Steel Scraps

I Won!

2011-04-05T12:12:00.000-04:00

I received good news in my inbox this morning!

I was a Bonus Prize Winner in the February FabShopHop and won a $100 gift certificate from Bug Fabric.

I am so exited about this. I have been making fabric postcards for swaps lately and Bug Fabric has a great selection of fabric available to use for backgrounds, the illusion of texture etc, and almost all the fabric is available as FQs.

This is not the first time I have won a prize in the FabShopHop. I have won a few $10 gift certificates and also a first prize fabric bundle.

Can't wait to pick out the fabric!

Neil Pasricha: The Three A's of Awesome

2011-01-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

Easy Magnetic Scrap Fabric Bookmark Tutorial

2010-10-13T17:27:00.020-04:00

I heard about magnetic bookmarks and wanted to make a couple for gifts. I looked for a tutorial online but couldn't find a simple one that used the materials I had at hand, mainly fabric scraps and old magnetic business cards stuck on the side of my fridge. :-)

Right after I figured out an easy way to make them I read on Patchwork Times that Judy is having a Hand Made Gifts contest.

I want a chance to win so I decided to write a new tutorial for these neat little bookmarks. They will be great tucked in a gift book or with a bookstore gift card. My first two are going to my Halloween loving daughter as a "just because" gift.

Here's what you need:

Two 2" X 3" pieces of 2-sided fusible stabilizer (I used Peltex)
1/2 of a magnetic business card cut into 2 pieces
Two strips of fabric at least 2" X 7"
Glue to stick the magnets on
Sewing machine

Directions:

Place the two pieces of stabilizer (rough side facing up) on your ironing board about 1/4 inch apart

Cover with fabric strip and fuse

Turn over, remove cellophane, cover with second fabric strip and fuse

Trim extra fabric off the ends and trim the sides if needed

Zigzag or decorative stitch around the edge. Glue the magnets on each end so they stick together when the bookmark is folded in half

Back of the Door Organizer

2010-08-04T09:44:00.002-04:00

My new cutting table is made of four base cabinets fastened together in a 2 X 2 grid and topped with a piece of plywood. Each cabinet has a drawer. When I started unpacking my sewing supplies I filled one drawer with my stash of fusible interfacing, freezer paper, craft fuse etc. It seemed like a waste of drawer space. I remembered seeing a picture of a door mounted organizer online in a picture of someone's sewing room and decided I would try to make one.

The door holder I sized it for ended up being too weak and I had to swap with another so the hanging tabs don't fit quite right.

New Sewing Room & Fabric Art Postcard Display

2010-08-03T09:07:00.008-04:00

I have a new sewing room. It seems like it has taken forever but I am almost through putting things away and organizing it. It isn't very big but it is all mine for my quilting stuff. I have used it for a few small projects and it is absolutely wonderful to be able to leave work out instead of packing it away at dinner time. The time saved is amazing!

I have participated in a few postcard swaps and enjoy making and receiving the cards. Up until now, they were displayed for awhile on the shelf above my desk, then tucked away in a drawer. I had a wall space in my new room that looked very bare but wasn't good for shelving. I came up with this idea for a postcard display.

We had to buy the wood and my husband painted it for me, we stapled the fabric strips on the back, the postcards are held in place with thumbtacks so they are removable. The thumbtacks are secured with tie tack clutches on the back. I bought a bunch of the clutches on eBay. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I might glue some old buttons to the thumbtacks......

I am looking forward to the next postcard exchange!

Rag Rug Update - After Washing

2010-04-23T14:02:00.006-04:00

I promised I would post an update to my Rag Rug Tutorial after I washed the rug.

Here's a picture after one washing in a top loading washer.

It was on the floor in front of the sink for about 3 months before I washed it so it received heavy wear.

This is easily my favorite of all the different kinds of rag rugs I have made. It stays flat, and is very cushy to stand on. It traps dirt and pet fur and is easily shaken out in between washings.

Look What Was In My Mailbox Today!

2010-02-18T13:35:00.004-05:00

I don't buy too many new quilting books but I have wanted Liberated Quilting for what seems like forever. Unfortunately, it has been out of print for some time and used copies are very expensive. I was ecstatic when I saw Liberated Quilting II was available for pre-order. It came today! As soon as I finish the chores I have on my list I am going to settle in for a good read.

