Flu Got Me Blue

Hubby brought home a sick bug.  Runny nose, sniffles, and aching all over.  So,  I tip toed around him for three days trying to avoid contact without wearing a hazmat suit. But it still grabbed me hard! I am thankful to say that this year was the first time I got a flu shot.  They say there are no guarantees of not getting the flu but it should shorten the life and severity.  I'm now a believer.  It knocked me down for48 hours but I'm on the mend.

While feeling punk, I tried to complete a few berries. Since completing all 160 circles with a running stitch, I now needed to move onto the next stage.."Turn & Burn".  By placing the heat resistant template in the center, put liquid starch around the edge of the running stitch, pull the strings together causing the fabric to surround the template and apply the iron to the starch, dampened area.  When the starched disc has dried and cooled, remove the template and bingo, you have a lovely round berry to sew onto the block.

Sew Happy to Share...
Penny

Make'n Berries- Design Wall Monday on Tuesday

It's been a while since I've posted anything on Design Wall Monday.  Only to find out the things have changed and there is a new site taking our posts.  Thank you!  If you want to check out others, go to Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

Also, I'm linking up with Quilting is more fun than Housework.  Because all of my applique is done with scraps I thought it would be a bit inspirational to show.  And another great link is Love Laugh Quilt. Take a look at what others are doing. 

Tuesday's post intended for Monday's Design Wall.
Preparing applique pieces, prior to sewing, is as important as prepping ingredients prior to cooking. It is a monotonous task but so important.

I've currently made 144 circles for the four blocks of the Lily Rosenberry quilt. Now preparing an additional 160 circles for the border.

Guess it's time to put on the earbuds and fire up the audio book!

Sew Happy to Share...  Penny

Invisible Machine Quilting

While looking around Podunk Pretties blog site I found instruction on 'Invisible Machine Quilting'.  Over the years, Lea Anne's blog has been a wonderful source of information and she always has links to other sources which are so helpful.  Generations, is another site full of instructional goodies.

 

Mono filament thread on the top, cotton 50wt in the bobbin.  Then finding a stitch to imitate hand applique. First tried this stitch and found I didn't like the outcome trying to adjust the length or width.

Found using the good old regular zig-zag stitch was perfect. Gives plenty of  room to adjust the width and length.
 Note to self~ on your Bernina, adjust the stitch width to 3/4 or .75 and the stitch length to 1.5

Another Note to self~  Set the tread tension to 1.2 or you'll get the bottom thread pulling up.  That's what is showing in the stem stitch-work.

 I don't particularly like the high gloss that mono filament thread gives.  This being my first attempt maybe that's why all the stitches are pretty obvious.

I do like the speed it allows to get a project done.  However, I need a lot more practice before it will look as nice as hand applique.

Another Year of Beginnings

Looking back at my list of posts I have come to the conclusion I'm a failed blogger.  So I've decided to make this blog a quilting/applique self reference library. A place to go when this old brain goes into the 'forgets', (lately, a bit too frequent).

I was introduced to a product that made my appliqueing life so simple.  In the past I would thread my needles, stick them in a little pincushion and wrap the thread around the cushion.  Yuck, what a mess!

But then I watched Jennifer's YouTube presentation of Clover's Dome Threaded Needle Case and life changed.  Click here to see how to use it.

With a few convenient tweaks of adding a tiny bottle cap pincushion I'm set.  The Dome lid is also a great place to stick leather finger tabs.

All my needles are threaded in red silk, ready to finish sewing 36 circles onto the last block.

This is an amazing quilt, Lily Rosenberry Quilt by Susan Garman.  However, I'm only doing four blocks and the border for a wall quilt.

I saw this quilted by Kelly Cline Quilting and was so inspired.  I'm hoping to machine quilt it myself.  After domestic machine quilting a queen sized I've decided to keep this one small.

Oh, my.  Look at all of the circles needed to be made.  I better get busy.
Until later...
I'm sew happy to share!
Hugs,   Penny

UFO Completed

This really isn't on my design wall this Monday morning, rather it's finally on my bed.

 FM quilted on my little Juki and like my first attempt at quilting, this was a bit of a challenge.  I love, love, love Cindy Needham and have expressed this in prior posts.  Cindy is a special person who takes the time to answer questions and give tips and suggestions. She's like having a friend living next door, someone who's there for you. 

 I was working hard at quilting feathers on the red boarders and the top thread kept shredding and the back was getting all knotted up with snarly things.  Following Cindy's handbook, I was using Bottom Line on the top thread and in the bobbin. It turned into a  frustrating and time consuming task, having to stop and re-thread the needle or pick out nasty nests on the back.

I wanted to give it up.  So I sent Cindy an email asking her for help and what I was doing wrong.  Within a day she responded with suggestions, one was not to use Bottom Line on the top.  She had experienced the same, having it shred.  She suggested switching over to Kimono silk as the top thread and use Bottom line on the bottom.  It worked beautifully.   Thank you Cindy!

Ready to quilt the last one hiding in the closet. 
Then it's time to start a new project!
Any suggestions what that should be?

