Happy day!

Hi all!

I decided that my new camera needed a case or bag of some kind and I remembered that one of my favourite blogs had a cute, but largish zippy bag tutorial, and you know that I'm all about trying free tutorials!!! The Bella Clutch, by Clover and Violet fit the bill! 

You can find the link on my Cute Tute links page.

I did change it up a bit. Remember all those 2.5" squares I cut with my AccuQuilt cutter the other day? I thought that since the tute called for 2.5" strips, I could substitute my squares. I made mine a bit longer, to account for the width of my camera.

I did some basic straight-line quilting in purple variegated thread, using my presser foot for the width from the seams. I am lining it in flannel, to protect the screen from scratches. I am making just one set of slip pockets(pink dice flannel scrap), and am making them deeper, as well. That way I can slip in a small pack of batteries, bank card, my keys and a pack of cigs. No need for a purse!

What do you think of the lime green zipper??? Now I have to sew it in, yikes!

Today is the day of our annual town-named festival. There is a parade(going on right now), as well as a bandstand for local bands, musicians and dance groups.  

There are tones of booths selling food and arts and crafts, as well as Community Service booths(i.e.; local Community Policing etc.). 

It is a beautiful hot, sunny day and the hubs and I are about to head over to the park to see the goings on!

Thanks so much for reading and have a great day!

Jacqueline

A cuttin' machine!

Hi peeps!

Here's a close-up of my appliqué wall-hanging I shared a few days ago.

I was in a cutting mood yesterday, so I got out my trusty AccuQuilt Go Baby and the Econo die(love it, has 3 different shapes to cut on the same die) and went to work on this pile of scraps from my stash!

They were sent to me by my dear, dear friend L in Arizona. She is a prodigious quilter and sends me a big box of her beautiful scraps a couple times a year. I love that peacock fabric near the middle of the pile! 

It looks like my hubs' empty booze bottles have done a little photo bombing!!! *sorry*

I got out my old loaf pans to keep the unruly piles of cuts from falling off my ironing board. I use my cutter on my ironing board as it is easier on my back, and I can place the board in front of the balcony doors to keep cool. I got a bunch of  2.5" HSTs, 2.5" squares and 4.5" squares done. I will probably add the 2.5" squares to my hexie shoebox for the Kid's quilt. I am thinking that the HSTs would make a great border for the Paper Bag charity quilt!

Here's an old pillowcase full of my off-cuts. Once it is full, I will sew the opening shut and donate to a local kitty cat shelter, for use as a kitty bed.

I had a hankering to make a Paper Bag quilt! Do you know what that is? You put your cut squares in a paper bag and mix it all up. Then you close your eyes and choose the next squares to piece together. I will be piecing mine with Kona-snow as my alternate, making a checkerboard quilt for charity. I still have A LOT of squares to cut(thank you Go Baby!!! It's one of the best investments I have ever made for quilting tools, other than rotary cutting supplies). I kinda over-did it yesterday, so have to take a breather today.

This is my sweet baby, GRACIE. She has had a bit of a rough time. She was the runt of her pack and never quite learned how to cover her litter box additions. She was two years old before she learned how to meow!!! She recently had a nasty infection and I really thought we were going to lose her, but she pulled through. Thank you, Lord Jesus!

I couldn't find GEORGE at the time of this post, so look forward to seeing a picture of him sometime soon.

It is such a beautiful day today, I think I will go outside and read a quilt mag in the shade!

Have a super day and thanks so much for reading!

Jacqueline

Crummy weather

Hi all!

So, I was planning to shoot a tutorial today, but the weather isn't cooperating…grrr…it is overcast and starting to rain. Bah…

I thought I would share a pic of my winnings, from the semi-annual Sew Mama Sew Giveaway. They arrived safe and sound and Tina, of Seaside Stitches, had included a nice little card, too! The tiny lapel pin is so sweet. I can't imagine foundation paper piecing such a small item! I think I will stick to my scrappy hexies!

I thought I would share a photo of my beloved Pffaf! She is Model# 7530-Quilt and Craft Pro. I have had her for over 14 years, can't believe how the time has flown by! She has quilted so many quilts and other crafty projects. Every once in a while, I think I will go ahead and get another machine, but she is such a good old gal, I really don't need to. 

I have never had a Bernina, but have lusted after them for sooo long…it is a Bucket List item!!!! 

Which kind of machine do you sew on?

The guy who lives behind us has been running his table saw all morning and now I've got a Migraine on deck.

See ya later,

Jacqueline

Got some Happy Mail!!

Hi peeps!

Look at this yummy fabric I got a few weeks ago from Fort Worth Fabric Studio! Those turtles are so darn cute I just couldn't help it!!! I am going to trim up some flour sack towels with the coffee bean and apple prints. I bought what they had left(3 yds) of that juicy Amy Butler print and might make myself a Washi Dress for the summer. 

