Threads of Conversation

Monday Tutorial

2012-01-30T12:03:00.001-06:00

Hi Readers, today I am guest blogging over at Shruti's blog, 13 Woodhouse Road, as part of her ABCs of Quilting series...

If you are here for the first time, by way of Shruti's introduction, please have a look around. I create one-of-a-kind applique such as these adorable onesies, available in my shop (all with FREE U.S. SHIPPING!)

Unique Modern baby quilts...like Blast Off and Noah's Guitar... (my two faves!)

I started sewing at age ten or eleven, so I've tried a little bit of everything... and in addition to my Candied Hexagon Quilt project, I have other ONGOING, long-term projects, including my Nearly Insane Quilt, and some Bee quilt blocks that need completing into quilts.... Where to find the extra time, huh?! This is one of my MANY TINY PIECES 6" Nearly Insane blocks:

Here is a round-up of other tutorials I've shared:

My Portrait Placemats

Foundation Pieced Cyclone Block

Mitered Corners (for a quilt or tablecloth, etc)

Reversible Tablecloth (or Quilting Without Binding)

Ten Minute Table Runner

Felt Favor Bags

I hope you'll visit again... I am working on a scrap-busting tutorial that I think you will really like! Stay tuned...

happy sewing,
Doris

Resolve to Relax

2012-01-25T07:31:00.000-06:00

I know, it's nearly February 1, and I'm writing a post on resolutions--bear with me. 2011 was the year we got married: the WEDDING and all the wonderful connections and re-connections that came with that were uplifting and inspiring. However, over the course of the past year, I wrestled with demons; being overcome often by frustration, exhaustion, and paralyzing anxiety. Those dark days clouded much of my year. For the most part, the cloud has passed, and I am positive and hopeful that more bright days are ahead.

Most importantly, I am creating again! This makes me happier than words can say...

Which brings me to some creative resolutions I made for this year. Just in time to count in the big Resolve to Sew Giveaway!

I resolve to spend more time sewing on my ancient WIPs and UFQs. A few of these haven't seen the light of day since 2010, when I lifted the lid of the box to make sure they were still there and still okay.
Spend more time sewing clothing (for me and maybe for that little baby niece) ;-) I have a small collection of vintage patterns that I'd like to alter to make myself a few dresses and (maybe) even a coat from one I bought recently online--grand ambitions, I know. I also have a few of the Lisette sewing patterns by Simplicity, and I'd love to make (at least one of) everything in this pattern for a summer wardrobe:

Sadly I didn't sew any clothing last year (other than a few alterations for the wedding). We can't have that.
In 2012, I'm going to sew my own quilts, my own inspirations, and not worry so much about what trends are popping up on blogs, Pinterest, and flickr. Or if it will fill a void here on the blog.... If I like it, and I feel it, I'll create it!
And lastly, I want to try some new things. I haven't defined exactly what those new things are yet, but I know I want to experiment more this year and work/sew outside of my comfort zone.

So stay tuned--big things could be happening here in 2012!

Do you make sewing/quilting resolutions?

Or general resolutions when the New Year comes?

What do you want to create in 2012?

Creative Clips

2012-01-20T07:57:00.000-06:00

It's been a month. A month of quiet; A month of busy. A month of reading books; A month of prayer. A month of work... of appointments... of meetings... of housework... of meal-planning and cooking... of illness and exhaustion... of tears and of laughter... and a break from feeling obligated to journal here. Resolutions were made; and kept (still going strong!). Change (improvement?) was made in so many ways, and excitement and anticipation of the next few months is high.

When I started my blog, I posted (nearly) weekly "creative clips" showing small things I worked on or did, that didn't necessarily warrant an entire blog post. Sort of like my friend Cindy's "Really Random" posts--only not as amusing as her posts. ;-) I've decided I'm bringing Creative Clips back in 2012. So here goes:

Creative Clips, Weeks 1, 2 & 3!

My SIL is making a 100 Wishes Quilt for the son they recently brought home from China. I surprised them at Christmas by giving them two special blocks, hand embroidered and sashed to match her quilt blocks, with dates to represent their trip to China, his birthday and adoption date ("gotcha day"), and the date he became a citizen of the United States--all within an outline of his two countries:

On December18th, my Sweetie and I went to meet our new nephew, and then, a few days after Christmas, he and his big brother spent a few hours at our place while Mom went on a lunch date and ran a few errands. It's amazing, they are truly brothers, as if they have been since birth. His first trip to Dairy Queen with uncle and auntie:

I didn't sew any gifts to give this year, however I did have a customer request for a set of Mother/Daughter aprons... using this sweet cupcake fabric from my stash, I made an apron for a 3-year old girl and her mommy--who enjoy baking together:

Like Katy, I sometimes resist cutting into "precious" fabrics in my stash because I'm saving it for something "special". Silly, huh? Well, I opened a Good Fortune layer cake and started sewing last weekend... on a sewing day at my place with two awesome friends:

Seriously, I have to get over that--the stash is there to be used, Amy Butler and Heather Ross and all...

It just felt good to sew again.... and have I ever mentioned how much I love to chain-piece?

I did a little hand-piecing on a short road trip over the holiday week; a little progress on the hexagon quilt:

I enjoyed twelve days off from the job at holiday time, and spent much of that time sleeping (even though I had grand intentions of spending it creating!)... I guess your body knows when it has reached a certain point of sleep deprivation, and my body decided to revolt and take the sleep it needed no matter what the right side of the brain was demanding.

Life is indeed good, and I am blessed,

Doris

Oh, Baby, Baby

2011-12-20T12:11:00.005-06:00

(my apologies for triggering any unwelcome pop music rhthymn in your subconscious...)

But what I was really referring to are the baby onesies I've been having fun painting and appliqueing... 100% cotton onesies, pre-washed, and decorated with my freehand artwork in fabric, glitter fabric paint and fabric paint markers....

I made these to sell at a craft fair, but it just wasn't the right market for baby stuff, so they are now listed in my etsy shop: madebyabrunnette, along with the leftovers from last weekend's blog sale.

There are cute tiger and lion cubs,

elephants that would look cute on any little peanut...

ladybugs,

and doxies....

onesies fit for a princess....

or a real sweet-heart....

All onesies are customize-able, add a baby's name, nickname, or request a special color or different size, etc. Maybe you want a dog or cat on the onesie that looks like your own pet? Sky's the limit, just ask!

And, on all items in my shop, Shipping is FREE within the United States! It's not too late to buy for Christmas...

A Quilting "Hole in One"

2011-12-19T16:05:00.002-06:00

I told you in February that I would have a Christmas quilt to snuggle under this Christmas. Finished up, with little time to spare, my Peppermint Twist quilt:

Quilted with an all over meander stitch....

It has a fun pieced "snowflake" back:

Fussy cut cornerstones...

A favorite Christmas ornament print as a top and bottom border, and green dot binding to finish it up.

So what is the Quilter's "Hole in One"? Well, for the first (and possibly last) time, I made binding, sewed it on, and when I got around to the last side of the quilt I thought I was going to be just a hair short on binding. Instead, I continued to sew, and when I stopped to join the two ends of binding, I could scarcely believe my eyes. I had the exact length of binding I needed for this quilt, I didn't trim so much as an 1/8th of an inch! That has never happened before. And somehow, I don't see it even happening again....

House Guest

2011-12-18T21:44:00.004-06:00

Depression has been a most unwelcome companion the last few weeks... This time of year I am typically blaring my Christmas iTunes at the office, in my car and at home. But this year, I can't seem to listen to more than a song or two without the despair sinking a little deeper. I'm focusing on my health, eating right, and working my way through the blues as best I can.

Tonight, I was cutting fabric for a Mother/Daughter apron set, and decided to pop this CD in, since the Christmas music just wasn't calling to me...

(I've had a thing for Perry Como since I was a teenager--it had something to do with a TV album commercial that I found greatly amusing--and mocked, often!) The music is beautiful, mostly familiar church songs, some I recall singing for school programs as a child, and it immediately brought me peace. Especially this tune:

"I KNOW WHAT GOD IS"

I have heard the wild bird's sing
so I know what 'freedom' is
I have looked into the eyes of a child
so I know what 'faith' is

I have seen a rainbow
so I know what 'beauty' is
I have planted a tree
so I know what 'hope' is

I have held a helping hand
so I know what 'kindness' is
I have seen a blossom burst into bloom
so I know what 'glory' is

I have lost a friend
so I know what 'sorrow' is
I have knelt down in prayer
so I know what 'peace' is

I have seen a mother at her crib
so I'm sure of the meaning of 'love'
I have seen and I have felt these things
and now I know what 'God' is!

Words and Music by Don Raye, Ned Freeman and John G. Bowen

BEAUTIFUL.... May you know Peace, and God, this night and this Christmas Season...

A Christmas Party!

2011-12-15T07:34:00.009-06:00

Just recently, I discovered Thrifty Decor Chick's blog... she's a gal after my own heart; crafty and thrifty. I'm sure she'll be staying in my reader for a long time... Today she is hosting a Christmas Tree party, and I'm linking up!

When I lived in a house, I had more than one tree, and MANY more decorations than I own now. But we live in a 1,000 s.f. condo, so we have narrow, artificial, pre-lit tree that stands 7 feet tall--in front of our balcony door:

You can see one of the stockings I made hanging on the mantle there. My hubby described it over the phone to his mom as "it's one of those skinny, fake trees, that comes with lights on it; and then Doris adds about 500 ornaments to it." He's probably not that far off. There are at least five dozen silver glass icicles hanging on the insides of the branches, seven or eight dozen frosted glass balls from Target in purples, greens, turquoise, pinks, blues, magentas, reds--all bright colors. Then there are the special ornaments we've picked out together each year, all German glass ornaments:

The Viola, the black cat, the moon, the dove with the real feather tail...

the House for the year we made our home together, and for 2011, my favorite, a nosegay of roses that looks just like my bridal bouquet from this Spring!

There are some other special ornaments on there, bought from etsy sellers, made by friends or family, given by someone special... but truly the ones we cherish are the ornaments we have picked out in our six years together. It was the first tradition we decided to start as a couple.

Underneath the tree (you can barely see it in the top photo) sits the nativity from my childhood, in a stable made by my Mom from an orange crate. I spruced it up with a straw roof and twigs on sides. I think the figurines are German also, which is where my great-grandparents came from. The angel is one my family gave to my Grandma in the 1980s, when the entire family bought her a new artificial tree and a collection of special ornaments. When she could no longer stay in her home, each family received their ornaments back, and I got her angel. I love see Grandma's angel looking down from the top of our tree.

So, go check out the rest of the party... have fun!

Come back soon, I should have a finished quilt to show you...only four or five years in the making!

Inspired Faith

2011-12-13T07:33:00.000-06:00

I needed this today. What an amazing person.

The Definition of Joy:

2011-12-05T09:59:00.000-06:00

Two NEW brothers meeting for the first time.

One Daddy, One Mommy.

Two different languages.

Dancing joyfully to a brotherly language of their own....

(adoption is official, Caleb is truly a member of our family, and I cannot wait to meet him in a few weeks)

Lil' Dumplings

2011-12-01T08:40:00.001-06:00

I posted this to Facebook after finishing it on Sunday--and I included a Sharpie marker in the pic I posted, to show the scale. This bag is TINY--it measures about 3.5" x 2" at the base, and not quite 3" high!

Since then, I have made seven more dumpling bags... just one in a slightly larger size (the one on the left with the purple flower/purple zipper is bigger than the rest):

Using lots of fun fabric from my stash and scrap boxes:

I'm hoping to sell these at our Church Bazaar this weekend... not sure about price, maybe around $8.00 each.

They are fairly easy to whip up, made from Keyka Lou's free pattern and tutorial...

A lot lower fat than edible dumplings, and a whole lot cuter, too!

You can find Keyka Lou's tutorial here.

They only other sewing I've done this week is one 12.5" purple star block for an exchange:

I realized when pulling fabrics for this block, that the one color I buy very little of, is purple! Do you have a color like that in your stash (or missing from your stash)?

Pie-a-Palooza

2011-11-30T07:37:00.007-06:00

Some college friends and I ~~try to~~ get together monthly for a Girl's Night Out. This month there were only three of us, and our night fell on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, so we stayed in, and had a pie-making night.

We made TWO pumpkin pies with pre-made roll out dough, and the recipe from the Libby's Canned Pumpkin label... I had a helper when mixing my pumpkin pie:

The baked Pumpkin Pie looks so much better than the "raw stuff"--and it tasted even better!

and we made FOUR oatmeal pies with "from-scratch" crust (recipes for both Oatmeal Pie and our Pie Crust, below) What?! You've never had Oatmeal Pie? Tastes a lot like Pecan Pie... and the recipe was adapted by my best friend after trying Oatmeal Pie at a restaurant, Mondo's. It also doesn't look so good before baking:

..but after? Yummmmm....

