Scrap Therapy

Since I am unable to sew for a few more weeks, I decided that this would be a great time to sort and organize my fabric.  I have a bad habit of cleaning off my cutting table after a project by throwing all of the left over fabric scraps into a plastic tote.  When I walked into my fabric storage area the other day, I was shocked by how many totes were stacked in there and decided that now is the time to sort through it all.

Recently, I purchased a magazine called Quilt your Stash!, and in it are some great projects from Joan Ford's ScrapTherapy program.  The magazine is from the publisher of Threads, and I found mine at my local WalMart.

In this magazine Joan Ford explains her 7 steps of quilting your way through your fabric scraps.  She explains that she pressed and cut her scraps into three sizes that played well together:  5 inch, 3-1/2 inch and 2 inch.  As you work through your stash, keep telling yourself it is 'okay to throw away.'  I know, it's difficult for quilters to waste anything but my new rule of thumb is if the scrap is less than 2" x 2", I throw it away.  Once you get your scraps cut in these manageable sizes, you can store them in shoe boxes or small plastic totes and by doing so you will have a lot more space in your sewing area. 

After cutting, I am sorting my pieces by color, theme, etc.  For example, I have all of my colors in labeled boxes and all of my 1930s fabrics in another box, Christmas fabric in another box and so on.  It is so liberating to get these scraps under control, and I am now actually able to see the floor!!

To learn more about Joan Ford's ScrapTherapy program and her great patterns for using up your cut scraps click HERE

I hope all of you have a great week and that you carve out a little time here and there for sewing and, yes, maybe even some time for reorganizing your own scrap stash.

Until next time . . .
Debbie

Quilting Bloggers

I am relatively new to blogging and have built my blog page by trial and error.  One of the best things I did shortly after building my blog was to join Quilting Bloggers.  By doing so, I have been connected to many other great quilting blogs plus get regular updates from Quilting Bloggers for special things like fabric giveaways. 

When I first joined Quilting Bloggers, I chose their very pretty square blog button which is located to the lower right of my blog.  Today, I wanted to add another style that they offer:

I love its bright colors and the way that each letter is place in a square, and it just looks quilty to me.

Joining Quilting Bloggers is one of the best things I have done for many reasons.  If you would like to join in on the fun of belonging to Quilting Bloggers, click the above logo button or click the Quilting Bloggers button located to the upper left of my blog page.  Either way you will be part of a community where you can share your creativity plus get motivated and inspired by many other quilters who also enjoy blogging.

Until next time . . .
Debbie

Oh, No! I can't sew!

On May 7th, I had yet another surgery . . . this time on my neck (cervical spine). I am blessed to have had another successful surgery, and the arm/shoulder pain I was experiencing is gone.

Now, here is the reason I can't sew:  

It kind of looks like a holder for an iron, right?  Well, I wish that was the case but it's not.  This is the contraption that I have to wear for another 4 weeks ~ ugh!!  Here's what it looks like around my neck:

I have to say that it rates right up there with the most unpleasant things I have had to go through.  At first I thought that I may be able to do some hand piecing or hand applique . . . but I soon found out that this thinking was wrong.  That square-like thing at the bottom stops me from tilting my neck down.  So, now all I can do is sew vicariously though my friends and watching them progress on various projects.  I am also browsing through magazines and Internet sites, looking at all the beautiful quilts, fabrics and gadgets.  I also have a lot of time on my hands to do some online shopping and believe me, I have already made quite a dent in the pocket book.  So, you see, I really need to find something, anything to keep my hands busy.

So, this is the story of why I can't sew.  I've worn this hard-collar neck brace for 2 weeks and have 4 more weeks to go.  I'm "X"-ing off the days and looking forward to the day that I can get this contraption off for good and get back to my sewing projects again.

Stay tuned . . . there will be quilty things pictured again . . . I promise!

Debbie

Quilting Frames

Finding a good hand quilting frame that works for you is definitely trial and error.  I have taken the advice of many of my quilting buddies and purchased products based on that advice.  Well . . . as you know, what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another.  So, here I am having been making quilts for 20+ years and I still haven't found a hand quilting frame that I like.

