Episode #9 – chit chat and guest appearance

Episode #9 – chit chat and a guest appearance 

I took a break from the frugal quilting series because I wanted to release something.  We’ve been super busy trying to get our house ready to put up for sale.  I know – it’s not a great time to sell but our circumstances don’t care about the timing!  The Husband makes a (surprise) guest appearance.  

I mentioned 4 books in this episode:

  • The Civil War Love Letter Quilt by Rosemary Youngs
  • The Quilter’s Catalog – a comprehensive resource guide by Meg Cox
  • Material Obsession – Modern quilts with traditional roots by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke
  • American Quilts and Coverlets in the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Amelia Peck

I finished a Round Robin round – applique!  I do have a picture of it but of course I haven’t downloaded it from the camera which is AWOL somewhere in the bowels of or house.  (update: found the camera!)

 

Me & the latest addition to someone elses robin

Me & the latest addition to someone else's robin

I’ll be at the NQA show June 19th.  Stop me and say hello if you go!

4 Comments

pq, May 28th 2009 | Tags: , ,
Posted in My projects, NQA, Quilt shows, The Husband, goal update, podcast episode

Episode #8 – frugal quilting continued

Click here for episode #8 – frugal quilting part 2

HOT NEWS!!!  The Clues in the Calico is available as an ebook for $19.99.  This long sought-after book was out of print.  Thanks to the miracles of science we can all download our own personal electronic copy.  Yippee

‘Quilting with Machines’ will be held in Aurora, Ohio from October 22nd to the 24th (2009).  If you are interested in learning to machine quilt using any type of machine – domestic, short, mid, or long this is the place for you!  And some famous quilters will be there too.

On to frugal quilting.  We’re making a hand-pieced potholder.  What fun.  (And here’s a frugal point – it’s “fun”ctional!)  What you’ll need:

  1. Fabric – 3 coordinating cotton fat quarters should suffice; or you could do it frugal all the way and go scrappy with lights/darks for design contrast
  2. cotton thread
  3. cotton batting (just say no to poly!!!  It will melt in this case.  Same goes for the thread.)
  4. template material – plastic, cardboard, whatever.
  5. Printout of the template

Create the template – cut the paper copy out and tape it on your template material.  Trace around the edge and cut out the template on the line.  Then poke holes at the four corner dots and transfer the arrow onto your template material.

Using the template – lay fabric right side down on a rough surface, such as a piece of sandpaper.  Put the template down on the fabric.  Carefully line the arrow on the template up with the threads in your fabric…the arrow and the threads should appear to be parallel to each other.  Trace around the edge, mark the corner dots through the holes and cut it out. 

Cut – 5 squares using the template from one color and 4 from the other color for the front.  You’ll need a 10 inch x 10 inch piece for the back, and a 38 inch binding that is 2.5 inches wide.

That’s it!  You are ready for next time.  Have a great day!

1 Comment

pq, May 4th 2009 | Tags: ,
Posted in My projects, NE Ohio Quilting activities, Quilt shows, frugal quilting, hand-piecing, podcast episode

New Look!

I finally got around to making some improvements to the site’s look.  What do you think?  I also worked on the categories and tags.  I hope you all enjoy the new digs!

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pq, April 30th 2009 | Posted in Uncategorized

Sound check!

Episode #7 had a bit of technical difficulty – I’ve uploaded a new version on the episode 7 post.  If you tried to listen but couldn’t hear it well please try to download it again. 

Sorry!!!

1 Comment

pq, April 23rd 2009 | Posted in Uncategorized

Episode 7 – frugal quilting

Click here to listen to episode 7

Hey, check out our new pup!  Actually he is full grown, so he isn’t a pup anymore. 

Krypto

Things I mention…

Check out the cover of the Spring Keepsake Quilting.  What a beautiful quilt!

How to make a pinata.  I’m making a clone trooper pinata for The Boy’s birthday party.  I hope it turns out ok.

I talked about how to make quilting frugal in this episode.  Being frugal is the new thing to do, ya know!  This episode I talked about piecing frugally…you guessed it: do it by hand!  Here are the basics to get you started:

  • Fabric – 100% cotton is your best bet; but really anything that is stable and doesn’t stretch will do
  • thread – 100% cotton or polyester thread is good. 
  • needles – you’ll probably want to use needles called ‘sharps’ from the quilt shop.  I use size 10.
  • pencil – a mechanical pencil is great for outlining templates
  • a permanent marker can be helpful when you are making your templates.
  • pattern – you can find lots for free on the block resources page.  And don’t overlook a free source for TONS of info – your local public library!
  • 1/4 inch ruler
  • template material – I use template material from the quilt shop.  It’s a see-through plastic.  What you use doesn’t have to be see-through, but it helps if you want to fussy cut.  You can use lots of things that you find around the house for this…the pioneers did!!

 Thanks for listening.  Have a great day!!

5 Comments

pq, April 15th 2009 | Tags: ,
Posted in Keepsake Quilting, Other quilting podcasts, frugal quilting, personal drama, podcast episode, wish list

Episode #6 – the Wishlist

Crocus!Click here for episode #6

There are finally some signs that spring may be on it’s way here in Ohio.

 And the giveaway winner is….Brye Lynn!  Check out her blog and podcast at sewstitchcreate.com.  I can’t wait to hear it myself – it is downloading to the ipod now. 

Thank you everyone who joined in the giveaway commenting.  I know you were visiting to enter the contest…but your nice comments were very much appreciated!  Quilters are the best.

Alex Anderson is coming!!!  Abigayle’s Quiltery is hosting Alex for two lectures in the Cleveland area this May.  Click on the ‘special events’ button at the Abigayle’s site to see details.