Recipe for Pie Crust:

3 C flour

1 C Crisco

1 tsp salt

1 egg, beaten

5 Tbsp Ice Water

1 tsp vinegar

Work Crisco into the flour with pastry cutter or knife/forks. Add remaining ingredients, mix well with fork. Divide in two and roll out. Makes two 9-inch pie crusts.

Recipe for Oatmeal Pie:

3 eggs

1 C Sugar

1 dash salt

1 C Dark Karo Syrup

1 C oatmeal

8 Tblsp margarine, melted

unbaked Pie Crust

Mix all ingredients together, pour into unbaked pie shell, and bake for 60 minutes at 350 degrees(f).

Delish. It is best served with Blue Bunny brand Cinnamon Ice Cream (only available at the holidays!) and, yes, Blue Bunny brand is the best!

I'm getting excited to decorate for Christmas... at last week's Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild meeting, I received these fun towels and picture frame from Marny in our Holiday Swap. Just my kind of Christmas colors, bright, with pink and lime green included!

Marny provided a simple tutorial for making these towels (using 5" Charm squares!!) on her blog, Modern Quilt Relish. Thanks, Marny, I really, really, like them!

100 Good Wishes

2011-11-29T08:02:00.001-06:00

For 4 or more years now, my brother's MIL has made gingerbread houses and people for us to decorate with the kids. This is something my SIL and her sister did every year with their mom, Marlene (our gingerbread baker!). Here is my post from 2008, which includes a gingerbread recipe link if you want to make your own! This year, we had a brunch get-together, because our evenings were getting full too soon. It also happened to be this little guys birthday...

So his Aunt Lesley gave him four candles in his donut hole (don't worry, he had birthday cupcakes with his supper later that day!).

I had help with my house this year, 3-year-old Jonah decided this was "our house" and he was determined to cover every bit of gingerbread surface while packing his chipmunk cheeks as full of candy as he possibly could...

The boys were way into the activity this year, typically they only last about ten minutes then head off to play while the adults finish up decorating houses (Easter Eggs, etc.) but all three stayed with it the entire time...

Here are our finished houses...from the front:

and the back:

You can probably tell, but Jonah and my house is the one in the back by the Pepsi can, I told you he was determined to leave no surface uncovered. And here it is from the front, the house on the right:

I'm not sure how that gingerbread girl avoided being covered in candy and icing...

Next year we will have two new helpers, my niece Zoe will be big enough to be at the table, and my 4 1/2 year old nephew from China, who will be coming home to the United States for the first time three weeks from now will both be a part of this tradition.

I've been helping Caleb's new Mommy, my SIL, Lesley, make her first quilt, a 100 wishes quilt for Caleb. I've only instructed her up until now, answering questions for her as needed. She has cut and sewn every block herself with fabric donated from friends and family. I have the blocks at home now, while they are in China, because I offered to square them up for her, so she can piece the quilt when they return and finish it up for his new bed.

We welcomed Caleb into our family in May--having never met him, we already love him and claim him as our's. My brother, his wife, and their 6 year old son left Iowa, for Beijing, this morning. Next week they will meet and adopt their son and brother, Caleb. And our family will become just a little bigger, and a little more complete.

I Must"ache" You a Question

2011-11-18T07:40:00.000-06:00

What our dear Emily asked her husband when he came home from work yesterday, using the prop she whipped up for Show & Tell at last night's Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild Meeting....

Too cute! It was a fun meeting, we revealed the items we made from our One-Fourth Ugly Fabric Swap. The rules: bring at least 1/4 yard of "ugly" fabric in a paper bag, grab someone else's bag (not knowing what you're gonna get!) and in two months time, make something for yourself utilizing the ugly fabric. This was the fabric in the bag I grabbed:

c. 1970s brown and orange floral, an odd shaped remnant left over from someone's handmade garment. Not something I would buy, but not that ugly either... it could have been much worse. I made yet another wristlet!

used some Urban Chicks, American Jane and Amy Butler to jazz it up, even stuck some "carrot" fabric from my scrap bin in there, and some linen... and lined it with my "ugly" fabric as well:

I rather like it! Might even keep this one for myself. Leila's skirt she made for her daughter:

Her fabric was those candy colored elliptical shapes (also not so very ugly...) Linda's quilt, I only got a photo of the back. Her ugly fabric was much bigger than a 1/4 of a yard, so she made a good sized quilt from it... and it was really not ugly!

Sherry was the first to reveal her quilt, her ugly fabric was a sunset colored batik (certainly NOT ugly), and it inspired her to create this amazing art quilt she titled "The Repentant Sinner" with the crosses of Calvaryon it. She decided to experiment with quilting stitches from Leah's site,

Which made her back as impressive as the front!

We had a Holiday Swap, too, we each made something to gift to another member in a seasonal or holiday theme. The UGLY fabric I took to the meeting in September was SO ugly (I took this challenge to heart!--sorry, Lola!), that Lola had to use it as unseen lining in her Holiday Swap Pillow!

It was an older Moda fabric with a cream background and the logos of their then designers printed all over it. Seriously, I don't even know how it ever got into my stash in the first place!!!

Our swap made it very clear that Beauty is definitely in the Eye of the Beholder. So my question to you is. what fabric/colors/prints/styles are ugly to you?

More pics from our meeting, including some of our Holiday Swap items here.

Busy, Busy World

2011-11-17T07:41:00.002-06:00

Tonight is our Des Moines (Iowa) Modern Quilt Guild holiday social--can't wait! If you are in the area, stop by at 6:30 for an evening of fun. We are swapping a holiday item--I whipped mine up last night (nothing like waiting till the last minute!). More get-together details here.

Every year, I make my nephews birthday shirts to boast their age at their birthday party. These were last year's (a Diego themed party) and the year before was a Curious George party (wow! They were such babies two years ago!) This year, the older brother is obsessed with Richard Scarry's Busytown (remember the Pig Will and Pig Won't costumes? Same source, and his idea..), and his little brother, fire trucks. Originally the party was to be Busytown themed, but their Momma settled on a generic fire truck theme party.

It just so happened that Quilting Treasures released their new line, Busytown on the Move by Richard Scarry at the beginning of October 2011, just in the knick-of-time for my nephew's birthdays!

Seriously cute fabric, a BUSY scene with all sorts of activity going on in town, cars everywhere, including the famous pickle car, the mice driving saxophone and Swiss cheese cars, a worm driving an apple car, a rabbit driving a head of lettuce, a hog on a Harley(!), and a fox on a Vespa--

There is a televesion show out now, called Busytown Mysteries, which is how my nephews know about Richard Scarry. He created Busytown before I was born, and what I love about this new series and the books, they haven't "modernized" his art or the animation, the characters still look like, and are colored the same way, as I remember them in the 1970s. Isn't that cool? Given the treatment of some other contemporary remakes from my childhood (don't even get me started on Fisher Price Little People), I find this refreshing-and a nod to Mr. Scarry's talent and genius. Illustrations from the book, "What Do People Do All Day" (copyright 1968-still in print today!), check out Stitches the Tailor's work table:

and Stitches is so wealthy he can hire a new house to be built (check out that bag of money!!!) don't we all wish sewing was such a profitable profession:

Even the dressmaker works above the bank, presumably so she can deposit her ample earnings at the end of each workday...

Well, okay. Maybe not, but a girl can dream, right?!?

So for the birthday party, I bought them each a Richard Scarry book, and I made them each a shirt (recycled from their Halloween costumes!) with a Busytown fire truck fussy cut into their "number":

And used the fabric to make them each their own pillowcase, perfect for falling to sleep on and dreaming big 3 and 4 year old dreams on... Maybe I should make myself a birthday shirt next July to boast my new age, what do you think? Yeah, maybe not.

Instead of using wrapping paper, I wrapped each book up in the pillowcase with their shirt as a "nametag" for whose gift was whose.

I'd like to imagine that they will be this easy to please when they are 13 and 14...

Doubtful. But again, a girl can dream, can't she?

It's in the Bag

2011-11-10T07:41:00.001-06:00

A few more...

Black and Grey dots lined with "lipstick pink" floral... And for the shoe addict, an Alexander Henry print, "mary jane" lined in a pale orchid Polka Dot:

A little more sewing tonight...

Bird Brained

2011-11-09T08:31:00.002-06:00

Picked my mail up on the way off to retreat this weekend, and there was Carla's One Block Over package (GREAT timing!) so the first thing I did once I got set up at retreat was make these two cute blocks... love the quilt idea, adore the birdie print!!!

The rest of retreat was spent creating bags...

Note the red sequins on the Ruby Slipper bags!

...and more bags...

I really like the way this MOMO fabric from Moda quilted up!

...and a few more bags...

Love the Joel Dewberry fabric I used for lining on the birdie wristlet (sadly, it's one of my last scraps of it!):

I've sewn three more of these wristlets since this weekend (more pics to come), to get ready to vend at a craft boutique this weekend. Feeling bird-brained (pun intended) from doing the same thing over and over... I'm not much for mass-producing, or assembly-lining items, so, to me this seems like an unpleasant way to make a living, but I'm committed to two craft boutiques, so...

The best thing about all of these bags--and Carla's blocks? Almost everyone was made from fabric in my scrap bins! I really didn't cut into too much new fabric.

Have a favorite of my bags?

Ever done any vending yourself? Or made many of something to sell?

Happy Haul-i-days

2011-11-08T07:27:00.002-06:00

Simplify. My mantra. My sweetie and I both regularly do major clean outs (closets, clothes, drawers, fabric stash, sewing studio, garage... you name it) because we have some innate fear of becoming hoarders, I guess (most likely, that would NEVER happen unless I win or inherit a mansion of some sort, because I have always lived in small spaces...). The conundrum is, I am a collector by nature: I adore vintage items, I can't bear to see anything that still has use go to a dumpster, and I am a sentimental sap---I tend to "rescue" things until I can find a good home for them to go to.

And. then. there. are. books.

My sweetie and I met while working at a bookstore. We both have a weakness. And that is why, despite doing my best every day to not focus on material things and accumulating more "stuff", I would gladly accept the gift of $500 worth of books from Chronicle Books Happy Haul-idays Giveaway. Because, there is always room for books...

And the really fun part? If I win, one of my readers wins $500 in books too, and so does a charity I choose... I'd choose the Literacy Center at the University I work for... they do amazing work.

So, the $500 worth of books I'd choose (in no particular order):

1. Decorate by Holly Becker and Joanna Copestick, $35.00, because Holly's blog, decor8, has always been a source of inspiration for me.
2. Print & Pattern by Bowie Style, $29.95. I don't think I need a reason. It's glorious. And, there is a second one available now.
3. The Liberty Book of Home Sewing, $27.50. It's Liberty. It's about sewing. 'Nuff said.
4. Craft Inc. Business Planner, $16.95. I've checked out this planner many times in my local bookstore, but have yet to carry it to the cash register.
5. What the heck, I might as well have the newest edition of Craft, Inc., 16.95--since I'm winning it.

6. 1,000 Fonts: An Illustrated Guide to Finding the Right Typeface, $29.95. I am a typeface junkie. This is a book made for me.
7. Florence Broadhurst by Helen O'Neill, $24.95. A design icon and woman ahead of her time, I'm certain this would be a great read as well as drool worthy inspiration...
8. Fast, Fresh & Green by Susie Middleton, $24.95--I love a good, simple cookbook, and I love veggies.
9. Ruhlman's Twenty: The Ideas and Techniques That Will Make you a Better Cook, $40.00. I wasn't familiar with this one, but it looks like a fabulous resource for anyone who likes to cook.
10. Holiday Crafting & Baking with Kids, $19.95. Because my sister and her three wee ones would love this.
11. Also for my sis and her wee ones: A Magical Day With Matisse, $6.95. I have a small collection of books for children that teach them about famous artists and styles of art. How fun is a book about Matisse for kids?!?
12. Miette: Recipes from San Francisco's Most Charming Pastry Shop, $27.50. Because I am a sucker for anything Parisian inspired or pretty.
13. The Doorbells of Florence (a novel) by Andrew Losowsky, $18.95. Because I not only adore all things Parisian, but also love Italy, I love architecture, and I adore short stories...
14. 1,001 Symbols by Jack Tresidder, $9.95. Because I've always been obsessed with history and symbolism.
15. The Eiffel Tower by Lucienne Herv, $19.95. Because I adore architecture, most things Parisian, most especially, the Eiffel Tower...
16. Girl's World by Jennifer Paganelli, $24.95. Because, you know, I have that little 3-month-old-niece to sew for now...
17. French General: Treasured Notions, $24.95. Because I mentioned I adore vintage items, particularly when sewing is involved, and French General books are always a fest for the eyes, no matter what.
18. Sunblooms Bound Journal, Amy Butler, $9.95--because you can always use another pretty journal...
19. Little Bits Quilting Bee by Kathreen Ricketson, $24.95, a new release with projects for pre-cuts--there is a blog tour going on right now.
20. Black Cat Bone, by J. Patrick Lewis and Illustrated by Gary Kelley, $24.95. Gary Kelley is a Cedar Falls, Iowa artist, who I've met... and if you've ever been to a Barnes & Noble Store, you've seen his art. I have several of his illustrated books, and I know someone who would enjoy this one as much as I would.
21. The Business of Design, $40.00. Sounds like a great business reference.

