Work in Process Wednesday and a Rotten Apple, Inc.

Is there anyone else out there in Blogland who has had the new Apple Photos app forced down their throats???  After a routine “update” three nights ago, I woke up to having iPhotos gone and replace with PHOTOS.  I had to import every picture (hours) into a new library.  OK, I am getting used to the new format. I can live with progress. But I can’t access my photos from Blogger when I want to upload them to the blog! Grrrrr.

So, I had to go in to the new PHOTOS, export them to a file called PICTURES, and then upload them. Does anyone know why the export process is so mangled?  If I try just simply uploading from Blogger, all that PHOTOS will give me is the Photos Logo, not the photos themselves. And I can’t place them anywhere on my Favorites or anywhere they are accessible by Blogger.  As usual with tech things, specific advice is nowhere to be found online.  I am probably the only person in the known universe with this problem.

That must mean it is time to go sew and work off some of that frustration!!!

Here is my in process stitching of Bruce’s quilt. He loves bright colors.  So, I am now loving flying geese after doing 100+ for this quilt.  :-)  And actually, I have four out of 8 rows of the top sewn together. I hope to baste it later in the week, sew the back, and begin quilting on Sunday.

After laying these out in order, hubby decided that he wanted all arrows except one column pointing up.  The column that is second-from-right will stay pointing down.  :-)

The gold-looking print in the picture above is actually orange, and there is a lot of orange in the banjo print.

The quilt will be backed with some orange Riley Blake ombre fabric. I found an entire shrink-wrapped bolt of it (10 yards) for $7.99 at a local thrift store.  (No, those things never happen to me either....)  Plus there will be some other pieces and/or flying geese added into the back for interest. I shared this on my Instagram a couple weeks ago.

Well, off to sew.  Linking up to WIP Wednesdays with Lee at Freshly Pieced.

See you soon!

Stitching, Goodies & Something Cute

It's hard to title a post when it's a hodgepodge of STUFF.   I probably should've divided it up into different posts, but it's the weekend, and blogging time is at a premium.

A couple days ago I received a wonderful package in the mail from my friend Pam Kellogg of Kitty & Me Designs.    We've talked about our mutual fondness for vintage embroidery transfers, and in fact it was Pam that got me started on it about two years ago.    So, after finding some duplicates in her collection, she was kind enough to share!

Pam is so sweet!  She also included some trims.... and a surprise! Another fondness we share is for Marie Antoinette, and she surprised me with one of her M.A. pins.   She sells these in her Etsy shop along with so many of her other wonderful things.  Thank you, dear Pam!

We've had rain and very cool weather the last couple days, and I've enjoyed curling up in the evening with my DH and cat, a cup of coffee, and some stitching.  I've been working on a wool block for a Crazy Quilting International round robin.  Karrin appliqued baskets onto her blocks, and the previous stitchers have all filled their baskets with wonderully-stitched flowers.

This week's "Build-a-Stitch" challenge at CQI was the Buttonhole Eyelet Flower.  Kerry has links to tutorials on her blog, but I first "noticed" it on Sharron Boggon's blog and tried to recreate it from memory.  Of course, my memory being what it is (or, more acurately, what it ISN'T), I did a larger buttonhole center and cast-on stitch petals (top petals).

After discovering my error,  I tried one below it with bullion stitches, but my center was still too big.  The third (smallest) flower had a smaller center, but the bullions are all "drunken" and yukky.  My eyes were about crossed by then.  Maybe I just need to tickle their tummies...... hmmmm.   So, three versions..... with no centers, YET.  I will add the centers and post a picture of the completed block in the next day or two.  I still have to stitch some sort of "critter" to harmonize with the other baskets.  No one's done a dragonfly yet, so I'm thinking that I'll do that.

On Wednesday, I hit the thrift store again, and while I didn't get much of blogging interest (unless you want to see a picture of a display rack, butter knife and bias tape), I did score some great fabrics.  They're all gleaned from sheets, an idea which I got from another blogger (don't remember where, sorry) who supplements her fabrics for kid's clothing with vintage or vintage-like sheets and pillowcases.

That polka dot sheet was like new - still stiff with sizing - and came from The Pottery Barn.  The blue gingham with lace was one of a pair of never-used handmade pillowcases, too.  I can see some cute little upcycled girls' summer dresses here....

