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How many of you would like to organize for the new year? I know I could use all the help I can get, especially since I sew in such a small space. So every Tuesday for the month of January we will be talking about organization… rooms, spaces, closets, drawers etc. We will also be showing you some of the tips from the girls in our SewMod group. A peak behind the creativity.
Every time I went to take a class at the LQS I would end up having to purchase something because I just didn’t have a complete kit put together for leaving the house. I can’t even begin to tell you how many red spools of thread I have because of this.
Paige carries a sewing box purchased from Joann’s that has all the essentials in it. I loved that idea! No more scrambling at the last minute. My brother and his girlfriend sent me this one for Christmas and my best friend gave me a Joann’s gift card. So, off to fill up my new kit.
Here’s the list of things in it…
large and small scissors
rotary tool, extra blade, small ruler, and tiny mat
pins and some satey pins for machine quilting
notebook, mechanical pencil, water and air erasable marker, marking pen
machine needles, and any other set of needles you might use
thread…black, gray, white and for me…red, extra bobbins
seam ripper……..I was actually teased for not bringing one of these to class once:)
calculator
small binder clips
This could be ready and waiting for you. No more hassle trying to remember the tools and supplies every time. Just grab and go. Take it to class, retreats and sew-ins or on the road with you.
Thanks for the great idea Paige!
I hope y’all had a great time last night with family and friends. I spent the time with some friends in the neighborhood. I’m no party animal. I like to be in my pajamas when that ball drops.
Both, Susan and I are from the lower half of the US. Her being from Alabama and me from Oklahoma. So we decided to end the year with our favorite food…fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy. It was the best dinner ever and the most fattening. But who cares right….we were in our pj’s:)
Oh, and I forgot, we also had banana cream pie after.
I’m so glad someone finally transplanted up here from the south!
I’m going to try and send the Sooners some good luck today for the Fiesta Bowl game against the Huskies.
Go Sooners!
Its the last Friday of the year and I was just thinking…. what fabric I should post about today? I decided to show some pics of the fabric in our stash that we would really like to use up in the coming new year and list the projects that we would like to accomplish in 2011.
I would really like to get through the Lucy’s Feather Bed fabric. I bought a lot of this because it is soooo darn cute! But I’ve had it a long time. I think I’ll make some baby items up…burp cloths, changing pads, etc.
Now for the list…
1. Of course the Grandmother’s Flower Garden blocks are atop my list.
2. Susan’s Dresdens….I’m halfway through the embroidery and finished with the bitty dresdens. I have all the dresden blades cut out. I want to show this during our SewMod quilt show in July.
3. Welcome to the North Pole
4. Auntie’s Flower Garden…I only have borders left to applique and attach.
5. New York Beauty blocks…I’m going to work on these during our SewMod Sunday Sew-ins and at the end of the year I can decide how to put them into a quilt.
6. Nesting Time embroidery project. I’m pretty excited about this one. Instead of embroidering the pot, nest and eggs, I will be using this wool. Just imagine the nest with different brown strips of wool and maybe some ribbon woven through it…like you’d see in a real nest.
My list is usually a full page but with the Etsy shop and working at the LQS, I’m sure that I’ll be pretty busy. I can’t wait to see if I’ve been able to check these off my list come December 2011.
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When I started my longarm quilting business 4 years ago I ended up putting several projects on hold and boy do I miss them! Now that I’ve pretty much halted machine quilting for clients I’m so looking forward to finishing them up and creating a bunch more!
As I went through my stacks and containers to pull all the unfinished projects I began to hyperventilate when I realized how long some of these projects have been around…so sad, all these beautiful fabrics and ideas waiting to be made into a special gift or cozy blanket. So, my goal this year is to tackle one at a time starting with some of the ones pictured below and of course use as much of my stash as possible!
1. This baby pinwheel top has to be more than 5 yrs old my memory isn’t so good I will have to ask my friend Karen V. where we got this she has an amazing memory and we tap into her constantly!
2. This is Amy Butler’s Mid-Mod quilt pattern I’m hoping I have enough of the Midwest Modern border fabric I just love the flower pattern.
3. I picked up this kit at a shop in Saginaw Michigan a couple years ago on a retreat with my longtime sewing group the Pieceful Pals. The pattern is called Flora and fabrics are by Valori Wells. I thought it would be a wonderful spring throw to brighten up my living room.
