Potholder

While browsing in the book store yesterday I came upon this book in the bargain bin (score!)

Lots of patterns for cute potholders and trivits.

I decided to make a couple of the above yo yo potholders. Instead of putting rick rack all around the edges, I decided to put it in the center of the potholder.

Got to this point and then I made a horrible mistake! I ironed over the rick rack with a hot iron and it started to melt!



I was so close to being done that I hated to throw it out or take it apart and redo the rick rack. I was making this as a gift.

TaDa! changed the location of the yo yo's and now the problem is solved and the gift receipient is not going to know about my oops!
I used Lettie's tutorial on PolkaDot Pineapple to attach the yo yo's to my project. Go and check it out! Fabulous idea!

This is the template I made. This assures that my center circle is centered on my fabric.

OK, now to finish the 2nd one. Talk at you later! Rumi

Creative Mess

Hello Friends,

Well, the ball and chain quilt is at the quilter's. I really have not done much since; as far as sewing is concerned. I had to catch up on things I had neglected while I was madly sewing away on that quilt--like vacuuming and shopping for groceries!

Since I don't have anything cool to show you, I will show you something awful---my sewing room! (Good thing my neat-nik mother won't see this!) I am always in wonder of seeing beautiful sewing rooms with everything organized and lots of elbow room to work. I would love to have one of these spaces. Most of my house, while not immaculate, is pretty presentable--with the exception of this room.



OK, not too bad. This is my pegboard above my sewing table.

This is another story! As surprising as this sounds, there is a design board under all that mess! Unfortunately, I have been using it for a bulletin board for patterns, trial items, templates etc, etc. Everything but a design board. A second machine sits below the board. One of these days I hope to get my design board back. My cutting table.

Close-up of the clutter on the end.

Overflowing shelving.

A second wall of shelving. I had good intentions. I have each larger bin labeled with a color. Unfortunately, I have more fabric than I can fit in the bins! Shoebox size boxes contain trims, elastics, bias tape, buttons etc, etc. Top shelf has baskets of patterns (most of which I will never make!)



Further down that same wall. Books, craft magazines, pillow forms among other misc.

Drawers full of fabric, yarn, interfacing etc.

Shocking, I know! Here's the worst part. Am I showing you this as a "before" so I can show you a beautiful "after". Well, not likely. I would be fooling you and myself! Why am I showing you this mess then? Hmm... I'm not so sure myself. Maybe it's to compare this to an ugly catepillar. Beautiful things can come out of it.

Finished!

Hello Friends,

Whew, I am done with my quilt! Ok, all you curious people, here is the quilt block I was teasing you with. The block is 9-inches finished.

Put together on the diagonal then a splash of color was added. WooHoo! a sofa size quilt!

I worked like a mad woman on this. It is a wedding gift for my daughter's childhood friend. The red border fabric is called "Midnight kisses". Seemed appropriate for a wedding quilt and since the black fabric looks like midnight sky with swirling gray clouds and twinkling stars.Now to get it to the quilters!

Oh, the name of the block?......Ball and chain.....

Quilt progress

I've been working furiously on my quilt. Here is what I did with all those little half square triangles.

Also made a few 9 patches

Now to put these little guys together!

Half Square Triangles

My latest quilting project has a ton of half square triangles.

Do you use this cool tool to make your half square triangles?

This is a template that you put on the wrong side of your lighter fabric. With a fabric pencil, trace the pattern on the fabric. Stack the fabric right sides together onto the 2nd fabric. Sew on the diagonal lines then cut on the horizontal and vertical lines. Now cut each square in half. Voila, half square triangles.

I have a couple different sizes. The one I am using now makes 1" (finished) half square triangles.

Yea! more little corners to add to my bucket!

scarf update

Quick post today. I'm in the planning stages of a new quilt project. Fabric has been washed and ready to press and cut into glorious little pieces. Hopefully I will have a block or two to show you in a couple of days. In the meantime, here is a progress report on the sugar cane scarf I have been working on a little each evening.

My daughter has put in dibs for this one.

