Got Your Back?

Last month I went on a fabric hunt. I armed myself with a pictorial shopping list. Pineapple Fabric had a warehouse sale complete with long tables as far as the eye could see, loaded high with fabric cuts being sold by the pound! This is always a great deal, but when it comes to looking for backs for existing quilt tops it's just the ticket. This was my shopping list: color photos and sizes of the quilt tops hanging in the "to be quilted" queue. 

It took some time searching through the stacks and plenty of "tip-of-my-finger-on-an-extended-arm-to-my-nose" measuring (which, for me, happens to be 33.5") but I was able to find some great pieces to use as backs, for the six quilt tops pictured, plus two more, at a  fantastic price! When I returned back home, since not all pieces were single cuts, I chopped apart my visual aid, wrote up a piecing plan for each backing piece, and pinned it to the chosen fabric, like this:

now, when I'm ready, I can grab the quilt top and its assigned back and get it done! Along with those backs I also picked up a couple of pieces for the ongoing Cream and Sugar BOM. All in all, it was a successful hunt! Although I miss the flagship Keepsake Quilting store in Meredith, NH when I'm up north visiting family, I certainly do enjoy the physical proximity of Pineapple and the ability to still pick up all my favorite Keepsake treasures here now. Pineapple has been closed since early this year as they clear the decks and prepare for their grand RE-opening in mid-September. In preparation for that they've just announced another warehouse sale for the last full weekend in June. I feel compelled to attend; after all, they've always got my back! Who's got yours?

 Life is Good!

Fabric Shopping Frenzy

My fabric haul~ five 5 yd. pieces selected for quilt backs. 

I went on a fabric shopping spree last week; oh, what fun I had! I went by myself, but encountered many, many people already there when I arrived. The sheer number of other shoppers who beat me to the sale did get in my way. I had some items snatched right out of my shopping cart! Did I practice social distancing? You betcha-- my shopping spree was online! Where did I shop? At the Pineapple Warehouse Sale.

Sadly, this much anticipated event couldn't be held "live and in-person" this time and was taken online. A friend and I had been eagerly looking forward to attending and I'd had it on the calendar for weeks ahead of time. I just couldn't imagine how the online version of this sale would stack up to the real thing. I'll tell you this: I wasn't disappointed with my haul but it was a much more solitary experience, that much fun is always multiplied when shared as an experience with sewing buddies.  All things considered, I'm SEW happy that they went ahead with their spring event online; there were specials every few hours accompanied by fun activities on their Facebook page during the event, they did an excellent job rolling with the punches. Were you in "attendance" too?

I did miss the instant gratification of buying it and having it bundled and bagged on the spot to carry back home with me; but the anticipation of receiving the package, and finding my loot folded neatly inside, made up for it. I did have trouble logging on to the sale, in the beginning; there was tons of traffic, to be expected. Finally, when I got a clear connection, it went more smoothly. I did choose a few pieces that sailed into my virtual cart and, at checkout, had evaporated. That was disappointing. I shopped on, however, undaunted. I had money burning in my wallet that I hadn't spent at MidAtlantic Quilt Festival this year. All in all, when I shopped this online sale (from the clearance section) and applied the discount, I ended up purchasing twenty five yards of fabric for one hundred dollars. Yep, $4 a yard! You can't beat that! I did miss the "buy it by the pound" event and seeing old friends from my quilting past, but this quarantine won't last and there will be more "in real life" warehouse sales to come. 

Adapting to the current situation: this is something that has never happened to me before, a completely blank week in my personal planner. Those who know me are aware that I'm a scheduler. I have a monthly planner and move all my events, standing commitments and appointments into this weekly section on Sundays. Here's this week at a glance! 😲 I can hardly believe this myself. Right now, next week looks exactly the same as this week. I am filling my days: sewing, reading, cooking, cleaning house-- how are you occupying yourself these days? What will you remember, or have to show for it, when we come out on the other side of this quarantine? Stay safe and healthy; wash your hands! 

Life is Good!

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, 

plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11

Up next: D.E.A.R.

Hello, Pouch!

I bought the pattern for the "Hello Pouches" (knot and thread design) and was eager to make some up, I thought that they were cute, functional and a nice alternative to the paper gift bag for small Christmas gifts. I made one up yesterday as a trial. I'm happy to report that it's a well-written pattern with easy to follow instructions and access to online video tutorials. I made the "large" size (7.5" X 6.75" X 4.25") only because that's how much clear vinyl I happened to have in the house. I learned a few things along the way, if you want to make some let me pass along these tips:
Use a "Jeans" needle. The one that I used was 100/16. There are lots of bulky bound seams to sew through and the heavier needle is most valuable here, sew slowly too! I love Wonder Tape and I used a good bit of it on this bag.

As you can see in this photograph there are narrow, turned, top-stitched bindings; the Wonder Tape, when applied along the folded edge before turning, ensures those narrow hems will remain straight and smooth. I have not had any problems with the product gumming up my needle, it delivers nice results. Every bit of this bag has finished, bound edges, even along the zipper tape; those straight, flat hems are pretty and I can't get results like that when I use pins and am stopping and starting to remove them. Since the bag is see-through (the beauty of the pouch to begin with!) you want your finished seams to look extra-nice.

The zipper is made from one half of a handbag zipper-- the two sides are separated, the pull removed, and then threaded back on both ends of the zipper tape which has been folded in half. One thirty inch, double slide, zipper will make two bags. There's a trick to finessing the pull back on, (and a video that I watched three times!) that takes a bit of practice, but I got it. I added a fabric tie and attached it to the zipper pull to make opening easier. All in all, this is a nice bag and I will make more;  I can see lots of practical uses for this one. One down; a bunch to go!! 

And just in case you thought that I was running out of projects(!), I made a quick trip with friends to the Pineapple Warehouse sale today; they were selling fabric by the POUND, it is a great deal!

Warehouse shopping going on-- fabric by the pound!

I ended up bringing home lots of pieces (pounds!!) for quilt backs as well as this fabric for these two quilts (below)-- a table topper for Christmas and a wall quilt for our youngest granddaughter for her birthday next January (backings on the bottom of the stacks). These will be projects to keep me busy at two upcoming retreats scheduled for next month--perfect timing! I hope your day is a pieceful one!

Life is Good!