When Life Gives You Lemons….

What do you do when life gives you lemons?
I try really hard to make lemonade.
It's been that kind of week…

I've never been a supporter of pre-washing fabric. Do you pre-wash?

Well, I finally learned my lesson the hard way with a piece of "evil" red fabric that bled really badly after it was in the quilt…and yes it was good quilt shop fabric. Sooo, I decided to do the extreme and wash my ENTIRE stash color by color.

I was actually a bit shocked by the Color Catcher sheets from the wash loads!!!
On the bright side this won’t end up in another quilt.

Of course the drama continued while pressing and folding my stash ~ a  cringe worthy photo! The lesson here…it’s dangerous to rush this hobby…stay focused. 

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Hands2Help Check In

My longarm was sent back to the factory on Monday for a diagnosis and hopefully repair. In the mean time I’ve been a busy "serial topper".

Four cheerful sock monkey tops for the Hands2Help charities are ready for quilting.

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Randomness

Are you playing along with the Ostrich Round Robin at The Quilt Pattern magazine? Clue #1 and #2 are sewn and clue #3 is ready to be added. It’s been fun watching all the quilts grow.

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My goals for the 2018 Scrap Attack Challenge

1. Make a string project – (March) 3 tops completed for charity – waiting on quilting  
2. Make a strip project
3. Use novelty scraps
4. Use  batik scraps – (January) top completed for H2H charity– waiting on quilting
Free tutorial HERE


5. Use red scraps – (February) quilt completed for Bright Hopes Charity
Get my free pattern HERE

6. Use blue scraps
7. Use red, white, and green scraps together Ho,Ho,Ho
8. Use food fabrics
9. Use pink and brown scraps
10. Use black and white scraps
11. Use a rainbow collection of scraps
12. Use scraps with the GO butterfly die
13. Use sock monkey fabric – (April) 4 tops completed for H2H charity – waiting on quilting
14. Use dottie scraps
15. Piece backs for UFO tops
16. Use geometric scraps

 

I hope your sewing week has had less “lemons”
than mine!!!

I May Have a Stash Problem and Other Things

If you’re still here, I apologize for being absent. My “little engine that could” has felt more like a derailed train since my mother/best friend passed away in October.

In January I took a step back to re-evaluate my sewing and make some New Year’s resolutions.

1. Finish UFO quilt tops – I seem to love making tops but not finishing quilts. I know you recognize some of those. Egads!

2. De-stash scrap bins – Some have exploded into two bins per colorway. Uggg.

3. Make more charity quilts – Repeat steps 1 & 2 as needed.

 

Luckily for me motivation is everywhere and it’s never to late to join in!!!

 

This year the Quilt Qwazy Queens blog hop over at Seams to Be Sew Blog has an UFO theme. Woot! That starts March 15th.

Hand2Help is right around the corner with sign up is March 11th. There are several wonderful charities to pick from including tops only which are needed in Canada.

Although one month late, I’m going to join Confessions of a Fabric Addict’s Scrap Attack 2018 Challenge.

My goals for the Scrap Attach Challenge

1. Make a string project
2. Make a strip project
3. Use novelty scraps
4. Use  batik scraps – January completion - going to Bright Hopes Organization
5. Use red scraps
6. Use blue scraps
7. Use red, white, and green scraps together Ho,Ho,Ho
8. Use food fabrics
9. Use pink and brown scraps with the GO cupcake die
10. Use black and white scraps
11. Use a rainbow collection of scraps
12. Use scraps with the GO butterfly die
13. Use sock monkey fabric
14. Use dottie scraps
15. Piece backs for 1/2 UFO tops
16. Piece backs for 1/2 UFO tops

 

Wish me luck! I hope I can keep up the UFO and scrappy motivation!!!

December Pattern Sale

My holiday gift to all of you ~ 50% off all patterns

in my Etsy shop for the month of December!

These are paper patterns that will be mailed not E-patterns.

Island Batik Fun

You may have been noticing the Island Batik Ambassadors posting unboxing videos on Facebook of their second fabric shipments. Here’s a little peek at what will be showing up at fall quilt market. Did you know that Island Batik makes rayon batiks? Ahhhh, that’s the pretty yellow one on the bottom left of the box.

This weekend was another quilt retreat at the fabulous Green Valley Getaway in Pipe Creek. Our group project was this adorable tuffet pincushion. Can you guess which is mine?

Bev made hers in Island Batik. The adorable frog was made by Sharon as a secret sister gift.

And mine…did you guess right? I’m just sooo in love with the Island Batik Dotalicious Fire collection but it’s slowly shrinking to bitty scraps. Luckily that’s all I needed for this project.

And my new baby arrived on Monday! Meet Cinder.

Hope your day is sew happy!!!!

Here Chick Chick

I love my sewing friends. They always have the cutest little projects when we get together. This month was chicken pincushions. Of course Janis and Bev didn’t just share the typical chicken pincushion, they shared the cutest teeny, tiny chicks.

I think the one on the left has his mother’s eyes. LOL

OF COURSE you can’t make just one!!!

The whole sewing bee flock

Quickie Tutorial

Cut (2) 2 1/2” squares of fabric. You will need to free form cut a beak, tail and comb from felt. Remember you will lose a 1/4” for the seam allowance so I cut mine big and will adust when placing it.