Worth Hearing

2010-02-09T20:39:00.001-05:00

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

Tissue Holder Purse Pouch Tutorial

2010-02-01T14:09:00.015-05:00

I was spending too much time rummaging through the contents of my purse trying to find hand sanitizer or wipes. The idea came to me that if I grouped similar items together in fabric pouches I would be able to find what I wanted faster. I made one pouch and dumped out the contents of my purse to see what else might fit in there with the hand sanitizer. Lip balm, small tin of Advil, bandaids all seemed good choices. Then I saw my fabric tissue holder and realized my newly made pouch was already obsolete. To make the pouch truly useful I needed to incorporate a tissue holder. Here is what I finally ended up with.

I made about 25 of these to use up the batiks I love so much but don't really want to make a quilt with. I will be giving a bunch away as Valentine's day gifts.

To make one, you only need a 6" WOF strip and a small scrap for the trim. You can make one out of a FQ too, with plenty of scraps left over for your next scrappy quilt. The tissue holder also forms a pocket on the front of the pouch.

If anyone decides to make one, let me know if the instructions were clear.

Tissue Holder Purse Pouch

Use 1/4" seams

Materials needed:

6" WOF strip main fabric (selvedge removed)
Scrap piece for trim 3 3/4" X 6"

28" of cord for the drawstrings

Cutting The 6” Strip

With the 6" WOF strip folded in half, make a cut 5 3/4" from end to make two 5 3/4” X 6" pieces

Cut the doubled strip again at 14" to make two 5" X 14 " pouch pieces

Out of the remainder cut 1 piece 2 1/2" X 6"

Sew the 3 3/4" X 6" trim piece to 2 1/2" X 6" main fabric piece, right sides together along 6" side

Press seam to main fabric side and fold in half. Fold 5 3/4" X 6" piece in half with wrong side together. Press both pieces.

Place rectangle with trim on 5" X 6" piece right sides together and aligning the raw edges ( Folded side is in the middle)

Place the other rectangle on the opposite side with raw edges together. The two rectangles overlap in the middle.

Sew 1/4" seam on the 5" side

Press open.

Fold side without trim down, matching the bottom corner.

Fold trim side down, matching the bottom corner. Press

Place on a 5" X 14" piece with raw edges together at the bottom. Right sides face up on both pieces.

Place the other 5"X14 " piece on top, right side together. Pin with a few pins.

Sew around 3 sides leaving top open.

Turn right side out and use a pointy object to push out the corners.

Turn under about 1/4" on top and sew shut.

Push liner into pouch, use pointy object to match corners at the bottom. Press

Top stitch around top edge and again about 3/8" to 1/2" down to form casing for drawstrings.

Using a seam ripper remove the stitching between the casing on both side seams. Use a small safety pin, thread the 14" cords through for the drawstrings. The cord goes in and out the same hole. One cord for each side.

Rag Rug Tutorial Using 2" Squares

2010-01-20T17:06:00.007-05:00

A few people wanted to know how to make one of these rugs.

I started with a piece of upholstery fabric that measured about 20" by 28". Other people have mentioned that denim is often used for the base and I think that is a very good idea.

I put a piece of striped cotton fabric on top to eliminate the need to draw lines. The lines on the striped fabric are a tad more than 1/2" apart. You might be able to avoid using lines by butting the presser foot up to the previous row but needed the lines to keep me going fairly straight and would either use a striped fabric as a guide or take the time to draw lines.

I sewed the two fabrics together by stay stitching around the edge.

I started in the middle, but would not do that again. Next time, I will start with the empty fabric to the right.

Fold a 2" square in half to form a triangle. Put the fold at the top and the tip on the line and stitch a few stitches. Put your next triangle on top. They are about a 1/4" apart but I didn't measure when I made the rug, just sewed a few stitches and added the next triangle.

I found it easiest to use my machine's knee lift for the presser foot and the stop/go button instead of the foot pedal.

My rug used about 4000 two inch squares. I cut them using a regular rotary cutter blade but someone suggested a pinking blade and I think that is a very good idea.

Other people said they have used double knits for this type of rug.

