Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Flowers Crossing The Ocean


Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain. 
~J.K. Rowling

I'm so bummed!!!  My Janome has developed a mind of its own.  There is definitely something wrong with its inner workings.  It stitches fine but when I want it to stop, it won't!  And there are times when it will even speed up all by itself!  I take my foot off the foot control and it continues to stitch.  I try pushing the manual start/stop button and nothing happens.  Okay.....so I tried turning it off and letting it sit for awhile.  Turned it back on and the screen said to lower the pressure foot and raise the needle.  If I don't obey it keeps beeping at me.  So first I raised the needle.....then s-l-o-w-l-y lowered the pressure foot and away it goes...stitch after stitch after stitch!  Today was the day for the sewing machine repairman to be at the LQS so that means mine won't be looked at until next week.  This machine-over-owner thing had started happening a while back but would only happen a few times and then for only a few stitches.  There's no stopping it this time.  So that meant I had to bring out the simpler Janome - the one I don't have a walking foot for, the one that doesn't do well in a satin stitch, the one that doesn't have a darning foot or FMQ foot, the one that doesn't have a knee lift.  After sewing on the little machine yesterday my knee has a bruise from hitting the side of the table and I'm tired of having to manually cut the threads.  Oh well, it's better than not having  a machine at all.

==============================

PHOTO FACT OF THE DAY

Trail Mix

Today, August 31, is National Trail Mix Day.  Trail mix is thousands of years old. Ancient nomadic tribes used to mix up dried berries, fruits, nuts and meats together. Trail mix was (and is) high in energy, needs no specialized storage, and does not require cooking prior to consumption.  Later, explorers continued the use of trail mixes, for the very same reasons, taking the high-energy food with them on their travels over many a trail, mountain or ocean. Native Americans had a special spin on trail mix, which they shared with those explorers they had good relations with. Their mix was called pemmican, and consisted of dried buffalo, moose or caribou, mixed with animal fat and berries, and lasted for months. Pieces were often broken off and used to make a stew, called rubbaboo, by adding flour, water, and maple sugar.  Despite this long, storied history, two separate companies, Harmony Foods and Hadley Fruit Orchards of California, state that the name “trail mix” was invented in 1968 by surfers who mixed together peanuts and raisins to keep their energy levels up during more “gnarly surf” periods. They hold to this statement despite a 1958 novel by Jack Kerouac mentioning trail mix by name.  Today’s trail mix often includes fruit, grain cereals, nuts, flavorings, chocolate or carob, coconut, pretzels, and sometimes crystallized ginger.

=================================

SWAP FLOWERS

Yesterday I mailed off flowers to my swap partner in the Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap......

My swap partner, Gemma, requested flowers in either blue and whites or blues and yellows. in a floral print.   This one looks so bright and cheery.  Then I made a second flower.....

This one is a bit more sedate but still fits her requirements.  This is the first time I have ever sent anything to Spain.  I hope they don't take too long to get there.

===========================

FLOWERS FOR AUNT SARAH QUILT

Over the weekend I was only able to make two more flowers for the Aunt Sarah Quilt.....

No, those dots are not on the fabric.  They are holes I've punched into my templates.  These flowers are smaller than the ones above.  These are only 3/4" hexagons.

Here is the second flower I made.  I like the look of the vine in the center hexagon.  If I only make two flowers a week for the this quilt I will be a whole heck of a lot older before it is ever finished.

=========================

ONE FLOWER WEDNESDAY

And now to share my favorite flowers of the week.......

Just a little love to share with you today.  The purple basket weave fabric made for some interesting petals.

And now I will give you the sky and the stars - lol!  I'm really into that blue and yellow color combination lately. 
Would you like to see more hexies?  There are all kinds of colors, prints, and fussy cuts out there in blogland.  Thanks to Karen, all you have to do is click on her name or the link on the right sidebar and you will see all the flowers for One Flower Wednesday.

=======================================

A LITTLE PRACTICE

This may be the last FMQ practice you see from me until some time next week :(  The little machine doesn't have a darning foot or a FMQ foot so unless I can get the regular machine to cooperate these will be the last two you will see from for awhile.......

This was yesterday's practice.  By the time I was ready to add the title of the piece to the top I had been fighting with my machine for over 20 minutes.  Thus the reason (or at least excuse) for the misspelling.  It should read  Trailing Spirals.  You can see spots where the machine just kept on stitching and I wanted to stop - there is thread buildup :(

Now this is a practice I had lots of fun with.  I can see this used in a quilt in the future.  This practice piece is called Goldilocks

=================================

TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will finish the tops to for the Loving Hands Quilts.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to quilt them too :(

============================

GIVEAWAYS

Annie's Ruby Slipperz is having her weekly giveaway.  You could win 5 fat quarters.  This giveaway ends Saturday, September 3, at midnight.