4. These cute winter batiks are adorable…I just haven’t found the right pattern yet…any ideas????
5. I started these blocks earlier this year in one of our SewMod sewing days. I just love the little black cat so reminds me of my Kitty!
6. I picked up this jelly roll and charm packs at the Rosemont Quilt Show at least 3 years ago. Not my usual style but I was drawn to the combination of the purples, browns and greens. Still haven’t found the right pattern…bought enough of the green for the backing and/or borders.
7. This bunch will eventually be made into 7 giant bags one of my designs we will have on Esty soon! Each pair of fabrics from the top down will be quilted together, bound and straps added -they are really cute and carry a ton of stuff…I fill it up with fabric and projects when I go on retreats. They will hold 3-4 large quilts. I even use it as an overnight bag it will hold my pillow, change of clothes and all my toiletries and of course some quilt magazines!
8. I have all these wonderful hand-dyed fabrics…they are pushing 15 years old by now. So beautiful and soft! They actually inspired my very first quilt below which I paper-pieced the summer of 1995 using copier paper… never will do that again! Took forever to pick out all the paper. I also sewed it using my mom’s Singer which had two speeds screamin’ fast or off.
I still can’t believe this quilt is rolled up in a bag waiting to be finished. Back in ’95 I had no idea how to machine quilt so there are a billion little stipple stitches throughout all the white areas. A few years ago my mom started picking out the stitches, I took over last year. Very tedious work so I decided to pick out from the backside so if I accidentally ripped the fabric it didn’t matter because it is just plain white fabric…doing it this way is definitely protecting the front from any damage and speeding up the process.
After all the stitching is gone it will be ready for the Gammill…I’m still working on the quilting design -stay tuned if I get this done by the end of the year I will jump for joy – I can’t wait to wrap myself up in it!
Paige
Here’s the recipe I used for the Red Velvet Cake I made for Christmas dinner. It would also be a pretty cake for Valentine’s Day too. Sorry the pic is so washed out.
Of course I used Paula Deen’s recipe. You can’t go wrong with Paula. I did change a few things though.
Cake
2 eggs
2C sugar
2TBSP cocoa
2oz. red food coloring
2 sticks butter
2-1/2C cake flour
1tsp salt
1C buttermilk
1tsp vanilla
½ tsp baking soda
1TBSP vinegar
Preheat oven to 350. Beat eggs; add sugar. Mix cocoa and food coloring. Add to butter and egg mixture; mix well. Sift together flour and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Blend in vanilla. In a small bowl, combine soda and vinegar and add to mixture. Pour into 3 greased and floured 9” round pans. Bake for 20-25 min, or till tester comes out clean…do not overcook or the cake will be dry.
Icing
16oz. cream cheese, softened
2 sticks of butter, softened
1lb powdered sugar
2C marshmallow cream
Dash of coconut extract
Blend cream cheese and butter. Add marshmallow, sugar, and a dash of coconut to taste.
Red velvet cake is a dense cake…not fluffy.
Enjoy!
I find that the bad thing about starting a project that lasts quite a while, actually years, is I may have liked it when I began, but now not so much. You take too long and your taste in fabric changes or you’ve past that point where it doesn’t have priority anymore.
I swear this thing is probably 7 years old. My Grandmothers Flower Garden quilt was the perfect thing to do when I was waiting at the orthodontist, waiting for school to let out…waiting, waiting. You know…all those chunks of time where you think…..I could be doing something. Well I was….making about a gazillion little hexagons.
So, what do I do with them now? It occupies 2 drawers that has different projects just dying to take its place. The Flickr group I belong to is hosting a “Git R Done” quilt along and this was the first thing I thought of. I’m committed to freeing this poor project from its lonely home.
I found this pic online that looks like they have set the blocks in a quilt. This would be less daunting than finishing it the way I had started.
I could also use some of them for the sewing boxes in the Etsy store.
Paige found this cute pillowcase idea.
I feel sooo guilty about this project so I have to do something with it.
What do you guys think….suggestions?
I’m a list maker. Groceries, quilting, tasks, bills…you name it, I’ll list it.
I make a list at the beginning of each year with all the quilting /sewing projects I would like to accomplish. Of course some things get added, some taken off, but I try to complete the list before the new year rolls around. I actually get kinda excited about making the new list….i know…..nerdy, right?
Which brings me to the title of this post, Snowbound. The free BOM from Bunny Hill. I love Bunny Hill patterns and I love snowmen, so I had to do it! I spent the past 2 days working to try & finish it up.
