Pass the Vitamin C

December 26, 2019December 26, 20195 Comments

With a title like this, I wish I were being clever and writing some kind of lively blog post about how the Christmas holiday is an energizing shot in the arm, a boost of brightness in an otherwise dark and dreary North American winter, blah, blah, blah. Instead I’m here to whine about a cold.

Seriously, I haven’t had a cold in about 10 years. Because at the first sign of a sniffle or a tickle of a sore throat, I start popping over-the-counter probiotics like they are peanuts at the ballpark. If you’ve been in my vicinity over these last 10 years, I have surely lectured you about my magical cure and I have tsked tsked anyone who did not listen and therefore developed a severe cold because of wanton disregard of my “medical” advice.

Well this time, no amount of probiotics or vitamin C or ginger tea or hot toddies or straight-up whisky shots — don’t judge, I was desperate- was going to slow this cold down.

While Cindy was safely in Ohio, outside of the cone of infection, I struggled through the festivities, high on fresh oranges and pineapple and Vic’s VapoRub.

How sick was I, you ask? So sick that I didn’t cut a single square of red fabric, nor did I sew a pair of red 1.5″ squares together — that is until this evening. After 5 days of sniffles and lethargy, interspersed with whining and a side of fever, I finally felt well enough to cut a few more squares and to begin the daunting task of sewing together 3.5K squares together for my postage stamp quilt.

There is so much red goodness to behold!

There’s only one magical cure of quilting fever: I must put my foot to the pedal, with no thought of germ infested airplanes or fellow gym members who don’t stay home when they are sick. I’m sewing away, but don’t worry, I’m saving my curative evening hot toddy for after I finish sewing for the night.

Somewhere on the interwebs…

January 18, 201819 Comments

Somewhere on the interwebs, I read a gofundme-type page or blog from a quilter who wants to take her evangelical message about quilting labels across country. As I recall, this quilter wanted donations to assist with her self-appointed mission to persuade quilters that their love and labor should be documented for all time through appropriate labeling. If this quilter was thinking about issuing fines for chronic offenders, I would need a gofundme page for bail money and attorney’s fees.

But, before you shake out your pockets and toss the sofa pillows looking for loose change to spring me from the legal system, behold, the first (but not the last) quilt label of 2018 from Gray Barn Designs:

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Here is my simple method.

I cut out two pieces of Kona White in the same size and wrote my label on one. I haven’t measured the pieces, I just eyeballed them, but I think they are about 3″x4″.

Then I sewed the two pieces right sides together on three of the four sides. (Truth serum insertion: I really sewed it twice. The first time I sewed 3 3/4 of the sides together, then realized that is was going to be super hard to turn the pieces back to the right side. Immediately I recognized another great chance to work on my un-sewing skills.)

This Bernina walking foot has changed my life.

After I turned the little envelope right side out, I became overcome with the urge to hide a surprise in the label before I close it up. I cannot resist. I must put something in that little secret pocket before it is attached to the DOR quilt.

My first thought was a penny. Do you have a better idea?

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And now I’m questioning my writing implement. The fine print on it says that you can use it on fabric, but it might not be washable. What???

How do you label your quilts? Or are we going to be cell mates when the quilt label police find us?

Tiny But Mighty

May 10, 20176 Comments

This tiny quilt (6 inches x 6 inches) was a kit I purchased at a shop hop somewhere in my quilting travels. Who could possibly resist making such a cute flower?

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Although tiny, this quilt is mighty. It incorporated machine piecing, hand applique, machine applique, hand quilting, machine quilting and embroidery. PLUS I got to practice tacking down the binding with my sewing machine.

I’m always looking for ways to use scraps. A set of four would make a nice gift for “someone” (perhaps the author) to use as coasters…for a cold beverage, on the porch, on a hot summer day, overlooking my garden, sharing a laugh with family and friends, petting my dogs…oh, sorry I was daydreaming there! I’ve just talked myself into making more tiny quilts, how hard was that?

Do you have any tiny quilt adventures?

Waiting to Shop

January 30, 2017January 30, 20175 Comments

I’ve been playing lean and mean with fabric purchases this month, as I wait for the Super Bowl sales to begin at my favorite fabric shops. I cheated a little with my E-Heart wall quilt and purchased a couple of jelly rolls on-line, but most of my quilting time this month has been centered around my scrap bucket.

When fabric pieces become really scrappy, I throw them into a plastic lidded bucket that I keep underneath my sewing table. It contains the flotsam and jetsam of my sewing world (and some of Cindy’s as well). When the bucket is really stuffed or when I get distressed, I iron all those little pieces and make them into “precut” squares: 1.5″, 2″, 2.5″, 4″ or 5″, depending on the size of the scrap.

I’ve been sorting through the scraps and pulling out all the bright colors for a quilt I’m calling “Drops of Rainbow”.

I’m hoping that this will turn into a bed-sized quilt. Each square is 2.5″ inches and, although I had a lot of precuts on hand, I’ve spent a lot of time cutting more scraps for this project. I haven’t even started on the white squares I’ll need — and there will be a lot of them.

Yesterday I diverted a few more scraps and spent some time on my dresser scarf (perhaps I was inspired by Cindy’s Cheddar and Blue).I’m going to attempt to quilt this by myself. If you hear some naughty words on the wind, it might just be me.