Black Board Bags

Happy New Year! ---almost. We have been sick since before the new year.  Flu bug hit us both.  We are still coughing, but on the mend except for my right knee which has decided to act up---so, I've been sitting in the recliner and finally gave in to seeing the doctor today after trying everything else to make it feel better.  I've never had knee problems, so this is a new experience….not in a good way! My garden awaits. Spring Daffodils 2015…... Really!

Every once in awhile I venture into the sewing room and make one of Anita Goodesign's "Black Board Bags".  My first one was disappointing, but thanks to an online friends instructions, I've lined the last two I stitched out.  So much nicer.  I have never been disappointed in Anita Goodesigns' embroidery projects until this one.  I can't imagine not digitizing for an in the hoop lining. It really is so easy to do and finishes off these cute bag so nicely.

Here are some photos:

I used black pre quilted cotton for these.

I have some black ultra suede I'm also going to try,  and some thick black felt.  Now that I have the lining method figured out, it's going to be even more fun to pick out thread colors and zippers to go with the lining! 

Lined this bag.

These take a while to stitch out.  About an hour and a half, but the embroideries are very so cute!

Christmas Wishes

To Everyone, may your Christmas be Merry, and your New Year blessed with good health & happiness.

Tumbling

Soon after I made this tumbler quilt I purchased another GO cutter….I know, I know, I'm not a fan of the GO cutter, but for certain shapes, like the tumbler, it works very well.  I love how it cuts reference notches, and makes it so easy to sew the tumblers together accurately, and it certainly saves a lot of time.

So, I've made my excuses as to why I have another die cutter.

I can't make any excuses really for not quilting much lately except to say November seemed like a very busy month around here.  Lots of food shopping, cooking, family dinners and laundry---lots of laundry.   I now know how many dish towels I own because I must have used every one of them!

I'm not complaining, I love company, as it can get lonely around here in the woods.

We actually don't live that far off of the main road, but if you are used to paved, straight, two lane roads, then a trip to our house could be a challenge.   Of course, I will take our country road to freeway driving any day!

Freeway? ---or

Country road?

The tumbler quilt all finished except for the binding.  I tried Angela Walters swirls and pebbles…I love her quilting. My quilting---not so much love here! I have a stack of quilt tops under my long arm waiting to be quilted, so it felt really good to get this quilted yesterday afternoon.  The small dotted yellow fabric is going to be the binding. I hope to load another quilt today, and do a bit of quilting every day. My hurdle seems to be backings.  I really dislike seaming backings---and of course I won't buy wide backing fabric as I already have so much fabric I could piece for a quilt backing! ---and sew it goes around here. :o)

Tote Your Selvages

I've been saving the selvage edges of some of my fabrics for awhile, note the overflowing basket on the right of tote bag. I finally decided it was time to attempt making something besides a Mug Rug with them…. Our county has banned the use of  plastic shopping bags. This tote will be put to good use! The pattern is from an older Oct. 2009 McCalls magazine I had kept,  or can also be purchased on Craftsy. Save your Selvages!

California Denim

I have a collection of denim shirts. I live in denim most of the time. Jeans, shirts and sneakers.

When I saw the Anita Goodesign State designs, and especially California done on a denim shirt, I couldn't resist making one----here is my newest denim shirt.

Quilt Kit

Last time Craftsy had the Crayon Quilt kit I missed out---this time I was able to buy a kit! Hurry, they don't last long if you want to do this kit.  I picked the far left turquoise and gold kit! I'm not sure why they call these crayon quilts because I've always known this pattern as tumbling blocks.

http://www.craftsy.com/supplies/crayon-box-quilt-kit/4786?ext=og-share

The Homestead Quilt

Yeah!---it's finished!

I completed the binding and label this afternoon. 

This is a machine embroidery project from Anita Goodesign. 

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!