I am not sure how this will hold up after being washed and will post a report here after it has been washed.

UPDATE: Here is a picture of the rug after 1 wash

My Rag Rug is Finally Finished!

2010-01-18T17:26:00.003-05:00

I have been working on this rag rug on and off for at least two weeks. I started it to thin out the scrap bin. It was bulging with fabric so I took out everything that was of lesser quality and also every fabric I was sick of looking at. I cut it all into 2 inch squares, I had a very large shoebox full.

I cut a piece of upholstery fabric about 20" by 28" and sewed a piece of striped cotton on top so I wouldn't need to draw lines. One by one, I folded the squares in half to form a triangle and sewed them on the backing in rows. It took about 50 rows to cover the base with about 80 squares in each row. That's about 4000 squares, approximately ten yards of fabric.

Hopefully it will wash well and last a long time.

Finally now I can get back to quilting!

Cold!

2010-01-03T14:13:00.003-05:00

It's cold, really cold. 10 degrees but feels like 12 below with the wind chill. Our weather is supposed to stay like this for a week, then it is going to get colder. Guess it could be worse, we only got a little snow.

The Day After......

2009-12-26T11:06:00.005-05:00

I had a wonderful Christmas.

I am so spoiled! The family gave me too many presents, a bunch of them quilting related.

My daughter gave me a huge box full of fabric remnants and pieces! She said the lady at the quilt store sold her the box for $10. I can't believe how much fabric is in that box.

We had a lot of fun looking through the box.

She also gave me a new June Tailor Shape Cut because she noticed mine was broken and taped, two stacks of fat quarters and a Brain Age game for the Wii.

That girl is really something! She loves every quilt I make. (Last semester she earned a 4.0 too!)

My husband gave me a gift card for Joanns and a whole stack of DVDs. A Marx Brother movie collection (with my favorite, Duck Soup), The 3rd season of The Muppet Show, A Looney Tunes Cartoon set, plus a bunch of old English horror films starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. He also gave me a June Tailor Shape Cut, a new rotary cutter and a 9 1/2 inch square ruler.

My son bought me 4 more gigs of memory for my computer and will install it for me. He says it will make it run faster, especially if I decide to play WOW this winter.

We all had a fun day, listening to music, opening presents, eating, drinking and playing games.

Today, there is a load of fabric in the washer and leftovers in the fridge.

Life is good.

A Quilty Christmas!

2009-12-25T10:29:00.001-05:00

With apologies to Clement Moore.......

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
  Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
  The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,  
Made by the quilter that resided in there;  
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,  
Covered in quilts right up to their heads;  
Mamma made her 'kerchief, and also my cap,  
We just settled down for a long winter's nap,  
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
  I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.  
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
  Jumped over some remnants and tripped on some stash.  
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
  Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,  
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,  
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,  
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,  
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.  
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,  
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
  "Now, Moda! now, Hoffman! now, Miller and Windham!  
On, Northcott! on Clothworks! on, Marcus and Mumm!  
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!  
Now stash away! stash away! stash away all!"  
As small scraps that before the wild hurricane fly,  
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,  
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,  
With the sleigh full of fabric, and St. Nicholas too.  
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof  
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.  
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,  
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
  He was dressed all in Patchwork, from his head to his foot,  
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;  
A bundle of scraps he had flung on his back,
  And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
  His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!  
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!  
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,  
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;  
The stump of a seamripper he held tight in his teeth,  
And the thread it encircled his head like a wreath;  
He had a broad face and a little round belly,  
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.  
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,  
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;  
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,  
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;  
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,  
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,  
And laying his finger aside of his nose,  
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
  He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,  
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.  
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
  "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

I Won First Prize In the FabShop Hop!

2009-12-23T12:38:00.005-05:00

Early in December I had a bad cold and spent a few afternoons visiting online quilting stores looking for the FabShopHop bunny. I can't believe it but I actually won one of the first prize packages. They sent me an email saying they would ship my package (worth $175) in a couple of days.

You can win more than once so I will be looking for the bunnies again when I have time. The next contest starts New Year's Day.

Mourning Doves

2009-11-20T10:34:00.003-05:00

This pair of Mourning Doves have been visiting out bird feeder all summer. They are always together and usually spend all their time on the ground. Today for some reason they sat on one of the bird baths for almost an hour.

