"She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Quilting in Dallas

My husband had a work conference in Dallas last week, that is why I was so quiet around here!  He does not like for me to tell me people when we are not home for security reasons.  I HATE driving in Dallas, but I love to walk!  Since I only live an hour from Dallas, it really was not a big deal to me vacation wise.  So what is a girl to do staying in a ritzy hotel (paid for by his work) and 100° outside?  You take your hand crank sewing machine and quilt!  The light was not great, but it was so peaceful, no thinking "I should be cleaning or cooking, etc."!  Guilt free quilting!

I finished six of the sailboat blocks, only to realize that I did not cut enough 3 1/2 inch squares for the boat hulls!  So frustrating, I could have been finished with one of my monthly goals if I had!  I only had to finish the boat hulls and attach the top white strips, hard to see on the white comforter.
That makes seven out of twelve quilt blocks completely finished!  The other four just need the boat hulls attached, and one that still needs to be assembled.

Luckily I also brought the pinwheels, without counting I believe almost all of my half square triangles have been sewn together, they just needed to be ironed, dog ears snipped, and then sewn together as pinwheels.  Which I did a lot of in the hotel room.   I finished 16 more pinwheels, Bringing the count to 32 out of 80 finished!  These are the sashings.  I don't think the quilt will be finished before my step brother's baby comes., we'll see what happens!  If I had thought about it, I would have done a plain sashing instead of the pinwheels, then I'd already be done!

I decided that I really like this stool to sit on while sewing!  After I move to MO I am going to start looking for one.  See those water bottles in the room for the guests?  They cost $4 each!  Needless to say, they stayed there!
In the mornings I walked around the downtown district of Dallas, I just made sure I was back in the hotel before noon so I would not get too hot.
 I had already seen things like the Holocaust Museum, The Sixth Floor museum (where JFK was shot), and the Dallas Aquarium on previous visits.   Such an assortment of architecture in downtown Dallas!
Red Corner Museum, 
There was also a nice full size cattle drive etched in stone, right next to a cemetery from the 1860's.

I bought that dress on clearance from Wal-mart, I cut five inches off it before I hemmed it!  I think maybe I should have left and extra inch though?

This week I need to finish cutting out the pieces needed to finish those sailboat blocks.  I finished snipping my rag quilt, I'll take it to the laundry mat on Saturday to wash it and I'll share the finished pictures then.  I need to play with my new industrial treadles and decide which one does better FMQ so I'll know which one to keep!

What are you up to this week?
Missy

15 comments:

Gari in AL said...

I, too, have done some hotel sewing and loved it, for the same "I should be doing..." reason. How do you sew with the hand crank? I need both hands on the fabric. I have a Phaff hand crank I have never used because my left hand feels inadequate for fabric holding. :-)

Nann said...

I live an hour from Chicago and I get downtown about twice a year. So near and yet so far. I've made two sailboat quilts this year and another one is on the way (in the boatyard?). I like your RWB versions!

Little Penpen said...

What an awesome little vacation! I would love to go to Dallas! I've never done any hotel sewing, but you've got a good point about not feeling guilty that you need to clean, etc. The sailboats are soooo cute. Love the red, white, and blue! About the dress: my daughter is extremely tall and we can never find dresses long enough. So, I've decided to buy a cheap maxi and hem it to just about the knee and see how that turns out for her. Short dresses are way too short for her off the rack. I've never sewn with knit fabric before, so this could be interesting. Yours is very cute!

Chris said...

Great little vacation. I usually take some kind of hand work when we go some place.

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

Great use of your time while in Dallas. I know what you mean about cooking and cleaning when I am at home with a day off. Love the sailboat blocks.

SewSweetVIntage said...

Looks like you had fun even with 100 degrees. Love your maxi dress. I hear ya sista, sewing a lot due to the heat! Pinned your beachy boats! Added the fabric flower refashion to Sew Can Do party:) Stop over!

donna said...

So glad you had a relaxing time sewing.
Hugs
donna

Rhonda said...

Love your sailboat blocks...too cute. Downtown Dallas is an amazing place to do site-seeing!!

Podunk Pretties said...

100 degrees and I'm complaining about 90. Never thought about taking my machine on vacation, love the idea!

Dar said...

Your pinwheel blocks and sailboats are looking good. Lucky you to be on a mini-vacation and sewing too. I'm in MO and wondered where you are moving to. Maybe we will be neighbors. I would love to find a handcrack Singer machine like yours. I'd like to see how they work.

Anonymous said...

really pretty quilts and what a nice little vacation for you!!! too bad that you didn't have more hulls to finish the quilt.

Anonymous said...

really pretty quilts and what a nice little vacation for you!!! too bad that you didn't have more hulls to finish the quilt.

Cheryl said...

I love the sail boat quilt. You sure are getting a lot done. It doesn't seem right not seeing your kittycats enjoying your quilts. :)

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful time and that dress is really cute! Thanks for sharing.
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Anonymous said...

I love those little sailboats!

Navy Wifey Peters @ Submarine Sunday Link Party

"Oh taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him." Psalm 34:8