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.

SO, I'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.

(15' jump)

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!