SFO Terminal 3

Imagine my delight to find an exhibit in the terminal called "Threading the Needle: Sewing in the Machine Age," when I arrived in San Francisco on Thursday evening!   But it was getting dark and I had to get my rental car and drive an hour to a place I had never been, so I didn't dawdle.  Instead, I vowed to get back to the airport early on Saturday so I'd have time to check it out.

Fast forward past a wonderful visit with my college roommate and her family, followed by an exhausting yet exhilariting conference, and I was back in the airport on Saturday evening with hours to spare before my redeye flight back home.  I didn't photograph everything - there was simply too much - but I did pick a couple of things to share with you.  First of all, the quilt blocks:

I'm going to make a butterfly block like that some day!

The toy machines:

I'd love to get my hands on a toy machine!

The clever thread/scissor/pin holders - I love these birds!

I wonder if I can get someone with a table saw to cut some birds out for me...

The chatelaine's (I just read a book where part of a chatelaine was uncovered at an historical archeological site, and I wasn't quite sure what it was - now I know!)

If you fly through SFO anytime soon, I encourage you to mosey on down to Terminal 3 to see this for yourself.  And to think, there were people who hopped on the moving sidewalks to bypass this treasure trove!  I overheard one woman say with a sniff, "I don't think many people have time to still sew."  If only she knew!  I was so hoping that she'd be the one seated next to me while I worked on quilting my Good Fortune Lil Twister quilt on the plane ride west.

The front

The back

When I got home, the kids and hubby had cleaned the house and there were hugs, kisses and presents waiting for me.  I spent the afternoon helping Jason make his own travel pillow for our road and plane trips later this summer.  I'm sure Donald will want one at some point, too.  Jason's is flannel, for extra soft snuggliness.  I thought he'd want it to travel, but he's been wearing it around the house...

We made his a little bit smaller than mine, flannel, with a black back.

He has been wearing it ever since he finished it!

He says it is so comfortable he could sleep standing up.  Clown!

Someone asked if I had a pattern, and I don't.  I looked for one online, and there are several, but I just drew my own.

Introducing my Brother

Apparently, when you buy a new sewing machine, even if it is off the shelf at Wal-Mart, you are supposed to take pictures, give it a name and share. OK, I can do that.

Blogland, meet my new Brother, Curt.

Curt is named after my old (younger) brother, Curtis.

(this photo was taken at Xmas 2009 - he doesn't always wear a Philadelphia Eagles Santa hat)

Why would I name my sewing machine after my brother, you ask? Well, first of all, Curtis, my flesh-and-blood brother, is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. He is loyal, hard-working, no-frills, efficient, steady, and creative. He can always be counted on to do what is asked of him. It takes quite a bit of effort to fluster him. In short, he is awesome.

In naming my machine after my brother, I am hoping to imbue many of those same qualities into my sewing partner. Let's hope it works.

Last night, I took Curt for a test drive. First, we sewed the binding onto my Bright Futures quilt, which I finished hand quilting over the weekend. I'll post pics once I finish sewing the binding down by hand. Then, we played with some of the available stitches. All I'm used to having is a straight stitch, so this was fun! I picked five stitches to highlight, and used them to quilt up this cozy for a plastic takeout container (I think it once held Green Chicken Curry - YUM!) to hold my sharp things in.

Here's hoping that Curt and I have a long, fruitful, creative, no-hassle future together!

Frugal, not cheap

I'm trying to train myself to think of myself as "frugal" not "cheap." Somehow, "cheap" carries more negative connotations, and "frugal" indicates a certain level of intelligence that accompanies my thrifty ways. Do you agree, or am I splitting hairs? To-may-to, to-mah-to.


Anyway, do you remember when my sewing machine broke down back in April? And how I've been borrowing machines ever since because I don't think I have enough money to afford a new one? I've decided, sewing is an important enough part of my life that I should go ahead and invest. Of course, I still couldn't find it in myself to invest in something EXPENSIVE, but I did impress myself by not pulling the absolute cheapest machine off the shelf - I actually picked one with feed-dogs that can drop - maybe I can try some machine quilting!


I brought it home last night, and haven't had much time to play with it yet, but I am already tickled beyond belief. Guess what? It doesn't thump and nearly shimmy itself off the table when you are winding the bobbin! It just makes a lovely purring sound, music to my ears after all the clunking and growling and whining my old machine did. And the stitches are so even and lovely! And it does more than just sew a straight stitch! I've been denying myself for way too long!


