Pink Ugly Number 1 is finished. I bound the edges and it is hanging on the front porch right now.

 Back and

front. I am not sure why the pictures I take on the front porch are cloudy, but the one I took the other day at the back of the house was bright. I am glad it is done, and I am really tired of pink. I was quilting at it longer than usual, but I didn't stick to it any length of time until the last couple of days.. Since it is still early I will have time to do some weaving, I didn't yesterday and I missed it. It's amazing how fast it is going with just ten to fifteen minutes a day.
Now I will do some piecing to use up the bobbins on Juki, before I baste the next top which will be Tumbling Blocks. This is in keeping with my Quilt the Top As It Gets Done policy. This winter I will be able to get some of the backlog caught up because it won't be warm enough to weave. Sad, summer is almost over, the kids are about to go back to school, and Sammy will be starting school. David is making plans for this winter already. I really like the warmth of summer, I can never get warm all winter, the hot weather never bothers me, but I have to work on being content because there is nothing I can do about it. Oh well.

I finished quilting Pink Ugly Number 1 this morning.

I'll have a better picture of it tomorrow after I trim the edges and bind it. It went pretty fast at the end, I hadn't been working on it much until the last two or three days and then finished it all in a rush. Next is piecing a back for Tumbling Blocks and basting it. I need to spend more time on quilting, I am getting nowhere on my backlog. However the glow of finishing the quilting on one of them is quite nice.
I don't know if I am going to get any weaving time in today, but even if I don't, I have it to look forward to, always a pleasure!

From a side view, level with the weaving we can actually get a good look at how the weaving is progressing.

I am about halfway through the 2nd pattern repeat and I plan to do 2 more. It has been so long since I wove anything but rag rugs I am really having to step up my skills. My selvedges are still loopy and I need to pay more attention to them for improvement. I am enjoying it tremendously and from now on I plan to always either have a warp on the loom or be working on putting one on.
Yesterday the boys came down and we did clay. We got noisy and dirty and had a blast. School starts in just over a week. We will miss them a lot.

Rose is going to a sale this weekend so I am trying to get a bunch of stuff ready. I think that I should get a bumper sticker that says: "I'd rather be quilting." Or maybe weaving. But I must remember not to complain or even feel like complaining, life is pretty good. So I am trying fabric baskets in different shapes and different decorations I have put some shells on a set of them, and we will see how they are received.
I am expecting the little boys downstairs at any time, I told them that we could do clay this week, and I have been glad to put it off for a couple of days because of what I have done to my hand this week. I need to clean greenware and get ready to do a bisque fire, and I can do that when they are doing their sculpting. We all enjoy it, and they get very proud of themselves as they should be. What a joy children are, I love every minute.

Still filled with the glow of finishing the Tumbling Blocks top yesterday, I sorted out the next batch of blocks partially completed.

Already sewn and such large pieces makes the finishing of a top pretty fast, and I think I have enough blocks nearly put together for 2 tops. This winter I will spend a lot more time quilting the tops than piecing, but for now, while it is warm enough, I want to do more in the basement. I did some weaving this morning, but I scalded my thumb this morning, and didn't get as much done as I wanted to.
When I showed Ambrosina the Tumbling Blocks top she said "That's a lot of orange", and maybe it is but I still like it, although orange has never been my favorite color either. Since the fabrics are all scraps from someone else's sewing I think that the colors I am using challenge my design and sewing skills. A person can't grow and improve without challenges, so i am content with using what I have. I feel that I am blessed with what I have, so I don't intend to complain.

Here it is in all its Tumbling glory.

Ready for quilting, it will be quilted next. And now the fun of deciding what I will work on now. I have enough of the two piece diamonds to make a several more quilts, and I think that I will work through the tub of those and see how many different ways I can put them together. That's the fun part. I don't dread the "y" seam like so many people do. Maybe it's because I have done so much garment construction, I don't know but I think that they are kind of fun.

This is the beginning of a double bobbin boat shuttle David is making me to weave with, it's going to be beautiful.

Ambrosina has planted some clematis out back that she's training on to trellis' on the back porch, I think that they are lovely. This morning she bought me a humming bird feeder to put out there when we get it cleaned up, but that  probably won't be until next spring, I am going to have some Adirondack chairs out there, and maybe on nice days I will slide the treadle out there and sew in the fresh air; or maybe by then I will have found a little handcrank machine that i can carry back and forth to use, because I have one on my list of must have vintage machines. Can't help it, sewing machines have always fascinated me, and if I have to take something out the backdoor when I bring something in the front then I will!!

David likes to surprise me.

He got this off of Amazon for me, it came this morning and needless to say I have been engrossed with it all morning and afternoon. I did take some time to weave, I am well into the second pattern repeat.
I also took some time to work on the tumbling blocks top, and I sewed my finger!owwww. Worst I've ever done it, not the first as many years as I have been sewing it happens, but never this bad. Blame any typos on that. I had hoped to finish the top today, but decided to take a break to stop the blood flow. And to read in my new book, of course.

