2 finishes

I have finally had a little uninterrupted (well, mostly) time in my sewing room to finish up some things for new classes at the store.  Right now is the back to school time of year, and that carries over to the store, too!  We have a long list of new classes opening up, for a full list go to the "Classes" tab on the website and choose the list of classes from the drop down menu.

I am really happy to finally get things pulled together for a new class I have wanted to get organized for quite awhile.  Since learning how to do English Paper Piecing a couple of years ago, I have wanted to do more with all of the different shapes.  Maybe it's the geometry thing, I always did like that class!  But stacking, moving, shifting, reversing and twisting those shapes fascinates me.  I know, dorky!

This new class will meet once a month or so (I plan to lay low during December!).  It's mostly a social and work time for anyone who wants to come, but each time I will have a new "featured shape" and a project that showcases that shape.

Our first class (in October) will feature the clamshell and this pillow project as an example of how to use them.

Then, in November, we will feature the tumbler shape, and the instructions for this little zipper tote.  It was fun to put together the tumblers using a little "Moda Candy" pack that I had picked up somewhere.  This pack is a bundle of 2 1/2" squares cut from a whole group of coordinating fabrics.  Makes it so easy to get a bunch of prints that go together.

I assembled all of the tumblers and then had to decide what they would be used for.  Not another pillow.  Maybe a little tote?  Make that a zippered tote!  I appliqued (by machine) the tumbler blocks onto the turquoise fabric, added some Soft and Stable, lining, zipper, and voila!

After I had it all together, it needed a really good steam press.  Which is hard to do on these 3-dimensional objects.  I was reaching for my pressing ham (which needed a dusting) and realized that my special little pressing mitt would be just right for this.  It actually is an oven glove or potholder for cooking, made of some of that heat resistant silicone stuff.  It's pretty firm, yet flexible.  It fits on my hand like a mitten, and I wear that on one hand inside the little tote while holding the iron in the other hand and moving the iron over the area that needs pressing.  It's a little clumsy, but it just dawned on me that it would work so much better to have a 3rd hand!  Look out, Bob!  Next time you will be wearing the mitt!

And now my next task is to write up the directions for these 2 projects!

Then, for my wool applique class, I really should get these 4 little guys quilted and bound.  They are part of my on-going wool applique group at the store.  It's been fun to see the combinations of wool and cotton, piecing and applique.  These patterns are all designed by Stacy West of Buttermilk Basin.

October

November

December

January

And speaking of Stacy, I am so excited to be a student of hers at a special event she is organizing.  It is just a few short weeks away!  She is using a barn in the Wisconsin countryside for what I hope will be an annual event.  Classes, shopping, food and fiber!  I might never leave!  You, too, can attend.  All the info is on her website.

hello again

A week and a few days ago, I showed you what was happening on the retreat I attended and helped host.  Initially, the plan would have required much of my attention to help with the meals, preparing, serving, and clean-up.  Well, I was liberated from the role of scullery maid thanks to Debbie's very wise decision to employ a local caterer to help with most of that--wonderful!  So a few of my own desires were fulfilled and I really enjoyed my time.

I put most of my new hexie blocks up on the design wall to get an idea of how it was shaping up.  

This is such a contrast to my Civil War version:

These are all the same block designs, just a whole different world of fabrics.  I am using a different design for putting them all together, also.  In the second picture, you can see a traditional setting style with equilateral triangles inserted all around the hexagon blocks.  Well, actually, that picture mostly shows blank spaces, but you can get the idea.  For my newer version, I am using little rectangles of white as spacers between blocks, and a little bitty triangle at the corner intersections to get the spacing right.  Took me awhile to figure that one out, I didn't have any pattern to follow.  It was one of those puzzlers we all encounter, when you can picture what you want but don't know how to make it happen!  And it was one of those "Ah ha!" moments when I should have been sleeping, when it dawned on me what shapes needed to be where.  Some of the blocks in the middle of the red and blue have borders sewn on, and there are quite a few more to go.

Now on the reverse side of the sewing spectrum, I turn from tedious handwork to the marvels of computerized sewing:

 A closeup of one fourth of the block below, showing a little detail.  The block is built with applique and thread in different combinations.  The sorta light blue areas aren't fabric, it's a variegated thread on the cream background.  The light brown points with pale grey circles is another fabric.  The quilting design on the cream background is all computerized from designs by Sharon Schamber, an outstanding professional quilter whose work I have seen in shows and classes.  I've always wished I could quilt like her, and now I can!  Here's the 4 pieces laid together:

They will be joined together but I am waiting for my next class to learn the correct way to do that.

Here's a little pillow top design that I put together as a pattern and distributed at our recent Bear Patch Sew Creative Event:

Tumble Rumble by Emmaline Design

I made it with the One-derful One-Patch Tumbler Template by Marti Michel.  A very neat tool.

And here is a new pattern I have written:

Spring Fling by Emmaline Design

A computer (EQ6) rendition of it, until I get the real thing quilted and ready for a picture.  It uses the Creative Grids 2 Peaks in 1 ruler or the Tri-Recs tools.  

Our big lifetime achievement last week was the first birthday of our first grandson!  We had a little family birthday party, and were pleased that my mom and dad could join us, too.  Wonderful that Ian knows his great grands.  Poor guy wasn't quite at full steam for a couple days, because he got pinkeye for his birthday and he was kinda irritable with that.

