Everything's Rosy...

... or at least now it is! Think of this post as a cautionary tale. I've been working on blocks for the current BOM that I'm attending at my LQS; the pattern is Lady's Scrap Basket by Bits and Pieces. As you can see, I'm doing mine all in shades of red. While joining together some of the blocks into units the other day I noticed some ugly brown marks showing up on the background fabric.

A quick investigation into the source of the staining revealed that I had a scorched area on my wool pressing mat. By applying not only heat when pressing, but then steam and a clapper, I had effectively made those stains permanent by driving the scorch up and through the fabric. I had no choice but to remove those pieces from the completed blocks and re-do them. This actually proved harder than starting over, I later learned; but I wanted to conserve as much fabric as I could.  

Once the new, freshly cut, background pieces were inserted everything looked good again and I could continue. I'm not going to use that wool mat again; it's time to replace it. I had no idea that it was scorched at all, the surface area shows a very slight discoloration but that was only visible after intense scrutinizing. If you use a mat, with a clapper, as I do; keep a close eye on your pressing surface! I'm going to try setting the dial on my iron to "Wool" instead of the higher, "Cotton", setting where it normally resides. We'll see if that works to prevent any future mishaps. 

This is where I am with the completed block units so far. We're about to begin Unit #4. 

It's good to be all caught up and know that everything's rosy in the garden again. 

Meanwhile, I'm so excited to have an orchid RE-blooming; this is a first for me! We keep these plants on the porch in the summer and move them to the bathroom in the winter months. Not only is this one flowering but a second plant, in the background, has sent up a bloom stalk as well! Ever hopeful that they'd bloom again, I'd been content, over the last year or so, to hang onto them as foliage plants!  

Oh, happy day!

Life is Good!

Sew Berry Sweet

I had amassed a nice collection of various hexagons following our last block-of-the-month series. I knew how I wanted to set them together, and yet, they languished on the design wall. I had a stretch of a few days last week with nothing else on the calendar and began the process. I was excited about the prospects of this becoming a flimsy. 
Row by row I worked, since each block had been cut precisely using the Hex n More and the Sidekick rulers they fit together perfectly. I was on a roll. All of a sudden my roll was slowed; no, stalled... no, stopped altogether! This was my roadblock:

Where every other block measured 8.5", unfinished, this one measured a full 9"! What? How did this happen? I considered leaving it out and substituting another block. No, I loved this one just too much! I was stymied, where did I go wrong? I was left with no alternative but to take it apart, each segment of eight pieces each, and try to pinpoint my error. It didn't take long. 

My seam ripper got a workout. My Mom had gifted me with this a couple of months ago, a Clover retractable seam ripper.  She was cleaning out her sewing room and I became the lucky beneficiary of some really excellent notions. This little seam ripper worked extremely well, I highly recommend it, it fits nicely in the hand and has a sharp blade and won't poke when stashed in my portable sewing kit. Score!

So, here was the problem. I had completed each of the six triangle units but had failed to trim them down to size before assembling them into the block! Groan. I had been in too much of a hurry. See that little pile of trimmings above... something so small and seemingly insignificant was standing in my way! Once I got the problem identified and rectified it was full steam ahead! So, lesson learned. I know better.

One more product recommendation: (also a gift from my Mom) the Gypsy Pin Pal. It is adjustable to fit any wrist, it contains magnets and hold pins securely as I remove them when I stitch. This saves me numerous trips back and forth to my pin cushions or, even better, from retrieving dropped pins off the floor around the sewing chair. I love this clever invention. (I only recommend what works for me and am not promoting or receiving compensation!) If you are like me and have piles of pins placed on the flat surface around your sewing area after every row that's sewn you might want to look into this notion. It has not only made my life easier but my sewing space tidier-- win, win!

Speaking of the sewing chair-- look who waits for me between each trip to the ironing board as I attached the rows. My furry little companion. I sit on the front part of the chair, there's room for both of us!

"Sew Berry Sweet" ~ 76" X 76"

And finally, at long last, a flimsy. I had two yards of Cherrywood in a dark navy blue for the six inch outer borders all around to complete. Once I got that strawberry block fixed it was smooth sailing the rest of the way. I won't ever look at this quilt again without remembering. That pretty little strawberry block makes this almost-finish that much sweeter now, and contributed to this beauty's name!

Life is Good!

What's Under Your "M" Key?

Typing on my laptop was becoming a challenge, my "M" key wasn't responding. I spent a lot of time going back and hitting it again; over and over, with increased pressure until an "M" finally appeared. It was a gradual progression from an intermittent annoyance to a full-fledged pain in the neck over the period of a few weeks. Grrr! I mentioned this to my husband; I wasn't sure what to do, I didn't know if we needed to take the computer in for a repair or what the solution could be. He looked up a DIY repair site on the Internet and found some video help. The next thing I knew he had the keyboard apart, a small attachment on my vacuum, and was cleaning underneath the key buttons. He reported that there was a fair amount of dust and debris under there, but that the "m" key was, by far, the dirtiest! In a jiffy it was all back together and working like brand new again, it was that easy! Who knew? Isn't this the way it is with our lives too? Isn't it usually something very simple that gets in our way and slows us down, something that is insignificant but becomes monumental? A task that needs completing, a hurt that needs attention or forgiveness? What's under your "M" key that's slowing you down these days? It's amazing how quick and easy the fix can sometimes be!

Life is Good!

One Word Wednesday

Restoring~

Life is Good!

The Doctor Is In

He's not a medical doctor of human patients, but rather a doctor of fixing things... he's quite skilled at that and has years of experience successfully repairing and rebuilding items in and outside of our home . I mentioned a few days ago that my almost-seventeen-year-old Bernina had become ill and was going to need to visit the local dealership for a service call. I should have known what an irresistible challenge this statement would become. "Let me take a look at it first" my husband replied. He has disassembled the machine and cleaned and oiled it. He has timed it. He has vacuumed out every nook and cranny with the micro-attachment and stitched out a few test samples. It's better, it's quieter, but it's still not producing an acceptable stitch. This fix-it Dr. won't give up though, he'll keep thinking and pondering and return to the machine a few hours later to make yet another adjustment and test it again. That's the way he is and one of the traits that I love about him, he is determined. There may still be a visit to the certified Bernina repairman, that's not been ruled out, but it won't happen until every possible solution has been explored at home first. And, if it does end up going to the real sewing machine clinic, I guarantee that it will be the cleanest machine to come in for repair! No doubt about that.

Life is Good!

Be Happy Tip #3:

Hang around positive people - Having happy people around you will make it easy to learn happiness. Happy people have fun around them and their ability to overcome challenges is higher than that of unhappy people who tend to lay blame and feel victimized. Choose the people you hang out with to suit your needs.