No-brainer

The Sandbox is mighty crowded these days.  With the addition of the Singer 301 machine and cabinet it became an unpleasant place to work.  I felt trapped by stuff!

I don't know why it takes me so long to figure out what's bothering me.  It's a no-brainer really..... CLEAN UP!  Heh.  So I've cleaned up and rearranged and removed some of the furniture and it's soooo much better.  :-)  I will have to take a picture tomorrow while it's still neat (relatively).  

This 301 and cabinet are still where they landed near the front door.  

After doing some more online research we decided to buy these specialty screwdrivers from The Singer Featherweight Shop as well as a tube of motor lubricant.  On a warmer day when I can open the back door for ventilation I can start refurbishing my "new" machine and cabinet.  What a bonus to have the proper tools.

In the "plant room" I'm still battling mealybugs on the african violets.  I need to go over the plants again and separate out the ones who still look buggy.  (Ha!  One way to repurpose a table that came out of the sewing room.)  In other plant news, the amaryllis bulbs I saved from last year are finally showing signs of life.  I didn't kill them.  Yay!

The last of this year's batch to bloom is absolutely spectacular.

Five huge flowers on the stem!  Nice.

Since I was sorting out the sewing room the only actual machine sewing I've accomplished is making this quilt into a curtain for the laundry room.  The double doors were very awkward to work around and it's a big relief to have them gone.  This quilt wasn't doing anything useful so it got pressed into service.  It's a Bonnie Hunter Mystery quilt from a few years back called Orange Crush.  Mom pieced this top and called it Tutti Frutti Crush.  :-)  I added the borders and quilted it, and we gifted it to The Tramp because of his love of bright colors.  Since the laundry room is near the desk in his study, and the quilt is just about the right size for the opening, it was a no-brainer.

Nothing fancy.  I just sewed on a strip to attach the clips to.  The top of the quilt flops over so there are safety pins involved as well, to stop the flop.  Not elegant, but it works.

I'm working on a rosette for La Passacaglia.  I've finished all the blue star points and have moved on to the next row of pentagons.  Another photo I need to take!

Today, sadly....very sadly....we made the decision this big old oak tree has to go.  Sniff.

When we moved in a year ago we had the tree trimmed for safety.  The tree was also covered with large poison ivy vines and a huge grape vine.  We cut the vines to about six feet up and it took months for it all to die off.

You can see how thick the grape vines were with my foot for comparison.

I have taken many photos this year of the lovely greenery against bright blue sky and cheddar house from my chair on the deck.  This was in the spring.

In summer the viney stuff finally turned brown.  It's ugly, but the birds like to perch in it.

I'm going to miss this view.

This was Thanksgiving morning.

And a few weeks ago in the snowstorm.

 On the weekend I was quite annoyed with Maisy.  I'd call and call her and she wouldn't come in.  And I couldn't see where she was!  Turns out she was digging behind the tree next to the fence.

Or rather....she was in the tree!  I'm wondering what was living in there that caught her attention.  Do I want to know???

Today I got down and took a proper look into the hole.  Oh my.  I poked my yardstick in there and almost lost it in the depths.  The tree is hollow!

North Carolina had two hurricanes come through in the fall, record rainfall last year, several snowstorms in the year we've been in the house, and each time I worry and worry about this tree.  In particular, it looms over our master bedroom.  Three sheds, several fences, and more importantly at least three homes are at risk if it falls.  So with our discovery today (thank you Maisy) it's a no-brainer.  It has to come down.  :-(  

2019!

Just a few photos to catch up with 2018 before moving on into 2019.  :-)

I finished a quilt called Happy Wanderer.  The pattern is by Victoria Findlay Wolfe.  I made it for the 2018 Cary Quilting Company challenge.  It was a bit mind boggling to put together as there are no blocks, you make it in four columns.  Lots of partial seams to keep sorted.

I made an apron for my partner in our guild's apron exchange and received a very pretty one I should really take a picture of.

I made a couple of these cute pin keeps as gifts.  Isn't she a hoot!

