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Comment by Colette LeFever on January 20, 2013 at 7:22pm

WooHoo I finished my goal for the month with 11 days to spare!  Plus an additional one that was not listed.  Photo to be posted later.  I finished the quilt, it is late in the evening, I have still got to get packed for my trip (haven't even started yet.  YIKES, and my ride will be here at 4:30AM. 

Comment by Colette LeFever on January 18, 2013 at 9:46am

This has been a very productive month, even if we were waiting for baby and all.  I have 3 completed quilts, and one I am working on the back as I type (needed a wee break).  I have two of my goals done.

Karena, and Lillie's quilt.

Lela's Quilt this is an extra finish I didn't know if I would complete, but got stuck on Aubri's quilt while waiting for the fabric to arrive to make the top.  So pulled the fabrics together and made Lela's instead. 

Back of the quilt, used all of those half square triangles in the back.  Thought it made it so wonderful. 

Today I am going to finish the back for Aubri Jo's, get it sandwiched and start to quilt it. 

Comment by Colette LeFever on January 5, 2013 at 4:53am

The Jelly Roll quilt I saw was similar to the jelly roll race quilt but added 4- 1/2 yards of constrasting/complimenting fabric to add some character.  Lots of the ones I had seen previously were kind of ugh.  I am actually thinking about working with my strips in 21/22 lengths instead of the full width of fabric to give it some interest. 

I am disappointed, I have heard the Necchis were wonderful.  Amazingly enough I hardly ever use a zig zag so I think that is why I love my vintage machines, especially quilting.  If I need a decorative stitch I have my Viking or my old Singer 1425.  Well actually the 500 is when they started with the CAMS but being a child of the 60's I love the Big Star Trek knob in the front. 

Wow moving all the time.  What is funny I was pretty stable growing up. When I was little I lived with my great grandmother in Portland, my mother in Reno (back in the day where that was the only place you could get divorced) San Francisco, then back to Portland.  Well actually in a little town outside of Portland heading up Mt Hood called Boring.  Kids need stability the little boys call our house home.  This is where they feel safe, loved, have friends at school nearby, get disciplined, have learned to swim, and be boys.  It is hard when you are a single parent, even when you are married.  Good job getting him through school and college.  I wasn't that lucky.  I got mine through high school, but the college thing alludes them. 

I worked for GM for years as a sub contractor.  Ran their portfolio of rewards credit cards.  A few years ago they forced HP to take me on, and it had been a fight from the word GO.  I have qualifications now as a business analyst.  The last 7 years I have had to learn how to get the computer system up and running, the interfaces, customer, internal, external, partners.  I was on call 24/7, did system upgrades, was paid the least, worked the most hours, and was expected to continue with the other duties also.  Every year for the past three years (would have been this year too) I was on call for the majority of all major holidays.  It really sucks when you are on the phone working an outage all day on Christmas Eve and you are going to have 30 people to dinner the next day.  I think one of the reasons why I got sick and just basically got to the point I could not shake it.  Being up off and on all night, or working on a problem all weekend and still working 50 hours during the week sucks the life out of you.  HP was doing Work Force reduction (means they overstated their earnings to their stockholders this fiscal year) so they had to cut employees.  Ended up being a great thing for me.  Still getting well, every time I get a cold I get pneumonia but haven't had a cold (even with the little boys around) for a few weeks.  I received a beautiful severance package and can collect unemployment too.  Honey wants me to find a job that I am not working evenings, weekend, all night, every holiday.  I would love to just have a "job" something that is not all encompassing, maybe even just part time. Something to support my quilting addiction. 

So is this weekend the big mother in law dinner? 

Comment by the rogue quilter on January 4, 2013 at 11:49pm

another alternative to the standard jelly roll quilt strip look is one a q friend did last summer. at the end of each strip she inserted a small bright contrasting square before attaching the next strip. i was surprised at how all of a sudden this simple quilt idea for jelly roll strips became a very attractive quilt!

naw...on the new gear thing...it is a new machine. the seller was a local woman. it belonged to her mother, for whom the woman had bought it a couple of years ago. mom made one little doggy outfit and stuck the machine in the closet. so the woman sold it. the woman doesn't sew, knows nothing about sewing or sewing machines and likes it that way. anyway, i have sewn all my life, on lots of machines, and this is the noisiest thing i have ever used and i am sure that that is why mom stopped using it. i have since read threads about necchis, the newer ones, on-line and that seems to be the common complaint. the lower end price range models such as this make are noisy. sound like they are going to rattle themselves apart.

my hubby works for a multinational construction firm and they have shipped us all over the usa over the years. i sat out a few years and raised our son as a sort of single parent while dh continued to traipse around the country following the job carrot. we had friends whose kids went to so many diff schools. one friends oldest son graduated from four years of high school after attending seven different schools in various parts of the country. my son is a gentle genious ...no way that that kind of annual school displacement would work for my shy quiet son. so he and i sat it out for a few years. then i moved up here to hubs current assignment when son went off to and graduated fr college. finally a long term job assignment after all the moves. kinda lets us catch our breath and decide what happens w retirement in few years. what kind of work do you do?

