Something Fishy...

I've been creating a few small Chrismons for our home tree. This one, the Beaded Fish, is symbolic of the action used by the Persecuted Believers to secretly designate themselves as followers of Christ. The initials (IXOYC) for Jesus Christ is the Greek word for fish.  It's a precious little addition to our tree. 

Do you have a kitchen tool like this? It's a fish spatula. It's a fairly new addition to our implement drawer; I use it ALL THE TIME. It's thin, flexible yet sturdy, and extremely versatile; from removing cookies off a cookie sheet, flipping pork chops in the pan, to carefully lifting (and draining at the same time) a poached egg from simmering water for placement directly onto a piece of buttered toast. I can't believe I've ever done without one!

Life is Good!

Fuzz-B-Gone

I have had one of these hand-held fuzz removers for 50 years. I remember where I bought mine, in the cash register checkout line, where they hang all those last minute impulse-buy temptations, at Osco Drug in the Tippecanoe Mall, Lafayette, IN, back in 1973 or '74. I worked across the hall at the Singer store in those days, before I was married. I really had no business buying anything on a whim, it was basically a hand to mouth existence in back then, which is probably why I remember this purchase, out of guilt. It likely cost less than a dollar; but, this was the hey-dey of polyester double knit everything, and it was just the tool that I thought that I needed at the time. It certainly did serve me well, saw decades of use, and always did a fabulous job of ridding sweaters and the like from pesky fuzz balls. Over time it slowly lost it's effectiveness, though. The plastic handle became brittle and cracked and the little de-fuzzer teeth either fell out or dulled to the point that the tool was deemed useless a few years back. I admit to being intrigued by the battery operated fabric shavers when they hit the market but have resisted, until now. I suppose my hesitancy was based on the loyalty that I felt to my old, trusty, fabric-comb friend; we'd come a long way together. 

On Tuesday this handy-dandy tool came to live with me. I had a stack of sweaters that needed attention and this sleek, two-speed dynamo cleaned them up in seconds flat, neatly pulling the fuzz into the receptacle in the handle for quick and easy disposal.

You can easily see the before and after on this knit sweater vest. The results are impressive. It's rechargeable and works like a dream. I'm happy with the purchase but I'll never have the same relationship with this whiz-bang tool that I did with that fifty-years-ago, checkout-line, defuzzer comb. Progress is a good thing, don't get me wrong; but in my memory that d.fuzz.it was all that, and always will be! 

Life is Good!   

That's Cool

Don't you just love it when you find that one tool that works for a myriad of tasks, and works so well! I don't know how I ever got along before the handy-dandy Folded Corner Clipper took up residence in my sewing room but I can tell you this: I'm not looking back. I use mine, literally, all the time! If you don't have this tool, you need one. (Click on the link above to check it out, there are YouTube videos as well.) Anyway, I had binding strips cut for my WonderCurve Butterflies table runner. I had a bunch of strips, too, because I was using up a matching scrap. I carefully stacked those strips one on top of each other, all right sides up,  grabbed that FCC* and placed it as shown, trimmed off the excess and placed them right sides together for joining at the perfect 1/4". No dog ears. Perfection! 

Binding is all joined, attached, basted and ready for hand finishing. What did I use for marking that perfect miter as I turned and pressed the corners while applying the binding? The FCC, of course! That is cool, but do you know what's even cooler?

This refrigerator! Yay!! Mr. G. ordered parts and worked all afternoon yesterday to get it running again!

We're back in business here in the kitchen; the milk, eggs and butter have all been reinstalled.

Finger crossed that it will last a year. 

Life is Good!

* FCC - Folded Corner Clipper

Battening Down

This is what happens when snow is predicted in the south; naturally there's the insanity that occurs as everyone runs for bread and milk at the grocery stores but, then, the conversation turns to anticipated snowfall amounts and, ultimately, how long folks expect to be stranded. I'm not too worried: we have firewood enough to last and I have an adequate supply of books and stitching projects piled up to get me through at least several storms. Yes, finally the weather has cooled seasonably, and those of us lucky enough to live in the south are battening down the hatches in preparation for winter storm Izzy and whatever she brings! 

