Living on the edge...

 So I'm sure you are wondering where the title, "Living on the edge" comes from.  Well, everyday when Richard comes in the house, he always asks me how my day was.  The other day he asked, and I started running off at the mouth about quilting stuff and excitedly told him that I had sewn on 3 different sewing machines that day.  He laughed at me and told me that I was living on the edge.  I think he was really making fun of me but it was a little funny because I was really excited.  :)  You can see all three of the machines in the photo, my Kenmore, Singer 404, and my Featherweight.  

As I mentioned this was a couple days ago, but I used my Kenmore to sew on binding, used my Featherweight to work on some blocks for my Rocky Road to Kansas quilt, and then used my Singer 404 to make some string blocks that will be used for pot holders.  The wood crate in the photo holds my strings.  Anyway, I made a mess but it was fun.  

Here are the 10 string blocks that I made that day.  

This evening I brought out one of my White machines and pieced a few more string blocks.  As of right now I need a total of 20 string blocks to be used for pot holders.  I love all of these machines and I figure if I get them and just put them away then they will eventually be in the same shape they were when I got them....locked up or close to it.  So I plan on using them all!  

Late yesterday evening, I loaded a quilt on the frame.  It is not mine but belongs to a friend of mine.  I was really shocked when I saw the quilt because she usually uses more subdued fabrics.  This one measures 88x88.  Here it is as I was loading it on.  

A quick photo as I was quilting on it.  It is still on the frame with very little quilting done to it.  It was driving me crazy today.  It's been a while since I have used Signature thread on my machine but when I did, it sewed just fine.  She sent some Signature varigated thread to use on this quilt and my bobbin thread keeps breaking.  I've adjusted and adjusted and for the life of me, I can't figure out why it is breaking every few inches or so.  I just stopped on it until I can figure it out.  I haven't been back up there to check but now I'm wondering if maybe the thread is old or something....I don't know...any ideas?  

 Hopefully in the morning, I can get back upstairs to the sewing room and figure this out.  Stuff like this drives me crazy, I know I will lay in the bed tonight thinking about it and trying to figure it out.  :(  

I posted my Rocky Road to Kansas quilt top that I finished yesterday.  I am really pleased with how it turned out and sorta glad that it is finished.  It seemed like it took me forever even though I had only worked on it for a month.  It's almost bittersweet.  I'm glad that it is done but I'll kinda miss working on it.  I'm sure everyone feels like that sometimes when they finish a quilt.  Now I feel a little lost on what to work on.  LOL!  I know I have a million UFO's, a BOW that I need to get caught up on, pot holders to make, quilts that need quilted, and Bonnie's mystery coming up.  So I know that I have plenty to work on but I'm still feeling a bit lost.  

Hunter has his Thanksgiving Dinner at school tomorrow so I will be going over and having dinner with him.  They do this every year and it is nice that the parents get to have dinner with their kids, just wish the food was a little better.  :)  
Kristie

Quilt Top Completed!

 It's finished!  Or at least the top is finished.  I'll throw it in the pile to be quilted.  The lighting wasn't the best this morning, I think I had too much sunlight coming through the front door glass.  

It feels great to have it finished.  It seemed like I worked on it forever.  

A total of 30 blocks and a little over 1200 pieces, which really isn't a whole lot when you are talking about a whole quilt.  I know a few of the seems look a little crooked in the photo below but they are not, there is a big picture hanging on the wall behind it and it makes the quilt crooked.  :)

This was a great use of scraps and strings of all sizes.  It was completely pieced on my "baby girl" my 1933 Featherweight!  I love her more than ever now.  This was my first complete quilt that I have pieced with her and she did a wonderful job.  I hope to do more sewing on her soon.  

 On to other news...Hunter had a program for the Veteran's yesterday at school.  He is in the front with the blue shirt and microphone singing.  I was so proud of him.  He wouldn't look at me because he was afraid he would mess up.  He did a great job, they all did.  He loves to sing, his favorites are country and gospel.  I'll have to sneak and record him singing sometime.  :)

 It is only 8:35am so I think I will clean the house up and load a quilt on the frame....

Oh BTW...I think a lot of you have already noticed that I have a tab at the top of my blog that takes you to all of my vintage machines.  Well, it's not like I have a ton of them but I am just starting.  I noticed this morning that I don't have my featherweight on there yet, I'll have to do that sometime today.
Kristie

Saturday Sewing

 I've spent the evening sewing!  That felt great!  I've made 6 rice bags they will be gifts for Christmas.  These things are great!  I made several last year and everyone seemed to love them.  Of course, I have some that I kept for myself.  They are great when you have aches and pains, just pop the in the microwave for a few minutes and you have moist heat to apply.  If needed you can keep the in the freezer for a cold compress.  Either way, they are great.  

Here is what I have on my temporary design wall.  I still need to paint that wall so I just tacked some leftover pieces of batting up there.  Anyway, here are half of my Rocky Road to Kansas blocks. The quilt will have 30 blocks and I have 15 of them completely pieced and those need to be sewn into rows.  

I have the other 15 blocks pieced in sections of 2 so I need to finish getting those blocks together too.  At this point, I'm not sure what I will use for a border but I'll decide on that once I get all of the blocks sewn together.  

Here are a few more photos of Leo!  Here he is sleeping up in my sewing room.  Well, he was sleeping until I snapped the photo.  Can you tell he was sleeping, look at those droopy eyes.  

He and Hunter have played most of the day.  I love seeing him so happy.  Leo seems to be loving his new home even though he has only been here for a couple of days.  :)  

 We did find something out about him....he is completely HOUSEBROKE!  :)  He has been outside during the days and he has been in the house during the night.  When we get up in the mornings, he is doing the pee-pee dance by the door!  LOL!  I don't plan on him staying inside all of the time, only when it is extremely cold outside, it's just that he is new to Hunter and Hunter loves playing with him.  Well, not only Hunter but all of us.  One thing that I love is that when he is in the house, he doesn't even attempt to get on the furniture.  I do love our animals but I don't want them on my furniture.  The only furniture they are allowed on is Richard's recliner.  LOL!  Well...when I am dogsitting my sister's dog, Zoey, she is so used to sleeping on the couch, so she does get on there.  Jazz and Smokey could care less about it.  

Anyway, I'm hoping to get some more sewing done tomorrow after Church.  I want to work on my Rocky Road to Kansas and also I need to load a quilt on the frame.  
Kristie