A new arrival at Mottl and Tzeitel's!

To contact us Click HERE
Who remembers Fiddler on the Roof, where there is a big ruckus in the square with all kinds of excited chatter about the "new arrival" at the home of young Mottl the tailor and his new bride?  Watch the first few minutes of this clip to refresh your memory:

So you won't be surprised when I show you my new arrival - a 1939 Featherweight! She's in prime condition - the gold decals around the edges are intact, hardly any scratches, beautiful scrollwork engraving on the face plate and chrome wheel.  The serial number begins with AF, which signals a 1939 date of manufacture.  She came in her original case (that doesn't smell, which I gather is a problem with some of them), with bobbins, a handful of feet that look like medieval instruments of torture, the original instruction manual, and a zipper foot attachment with cams and an "automatic zigzagger".

I had to take a trip to Toronto for a meeting, and on a whim I checked Toronto Kijiji listings to see if there were any Featherweights on offer.  I saw three listed, but this one was the only one I went to see.  It was reasonably priced, easily accessible by public transit, and was being sold by a retired lady who was "decluttering" and reported that the machine had been in her family since its purchase.  It had clearly been well taken care of.  And now she's mine!  I am beyond thrilled and very happy to be able to give this little darling a good home!

Everybody's Doing It!

To contact us Click HERE
Voting, that is!  Tomorrow is Election Day in the US, and won't we all be glad when that is over! Even the Canadian news is awash with polls and pundits weighing in on the presidential election.   Well, here's another election you can vote in, and this one is for everyone around the world!

My quilt, Summer Wedding, was nominated for best quilt photography in the recent Bloggers' Quilt Festival.  My BQF post where the quilt is featured in full can be found here. I am tickled pink! So if you care to vote for it, please go to this link and scroll down to the section dedicated to quilt photography; you'll see this photo above my blog name, Stitchliterate. Give us some clicky love! I would be grateful for your vote!

April Layher's Pride of Ohio Block

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WOW! April Layher is the second Genea-Quilter to submit her entry for the Genea-Quilters 2011 Block Challenge to benefit the Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree scholarship fund. April has also graciously volunteered to piece all our blocks together and prepare the quilt for tying during Jamboree 2011 in June.
Here's what April has to say about her "Pride of Ohio" block:

"I chose this quilt block because it represents generations of my family. Although I am not the historian that my sister is, I do know that our family helped to settle Ohio and has been in Northeastern Ohio for many generations. My favorite place in the world was my Grandfather’s dairy farm in West Farmington, Ohio.  
My Aunt Polly and Uncle Elton Bland owned a grocery and dry goods store with plank flooring and hitching posts in West Farmington. They were the dearest people in the world to me. Many cousins still live there, their homes sandwiched in between Amish houses. I fondly remember waking up in the upstairs bedroom of the farmhouse to the clattering of hooves and buggies driving past.
The little cemetery in town, Hillside Cemetery, features the names and dates of my ancestors, going back over 200 years, and some of the stones are so worn now, that only a rubbing will clearly discern the names. Osmer, Hosmer, Curtis, Hatch, Christy – so many familiar names in one graveyard that make me feel a part of this little town in Ohio, even though I have never lived there."

 Here are some of April (and Tami's) Ohio ancestor photos:

 My grandfather Addison Osmer as a young man.

 My Dad at 17 in his town baseball  uniform.
My Mom, Marcelle Burge Osmer and her little brother Bruce Burge.

"For all these reasons, I chose the Pride of Ohio block because my family, though simple, working people, formed the backbone of Ohio and, indeed, of our country. I am grateful and proud to have such ancestry."

Jo Arnspiger's Confederate – Mississippi Flag pattern

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GREAT! Another block for the  Genea-Quilters 2011 Block Challenge, this one from Jo Arnspiger. Harking back to her Confederate ancestry with this beautifully executed Mississippi Flag pattern (a blue background with white star) Jo writes:

My father’s family were almost all from Mississippi and Alabama. I choose the dark blue background and white star block pattern which represents the first flag flown by Mississippi in 1861 when they seceded from the United States. This flag was never officially adopted but was raised over the capital building and inspired the song “The Bonnie Blue Flag”.  See: Free Union and Confederate Quilt Patterns, ( by Judy Anne Breneman.

My great great grandfather Henry Stephen Archer Sr. served in the 32nd Mississippi Regiment from Mar 1861 through 1864. Sometime in 1864 he was reassigned as Chaplain for the 41st Mississippi Regiment. Copies of some of his military papers indicate President Davis was instrumental in approving his reassignment to the 41st Regiment as Chaplain. 