This tree ꜛ is a trial quilt block. Carrie Nelson is currently hosting a quilt-along for Moda called "Branching Out"; Quiltkeemosabe had tried the block and had difficulty with the directions given for the trunk. She asked me to try it out, as written. I did find it necessary to make an adjustment in the trimming of that pieced trunk unit. If any of you are doing this I might suggest dropping that diagonal cutting line to 1.25" instead of the 1". Once I changed that I had no difficulty at all in constructing this 8.5" block. The current weather forecast undoubtedly impacted my fabric choices for this one!

In other news: I managed to finish up the Wonder Flutters runner, learning to use the Wonder Curve ruler this week. 

I don't usually show customer quilts but I've fallen deeply in love with this scrappy beauty while it's been here under the needle this week. The pattern is Summer Wedding by Black Cat Creations. The quilting is Curls by Beany Girl Quilts. 

Something else that I'm enamored with is that Folded Corner Clipper by Creative Grids. I'm finishing up the outer borders on the Great Granny Squared quilt using it instead of the old stitch-cut-flip method. Those sweet little corner clippings could simply be discarded. Nope, I couldn't bear tossing them!

I trimmed these to 1.75" after stitching. I know, it's craziness; but aren't they adorable?

But, to top it all off: this happened today! We blinked!! Happy birthday, sweet girl. 💗

We can prepare for the onslaught of winter weather, 

but nothing's preparing me for time passing this swiftly!

Life is Good!

Twelve Days

As we close out those twelve days of Christmas it's a good time to reflect on the holidays and get back to that guiding word and how I plan to respect it in 2022. I did receive two Christmas gifts for use in the sewing room that I had asked for from Mr. Goodneedle, I'm eager to try them out and will report on them after the next few days; those will be spent taking Christmas down and packing it away until next December. After a very warm weekend (New Year's Day saw the outside temperature rise to 75 degrees!) we were slammed back into reality on Monday with a storm front, the return of seasonal weather and... SNOW! The photo below was taken right outside the sewing room door just after the heavy snow started to fall. This beauty came at a price, however; total loss of power. 

Last week my husband took our generator apart; the starter button hadn't worked properly the last time we needed it and he thought it would be the perfect opportunity to troubleshoot the problem. He ended up talking to customer support and they agreed to replace the part. His plan was to finish the repair on Sunday afternoon after church, that's when the needed part was scheduled to arrive. Naturally, the part didn't show up that day as promised. Because timing is everything... Mr. G had to make temporary repairs to our generator (which he happened to have disassembled at the time) so that we could get it running and at least turn on the water and flush the commodes; ah, the joys of country living on a well!

He got the generator back together and, before long, the power was restored. Hallelujah! 

That needed part? It arrived later on Monday afternoon, after we needed it. 😉

My sister sent me an antique sewing basket for Christmas this year. This one is in beautiful shape, it's a "Princess" sewing basket manufactured in Algonquin, IL in the 1940's. All the spool pins are intact.

The tomato pincushion motif is echoed in the bottom of the basket. I'm going to use it for magazines.

It sits on the floor in the sewing room right beside my handwork and reading seat. I love it. 

Yesterday Mr. G and I celebrated his birthday with dinner and a movie. It had been a VERY  l-o-n-g time since we'd actually been to a movie theater; we had a wonderful time and this movie didn't disappoint. When we arrived to purchase the tickets we were able to choose our seats before we entered, they do a very good job of keeping distance between the seats and rows as a safety precaution; that was new, the other surprise since the last time we'd visited a theater was the price of popcorn: $24.99 for a large bag! Mr. G pointed out to my astonished face that the price did include two drinks. Oh. Thanks anyway.

Speaking of popcorn: our two oldest grandchildren gave us this microwave popper for Christmas. It is the cutest little thing, the lid is also the measure for the corn, it's just the perfect size for the two of us. I have a new-found respect today for not taking things for granted: namely electricity and  weather. As of this morning, all the remaining snow has disappeared.

Stay tuned for my upcoming report on those new tools in my sewing room; 

after I get the Christmas trees and decorations put away!  

Life is Good!

Leaving It On The Table

I mentioned this work table last week, it's exactly what I'd been hoping for when I'm doing ruler-work on the front side of the longarm. I had been improvising with a sheet of foam core (any port in a storm, right?), I needed something to hold my tools above the surface of the quilt while I worked my way along.
Mr. Goodneedle picked up the hints that I was dropping and created the work table that I'd been hoping for! 😁  Now you know what I've been working on all week; I'm sew blessed to have a handy and helpful husband. This can also double as a light table and be used with a stencil and the laser moved to the front of the machine! 

