TGIF

Yeah, I know. TGIF. Everyone uses it all the time. But seriously. I'm glad it is Friday. I'm going to spend the weekend working on my own projects. I think I'm nearly caught up with longarming for clients. I'm going to spend the day sewing with the Spawn. Wee daughter Wendy is coming over to work on a baby quilt for her friend. I'll run the longarm and help when needed. Tomorrow the other Spawn, Tina, is coming over to play. Does life get any better than this?

Now for an update: So far I have finished three UFOs. Marnie, Not Your Grandmother's Log Cabin and now ..... a baby quilt. So far, I am leading the race. (I'm not even taking credit for the quilt for Cousin Kathy because it wasn't started when I opened this competition.) I've finished three projects and my contestants have not yet reported any finishing. Tsk tsk tsk. Come on ladies. This is supposed to inspire you ... get sewing.

This is the quilt I finished last night. Decided to
make it from two fabrics just to see how
it turned out. Its kind of cute.

This is Charmed to Bits. The original version of the
same quilt made from charm squares.

The second version has no name, but it is the alternate cover picture for my Charmed to Bits pattern. I decided to make it on a whim and was surprised how different it looked in two colors rather than with Charm Squares. Both are the same basic rail fence. But WOW what a difference color selection makes.

I also managed to bind a second quilt last night. (Hubby is out of town and I'm watching Star Trek the Next Generation and hand sewing. It is great!) I finished binding my first friendship quilt from Piecemaker's Quilt Guild. It has been quilted for eons, but I never got around to binding it. Well, it is bound and I am working on the embellishments. I'm not sure where they are going, but I am using Bella Nonna flower petals and beads to jazz it up. I'm kind of excited about it.

Generally, I'm not much of an embellisher. I'm more traditional than that. I'm trying to break out of my comfort zone and do new things. This is the first step. Not very adventurous I know, but I am trying. (And I don't mean trying people's patience either.)

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Are you an embellisher or art quilter? What inspires you to work in those mixed medias?

Things are Moving Along Well

The Center Medallion of Mom and Dad's new quilt.
Somehow I don't think it will be finished by Friday
when I go for a visit. Maybe if I work real hard .....

My to-be-quilted closet. About half the quilts are mine.

Fabric for projects underway.

Well, as always I am busier than a one armed paper hangar. Things are ripping along quite well in the studio. I have finally managed to write some directions for new patterns. They are off to the testers now and will be back in a couple of weeks.
I have even managed to quilt two of my UFOs. Of course they are still unfinished as the binding is not on yet. But, it will be by next weekend. I will have three done by then as they are for cousins' birthdays on the August Long Weekend. So they WILL be finished.


Entries for the UFO contest are as follows:
Lisa E. has 17 UFOs on her list.
Audrey R. has 18 UFOs.
Kayle P. has 41 UFOs.
Becky A. has 3 UFOs.
Linda N. has 86 UFOs.
Marcy Y. has 39 UFOs.

Based on the nature of this competition, I have decided to allow more entries. After all, aren't UFO's really about having trouoble getting started and finishing things? Have you entered yet? Don't forget to send a list of your UFO's and a photo or two of your works in progress.

Storage shelf with UFOs stacked up!

Win Yourself Some Wonderfil Thread

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm giving away a sampler package of Wonderfil Thread's Invisifil. This is a fabulous thread for couching, top stitching, quilting and even piecing where a large number of seams will all come together. It is 100 weight and almost invisible. It is by far my favorite thread for stitch in the ditch as it hides in the ditch and should you happen to "swerve" a bit while stitching it is almost impossible to notice. I don't know about you, but I don't always sew straight and sometimes stitch in the ditch is quite difficult if the seams are not pressed properly. I will be making the draw for this thread on January 15, 2011. (Wow 2011 already, can you believe it?)

All you have to do to enter this draw is one or all of the following:
1. Sign up as a follower to this blog and leave a comment here that you have done so.
2. Visit my website: http://www.pinefreckleforest.com/ and leave a comment here about your favorite pattern.
3. If you are already a follower, tell me what kind of topics you would like to see in the future.
4. If you have a blog, mention this draw on your blog and let me know you have done so to receive two entries to the draw.
5. Submit a name for the quilt shown below. (I may or may not use your name for the pattern.)