Grand Total: $499.20 (notice how I spent nearly every penny?)

Remember, if I win, one of YOU win!!!! So go ahead, leave me a comment... What book from my list would be your first choice?

Legacy of Quilting

2011-11-03T07:46:00.000-05:00

quote from the diary of a Pioneer woman:

"I made quilts as fast as I could to keep my family warm, and as pretty as I could to keep my heart from breaking..."

WIP Wednesday: Table Scraps

2011-11-02T07:20:00.000-05:00

Thank goodness that's behind me... Blogtoberfest, that is. Posting every.single.day.in.October was exhausting, but I'll tell you one thing, it did wonders for the ever-evolving-constantly-changing-to-do list--LOTS of items crossed off this month!!!!

~~Commission (Signature QUILT) #2,-~~-done!
~~Halloween Costumes for Samuel, Jonah & Zoe Grace, Sweetie and Me--~~done!
~~Two Halloween Spider web quilts...~~ --one done! #2 will be done for Halloween 2012
~~Halloween Party projects and Tutorials: tablecloth, placemats, treat bag, pincushions~~--done, done, done, and done!
~~MQG Habitat Challenge Quilt-~~-done!
~~Finish quilting and binding on Midnight Serenade Quilt~~ -done!
Finish the cutting for my Candied Hexagon quilt
Peppermint Twist quilt, --top done, at LAQs
Make a baby quilt for Zoe Grace.
Neighborhood quilt (sewconnected2 Bee blocks)
Cyclone quilt (One Block Over 2010 Bee blocks)
Kansas City Star quilt,
Nearly Insane quilt, I have NOT kept up with block making as I promised myself I would...
Medallion quilt (local small group Round Robin quilt)
One Block Over 2011 Bee Quilt

This week's WIP post involves organizing my scraps, in preparation for two things:

A Quilt-A-Long I am planning to announce here VERY SOON to start in January 2012 (It will be very UNIQUE and very COOL!)--and will help reduce your pile of scraps...
and making things in bulk at retreat this weekend for my first experience as a Craft Show vendor, NEXT weekend.

Quilters are always curious about how other quilters manage and use their scraps. So, here's my recently adopted method for dealing with an overflowing scrap box...

First I sort them by color groups (reds, pinks, oranges/yellows, greens, blues, purples, brown/black/neutrals, and whites/creams). A few things are sorted by type rather than color; multicolor florals and prints that don't "fit" into one color group, Halloween, Christmas, Heather Ross scraps.

Then, strips get put aside (by color) for string blocks, strip pieced bags, etc. Anything bigger than a 2.5" square gets put in a plastic shoebox by color:

And anything smaller than a 2.5" square, but too pretty/too cute to toss (I call them itty bits) get stored in their own plastic shoebox to be used for fussy cut hexies, Bee blocks, and truly scrappy projects such as my Scrappy Charm Pincushions.

I never used to have a scrap box, I either tossed smaller items or donated them to a quilt guild that used them for stuffing pillows, etc. But after meeting and befriending Amanda Jean, and then sewing at a table next to her, I started saving everything. I even take and use other people's scraps, now. I think it's catchy... so be careful.

So I'm curious, do you save scraps and if so, how do you organize them to make them "useable"? Or, do you not bother to organize them, just throw them together in one big box or basket?

Check out the other WIP posts at Lee's place.

Blogtoberfest Day XXXI--A Very Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T12:06:00.000-05:00

....from (in order of appearance...):

the Bull

Pig Will

Pig Won't

the Mermaid

her Mama

Thing 1 (that's Me!)

Thing 2

Richard Simmons

the Clown

the Gypsy

the Witch

the Ninja

Boba Fett

the Soldier

the Nudist

and the Game of Cat & Mouse

(Weren't you relieved to see the nudist was on strike?!?)

Until next year, and another month of Halloween Fun!!!!!

Blogtoberfest Day XXX--Do Not Be Afraid

2011-10-30T07:15:00.000-05:00

Last year at Halloween, my nephew, who was hyper-excited for Halloween for at least a month leading up to it, was paralyzed by fear at the first "scary" mask he saw--nothing would calm him down or convince him that it was just another boy behind the mask. He went home, petrified, after visiting five houses... A few months later, he was again terrified, when his cousin pulled a Batman mask out of his toy box and put it on. For some reason, he was paralyzed by just the sight of a dark mask.

This year, his Aunt started working on him early to overcome his fear of masks. She explained to him that God did not give him a spirit of fear, but rather a spirit of courage. Eventually she convinced him to promise to wear the Batman mask when he visited her house, so he could see that it was just a mask, just a piece of plastic. He was hesitant at first, but eventually tried it on, and decided it was no big deal, because, as he said, "It's really just me under here!" We're hoping this practice carries through when it's time to trick-or-treat this evening.

I loved the way my sister-in-law explained it to him, using Faith and God in her logic. It reminded me of one of my favorite verses of the Bible, Psalm 91:

¹ Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
      will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² This I declare about the Lord:
   He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
      he is my God, and I trust him.
³ For he will rescue you from every trap
      and protect you from deadly disease.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers.
      He will shelter you with his wings.
      His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
⁵ Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
      nor the arrow that flies in the day.
⁶ Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
      nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
⁷ Though a thousand fall at your side,
      though ten thousand are dying around you,
      these evils will not touch you.
⁸ Just open your eyes,
      and see how the wicked are punished.
⁹ If you make the Lord your refuge,
      if you make the Most High your shelter,
¹⁰ no evil will conquer you;
      no plague will come near your home.

I know Halloween is discouraged by many Christians, but I think it can represent more than fear and evil--it can also represent the joy of childhood, the Light of God within us, and the blessings of the Harvest. There's a great article about this topic here.

We live in a busy, overwhelming, over-scheduled, world today. Why not embrace your inner child and enjoying the release of being "someone" or "something" else for a few hours? And, I want my nephew to enjoy Halloween as much as I do. For me, it reminds me of the freedom of childhood; having fun outside, after dark, with my brothers and our neighbors, for just one night every year. It sounds cliche, but it was a simpler time, and who doesn't wish once in awhile you could go back to having the responsibilities you had in childhood? Do a little vacuuming on Saturday morning for Mom, be good for the teachers, and help with dishes 4-5 nights a week? Sign me up...

Blogtoberfest Day XXIX--October Stitching

2011-10-29T05:40:00.000-05:00

I've made 28 straight days of blogging--crazy. (I missed October 1!) Lest you think I've only sewn up Halloween themed things this month...

I completed a few more hand-pieced hexies for my Candied Hexagon Quilt:

I think that makes 71 completed hexagons now. (33 to go...or something like that). To view the rest, see my flickr set. I made this tasty BEE block for Megan for One Block Over:

It's only 6.5" square, she asked for birthday cake blocks she is making a quilt of 60 of them for a friend's 60th Birthday--isn't that awesome? Paper-pieced, of my own design--I embroidered the little flames on with my new obsession, Aurifil Wool 12 wt:

Here's a sneak peek of my costumes for my sweetie and I, sorry sneak peeks only until after the party tonight!

Maybe you can guess what the 'guise is with just this little peek? I'll be very impressed if you do...

Blogtoberfest Day XXVIII--Costume Idea

2011-10-28T06:28:00.002-05:00

The Statue of Liberty was dedicated 125 years ago TODAY--on October 28, 1886.

Go Green, in more ways than one, and take a lesson from Maya and her clever parents...

Blogtoberfest Day XXVII--What A Tangled Web We Weave

2011-10-27T07:13:00.000-05:00

This is a TWO-for-ONE quilt. Let me explain...

I started this quilt the first week of September-- 2010 -- by cutting random sized strips from every Halloween print I owned (I really like Halloween fabric, it's a weakness) as well as a few solids and tone-on-tones that "play" well with Halloween fabrics. I spent a weekend retreat last September sewing together strips and cutting triangles to make spiderwebs. The other quilters at retreat kept asking how many spiderwebs I had left to make, I responded "I'm not sure, I haven't counted". At the end of retreat, I had enough triangles (NOT complete spiderwebs) to make 32 spiderwebs, which was enough for a TWIN size a AND a THROW sized quilt! So, eventually I will have two quilts. See, Two-for-One, or "what happens when you just start cutting without planning ahead".

This is (a bad photo of) the Twin Sized Quilt, 20 spiderwebs, and a mitered border of an Alexander Henry fabric (Hallowe'en Night) I have been saving for years just for this project. The background for the spiderwebs is RJR's Halloween Night in cream. I fussy cut stripes from another Halloween print to create the "HALLOWEEN" inner border. **Temporary Insanity**

As you can see, there is a little bit of everything else in here...

Candy Corn, Spiders, Witches, Bats, Rats, Cats, Skeletons, Jack-o-Lanterns, Leaves, Spellbooks, Owls, Broomsticks, you name it...

The backing fabric for this quilt is unhappy hour by Alexander Henry:

Photo courtesy of alidzia

I finished this top at a retreat THIS September--oh, how I enjoy a weekend quilt retreat... This one involved some birthday fun..with Hello Kitty party hats...

lots of laughter, new friendships made, some creative sewing (what you have to do when you leave part of your machine at home!):

and the biggest design ~~wall~~ floor, I've ever had to play with!

And, just because my Mom can't get enough of seeing this photo of Miss Zoe Seaweed in the costume I made for her:

That's one is for you, Grandma!!!

To view the other Quilts in this Fall's Bloggers Quilt Festival--see Amy's site.

This Week's Halloween Party Giveaway Winner is:

Fun! I won Veronicamade's giveaway during Sew, Mama, Sew's Giveaway Day earlier this year. One of her sweet elephant pincushions... Congrats, Veronica!

Big things are coming in NOVEMBER, an announcement, a Quilt-A-Long, more giveaways for my followers (from some of your favorite sponsors).... Stay Tuned!

Blogtoberfest Day XXVI--Tutorial: Portrait Placemats

2011-10-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

Enjoying the Ghastlies Blog Hop? Isn't it fascinating to see how the same fabrics can look so different when placed in the hands of 54 different creators?!?

As promised, here is my tutorial for making the Ghastlie Family Portrait Placemats... (or maybe frame up a fun scenic Christmas fabric for your holiday table?) Oh, the ideas...

Step 1: I started by fussy cutting my two "portraits" 12.5" tall x 14.5" wide (If using something other than A Ghastlie Night print by Alexander Henry, adjust your size accordingly). I cut two pieces of "frame" fabric (Haunted Mansion by Sanae for Moda) 18" x 20".

Step 2: I made a paper template for my "picture frame". I cut a rectangular "frame" with a 12" x 14" opening, and an outer measurement of 17" x 19". (See Photo Above).

Step 3: Fold your paper frame in half twice, until you have an L-shaped template (four layers of paper).

Step 4: Draw and cut a decorative frame outline onto your template. Set your template aside.(NOTE: If you would like a PDF of the frame I drew, leave me an email address in the comments--I am unable to load PDFs in blogger).

Step 5: On the reverse side of your "frame" fabric, center your "portrait" (the 12.5" x 14.5" Ghastlies Fabric) and make regsitraton marks at the four corners (it's hard to see, but I used blue pencil for my registration marks in the photo above--double click to enlarge). Then using these registration marks, draw lines 1/4" in from blue mark, creating a 12" x 14" rectangle centered on your fabric.

Step 6: BEFORE YOU CUT YOUR CENTER OPENING: Press a strip of 1/2" wide Steam-a-Seam 2 (SaS2) along all four lines, aligning one edge of your SaS2 with the blue registration marks. Make sure your CUTTING LINES are dark enough to see through the paper of the SaS2.

Step 7: Cut your center opening out, being careful not to cut PAST the intersection of your two lines at the corners. I used my 18mm rotary cutter, you may even want to use a scissors to cut into the corners for more control. As you can see in the above photo, you are cutting away some of your SaS2, the reason you cut through it is to stabilize the raw edge of your "frame" so there is minimal fraying.

Step 8: Peel the paper from the remaining SaS2 off, and carefully place your "portrait" face down, aligning it with your original blue registration marks in all four corners. Ensure that both fabrics are laying flat and are lined up correctly, and then press, affixing your "portrait" to the reverse side of your frame.

Step 9: (NO PHOTO INCLUDED, BUT IMPORTANT STEP!!) Use a fusible stabilizer, thick enough to give your "photo" an opaque backing, to cover both the reverse side of both your "portrait" and your "frame". I use Shape-Flex by Pellon, the same stabilizer I use for quilts made of fabrics other than 100% quilting cotton (like t-shirt quilts or my men's suit quilt).

