Have You Hugged Your Postal Person Today?

 

I received a WONDERFUL package in my box!

 

 

 

From my quilting buddy, Dawn White of First Light Designs.

 

 

 

 

And just look at these cute and coordinating fabrics!!  Just like a pre-cut, they are ready to GO!
(Pre-cut AND pre-sewn!)

Check out Dawn's Blog to see how she used these cute fabrics and HSTs.  HERE

 

I just can't wait to get to my sewing studio and play. (Although, I'm probably going to copy Dawn's car quilt....it looks so darn cute.)

Thank you, so much, Dawn, for your thoughtfulness!!

UPDATE:  Too tired to sew last night (long day at the football park)  I laid the squares out on my design floor.  

One baby quilt down, and one to go.

I spy with my little eye a boo-boo.

Now my dilemma is whether to pick them up and reassemble in the studio.....OR.....
bring Miss Ellie to the apartment and sew it up here.....hummmmmm.

Suck-It-Up, Buttercup

 Another week has come and gone and I have made some progress:

*Created some quilt blocks in EQ8.

*Cut out all the pieces for the Steam Punk quilt.

This will be a quick and easy lap quilt.
It will be for my nephew's 12-year-old.

I hope to complete the top this week (tonight, maybe?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Attended the 10-year-old g-son's football game.

*Cleaned my whole apartment, including dusting baseboards!  (that felt good!)

*Forced myself to participate in the Ukulele Friday Night Jam.
Even though I am shy, I did play a song for the group.  They were gracious.

Special guest appearance from Sonny & Cher

 

Sometimes you just have to Fake It 'til You Make It....

These positive actions are helping get me get off that sandbar in the Doldrums

Having said that, a special "thank you" to Miss Dawn of First Light Designs for reaching out with a gift to help the process along. 
Miss Dawn offered to send me some left-over-from-a-project fabric. 
There is nothing like some new fabric to get the blood rushing!  'Eh?

Old Dog--New Tricks

 Ever have one of those projects or part of a project that every time you see it it grates against your nerves? 
That is how I felt about the binding on my cute, little, Spring wall hanging.

After posting about the Spring wall hanging on March 20 my quilting buddie, Dawn White, suggested I use a single-fold binding on wall hangings.  And, shortly after this suggestion Dawn posted a tutorial about Single-Fold Binding on her blog, First Light Designs. 

I've never done a single-fold binding before but I decided to have a session with Jack-the-Ripper and remove the original binding to try out the single-fold binding.

Dawn was right....much nicer!

It lays smoother and I like it so much better.  Thank you, Dawn!

A Label by Any Other Name....

There is a reason we label cans in our pantry.  Without labels on the cans you'd be having apple pie filling and garbanzo beans for supper.  

Labels are a very important piece of your quilt heritage.  When my Quilting-Auntie Nyla got me addicted, one of her rules
(after "save ALL your scraps") was "always label your quilts."  

She had specific things that needed to be on the label, mostly.

 

 

Name of the pattern.

Who pieced it and where they live.

Who quilted it and where they live.

Message to the recipient.

The date.

There are soooooooooo many ways to label a quilt.  Go to Pinterest and search for "quilt label ideas." 

There is no end to the ideas.

I agree with the Quilting-Auntie.  Label your quilts.  When my mom passed nearly four years ago and my sister was sorting through all her worldly treasures, one of her questions to me was "Do you recognize this quilt?  There is no label."  No, I did not recognize it.  I hadn't create it.  I was involved in most everything Auntie made and it didn't look familiar.  No idea where it came from.  Sissy sold it in a garage sale. (Confession:  I did make a lap quilt for my mom a number of years back.  It was the ugliest thing: that rag-quilt style with little pigs all over....I didn't label it.  I was embarrassed.  But, my nephew found it among mom's things and claimed it...bless him.)

There is no wrong way to label a quilt.  I like to print mine on Computer Printer Fabric and include a picture.  

Here are a couple of  my examples:

This was attached to a quilt you can see HERE.

This label was attached to a quilt you can see HERE.

 

 

My quilting friend, Dawn of First Light Designs has her own style for labels.  Her labels are round.  HERE is a link to one of her blog posts about labels.  

I'm actually going to go back and read this particular blog page more carefully.  I tried the freezer paper method and it did not work for me.  Obviously I missed something.  I'm going to give it another try.

Labels do not have to be difficult or time consuming.  If you can stand just one more YouTube video, watch this one by Jenny at Missouri Star Quilt Company about pre-printed label panels.

Here is one of Auntie's.  Short and sweet.  
She used my childhood nick name.

So, take the advice of the Quilting Auntie....
Label Your Quilt.

 

 

 

 

This photo is from Auntie's younger days. 