Well, I ran out of fabric..ugh. And I’ve also changed my mind about the borders now, which is totally typical of me……another ugh…
I didn’t want to use “Christmas” fabric, so I used Riley Blake’s Just Dreamy and some Be Merry for the background. I love that turquoise snowflake background. I think its turning out cute…..maybe, oh I don’t know.
I ran out of the Be Merry words in the chain block, so now I gotta do some searching on Etsy.
Here’s the last 3 blocks I had left to complete.
And here’s the alternating blocks I was going to use.
Although by tomorrow I’m sure I will have completely changed my mind again……my final ugh…..
I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I know I did. I spent both Christmas Eve and Christmas with my friend Susan and her family. The season always seems to just fly by after Thanksgiving, but I’m kinda feeling like I’m glad its over. I’m really excited about the SewMod Etsy store, and now I will be better able to shift all my focus there.
I did want to show you what “Santa” brought me this year…I think you’ll like it.
From my talented mom…….
Can you believe that she made this in just about a month. She asked what I would like and I said this kit. I guess she knows by now that i would have eventually asked her to finish it for me anyway:)….thanks mom. I love it! I just hate to put it away for next fall.
She also sent me the new Amy Butler line Soul Blossoms.
This is what my mom-law sent. She must have been paying attention when I hinted about wanting the Moda Grunge. And this hand carved cardinal was with them.
My neighbors know I love to cook and am always sharing leftovers. I received two awesome cookbooks and a some new tools from Williams Sonoma.
There has already been a request for Banana Pie!
Our SewMod, SuperCool friend Kelly, is one luckie duckie. She recently moved into a loft in the city and left us behind in the suburbs:( So, she decided to have an estate sale and the SewMod group got first pickins’. I wasn’t about to miss that! She had a beautiful townhouse full of things she was selling. I thought I’d share what I brought home to live with me.
Isn’t this the coolest thing. I’ve never seen one of these. It sits beside the couch or bed and holds your work and threads. Then, when you’re finished, you just fold it back up! I wonder how old it is?
I also picked up this old quilt top. You can tell it was all hand stitched and definitely in pretty good condition. Just a few stains and a tear that I could probably repair. I originally brought it home to cut up and use on the sewing boxes I’m making for the shop, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.
I could just see her………after taking care of her family all day, finding time in the evening to sew on her quilt. Sitting by the fire stitching. Maybe she had one of these sewing “caddies” beside her couch too? I just can’t bring myself to take it apart.
It sounds like I spent too much of my childhood watching Little House on the Prairie:))
This was one of the feed sacks and some wool she had.
Not sure what I’m going to do with this box, but I wanted it too. If my sewing room was bigger, this would be awesome filled with different things, like buttons, thread….stuff like that.
Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed my show and tell! We’ve only got 2 more days till Christmas. I hope everyone’s ready! The only thing I have left is to make is the EggNog and the Red Velvet Cake……….yummmy:)
Have a Happy Christmas Eve y’all!
I’m pretty excited to show this super cute french embroidery book I ordered off Etsy. Ma vie a broder, My Life Embroidered.
I whipped up one of the designs and used it for a journal cover. The tutorial is from Bloom and was featured on the Moda Bake Shop. The original design was for a bakery, but Paige suggested embroidering our SewMod logo and making it a quilt shop instead. Great idea Paige because it turned out soooo cute. That’s what’s great about brainstorming with a friend!
I’m so glad I bought this book. These designs are so girly. Especially the clothesline scene. I find it’s rare when you love a book from front to finish.
I also plan on purchasing this book too. Doodle Stitching. 
But of course, I did check this one out from the library to preview it first. I spent one day this weekend making these headbands. Couldn’t have been easier either. I didn’t get a chance to make the embroidered one in the book because I got hooked on making them out of my scraps.
A 4-1/2″ x 18″ strip of fabric and a 5″ piece of elastic is all you need.
Start by sewing the fabric right sides together down the long edge.
Press the seam open. Turn right side out. Press the headband so that the seam is down the middle of the back.
Fold the ends in 1/4″ and press.
Fold the ends to a “V” and tuck the elastic in. Sew several times across to secure and repeat for the other side, making sure not to twist the headband.
Easy Peasy!
I sent the two OU Sooner ones home to my sis-in-laws to wear during the bowl game.
GO SOONERS!!
SewMod