Step 9: Turn your portrait over, and retrieve the paper template you made in Step 4. Lay your template atop your frame, lining up the 12" x 14" opening with the fabric frame opening. Using either pattern weights or pins, secure your paper pattern so it will not shift. (TIP: I save rotary cutter cases--the yellow things in photo below--and weight them to use as pattern weights-fill with sand, plaster, or anything to give them weight) Trace your pattern with a marking pencil or white colored pencil.

Step 10: Carefully cut along your traced line, creating your fancy frame.

Step 11: Lay your framed portrait on top of your backing fabric (wrong sides together) and satin-stitch in black thread (I used Aurifil 50wt Mako). If your machine does not have a satin-stitch, zig-zag stitch with the densest zig-zag you can get. I did not use any batting, or padding, which is why the Shape-Flex Stabilizer I added in Step 9 is so important, it acts as a stabilizer, and a lining between the backing and your "portrait", as well as stabilizing the fancy cut edge of your "frame" from raveling as your handle it.

Step 12: Final Step--carefully cut away your excess backing fabric, using a scissors and cutting along the outer edge of stitching, being careful not to cut any stitches...

Et Voila! Two Portrait Placemats, elegantly framed... (You could easily add a sleeve to the back for hanging on the wall, or try Alidzia's method of slipcovered picture frames. Genius!)

We are only one day away from this week's Halloween Party giveaway! Remember to comment on any of this week's posts, and become a follower of my blog, for a chance to qualify to win:

ONE Scrappy Charm Pincushion
TWO treats of the s*w*e*e*t variety
THREE Holiday Fat Quarters
FOUR Awesome Notions (Aurifil threads, etc.)
FIVE.... I'm trying to decide, but a surprise is always a good thing, isn't it?

Thanks for reading, thanks for visiting, have an Awesome October and a Happy Halloween!!!!!

Oh, and go visit these gals today--on the Ghastlie Blog Hop--for chances to win more great prizes!!!!

Mrs. Barb Ghastlie

Miss Karen Ghastlie

Ms. Loralynn Ghastlie

Ms. Jen Ghastlie.

Ms Penny Ghastlie

Mrs Rhonda Ghastlie

Blogtoberfest Day XXV--A Ghastlie Night, Indeed

2011-10-25T03:01:00.000-05:00

October has been a busy month in the Threads household, daily blogging for Blogtoberfest...

Tutorials, projects and giveaways Galore for my own Halloween Party...

Custom costume creations for some special little people...

And Today? A stop on the Ghastlies Blog Hop... with Portrait Placemats of the entire brood.

Have you met the Ghastlie Family? I had the opportunity to visit Ghastlie Manor a few weeks ago, and met the entire clan. Uncle Rufus Ghastlie, (he fancies himself a vampire... really, he's just an unfulfilled accountant who prefers wearing capes to suit coats), is such a dear. he gave me a tour of the grounds and introduced to me to the entire clan. There is a very handsome framed portrait of him on the mantle in the parlor...

There are some rather good group portraits of the family as well... Though a troublesome bunch, this one, taken in the Dining Room of the manor, turned out quite well; except for Sebastian sprawling himself out on the table just before the camera flashed. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Mathilda, the matriarch of the family is that pale creature at the far left, and next to her is Cousin Cornelius (I wouldn't cross him, if I were you...), Mathilde's sister Druscilla is next (everyone calls her Aunt Cill), at the head of the table is, Albert, with his son, Alphonse. I'm not sure why Aunt Gertrude is standing there shaking her finger at the camera... although she "despises that filthy cat--who apparently has the run of the house" (and table, in this case). Aunt Tilly, on the corner there, is such a gentle soul, but she photographs poorly... and Prudence... And Dear Uncle Rufus, always so dapper and dashing....

Now, I tried my best to avoid Roderick, he is the doctor in the family, though not a Ghastlie by birth...

Roderick married Aunt Gertrude, (on the chaise) and they have one daughter, Prudence. Dreadful child. {shudder}... Truly, they are quite an unpleasant little family. Oh, and the spinster aunts, madly knitting away in the corner.... they didn't want to bothered with introductions!

These portraits were framed, quite lavishly, in this Haunted Mansion moulding by Sanae (Moda), the spiders add such an elegant touch, don't you think?

I hope you enjoyed meeting the family. What's that? No, I'm not pictured here (I'm typically behind the camera...) and that's just fine by me. Until next time, my dears...

Please visit the other blogs on today's schedule:

Mrs. Annie Ghastlie

Mrs Brandie Ghastlie

Ms. Alidiza Ghastlie

Mrs. JudyC Ghastlie

Leave a comment for each of us for a chance to win a grand prize on Mde Samm Ghastlie's Blog at the end of the day...

And, come back tomorrow for a tutorial on how to make your own Portrait Placemats and a chance at this week's Giveaway!

Have a Ghastlie Day!

Blogtoberfest Day XXIV--The Littlest Mermaid

2011-10-24T08:33:00.000-05:00

Ifinished up the Pig Will and Pig Won't Costumes on Friday evening, andon Saturday, got out my paintbrushes and fabric paints to create amermaid costume for baby sister...

I started with a white onesie, gave her a clam shell top tied with seaweed and a starfish clasp at the back...

added a pearl and seashell necklace, and a seaweed bracelet...

Made her a clam shell quilted fin...

and a matching headpiece, complete with clam shell, pearl and mother-of-pearl heart...

Her she is, the littlest (and possibly the cutest) mermaid...Miss Zoe Seaweed:

and here she is with big brother, Pig Won't (he looks a little too happy to be Pig Won't but he was extremely excited about his new costume!):

There is no photo of their middle sibling, Pig Will, because my camera is simply not equipped to photograph perpetual motion.

Pig Will & Pig Won't Costume Details:

took 2 yards of pink flannel for one size 3T and one size 4T costume.
I started with a pattern, but ended up free-handing most of the costume, including hooves to cover their hands and shoes. (I could have saved my time and effort, the "hooves" stayed on about 10 minutes).
snouts were purchased, as were the polo shirt and shorts

Mermaid Costume Details:

Purchased onesie and white headband
fin was freehand drawn and cut from Me & My Sister "Smores" fabric, lined with flannel and free-motion quilted in a clam shell design. Top is finished with rick-rack.
All details painted on onesie were freehand drawn and painted by yours truly
From start to finish, this costume took me about three hours. (MUCH less time than the pig costumes...)
It just fits her, I'm guessing by November 4, when she turns 3-months old it will no longer fit. I cannot believe how much that child grew in two weeks!!!
She didn't mind wearing it all, the fin was sort of like she was swaddled up for bedtime...

Tomorrow is Day 2 of the Ghastlies Blog Hop--MY Day! Come back to see what I created with the Ghastlie Family Portraits...

Blogtoberfest Day XXIII--Welcome to the Ghastlies Blog Hop!!!!

2011-10-23T18:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome to our First Annual Ghastlies Blog HOP (Starts TOMORROW!!!)

If you have this thing for Ghastlies

and they have tied you in a knot

and you wish you could get them out of your mind

than this may be a thought.

We heard her plea for a cure

Mdm Samm was pos/it/ively sure

that we could stitch the nights away

in hopes that we MAY----

( all 54 of us!!)

BUT....

The side effects are Ghastlie

there is no mistaking too.

if you don't run this very minute

YOU too will catch the FLU...

We suspected all along

this was her master plan

she did not want to be alone,

with all YOU Ghastlie FANS...

at the end of every day, at Mdm Samm's site,

a grand winner there will be

Do not fright, for there are many a Ghastlie Delight...

Return here Tuesday next, to see what ghastlie goodies

will present!!

ON Monday, October 24th

Mrs Kirie Ghastlie

Ms Carol Ghastlie

Ms. Wendy Ghastlie

Ms. Carrie Ghastlie

Mrs Holly Ghastlie

ON Tuesday October 25th

Mrs. Annie Ghastlie

Mrs Doris Ghastlie--ME!

Mrs Brandie Ghastlie

Ms. Alidiza Ghastlie

Mrs. JudyC Ghastlie

ON Wednesday October 26th

Mrs. Barb Ghastlie

Miss Karen Ghastlie

Ms. Loralynn Ghastlie

Ms. Jen Ghastlie.

Ms Penny Ghastlie

ON Thursday October 27th

Mrs. Katherine Ghastlie

Ms Sharon Ghastlie

Mrs. Gooden Ghastlie

Ms. Selina Ghastlie

Mrs. Melinda Ghastlie

ON Friday October 28th

Miss Trudi Ghastlie

Ms. Deonn Ghastlie

Mrs. Marlene Ghastlie

Mrs Kim Ghastlie

Mrs Tammy Ghastlie

ON Monday October 31st

Mrs. Toyna Ghastlie
Mrs Tiramisue Ghastlie

Mrs. Angela Ghastlie

Mrs Pauline Ghastlie

Mrs. Karin Ghastlie

Mrs Barb Ghastlie

ON Tuesday November 1st

Miss Daisy Ghastlie
Mrs. Dana Ghastlie

Mrs. Elaine Ghastlie

Mrs. Gramma Sheri Ghastlie
Ms. Suz Ghastlie

ON Wednesday November 2nd

Mrs. Jane Ghastlie
Mrs. Laura Ghastlie

Mrs. Mary Ghastlie

Mrs. Michelle Ghastlie

Mrs. Dawn Ghastlie
Mrs Mary Ghastlie

ON Thursday November 3rd

Mrs. Sharon Ghastlie
Mrs Corrie Ghastlie

Mrs Cheryl Ghastlie

Mrs. Linda Ghastlie
Mrs. Suki Ghastlie
Mrs. Pickles Ghastlie

ON Friday November 4th

Mrs Nan Ghastlie

Mrs. Gmama Jane Ghastlie
Mrs Joan Ghastlie
Mrs. Nancy Ghastlie

Ms Susan Ghastlie
Madame Ghastlie

Each day there will be a giveaway... on the Ghastlies blog, as well as many of the hop blogs--- just to sweeten the CAULDRON....

Some of the sponsors:
Alexander Henry (Ghastlies CREATOR!)
Colonial Needle
Jane's Fabrics
Reliable Iron
Creative Grids
I Have A Notion
Coeurdalenegifts
Forth Worth Fabric Studio
Blue Fig

So, get ready, tomorrow we start Hopping!

Blogtoberfest Day XXII--Awesome Links, or, "I wish I had thought of that"

2011-10-22T09:13:00.000-05:00

I have so many posts starred in my Google Reader, ideas and inspirations... many of them give me the reaction "that's awesome! I wish I had come up with that!" So today's post is sharing some linky love with you, Halloween themed, of course, and giving props to those bloggers that did come up with that!

Today's first is the lovely Happy Haunting Pillow from the Crafty Cupboard:

Ms. Crafty Cupboard also posted LAST YEAR the most amazing spiderweb craft project I have ever seen, she even gives instructions for how she made it:

She made a pillow this year, and posted other crafters variations of her runner--check them out!

Kellie at 74 Lime Lane posts links every Friday to freebies around the web. Loved these from last Friday, particularly this Hogwarts-esque owl invite from One Charming Party:

Jessica Jones shared a link to an origami site by the Peabody Essex Museum for making these ~~disturbingly~~ realistic bats:

And this is actually a recipe---do you know about www.skinnytaste.com? I want some of this pumpkin sherbet...

And this Halloween Village is from last year, by The Crafty Sisters, but I'm still amazed by it... Maybe I could recreate one in fabric?

I like the idea of painting pumpkins, with glow-in-the-dark paint, or how about this one from LR Stitched:

The glow-in-the-dark idea came from MarthaStewart.com:

The winner of this year's I Wish I Had Thought of That Award goes to Riel, for her truly amazing Selvage Mummy:

Isn't that cool?!? What a great use of fabric selvages.

So many ideas... but my project list for this year is pretty full... and I have not masterminded how to add more hours in a day.... however....there's always Halloween 2012!

Have you seen any great holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.) ideas and tutorials around I should know about? Leave a comment to be entered in this week's Blogtoberfest Giveaway:

The Scrappy Charm Witch Pincushion
A special Chocolate Treat
and today's addition: 3 Holiday FQs (Autumn, Halloween or Christmas--your choice!

As always, followers of my blog get an extra entry! If you decide to tell your blog readers about my Blogtoberfest giveaways, let me know, and I'll throw your name in the hat again!

Happy Halloween and an Awesome October!

Blogtoberfest Day XXI--Custom Costumes

2011-10-21T07:13:00.000-05:00

I had this post written, once... then Blogger ate my homework. So maddening. (Now that I re-wrote it, post number one better not magically reappear!)

I have a thing for clever, crafted, homemade Halloween costumes, like those I showed two weeks ago. Have you ever made Halloween costumes? Are you this year? Sweetie and I are doing hand-crafted, but much less involved than last year's crafting and sewing. However...

