Welcome June, In-Progress Stackers and Tumblers

Miniature Roses are in full bloom this week in Sewtopia.

 We in the Southwest Pennsylvania area lament the early June weather being fickle. Warm one day, cool the next, storms punctuating the week. Of course, The Pittsburgh Arts Festival runs at this time. I am always concerned for the artists with delicate and dampness sensitive items. How do you keep them safe from gusts of wind and raindrops? This year we have a sweet art installation of umbrellas. The header photo on the blog shows this piece. Sunshine dappled through the colored fabrics make it look fantasy-like. So innovative.

Busy week in Sewtopia. The built-in obsolescence of modern appliances has struck. Again I am replacing my clothes dryer. Three years I think, three years of use from the last one. Ridiculous. Anyway, that led to a major clean out of the laundry room. Lots of purging and moving things around. Then the recliner chair in the sewing space decided to give up the fight. It is 25 years old and the upholstery remains good but the lift mechanism has broken. So it had to go as well. I didn't realize just how much space it occupied. So that led to more purging and clean up.

I did manage to get some work done though, I finished piecing and basted the Stackers quilt.

all clamped and ready to pin, still my favorite basting method

We joke that one of the garages has turned into an annex of Sewtopia! 💙The large space is just right for setting up the large cutting table and using the Skewer Method of basting. I cover the floor with drop cloths, roll the table out there and gather my clamps and pins. It works, for now. I am always looking for a better method. I saw one using pool noodles in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep. It was on facebook. The process is similar to the board basting method, just using pool noodles. I actually think it might be better in some ways but I'll work on that when I get all these UFO's done.

 When I ordered the parlor cabinet for Rachel I ordered an insert to convert her to a flat bed machine, perfect for piecing. It finally came this week. It fits perfectly. What an amazing improvement for my process. I have the mini tumbler project there now and work if and when I can while cooking dinner or in the evenings. I am a happy sewist.

 There is a little glitch though. The lift mechanism on the cabinet stops a few inches too low for the placement and I fixed that by using my health care providers Providers Catalog to lift Rachel just high enough. Now I will remember where I put that book when I need it.

 I have mentioned in the past reviews of the Baby Lock Rachel that the lighting is terrible. It really is. So I added an Ott Light to the set up. Works for me until or unless I come up with something else. Why would the designers be so nonchalant with the lighting? I think I know.....they don't sew👎

Tumbler blocks all in a row. I hear thunder. Oh, my.
      

The process of making half square triangles with two large squares is not a new process but this person has updated it a bit. You might want to take a look....magic eight half square triangles

Stitch On!