A String Quilt - Another UFO to Be

This last weekend I started another quilt project.  Just what I need!  Another UFO!   Lately, I can't finish a quilt top to save my life, but I'm very good at starting things.

This one is a string quilt.  What's a string quilt, you ask?  It's a scrap quilt made up of all those leftover strips of fabric you end up with over the years.

My bin of "strings" or strips of leftover fabric.

I decided to randomly sew together strips.  Some people sew their strings to a muslin base.  I don't do this; I just sew them together, then starch them really well so they hold their shape.

An example of a bunch of strips sewn together.

Once the strips are sewn together, I used a 6.5 inch square ruler to cut out my blocks.

A 6.5 inch block  I cut on the diagonal.

When you cut on the diagonal like I did, you end up with these big triangles between the blocks.

You end up with big triangles between the blocks.

Don't throw them away!  All you have to do is sew the long edges together and you can usually eke out another block.  Sometimes, you may need to add another short strip between the two long edges.  Waste not want not!

Sew together on the long edge and you can get another block out of it.

I have no final vision for this quilt and can't even say if it will ever get finished.  For now, I'm just going to have fun making the blocks and emptying my box of strings.

One possible layout for my blocks.

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My Wall of Paint by Numbers

Hello!  How are you doing on this fine Friday?

I've done nothing crafty this week so I thought I'd show you something in my house that is a bit unique.  It's my wall of paint by numbers!

The Paint by Number wall in my TV room.

Yes, I "wallpapered" a wall in my TV room with old "PBNs" I found at thrift stores.  It is, by far, the best wall in my house and I have to say, I have some pretty interesting walls.

My favorite PBN--I love the colors and the subject matter.  My friend Tina found it for me at a swap meet.

I was inspired to do this by a restaurant in Minneapolis called the Hot Plate Diner which is decorated with paint by numbers.  I thought that was a brilliant idea and knew I wanted a PBN theme somewhere in my house.

I like the dramatic movement in this one.

Amazingly, the thrift store gods smiled on me for months when I started this, providing me with lots of PBNs.  It's been awhile since I've found anymore, but my wall is filled so I guess I shouldn't complain.

I love the colors in this one.

I'll collect any subject matter, though I'm partial to slightly odd color schemes.  I simply bought what I found which is how I ended up with so many religious themed paintings.  Maybe the cosmos was telling me something?

Ya gotta have a last supper!

I do have to say, the cornerstone of any PBN collection would be a Last Supper.  Mine has an inscription on the back saying it was painted in 1968 by Mrs. B. Johnson and her daughter Lorraine for Pastor someone (I can't remember his name).  Mrs. B Johnson and her daughter Lorraine did a great job, I must say.

A paint by number wall may not be for everyone, but no one ever seems shocked to come across it in my house.  Sometimes, a decorating scheme just fits.

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Since My Embroidery Floss was Out . . .

I wrote a month ago about organizing my embroidery floss.  I still think it looks pretty like a rainbow (geeky).

Since it was all out just staring me in the face, I decided I had better embroider something.  I remembered that I once had this old tablecloth with embroidered dogs on it.  It was on it's last legs, but the dogs on it were so I cute I wanted to preserve the patterns.  I'd show you the tablecloth, but I'm not sure what became of it.  I might be hiding around this house somewhere or it may have finally met its demise.

I had managed, before the tablecloth's untimely disappearance,  to transfer the dogs to tea towels to be embroidered, but had never advanced the project any further.  Well, the time was ripe to get this project done!

I have two towels with a dog at each end of the towel.  Here are all four of the little Scotties:

How cute are they with their hats?  I love the hillbilly dog!

I don't have a plan for these tea towels.  They'll go in the gift drawer and I'm sure someone will be happy to get them.  Do you ever make things just to make them, or do you always have a plan for what you're doing?

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My new Brother PQ-1500S Sewing Machine

Well here it is!  My brand, spanking, new Brother PQ-1500S sewing machine.  Sweet!  

The new toy.

It arrived about two weeks ago and I've already put it to plenty of use.  You may remember, I bought this as a bit of a splurge, then the a/c in my car died not two hours later.  Believe me, that repair is not going to be cheap.  But the machine was bought and paid for so there was no going back on the deal just because "life happened" if you know what I mean.

It's not bathed in light from the window, that's the holy glow emanating from within it.

This machine is not designed for everyday sewing.  It only has one stitch:  the straight stitch.  It is perfect for quilting.  It pieces with speed and is ideal for free motion quilting.  That is why I wanted it for my quilting frame.

My first project is a small charity quilt quilted with a pantograph design.

The speed on this machine is phenomenal--1500 stitches per minute.  It flies!  Another feature I love is that it has a button that cuts your thread for you when you are done sewing.  With the quilt on the frame, that is really convenient.

Another view.

Below you'll see my first attempt at using a pantograph.  If you're not a quilter, I'll explain that a pantograph is a design drawn out on a long roll of paper that sits on the shelf above the quilt on the frame.  You follow the design with a laser pointer and the machine sews it.  It takes a bit of practice to get the movement nice and smooth, but for my first time, I think I did okay.

Close up of the finished quilting.

The next project on the frame is this quilt.  I think this will be another charity quilt.  I've had this quilt top in the closet for so long I don't even remember when I made it!  This time, I'm going to practice all over stippling.  I do love my new machine!

The next project on the frame.

 

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