With the hubby traveling, I had plenty of time to tackle projects old and new. I set some crazy kamikaze goals for myself and off I went. In between, I demoed free motion quilting at a guild meeting (let the cat out of the bag that precise free motion is all about marking) and snuck in a Dia de Los Muertos present.
Some updates
But first the interlopers
I like to call these the kamikaze projects, those projects that just seem to materialize, have an immediate deadline, and are never as quick as you think.
Flat (Holy) Mary
Saw this fabric in the quilt store and so so so needed to think of something to make from it. I decided someone needed a Dia De Los Muertos present and that it should be a pillow because, let's face it, that's a whole lotta gaudy for a quilt. Anyway, had to buy a good chunk of fabric in order to get a whole Holy Mary for the center panel. Showed the fabric to a girlfriend who was on her way to Turkey. --hey, she said. I'm going to Mary's house. Maybe I should take her, like Flat Stanley (if you don't know who flat Stanley is, google him. I am too lazy to lookup the link and post it). So Flat (Holy) Mary was carted around Turkey and surreptitiously photographed in some fairly famous locations. My poor husband took one look at this pillow and sighed. He knows that the older I get, the more my inner Latina rises to the surface. He knows the Mexican tia aprons and chanklas can't be far behind.
Mom's Pumpkins table runner
I think I mentioned previously that my mom had come for a visit. She saw my pumpkin table runner and was puzzled as to where hers was. I took the hint and kamikazed one up for her for Thanksgiving. I started it the weekend before Thanksgiving and after several EthelandLucyinthechocolatefactory episodes with running out of fabric and thread, managed to bind it on the car ride to my mom's house for Thanksgiving weekend. Alas did not manage to get any finished pictures of it.
Clare de Lune
Since renamed Good Day Sunshine. GDS is complete and on its way to the baby that started it all (the recipient of my very first quilt). It turned out better than I could have imagined. The stencil I bought for it was a smaller scale than I wanted, but the one I bought just for fun turned out to be perfect. I ended up quilting it with pale yellow thread and was really pleased with how it turned out. It was also fun to sew a little girl quilt for a change.
Tree skirt
Almost left this one unquilted. I fought with that darned nylon thread for DAYS. Am still not totally satisfied, but since it is under the tree (I know, right?!? Actually started and finished this year! That's a new record for a Christmas project.) you can't really see it that closely, so whatever. I quilted it with a pretty poinsettia design. It was apparently designed for midget trees though as it hardly goes around half the base of our tree. But again, whatever. It's done and under there!
Previously unnamed raw edge appliqué project
Warning -- if you speak Spanish and are easily offended, close your eyes
Las Chingaderas
Loosely translated it means little f---ers. I spent hours hunched over my dressmaker cutting board, shamelessly using the preprinted grid to avoid marking my background, glueing down bits of fabric. This is only 10 rows (of 17) and it covers the top of my dining room table.
Holy moly... This thing is going to be huge. Hey wait a minute, why am I short Chingaderas? Check the recipe. It says "glue down 162 shapes". Hold up there skippy... I have 144 carefully cut and counted Chingaderas. Where in the Chingadera did 162 come from? Or where did I get 144 from? Oy. Hmmm, not good as I begged and borrowed scraps of a discontinued line in order to cut 144 of these guys out. I am up Chingadera creek without a paddle. Beg more scraps and cave and use some of the fabric line that I wasn't crazy about, but managed to eek out 18 more Chingaderas. Grudgingly glue them down. Hold up the finished quilt top and that damned Chingadera is wider than it is long. And yes. I was holding it the right way. In the mean time, I find the template I used that clearly says to cut 144 shapes. I should probably include at this point that I don't actually have all the directions. I photocopied the pattern from a magazine I bought and did a poor job of the photocopying. My potential part of this aside, I still maintain there is an issue with the pattern. Anyway, since it was all just a raw edge experiment, I am going with it. I wrestled it under the machine and got it quilted. It is on a break until after the holidays.
The last kamikaze quilt of 2012
I received a yard of Cardinals football fabric a few years ago and thought it would make a fun quilt for my oldest nephew who is a huge Cardinals fan. Then promptly forgot about it. Found it again and decided this was the year. Truth be told, it is not my best work. It was rushed, I ran out of thread and the backing was a smidge too small. But, it is a great fan tribute and I think he will love it, so there's that.
Well, that's a hell of an update. If you must know, the Mistress Janome is in the shop. The machinist called today with an update on her spa treatments. It went something like this:
Him: we'll ma'am, I can see you are getting your use out of this machine.
Me: it's a few years old.
Him: yep, you need a new bobbin case. Wore a groove in it.
Me: oh. Ok (clear on what a bobbin case it, unclear on how or where a groove may have been worn).
*we agree that it will be replaced*
Him: this much sewing, you should consider bringing it it more often than every two years.
Me: hmm, well yes. I consider it often. It's the follow through I have problems with.
Him: I think it's the road to heaven or is it hell that is paved with good intentions. Anyway, it's spread all over my work bench right now, but you probably got things to work on so I'll have it ready by tonight.
Me: oh no rush on my end. I am on break until January.
Him: oh good. I'll see you Wednesday then.
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