Position the beak and comb on the fabric about a 1/4” from the corner. You can see how I adjusted the beak size by scooting it off the edge.

Pin both fabrics right sides together. Using a 1/4” seam stitch three sides as seen below. The opening will be at the opposite side from the crown. Trim extra beak felt off.

Refold the remaining edge bringing the seams together. Tuck the tail inside and make sure it’s centered. Sew this edge closed.

Turn and stuff. We stuffed ours with crushed walnut shells which you can find at the local pet store.

Perfectly cute little pincushion for hand sewing projects!!

Enjoy!!

Thank You Pattern Testers!!

THANK YOU to all of my pattern testers.
You ladies are AWESOME!

All of these patterns are available in my shops.

Flutter made by Joan

Drifting made by Carla

Splish Splash made by Mary

Also a big THANK YOU to
Judy, Joann, Betty, Ruth, Janis, Nanette, Kathy!!

Would Love Your Opinions…

I’ve been reading a lot of patterns lately. Some good and some not so good. I know we all have our opinions and I’d love to hear yours.

Which layout do you prefer for a pattern?

Vertical - two columns?

Horizontal - two columns? Not booklet pages.

Neither

QuizMaker

How do you like measurements written?

2 1/2

2 ½

2½

Poll Maker

THANK YOU!!!!

Fur-rever Homes Needed

The Island Batik Ambassadors have been posting Furry Fridays to help feature animals all over the country that need a fur-ever home. The Petfinder website helps you locate the purr-fect pet by allowing you to search by location, age, gender, and type of animal.

In the spotlight this week we have…

Tucker

Tucker
https://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/37668153
Nine-week-old fluffball Tucker might not hear perfectly, and his head tilts to the side on occasion, but we think that only makes him cuter. This happy, cuddly guy is available at Wine Country Animal Lovers in Calistoga, CA.

Penny

Penny
https://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/36916522
At 25 lbs., there's lots to love about Penny -- literally! This sweet tabby girl has peacefully coexisted with both cats and dogs, and now she's waiting for her very own human diet buddy at Animal Haven in New York City.

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If you can’t adopt a pet you can still help by joining The TQPM Small Kennel Quilt Team which is a volunteer organization sponsored by The Quilt Pattern Magazine that sews small kennel quilts to help animals when disasters strike. A great cause and a great way to use up those scrap piles.

You can learn more about donating kennel quilts HERE.

Be sure to visit the other Island Batik Ambassadors for Furry Friday.

Sally’s Quilting Corner
The Inquiring Quilter
Bejeweled Quilts
Inchworm Fabrics
FunThreads Designs

Please be sure to visit and support the wonderful industry sponsors
of the Piece for Shelter Pets Initiative

Island Batik
Aurifil
Bernina
Benartex
Quilty Box
The Quilt Pattern Magazine

UFO Has Taken Off

Do you have one or more of those projects that’s a repeat visitor at sewing retreats?!?  One of my New Year’s resolutions was to get at least one UFO, unfinished fabric object, done each month and clear them out. I can happily say that February’s UFO has left the building. Woot!! 

My sister has waited sooo long for this she probably feels like they look. LOL.

This table runner was made using my Day of the Dead Sugar Skulls pattern that can be found HERE

January In and Out Deliveries

Outgoing goodies…

January Charity Sewing

Made 3 quilts, quilted and bound 10 tops, and made 21 totes for the Greater San Antonio Bright Hopes Committee.

Do you have any plans for your SEWING SUPER POWERS yet? It’s never too late to start. There are so many organizations out there that would love your help!!!

Incoming goodies….

My grandmother was an amazing seamstress. I got a box from my aunt that contained lots of my grandmother’s sewing supplies. “Sew” many goodies to pick through. There was even a button box and wooden spools!! WOOT!

She tucked several of my grandmother’s crocheted items in there too. I love using these around the house but have never had the patience to make them myself.

This will look amazing with a red tablecloth underneath for the holidays.

And of course a few nifty sewing finds while antiquing with my friend in Seattle

What do you like to collect?

Oh Scrap It’s Out of Control

Apparently ME, MYSELF and I should not be “playing” in the sewing room after midnight.

But the thunderstorm kept me up soooo I decided that the scrap binds were getting too full and stressing me out.

I spent hours digging in the scrap bins, chopping, and cutting and it still doesn’t seem like anything moved out!!!

How do you get your scraps under control? At what point do you just grab a garbage bag and toss them?

The up side is that I now have enough strips to make a year’s worth of scrappy binding for charity quilts….and I never got to the yellow, orange, and black bins

…and enough “I Spy” blocks for at least 4 quilts

Happy Valentine’s Day

♥Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone♥

It’s Valentines and it’s a new year so I thought I’d pull together some heart patterns
to help you destash those scraps.

Scrappy Rainbow Hearts
Free pattern here

Giant Rainbow Heart
Free pattern here

From the Heart
Free pattern here

I♥Rainbows
Free pattern here

Love Technique Sampler
Paper pattern available here
Electronic Download available here

Rainbow Hearts
Paper pattern available here
Electronic Download available here

All We Need is Love Tote
Free pattern here