Another Day of Stitching

Just a nice relaxing day. Itty Bitty, Sailor Boy and I made a beef stew, and put it in a roasting pan in the oven on low, and the whole house smells so yummy!



Poor ole Gibby cat is all tired out from all of this sewing. He had to take a nap.

I've been wanting to try to make these blocks, which was inspired by a quilt that I saw on Lisa Boyer's blog Dorky Homemade Quilts. I decided to go ahead and make a saw tooth border as I go. I'm using bright nickels (5" charms) from my stash

I completed eight more blocks for my black and white quilt. Ten more oughta do it!

I learned something NEW about my sewing machine! I've owned "Lucy" for over two years, and have never been able to get a perfect 1/4" seam without a real struggle. I visited Joyce's Sewing Shop for the first time. I picked up a couple of fat quarters for my B&W quilt, and as I was checking out, I asked it they could recommend a 1/4" foot for my machine that would WORK!!! "Lucy" is a Janome, not one of the brands that Joyce's carries, but she knew what I was asking about, and took me over to a similar machine, and showed me HOW to reposition my needle. I had NEVER been able to figure it out...but by hitting the stitch width button a couple of times, the needle shifted to the right, and now I can zip right along without a hitch. Seems like sort of a "duh" moment, but by "coming out" - maybe I can help someone else... (how social work-y of me!!! LOL)

I've also been reading. I found a copy of Julie & Julia at the Goodwill book store. It's a really good story! I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'll rent it as soon as I'm done the book. Here's Julie Powell's blog.

"Julie Powell, nearing thirty and trapped in a dead-end secretarial job, resolves to reclaim her life by cooking in the span of a single year, every one of the 524 recipes in Julia Child's legendary Mastering the Art of French Cooking.Her unexpected reward: not just a newfound respect for calves' livers and aspic, but a new life-lived with gusto."