Monday Update and Iron Recommendations Please

Happy cold, wet Monday!
I still wouldn't mind a big blizzard but I admit to slowly
turning my thoughts toward spring, sunshine and my garden.
So rain is always welcome.
I didn't quite escape the Respiratory Thing but I did't get
it as bad as everyone else.   It could be that getting some crisp,
fresh air into the lungs here and there, even in single digit temps,
 is better than staying in a warm house of sick germs.  I won't
recommend it but it seems to have worked for me.  And today
I'm again interested in sewing--the bonus of "time off".

At the signing with West Point Track Team

At my son's signing last week, I realized how much we owe
to his main coach.  He has worked with our son from the
beginning through every school track season (spring) and
off-season (summers and winters) in track club--for six years.
SOI'm going to try squeeze another quilt into my spring to-do list.
When you can't put a value to someone's volunteering a huge
amount of time, a quilt seems to be the way to show thanks.
Side note:
I did finally get the short video of my son's vault working.

To catch up on quilty stuff:
Obviously I couldn't get much done last week but the fabric
to finish my daughter's quilt top arrived this weekend so
I'll be hopping into the sewing room next for that.
I found more fabric for the West Point quilt so I think I'm
ready to begin.  Black fabric with approx 1" gold stars
 doesn't seem to exist so I'm moving on without it.  
More than anything, I want to get some trial blocks made
to see how I feel about block size; this in turn will tell me
if I have enough fabric.  While I'm sticking to the color
theme, I'm still doing it "scrappy".


1)  Gold stars in sashing and smaller border
2)  Sashing and center squares of blocks
3) Outer large border
The rest are a mix of purchased and stash fabrics that 
I'm hoping will work well for the log cabin blocks.

Yes, there are warm and cool ones up there.
I know you'll understand when I mention having a little frustration
at having to sift through so many shades of grays and blacks!
Though I had started out choosing "cool" colors, I finally gave up
and focused only on warm ones even though 
"cadet" gray is cool.
I just couldn't warm (pardon the pun) up to it.  Especially with gold
in there.  Maybe I'm over-thinking it but I just feel a little uneasy.
Getting some trial blocks made up should really help.

And now I'd like some thoughts on irons.  I've had a couple
Rowenta irons that I love but they are not lasting.
My most recent started leaking before it was a year old.
I realize the instructions say to empty the water out of
the iron after every use but I'm in and out of
the sewing room sometimes several times a day and
that is just not feasible.  Does anyone know of an iron
that doesn't have this requirement and does not have
auto-shutoff?  That has a self-cleaning surface and that
will actually last?  Does such a miracle even exist?
I'm getting a little tired of buying irons.

This week:
Finish hexie quilt top
Quilt Cozy Christmas
Make 3 or 4 trial West Point quilt blocks
Find backing for West Point quilt

Happy quilting!


Comments

Debbie said…
I think the fabrics selected are good...very good. with the mix of shades it is going to work well. Irons.....ugh. Honey, they all leak, every one I had has leaked if you put water in them. I recently retired my Rowenta because it is so heavy. I pulled out my Black and Decker Light and Easy from years back. No auto shut off, and it gets hot, and I set up a misting bottle of water in stead of putting water in the iron. Much better for me now. And I use a clapper--wooden pressing bar--- to set seams and keep things flat.
Great selection of fabrics. I gave up and started buying the cheap iron at Walmart ($6). I usually use a 'dry' iron, but sometimes want the steam. I have 2 of these, one marked for water. I did have one die on me a few months ago, but I'd had it for at least 2 years, and carried it to classes, etc, so it got banged around a lot. For $6, I can afford to replace it. *Most of the time I use a spray bottle or misting bottle for the water. I like it better than having an iron 'spit' on me and messing up my fabrics.
Needled Mom said…
I was going through a new iron ever 6-12 months and so frustrated. I finally bought a professional iron for www.wawak.com. I've had it for about 5-6 years now and LOVE it. The water receptacle is separate from the iron so there is no standing water to rust it out. It also does not have an auto shut off which I just hate. The cost is about $100, but I spent way more than that with always buying new ones. Let me know if you need more information.