A Date With Destiny...

Ellisimo (Miss Ellie)

One of the things I've been working on is a decision to upgrade my machine in the studio. I have loved and been faithfully served by Miss Ellie for the past five years. She's a great machine!

Yesterday, I sold her to a nice lady in Colorado, so I'll be packing her (with Handsome's help), along with all her accessories for the trip out west. I know she'll perform equally well for her new owner.

Crescendo

I've also sold my one-year old, Crescendo. Don't gasp. There's a method to this whole process. Trust me.

Babylock Destiny

I wasn't planning a new machine this year, but I met Destiny. She combines all the features in the Ellisimo and the Crescendo; has a larger screen and a heavier duty embroidery arm; and I got a deal that I absolutely couldn't refuse!

 

I'll be making a phone call today to make sure they have the new machine in stock so I can pick it up. My plan is to go and get her on Tuesday. I'm looking forward to having her in the studio, and for us to get to know each other. I know the new owners of my previously loved machines will be happy, too. I'm pretty sure it was Destiny that brought us all together.

Meet "Kenny"...

I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of the Brynwood team. 

 I proudly present "Kenny". 

Kenny is the oldest member of my hardworking sewing support team. 

He was born in 1962 in Matsuyama, Japan. He's small, but extremely strong.

He's all steel and doesn't do a lot of fancy stuff, but he's willing to do what my

 "girls" won't. You see, they've been complaining about sewing through all those

 layers of fabric and stabilizers in my wallets. Frankly, I was tired of the whining. 

Miss Ellie and Cressie would stomp their feet and just skip across the fabric 

without linking threads. They told me they were meant for more complicated 

and genteel work - like embroideries and needle dancing. They're such divas!

I conducted a series of interviews, checked references and decided that Kenny

would fit in quite nicely. He's in excellent shape for his age, has had a full physical

and received a clean bill of health. He even came with examples of his work!

Kenny is a Sears Kenmore Model #148.295 (29) heavy duty, straight stitch (with

 reverse) sewing machine. He was used by one owner and was serviced every year,

 so he's been lovingly cared for all his life. I'm going to be looking for a special

table for him, too, but I'll wait until I can find just the right vintage-style one.

As you can see, he's ready to get right after the tough jobs. Yes. I think he'll do

quite nicely around here. I'm going to send each of the girls, Miss Ellie first,

to the spa for a little tune-up while I get to know Kenny a little better. They have

earned a rest, after all. They did give me their best effort, and I want to make sure

there are no hard feelings. I have some things planned for each of them in the

very near future and I want them ready, willing and able for their respective tasks.

 All I have to do is get better. Kenny is all shined up and waiting...along with ten  new wallets that are cut and waiting for his special talents. Just waiting on me.

The Workshop Is Officially Closed...

I completed the table runner for our Christmas Eve hostess.

With that, the Workshop (studio) is closed for the holiday season.

You'll remember that the pattern I used is Mary's Cottage Quilts' 

"Glad Tidings Table Runner". I decided not to add the final 3" border, but

 it finished a very nice size at 47" x 21".  I love the subtle music theme, too.

I machine quilted this one on my Babylock Crescendo using Floriani rayon  thread. I hadn't used rayon for quilting before (only cotton for piecing), and I was quite pleased with the sheen the thread added to the overall quilting effect. All the gifts were wrapped and labeled over the weekend, and it's nearly time  for them to be on their way. Christmas Eve will be here before we know it. I'm taking the rest of the week off (from the studio), as we prepare for our holiday festivities. Tag will be here tomorrow to tell you about his weekend, and then he's volunteered to come back during the week to share some of his unique holiday spirit with you. 'Tis the season to be jolly, after all!

Back Among The Pines and Palms...

We finished our trip on Saturday afternoon. There was an excitement as we drove

the final corner onto our street and then into our driveway. We were home! Even

Tag recognized that we were somewhere familiar. He stood up in the back seat so

he could see out the windows, and was bouncing around by the time we stopped.

(I've always wondered just how our dogs know when we're getting close to home.)

We spent the rest of Saturday afternoon and Sunday emptying out what I refer 

to as "trip specific" items from the Flying Cloud. By mid-afternoon Sunday, the 

cabinets were tidy and the floors were all washed. Everything is back in order, 

awaiting our next adventure. If the rain stops, we'll wash the outside today and 

park her in her stall near the back of our property. She has her own little spot!

The camper "parking place" is perfect for sitting and reading a book or sipping 

a cup of tea as we plan our next outing. Tucked in the trees, it feels like its own 

quiet, little getaway. (No Calgon needed! lol) Tag enjoys the Cloud so much that 

we actually had to bribe him ("Let's go swimming!") to get him to leave the 

camper. I'm sure he'll join me in "his" spot whenever we spend more time there.