Amanda Murphy Design is having a giveaway.  You could win a Garden Paths pattern and one Veranda roll-up.  This giveaway ends Saturday, September 3.

Love Affair With My Brother is having a giveaway.  You could win a charm pack of Amelia or a charm pack of Dilly Dally.  This giveaway ends Sunday, September 4.

Diary of a Quilter is having a giveaway.  You could win one of three gift certificates from Shabby Fabrics.  This giveaway ends Friday, September 2, at midnight MST.

V and Company is having a sponsored giveaway.  You could win a fat quarter bundle of Kona solids.  This giveaway ends Thursday, September 1.

Our Busy Little Bunch is having a giveaway.  You could win a five pack of Aurifil thread.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, September 6.

Kate Conklin Design is having a giveaway.  Kate has some left over scraps to give away from her Baby Mobile quilt.  She will draw a winner this weekend.

Michelle's Quilts and Stuff is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of the MyMemories scrapbook software.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, September 6.

Quilting Dreams is ready to send the Traveling Stash on its way.  This giveaway ends Thursday, September 1.

Primitive Quilts and Projects is having a giveaway.  You could win a pattern.  This giveaway ends Monday, September 5.

Sew Sweetness Giveaways is having a giveaway (duh).  Here is your chance to win a GO! Baby Cutter and your choice of 3 dies.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, September 6, at 11:00 pm CST.

Be sure to come back Friday, I just might be having a giveaway you will be interested in.

================================

FINAL THOUGHT

Do you realize today is the last day of August?  Summer is almost over - at least that's what the calendar says.  I have been reading blogs where there are those of you out there that are actually starting to feel fall in the air.  I'm envious!  The only indication that fall is coming around here is that it gets darker earlier at night.  This summer was busier for us than normal but in a good way.  We took a few more short trips and were able to entertain family more.  We actually had fewer days above 100 degrees (F) but I think we had more in the high 90's.  I feel for those in Texas who have had record heat this summer.  I hope that you will feel cooler weather soon too.  So say goodbye to August (waving) and tomorrow welcome September in with a smile :D

Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending. 
~Author Unknown



40 comments:

Sunnybec said...

Oh no not a poorly sick machine! It's my biggest worry as I haven't a clue where I would take mine too, it would probably cost me more in petrol to take mine to a quilt shop than it would to buy a new machine!!!! Love your goldilocks quilting...have to have a go at that.

krisgray said...

My mom always says to have a spare machine. Of course, she takes it to extreme - about 30 back ups!! LOL!! Nothing works quite as well as the one you use daily.

Melody said...

Lots of interesting things today I love trail mix and often sprinkle it on my breakfast cereal.
Your hexie flowers are particularly beautiful this week - I love blue and yellow too.
And heaps of great giveaways. Thanks.

Sheila said...

Gorgeous flowers today in your garden and lucky recipients of those you mailed off . Sorry about your machine , that is not fun hope you get things fixed soon.Every time I see your quilting I think I really have to start practising this , great job!!!

Teresa said...

So sorry about your sewing machine. Love the flower with yellow center and daisys.
I too am jealous of anyone's fall weather.
Teresa's Heartfelt Stitches

WoolenSails said...

More wonderful hexagons, always love to see what designs you have used, you find the most interesting fabrics to fussy cut. I also like your free motion practice, that is a good idea and a good way to get the feel and speeds that work for you.

Debbie

sunny said...

So sorry to hear about Janome! I'm glad you have a spare to get you through. I love the daisy fabric flower!!

Teresa F. said...

Sorry to hear about your sewing machine. We seem to be lost without it.
I love your flowers. I'm using my 1 inch to do my Aunt Sarah quilt version. There were so many done I couldn't waste all that effort.

Rosa said...

Love your flowers,are just wonderful!!

A.J. Dub. (Amy) said...

Sorry to hear about your machine. That stinks!
LOVE the Goldilocks FMQ!

Anonymous said...

I had the same problem with my Janome. My clever husband took a look at it and said he thought it was the foot control. He took the bottom plate off (one little screw) and there was dust, lint that he cleaned out. Replaced the bottom plate. Presto, my machine has worked perfectly since. Who knew you need to clean your foot controller? Maybe it is not sealed as well as other makes? hope this solves your problem! Laura in Calgary. No blog.

Hilachas said...

Wow! You've certainly been busy sewing all those hexie flowers. They are all beautiful. BTW, what are the holes punched in the templates all about? I love the way your FMQ is moving along :)

Needled Mom said...

There is litle worse than a machine with a mind of its own. I hope they can fix it quickly and get you back to the fun FMQ. I love seeing your pieces.

The hexie flowers are fabulous, as usual. I love the blue/yellow swirly one!!!

August has just flown by here. It does appear to have been cooler than normal for us too. September can always be one of our hottest months. I do hate the shorter days. Boo hoo!

Gill said...

Sorry to hear your machine is poorly!
I love the Goldilocks FMQ

Karen said...

