Thursday, September 16, 2010

Mum's visit

My daughter, her son Ethan and
 my granddaughter.. Three beauties!


My little Grandmothers Flower Garden
on the right...
2 blocks from Mums quilt on the left.... tee hee

Wow... it is so nice to spend time with someone who has a like interest. My Mum is here for almost 3 weeks and this week has been a flurry of quilting talk.  Yesterday we sewed with some friends and had a lovely lunch and an awesome afternoon of chatter and camaraderie. This group of ladies only hand sew when we are together and yesterday I started mum off on her voyage through Grandma's flower garden. I am pretty sure she will be hooked before she leaves.

Of course she had a little laugh at me as I like to do things no one else in their right mind would do. Mum is making a quilt with half square triangles and I am making a quilt from the book Quilts from Grandmothers Garden (the one on the front cover). I get bored making half square triangles and would have tossed her quilt long ago and she can't imagine doing a quilt the size I am doing. It wasn't until I took a picture of them both that I realized.. she probably is right... I am probably crazy.


Today we are off to the quilt store and that will be an adventure for both of us. I have a list and I think she does too... we will see.

Last Thursday I went to a sew night with some friends and I made a little basket I found on http://diybaglover.blogspot.com/  I don't know where my head was that night. I thought it would be perfect for putting on mom's bed and putting a few towels and a face cloth in... Hahahahahaha!!!. The instructions called for 24 - 2" squares... you might think that would have been a clue! NOT!!!! I made the basket and it is about 8" long and maybe 3 or 4 " wide... just big enough for a facecloth and a bar of soap... not sure where my mind was! But it turned out beautifully.

Just a quick note about last weeks post.... One of my friends mentioned... "what if you are using bobbin thread" so I thought I should address that. If you are winding your bobbins with bobbin thread... wind slowly. I remember a friend of mine winding a bobbin full of bobbin thread on her plastic bobbin at full speed and she couldn't get the bobbin off the post once it was full. She had to unwind that bobbin by hand to get it off... I used to tell my kids... lessons we learn through pain we seldom need to learn again!!! I bet you that bobbin removal was painful! If I am using a lot of bobbin thread it is almost worth it to clean your machine after 1 or 2 bobbins... not the 5 bobbins I recommend for regular sewing thread. Hope that clarifies it for you.

And if you haven't tried English paper piecing you should. Take a look at Jaynette Huff's Quilts from Grandmothers Garden and some of her other books at... http://www.allbookstores.com/Jaynette-Huff/author





Wednesday, September 8, 2010

What happens when....

Another tote... when will it ever end...
What happens when someone gives someone a pattern that they designed or made up and that person gives a few someones a pattern and each of them gives a pattern to several of their friends and ... so on and so on... (Its like the Ever Ready battery).. pretty soon everyone has the pattern and the person who made the pattern... well no one knows who they are or where the pattern comes from by the time its been passed around.

I think I might add this as a little
freebie to my web site.. I have the pattern
I wrote up somewhere... just got to find it.
 I have to admit I have been guilty of this in the past, and I have been pretty conscience of not doing it with patterns that I have purchased, but what happens when its a  freebie that someone took from the net and gave out to a bunch of  friends who have given it to a bunch of their friends and I was wondering... who was the smart cookie that wrote that pattern to begin with... Free or not.. someone has to get credit for it... so from now on if I find any freebies, I really want to make an effort to pass that person's name on with the pattern, maybe their email address, or their blog or web page or something so my friends can possibly support that person in one of their other endeavours... now doesn't that just make sense!!!

Lets all get on the bandwagon... next time you find a freebie... pass it on with the name of the person who was smart enough to get you interested.

... And all that came from this cool blog my friend Aimee found and sent to me with a bazillion purses on it that all have links to other blogs from people who made these cool purses and shared their patterns. http://diybaglover.blogspot.com/  How cool is the person who started that blog and gave credit to all those talented people.