It's been a very quiet day. I have had a headache most of the day, and even the boys seem tired and subdued. They are really missing their Mom and Dad. This is the last night and they will be home tomorrow.
This morning I pulled these out of the kiln.

A bird house and feeder, I am going to make some more bird houses and David is going to mount them on a post for me.
These are my two little boys sculptures.

That is a sculpture of a hot dog made by Malachi, the picture is not very good, and it is very small, and detailed.

And this is a pancake with butter on top made by Sam, I am sure they will paint them this coming week if Ambrosina will let them, she is still a little annoyed about the paint they poured out on the floor of the back porch not too long ago.
Other than that there hasn't been a lot going on today, hopefully tomorrow I will feel a little bit better and can accomplish something.

No sewing today. I am spending the day in the unfinished part of the basement doing a glaze firing. I have to do a glaze firing when Ambrosina is gone because the glaze gives her a terrible headache. I have a vented fan over the kiln, but it still gets upstairs enough to bother her. So I am firing, and cleaning. Haven't done a thorough cleaning over there in quite a while and the little boys like to come down and do clay with me, so it will be easier when I have stuff put away. Or thrown away. I filled another box for Goodwill.
I am also doing a little bit of weaving when I get tired of cleaning.

Every once in a while a thread breaks, this can be from a variety of reasons, I am not sure why this one broke, but it is an easy fix and after the piece comes off the loom I will just weave the ends in with a needle and the break will be invisible. I am pleased with how much I have done and how it is turning out, although I found two threading mistakes they are not glaring.
Tomorrow I will be upstairs sewing again, because both the little boys will be home. Sunday Ambrosina and Leon come home and life will be back to normal. I hope they are having a good time.

Today is one of the days that Happy the sewer's friend is annoyed with me for sewing on HER quilt on HER sewing table.

I tried to convince her that the table was actually made for me, but it didn't work. Pink Ugly number 1 is probably about half quilted, it's actually going pretty fast when I take the time to sit down and work on it. Mostly I've been weaving and doing things in the basement while it is still warm enough, but with Ambrosina and Leon gone I've been upstairs more to help with the kids.

These are coasters/trivets that I make using the same method as the fabric bowls, they will go to a sale too, I don't make a lot, but they are fast and every little bit helps. I've got some other ideas in mind and I will see how they go.
Tomorrow I am planning to do a glaze firing, because the kids will be over at Grandma's and I won't be needed to help watch the boys. I have to do it while Ambrosina is gone because the glaze gives her a headache, so tomorrow will work pretty well. It will be a while after that before I need to do a glaze firing, and a bisque firing doesn't bother her.
It's hard to believe school will be starting in a couple of weeks, after that is fall and then it will soon be getting too cold to work down in the unfinished part of the basement. I have to make hay while the sun shines.

Three rows of Tumbling blocks joined together and only two more to go. I still have to make corner pieces and fill ins for the sides and ends, but that won't take long. It is not one of my bigger quilts, but I have made a lot of big ones lately and small makes a nice change. It won't take as long to quilt either, and that is a nice change too.
The weaving is coming along nicely and very enjoyable.
Ambrosina and Leon have gone away for almost a week to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary which is tomorrow. David and I celebrate our 42nd anniversary tomorrow, but we aren't doing anything special, only enjoying the boys. Gramps is making pancakes for dinner because Sammy loves pancakes.

This is one of my fabric baskets. I am in the process of sewing shells around the top, but it is not a very good picture, we are talking of getting a better camera. I have two smaller bowls to sew shells onto and they will be ready for Rose to take and sell. They are not exactly the sort of thing that I like, but tastes differ, and there are plenty of things I like that other people don't. Antique sewing machines to name one!

The Tumbling Blocks blocks are off the wall and being joined into rows on Ernestine.

Ernestine is a 1908 New Automatic treadle and I enjoy working with her very much. The Tumbling Blocks quilt top is the 6th top I have sewn on her since I got her a year ago. I am in no hurry to finish this top because I can't quilt it yet anyway, I am already working on quilting a quilt, but I probably will be able to get the one I am quilting done over the next week. I'll be upstairs a lot more the rest of the week since Ambrosina and Leon are going away for their 15th anniversary tomorrow.
For David and I it is our 42nd wedding anniversary tomorrow, and we are celebrating by watching the two of the 3 boys so Ambrosina and Leon can get away. Phillip will stay with Grandma and Grampa Leon's parents. We would watch all three, but the kids arranged it this way, and it's no problem either way. We have a very good relationship with both our son-in-law and his parents. We consider them some of our closest friends and it works out very well.
So I won't be weaving much this week, but I don't mind, I can enjoy the anticipation almost as much as the weaving, and I know that it will wait for me!

