A Quilt Finish - Kintergarten Art Quilt

I am happy to say I am finished with this quilt, except for a label!  Its different than any quilt I've ever made.  I would describe it as bright, bold, and striking.  It looks like basket weaves.

Here's the original art work.  The quilt looks a lot like it! I should have turned the quilt the other way when taking the picture so it would match, but then it would have dragged on the ground. 

This picture shows the backing fabric.  It was the only fabric I could find that would work and it turned out to be perfect.  It has the same pattern as the front of the quilt, just no purple and red.

Now on to the next grandchild's quilt.  Here's a sneak peek.

I am linking this post to Monday Making at the "Love Laugh Quilt" blog.

Sewing Machine Story - Roger's Sewing Machine

I have a "new to me" sewing machine!  She's a beauty and here is her story.

The machine is inside this beautiful wooden cabinet.

My sister gave it to me.  She bought it at an estate sale, but not just any estate sale.  The person who's estate sale it was sold at was her boyfriend, Roger.  Both Roger and my sister had lost their spouses a while before they met, and had only been dating about a year when he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.  He only lived about 6 months after that.

It was one of the saddest stories, because they were in love, and had already lost their spouses.  They really enjoyed doing things together before he became ill.  It broke my heart when she told me that the last time she saw him, he was being transported to a different hospital by ambulance and had asked her to watch the ambulance until he was completely out of sight.  She did and he died later that day, before she could get to where he had been transported.

So this sewing machine actually belonged to his first wife, but was included in the estate sale after he died.  My sister went to the estate sale and to quote her, she said, "I could NOT just leave the sewing machine there".   In fact she saw the machine the first day of the sale and could not get the machine out of her mind.  So she ended up going back the next day and bought the machine.  I feel honored that she gave me the machine and love that it has a story.

Another story that my sister shared with me is that Roger had told her that somehow he would let her know he was ok after he died.  Just a few days later she was working in her flower bed and a blue bird perched very near her and just stayed there near her for several minutes.  If you know anything about blue birds or any wild bird, for that matter, they do not come over close to a person and just sit there looking at them.    So my sister firmly believes that the bluebird was a sign from God that Roger was ok.

Roger's Sewing Machine

This sewing machine is a Singer, Model 15-91.  HERE'S a link to the Singer website where I can order all the parts I would ever need.  At the top of the page it says:

  "The SINGER Model 15-91 Was the Top of The Line Machine in The 1940's Decade. It Featured the SINGER Famous Direct Drive Gear Motor. Millions of 15-91 Machines are still in Use Today Throughout The World."


However, when I checked the serial number of my machine on THIS Singer Sewing Machine Serial Number site, it says my machine was made in 1951. 

There are definitely no plastic parts and this machine is bound to be a workhorse!  There is already a box full of attachments and other things, so I hopefully I have everything I need to start sewing.  I also have the original handbook!

Box of attachments, etc., the handbook, and key that locks the cabinet.

I'm looking forward to sewing with Roger's sewing machine and am planning to make a simple mug rug as the first official project that I will make with it.


So I wonder if you have ever had a first hand experience of having a sign from God?  I have had my own and I bet you have too.

The Power of Five Minutes

My black and gray fabrics organized through the power of five minutes.

 The title to this post came to me the other day after my post about list making.  I checked it by searching through Swagbucks and of course I'm not the first person to use that title!   There are also these titles:  The Power of 10 Minutes and The Power of 15 minutes.  So then the title, "Five Minute Miracle" came to me, so I checked that one as well....... Um No.  I didn't want to use that one either.  Oh well, this post is my own take on spending 5 minutes getting things done.

I don't want to come across as wanting you to be constantly hustling and working and striving.  No, not at all.  If anything, this is the lazy way to get work done.  I just know that for me I can do 5 minutes (or 10 or 15 or more) consistently and get things done.

