In The Loop

Now you can be IN THE LOOP!

I've learned a new trick for burying threads while quilting that is so slick, it needs to be shared. Remember in my last post that I commented about quilting without stopping unless my bobbin ran out? Ah,yes; well, it happens! This photo, left, shows where the bobbin thread ran out and the teeny, tiny needle tracks where yours truly kept stitching before I realized it. It happens to us all. So, in the past, when it was time to tie off and bury those pesky thread ends  I did so with a self- threading needle which I keep handy at the frame. 
I used these with varying degrees of success; sometimes drawing the quilting thread through the top of these needles would shred the thread, causing more of a headache than the thread running out! But, I persevered. I would usually "unquilt" an inch or so, draw the end of the bobbin thread to the surface, tie the top thread and the bobbin thread together, pull these through the self-threading needle and slide them down and into the batting until I could feel (and hear) the knot bury itself inside the batting layer. Then, I would clip the threads at the exit location, flush with the surface of the quilt; done. Replace the bobbin and begin again. My life changed last week when Quiltkeemosabe showed me a new trick; this is too cool to keep to myself, follow along with the numbered photos below and you'll be in the loop too.

She demonstrated this technique using a crewel needle because it has a large eye and a sharp point,  a needle with a large eye is required to accommodate thread which is thicker and stronger (she demo'd with tatting thread). The tatting thread, pictured here in red, is doubled. Notice in photo #3 how the thread's loop is positioned right at the knotted top and bobbin quilting thread; that loop (red thread) is where the quilting thread tails are placed so that the loop will gently pull them in and under the quilt's surface, following the needle, directly down into the batting layer! The threaded crewel needle is then slipped out; it now replaces those finicky self-threading needles at my frame! The next time that you're confronted with burying thread tails remember this easy-peasy trick; you'll be happy that you're in the loop!

Life is Good!

Up next: Progress and Pet Peeves

 

Cleaning Up!

I have a stack of fleece scraps, left over from quilt backs and various other projects. Originally these were strips trimmed from the length or width of each piece, I cut them into usable square-ish pieces. I have a stack of similar-sized chunks of cotton/poly blend quilt batting, acquired in the same manner. What do I use these for? They have become my never-depleting supply of dusters! They're perfect for a quick pass under a dresser or around chair legs (those places a vacuum cleaner can't quite reach) on our hardwood floors. They're also great for shelves, sills, baseboards and areas where you don't need a real dustcloth embellished with a squirt of furniture polish. Since they're already recycled I don't even bother washing them... but you could; I simply toss mine in the trash when they're full of dust! Done. You probably already have scraps like these lying around, have at it! If not, you can buy a yard of any fleece (60" wide) on sale for under $5 at one of the fabric chain stores and cut 40 pieces, 6" x 9", creating your own stack. Now, they're available to you when you need them, for pennies; these work every bit as well as the expensive alternatives. Consider these your thrifty picker-uppers. It's spring. Go forth and clean! You're welcome.

Life is Good!

Dim The Lights...

... cue the soft music, it's nap time! Okay, so maybe it's not nap time yet, but it soon will be! My dear DIL teaches Pre-K, where students still nap after lunch. Once again the generous Miss BeeHaven quilters have joined me in the challenge to supply three classrooms with nap blankets for the coming year. I handed off eleven last evening, what a good feeling! More will continue to come in before the school year begins; and, according to my calculations, we'll meet the goal of forty-five! In fact, this year's "Blankie" award goes to LP; who has, single-handedly, sewn up fifteen and blanketed one entire classroom! YAY!

I have a large, designated, tote bin that resides in the bottom of my stash closet into which all appropriate fabrics, measuring at least one yard, are placed throughout the year. Fabrics are donated from friends and family, the bin is still this full after sewing eleven yesterday, (that's twenty-two yards out!) it has truly become a "loaves and fishes" box. The nap blankets are simply sewn from two one yard lengths, placed RST and sewn all along the edges, pillowcase style, then turned and topstitched around the outside edges and from corner to corner with a large "X"; there's no batting. They are lightweight and comfortable, the children love them!

One little tip that I learned recently (an online tutorial... what did we ever do without those?) is to secure the opening when doing the RST stitching with a backtacked line of stitching perpendicular to the stitching along the edge, it makes the turning, and pressing down of that opening, so much cleaner and better!

