NEW DIY Dish Web Show !!

Have you checked out the newest web show on the internet?  It's Kim & Chris, who by themselves are a couple of funny ladies, at DIYDish.com.  Videos will cover quilting, sewing, machine embroidery, hand embroidery, crafts for kids...etc, etc.

Making it a little more exciting is the FREE GIVEAWAY of not one, but two (yes, TWO) Janome machines and there are multiple ways to win...check out the website!

"To celebrate the launch of this new show, our friends at Janome are letting us give away TWO (yes, TWO!!) dream machines! Someone is going to win the Janome 350e EMBROIDERY machine and a second person is going to win the Janome DC4030 SEWING machine! Now how cool is that?!"

Be sure to go to the bottom of this blog page to view their video.  They are going to cover all aspects of quilting, sewing, machine embroidery, hand embroidery, crafts for kids...etc, etc. 

It's too much to miss out on, so be sure to check out the website and remember to sign up for the Free Drawing for a Janome Embroidery Machine and/or Janome Sewing Machine both donated by Janome.  Click on the DIY DISH button below to go directly to their site....Please come back and visit me again.

What's on your Design Wall - 2-1-10

HAPPY FEBRUARY

Yea....I found my design wall, it was behind all that stuff I had pinned on it like the large black widow I use for Halloween and pictures, old blocks I've made to try new ideas - Yes, it's still there but now I've got a corner cleaned off...LoL

My January UFO "Pink-All-Around" is not finished (sniff, sniff) .  I fell behind because of my "fabric dilemma".  I did order some material that I thought would be (another) a better replacement but...when the fabric arrived earlier this week, the polka dots (PDs) were twice the size of the PDs in the original fabric...they sure didn't look that big in the picture! 

I'm going to pull out the 'first replacement' material and even though we are supposed to be working on UFO #7, I'd like to finish "Pink-All-Around" first.

UFO #7 is the quilt I cut out 4 years ago for my hubby.  He calls it his "shroud" and just the other day made the comment "maybe you shouldn't put that one together, afraid when you do I'll die.  After all, I've been calling it my 'shroud'.  Actually, I started doing "Girls Night Out" at the LQS meeting the last Friday of each month and the "shroud" is my project for that.  I'm going to note UFO "shroud" to is being worked on elsewhere and pick the next one.

As you can tell, by the picture, I did make up a few little hearts for a wall hanging, and decided to gift it to my sister, for Valentines.  I've got some "sister sayings" and pulled one of those out to go with.  I'm going to use my Bonnie-style 'bonus blocks' (in pic) in some fashion around the saying.  I also need to fuse a piece of muslin to the back as the fabric is fairly thin.  I've got backing ready too :D

I'd like to finish "Pink-All-Around" and the "Valentine Hearts" before starting on another UFO.  These are small projects and hopefully I'll be able to finish them quickly.

With that said...this week is going to be catch-as-catch can, a very busy week! I'll only be home three days this week, going to visit my GS in Tempe and celebrate (albeit late) his 7th birthday! I do plan on taking my Featherweight with me hoping to sneak in a few minutes of sewing here and there .

I also (cringe) took a class this past Saturday (1-30) Crazy Hearts by Buggy Barn.

The blocks are cute as can be - wish I'd pulled more heart fabs. The instructor wrote black, white and red and I stayed "in the box" ... why'd I do that, LoL?  Normally, I'm the one who is 'out of the box'. They go together pretty easily even though each block has 15 pieces. I posted a short note on An Appointed Time For Quilting with a few more pics ;) 

To see what other quilters have on their Design Walls today, please visit Judy Laquidara’s blog, Patchwork Times.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Design Wall - 1-28-10

I wasn't able to sew the last two days; however, I finished the little heart blocks this morning, and they're actually on the Design Wall :D

Not exactly sure what I will do with them, but I have a panel of "sister sayings" and since I only made 3 blocks I thought one of those 'sayings' with a tiny heart under or beside the wording would be cute for the 4th block....need to do a visual though... small wall-hanging for my sister.

