Working on Ashley's Quilt

Another one of our nieces will be graduating this Spring.  I've been working on her quilt.  When I last posted about it, I guess I didn't make myself clear, and some people thought that I drew up this pattern.  Nope, I purchased a pattern, then re-drew it to fit my needs, as I frequently do.

This is the pattern I chose to make the quilt with.  I saw a sample at a local quilt shop back in early November.   I loved the sample, and figured that I could use the pattern.

Cosmic Jewels Revisited pattern

This pattern tells you how to make 4 different size quilts (wall, lap, queen, king), but, none of the sizes are what I need, since I need a twin size quilt, for a dorm bed.  I figured if I made the wall size and made it twice, I could turn it into a twin size quilt.  I re-drafted it (making the blocks slightly larger than the wall size blocks in the pattern).  Since it takes 8 different colors, besides the background, I needed to see what colors would look nice next to each other.  This is what I came up with.

my re-drafted version of the pattern

There is a great guide in the pattern, to help with the placement of each color.  They give you a grey guide, with numbers for the colors (1 thru 8).

great placement guide

I made a photocopy of this page, and used markers, so that I could put my colors in the correct places.

colored in placement guide

I finished the center of this quilt last night.

center of the twin size quilt top

When I purchased the pattern, I found a great border fabric.  I purchased the border fabric, then found the solids for the center of the quilt. 

I need to figure out which way I want to turn the border fabric now, so that I can add the borders.

top to bottom

side to side

Isn't that a great border fabric?  My sister-in-law told me bold and bright.  This is surely bold and bright! 

I've already made 2 pillowcases to go with this quilt.  My niece got one pillowcase for Christmas (not knowing anything about the quilt), and will get the other pillowcase when she gets the quilt.

can you guess which pillowcases go with this quilt?

I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to get this one quilted, or, if I'm going to quilt it myself, with straight lines. 

Check back with me on Tuesday for a 'Celebrate International Craft Month' blog hop, hosted by Darlene at Quilt Shop Gal.

Meet my oldest and newest machine

The title makes you think that you'll be meeting 2 different machines, but, you'll only be introduced to one machine.  My 1880 Willcox & Gibbs chain stitch hand crank.

1880 Willcox & Gibbs chain stitch #A333474

before cleaning

W&G badge on back of machine

This is the oldest machine in my 'herd' of machines.  It is also my newest acquisition, since I purchased this machine in January (after the purple Featherweight). 

I've been getting some screws un-stuck on this machine, and, also cleaning up the wooden base.  Yesterday, I started cleaning this machine in earnest.   This machine came with some 'extra's.

attachments, needles, broken hand crank, etc.

original (and fragile) manual

oil can

I knew when I bought this machine that it was missing the spool pin, and that the hand crank was broken off.  I'll be meeting up with a lady who may have an extra spool pin in April.  She also knows how to repair the broken hand crank.  It's the same lady who found this machine for me (thanks Lisa)!

broken hand crank

where broken hand crank attaches

This machine is only missing small amounts of paint, despite it's age.  It has some paint missing on the hand wheel, and, where people grab it to pick it up.  It even has lots of its decals left.

Here is the Willcox & Gibbs, cleaned up.

front, cleaned up

back, where most of the decals are still intact

view of the hand crank attachment

Back in March 2010, my sons and I attended part of a Civil War re-enactment in Beggs, Oklahoma.  When we visited the encampment, I saw a lady sewing with a most unusual hand crank. I asked her about it, and, it was a Willcox & Gibbs chain stitch hand crank.  Her's was much older than mine is (I believe it was 1860's).  I fell in love with these machines then, but, it's taken me years to find one. 

A Few Things

My Birthday was last week, so, I've gotten a few fun things.

I have a Secret Sister at church.  I think she knows me well, can you tell?

sewing themed candle base (battery operated candle)

not only does it have 'sewing' items, but, it even has a boot, since I'm a born & bred Texan

this was the sticker on the card

Another friend also gave me some cool stuff.

coloring book and colored pencils

this card reminds me of my sewing room

She also gave me a cool, zipper bag, that is in the picture with the jelly roll strips that I won at Inchworm Fabrics.  Thanks Jeanette!

zipper bag (gift), and jelly rolls I won

Back in September, I found a sewing machine table.  At the time, I wasn't sure what machine it would fit.  I've since found out that it is a Singer 401 table, but, it will fit a Singer 301 short bed machine.  Both my Singer 301's are long bed machines (I do have a Singer 401, but, I haven't stitched much on it).  Well, a lady with a Singer 301 short bed machine traded beds with me (they just screw on and off).  She has the table for the Singer 301 long bed, and there was a gap, since her short bed didn't quite fit.  Well, now we are both happy.

Singer 301 with it's new short bed

We knew that the colors would probably be a bit 'off' but, that doesn't bother either of us.  Now I can use my table!  I was hoping that my new Featherweight would also fit in this table, but, I found out that the Featherweight is slightly wider than a Singer 301 or 401, so, it doesn't fit :(

Featherweight sits 'on' the table, not 'in' the table, oh well

I guess I'll just have to keep looking for a Featherweight table:)  I did get myself something for the Featherweight.  I've burned my hand 5 times now, on the light on the Featherweight.  I'm not used to machines with lights, and, this machine is shorter than my other machines, so, I keep hitting the light (Ouch)!  I found a LED bulb for Featherweights at Nova's Featherweights.  It shipped quickly.  Sorry that the picture is blurry.

new LED bulb

This bulb gets warm, but not HOT.  MUCH better!

I have been doing some stitching.  I've made lots and lots of half square triangles.

HST's

I'm making this pattern. 

top half of twin sized quilt (bottom will be the same as the top)

This is how far I've gotten so far today.

top corner(s) of pattern

I still have lots of stitching to go on this one.  It's for my nieces graduation, in the spring.

Red, White & True quilts

I finally finished all three of my Red, White & True quilts, from the quilt along.  This started back in July, but, I got busy this fall, and didn't finish mine.  The centers have been finished, I just needed to put both borders on each top.

I did have to re-draft the pattern, just a bit, so that they would all fit the size requirements for Quilts of Valor.

re-drafted pattern

All I did was take the middle row out, and use the 'parts' from it to make the borders.  Now all the quilts measure 60"x70".

I finished this one at the Quilts of Valor sew-in on Tuesday.

Red, White & True #1

Today, my large quilt guild had a sew-in, and I finished the other 2 quilt tops.  It was windy outside, so, sorry for the pictures.

Red, White & True #2

Red, White & True #3

This was a fun and simple pattern.  I'll probably make this again.

I have the bindings made, and I just have to piece the backings. 

Thanks for the quilt along, Jean!