Friday, August 29, 2014

10 Quilty Secrets

I'm sitting in bed, going through and reading blog posts airing out their dirty laundry of quilty secrets and I'm loving them all!! It's so liberating! Like flinging off your bra and announcing it to everyone...I'm free!!!! So, I wanna join in the fun.  I wanna be bra less so to speak. ;) Check out the beginning at 13 Spools and grab something delicious and enjoy.

1.  I promise to not be a fabric snob.  However, I have a major pet peeve with fabric designers and how they are so trendy, taking me back in time to high school and forcing my mom to buy me that $95 pair of Lucky jeans because I have high acceptance needs!!!  The fabric world is NO different folks. And now that I'm older and wiser, I have found I LIKE to not follow the trends and I prefer to actually buy what I love, not buy it for who designed it, and/or their label....even tho their last 3 lines have all looked the exact same, same color way, patterns, etc.  Where is the originality in that?  Ok... Deep. Breath.  Oh are we only on #1?  Moving on.

2.  I must hand sew binding on. MUST.  It's very therapeutic to me. I've attempted machine stitching it down and it gives me major anxiety.  I despised binding when I started quilting, now it's my favorite part of quilting.  And stripe-y bindings are the bomb!!!

3.  I live in my flip flops. Sometimes even in winter. I love them. I can only sew barefoot tho. And I usually will sew with one flip flop on, and one off...for the pedal.  I need to feel 'at one' with my sewing machine. Hahaha. Something like that.

4. Nothing warms my heart more, than to see my quilts being used and loved.  However, my kids (and husband!) are not allowed to touch quilts in the house. Unless the quilt is theirs of course. ;)

5.  Best Press.  Love it.  I can't iron without it, and I've been known to shut down all production if I run out...but now I have at least 3 bottles on backup. ;)  hey some people stock up on food supply, I stock up on sewing supplies...not that any of it could save us in the Zombie Apocalypse but hey, a lot could be weapons, I'm sure some Best Press shot in the eye wouldn't be pleasant. Pleasant smelling, yes.... I digress...

6.  I can't sew clothes.  Don't ask me to hem your pants or make your daughter a skirt...trust me, the Robot Children will attest to this and as to why they have no clothes or cute trendy swirly skirts sewn by their mother, who um, sews.  Yah, I suck at it....that is all. :(

7. I can't follow patterns. They confuse me more and it's easier for me to just figure it out.  Do you think this is like a pianist who can't read sheet music but plays by ear?  By all means, not trying to be boastful or braggy, because I find it quite a hindrance and it's actually extremely frustrating...and probably explains #6 a LOT.

8. I don't understand Batiks.

9.  I tend to do blogland trends/sew alongs on my own time, like a year or two after they are over.  It's the rebel in me.

10.  I refuse, absolutely refuse, to pre-wash fabrics...ever.  I need crisp, clean fabrics right off the bolt to work with. and I've never had an issue with not prewashing.  I do swear by Shout color catchers...they are A-mazing.

Thanks for stopping by and reading all my nonsensical ramblings.  If anything, don't take it too seriously, I don't. :)

Xoxo







Monday, August 25, 2014

My summer vacation....

Ok.  It's been a whirlwind of a summer!  I promise I have lots of quilty goodness coming, but until then, here's what we've been up to.

We went on a lovely summer vacation in the mountains. Bliss.

We came home, and moved the very next day!!  Uh, I know.  You don't need to say it, What are you thinking?  I don't recommend this.  A smart person would have scheduled a move before the vacation....

My sewing room sat like this for weeks....and there were lots of tears as I hadn't sewed since probably June.

Sorry for the crappy Instagram photos...but I'm SLOWLY getting it all back together!

Finally, opened up the boxes, and then my sewing room sat like this for a few more weeks. :(


Then it was finally back to school!  Hooray!!  The Robot Children were super excited.   I think mainly to get out of the house that is filled with boxes and unpacking. ;)
No matter how many times I said, "Today is a FUN-filled day of unpacking!", they just never seemed to get enthusiastic. ;)

I finally got some sewing in this weekend.  Sigh.  Felt so good!!

I used Oh Fransson's Barn Bat block tutorial.  Once you figure out those blasted 60 degree angles, it's pretty easy. :)  But, math and I do not get along.


Oh, and 1 more thing to leave you with....

Really?
Took the kids to the park, and whilst we try to contain ourselves, we couldn't resist putting Mimi in the baby swing.  As you can CLEARLY tell, she was NOT impressed with our shenanigans.  We think we are funny tho. She is a good patient pug who puts up with a lot.   ♥