Blog a' Day Challenge

 I just discovered this Challenge today https://muppin.com/the-2021-31-day-blog-writing-challenge/  I am woefully out of step with my blogging habits but I was inspired by the idea of the Challenge and happy to find that I could still link-up.  So I'm going to give it a try and since I'm already 8 days behind I thought I do a quick 'catch up' post based on the first 8 days of prompts.  Here goes...

Introduction

I like all kinds of quilts and I make all kinds of quilts but I am easily distracted so sometimes there are long stretches of no activity!   A quick tour of my blog History shows ample evidence of that!  LOL   But seriously,  Quilting in all it's forms gives me great pleasure. creative satisfaction and comfort!   

My Sewing Space...

IS A MESS !!!!   But I am so grateful to have a whole big room all my own!!!!   When I got my first Longarm I'm pretty sure the main reason my Husband had the back shed renovated was to get my sewing stuff out of the Dining room which I had completely taken over!  

My Machine

When I really got serious about quilting in the mid '90's I bought this lovely machine and it's still my favorite for most sewing chores.  It does all kinds of fancy things but I mostly just piece on it and sew bindings etc.  But I do like and use some of the fancy stitches like the button hole for machine embroidery and applique.

But I would like to pay homage to this beauty,  which is the sewing machine I learned how to sew on.  When My great Grandma came to live with my mother's family my Grandpa bought this machine for her in the early 1930's.  I am very grateful that I inherited it!  I have had it refinished and the machine serviced so it is in good working order.  I figure when the power grid dies I can always use this machine!

       

        

My Favorite Tool                                                                                                                         

I guess that would have to be my Longarm!  It enables me to finish lots of bed size quilts with ease.  This is actually a picture of my first Longarm machine, Nellybell!    The quilt I was working on here was 104" square!   No way would I ever have finished it on my short arm machine!

My First Project                                                                                                                                     

I can't believe I actually had the presence of mind to take a picture of this little quilt!  I guess I was pretty proud of myself!  LOL  That was 1979!  I  actually did not make the blocks.  A friend bought them from this little old lady who use to sell quilts by displaying them draped over the bushes in front of her house.

My friend stop to admire her work.  She could not afford to buy a quilt but she bought these blocks 'cause the lady was so sweet and she felt bad for taking up her time'. The problem was my friend didn't sew!  So she gave them to me as a Birthday present.  I thought that was pretty funny 'cause I didn't know what to do with them.   Several years later when my first friend to have a baby was expecting  they came in quite Handy!

After that I made baby quilts for all my friends with new babies!

My oldest UFO                                                                                                                                    

So when I had my first child I had a Block party and my friends made blocks for me and I sewed them into a quilt which my son still has (he's now 36).  Then when I had my daughter I was really into Silk painting so I had my friends make Silk painted blocks.  Trouble is I'm still not sure how to finish it.  My daughter is 32!

My Dream Project                                                                                                     

I think my dream project is which ever one I am currently working on and most motivated to finish!  That would currently be this mess!  It is what I call a 'Composite quilt'.  The center and next border are all Orphan blocks.  The outer border is all scrappy units made using what I call Scrap Strategies.  I'm really motivated to finish it so I can put it in my  local Guild's Quilt Show in Feb. 2022.  We hope to be an In person show this year ... We shall see.

Skills I Wish I Had                                                                                                                                

I wish my hand work skills were better and I were more patient.  I love the look of embroidery and hand applique but I'm not very good at it and that is frustrating.  So I tend to avoid it and keep machine sewing away.  But a skill doesn't get much better if you don't practice it, right?

Well I think that brings me up-to-date.  I hope you are all enjoying the Winter Holiday Season and not going to Nuts!  See you tomorrow!  take care, CW