And speaking of cute and little girls, here is a Shameless Grandma Boast about my DGD London.

London has learned to crawl (yeah, I know.  She's 9 months old, so that's not exactly early or unexpected, LOL).  She's been crawling for about three weeks, but for the first two, this "crab-style" crawl was how she cruised around.  Her left leg is bent, but her right leg stays straight.  She got quite good at this, then it finally occurred to her  that she could bend both legs,  She trucks around now like crazy.

And this was her a couple days ago as we prepared to go shopping.  Her feet are constantly "dancing".  And that tongue!  She loves music and if it's playing, she'll bounce or kick depending on whether she's sitting or standing.  Aren't babies so precious!!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Recent Sale-ing Finds

As regular readers know, I love to go sale-ing.  Estate sales are my favorites, but I'm also a regular yard sale and thrift store visitor.   It's impossible hard for me to steer by an antique store without dropping in.  Here in Utah, we don't have the "flea markets" that are common in the east and midwest.  Here in the west and intermountain areas, we have Swap Meets.  I think it's basically the same thing.  

Anyway, last Friday afternoon, my daughter Megan and I had some time time to spend together.  So, after my Weight Watchers meeting and lunch together at a little Chinese restaurant we found, we visited a couple sales.  The first was an estate sale up in the Avenues area of Salt Lake and the second was a 200+ family church "rummage sale" with proceeds to benefit their Bell Ringers.

I've never seen so much furniture at one sale as I did at the church rummage sale!  Almost a city block's worth out on their front lawn area.  The only furniture I bought was a $15 solid oak rocking chair  (no picture) - it's all that would fit in the back of my Prius.  I bought it for London's mom Heather, but she's already found one for herself since the last time we'd talked.  But Bruce loved it, and is going to clean it up and use it.  Happy ending.

I have a weakness for vintage embroidered linens, and found several pair of them at the estate sale.  The embroidery was impeccable, so I bought a pair of each of the following patterns.  And what a steal of a deal it was!   Some of these will likely be turned into little girl dresses for my booth at the Farmers Market this summer.

I thought these simple silver-plated bowls were interesting, and since I got them for a total of $3, why resist?  They look wonderfully shabby as-is, so I may leave them tarnished or may clean them up.  Who knows.  Probably will sell them and let someone else decide.

And then there's the silverplate.  I was telling Bruce the other day that I'd seen (and added to my idea files) several cute projects done with vintage silverware.  I mentioned that I may watch for a good coupon to get a metal stamping set on sale, and he replied "No!"  Then he ran to his laBORatory, rummaged around for a few minutes, and emerged proudly displaying not one, not two, but THREE different metal stamping alphabet sets.    The man is a true packrat gem, and boy do I love him!!

There was this pile of vintage fabrics at the rummage sale, and I grabbed it up.  Correction:  The retro floral print on the left came from the thrift store last week.  Three wonderful yards of heavier-weight cotton.  I may use one yard to do an apron (picture it with coordinating modern polka-dots...) and will probably sell the other two yards (contact me if interested).   The other three are yummy, and of various textures.  See the brown and gray print in front?  It's a 36" cotton (?? must do a burn test) from the sixties and has the most glorious soft hand to it.  There are just over two yards, and along the selvage is printed "Everfast Fabrics, Inc.".  I've been doing some research - they're still in business in the PA area.  Anyway, once I touched it, I fell in love....

Finally, some vintage in-package napkins, loop braid trim and some millinery leaves.  PINK  (are you drooling, Pam??)

Tomorrow is Wednesday, and that means Seniors (55 or over) get a 20% discount at the local Savers thrift store.  I haven't been there for two weeks, so I'm due for a visit.   And I'll be happy to take my discount - a small consolation for getting older.   Luckily, I still have to ask for it because they always think I'm younger!  HA!  I used to hate that when I was 21.....

Stash Enhancement Experiences

Stash Enhancement Experiences - or S.E.X. as some of us refer to it - are sometimes planned (visits to fabric or thrift stores), sometimes serendipitous, and sometimes downright unexpected.   But always fun and appreciated, right?