See what they give you in your order? Some hot choco(this brand is hard to find up here) and a nice, thick pen. My order was wrapped in a clear plastic bag(not a zip-top one though), and sealed with a sticker. Yay!

I did get my coordinating Fabric Boxes done yesterday. I wanted to see if I could make a tall one for my scissors and a large spool of thread. I made the 10" square, then measured 2" in from the corners to make it skinny. 

It was a bit fiddly to sew down the inner flaps and sew on the buttons, as I have kind of big hands, but I managed! As you can see, I totally changed my ideas on the buttons. I think the little red ones are super-cute!

Here they are with my cute scissors that were sent to my by a friend in England. I am so, so, sorry, I don't know how to make my pics stand up straight!! If anyone knows how, please comment!!! Thanks!

I dug this book out of my sewing room and did up some tea towels for my Dad for Father's Day.

It has tons of well-photographed stitch how-tos.

I would love, love to learn how to make a Bullion Rose. So pretty!

Here are my ideas for trimming the towels; the red paisley is too dark and I am leaning towards the antique toys print. Any thoughts? I'd love some help on this one. The prob with the Debbie Mumm stars print is that I don't have much of it, so the trimmed edge might be a little skimpy.

This is my one and only finished hand appliqué project. Just not my thing I guess. I have large, fat hands and find needle-turn too fiddly.

A gratuitous shot of some hexies I did last night.

I store my basted hexies in a plastic shoe box from the dollar store. I wedge them in there tight so they self-press. No ironing for me on this project!!! I can fit about 1,000 hexies into the box and when it gets full, I dump them in a large, clear plastic bag.

I am ready for my close-up, Mr. Deville!!! Ha ha ha 

They look so good, just like a handful of potato chips! YUM!

I am off to sit in the shade,

Thanks for reading,

Jacqueline

A sunny saturday afternoon

Hi all!

I had a lovely morning sewing(while emptying the dishwasher and other nasty things like that!), and am at the halfway point on the fabric boxes tutorial I shared with you last week(link on Cute Tutes page).

These are the two fabrics I've chosen, as well as some buttons I am auditioning. Not sure which ones I'll go with yet...

One of the fatties had the designer's name printed on it, but the other did not. Love my little vintage fruit nappy, perfect for holding tidbits!

Can you see my shadow on the turquoisey-green fabric??? 

I wanted the quilting to show up a little, so I chose some Antique Gold-coloured thread. I hope to finish them up tomorrow(best laid plans... *wink*).

I was a naughty girl and did a little online retail therapy at Fabricworm. It arrived on my doorstep Friday. Happy Mail!!! I have plans for the black print, bias plaid and the teal, but bought the remaining 4 yards of the oh-so-colourful block print just because! It is in all my go-to colours, so it will be used! I am thinking maybe a scrappy BOM??? All the fabric arrived enclosed in a large, sturdy ziplock-style bag. That will be re-purposed as soon as I get the fabric into my stash. No, sorry, no pictures of the stash…it's embarrassing to say the least! hee hee hee

So I decided to jump on the blogosphere bandwagon and got the Sew Together Bag pattern by Michelle Tucker of Sew Demented. I just had to have that pattern! It is a great little zip-up organizer…perfect for my paper piecing supplies. I first heard about it on several of the blogs I follow and then again during the Sew Mama Sew semi-annual giveaway. I am a little concerned about installing all those zippers, but the 14 page pattern(it's a PDF) has loads of info. You can get your copy here.

Here's another sneak preview of the giant hexie quilt(I have to wait for the hubs' help to photograph the entire quilt):

You can see the border fabric in this one. I decided to sew the border on by hand as well, so now I can say it is pieced entirely by hand.

And this is the backing fabric. The gingham check is 1/4". 

Initially, I bought 6 yards(it is 57" wide), but by the time I finished the quilt, I realized that I needed much more. The Lord was in my corner, as I found the online store I'd bought the original piece from(they had moved their store to Etsy) and they had some left! Can you believe that? I bought what they had and now have enough! Happy story!

That's all for me folks!

Happy sewing,

Jacqueline

A new addition...

Hi all! 
I'd like to welcome my new followers! Feel free to share with your friends.

Soooo….guess what the UPS lady brought me last night??? Woo-hoo!!!! My purple camera has arrived!!! I have finally joined the 21st century! 
Thanks, hubs!

Now I can show you a few things…

This is my shoe box, get it? S.H.O.E. B.O.X. (*wink*). This is where I keep my pre-cut fabric for hexies.

 This is a view of what's inside.

These are my new quilting and embroidery books that my guys gave me for Mother's Day! Aren't I spoiled???

