Quilting for pleasure

Quilting for pleasure
Find Joy in the Journey

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Saturday Scrappy Fun

Hubby & I went to the "Blast from the Past" car show in Salina this morning.  There were some really cool cars there.  Didn't take any photos though.  Then off to lunch at Wingers in Richfield.  I highly recommend their Waffles.  They were light & fluffy.  Hubby had the waffles with chicken breasts, I had the waffle with bacon.  We will definitely go back for the waffles.  They were soft enough for me to chew (still have some healing going on where the tooth was taken out in readiness to put the implant in).  Hardware store and then home.  Finished sewing my scrappy blocks & decided to set them on point so cut out newspaper to see what size half square triangles would look the best to make the blocks on-point.  Two of the main blocks are done & the rest of the half square triangles are cut out.  Taking a break to check email messages etc.  I hope to have the remainder of the blocks finished this next week.  Tomorrow after church I will finish a little boy receiving blanket & burp cloth so I can start the next one for our new (coming soon) granddaughter.  Life is good.


Used 5" squares to make half square triangle blocks then used the "Balkin Puzzle Block" pattern to put them into some sort of design order.  Added the half square triangles to set the blocks on point.  Will post finished quilt photo at a later date.


Grandpa had to get this for little "Whosit".  I love Eeyore.  Even if this one is blue with a pink bow on the tail!


Quilt Tip of the Day:  If you have several bobbins wound with different colors of thread you can use them up when making scrappy quilts.  Chances are you will have more than a few of those colors in the scraps & you will soon have empty bobbins ready for your next sewing project!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Flannel Flannel Flannel

After working in the yard pulling weeds I came in to prepare 8 receiving blankets with burp clothes in readiness to crochet around the edges.  I used my Accucut die cutter to cut out the burp clothes with a die I designed & had made.  Since I make so many, it sure saves me time cutting out.  When I cut out the burp clothes there is always a little fabric leftover.....and we all know I just can't throw it out.  So, I used my 3 1/2" square die to cut out flannel squares.  I have used these in baby quilts before.  I keep my precut shapes in ziplock bags so I can pick up a bag when I have the urge to do some sewing but don't have time to cut anything out.  I have 2 plastic containers full right now of various shapes.  I have quite a few of the 3 1/2" squares cut out right now & if anyone would like to give them a nice home (for free) just let me know!  That will give me more room for the upcoming bits & pieces.

THE STACK READY TO SEW AROUND

MY ACCUCUT DIE CUTTER AT WORK


Box of 3 1/2" squares ready to go to a new home!  There's an assortment of flannel in there.


QUILTING TIP OF THE DAY:  Flannel is fun to sew with.  It is cotton but has more give than regular cotton so be careful when handling in pieced projects.  It tends to shrink quite a bit, so pre-washing is a good idea (I don't always do that as I love the old fashioned quilted look you get after washing the project).  After pre-washing, iron on some spray sizing (NOT STARCH) as the sizing will help the flannel from stretching too much & makes for better handling when sewing.  Also, when you press the seams if you press them open instead of to one side you will have less bulk.  This is especially helpful when you hand quilt/tie the quilt.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Baby Shower in Venice

Yesterday was a baby shower for my daughter-in-law at her parent's home in Venice, Utah.  Her sister, Mindy, prepared wonderful goodies to eat.  So many of Alisha's friends & family showed up.  One of the special gifts that was made for my little granddaughter to be was a quilt & receiving blanket made from flannel that was the little one's great grandmother's.  A co-worker of Alisha's Mom made the blankets.  It was a wonderful & very touching gift.  As I am sentimental about things like that, it was heartwarming to know that my daughter-in-law feels the same way.  If you have the opportunity make someone's day by making an item from fabric that has some meaning behind it, I hope you take that opportunity & run with it.



Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Fair Meeting Today

Our fearless leaderr, Paula Martin, gathered her committee around the conference table today to talk about the when, where & how's of the Sevier County Fair.  It is an honor to serve with this great group of folks.

Quilt Tip of the Day:  If hyou are just beginning to quilt and want a fast easy project you may want to check out  http://www.heirloomcreations.net/sewing-tips/the-jelly-roll-1600/ - I will be trying this very soon.  I purchased 2 Jelly Rolls on sale & can't wait to whip this quilt up.  **A jelly roll is a roll of 2 1/2" precut strips rolled up into a jelly roll shape & usually contains the full range of a fabric design - approximately 40 different strips.***

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

County Fair Coming Soon!

Just finished putting the label on another "Olivia" baby quilt.  Free motion quilting in what I call "piggy tails" & threw in some words too.  Using red thread was so much fun.  Sometimes a quilter just has to do something a little different.




Tomorrow is a County Fair committee meeting - lots to learn & I am looking forward to helping out again this year.  Visit our county fair site at http://www.seviercountyfair.net/ to see what will be happening this year.

Quilting tip of the day - I am often asked how to choose colors.  I always say to choose colors that YOU love.  When you buy a piece of print fabric there are color ways printed right on the edge of the fabric to help you choose your colors.  Also, take a look at prepackaged items - companies have already paid someone to come up with colors that are appealing.  Trust yourself in your choices.  There are no ugly quilts!

Monday, July 16, 2012

IAFE Mention

Paula Martin who heads up our Sevier County Fair told me this morning that my blog was mentioned in the IAFE (International Association of Fairs & Expositions) newsletter.  How exciting!  I hope it brings county fairs to the attention of people everywhere.  There is so much hard work that goes into organizing a county fair and it is appreciated when we support it. 

I decided to start blogging a quilting tip or two so here is my first one:

For great tutorials visit The Missouri Star Quilt website - www.missouriquiltco.com - and have a fun time watching the shortcuts to making seemingly complex quilt blocks.  Jenny Doan is a fun teacher and I have tried several of her quick tips.

As always, enjoy the journey.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Sunday Afternoon

Finished my little "Adalyn's" reveiving blanket, burp cloth & carrier cover today.  Made Tom applesauce cake (his Mom's recipe), enchilada sauce made for cheese enchiladas, tri-tip roast is marinatiing in readiness for the BBQ.  Beautiful cloudy day.  A little bit of rain (something we have been praying for).  Trying to decide what quilt pattern to do next.........good Sunday afternoon.

I purchased stuffed bears after Mother's Day - they were on clearance.  I cut the flowers off of the bears and used them on the carrier handle tabs.  My daughter in law, Trista, has been so creative in utilizing parts of stuffed toys to decorate carrier covers and I wanted to give it a try!  I love it.  Had to use the John Deere fabric somewhere in honor of Alisha's grandfathers who are both farmers.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Busy July! & July Blocks of the Month

Summertime is always busy.  Garden, yard, out of town trips, sewing, etc.  This past week I finished machine quilting 2 baby quilts from the "Olivia" line.  Still have to put the binding on one of them.  Sold the other one.  Finished a receiving blanket & burp cloth - sold that one too.  Just finishing up one for my soon to be here granddaughter & have the carrier cover cut out.  Visited a cute little quilt shop in Payson, Utah - Stitch & SewForth.  They design quilt patterns & sell wonderful completed quilts.  They have a website too.  Finished 4 T-shirt dresses for the Humanitarian projects that our Ward is involved in. 

 Added a ruffle to the Olivia baby quilt.  Don't know why I haven't used my machine ruffler for years!  Great tool to use with your sewing machine.







July blocks of the month - on the left is the dresden plate pattern & on the right is the modern plate design.