Imagine my surprise when I (Queen of CQ Stash) received this unannounced box of goodies from my friend Schultz in Georgia.  Dear Schultz is a quilter, of both the sane and crazy varieties.  She is also a cancer survivor, so my first reaction to opening this box of stash was "uh-oh".  But she wasted no time in assuring me that all was well in Schultzville (in fact, she is now a 5-year cancer survivor!  Here's to many more years of good health and her delightful repartee!).   So.... I am the lucky beneficiary of her partial de-stashing.  And since I firmly believe in paying forward, you will definitely see a lot of threads (some of these and some of MY de-stashing results) in the upcoming 200 Post Giveaway.  Details coming soon.

And then Schultz also added some lovely vintage buttons, beads and lace.  Totally awesome!  Thank you, Dear One!!


Last Saturday, I also made an extended visit to my favorite thrift store.  "Extended" means that I spent 2 1/2 hours there by myself, combing through every bin, every shelf.... you get the idea.  I thought I got some great stuff.  But then I returned today (Wednesday) with Bruce.  It's snowing and he was anxious to get out of the house (he's at the point in his back surgery recovery where he feels restless at home but is not yet released to go back to work).  Besides, today was Seniors day (20% off) for those 55 and older, PLUS there was a new color tag on sale for 50% off.  Wow.  I learned that things are more abundant and alot less picked over on Wednesdays.  Mental note.

So, these are my finds from Saturday.  (Will blog todays finds soon.)  I love the little "chair", which was a candleholder.  That and the swan will become bases for pincushions.  The black and white saucer was so "Mary Engelbreit" (or so French? like the chair) that I had to get it.  The wooden sign thingy will be painted and then used to display my business cards in my Farmers Market craft booth.  The linens are for resale.....  my Etsy shop will open in April.

And there were about two yards of this vintage kitchen home dec fabric that I got, too.  I think that, combined with a contemporary fabric (picture yellow or orange gingham,  a bright ticking stripe, or....) this will make cute aprons.  Or maybe combine it with some of those denim bibs to make aprons (see post here).  Heaven knows that dear Gerry K (Olderrose) sent me about 22 bibs she found on sale!!  A lot to work with!  And THEN sent me this:

Two boxes full of home dec prints that she used to make those aprons from!  (and the fabric is already cut and ready to sew to the bibs!)  It was, in fact,  her gift of one of her handsewn  aprons to me that got me started making them last year.  Those checks in the picture foreground are coordinating fabrics from my stash that I pulled to pair with the great (and wonderfully sturdy) fabrics from Gerry.   So, thanks to dear Gerry (whom I consider my FRMOMSIS - a friend, mother, sister).  I love you dearly!!


So, I've got my work cut out for me..... Farmer's Market opens in June.  And the Rosebud Country Store at Wheeler Historic Farm (where I work) is asking for a half dozen aprons to sell there, as well.   If it were true that we couldn't die until we finished all our projects, I'd live forever.  


But tonight I'm off to visit my grocery store (a local chain called Harmon's), where I've been invited to take part in their semi-annual customer focus group, which they limit to 25 people.  I've always loved grocery shopping.  And I was a marketing/accounting double major in college (marketing, in that sense means promotion and advertising, not "going to market", LOL).  But a focus group is meant to glean ideas and opinions and feedback.  Imagine getting paid ($40 worth of food and goods) to talk about grocery shopping.  I think it will be delightful.  Is that sick and wrong???


Hugs,

Antiquing Treasures

Today was a semi-holiday from work for me.  I only had to go in for an hour to get a couple things done, and the Farm had modified business hours.  And poor DH had to work today.  So, I thought maybe I'd head over to the final day of an estate sale I'd gotten notice of.  Couldn't get into much trouble there, could I???  LOL.  Well, I didn't.  But I picked up a few goodies, and on the way home passed by an antique mall.   Since I was in a shopping mood, I stopped and did a bit more shopping to complete my morning.


So let me show you some of my treasures.  

Over at Crazy Quilting International, this month's Challenge (as I mentioned a couple posts ago) is Velvet. It was natural, then, that these vintage velvet fruits caught my eye.   I would estimate them to be from the forties or so, and they feel like silk velvet.  I don't know if they're supposed to be apples or what, but I love them!  And the collar is a fifties satin collar with goldwork.  Since our December Challenge will be goldwork, and I'll be joining in a goldwork round robin later this summer, I felt that $2 to purchase and study the goldwork on this collar was a good deal.  Both of these came from the estate sale.

