Back From Houston!

I received an invitation to accompany a friend to the Houston Quilt Festival this week and stay as a house guest at her daughter’s lovely home.  What a treat it was. 

I was so busy absorbing the sights and sounds of the event that I took very few pictures.  This prize winner, however, took my breath away. 

I didn’t come home empty handed by any means.  I made two purchases, both of them extravagant.

For several years, I’ve wanted to see if I could find a really good fitting thimble.  My hands are small and it’s not that easy to find ones that are comfortable.  

Here is what I came home with.  This thimble is made by TJ Lane.  It is sterling and has a lifetime warranty.  The price hurt, but the thimble feels wonderful on my hand.

And, this little girl followed me home too.  For some time, I’ve wanted a retreat/workshop machine with a good blanket stitch.  I love my vintage straight stitch machines.  They are still my favorite for piecing, but often they don’t meet workshop requirements.  The machines I have that do meet those requirements are heavy, bulky and difficult to remove from their cabinets.  After lurking at the Janome booth several times and peppering the representatives with lots of questions, they reduced the price three times to one I was willing to pay.  

Good thing hubby is at the ranch for a few days and I don’t have a lot of commitments this coming week.  

I’ll use the time to make friends with her and consider re-homing one of my vintage machines to free up storage space.

The trip to Houston was fabulous, but exhausting.  I’m not used to big city traffic (thankfully my friend handled the driving), the crush of humanity, and sensory overload that you encounter at Festival.  If offered another chance to go to Houston, I would grab it in a heartbeat; but I’m looking forward to some recovery time.  

More Prepping and My Big Birthday Splurge

Today has been the quiet before our storm.  We will celebrate Thanksgiving Friday when Julia, two boys and one dog join us.  I carved out a few minutes to do some more prep work on my applique project as I don’t expect to be doing much machine work for a while.  I still have some more petals to prep and glue baste to the second stem, but I should have enough to keep me busy for a while.

…and yesterday my big birthday splurge arrived.  I unboxed it today rather than wait until “my” day on Saturday while we still have company.  Yep, it’s an Accuquilt Go.  They are on sale right now and I made the plunge.  

It’s been a fun week with hubby and his hunting partner coming into town to take me to dinner one evening and the quilt club’s annual party.  The weather has been near perfect and I’ve even managed to dig around in the flower beds.  …and since it’s my birthday month, I’ve had an excuse for some indulgences. 

Every so often Wanda will list items for sale in her blog shop, Wandaful Quilts.  I couldn’t resist picking up these cuts from her prodigious stash of batiks.

 

This little scissor case was a gift from a neighbor who recently returned from a long cruise with lots of at-sea days.  She filled the time doing needlepoint projects and thoughtfully let me choose one.  I added the lanyard and my favorite embroidery scissors.  They will come in handy when I meet with my applique group.  The picture also shows my current applique project.  It’s taking forever, but I did manage to prep some more petals on one of the stems. 

Lately I’ve been listening to The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown.  I’m half way through it and am really enjoying the story about nine American boys who competed in the 1936 Olympics.  I feel like I’m getting to know these young men personally and I had no idea how complicated rowing a boat competitively is.  The story line contains lots of technical details, and I think I’m enjoying it more as a “listen” than a “read.”  I am so grateful my local library offers this kind of service.

A Semi-Successful Experiment

For a time after the holidays, the gloves I use when free motion quilting were MIA.  They had been tucked away in a very logical place when the sewing room was dismantled to make room air mattresses. Problem is, much of the time my brain is not that logical and I was losing a lot of quilting time while I searched.  I was beginning to panic until I remembered a tip from a lecture at Quilt Festival about using sheets of shelf liner instead of gloves and for a time that’s what I did.  The shelf liner sheets work, but they are definitely not my favorite.  Fortunately, my gloves eventually surfaced.  

While at the grocery store this morning, I found these $2 lightweight gardening gloves.  They will be my next experiment.  I've seen other bloggers talk about using them, and at that price I may pick up several more pairs if I like them.  It's not always easy to find the made-for-quilting variety locally.

An Early Arrival

An online order arrived unexpectedly ahead of schedule Christmas Eve.  This is the box it came in.

  

...and here is what came in it (the ruler, not the dog).  Remarkably, this 15 inch rotary ruler protected by a little wadded up brown paper was totally undamaged! Maddie, of course, had to check it out. It was specifically called for in a project I will be doing, and was not a size I could find locally.  I thought it would be useful, so decided to get it.