I have recently discovered the existence of the personal diary of Henry S. Archer for the years of his service in the Confederate Army. A microfilmed copy of the diary has been ordered through  Interlibrary Loan. Can’t wait to get my hands on that.
 
John Samuel Smith, a brother of my great great grandmother, Elizabeth Hurt Smith, also served in the 32nd Mississippi Infantry and died in battle 15 May 1864 in  Georgia. My great great grandfather, Joshua Atwood Tilton, enlisted in Co. D, 8th Regiment Alabama Infantry 10 May 1861. He was discharged 23 Oct 1862, having suffered a severe gunshot wound to the arm, leaving him with little or no use of the arm. He was a railroad engineer before the war and apparently continued that occupation after his discharge.

THANK-YOU Jo, for sharing your quilting talents, and for the stories about the service of two second great-grandfathers, and your second great-grand uncle. How very special to find the diary of one of these soldiers. Perhaps you can transcribe it for a series of blog postings? Just thinking...  ;)
So, DearGenea-Quilters, remember the  Genea-Quilters 2011 Block Challenge runs through 15 April 2011. We're going to raffle the resulting quilt at the Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree on Saturday, 11 June 2011 at the Marriott Burbank Conference Center. Proceeds will be donated to the Society's scholarship fund for the 2012 Jamboree.

Leah Day's free-motion quilting tutorials

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Wiggly Woven Lines is one of many Free Motion Quilting videos offered by Leah Day on YouTube. I am SERIOUSLY considering ding the  365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs Project. Even if I take time off to attend genealogy conferences and the week-long studies at Samford this year, I'd certainly know a lot more about free motion quilting when I got done.



Although Leah has a website, the Free Motion Quilting Project was so big, she devoted an entire blog on the topic.  http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com. There's advice about maintaining consistent lines and improving your sewing machine setup.


This girl is rockin'

Simply Charming Mini's Book Tour

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Konda's done it again, and has published another amazing book.  This one, I have to admit is one of my favorites.  I love mini quilts. In fact I have several hanging on my dinning room wall.

When I was first introduced to Moose on The Porch's pattern books I fell in love with the each of Konda's instructions and the color combinations that she uses.  Creating mini quilts from charm packs allows you to get those same color combinations yourself...not to mention that you can create these little beauties out of your scraps as well.
Be sure to check out the Mini Quilt Along starting September 11th.  They will be making a quilt every two weeks from Simply Charming mini's and giving away some awesome prizes.
Speaking of awesome prizes, Konda is offering a free copy of her new book to one of you. Just leave a comment here and I will choose a winner by Tuesday.

Hop on over to Spun Sugar Quilts tomorrow for another chance to win!

Phoebe's Quilt

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Some quilts take longer than others to finish.  This was one of those quilts for me.  It wasn't difficult or uninspired, quite the opposite.  This one sat around while I tried to figure out how to quilt it and what to back it with.

Pink, purple or even black fabric kept catching my eye, but nothing seemed to fit. Then I found this crazy flannel.  The price was right and an impulse purchase followed.  (You know how it is).  The drive home was filled with doubts and second guessing myself.

When I got home and put it up to the other fabrics, I remembered to always go with your gut.  I couldn't be happier :)

A little swirly quilting with pink thread (I was feeling brave after my success with the crazy backing) and I was finally finished with the Moose on the Porch Layer Cake Quilt Along, which I just noticed was way back in 2010.  Oh well, here's to finishing project!

What are you working on today?

She's a (New York) Beauty!

To contact us Click HERE
I finished up this 20" mini for the Doll Quilt Swap round 12 on Flickr. And just under the wire, since mailing deadline for international parcels is tomorrow.  I had the top finished for a couple of weeks, but just managed to figure out how to quilt it this weekend.  Nothing like time pressure to crystallize one's thinking!

Here are a couple of close views of the quilting. This is easily the most ornate FMQ I've ever done.  It was actually quite fun!



This little gem finishes at 20" square.  I'm sending it off into the ether, and hoping for the best.  My partner had practically zero presence on the discussion board and in the comment threads, so I really don't know what she'll think of it.  Never mind, I'm hoping for the best.

A new arrival at Mottl and Tzeitel's!

To contact us Click HERE
Who remembers Fiddler on the Roof, where there is a big ruckus in the square with all kinds of excited chatter about the "new arrival" at the home of young Mottl the tailor and his new bride?  Watch the first few minutes of this clip to refresh your memory:

So you won't be surprised when I show you my new arrival - a 1939 Featherweight! She's in prime condition - the gold decals around the edges are intact, hardly any scratches, beautiful scrollwork engraving on the face plate and chrome wheel.  The serial number begins with AF, which signals a 1939 date of manufacture.  She came in her original case (that doesn't smell, which I gather is a problem with some of them), with bobbins, a handful of feet that look like medieval instruments of torture, the original instruction manual, and a zipper foot attachment with cams and an "automatic zigzagger".