But, in order to justify the expense, you know I'll be denying myself in other ways. For example, I love sending cards to people, good old-fashioned postal carrier delivered mail. But, gosh, aren't greeting cards expensive! So I've been buying my cards at the thrift store; the selection isn't that great, but the price can't be beat. Or so I thought. My latest epiphany is that I receive LOTS of cards at work from prospective students that I have interviewed. Many of them are absolutely gorgeous! It turns out, most folks just write on one flap on the inside of a card, the flap that doesn't have the beautiful photo or design on the front. So last week, I started cutting the cards apart, saving the front and its pristine backside, and throwing away (well, recycling) the part that has been written on (after I've acknowleged its receipt, of course). Then, I can send the beautiful card front, and write on the back. I tried this for the first time yesterday when I mailed an orphan block to V at BumbleBeans. Tell me V, is it tacky, or am I onto something to satisfy my frugal soul?

And remember when I painted my bathroom with that mis-tinted blue that Lowe's was selling for $5.00? I submitted my receipt for the $5 rebate, and lo and behold, it was honored! The check arrived this weekend, so the paint was actually free! Yay, me!

I have no right to despair

There was a package waiting when I arrived home yesterday. I knew what it was, but I put off opening it, savoring the anticipation as I preparing dinner for my family, ate, cleaned the kitchen, swept all the floors (my dog is shedding so badly right now, I could fashion a new puppy daily from the hair he leaves behind), and got the kids ready for bed before sending them downstairs to watch their latest Netflix request: WALL-E.

At last, I was ready. Armed with scissors, I carefully cut open the box sent from my friend down in Atlanta. Upon hearing of my sewing machine woes, she volunteered to send me hers. I had no idea what kind it was, I was just thrilled to be able to piece again!

(Now, C, if you are reading this - thank you, you are a gem. Please do not think that I am ungrateful.)

Here's what was in the box.

A Singer Tiny Tailor. If any of you are familiar with this machine, it is a mending machine, not a sewing machine. Okaaaay, I thought, I can make this work until I can get something else. But no, I can't. There was no power cord in the box.

My high spirits plummetted. I despaired of ever piecing again! (It smacks of histrionics, I know, but I've been having a crappy week, and this latest setback was sending me over the brink.) So, here I am, the kids ensconced in front of a 90 minute video, the house as clean as I'm going to try to get it on a Wednesday evening after a long day of work, and me, slouched on the couch feeling sorry for myself.

Well, time to get my therapy another way - I pulled out my Bright Future quilt and started hand quilting. Then I remembered another special delivery I had received - a recording of an Alabama PBS special, "The Quiltmakers of Gee's Bend", has been making the rounds in my quilt guild, and someone had dropped it off to me on Tuesday. So, I popped it in and watched a video of my own while I sewed.

I already knew about their quilts. I've seen the books, I bought and used the stamps. But I didn't know the story. Oh, my goodness! Here I was despairing over not having a sewing machine for a few weeks, and these quilters had lived with as close to nothing as is possible for years! I was inspired, and I was ashamed. I have no right to despair. The truth is, I have so many quilt tops to quilt or tie, it is actually a blessing for me to not have access to a machine so I can focus on what needs doing rather than getting distracted by piecing another idea in my head.

One attitude adjustment, coming right up!

Thwarted!

I've been in need of some sewing therapy. Work has been over-the-top stressful, and you already know that my family life goes 300 miles per hour, so I was thrilled when I finally carved some time out for myself to sew on Thursday evening after the kids went to bed. I starting making these two little blocks, trying to use up the scraps I had of this cute dog fabric, planning to make some journal covers.

In between sewing those pieces together, I put a couple more of these snowball blocks together (I see a juvenile I spy type quilt forming),

and sewed some more of my ribbon quilt together.

Everything was going fine...until it wasn't. My machine froze up on me. I couldn't turn the handwheel, the presser foot just made the machine give a mechanical groan, nothing. So I took it apart, cleaned and oiled every moving piece I could find, rethreaded it, and still nothing. I wanted to cry! Not only did that stop my sewing for the evening, but my guild's quilt retreat is next weekend, and I will need a machine! Any ideas? It is just a $99 Singer from WalMart, so taking it to someone to fix would probably cost more than getting a new machine, but I can't really afford to get a new machine right now, either. Aaarrggghhh!

Let's look on the bright side...

1) I received these plaid flannels from Angela at Country Scrap Quilts in the mail - thanks Angela! I will put them to good use. I need to revisit my Flannel Buzzsaw quilt sometime soon.

2) I checked The Aloha Quilt byJennifer Chiaverini out of the library. All they had was a sound recording, but since it looks like I'll be doing some hand quilting until I figure out my machine woes, I have the perfect story to listen to while I quilt.

3) I have to go to work this morning, then rush to the airport to hop a plane to go to Atlanta to work for the rest of the weekend (no, that's NOT the bright side). However, I bought Arlene Sachitano's new book, Quilt As You Go over a month ago and haven't had a chance to read it yet. I'm thinking that this weekend's travel will provide the perfect opportunity to curl up with that book (actually, not even I am small enough to curl up in those miserable airplane seats, but I'll be curling up in my mind).

For everyone who has a quiet, relaxing weekend planned, please relax a few extra moments in my honor because I don't see any rest in my future until May 1.

(sigh) Calgon, take me away...