Friday, May 4, 2012

I've been shamed into posting! Ha!

Lori, from Humble Quilts blog, noticed I hadn't posted since I returned from my trip.......about 3 weeks ago!  What's up with that!?!  Surely I have something to say, or pictures to show, or I could do my usual ramblings.

So.....yeah.......usual ramblings it is!  lol

I guess I have been busy, trying to get back into a routine......but it's damned hard to do after being gone for a month!  Vacation is so much fun, and normal life is so blah!  And full of chores!  But I have managed to find a few fun things to do since being back!

In fact!, yesterday!  My friend Pat and I headed over to Cyndi's Busy Thimble shop in Litchfield, and had a ball!  What fun!  And Cyndi's shop is packed full of nothing but reproductions!  Woohoo........Heaven!  It's so funny, cuz I was running out the door to meet up with Pat, and I raced back in to get my little 8-pointed stars, cuz I thought "I will need them to match to the fabric I want for the sashing.".......and then I realized.....Duh!......it's all civil war repros......it will ALL go together!  Yay!

So......first things first......this is the fabric I've chosen for the sashing for the little stars.


And here are the 24 little stars I have finished so far......I'm sure I'll need a couple hundred, but I'm still not sure how big I'm going on this......so we'll see!


I also purchased a few other fabrics at Cyndi's.......and these gorgeous birds were on on the discount table!  Yummy!  The flower rows were used in a beautiful little quilt for the borders, and Pat and I both bought some of it......we just couldn't resist!  So perfect for the borders!



THEN......we went to Marden's (a big discount place here in Maine that has a fabric section) and JoAnn's, but I didn't get anything at those.

BUT THEN.......we headed over to Quilt Essentials in Lewiston, and I picked up a layer cake of the Australian fabrics that I saw there just before I went on vaca.  I had been thinking about them the whole time I was gone, and I loved the display quilt they made from them.......it had a very masculine look to it.  And I just knew I needed to make my hubby a quilt with them!  I'm so excited, and they are stunning fabrics......and totally out of my usual box!  I'm really liking stepping out of my box!




Arent't they amazing!  I just love them!

So when I got home, of course, the first thing my hubby always asks is, "What did you get?"  (He's so well trained, huh?  lol)  I had packed all of this stuff into one bag, and I had my little stars in their fat baggie in the bag as well, so I dug in and pulled out the sashing fabric and birds that I got at Cyndi's, and had the stars baggie on top of everything else, so he couldn't see that there was anything else in the bag!  Yay!  I totally hid the Australian fabrics from him.........so he is going to be so surprised!  I'll try and work on it when I know he's gone for a while, and I'll just one day magically have it done!  Ha!  I can't wait!  And yeah, he never reads my blog, so I don't have to worry!  :o)

That's something I've never had to do with him......hide fabric.  I know a lot of quilters stash stuff and sneak it in the house, but John has always been the first one to say "get it", so I've never had to sneak anything past him!  And it's not that easy!  lol  Good thing I never have to do it!  :o)

Of course, I have worked (just a bit) on my Jubilee quilt, too.  I've put all the blocks and sashings together, and now it's just needing the last two borders!  Woohoo!  I'm nearly there!

I just love how it's looking, and I already have the plan in my head for the pieced back!  Yippee!

And one last thing........the other day, I was driving past the animal shelter thrift store, and out on the lawn was a treadle machine.  Well, I was heading for work, with not a minute to spare to look, so I called my hubby who was at the nearby golf course, and said check it out, see if it's crap, but if it's decent......I might want it!

He arrived at my work a couple of hours later with it in the car!  Woohoo!  And it just needed a little WD-40 on the mechanism and that wheel is running smooth!  Totally cool!


It just needs some polishing, and cleaning up a bit.....but I love it!  And I checked the site with the serial number and it's a 1923 vintage!  Love it!  The cabinet is in really nice condition, too......with the little decals all in tact!  Just needs a little polish!  And it had two bobbins in the drawer!  Score!  lol

Ok.......that is truly all I have to say........except that I just had my physical and mamo on Tuesday, and everything is great, including my cholesteral!  Woohoo!  Life is good!