Do you know the work of Richard Scarry? Do you know there is a whole new generation of kids enjoying his work? That new generation includes my pre-school aged nephews. They are familiar with the same Richard Scarry characters from the books of my childhood!

Do you know who Pig Will and Pig Won't are? (pssst.... I didn't either!) Well, that is what nephew #1 decided he and his little brother are going to be for Halloween. And guess who he asked to make them? So...

Four pig ears (lined with pipe cleaners/chenille sticks so we can pose them correctly), two pairs of blue shorts, a red polo shirt and a green polo shirt later... Oh! and two twisty tails (also with a pipe cleaner/chenille stick in the middle, to make them "springy")......

......We almost have two complete pig costumes for an almost-three and almost-four-year-old, who couldn't be more excited about his choice of costume. I hope to put the finishing details on them tomorrow, so I can start on the costume for their lil' sister:

Yeah, like she'll know the difference, I know... But, I am not about to pass up making something adorable for this little bitty. Look at that face. I'm pretty she can have anything she ever wants as long as she asks Aunt Doris for it.

This week's Blogtoberfest Giveaway: is the Scrappy Charm Witch Pincushion from yesterday's post, and today I'm adding a treat to it, (not pictured, because let's admit it, if I bought the treat NOW, I would have to repurchase it before sending the package out to the winner next week! I'm not foolin' anyone...

So, today I want to know, do you have a favorite costume memory from your childhood? Mine is a gypsy costume that my Mom made when I was 7 or 8, out of many layers of pastel colored organza, chiffon type materials, a la Esmeralda... I'm pretty sure it was the flowy, girly, fabrics that did it for me.

How about you?

Blogtoberfest Day XX--Scrappy Charm Pincushion

2011-10-20T07:10:00.001-05:00

...and A WINNER--and a NEW GIVEAWAY!!!!

First of all, Happy OCTOBER Birthday to a new blog friend, Mrs. Gooden Ghastlie. Incidently, she won today's giveaway--ON HER BIRTHDAY!!!! Congrats & best birthday wishes--these goodies will soon be on their way to you:

Remember, the best way to win is to follow my blog and leave comments on my October posts....

Now for another installment of our Halloween Party...

I started last fall making scrappy spiderwebs for a twin-size quilt, which incidentally left me with a LARGE pile of Halloween scraps, and like my friend Amanda Jean, I have developed an addiction to scraps. I used to actually toss them (gasp--the horror!!)...

So, I whipped up these Scrappy Charm Pincushions, so named because they use a left over charm square for the back (GREAT use of leftover fabric, btw!), some fun selvages, rick-rack scraps and ribbon:

Very simple, free-pieced, scrappy log-cabin style design. I think it took about 30 minutes to make all three. I stuff them with crushed walnut shells (available at pet stores) which works like emery, in that it helps sharpen your pin points. Carefully stuffed using a kitchen funnel...

What do you think, do you like them? Have a favorite? Well, this little witchy-poo could come to live with you:

She is part of this week's giveaway--items to be added to the giveaway daily--just follow my blog and remember to comment on my daily posts. The more you do, the better your chances of winning. Just ask our birthday girl, Patricia. ;-)

Happy Halloween and an Awesome October to you!

Blogtoberfest Day XIX--The Guest Book Quilt

2011-10-19T07:08:00.000-05:00

I finished up a commission quilt this week, and I'm delivering it to my client this evening. I first talked about it here, and showed you our inspiration piece. It's a signature quilt, that served as the "guest book" for the client's July wedding. Her wedding colors were Truffle Brown and Daisy Yellow, and she had yellow Gerber daisies as her primary flower. I drew up a sketch for her, she loved it, and I prepared the blocks for her prior to the wedding (freezer paper stabilizer on the back of them, pinked edges to prevent raveling while being handled, and provided her with a supply of permanent pens for signatures). I got the signed blocks back from her in late August, and went to work piecing the quilt and creating the applique design.

I've never had this issue before, but I had to baste this quilt THREE times, and tear out far too much quilting, because of bunching up fabric on the back. Grrrr... I finally walked away from it Saturday evening, went on a date night with my sweetie, and after Church Sunday morning, went back to basting it fresh for the third time. Third time was a charm.

Here it is in all its (finally) finished glory:

Yellow is not really my color, but this quilt may change my mind about it. It's so bright and cheerful, I'm going to have a hard time parting with it!

The couple's names and wedding date are hand embroidered at the center of the daisy (used my Aurifil wool thread to embroider--worked wonderfully!!) The photograph does not show it, but the wool thread provided a wonderful visual texture on this embroidery...

This design may be making a repeat appearance here one day:

Happy October!

Don't forget to leave your comments before 8 PM (CST) time this evening to qualify for this week's giveaway:

And come back tomorrow for another installment of our Halloween Party and NEW GIVEAWAYS!!!!

p.p.s If you are in Central Iowa, join us tomorrow night for the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild Meeting, at 6:30 pm, West Des Moines Public Library. More details here.

Blogtoberfest Day XVIII--Fun Favor Bag Tutorial

2011-10-18T08:25:00.004-05:00

Today I'm going to show you how to make these cute Candy Corn favor bags--but even if you don't like Halloween decor and sewing, keep your mind open to the possibilities of these being cute little Christmas or birthday giftbags, favor bags for a quilting retreat filled with sewing notions, etc., easy favor bags for a child's birthday party.... Just like my reversible tablecloth tutorial, the options are endless!

What you will need:

I used 9" x 12" pieces of felt from the local craft store (Michael's, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn Fabrics)
Rick-rack to match your felt/fabric (I used Wrights Canary (#086) and Orange (#058)
Ribbon for your drawstring (I used a printed "Happy Halloween" ribbon from Michael's)

1. Cut your yellow (bottom) strip 2.5" wide, your orange (middle) strip 3" wide, and your white (top) strip 3" wide. You should be able to get four strips from each piece of felt. Cut a piece of yellow rick-rack and a piece of orange rick-rack slightly longer than the length of your strips (I cut mine 9 1/4")

2. Set your sewing machine to zig-zag stitch, wide enough to tack your rick-rack down while catching both strips of fabric/felt. Abutt your two pieces of felt up against one another...

Place your rick-rack down the center of your seam, and zig-zag all three together. Repeat with your white felt (top) strip and orange rick-rack along other side of orange strip.

3. Cut your 3-strip piece in half, lengthwise, and trim excess rick-rack from edge. Also, cut two pieces of 9" ribbon for your drawstring.

4. At your sewing machine, switch off the zig-zag, and set your seam to straight stitch. Lay your ribbon face down (if it has a "right" side) against the " inside" side of your bag, approx. 1/2" down from top:

Fold a 1/2"-5/8"casing down over the ribbon and sew a straight seam along edge of casing.

When you turn it over, it will look like this:

4. Right sides of bag facing, match up the outer edges of your bag and sew around the outer edge, starting at your casing seam line and continuing down the side, along the bottom edge, and up the second side, stopping again at your casing seam line. (Do not sew through your drawstring/ribbon!)

5. Before turning right side out, clip your corners. NOTE: I sew a slight curve on my corner seam, rather than a sharp 90 degree angle, this makes a sharper corner on the outside once the felt is turned:

6. Tie the ends of your drawstrings/ribbons together to finish your favor bag:

Fill with candy, treats, jelly beans, popcorn, pretzels, sewing notions, toys, etc.... NOTE: I reversed my yellow and orange rick-rack on one bag to see what the contrast looked like--you could use any trims and ribbons or colors and have a wide variety of bag designs! ENJOY!

Remember, Blogtoberfest and my Halloween Party continue until October 31st, so comment on any and all posts to qualify for the giveaways.

This week's giveaway includes an American Jane pattern, a spool of Nature's Rainbow thread, and 5 fat quarters of Lizzy Dish fabric from Andover. (Followers of my blog automatically get an extra entry):

Happy Halloween and an awesome October!

Blogtoberfest Day XVII--My Holiday Haunt

2011-10-17T08:01:00.001-05:00

My sweetie and I both have an affinity for vintage Halloween decorations, and even though we get no trick-or-treaters, don't host our own costume party (we go to someone else's party), and receive very few visitors during the month of October--we go all out decorating our 1,000 square foot condo for Halloween (the only holiday besides Christmas that I decorate for)! Above is a little baker's rack shelf in our kitchen, the crepe-paper pumpkin is from sweetie's childhood home. The ghost and vampire are Jim Shore figurines that have been given to me as gifts. I love these die-cut cats from the 1960s (they originally belonged to my Gramma B):

Our mantle is fun to decorate (though impossible to get a decent photograph of!)--the plastic jack-o-lanterns are also from my sweetie's childhood home:

I spray-painted a branch last year to make a Halloween tree with one of his plastic jack-o-lantern buckets as a base:

It's not complete without some macabre flowers, cobwebs and spiders--and a raven, just for good measure...

Next to the fireplace wall is my wall of Notre Dame and Paris etchings & photographs, with these 1940s jack-o-lantern die-cuts, also from my mother-in-law:

And this little punkin-head, we bought last year, because he reminds us both of a friend's little boy who we spent some quality time with that summer:

He greets us in our entryway and brings a smile to my face everytime I see him! BTW, the framed artwork in the background is (the bottom edge of) one of my drawings from university. I need to show you my artwork here someday...

This week's giveaway includes an American Jane pattern, a spool of Nature's Rainbow thread, and 5 fat quarters of Lizzy Dish fabric from Andover. To qualify, comment on any of my Blogtoberfest posts (you can qualify more than once, and followers of my blog automatically get an extra entry):

Happy Halloween and an Awesome October!

Blogtoberfest Day XVI--God's Jack

2011-10-16T00:01:00.003-05:00

Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin.
God lifts you up, takes you in,
and washes all the dirt off of you.
He opens you up, touches you deep inside
and scoops out all the yucky stuff--
including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed.
Then He carves you a new smiling face
and puts His light inside you to
shine for all the world to see.

I received this in an email last October, and I just love the message...

Remember, comment on my Blogtoberfest posts to qualify for the giveaway. This week's giveaway includes an American Jane pattern, a spool of Nature's Rainbow thread, and 5 fat quarters of Lizzy Dish fabric from Andover. To qualify, comment on any of my Blogtoberfest posts (you can qualify more than once, and followers of my blog automatically get an extra entry):

Have a blessed Sunday and an awesome October!

Blogtoberfest Day XV--World Poetry Day

2011-10-15T07:23:00.006-05:00

Theme in Yellow
by Carl Sandburg

I spot the hills
With yellow balls in autumn.
I light the prairie cornfields
Orange and tawny gold clusters
And I am called pumpkins.
On the last of October
When dusk is fallen
Children join hands
And circle round me
Singing ghost songs
And love to the harvest moon;
I am a jack-o'-lantern
With terrible teeth
And the children know I am fooling.

This week's giveaway includes an American Jane pattern, a spool of Nature's Rainbow thread, and 5 fat quarters of Lizzy Dish fabric from Andover (photo on yesterday's post). To qualify, comment on any of my Blogtoberfest posts (you can qualify more than once, and followers of my blog automatically get an extra entry).

Happy Halloween and an awesome October!

Blogtoberfest Day XIV--Midnight Serenade

2011-10-14T07:47:00.004-05:00

My latest finish (which you may have seen here, unfinished, last year) a wall quilt for my sweetie, a banjo & guitar player (his youngest daughter also plays a little banjo). Yeah, I'm a lucky gal...I have access to banjo music 24/7, should I so desire it. I started this in September 2010, but only finished the border quilting and binding this week as a birthday surprise for him (I'm pretty sure he had given up on it ever being done!):

The inspiration for my quilt is this 1940s die-cut from our vintage Halloween collection, by H.E. Luhrs:

I drew a girl cat playing a guitar as a companion for him, gave them both a spooky moonlit night and dead tree background, and the result is my original wallhanging, Midnight Serenade:

The original die-cut cat is roughly 14" tall, the quilted cats are larger, closer to 22" tall. The quilt itself measures 26" x 32". I used a raw-edge applique method, with Heat n' Bond Lite fusible for the applique...

There are some hand embroidery details...

Gotta love those stockings, and I could use a pair of those shoes for Halloween! The tree is a single piece of fusible applique carefully cut out and raw-edge stitched down to the quilt:

The quilting includes the edge stitching on the tree, moon and cats, and a free-motion side-to-side meander in the background to mimic fog:

and a spiderweb design quilted into the border:

Incidentally, I really enjoy quilting spiderwebs--so easy to do! I used leftovers from my 2009 Haunted Hexagon table runner for the back, and now I'm wishing I had more of this fun print:

This week's Halloween Party/Blogtoberfest Giveaway includes an American Jane pattern, a spool of Nature's Rainbow thread, and 5 fat quarters of Lizzy Dish fabric from Andover. To qualify, comment on any of my Blogtoberfest posts (you can qualify more than once, and followers of my blog automatically get an extra entry):

Happy Halloween, and have a great weekend!

Blogtoberfest Day XIII--More Aurifil Love (WINNERS!)

