Snow, Reviews and Great Quilting Weather!

Woke up to snow this morning!!

Ah yes, we woke up to snow this morning and it is still coming down! Now, I realize that for you folks in the North and East who are getting record amounts of snowfall, snow photos are like the last thing you want to see. But, for us Southern folk who don't see snow too often, this was a beautiful sight to see! Of course, we will be sick of it by nightfall when the roads start to ice over and everyone is having wrecks, but in the meanwhile...enjoy!

PRODUCT REVIEW:

I wanted to do a product review today for Mary Ellen's Best Press (http://www.maryellenproducts.com/home.php).  This is a nice alternative to starch, and comes in different scents. I LOVE using Mary Ellen's Best Press when quilting or appliquing! This product is also environmentally friendly...and works in nicely if you are "sewing green". You can also buy larger refill bottles and refill the spray bottle...which also makes it an environmentally friendly product. 

Unlike regular spray starch, this product does not flake or clog. It is an amazing product for anyone who sews, or anyone who irons! I even use it when I iron hubby's shirts (you know...those rare times!).  My favorite scent is Lavender Fields, especially when I am quilting baby quilts, since lavender is very relaxing...helps me and the baby!! Right now Hancocks has it on sale for $4.00 (in store only).

I have to get back to working on this latest baby quilt...which, by the way, I am not liking right now. The colors are boring me and the pattern doesn't seem to be working too well. So, back to the quilting room to figure out how to make it work!

So that's it for this snowy day! Stay warm and dry and just sew!

Happy Sewing and Quilting!

Pirate Quilt Update

It's late, but I thought I would give you a long awaited update on the Pirate Quilt. The photos above show the last 3 blocks -- skull and cross bones, Kracken, and the Pirate. (Please note; these blocks need ironing). And as you can see, the Pirate only has a head, scarf, hat and arm at this point, so I have quite a bit of work ahead of me. This week though, I have the baby quilt to work on, so Mr. Pirate won't be getting another arm, face or clothes this week! The Kracken block replaces the block on the quilt pattern of the black widow spider and web (not sure what a spider has to do with pirates!). I made up the block myself, and with the material that I chose, thought it turned out quite well.

I made a trip to Hancock Fabrics today and got some neat things on clearance. Of course, I just went over to find some muslin (can you really have too much muslin on hand?!), and naturally I picked up a few other things I just couldn't resist! One of my finds was a couple of yards of cute fabric -- $3.95 a yard -- that will make a cute baby outfit for my little gbaby, and hopefully have some left over for quilting! Yes, the fabriholic in me definitely came out today! My advice to you sewers and quilters is that if you can find fabric for $2 or $3 a yard...get at least a couple of yards of it...especially if you really like it. I have kicked myself before for not buying fabric that I really liked at such a great price! (I know...!!)

The weather here is cold and dreary, and frankly, I am just a bit tired of it. On the other hand, it is great quilting weather! I have washed and dried all of the fabric for the baby quilt...we'll call it the Nautical Quilt (hint: it has a nautical theme)...so tomorrow I will spend the day ironing fabric and cutting some test blocks for it. Hubby reminded me tonight that I should cut test blocks just to see how everything will come together. I admit that on a previous quilt I failed to do that and pieced the whole top together...didn't like it, scrapped it and pieced another whole top! Whew...talk about a whole lot of extra work and wasted time! Yes, I see great value in test blocks now! Live and learn...

Thank you to my new blog followers! I hope I can entertain, instruct and inform you about sewing, quilting, embroidery and applique! Thank you for your comments too! Keep them coming!

Good night to all...and Happy Sewing and Quilting!

Moon Shot and Sewing Green

Goodnight Moon

I just wanted to share this photo of the gorgeous moon I took one night last week. I got several shots of it, but this one was just the best...enjoy!

So, it's been a couple of weeks since my last post and I have some news to report. First of all, today I received another baby quilt commission from a friend of mine (must finish this quilt in just under two weeks!!). She came over and we had a great time going through fabric and looking at quilt patterns! My friend has now decided that she is interested in learning to quilt and has already picked out her first pattern for her first quilt. I mentioned that the Dallas Quilt Show (www.quiltersguildofdallas.org) is coming up in March and she said she would love to go with me! Naturally, any time anyone shows an interest in quilting, I get very excited!! I also plan to take her fabric shopping in a couple of weeks (yes, the fabriholic in me is coming out!). 

