One Done...and One Working

Here it is!  My Cathedral Window Quilt all finished.  It was a long time in the making since this was mostly all hand sewn except for 2 small seams on the muslin base squares.  The project flew back and forth across the Pacific with me and I sewed on it in both the US and AU.  I am so happy it is finished!

Now on to other items in need of finishing.  I have decided I will try to work on finishing up projects in 2017.  I do plan to participate in some BOM sew alongs, but will try to limit myself on starting new projects until I complete some old ones.

This top has been hanging in the closet waiting to be layered and basted.  I decided now is the time.   It is about half basted after working for a few hours yesterday afternoon and I hope to finish basting today so I can begin  basting another quilt top that is complete.  That will give me 2 basted projects ready for quilting!  I will hand quilt this applique quilt, but the other quilt is a scrappy patchwork....and I may try my luck at machine quilting that one.

Please excuse the mess in my sunroom.  It is a small room, but nice and light to work in, so I just move thing against the walls in order to have space.  I love houseplants and they seem to like this room.  The big plant at the end of the quilt is now 38 years old.  It was a small plant in a 6 inch pot when I got it.  It has moved around the country with me.  My silly Christmas cactus is just beginning to bloom.  I can never get it to bloom for Christmas.

It's Been a Long Time

Wow!  I can't believe it has been over a year since I last posted to this blog.  My resolution for 2017 is to do a much better job at documenting my quilting and other needlework projects.  I have been busy in 2016, but just never bothered to post any pictures.  I have been quilting, knitting, and sewing.  I have taken pictures of some of my projects and will share them in the coming days.  I also have a tentative list of things I want to work on in 2017.  Might be a good idea to put them on this blog so I can hold myself accountable at the end of the year.

For this post I will share a view out my sewing room window.  We woke to -1F this morning and will go to a balmy 18F for our high.  There was 2.5 inches of snow yesterday and with temps as we have, there won't be a lot of melt.  I thank my neighbor often for his love of gardening.  There is always something lovely to view in his backyard...even when it is snow covered.

 My mother is in her 80's and keeps busy with her church making quilts for charity.  Her machine is a 1954 Brother straight stitch machine, and she has had issues with the tension mechanism with a wire breaking.  I live a long distance from her and cannot easily try to help her repair it, but I have been searching thrift stores to find a machine that I could give her.  I found this machine at my local ReStore.

The wiring was in awful condition, but my husband said he could fix it.  He also said he could fix the box it sits in with new covering or totally remake it.  All electrical repairs have been made and I have cleaned and oiled it and it purrs like a kitten.  The stitch is really nice.  We still have the box repair to complete.  I think my mom will be pleased as this New Home looks much like her old machine.  My mom also said that when she no longer sews, it will be given back to me.  I already have 4 machines in my house, but I have no sea foam green machines like this one.