A new relationship...

In summer, I long for a chilly breeze; in winter I long for a fire.
At desert, I dream of the seven seas; at sea, it is the dry land I desire.
Since it is winter, I am naturally dreaming about Spring. Here is a little mini, I made - A trio of Tulips.

A Trio of Tulips

Garden Blooms

Blogland: It has been a while.
Me: This happens when one is on a honeymoon
Blogland: Honeymooning with Paul - You are such lovebirds.
Me: Not with Paul.
Blogland: Someone else? Does he know?
Me: Yes, he was the one who insisted on it.

Late last month, I bought a new sewing machine - the Elna eXcellence 730 Pro.

The on/off switch on my very faithful Janome 4120 QDC fell off on Wednesday, February 7, 2018.  Since then I struggled to make do with a basic (non-computerized) Kenmore machine, while I
1. researched how to fix my Janome (or find someone who can) and
2. searched frantically to find a suitable new machine.

After several less than pleasant experiences, disappointments and frustrating ordeals (including visits/calls to repair mechanics, sewing machine shops, and reaching out (sometimes unsuccessfully) to other sewists/quilters), I ended up in Pocono Sew and Vac in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

The fact that they had an answer to all my sewing machine questions, an excellent staff, prices to die for and plenty of yummy fabric to swoon over more than made up for the fact that they are four hours away.

I spent several hours in the store, test driving machines and asking questions. And while I was leaning towards the Janome Skyline S3 (affordable), Paul insisted that I get the bigger, better, fancier, more stylish Elna (more expensive, but still a steal since it was marked down).
Pocono Sew & Vac will also fix my Janome at a cost much more reasonable than quoted by others. (In fact, it is all done and ready to be picked up)
If I do not like my new Elna, I can return it for a full refund in 30 days. No questions asked.

My newest...

She is big and beautiful

Storage for feet - Love that attention to detail

Protecting the spool from the cat - Terrific

I cannot talk (too much) about my new Elna yet. We have just met and this relationship is too new to be discussed openly. But I can say without any doubt that Pocono Sew and Vac had the largest selection of machines (yes, you can try them all), the best customer service (they will answer questions but will not bug you while you are test driving), and their prices are the most reasonable. I highly recommend them for all your sewing machine needs.

Yes, I bought some fabric too.

Droolworthy

From February 7 through February 25, I was starved. I am binge sewing now.  I also completed these two doll quilts - Patrick and Patricia. Yes, they are twins.

Blue Doll Quilt - Patrick

Owls on the Backing

Pink Doll Quilt - Patricia

Will be sending them soon to Amy for A Doll Like Me.

Sweet Patricia

Handsome Patrick

I did not win the giveaway at Needle & Foot. But that was hardly the point. I am sure these doll quilts (making and sending) will be an ongoing project for me.

I have a few other quilts in the works.  Some secret - some not. Here is a sneak peek at one of them.

Coming soon

I will be linking with all my favorite linky parties (see sidebar). As usual, I'd love to hear from you. What has been keeping you busy - fabric or gadget?

Captivated by Love

Sometimes there comes a project which will completely captivate you. Such was this project.

I had four quilts (Esmeralda, Parikrama, Shadow of Light and Animal House) to get show-ready - hand stitch the sleeves, labels, pillowcases and all. And I put that aside. Such was this project.

First Fabric Strips

When the on/off switch on my dear darling Janome broke last week, I dusted off the very basic, no frills, no walking foot, Kenmore machine and powered through. Such was this project.

Basic Kenmore

And today I am happy to share with you my finishes.  Let's meet Mira, Sia, Bella, Becca, Jaya, and Mohan.

Finishes!!!

Mira - Measures 24" square.
One of the many projects on my must-try-someday list is the Scrappy Trip Around the World. So, when Bernie announced this lovely project, I knew immediately that at least one quilt would serve as a practice for scrappy trip around the world blocks.