As usual, hubby and I went on our once a month excursion to Barnes & Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com) to check on new issues of magazines. I bought a very interesting magazine called GreenCraft (http://www.stampington.com/html/greencraft_volume1.html) and it is just chock full of wonderful crafting ideas for using recycled materials. There are some purse ideas, and flower pin ideas too. There was even an idea (that I want to try) for taking an old tablecloth (a cute one) and cutting it down to make an apron. In a previous post, I discussed "Sewing Green" and shopping at thrift stores and antique stores for fabric....so naturally, my first thought was that I must make another thrift store/antique store run to find some old table cloths and make an apron!! I thought this was a great Sewing Green tip and wanted to pass it along to you.

Grandbaby News ~ our little darling is sick this week with a cold and sinus junk, so we haven't gotten to see her this week. But, I did decorate a little knit cap for her. Hobby Lobby (www.hobbylobby.com) is a great source for inexpensive baby hats, caps and onesies to decorate, if there is a baby in your life and you have a Hobby Lobby near you. I have just been having so much fun sewing little flowers and cute trim onto these caps! I also ironed on some appliques to a bib for her, and plan to do a couple more...since babies tend to mess up multiple bibs in a day!

I am still working on quilting My Quilt (which is only a temporary name for it). It is a much larger quilt than I am used to quilting, so I am struggling just a bit with it...but since it is for me, I can take my time with it. It won't be perfect (there are, admittedly, a few puckers on the back), but again...this is for me and won't be gong to any quilt show!

As it is already the month of February (!!), I have decided that I had better get cracking on making some summer dresses for our Grandbaby! Found a cute pattern for a summer dress, bloomers and a hat, so I want to make several of these outfits for her to wear during the hot summer months. In Texas, hats are so important for the little ones to wear, because it just gets so blistering hot here and babies' heads are so very tender.

Well, that's about it for now. If you have any Sewing Green ideas, please post your ideas and comments to share...quilting tips too!!

Happy Sewing and Quilting!

Thrift Store Finds

Good afternoon quilters and sewers! Today's topic is finding fabric in places like thrift stores, antique shops and other venues that you might not think of when shopping for fabric.

Hubby and I love to roam thrift stores to see what kinds of great deals we can find, so this past weekend when we were roaming around the stores I started looking at different types of fabrics one can find in them. Not only can you find evening dresses, wedding dresses and prom gowns (think yards and yards of fabric), but you can find drapes, curtains, blankets, towels, shirts, and sheets! Not to mention, by shopping this way you are "sewing green" by reusing and repurposing fabric! (Green and cost effective...great combination!)

Now, I know that you might be thinking that a lot of these things will just be worn out and unusable, but that's where you would be wrong. For instance, for $1.99 I found a white flannel baby blanket in very nice condition...that's a yard of cotton flannel for under $2!! I also found satin sheets and pillow cases (think crazy quilt fabric) for less than $4. Curtains are also a great fabric source, and these were all less than $2 each. In this economy, with $8.00 - $10.00 a yard fabric, why wouldn't anyone want to save some money on very nice usable fabric?? Flat sheets make great quilt backs, and I even found some that had never even been taken out of the package...$4.00!! Another great source for cotton fabric is men's Hawaiian or dress shirts...especially the larger sizes.

Of course, you won't be able to find all of the fabric you want/need in a thrift store, but you can greatly reduce the cost of your fabric and add to your stash by shopping this way. Another great source is...believe it or not...antique stores! You can find vintage table linens and vintage fabrics for not much money in antique stores. Vendors in antique malls often have regular sales, and shopping the sale booths is a great way to save even more. Vintage clothing can even be bought for little money. All of these venues are great fabric sources, and if you are a Fabriholic...like me...then you will definitely want to check these sources out!

Ebay (www.ebay.com) is also another great source for fabric and vintage fabric, however, keep in mind that you will usually have to pay some type of shipping and handling costs, and then wait for it in the mail! Although, admittedly, I have bought and sold vintage fabric on Ebay from time to time.

Do you know of other "alternative" sources for fabric? Post a comment and let me know!

Happy Sewing and Quilting!

A Few of My Favorite Things

Ah, the weekend! Isn't it great? Sleeping in late, staying up late, no big plans...except for sewing, quilting and embroidery!! :)

I was just thinking about all of the tools quilters use and how much money we can spend on them...whether they work or not! So, I thought I would review some of my favorite products and let you know that these tools really do work. My plan it to do periodic reviews of quilting/sewing/embroidery tools for you, so that you will know what works, and what doesn't. Please note that when I review products, they are products that I have used and used a lot, so by my estimation they either work well or don't.

