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?

Matt's Quilt

Completed my OMG for August.  Here are the pictures.

For Matt

Finished!!!

The pattern is a simple rail fence block, using all solids, finishes at 10".

Basting

Marking and Quilting

Binding

The quilt uses 63 blocks and measures about 70" by 90 inches - a generous twin bed sized quilt.
I used Warm & White batting.  The wide backing is from Connecting Threads.

Wide Backing from Connecting Threads

I made sure that each block had a dark, a light and an aqua/teal.  I made 16 strip sets, yielding a total of 64 blocks.  The quilt uses just 63 (arranged 7 by 9).

So Manly

A touch of softness

Quilting Close Up

In early morning light

That means a single block was left over. Since the backing was already pre-determined,  Using the block in the backing was not an option. So, I made a pencil pouch to go with the quilt.

I hope Matt will like it.  What did you do with your last orphan block? Do tell me.

Very Blue!

Labelled

Texture :-)

And some more pictures - just because.

This is the 11th quilt for 2017 :-) and there are a few more to come!!! Since I finished a quilt, acquiring new fabric is almost a requirement :-p

New Fabrics!!!

Scored these "Ardently Austen" fabrics at an amazing price from The Quilt Ranch. No affiliation, just sharing my fabric joy.

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Speaking of affiliation, I am a Craftsy affiliate, which means that when you click on a link from my blog AND buy something, I get a tiny commission, without any extra charge to you. I have not linked to Craftsy in a while but there is an amazing opportunity coming up and I have to share it with you.

On Labor Day Monday (for one day only), you can watch any class for free. That is over 1200 streaming classes for FREE.  You don't have to buy anything - just watch for free - With glee!!!
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My September OMG is a secret project. I have to wait a whole month (the suspense is killing me), but I can definitely show you a teeny tiny glimpse of the fabric.

So, what have you been up to?  As always, I'd love to hear from you.
Linking with all my favorite linky parties (see side bar).

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Chaos and Order

Clay's quilt was well-received. He promptly put it on his bed, took a picture and sent it to me with a thank you note. I was so gratified!!!

Clay's Quilt

And then, the next day, I received a separate card from his wife plus a gorgeous silver necklace that she made for me.

Jewelry + Me = Happiness

My expression says it all.

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So, what else is going on, you may ask.

There were 31 snowball blocks in Clay's quilt. This means there are 31 times 4 = 124 HSTs, tempting me to make something with them.

Bonus HSTs

Working on Clay's quilt, I realized that I have very little purple in my stash. Had to correct that problem.

Purples

In doing so, a couple of other fabrics just jumped into my cart.

What is a girl to do? I lovingly adopted them all.

I was so focused on achieving the July OMG, that the Honey Pot bee blocks had fallen behind. Now, I jumped into it with gusto.

Cute Mushrooms

Magic Mushrooms

The mushroom block was super-fun and so cute. I made two of those.  I also made the tree blocks from a few months ago.

Christmas Trees

This lattice block was a little more complicated. But it still turned out fine.

Urban Woven

There are four more bee blocks to make and one is paper-pieced. AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH.

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I do have a goal for August but I do not want to share pictures as yet.  It is a twin-bed size quilt for a boy. Here is the backing and the binding. The blocks are in the process.

Backing & Binding for August OMG

And speaking of wide backing, I bought another one, since Connecting Threads is having a sale on wide backings - 25% off.

Wide Backing from Connecting Threads

As you can see I have plenty of chaos to sort through, projects to organize, fabrics to choose, and a post (or two) to write.

If order comes from chaos, then I am half way there.

So what shall I focus on? The boy quilt, the leftover HSTs, the bee blocks or something else.  What represents chaos for you? Do let me know. I will be connecting with all my linky parties.

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