Smoking Quilt, Part 2

As I was looking around for the smoke, for the smell was getting stronger, I happened to notice that my batting on the sides of the quilt were bunched up around my lamp.  Now my lamp is hot.  I've burned myself several times on it.  I immediately knocked the batting down away from the heat.  Oh, look, little wisps of smoke.  

It was a big round dark circle that had tiny colors running through it.  Actually kind of neat looking when suddenly it went 'poof' and I had a nice little fire started on my quilt. I'm looking around frantically trying to find something to put it out.  Wait, I've got a drink with me but I have to think about this.  What is it that I have with me?  A coke? Tea? I'm worried about staining my basically black quilt here  (Alcohol?)  No, I've got water!  I grab up my glass and pour it on.  

Who says quilting can't be exciting? 

Fortunately this did not touch the quilt itself and I was able to finish it.  For the corners I wanted a certain look: a fan.  The only way I could see to do this was to sandwich the pieces in.  My quilting group tried to dissuade me from this but I was happy with the results.  

On the back I used hand dyed fabric that I picked up in my travels but it wasn't quite big enough.  Needed to add so I did a 'brick' look and in the bricks I added the ties manufacturing label.  

 I do a lot of back art for my quilts.  The extra 'brick' fabric that I cut off from here went for the binding on another quilt.

Smoking Quilt, Part 1

I was working away on my husband's tie quilt some years back. These were ties that he had amassed from his job over the years.  Plus a few unusual ones I found at the local Salvation Army (one tie was made in Israel and another had the state of Michigan emblem on it).  I used moire fabric for the background.  I decided to machine quilt this very large quilt myself (big mistake in several ways).  

My sewing machine has been with me for years and has needed very little work done on it.  We were going along just fine, machine and I, when I smelled smoke.  Great.  I'm working my machine too much.  It can't handle all this fabric I'm pushing through.  I looked around, still sniffing, trying to find where exactly it's smoking.  Actually the machine itself doesn't appear to be the problem.  So . . . where's the smoke smell coming from?

Like to end my story?  

Lovina's Pressed Flower blocks

I have been absent from my blog due to a new job and having just gotten back from vacation.  I spent four days shopping 'til I dropped with my sorority sisters in Chicago.  Wonderful company, wonderful food, wonderful shopping although I did not find any quilt shops in downtown Chicago.  But I have been busy doing some hand stitching in the evenings while I sit and watch TV.  I have been making yo-yo's and attaching them to the blocks that I showed you earlier.  Thought you might want to see that I am making some progress (slowly but surely).