  The wiring was messed up on mine, and, while messing around with it a few weeks ago, I think I blew the motor completely.  As soon as I can get the foot controller rewired and attached, I'll see if that machine stitches.  Michelle also gave me a really cute bag to carry my mid size cutting mats and square rulers in.

my new cutting mat and square ruler bag

On the drive back home, I needed to stretch my legs, so, I stopped again in Oregon, Illinois (no, not at the quilt store this time).  There was a flea market that was still open, just a block from the quilt store.  Yes, I found a few goodies to bring home with me.

some doilies and a wooden shoe pin cushion

Ball jar lamp

I plan on putting buttons in the Ball jar.  Now to find a place to put it in my sewing room.

I'd posted in the January NewFO's post, that I was in a pin cushion exchange.

This is the pin cushion I made (one was made for the hostess of the exchange, too).

pin cushions that I made

Well, yesterday my new pin cushion arrived.

pin cushion I received

This was made on a 1928 Jones Family CS machine (similar to these machines).  Thanks Betsy!  Isn't it CUTE! 

Happy Birthday to Me and Mickey Depre!

Monday was my birthday, and, also my little quilt guild's meeting.  We had a speaker at this meeting, and it was Mickey Depre!    Mickey came to this guild several years ago, and, some of the ladies wanted her to come back.  When Mickey and I started emailing back and forth, I found out that her birthday is this weekend, so, we had a 'shared' birthday at the guild with cake.  Happy Birthday Mickey!

Mickey brought her husband along this time.  Paul was great, adding lots to the presentation.  Paul even does the hand dye fabrics for Mickey.  He is an artist in his own right with woodworking and photography. 

I took pictures of lots of Mickey's quilts, and, with her permission, I'm posting them here.  I don't remember the names of each quilt, sorry. 

Mickey and Paul

Mickey used art and traditional together

This quilt was made after Paul gave Mickey a Jeep for her birthday.

Jeeping Along

great leaves

I've had this pattern since Mickey came to the guild several years ago.  I think I need to make it soon.

The Ninepatchers - A Family Reunion

same quilt, different colors

The next quilt was created when a loved tree came down in a wind storm.

look how the blocks are 'blown away' 

love this frog

the circles are snow

Fish Kebobs

The next quilt is from the book I bought for my birthday last night.

Whist Jubliance from Pieced Hexies

This quilt is from the book Mickey wrote with Bonnie Hunter, Ring Around the Hexies.

Ring Around the Hexies

This last quilt is from Mickey's latest book that just came out last month, Pieced Hexies Duex.

I didn't take pictures of the rest  of her quilts, since they have not been published yet.  They are for her next book.  You will just have to wait, but, let me tell you that they will be worth the wait.  This ladies work is amazing!

You can check out the books I listed on Mickey's site.  For my birthday, I got Pieced Hexies, the template set that goes with Pieced Hexies, and a large package of 1.5" hexie papers so I can get started.  The first hexies I'll be making is 'Spike'.  I already have a good idea of just how I'm going to be using them, too.  I've been planning a wall quilt for years, I just needed the right flower.  Now I have several to choose from. 

If your quilt guild needs a speaker, I highly recommend Mickey.  Our guild has had her twice now, and, we loved both presentations. 

I only got a picture of one of my birthday gifts, but, I thought you'd like to see it. 

my birthday quilt

A very good friend made me this lovely quilt.  This is it displayed across the top of my queen size bed (sorry for the stuff on the floor).  No one has ever made me a full size quilt before.  I feel so special!

January's NewFO's and Progress

Due to our frigidly cold and snowy conditions (33.7" of snow in January alone, and it's snowing again today, too), I had lots of time to start and even finish several projects this past month. 

I started the month by making 2 Tinkerbell paper pieced blocks.  The blocks are done, but, I didn't make any more progress on the projects these blocks are for.  The free pattern for these blocks is at Fandom In Stitches (Disney).  If you look at their block, you will then notice my mistake I made in my blocks (the eyelids).  Oh well, I'm not correcting these blocks.  I think they look like 1960's eye shadow on Tinkerbell.

2 Tinkerbell blocks

I made a set of dog booties for our older dog (who passed away a week later).   Super easy to make these on one of my treadles.

dog booties made on this treadle

Padfoot in her new booties

I made a pincushion for a friend's birthday.