Have a great weekend!

regan

14 comments:

  1. regan, so good to hear from you!! Glad vaca was good. I am LOVING your Jubilee quilt!! So striking!! Love all your fabrics - what a score. The little stars will look great with that fabric!And the sewing machine - WOW!! How awesome is that!!

    Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, I'm so jealous!! Love the treadle machine--so good of DH to get it.
    Stunning jubilee quilt--just gorgeous!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. With a little TLC that machine will be a beauty! Looks like a wonderful fabric shopping trip...

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'll say you are having a great week! Everything from your fabrics to your progress on your Jubilee Quilt and that wonderful treadle machine are simply glorious. I do like the strip border fabric next to your stars...yummy.

    ReplyDelete
  5. First, love your fabric purchases. I never did buy the Aussie fabrics when it came out a number of years ago. Perhaps, if I see it again I will have to get it. I absolutely love the stuff and have seen wonderful quilts made with it . You are so fortunate to have purchased such a collection of it. Will be anxious to see what you do with it!

    Your DH sounds a lot like mine - we are very fortunate, aren't we? Your sewing machine sounds like a real find too!

    Of course, I love your Jubilee quilt. So very refreshing -reminds me of summer.

    What a great post - see, you had a lot to say about your blah, blah life and we find it interesting!! :) And, yes, life is good!

    Judy

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh my gosh, I LOVE the newsy post!! I adore the fabrci you got for the stars...well, all of the fabric!! Lovely taste!!!
    Score on the machine!Make sure you show it again once it is cleaned up. It is going to be so pretty!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Life IS good!! You found lots of great fabrics!! I'm so in love with your jubilee quilt. It's such a great pattern and all those oranges are fabulous!! Your new sewing machine is a beauty!! I learnt on an old treadle singer, they're lovely to use. Your stars are looking great, I wonder how big you'll make it, the sashing fabric is perfect to go with your civil war prints, I laughed when you said it dosent matter , they'll all match, it's so true!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sounds like you and Pat had a great time. Glad Lori gave you a nudge! lol
    Love the sashing fabric for your little stars. Your DH certainly sounds like he deserves a quilt made with these wonderful Australian fabrics. Do you have a plan yet? I find the precuts hard to use. I don't want any leftovers.
    Lucky you, finding this vintage machine. What a beauty!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm so jealous of your Australian fabrics - they are totally awesome!!
    Your little stars are great and your new machine will be beautiful with a little TLC -

    ReplyDelete
  10. What an exciting post! That sewing machine was such a cool find! You must have had a great eye to catch that while you were passing through. I love all your little stars! And your Jubilee quilt is stunning. You are so lucky to live near so many terrific quilt and fabric shops. Sounds like there's a bunch in your area.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love the fabrics. What pattern are you going to make for your husband?
    Your Jubliee quilt it so pretty. Too bad it's too late for me to make one. (What is it for the next decade?)
    Great old sewing machine!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Regan, I can tell that if we were neighbors, we'd be the best of friends. I love all your civil war fabric you got, your stars are so wonderful. You would probably be able to motivate me with finishing the binding on my last quilt. My hubby is just like yours, in fact, when we are on vacation he often tells me to buy fabric because we don't know when we'll be back again. When we were in the islands three weeks ago, I wasn't going to stop at the quilt store but he pulled in and also told me to get some baby boy fabric in case of our grand is a little boy. I love your treadle-I hope you've seen mine on my blog; I've got a Singer and hubby had it refinished about 15 yrs ago. The machine needs a belt but I'm sure it would work.
    Thanks for sharing today; I read your last post and we love antiquing too. We hope to get back to Maine for about a month some year soon-loved your state.
    Hugs, Noreen

    ReplyDelete
  13. Looks like you scored some amazing fabric finds!! I wish I would have been a quilter when we lived in Maine! Awesome fabric! And an awesome machine too! I recently got a 1932....I think...White Rotary. Yours is beautiful :-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Those fabrics are gorgeous. Also my mum has a singer machine like that. Very old one. May be it is my grand mothers and it is yet in working order. I always ask her why she keeps such an old one. She says she loves it:)
    www.thoughtsofpaps.com

    ReplyDelete