Dads Zag Zag and a Broken Heart

My wife made me do it.  She forced me Saturday to finish my quilt.  I have been collecting Blacks, grays, and black on whites to make some quilts for my brother in laws and friends.  Paisley Parade was the first of those quilts completed.  Now mine is done.  I am sure there are some that look at my name and want to know if I typoed and No I didn't.  I dreamed up the pattern while dreaming one night and decided to go with a Zag and then another Zag for some reason it made a lot of sense while I was sleeping.  If you look at the quilt (Yes worst picture I have taken, but I have a cold and just not up to taking more.  I will take more photos later and post more. )  If you look at all the rows going at a diagonal to the right it goes down 4 blocks and then Zags to the left.  Then it goes down 5 blocks to the left and Zags again to the right.  This is I guess my gift from wife to me for Valentines.  She actually sewed the X's in a few of the blocks.  Any way one thing of note is on all the Zags that as colors come in from right and left none of the rows are repeated.  In total I believe their was 15 or 16 total blocks.  Quilt is 50 inches by 70 inches.  And will make me a great lap blanket.

But all was not grand when it came to my quilts existence. It has as of yet, only been washed once.  It really needs a 2nd time to make it shine.  Last night I had my son throw the quilt in the wash.  He asked if he could put any thing else in with it, wife said yes and off he went.  About 10 pm I went to put it in the dryer and the washing machine was not working, it was displaying a error code.  I am sure their are many out there saying I told you so.  Don't wash rag quilts in your own machine.  Any way I was up until after 2 am trying to figure out how and why it was not working and then ended up calling into work to get it repaired.

My wife stressed that the rag quilt broke the machine.  When the repair guy got here he told me the pump was broken and that he needed to replace it.  So he went back to his shop got the pump and came back.  After hours of stewing about it, he pulled the machine apart.  I expected to find parts of my quilt clogging up the machine.  But instead what I find is a broken heart.  Such a appropriate thing to do on the day before valentines.  So the machine died of a broken heart. (For those that are not yet understanding the reference) in the picture above you can see the pump and the Heart found in it that tore its heart out.

Linking to
http://quiltstory.blogspot.com/2012/02/fabric-tuesday-is-now-on-come-link-up.html
http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2012/02/finish-it-up-friday-week-15.html
http://emsewandsew.blogspot.com/2012/02/stitch-in-time-february-finishes-linky.html
http://www.amylouwhosews.com/2012/02/sew-tell-v319-scrappy-fish-quilt.html
http://sewhappygeek.co.uk/index.php/2012/02/20/manic-monday-linky-party-and-do-you-want-to-learn-to-knit/

Just another Monday Picture #3

Just another Monday Picture #3


Rating the image will give you the chance to rate other pictures I have taken on my family picture site.  This is my version of a Word less Post Day Happy Quilting.  As for me I will be spending the day with the family.

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All gummed up, HELP!

I did it.  I sewed too much and got it all gummed up.  It started sputtering and kicking and rocking and then it stopped.  Hum my new best friend died on me.  Not being one that is feint of heart I opened her up and did some doctoring.  I do not know how or why but my thread decided to stop sewing into my quilt and started wrapping up into a knot inside my machine.  You can see on the right here I pulled her apart and looked inside.  I was not smart enough to record what I did, but in the second shot below I showed you where.   In my picture the red arrow is pointing at where it all went wrong.  That arm attaches to that other arm thingy, but because thread wound up on the right side it pushed the arm right off the side.

Once I got it all out and attached the arm back on (which was no easy feat she was again alive)  That was a week ago.  Sure why do I bring it up now?  My wife has been telling me that the reason that she can't sew is that she breaks sewing machines.  While I was off running honey do's today (which included buying material for my son more on that later) my wife calls all in a panic and says she killed my sewing machine. To prove it she holds the phone up to the machine and lets me her it crying in pain.

Needless to say my wife managed to do the same thing I did.  I showed her how to pull it apart and fix it and walked into the other room.  10 min later she tells me she broke it again?  OK maybe she is a little rough on it.  I come in the room to her showing me how the bobbin case is springing out of the machine and attacking her.  After 20 min of checking and playing and fussing with the machine, I realize that one big problem is that the needle is bent.  I look around and to my surprise I can't find any more needles.  So off to the store I go (Late at night this time) and luck has it Walmart is open and surprise it has this generic needle thing and it seems to work.