Last night before bed I decided to do a little rummaging through my fat quarters. I wanted to pick 2 coordinating ones to make the quilted fabric box mentioned the other day. Found them and then started playing in my huge glass button jar(it used to be a Biscotti jar, I love to re-purpose!)…well, the hubs gets out of bed and comes roaring into my sewing room, hollering "do you know how loud you are being?". It never occurred to me that my mindless fondling of all and sundry buttons was irritating the poor man! What could I do? I had to find some matching buttons, and yes, I did have to do it at that moment! He was not amused….

This is sneak preview #1 of the giant hexie quilt. Little blurry I know, I must learn to not breathe when I take pics!

This is sneak preview #2 of the giant hexie quilt! I love those blocks with the kitty cat faces and the one with the cactus.

Had my appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon yesterday. Turns out I have 'early' Arthritis in my knee and nothing can be done about it, surgery-wise. He gave me a physiotherapy exercise to do and told me to lose weight. Not so helpful, but I will do the exercise and cut back on the sweets. Groan…

The kid got called back for a second interview at the cinema, so he is quite excited and so are we!

It is a beautiful day, so I am going to have the hubs unearth my lounger and have a rest under the tree with my new quilting books.

Has anyone got any new books lately? I'd love to hear about them!

Thanks for reading and have a great one,

Jacqueline

Next small project

Hi all! Thanks for stopping by!

This is what's up next for me. Tina, of Seaside Stitches, has shared a great tutorial for these cute little fabric boxes. You can make them in lots of sizes and they are great for holding all sorts of goodies! I will be making at least one, cuz I really need to tidy my sewing areas…as Mr. Quilt, Sew Happy can attest!

Here is the link: Fabric Box Tutorial. This will take you to the page of the tutorial, but do stick around and have a look at the blog!

A person, who shall remain nameless, is selling the pattern for this tutorial on Craftsy, for $6. I am mentioning this as her photos and finished project are the same as Tina's tutorial, yet make no mention of Tina or her blog, Seaside Stitches. Craftsy won't do anything to help her. Just wanting to get this out there, so people know!

I want to thank those of you who have become readers and followers of my blog. Please be patient, my new camera is wisking it's way to me as we speak! Believe me, I am more impatient than you all! I wanna show you stuff!

Thanks for reading and please share with your friends!

Jacqueline

Next in line

Hello all! 
Happy Memorial Day weekend to my American friends!

I thought I would show you what is next in line, as far as large projects go. This is Impromptu, by the very sweet Rachel Griffiths of ps. I quilt. She has a great website with lots of free tutorials and her pattern shop. You can get the downloadable pattern here. It uses a layer cake and yardage, but I am planning to use up some of my stash of fat quarters, and yardage from my bolt of Kona-snow.

It is cold and rainy, a perfect day to press my hexie quilt. So I am going to hit the ironing board. Sure wish I had the above iron. I do have a Rowenta, but it is about 13 years old. It still works well, but who could resist such a fabulous racy BLUE iron!!!!

That's all for me today, thanks for reading!

Jacqueline

Just a wee note

Hi all!

Look what I won in the latest SEW MAMA SEW GIVEAWAY!

This is a mug rug, key fob and cute little FPP lapel pin! These were made and offered up for grabs by the lovely Tina @ Seaside Stitches. Have a look at her fun website and tell her I sent you! I can't wait till they arrive!. Now I have 2 things to wait for…

Netflix was on the fritz last night so no binge-watching for us. The hubs found a Criminal Minds marathon, so we watched that until Lewis came on(PBS) at 9.         

Got a bunch more hexies basted. I have to say that I am now used to the(much smaller) seam allowance on the hexie pieces I cut with my AccuQuilt Hexie die.

That's all for me today,

Jacqueline

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A job interview...

Hi peeps!

My teenaged son had his first ever job interview last night. It is for the local cinema, which would be awesome as it is a 5 minute walk from home. Please send good thoughts! I will be keeping my fingers and toes crossed!

This is a pic of the almost 4,000 basted hexies that I used in the King hexagon quilt. At this stage, I had already sewn them into 'triplets'. The photo is not the greatest, having being taken on the kiddo's iPad. In the corner is yardage of some really nice white muslin, ordered from Hancock's of Paducah online. Also some jelly roll strips for a Strip Disco quilt, cut them out of my stash.

Connecting Threads is having a great sale…and their wonderful house-brand threads are on sale too @ $1.95(and it's a big spool)! They are backordered on white and red, but those colours are supposed to arrive before the thread sale ends on June 16. I use this thread(it is 50-weight) for most of my piecing and hexie basting. It is very smooth.

I have been ordering from them for years, and they have a great selection and customer service is superb.

You may wonder why I order a lot of things online…we live in a small town and the nearest fabric store is over a hour's drive away, and it is only a chain fabric store at that. The nearest LQS is not local to me at all, so I do most of my purchases online. Due to certain medications I take for my chronic illnesses, I do not drive anymore. So getting to a LQS is almost impossible, at this moment.

I have included the CT sale email for your perusal. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading and follow your star!

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