2011-10-13T07:29:00.004-05:00

First of all, Happy Birthday to my sweetie!

Secondly, have you seen Lynne's newest brainchild? Seriously, I wish I had half the ideas that woman does! (Note to me sweetie, and other loved ones who want to give me Christmas gifts: FOLLOW THAT LINK, and revisit it periodically over the next 2.5 months, please. You can click the icon below, too. Maybe bookmark the page?)

Okay, now that that side-note is taken care of... (fingers crossed---stocking stuffers for me.... oh, sorry!)

Third, I HAVE THE WINNERS of the Aurifil Giveaway! Mr. RNG picked 5 lovely ladies to receive 5 spools of Aurifil Thread EACH. Drumroll, please....

samelia's mum
CraftyNewbie
Donna
Lorraine (raineoc)
Carla at Lollyquiltz (I get to give this one IN PERSON, when I meet her "IRL" NEXT WEEK!)

Thanks to Mr. Aurifil for providing these gifts! Congrats girls, an email is on it's way! OMG, I wish I had 200 gifts to give, y'all are so sweet (can you tell I lived in the South for a few years?)--but I would go broke on postage!

Several of you were as interested as I was in the Aurifloss, it comes on 18 yd., "wooden" spools, here is the info from the website:

Aurifloss is perfectly suited fir stutching on all types of fabric, is made with 100% long staple cotton
Brilliant 6-strand divisible thread
Washable and Fade-resistant
Used for embroidery, huck embroidery, miniature punch-needle embroidery, tatting, applique, needlepoint, crochet, etc.
Useful for embroidering in scrapbooks and on lampshades (would love to see that!)

For now, keep commenting throughout October for more giveaways (I'll post a pic tomorrow of next week's gifties!!!--there will be FABRIC involved... and ALL October comments count!)

Now, go see Lynne, and try your luck in her Aurifil giveaway!

Blogtoberfest Day XII--Reversible Tablecloth/Quilt Without Binding Tutorial

2011-10-12T12:01:00.005-05:00

This Blogtoberfest thing has me sewing like crazy--it's good to have my sewing gumption back. This is Part II--For Part I of the Tablecloth Tutorial, see the last post.

Today, I'm going to show you how to turn a tablecloth, like the one I made in my last post, into a reversible tablecloth (or it could be a baby quilt without binding, reversible receiving blanket, placemats, etc.). In the case of a tablecloth, you could do two seasons (Christmas & Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day & Easter/Spring, etc.) two themes (Girl birthday & Boy birthday, Holiday & Birthday, etc.)--the options are endless and you get a two-for-one deal!

Step 1: Create your backing, or reverse side, the exact same size as your original tablecloth (my "top" is the Halloween tablecloth above, it measures 44" x 52"). I made my reverse side (the cupcake print below) by cutting a center panel, adding a border strip to the narrow ends, and then adding border strips to the longer sides:

NOTE: If you are adding a solid back, simply cut the back (or reverse side) to the same measurement as your top side.

Why did I not miter the borders on my back? Well, first of all, I wasn't sure I had enough of this Lakehouse confetti print for my border strips if I mitered, and secondly, it's such a small print, that a miter wouldn't show anyway (I never spend the time to miter something that isn't going to show my mitered seam!)...

Step 2: At this point you will want to measure twice (or three times!) to make sure both layers are the same measurement exactly, and carefully square up both front and back (top & reverse) sides. Then, lay your two sides together, right sides facing, and carefully line up your outer edges:

Step 3: Pin approximately every 5-6" along all four outer edges before picking your tablecloth/quilt up and moving it to your sewing machine. Sew all the way around the edge with a consistent seam allowance (I used 1/4") leaving an un-sewn opening at the middle of one side:

Step 4: Clip your corners to reduce bulk:

Step 5: Pull your tablecloth/quilt through the opening so it is right-side out:

Step 6: Press your seam, making sure you pull the seam itself to the outer edge, as flat as possible (this is the tricky part! Sometimes using a tweezers to grab the seam as you move your iron along helps--and prevents steam burns on your fingertips!). At your opening along the edge (where you pulled the fabric through), press under a seam allowance (1/4" in my case) on both layers. Carefully pin the opening closed (with a pin every 2-3"). Then, pin both layers together along all four edges (I use a pin about every 6") before moving to sewing machine.

Step 7: Starting at the place where you have pinned the un-sewn seam allowances of your opening together, topstitch approximately 1/16"-1/8" closer to the outer edge than the seam allowance you used in Step 3. (I used a 1/4" seam allowance, so my topstitch is 3/16" in from outer edge). This will close your seam opening without needing to blind-stitch it closed by hand. NOTE: Do not remove your pins until the next step!

Step 8: After topstitching the outer edge, with the pins still holding both layers in place, topstitch again a few inches in from first stitch line. In my case, I decided to topstitch 3/16" from my inner border so it would match the outer topstitch:

You could also baste and quilt the two layers of fabric together with an allover free-motion design or a grid (which would be important if it was being used as a quilt, and washed regularly, etc), but as I plan to only use mine on special occasions as a tablecloth, two lines of border stitching is enough.

So here it is a Halloween Party tablecloth on one side, and a generic Party tablecloth on the reverse:

Remember, to comment on as many October posts as you can to qualify for my Halloween Party/Blogtoberfest Giveaways. Today is the last day to qualify for the Aurifil Thread giveaway, and my upcoming giveaways involve fabulous FQs, a pincushion made by yours truly, patterns, and other goodies!

p.s. I'm posting this on Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday, because technically the Halloween Tablecloth is a 2010 WIP that I finished last night by making it reversible! For other WIP posts, double click on the icon:

p.p.s. The fabrics I used are two M'Liss Rae Hawley "Halloween Magic" prints from 2010 (for Hancock Fabrics), "sweet tooth" by Robert Kaufman, and "confetti parade" by Holly Holderman.

Blogtoberfest Day XI--Mitered Corners--Part I Reversible Tablecloth/Quilt Tutorial

2011-10-11T11:46:00.003-05:00

This is PART I of a 2-part Tutorial

(Remember: Giveaways every Thursday during Halloween Party and Blogtoberfest
--the more posts you comment on, the more entries you have!)

I am making a tablecloth. however, this mitered corner tutorial can be applied to ANY quilt border, tablecloth, placemat, etc...

1. Fold your tablecloth (quilt) at a 45 degree angle, right sides together, making sure the edges of your borders line up...

2. Line your ruler up ON the fold, and draw a 45 degree line across the borders that essentially extends the fold line. IMPORTANT: This is NOT your cutting line, it is your stitching line.

3. Move your ruler over 1/4" (size of your seam allowance) and draw another line parallel to the first one. This is your trim line, or cutting line.

4. Trim your borders down, leaving the seam allowance...

5. Start your sewing machine needle exactly at the point of intersection of your existing seam line and your pencil line. Sew your miter together, stitching ON the line your drew in step #2.
6. Carefully press your seam allowance open, then turn over to admire your good work...

7. If you plan to have an unfinished back side, you can hem it at this point and be done. In PART II of this Tutorial, I will show you how to make it a reversable tablecloth.

The fabrics I used are two M'Liss Rae Hawley "Halloween Magic" prints from 2010 (for Hancock Fabrics). You may be able to find some on ebay, but she has similar 2011 prints currently available.

Mitered borders are one of those sewing techniques, liked curved piecing and inset seams (y-seams) that sewists and quilters shy away from because they think they are too difficult. But, mitered corners aren't so difficult after all... Have you ever given them a try?

Are there sewing techniques you shy away from because you find them scary or challenging? If so, which ones?

Another great giveaway at Jenny's blog--celebrating 1500 followers!

Blogtoberfest Day X--Who Ya Gonna Be?

2011-10-10T12:06:00.004-05:00

Today is Day one of Halloween Party here at Threads of Conversation. This starts three full weeks of Halloween posts, Halloween related tutorials, Giveaways, Costume and Party Inspiration and Fun!!!

There will be questions on every post, the more questions you answer throughout the Party (all three weeks, every post) the better chance you will have in the giveaway posts!

To kick it off...."Who Ya Gonna Be"

A Rocker? Maybe Slash from Guns n' Roses...

A Beloved Fictional Heroine?

A Hot-Air Balloon?

A Ferocious Lion? (HA! This one is really just for the people who know my cat, I don't actually dress my pets)

A Patriotic Frenchman?
A Disney Character?Now for the questions...

1. What's the most clever costume you've ever seen?
2. So... do you plan to dress up this year?
3. Do you Dress just to trick-or-treat with your kids?
4. Will you attend a costume party?
5. Do you make you/your kid's costumes?
6. Do you get costumes for your pet? What are they going to be this year?

Is Halloween just another day to you, and you don't get excited about pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, giving out candy or coming up with a creative costume idea?

Remember, it's not TOO late to comment on my Aurifil Thread Giveaway...
AND...the more questions you answer throughout the Party (all three weeks, every post) the better chance you will have in the giveaway posts! Giveaway coming up on Thursday!!!!!

Photo sources:
1. Slash on Pinterest, 2. Nancy Drew, 3. Hot-Air Balloon #1 , 4. Hot-Air Balloon #2, She has lots of great diy costume ideas! 5. Lion, 6. Patriotic French"men", 7. Mary Poppins

Blogtoberfest Day IX--Have your Cake.. and Quilt, Too

2011-10-09T00:01:00.004-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOMMA!!!!! For the woman who taught me to sew and instilled in me a love of fabric and fabric shopping... a "virtual" Quilt-y Cake!

Posted by jenmat on Cake Central.

Wouldn't you just love it if someone made you a cake like this?!? Btw, the scissors, threads, etc. are all made of fondant--even though they look real.

Be sure to some back tomorrow, when my Halloween Party starts! Three weeks of Halloween inspiration and fun--Tutorials, Patterns, Costume Ideas, New Projetcs, Giveaways and more!

Aurifil Giveaway found here!

Blogtoberfest Day VIII--You Say It's Your Birthday

2011-10-08T00:01:00.002-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Baby Sister!!!!!

The lovely quilt is a kit avilable from Homespun Hearth (a Buggy Barn Pattern) My sis loved the picture of this quilt, I may have to make one for next year!

Blogtoberfest Day VII--Motivation & Monikers

2011-10-07T07:31:00.006-05:00

Okay, I'm rewriting this post after stumbling across a meme on Dawn's Blog, As Sweet as Cinnamon, here. After spending two recent mornings with "business partners" trying to pin down a final name for our business, I laughed out loud that I stumbled upon this post! A lot of thought goes into naming something, you usually mull over a list of names before giving one to your child, businesses spend thousands of dollars on research before committing to a name for the company or even a new product. And as the posts in Cindy's Name Game can attest, even crafty bloggers hem-and-haw over their blog names.

So, where did my Threads of Conversation come from? A friend and I were starting a business about six years ago. We brainstormed all sorts of names related to sewing words, quilt block names, our own names and initials... My brother, who is "wit" defined, was listening to me mention some of our ideas and he just says "how about Threads of Conversation". It stuck. While our business never really took flight, the name has always stuck with me. When I started blogging three years ago, I knew this was the name for my blog--a journal where I planned to write about my craft and sewing creations.

Many times, this blog, and feeling the need to "keep it alive" by having something new to post is what motivated me to sew and create through tough times, sad times, and overwhelming times in my life. Which brings up a whole 'nother topic, what I was originally posting about today: Motivation.

The motivation to sew and to blog is back, especially since I've been preparing to launch next week's Halloween Party here. (Come back Monday for more on that!)

The motivation I need to get back is my Healthy Living/Exercise motivation. You know, we talk about losing our quilting mojo, or getting our crafting mojo back... well I need to find my mojo for moving again! It's not that I don't do anything, I'll walk or run for an hour twice one week, then do nothing for 8 or 9 days... attend exercise classes one week, then slack off for a week or two. I need to find the MOTIVATION to make it a HABIT.

In 2008, Wendy from The Running Quilter was hosting a challenge she called Crafty, Creative & Fit. She doesn't blog there anymore, and I've lost touch with her. But for a while, I was posting Monday Mile Markers, a weekly report on my activity as part of her challenge. It was good motivation for finding the time to get and stay fit-- just like we find time for our crafty and creative desires.

I think I may have to bring back my Monday Mile Marker posts, and give myself some accountability here, in public... and maybe that will help me hang on to my motivation. Maybe I should withhold something I enjoy, like you would do with a child, until I do my exercise? Keep the sewing machine locked away until I get myself on track? (shudder...gulp!) What a scary thought...

What do you do to stay motivated to reach your goals (health-wise, career-wise, or whatever...)?

Still a few days to get in on my Aurifil Giveaway!

Blogtoberfest Day VI--Necktie Social

2011-10-06T08:12:00.003-05:00

So, I learned from my friend Shelly's website that a Necktie Social was a Old West cowboy term for a public execution by hanging (gulp.). But it could also be used literally, referring to a social event where neckties were donated to be auctioned off for charity. Shelly hosted a modern necktie social, you can read more about it here.