Here's the teacher, my deal DIL, last evening. She burned the midnight oil and powered through to get her quilt top done for little Lynnleigh; she goes back to school next week and her evenings won't be as leisurely as they've been all summer, her clock was ticking! Didn't she do a fabulous job? I am SEW proud of her! She has some yellow flannel (Big Bird motif) for the backing, she's not exactly sure how she wants to finish it yet; she may go batting-less, like the nap blankets for her classroom, she's still deciding. Whatever she decides though, Lynnleigh will rest comfortably under this quilt of love sewn especially for her by her own sweet Mama!

Life is Good!

 

How Will Your Cabin Look?

If you were to build a log cabin how would yours look? Would it be contemporary or modern? Would your logs be set straight or varied and interlocking? I'm not talking about building a cabin to live in, but rather building a Log Cabin quilt to snuggle up under! The fine folks at Fons & Porter have released a free e-book that's yours for the clicking (here). You will be inspired by the gorgeous photographs of everyone's favorite, most basic of all, quilt blocks. It doesn't matter if you're a traditionalist at heart or a modern quilter, there's something for everyone in this book: Build Your Best Log Cabin. There are great setting options to inspire you but my favorite section of the book contains the finishing techniques: binding with piping  is addressed as well as joining the binding strips for a smooth and lump-free finish! You'll consult this book over and over once you have it downloaded on to your computer. With these tips and easy to follow how-to's every Log Cabin that you build will be your BEST quilt yet!

Life is Good!

Instructions That Last

I have a drawer full of specialty tools and the flimsy paper instruction sheets that come with them. Unfortunately, over time, those sheets get torn, dog-eared and stained from simple, normal, wear and tear. Ask me how I know. With the help of my daughter in law (thanks, honey!) these instruction sheets are now laminated and highly durable. These sheets will stand the test of time and weather all the use and abuse I can throw at them, even an occasional spill. Someday, when I pass my quilting tools on to the next generation (or beyond) the instructions will be as perfect and pristine as the day I bought them, and it won't be because I didn't use them; I use my tools and I need the instructions!

“Never memorize something that you can look up.” 
― Albert Einstein

Life is Good!

Two Things I've Learned From My Grandson

I have received some valuable instruction from my fifteen-month-old grandson lately, lessons that I am more than happy to share:

1.  The speed-dial setting on my cell phone is not a two button function. What I used to do was press the appropriate number button for that particular contact and then hit "send". That is, until Gregory handed me my phone with a panicked look on his face... Quiltkeemosabe was on the other end! Now I know that  if you press the appropriate number button for that particular contact and keep it pressed down it dials the number too! Ha!! Clever. Thanks, Gregory!

2.  Ritz Munchables Buttery Thins~

Don't. Get. Me. Started.

Thanks, Gregory... I think!...groan.

What's next?

Life is Good!

Monday's Mission: Goals and Priorities

I don't know how many (or few) of you are still with me. We've looked at time logs and scheduling over the last two weeks and now we're down to the nitty-gritty; goals and priorities... or, why we're even looking at any of this in the first place! (I know it's easy to lose sight of a goal. I remember when I was in labor with my daughter, I looked up at the ceiling and there, on the light fixture, was a small sign, that read: "THINK BABY!" "Oh, yeah... now I remember why I'm here. For a moment the pain got in the way!") If you're still with me , reach around and give yourself a pat on the back; you deserve it, you rose above and conquered the pain (or whatever your distraction is)! I left you last week with ditching your television and your laptop if they were your time "robbers". The only people excited about continuing would be those who were addicted to All My Children, since it aired it's last episode on Friday; you have nothing but time to devote to something new! In all seriousness, your time wasters have been exposed and, hopefully, by limiting them and excluding (or at least moderating time spent) them from your schedule you have a fresh outlook on productivity. I have no idea what your stated objective was for beginning this journey, only you know that. You've kept time logs for a week and you've given scheduling a try; so, where do we go from here? Let's stop right here and see where you are and where you want to go... I'll throw an example out there, one of my own: the goal this month is to finish a wallhanging for my granddaughter's room, it is to be a birthday gift presented to her next Sunday. I have, probably, somewhere between six and eight hours of work left to complete the project; and I have one week to accomplish that. So, I know I need to spend a little more than an hour a day to reach my goal, can I work that in to my schedule? Yes, I can. Is it a priority? Absolutely, it is! I will make this happen, even if that means getting up and hour and a half earlier each day! If this were a Christmas gift; or even a birthday gift for, say, November it could slide a bit; I could devote smaller segments of time over a greater span. But, since this has become a TOP priority, I will schedule even a little extra time for this one. If the time isn't all used, and I have realized the goal, I will pour this time somewhere else... into another day or another task and move on to what's next on the list. I do set a monthly goal, by this time in the month it's clear if I am going to reach it or not, because of that I do figure in a few "mop up" days during the last week of every month, that way I don't become discouraged by falling short; the days are there if I need to use them. The time itself is finite, but the goals and the priorities change, they're fluid. What do you have to accomplish this week? How can you best utilize your objective to reach your goal? Don't be discouraged if you don't get everything done that you had hoped to... begin small and celebrate the little victories, they will spur you on to the next big thing! This entire way of thinking/planning/living is a habit to be cultivated; it takes time to nurture your plan and keep the time wasters away at the same time, (think of it as waging war~ guarding your precious time and fighting off the time-robbers, basic good vs. evil), as you get better at it, it will seem easier to manage. Next week we'll look at multi-tasking and tips for effective time saving! Until then... plug in bits and pieces of time, where you can, those that will help you recognize your priorities and reach your goals; and remember:

