Wyoming Breezes

Two empty 3000 yard spools amounted to the  thread used in 2022: full spool for comparison I emptied only two spools/cones of thread in 2022, but one of the spools was new and held 3,000 yards of thread and the other had about half or 1,500 yards. The empty spools/cones allowed me to make fourteen  Quilts of Valor  and some small projects for myself and friends as well as do some mending.  It’s interesting to compare my thread usage over the years.               2021 spools                          2020 spools                2019 spools                2018 spools              2017 spools On Wednesday, I cleaned and oiled the older sewing machine and swapped it with the one I normally take to retreats. I like to use each of them similar amounts of time...

May 2021 Last week, I was notified that my sewing machine was repaired ready to pick up. Several weeks ago, the feed dogs refused to pull the fabric through, and the stitches bunched up and the thread knotted. Of course, my machine didn't act up when the technician ran it through its paces, but it was thoroughly cleaned and oiled and given a clean bill of health. Making Ritzy Cracker blocks with patriotic fabrics from the 5 inch square scrap bin seemed a good way to test the machine and also eliminate some scraps. The machine is running well, and my fingers are crossed that a good cleaning resolved the issues. 

outdoor flag repair August 2020 I spent some time on Monday repairing several of my outdoor flags. I have several and change them with the seasons. My apartment faces west, so the flags take a beating in the Fall and Winter. I've discovered that a small zig zag stitch protects the flags much better than the straight stitch the manufacturer uses. By repairing the hems this way, I am able to extend the life of the flags. I continue the stitches up the sides to the mid-way point. It's the bottom of the flapping flag that takes a beating.  Just like with every product, the older flags in my collection are made of a thicker and better quality fabric: the newer ones are flimsy and are damaged more easily. 

August 2018 My sewing machine hasn't been used for over a month, but on Friday, I moved the pile of "stuff" around it to sew a couple of curtain hems. Most of the windows in my new apartment are covered with vertical blinds. When I bought my previous home 25 years ago, all the windows had vertical blinds, and I grew to detest them because they do not provide a lot of privacy. To my dismay, vertical blinds haven't improved much. The master bedroom in my new apartment has a patio with a sliding door that faces a sidewalk, and outside the door is a flood light that has a motion sensor. For the first week in the apartment, I struggled getting adequate sleep, as the flood light came on frequently (there a tree near the sensor), and the vertical blinds did little to darken the room. The only solution (other than unscrewing the bulb) was to add curtains to darken the room. I found a pair of curtain panels at a local thrift shop for $5 that I thought would block the l...

pressor foot with quarter-inch guide Sewing machines are sold with several standard presser feet, but specialized feet can also be purchased for many brands of machines. I purchased a Quarter-Inch foot with a seam guide soon after I obtained my machine. The foot allows me to have consistent quarter-inch seams for quilting. I'd guess that nearly 90% of my sewing is done with this presser foot.

my sewing room January 2017 My sewing space, a 9 x 12 foot room, was once a guest bedroom, but it was rarely used. Once the trundle bed was removed, I gradually found a layout that worked in the small room, and I began sewing even more. On the north wall is the pressing station that is actually two portable bookshelves and a large pressing board on the top. ( photo in this earlier post )  I was working on a Quilt of Valor backing when the photo above was taken. To the right of the pressing board is my cutting station, a folding table on bed-risers to bring it to a comfortable height for me. I store finished quilts and yarn under the table: rulers and essentials are the table's far right as well as a wall full of reminders and notes. south wall The south wall has a portable shelving unit (four shelves) where I store my fabric stash. The old cotton shower curtain keeps direct sunlight off of the fabric. My machine cabinet was a yard sale purchase: the machine bed has a ...

Kurt E. cleans and conditions my Bernina August 2016 Marilyn usually has her sewing machine cleaned at quilt shop in her area, and since I was in Denver last week, I asked if the technician was scheduled to be at the quilt shop. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to be at the shop until September, so Marilyn asked if he made "house calls." I was thrilled to sit in her kitchen and watch him clean and condition my two Berninas. Last year, I had my oldest machine (purchased in 2004) "cleaned" at a dealer in Casper, WY.  At Marilyn's kitchen table, Kurt, a certified Bernina technician, discovered they hadn't done a very good job: the gear controlling the bobbin was clogged with gunk. He surmised the "cleaning" was only cosmetic and that they hadn't taken the cover off of the machine. My newer machine was purchased in September 2015 and just needed a bit of a tune-up and oiling. I sat and watched Kurt take the machines down their chassis,...