I included it in an order so I could get the free shipping and thought it would be sent with everything else; but it came early.

Just Stuff...

I've started work on this month’s anti-ouch pouches that I committed to make.  They need to be finished by our meeting Wednesday.  

There is a sewing tool I don’t enjoy but must use more often than I like.  It’s the dreaded seam ripper, and as often as I use it, it always seems to land in a place that makes it hard to find.  Maybe this new one will be easier to spot.  I like the fact that it has a flat handle that makes it less likely to roll off the table.

We woke up to 58 degrees today.  Even better, we've had .56 inches of rain in the last 24 hours.  That’s great news on both fronts.  We were having highs in the upper 90s earlier this week.

The maiden voyage of Bob’s radio controlled boat in the pond near our house was a success.  I understand that a radio controlled helicopter is due for shipment next week and he’s been looking longingly at RC tanks.  I better use my cutting table while I can.

I captured this moon rise the same night Bob launched his boat.

Necessity, the Mother of Invention

The table next to our television-watching chairs is ridiculously small, especially if I’m trying to do handwork.  After putting up with my glasses, scissors and thread being knocked off and buried as well as having no place to put my thread clippings, it finally dawned on me that I had the solution right in my desk drawer.  I wouldn’t recommend this for fine wood furniture, but it certainly doesn’t bother me to use it on a glass top that already has scratches.

I also use binder clips to reduce drag from my iron’s cord.

There’s a new house in the neighborhood and soon a new family.  My mother called these birds mud hens though I know that’s not their real name.  I won’t disturb the nest now, but I do wish she had not chosen our front porch for her home.  

The REAL Studio Tour -- Storage Solutions

Participants in Vicki’s REAL Studio Tour are asked to post about storage tips today. 

Here is my travelling sewing tool kit.  Virtually every Tuesday I’m sewing with friends in a space we rented when our local quilt shop closed.  We have created a very nice place to gather and sew and some weeks I spend as much time sewing there as I do at my home studio.  So, I needed to devise a way to organize my tools so that they were portable and easily accessible both at “Our Place” and at home. 

Several of us bought these tool boxes at hardware stores.  Some of our members even found feminine pink ones and one carries a red one.  

I found some small plastic boxes at an office supply store that fit it perfectly and I borrowed my husband’s label maker to help me keep their contents straight. Now, whether I'm sewing at home or with friends or at our ranch house, this little carrier is on the floor next to my chair.  It's organized to my needs and has helped me avoid buying quite so many duplicate notions.  When it's time to clear out my sewing room to make room for air mattresses, it tucks neatly away in a closet.  

I’m linking up with Vicki’s post today where others will be sharing their tips on storage.  I’m looking forward to learning from their ideas.  Storage and organization are definitely not my strength.  

Vicki is offering chances at a very nice giveaway to anyone who participates, so be sure to link up with your ideas.  We will all benefit.

Winter Has Arrived and Some Retail Therapy

We cancelled plans and stayed at home Friday because of icy conditions.  It never warmed up enough for the ice in our rain chain to melt. 

Originally I was going to join an outing with friends to visit the grand opening of an almost local quilt store, but none of us wanted to brave the road conditions.  Fortunately, there will be other opportunities since it is relatively close.

Not all was lost, however, as I already had done some retail therapy earlier in the week.  I piggy-backed a trip to two craft stores when hubby had an appointment in the “Big City.”  I didn’t purchase any fabric, but here is the loot I came home with.  Gotta love those 40 and 50% off coupons.

The Real Studio Tour -- Non-Traditional Tools

Vicki at Field Trips in Fiber is hosting a REAL Studio Tour, versus the beautiful and uncluttered studios that both fascinate and torment me in magazines.  Does anyone manage to keep their space in such pristine condition and still quilt?  If so, they certainly have my admiration.  At any rate, Vicki's tour sounded like fun, and I decided to play.  Today we are invited to post about non-traditional tools.

When I began quilting in earnest about six years ago, I never imagined that two of my favorite go-to tools would be a ceramic floor tile and a cuticle stick.  Here they are.  I was going to recover the tile for this post so it didn't look so icky, but this series is supposed to be about keeping it real!

My preferred method for turned edge applique uses starch and melt-resistant templates.  A workshop instructor suggested that a floor tile wrapped in a couple of layers of muslin made a good ironing surface for this technique.  It is small enough to rotate as I work my way around the piece and the extra hard surface seems to aid in the process as well.  The muslin is secured on the back with flat head pins.  