The pierced-edge cherries plate (sooo fifties!) and the two cute berry bowls with gold trim were purchased at the antique mall.  Tonight we used the bowls to eat apricots (canned), since there's not a berry in the house in February!  I wish there had been more than two.  And the plate will sit up on the shelves in the kitchen where I display my cookie jars and other assorted pottery.  Someday I'll have to take pictures of that.....

The little rose vase had no chips, so I thought it would look cute in my frou-frou guest room.  The little jar on the right was actually something I picked up at a thrift store last month for $1.  I plan to make a pincushion in it.  The battenburg lace collar was "thrown in" at no cost from the estate sale dealers today (they're the ones I bought the Singer treadle sewing machine and vintage mirror from last summer).  

And you know me and vintage aprons..... I couldn't pass this vintage apron of pink tulle, silver rick rack and pink satin ribbons!   Obviously, this was a hostess/cocktail apron and not utilitarian!  It looks like something Glenda the Good Witch would wear.

More hankies, vintage baby booties, an embroidered pillowcase (a cutter) and some vintage crocheting.  The crocheting is done in four separate panels, sewn together.  I'm going to separate them and use the individual pieces in crazy quilting - those are just perfect pansy colors, don't you think?

The pink and black embroidered piece will look good incorporated into some vintage-inspired artsy apron.  The crocheted potholder is just something, like the baby booties in the previous picture and the vintage baby sweater in this one, that I'm apparently collecting.  I guess when I have at least a half dozen of something (why am I so fascinated with odd things like this?) it becomes a collection.  And the Vogart transfer.  I've been collecting vintage transfers thanks to the wayward influences (LOL) of my friend Pam Kellogg of Kitty and Me Designs.   Actually, I had three large envelopes of Italian transfers that I bought at a yard sale about ten years ago (and have used), but between Pam's influence and my love of embroidered linens (kitchen linens and pillowcases) from the thirties, forties and fifties, well, things just evolved.    

Some day I'll have to show you some of my collections.  Like my hankies; I swear, they multiply on their own when I close the drawers they're in, LOL.  Cookie jars, paperweights, vintage lace, vintage floral postcards.....  it's a good thing DH really loves me!   But then, you ought to see his crap collections of resistors, capacitors, wires, tools, etc. in his "la-BOR-atory".   We're definitely a match made in heaven!

Hugs,

Christmas Crackers and Rick-rack

On the Crazy Quilting International List, we do an annual Christmas Cracker swap.  Christmas Crackers, as you probably know, are an English custom.  At CQI we sign up for one, two, or three crackers to swap, and the swap hostess gives us the names and addresses of our recipients.  We then take a cardboard tube (like from a roll of paper towels), cut it to 7" in length, and stuff it with goodies relating to crazy quilting.   The outside is decorated with a nice piece of fabric or a pieced block (whatever you want), and then sent off to your person(s).  In return, you get crackers from two different people.  It's so much fun, and is a really good way of making friends around the world.

This is the Christmas Cracker that I got from Karrin.  It was covered with the gold-starred green satin and filled with everything else.  I really love the sheers she sent; I've always bought them whenever I could find them at JoAnn's, but this years our local stores didn't have any.  They're so gorgeous when scrunched up on Christmas stockings or blocks.  And look at all those threads!!  She even included some John James needles.  How thoughtful! Thank you Karrin for putting together such a  SUPER cracker!

This next cracker was from Maria in Portugal.

Maria went all-out as you can see.  I loved the postcards she sent of the area in which she lives, plus one that told of a popular Portugese legend.  She even sent a darling cock to match the story!  And the CD of Portugese music particularly touched me; it is so beautiful.  I'm accustomed to listening to hours of music in foreign languages (thanks to my love of the great tenor, Andrea Bocelli), and this CD had lots of lovely melodies, great voices, and music.

And then there were all the goodies: ribbons, ornaments, a cherub candle, a cute stitched folksy heart (I *really* love that), and the beautiful block that Maria pieced that included tatting and other embellishments.  Maria, you were sooooo generous!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

DH & I went to the thrift store yesterday; he wanted to buy a leather belt.  He uses them to make straps for his guitars and banjos, and since he got a new banjo (or should I say ANOTHER new banjo, LOL) for Christmas, this trip was actually his idea.   Of course I had to go along to shop keep him company!  I resisted the urge to buy a lot (you have no idea!).  But I did pick up a little bit of lace (no picture), and a bag of "stuff".  You know how they jumble things together in a bag and sell it for a buck or two.  Well, this bag was stuffed with rick-rack and vintage trim for $1.99. 