I'm always sew happy to share with you.
Thank you.
Hugs,  Penny

 

Scrappy Monday

After quilting two queen sized quilts for Christmas, I've made a survival decision to make this one lap size.  I'm sure most of you know Bonnie Hunter, the Queen of Scrappy Quilts.  Her blog, Quiltsville is filled with information, free patterns and  lots of goodies.  She got me started on seeing scraps in a new light.  As well as how to organize all of those bits and pieces that I never had the heart to throw away.  Gee I'm glad I didn't.  I see more quilts in all of those rubber bins.

It was sew easy.  I started with cutting 2" squares always having them by my sewing machine ready to use as "Leaders or Enders" with whatever project I was working on at the time.  It didn't matter how long it would take to accumulate the completed nine patches, I was thrilled that I was working on another quilt and not wasting scraps.  Every time one was completed I would throw it in a container and forget about it.  What a treat to count them out and see I'm ready to make another quilt.

Ready to take a closer look at Sisters Nine Patch in Bonnie's book Adventures with Leaders & Enders.  It should go together pretty quick. Then I can start working on another of her many quilts.
Thank you for taking the time to check in with me.
I'm sew happy to share.
Penny

P.S. I've been away from sharing on Patchwork Times,  Design Wall Monday. If you want to see what others are doing, stop by.

Memories

I grew up watching my mother sew on her 1947 Black Featherweight.  She made the most memorable and beautiful things for me and my two sisters.  Ballerina dresses for make-believe play, to lined wool suits with matching jacket, button holes and all.

Sew blessed to have Mom's sewing machine. This is Betsy, named after her.

I never realized all the treasures that came with the machine.  It was fun looking over the original manual and reading about the presser feet and what they do. 

Sweet hubby following the tutorials for cleaning and oiling Betsy.

Check out the Singer Featherweight Shop for a storehouse of knowledge.  

He will be cleaning my 1964 White Featherweight next and I’ll post pictures of Gracie Lynn when she is ready for her debut. 

Until then....
Thank you for making me Sew Happy to Share!
Penny

The Joy of Christmas Gifting

I certainly bit off a big job when I decided to finish this quilt by quilting it myself.  

The only way to test what I’ve learned was to jump in and give it a go.  At the time it seemed like a great plan. BUT ”If I would have known then, what I know now, I never would have done it”. It never occurred to me that my first attempt at quilting was on a queen size quilt.  

The smile on her face made all the hours worth it.  I was so proud it was finished in time to gift to my daughter for Christmas.

Sew Happy to Share!
Penny

Two Years and trying to catch up!

I didn’t fall off the ends of the earth and using the excuse of taking a short break from blogging isn't very believable.

In February of 2014 I posted a picture showing that I was working on an appliqué block. Three years from starting, I finally get to post the appliqué top ready to sandwich and quilt. 

 

I guess, even after six years of starting this journey I'm still a newbie.  This is only my second completed applique quilt. Good thing I wasn’t on a time line or I’d never have started this.

 

The funny part of this quilt journey is that it was never my intent to make a “Red and Black” quilt.  Originally I had found a beautiful fabric and wanted to use it as the boarder.  I pulled all the different colors from the floral print and started developing the pieces for each block.  However, the stinker started  developing its own personality as I worked on each block. Then when the time came and  I laid all of the blocks together the boarder fabric looked terrible. It became its own creation and certainly was far from my original plan.

My next big move is quilting.  But FIRST I have my first applique quilt waiting to be my free motion test piece .  Courage dear one, jump in and give it a try.

 

Thanks for letting me share.  

Hugs, Penny 

 

Is It Summer Already?

Is summer here already?  OMG, I’m sitting in my lawn chair, appliquéing and it’s 75 degrees out.

My heart hurts for all of my quilting friends, who are suffering with snow and ice.  Posting this makes me feel guilty, but I know you will be posting your beautiful, cool, lush green, pictures when I have to live with 100+ degrees in Arizona, 6 months of the year. 

Take care and remember 'this too shall pass'....

Sew Happy To Share :) 

20/20 Rule

After all the reading, watching and practicing I finally swallowed hard, sandwiched my quilt and began my first experience of FMQ.  Well, I really haven’t started the pretty, FMQ. So far I've used the walking foot to stitch in the ditch all the seams.  And now I’m FMQ- ESS (every stink’in seam) around the hand appliquéd flowers.  Gee, a real pratice in control. 
 

 

 I started to notice I was experiencing red, bloodshot eyes (lovely!) and eye drops wouldn't take the red away.  I was due for my annual eye exam and my doctor told me to practice the 20/20 Rule.  Every 20 minutes of intense, focused work, stop, look up, and focus on something 20 feet away.  This causes you to blink and lubricate your eyes and gives the brain a time to rest as well.

 

Just thought I would share that bit of info.  Since then, I now set a timer for 25 minutes to remind me to blink and rest my eyes.  You'll be amazed how fast time passes when focusing on a task.  That’s why it's a good idea to set a timer.