Goal updates -

  1. Round Robin – round one is complete!  That’s The Husband peaking over the top. 
  2. Winter coat is complete!  The Husband managed to take my photo in it without revealing my flood pajama bottoms hanging out.  Ha!
  3. Sunburst block - the second block of six for the year, complete!  No pic – just look at the last one.  They are all the same. 

 The Round Robin! The Coat!

Today’s main topic is my wishlist.  There is probably some blogging word for it that I don’t know, but I am defining it as a list of techniques, materials, blocks, patterns, etc. that I would someday like to work with.  In most cases I would create an entire bedsized quilt for an item on the list.  What is on my list?  You’ll have to listen to the show to find out!!  What is on your list?  Leave a comment or blog and leave a link to your blog entry.  I’d love to know!

Happy quilting everyone!  Welcome to Spring :)

5 Comments

pq, March 24th 2009 | Tags:
Posted in AQS, My projects, NE Ohio Quilting activities, Other quilting podcasts, goal update, podcast episode, wish list

Podcast #5 – Giveaway!

Click here to listen to episode #5

My friend Robin has informed me that I must add pictures to the blog.  So this time I have some photos to show.  Thanks for the tip, Robin!

Tea Cozy

The giveaway: to enter the drawing, leave a comment on this blog post.  If you’d like to have a second entry, mention on your blog that I am doing a giveaway and link to this post.  Then leave a comment with a link to your post.  To the left there is a pic of my hand holding up a tea cozy.  That’s a view of the inside pockets.  Tea included!  Yum!

You might be wondering what it was the Tooth Fairy brought for The Girl - two 50 cent pieces for the first tooth and one 50 cent piece for the second.  We thought at first we might give her something extra special to take the sting out of it for her.  (Ok, maybe the sting-reduction was more for us than her.)  But The Boy told her what to expect and 1) she was totally thrilled with that and 2) we did not want The Boy to feel his Tooth Fairy visits yielded lesser results just because his teeth fell out without novacaine and pincers.

 

Other photos:  My coat-in-progress, which is from the Project Runway Simplicity pattern number 2812:

CoatThe black and white part is the lining.  I got all of my fabric for it from Fabric.com.

And here is the first completed sunburst block of the year.  I finished it last weekend at The Girl’s ballet class and it has been scrunched up in her ballet bag since then, so pardon the wrinkles.

Sunburst Block

 

 

 

 

 

 

And last but not least, here is the center of the Round Robin exchange that I am working to add a border to:

Round robin

 

The owner is planning a three-dimensional beak that will be appliqued to the chicken. 

 

 

 

 

Don’t forget to visit the Alliance for American Quilts!

17 Comments

pq, February 28th 2009 | Tags: ,
Posted in Alliance for American Quilts, Giveaways, goal update, personal drama, podcast episode

Episode #4 – Quilt fix by Snail Mail

Episod #4 – Quilt fix by snail mail

There are lots of ways to get your quilt fix by snail mail – who doesn’t love getting mail?!

Show notices – glossy brochures to upcoming shows are lovely to get.  Here are a few I’ve recently received:

Sewing catalogs!  I love catalogs!  Sure you can shop on the internet too but then you don’t get the joy of touching glossy paper.  And you can still browse when the electricity goes out.

Magazines!!  There are tons of magazines to read, here are the three I get:

What about…

  • Block of the Month programs – otherwise known as BOM’s.
  • Fabric subscriptions – some shops offer a subscription service similar to fruit-of-the-month clubs, with themes like Bali or Moda fabric, etc.

Many thanks to those leaving comments!!!

1 Comment

pq, February 15th 2009 | Tags: , ,
Posted in AQS, Free Stuff, Giveaways, John Flynn, Keepsake Quilting, NE Ohio Quilting activities, Quilt shows, podcast episode, quilt guild

Episode #3 – The Queen of hand piecing

Episode #3 – The Queen of Hand Piecing

First: a big Pioneer Quilter thanks to two of my heroes – Annie Smith of Quilting Stash and Jennifer Ruvalkaba of Patchwork and Pacifiers.  Annie was the first person to leave a comment on my podcast’s blog.  Jennifer mentioned me in episode #13 of her show.  Thank you so much for your encouragement, ladies!  I can’t tell you how excited I was when I realized you both might have taken a listen. 

And, yes, I am a dork.  I easily admit this.

Some other podcasts that I mention on today’s show:

And one that is now retired but is still worth a listen:

Today my major topic is the Queen of Hand-piecing herself – Jinny Beyer.  IMO Jinny owns a great majority of the credit for the interest that hand-piecing has.  I would love to meet her in person some day…and taking a piecing class taught by her would be the bee’s knees.  Jinny, call me! ;)

3 Comments

pq, January 28th 2009 | Tags: , , ,
Posted in Other quilting podcasts, hand-piecing, handwork, podcast episode

Episode 2 – a year of goals & NQA

Episode number 2 – goals and NQA

As mentioned in the show, I have one goal for the podcast: twenty fifteen minute episodes in 2009.  Can I do it?  We’ll see!  1 down, 19 to go.

My personal quilting goals – I have four goals for the year.  Complete a guild crayon challenge quilt, complete a guild round robin (top only), complete 6 blocks from my hand pieced project – the Sunburst blocks from the Christmas in July project of the August 2007 Quilter’s Newsletter, and complete the Moulin Rouge quilt from the book Quick Colorful Quilts for The Boy.

I am a member of NQA and I spent some time talking about the benefits of membership & the SHOW!!  I can’t wait for the show, June 18-20, 2009.  I will be attending at least one day this year.  I hope to see you there :)

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pq, January 12th 2009 | Tags: , , ,
Posted in My projects, NE Ohio Quilting activities, NQA, Quilt shows, goal update, podcast episode
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