 I still need to separate the purples.  These pieces were all used, so as I separate them, I'm pulling off the threads.  This will come in very handy to use in all my sewing (aprons, tea towels, pillows) where I like to combine modern and vintage fabric and trims.  Plus, once it's ironed and neatly stashed, I can use some of it in the squishies I put together for the monthly giveaways at CQI.

Now I've got to begin sorting Christmas pictures.  Ninety-nine percent of the pictures were of the grandkids who visited, LOL. 

Hugs,

Owls and Crochet and Giveaway Thoughts....

I've been stitching my brains out (yep, I had some brains once, LOL)... I saw the cutest pattern for stitch-n-stuff owls in Handmade magazine (an Australian publication). The issue I have, which I just bought a couple months ago, is Volume 25, No. 8. Don't know what year, but I found it interesting that on their website the "current Issue on sale now" is Volume 27 No. 6. Now, that's quite a lag, LOL!! It's understandable, of course, with it being Australian, but I sure wish those Aussies put dates on their magazines! (and this is probably exactly why they DON'T!!).

Anway, here are a couple of the owls, with several of their feathered friends in progress.

Since I've taken this picture, they're all stuffed and all I need to do is sew up their little bottoms. I love owls. When I was a teenager, I collected anything OWL. I even had a cat that I named Oliver Wendell Livingston (OWL). We called him Ollie. And of course, Owl (or should I say "WOL") is one of my favorite Winnie the Pooh characters. But I digress..... I'll post another picture of the whole gang when they're done. They're for the Christmas boutique, of course....

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but on one of my recent thrifting forays, I scored a major treasure - loads of crocheted motifs and edgings. Per the tags, they'd just been put out the day before I got there. Let me show you some of these.

There are sixteen of those fans and six of the purple and yellow floral motif strands. I'm pretty sure that they were intended for pillowcase edgings (at least some of the following were). I don't know if they're vintage or modern, but they're pristine. And would've looked better if I'd bothered to iron them first, LOL.

Six of these lovely pink & green pieces..... look at the detail!

Six of these yellow (gold) and white pillowcase edgings...

Two of these gorgeous orange and white pillowcase edgings...

And last but not least, these miscellaneous pieces and edgings. There are actually two of the pink edgings, although I only photographed one.

I think I'm going to sell half of them and keep the other half to use as trims in projects. The fan motifs are especially well-suited to crazy quilting!

Some of you readers who have been around awhile might remember that a few months ago I got an amazing windfall gift from a very generous stranger named Catherine. She has actually moved here to Utah and is my brother-in-law Doug's girlfriend. Last weekend I got to meet her for the first time when she and Doug came over to visit. Catherine also brought me another load of goodies, which includes fabrics (including vintage fabrics from the sixties), trims and laces (mostly vintage), books (including some vintage treasures!) and magazine articles and other supplies. She encouraged me to pass on whatever I don't need or want myself. And that brings me to my next topic.

It's about time for a Giveaway again. When I'm done sorting, I'm going to pull goodies for four prizes - something for everyone. There will be a prize geared for crazy quilters, one geared for sane quilters, one geared for fabriholics, and another for lace and trim lovers. Or something like that. Honestly, I haven't quite worked out the details, LOL, because some of those crocheted trims will be in the giveaway, too. Maybe I'll have to do five prizes! I'm planning that you will look at the prizes and tell me which one you want to be entered for, and I'll do separate drawings. But this is just a heads-up, because it will be after Thanksgiving, OK?? Too much on my plate for the next couple weeks. Besides, I still have sorting to do!

That's it for now. I've got so much more to post, but DH and Boomer (my chatty cat who is meowing at my feet) tell me it's time for bed. Talk to you soon!

Hugs,

Bad, Bad Girl!!

Bad Girl..... that would be me. I got lazy this week. More accurately, I just burned out on denim-bibbed aprons, LOL. I DID finish one more (if you're counting, this would have been Wednesday's apron, I think).....