Fabulous flowers, the purple basket weave is excellent and the blue/yellow swirly one is so cool too!

Pat said...

I can understand your frustration with your 'lesser' machine. I used my backup machine last week and had to relearn all those same things. Love your 'One Flower' with the heart center.

rubyslipperz1052 said...

aching sewing machine = achy heart! =(

I ditto the comment about the foot pedal. Sometimes the wiring in there can get crimped or something and it sends jolts to the sewing machine.

LUV your flowers! I need to start (well, maybe "need to" is the wrong words!) some hexies...I envy your "garden"

hugZ,
annie
rubyslipperz106.blogspot

Jessica said...

Love your flowers this week, especially the purple one ;) And that quote from JK Rowling is a classic. Hope everything with your machine works out!

Maria said...

Oh NO!! Nothing worse than a sick sewing machine. Hope it is well soon. Even though the little one is not very god at least you can stitch.
I really love my Trail Mix. thanks for the read.
Love all your hexies but the two Blue and Yllow ones are my favorites.
Yep it's Sept.here already. Just gone midnight.It is getting warmer here. It is now offically Spring !!

Joanna said...

Your sewing machine is doing scarry things; it does like it has a mind of its own. Hope you can get it fixed without too much inconvenience. Your flowers are lovely.

Sallie said...

My Janome did the same thing! My husband discovered it was the spring in the foot pedal. He was able to fix it.

Linda in Calif. said...

Sorry to hear about your Janome. I HATE being without my good machine. I just do hand sewing when it's gone. My favorite flower is the last blue and yellow - just too pretty!!

Birdie said...

Love all those bright blues.

annemieke said...

Very nice blue flowers, so pretty.

Gr Annemieke.

quiltzyx said...

It's too bad your *sick* machine won't share feet with the little one. Maybe you should tape some batting to the side of the table to protect your knee while you're without the kneelift! ;^)

I always love looking at your hexies. They always look soooo perfect to me.

Hooray for the cooler weather!!

Debbie said...

Sounds like your machine has dust/lint affecting a sensor. Ditto on the foot pedal, but also clean out the bottom of the machine. 5 screws remove easily--at least on my 66ooP--and canned air and soft brush to remove hand fulls of lint every couple of months. Hope it is an easy fix.

Impera Magna said...

Hope whatever is messing up your machine is a very easy fix and it's back home where it belongs in no time!

Love your hexies... just gorgeous!

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

OMGoshhhhhh something is living in your machine. Try approaching it with cross in hand....giggle.

I'm really enjoying looking at your free motion quilting.

Barbara said...

What gets my attention the most, as usual, is the FMQ. I really like "Goldilocks" and wonder how you meandered so closely without crossing lines. Awesome FMQ!

Jeanette said...

That sounds very similar to what happened with my Janome. Love the hexies. Especially the purple one. :) Happy Stitching,

Snoodles said...

Linda, I love to come to your blog and see the hexie flowers! You pick such great fabrics and combinations! Sorry to hear about your machine...hope it gets well soon!

Bev C said...

Hello Linda,

I hope your haunted machine gets fixed. It is a pity it couldn't do the sewing for you while you do something else!!! Lovely hexies this week.
Loved the quote at the end of this post.
Happy days.
Bev.xoxo

Miss Hillbilly said...

Well, good grief, that is crazy that the machine is acting that way!!

Yellow and blue is fun; I am liking them!

Raewyn said...

Love all your hexie-flowers; I must backread your blog and find out more about the Aunt Sarah quilt. Sorry to hear about your machine - you will be pleased you have a back up for emergencies like this. I'm enjoying all your fmq samples - great to see all the different designs.

Barbara said...

I love your hexies...especially the purple one. Sorry about your sewing machine. Mine will have to go in for its annual maintenance soon, and I'll be lost without it.

Lynda said...

Oh no....how can we live without a working sewing machine! Once again, I love all the hexie flowers. I am enjoying watching your progress with FMQ. I did a wavy line across fabric and was quite proud of that!

Talin's Corner said...

At first I thought it might be your foot pedal (that would have been the best scenario, no?), but then when you said you tried the start/stop button, it has to be the inner workings like you said. Good luck and thank God for backups.

quilterliz said...

G'day. What a nuisance to have your machine play up like that. Lucky you at least have another one to sew with, though it might not be as good. I had my Bernina in for a service some time ago and I was lost without it, though luckily I had kept my old Janome and was able to still do some sewing. Take care. Liz...

Staci said...

I have a Janome, too. And it had the same problem. It had a bit of dust in the hole where you plug the foot control in, not in the actual foot control. Killed me when I found out I spent $50 having it professionally cleaned and I could have cleaned it myself.

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

Can you use the feet from one Janome for the other Janome? As long as the shank is the same, you should be able to switch the feet. My walking and darning feet go with other Janomes, too.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...