My slave driving wife, made me start this morning on my rag quilt and it was her mission in life that I had to complete it today. (Being Saturday)  and I am proud to say after all that blocked me, I have it sewed together now being 12:22 in the morning I am tired.  So its sewed I need to cut it up (rag quilt) and then wash it a couple times and then I will show it off (most likely Tuesday) maybe Monday.

So here I am new and dumb.  I busted (not the wife) my machine a couple times.  In pulling it apart today, I cleaned out a ton of crap in the bobbin area and picked out tons of loose and wild thread ,but there was lint dust bunny's every where.  What is the proper way of taking care of my baby?  The bobbin that we were using that bent the needle kept jamming up the machine (it might have been too full?) Any way it came out and the thread came out and new thread and new bobbin and its now working.

I need to be educated on proper care of my machine.  Do I need to pet it just right? Does it need a bath once a week?  What do I do to keep it from screaming in pain.  Why does my thread get all wadded up (yes this is now the 3rd time that arm thingy came off) HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I WON, the Wife won more

Today I would like to start out and say "I WON!!" On February 2nd  on this post you can read ffmq-winners  " Prize #4, Fat Quarter Shop $50 Gift Certificate goes to #1, Richard of Richard Quilts" I was so excited and yet so unsure of what to get.   My wife is finally getting more excited about this quilting and I told her to look around and find what she wanted and that she could pick what we got.  She picked this Fat Quarter bundle called Twirl.  My wife is so funny, she spent $120 on this bundle so I ended up paying about $70.  So not only I won, but she won from me.  I took 2 pictures of the bundle one with my cutting blade so you could see how huge this stack is.  We definitely have a little material to make her a quilt.

One good note in this is I was able to get 2 more black prints in this bundle that I chopped up Thursday night for my Rag Quilt that my wife insists I make next.  Something about I need something for myself, before I make something for someone else.  After cutting up the blocks and not sewing x's in the ones she pinned she sat down for the first time and sewed.  Yes my wife has finally caught the bug and turned into a quilter.  YEA!

Besides what my wife sewed, Thursday I spent the night making the first "Swap" Block I have ever made.  I stressed over this a little too much I think.  I have not mailed it yet, going to do that tonight after work. Or during lunch.  I have joined 2 swaps.  One here in the USA and one in Australia  http://quiltingblockswapsaustralia.blogspot.com/  My USA swap will start next month but I was lucky enough to make it into this months swap on the Australia one my first swap I get to do this month.  Any way the last picture of today is my sneak peak for the block I completed.  Off to The Netherlands it will go.  I cant wait to see what shows up for me.

Addition to original post so one more picture. While the last day has been busy while waiting for Friday to pass with my Link A Finish Friday I got a package in the mail.  I was excited to win a new Quilting Book "Loose Change". Which gives many neat ideas to make quilts from Nickels, Dimes, and Fat Quarters.  From what I have read so far its got some great ideas.  I was able to get this book from winning a Giveaway here http://simplifyandquilt.blogspot.com/2012/01/300th-post-giveaway.html I enjoy reading all of the blogs, I now have on my blog list and would suggest if you have never been over to Andra's blog that you stop by and check it out she has made some marvelous quilts.

Link A Finish Friday #3

Being over ambitious as a new quilter and blogger, I have set a goal to finish at least 1 something a week.  Be that a quilt, a mug rug or if all else fails a good sandwich.  Wait that won't work.  Lets try it again.  1 quilt, a mug rug, a um well something sewn.  Any way that will be 52 finishes for the year.  My 2012 Finishes will be where I list them all.  But what I want to know is how many of you can keep up the pace with me and finish 52 things for the year.  What better way to keep up then to 1 work on your quilts, and 2 share those with others.  Being a web developer by trade, I know how important a link to another blog is (hint linking to me makes me happy) and I want you all to make sure you have at least 1 person look at your finish. (that's me). I will make a honorable attempt to look at every finish added to my list and try to make a comment on most of them. At the very least I will follow the blog of every one that links a finish.

So for the rules.

1) Who likes rules. Toss them out.
2) Add a link to your blog or where every you store your pictures.
3) Visit a few of the finishes and comment or encourage them on.

Not Required but fun to do

1) Follow my blog.
2) Follow the blog of all those that link.
3) Link back to my blog.
4) No finish, go quilt and stop reading the web.