Dual Use :: New Discovery

The past few days I've been trying to finish a 'secret' (hate that!) project that has consumed me. On top of that I'm in the process of setting up a designated sewing room for myself. Yay!  

With a move like that there are growing pains and just trying to adjust.  I spend so much time running between rooms for various things...scissors, glue, templates...it's a great way to get exercise, but a royal pain!

Then again, if I hadn't had to run back and forth I wouldn't have made a discovery!  It saved me one more trip to the other room and believe me I was over it in a big way. 



This is the tool.  We all have a personal connection to it and have had many occasions when it was used more often than we want to admit.  The good old, gotta have seam ripper. I've had this one for a few years now.  It's my favorite and works like a charm when a seam needs some attention.  Seam-fix by Dritz.  After ripping a seam the rubber tip is used to grab and remove the thread.  It works like a charm!

And it also works great for this...



Does this look familiar?  Batting or fabric stuck in your cutting mat after rotary cutting is an ugly mess!  There are all kinds of ways to deal with it.  Using a soft bristle brush, a rubber eraser or mild detergent and water to name a few.  My favorite method was to grab my eraser.  

Since I do a lot of improv piecing that doesn't require measuring, I flip my mat over and do the majority of cutting on the back.  I certainly helps to preserve the front for when lines, measuring and precision is required!

It doesn't take long for things to 'clog' up, so I try to keep it clean and lint free regularly. Today I had had enough running back and forth!  This darn cutting mat needed to be cleaned before I could continue my project.  I don't know how it happened, a moment of brilliance or dumb luck, but the second I saw my seam ripper with that amazing rubber tip I knew it was going to be my lucky day!



It worked like a charm!  I thought the eraser method was brilliant, this is so much better!  It's often the little things that amaze us the most.



The tufts of batting stick to the rubber end of the seam ripper making clean up a breeze! And speaking of clean...look at the mat!  



Are there any tools you use for something other than their intended use?  I love new discoveries!  

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Tips & Tutorials

Finishing Mini Mini WIP's :: And Thank You!

How often do you dread something so much that you put it off as often and as long as you can?  I do it all the time.  Stick my head in the sand and maybe it will go away.  But it doesn't.  We end up having to deal with it only to find that it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be!  

That would be me getting my wisdom teeth out!  The anticipation, the unknown, the stress...was...all...for...nothing!  The procedure took about 20 minutes from start to finish. The pain hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought it would be and seriously, I only got one milk shake out of the deal!  

I'd like to say thank you to everyone who wished me well and made the entire process a little less distasteful!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Since I wasn't as out of it as I thought I would be, I decided to finish a couple little projects that have been hanging around waiting for my undivided attention.  

MINI STAR THISTLE
6" X 6"

When I say little, I really mean Mini Mini!  This version of my 'Star Thistle' block finished at 6" square.  It needed quilting and of course dot to dot was the way to go.  

I've been without my big machine for just over a week, as it's in for a long over due deep cleaning.  It's usually the one I use for quilting, but with little pieces like this I can use my small machine.  

It does an acceptable job and I'm so glad I have a back up machine!

Another mini block that has 'hung' around on the old design wall is this little heart.

SCRAPPY HEART
4 3/4" 

The apricot/cantaloupe/orange/tangerine/peach colors are pretty scraps that should always be used together...so juicy good!



Grid quilting is always amazing, but tiny, tiny grid quilting is a amazing plus one!



Up close and personal quilt porn...which I haven't explored in what seems like a very, very long time!

Can you believe it's the end of October already?  Yikes!  You know what that means, don't you?!  Power gift making starts for those of us who put it off until the last minute!  What's on your list to make...I might be looking for ideas!

And...I have an idea!  But I can't really say anything about it just yet...it'll be fun...it'll be for you!  I love the Holidays!

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Main Crush Monday

Free Motion By The River

Sew Cute Tuesday

Gettin' My Fix

Here I go again!  More pot holders!  I tend take things to the edge and then back away when it gets too much to take.  Whether it's pot holders, fabrics, a certain color combination or new technique.  I like to explore every possibility and then use every last scrap...and then I'm done and can move on.

Feed Sack Pot Holders
8 1/4" x 8 1/4"

While looking through my feed sack stash for another project, I came across a pile of strips. Long and short, varying widths from 3/4" to 1 1/2".  It was time to either use them or toss them.



This set of pot holders are made up of 4" squares.  I randomly stitched strips until it was 5" or so and trimmed to the desired size.  The more feed sack prints and colors, the better!

Feed Sack Pot Holders
8 1/2" x 8 1/2"

I didn't realize I had so many strips, so I made two more sets!  One set with a yellow center and one with a red center.



The strip squares are 3" separated with a 3/4" white sashing and finished with a 1" border. 


They bring me back to my Grandma's kitchen!  You know...the good old days!

Last set, I promise!!

Feed Sack Pot Holders

8 1/2" x 8 1/2"

Eventually I'll share the real reason why these fabrics made it out of the closet!  Like I said...one thing leads to another!

I don't think I'm the only one who has to work there way through a stack of fabric until every piece is gone.  Am I?!  I might be a little obsessive sometimes!

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 Oh Scrap!

Fabric Frenzy

Finished or not Friday

Back To Hand Quilting

I've about hit my limit on hand stitching bindings on pot holders.  So, its time to get back to a little hand quilting.  The weather is becoming crisp in the evenings, the leaves are turning and falling by the bucket loads and snuggling up under a quilt with a small hand quilting project is calling my name.  

When I found this piece tucked away in my closet, I knew then and there it would be a fun project to hand quilt.

The possibilities were there!  I just needed the time and a free evening to get started with it.



The goal is not to go overboard and quilt it in to submission, just quilt it enough to enhance what is already there.  



I started with the mountains using the usual big stitch.  I often think one day I will try a new stitch...the same thing I say when I FMQ...until then, this is my stitch of choice!



Texture Happens!!  The further you get into it, the more stitches you do, the more the texture shows itself.



Hand quilting doesn't have to be perfect.  The stitches can vary.  Size isn't important. Perfection isn't the goal.  The end results are what matters.

That last part is how I think about hand quilting!  I don't know what the 'gold standard' is, I only know what I like.  It's more about the process.  

 

The back stitching I've heard, is suppose to look just like the front.  I try!  It never quite hits that mark!

I'm hoping to work on this more over the next couple days, maybe even finish it?!  Since I'll be laid up a couple days...  

Today I'm getting my wisdom teeth out.  Yes, it's true!  All four will be yoinked from my mouth today and frankly I'm not looking forward to it at all.  It seems a bit unfair that after all these years (and years and years) I have to part with them now!  There's a shift of power in my mouth...that is not going my way!  Hopefully once they are gone I'll finally be able to chew again, stop grinding my teeth and clenching my jaw.  Bring on the pain meds!  

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Let's Bee Social

Sew Cute

Needle & Thread