Needing to occupy myself with something fairly sedentary (except for getting up to press seams every two minutes) while recovering, I began another quilt-as-you-go project for the Center for Women and Families, using my late mom-in-law's 1962 Singer 503 Slant-o-matic. And boy, has the 503 appreciated the workout! She's running fast again, even if her motor does sound a bit rough.
These somewhat wonky blocks are made mostly from the fabric rescued from 142 upholstery sample books I was given last spring.
There is some really funky stuff here. I suspect these fabrics were intended for foreign markets, or at least for Americans who travel and like to reflect those travels (and some hobbies) in their home decor. We're talking tigers, oxen, dogs with their own teddy bears, monkeys climbing coconut trees, monkeys wearing clothes (think organ-grinders), elephants bearing howdahs, Oriental tableaux and even some Medieval scenes...all of which are making the blocks very interesting to sew. Plus sailboats, seashells, equestrian paraphernalia and race-car-related themes. Quite an eclectic mix! Here are a few examples (click to enlarge). None of the blocks are squared yet, by the way:
Yesterday we had a visit from Jack Frost, which left me wishing I could freemotion-stitch feathers even a fraction as beautiful as the ones he left on the studio windows! But he's a fun guy, so no doubt he was trying to inspire me, not make me envious...
Hooking up here with Lizzie Lenard's Free Motion Mavericks--and hoping Muv will forgive me for substituting Jack's free-motion work for my own! Check out her beautiful sampler, as well as her readers' links at the bottom of the blog. Also hooking up with Sarah Craig's Whoop Whoop Friday. What kind of quilt would you make for a little girl who can't see? Sarah has the answer--and a perfect one, at that.
That's all for now. Hope everyone is staying warm if you've been hit by the 'Arctic blast.' We were down to actual zero degrees Fahrenheit yesterday, and quite a bit below that with the wind chill.
And happy 2015!
Linda
