How did

 this:

 become this?

With this:

I sorted my scraps into piles.  There is a pink and purple pile.  I am not in the mood for pink and purple right now.  Maybe later.  Maybe never.  The rest went into this pile and one other.   Those two piles became the scrappy quilt.

I needed to sew something and I did not want to create more scraps.  The original intent was to stuff as many as I could into a "IF IT FITS IT SHIPS' USPS box and ship them somewhere.  I still had many strips left over and Nina at the Quilt Zoo suggested that I just use them up in a scrappy quilt.

"Just start sewing."

Sounded like the perfect was to spend Labor Day Weekend.  That is, after I drove to Woodstock to fetch a Singer 201-3. Sigh.

I used a Kenmore for the first batch of scraps.  It's a whiner; though it makes a nice stitch.  I switched to the 301A, long bed. http://mysewingmachineobsession.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-was-i-thinking.html  but it was not so quiet either.  Something clunky in the feed dogs.  (I figured out what the noise is, I just can't fix it)

So then I got out the Necchi.  Very nice.  Very, very, very, nice.  She did very well for a while.  Then, out of nowhere, big loops on the bottom.  I thought that I had fixed that problem.  I changed to different thread, same thing.  I put the spool upside down on the thread holder (the big one, for cones) same thing. 

I cleaned the bobbin case, same thing. 

I finally switched to Guterman thread, top and bobbin.  No problems.  None.   Fancy Italian machine, like Fancy Italian car, likes high test.  The Kenmore and the 301 could not have cared less. 

I finished up the piecing and added some sashing. 

 I finished that this morning and spent an inordinate amount of time figuring out the back.  I had some big pieces left so I had to piece some more.  My goal had been to get it on the frame by noon.  That didn't happen.

Instead I got distracted by the clunky 301A, or the fact that my sewing loft was a sauna and the shop was cool and comfortable.

The feed dogs drop on the 301.  I did not notice the noise when I was using it for FMQ.  I figured that maybe the dogs were  misaligned and hitting something.  I finally isolated to noise to the feed throw out mechanism.  There was a bit of play, even after re-engaging the feed dogs.  I tried tightening the nut and stripped it.  Uh Oh

Lucky for me I bought out some sewing machine parts last winter.  It's true that I have bemoaned the fact that the guy NEVER THREW OUT ANYTHING.  I was very glad to find just the right sized nut to fit that bolt in the feed dog drop.  WHEW.

The noise is still there.  I think it must be from wear and tear; like my knee, or wrist, or thumb.  I certainly cannot figure out where else to tighten anything.  I tired, believe me.  I did, however, fix the height of the feed dogs.  They were too high.  Loosen nut N2 and turn Screw P2 and then tighten nut N2. 

Mom called during all of this and asked what I was doing.  I told her that I was about to put the scrappy quilt on the frame.

"Oh I wish I could be there so I could see how you do it.  Maybe you will send me pictures."

Maybe, I will. Maybe I will just post them on the blog.