Quilt As You Go, Simply Done

Simply Done

Marguerita

Cheap Fixes for Sewing and Quilting

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Here’s my solution for using cone thread with a DSM (domestic sewing machine). I bought a cheap toilet tank repair kit at the hardware store (I just love it there – almost as much as my LQS – local quilt shop) and I used this long part with the loop, taped to the top of the sewing machine to guide the thread off the cone. Works like a charm! If you are wondering what’s up with the blue foam insulation – click here to learn about my homemade quilting desk.

This is the paper backing on the clear vinyl that I covered my homemade sewing table with. It is supposed to be window covering for storm windows or something like that (I have no idea) but it’s slicker than an icy sidewalk after a downpour! Very slick. Meaning that no matter how heavy your quilt is (and I’ve made flannel quilts with Warm & Natural batting ~~ heavy enough to sink a skiff) the fabrics just glide over this surface like melted butter. No kidding.

My Sewing Cocoon

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I talked about making my cheap sewing desk here but I took a better picture. Notice how much room I gave myself in front of the needle. Much more than in most sewing cabinets and I really, really like having that much space for sewing and machine quilting.

I also took a pic of the organized mess that I like to have next to me. Here’s what you’ll see: clockwise from the top, my bin of small scraps and a pile of 12wt. cotton threads (Sulky!), my notes on how to connect the ends of binding (I can never remember and have to look at this example every single time), some bobbin holders that I just love, 2 magnetic pin cushions, nice scissors and a seam ripper, a small bucket for tiny bits of fluff, 2 coffee cups – one for tools (seam ripper, rulers, marking pencils, pens, tweezers, etc. and the other one for Q-Tips for cleaning the dust out of the bobbin area. Misc. feet for the machine, lint rollers, Machingers quilting gloves and a tool (from a toilet tank repair kit) that I use to guide big spool thread into the sewing machine.

Crazy Shortcut Quilts Book

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I have learned that our book has gone into a second printing!! I am so excited! Hurray for us all and a big thanks to Krause and all the shops that stock the book and all the quilters who want to use the decorative stitches on their sewing machines to quilt their own quilts!! Congrats to Sarah Raffuse too, from me, happy dancing in the living room!

Update 3/5/08 – a very considerate lady (Karol) let us know that everywhere she tried to buy the book it was sold out. That was the push I needed to get busy creating a shopping cart for our website. {Have I mentioned how much I don’t like my web program?} So, Sarah is digging into her hoard of books and selling them, via secure shopping cart and secure server, on our web site here, for $22.99 + $4.60 shipping. She’ll autograph the book to you personally or as you direct.

What Sarah’s working on

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Here’s a peek at a square that Sarah’s working on. She doesn’t know I’m posting it 🙂 She said she’s going to start her own blog…. If I keep stealing her photos she just might do it!

What do you think of the cutting design? The colors of the fabrics are off just a little, I need to get her some daylight bulbs for photography.

Do you think she should call her blog ‘Sarah Raffuse’ or come up with something else?

The Kitchen Floor, Revisited

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I am developing a strong determination to see the end
of this project. Here’s what a pile of floor looks like after
about 2 hours of scraping. While I am working on it, I
dream of the quilts I want to make. A lot of times bunny
comes out and sits with me. He likes that green towel in
the background. The pile of scrapings has my small glass
of motivation sitting next to it.

Under the stairs, part 2

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Except for the trim work and organizing the shelves, this project is done! Instead of a deep, dark closet, we have an open, accessible storage area with most of the heavy things on rollers! (That was Tom’s idea.)

The large white shelf that is where the doorway used to be is on rollers, the big 4-drawer file cabinet behind it is on rollers, the small plastic organizing bins are on rollers and hidden in the back, under the treads of the stairs is 6 cases of jars (for fish and jelly) and huge containers of sugar – all on a rolling pallet.

This space is for stuff we use once or twice a year, but which is very useful to us. Also tucked in there is the carpet shampoo machine. I left the small bins in front because that’s the stuff we use the most (paper, pens, envelopes).

Where you see the angle cut on the wall used
to be a solid wall, but it was superficial and it kept the space narrow and difficult to use. Stuff got pushed into the closet and never returned. I painted the floor (concrete cement basement floor) and when the house is empty for a few days (except for myself) I’ll paint the stairs to match. The white shelf is not very organized, but it’s still so much of an improvement that we are happy! Now I have to get back to scraping off the kitchen floor…I’ve been avoiding that project!

Just outside the garage door…

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Is an ugly garbage can rack that is built up off the ground to perfect bunny height. These are semi wild rabbits that come from a long line of abandoned Easter Bunnies. The scrounge for food throughout the downtown section of Seward (although almost every subdivision now has rabbits) and most of the gardeners are fit to be tied! I, you will note, am not a gardener. I grow dandelions because bunnies love dandelions.

These 2 are my pals, they know the sound of my voice and they come around just at dusk, when it’s safer for rabbits to be hopping about. They have a route that they travel, of the houses that put food out for bunnies. I believe my house is stop #1, I put out pellets and fresh carrots or apple. Every year the bunnies change…some are killed by cars, some by eagles. I still put out the food and they come keep me company.

Seward Winter Sunset

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At the end of our short downtown street is Resurrection Bay. It’s quite lovely all year around and it’s larger than it looks here. We have small pleasure boats, yachts, fishing vessels, cruise ships, tugs and barges all the time.

As I turn toward the south, here’s the view. You can’t see the bay opening from here, the islands make it look like one continuous land mass.

Saying Thank You

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I really appreciate people who freely lend a helping hand and I aspire to be a person like that. Kathy Mack with Pink Chalk Studio and Pink Chalk Studio Blog really goes above and beyond to help other quilters learn, and she a cool designer too. I owe thanks to her for the information she has shared in the past on the Quilt Designers’ List on Yahoo! and *today* for helping me learn about those pretty little pictures that you see in the web address navigation bar at the top of your browser window.

I struggle with web design and have been working on updating our web and was wondering “how long will it take me this time to figure out how to code in those cute little pictures?” As I logged onto her blog today she had a full post on how to do it ~ like she was reading my mind! Oh, and I learned that they are called Favicons (fav-eye-cons). Thanks Kathy!