Mega Piping foot

Just finished a sample for a workshop using the new Viking Mega Piping foot. The stitches are on the Viking menu J, heritage stitches. The appliqued flowers were on the denim when I purchased it. I like starting from a little added bling.

The foot is a large one and fun to use. The picture below shows the Mega Piping foot beside the regular zig zag foot. It makes putting on the large 1/2" piping easy.

For all that it was easy, I've put off doing this sample for awhile, not that I'm completing other projects. Doing other things, I guess. Once I saw the decorated denim in the store I could picture how I wanted to use Marie Duncan's idea.

Twelve degrees this morning and my truck is still frosted in spite of sunshine and nine o'clock. There may be some scraping before church. My Berea friends are talking about snow and Sarah in Asheville has lots, so I'm not complaining. Once again, we missed a big one.

Friday Fill-In # 161

Here are Friday Fill-Ins. Answers are in bold. And if you have a blog, try them out and let me know so I can come read yours.

1. Wouldn't it be easy to just walk out the door with a light sweater? Wouldn't it be fun to hear the fireworks when the Reds win? January's almost over. Spring is coming.

2. This year's Super Bowl is going to be better than ever! And maybe one day the Bengals will be there. Sigh.

3. I love the taste of potato chips. I never buy them, except for the occasional bag of Baked Lays, but if there is a bowl in front of me I always go for them. Especially the ruffled kind.

4. There's a Norfolk Island Pine in the living room. I got it for Sarah for Christmas but there wasn't room in the car when she packed to go back. I'm trying to find a saucer for the bottom of it, but it's January and these things are hard to find, so I stuck it in a Barnes and Noble bag. And no, I didn't buy a huge bag of books but I did buy some calendars.

5. The first thing we're going to do is make a plan. I was reminded this week of my friend Jessica's words, "Hope is not a plan." Followed by, "We need to make a binder." Good memories, Jess.

6. My kitchen faucet still goes drip, drip, drip, despite having Mike and Sarah and someone else take it apart. It wasn't a cheap faucet, either. It takes the little cartridges and those have been replaced but it still drips. Recently, though, the dripping has slowed down. Maybe the dripping will disappear as mysteriously as it started.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to putting together Aaron's quilt top, tomorrow my plans include working, then adding the leaves to Helen's quilt, and Sunday I want to make something really good to take to Journey Group.

Happy Friday, everyone.

Need More Turquoise

Playing with Aaron's quilt by laying it on the floor - the reason it looks a little off is because I need more turquoise flannel. Just a strip 7" wide to cut into squares, guess 1/4 yard will allow for any crookedness in the cut. I hadn't planned on making the quilt quite this big, but I have plenty of everything else and this seems like a nice size. It will probably be just right without a border, too.

I actually have more of the turquoise but it's already cut out to line a baby blanket. I can just see where it is in the fabric store and it's 30% off. I hope no one else has bought it in the meantime.

I used some of the turquoise to embroider six train cars. Like I mentioned earlier, Aaron loves trains.

It's getting cold again and I've realized that I forgot to turn off the outside faucets. I turned them off last night but the hoses, still attached, are frozen, and I can't drain the water. Guess I'll just have to hope for the best. I put turning off the faucets on my calendar so that won't happen again next year.

Ugh

I'm not satisfied with this sample of a tiny purse. The embroidery's really nice, and I could almost be happy with it except . . .


the first time around I put the snaps in upside down (left side.) I always have trouble visualizing how the snaps will work and it was especially bad this time since I didn't know how the purse would come together.

This one will probably be a do-over. But not today.

To Sarah

Sarah, I'll be sending these shower gifts to you tomorrow. Designs from Embroidery Library.

Quick trip through the Aquarium today. Personality differences surface regarding touching the starfish.

Nora at first said yes, then changed her mind to "no, I don't want to." She has a healthy respect for touching strange critters. Aaron, as usual, was eager. We hustled him past the shark-petting tank in order to get to lunch. He's always happy to spend some time there too.

Rainy, 51 degrees. Umbrellas, light jackets. Nice.

Mountains and Sky

Finally got to work on Helen's quilt again. There are is a mountain and some clouds where there were none before. And another mountain shaded with stitching and tulle. How can I not be happy?

And I went shopping for those little bits of things that I needed to work on my projects. Three pieces of tulle for the quilt above. A flannel bit for Aaron's quilt to match his sheets. Some Fray Check, eyelet, and ribbon to finish the latest burp cloths. Some bright green for a work sample. A remnant of some pretty denim to make a pillow for a workshop. I think I remembered everything.

Some really yummy things from my new Kroger too. A little Caesar salad from the salad bar. Olives, artichoke hearts, and grape leaves from the olive bar. Just a little, added to the salad. Soup from the soup bar, tomato with bits of veggies in it. Fun stuff.

Flour sack dishtowels from the new Kroger too. Who would have guessed it? I love using those for vintage redwork or other outlined embroidery. The KMart close to my house has stopped carrying them, so I have even less reason to shop there. I have a feeling that when the new Target opens in the same shopping plaza as the Kroger that the KMart will close soon after.

Friday Fill-In # 160

I've skipped a week or two, and it's fun to be doing Friday Fill-Ins again. Answers are in bold.

1. You have a chance to make change happen. Personal change, environmental change, political change. Scary, easier to sit on the couch, but you have that chance.

2. I'm making corn pudding and baked sweet potatoes right now. I did try to get a veggie burrito at the new Chipotle near here, but there were no parking places and the line was long. There was supposed to be a Panera in the same location but they backed out. Definitely not enough parking places in the plan.

3. There is a trip to IKEA coming up. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe Monday.

4. We can play now and pay later. Nothing wrong with play (or dessert) first. Can you say "P personality type?"

5. It's time to get back to work on Helen's quilt. Start with a secondary mountain behind the highest one. Lavender organza and thread painting.

6. Weekend plans are up in the air but it's going to be a good one. Can't remember the last time I had a three-day weekend, except for Christmas. Having Thursday off is nice but having Saturday off is better!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to dinner, grocery shopping, and starting a James Patterson book Alex Cross' Trial, tomorrow my plans include an early movie or a trip to IKEA, and Sunday I want to finish the hooded baby blanket I have cut out.

Happy Friday, everyone.