Super Flowers

2009-11-16T10:16:00.003-05:00

We been working out in the yard a little everyday, getting everything ready for winter and raking leaves. We have had fairly mild days here lately but some of the nights have been in the 20's. I noticed a few flowers still in bloom here and there. The flowers around them are dead but somehow these have managed to hang on.

3D Rail Crumb Quilt

2009-11-15T14:26:00.003-05:00

This is the quickest I have finished any quilt I think.

When Less Equals More - Fabric Scraps, Strips, & Crumbs

2009-11-08T10:42:00.014-05:00

I will have a dedicated sewing room soon, but for now, I sew in the dining room. I store all of my fabric in the attic except for two medium size tubs of scraps, one for crumbs, the other for scraps smaller than a fat quarter and a small stack of 10 inch squares to use for backings.

A couple weeks ago I realized the bin for larger scraps was stuffed full so I decided to cut some patches for a few scrappy quilts and try to use up enough scraps to make a dent in that tub. I promised myself I would finish each quilt completely before moving on to the next. Going to the attic for border, background, backing, binding and sashing or framing fabric would be legal though.

I like a lot of variety in my scrap quilts so I only cut a few patches out of each fabric in a few sizes, 4.5 inch squares for an Indian Hatchet quilt, 3 X 5 inch bricks for a Nickel Brick quilt, 2 X 5 inch strips for a Rail Fence quilt and 2.5 and 2 inch squares just because. The result after a few afternoons of cutting was 2 shoe box size containers of ready to go pieces and a slightly fuller crumb bin. For some reason the bin for larger scraps looked about the same but the top did fit on easier.

I started the Indian Hatchet quilt first and when my daughter (who loves scrappy but does not quilt herself) saw it, she wanted it for a TV watching snuggle quilt.

I finished it about a week ago.

When I went to look for the stack of squares to make the back of the Indian Hatchet quilt, I unearthed a stash of crumb blocks I squirreled away after I used a bunch for this quilt. I decided I needed to make another quilt from them because the crumb bin was pretty full and soon I would be making some new crumb blocks to try to empty that bin a bit. I decided on this pattern, which was really fast and easy.

But it still left me with this stack of crumb blocks which fill another shoebox container.

And I needed more 10 inch squares for the backing so I had to get some fabric from the attic.

Of course, after I cut the squares there were scraps left over which filled the bin with the larger scraps past the point of closing easily.

I am right back where I started except now I have 3 shoebox size bins full of ready to go pieces in addition to the two medium size tubs.

Rail Fence Quilt For Family Reunion Auction

2009-08-24T10:00:00.005-04:00

Last year I had everyone at my family reunion sign a piece of fabric. I put them all together in a Rail Fence quilt and took it to this year's reunion for the Chinese auction.

I hand basted it using Sharon Schamber's method. (I recommend it highly, she has made a painful process so much easier.) I quilted it on my DSM.

The back was pieced with large squares, an idea I got from Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville. I really like the look and it uses the smaller pieces of fabric I already own instead of having to buy a big piece of new fabric.

First Pond Lily This Summer

2009-08-17T12:34:00.003-04:00

June and July were record breaking cool so our pond lily didn't grow the way it usually does. We finally got some hot weather and a bloom. I see two more buds. Hard to believe that summer here is almost over.

The back pond is very shady and even on hot days it is pleasant to sit back there and read or work on a project.

The small pond gets more sun so on a hot day it is only comfortable in the morning. Great place for coffee.

Skunked!

2009-07-06T11:20:00.010-04:00

We have attracted wildlife into backyard ever since we turned it into a mini oasis. We really enjoy the birds, squirrels and chipmunk but late last night we had a nocturnal black and white striped invader of the stinky persuasion.

The biggest two of our three dogs tried to run the unholy marauder off and lost the battle before it had barely begun.

Both big dogs hate the bathtub and are very disobedient so it took two strong men to get them into the bathroom, and another swift runner to drive to the grocery store to buy more peroxide and baking soda.

