Quilt Top -- DONE -- LOVE LOVE LOVE Virginia Bound

I am so very pleased with the way this has turned out.  I wanted to have it completely done by Thanksgiving, but as always -- I need to be thankful for where it is at.  This pic is blurry, but have you any idea how hard it is to get a picture of something this large?  I am standing on top of a step stool and lifting the camera as far as my arms will go.  They are almost touching the ceiling and yes, I am a bit wobbly.  Now to get it quilted.

Working on the Treadle -- Thanks Mister

Mister is back at work on the Memphis today.  The coffin top needed a little bit of reinforcement and the pitman rod is finished and beautiful.  We are trying to keep the original finish as much as we possibly can -- just oiling and polishing.  Check out the iron below --- looking so good Mister!

Starting on the Irons for the Memphis Treadle

We have a gorgeous fall day and Mister is out in the yard starting to work on the irons for my Memphis treadle.  We thought they were okay until he got a closer look and declared that they needed some lovin'.  Let the scrubbing begin!

As he is taking them irons apart, he finds the pitman rod and as he wipes it, the date appears.  May 18, 1884.  How cool is that?  This is just a piece of wood - one that has be used a great deal, and it is still in excellent shape.

While he is out in the yard, I am snug as a bug in the studio with Annie.  We are diligently working away on my Virginia Bound quilt.  I sure love this machine -- perhaps I have said that before.  Productive day.  Yay!

Almost to Virginia -- My Quilt That Is.

I am getting there.  Borders are finished  and quarter blocks are sewn into blocks.  Now to rearrange and put it all together.  Will have to wait until I get back from Montana and my visit to my mom.

Quarter Blocks for Virginia Bound

Oh my goodness.  I finally have finished 80 quarter blocks of string piecing recycled men's shirts.  It is laid out on the living room floor waiting for Mister to fine tune the placements and then back to the studio to make 20 star blocks.  I have the borders almost finished and am hopeful that this baby will be on the machine to quilt before Thanksgiving.  Fingers crossed.

Another New Baby in our House -- A 306W

We got up this morning and headed off to a couple of final days on estate sales without anything specific in mind.  Well, I guess that's not fair.  We are ALWAYS on the lookout for sewing machines and at the very first stop, we scored.  We found a Singer 306W in almost perfect condition with all the cams, a ton of attachments, and the manual.  It was manufactured in Bridgeport, CN in either 1953 or 1954 we think.  It is an industrial strength machine and I am hoping to use it for some free motion quilting.  Let's all keep our fingers crossed.

Little bit of work needed here to clean her up, but minimal.

Organizing the Studio --- Welcome to My World

My sweet Mister put up a shelf for me today in the studio.  It also has a rod that will hold my strings for paper piecing.  Additionally, it allows me to clear off my table a bit by putting small containers up there.  Woohoo!  I love it.

Here are a few shots of the studio --- and some of the projects in process.

Marking the Hawaiian Quilt Table Runner

I caught Mister marking the sun rays on the Hawaiian table runner we have been working on.  He didn't  appreciate me taking his picture this time.  I informed him that since he did that it, there was definitely going to be a blog post of it.

Guild Night -- Feedsack Quilts

Tonight was Guild Night and our speaker was Jeananne Wright from Longmont, Colorado.  She taught on quilts through the years and shared many in her collection with us.  She also works with feed sacks a great deal and made a quilt in honor of our guild.  Here is the back and a small section in the front.