The Ultimate DeStash Project

I've finally done it!!  I opened a fabric store on Meylah.com and I've added some of my large quantities of fabric.  Please go have a little look-see.  I still have many more bolts of fabric to add so come back often and take a look around.  The fabrics are name brand good quality 100% cotton fabrics, perfect for your quilting projects.  (See Meylah store button on right hand sidebar.)

I'm sure there are some kinks to work out so please let me know if you have problems ordering.  I am sure there are some problems with shipping as right now it is only charging an amount for 1 or 2 yards of fabric.  If more yardage is purchased, the price will have to be altered and I will notify you in an email. 

At the present time I have not engaged the International shipping function as I think it's probably not very cost effective to mail fabric outside of the United States.  No matter how inexpensive the fabric is, I can't see that there would be a huge savings once shipping is added on.  Please let me know if you think this may be an incorrect statement and I'll revisit the subject.

I have stated on each of the fabrics that if you'd like something other than 1 yard increments to please email me and I can cut 1/2 yard, 1/4 yards, fat quarters, etc.  If you'd prefer to order and pay by check, please email me and I will send you the amount due and once payment is received I will mail the fabric.

I hope you enjoy the fabric show!!  Let me know what you think.

Scrap Happy

My day job keeps me busy; my imagination keeps me sane! So today I wrote on a blue post-it-note "weave scraps in basket & make pot holders, placemats, etc." I was excited to try this idea that was festering in my head. After I got home from work and walked the doggie, this is what I accomplished.

This bowl of scraps sits by my sewing machine and I just keep adding to it with each project. I randomly pulled scraps out of the basket and did an over/under weave.

I then did some trimming to get rid of the uneven ends.

Next I got out the spray adhesive and lightly sprayed a cotton backing. (I think the adhesive was unnecessary and I only used it because I have it!!)

Next I ironed the weave to the backing. (This is not really a backing; it's more of a stabilizing item since the strips are loose at this point. The ironing would probably have not been necessary if I wasn't lazy at the beginning and had ironed the strips before I started!)

I then took the piece to the sewing machine and used a decorative stitch to stitch the strips together.

Since I was experimenting, I decided that a potholder would be the perfect size to work with. (I'm totally aware of the bad grammar in this sentence!!)

Once the decorative stitches were added I trimmed the piece to 9" x 9". I also cut a 9" x 9" piece of the fire retardant batting. I added both of these to a scrap piece of backing material. At this point, I did not cut the backing to the same size. Instead I laid the woven piece along with the batting on top of the backing and basted the three pieces together a little less than 1/4" from the edge. Once it was basted, I trimmed the entire piece to 9" x 9".

I found a scrap of fabric and cut 2 1/4" binding. (The scrap was not wide enough to cut 2 1/2" binding which would have been my preference.) I also cut another scrap of fabric for the hangar. Again I was lazy with this part and did not iron the fabric. I finger pressed both sides to the middle and then stitched the edges together. I then sewed it in the middle of one of the sides. Be sure to lay it toward the center so that the opening does not get caught in the binding. Sew binding on. I hand stitched the binding down on the back side. Then I went back to the sewing machine and did another decorative stitch to secure the binding. I sewed from the front of the potholder for this.

Although the potholder is complete at this stage, I decided that I wanted to do some free motion quilting to finish it off.

This is the backside showing the design.

So, there you have it. An idea was born at work today and once I started on it, the finished project took less than 3 hours and included hand stitching. Not bad. Although the fabrics did not look great together in the beginning, I think they turned out beautifully. I've now got my sights set on doing a quilt like this. I really like the way it turned out. Next up, I'm going to do the wash test and the heat test (of course!!). Just another way to use up some of those pesky scraps!

Puffs v. Kleenex

Most times it is easy for me to distinguish between a cold and my allergies. Since I am an allergy sufferer from the get-go, I have a constant relationship with a runny nose. I should have bought stock in Proctor and Gamble a long time ago! This time around I am unable to tell if I have a head cold or if the cedar allergens that blew in a couple days ago are the culprits.

This past summer I planted a vegetable garden that included tomatoes and peppers among other vegetables. These two vegetables were just the most prolific of the bunch. My excitement watching the tomatoes grow was beyond me as I don't even eat tomatoes. My Mom was in town when the first tomato ripened and she was the lucky recipient. The rest of the tomatoes were given to co-workers. Two days ago I harvested 4 peppers out of the garden and there are at least 8 others still growing along with numerous blooms. These peppers smell great and have a taste unlike the ones purchased at the grocery store. I'm amazed that it's almost 2008 and I'm still harvesting peppers!

My current project is a memory quilt for a coworker whose wife passed away this year. I collected some of her clothing and pictures and I'm turning it into a wall quilt for M. Since I only know M. and not his wife, I hope that this quilt does her justice. The pictures include a pencil sketch and a life size paper model. I am currently in the process of appliqueing the tree to the fabric.

A Day Late

The package has been boxed, taped and labelled. I don't feel guilty as it's not really a Christmas present, but rather just some handmade things that I made for my niece and my sister-in-law. Since I had nothing for my brother or my other niece and nephew, I didn't feel quite right sending the package before the holidays. So, now it's the day after "the" holiday and my nose is giving me fits, but I must continue on. Unfortunately I have a full-time job that prevents me from creating during the day. Alas and alack, my evenings and weekends are the only time I get to switch from left brain to right brain. Consequently most days I am addlebrained!