(Thank goodness for 24 hour groceries and the genius that came up with this simple recipe that really works to get rid of skunk odor)

So, during the beginning hour of my birthday, I am locked in a tiny bathroom with two extremely stinky 90 pound dogs and my DD (she deserves a medal). Both hounds are plotting their escape, waiting for an unguarded moment when someone opens the door so they can run through the house and spread their skunky odor.

(As much as the two big dogs want to get out of the bathroom, the small dog, for some strange reason, wants to get in.)

I had enough de-scenting ingredients for the first dog, and he is de-skunked, rinsed, (why isn't there any water pressure on the hand held sprayer?) shampooed, and rinsed again, (why isn't there any water pressure on the hand held sprayer?)and passed off to DD for drying.

The second dog is nervously panting, further heating the small space with his hot doggy breath, while he waits his turn in the tub.

By this time all I can smell is skunk and the bathroom and I are a mess of water and dog fur.

Eventually, the runner returns with the needed supplies and the second dog is de-skunked, rinsed, (why isn't there any water pressure on the hand held sprayer?) shampooed, and rinsed again (why isn't there any water pressure on the hand held sprayer?). I let my guard down for a second (probably to wipe the water and fur from my face) and the old doggy fool manages to leap from the tub at the exact second my daughter opens the door to come in to dry him. He ran down the hall and stairs dripping water with DD in hot pursuit. No one would have believed that such an old dog with hip problems could move so fast.

I cleaned up the bathroom, took a shower and returned to my comfy chair. The yard and house still reek of skunk, DH tried to remedy the problem while I was dealing with the dogs by spraying room freshener everywhere. Unfortunately, the product he used is one I should have thrown away because I think it smells just as bad as the skunk. The combination of both smells is not at all pleasant.

DS brought me a delicious birthday martini, it took the edge off me but not off the smell.

Super Fast Square In A Square Quilt

2009-06-28T13:19:00.007-04:00

I finally remembered to take a picture of the Square In A Square top I was working on this past winter. I used Anita Grossman Solomon's method, Here is her video that describes how it works. I just used scraps and didn't try to match anything as long as there was contrast. I would like a design wall so I could play around a bit more with block placement.

I have been working on a miniatures garden. I was going to put a rock garden in a place we normally planted annuals, but then I happened to see miniature plants and trees at a garden store and was instantly hooked. This picture is after I planted the plants, the name tags are still in because I wanted to use the picture to draw a diagram so later I will know which plant is which. I am going to the beach sometime this week to get some small stones for a path and accents. I already had the little flower pot and mini gnome.

Gardens = Much Less Quilting

2009-06-10T18:33:00.004-04:00

The weather here in upstate NY has been a bit cooler than normal this spring. We finally have finished our planting for this year and are looking forward to some nice warm days to while away in the shade.

Easy Way to Mark Multiple Squares For HST

2009-02-22T15:56:00.004-05:00

I was marking squares for HST and I thought of a faster way to do it.

I lined the points of three squares up on a line then lined the ruler up on the same line and marked all three at once.

Mushrooms

2009-02-07T16:31:00.005-05:00

Today was mushroom day!

My daughter recently joined a mycology club and needed something mushroomy to take to their annual dinner / auction. I made two postcards first, then decided to make a 2 pot holders too as long as the fabric was already out.

Magic Crumb Scrap Quilt Tutorial

2009-01-20T09:35:00.017-05:00

I combined two ideas in my Magic Crumb quilt, Crumb Squares and the Disappearing 9 Patch

My crumb squares are 6 inches but any size will work. You need 4 crumb squares for each Magic Crumb Block

(These measurements assume you are using 6 inch crumb squares)

The contrasting fabric is cut in 4 1/2 inches strips.

For each Magic Crumb block you need:

2 patches that are 4.5 inches by 6 inches

1 strip 4.5 inches by 14.5 inches.

Don't use any crumb block that has the same color on the edge as your contrasting fabric (in the middle seems fine).

Sew them together so they look like this:

Cut the block half through the middle (2 inches from the seam)

Rotate the mat and cut through the middle again. Now your block is in four pieces

Rotate the top left corner and bottom right corner 180 degrees so it looks like this:

Sew the block back together.

That's it! Easy huh. I am thinking this setting would be great for an I Spy Quilt too.

Crumb Block Quilt

2009-01-19T11:46:00.006-05:00

I finished piecing together some crumb blocks using a modified version of the disappearing 9 patch. I'm satisfied with the way it turned out.

