In Bloom

In Bloom, June 2026

Pretty pink roses and an aqua blue sky remind me of an early summer morning. That’s when I was working on this quilt, testing out a new die that I found on sale.

Friendship Chain is an old design and it’s always fun using my vintage Singer machines to sew those blocks. Violet, our painted Singer 99, is so quiet, smoothly making perfect stitches.

The fabrics blend perfectly together, even though they are from different decades. I chose a large rose floral print for backing. Quilting with light blue thread using a serpentine stitch, I criss-crossed a diagonal grid across the quilt.

In Bloom measures 51” square and was completed in early June. Flowers, quilts, sewing, and antiques make me feel creative and happy.

Accuquilt dies used:
55441 Friendship Chain 10” BOB
55017 Strips 2½”

Four Winds

Four Winds, February 2026

I can't believe we've already started the second half of 2026. I stitched this quilt back in February when it was cold.

The rose and gold prints blend nicely with the off-white burlap background. These spinner blocks are quick and easy to sew and I designed, cut, and finished the whole quilt in 3 days.

Piecing was done on Violet, my beautifully painted Singer 99. I've added a link to her story. She's now sporting a custom modified spool stand, courtesy of my in-house sewing machine expert. I truly love using all the machines we've repaired and restored.

Using Janelle (Janome MC 9450) I quilted diagonal double rows of serpentines across the blocks with cream thread. 

Four Winds finished at 49” square, and was quilt #10 for the year. I've been full of ideas and using tons of fabric from my stash. I just started on #29! Could be going for a record here, we'll see.

Dies used:

Blue Wren 6557 Spinner 8”
Accuquilt 55017 Strips 2½” binding

Fresh Air

Fresh Air

Pastel stripes paired with crisp white give this hexagon quilt a fresh look. The project went together quickly since there are only two fabrics.

I enjoyed piecing with Violet, my sweet painted and restored Singer 99K. Jerold reinstalled her motor so that I didn't have to hand crank all those pieces. I love sewing with my vintage machines and this purple one looks right at home in my sewing room!

Straight stitch quilting along the seam lines was done on the Janome 9450 with a light blue thread. Fresh Air finished at 50” x 53” in size. I used white and blue polka dot backing and a solid blue binding.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6808 Hexagon Set 3” sides
Accuquilt 55017 Strips 2½” binding
Rotary cut: 6½” equilateral triangles

1954 Singer 99K - Violet

Violet: 1954 Singer 99K hand crank

From rusty to beautiful, this little 1954 girl from Great Britain was quite a challenge!

We bought her for $35 in February 2022. Her decals looked good but the shellac finish was mostly gone. Gouges and crazing in the paint, wiring shot, and oh so dirty inside and out. Amazingly, she did sew after oiling. We put her on the shelf while working on other projects, thinking it could be a parts machine.

This February, we got going with a plan to clean, paint, replace missing parts and add a hand crank. Jerold took her apart all the way down to the last screw, then cleaned and polished all parts. He rewired the motor, too, so we can use either it or the hand crank. We got the spoked wheel and crank on Amazon; they both fit and the bobbin winder still works.  

We tried to sand the finish but it was too uneven, so ended up stripping her to bare metal. After primer came the gorgeous Rustoleum 2X paint in Gloss Grape. I printed and applied new decals in black, using Art Deco style designs.

Then Violet just decided to be finicky. We hit a snag with the clear coat: it wrinkled up on the bed so we had to sand and recoat. It's not perfect but it's good enough. We polished and waxed her to a super shiny finish.

Jerold had to fine tune all tension and bobbin adjustments, but now Violet sews a perfect stitch. I'm happy with how she turned out, even with the setbacks. I couldn't do this without my talented husband. We learned a lot, didn't give up, and I got the purple machine I wanted. It's all good!

 

Violet Quartet

This cute little flower quilt was a spur of the moment inspiration. I had leftover pieces of green cut for my last project, so why not use them now?

I added pretty violet batik flower petals, making four blocks, then framed them with 1” green strips.

Quilting is simply serpentine stitch about 2” apart in green thread. Violet Quartet is 19” square and didn't take long to whip up.

The backing makes this a reversible two for one: I used shamrock fabric and more leftover strips. How's that for creativity?

While I enjoy planning ahead, sometimes it's more fun to go with the flow and see where it leads you.

Dies used:
Accuquilt 55409 Triangle in Square 4" fin
Blue Wren 6015 1 ½” Strips

Follow your creative impulse