I just wanted to make all those cool purses... well maybe not all, but it sure made me think... There was a bag on there that looked like my Notion Nanny Tote.. which by the way is still free on my website... but made a little different and that caught my attention because I still don't know who the original designer of the bag was... can't find any information on it, and I don't and won't even pretend that the tote is my original pattern... I just wrote notes on what I had done based on a thread catcher that someone had on their blog... which was one of the freebies I passed on to a bunch of my friends... see, its really easy to do...



Yesterday, I mentioned something about changing your needle on your machine ... regularly. What I didn't mention is that in reality you should change your needle at the end of every project, but I wonder how many people follow that rule... it would be a good thing to do!... and I mentioned that different needles don't always work as well  in different machines... A sewing machine needle made in North America may be a fraction of a silly little millimetre shorter or longer than a needle made in Europe... and a machine made in Europe may not like that silly little millimetre. Some machines will sew with any brand of needle while others will skip stitches and not play nice at all. So... it is always important to check with your Sewing Machine Expert to see which needles they recommend you use in your machine and if all else fails... read the manual!!



For a bit of fun you can go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYiHIKz0kn8 and watch a short movie on how Schmetz needles are made... ( they just happen to be my favorite needle and the one recommended for my machine.) The beginning is rather weird.... but once it gets going it is really interesting... ( now be nice people... I all ready know I am weird!)
The pieces to Aimee's challenge... now who in their right minds gives their
friends these fabrics and tells them to make something... nice fabrics... but
REALLY!!!


Ella and Mya's first day of school... Looks like the teacher is in for lots of trouble... LOL
How exciting is the first day of school... I remember when Kris, my oldest was ready to go to school. Mommy was not ready to see him go. He was so small and scared and had never been out of my sight for any length of time. I cried, he cried... everyone was crying... I couldn't wait to get back to the school to pick him up and when I did... he didn't want to come home.  When Scot was ready for school, I couldn't wait to get him out the door. I was up at 5 am I was soooo excited to see him out of my hair for a few hours every other day... no crying then.. he didn't cry either.. probably glad to see the end of me too! And by the time Susan went to school... I had my day planned and I was ready for freedom.

Today... my two little granddaughters headed to school for an hour to meet the teacher and find out where to put their indoor shoes. Ella is only 3...  she will be 4 in November and Mya is only 4... she will be 5 in March, but they both fit into this years school age so they are off to the same school, same teacher, same classroom.  After the introduction was over, I offered a play day at my house and everyone... including mommy's and daddy's jumped at the invitation... The girls are having fun playing house and I actually have a few moments to write my blog... It really tugged at my heart to see those little girls going to school... but then I am not with them everyday, and it was only an hour and well... no tears today! I will be anxious to hear how things go next week when mommy and daddy's leave and Oma is safe at home tucked behind her sewing machine.

Notion Nannys Fabulous tote...
you can find a free pattern
 for this tote on my web page.
I have done some sewing this week. I finished another tote. I used 5" nickel squares of batik and quilted them using a double needle and gold thread to add some texture to the patches... didn't work out quite like I hoped because the lines of sewing didn't meet up when I put the pieces together...but, hopefully the next one, because, you know,  there will be more, will turn out better.

This time I put a store bought handle on it and I wasn't pleased with it either. I love the handle but next time I will find a handle that is almost the same size as the top.. the ones I used were a little, little.

And I made the bag 5  nickles high, next time I will only make it 4 nickels high... its a little tall. Other than that... it is wonderful...LOL!

I also worked on the two challenges that are due to be done this month.... One, my circle challenge is finished, just needs to be quilted and the other, Aimee's challenge... well its still a work in progress. I couldn't take pictures and share with you because it would have spoiled the challenge, but I wanted to show you something so I took a portion of the circle challenge to show you and blurred Aimee's so you can get a small taste of what I have been working on.