What else has been going on around here? This is NUTS: the acorns this year are more abundant than we can ever remember. This patio, with no exaggeration, is blown off every two days! I suppose this must be some sort of winter weather forecasting tool, I'm afraid to research that one. Yikes. When we're out on the porch it sounds like there's a jackhammer on the roof! 

And not just on the patio-- they're DEEP beneath the shrubs too; it's hard to walk back here. 

Those blasted squirrels and the chipmunks are having a hay day, I've never seen them busier-- nope, they're leaving nothing on the table, they're burying as many as their chubby cheeks can hold!

Happy fall, y'all!

Life is Good!

And The Hex Continues...

It's cold outside; too cold to do anything but stay indoors, and as long as I'm inside I might as well be sewing-- right? It's a new year but I am still under the hex; I've completed the latest hexagon block (okay, I did five!) for our block-of-the-month classes at my LQS. My newest blocks are all on the top row of this photo. This month we were to make 3-grid blocks. These end up being 6.5" (unfinished); in order to have them play nicely with all of the other 8.5" blocks (again, unfinished) they are banded all around with a one inch strip. I love the complexity that they add to the mix in all their faceted loveliness. We are using two indispensable tools for these blocks: the Hex N More and the Sidekick by Jaybird Quilts. I'm telling you, without a doubt, you can't go wrong with these rulers. This is month number nine, I can't wait to see what's next. I am using scraps for these and have no idea yet how they will be set. But then, with these blocks arrayed just so for now, why would I think too far ahead? What's on your design wall this year?

Life is Good!

Testing... 1,2,3

I spent some time last month testing some blocks and patterns. I had not tried any of the "Cake Mix" packaged pattern sheets that Moda is marketing to accompany their 10" square "Layer Cake" bundles. I had received a free trial pack at QuiltCon, a "Cupcake", it came with two 10" squares of fabric, enough to yield two, 7 inch, "T" blocks.  The instructions are straight forward and easy to follow. One simply layers two fabric squares right sides together and places the paper pattern sheet on top of the stack. Following the stitching lines on the paper, stitch through all the layers and cut apart on the clearly marked "cutting lines" as indicated.

Remove the papers, lay out the stitched units and assemble the blocks as shown on the direction sheet. Press the blocks and trim to size. Voilá! There is little room for error here. Stitch on the line. Cut on the line. Perfect blocks. Every time. The paper is easy to remove and not at all a tedious task. You can find these Cake Mix pattern sheets at your LQS, likely anywhere the Layer Cakes are sold.

I tested out this block for a friend who had the pattern: "Feathers" by Margot Languedoc; this pattern is also expressly written for the packaged "Layer Cake" bundles but can work up easily from your scraps (as I did, above) or from purchased yardage. It is a sweet block. Would I have constructed it according to the written directions if I had it all to do over again? No. I would over cut the HST squares and use the Tucker Trimmer next time; but that's just me. I am sold on Deb Tucker's Studio 180 tools and use them whenever I can, they're that versatile. However, with both of these trials I was pleased with the results and would definitely make more.  What are you testing out on your cutting table today?

Life is Good!

Give Me Liberty!

This is the Liberty Lemoyne block; a strip pieced star that is the ninth block in my LQS' block-of-the-month program this year; all of the blocks this time are Lemoyne variations using Deb Tucker's Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star tool. I am in love with this one (both the block and the tool)!  Last week I added a new toy to my ruler collection. I already have one of the Itty-Bitty Eights ruler (6" square) which makes cutting small increments SEW much easier; so, adding this longer strip ruler, marked the same way, was a no-brainer for me. 
This one measures 5" X 15", it's a very handy size to begin with, but the 1/8" markings are clear and easy to read. As with all Creative Grids rulers, this one has the non-slip surface on the back which makes rotary cutting very skinny strips a breeze, it does not move at all when cutting; this ruler has earned its space already in my ruler drawer and I have only used it for this one block so far! The so-called intended purpose of this one is for cutting charms; however, check out its versatility here. I sliced the called-for 1 5/8" strips for Liberty fearlessly using this Charming Itty-Bitty Eights. Take a good look at this one the next time you're in the ruler section of your favorite quilt shop, you'll want one too. As quilters we're only as good as our tools, right?😉

Life is Good!