 But itchy eyes don't stop the birthday cake!  He was fascinated by the candles, and then happy to dig into the cake and frosting!   Since he wasn't his usual smiley self, our picture below looks kind of funny, but makes a good memory of the day--

He looks kind of skeptical of Gramps, don't you think?  Well, it might be good to keep an eye on him, he has tricks up his sleeve!

Enjoy today!

the bonus hour

I find myself with an extra hour of life this morning, so I am on my keyboard to update both here and over at the Bear Patch blog.  This comes after a yummy and what-seems-like-decadent breakfast of almond croissants.  Easy almond croissants from the frozen food section at Trader Joe's.  I had not tried them before, but they turned out great.  Also from my last trip to Joe's--

Very tasty!

Here's a little sewing tip and another good excuse to go to the office supply store!  I read about this from someone else but can't remember who.  Scotch, maker of all of those adhesive hooks and hangers, also makes these adhesive patches.

They actually have adhesive on both sides and are thick, like maybe 1/16th of an inch.  When I need to sew something that requires a seam allowance other than 1/4" this is the perfect temporary tool.  I was sewing a hem on the back of a pillow cover, and wanted to make my stitching line 7/8" from the folded edge.  I peeled the adhesive from one side of the strip and put it on the bed of my machine after measuring the correct placement.  Then I could run the fold right against the edge of the adhesive pad and get a nice straight stitching line.  When I was done, I put it right back in the package for another day.

 That hem was on the back of this pillow cover--

which now is complete except for the lack of an 18" pillow!  Previously posted here.

Another pair of mittens for my favorite little guy--

These are quick and fun, and no doubt he will need more mittens in bigger sizes so I should have no lack of knitting!

my best pizza so far

One of our favorite meals is homemade pizza, and we usually have it as a go-to meal on weekends, most likely Sunday night.  So last night found Bob and I settling down with some slices and Olympics. We don't do real fancy, but have found success with a basic formula.  First, the pizza stone is a key element since we like a thin and crispy crust.  This stone has been well-tempered over quite a few years.  I think I bought it at a home party for some company, feeling a need to select something from the catalog offered by a friend or neighbor.  You might have found yourself in that spot sometime, not wanting to say "no" to the invite nor all of the products, but wanting something not purely decorative.  That's how I ended up with a lovely Longaberger wastebasket!  Which turned out to be a good choice, as well as the decision to buy the pizza stone.  We really don't use the stone for anything else, although I am told that it can be used for cookies, etc.  Anyway, back to the pizza!  I used to make dough from scratch, but now I pick up a tube of pizza crust in the refrigerated section at the store, and that works just fine.  Last night I even used store-bought pizza sauce, although we often use red sauce that Bob makes and freezes from our own tomatoes.  My half of the crust is vegie and soy, Bob's half is sausage, pepperoni and lots of mozzarella!  My usual ingredients are chopped red onion, black or kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, peppers and whatever else is handy!  Last night I had the inspiration to top it off with sweet corn cut from the cob, and it was fabulous!!  Toss on fresh basil from the garden and soy cheese, and yummo!

 I have been in a mood to experiment with some fabric and rulers this morning, and by cutting table is getting deep with inspiration!

I know that I have seen lots of patterns for quilts made from tumbler blocks lately, so thought I should jump on the bandwagon.  I already used a great Creative Grids ruler for tumbler block placemats.  Then I encountered the Marti Michel tumbler template and wanted to try that out.  The beauty of this template is that it is sized for 2 1/2" on up to 6 1/2".  The little piece on the left is cut from 2 1/2" leftover strips from quite awhile ago.  I'm playing around with ideas for what to make from it.  Right now it's looking like a tabletopper but that's open for discussion!

 Next I experimented with this odd-shaped ruler from Creative Grids, it's much like the TriRecs rulers that I have used before but with a twist.  This is all in one unit, and the sizing guidelines are very easy to read and understand.  It can be used for strips from 1 1/" to 6 1/2".

 There are numerous setting options for these shapes, but I was drawn to this one that looks sort of like a flower.  If a circle is appliqued to the center it looks even more flowerlike.  I made the large size, a 12" block, and then smaller and smaller--

 The littlest one is 2" square, and while it was a good thing to try, I'm not going to be whipping out any more of those!  There's more fabric in the seam allowances than what's showing in the finished block!  I did sit down with EQ6 (Electric Quilt) to play with some sizes and colors and layouts on paper, there could be some potential there.

Yesterday I finished quilting a sample quilt of Jelly Jive for the store, the fabrics have the kind of shabby chic look.  I have made this pattern before, it is perfect for a "jelly roll" (40 - 2 1/2" x 40" strips) plus binding and backing.

And making more progress on the hexagons--

 I have all the rows sewn together and started putting in the blocks around the edges.  I am writing this as I go so I can share and teach it for a class at the store.  I picked a light blue to fill in the outside blocks and then a brown floral for a border.  I am having to engineer the blue block shapes from the other basic shapes in the quilt.  I am doing this because I wanted to continue those light colored triangles that make star points around each hexagon, instead of just finishing off with a straight line at the last hexagon.

A fun week ahead with a trip to San Francisco with Ben, Brita and Ian!  B&B will be attending a wedding while Ian, myself and Jan hang out in the city.  I hope Ian is ready for some fun!  From this little video, it looks like he is learning some new moves!