 

 

Summer Travel - Summer Fun

My end-of-summer travel landed me in Portland, Oregon for a week.  Such a beautiful, wonderful city.  There are so many things about Portland I miss but it is so fun going back for a visit, ESPECIALLY if my visit includes a stay with my quilting friend Dawn White of First Light Designs.

Pacific Northwest Peeps.... look for her classes at
The Pine Needle* in Lake Oswego, OR

Not only did she and her husband, Charlie, pamper me oh so much, she gave me the use of her sewing rooms (yes, she has more than one) AND let me "shop" from her stash!  So generous and gracious!

What did I work on while in Portland?  Last May I wrote about making a tee shirt quilt for my very-athletic nephew who was graduated from high school in 2015. (Click HERE)  It was one of those projects that just would not cooperate with the quilt-making process and had to be put in time out for a while..... Ever have one of those?  They eventually become a UFO.

After a time of punishment, Joseph's quilt was released from the penalty box and I took it with me to Portland.

Dawn helped me think though the design as there was no pattern suitable for all the shapes created after chopping up the tee shirts.  She also helped pick a very nice sashing fabric on one of our trips to Fabric Depot.

Of course, it is not perfect (as only God is perfect, we quilters like to say) but I think it is shaping up very nicely.
More importantly, I think Joseph will like it.

I wasn't able to complete the top while in Portland, but I'm far enough along now that I'm motivated to finish it up quickly.
No more time outs.

All good things must come to an end.

As I packed up to head back south
Princess Cordelia inspected my luggage to 

ensure I was not making off with the family silver.

*The Pine Needle and Fabric Depot have both closed their doors since the writing of this post.

Stories of Understanding Husbands

I'm not married so I sew when I want to sew, in any room of the house, leave my mess everywhere and no one is "miffed."  Every now and again a story about helpful, understanding husbands-of-sewers-and-quilters pops up on Facebook and it makes me smile....(makes me wish I had one, too...)

My first pretend "Sweet Hubby Award" is from the Project of Doom Facebook group.  This is a quilt pattern of Harry Potter's bookshelf...all PAPER PIECED.  Removing the paper after the blocks are sewn together is kind of a beast of a job.  Kudos to this helpful hubby!!
(If you are interested in this project, follow this link to Fandom In Stitches. )

This next post from the Singer Featherweight 221 & 222 Facebook group.

I've seen many posts where husbands have loved on their wives by refinishing their tables, fixing their sewing machines, even visiting flea markets and estate sales to make purchases for their brides, etc.  Ahhhhh, too sweet!

Husbands have been known to rearrange their travel plans, rearrange their lives and rearrange their living spaces to accommodate our obsession....

Last wonderful hubby story... This past Memorial Day weekend I flew to Portland (my home town) to visit a friend who was visiting in Portland from France.  While there, another friend, Dawn White, met Anna (my friend from France) & me and my daughter Ana for lunch and then took us to her house for a trunk show!  We four ladies invaded her hubby's space for the entire afternoon...even caught him off guard in his boxers..... He just smiled and said "welcome." Charlie you're the best!

 
PS.  If you have not discovered Dawn's Blog yet, here is a link.  She is quite talented and teaches classes at The Pine Needle in Lake Oswego, Oregon.



So... Here's to you, understanding hubbies everywhere!

Asking the Experts

A week or so ago I wrote a post about my "pig dilemma."  See it HERE.
Ya see, I'm pretty good at quilting...using a pattern...but not so good at creating something on my own.

Well, no one posted suggestions.....(insert sad face here.)


What to do, what to do...

Then it occurred to me ... FACEBOOK!  There I will find expert quilters.  

I could simply ask! Well, dah.

My number-one, favorite quilt designer is Dawn White of First Light Designs.  So creative and my favorite person to hang around with when I'm in Portland...well, second favorite...after my daughter, Ana.  (Hope to see you in August, Dawn.)

A shout out to MaryJo Boyd of The Quilt Bear.... we met by accident about 5 years ago in (of all places) Lincoln, Nebraska and who I get to hang with when I return to (of all places) Lincoln, Nebraska every March.  Creative and sweet and my Spiritual Sister. (Love you, M.J.)

I don't want to forget my brand new BFF, Terry Waldron,
who I've yet to meet face-to-face but her quilts are stunning!  AND, she teaches classes!
There is one coming up in October in Palm Springs...follow this LINK.
You MUST check out her website!
(We're still trying to plan a lunch date.)

So, what do you say, creative ladies, can you help me?

I can't post this "public" on FB....the intended family may see it and that would spoil the surprise.... I posted it as "custom" to only a few quilter-type people...at least I HOPE that's what I did.