Thursday, June 25, 2015

More of the Same, and Remembering

The scrap piles don't look much smaller than they did last week. There's a pile of cut pieces on the right side of the sewing machine.

And one canvas bin that's still a jumbled mess because I keep rooting around through it. 

But my design wall is filling up! The Scrap Vortex blocks are getting larger and chunkier (we're on week four of the quilt-along) and My Small World is growing. You can see it on the right, though it's difficult to tell where Scrap Vortex ends and My Small World begins! 

I've now completed Section 2 (of six sections) of My Small World. In keeping with my aim to give it a Florida feel, I used a couple palm fabrics, and fussy cut squares of a flamingo, and a beach chair. 

The colorful cabanas in the middle were hand appliquéd, as were four petals. My favorite method is back-basting needle turn appliqué. If you haven't tried it, here's a good tutorial.

This darling little Janome Derby sewing machine arrived yesterday after I succumbed to MassDrop's discounted price. The machine weighs less than five pounds and is available in many different colors. The "turbo teal" spoke to me.
I think it will be perfect to tote to my weekly Big Cypress Quilters meeting. Though a disadvantage is that it doesn't have a light, MassDrop is helping with that too as I've ordered a rechargeable, cordless LED lamp. Yep, I like shopping at MassDrop.

Last evening I made a practice quilt block that turned out too small. Seems I still need to figure out how to find an accurate quarter inch, since the machine has only one foot.

On an altogether different topic, today is a personal remembering day. This photo, taken in May 2002 in Austin, Texas, when our son received his master's degree in structural engineering from the University of Texas, is the last one I ever took of my mother. By December, died from non-Hodgkins lymphoma which she had fought and sent into remission twice previously. 
Today would have been her 85th birthday. My Dad, siblings, and I are missing her more than we can express, and think of her with much love. She was the best mother, and the one to whom I owe my ability and love for sewing. Linda

11 comments:

  1. aww. Sweet remembrances of your mom. It's hard going on w/o them, isn't it?

    Your scraps on the other hand are amazing - are you going for king size? ;-)

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  2. Your beautiful photo of your beautiful mother brings back memories of the last photo taken of my mother and I, taken one her 88th birthday.....Your Small World is being swallowed up by a vortex, a tornado or typhoon!!! I like that curvy piece there in the centre!

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  3. Life's never the same when your mum's no longer around. But I bet you have a world of memories of her.

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  4. My mom's birthday was June 7 and I find I'm wishing I could talk to her more and more often.

    Love the Scrap Vortex and I definitely should have been part of that Sew Along!

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  5. What a great picture of 2 people you love and a nice remembrance. I love your scrap vortex, you have been going to town on it girl!

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  6. I love the little machine and the color as well. You will enjoy carrying such a lightweight machine with you. The photo of your dear mother with Brent is wonderful. I can't believe that happened in 2002! Time goes by much too quickly. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. You are on a roll with the Vortex. WOW it looks really big! Love that little teal sewing machine. My old Bernina is on the blink. Maybe I should look into something cute like that to be my backup for retreats. lol Losing your mom is never easy, and especially when she was your teacher and best friend. I know too how hard that is. Mine went way too early in her life.

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  8. Thinking of you as you remember your Mom.

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  9. That is unimpressive design wall with a lot of sewing! I am so pleased that you have nice memories to hold onto about your mother and that she passed on the love of sewing.

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  10. I am so sorry for the loss of your mother Linda - my own died in 2004 and there is rarely a day that I don't think about her and long to hear her voice. She too was a stitcher and passed on that legacy to me. Love your little machine. :) blessings, marlene

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  11. Lost my Mom in 2006. It's always tough no matter what. Love the little blue machine. I could use something small and light weight for sew days. Lugging my old Bernina is a pain. Are you happy with how it works?

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