Country Clothesline

Country Clothesline, April 2026

Laundry blowing in the breeze, can’t you just smell the freshness of sun dried cotton?

This week’s colorful scrappy quilt reminds me of summer clothes and sheets hanging on the line in our backyard when I was little. An assortment of light and medium hued remnants made this project fun.

Flying Geese paired with strips were simple to stitch on Rockette, my Singer 500-A. Backing is a very soft vintage fabric from an estate sale, a cross-stitch pattern on light yellow background. Switching to the Janome, I quilted with pale yellow thread, using two different rulers, Which Way and Wiggly Wave.  

Country Clothesline is lap size at 48” square, ready for snuggling, to toss over the arm of the couch, or spread on the grass for a picnic.

I’m on a mission to keep my scrap bins from overflowing, so this quilt has kept them under control for a bit. There’s always a mess when I’m pulling out so much material to cut, but I absolutely enjoy playing with fabric! It’s very satisfying to remember when and where I found it. 

Of course, as I was sorting many ideas filled my brain for future projects...I will never run out of remnants...stay tuned for more bonus quilts.

Side note:  I keep a written quilt journal (using a weekly 2-page planner) of my projects with notes and sketches so I can keep up with details and techniques. I also maintain a master database where I can search, sort and find quilt names, dates, gifts/donations, and dies used. I am in the process of adding photos to it whenever I get a few minutes. 

Dies used:
Accuquilt 55456 Flying Geese 3” x 6”
Blue Wren 6047 Strips 2” x 6”

Flag Day

Flag Day, June 2026

I've been meaning to make this wall hanging for several years. I decided to drape it over one of our porch swings for decoration.

This version of a flag quilt is made of tumbler blocks with scraps of navy, red, and white and a navy border. Piecing was easy on Rockette, my Singer 500A. For quilting I switched to Janome and quilted a simple serpentine stitch horizontally across the strips.

This little one was a quickie, completed in 2 days from cutting to binding. I'll probably leave it on the porch until mid July since it's in the shade.

Accuquilt dies used:
55445 Tumbler 4½”
55017 Strips 2½” 

Willy-Nilly

Willy-Nilly, January 2026

To say that I have an abundance of scraps is certainly an understatement. The best thing about all these remnants is always having the makings for a quilt. I have hundreds of photo ideas clipped and stored, many more sketched in notebooks, plus dozens designed in EQ8.

This colorful 6” block is made up of triangles and chisels, turned to make secondary designs. I started with leftover cuts, then sorted through the scrap basket for more. It's such a pleasure to find and use fabric I haven't seen in a while.

All the blocks were randomly pieced and joined on Annie, my Singer 221 Featherweight. I quilted on the Janome MC 9450, using dark beige thread in a straight stitch on each side of the main seams.

Willy-Nilly seemed the perfect name for this crazy quilt, finishing at 49” square. It was a lovely way to spend a few days in my cozy sewing room during a cold snap in January.

Dies used:

Blue Wren 6274 Chisels 2” x 6”

Accuquilt -
55039 Chisels 3” x 6”
55031 HST 4”
55009 HST 3”
55017 Strips 2"

Distraction

Distraction, January 2026

It's no secret that purple is my favorite color, even though there aren't too many hues that I don't like. I'm definitely a color lovin' woman. For this simple design, I wanted to use some large and medium florals that have been in my stash for a while.

I added pink, purple, and green scraps in coordinating colors along with a white-on-white print and black & white mini gingham. These half and quarter square triangles are easy to stitch, especially on Annie, my Singer 221 Featherweight.

A sweet paisley print in purple, green & cream was perfect for backing and binding this 50” square quilt called Distraction. I quilted on the Janome with pale gray thread, using a utility zig-zag stitch in diagonal rows, plus straight stitching along horizontal and vertical seams.

I'm off to do some more rain dancing, since we are so very dry. April showers are needed for May flowers, and we have only had 0.65” so far this whole month. Not your usual rainy April in Tennessee, despite several storms passing us by.

