Mar
6

Life in Columbus / A New Machine

Posted Monday, March 6th, 2017 in Quilting | Read More

Since our move to Columbus in 2014, we have been adjusting to city life.  We have settled into a routine which includes watching our oldest granddaughter two days a week.  Sometimes we take her with us to get groceries at Meijer. She shops for “peanut butter sandwiches” (but we haven’t found them on the shelves yet). The shopping trip ends with a ride on the horse named Sandy. Sometimes Sandy is out of order and that requires her to check him out before we leave the store.

She turned three years old in December and keeps us on our toes. She loves to pretend and to act out stories I tell her. She especially likes to hear Goldilocks and the Three Bears every morning while she eats her oatmeal. She also loves to have me tell her the Cinderella story as she acts it out. Her facial expressions are priceless.

For the last two weeks she has been playing with her imaginary friends, Pooh, Tigger ( he bounces!), Piglet, and Mouse. As you can tell, the first three are Winnie the Pooh characters and Mouse is from the “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” book. We have to find them when she gets here in the morning and throughout the day. Sometimes Moose from “If You Give a Moose a Muffin” joins us too. She loves to have picnics with them and sets a plate for each one. Sometimes she says she is ‘exdasperdated’ (exasperated) with their antics.

I don’t have as much time for quilting as I had back home. I try to go upstairs to my sewing room for a while in the afternoon to sew when Sami isn’t here. Sometimes the weekend is my only sewing time. I have been working from my stash more than I did before the move. I also found a lot of things that I had started and am trying to finish some of them. I have made several new quilts and find I am drawn to making smaller baby and throw size quilts. My fabric choices are changing also. I am leaning toward brighter colors and more contemporary patterns. I am also trying to use up my stash and scraps. I have made Bonnie Hunter’s mystery quilts each year since 2013. (It hasn’t even made a dent in my stash!)

In January, Jen and I joined a quilt guild. We each signed up for a “secret pal”. We are hoping this will help us get to know some of the quilters. I also signed up for the Bonnie Hunter workshop but am on the waiting list. I’m not wishing bad luck on anyone but I am hoping to get into the class. I have started cutting strips from my scraps so I will be prepared if I do get in.

My most recent purchase was a new sewing machine. My favorite machine is starting to have some issues and I had been looking at the new machines since last fall. In February I went to the Viking Gallery at Easton and looked at the models available that have the same features as my Quilt Designer. I found that the Sapphire models have the same features and went back with my daughter to try it out.  My old machine makes a perfect scant quarter inch seam and found that the Sapphire makes the same size seam with the foot from my old machine. All the extra feet that I had purchased for the Quilt Designer also fit the new machine. The extension table that I have won’t fit but the dealer said she would include an extension table for the Sapphire.

My first project with the new machine was to finish the hexagon quilt that I am making with Kaffe Collective Spots Kaleidoscope Hexagons from Missouri Star Quilt Company (more about that later). My next project was to use my Go! Cutter  to cut out Winding Ways blocks from the fat quarters I received in the gift exchange at Piecemakers last Christmas. I used the leftover white fabric from the hexagon quilt to cut the light fabric for Winding Ways. I am still in the process of sewing the blocks but I am getting familiar with using the Sapphire. I am LOVING it! It sews just like the old machine but much quieter, smoother and without the issues. It is also a little bigger than the Quilt Designer.

Sew, that is what has been happening here in Columbus.  Stay tuned to hear about the Brown Bag Mystery quilt that I am starting soon.

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