I had to take a trip to Toronto for a meeting, and on a whim I checked Toronto Kijiji listings to see if there were any Featherweights on offer.  I saw three listed, but this one was the only one I went to see.  It was reasonably priced, easily accessible by public transit, and was being sold by a retired lady who was "decluttering" and reported that the machine had been in her family since its purchase.  It had clearly been well taken care of.  And now she's mine!  I am beyond thrilled and very happy to be able to give this little darling a good home!

Everybody's Doing It!

To contact us Click HERE
Voting, that is!  Tomorrow is Election Day in the US, and won't we all be glad when that is over! Even the Canadian news is awash with polls and pundits weighing in on the presidential election.   Well, here's another election you can vote in, and this one is for everyone around the world!

My quilt, Summer Wedding, was nominated for best quilt photography in the recent Bloggers' Quilt Festival.  My BQF post where the quilt is featured in full can be found here. I am tickled pink! So if you care to vote for it, please go to this link and scroll down to the section dedicated to quilt photography; you'll see this photo above my blog name, Stitchliterate. Give us some clicky love! I would be grateful for your vote!

Do You Selfish Knit/Crochet? I Hope So.

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Now that holiday knitting is out of my way, and I hope it's been successfully completed and out of your life for another year as well, I'm at a bit of a loss as to what I should do next.

Just kidding!

Now I'm ready to start up the projects I couldn't touch while I was doing all of my holiday knitting.  There are things I want to make for myself, things I want to just try out, and.....things I need to get started on for gifts. 

In the grand scope of things, I don't have to do much for holiday knitting.  My side of the family draws names, and my husband's family doesn't expect a lot of handmade things from me (God bless those lovely people!).  But the knitting and Knooking I did do this Christmas kept me pretty well occupied .  And I do like to make things for family and close friends on their birthdays.  I've got a few months of free time, but I know it won't last long.  Because there's another group to craft for: The Babies.

I really am starting to think of those kids in capital letters.  The Babies.

Several months ago, some friends announced they were pregnant and I was, of course, very happy for them and thought about some bootees and a hat or two.  Then another set of friends announced they were pregnant--with twins.  Then I found out I was getting another friend at the end of this summer.  And another.

And I've been stalking a good college friend's Facebook page because I have my suspicions.

And I have cousins.  In the South, having any number of cousins means you'll probably get yourself some baby cousins at any given time.  It's science.

Brace yourselves.  The Babies are coming.

But before they do and totally dominate my year, I've got a few things I'd like to try out first.

For myself.

Watch out!  Okay, fine, I realize there are people out there who make things for themselves all the time and it's not this radical act like some people make it out to be.  (But the fact that the mere act is usually called "Selfish Knitting" [or crocheting] is pretty telling.)  But I do tend to make things for other people, and I've been looking forward to January because it's turning into the the time of year where I get to work on projects I queued up for once I finished making things for everyone else.

First on my list is the Starter Cable Hat from Expand Your Knitting Skills.  I have the yarn and I have the needles and I have a cable hook. Plus, it's freezing and I want some bulky weight yarn around my ears.  I may even cast on tonight because that's just how I rock out on New Year's Eve.



Next on my list is the Three Cabled Handwarmers, also from Expand Your Knitting Skills.  They're so cute, and not knit in the round!  Yes, I'm going to buckle down with mittens some time very soon, but for now I would like to have warm hands and free fingers because my office gets a bit chilly.  Plus, these are very cute.

See?  Super cute.

Next, is a sweater for myself.  I don't think I'm going to finish it any time soon (The Babies will see to that), but I'm looking forward to casting on.  I'm not sure of the pattern, but I have 4 skeins of Cascade 220 Superwash in gray that are ready and waiting for me. 

I can't wait!

Do you have projects you reward yourself with when you finish something for someone else?  Or are you one of those people who luxuriates in a giant pile of granny squares all year long, cackling to yourself "Mine!  Allllllll miiiiiiiine!"?  If you are, can I party with you?  

*Both photos were completely stolen from the Ravelry project pages for the book. 

Resolutions for 2013

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Happy New Year!

Do you have any resolutions for 2013?  I know I said I wasn't going to, but I just love lists too much. I was thinking through my plans for Year 30, and decided the list was lacking just a bit.