Accuquilt dies used:

55001 HST 6½”

55002 QST 6½”

55017 Strips 2½”

Tried & True

Tried & True - January 2026

This is what happens when you have lots of tiny remnants and find a die on sale that uses small pieces. It was a perfect project for that snowy, icy week in January.

I upended my scrap baskets to dig out navy, blue, and aqua bits for this one, combining with natural muslin. Layout alternated the 6” Priscilla Stripes and simple half-square triangle blocks, with a border added.

Piecing was done on Annie, my Singer 221 Featherweight with her perfect little stitches. I switched to the Janome for quilting, using a ruler guide and walking foot to sew a 3” cross hatch pattern with cream thread.

Tried & True finished out at 49” square. I'll definitely be using this die again for a random scrappy quilt to use more leftover fabric. Could be time to schedule a marathon cutting session to manage those overflowing bins of bits!

Accuquilt dies used:

55607 Priscilla Stripe 6” finished
55009 HST 3½”
55017 Strips 2½” binding
55032 Strips 3½” border

Emerald Braid

Are you ready for St. Patrick's Day? I pretty much have to celebrate this holiday, because of my name and my naturally curly red (well, previously red) hair.

Our new home has several rooms painted in different shades of green, so I've been stitching more green quilts for decorating. I made this table runner last November and it's still on the oak buffet in our foyer.

I used a couple of fat quarters and a white on natural print for this quick and easy project. Simple 5” squares with half-square triangles were laid out in a braid pattern. I pieced it on Annie, my sweet little Featherweight and quilted in a straight stitch with green thread. Emerald Braid is 52” x 13½” finished.

Wishing you a happy St. Patrick's Day tomorrow, and don't forget to wear green or the leprechauns will pinch you!

Accuquilt dies used:

55010 Square 5”
55397 Half-square triangle 4½”
55017 Strips 2½” binding 

Doc's Folly

Doc's Folly

I love vintage quilt block designs, and Propeller is one of my favorites. Published as Air Ship Propeller in the Kansas City Star around 1938, you could buy the pattern by mail order. I ordered this die from Blue Wren a few years ago.

My latest version features black, cream, light red, and melon remnant prints. It has a kind of steam punk look with this coloring. I designed it in EQ8 and cut most of the pieces last November. I pieced the block in January on Annie, my Singer Featherweight 221, also using it to applique the center circles.

As I was arranging the blocks on my design board, my husband walked in and wondered if I could shift the rows, and I love the effect. He also helped choose the center circle fabric, and named the quilt Doc's Folly. He's a wonderful supporter of my quilting obsession and definitely a keeper!

I used a tan vine print sheet for backing, and free motion quilted in a large meandering stitch with tan thread on the Janelle, my Janome MC9450. Finished size is 50” square, and it's folded over the love seat in our living room right now.

See you next week!

Dies used:

Blue Wren 6924 Propeller 10” block
Accuquilt 55017 Strips 2½” binding

Midnight: Singer 404 Restoration

Midnight

How do you like this for a complete restoration? I think he's beautiful!

It's been a while since we restored and painted a sewing machine. We bought this guy from Goodwill for $45 in December 2021. It was a cabinet model manufactured in May 1960. The motor was frozen, paint spotty and filthy with dings and chips.

Before

My resident repairman went over it, replaced the handwheel clutch spring, oiled, lubed, cleaned and polished. After that TLC, the motor freed up. He took the machine completely apart, ordered a few parts, and worked on it off and on between other projects in 2023.

Fast forward to May of this year. We decided to paint since I already have a nice Singer 404 (Elizabeth) in original condition. Jerold filled the chips, sanded, keyed the finish, and primed the whole machine. Wet sanding the primer makes a really smooth finish for paint.

He used three coats of Rust-Oleum 2X Ultra Cover in Midnight Blue and Silver. After a week, wet sanded to smooth before layering three coats of Ultra Cover Clear. Two days under a heat lamp, then a final clear coat for a mirror finish.

After two weeks of curing, Jerold reassembled, wired and fine tuned bobbin tension. He did the majority of the work on this machine and it's certainly a job well done. 