I made enough of these blocks last year to make at least 2 of these tops. And now my crumb bin is getting full again.

I had some requests for instructions so I put a tutorial here.

Chicken Pincushions with Thread Caddy Nests

2008-12-15T11:09:00.013-05:00

I love chicken pincushions, I modified the instructions here and here (I like prairie point combs and mine are bigger because I have so many 5 inch squares to use up) and made a few awhile ago.

My SIL won one at the family reunion. I was happy to see her using it when I went to visit. She had put it in a little bowl with some thread and it looked so cute because the bowl reminded me of a nest, which reminded me of another pincushion I had made a couple of.

I combined the two ideas.

My nest edges are pinked to eliminate binding and I used safety pins between the spools.

Rag Quilt Foot Warmer

2008-12-08T16:13:00.004-05:00

It is so cold here today. My feet freeze when I am sitting at my computer. I had a few rag quilt squares left over so I put them together to make a rag quilt rice pad foot warmer. I think I will make a few nicer ones for the cold footed among my family and friends.

Japanese Knot Bags

2008-12-08T10:42:00.003-05:00

I finished these cute little bags a couple weeks ago but just got around to taking a picture. Fast to make and each uses only 2 fat quarters. I found the pattern here: Japanese Knot Bag

Sudoku Quilt Finish (Almost 1 Year Later)

2008-12-01T11:30:00.004-05:00

I finished quilting my Sudoku quilt a couple weeks ago but just got around to taking a picture. I started this quilt almost a year ago. It is hard to tell from the picture but the border fabric is Sudoku puzzles. I procrastinated so long putting the borders on that I saw this fabric at a Joann's and swapped it for the original.

The front was made with FQs my daughter gave me last Christmas, the back is pieced from my bargain basement garage sale fabric. It was my second quilt quilted on a rented long arm.

6 Fat Quarter Bag

2008-12-01T10:57:00.003-05:00

I made this bag using a pattern from the book, Fat Quarter Quilts by M'Liss Rae Hawley. I didn't use FQs but adapted it to use some fabric pieces my daughter won at a quilt show. It is a very big bag. To fill it out for the picture we put my newly finished Sudoku quilt inside. And it still has more room! It is an easy bag to make. If you used fat quarters it would taking 6 for the outside and almost 2 yards of fabric for the lining.

Very Halloweenie Quilt

2008-11-08T18:17:00.005-05:00

I finally finished my daughter's Halloween quilt. I rented time on a HQ Sixteen machine to quilt it. It was a lot of fun. The back is pieced too.

It's a Jungle Out There

2008-10-28T15:59:00.010-04:00

It was a strange day yesterday.

Here is some background.

I live in a suburb but only a few blocks from the city line. The houses in my neighborhood are older, mostly built in the 20's & 30's and the yards are tiny as was common back then. If you could look over the back fence you would see a drugstore. (Luckily, big trees block the view) Our backyard is about 60' by 80' and includes a deck, a stone patio, another cement slap patio, a small shed and a driveway with firewood stacked on it. The rest of the yard is gardens, with a stone path and two water features. One of them is about 8' by 10' and has some goldfish that were feeder fish and one koi in it. We have some frogs too and they live in both water features

My husband, Roger, is retired and likes feeding the fish during the summer and he also feeds the birds even though we mostly have sparrows. His fish grew incredibly over the summer.

Yesterday morning my daughter's friend was looking out the sliding door to the deck and says, "Pat, there's a crane or something in your yard."

I think, crane? What is he talking about? I looked out the door and saw this huge heron standing about 20 feet away on the path. I start yelling, " Heron! Heron!" The bird must have heard me screeching through the glass and tried to fly off but couldn't get enough altitude before the fence. He landed on top of that and then took to the sky. The wing span on this bird had to be about 6' . It looked ridiculous in my tiny yard.

When my husband went out to check his fish, he found two dead goldfish and didn't see any of the others including his koi. We are hoping they are still hiding under the floating plants but realistically I think the bird probably ate them. The weather here has been cold so the fish go into a hibernation state and catching one would be as easy a pulling a pickle out of a barrel. Sigh.

