Two weeks off - OVER. New leaf turned.

I recently took some time off from sewing and blogging. I just needed to clear my head (I think I actually came up with more things to do) and get away from things for a little while.

Today, I come to sewing with a new attitude and a new quilt.
My new attitude is: I need to sew/knit/stitch/create something everyday. If something is bogging me down that I don't want to work on - work on something else. The worst thing that can happen is that I make more quilts. I'm also trying to come up with ways to have my daughter help me. She is at an age now where she wants to help with everything and I get so down on myself when I just want to do my work (laundry, dishes, sewing, cooking) alone. I want her to do all of these things later on, so I need to encourage her eagerness to help and learn - it's just hard, sometimes.

Today I worked on two projects that my daughter helped me with. We are making a Single Girl quilt using our own template. I'm calling it our Frugal Girl quilt. It's made with scraps from all the other quilts that I've made and a few bits from bees and stuff along with a few charms that I've been hoarding. Penelope helps me by choosing the order of the scraps for the rings. It's looking pretty good, so far. I'm not usually a fan of scrap quilts, but I like seeing all of the small pieces of other quilts that I've made and remembering those quilts, etc... It's really like a scrapbook for me.

scraps in a heap

two quarter rings.

four quarter rings stacked and the rest of the scrap heap

We have had so much fun making this today. Just 12 more quarter rings to go and I'll have an 48-ish" x 48-ish" quilt. I'm hoping to have this one finished next week. We will probably start another top before this one is done. I'm planning a girl baby quilt for a friend of mine. I think I know what I want to make, but I'm not sure - I've been pinning like crazy the last few weeks.

Oh, I've also been using my new Brother machine and it is a dream. It basically sews by itself. I just have to line up the fabric. I'm so not used to this. Penelope likes to push the button to make it sew and she likes to cut the thread.

Another project that we finished is a blanket for Camp Snowball/Project Linus. Since I learned to knit 12 years ago, I've wanted to make blankets for Project Linus. It just takes me a while to knit a  blanket, but sewing a fleece blanket takes no time at all. I made my blanket in about an hour and I will drop it in the mail tomorrow. I sure hope a kid gets it and likes it. I'll have photos tomorrow (it's in the dryer right now).

Linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation (Hi, Kelly!)

Make some stuff with a good attitude.

Finish Friday - I Fixed My Sewing Machine

I wanted to post about fixing my sewing machine. It was a labor of love that I did out of frugality. I have never been afraid of looking inside of machines and figuring out how they work - I'm a bit of a grokker. I like to understand the "why" and the "how" of things. Once I opened up the sewing machine I was a little surprised - it is such a simple machine.

I thought I needed to open the whole case, but I just needed to open the bottom.

This was such a learning experience for me - and I forgot how accomplished I feel when I can understand something that many others do not.

I learned that when you think your machine is broken, it probably just needs cleaning and oiling. It is unlikely that a part is broken, but it can happen. The part that would break most often is the belt, or a plastic gear.
I learned about the timing of the machine and that is a simple adjustment of a screw lining up the needle and the hook, so that the hook is grabbing the thread after the needle is leaving the race. In fact, most new machines have a timing notch or lines marking the timing on the needle bar so that you can see the position the needle should be in as it's leaving the race.

My problem wasn't the timing, but I had a gear that needed cleaning near the race - there was a lot of cotton fluff that I blew out with a can of air. Then I removed the old grease with WD-40 and cleaned the gear really well and then I reoiled the gears and the race and it's working great, now.

If you ever need help with your machine, just let me know, I may be able to troubleshoot with you. Linking up with crazy mom quilts.

Now, make something - but clean your machine first!

My hat

So... I fixed my sewing machine!!!!! But that is not the point of this post - that will be the point of my next post, but right now, I want to enter my "Everyday Dishes" quilt in the Blogger's Quilt Festival.