Midnight sews great now! I'm happy, loving the classy color scheme and can't wait to stitch a quilt or two.

 

Afternoon Delight

A large bright paisley print by Amy Butler is the starting point for this happy quilt. Citrus, lime, aqua, melon, lilac and magenta colors are just luscious. I chose matching solids, then added crisp white plus a black and white stripe.

I used dies from the Accuquilt 10” Qube to cut squares, half square triangles and parallelograms. I didn't use a pattern, and randomly combined the colors on my design board as I sewed.

Listening to 60's and 70's light rock had me dancing across the room between the machine and iron. Gotta keep moving! All piecing was done on Laney, my sweet Singer 301, painted in Maui Blue & white. Link here to read about her. 

I switched to my Janome 9450 for ruler quilting. The Elvira ruler by Angela Walters is great for long vertical serpentine lines. White thread shows off the stitching without detracting from the fabric. Afternoon Delight finished at 49” square.

Hope you like this one as much as I do. See you next week!

Accuquilt dies used:
55797 Mix & Match 10” Qube
55017 Strips 2½” binding
55054 Strips 4½” borders

 

Waste Not, Want Not

Waste Not, Want Not

Here's the third quilt I worked on during our two weeks at the campground. I brought along a storage bin full of 2½” half-square triangles cut from scraps left over from other quilts. I've been collecting these for quite a while; the top wouldn't close on the box.

They were sorted by color, so finding coordinating fabrics was easy. I chain pieced the triangles, then pressed before sewing into four patch blocks. My Singer Featherweight, Annie, breezed right through this project.

After we got home, I arranged them on my design wall to balance out the colors before sewing them into rows. To fill in the sides, I used 4” triangles from another of my remnant boxes. Neutral striped borders made a nice frame.

I quilted with white thread and a walking foot, using a zig-zag utility stitch. Waste Not, Want Not is the perfect name for this bonus quilt. It finished at 52” square.

I didn't even use half of that storage bin, can you believe it? There's probably enough left in that one for two more quilts. I just can't keep myself from saving little bits of material, especially my favorite fabrics.

I try to schedule a day every few months to cut scraps into most used shapes and sizes: triangles, squares, strips, and rectangles. It pays off because I sort them by size and color, which saves time and reduces storage space. I always have something ready to sew for borders, blocks, or whole quilts.

Accuquilt dies used:
55018 Value Die Half Square Triangle 2½”
55031 Half Square Triangle 4½”
55032 Strips 3½”
55017 Strips 2½” 

Midnight Shift

Midnight Shift

I'm back, relaxed and recharged after spending two weeks camping at Dale Hollow Dam. Walking the trail, sitting by the trout stream, reading, people watching, and hanging out with my sweet husband was so nice. We had a delicious Mexican meal at Los Primos on my birthday.

Since I can't go that long without sewing, my Singer Featherweight (Annie) and two tubs of scraps went with us.  I sewed blocks for two different scrap quilts, and I'll finish those soon. A couple of cool rainy days gave me a chance to sort quilt idea photos on my computer, and I designed a few quilts in EQ8.

I cut all the half hexagon shapes for this quilt on the Accuquilt cutter before we left. Dark navy blue prints with crisp white on white vine fabric is a classic look. It didn't take long to sew these together in rows. I improvised a design wall by pinning them to the valance on our back window.

After we got home, I sandwiched the layers and quilted on the Janome. With dark blue thread and the 2-point shell stitch, I used a ruler to sew vertical lines. Some of those utility stitches are fantastic for quilting. Midnight Shift finished out at 46” x 50” size.

Accuquilt dies used:

55437 Half Hexagon 4¼” finished
55017 Strips 2½” binding

Times Past

I nearly forgot about this little remnant quilt! I sewed it back in October, then put it away without sharing it on the blog.

The fabric in this reversible table mat reminds me of vintage brocade. The muted brown, tan, green, and rose colors work beautifully with black accents. 

I used isosceles triangles plus half square triangles to make kaleidoscope blocks for one side. The reverse is half-square triangles of the brocade print with black gingham, plus two borders.