When I made the Suits Me Just Fine Quilt as a commission this summer, my client and I discussed making a quilt from her father-in-law's ties as well. Even though she decided to hold off on the necktie project for right now, I thought I'd share some of the inspiration quilts I found online. It's amazing what quilter's have created with these discarded, or left behind, items of clothing. I say left behind, because many times these are created in memory of the loved one who used to wear them.

This first one has the most creative border... more about it here, including the source for the pattern she used:

This fan quilt is a clever way of taking advantage of the natural shape of a necktie. Made by Pat of Bird Nest on the Ground. She added some great details to it, and the quilt honors a generous friend who is no longer here.

The one above, with the stars, is called Memories of David, and the one below is His Ties, both made in memory of someone special, and found here. She fussy cut two ties with special meaning, which form the two dark stars. What a great tribute:

The patchwork pillows were also made by Terry, of Quilted With TLC--what a great idea to use up the extra neckties or make a smaller project with fewer ties!

And look at this one, with such a modern feel... (from here)

Have you seen other clever ideas for re-using neckties? I'd love to hear your ideas...

and...there is still time to get in on my Aurifil Giveaway!

Blogtoberfest Day V--AQS Show Des Moines

2011-10-05T06:39:00.010-05:00

Last week was the 2011 American Quilter's Society Des Moines Show. Oh, how I wish every quilter could have a show like this come to their City! We are blessed in Des Moines, to have strong Guilds, a huge community of quilters, and the admiration of the AQS (they signed a contract last year for another 3 years!!!!)

I can't show you any of the quilts from the AQS Contest portion of the show, but I can show you some eye candy from the Des Moines Quilter's Guild portion of the show, and maybe a detail shot ot two to spark your creative mojo!

I fell head-over heels for this vintage quilt:

It's a Victory Quilt (I assume because of the V shape it repeats in the block?) and hung in a special exhibit of 20th Patriotic Quilts. I really should have taken more photos in that section. There were some pretty impressive quilts.

These international shows really blow me away when you start to notice some of the details: stunning machine quilting...

Different textiles, such as velvet, tulle, and silks...

Realistic artistry... 3-dimensional elements.... Many of them are just spectacular.

Many of the quilts in the local Guild Exhibit are just as impressive and well-done:

This little hand-appliqued quilt was made by a friend of mine, out of the lovely Sweetwater Sunkissed collection, with red compliments. It was lovely! She had an entry in the AQS Juried Contest as well.

This is a terrible photo of a great, contemporary looking quilt made from striped fabrics. It has a 3rd Place Guild Ribbon attached to it. And another with a definite modern flair, see all those little hexagons in the border? Also a 3rd Place Winner!

There were eleven rows of vendor booths to peruse as well as all the exhibits. I came home with a spool or two of Aurifil thread, five half-yard pieces of fabric, and some new templates. Not to mention sore and tired feet, but who cares?! I got to spend eight hours at a quilt show!

If you ever get a chance to make it to the show in Paducah, KY, Grand Rapids, MI, Lancaster, PA or Des Moines, IA--jump at it! AQS puts on a great show...

Still time to get in on my Aurifil Giveaway!

Blogtoberfest Day IV-A Flash Mob of Quilts

2011-10-04T07:28:00.018-05:00

Ever seen a Quilter's Flash Mob? Well, there is a first time for everything...

Entertaining... I wasn't there because I had to work, I'm guessing that is why the under 45 quilters in our community were under-represented--but I recognize many peeps in this video! All fabulous ladies and great quilters!

This is Cora and her Mommy--she was the youngest "mobster" at just five weeks old... She and her momma are both sweethearts!

Photos courtesy of American Quilter's Society.

There is still time to get in on my Aurifil Giveaway!

Blogtoberfest--Oktberfest

2011-10-03T07:48:00.001-05:00

It's no secret around here that I love October and Halloween is my favorite holiday. This year, I'm not only hosting my Halloween Party, but joining in on tinniegirl's Blogtoberfest! I'm going to attempt to blog daily in the month of October....

So let's get this party started!

Meet Hildy...

I made this sassy little gal last year, to hang at the shop, she is from the book Happy Haunters by the Wooden Bear. She's stylin' in her striped stockings, gold laced shoes, and orange lace slip....

What every well dressed ~~w----~~ spell-caster should be wearing...don't you think?

The kit is not currently listed in the online store, but you can call the shop and order one, if you're dying to make a sassy little ~~w----~~ sorceress for yourself this month.... The book is full of fun projects; a candy corn apron, a tic-tac-toad game, table runners, etc.... The book can be ordered from Quilters Cupboard as well.

There is still time to get in on my Aurifil Giveaway!

Blogtoberfest-Weekend I

2011-10-02T15:51:00.002-05:00

HAPPY OCTOBER BIRTHDAY:

1st    My favorite 7-year-old
2nd My Brother-in-law
8th   My little sis
9th   My momma
12th My God-daughter
13th My sweetie & my God-daughter's Momma
14th My sister-in-law
16th My friend, Dawn
23rd Baby Boy (even if he isn't a baby anymore...)
31st My friend, Kelli

Threads of Comparison

2011-09-28T00:01:00.007-05:00

**Comment are now closed for this post.

I know... you've seen at least a dozen of these giveaways around blogland over the past six weeks or so, and it's maybe getting a little old? Well, as a long time FAN of Aurifil 50 wt. Mako thread, I can tell you throwing your name in for one more giveaway IS worth your trouble! (confession: I even have the Aurifil app on my phone for quick reference while shopping!)

Aurifil offers five different thread types:

12 wt cotton: for embellishment/red-work/sashiko
12 wt wool: great for cross-stitch, hand embroidery, and folk art stitches
28 wt cotton: meant for hand-quilting and blanket-stitch
40 wt cotton: for machine quilting and embroidery
50 wt cotton: IDEAL for piecing and machine applique (trust me, I've used it for 3 years now!)

And I recently found out they have a new product: Aurifloss, a six strand floss on a spool for embroidery! Be still my heart...

I've been sewing since I was a kid, and in my Mom's sewing room, I'm sure I used every brand of thread ever sold since 1960--we used what was on hand. Since I bought my first sewing machine of my own, in the mid-1990s, I've experimented with all kinds of threads. My Elna, White, and Pfaff machines (all machines I no longer own) gave me trouble with various "brands" of thread, various "weights" of thread, etc. The only brand I never had trouble with on any of these finicky machines? Yep--Aurifil.

I now sew on a 1961 Singer Featherweight (retreats only), a 1978 Bernina 830 record, and a Janome Horizon (that never leaves the house). They're all happy when they have Aurifil running through their works! Now, I will admit, I often use Superior Bottom Line polyester thread in my bobbin, because it is a 100% lint-free, 60 wt. fine thread that I like for flatter seams. And when I did have those more finicky machines, this was the preferred bobbin thread. However, it is polyester-- not cotton.

So, when I am working on a 100% cotton project that I want to be 100% cotton, I use Aurifil 50 wt. in my bobbin as well. Works like a dream. No tension issues, no adjustments needed. It leaves the least amount of lint around my machine's needle apparatus of ANY thread I've ever used. It too, leaves a nice, smooth, flat seam which helps maintain that consistent quarter-inch seam allowance

Aurifil has Designer Collections available (above is Edyta Sitar's thread collection), Mark Lipinski has a collection that any modern quilter would drool over, as do the other Aurifil designers.

My friend Cindy recently tested Aurifil thread as a newbie. She pointed out one of those little things that mean so much that I have always appreciated in this brand:

        "I hate those sticky labels that are on one end of a spool of thread, covering up the hole on the end. I have never figured
        out why the hole can't be unobstructed on both ends. Thank you, Aurifil! You got extra credit points before I even filled
        my first bobbin!"

Yep, the hole is uncovered so you don't lose any of the printed thread info when you put it on your thread spindle!

(photo credits: Aurifil, Cindy)

So, now's your chance to win FIVE spools of Aurifil Thread for your own use! How?

Just leave me a comment, and tell me whether or not you have used Aurifil thread before, and what kind.
For an added entry, become a follower of my blog, or let me know you do follow.

You should follow, my annual Halloween Party starts next week, and I'll be participating in the Ghastlies Blog Hop at the end of October.

In honor of my favorite month and my sweetie's birthday, I'll select FIVE winners on October 13th....

Good luck!
Doris

3 Great Reasons to be in Des Moines, Iowa, This Week

2011-09-27T07:29:00.004-05:00

1. The Blue October concert tomorrow night at the amazing Hoyt Sherman Theater. The acoustics in this fabulous, historic theater are uncomparable. One of my faves, Brandi Carlile will be there on Monday!

2. Th Iowa Artists Installation at the Des Moines Art Center, as well as Friday evening's

Manhattan Short Film Festival. Who says Iowa doesn't know arts and culture?

3. And, of course, the AQS Quilt Show and Contest opens tomorrow, September 28 and continues through Saturday.

There is a huge Merchant Mall with all of the latest quiltmaking tools, fabrics, vintage quilts for sale, quilt-related gift ideas for your favorite quilter--a dream shopping experience for any textile lover!
Quilters compete in the juried show for more than $44,000 in cash awards
in the AQS Contest
Annual show of the Des Moines Area Quilters Guild
Many more non-judged special themed exhibits.
An Education Center will be available for children and adults to learn more about quilting.
Some of the 150 quilts that will be presented to the Des Moines Veteran's Home patients will also be on display.

I'm spending my day there on Thursday. Even if you aren't a quilter, I'd highly recommend you visit this show just to take in the beauty of the exhibits.

If you can't make it to the Des Moines area this week, I'll give you one good reason to come back and visit my blog... a chance to win a pack of my favorite brand of thread!

I threw my hat in

2011-09-15T18:30:00.002-05:00

Meaning "Throw your Hat in the Ring"

To make or take up a challenge, or demonstrate one's willingness to join an enterprise.... (The ring in question here is a boxing ring. These, of course used to be circular spaces in a crowd of onlookers, rather than the square, roped 'rings' of today. Anyone who fancied his chances in a bout would throw in his hat - rather than try shouting over the noise of the crowd. The expression dates from at least the early 19th century.)

Like many Modern Quilt Guild members, I threw my hat in for the Jay McCarroll Habitat Challenge, and tonight is the reveal at the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild of our completed challenge quilts/pillows, etc. The parameters our guild set were a finished quilted item with a perimeter of at least 60 linear inches and no more than 120 linear inches. Every fabric from our fat eighth bundle had to appear somewhere on the quilt top/front. I had six of the fabrics in the photo above to work with, the peach polka dot in the background, and the five pieces at the center of the line-up. I was particularly inspired by the fabric with the large, dark, polka dots against the soft floral background, the second from the left in the photo. The soft floral aspects in a few pieces of this collection contrast greatly with the dark, bold, and in-your-face colors and graphics in the other prints. I wanted to capture the softer side of the collection.

Here is what I came up with:

It measures 24" x 24", I used Kona Charcoal, Navy, Teal Blue and a Burgundy solid in the pieced ring, and Kona Aqua as the main background fabric. The back of the quilt is a pink Kona cotton, scraps I had leftover from the edges of a large quilt back.

The flowers are made from long strips of three different pieces of the Habitat fabrics, and the petals are also three-dimensional, made from the peach polka dot.

I made the pieced color strips first, and envisioned this as a long narrow table runner, with flowers splashed across if diagonally. But then at the last minute, I cut the strips in half lengthwise, to create the square ring, and used little scraps to free-piece log cabin "flowers" for the cornerstones.

Colors and fabrics I wouldn't normally pick out (other than the aqua blue!), which is what truly made this a CHALLENGE. But in the end, I really like this little quilt.... Looking forward to seeing what everyone else created!

Are you participating in this challenge? What did you make?

My Favorite Holiday is 45 Days Away!

2011-09-15T12:39:00.000-05:00

Y'all know I really like Halloween, right?

Well, look what I found to add to my blog:

Halloween Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com

SO EXCITED...

One BIG bag

2011-09-14T16:13:00.001-05:00

I finished this bag last night, and I'm working on a tutorial for the blog on how to make one. It's intended to serve as an oversize tote for carrying things to guild meetings or retreats, like show-and-tell quilts, your cutting mat, supplies, etc. It's HUGE. The bottom insert measures 9" x 24", and the sides are approximately 12" high. I used a stripe from Kate Spain's Central Park for the lining, and the exterior is an upholstery weight fabric from Hancock Fabrics. I added the pocket to the outside to hold a pen/pencil and notebook/iPad/cell phone.

Tutorial coming soon.

I also finished up my Modern Quilt Guild Habitat Challenge quilt this week, the big reveal is at tomorrow's meeting, so just a sneak peek today:

Oh, and that chocolate cake? Made for a co-workers birthday, with the best chocolate frosting recipe (from the Chocolate Cake Mix Doctor Cookbook) and made healthier by substituting plain Greek yogurt for the oil, eggs, and water. Seriously. It works. ...and it tastes fabulous. (I've used the applesauce substitute before, and the Diet Coke substitute. This is better.)

