Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Betty and I are through.

It was short and intense; one of those relationships that starts with a lot of excitement and promise, but quickly fizzles.

It turns out that Betty likes to keep things simple.  She likes to sew straight, flat things.  And only on cotton.   That just didn't work out well for me, because I needed her to sew fleece, and to create beautiful quilt bindings.  It wasn't meant to be.

Betty and I did manage to complete the doll quilts today, but don't you dare look too closely at that edge binding.   Please, avert your eyes and look instead upon the details of the doll sheets, with the little row of flowers embroidered down the hem (that little bit of delight was done with the machine that's out for repair, before The Breakdown).

This is my 8-year-old daughter's project.  She choose the fabrics, designed the two quilts, and pieced the tops together.  She started quilting the first one, but then decided that quilt-making takes soooo looooonnnngggg and the project sat for a bit in the studio.  When she was ready to tackle it again, the sewing machine began The Breakdown and she couldn't finish. 

So, I finished it up for her today, but I still consider this her project because I just love how she pieced those blocks together, with their edges sorta-matchy-but-not-quite-perfect. 

Her dolls will be sleeping in blissful slumber tonight my friends, complete with fitted sheets, flat sheets (with oh-so-delightful flowery details!), cozy quilts, and matching pillowcases.  Now that's doll luxury.



Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Is it a bird?  Is it a plane?  No, it's SuperMom, striving to deliver spare sewing machines to all in need!   "da da da da ta daaaaaa........!"

That's right my friends.  Some people have skeletons in their closets.  My mother has sewing machines in hers.  Old machines seek her out like stray cats looking for kibble.  They plead to her sadly from their garage sale tables and thrift store shelves, and she lovingly lugs them home and puts them through a rehab program, where they await adoptive homes. 

Mom is here visiting for her regularly scheduled grandkid fix and trip to the annual Quilt Show.  She brought along this fabulous vintage Singer machine.  Ain't she a beaut?

Ok, so it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of my beloved machine.  I don't think bells and whistles were invented yet when this one rolled off the assembly line, but she is wonderfully solid and is helping me catch up on multiple projects while my machine is still in the fix-it shop. 

I've taken to calling her Betty.

Today Betty and I are working on a project my daughter started: doll bedding.  My daughter did all the piecing for two doll quilts weeks ago, but my machine broke before she could get far into quilting them.  Betty and I quilted them both today, made two little doll pillowcases with the scrap fabric, and started piecing the binding strips. 

There are lots of other projects in the queue for finishing, too.  We're going to have a Sewing Marathon tomorrow and try to finish as much as possible.  Stay tuned for pics!

It's not fair!

Lots of people have asked where I've been, since the blog hasn't been updated in awhile.  Sorry about that folks.  See, my sewing machine broke and has been out for repair for several weeks, and I'm having the big 'ol stomp-my-feet, carry-on and whine, mother of all tantrums here.

Projects from weeks ago are teasing me in my studio.  "Na na na...you can't finish me!!!"

I've been trying to console myself with crochet, but even that is coming along crappily (is that a real word?).  I spent days and days working on a beautiful cardigan.  The body of it is truly delightful.  But the first sleeve?  Hidious.  It's all blousy and too big at the top, which A) makes my upper arm look flabby and B) eerily resembles outfits from days of yore....

Hey lady, nice sword.

Everybody has days like these, right?

p.s. I have no idea who the people are in these images.  Type "tantrum tears" into Google Images and you'll get also sorts of delightful photos to perfectly suit your mood in times like these.  You'll also get several imges of Justin Beiber, which is just weird.