Impressed. (or not)

You're probably bored of me talking about my sewing machine problems.

Today DH took Nancy (my singer confidence) to Vogue Fabrics in Evanston - for a visit with the awesome Jim (repairman). It turns out that Jim left early today and Wally talked to someone else in that section of the store (probably not a repairman... at least not from what I gather). 

The verdict? Nancy's not broken. What? 

Yeah. I'm not exactly sure what the guy said (and I know he knew what was going on with the machine... I wrote a note explaining it all)... but he pretty much told wally that it was probably a threading issue. First off- I've had this machine for a year and a half, quilted about 10 quilts on it (start-finish) pretty much used it a ton. I know how to thread it. I'm not dumb. Second he said it may have been the type of thread I was using plus the fabric I was using. No. Regular Coats & Clark 100% cotton thread (same as always) and two layers of Kona and one layer of batting does not equal a sewing machine that freezes/locks/does not sew. I mean physically I couldn't turn the hand wheel. Flashy lights and beeping? I don't think this guy had a clue. He did offer that he could sign the machine into their que to be checked out -- that would take two weeks minimum (no thanks, I'll wait for Jim who will explain everything to me). But on the bright side I didn't have any problems with her tonight while I was sewing. (but I'm still nervous about it).

Ok so the impressed part? The guy at the shop was impressed that I'd done so much quilting on such a low grade machine. (or that someone who owned the low grade machine was so serious about quilting). He said that most people who do that much sewing/quilting are doing so on a much higher model (think Viking, Janome, Bernina). No he wasn't trying to sell Wally on any other machine... but Wally was asking about what the next appropriate model up would be; the guy obviously showed him the Viking (about $1200). I was sure to tell Wally that he's not allowed to pick out my next machine (and Nancy's working again anyway) - he likes to surprise with that sort of thing... but I want a machine with the things that I want! :) Not that we have that sort of money right now. But for the future. lol. Wally was surprised that I knew exactly the machine that the guy showed him... and the comparable other brands. lol. Duh. He knows what a BMW looks like. 

So Nancy works. (lol and the shop guy assumed Nancy was my name... lol wally had to explain that it was the machine's name). And it was a bit of a confidence boost to hear wally quoting the shop guy praising my ability to sew on such a machine. I'm also a little insulted (not really) on Nancy's behalf. She's a good machine and a real workhorse. God knows what's wrong with her... lol Hopefully it doesn't happen again.

Blogger's Quilt Festival

It's that time again! Blogger's Quilt Festival! This time around I'm going to share with you Gia's Quilt. The plan for this quilt has been sitting in the back of my brain for a long time... and I didn't intend to be making it as a baby quilt for someone else... but that's how it worked.

First a little background. My cousin Chris met a girl (he's older than me... and has never really brought girls around... or really been around a lot himself), her name is Lizzie. Once Lizzie was part of the picture it was like suddenly there was my mature, cool, fun cousin Chris that we'd never really seen (no offense Chris). And Lizzie took to our family really quickly too - we love her! When they announced that she was pregnant I knew I had to make her baby a quilt (Chris' mom, my aunt Kathy has been pivotal in my crafting journey... it was fitting to make her first grandchild a quilt). I started off with a pretty basic idea, grey fabric, and some strips of various prints added among the grey... it sat on my design wall for months. It wasn't pretty enough - Lizzie had become more and more a part of our family and I think part of me felt that she deserved something sweet and pretty and gentle. So that's how I came to pour a lot of myself into this quilt.

Chris and Lizzie had found out that they were having a girl so I went with a light pink/grey/white color combo. I was a little disappointed in the lack of contrast in some of the blocks so I created a lot more variety in them than I originally planned. In all I love how it turned out.

Late night retreat photo - after quilting and getting the binding attached!

The other aspect of the making of this quilt is that it was almost entirely made during my very first quilting retreat. I had taken a plunge and signed up for the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild's retreat (although I had only been to one meeting) -- it turns out that those ladies are awesome!! I stayed up most of the night on Saturday finishing free motion quilting this baby. Now that is accomplishment! :) It was great having some late night sewing companions too. 

Lastly, I practiced my free motion writing for the label. It took a lot of practice writing "Gia" to get one that was worthy of the quilt, but I love it! Gia was about four months old when she received the quilt -- which is largely due to the fact that we live in separate states.... I love this quilt a lot, and I hope that Gia and her mommy know that they're amazing and that Lizzie is more like family to me than a lot of family I have. :) You guys rock! :) 

That's the story of Gia's quilt... now go check out the other awesome quilts at the Blogger's Quilt Festival