Marilyn's pincushion

I followed this pincushion with three more pincushions for a pincushion exchange I'm participating in.  One pincushion for the exchange, one for the hostess, and another pincushion that will be headed to it's new home soon.

3 more pincushions

For the pincushion exchange, we had to 'label' our pincushions with our name, location, and what machine we used to make it.  Since it was a pincushion, not a block exchange, we were allowed to be creative in how we labeled the pincushions.  I chose to make some tiny quilts, and put my information on the back of the tiny quilts, and stitch the tiny quilts to the pincushions.

tiny quilts as labels (1.5" square)

labels attached to the pincushions

After I mailed these off, I discovered that I'd put the wrong year on the machine info.  It is supposed to say 1959, not 1958.  Oops!  Don't tell anyone! 

I started a 'Beginning Quilting' class at my church in January.  These are the blocks that I made as examples of what they will be making.

beginning quilting blocks

Unfortunately, due to the weather we've been having, the last 2 classes have had to be cancelled.  Hopefully we'll meet again next week.

I made 2 Quilts of Valor tops this month, too.  I sewed the 'bricks' for one top last fall, but, never got a chance to finish it, or to start on the 2nd top.  I pulled out my Singer 301, and took these to the Quilts of Valor sew-in in Yorkville this month.  I finished these tops at home a few days later.

1st Quilts of Valor top

2nd Quilts of Valor top

I'm not sure if these will get turned in next Tuesday, at the Batavia sew-in, since we are supposed to get several more inches of snow that day.  (Have I mentioned that I'm tired of winter?!?!?!)

The pipe froze at the local quilt shop that we have sew-ins at on Thursdays.  The floor is still being repaired.  Since we couldn't sew at the shop, some of us met at my house one Thursday for sewing and lunch.  I made these sewing machine blocks that day.

large & small sewing machine blocks

I have this pattern in a book I own, but, it is pieced, not paper pieced.  I drew up the pattern so that I could paper piece it, then I saw that Jennifer had the pattern in her Etsy shop for free.  I printed it out in different sizes.  Saved me a trip to the copy store.

Well, the larger blocks are now mug rugs. 

quilting on a hand crank sewing machine

I pieced and quilted these on my 1959 Singer Spartan hand crank.  I made tiny quilt labels for these, too (oops, they list the wrong year, also).

1st mug rug

2nd mug rug

I made 2 of these, one will be for ME

These are done, I just need to stitch the labels on them and get them off in the mail.  These are thank you gifts.

Way back, last February, I found some great camping fabric to make pillowcases for hubby's camp pillow.  He wanted zippers, just like the pillowcase that came with the pillow.  Since I'd never put in a zipper, and since zippers scared me, this project sat untouched.  Well, Monday, I finally got up the courage to tackle those zippers.  I made one zippered pillowcase...

zipper on pillowcase

zipper on pillowcase

finished pillowcase

zipper end of pillowcase

then, after I finished the first pillowcase, I made the 2nd pillowcase.

2nd pillowcase

zippered end of pillowcase

Hubby is using the 2nd pillowcase this weekend while he is on a skiing trip with our Venture crew up in Wisconsin.  He was very pleased with his new pillowcases, and, I learned a new trick (hope I learned it correctly).

While trying to catch up on my blog reading (I'm usually way behind), I saw a cute block over on Linda's blog.  Linda had found the Disappearing Pinwheel block on the Missouri Quilt Company's YouTube tutorials.  I grabbed some fabric, and started cutting.  I've cut out 54 blocks so far.  I'm still stitching all those blocks, but, I can show you this much. 

start of Disappearing Pinwheel block

With 54 blocks (I was just cutting until I got tired of cutting, no plan, as usual) I don't have all of these done yet, but, half of them are to this stage, so far.  Hopefully the rest get this far, and I get some completed before the weekend is over. 

As for sewing machines, I got 2 new (to me) machines in January.

Eldredge chain stitcher

1941 Singer 66 hand crank (named Betty)

While 2 treadles headed out the door to a new home.

White treadle

White treadle

I'm glad these machines all found new homes. 

I'll be linking up to Barbara, over at Cat Patches for 2014 NewFO.  I'll also be linking up with Sarah over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict for a Whoop! Whoop! and with Richard and Tayna for a Friday Finish.

Since the word I used for 2013, 'Progress' worked so well last year, I decided to use it again for this year.  I think I made lots of progress in January.  We'll see how the next 11 months go. 

Time to go shovel........