Saturday, July 29, 2017

Labels, Baby Quilts, and Vintage Singers!

I have had some real fun things come in the mail this last week!  The first thing is my first set of quilting labels!  I have at least 4 quilt tops waiting for me to quilt and bind.   I can hardly wait to have a real finish so I can add this into a quilt.
Oh, I just noticed I said Handmade instead of Homemade.  Hmm.
Does a quilt sewn on a machine qualify as handmade?

The second thing is a quilt kit I could not resist from Shabby Fabrics.  My oldest son recently had a sweet baby daughter (his 2nd) and I realize I have been a horrible grandma and not made them quilts!   This newest granddaughter is named after both of her great grandmothers so she has quite the old-fashioned name.  Bettymae Ofelia.  This  quilt has a sweet vintage vibe to it.  I really like it.  Hope she does!  I got all the pieces cut out today.

Here is the sweetie-pie this will be made for, she's almost 2 months old.  We need to figure out a way to tame that hair!

I need to figure out what I'm going to make for her older sister who is already two.  So many quilts, so little time!

The third thing that came in the mail is a new Accuquilt.  Along with three strip dies for 2 1/2", 3 1/2" and 4 1/2" strips.   I have a project that is all strips and this will speed things up a great deal!  I had fun with my test run today.   I ran down to the thrift store and found a yard of lilac fabric for 25 cents.  Love finding those kind of deals!  
And in no time at all, I have  2 1/2" strips and squares.
I think I'm going to have fun with this new toy.



And last but not least is a new treasure for my sewing room!  I am in love!  This one did not come in the mail.  This little darling was found in a local shop and just begged me to take her home with me.  I cannot resist rich wood with curvy lines . . .

Or beautifully embossed metal . . .

Or vintage decals that are still beautiful . . .


Isn't she the prettiest little thing?  She's over 100 years old (1906).  Not only beautiful but fully functional I was told.  I have not tried her out because I'm not sure how everything works yet but I will learn.  I bought this little beauty not only for her looks but because I can sew with her even if the apocalypse comes and there is no power anywhere. (great justification, don't you think? hee, hee)  In the meantime, she will look gorgeous just sitting on display in my sewing room.  I need to find a name for her.  Something old fashioned and feminine.
Any ideas for me?  

So I managed to talk and show pictures about sewing things even though I didn't sew a single stitch this week!   This house finish can't come too soon for me.  Today my hubby spent all day laying tile in the bathrooms.  It's going to save us quite a lot on the cost if he does that part himself.  

Here are some house updates!

Here is the front entry.  The door hasn't arrived yet so this is just a temporary construction door.  The trim which is typically white is a darker color than the walls.  I really like this!

Coming in the front door here is what you would see.  The entry closet.  It has no doors yet as all the doors were just painted and are drying out in the garage.  Peaking around to the left you can see that the beautiful Brazilian Tigerwood has been laid down in the dining room and kitchen.   It hasn't been sealed yet and very dirty and dusty right now.  But following is a picture of that.

I can hardly wait to see what this looks like cleaned up and sealed.  It also darkens with age once exposed to the light.  I think it is going to be stunning!
Here is a closeup of one of my favorite pieces.  So much personality!

This next part we're not yet sure what we're going to do here.  This looks like a fireplace but it is actually a very highly efficient wood stove built right into the wall.   Since my husband is in construction we have TONS of scrap wood from all of his jobs that we save and burn each winter.  This should keep our whole house fairly warm with a minimum usage of the heating system.  We aren't sure what color the mantel will be stained and I think we're doing some sort of tile around the box and also on the floor in front of the hearth.  

Not much to show in the quilt room yet.  The shelves have been painted the same taupe color that I showed you in the entry way.   It is going to look really nice with the flooring I chose for that room.  I'll wait until that is installed before I show more pictures.

So that is my week.  I enjoyed watching the 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop and am looking forward to some more Christmasy things when the 2017 New Blog participants show us their block designs.  It should be a lot of fun!

I hope you enjoyed your visit.  I love it when you stop by!
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15 comments:

  1. How sweet Janice, she is precious! You've got a lot going on! Can't wait to see your new sewing room!

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  2. I hardly know where to start Janice. Your labels are beautiful, I think handmade is perfect, I didn't realise you had planned homemade. It may be stitched by machine but you did every other thing from the cutting to the binding. Bettymae is so cute, I wouldn't try to tame her hair, it will tame itself as her new hair comes in and it so suits her. Your machine looks the same as mine but mine is 1937, a 99k, you can find out by the model number. I love your house, the tiger wood is fantastic and you have so much space, and storage, I am so jealous of the storage. Wonderful.

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  3. What a little cutie! Love that hair! She definitely needs a quilt and you picked out a very sweet one. Hope the house stuff stays on schedule and you can get back to stitching very soon. Oh and what a great justification for a new/old machine. Can sew when you don't have power. Hmm, I'm going to borrow that reasoning and start looking for an oldie, but goodie.

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  4. Janice, what a great quilting, non-quilting post. You know I am loving the house progress pictures. Just be sure to remember that when you put rugs on that beautiful floor and the sun shines, you may have color variations when you move the rugs.

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  5. what a cute baby! both of my girls had tons of black hair like that when they were born (my side babies always do) and it naturally tamed itself has they got older and it grew longer. yes those babies need a quilt from grandma-get busy! I think the label will be fine - you used your hands to guide that machine! So much progress in the house, love the floor.

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  6. Your Grand daughter is a cutie, what a head of hair for a 2 month old!! Love that old machine, I kinda want a featherweight, just not sure why, LOL Love the house pictures of course;)

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  7. Janice, you've had a wonderful week full of sweet things! Your new grand daughter is precious and I wouldn't do a thing to her beautiful hair...there's plenty of years ahead for styling! Let it flow freely. Can you share where you ordered your labels from? They are awesome!

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  8. Lots and lots of goodness in your little corner of the universe! And that sweet baby, oh, my goodness. She's a cutie!

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  9. Letiticia, an old fashioned name for your new sewing machine, made the same year as my Dad was born so she is going to be excellent!
    What a gorgeous baby! Can I have a hold please?

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  10. Looking good! Love the sewing machine.

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  11. That little one is absolutely darling. I LOVE the hair!

    The new machine is beautiful too. I'd call her Rose - a lovely flower.

    The construction is coming along well. That floor is going to be stunning.

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  12. Oh, gosh, I love your quilt labels with your own special logo!! "Handmade" is totally fine...mine say that, too, even though I do everything by machine. But mine are only printed, not woven in full color like yours.

    And so much newness showing up every day for you! New floors, new paint, new sewing tools...well, new to you anyway. For your antique friend, I like the name "Marnie" because I have a human friend named Marnie Singer :)

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  13. I hate the handmade vs homemade argument. Even if you 'handmake' something, it involves using a needle, which is a tool. And a sewing machine or long arm machine is essentially a tool, also. So I don't see any difference. Each is made with love and caring and is bound to be treasured by the recipient. Your granddaughter is such a cutie! And your Singer is Awesome. That was the year my dear grandmother was born - long, long ago.

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  14. I made a similar pattern from my first great granddaughter from Shabby Fabrics. I loved the pattern and the fabric was divine. The kit I used was called Dream Baby. The Sweet Dreams pattern is lovely too.

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  15. Your labels are awesome. You got a lot of great stuff in the mail. Good luck figuring out your new machine.

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I LOVE meeting new quilting friends and always respond to comments so I'd love to hear from you!