Salem Ruler

I can't recall ever mentioning the easy squaring Salem Ruler, but thought everyone who quilts needs this ruler!  I just finished quilting this queen size quilt for my friend, Joyce, and I like to clean up the edges before I give the quilts back.  This is where the Salem Ruler works so well.

It makes it so easy to square up the corners and edges.  Ages ago one of our quilt guild members mentioned she would do group order of these rulers, and not thinking too much about it back then, I said, O.K. order me one… what's one more ruler, right?  Now I can't function without this ruler---it is one of those indispensable tools you just never think about until you start using it.

Joyce's Quilt

Pin Cushion Organizer & Burp Clothes---What a Combination!

I am easily distracted in the sewing room as I've mentioned before.  Especially when I start to get bored with a project. Right now it's the "Homestead" quilt sashings & borders that are getting tiresome.

It's is the repetitiveness at this point. However, it is looking more "together" now.  I can hardly wait to start piecing all the parts of the quilt.   

I  browse around on the internet in the mornings between checking all the chat forums, and I find some of the neatest projects to tempt me. 

The Crafty Pin Cushion Organizer from Embroidery Library.com

A fun and very useful project.  I of course decided to use an embroidery design that took approx. 90 mins and lots of thread changes for the four sides of my organizer.   This turned out to not be the quick project I had anticipated. At least not the embroidery part of it. The actual construction did go relatively fast though.

Then I found this perfect patterns for Baby Burp Clothes on Deby's "sew-so easy" Blog, and once again I was sidetracked. I used flannel and terry cloth.  Are these not the cutest? and so soft!

I did manage to finish all the corner "star" motifs and one sashing on the embroidery machine for the quilt today.

More Blocks, and Thread

I've been steadily stitching out more of the Anita Goodesign "Homestead" quilt blocks.  The center of the quilt, like all the buildings, quilts, animals and trees are completed. That was fun! Now I'm stitching the between the rows sashings, and the outside edge borders.

These blocks are going faster because I can use my largest Babylock Ellismo hoop set up to do three sashings at a time in one hooping.  Soon I will be sewing the blocks together. Yay! Anita Goodesign embroidery projects are time consuming, but so much fun!

I confess. I have a thread obsession. I now have more thread than fabric! For one, as the years have past on I find certain threads are not as good as others.  For instance, I rarely use Sulky Rayon to machine embroidery with anymore.  It was like the first ever machine embroidery thread I purchased back in 1995. I think along with Coats & Clark it was the premier thread to own if you had an embroidery machine.  It may still be for many---but, I moved on to Maderia Rayon in 2000 when I purchased a Maderia Treasure Chest at an introduction sale.  I still love and use my Treasure Chest.  Even though many embroidery enthusiast (me included)---have moved on to Polyster threads in recent years.

Maderia Treasure Chest Threads

Polyester embroidery threads are stronger and colorfast, and most have a the lovely sheen of Rayon threads.  This past year I sold most of my Sulky and replaced it with Floriani and Isacord threads.

Anita Goodesigns suggest Floriani colors for their embroideries, and the colors are beautiful. Luckily I have a local source for Floriani threads. So, if there happens to be a color I don't have (really?)---I can get it pronto.

Isacord thread, my other favorite I do have to buy online. It has less sheen, almost a matte finish, but I like using it for some of the vintage machine embroideries like the dish towel sets. It has the similar  appearance of hand embroidery "cotton" thread.

Isacord thread

Embroidery Threads: Floriani top drawer, Isacord second drawer. 

You would think this is enough embroidery thread right? Well there is a bit more.

I call it the miscellaneous thread embroidery thread drawer. Or the "just in case" I  don't have a certain color. My back up thread stash:

You just never know---oh, those are some precuts I have been stashing on the right side. Great for embroidery appliqué or quilting.  I think that first charm pack says: "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" which seem appropriate for this drawer! :o)

This is just embroidery thread---there is more. Like "sewing thread", but I'll share that some other day. 

Back to stitching---gotta use some of this thread!