Today it’s a still life painting – a study of my sewing machine and a quilt that I was working on.

I have been sewing since I was 10, when I got my first machine. Over the years I have made lots of clothes and many stuffed animals and cloth dolls. However, now I sew quilts almost exclusively.

For those of you who don’t sew, the little red handled tool beside the scissors is called a seam ripper. You use it when you have sewn some seam less than perfect and you need to rip it out and do it over. It is a very necessary implement and I always have one handy.

This painting is acrylic on stretched canvas. It measures 16×12 inches.

My sewing machine is a 40 years old Kenmore workhorse. It is constructed of metal – no plastic. This makes it a bit heavy for carrying around but I have a smaller vintage Singer that I can take anywhere. The old machines were made to last and are very repairable if you can find a good repairperson. And you can keep them oiled yourself. I have had to have my Kenmore serviced only twice in the 40 years I have had it, and it gets used a lot.

Interlocking Diamonds Temari Ball

The ball is done in golds and browns, not a combination that I usually use. I mostly go with brights not neutrals. This one is divided into six sections by the marking lines. Each section holds the center between the diamond shapes. The diamonds overlap two sections so they each help to make two centers.

This is a smaller ball, just 24.5 cm around. It is stitched with Perle cotton #5. The pattern is from a book by Barbara B. Seuss, Temari Techniques. That book is the one that I learnt how to make temaris from. Ms Seuss has a website and a Facebook page. I would recommend anyone interested in Temari take a look at her sites.