Happy sewing,
Doris

Caribbean Tiles Complete!

2011-09-09T07:44:00.000-05:00

The pattern is Spanish Tiles, but with these fabrics... I say Caribbean Colors!

The fabrics are all Art Gallery, Modern Affair Collection. It's a shop sample, which will be available as a kit from Quilters Cupboard. If you don't see it available in the online store, I'm sure you can call them and place a credit card order over the phone. The back and binding is all from the same collection:

and I love the quilting (courtesy of my good friend, Trina):

I managed to finish the binding on our car trip over Labor Day weekend. And I had enough car time leftover to make one more hexagon for my Candied Hexagon Quilt...

Wow, I can hardly wait to see this quilt finished! Patience is a virtue, right?

Slice and Dice, and Sew Fun

2011-09-08T08:04:00.003-05:00

Made these three fun and fast blocks for Linda last night, for One Block Over. Her inspiration FQ is at the top, we were to pick three scraps from our stash to use with the grey solid. I think this took me about 45 minutes, including reading the directions. She has a great tutorial over here.

Can't wait to see her quilt! In other news, I've done a LOT of sewing on a project I can only show you sneak peeks of... some drawing... some editing... some raw edge applique...

More to come in the next month--promise!

I don't usually purchase pre-cuts, I'm more of a pick and choose which pieces of a collection I like kind of girl. But with this new Hometown fabric, I could not resist:

Now to decide on a pattern or a design...

Our Steering Committee (Executive Board) for the Des Moines, Iowa, Modern Quilt Guild got together for dinner last night to go over our bylaws and finalize the draft that will be presented at our meeting next week. If you are in the central Iowa area, join us Thursday, September 15th, at 6:30 p.m.--More details on our website: www.dsmmqg.webs.com (or click on the link in my right sidebar!) I best get busy and finish up my Habitat Challenge quilt!

and I'm helping Madame Samm with the new Ghastlies blog--exciting things to come with our Blog-Hop!!! It plays right into my Halloween obsession and my October plans for this blog--

September? Already?!

2011-09-01T08:16:00.002-05:00

Today is Fresh Sewing Day over at Lynne's. Lynne and Gayle are hosting a Hex-A-Long, loosely based on the Candied Hexagon Quilt. My quilt IS the Candied Hexagon pattern... and this month I made a dozen more blocks:

I'm planning to have this one constructed and quilted by Spring! (I'd say it's about time, I first blogged about this quilt in June 2009!) But, in my defense, I only started cutting the quilt in June 2010! Every one of those hexagons is hand-pieced... so hand-quilting might be in order for this one...

I finished the top of my Art Gallery Spanish Tiles quilt, which is now quilted and will get bound this weekend:

and most exciting...my studio makeover is now complete! Recessed sewing table and new worktable projects are done! You can see the details here and here.

Click here to go visit the other blogs for Fresh Sewing Day.

Wonder Woman was a fictional character

2011-08-31T07:42:00.009-05:00

My friend Cindy had an interesting blog post today. Incidentally, the topic (and her very thoughts on it) were racing through my head last night as I was working on some applique, and later editing a pattern--while trying to enjoy a DVD with my sweetie. I've blogged about this frustration before. Obviously, I need to keep reminding myself that Wonder Woman doesn't exist in the real world. (Click on her picture above, though, to see the quilt this embroidery came from!)

Cindy posed some questions to the seemingly "wonder women" quilt/craft bloggers who seem to do it all. so. darned. well.... And don't we all compare ourselves to these bloggers at times?

I tend to "measure" myself against other people too often, and every single time, I come up wanting. If I let these thoughts take over, it cripples me to the point of not accomplishing anything, and even feeling as though I want to stop blogging and quit reading blogs. Silly, huh?

Journaling my creative endeavors and my life on this blog inspires me to do more, and seeing what other people are creating, well, that's inspiring, too. It's therapeutic for me as well...the blogging and the sewing.

Reading through the comments on Cindy's post made it obvious that many of us feel the same way at times, it seems we are all trying to be Wonder Woman. A few of my favorites...

Oddly enough, I'm actually more creative, and accomplishing more since I started blogging, swapping, flickering... I think the key is to do what makes you happy and be your own guide

Your post reminds me of a quote I read recently: "You can have it all, just not at the same time." I embrace that statement wholeheartedly...

To answer your question, "How do I do it all?", the answer is quite simple: I don't.... my work style is to have projects in various stages: designing, piecing, quilting, hand binding....

I have a theory that there are "work ahead" bloggers and "work in the moment" bloggers.

As for how it all gets done, it's funny that you ask that - I was just talking with a friend about that yesterday. I think that I spent 90% of my non-mom time sewing because it's what I enjoy doing. It's my stress relief... it's what makes me happy.

As for doing it all, we can't.

...had to decide to be happy with what I got accomplished and not compare myself to what other people get done. And I have to remind myself of it every day because I tend to want to try to do it all!

...they can't do EVERYTHING, there has to be something that is not receiving her full attention.

...it is important to remember that we are not seeing the entire life of a person - just the crafty side....

...I'd love to have a regular stream of blog posts about fabulous projects I am working on.... the reality is that I spend a lot of time doing other things that are higher priority to me.
....think of some people's Christmas letters -- really, is life that great for the whole 12 months? (I LOVE THIS COMMENT!!) ;->

Give yourself a break today---you don't have to compete with the blog next door. Or the woman across the street.

Tonight, I'm going to try and get a little sewing done.

Sewing Studio Up-Do, Part II

2011-08-24T07:12:00.002-05:00

Today's Studio Upgrade: A New (Inexpensive, Custom) Cutting Table with Storage

I'm known for screeching to a halt to pick up someone's "trash" from the curb, because I firmly believe that one man's trash is another (wo)man's treasure. (Don't worry, I'm NOT a hoarder, I either finish the project I envisioned within a year or two, or I find a new home for what I hauled home).

In May, the University I work for was trashing a bunch of old oak cabinets and slate counter tops as they installed the new chemistry lab. I happened to drive by that side of campus, the day they were carrying everything out to the curb and setting it near a big sign that said "Free". I immediately stopped, pulled two cabinets and some shelves aside with a sign on them that they were claimed and would be picked up later. I then called my sweetie and arranged for him to swing by on his way home from work that afternoon to retrieve them. We reluctantly passed on the "too large" slate counter tops. I brought these home:

My sweetie and I got to work removing vinyl toe kicks, adhesive, sticky messes, etc., then washing, sanding, priming and painting MANY layers of white paint on these, in addition to cutting new shelves and making minor wood filler repairs. It's been an all summer job out in the garage--which sweetie stuck to through our terrible heat and humidity! (I wimped out once the heat index went over 95 degrees, I was willing to wait until Autumn for my "new" cabinets).

A few weeks later, this old counter top was slated for the trash at the building I work in. Naturally, I hauled that home, too. It happened to be just the size I needed to top off the oak cabinets. (Lucky, huh?)

I wasn't crazy about the 1980s country blue formica, so when I was at Grubers in July, I picked up some fabulous laminated cotton to cover it (Oil Cloth would have been a little more durable, since it's heavier, but I adored this bicycle/tricycle print by Michael Miller, and since I am the primary user of this tabletop, I know it will be used carefully). If you are making a similar table covering that will be used by kids, or multiple family members, I'd recommend oilcloth.

How to cover a tabletop:

1. Cut your oilcloth/laminated cotton larger enough to allow for folding over all four sides, with an overlap to the bottom side of your plywood or tabletop, and extra fold under of raw edge--in this case, about 5-6 inches on all sides. It doesn't show in this pic, but I trimmed a triangle (about a 3" triangle) off all four corners to make easing your corners in in step #5 go smoothly.

2. Starting at the center of long sides of board, wrap fabric tightly around back, tucking about 1/2" of raw edge under and securing with a staple gun. I usually do the center, and about 3" on each side of center spot along one side, then move to opposite side of the board and repeat by pulling fabric tightly around the back at the center of that side, turning under 1/2" raw edge again, and securing it with a staple gun.

3. Proceed outward along sides of your board, alternating from side to side every so often, until you reach the end at all four corners.

4. Moving to center of your short ends, repeat step #2, until you get to this point:

5. This is where the fact that you trimmed a triangle of bulk out of your corners in step #1 becomes important. Fold your long side excess length in closely to the edge of the table top, and fold the end side excess in over the top of it, just like you would if you were wrapping a gift with paper (sometimes it helps to have an extra set of hands at this point-one to wrap and hold, the other person to staple):

6. Once you have it where your want it, laying nice and flat, secure it with your staple gun. Add extra staples to bottom side fabric edges as needed. You can use this same method to re-upholster chair seat covers, ottoman covers, you name it.

We installed the cabinets and the tabletop in my sewing studio just before we went on vacation...

There is an open area under the table that is exactly the width I need for storing my vintage Bernina 830 Record. The door on the left cabinet hides a multitude of WIP sins... and the open shelves on the smaller cabinet provide storage for books and tools facing the door to the studio...

We also added that nifty towel rod and buckets from Ikea for holding rotary cutters, scissors, seam rippers, pencils, etc. All at the ready, all off my work surface. The drawer on the cabinet to the left still needs the drawer facing and pull added to it (This weekend's project), but it's completely functional at this point. And it's a HUGE drawer-great storage!

Total Cost for My New Custom Cutting Table/Work Station:

Cabinets & shelving    $0
Formica Tabletop                $0
Laminated Cotton               $17.99 (It took less than a yard so I have pieces left over!)
Primer                                 $10 (we're giving the rest of the gallon to someone for a second project)
Woodfiller                           $5
Paint                                    $12
TOTAL                              $44.99

I've used the cutting top once so far, and it is already worth it's weight in gold. A shot of the entire sewing set-up:

Add the ironing board off the left side of the photo there and I have myself a great work-triangle!

Sewing Studio Up-Do

2011-08-23T07:39:00.003-05:00

It's not really a redo, that was done last year, but this month, it got a definite up-do, or upgrade, anyway, with two great projects!

Today: Project #1, Making a Recessed Sewing Table (a Project ANYONE could do!)

I started with this, my Ikea bookcase and table that I've used for sewing for almost two years.

A shot of my studio in June 2010

But when I needed to do any quilting, especially free-motion quilting, I would pull out a little drop center table from JoAnn's to put my machine in. However, the Janome was too large to fit into the table from JoAnn's. And quilting with the machine too high was just too hard on my neck and shoulders to quilt for very long. So... I traced the footprint of my Janome onto the table top, and my sweetie got a jigsaw and drill out,

and cut a big hole in the table. We figured the worse that could happen is that we would ruin a $55 Ikea table, and have to replace it. The core of the table was a paper cardboard honeycomb core, with two 1x3s running lengthwise for added support...

Sweetie added some more 1x3 strips to enclose the exposed core, added wood filler, sanded, primed, painted and eventually we added this shelf, attached with 4" L-brackets to the table. Here it is without the machine sitting in it:

and voila-- A recessed sewing table, custom fit for my Janome Horizon! As you can see, there is extra space to the right of machine, that I allowed for access to the power cord, feed dog switch and power switch. Remember to take that into consideration when determining the footprint of your own machine:

I removed the feet from the plexiglas table that came with my machine and made sure the machine would sit just high enough above the surface of the Ikea table to accommodate it--a perfect fit! If your machine doesn't have a plexiglas insert, you can have one custom cut at a local hardware store, or glass shop. Just make sure they have a very accurate tracing of the bed of your machine.

We finished this project on Saturday afternoon, and I spent much of Sunday sewing, it was such a pleasure to have the machine at the correct height for a change! I think I could sew an entire day without feeling any strain in my shoulders. A very nice UPGRADE, indeed.

Of course, once we finished I needed to clean the shelves and rearrange everything (sawdust everywhere!) but they needed cleaning and reorganizing anyway.

Tomorrow: Project #2; a sassy new cutting table with storage!

Trending Today: Aqua, Grey & Tangerine

2011-08-22T16:20:00.001-05:00

This color combo has been a fairly popular trend this year, and my newest quilt is following the in crowd. I showed you the sneak peek here, the top is now finished:

It's made with a new Heather Peterson pattern, Spanish Tiles, from her book Living Large 2. The photos aren't great, I should have gotten outside yesterday to snap some, but I waited too long. So Kato, got in the way, naturally... (see the tail in the upper left, here:)

He crawled under...

Turned himself around...until he got exactly the spot he wanted...

Then eventually worked to get himself uncovered again...

"what's everyone lookin' at?"

This is why I try to lay things out on the floor when the kitties are otherwise occupied. The fabrics in this quilt are primarily Art Gallery Fabrics...

My sewing studio redo is coming soon--I now have my Janome in a recessed table--EXCITING!