My goals for Year 30 are:
-make mittens
-knit a sweater for myself
-make a quilt
-make something to enter in the Arkansas State Fair
-learn to read charts
-knit a shawl from a pattern
-make socks

Those are fun goals and I'm looking forward to them.  Working from a chart makes me nervous, but I've tried it a few times and being bad at it is getting old.  But there's always room for improvement, and isn't that what resolutions are meant to be?  My birthday goals are goals--mostly skills I want to learn and means to ends I want (I want a sweater!  Badly!).  But my resolutions are attempts at self-improvement.  My list for that is short.  Not because I think I'm clearly awesome (I do, though, because I am), but because I can only stand so much change.

Big 2013 Resolution #1
Knit through at least half of my stash.

This was what it looked like in October.  It's grown since then.

 I had some impulse buys in 2012, and I had some projects that just didn't work out.  Some of it is small amounts that need to go into granny squares, and some of it could really be something fantastic.  I have some great yarn!  I'd really like to do something with it before I go out buying anything else.  Sometimes, though, it's just easier to go out and buy a new skein or two for a pattern than to hope I have enough stash yarn left, or to even find the stash yarn.  Speaking of which....

Big 2013 Resolution #2:
Get organized.

Specifically, get organized with crafting supplies.  Because this is what my craft corner looks like now.

Realest blog post ever.  This is what things looked like this morning.

When my daughter was learning to crawl, we took a playpen and unfolded it across one wall of our living room.  It was a pretty genius move, but it also led to me just dropping things behind The Wall and losing them forever.  There's also a basket of fabric and a little hutch with scrapbooking supplies that I just can't bring myself to show you.  Anyway, if I can bring order to even a portion of that chaos, I'd be a much happier camper.  My little girl is older now, and understands that she can't touch certain things of mine (or she seems to, anyway.  Fingers crossed!) and so it's probably safer now to have things out in the open.  And if I use up half of my yarn, it will certainly be easier to contain it!

So those are my big resolutions for 2013.  They can be summed up with "Don't get drowned in yarn."  I should be fine, and even if I'm not, there are worse problems to have than too much yarn. 

Still, I'd like to have a much less embarrassing picture to show you of my corner.

What are your resolutions?  Any big projects you want to tackle?  New techniques you want to learn?  Horrible trashy craft corners you need to whip into shape?  Let me know in the comments!

And have a happy 2013!

She's a (New York) Beauty!

To contact us Click HERE
I finished up this 20" mini for the Doll Quilt Swap round 12 on Flickr. And just under the wire, since mailing deadline for international parcels is tomorrow.  I had the top finished for a couple of weeks, but just managed to figure out how to quilt it this weekend.  Nothing like time pressure to crystallize one's thinking!

Here are a couple of close views of the quilting. This is easily the most ornate FMQ I've ever done.  It was actually quite fun!



This little gem finishes at 20" square.  I'm sending it off into the ether, and hoping for the best.  My partner had practically zero presence on the discussion board and in the comment threads, so I really don't know what she'll think of it.  Never mind, I'm hoping for the best.

A new arrival at Mottl and Tzeitel's!

To contact us Click HERE
Who remembers Fiddler on the Roof, where there is a big ruckus in the square with all kinds of excited chatter about the "new arrival" at the home of young Mottl the tailor and his new bride?  Watch the first few minutes of this clip to refresh your memory:

So you won't be surprised when I show you my new arrival - a 1939 Featherweight! She's in prime condition - the gold decals around the edges are intact, hardly any scratches, beautiful scrollwork engraving on the face plate and chrome wheel.  The serial number begins with AF, which signals a 1939 date of manufacture.  She came in her original case (that doesn't smell, which I gather is a problem with some of them), with bobbins, a handful of feet that look like medieval instruments of torture, the original instruction manual, and a zipper foot attachment with cams and an "automatic zigzagger".

I had to take a trip to Toronto for a meeting, and on a whim I checked Toronto Kijiji listings to see if there were any Featherweights on offer.  I saw three listed, but this one was the only one I went to see.  It was reasonably priced, easily accessible by public transit, and was being sold by a retired lady who was "decluttering" and reported that the machine had been in her family since its purchase.  It had clearly been well taken care of.  And now she's mine!  I am beyond thrilled and very happy to be able to give this little darling a good home!

Everybody's Doing It!

To contact us Click HERE
Voting, that is!  Tomorrow is Election Day in the US, and won't we all be glad when that is over! Even the Canadian news is awash with polls and pundits weighing in on the presidential election.   Well, here's another election you can vote in, and this one is for everyone around the world!

My quilt, Summer Wedding, was nominated for best quilt photography in the recent Bloggers' Quilt Festival.  My BQF post where the quilt is featured in full can be found here. I am tickled pink! So if you care to vote for it, please go to this link and scroll down to the section dedicated to quilt photography; you'll see this photo above my blog name, Stitchliterate. Give us some clicky love! I would be grateful for your vote!