Sue's Reviews

Clover Thread Cutter Pendant
Keep on a ribbon around your neck or on top of a spool for easy thread cutting with no sharp edges.

What a great gadget for quilters, embroiderers, and anyone who sews! I bought one of these cutters after the 9/11 airline restrictions on scissors. Even though they have eased the restrictions somewhat, I still use my Clover Thread Cutter Pendant when I travel. I hang mine on a matching chain, and it makes a lovely necklace. This would be a great gift, and for just about $10.00, a very affordable one too!

John James "Sharps" Applique Needles, size 10


I have used a lot of different types of needles for applique, but these John James "Sharps" are my absolute favorites. I use them all of the time, and keep a good supply of them on hand. I highly recommend these needles because they last and are truly high quality needles.

Needle Grabbers

The first time I used these handy Needle Grabbers was in a quilting class. After the class, I went out and bought a couple of packs of them. I use them when doing hand quilting, and I won't hand quilt without them. These are a must have for hand quilters, and are under $2.00 for a pack of 2. I just throw them on top of my hand quilt project and use them as I need them. They are rubbery, so they stay where you put them.










Well, I hope you enjoyed the reviews and learned something along the way. Have product review suggestions? Just post a comment and I will review the product and let you know if it is a good tool or not!
 
Happy Sewing and Quilting!

Quilting Thoughts

Happy Tuesday to everyone!


Well, I am making some headway on my Pirate Quilt! (Photos coming soon) I finished the Kracken block and am working on the final block...the Pirate...aaarrrrgghh!! I was looking through my stash for the perfect fabric for the Pirate's face and arms...think, tan! Anyway, after much searching and coming up with nothing (yeah...I know...hard to believe) I decided to take a piece of unbleached muslin and tea dye it to come up with something that would work, and it turned out great! I used hot water, tea bag, bowl and fabric. Put the fabric in the bowl with hot water and one tea bag and let is soak for a couple of hours, then rinsed it with cold water and dryed it in the dryer to heat set and voila...tan fabric! This will make great "skin" for my Pirate and I was so excited that it didn't cost anything but a tea bag to get!


So this got me to thinking about using other natural berries, plants, etc for dying fabric...hmmmm...lots of things stain fabric....hmmmm. Then I decided to research the subject, because, let's face it, we need to do all that we can to save money in this hard economy! Anyway, I found this website http://www.pioneerthinking.com/naturaldyes.html and it explains not only how to dye fabric from natural plants, but which plants produce certain shades of color! Now, I have never been much into dying my own fabric, but all of a sudden I find the whole concept rather exciting, especially if I can use natural plants and berries to dye fabric with! I'm not talking about bolts of fabric, but smaller pieces...say fat quarters...when you can't find that exact color that you are looking for. And, bonus...this can be done in your own kitchen with things you probably already have! How much more economical does it get?! I believe this definitely warrants some more experimentation on my part. Have you tried dying fabric before? What were your results? I would love to know!


Oh yes, and I am also working on...finally...a quilt for myself!! I made the top a couple of years ago, so it's about time to finish it. We have had such a cold winter here that I have been using hubby's quilt and thinking, "hmmm...I wish I had my own quilt to use instead of using his quilt all the time!" And then I thought, "hey, I can have my own quilt! All I have to do is take a finished quilt top and quilt it, then I will have one for myself!" So, I have started quilting it! Yep...photos to come shortly!


Have a great day, and Happy Sewing and Quilting!!

Just a Little Beauty...

Happy Freezing Weather! But, this is GREAT QUILTING WEATHER!!


I just wanted to add a little beauty and warmth to your day...so here is a photo of my sweet beautiful granddaughter!!

Ahhh...I feel so much warmer now...don't you??!! :)


I haven't quilted these past few days, but have been pondering about what my next project is to be. I have several quilt tops that need to be quilted and several quilt projects that I would like to start...oh, and then there is my Pirate Quilt that also needs finishing! Sew many projects...sew little time!!


How do you prioritize projects? That seems to be a sticking point for me, as sometimes I am not sure how to choose from so many projects to work on. Do I start with the oldest unfinished project? Do I work on something totally new? Something that I am in the middle of? Does it matter?? I just get into a tizzy thinking about it! Should I prioritize by what brings me joy to work on or money when I sell it? Ahhhh...money is a great motivator, but I like to work on projects that make me happy too. Decisions...decisions...I think I will sleep on it and decide tomorrow!


Stay warm! Happy Sewing and Quilting!