The other day, I was sewing on my new Bernina 830 and it started making this awful noise. I haven't spent two much time on it since I got it so I wasn't really sure what was going on... There is a reminder for oiling and cleaning so I didn't think it needed either.. should have known better. I cleaned and oiled my baby and the noise disappeared and all is well again.  I am going back to my old philosophy and oiling and cleaning on a 5 bobbin schedule... although with this machine, I probably will only do a 3 bobbin schedule because the bobbins are so big.

So here's a big reminder for all of you... Wind 5 bobbins. When those bobbins are empty, you should change your needle, clean all the dust and lint off the outside and the inside of your machine and if needed oil your machine lightly.

I have a system for my machine maintenance. I usually like to start winding the bobbins... (don't forget to slow your speed down when you wind your bobbins so they wind nicely) and while the 1st one is winding you can dust the top and wipe any dirt off your machine.

Then when the 2nd one is winding you can change your needle ( remember, not all needle brands are good for your machine. Make sure you stick with the brand that your machine works best with)  and clean under the throat plate.

While the 3rd one is winding you can clean and oil (if necessary) your bobbin case area.

While the 4th one is winding you can re-thread your machine and put a new full bobbin in and when the 5th one is winding you can admire your like brand new sewing machine. 

You will be surprised how well your machine sews all the time and how great it feels when you take your machine for it's yearly maintenance and the maintenance person commends you on your care of your machine.

I won't ever wait for my machine to tell me when to oil it again... I plan to stick to my own maintenance plan... you should too!!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

My Niece Stephanie, Her handsome groom Marty and my brother Gary
Well I have been off to a wedding. My niece got married in Alberta on Saturday and I had an awesome time.  It's funny how weddings draw a family together even for a short time. I enjoyed seeing all my nieces and nephews and was a little sad that I didn't live closer so I could be a bigger part of their lives. And it was nice to see my sisters and brother and mom and mum.  I came home tired and glad to see my own bed (and sewing machine) but I don't regret for a second my impromptu decision to go to the wedding.

But now it's back to business.

I already have my new desk all cluttered up!
Today has been spent mostly catching up with my daughter, the new baby and the two girls. This afternoon I got to set up my machine on my new table my husband built for me while I was away and even had a chance to do a little sewing. I tried my new Clover Soft Touch Thread Pick on some embroidery I was doing and it worked great. I like to pull my threads to the back of my work when I am doing machine embroidery... (not with an embroidery machine, just using the stitches on my machine) and tie them off and it was the perfect tool for the job.

Now I am off to have some dinner and an early night. It is extremely hot in Ontario... I hope I sleep.


Thursday, August 26, 2010

Busy week

Baby Ethan... not sure he is making good choices on who to hang out with, but his daddy is a fan so I am sure he will follow along!
What a busy week... Susan had her baby and mom and baby are doing fine. But Oma is tired... LOL. I looked after the 2 little ones left at home patiently awaiting the return of mommy, daddy and baby. I wish I had half their energy. Friday was supposed to be a get back to normal day but it didn't quite happen that way. Everyone needed to catch up so lots of phone calls and very little time in the sewing room.

But I did have a moment to work on a quilt for a friend. She is volunteering at Interval house and asked me to quilt a quilt for her that the house will auction to raise money for the quilting program. I have to say that some how, working on that quilt gave me a great feeling. It wasn't easy, I will tell you!. My thread kept breaking, and all though I did everything I could think of, it just wasn't playing nice. I persevered and put a song in my heart, because I knew it was all going to be good in the end, and I felt like I was doing something really special. It's almost finished and Sharon will pick it up tomorrow, and I am glad I took the time to do it. But I have to say... quilting around those little hands and feet, made my heart bleed just a little...

Saturday I worked on some embroidery I want to get finished  and Sunday I booked my flight to Alberta.