I finished a weighted blanket for The Tramp.

I made one Rare Bear and sent it in.  I have what I need to make some more.

I made a new cover for my Quilter's Planner.

While hunkered down for a hurricane I did a bit of fun fusible applique.  It's still waiting for stitching around the shapes.  I used scraps for the border and those wonky polka dots are bothering me so I think I need to redo it.

Dog beds received new covers.

The Viking lost his first tooth and a monster tooth fairy pillow seemed appropriate.

Online I saw someone making a quilt out of this panel and I just had to make one for my dad for Christmas.  This is before quilting.  I need to take a final photo!

I started the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt at Thanksgiving, but put it aside to do my Christmas sewing.  The mystery reveal came this week and I may rethink my color scheme before I go any further.  Maybe....

Another pin keep.

A Make Me Up Before You Go-Go bag from Dog Under My Desk.

And the Bigger On The Inside backpack from the same designer.

And a Zip And Go for a friend, also from Dog Under My Desk.

I got together for a sew day with a friend to make these Aneela Hoey Box Pouches.  Mine is on the right.  Nice, but I think it needs a handle for practicality.  I have to figure out how to add one.

Two more Stand and Stow tote bags.  I love them!

And a Sammy Bag also from Dog Under My Desk.  Piglet just isn't sure about riding in a bag.  :-)

And one more project from, you guessed it, Dog Under My Desk.  I made six denim Outta Time Totes.  One for me and the others for my bee members.  It was a good opportunity to go crazy trying out quilting designs.

I made a small quilt for Precious using hand-dyed fabrics.  When I washed it after it was done I discovered the fabrics were running badly.  Yikes!  Three hours of soaking in water with Dawn liquid saved the quilt.  Yay!

Problem is, I used those fabrics in my Honey Pot Bee blocks.  It took a whole weekend to soak all of my hand-dyed and batik fabrics.  The color that came out of them was amazing!  I still have to soak some of the blocks I made before I realized I had a problem, about a dozen I think.  Then I can put this top of random blocks together.  I'm looking forward to the challenge.

On a day off from school, The Viking had fun in my scrap bins.  He spotted the off-cuts from the bat block and I sewed two of the strips together so he could wear them with his blue sequined fedora.  Too fun!!

He also begged me to make him a peep (this is what happens when you leave random patterns out on your sewing tables for people to find!) and he chose the fabric out of my fleece bin.

I used Molli Sparkles' Diva's Alphabet to make a sign for Stardust's room.  You won't mind if I don't share it here as it has her real name on it.  Sadly, I can't link you to the alphabet pattern as Craftsy has taken down so many designer's patterns.  Craftsy has a perfect right to do as they wish with their website, but my understanding is the designers were given only a few days notice and it was over the Christmas holiday as well.  Kind of thoughtless, towards both the pattern designers and the cutsomers.  Too bad.

The Viking wanted to be an M&M for Halloween.  "A blue one, Nini!"  The costume garnered lots of attention.  :-)

Precious turned one in December.  We did our best to make it special.  

ED made the "smash cake" and took lots of photos which I haven't seen yet.  I grabbed this one over her shoulder.  I have funny videos of everyone encouraging her to get messy, including The Sailor Son crawling around on the floor demonstrating the smashing technique.  Too funny.  Even funnier was how she picked up the pieces and tried to put the cake back together!

 Mom and Dad are not getting any younger, but are happy and healthy which is such a blessing.

And we got to see Five and Batman for the first time in quite a while.  What a treat it was, and how much they've grown!

Just had to throw in this photo because of the Christmas cheer and the cuteness factor.  One of those Kodak moments.

Now on to 2019.  This is the treasure we picked up on New Year's Eve.  It's a 1952 Singer 301, complete with a spinet cabinet and matching stool.  A fabulous find on Craigslist.  I'm not sure how I got to it first, but I'm soooo happy.  Both machine and cabinet need work, a challenge, but fun as well.

Tomorrow we put away all the Christmas stuff, then back to normalcy.  Whatever that is......