Quilt As You Go, Simply Done

Simply Done

Just for Fun

Sewing and Quilting Resources

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Hi Quilters,

I received a comment by Cindy of Sew Happy Designs and Nettie and I had to share my reply with you because of how excited I am about it all.

You know that I have just fallen head over heals in love with video (yes, I am a terrible show off!) and being stuck in the sticks of Alaska is part of the reason why. I just don’t get to teach enough; I don’t get out much, hehehehe 🙂

So, Cindy and Nettie asked about teaching sewing and video resources. Well, recently I have found myself collecting old sewing machines. I put them on the kitchen table and say lovey-dovey things to them while cleaning them and imagining who owned them before and picturing the garments and projects these wonderful old machines have sewn.

Then one day I had a brainstorm! But first, a confession. This is not my only blog/website/posting place. I post stuff at Squidoo, Instructables, YouTube and on another couple of sites called Quilt News and Quilting Videos. Each of these places is *very* different from the other and each has it’s own “internet flavor”. I love them all!

So, the brainstorm was this: how can I get other people to love these old sewing machines like I do? And get them to understand how valuable they are for learning to sew? I thought about it a lot, and then started writing. I knew that a lot of quilters read my blog and many of us love these old machines, so I didn’t think what I had to say was really noteworthy to you, as a post on my blog. I wanted to post it where it was really useful information, not just “what I’m doing today” so I went with Instructables. With 14,940 hits in just two weeks I can say that I definitely caught some attention. YAY!!

While I was writing and researching my piece for Instructables, I found Pam Cortese and her videos on YouTube – which are the most valuable ones I’ve ever found! I just love them! They were in a jumble all over YouTube and so I put them in order and put each series she made on its own page: a series of 5 videos about how sewing machines work and what all the controls mean and another series about how to clean and maintain them. I also have a page there about tips I’ve learned about making videos.

I am sort of on the beginning of a quest. I’ve been working on a project all summer and I’ve been thinking so much about how we all help each other and how rewarding it feels to do that. I want to do more about teaching young people who have never had the chance to learn to sew – – teaching them how to use a machine and get started. If you have ideas to share, resources, anything at all that you think would help in that goal I would sure love to hear it.

Cindy also asked about CASA, the program that Sarah and I support with our quilting. We have our favorite charities, and charity:water gets my money (as does the United Way & Salvation Army) and CASA gets my quilts. Cindy works with CASA in her state!! I just love making a connection with a quilter because with each and every one there is a feeling of “this is meant to be”. I just love it! 🙂

Our Art Quilt Project

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audrey-fabricsHehehehe.  A baby and a bucket of fabric scraps.  I’ll be picking them up for the next month!  What was I thinking!?

Well, let’s just say I was rushing things a bit.  The technique worked well but the materials I chose didn’t (not their fault, mine) and the child doesn’t quite have the attention span yet for a project this size.  I’ll try again, but smaller next time  🙂

We played outside for a while but after I took her home we both came down with colds  🙁  Oh well.  We are on the mend!  As I was leaving Audrey at home with her parents I was cooerced into taking one of Sarah’s quilts.  I have no idea why she wants ME to quilt this – she’s quilted several in the past few months and done just fine.  Another “oh, well”.

sarahs-quiltI hope to quilt this (and a few more) and make videos as I quilt them.  I love machine quilting art quilts (maybe that’s why she gave it to me to quilt?) and I now have the space to both quilt and take video, so these few that are waiting will be the test.

The red flowers are texured heavily, they are a product of Bella Nonna and Sarah just loves them. She has made several of their quilts. In fact, if you like it I think you should stop by Sarah’s Blog and tell her to make a video of her making one! Doesn’t that sound like fun?!?

Audrey’s Corner

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I just finished carrying what I hope is the last bit of extra special quilting necessities (translates to years of accumulated quilting stuff) upstairs to the new studio.

audreys-cornerAudrey is coming this weekend and her corner of the studio is all ready for her.  The high shelves (put up last night) hold most of my sorted scraps (there’s a huge bucket of unsorted too) and the grey metal shelves hold books and magazines I use in teaching.  Plus Audrey’s stuff.

The piece of board with the huge clips has a bit of batting and white fabric that Audrey is coloring and sticking bits of fabric to.  I bought a new product this week and I hope to try it out with her this weekend.  We are going to try our hands at art quilting!  I’ll try and turn the video camera on but no guarantees – she likes to get behind it 🙂  {Grandma thinks she’s a future producer!!  Yay!}  LOL

Check back Tuesday for the recap and please have a safe Memorial Day Weekend.

What a Great Day!

