A post! Woohoo!

This is a conglomeration of pics and thoughts and happenings.  First:

My lovely assistant 'working' on the laptop.  She's so efficient!

The fan quilt is done!  Well, it's quilted anyway.  Have to do the binding.  Can't decide what to do.  I don't think there's any way I can match the pink or the green, might try to get close to some of those fabs in the fans?  There's a black check in there, that might be the easiest thing to find.

And here is The Machine with a brand new tension assembly!  The little screw that holds it all together was broken.  Got it put in, haven't had time to quilt with it yet.  

And see what my bad, bad kitty did?  She's actually a very good kitty and she was only doing what kitties do.  This project is loaded up in the frame and is being worked on.  I broke a needle while testing the tension which threw the timing off, sooooooo - I retimed the needle, retimed the hook, retimed the needle again, and again, and again, and again.... finally got it right!!!!  Then the tension assembly fell out.  Again.  That's when I quit and went to the parts place and got a new one pictured above.  Since then, this has just been sitting and waiting for me.  You know how kitties are - they have to sit on everything to see if it makes a good lounging spot.  Well, she discovered that this did 'not' make a good lounging spot!  I heard this ripping sound and looked up to see a very surprised kitty sinking into the frame!  She jumped down quick, but not before half the quilt ripped off the leader.  The backing is pretty thin.  Fortunately, I have made one pass across the quilt, so I can repin it through all layers and continue on.  No real damage!

And one more picture of my lovely assistant.  She wears gloves like socks and wears them around the house.  How fun is that?  And I know you're thinking, "Does that baby always run around in just a diaper?" And the answer is, yes!  Unless we have to go someplace or it's really cold.  Don't ask what I run around in unless it's really cold or we have to go someplace.

The saga continues....

So I'm quilting along, having a great time, really wanting to 'finally' finish this quilt and this happens:


The tension assembly just plain falls out. Fell right out! Sheesh! No wonder I can't get the tension right! Took it and the screw that I thought was holding it in to the OSMPG (that's Old Sewing Machine Parts Guy, meaning he has parts for old sewing machines, not necessarily that he's an old guy, although this particular guy is no spring chicken, but I digress....), and he said my problem was with another part. See the roundy thing where the tension came off? That's the bad part. That part comes out of the machine and has a screw in it that holds the tension assembly together and then all of it goes back into the machine. So I trotted back home, took out that part, put the whole thing together, tightened the tiny screw, put it back in the machine, reset the spring 'again', tightened the bigger screw - and now we'll see what happens. Tomorrow. I'm done sewin' today.

And just for fun, we watched Better Off Dead tonight. Remember that movie? John Cusack is in it back when he was much younger. It's a classic 80's teenager comedy. Love it!!! "Go that way really fast and if something gets in your way - turn."

And here's what happens when you give the baby the empty popcorn bowl:

Just so you know.

Fan quilt and a bowl story

Still working on the fan quilt. Have gotten near the end, but the machine started throwing fits again - breaking thread, skipping stitches (new!!!) and making a terrible clacking sound. So, I figure it'll cost me about $90 to take it in and have it fixed as it is, or I can try to fix it myself and if I can't, it'll still cost me $90 to take it in and have it fixed. So I fixed it myself. And it works!!!!! I retimed the needle and the hook. Can you believe that??? Now I just need some more hours in the day so that I can finish this quilt.


I'm liking how this is turning out! The zigzaggy part needs help, the stuff in the middle of the fan is kinds wonky, but I like the big loops in the fan and I am really liking my loopies on the sides of the fan.


And a non quilty note. A very long time ago I had a favorite blue bowl that I used for everything - grating cheese, grapes, mixing anything and everything - it was terrific! Then one day one of my helpers left it too close to the griddle and melted a hole in it. It was terrible! I told my precious helper that it was OK, it was only a bowl and I have more bowls, which I do. But not like my favorite bowl! That's been at least a year and I have missed that bowl every time I grate cheese or mix up anything at all. None of my other bowls measure up.

This past weekend we did some estate saling and guess what I found! A new favorite bowl! Just like the old one! AND - it came with three little friends nested inside. The pic only shows one little friend, we have already put the other 2 to use. I saw it on Sat but waited till Sunday (cuz things are 1/2 price on Sundays) and got the bowl and it's three little friends for $1.50! How cool is that????