Everyday Dishes

Nice collage

Back detail

I made this quilt for my three-year-old daughter. I have only made five quilts - this is the fifth. Everytime I was working on a quilt, Penelope would ask if it was for her. I finally started working on this quilt in October 2012. It didn't take very long to make the blocks and piece the top, but it seemed to take forever to finish a complete quilt. After making three more tops in the time that it took to baste, quilt and bind Penn's quilt, she stated thinking that I had forgotten to make her quilt. I finally finished it over the summer and she loves, loves, loves it. It is also nice to get to have a quilt in the house that I made.

I'm entering this quilt in the Throw category and I'm curled up under it as I type this post. Be sure to visit all the other lovely quilts in the festival. You'll be super inspired to create something for the next festival or finish up and enter in this one.

Keep on making stuff!!!

New sewing machine and Rainbow Sprinkle Cookies!

I'm dying to work on a sewing project and my machine is still broken. I did order my new machine and it should arrive in a few days - I'm very excited.

This will look lovely on my workspace.

I'm thinking about taking a class on sewing machine repair so that this will never happen to me again. It may also be a way for me to fix other machines and get some income going that way, too.

Last night, my husband and I went to see They Might Be Giants. I loved it. I have loved that band since I was about 10 years old. Very cool experience. We got right up to the front of the stage and I sang right along with the Johns. So awesome.

It's a cold, rainy day. We hardly ever get these in the desert. I think we will make some rainbow sprinkle cookies and spend the day in our pajamas. I just need to make a quick trip to Wal-Mart to pay for my sewing machine. YIPPEEE!

Once I figure out how to make these gluten free, we are having them.

Make something - if you can.

Green

RIP

My lovely sewing machine that I do all of my projects on has died. I have been trying to resuscitate her for the last week to no avail. My biggest problem is that I am cheap frugal cheap and I only paid $80 for the machine. If I take it into the shop, they will probably charge me that just to open the case.

I'm pretty handy and I've taken most of the machine apart several times, but I can't see any problems, there isn't any thread stuck anywhere that I can see and the timing doesn't seem to be off. I can't turn the hand wheel without using an incredible amount of force. The motor is working, but the machine is just stuck somewhere. I will continue to look for the problem, and I'm also ordering a new machine. That new Brother machine won't be here for about five days.

UGH! I have so many things I need to work on and want to work on. I guess I'm just on hold until I fix my Singer or get my new Brother machine.

If anyone has any ideas on how to fix my current machine, I would greatly appreciate any tips.

Thanks!
Green

Wednesday stuff

Hola! I have been trying to get to the sewing machine all day to no avail. I cut some strips last night:

because I wanted to make this, or something like it.

But I just can't get to the machine.

The quilting on my butterfly garden quilt is stalled. I did four blocks and couldn't do anymore.

I helped a friend make her Halloween costume over the weekend. I sewed up a hood thing for her Ezio Auditore costume. When I get photos of her in it, I will post.

I've got a bag of tulle and satiney material for a fairy princess costume to be worked on as well. When am I going to do any of this? Tonight. I promise. Tonight I will work on... something.

I saw this cool black widow spider yesterday. It caught a grasshopper. It's not there today, I don't know if my husband killed it or not. But it was quite Halloweeny

a good shot of the red on it's belly

she kept lifting the grasshopper up - amazingly strong creature

scary spider, beautiful, but scary

Linking up with Lee@Freshly Pieced.

Green

WIP Wednesday 10/2/13

I've got lots of projects in the works:

I pin basted this bad boy on Sunday and I'm ready to start quilting.

I found the inspiration for my next quilt start - gonna work on this today - very excited.

I've got four of these tablet covers ready to be put together so that I have some to put on my etsy site. I will have these finished by Friday.

So, I've got lots to do - lots to start and finish. So excited. I feel like I'm finally out of my funk. Gonna go and paint with my girl before I get started on the machine. linking up with Freshly Pieced.

Make something!