On this, the sixteenth day of November, I am grateful

for all of the brilliant ruler designers who anticipate

our quilting needs and make our work look so good!

Corralling the Cutter Clutter

Baking and decorating cookies takes time and practice, I'm okay with that. I am completely dedicated to the learning curve and all that entails. Naturally, a new hobby includes lots of new tools; collecting them is the fun part: cookie cutters, specialty gel colors for the icing, icing bags, bag ties, tips, couplers, flooding bottles, sanding sugars, rolling pin spacers, spatulas and the list goes on.  I dedicated a kitchen drawer to the ever-growing collection and quickly learned that organizing all of the tools was going to be the bane of my excitement, each time I opened the drawer for "cookie day" I sighed-- and wrestled out what I needed before quickly closing the drawer again; the tools and equipment were all piled on top of each other in one huge mess. I felt defeated before I began. Well, enough was enough! I knew what I needed, dividers in the drawer! The space seemed sufficient, the drawer is big: 19.5" square and 7.5" deep, the problem was, as I saw it: no way to confine certain tools to their own area-- every time I opened the drawer the motion itself contributed to creating a disheveled heap. I mentioned this to Mr. Goodneedle after I took everything out of the drawer and laid it out on the counter top so that he could see what I was dealing with. He perused the "pile" and suggested "laying out the drawer space" as I envisioned it with dividers. The real problem was the cookie cutters; they refused to comply with space restraints. "Oh, wait" I thought; "I have some storage bins that might just work". (Actually, one of them was holding a UFO that needed to be released into the light of day so that I could work on it. But then, that's another story for another day!) As fate would have it, those two bins, stacked, fit perfectly in the front of the drawer and held all of my cutters nicely! Who knew? In no time at all the cutter clutter had been corralled. Mr. Goodneedle suggested I live with this drawer arrangement for a little while and if it made sense after using it a time or two then he would, indeed, install custom dividers to the space. That makes sense to me. What doesn't is the fact that I put up with this messy, disorganized drawer for months. What seemed to be a HUGE problem for me was easily and rapidly managed. Hmmmm.... what other mountains are looming that can be reduced to mole hills this efficiently? I know I won't have to look far. In the meantime, I am enjoying the happy solution to my formerly "overwhelming" cutter clutter problem!

Life is Good!

Lessons Learned While Driving...

...in less than optimum conditions! A view similar to this one* was all that I could manage exactly one week ago today as we motored on up to Hampton VA for our annual trip to MidAtlantic Quilt Festival.  It was my turn to drive this year, when I picked up MJMR and Quiltkeemosabe at their homes it was raining; it didn't take too long, however, for the conditions to become deplorable. What started off as normal rain showers quickly devolved into relentless monsoon-type rain and wind, it was a white-knuckle ride most of the way. So, what lessons did I learn along the way?
1. Remain Calm ~ everything goes better when one remains calm
2. Trust Your Instincts ~ stay focused and alert and rely on your own driving skills and abilities 
3. Have Faith  ~ pray constantly for protection and be grateful for guidance (both God's and especially GPS!)
The best part of the entire trip was parking the car and, at long last, checking into the hotel safe and sound; I was never happier to see the sun shining brightly the next morning.

The quilt show and the merchants' mall didn't disappoint this year. By far, though, the highlight of the show for me was running into this lady and her amazing wholecloth quilt that she designed and for which she received a blue ribbon in "Best Longarm Machine Workmanship". I have known Gina for 20+ years; back when I taught quilting classes in a precious little quilt shop in the early to mid 1990's. This gal and her Mom signed up for every class that was offered there, she was so eager to learn! And learn she did. I couldn't be happier or more excited for her; she's quilting with major-leaguers now.

This was my shopping haul; not too bad. I did enjoy my time away, it was relaxing and inspirational. I caught up with dear friends, stolled through the quilt show and took my time in each and every vendor booth.  I will profile the Creative Grids Quick Trim Ruler pictured above tomorrow, it's a versatile tool! Back to those lessons learned behind the steering wheel: Remain Calm, Trust Your Instincts and Have Faith... those apply to all aspects of life, every day; I need to remember that. I'm feeling like Dorothy after her trip to Oz; since the trip going up was so exhausting it's simply good to be back home, (and back here blogging away again too) there's no place quite like it.

Life is Good!

*photo from web images