As I paint the edges of the fabric with starch, they stick to the ironing surface making it difficult to roll them over the template.  The cuticle stick is the best tool I've found for lifting the edges enough to begin the ironing process. 

Be sure to visit Vicki's blog to see the non-traditional tools other quilters use. 

Checking in

Sometimes you just have to stop progress on what you want to work on and do a little organizing.  I have a sewing tool kit that travels with me to Sit ‘N Sew and I keep it next to my machine when working at home.  It had become so jumbled up it was becoming a major irritation.  So, I treated myself to some new containers, borrowed my husband’s label maker and went to work organizing it.  I know it won’t take long for me to get it jumbled up again…that’s the nature of the craft, but at least for the moment I should be able to find what I need.

Speaking of jumbles, work continues on my Jane Stickle blocks.  I have been delving into the batik remnants my quilting friends have given me, trying to prep blocks. 

 

We had some much needed and appreciated showers last week.  I’ve always loved rainbows and managed to capture this one between showers.  We did not get that much, but at least we could turn the sprinkler system off for a cycle.  We have a chance (small) for more this week.  Here’s hoping we get some.

Life can be Absurd



With my love of handwork growing while my eyes are aging, I finally made the leap today and purchased this battery operated task light.  I’ve seen other quilters use these for years, but only recently did I see a battery operated one.

I do not intend to use it for day-to-day lighting at home, but I wanted to have it for those times we make road trips and I’m at the mercy of whatever lighting and electrical connections are available in motels and in our hosts’ homes. 

When I was talking to the store clerk about returning it, if it didn’t meet my needs, she nodded politely and asked that I be sure and keep the packaging.  “Even if I damage it while removing the product?”, I inquired.  She assured me that even if damaged it was helpful for them to return the item to the manufacturer with the original packaging.

Do you think this is what they meant?  Lol!  It’s a good thing I like my new light.  If there is an easy way to remove a product from plastic packaging that is molded around its contents, I would love to know the secret, though I suspect I just might be making it harder than I need to.

Homemade Stitch Caddy

Once in a while I’ll get an idea that just won’t let go of me.  Recently I’ve been doing more handwork.  It seemed like my needle was forever disappearing into a pin cushion or the project.  My spool of thread was constantly unraveling and tangling in the bottom of my basket, my needle threader was never handy and my scissors were always just out of reach.  I had seen a quilting friend’s little stitch caddy made out of wood that conveniently organized all her handwork tools.  Unfortunately I couldn’t find one locally or on-line.  It may still be available, but I wasn’t quite sure what I should call it when I did my searches.  So, I decided to make my own.

I found this cute little tin at, where else, our local library thrift store for 35 cents.  The spool holder is one of my husband’s golf tees.  The magnet that holds my needle when it’s not in use came from some kind of toy that my grandsons have outgrown.  And the scissors holder is an empty spool.  Everything except the magnet which adheres by itself is glued to the tin’s lid.  When it’s not in use, the lid is put back in place and everything is stored together. 

This may not be an idea that helps anyone else, but I’m certainly enjoying it.  I'm linking up with Connie's site today.  Be sure and check it out.

More Vintage

Debbie recently posted about her collection of vintage sewing tools on her blog, Stitchin' Therapy.  While I appreciate modern tools, I also love the vintage ones that came from my own family.

Here is one I begged from my grandmother.  I am so glad she relented (very reluctantly) and let me have her door stop!  It is a Sad Iron which she told me dated back to the 1930s.  She had spray painted it silver and one of my brothers-in-law painstakingly returned it to its original condition. 

This is a fancy model.  The handle comes off so you can have multiple bases heating on the stove at the same time. 

I always thought that the name “Sad Iron” referred to how sad the housewife was because she had to heat it up on a wood burning stove during the hot Texas summers…and maybe it does, but you can see that it is also the manufacturer’s name.

I’m glad I don’t have to use this as a tool, but it is a treasure I’m happy to have.

Favorite Tools

You may have noticed this little tool in the photograph I posted yesterday.  It was given to me by a quilting friend whose husband made it.  It is simply a block of scrap wood with a hole drilled out that can hold an inexpensive seam ripper.  It is very useful when separating chained pieces and always makes me smile when it use it because it reminds me of Jeanette.

I have a new favorite “non-quilting” quilting tool as well! 

This air filled disk is really made for doing balance exercises, but it also serves as chair cushion that helps keep my back and shoulders from getting too stiff when I sit for long periods.  Don’t you just love discovering little tricks that make quilting more fun!