Off to a Stitching Start!

 Here we are, starting a new year of stitching!

I have been working on my list(s) of projects to finish and projects to start.  My plans seem a little ambitious, but I'm excited about trying some new things and attempting to use up my fabric stash.

Starstruck by Gyleen Fitzgerald

On top of that, I'm supposed to be attending an in-person quilt workshop next week.  My small guild has scheduled a class with quilter Gyleen Fitzgerald.  We'll be making her Star Struck table runner, and learning some new piecing and cutting skills.  Plans include mask-wearing and social distancing (and everyone must be vaccinated), but since our state is experiencing a spike in Covid/omicron infections, plans could change on dime.

This will be my first quilting workshop since 2005!  I'm feeling a little intimidated by all the paraphernalia one takes to a quilting workshop.  

My everyday sewing machine is too big to drag to a class, so I thought I'd take my vintage Singer 503A (aka Rocketeer).  It's lightweight and sews a beautiful straight stitch.  Of course quarter-inch feet were not issued with these machines, but there are a number of modern quarter-inch feet that fit.

Unfortunately, the machine operator could not stitch consistent quarter inch seams despite trying several different feet and adding a seam guide hack.  I think maybe one of those portable extension tables would help, but there's no time to order one.

 

I made this Blackford's Beauty block as a practice piece on the Rocketeer.  The block was inspired by Angela at Soscrappy, who plans to use it for this year's Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  The block doesn't look too bad, but I had to trim all the 4-patches to get them to fit correctly, and the finished block is still a quarter inch too large.

Change of plans.  Out came my trusty Pfaff 7550 - my primary sewing machine until a few years ago.  Fortunately, getting a consistent quarter-inch seam with this machine was much easier. 
 

I didn't have enough 2 inch squares prepped for another Blackford's Beauty block, but I did have the pieces ready for an Antique Tile block.  I think I have found my quilting workshop machine!

In other "start the year off right" news - I finally broke down and bought a new cutting mat!  My old mat (on the left) is so worn the cutting lines are barely visible.  Those white marks are not just discoloration, they're grooves worn in the cutting surface!  Happily, I made use of a JoAnn 50% off coupon and saved a little money, too.

The Bind-A-Thon Continues

 

Over the past few months I have accumulated quite a pile of quilts in need of binding .  It's hard to get motivated to hand stitch binding when the weather is warm.  Even if the air conditioning is running, it's uncomfortable to have a quilt draped on your lap for hours on end.

 

Now that our Gu'f Coast weather has cooled off, I don't have any excuses to keep procrastinating on finishing these quilts!  I've completed hand-stitching the binding and labels for the two memory quilts on the top right; next up is the Scrap Jar Star quilt on the upper left.  Dear Husband and I have planned a driving trip to Florida to visit family, so my goal is to finish those top three quilts by Wednesday so I can deliver them to their new owners. 

 

Since I'm not working on any new quilting projects, I thought I'd share my latest sewing machine project.  I had been looking for a Singer sewing machine cabinet to house one of my favorite vintage machines.  I found this cabinet AND Singer sewing chair recently, and even though delightfully shabby, it came home with me.  My plan is to remove the veneer and stain the top, then paint the rest of the cabinet.  The chair cushions just need new fabric.  It should be a pretty easy project, right?

 

The cabinet will eventually hold this machine - a Singer 503A, sometimes called a Rocketeer by sewing machine enthusiasts.  It's a machine that can handle heavy-duty stitching and do zig-zag.  I haven't played with this machine much, so I'm looking forward to getting everything set up for some sewing fun.