National Sewing Month

I love sewing and have plenty of material witnesses. -Unknown

You may have heard. September is National Sewing Month. A month devoted to sewing all day, every day? Oh yes. I'm totally on board with that . I haven't checked into it, but I'm assuming that the people in charge will be sending someone out to take care of the cooking and cleaning while I enjoy my month of non-stop sewing.

I've made a list of things I'd like to accomplish this month. Wanna see? Great ! I knew you would. Here we go:

• Finish satin edged fleece blanket for new nehpew, born 6/30.
{Cut, pinned and ready to sew.}
• Bind flannel and minkee patchwork squares baby quilt for new nephew, born 9/1.
{Currently at the quilters. Anyone ever use minkee for binding? Tips, please?}
• Assemble, quilt and bind nine-patch quilt in Frolic for most amazing neighbor/friend/woman/mother ever, baby girl due 9/30.
{Current obsession. Quilt top started thursday night and is this close to finished.}
• Assemble Pinwheel Sampler quilt top.
{Seven more seams and it will be all together.}
• Assemble Rainbow Sherbet Snowball quilt top.
{Blocks are ready to be laid out on the living room floor design wall and then stacked for sewing together.}
• Keep current with the Chubby Stars Quilt Along.
{Focus snowball fabric picked and ready to be sewn, waiting for JoAnn's coupons to become valid so I can buy solids for the background and star points, need supplemental fabrics for snowball blocks and chain blocks.}
• Keep current with the Free Motion Quilt Along.
{Need to piece easy quilt top and pin baste it, prepare practice pad and practice stitching.}
• Catch up on Cat's Twilight Mystery Block of the Month.
{Two of seven blocks finished. Actually, I think another block was released this weekend. Lots of catch-up work to do here!}
• Make 1 Apron.
{Fabrics washed and pressed, ruffle and pocket cut and waiting for the rest to be cut.}
• Make 1 Abbey Bag.
{Outside of the bag complete, need to pick the rest of the fabrics for it from stash and cut them.}

That is quite a list, no? But since someone from the National Sewing Month committee is coming to take over the chores, I can whip through it, easy peasy. There is only one problem. This morning Grace threw a little tantrum and refuses to sew another stitch. She insists that I take her in for a good servicing before she'll do another thing for me. I suppose she'll get her way {which leads me to wonder what would happen if I refused to do any housework until I got a day at the spa }, unless I decide to teach her a lesson and replace her with her big sister, Elizabeth {how cool would that be to have a machine named after me?}.

I've had Grace for a year and a half now, and I love her. She replaced the old Singer I got for my 17th birthday {went halvsies with my parents for it} and with all the fancy features she came with it was like going from Bella's Truck to the Mercedes Edward bought her as an engagement present {yeah, I know . I've been telling it for a year and a half now and I'm the only one who thinks that joke is funny}. She's a great machine and I take good care of her. I dust every time I wind a bobbin and in between every project. I checked the manual for instructions on how to oil her, and the only thing it said about that was where not to oil her. So, every once in a while I drop some in the holes in the face plate. But since I sew every day, it is time to take her in to be oiled in all those tricky places that only the machine repair man knows about. The dealership where I bought her sends all the machines to the dealer in Salt Lake. Pick-ups and deliveries are on Wednesdays. I'll miss her. A lot.

Since I'll be without Grace for a minimum of 12 days, this is my revised National Sewing Month to-do list:
• Fall garden clean-up {it's a little early, I know, but you gotta roll with the punches}
• Clean out the fridge and freezer
• Organize pantry/laundry room
• Clean living room carpets
• Organize and de-junk toy area
• Organize and de-clutter the Little Bugs' bedrooms