And Once Again...

 I cut out my nine patch pieces. I'm not happy with sewing nine patch like this. I prefer the strip method by far to piecing them individually but this is the way the kit came. The fabric for the patches were all cut in large squares rather than strips so I had no choice. It's very tedious though and time consuming and makes it harder to match up and consequently square up the blocks, but I digress. I managed to get through eight of the nine blocks and once again, my Singer machine broke. 

This is my third Singer. I will never buy another. They all, at least for me, have the same inherent problem. The bobbin jams. Badly. And usually when I'm either at the end of what I'm sewing or when I'm in the middle of something delicate. I'd had the machine repaired and cleaned just prior to the pandemic and then had done several small hand pieces so hadn't used it. This is the first time I pulled it out since having it serviced. This time, it lasted about two hours. I have one block left.

The only Singer I have ever had that worked flawlessly is the treadle machine I learned to sew on that was my mother's machine. All it did was sew. I did one thing. It sewed in a straight line. It didn't go backward, didn't do buttons, it sewed only as fast as I worked the treadle. It was the very best machine I've ever used. I still have it. I'm half tempted to get it cleaned and gone through. Maybe I'd have better luck with it. In the meantime, I'm off to borrow my daughter's Brother. Maybe I can get the top pieced and ready before I run out of time.

It's Been Awhile...

 It's been a long while really, since I've had much impetus to blog at all. It's been a long while that I've had much ambition for anything. My depressive side has won out a lot this past year or two and I'm tired of letting it control me, so I'm going to make an effort to stifle that and move along.

Thing 2 is expecting in July and I have had a somewhat contentious relationship with her since her teen years, but she's my daughter and I love her and I want to do something nice for her and the new baby, so I'm doing something new for me. I usually do patchwork quilting or crazy quilts but this is for a baby and has to be something that can go in the mouth, so I decided to try a kit for a change. Since giraffe are my daughter's 'spirit animal', I thought I'd make a quilt that has something giraffe and was fortunate enough to find one from Colorado Creations Quilting. 

Today I got everything opened and sorted. The picture shows the pieces laid out and some of the other flotsam. Tomorrow morning, I'll press everything and start cutting. By the weekend, I should be ready to start my quilting though I'll have to get my batting. I'm fortunate to have a few family owned quilt stores near me so finding a cotton batting should be no problem.

This is going to be my catch-all blog so for now, I'll post updates on the quilt. As time goes on, you'll see pictures of my flowerbeds and my canning and maybe what I make for dinner or what I'm reading or even my pets. You might even get the occasional earful since my husband is getting a new knee in a few weeks and this ought to be interesting! Who knows. I just know I need to do something to get out of my funk and start living again.

So here we go, my first project. I have until sometime in June when the shower is. I hope I get it finished by then and if not, she'll get it at the shower, but I'll take it back to finish it up.