Monday I ordered some beautiful "pots" from my niece in Nelson BC.... I can't wait to get them! She is so talented and creative. http://cbculturetour.com/artists_2010/artist-8O.htm 
Shannon's Ewer...
The rest of the week has been a train wreck! Unless you are a strong non believer, you will understand when I say there has a been a full moon all week!!!  I have not been able to do anything right, so I stopped doing everything. I leave today at 8 to go to my nieces wedding and I haven't even started to pack yet and we leave in about 4 hours. I got up so early today and came down into the kitchen just as my brother was making his lunch for work. He had left a cupboard open and yes you guessed it... I ran into. I have a cut on my forehead, a huge headache and I foresee a fairly ugly bruise to go with it... Just in time for family pictures at the wedding!!!

Anyway, I am off to do some billings and while I am away I will be on the watch for some new things to tell you about when I get back... September first is the end of my summer vacation and I will be back to work. I am planning on setting some studio time aside each day with a huge do not disturb sign on my door so look out world... A Creative River may flow!!!

See you next week after the wedding...

Monday, August 16, 2010

Oh where of where is summer going..

This was one of my first "class" quilts, which I made 7 years ago and just got quilted last week.
I cannot believe it is the 16th of August. Summer is almost over and life is soon to get back to a routine. I am not sure I am ready to be hustling and bustling yet... but I know one thing... I am looking forward to seeing all my quilting buddies once again.

Tonight is our first Guild Executive meeting for the upcoming year. I have been on the executive for ever it seems and unless something changes in the next ten months this will be my last term. Its bitter sweet really. I loved working with the guild and making a difference ( at least I hope I made a difference). Being involved is a wonderful uplifting experience, and I am beginning to realize that a positive attitude and a helpful hand is very rewarding. I have a good friend who has started to  help teach quilting at a local interval house and every time she talks about it I see a little glimmer of pride for the women she is teaching. Sharon is making a difference in these women's lives and I can tell that her rewards are going to be greater than theirs...

Aimee cuddling under my quilt.
Last week the Nifty quilter's had their summer barbecue and I took some show and tell. My friend took my quilt as it passed by and cuddled up in it. I was sitting thinking at that moment that that is why I quilt. My quilting is almost completely utility and I love to know that people are using my quilts to wrap up in when they need some extra warmth. Every time I make a wall quilt I enjoy the experience, but the end result is never as rewarding as when I see people grab one of my quilts to cuddle in, or have a picnic on or use them for a stage for their next "living room" dance recital. That's where my joy in quilting lies.  And those moments make me glad that I am a quilter.

These last few weeks have been very busy for me. I had to exchange my new sewing machine for another one. My original Bernina  which I bought in March this year, had quite an attitude and since I have quite an attitude, we just didn't seem to get a long. I changed Bernina's and now I have the 830 which I have to say is quite a remarkable machine. This one seems to be towing the line so far and I decided to through some major sewing on it and it has been behaving quite nicely. So hopefully Big Bertha (she is so honkin' huge) and I will have a long and remarkable future.

Carlotta with my Ugly Fabric Challenge Quilt
Victor took me to a jays game a week ago and we stopped at Ikea and I found some very clever items there to add to my notions list.... more about them soon... My stepmother (wicked thing) is coming for a visit on September 12 and I am so looking forward to her being here.. .she is a quilter and we will have lots of fun times sewing up a storm while she is here. Nothing like having a visitor that doesn't mind being in your sewing room with you.... My good friend Carlotta came over 2 weeks ago. I haven't seen her in six years. She has been busy driving a transport truck all over the country with her husband. She admired one of my little quilts so I gave it to her. She said she is going to hang it in the truck  so she can see it every day... how fun! ... My daughter huffed and puffed her way to her babyshower yesterday and I have given her permission to go ahead and have this baby any time now. She is due in a little over a week so lets hope he doesn't keep us waiting tooo long... my niece is getting married in Alberta on the 28th and I won't be able to go but both my sons and their families are going so we will be well represented... my friend Laila comes back today and we are planning a nice dinner out this week to celebrate her birthday so that will be fun. And best of all, we just booked a trip to Newfoundland for the 30th of September... can't wait for that.

