hello, my name is krista, and I am a sewing machine junkie

I stopped in at a thrift store yesterday with a specific plan to look at the sheets and get the hell out of there. But I got sidetracked. Big surprise. This aqua thing reached out and grabbed me.

I stood there for what seemed like forever, paralyzed by the argument going on in my head.

you already have a vintage, green machine almost exactly like this
yes, but that one only has straight-stitch capabilities, this one has much much more than that
ok, but the machine your grandmother gave you has all that fancy stuff
true... but just look at it, it's aqua
you even have your MOTHER'S machine riding around in the backseat of your car
shut up, conscience, you don't know me!

There were stares of disbelief as I plugged it in and played with every little feature. Works just fine, so far as I can tell. I'm no expert after all. I do know there is a big difference between "it runs" and "it sews beautifully." While in pretty rough shape, it came with tons of accessories and they were practically giving it away. Bottom line? At the very least, it will make an excellent display item in my [soon to be reclaimed] sewing room, up high on top of shelves filled with fabric.

The cotton yarn is for my mother, who loves to crochet dishcloths. The mug is for me, isn't is awesome? There's also a random 80s beach towel. I got the stacking baskets to use for organizational purposes. Don't you laugh at that!

Heather had mentioned using flat sheets as quilt backings in this post, which got me in the mood to go thrifting in the first place. I love using sheets as backing, they're big and they're cheap. The tan one is 100% cotton, so I plan on using it to back the quilt I'm making for my mom out of moda's Bliss line. The others are vintage and in great shape. I have a stack of DS Fairgrounds which I plan on making a quilt out of eventually, so either the blue or the green will work great for that.

Is it a crime to use a poly-blend, vintage sheet to back a higher quality cotton quilt top? I'm guessing it is, but as a deviant I enjoy breaking the law. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

WiP Wednesday - long time no linky

It's been a while since I linked up with Lee for a WiP Wednesday but I’m ready to get back to it. (Even though I'm late to the party...)

Completed:

Scrappy sheet coasters – started these way back when I had finished cutting all my pieces for my kaleidoscope quilt, using the scraps. All the fabric is vintage sheet material. Finally put the binding on the other day. It was my first go at bias binding, I just kind of winged it. There are pleated bits around the corners, so I’m pretty sure I did it wrong. But I love them and they’re almost too pretty to set drinks on.

i love these so so so much

Rose Star mini quilt – maybe I’ll enter it in Ellison Lane Quilts’ mini quilt challenge? I dunno.

Jen’s coasters – these little HSTS were made forever ago with no real project in mind, I was simply exploring an alternate method of making them. I wasn't in love with the lack of contrast (only the brown ones really pop) and stashed them away somewhere, never to be seen again... Until Friday morning when I busted them out and made coasters quick before I left to visit my friend Jen in her new apartment. They made a decent housewarming gift. It’s the thought that counts, right?

the brown one looks small, but i swear they were all the same size

Ongoing:

Punctuation quilt – needs binding

Summer Sampler Series quilt – I’m so close to finishing this thing that it’s ridiculous how long I’ve let it sit on my design wall, untouched. All the blocks are bordered in grey, and half of them are quilted. (I'm doing this one QAYG). Maybe I’ll work on it tonight now that I’ve brought it up again.

Across the Sea quilt – Block subunits made and ready for assembly. I bought the fabric with plans to make my mom a quilt for mother’s day… in 2010. I started the ATSQAL thinking I’d have it finished for mother’s day 2011, but didn’t get there. Then I promised it would be finished this year for Christmas. No dice. How long do I have before mother’s day 2012? I'll need to get on that.

Drunkard’s Path quilt – should have been a Christmas gift but I couldn’t get it quilted in time. I started and ripped it out twice and still can’t decide on how quilt it or what color thread to use. I’m paralyzed. I spent SO MUCH TIME piecing and I don’t want to ruin it with bad quilting.

Rose Star blocks – I have two made but no plans on what to do with them.

Hexie quilt – 50ish hexie flowers done, seven of which have borders. I haven’t done the math on measurements or set any kind of timeframe, so this will probably be a decade-long project. At best.

Stats:
Completed Projects - 3
New Projects - 0
Ongoing Projects - 6

Yikes. Talk about a reality check.