The nice part is when I finished the blocks I had 'bonus' blocks; extra half-square blocks measuring 3" and 1.5".  I was so proud of myself for remembering to follow Bonnie Hunter's hint :D

Design Wall Monday 1-25-10

Happy Monday All!

Sad to say I don't have anything new on my wall. But by this afternoon there will be...I cut fabric for three 6" heart blocks, this evening. I plan on putting those together first thing Monday morning. Eyes are too tired to try tonight, but it's a super easy pattern; they're gifts.

Remember my lucky polka-dot find last week? That fabric is as close as I am going to get. I made a call to a LQS The Quilt Basket and spoke with lovely Mary. I told her what I wanted and then sent a picture, within 5 minutes she called and said she had good and bad news..."bad news was there aren't two more fats but the good news was there was 1 more fat. I can do do what I need with two, so that was definitely good news!

Modern technology is wonderful - just think before e-mail and digital pictures we might have spent quite a while explaining just which pink we wanted...it's in the 4th drawer on the right in the bin just as you walk in the shop and it was in the, ummm- I don't remember which row, maybe it was the 3rd drawer..."...LOL

Because of what I am considering Good Fortune I plan on pulling "Pink All Around"...UFO #4 out and work toward completions...baring no more miscut material or mis-sewn seems. I have to re-make the one block, taking out the 'mis-sewn' piece and replace it with a 'good piece' from one of the other two unsewn blocks. I will make the last two blocks alternate in the pattern (quick thinking, huh?). It's a tabletopper, it will work out okay, and I could actually finish by the end of the week! 

"It could happen...LoL"

  

To see what other quilters are working on, check out the link box on Judy's blog.

Block is Finished ... Yeah!

I finished...yeah...this was a new to me block pattern.

It's not perfect and I have to admit when I picked out the pattern, Arizona #2 from Quilter's Cache, I was so excited and then it dawned on me, as I was making this block, I've never really worked with many half-square triangle blocks; thus, this block was a learning block and a challenge for me.

I think it turned out pretty good. I showed my DH who said he liked it and I did a great job on it, as I went to show him my 'mistakes' ...he backed his chair up and said .."do not show me the mistakes I think the block is very pretty, I don't see any mistakes". Now you know why I love him so!  

I Learned Something New Today

Oh yes...the smell from the kitchen is wonderful!  Three loaves of banana bread ...DONE....going to be yummy my tummy :D

While the bread was baking I was working on the Arizona 2 block for an on-line group BOM.  I realized (on the 1st block) my center point was not lining up properly.  To accommodate for that I simply pressed one seam toward the dark fabric and the other toward the light fabric, that way I was able to 'nestle' the two.  See how nice the points came out...I think they're perfect!!

I also found (for this block) if I press the seams open the strip lies flatter (bottom pic). 

I feel so good when I learn something new!!  All-in-all, it's a good day and it's not over yet...woohoo!! 

Design Wall Monday 1-18-10

My design wall still isn't up ... but here's my cutting table. 

I temporarily have shelved "Pink All Around" after several issues & problems.  I was, however, able to find some material that "is close" in value to the polka dots I was using - now to decide whether to take apart two blocks down to the polka dots or leave two with the 'original' polka dots and make two with the 'new' polka dots ... decisions, decisions!

Because of all my "issues" I decided to stick to something easy ... :D  I decided to work on a BOM.  I had cut, sewn and pieced one color then decided it wasn't really what I (thought) I was looking for...I didn't like the color combination I had chosen - so I put those 20 half-square's in the orphan box and cut new fabric.  I really like the new combination much better .  I should have the block finished up by day's end!

I also did an "Experiment" of my own - silly, but I did anyway.  I wanted to see if using 'guides' vs. marking vs. tube (using Wondercut ruler) really made any difference in the final half-square triangles...I'm not sure there's one bit of difference, except to say using the tube is definitely faster and I like faster....

Which block do you prefer blue or mustard (not sure what to call this color) ? You have until day's end to let me know. I'll check back later to see if anyone makes comments.

Here's the block I'm making Arizona 2 from Quilter's Cache