Hinterberg Floor Stand Hoop

I have 2 types of Hinterberg frames ~ a sit upon lap hoop and a floor stand hoop.

Hinterberg Sit-Upon Lap Hoop

I have trouble getting comfortable with the Hinterberg Lap Hoop while sitting in my favorite chair.  I've found that you really need to be sitting on firm chair for it to work . . . at least that has been my experience so far.

The Hinterberg floor stand hoop is nice; in fact, I think it is actually a pretty piece of furniture.  You can tilt it in any direction depending on how you like to hand quilt.  However, I have the same problem with this hoop as I do with the lap hoop, and that is the fact that I can't sit in my comfy TV chair.

I heard that Jasmine Heirloom Quilt Frames are good so I checked them out.  I ended up purchasing this one:

Jasmine Easy Spinner Hoop

They call this hoop the 'Easy Spinner' because at the base it has a ball and socket type of mechanism so you can spin it in any direction while you are quilting.  This is a nice feature and so far this has been my go to hoop for hand quilting.

Even so, I still find myself looking and hoping to find the perfect hand quilting frame.  Some ladies in my quilting group really like the Grace Z44 frame.  It is a 'no baste' frame and folds almost flat for easy storage when you're not quilting.

Grace Z44 Hand Quilting Frame

This one appeals to me not only because it adjusts for king, queen, twin and crib sized quilts but also because it is a no baste frame.  To better explain all the great features of this frame check out this video:



But even with this frame I'm left with the fact that I can't sit in my comfy TV chair when quilting.  I'm beginning to realize that this is somthing I need to accept if I want to continue hand quilting my quilts.

If anyone knows of a good hand quilting frame that is 'no baste' and allows you to sit in an easy chair, I'd love to hear about it.

Until next time . . .

Debbie

In a Jinny Beyer Mood

Jinny Beyer is my most favorite quilt designer.  Well, to be honest, I call Jinny my quilting hero.  I admire her sense of style as well as what she does with color. 

As I've mentioned before, I belong to a small online quilting group and one of our activities this year is a Birthday Fat Quarter Swap.  We all get the opportunity to let each other know what our 'wish list' is, and this year I wished for Jinny Beyer fabrics, particularly fabrics from her Summer Lily line.  Why?  Well take a look:

Summer Lily by Jinny Beyer

I've had my eye on Jinny's Summer Lily quilt for some time.  Since I got a nice selection of fat quarters for my birthday, I can now add other fabrics to it and make this beautiful quilt. 

Summer Lily is offered as a free pattern on Jinny Beyer's website.  Jinny offers free block and quilt patterns on her web site and has them catagorized for beginner, intermediate and advanced quilters . . . so there is something for everyone!  If you are interested in making your very own Summer Lily quilt or want to browse and see what else Jinny has to offer, click HERE

I don't know when I will get the chance to start working on my Summer Lily quilt as I am scheduled for surgery on May 10th.  But, I am going to start gathering my fabrics and maybe start cutting : )

I hope your week is off to a great start and that you, too, are dreaming about making a beautiful quilt.

Until next time . . .

Debbie

Spools

I am part of a small group of quilting friends who each year decide together on a quilt pattern for a block swap.  This year we decided to make Edyta Sitar's Spools quilt.

Spools by Edyta Sitar

I really like this one because it combines applique and piecing ~ my favorite ways to make quilts.

There are 6 of us in our little swap group, and we will all be making 42 spools so each of us will get 7 from each other.  In the end, we will all have a nice, scrappy variety of spools.  So far, I've made 8 spools but just took a picture of my first two.

Edyta's pattern directions make these so easy and so much fun to sew.  She also gives great tips for fabric selection and explains what she calls her 'Rule of 5.'

1) Large print.
2) Medium print.
3) Small print.
4) Stripe.
5) Polka dots.

In addition, she tells you to add at least one batik to each spool.  I think it gives each spool interesting texture. 