The beginning of Nigel's quilt
I managed to quilt a few UFOs last week and started a quilt for Nigel (my step-grandson) and made another one of my nifty totes which is just waiting for a handle and a lining and I will post a picture. I have a quilt for Dade (my grandson)  to quilt this week, (his birthday is next week) and I have some new notions I need to try so I have a very busy schedule for the next two weeks. My head is spinning with some great ideas for you this fall... so hope you will follow along on my little blogging journey. I promise I won't take another 3 week vacation for a while but I might not be here every day... so see you soon.
A small section of my "cozy quilt" which I quilted this week.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

For the faithful


Square in a Square - free download from their web site... great little project!


I am taking a few weeks off to re-group and power up for what I expect to be an awesome busy sewing fall and winter. I have tried to stay right away from the computor and the sewing room has been scrubbed and re-organized and I am just about ready to get busy!!!!

Sorry, if you have been looking for my posts, but I needed this time to refresh and the fact that my daughter is expecting anytime in the next two weeks has my sewing, blogging and notion time focus right now.  Send me an email if you are one of the faithfuls @ notionnanny@bell.net and I will gi ve you a heads up when I am back on line... then you won't have to check every day....

Thanks for your patience... I have lots to share... soon!

Monday, July 26, 2010

Cabin Gardens, Quilts and other comforts.


Cabin Gardens in it's new home


I finished my Log Cabin Runner, pieced, quilted and BOUND!!! and it has its new home. I love it, although there are some changes I will make in my pattern... I think I put too many flowers around it,but I was imagining my home surrounded by flowers and I wish I had way more than I do. Those flowers on the runner are, in fact, the only flowers I can't' kill, all though I was having some trouble with my machine while I was stitching them and there were some moments that I would have like to. At any rate I am totally satisfied with the final project and will have the pattern ready this week.

I also worked on my new Dresden plate using the Clover templates and I am really pleased with the way it is looking. All my 240 wedges are sewn turned and pressed, now I just need to get them sewn together into plates and the lions share of that quilt will be done. I enjoy making the wedges. It's pleasant easy mindless work and the turning gets done in front of the TV... Jays and a double header = lots of turning time. I finished one block so I am posting some "eye candy" for you.

I worked on my long arm for the first time in a long time and all though it was hard and I ended up with a bit of a headache, it's a start. I want to get back to quilting as I found I really like the time I spend on my machine... just disappointing that it still makes me dizzy and I still get headaches from it... but I am going to continue plugging away. I used my Invisafil in the bobbin and it worked sooooo well and Tutti on the top. It's a variegated 50 wt cotton and I didn't have one problem quilting that runner.


This week I am going to get caught up on some challenges that I am behind in... That's my goal... I have 3 blocks I need to do, Aimee's little summer challenge, and the Nifty Circle challenge, and that plan has jumped out of my head and into EQ7, so I am not far from cutting my first piece.

This weekend I went to Walmart and found all kinds of fun stuff that I had been looking for. It's all in the school supply area, and of course it would be available at this time of year. These are just a few of the things I bought, but they are all goodies that I love so i bought a year's supply so I won't run out until next year when the school supplies come out.

I bought... Elmer's clear glue, clear glue double ended glue sticks, a new Elmer's glue stick that looks like the Fons and Porter Glue sticks... I LOVE ELMER'S GLUE!!! then I got a few Staedtler white latex free erasers and some Staedtler pencils which erase really easy so they are great for marking your quilts.  And I bought some Crayola Twisters for some crayoning I want to do this year and today I am going back to look at their binders and covers and some more GLUE!!!