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tripTom and I drove to Homer today (and back) about a 340 mile trip, to get things for the boat.  Fishing season is almost here and he has been working on the boat daily.  On the way there I saw the most beautiful drake in a pond, several moose, many eagles, a few run down cabins I’ve never seen before (we are between snow and leaves, where you can see far into the woods alongside the road).  In Homer we cruised the boatyard (always fun!) and found Chris Perry, skipper of the F/V Lucky Star, a 42′ Ledford that is amost a mirror image of Tom’s F/V Dolly B.  We chatted with Chris for a while.  He was in the boatyard mending his seine.

Then it was off to Katchemak Gear Shed where we spend about 2 1/2 hours rounding up the things he needed.  We had an excellent helper from the shop at every step or else it would have taken 7 hours!

On the way back I saw 3 moose together, which I’ve never seen before (lived here 31 years!) AND a black bear – – all along the side of the road!  Okay, here’s where I apologize but Tom was driving 55-60, with traffic going both directions on the narrow two lane highway.  There was no way I could get pics of *any* of it  🙁         I sure wish I could have.  The Kittiwakes are back and the Canadian Geese, but I haven’t seen a swan yet.  There’s been a bad fire in the Homer area and as we were leaving Homer, it poured rain.  Hallelujah!

We talked about our bucket lists and both figured that we each have 1 goal and then 1 desire, and they are not all that dissimilar.  Mine is to get a novel (or three) published and his is to build up his retirement fund, which took a few unexpected hits.  After that we both agree that we want to travel.  A lot.  S l o w l y  🙂

Did you have a great day today too?  And what’s on your bucket list?  We both agree that we have no “mountains to climb” but he wouldn’t stop asking me if I’d like to ride a bike across the country.  How many times do I have to say NO WAY!  LOL  🙂

What’s New?

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I am writing again!! Ohhhh, I almost forgot how much I love it! 8 pages into a little project and I am on cloud nine 🙂

What are you up to? I am going blog surfing to find out but you can tell me here too if you want!

Would you consider teaching?

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Today I went to my local library, after posting notices at the grocery stores, library bulletin board and on my local online newspaper, to teach anyone who showed up the basics of a sewing machine – for free.

I’ve given lectures about quilting before and was surprised at how many of the attendees had never threaded a sewing machine and were afraid to! Yikes! We can’t let these gals be afraid of sewing!!

I set aside 2 hours, wrote up some notes (which I would be happy to share with you) and made arrangements to use the meeting room at the library (also free to non-profits!).

I had several people tell me that they were excited to attend, but who turned up was two young girls, sisters, who’s mom had seen the posting and suggested that they attend. What a treat!! I LOVE teaching kids! We had the whole room to ourselves and they felt free to ask any question that they thought of – and boy did they!

I explained and then demonstrated: how a needle and bobbin work together to make a stitch; how to test bobbin tension; how to clean the bobbin and race area and what the parts are and how they are used; how to thread the machine and the major differences between the three machines that I carted down there.

They were enthralled! And then they got to sew! Straight stitch, decorative stitch and free motion! They had a great time. They enjoyed the quilts I brought along and the handled all the parts, checked out the machines with a flashlight and watched the gears in motion – – these two will never be afraid to change their bobbin tension!

I talked about threads (my favorite subject) and had them touch and then break many samples so that the understood how different threads can be. All in all, a great time was had by we three, and I am SO glad that I did this and that they patiently and then eagerly listened, learned and then tried for themselves.

Would you consider doing the same? For your local Girl Scout troup? Your after school program? Anyone who shows up for a Library gig? I can and will do all I can to help, you only have to ask – – and the reward of a new sewing enthusiast’s smile is payment in full.

Imaginary Friends

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I just about peed my pants when I saw this! I need some imaginary friends – doesn’t everyone?

Friend Feed is the “new” place to be, and if I can create imaginary friends there, well, why write another novel?

I find some interesting stuff on this internet – and I *love* the stuff that makes me laugh, makes me think and teaches me something new. I’ll share a few favorites with you in the upcoming weeks.

Meanwhile, I’ll be over on Friend Feed having some tea and scones with my imaginary friends 🙂

Come join us, won’t you?

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Book Giveaway for Easy Applique Blocks

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My pal Kay Mackenzie asked if I would like to be included in her internet Book Tour and I jumped at the chance!

What is so cool about going to Quilt Market and meeting other designers and authors is learning that they are just nice quilters, like every other quilter 🙂

Kay sent me a peek inside and an autographed book to give away! All you have to do to enter is [Contest ended April 4th – check back soon for the next one] I’ll announce the winner here on April 4th and I will email the winner too 🙂 {you won’t be getting spam from me, I promise!}

Her book has the wonderful applique designs that you see here and also has a CD! As I flipped through her book the first thing that came to my mind was “homey”. Her designs and her quilts have that comforting feel that just says “home”. You’ll love this book 🙂