My studio, on the other hand, is a lot less ready for me to spend any time there

yet. I have boxes and bags all over right now from the trip. It's hard for me

to believe that I actually took all this goodness along with me. Oh, wait. There was

that trip to the Fox River Valley quilt shops with my quilting girlfriend, Kathy...

and that trip to Beaver Dam to Nancy's Notions. I now have my new sewing  machine to unbox and set up in the studio. This is going to take a while, for sure.

We're all glad to be back home together. I'll see my girlfriends at Paneras on 

Tuesday and a guild Board meeting on Wednesday. I'm going to get to my tasks

now. The sooner I finish my "Must Do" list, the quicker I can get to my "Fun 

To Do" list. I have a lot of incentive, don't you agree? No time to waste!

 

Have a great Monday (and week), my friends. 

I hope you find time for something you love to do, too. 

My (First) Wooly Tote...

Sheepy Faces

As predicted, I completed my "Ewe-nique Bag", which I prefer to call my

"Wooly Tote". The directions were simple, and the tote worked up quickly.

I would only change one thing in the instructions, so I'll make that adjustment

on the next one (or more) that I make in the future. I think they'd make nice gifts.

Sheepy Butts

I really like the colors that Primitive Gatherings chose to use in their kits, but

I can already envision this same tote done up in red and tan, or something in

a bright, thirties-style assortment. Which colors do you think you'd choose?

It's going to be a busy, busy day today. 

Morning coffee with my BFF.

Lunch with our younger son's girls

and

Dinner with family in Beaver Dam to celebrate my cousin's Birthday.

Better get rolling. 

I'm thinking I'll really sleep well tonight!

Cuddling Over Sewing Any Day...

I certainly never expected this to happen! Every year when I come to Wisconsin, I take a little drive over to Beaver Dam to check out what's new at Nancy's Notions. I saw this and it was love at first sight. 

This is Babylock's Crescendo quilting/sewing machine. What caught my eye was the wide open throat space to the right of the needle. With 11-1/4", there's a lot of room to do my own quilting after the quilt tops have been pieced. 

This are the other features that made the Crescendo so appealing:   1) A Digital Dual-Feed Walking Foot System  In addition to mounting like the other walking feet, this one also has  a USB cable that attaches to the machine for precise fabric feeding.   2) A Laser Guide Beam for Sewing The stylus connects to the computer for the sewing machine. It tells the machine exactly where I want the needle and stitches positioned. The pen designates stitch width, placement and stopping points on the fabric!   3) A Laser Guide Beam for Sewing No need for vinyl guides or other tools attached to the machine.  I can just follow the light beam to guide my stitches. I went back to The Cloud and read through all the literature. (The Aria is  the same machine without the Laser, Sensor Pen and large sewing table  attachment, so I had some feature-for-feature/price comparing to do.)    I returned to the campground to think about it. I talked with Handsome  and decided to go back to get the Crescendo this week. (She's going to need a new name, too. Anyone have any ideas they'd like to share?)
  I love Miss Prissy (My Espire), but it's time for her to move to a new home.  She's a hard worker and reliable, so I know she'll find a good home where  she'll be appreciated and used more. (If anyone is interested in pricing and more information, just send me an email through the link in my left sidebar.)   Otherwise, when we get home, I'll list up Miss Prissy and Evvie (my Evolve  serger) for sale. I only really use Evvie at Christmastime when I'm making  Grammies Jammies, and with all the specialty feet that come with her, I know   she could be used exclusively for sewing and quilting! (I actually know  someone who only sews with a serger!) It's a shame for her to sit around  most of the year when she could be serving someone else more often. Miss Ellie will be staying here at Brynwood. She'll continue to sew and  embroider for me and the Crescendo will be busy helping me make new quilts.

I decided to get acquainted with my new machine by making a new project. These panels are the front and back of a great wooly sheep tool bag.

I finished the front and back yesterday, but I took break and will assemble the pieces into a new tote bag today.

"Hey, Mom. Did you see that fuzzy thing lickin' on me?"

 I happily set my project aside to visit with this sweet, little guy again yesterday.

Tag was quite taken with him. He's never seen a tiny baby before,  but I can tell you, he loved this one. He was very curious and gentle.   Mommy and baby came to the campground and we talked and cuddled away  the rest of the day. I can't believe how much he's grown just since I saw him  at the baptism! It was great spending just a little more time together before  we get ready to go back to Florida. Our departure is just around the corner.  

All in all, another wonderful day creating new memories in Wisconsin.