Is your stash starting to expand and invading other areas than your sewing studio? Are your muffin bins topped and about to explode at any minute?
Do you feel overwhelmed? Not sure how to use it or what to do with it, and almost to the point of giving it away? I feel that way too, at times! Not to worry! I believe I have a cure for this common ailment. Let’s bust our scraps, especially those little pieces that seem to multiply when your back is turned.
Each Thursday I will find some patterns that will deal with the little pieces and even some of the larger and odd pieces that we all tend to accumulate.
July is usually the time where we start our Christmas gifts, so here are some fun cool ideas.
From Sister Chicks Quilting, a pattern for making a Merry Village Quilt:
I flung myself to the final Rise and Shine class this morning. It was a lot of fun visiting with friends and show and tell of our tops. One gal already had her top finished and quilted but not entirely done. The wording, Quilts Have Stories, had not been added yet. Me, my top is not a top, but mostly a bunch of blocks made and pinned together and there were a few others in the same boat as I. And that is perfectly fine!
I have not yet decided if I want to finish it partly because truly I am scrappy and this is a little too organized and fussy for me. Also, I had some issues with making the blocks, such as getting my flying geese to go the right way and there are a lot of those in the top. Another part, very small, feels like I bought the fabric and pattern that I should finish it, so my decision for now is to put it away for a while and decide later. Oh well. We had a drawing for a new sewing machine, a little travel sized Janome machine that is computerized. I did not win but I am happy for the gal that did win. All in all, it was a good morning!
I am declaring for myself that the next 3 days are just to take it easy, organize my leftovers, and figure out what is next on my list. As some of you may know, I had been in a sewing slump since March and have not felt like sewing. I think I was just overwhelmed for a bit and last year I had finished 12 quilts for donation and it all just caught up with me. Now that I have no more classes to attend until next year, I feel a big weight has been lifted and now I can go back to sewing without deadlines.
It is time for lunch so I will chat more later.
It is now September 5, a couple of months since I last posted this. This past summer has been way too hot for me and not much in the way of sewing happened, but I have been purging. I have a lot of fabric, books and whatever else, and so I now have several bags that I hope to take to the guild meeting next week. I moved a lot of stuff around and downsized a lot, but there is still even more left! I am also going through patterns and deciding if I really want to make them or not. If not, then out they go. But I am also going through a stack of panels and matching them with backings and doing edge-to-edge quilting on them. Those will also go to the guild as donation kids’ quilts. I am still deciding on the quilt for next year, and I will post a preview on the 10th.
Now to sew the binding on my Potato Chip Block, I call it Picasso! Will post a picture later.
Sorry, this is late, but I have been trying to finish a top for class tomorrow.
Is your stash starting to expand and invading other areas than your sewing studio? Are your muffin bins topped and about to explode at any minute?
Do you feel overwhelmed? Not sure how to use it or what to do with it, and almost to the point of giving it away? I feel that way too, at times! Not to worry! I believe I have a cure for this common ailment. Let’s bust our scraps, especially those little pieces that seem to multiply when your back is turned.
Each Thursday I will find some patterns that will deal with the little pieces and even some of the larger and odd pieces that we all tend to accumulate.
Not sure about your area, but here in the Central Valley, it has been over 110 several times the past week or two and we are ready for a cool down and so here are some COOL ideas for summer!
From CarolsQuiltShop.com, here is a tutorial for Color Junction Quilt.
Is your stash starting to expand and invading other areas than your sewing studio? Are your muffin bins topped and about to explode at any minute?
Do you feel overwhelmed? Not sure how to use it or what to do with it, and almost to the point of giving it away? I feel that way too, at times! Not to worry! I believe I have a cure for this common ailment. Let’s bust our scraps, especially those little pieces that seem to multiply when your back is turned.
Each Thursday I will find some patterns that will deal with the little pieces and even some of the larger and odd pieces that we all tend to accumulate.
Summertime is here so how about a few sweet treats?
From Karen Brown’s Just Get It Done Series, 6 Fast and Easy Jelly Roll Sew Up ideas:
I missed yesterday’s post due to the holiday. But I am back today with more ideas!
Is your stash starting to expand and invading other areas than your sewing studio? Are your muffin bins topped and about to explode at any minute?
Do you feel overwhelmed? Not sure how to use it or what to do with it, and almost to the point of giving it away? I feel that way too, at times! Not to worry! I believe I have a cure for this common ailment. Let’s bust our scraps, especially those little pieces that seem to multiply when your back is turned.
Each Thursday I will find some patterns that will deal with the little pieces and even some of the larger and odd pieces that we all tend to accumulate.