Later in the day, Roger told me to look and see how many sparrows where sitting on our deck railing. They were lined up all around the deck, looking at the house. They do this when the feeder is empty. I told him he better fill the feeder because they are used to it and depend on it now. He filled the feeder and a bit later we were watching them push and shove each other trying to get to the food. All the sudden a huge bird (not as big as a heron but still pretty large) swoops in and lands on top of the feeder post. All the sparrows take to the sky and big bird sits there long enough to tell it was a hawk of some kind. He didn't manage to get a sparrow for lunch.

I was afraid to look out he window for the rest of the day. I didn't want to see anybody eating somebody else. Eeeek!

This morning, I looked out of my 2nd floor bedroom window at the back yard and I'll be darned if that grey heron was back again. It was sitting next to the little water feature. I tried to take a picture but it took off again, this time in the opposite direction so it had more room before the fence. I got a very blurry picture.

I guess he didn't eat all the fish yesterday. I looked it up on the internet and found it was a Grey Heron.

Gizmo To Keep The Matching Bobbin with the Spool

2008-10-20T16:33:00.011-04:00

I was changing the thread on my machine and started thinking about a better way to keep the bobbin with the matching thread.

I came up with this easy-to-do idea and thought I would share.

You will need:

Some elastic cord and buttons with holes big enough for the cord to fit through. My spool used about 10 inches of cord.

Thread the cord through the two holes in the button and tie the ends together in a knot.

Thread the cord through the spool and the bobbin and slip the end over the button.

Fabric Postcards

2008-09-17T16:11:00.012-04:00

I finally tried making a couple of fabric postcards. I received a book about them for Christmas. It takes me awhile to get up the courage to try new things. (I still haven't read the book.)

Playing with scissors and paste all afternoon was very pleasant and now I have plenty of postcard ideas.

Because I have zero artistic ability, I used kid's coloring sheets that I found on the internet. I scaled them down to fit a postcard and cut them apart to make patterns.

After I made the pumpkin and bat I thought maybe a glue stick would simplify the process. I tried using a glue stick to stick the fabric to the Heat N Bond and also stuck the pattern piece (not completely cut out) to the paper side of the Heat N Bond. Once all three parts were stuck together, I cut the part out, removed the paper pattern and used the iron to stick the bonding stuff to the fabric. This worked really well on small parts.

When my daughter saw the pumpkin card she told me she really liked it but she had a problem recognizing the candy corn for a few seconds. I asked her why and she reminded me that candy corn is not black and yellow. LOL I had pulled out an orange scrap for it but in my excitement over learning a new craft, I forgot and used the black I had pulled for the pumpkin's face.

After I finished the scarecrow, I realized I should have done his head in pumpkin orange too. Oh well.

Four postcards didn't use much fabric from my crumbs bin though, in fact, it seemed fuller and was harder to shut after I dug through it to get these little bits.

This is the perfect craft to use up all of the old sewing thread I have collected from yard sales over the years!

Tissue Holder's

2008-08-17T14:27:00.006-04:00

I made a bunch of tissue holders this morning. Lots of fun playing with the little bits of fabric. Thanks to Dorothy for providing instructions.

Sharon Schamber's Basting Technique

2008-08-16T08:51:00.007-04:00

I finally finished one of my UFOs and I have Sharon Schamber to thank.

Sharon posted two videos on YouTube that demonstrated how to baste a large quilt using two boards and a herringbone basting stitch.

Her method is genious!

Here's a couple of pictures of my finished Scrappy Bargello. The Scrappy Bargello pattern I used came from Quiltville

I also used Bonnie's idea of piecing my backs from large squares of fabric. A great way to use up some of my bargain basement, garage sale stash!

Locker Hooking

2008-01-28T15:47:00.001-05:00

Some one mentioned locker hooking on Stashbusters so I thought I would post a picture of the one I am working one in case people want to see what it looks like.

It is really fast easy and makes a very thick mat.

You use 1 inch strips of cotton fabric, latch hook rug canvas and cotton crochet yarn. Uglies work great. You can make a pattern or scrappy. I prefer the scrappy.

I make big balls of fabric strips. I join the strips by cutting a slit in the end of each and pulling the one through the other.

When I get to the end of one ball I join the next by sewing the ends together.