...and congratulations on your upcoming nuptuals. i cannot think of a more beautiful and dramatic setting to be married in than multnomoth falls...winter, spring, summer or fall...it is such a beautiful place.

Comment by Colette LeFever on January 4, 2013 at 9:47pm

Your necchi which is loud may be because they had to replace gears and it takes a while for them to get all nice and meshed again. My singer that was recently fixed is the same way.  My honey is a mechanic and loves all things mechanical and once a gear is replaced it takes a while for it to find its niche and start to run smoothly.  He started tinkering with my sewing machines, and then met a really nice sewing machine guy who is thrilled to share his information with someone new. 

You sound like you move like me.  I have lived in so many places, but I think I have finally settled down, well at least I should.  My fiance and I are getting married at the end of the month in Portland, well really we are getting married at Multnomah Falls no matter what the weather.    We live in his families home which was built in 1860 and we have tons of room, he even made sure I had a sewing room with a nice cutting table, and a table where my sewing machines sit.  I just move them around and if I want to FMQ I will move to the dining room table.  The only ones who use it are the grandsons when they are doing play-doh or me folding laundry.  It gets used otherwise once a year for Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner depending on which holiday is ours. 

Featherweights are worth their weight in gold lately, especially depending on where you are.  I looked in Oregon, Washington, and even on craigslist they were going for over $700.  I think they go in cycles.  There seem to be a lot in California, and Florida which are coming on EBay.  Problem is lots of people know their true value and they get bid up very quickly. 

i worked tons up until I recently lost my job so didn't have much time for sewing or quilting or anything else.  But now looking for a job that doesn't take my time 24/7 I have been sewing tons, and was invited to joint the local quilt guild, and have found several LQS and have been invited to their sit and sews. 

Tomorrow I am going to have to venture out to a quilt shop I need fabric to do one of the grand daughter's quilts it is kind of like a jelly roll race quilt but has some extra strips in it to break it up.  Thought it would be a fun alternative to the little block quilts I made recently for two of the grand daughters. 

Comment by the rogue quilter on January 4, 2013 at 9:21pm

i have an antique necchi which i used to keep set up in my last home where i had taken over the spare bedroom to use as sewing room. hubby built me a sturdy framed sewing table to my height, as it is more comfortable for me to stand to sew etc than to sit. was a lot of room on that table, and i love it. currently it is in sections stored in my garage, as there is no where, even the spare bedroom, big enough for it in this house. unfortunately, except for a couple of guild sponsored classes my fw lanquished in it's case in a damp and musty closet of the sewing room for many years. and shows the abuse she got thru the years of sitting. even so, my current repairman/phaff dealer told my husband that the machine is worth 700$ & when i told him i had the case and all the original attachments, oil can etc he said regardless of the box damage fr moisture it is worth even more as a complete unit of box, machine etc. like you, i am shy, tho you would not know it fr my activities here at mqp lolol. but i took my fw with me when i was invited to join a local quilting group, then invited to join another...the fw was such a lovely way to "break the ice" w my new quilting acquaintences.

i have a newer necchi which i bought new in '82, and was my main machine for all those years of moving w jobs and making home necessities for each "new" home and clothes for me and my son etc...then it started quilting. i learned to free motion on it, it is such a great little work horse..then it died..got a janome 1600 qp off of craigs list - new for 300 - love it. but only straight stitch which is fine, but could have used the zigzag etc on the nechhi while making the novelty fleece backed flannel quilts for my girls at christmas. but they are sturdily made and should hold up to my dil's frequent laundering. quilted them in the ditch and wavy lines on the janome...wow...such a cool machine, almost glad the necchi died. still plan to take it, the necchi, into dan, my sewing machine guru now that exmas is over...and after i kick this bug and can get out and around again. i am hoping that he can work a miracle with it. bought a new necchi, same make but new, off of craigs list for the multiple stitch options. it works but is noisier than having a marching band pass though the din room. so...i avoid using it. if i can get my old one fixed i will put the noise maker back on craigs list and sell it. the vintage necchi is a beauty similar in appearance to the singer 301, but again, only straight stitch, and the "harp" area is about an 1" shorter than the newer necchi..so, tho i would like to have it out too, could do smaller quilting projects on it, i guess it will sit a little longer needing new wiring.

Comment by Colette LeFever on January 4, 2013 at 8:40pm

I kind of fell into collecting.  I wanted a featherweight in case I got brave and started taking classes or doing sit and sews at the local quilt shop.  I am very shy so to go and do stuff like that is very hard for me.  I wanted a machine that did not weigh a ton to take with me.  I love all of my machines, and I have a project going on each one at any one time. 