Summertime is here so how about a few cool ideas.
From Missouri Star Quilts, a tutorial on how to Make A Shadow Play Quilt.
I have been wanting to post this but have been putting it off as I wanted it to be just right, so here goes!
What a whirlwind of a month this has been!
It all started when my sister, Candis, sent me a few Amtrak gift cards so that I could come out and visit her at her new home. It was such a generous offer and how could I refuse to see her! So, about a month ago I started planning and deciding which dates would work the best for both of us and so we chose June 15 through the 21.
And so the planning began. I told my friend Liberty about it and so we devised a plan to travel together. She wanted to see her son and family and me, my sister, so what better way to go than with a good friend! Not knowing what the weather was going to be, I decided to pack an assortment just in case. Oops, I actually should have packed more warm clothes, but I made do with what I brought with me. Oh, and the packing, what a pain that was! Doug thought that I should pack as light as possible and then buy what I needed when I arrived. So, I tried his way with a bag that I could sling over my shoulder, a bag for magazines for the train, and my purse. Believe me, don’t listen to him! I tried it out and it was light and doable but when I went to grab all of it and try to walk with to the car, I about fell over from the weight! Way too much for a largish gal like me to handle. I marched back to my bedroom, told him that was not going to work at all, and pulled out my pull along suitcase and repacked it. Of course, this was about 3 hours before we were to leave, pick up Liberty and go to the train station. And being a little rattled, I didn’t pack enough warm clothing. With my pull along luggage, my black bag for my phone, etc., my purse and pillow, we were on our way. By the way my pillow was my best friend on the train! It was the only way I could get comfy and sleep, somewhat.
Strange guy at train station or also known as Doug, my hubby.
Donna and Liberty at train station. We left Fresno at 6:15. Finally after taking the train to Stockton, and then the bus to Sacramento! And here we are on the Amtrak Starlight up to Eugene. We were so tired of sitting and it was nice to be on the train. That’s me in the Dome. Interesting fact about the train, there are five different areas where you can sit, according to your ticket. We had coach tickets, and it starts off with the Dining Room, Living Room, The Bedroom, Sleeper Car and Coach. They are all separate from each other and cannot be accessed if you don’t have the right ticket and they assign you seats. Coach is nice but the seats are a little small and not much leg room to stretch out, but the bottom part of the seats where your legs go, do go up so you can rest, and the back leans back so you can recline. I am not sure if I was overtired and excited and I didn’t get a lot of sleep, but that’s okay. I had my phone and a good book and was in the observation car on the second level most of the time. We arrived in Eugene about noon on Sunday, and I was so happy to get off the train and meet up with my sister.
The above pictures are of Mount Shasta while galloping by on the train, so it’s hard to get good clear pictures.
Spike and I at Candis’ home.
Monday morning found us at Torrid clothing store where I fell in love with a gorgeous denim jacket that was on sale and then further reduced by an additional 30%, in addition to a couple of short sleeved shirts. We then went to TJ Maxx and I found a couple of more tops on sale, a pair of pants, and a great mesh bag that is expandable. I love it and used it on my trip back.
We then came home after lunch and then practiced for 5 Crowns card game to prepare for that evening with friends. That game goes very quickly and just when you think you’re about to lay out your cards, someone else beats you to it! Candis, as she had the lowest score, was crowned queen!
Kathy, Donna, Susan, Doris, Pam, Dottie playing a brisk game of Five Crowns cards. Candis had the lowest score and was crowned Queen by Kathy. Picture taken by Candis. We had so much fun playing, and I felt like I was a part of this warm group of friends!
Tuesday morning we were all packed and ready to go, including Spike!
Tuesday morning, we left for Yachats, pronounced Yohats, and we went to Mo’s on the coast! There are windows all around and all the tables, including the center ones, all face the windows so you can look out at the ocean. I had a delicious clam chowder topped with shrimp and garlic toast and Candis had a shrimp salad! Yummy! We watched out the window where there was a pier. There were kids, parents and grandparents fishing for crabs. They would put a bucket into the water and about 2-3 minutes later they would pull up a basket full of crabs. I believe you paid to use the pier and could only keep certain sized crabs. They also used a pole with sticks on it and drop that into the water and then would pull it up a few minutes later full of clams! It was so nice and relaxing watching while enjoying a good lunch!