Here are some ideas:

1. I've always loved the idea of spending 15 minutes a day on a certain project or housework job.  I first learned this trick from Emilie Barnes (Author) and then more recently from the Flylady.  (www.flylady.net)   But, honestly, some days after work, I am just too tired, either physically or mentally, or both, to even spend 15 minutes.  BUT... 5 minutes, that I can usually do.

2.  After spending 5 minutes, I often keep going because I start to feel that great feeling of accomplishment when I see the progress.  Even if I only do 5 minutes, it adds up.

3.  No need for a timer.  I just glance at the time, add 5 minutes to it in my mind, and when I reach that time, I stop.  (Or maybe keep going.  See #2)

4.  The biggest hurdle to working for 5 minutes is to know what you are going to do!  It could take me 5 minutes or more to figure out what I should do, which kind of defeats the purpose.   So I've started keeping a list of 5 minute jobs for certain areas.  Or I try to think ahead to what I can do for 5 minutes in whatever room I am concentrating on at the time.

I am currently organizing and cleaning in my sewing room and this is a list of 5 minute jobs I can do in there.

Organize one drawer or shelf
Trim scraps into usable sizes
Dust one small area
Fill bobbins for quilting or sewing
Put things where they belong for 5 minutes
Quilt for 5 minutes
Chain stitch quilt blocks
Do a quick 5 minute vacuum of the floor.
Throw away some quilt batting scraps
Organize yarn into one container.  (currently in 3 places)

Here is one drawer that I organized in 2 five minute time periods.  I just sorted them into color families and threw away a few pieces.

I use a lot of 2 1/2 inch wide strips and having them organized is a big help when making a scrap quilt.

Before:  Just thrown in the drawer.

After:  A little easier to find what I need.

I came to the conclusion that there are a lot of ugly fabrics in this drawer!  But, placed in the right  color combination in a project, they will be pretty. 

5.  Sometimes the 5 minute slot of time becomes available when we are waiting for other things to happen.  Such as waiting for the microwave to finish, oven timer to go off, or waiting for clothes to de-wrinkle in the dryer, or waiting for someone to finish getting ready to go somewhere, when you are already ready to go.  Or while in the drive through at the bank or restaurant, you can dust the area of the car right in front of you.  Just keep a dusting cloth nearby.   The secret is to be aware of these times and also to have an idea of what you can do without having to figure that out. (see #4)

6.  When you see something that needs to be done, go ahead and write it down on your 5 minutes jobs list because if you are like me, you won't think about it again until that job starts to bug you later on.

7.  You've heard of a backlog, I am sure.  Why not create a FRONT log?  Here is the definition:

1. Frontlog is typically used as a verb to indicate that you're going to do things sooner than later, even sooner than necessary. That way they are done, and out of the way. Let's frontlog this work because we know we're going to require several iterations before we get it right, so we don't want to wait for the last minute to start.
   
   

Create a list of things you can do ahead of time.  Just small things that only take about 5 minutes.   Think ahead to what you have coming up that you can go ahead and be working on.   For example, recently while at Dollar General, I went ahead and bought all the birthday cards I will need for the rest of the year.

8.   At work I have a list of little things I can do as the end of the day is approaching.  The reason for this is that I may be tired, but need to keep working.  There are always some little things I can do that don't take much brain power and will allow me to coast until the work day is over, but not feel like I am a slacker.  It gives me a sense of accomplishment to check off these small things and to make good use of all the time right up until the end of the day.

This idea is good at home too.  Save some easy 5 minute jobs for when you are tired, but want to keep on going.

9.  Delegate some 5 minute jobs.  Most of the time family and friends don't mind helping you out if the job is only going to take them 5 minutes!  And you won't mind asking them since there's not a big time investment involved.

10.   Don't limit yourself to just 5 minutes, if you have the time and energy.  This weekend I am still quilting the "Kindergarten Art Quilt" and I found myself quilting for 20 minutes at the time.  This way I give both myself and the sewing machine a break which helps me to not get burned out on the project.  I'm three fourths of the way through with the quilting!  I hope to be binding it next weekend, since I will be quilting for short periods both before and after work.

Have a great week!