Life is Good!

"Don’t underestimate the power of small incremental changes. Dream big and constantly pull yourself in the right direction by checking off to-do after to-do…one small task a day can rapidly eat away at something that looks and feels unreachable."

Cool Tip!

I was going to entitle this post "HOT" tip, but it's really not that at all... it's a "COOL" one. How many times do you finish piecing a block, press it flat and transfer it to your cutting table for that final squaring up only to discover it's anything but square? For me the answer is fairly often. I compensate when joining the blocks together but it's rarely a precise proposition. That is, until, I've learned to just cool it! As eager as I may be to square up those just-finished blocks if I leave them on the ironing board to cool completely before trimming they are, usually, just perfect! So simple, it all comes down to patience. Time spent cooling now is time saved struggling to get the blocks to fit together later. Sew cool!

Life is Good!

Thread "Magnet"

I've been doing a considerable amount of machine embroidery lately. There is always a veritable mountain of threads after a day at the machine, usually they collect each other and roll around the studio like so much tumbleweed. Not anymore. I have found that a microfiber cloth* sitting beside the machine attracts and holds all those clipped threads! A quick shake-out into the trash can at the end of the day and it's ready to go again. Another indispensable item? A small, travel size, tape roller; it fits inside the hoop to clean up any snipping fragments during the appliqué step when trimming is required, works like a charm!

*This is not my own original idea, I found it on a blog somewhere but for the life of me can't find it now to give credit where it's due. Think of me as an information distributor.

Life is Good!

Thread Tip

What's more frustrating than sitting down to do some hand sewing and having your thread spool roll off the arm of the chair and under a table? Keep your thread contained in a simple, easy way... in a baby food container! I have a few babies in the family, the raw materials were mine for the asking. This is not an original idea, you may have seen it already; but this tip was simply too good not to pass along! I used a small hole punch in the corner of the lid, popped the spool inside, et voilà ; an instant thread dispenser! One that is FREE; and stays put, too.

Life is Good!

While I Was Piecing...

... the latest blocks of the month together I ended up with this children's quilt as a dividend! I placed a pile of four inch squares beside my machine and joined them at the start and finish of every seam I was stitching, (Bonnie Hunter's "leader/ender" method) and before too long I had rows, and then, a finished top! I will take this to church with me this morning and the ladies of our Quilt Ministry will tie it and finish it off to the delight of a deserving child. If you haven't tried this technique it's worth considering, click on the link above for instructions. A little "prep" time pays off in a big way, you'll simply be amazed at just what can happen while you were piecing!

Life is Good!

Commit!

Last week, at Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, I attended a lecture by Augusta Cole. I took notes. She outlined her model for productivity and success. Among other items that I jotted down was this: "commit to your work, set a goal, establish a deadline (deadlines make a difference)". Here is the tangible result. I came straight home and loaded this quilt onto Sundance. I am completing the handwork on the binding today. I can't reveal the front yet, it is a gift, but I will offer show and tell soon. I am adhering to this plan, outlined by Augusta: "measure your success by continued forward movement". Hmmm... sounds good, I can do this! I was ready to hear the words and take down notes, her lecture proved to be just the nudge I needed!

Life is Good!