Afterwards we went to the Sea Lion Caves. If you really want a good work out with stairs, this is the place. Everything on the coast is on a steep incline, so you walk from the parking lot to the gift shop, uphill. You then go out and go further up on a cement path to the elevator, and then that takes to you to 2 flights of stairs. Once you reach the platform you can look out and see the sea lions resting on the rocks inside the cave. It is a warm spot for the sea lions to rest during the winter, but it was starting to warm up and most of them were outside sunbathing on the rocks.
There is another spot where you can sit and learn about the life of sea lions and other aquatic critters. You turn and then there are 3 more flights of stairs that lead you to a view of one of the many lighthouses on the coast. Then, afterwards you walk back down. It was nice and cool in there so we rested a little before going back down.
Afterwards we checked in at the Drift Inn for two nights. It is a 3-story wood hotel. There are 2 paths into it, the first one leads downstairs to the outside garden cafe and is a series of steps going down. Candis checked us in while I waited and then we then above the garden cafe on cement pathway that took us straight to our room. I believe our room was the Captain’s Bedroom (?) and was solid pine with a good-sized kitchen, two bedrooms, bathroom and family area. Very nice and pleasant to rest in after our trek to the caves. We went down the stairs and had dinner at the Drift Inn Restaurant, fried fish and chips. Actually, flounder that was breaded and delicious!! We had an appetizer of jalapeno poppers wrapped in bacon and of course, the cream cheese stuffed inside. YUMMY!
We spent the evening playing cards and just relaxing. Though the bed left a lot to be desired. It looked nice and firm and plenty of room and pillows, but when I got in I felt like I was the filling in a taco shell! Of course, I never sleep well away from home.
Hello Everyone! I am back from my trip to Oregon and I had a wonderful time. I even met Kelly from Piece to Piece Quilt Shop and we had a wonderful visit!
Is your stash starting to expand and invading other areas than your sewing studio? Are your muffin bins topped and about to explode at any minute?
Do you feel overwhelmed? Not sure how to use it or what to do with it, and almost to the point of giving it away? I feel that way too, at times! Not to worry! I believe I have a cure for this common ailment. Let’s bust our scraps, especially those little pieces that seem to multiply when your back is turned.
Each Thursday I will find some patterns that will deal with the little pieces and even some of the larger and odd pieces that we all tend to accumulate. Since the 4th of July is right around the corner, how about some quick ideas.
From Lori Holt, a quick tutorial on Making the 4th of July Flag Block:
Is your stash starting to expand and invading other areas than your sewing studio? Are your muffin bins topped and about to explode at any minute?
Do you feel overwhelmed? Not sure how to use it or what to do with it, and almost to the point of giving it away? I feel that way too, at times! Not to worry! I believe I have a cure for this common ailment. Let’s bust our scraps, especially those little pieces that seem to multiply when your back is turned.
Each Thursday I will find some patterns that will deal with the little pieces and even some of the larger and odd pieces that we all tend to accumulate. Today we will be looking at last minute ideas for Father’s Day!
Our first one is from Sew Very Easy Quilts and she has a lot of fun Dad placemats to choose from:
Is your stash starting to expand and invading other areas than your sewing studio? Are your muffin bins topped and about to explode at any minute?
Do you feel overwhelmed? Not sure how to use it or what to do with it, and almost to the point of giving it away? I feel that way too, at times! Not to worry! I believe I have a cure for this common ailment. Let’s bust our scraps, especially those little pieces that seem to multiply when your back is turned.
Each Thursday I will find some patterns that will deal with the little pieces and even some of the larger and odd pieces that we all tend to accumulate. I have been trying to use up some controlled color ways from a medium sized bin of strips. I started with pink and have most of those in a quilt top and now I am working on greens and have all of those pulled. Believe me, I haven’t even scratched the surface of all the other strips in other bins but maybe I can make a dent in this one. So today we are going to look at scraps and busting them.
Our first one is from the Sewing Channel and deals with Fiesta Stars made from strings!
from my in town retreat and boy, did I have fun! I had a great time visiting with new and old friends! Didn’t finish anything but I made good progress on a couple of projects and have a baby quilt half made for donation to the guild! I decided to go with a small tote of assorted strings and am trying to use up all of the pink that I can find. I think it’s turning out cute. Next from the bottomless tote will be green. Not sure if it will make much of a dent. Oh well.
No flings for me but I was flung to from the retreat. I won a wonderful huge package of blue and purple batiks called Trellis Garden quilt kit. No pattern inside, but I can still use it for other stuff or look up the pattern online.
I want to share this with everyone. We had 3 great classes, (I only went to 2) and they were worth the cost of the retreat. The first one was Precision Piecing and showed how to use the Bloc Loc ruler. You can find it at Etsy or amazon, but they are not sold in stores.
Delightful Designs 