Fruit on the table

Last week's table runner from a border fabric was so much fun that I did another one!

There was one more piece of border fabric in my stash - fruit this time.

 It cut into five identical blocks, and here's how they ended up.

There's not quite enough for the backing, so some creative piecing happened.  Just have the quilting left to do!

From border to table runner

leftovers

While attempting to clean off my desk this week I came across a new-to-me quilting book:  'Wonderful 1 Fabric Quilts" by Kay Nickols, 2007 AQS.

I had picked it up this summer at a book sale that benefits our police department outreach program.  Usually the kaleidoscope-type patterns need 6 or 8 identical pattern repetitions to work.  But, in the back of this book is a table runner and it can work with as few as 4 repeats.

Coincidentally, a while later I was going through a bin of fabric in my laundry room.  Out popped an 18x64-inch piece of border fabric left over from a skirt I made, oh, maybe 30 years ago.  The repeat was 15 inches, and I could get exactly 4 identical blocks out of it.  Score!  I was off and cutting.

It was only after I had stitched together the pieces that I realized I forgot to take a 'before' photo of the border fabric.  Pooh!  There wasn't much leftover, but this might give you an idea.  There was a thin sliver left.

The four identical 15-inch squares were cut diagonally in an X.  Then, by arranging the resulting triangles in mirror image patterns I came up with a pretty good plan.  Had to be careful because all the edges are on the bias.  A little spray starch helped a lot!

It quilted up quickly last night, and I hand stitched binding while in the waiting room during my FIL's eye doctor appointment today.  All done, and at home on the cedar chest in the living room!

20 x 50 One fabric table runner. Super easy!

Stitching along...

painting aprons

This week the sewing room was busy - a retreat from dealing with the impending sale of our childhood home.  I've machine embroidered 8 aprons for a family Women's Retreat day this Saturday.  The pattern was free from Urban Threads a few months ago.  The "sisters"and their "daughters" (by birth or marriage) are going to get together for some family time, games, a painting lesson and lunch.  Should be fun!

The other thing I've been up to is playing  with log cabin blocks for my Basket Medallion quilt.

The first round in this sew-along was "a basket", and I used an orphan block.  Second round was "childhood" and I made Sister's Choice blocks because my childhood memories always include my sister. Third round is "log cabins", and my Circa 2016 got me started on these tiny ones using 1-inch strips.  I had to press and re-square each round, but they turned out pretty well.  Here's an update on how it looks so far....

Basket Medallion rows 1, 2 and 3

The next round will need to have a dark background, don't you think?  We'll see what happens when the next theme is revealed in August.  This has been such fun, because the parameters are so open that every sew-along quilt will be totally different, yet we're all working together.  

On another note, it's been odd to see my page view statistics lately.  Over 200 views from Russia in the last week. What's that all about????

A new home for Peggy

For several years I have had a quilt demonstration booth at our local Heritage Day festival.  I've always thought it would be great to have a treadle sewing machine that could be a hands-on part of the display. (Maybe feet-on is more accurate.)

The Museum has several machines, but the only one that appears to be in working order is an 1870's Wheeler & Wilson.   I don't want to risk moving it around and using it outdoors at a community festival.  Way too much risk of damage!

So, on a whim I checked out Craig's List for a treadle machine this past week.  And I found "Peggy."  She runs like a charm, and as soon as I can get some practice in I think we'll make a great demonstration team.

Introducing.... Peggy!

Her Damascus badge and decals are very worn,
but she runs smoothly and sews a nice seam.

She's a Damascus Vibrating Shuttle Treadle sewing machine sold by Montgomery Ward.  I've been trying to find out more about the machine, but very little is available.  It seems that "Damascus" was a badge name put on a National Sewing Machine 'Eldredge' model made specifically to be sold by Montgomery Ward.

Her serial number under the bobbin cover is 2901079 with the letter Z stamped above the serial number.  Unfortunately, it looks like nobody kept a listing of serial numbers and dates for the National Sewing Machines.  The machine belonged to the seller's grandmother, Peggy, and they thought it was made around 1902.  Without a doubt I had to name her after Peggy, don't you think?