Computer Bag

Hello Friends,
In the last year or so I started selling some of the things I make. I thought it was a fun way to feed my fabric addiction. At first, I just wanted to sew whatever I felt like sewing at any given time--no pressure, no deadlines, no repeats if I chose not to. No special orders. Well at first that was fine. I made products A,B,C and people bought them if they wanted. Then I started getting requests like "Can you make product A in pink?" "Will you adapt product B to fit X?". Well, the last few items have been special orders that stretched my brain cells. My most current request was for a bag for a 10" notebook computer. Well, sewing takes up only about 20% of the time. 80% is fashioning the pattern. I was pleased with the results and my customer was too. She is a big Ohio State fan and wanted a red bag with a gray interior (OSU colors) On the inside, I made a pleated pocket with a zip top.

It expands to hold her mouse etc.

Interior shot

Ta Da! I was given free rein to design the bag however I wanted. Her only requests were colors and to include the OSU patch that she provided. I used a sturdy red twill fabric quilted onto fleece batting. Hard to see in the picture but I machine embroidered 2 rows of the word "BUCKEYES". Initially I was going to give her a velcro closure but decided on a toggle button. I think the silver button goes nicely with the silver "O" in the patch. I was so pleased at how it turned out, I wanted to share with you.

OK, back to saying "no special orders"....until the next time :-)

Badge holder

I wear a nametag to work. The one issued to me had a clasp that would attach the nametag to my clothing. I didn't like it since it was always askew and often backwards. Also, with all the pins I had on it, it weighed down my clothing. I found this pattern for a badge holder.

This would come in handy if you work craft fairs, need to wear a nametag to work, or when traveling. There is a pocket in back where you can put a passport. A clear vinyl window is on front. The trick to sewing vinyl is to put a piece of tissue paper between it and the feed dog. Otherwise it has a tendency to stick. (Oh, and keep that iron away from it!)

This is my nametag I wear to work. I used 3 different batik fabrics for a scrappy look.

While not difficult to make, I thought it had unnecessary steps and too much hand sewing. When a new co-worker admired the badge holder, I decided to make her one. I decided to change it a bit. No hand sewing, a few less steps, and a bigger area at the bottom for all those pins that you accumulate the longer you work here.

Lavender is her favorite color and I had just the fabrics. OK, Simone, here is my gift to you!

I'm Back! (hopefully)

Hello Friends,

Mr. Lucky came home from his trip and worked on my limping computer. It's working for now and hopefully it will continue working! Keep your fingers crossed.

Well, I know this is old news but I wanted to post the pictures I was going to post with my bag drawing--until my computer decided otherwise.

I intially was going to give one bag away but when I got such a big response, I decided at the last minute to give a second bag away.

All names were put into the giftbag, this is a pic of my first-time commenters.

I had two different Christines leave comments so I labeled them Christine 1 and Christine 2.

Congrats Christine from Once Upon a Quilt!

My second drawing was for those who regularly leave comments. Lisa and Sarah from A Spoonful of Sugar were my 2nd winners.

Twin cuties ready to mail!

Giveaway winner!

Hello Friends,

Sorry to say my computer is dead as a doornail. Of course all this had to happen during my first giveaway! Mr. Lucky dusted off our daughter's old computer and tried to get that one going but it is not cooperating. He had to go out of town for a few days. When he returns, he will fiddle around with trying to get the computer up and running. I know nothing about all this stuff so must wait patiently (gnashing of teeth!) In the meantime, I am able to use another computer but can't access my pictures, arrgh!

HOWEVER, I can announce the winner -- or winners, of my bag giveaway. At the last minute I had a brilliant idea. I had written down the names of each commenter on small scraps of paper. Before putting them all in the bag for a drawing, I separated them into 2 piles. One pile of new friends who had commented for the first time on my blog, and one pile for those friends who have stopped by before. I decided to draw from each pile. So...drumroll please...

Christine from Once Upon a Quilt and Lisa and Sarah from A Spoonful of Sugar

Congratulations ladies! Please e-mail me your addresses so I can get these in the mail. I'm off to sew the 2nd bag now!
Thank you to all who commented and hope to see you all back at my blog later!

Keep your fingers crossed that I will be back at blogging next week.
Talk at you later. Rumi