This is Ernestine, she is a 1908 New Automatic treadle and I have had her about a year. In that year I have pieced 2 baby quilts, 2 pineapple tops, the Happy Trails quilt, and I am almost done with the Tumbling Blocks blocks top. I'm sort of behind on the quilting. I will do a lot more quilting when the weather gets cold because I won't be able to work at the loom in the other part of the basement. I love treadling, I always have. I just didn't for many years because most of my family thought it was impractical, now? I don't care if it is considered practical or not, I just love doing it. I have many more tops planned, even cut out and partially sewn. I feel like they are treasures I will get out and value even more for having been made to wait.
Today I had to go to Jo-Ann's for sewing machine needles and I walked right into the window beside the door on the way out. The glass was so clean I thought it was the door, because the door was open. As the kids used to say oww-wowwie. My forehead is bruised and my nose is swollen, and my neck is stiff. Naturally no one saw, or maybe I should be glad no one saw it was somewhat embaressing. I always was a klutz.

The latest on my weaving.

I'm pleased with it, although I need to work on my selvedges, and I forgot to use my temple, which stretches it from side to side so that it doesn't draw in too much. I am nearly done with one pattern repeat.
I broke my last sewing machine needle yesterday, so I am not sewing today, Monday I will make a run to Jo-Ann's, but today and tomorrow I will just weave. I have needles on the machines down here so that if I need to do something I can work down here, I only have two blocks to go on the quilt that's on the design wall, and then I can put them together. I am doing them on the treadle, and it has a needle, so I still have plenty to do if I want to sew.
I haven't decided what I will work on with Vanessa, yet, I have some quilt tops started that would do well, I'll see. Decisions, decisions.

This is Vanessa, I named her after my 3rd child who turned out to be Anthony, so I had an unused favorite name. She is a lovely green New Home. I know that I am behind a lot of people who collect vintage machines, but I have only recently come out of the closet and admitted my love of them, most of my family don't understand the fascination, and think they are a waste of space. I have always loved them, and now I am standing firm on my right to have a few. After all I only have 4 vintage now, and three modern besides the two sergers that don't count. It's not excessive yet.
The two extra grandchildren left this morning, it was so lovely to see them. I did a bit of sewing, but I had to clear a space to put Vanessa so I am cleaning in the basement, and going through the clutter that had collected in the space I wanted to put her. If something comes in an equally large box of something has to go out. I no longer am keeping stuff that I might use someday, only the things I know I will use. It's amazing what I find poked into odd corners here and there. Never what I am looking for mind you, but always something to discard.
I have been doing some sewing, nothing remarkable but keeping busy, always important. Also weaving, I have about ten inches woven and am very pleased with how the project is coming along. I have been planning the next couple of projects, but I am nowhere near to deciding, I will be weaving on this one for quite a while.

Here she is in all her glory, my lovely loom. It always seems to surprise me how fast the weaving goes, but I am loving every minute. With the kids here there hasn't been much time for down here, but they are going to the Fair tonight so I will at least have a little quiet time.

Arty is here today so six of the eight grandchildren are together. I am content, but would love to have the other two here as well, that would be a wonderful picture. I am sure Ambrosina would not like her picture to be here, but I wanted Arty in the group. I have to enjoy it while I can soon they will go home and then it will be long time before we see them all together again. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.

A little bit of sewing,

A little bit of quilting,
A little bit of weaving,
And a whole lot of laughing.

We are excited, our oldest son David's wife and two kids are going to be here this afternoon. He couldn't come, he had to work, but we will be excited to see the kids. His daughter is our only granddaughter among 8 grand kids so we get double excited.
I took the day off from weaving today. I had a lot of errands today and am doing some sewing. I don't want my machines to feel lonely.

Here I am with Happy the quilter's friend, working on Pink Ugly#1. I normally take a really bad picture, so I don't very often have my picture taken, but for some reason this one turned out ok and it will be another ten years before I get another one that looks even moderately good. I also am making some fabric bowls so that Rose will have a variety to sell.

Pink ugly is coming along fairly well, since I haven't worked on it much the last couple of weeks, but I am going to have to get back into my routine now, or accomplish nothing. I hear the thunder of little feet, they must be here so I will go upstairs for hugs!

I found my camera, or rather David did, so I am posting a better picture of the weaving I have accomplished so far. Tomorrow I will go up and get some sewing done, but for today i am weaving.

I know it is not a very good picture, I had to use my phone because I lost my camera again. This is the culmination of all the steps that have gone before: to sit and weave the fabric. I am pleased with the way it is going, true there are a couple of errors, but I don't think anyone would know it but me.
When I find my camera again I will be able to get a couple of better pictures. I only weave a couple of inches a day so far, but I am enjoying it far too much to hurry.

