Sounds like you had a good time and learned and acomplished good stuff.
P.S. I'm gonna start smoking when I turn 70 or when it becomes illegal, which ever comes first!
peace

You worked on a tobacco farm? I got married the first time to get away from .66 acre of tobacco. (actually I thought it was for love @@) That is a year round job. Takes all the fun holidays away, too.

Thank you all for the kind thoughts. The willingness to encourage those traveling your earlier footsteps is a sign of true kindness. Last night I perceived all of 30 minutes in a 4 hour session while enjoying time with our Altos and 201K again. Time flew and I found myself wishing the clock could run slower so as to allow me more satisfying moments of sewing strips. I even enjoyed the pressing of strips and its immediate gratification. Probably the pressing served some some deep-seated desire to bring order to a chaotic miniature landscape of fabric. Hmmm. Don

The joy of quilting! From what you've written, you have gained lots of knowledge, keep up the good work, hope to see some pics of your work too.

Oh Don, I see a blog in your future! You are indeed poetic and delightful to read. Please let us know when you start one so we can be your first followers! Hugs and smiles and ty for sharing your joy of quilting with us!

Welcome to our world. How wonderful you and Miss Penny are sharing a great adventure. We are all our own worst/best critics, but just remember "the galloping horse" concept. Looking forward to seeing photos of your work.

Just curious...what is an Altos? Sounds like you had a good sew day. I love those days when it all goes right and you never run out of bobbin thread without noticing...I had my share of coffee gone cold in the cup cause I am just having too much fun.

I was wondering what Altos are. Love it when thinks go together fast.

So fun! Sounds like you are bitten badly. Keep going.

The closest tool I can relate to an Altos is a draftsman's table. A large board, perhaps 18 inches tall by 25 inches long, it has an extruded aluminum clamping straightedge along the bottom, and a formed plastic straightedge perpendicular to it on one side. A proprietary t-square of sorts made of clear plastic or polycarbonate attaches to these straightedges and serves as a moveable baseline and cutting support edge.Great for making 90 degree cuts. Alternatively, you can use (as do I) another manufacturer's quilting template to brace along the straightedges and make a rotary cut along the edge. Pretty nifty setup. We found one used and grabbed it. Don