What a great weekend this was! Now I am off to drink coffee on my porch and read a new quilt magazine I bought yesterday that I haven't even had time to look at ... Talk to you soon!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Quilting is all about Friendships


Our retreat design wall.

I was browsing through some pictures this morning, trying to see if there was a picture of a quilt that I hadn't shown you yet, and I came across this picture of the projects my friend Aimee and I did at retreat last year. We had so much fun working on those table toppers. On Sunday morning, the final day of our retreat, we challenged each other to take a pattern out of a magazine, increase the size of the blocks and make it before we left retreat that day. There were some tense moments as we waited for irons (no one got hurt!) but all of a sudden we had completed the project and it was time to go home. I am not sure who won, that didn't seem to matter, but the fun of it was definitely the challenge.

And that reminds me... at the last meeting of Nifty's in June, Aimee handed me a little package and said.... "have a nice summer". I better look more closely at that. Pretty sure it's not a Gift!!! LOL

This little cat wall hanging was a gift from Cathy, another Nifty quilting buddy. I had sent her a piece of fabric as a little something one mother's day as she has been a great friend to me and a supper big help with Nifty's.  A while later I received this at a Nifty's meeting and thought it came from my secret sister. It wasn't until the secret sisters had been revealed that I found out that this cute little wall hanging had come from Cathy and that it was made from the fabric I had sent her... I totally missed that... LOL.  This hung in my back hall for a couple of years and I don't think anyone ever saw it, so  I moved it into my sewing room where I can look at it every day.
This cute little mini was made by a guild member, Brynhild, for our Little Quilts Auction in 2009. It is so adorable and in my colours, I had to buy it! She told us she had made one for the auction and liked it so much she had to keep it. I was very disappointed when I heard that, until she pulled out a second one and gave it to the auction. I bid high enough I didn't think anyone else would bid on it, and I won! Ii put two little magnets in the hanging sleeve and hung it up on my fridge so I could enjoy it everyday. I have a little Amish theme going on in my kitchen and it fits in quite nicely.

Last but not least is this little mini made by Sheila that I bought at the same auction. Every Wednesday, 4 of us get together and hand sew and we had gotten into doing Grandmother's Flower Gardens. We each have a couple of them now and we are all getting a little sick of them but this project was one that Sheila worked on while she was at my house. I knew from the minute she started it I would have to have it. It hangs proudly in my sun room where we work every Wednesday and I love it. Sheila framed it in an old wooden frame and it is indeed a work of Art!

I love the mini's and I have more, but no pictures so I can't share any other's that I have purchased. But what I can say is that even though I quilt and people have loved my little gifts to them, I am more proud of the quilts that hang in my home made by other people than I am of my own stuff.  Quilting is all about family,  friendships and comfort and I am glad I am a quilter!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Thursday.... It's a sunny Day


I know I have posted this before, but I am trying to duplicate it using the new Clover Templates... it was one of my favorites.


I love days that start out sunny and bright... I don't care that the forecast is calling for rain. It's a sunny day!

I spent all day yesterday, working out some kinks in my armour and sewing on my Log Cabin Table Runner. It will be done today so hopefully I will have time to get the notes ready and get it off for testing and the pattern should be ready in the next few weeks. I have also started my Dresden plate quilt so hopefully the plates will be done by Monday or Tuesday. I have decided to re-focus a little and sew like a crazy person for the next week.

Susan sees her doctor on Tuesday and we will find out what is going to happen about this little breach gem she is carrying around in all this heat. She is pretty sure he hasn't moved an inch. I will be glad when we see the doctor and we all know what the future has in store for her and little Ethan. I often heard that once you have kids your worries only multiply... how true is that!

I set up my design wall yesterday and I love it... I just set up the small one for now, its 36" x 36", big enough for table runners and stuff, but the big one is awesome. I had it set up, took me about 5 minutes and about 2 min. to take it apart and pack it back in its little house. This will be a great little tool for me when I go off to retreat or out to teach classes. LOVE IT!