 

 

 

As always I'm Sew Happy to Share!

 

Design Wall 12/16/13

Prep time is almost finished with only four blocks left to complete.  I'm using the pattern from  "Love Always: A Floral Celebrtion" by Lori Smith.  After all 16 block pieces have been glued to the backing I'll have my project ready  to 'grab n' go' in my sewing box.  It's always nice to have hand work with me when I can't be in the sewing room, or the "Girl Cave".

Head over to Judy's and see what others are working on.
As always.... I'm sew happy to share.
Hugs,

Practice Makes Perfect and Tote Bags Too!

Back in September I took a class from Cindy Needham. Wow, to actually be in the same room with her was amazing. Cindy has a name for people like me.  We are her “Stalker Ladies”, and she labels us with great appreciation, for she is a sweet and humble lady.

 

I posted the appliqué quilt, which took two years to finish, and mentioned I was determined to quilt it myself.  The big reality check is this isn’t going to happen overnight or anytime soon.  After taking Cindy’s class I realize I need ALOT of practice!

In order to practice free motion quilting this requires an abundance of quilt sandwiches.  Which has created a dilemma for this ‘frugal closet quilter’. What to do with those quilt sandwiches? 

Here is what I’ve come up with.  I'm making tote bags and practicing my quilting at the same time.

This is so much fun! But you can tell I need a BUNCH of practice. 

I think my next quilt sandwiches will become placemats as suggested to me by Patricia at Happy Days Quilting. 

Leave me your comments with any suggestions that will help me recycle those practice pieces.

Check out what others are up to at Patchwork Times it's always great.
Always Sew Happy 2 Share.
Hugs...

2 Years of Applique FINISHED!

Two years ago I became intrigued with appliqué, wanting to learn techniques anyway I could.  That is when I stumbled onto Erin Russek’s blog site, One Piece at a Time. I needed all the help I could find especially being a new quilter.  Erin’s tutorials were amazing and were free!! And so were her BOM patterns. Oh-me-oh my... I was hooked to say the least. I had no idea how addictive appliqué would become.

 

I started my applique journey with Erin's pattern Miss Hannah.  Now, two years latter I can see how far I've traveled on the learning curve.... and how much further I will be going.

 

 

 

Since applique is something you can prepare a head of time and have in your"grab n' go" bag, I always had something to work on while away from my sewing machine. And, over the past two years, I was away from my sewing room most of the time while caring for my parents.  So, with bitter sweet memories I can say that each block holds a special place in my heart representing a part of time spent with each one of them before their passing.

  

To finish this journey of memories, I am determined to do the quilting though this will be a first for me.  The applique was a learning experience  so why not make quilting an experience as well.

 

Thank you for stopping by.  Please leave a comment and  drop over to Patchwork Times to see what others are showing on their design wall.

 

As always.... I'm Sew Happy 2 Share,

Call for Help!

I just received a notice from the Arizona Quilters Guild and felt it could be passed along in any way possible.  This is something we all can do.

_________________________________________________

The excerpt below was sent to AQG via the Idaho guild. From what we understand Utah and Arizona have been contacted for help.

 

Quilters, our hundreds of firefighters need bandannas, quick! Here in Idaho we have the nation's #1 priority fire and it has already burned 160 square MILES of wilderness. The firefighters soak bandannas in water, use them until they're too smokey, then toss them to be rinsed and wet again. Please cut 16" squares- pinking if possible but not essential - and mail them ASAP to Blaine County Sheriff Gene Ramsey 219 S 1st Ave #109 Hailey, ID 83333  If you could put two in an envelope and get it in the mail tomorrow, they will be grateful.

Larger sizes are also needed - 20 to 28 inches. Precision not necessary. These firefighters are brave and exhausted, and none of the fires are stopping. It's really tough out there.

 This is the extent of the information we have been given. Feel free to donate but do not call the Sheriff's office.

Thanks,

Patricia Benner

President AQG

Summer Time Blahs

 

With all of the heat and humidity I don't know about you but this past week I developed the Summer Time Blahs!  With no intrest in working on that pineapple quilt, staring at me from the design wall, I decided to dive into another book and figure out how to do something new, at least new to me. 

 

Last year the local quilt store was offering a class on making fabric baskets, which intrigued me. So I signed up for the glass and bought Susan Breier’s book “It’s a Wrap”.  Sadly, I was unable to attend the class and put the book on the shelf to be forgotton until the blahs overcame me. 

 

Following the instructions I found making a basket was a total kick! 

As the basket was forming it came to me that this would make a great purse bottom and so my new summer project came to life. 

And here you have it.....

My lovely new purse with a basket bottom (The Basket Bottom Bag)  It is lined with compartments and a heavy zipper to keep everything safe. 

Guess I better concentrate on the Pineapple UFO and get it finished up.  Hey, maybe on my next blog post, I can show you a finished 2 year pineapple quilt.

Until next time.... check out what's happening at Judy's  on Design Wall Monday and remember I love to hear from you so please leave me a comment!

As always I'm Sew Happy To Share what's going on in my sewing room,