Pressing Mat and Backpacking

For my birthday my friend, Michelle, gave me this wool pressing mat cleaner. It has fine teeth that picks up a small layer of threads and wool. 

One side, before, 

 And after.

Tool info/

Side 2 before.

After.

Looks better to me. 

Anybody else try this tool? Your thoughts?

 I told you I was off on an adventure this weekend. Well, we hiked a 27.5 mile stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail starting on  Thursday. 

I grew up north of Seattle and went out camping quite a bit in the forests with my family. I love the desert, where I am now, but LOVE the forest and big ole trees.  

And since yesterday was Flag day in the USA, I had to get a photo of where we ended our hike.

 Thanks for coming along with me!

Wonder Clips

As quilters I know we've seen the wonder clips. I think Clover was the first and they were a big hit to hold binding as you hand sewed. They were very expensive when they first came out! I'm always the last one to the rodeo.......

I was recently asked to do a review on THESE clips. 

  They are very similar to all the other clips on the market, but these come in a cute little bag. 

 They take the place nicely of pins to hold fabric in place while sewing. 

These are just as strong and sturdy as the more expensive clips. (In my opinion)

 I was making 49 flying geese- the clips were convenient to hold the parts together in geese of 10. 

 I still need to get the rest of the flying geese trimmed up. 

They come in a bag of 50 for less then $11.00. I'd say that is a bargain!

If you need some click HERE. 

It has been a cray few weeks. But there is light at the end of the tunnel:

We have hired a new employee who will be starting in 2 weeks and my son's car that was stolen has been recovered. Hopefully it will drive. I'm heading into Portland to pick it up this week. 

Have a great Wednesday!

Quilt Stencil Giveaway! The Stencil Company!

This giveaway is now closed!

Before the holidays I was contacted by Cindy, owner of The Stencil Company about hosting a giveaway of hand quilting stencils. She is seeing more and more machine quilting (they sell those stencils too) but she doesn't want to see hand quilting to disappear. 

Although I do both I was willing to help promote their wonderful stencils. I bet you've seen them at shows or have a few of their stencils in your sewing room. They have been in business for 30 years!

The catalog and online presence is huge and I had a hard time choosing a few stencils. 

But this is what I chose from their catalog. Read through my blog and see what you need to do to win some just like it!

 I'll start with my largest hand quilting project. Beyond the Cherry Tree quilt.

 I'm quilting like the original and adding lovely and some quirky motifs. I thought these little flowers would be a perfect addition!

 I used my frixion pen and the stencil to mark my design. (I've done tests with the frixion- search my blog if you are interested)

 I haven't hand quilted in awhile so it takes a little time for me to warm up.

 Iron to remove marks.

 Ta-Da! Motif!

 I got a little carried away with my photos.

I love this quilt!

 Baptist fan has got to be one of my favorite all-over designs. I plan on hand quilting Jill's Jewel Box quilt and think this stencil will be perfect! I love the huge 8" arcs as it will help cover a large area more quickly.

 If I did every other stencil line the arcs would be 1" apart, which personally is good.

If you want to have close lines together (1/2") you could use every line. One stencil- 2 ways!

When I use my other stencils I will also show you on my blog, but because I am the world's slowest hand quilter I will not make you wait for me to use them all!

Leave a comment and 6 lucky winners (yes SIX!) will receive the same 4 stencils I ordered! Isn't that great!? I'll draw next Tuesday, March 3. 

If you do not hear from me to say you are in the drawing that probably means you are a no-reply commenter and have not left your email address either. You will not be eligible to win. 

On my side bar is a post about how to fix it. Feel free to leave me a test message, as well.

Good luck and Happy Monday!

This giveaway is now CLOSED!

Quilt as Desired- Faithful Quilalong

Those three little words that come at the end of making a simple or difficult quilt top. You've appliqued, you've pieced and now you are told to "quilt as desired!" I admit to dislike that a lot!  That was one thing I appreciated about American Patchwork & Quilting magazine is that they gave you ideas for quilting.

I for one, never want to leave you hanging with .......quilt as desired! ugh! I'm not an expert and I've seen so many of you come up with much better quilting ideas than mine on these little quilalongs, but I at least want to show you what I've done so you can use it or not.

I did hanging diamonds again! This is the first little quiltalong I've machine quilted, but I am working on 2 hand quilted projects and didn't have time for even this little one. Also, there are quite a few seams in here and my hand quilting would have not looked good at all.

I used my hera marker to mark diagonal lines 1  1/2" apart (I could have made them closer, but this is supposed to be a humble doll quilt) then I marked vertical lines 1 1/2" apart.

 You can see the marks here. A hera tool makes an indent and good lighting while quilting is important.

I used clear thread in the top (I've tried the poly from superior and I get nothing but breakage from it!) and a 50 weight applique thread in the bobbin in a matching color.

You can see the quilting on the back better than the front. I'll be back next Monday with a linky party so we can see all the different versions. A drawing, with a giveaway,  will be held!! At least get the top done. It doesn't have to be quilted.

I was outside yesterday and Porter needed a tiny bit of quilt...

Monday Monday

My plan was to go to the PJ sale in Sisters on Saturday morning. I knew snow was in the forecast, but hey, who really believes that until you actually see it? Not me! I set my alarm for 5:15 am, since it is about an hour drive. Looked out the window to find this!

A lovely white carpet of snow. I decided against risking the drive, especially that early in the morning. We were heading to Portland that day anyway to celebrate hubby's birthday with our kids.

 

I took these photos when I got out of bed later.

While on a walk before leaving town the blue sky was trying to peak through. Brrr, it was cold though.

Our first stop was Fabric Depot. I was a woman on a mission.

 

I zoomed right in on the Sewline threader! I was so thrilled they carried it.

 

What a lovely wall full of notions....everything 30% off over the weekend. Even better!!

Here's a a family mug shot before going out to dinner.

You never know what you'll find in Portland, Oregon!!

This, That and The Other...

Happy Friday!

Thank you all who voted for my red and white Irish Chain.  As of right now as I write this post, I do not know the results. I'll update this blog post when I find out.

Who knew I would get so many comments and suggestions on a needle threader? Not me!

The Stitchin Post is having their Pajama Sale tomorrow- the earlier you get there, the better the discount. Wear your PJ's for an extra 5%.

I plan on looking for the Sewline threader. I'm a visual learner so I love THIS video about it.
 My second choice will be Bohin. Here is another VIDEO demonstrated by Becky Goldsmith, (Piece o Cake )
 And if neither of those are available I'll pick up the Clover.  Thank you all for your input! Quilters are never shy about recommending a product, are they?

Hey, I've found a new blogger that makes outrageously stunning quilts! Go say hi to Hilda at
Every Stitch and welcome her to blogland! Make sure to go back and read (or at least look at the photos!) of all 5 posts!
And just so you know, she commented on my blog and I clicked on the link to check out her profile. If you read and do not leave comments, that's ok, but it sure makes it more fun when we can interact.

I've been working on my challenge project that I showed you here. I was having a hard time figuring out the math since my blocks are not square. I don't even know how to Electric Quilt it, but YAY! I figured it out today, so now that I know what I'm doing I should be able to move forward much quicker on this. How are you doing on yours Barb, Sue and Jill?

I'll leave you with some more great photos from the Aurora Quilt Show I went to last month.

Have a terrific weekend!