I also really like the new Clover Trace n' Create Quilt Templates for Dresden Plate and Fan Quilts. This is one of those tools that although some might think it is a step backward, it actually has been a long time coming. These templates help you cut accurate wedges for your Dresden Plates and when you cut accurately your plates come out nice and flat. I haven't got to the circle part yet so I can't tell you too much about that, but it will be interesting to see how well it works. And if you take a moment and go to the Clover web site you will be able to see a video Nancy Zieman  has made abut  working with these templates. http://www.clover-usa.com/ Worth the few minutes you spend watching it. So check it out!

Well I am off to sew my 120 wedges together and finish my table runner so have a great day and I hope you have sunshine to enjoy!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Sew day - Yahoo!

I am going to sew today, again. I need to be at my machine.

I have had two very stressful days and although I believe it is all part of being in business, I just get so frustrated when people get nasty before they even have a clue what's going on. Sometimes I think it would be easier just to lock the doors and hide away but I think I will just spend the day sewing instead.

Sometimes I feel the need to preach and today is one of those days. If you don't want to hear it, stop reading now!!!!!

As Canadians,  I think that supporting your local quilt stores should be every one's highest priority. Second to that is shopping in Canada. If we all stop supporting our quilt stores we won't have any. And it's not just our local store down the street. I believe that variety is the spice of life and me shopping in 20 different Quilt stores in 20 different communities, helps keep QUILTING alive. When I travel in Canada, I like to book classes in stores I have never been to. Every new teacher adds a small slice of knowledge to your quilting experience. And having a new quilting business, open in a community close to you can only bring more people to your shop, because what you can't get in one place you may be able to get in another. Working together promotes quilting, pulling apart destroys the image of quilting... which has always been women ( and men) supporting each other and working together to a greater end. And when the people in retail quilting start bickering... customers leave (and especially in Quilting communities so close to the American border)..our quilting dollars are put into American Quilt Stores. I have started a quilting business to add to our quilting community, and I intend to help support other LQS's in my area, not to hurt them. So I am not positive of what they are afraid of, but I for one will continue to support the local stores in my area and I hope you will too.

Here in Napanee, we have Country Quarter Quilt Shop, in Harrowsmith we have Wilton Creek Fabrics, in Kingston we have Garden Time and Quilt and Stitch,and in Belleville we have Fun with Stitches.  And if you can't find a certain notion in any of these shops, check out my web store. Maybe I will be able to fill the gap.

I am excited to work together with my local quilt store to increase your Quilting pleasure.

Here endeth the lesson...

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

I love shopping at the Hobby Horse

The Hobby Horse In Georgetown, Ontario

Yesterday my friend Marg and I went to the Hobby Horse in Georgetown.

Three words... Oh My Goodness!!!

I forgot to rob a bank before I went so I felt slightly deprived when I left with only a small shopping bag of goodies, but I don't think there is anything they don't have. And the Books... no words can describe how great this quilt store is! When we walked in the door, Marg who was a first-timer, stood speechless and overwhelmed, but it didn't take her long to get her grove on and her somewhat larger than my shopping bag  was toted out about 2 1/2 hours later.

We had a great time... and I stopped and shopped at the Notion Nanny candy store and boy do I have some great surprises for you! I managed to grab some portable design walls, some rulers, patterns and other odds and sods that you will see on my website in the next few days... How exciting!

But right now I am off to a sew day with my friend Bev, so I will see you tomorrow!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Woe is me! Well last week anyway...


My log cabin Table runner pattern... stay tuned!


I haven't got time to stay long today, I am heading to Toronto for the day with my friend Marg,  but I can tell you I won't be wanting to see another week like last week in a long long time.

First off it was stinkin hot all week!!!! I tried to do some sewing but it is impossible to do much of anything when even the air conditioner can't keep up to the heat. Then the computer died, a slow death, but none the less a death.