I use old binding to finish the edges.

I bought my locker hook at Walmart, but I think I have seen them at Joanns too.

The idea is to draw multiple loops of fabric through the canvas and then secure them with the cotton yarn.

I found a tutorial here.

Sudoku Quilt for New Year's Day

2007-12-30T18:10:00.000-05:00

I wasn't going to do the Sudoku Quilt on New Years Day because I still have to do steps 2, 3 and 4 for Bonnie's Carolina Crossroads Mystery Quilt but my daughter gave me some fat quarters for Christmas and I wanted to use them in a project instead of stashing them away so the Sudoku Quilt is a perfect project.

I used 7 of the FQs she gave me and picked 2 more from my stash.

Tomorrow I will check to see if I have something appropriate for sashing.

Fuzz Free Rag Quilt #2

2007-12-20T20:40:00.000-05:00

The second rag quilt is ready for wrapping. This one didn't have much "fuzz".

I don't like the center much and wish I would have done something else but without a space big enough to lay them out it is hard to tell. It looked better on paper.

Rag Quilt Finished

2007-12-20T17:19:00.000-05:00

I finished using the lint shaver on this rag quilt after we got back from the stores today. The black flannel in this quilt was the worst I have ever seen for the after washing "fuzzies". It seemed like it took forever to remove it all.

Except for the red border, all the flannel for this came from my stash, it was a challenge designing this on graph paper because I only had just enough flannel that went together and had to make a design that used it all.

One more rag quilt to defuzz before Christmas.

String Potholders

2007-12-18T13:48:00.000-05:00

I have finished most of the pot holders I was working on. I intend to give pairs of them as little Christmas gifts. I used two layers of old bath towel as filling so they are very thick.

I cut a bunch of strips for the mystery quilt yesterday and snipped half of the rag quilt I am making as a gift. I hope to finish clipping it tonight so I can take both rag quilts to the triple loaders.

Light Fabric for Carolina Crossroads Mystery Quilt

2007-12-07T13:55:00.000-05:00

I was asked what my light fabrics would be for the Bonnie's Quiltville Carolina Crossroads mystery quilt.

Here is a picture of my lights, if I need more I will throw in some non Christmas fabrics that are about the same colors. I

If I had enough I would just use the one with the stars, but I only have a couple of yards.

Christmas Scrappy

2007-12-05T11:43:00.000-05:00

I finished my 110 rail fence blocks for Bonnie's Mystery Quilt. I am doing Christmas colors.

I am using the scraps from cutting for leaders/enders and plan on getting a few Christmas print potholders blocks from them.

I also cut some 5" squares for a few Christmas coaster sets.

November's End

2007-11-30T22:44:00.001-05:00

November flew by.

Projects I finished

Disappearing 9 patch pieced shower curtain for a gift

Sewing machine mat/supplies holder for a gift

A bunch of scrappy potholders

My brother's Christmas gift rag quilt (only needs a trip to the triple loader)

Projects I have worked on but are not finished:

Bunch of scrap bag squares
Locker Hooking Rug
Fabric coasters

Things I have learned:

For clipping rag quilts, rag quilt snips made by Heritage are far easier on the hands than Fiskar's snips.

Old terry cloth towels make the best pot holder stuffing.

My mitered corners have improved a lot from all the potholders.

I figured out how to make an acceptable hanging loop with the potholder binding.

I learned how to make a disappearing 9 patch.

It is a good thing to have a small mindless hand sewing project (like pot holder binding) for times you have to wait.

A Finish!

2007-11-10T17:51:00.000-05:00

I finished this shower curtain today. It is a disappearing nine patch with fussy cut squares. It is going to be a Christmas gift. I really liked making this and had all the fabric so I didn't need to buy anything.

A Finish! Rag Quilt B-Day Present

2007-11-03T19:35:00.000-04:00

I finished the rag quilt I was making for one of my kids friends.

Finished the Baby Quilt

2007-10-02T08:09:00.000-04:00

I have finished the baby I Spy quilt I am giving my niece for her baby shower.

It is machine quilted.

Blog Newbie

2007-09-25T13:32:00.000-04:00

I have decided to start this blog to try to help me organize my projects and hopefully, in the future use it to post tutorials for projects I have completed.