There might be some clues in the manual that came with her.  First, there is no copyright date.  This might indicate that it was made before copyright dates were printed on the manuals.  I found a manual on line with a copyright date of 1925.  From the photos in that manual, I can see it is clearly a newer model machine version than mine, so I will conclude for now that "Peggy" was made before that year.  Montgomery Ward was an Eldredge customer as early as 1889 for badged machines.  The chain lift technology for the cabinet was patented in 1902-1909, so that gives me an earliest possible date.

Original manual!

A second clue is a number in the top left corner of the manual cover. 10M-2-23-Irwin   So, maybe it was made as recently as 1923.  So, for now I have about a 20 year age range: 1902 - 1923.

 There are a few people who have on line conversation threads about Damascus machines, but the conversations I have found are three to ten years old.  In fact, some of the sites haven't been updated or posted in years and many of the links don't work.  I doubt they are still checking or involved in those web sites after all this time. (Maybe there is hope that what we put on the internet won't last forever after all!)

Piecing away in the rain

It's been a wet and stormy couple of days here.  Lovely weather for time at the sewing machine!

First off, I completed a UFO row from a row-by-row that I started a couple of years ago.  Each month has a row.  Whoo Hoo!  August is finished!  (I have now also discovered that long skinny rows are super hard to photograph. But here it is lined up on the patio steps.)

 







And, I've been keeping up with Circa 2016 blocks. The little Shoo-Fly blocks from last week are adorable!  I had such fun making a whole bunch.  Yes, I know I only need two.

Shoo Fly blocks

This weeks' blocks were Friendship Star.  The little gray and red one that didn't want to lie flat for photos is so sweet, but it won't make it into Circa 2016.  My background fabric is also gray, so it won't show up well.  Not to worry, I'll find another use for that little cutie.

Friendship Star blocks

As for the rain... There was a thunderstorm late Saturday night that gave us 3.1 inches in the rain gauge.  Then another storm swept through Sunday night, and Monday it continued to rain.  We dumped another 3 inches out of the rain gauge after lunch.  By dinner time an additional 3.5 inches had fallen.  My sister stayed up for the week, and we'll get a final total tomorrow, but that's already 9.6 inches of rain in less than 32 hours!  

And at home a mere 2 hours drive south... not a drop.  The storms are tracking north.  But, the evening meeting I came home for was cancelled. Yippee!  Time to do a little more piecing.  Log cabins are on the agenda.

Keeping up with the Quilters

A busy summer here, how about you?  But I'm keeping up with a couple of sew-alongs.

Temecula Quilt Company's "Circa 2016" has us make two blocks each Friday.  Haven't made this week's blocks yet.  They've given me pause.  The pieces are awfully tiny and my machine doesn't like pieces that small.  Chews them right up because of the wide feed-dogs.  (sigh)  But here's the last few weeks blocks...

And there's a Basket Medallion sew-along going on too.  Lots of freedom with this one. They give you a theme and you just run with it in whatever direction your heart desires.

I had one orphan basket block, so thought I'd use that for the center theme which was selected in May.  The June theme for the next row was 'childhood.'  My childhood days were spent playing with my sister, so I chose to make Sister's Choice blocks.  They ended up an odd size because I used bonus HST's that were 1-3/4 inches square.  So, I added a narrow tan border to make things match up.

Here's what it looks like so far, and I'm lovin' it!

(The little basket in the corner was another option, just in case the on-point plan didn't work out.)

Have a great weekend!

The rescued quilt top

Just checking in from tropical Minnesota.  Whew!  Summer is officially here!

This week there's a new addition to the WIP pile.  While taking a quick look through the fabric at our local thrift store I was amazed to find this beautifully made quilt top just waiting for a new home.  (As if I don't have enough tops that I've made in the pile ready to be quilted!)   How could anyone let it sit forlornly at the store, unwanted and unloved?   It took about a minute to decide it needed to come home with me.

Does anyone recognize the pattern or designer?  I wonder if it is from a class, or block of the month.  I couldn't come close to buying that amount of fabric for what the price was. And it was 25% off because it was Thursday.  OK with me!

I doubt I'll ever know who pieced this, but I hope I can finish it for her, and perhaps then donate it to someone else who will enjoy it.