I wound bobbins

to put in my shuttles. This is the double bobbin boat shuttle that David just finished.

Ready to weave in the heading. This is a coarse yarn that spreads out the threads so that they are even all the way across. The rest is to just sit back and enjoy the weaving. I never tied a warp on this way before, usually I tie direct onto the stick, but I saw a video on YouTube (thank-you Curmudgeon 66) showing this way to tie up so I tried it and I think I am going to like it.
When I learned to weave many years ago all I had was a couple of books and I taught myself, learning some things the had way. Now when I want to know something I go to YouTube and watch it. Amazing. I have watched a lot of weaving videos and mostly I did learn everything right, but I do learn a lot of helpful little details. I hope the day I stop learning things is the day I die!!

This is a close up of the reed on the beater of my loom. It is a 5 dent reed, that is: there are five slots to the inch. I am ready to start sleying the reed, threading the thread ends through the slots in the reed. I am doing 24 ends (threads) per inch, which means that 4 slots get 5 threads and 1 slot gets 4 threads each. I would prefer a finer reed, but I don't have one so this will have to do..

I am about halfway done, but I had to stop and rest my back. I may be able to start the actual weaving tomorrow, most of the preweaving work is done. Only the rest of the reed is left and then tying on to the cloth beam which you can see in the lower part of the picture. Then I have to check and see that the treadles are tied onto the proper shaft. Pictures of that later.
I haven't touched my sewing machines for almost a week, time enough for that after I get the loom ready to weave, I tend to focus on a project until I get it well under way. I will have to go upstairs and tell my machines I still love them so they won't feel neglected!

To me it's a beautiful sight.

I spent most of the day on it. I had to redo what I did yesterday because I made a mistake in my threading diagram. It's a labor of love so I don't mind too much. It's so good to be sitting at the loom again even though I haven't started weaving. Next the beater goes back on and I will sley the reed.
It absolutely poured this afternoon, a real gully womper. David got drenched between the garage and the back door and it's only a few steps. The rain never lasts very long around here, but when it rains it really rains. The street in front of the house becomes a river and everything comes to a grinding halt. When we lived in Washington we didn't let the rain stop us or we would never have gotten anything done. I don't miss it at all.

Two of the three fabric bowls are beaded.

They are on the beautiful quilting table that David made me. I am not doing a lot of quilting right now, I can do that when the weather gets cold. I cannot work at the pottery wheel or the loom when the weather is cold since they are in the unheated part of the basement; so, Pink Ugly #1 is not getting worked on very much right now. It will wait.

The threads are through the eye of the heddles. I am about a third of the way done with this step. It can get a little tedious, but it's been such a long time since I have done it, so I am enjoying it immensely. After I have rested my back a little I will do some more, but I don't expect to get this part done until tomorrow sometime. I will be weaving soon though, the last step, after threading the heddles, is pretty straight forward and doesn't require a lot of concentration. I am so looking forward to weaving again.

I spent the morning working on my treadling diagram for the loom. Graph paper ten squares to the inch so I am almost blind right, pretty silly, but I didn't think about pulling out my magnifying glass until I was almost done.
Now I am ready to start doing the detailed threading on the loom.

 Above is the picture of the heddles. Each thread has to go through a heddle on 1 of 4 shafts or harnesses. There are about 465 threads, so I expect to be on it a couple of days if not longer since to hurry is to make mistakes to correct. After that I have to sley the reed, I will show a picture of that in a couple of days.
Below is the loom minus its breast beam and beater which holds the reed. I will show a picture of that later too. It is exciting to see a long planned project coming together, and I will enjoy the weaving of it very much.

This is a fabric bowl I made to get some relief from paper plate holders. I just started the beading on it and I think I will be able to finish it this after noon. Rose has another craft show this weekend that I want to get it done for. Ambrosina thinks that it should sell, it should be interesting to hear any comments that people make, Rose usually remembers to tell me how my things are received.

It's not something that I would decorate with, but tastes very widely. David likes it!

The kids bought us a year pass the the Sertoma Butterfly House. We went this morning.

The ground is populated with those little quail, who are surprisingly loud and not at all shy. Very cute. My camera doesn't have a very high resolution, so the details aren't as clear as I would like, but it is a very nice place to just sit and enjoy beautiful flying things.
When we got home I finished winding the warp onto the warp beam of my loom.

Tomorrow I will start threading the heddles, the little metal eye things that hold the warp threads. I suppose I should take some explainatory pictures, because to most people it is a foreign language. Suffice it to say that once all the threading is done about two-thirds to three-quarters of the work is done. The weaving is the easy, fun part, although I have been enjoying the process of getting ready to weave. I have learned a lot with this warp, it's a very soft yarn and tangles easily. It will make a beautiful blanket, and I look forward to using it.