After months of being on holiday, being ill, and family over on a Wednesday, I finally got back to my quilting group again yesterday. This is a pattern I bought from Cross Patch, along with a 5" charm pack last month. It is raining this morning so I will be able to carry on with stitching the half square triangles I paired and pinned and divided yesterday afternoon.
I'm not sure how it will look until I lay it out. I'd like to do the bottom one for a present for someone come Christmas.
I haven't touched my work in progress quilt since October, so will have to get back to that and the dress I had begun to pin in place to cut out (for Rosie). I spent yesterday evening, sewing E/Bunny bits together until I had to lay it aside as I can't do the next bits until I have the stuffing (which is waiting on Evri to decide to deliver).
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| I did turn this - in fact, I photographed it right way up. Blardy computer! |
I was hoping to do some more out in the garden today, but it depends on the weather. I weeded about 6 feet of the path up to the polytunnel on Tuesday (which my back can affirm!), and when I needed to straighten up for a bit, pruned the young apple trees, the Buddleias and a couple more roses. On my way back from quilt group yesterday, I stopped at the nursery near Llandovery, and bought two 6 foot stakes for apple trees, and a mixed packet of Sweet Peas.
It's Malvern Flea on Sunday, so my friend Pam and I are going for a wander round. It will be lovely to see my friends again. Which reminds me, I need to go and get some ham for sarnies and cat biscuits (not for sarnies!)
OK, I knew I should have taken my sewing machine along yesterday. It has just jammed, and I have unscrewed the front housing but cannot remove it! Talk about frustrating. I had sewn 10 of my blocks too and was doing so well . . . I wanted to make good progress with it today too.
Looking forward to seeing your completed quilts. You’ve reminded me to get some sweet pea seeds.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
Well, brick wall having been hit with the wretched sewing machine, don;t hold your breath Alison!!
DeleteThe weather in the west says stay indoors! Wet, windy, with occasional banks of thick fog. So, I'm sorting out my sewing books for sale, and my PA {when here} is starting to bring me boxes down from the attic for me to examine, sort and launder. Sadly, some outers have rotted in the extreme heat and cold up there so there is now sun damage. I am also waiting a delivery via Whistle who have had possession of said parcel for three days now. I think my mini steam iron for pressing patchwork at the table has just arrived.
ReplyDeleteThat is good advice! The magazines/books you have listed are not the sort of thing I'm sewing at present. Perhaps Ebay may find a home for these? Sorry that you have some damage on the things stored up there. My friend Pat has one of those mini steam irons. May put one on my birthday list!
Deleteyou can msg or email me the sort of thing you might be interested in and I can give you first dibs if I've got anything.
DeleteOh bless you Debbie. If you have any Christmas patterns for x-stitch, that's something to interest me, or Quilters Newsletter magazines. I saw you had one but wondered if you had any others I could combine postage on?
DeleteLoads following. Vintage Cross Stitch pamphlets from simple beginner's ornaments to a mahoosive frameable nativity! Must ask my PA to make sure they come down ASAP. Probably, hopefully, I still have about 25 or so Christmas quilting mags {my former addiction} Vintage Hoffman and Jinny Beyer fabrics circa 1990 . . . have I whetted your appetite yet? I am setting up a Vinted account and eBay one this week. If you want to reserve anything, just say! I'll be happy to put to one side, no obligation if you change your mind, I'll just come by and make you feed me cake! lol
DeleteA mal-functioning sewing machine is a huge frustration--I assume you've investigated whether there is a snarl of thread jammed into the bobbin area? Being 'fired up' for a project only to find that supplies are missing or the vital machine is inoperable leaves one feeling cross.
ReplyDeleteWeather here drags on wet, dark, cold--not inspiring!
I fear we are all deprived of sunshine vitamin D!
YOu're not kidding. I have taken off the bottom plate and got rid of dust but can't find my sewing machine oil so can't oil it. I managed to do open heart surgery and get the front plate off AND remove the bits of thread wound around the innards. I had hoped that had sorted it but no, sewed an inch and it jammed again. Now in "help" message mode with quilting teacher. I know absolutely NOTHING about how to repair a sewing machine. Have only just found the instruction book for it! Yes, Vitamin D in short supply everywhere.
DeleteRaining steadily again today. I am about to go to try and sort out a screw-up on my Hobbs line on Ancestry. Abandoned it last night from frustration.
I hope you get your sewing machine working once again. Harvey once asked me why I have more than one and I told him, just in case one stops working. He found out how right I was when my good machine needed to be repaired. After about 2 months I finally got it back and it works a dream.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Well, I found the problem, but when it was all back together again it sewed a couple of inches and jammed up again. Taking it to Quilting Group next week for Alex to - hopefully - fix. Tam has my old one and the other "spare" I took to donate for spares when I had my lamp fixed recently (no use for a sewing machine that will only sew backwards!!)
DeleteI love sweet peas. I have to figure out where to put them in my new to me garden. I hate it when the sewing machine packs up. I can get seriously ill tempered over it. Eventually I remember to walk away and possibly drink wine. It is not yet an automatic response, more's the pity.
ReplyDeleteI have grown them in a big planter with a wigwam, but they do look better in a row . . . I very nearly reached for Friday Night's titchy bottle of wine last night, but did some embroidery instead :)
DeleteHere are simple things to check, it shouldn't be jamming___Check that the needle is the correct size and installed properly,; is it machine threaded correctly?/ remove the bobbin casing and the part it fits into, check for damage, loose screw, thread knots/ Is the tension right? / check that the needle isn't hitting the edge of foot; this bends the needle just a fraction and then the underneath part doesn't line up. The foot could be just a bit loose or the needle isn't fully into its slot.
ReplyDeleteDoes it jam after you've sewed a few inches, or as soon as you begin to sew a block. If at the beginning, try starting the seam further in. /'/ Change the presser foot if you have a second choice of foots.
Do you have a manual or most are posted online. May have a troubleshooter chapter. Wish I was there to help you.
Needle was fine, but I changed it in case it had become blunt. It was one of the needles supplied with the machine (a Janome). I had the bottom plate off and got the dust out and checked for problems. It was ok. I managed (finally) to get the face plate off and it was, as I thought, thread around the gubbins inside. It sewed a couple of inches after that and then jammed again. Grrr. I finally found the manual but it doesn't have advice for this problem. I wish you were here to sort it out too!
ReplyDeleteCheck the presser foot and that the needle isn't rubbing it. Also check that you're using the right bobbin, like should it be plastic not metal, etc. Try new thread. My Janome jams when I start the sewing line too close to the edge, but your problem sounds different. The old Singers we had at work [ancient but much fought over and prized] were easier to fix...
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