I did all the piecing on Violet, our restored and painted Singer 99. She's a joy to sew with. Quilting was fun with free motion meandering stitches in tan thread using the Janome.

Times Past is 24½” square, an old fashioned classic look for a change of pace.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6396 Isosceles Triangles

Accuquilt
55009 Half Square Triangles 3" finished
55031 Half Square Triangles 4” finished
55017 Strips 2½”

Fabulous Triangle Stars

This quilt design! I just had to make this as soon as I saw it.

The original quilt pattern was created by Barbara H. Cline, who featured it in her book, Amazingly Simple Triangle Stars. Blue Wren Notions got her approval to make a die to cut the shapes. Information and links below.

I used a bold herringbone print in aqua/navy, with a tiny aqua/white floral plus crisp white. I pieced it on my little Featherweight, Annie. Exact die cuts made sewing easy and everything fit together perfectly.

I quilted on my Janome 9450 with aqua thread in diagonal rows of 4, using a straight stitch. Fabulous Stars is 49½” x 57” in size.

Barbara's book has many different versions with beautiful secondary designs. I started out simply, but I will definitely be sewing this again soon in other colorways. I love it when designers and manufacturers work together to share ideas and create partnerships.


Blue Wren dies used:
6909 Triangle Stars 7” finished triangle block
www.a1craftandquilting.com.au

Barbara H. Cline design
www.delightfulpiecing.com

 

Third Chance Triangles

Third Chance Triangles

Some of these fabrics may look familiar if you've been following my blog for a while. I dipped way down into my scrap baskets for these adorable triangles and stitched them up on Annie, my sweet little Singer Featherweight 221.

Those bright colors really shine on a natural muslin background. The Pine Island die from Blue Wren normally has the triangles tilted in a square. For this project I turned the finished blocks on point, flipping every other one. EQ8 helped me preview the layout. Sides and corners are filled in with 6" half square triangles. I added borders and binding in black and cream dots.

I quilted diagonally across the quilt, using natural thread and a scallop stitch on my Janome MC9450. Third Chance Triangles finished out at 50” x 54” size. I love the modern look! 

Dies used:
Blue Wren
6555 Pine Island 6” finished
6720 Magic Strips (borders & binding)

Accuquilt 55001 Half Square Triangle 6” finished

Restoration: Singer 127-3 Mary Margaret

Singer 127-3 Mary Margaret finished

This lovely machine is a 1923 Singer 127-3 in the original oak cabinet. She belonged to Mary Margaret for years, and was generously gifted to me by her son Ervin. We believe this treadle machine was converted to electric at the dealer or factory. We decided on a sympathetic restoration to get her sewing well and protect the finish.

Singer 127 before

Amazingly, at 100 years old, the Memphis sphinx decals were nearly perfect, just a couple of places showed a bit of wear. The finish had a little checking but was mostly intact. She had been stored in an attic, so not too much rust, but there was dried oil/grease and dust.

The handwheel, shuttle and feed dogs moved easily and I actually sewed a few manual stitches before we started work. 

The tiger oak cabinet and ironwork are in great shape, check out that gold paint detail on the logos!   I gave it a good clean, a coat of Howard's Restore-A-Finish, and beeswax.

Here's what Jerold did to spruce up Mary Margaret:

Cleaned handwheel using wire wheel & scotch brite, leaving the brownish patina. Polished all the plate covers to a shine.

Disassemble and clean motor. Rewire with new plug. Disassemble needle box, very dirty, years of gunky oil. Cleaned parts with foam degreaser and WD40.

Before

After

First clean surface with sewing machine oil. Shellac intact, so carefully cleaned entire surface of machine with GOJO hand cleaner. Daubed amber shellac on the few bits of painted decals that had begun to silver.

Pulled drive shafts & shuttle mechanism, cleaned in Coleman fuel, buffed & polished where needed. Replaced a locking screw missing from the shuttle drive shaft.