I finally got to part 8 on the easy street quilt.  I need to make 16 blocks which are made up of 25 units each, and 9 blocks which are made up of 25 units each.  Matching my seams, corners, tips, etc.  I only got three completed today.  But I did feel like I got something accomplished. 

Get to feeling better. 

Comment by the rogue quilter on January 4, 2013 at 5:12pm

ok...i have been reading a lot about most of the machines you mentioned on another quilt website in recent months. i have never been & probably never will be, a collector of sewing machines. but i love them! the 301 is one that i saw a pic posted of, so i went on-line and did search. found lots of photos and sites w info on it. that is absolutely the coolest looking machine i have ever seen! i love it! i want one! lollol.. i have my fw because i inherited it fr my grmother's estate, otherwise i wouldn't have one. maybe, i do so love hers, not just because of the memories. love to use it.

was thinking of writing and asking what part of oregon you were fr and then read that your daughter etc live in portland. we spent christmas week in portland (beaverton) w son & his children. will be going back down in april for the girls birthdays, week apart..wish we could go to both, but not possible :((.

there is a thread on quilt board doing the easy street quilt that i have been following. i should have jumped into that one too, but had exmas to sew for. now so far along...oh well...but i am anxiously awaiting seeing the finished quilts! hope you post yours. and ginger rose?? i LOVE that name...gotta be a fabulous quilt.

i have a seriously compromised immune system...i try so hard to avoid getting sick..i just don't get well again. so, i can empathize totally w your long time struggle w the pnuemonia. do get better. i know how hard it can be for those of us who don't like to stop our "busyness" to sit down and take the time we need to get well ...lollol my first day able to be up and around w/o freq naps on couch or back to bed and i have spent the whole day teasing poor dh & sitting w fabric and thread - coughing sneezing sniffing lollollol! oh well. prob be back in bed tomorrw, but today i have fun!

Comment by Colette LeFever on January 4, 2013 at 3:00pm

I moved to Michigan with my job about 10 years ago, I am originally from Oregon. Anyway I didn't see any machine repair places that I felt confident in, I just had an old Singer 1425N the one that had the snap on button hole foot that you dropped the button in and pulled a lever and it made perfect button holes.  Was a dream when I was making clothes for my girls but now they are all adults. 

I have a Viking Sapphire 855 that was purchased a couple of years ago which I use for FMQ and piecing.  My honey bought me a featherweight for our 1st anniversary (whole year of being together), and those little buggers multiply.  A week later I bought a featherweight I found in a barn and a Japanese machine for $30 total.  They both work but from sitting in a barn for years the featherweight was a disaster, all seized, but after cleaning her up oh she sewed wonderfully but cosmetically she was a wreck.  So she has been stripped, primed and she is on her way to being red. (My favorite color)  Then about a month ago I found another featherweight at an estate sale for $35, she is going to get cleaned up and go to my mother and sister who quilt in Oregon.  I also fell in love with a 301 which honey bought me, then he promptly found another one in a beautiful cabinet for $75, and my latest acquisition was a 500A.  I sew on all of them except for the ones currently being worked on, and the 500A the grandson named her Jane after the Jetsons.  She needs a new power cord and foot pedal.  So I have went from being machine poor to currently owning 12.  LOL  Oh and my honey for a Christmas gift found a machine guy who fixed my 1425 and is coveting my featherweights.  LOL

Hope you feel better I have been sick almost constantly off and on for almost 9 months now.  Seems to be going around a lot lately, especially watching the blogs.  I started off with pneumonia in May, and never really quite shook it all the way kind of comes and goes. Good luck with the mother in law visit. 

I will share when I get started.  I am finishing up quilts for the grand daughters for when I go to Portland at the end of the month, then I have Bonnie Hunter's Easy street, and a quilt called Ginger Rose all in the final stages.  I vowed I would not start a new one until I at least have the 4 grand daughter quilts, Easy street and the Ginger Rose done.  Which I am doing quite well at churning and burning so I will probably start to work on my applique in February.  At least that is my goal. 

Comment by the rogue quilter on January 4, 2013 at 2:22pm

that does sound like it will be a lovely quilt. w the subject matter, i am assuming it will be in fall colors? my most favorite time of year and set of colors. what kind of machine that it took five years to find a repair person? no dealers in your area for it't type or ?

anyway, i too, love needle turn. and since i have cleared all my sewing from the din table in prep for our new years eve dinner w mil, which didn't happen because i have been so ill the last week & more, i decided this a.m. to get out my applique project that was set aside last fall while i worked on quilts for the holidays. and since i am determined to be well enough to hold our annual feast w dmommyinlaw next wkend, i need to leave machine etc put away and the din table free for now. i would love to sit w my hon while doing my needle work, and at one time i did w my knitting, quilting etc. but light is poor and i am finding it more and more difficult to "tune out" the annoying noise of television. so...i close tje door to den, sit at din table w good light and do hand work while listening to cd's of native american flute etc.

again...quilt sounds lovely..please share as you go along?

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