I am looking forward to putting this quilt together and may start working on the applique borders so that they are ready by the time I receive my spools.

If you are interested in finding out more information about Edyta Sitar's Spools quilt and others, they are featured in her pattern book, Friendship Strips & Scraps.  Click HERE to visit Edyta's web site.

Until next time . . .

Debbie

Farmer's Wife Progress

I've been using Marti Michell's Perfect Patchwork Templates for my Farmer's Wife blocks and can't believe how much faster and easier the blocks come together.  In the past week, I've completed 8 more blocks.

Marti has generously offered her time and assistance and has put together guides to help us get our Farmer's Wife blocks finished.  I joined Marti's mailing list and each month get a new set of blocks to work on.  Since I joined the mailing list a month after it started, I am a little behind so I've just completed the February blocks.

If you've never tried Marti's templates, I highly recommend them.  They work for either hand or machine piecing and since using them my block sizes are more accurate.  I use my rotary cutter to cut several layers at a time.  All of the templates inclue the 1/4" seam allowance. 

Click HERE for information on the basic Perfect Patchwork Template sets. 

Until next time . . .

Debbie

Happy Birthday to Me!

I belong to a fat quarter birthday exchange and for the past few weeks all of the envelopes started coming in:

It took a lot of willpower not to open these early but I waited until today, my birthday. 

The first thing I wanted to do this morning while sipping my latte was to open my birthday envelopes.  What a wonderful treat.  Here's all the lovely fat quarters and birthday cards that I received:

Jinny Beyer and Kaffe Fassett are my favorite fabric designers and the bottom row is all Jinny Beyer FQs!  I got 2 Kaffe Fassett FQs.  The other FQs I got are all ones that I know I can use for various projects.  What a great way to start out my day and my week . . . I am one happy girl : )

Quilting your Quilts

I have blogged about something new my online quilting friends and I are doing in order to get our pile of quilt tops finished or quilted.  We've chosen to name this "Flimsy Friday" or "Finish it up Friday."  We try to devote each Friday for quilting either by hand or machine.

Lately, there has been some discussion about using Press 'n Seal as a stitch guide for a quilting design.  Some who have used this product say that it can be difficult to remove in the areas where you have to double stitch. 

A product that I have used and really like is the Golden Threads quilting paper.  I find that it is easy to remove after I have stitched out my design, and there are many different ways you can attach the paper to your quilt top for quilting. 

Rather than tell you all the wonderful ways to use this quilting design paper, I found this video on the Golden Threads web site.  The technique of 'dot to dot' quilting is explained, and is a great way to practice if you are a beginner.  In the demonstration they are using a long-arm machine but I use my regular domestic and it works great!



Sometimes I send my quilts out to my long-arm quilter and they always come back beautifully quilted but this can get expensive.  I am finding out that by going through the exercises described in the video and practicing regularly that my free motion quilting is improving, and I am hoping to get to the point where I am satisfied enough with it to do it on a quilt top that I have spent a lot of time working on. 

If you are interested in learning more about Golden Threads and the products they offer, click HERE to be taken to their web site.  There are other learning videos that you can view there as well.

I hope all of you have a very productive Friday getting your quilt tops quilted!

Until next time . . .

Debbie

Design Wall Monday

I thought it was time to get back to my Farmer's Wife blocks so over the weekend, I sewed and cut out more blocks.  This morning as I was playing around with them on my design wall . . . well I should say the computerized design wall . . . I wanted to try out different sashing and border options. 

The fabric I bought for the border is from the Ruby line, and I like the red floral.  Since I don't want this quilt to be too 'busy' I thought that the gray colors from the line would make good sashing and second border choices.  Actually, the fabric I will use for the second border is this one:

And for the sashing thought that this would be a good choice:

I originally purchased this one for the sashing but as I am sewing the blocks I'm thinking that it may be too much red especially with the red border . . .

but then again the gray swirl inner border will break it up a little . . . decisions, decisions!

Stay tuned . . .

Debbie