 It all started on Tuesday when I couldn't get into my email, then I couldn't email, then Explorer kept  freezing and then by Wednesday all it did was boot up. Fortunately I had done a complete backup starting Tuesday when the problem started and everything was on my portable hard drive, except for all my business emails that I hadn't worried too much about..and now I will have to start all over again collecting that information.

I did get a chance to try out the log cabin rulers by Marti Michell last week and have almost completed a little table runner with it. Just looking for a pattern tester to try it out. Let me know if you are interested! I am going to order some of the Rulers and give the pattern for this runner as a bonus for buying the rulers... so stay tuned.

I am off to Toronto, hopefully I will see you tomorrow!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

I think Mondays should be banned!


I was so addicted to Amish patterns, and this was one of my favorites. I used it as a table cloth for a long while but it is flannel backed and became too cozy for the table.


Yesterday was a crazy day for me. I made a list, I had so much to do. Susan needed me to sit with the kids while she went to the doctor in the afternoon and so I wanted to get as much done prior to going to her house as possible... I HAD A LIST!

She called me at 8 am to tell me she had been up all night with flu, could I come and sit with the kids so she could get some sleep. At first I was a little grouchy about it, because I had a list, but I went, put a smile on my face and had a really pleasant day with my granddaughters. AND, I still have my list. So, today will be a very busy day instead.

My daughter gave me this picture yesterday of my granddaughter in the snow... "that's OK honey... we like summer too"... reminded me not to complain about the heat any more!!! tee hee

One bad thing that did happen yesterday, was Susan found out little Ethan, who will join her family some time late August, is breach. I had planned to go to Alberta to my nieces wedding right around the time Susan was due, but if he stays breach, I may have to reconsider. I know, it's her 3rd baby, but still, she is my baby and I think she will be less concerned about everything if she knows I am here. Anyway, we are waiting for her next appointment to see what the little charmer is going to do, then I will make my decision.

I got my copy of the new EQ7 on Friday and finally installed it on Sunday. The first thing I tried was a vast improvement from EQ6 so I am stoked to try some other stuff. Maybe I will make up a little pattern and share it with you, although my free tote on the web site hasn't been running out the door, maybe you will like this little runner I have in mind. Stay tuned!

I also got my mat cleaners, and this new rotary blade that I have been waiting for so they will be going to the web store today, I hope. And I now have all the colours of Invisifil and Tutti Threads available... hopefully they will all be posted in the next few days as well.

and I owe you one more new product...

Day 5... The Sew n' Sharp Needle Sharpening Pad.

A few years ago, I was at the Needlework Festival in Toronto and I bought this little gadget that I thought would be a great addition to my sewing room. It was for sharpening pins, hand needles and sewing machine needles. Well it didn't work very well. In one of my blogs I decided to mention it and went looking for a picture. I couldn't find one. But what I did find, was that the company had redesigned it and made it into a pad that you could sew on either by hand or machine. So I ordered one and tried it and then I immediately called him back and ordered 1000 more...( well maybe 25).

This is an amazing addition to your sewing room. It adds life to pins that get a little burred from doing the great "no-no"! sewing over them with your machine needle, and it is so perfect for getting the little burrs and gunk off your sewing machine needle. If you use any fusibles, (other than Mistyfuse of course) you will love this pad.

Here is how it works. Take the thread out of your needle, ( you can leave it in if you prefer) and sew back and forth on this pad till your needle is sharp again! For pins or hand sewing needles, just run them through the pad till the burrs are gone. Now it won't solve every problem, but the majority of the burrs disappear! I have started running my sewing machine needle through it every day before I start my actual sewing, just as a little preventative medicine.

The negatives: I tore the little cardboard end off mine and now I can't hang it anywhere. Next time I will leave that on!


USA sharpeners makes great rotary blade sharpeners as well and I will have them all up on my web site within a week.