First Block - Trip Around the World

Mira

Mira taught me that an exact 1/4" seam is sacred for this block. Not a scant 1/4", not a generous 1/4", but absolutely exact 1/4". Mira was the perfect opportunity to practice and I love how she turned out. For backing I chose this princess/castle fabric.

Mira's Backing (I forgot the label)

The name Mira is meaningful in various cultures. In Indian culture, Mira is the name of a devotee to Lord Krishna.

Happy & Lovely

Sia - measures 20.5" square
Scraps left over from Mira turned into Sia. Four simple rail fence blocks, sashing and a skinny border.

Sia

 For the backing I chose this adorable and plump farm animals fabric.

Sia's Backing

Two strips - 2.5" by WOF are sufficient for binding this doll quilt.

Labelled

Sia is the name of Goddess Sita, wife of Lord Rama.

I showed Mira and Sia to my friend Cynthia.
Cynthia: Mira is beautiful.
Me: I have been meaning to try that block for a while now. I am so glad I did.
Cynthia - And I love the simplicity of Sia.  
Me: What do you mean?
Cynthia - I would have overthought it.
Me: Hmmm. But I am not sure of the princess backing for Mira.
Cynthia: Why?
Me: It may not be relatable to the kid.
Cynthia: Now you are overthinking it.
Point taken :-)

Let's meet the twins - Becca and Bella.  I had Chinese coin strips leftover from a long time ago.

Thanks to this project, they became something meaningful.

Becca - Flower beds separated by grassy rows. Becca measures 19" by 21".

Becca

I have had this bird fabric for a while, about 12" of it. It did not seem to go with anything else. I cut it in half to make this pieced backing.

Becca's Birdie Backing

Labelled

Bella - Bella resembles Becca because of the flower beds. But instead of grassy rows, she has bees and a leafy green border. Bella measures 19.5" by 20".

And here is the fun backing - plump animals, from the farm.

Backing & Label

A pink/grey houndstooth biding completes the quilt.

So cute!!!

Jaya - Jaya is made up of scrappy 4-patch blocks.  I am not sure when or why I made these blocks. But I am glad they were there.

Jaya

This little quilt came together so quickly because I already had the 4-patch blocks. A leafy green border completed the top.

4-patch blocks - revived

I wanted an orange binding and this backing with turtles, giraffes, elephants and birds matched perfectly.

Cute Backing 

 Jaya means victory, but is also the name of a goddess.  Love the sunny and cheerful Jaya.

Labelled

Amy mentioned that she does a boy doll about every third one. Fortunately, there were plenty of blue green 4-patch blocks. That brings us to Mohan.

Mohan - The word Mohan means attractive or captivating but is also one of the many names of Lord Krishna.

I love that the quilt Mohan is bright with a boyish charm.  A muted purple border completed the top.

Mohan

For backing I chose this owl fabric - it is definitely boyish, I think.

Owl Backing for Mohan

 A teal/aqua backing matches both sides perfectly.

Labelled

The universe works in mysterious ways. Can you see the pattern?

• Mira led to Sia.
• Becca and Bella came from the same leftover flower beds strips.
• Jaya and Mohan are both made scrappy 4-patch blocks.

I was only going to make two, but two became four and four became six. Who am I to set goals if the quilts are just going to make themselves?

This became my Drop Everything and Make it project. I will be linking with Sandra's Dreami Party, and all my favorite linky parties. Won't you Share the Love?

My Janome may take more than a couple of weeks to be fully functional again.  Till then, I will be hand sewing the quilt labels and the sleeves to make the quilts show ready.  That will keep me grounded :-(

On the upside, three quilter friends (including Cynthia and Mari) have offered their spare machines to me so that I can continue sewing.  So much love - my cup runneth over.

On the down side, I am lusting for the new fabric collection from Connecting Threads. Speaking of things/ideas that captivate me, take a look at Captiva? It is crisp and modern and completely drool-worthy.

Captiva by Connecting Threads

Should I give in?

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