Removed feed vertical shaft & stitch regulator for cleaning. Finished cleaning other parts. Re-assembled machine. Adjusted feed dog alignment & height, presser bar height. Checked all other adjustments. Test sew - worked the first time!

Isn't she goregous?

Sprayed with 3 coats of shellac: not a perfect mirror finish but shinier than she was and it will protect the finish.

Re-assemble items removed for painting, mount light & motor. Put back in cabinet & wired controller up. Wound a bobbin. Cleaned shuttle. Threaded the machine and she sewed a perfect stitch without any tension adjustments.

I've already put Mary Margaret back to work: just finished piecing a quilt top. What a pleasure to sew on this wonderful vibrating shuttle machine, thanks Ervin! I hope she lasts another hundred years.

Spin-Off and more FABRIC

Spin-Off

Here I go again, experimenting with scraps and dies.

I started with four 2½” x 6½” cuts of three different scrap fabrics, sewing them together. Then I cut that square with the X-Quisite die to make the signature shape. White on white dotted triangle corners were added, then the four blocks stitched together to make the spinner.

Rockette, my trusty Singer 500A needed a little exercise and she handled all the piecing with ease. I separated the blocks with 2” sashing and added 4” borders around the perimeter to make Spin-Off 48” square. I used a utility stitch to quilt in rows using off-white thread.

It's a perfect little quilt to add to my ever growing donation stack. That doesn't mean my scrap collection is shrinking, because I believe they are multiplying like bunnies while I'm not looking. Or maybe I'm collecting more material than I'm using. Did I mention I was gifted 14 tubs of fabric the other day? We're either gonna need a bigger house or I have to find a way to sew more!

It's National Sewing Month, so I challenge you all to sew or do something creative in your sewing space every day...have fun!

Dies used:

Blue Wren
6047 Rectangles 2½” x 6½” and 2½” x 3½”
6656 X-Quisite 6” finished

Accuquilt
55017 Strip 2½”
55054 Strip 4½”

 

1942 Singer 99 Restoration

Bogart: 1942 Singer 99 restored

Here's our latest sewing machine restoration: meet Bogart, or Bogie for short.

I found him in June on a local Facebook listing and went right away to pick him up. For $50 we figured it could be a parts machine for the other 99 we are working on. Oh, were we wrong! The nearly perfect wrinkle finish (Godzilla) and blackened faceplate gave us the first clue, along with a 1942 serial number. It's a Blackside, manufactured during WWII when parts were scarce.

1942 Singer 99 Before

The wiring had all but perished, so no idea if it worked. The Bentwood case has a hole in it (to be fixed at a later date when we have our carpentry hats on). Still, it was too unique and complete to use for parts, so we decided to clean, oil, and restore with the least amount of interference.

Trial run: it sews!

Jerold oiled the creaky old guy, cut off the nasty wiring, and hooked it up temporarily to find the motor runs just fine! Threaded it and it sews pretty good, better after a bobbin adjustment. He took off the bobbin winder, bobbin case, hook, and other pieces to clean and oil. The handwheel was nicked terribly, so he sanded and used satin black to repaint it. The bobbin plate was missing, so he blackened a spare Singer one to replace it.

Love this Blackside scrolled faceplate

I cleaned the dirty finish with Goop and a soft toothbrush. Lots of nicotine and dirt! There are no decals, just simple paint stamped Singer lettering. I was careful not to scrub too hard around them. There were about 6 small nicks in the paint and I used a mix of black and satin black to dab on so it wouldn't rust. These don't have shellac, so I polished (using Jerold's suggestion) with Kiwi shoe polish and buffed with a soft brush. I used the same technique on the foot control.

Rewired, all parts cleaned and oiled, wood base cleaned and polished, Bogie is looking pretty spiffy and running fine at eighty-one.  He has some wear, but who wouldn't at that age? I'm so happy I found him, even though I really wasn't looking. I'll be sewing something with Bogart soon.

We had so much fun working together on this! Next up, we finish complete restoration and paint on the other 99. Then on to a  clean/oil/polish on a 1923 Singer 127 with gorgeous Sphinx decals.