This is a little girl's apron. The colors in the photo look so different, but in reality they match very nicely. I thought I'd include some of the inside detailing. Yes, I did a French Seam where the two fabrics joined at the skirt bottom... And I added some lace - rather vintage-y (from the seventies)...

I spent more time than I had planned hangin' out with sick DH this week, but it's all good. He's going back to work tomorrow. :-) We did go to a couple thrift stores this week; one was a disappointment, the other netted me some Good Stuff, like fabric, crepe paper (for paper doll dresses), a small stand that I can use to elevate some stuff on my boutique table, and some books.

And I've never shown you this GREAT purse I got in October.

I can't believe this was just sitting there in one of the bins..... it had been there two weeks when I found it. I snatched it up real quick, let me tell you. It's in pristine condition. Look at that frame!!! I doubt it's more than 25-30 years old (does anyone know how to tell?). Guess what I paid for it????

Yeppers.... $2.99. I should've shown something for size reference, but I can tell you that the frame measures 14" across, and the length from top of frame (not clasp) to the bottom of the purse is 12". That's a big purse. Don't know what I'll do with it yet.

This is a rather hodgepodge post, if you haven't noticed.

At Crazy Quilting International, I'm the one who handles the monthly Challenge. This month, we're doing Silk Burning as a sort of afterthought, but the main topic is Organizing Your Stash. We've set up a database and a picture album so that members can have a place to both Show and Tell their storage solutions for fabrics, beads, laces, trims, silk ribbon, buttons, art suppplies, etc. etc. I plan to devote a separate post to my pictures. Tonight I uploaded 20 pictures to the CQI photo album, and I realized I haven't even taken pictures of my storage for silk ribbons, dyeing supplies, silkie prints & supplies and a couple other things. Hmmmm... maybe I'll have to do that in two blog postings.....

I've also been trying to update the graphics on my business card, labels, tags & signage for the boutique. Spending way too much time playing around with my Print Shop program....

And finally, I've actually been stitching yesterday and today on a CQ block for our Flower Fairies Round Robin. I should have progress - well, the whole 6" block, that is - to show in a couple days. Stay tuned.

Hugs,

Thrift Shop Goodies & New Appliances

During the week I was able to hit a couple thrift stores. I didn't come away with too much, but that's OK. I'm thrilled with what I did get.

October is such a wonderful time to visit thrift stores, because most of them (at least here in Utah) put out a lot of funky and vintage clothing to sell to people looking for Halloween costumes. The below pictures are of a green poly/cotton dress, likely from the early seventies, with dozens of incredible beaded motifs.


You can see the continuous beaded hem above ; the short sleeves were done in the same manner, but the motifs were smaller. Imagine the CQ possibilities!!

And then there were the yellow/green motifs sprinkled all over the front of the cotton/poly dress.
Regular readers will know that I'm a sucker for aprons, particularly vintage aprons. I spotted this little puppy for a song, and HAD to get it to add to my collection. It's a bit soiled, but nothing that some gentle soaking and laundry won't handle.

And speaking of laundry, our dryer went out yet again. We've had it. We've been washing our clothes in the washer and taking them to the laundromat to dry for the last two weeks. Actually, if I had a clothesline and pins, or even enough space and a little ingenuity, I would rather have hung the wet clothes outdoors (which I used to do when we lived in Idaho). But rather than walking down that memory lane, I digress...

We did lots of checking (Consumer Reports and online sources) of customer satisfaction reviews on washers and dryers, and finally ended up purchasing a pair of new front-loading, high efficiency machines. Truly a major purchase!


These are our machines, although we purchased both in white and with pedestals. They're being delivered on Wednesday. In the meantime, I must quote one of the reviewers, because his/her experience mirrors what we've been through over the last year: "Good riddance Maytag, hello GE". I think the "lonely" Maytag repairman is (if our experience is any indication) a very social creature these days....

And our old Maytag washer (6 years old) will go to my son & DIL to assist with all their additional laundry since DGD London has arrived. :-) The 8-yr old dryer is dead (would cost more to fix it than buy its equivalent new) and will go to appliance hell (it didn't make it to heaven).

Before these appliances, I never had a washer or dryer that didn't last at least 17 years. Shoddy workmanship? Planned obsolescence? Cheap parts? Whatever. This time we bought extended service warranties.