Sadly, this contest is only open to Canada and the Continental United States. Later draws will be open to other areas as well.

Below is a picture of what is going to be my new pattern. It will be available for sale starting next week. The trouble is that I don't have a name for it yet. It is entirely made of scraps (except the binding.) The center is strip pieced and the borders are made triangle scraps. I used all the same white, but it would look lovely with all different whites as well.

Question of the Day: What would you call this quilt?

The End is Nigh!

This is it! No, not Y2K or 2012 and the world ending crisis. It is the last day to enter the Fall into Fall Blog Hop and win some great prizes. I’ve got three prizes lined up and I am making the draw first thing in the morning tomorrow.

I have to say that I love all the comments I’ve been getting about my posts. I wish I could reply to them all, but I don’t have that kind of time. But let me say, I’ve learned a lot about organization, and am delighted to discover that I’m not the only quilter who works best in a slightly untidy space. What is it that makes it so hard to clean up after myself? Am I just lazy? No, that can’t be it, I’m pretty sure that the mess just inspires me. Well, at least that’s the excuse I am using. Now if only the sweeping fairy would show up and get rid of those dust bunnies for me. Are dust bunnies and endangered species?

Rulers: Just a few words about rulers today. We all have them, they are a vital tool of quilting. Pull out your favorite ruler. Look closely at it. Is it all chipped and dinged? Are the lines fading? Are they gone? Did you drop that ruler on the way to class and chip off a corner? Yikes. You had better consider replacing that old thing. Those missing lines are what help you get accurate cuts and if your edges are rounded, how can you possibly cut correctly. And, tell me how in the world you expect to get a nice clean cut at the corner if you have to pretend that the ruler is not missing a chunk. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.

Ruler care is quite easy really. If you find it is getting a little harder to see the lines, try washing it in nice warm water with a bit of dish soap. Rinse and dry well.

Is it slipping when you try to cut? Try putting some Wonder Tape or Invisigrip on the back to help it adhere to the fabric better. Both of these are thin plastic films that add gription. (Yeah, I know that’s not a word, but I love it anyway.) I’ve tried those little sticky dots and the sandpaper dots, but find that they add gription where they are, but raise the ruler in other places and the fabric can slip where the ruler is not tight against it.

I store my rulers laying flat in the drawer. I have one drawer for big rulers and one drawer for wee rulers. This works well for me as I am not constantly knocking them off the table. Because my studio is always a mess, I find that those ruler stands don’t work well for me. All they do is allow me to knock all the rulers off the desk at once. I have a friend with one and she loves it, but then again her studio is spotless. If you have lots of wall space, consider hanging your rulers on the wall to keep them from getting damaged.

There you have it, ruler care in a nutshell. Keep them clean, unbroken and keep them put away. And don’t forget they break when you drop them, but they shatter when you drop them in extreme cold. Just ask me how I know! And people, if your ruler is trashed, suck it up and go by a new one. Your accuracy can't help but get better.

Think how slow things would be if we were back in the "good old" days of quilting and had to hand trace templates and scissor cut everything. I would NEVER get anything finished.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How much would would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Best answer gets an extra draw entry.

Fall into Fall Quilter Blog Giveaway

I am so excited.

I've joined the Fall into Fall Quilter Blog Giveaway! You really need to check this out. A group of quilting bloggers are getting together to have some great giveaways on their blogs. Its time to do some blog hopping and see what there is out there to see.

It is being hosted by Quilting with Debi (http://www.debiquilts.blogspot.com/). She has a great blog chock full of tips, tidbits and great reading. You should check her out.

As for me, stay tuned for the rules on how to win a prize. I'll be giving away at least two prizes. But you'll have to check back for details on how to enter.

Our little contest starts October 1st and the prizes will be drawn October 15th.

Stay Tuned and Good Luck to you all!

Cath