July 13, 2008

Old MacDonald



This is the quilt back I'm working on for my friend's baby quilt. Uh. It's a group quilt that we originally intended to give at her shower and the kid's 7 months old. My first year out in the real world of being a nurse practitioner has required lots of energy and unfortunately, quilting has suffered. You may remember this picture of the quilt center, before it got borders:



Anyway, what had me stuck for a long time was what to do for the back. Of the dozens of fabrics in my stash, none seemed right. Of the few that I optimistically bought for the task, the same was true. I have never been more stuck on the backing! In some impressionable moment, though, one of you free-piecers of letters out there made me think "Hey!" And since the quilt is all about farm animals, I chose Old MacDonald. Luckily, my mama friend tells me they sing "Old MacDonald" every day and her son loves it! Hooray! Many thanks to Tonya for starting this craze. I really liked making letters and it went much faster than I would have thought. I especially liked using scraps in color groups to keep them from looking too perfect. You know how I dislike too much order!

My machine is still broken so who knows when I will finish this poor overdue quilt. I am pretty mistrustful of both repair stores I've taken my vintage Bernina to. One: "the motor's broken, why don't we show you some new machines?". Other: "It's either the carbon brushes or the pedal, but if you pay to repair it and it still doesn't work we'll give you a credit toward a new machine". I don't care for either of these answers, particularly because they don't match. And I don't want a new machine. I like these heavy, metal old workhorses. So while I scour craigslist and eBay for possible replacements, my grandfather, an electrical engineer, is trying to help me diagnose it over the phone. It seems this will require some "circuit testing" with a multimeter - what an adventure! In the meantime, I'm on the lookout for a place in Portland that repairs old sewing machines but doesn't sell new ones. A pipe dream? We'll see.

P.S. Anyone who went to the show in Sisters I hope you post lots of pictures. I woke up with a raging sore throat, sneezing my head off and had to pass...

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope you figure out how do fix your machine. It would be a shame to let it go. Maybe you could post a photo of it sometime (if you haven't already - I have to read back through). I'd love to see what a vintage Bernina looks like.

The Quilt is fantastic - thanks for sharing it.

Cher said...

I bought my Bernina and several other machines at Common Thread -it's a sewing machine/quilt shop over off Carmen Drive on Hwy 5 south of 217. Becky is the mechanic there I totally trust. you left a comment on my blog but no email addy -so I am posting a reply here- thanks for stopping by my blog and yes, I will be posting lots of Sisters photos..maybe as soon as tonight.

Carol E. said...

That is going to be one adorable quilt. I love that peacock block! Good luck repairing your machine. I totally get your reluctance to leave it with either of those...

Tonya Ricucci said...

Glad to hear that Cher has a recommendation for you, much closer than the shop in Georgia that I trust. and the quilt back? wheeeee so much fun. glad you enjoyed it!

QuiltedSimple said...

I love it - perfect for the backing! Can't wait to see it finished.

And I hope you get your Bernina up and running - mine needs to go into the shop AGAIN (the reverse button fell out) but we are limping along for now....

Kris

Anonymous said...

What a treasured gift!! The peacock is my favorite!

Elizabeth said...

Oooh! That quilt is going to be awesome. I love the pieced letters.

Alison said...

Your farm quilt is wonderful! Having a broken machine is horrible!

I am a quilter from BC Canada. We are coming for a vacation on your beautiful coast in August and I am looking for tips on quilt stores. If you have any favorites. Please do let me know!

Browndirtcottage said...

This the cutest little quilt I ever saw....of course I live on the farm so I really admire it!!

I want to thank you for stopping by for a visit and leaving such kind comments. I'm feeing better.

(((hugs)))

jude said...

i think the eieio is my favorite part

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