Will Work for Fabric

Learning New things

So I'm sending out my postcards for the exchange I signed up for ....just in the nick of time.  It's been fun doing these.  I spent some quality time with my machine playing with stitches but decided not to use any of them on the postcards, I think I need to do more practicing on these, like one of those "book of stitches"

but here's my card to celebrate autumn's splendor---there's 6 more that match.

I hope they all get to their recipients safely!

And from the "stump your stupid parents department":
the boys came home with this one today....
add one line to this equation to make it true:  5 + 5 + 5 = 550

We sent them to bed with the satisfaction of having stumped the weary parents, but finally figured it out.....did you ?

                         or were we the last people on the planet to see this math riddle?

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

what a klutz

I was doing a few little practice blocks for my precision piecing class this week and then decided to put them together.  Being the teacher and all, I was working really hard at getting all of my lines straight, my seams lined up, etc, etc.  Not til I had it all finished did I realize that I had the blocks mixed up....

it was supposed to be one yellow background and one pink on each row....jeez, what a klutz.  guess sometimes, we focus so much on the little things, we don't see the the big picture.

Well, my car stopped at Barnes and Noble, it's really involuntary  for me, the car just goes there so I guess I might as well go in... and I picked up a great magazine.

There are actually a few little things in here I might make.....if the planets align and other projects get done!

Hope you have a great week, I have a CRAZY one on classes, meetings, ghosts, goblins and candy.

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

Wow-ee Kazowee

Look what came in Saturday's mail

it's a part of the Autumn splendor postcard exchange that I'm in, and this one was made by Margaret Griffith.  Wow, she does beautiful work!!!  (I'm definitely having a "I'm not worthy" moment here!)

Hope you are enjoying autumn's splendor.

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

A Tote Tale

This time of year I am making totes for gifts and teaching alot of totes for like-minded gift-giving people.  So I hear from people in the know that there was a little problem with the glue or some such thing and a big batch of Pellon 987 Fusible Fleece had to be recalled.  Yikes!  I have totes to make!  and this is the stuff that make that bags sturdy and stand up and really keep their shape.

Well, the 987 is coming back into the stores, slowly, and not my LQS.  So I went in search of other sources.  Here's what I found...a bolt of 987 at Joann's!  Weird, it is not anything like the 987 I last used, it is very thin and flimsy.   Could it be that Pellon makes more than one "grade" of 987?

So I buy some Pellon 720 Fusible Fleece.  This one is a little more "fluffy" than the 987 of old, but beggars can't be choosers.  and I make one of Penny's Charm Party bags.  This bag uses the fleece fused to the outside of the bag and the lining.  OMG, I have a super fluffy bag!

I think the answer is that I should use interfacing on the lining and not another layer of fleece when it is fluffy like this 720 stuff.

The moral of the story....know your fleece and adjust your pattern accordingly.

And to the pellon people....please bring back the old 987, I miss it so.

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

just in time for fall

Oh look, I got a little package in the mail on friday.  It's my fall quilt from the nice folks at Fabric Trends Magazine along with a copy of the magazine....

I'm so glad to have a new autumn quilt to put out while it's still autumn....cause you know according to Macy's we're just about due to put up Christmas ornaments!

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

A departure

You know how sometimes you just have to try something new?  Well, I have been seeing the 4-Patch Posies all over the place, so I decided to try one for myself.  This is not normally my kind of fabric or my kind of quilt, but it goes together so quickly and every block is a surprise....it was a nice departure for me

It's a super quick quilt, and now I have to think I'll quilt it and wrap it and give it away for Christmas...I have to give a think who might get this...

But just a word of advice on this quilt:
I used a fabric with a 12" repeat, so this made a pretty small quilt---the pattern was not really clear on what size quilt would result based on the repeat. I ended up putting the blocks on point to make the quilt lap sized. I know the size of this really is a function of the repeat and the size block you choose but if I was going to do this one again, I would choose something with a much bigger repeat.....but that's just me.

Hope you are finding fun projects to do this weekend.

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

Politically Incorrect

I'm probably in trouble....again.

I got this beautiful new book this week.....I just love the Blackbird Ladies, and I had seen one of the quilts in this book at Market so I just had to have this book.....even though I probably have enough books to last me, well, a LONG time.

There's some really beauties in this book for the applique crowd, including this little one
    
 

    I know I have alot of other projects going on, some with a really soon deadline, but I just couldn't help myself.

While I was supposed to be watching the debates, being fully informed on the candidates positions, blah, blah, blah....

I started this new project.

These alternating blocks are all done from charm squares.  What a great idea to size the quilt to use these.  I bet I'm not the only one who has some floating around! 

So there you have it.....I watched Project Runway and started this new little quilt instead of watching the debates and working on my looming projects.

Confession is good for the soul, right?

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

Little House in the Woods

I was up in the woods this weekend and had some fabric just laying around.   Ok, I confess, I always bring a extra bag of fabric "just in case"----just in case what...I don't know, but I hate to leave home base for 4 days without a bag of fabric.  Stash separation anxiety perhaps?

Anywho...so this feeling of fall, home, warmth, got me going on some houses.  Not major construction, just little 6" houses.

These will make their way into a little project for a Miniatures class....very soon!

But first, waiting for me when I got home was my first postcard from an exchange I signed up for.  the theme is Autumn Splendor.  What fun to get postcards from all over the country.

They are supposed to be mailed by the end of the month....so yikes, I better get mine finished (ok, I should get them started). 

Today, I promise!  as soon as I cross a few family maintenance things off the to-do list.

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

Don't alert the authorities....

The kids were off from school yesterday so I decided to make a weekend of it and head to the woods while the leaves are still performing their autumn dance.  And this is what I see out my window today...

See, this was worth taking a day off from school, don't you think??

So in between walks and leaf piles, I revisited my Civil War Diary blocks. 

Somehow it was hard for me to work on them while I was so focus on the brights in that other quilt.  But now with the weather turning colder, it seems right to turn to these warmer, feels-like-fall colors.

And there is something really satisfying about all those little points coming together so nicely......love that paper piecing, especially since I have been using Carol Doak's paper made just for this purpose.....worth the money in my checkbook!

All this fall-ness makes me feel like baking an apple pie....and I probably could find some people around here to eat it too.

Have a very happy autumn weekend,

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

My Goodness

My Goodness, you all are so kind!!!!  All the comments and emails on the Lollipop floored me!

This has been a fantasimagical journey for me.  I have learned so much....

• I have learned that Lorre has ALOT of fabric (thanks for sharing!) and this type of quilt requires not alot of any one fabric but many different fabrics----score!  validation of constant stash enhancement!

• I learned you can never have too many circles on a block

• I learned a project like this is so much more fun with friends

• and I learned to let go of the Miss Matchy voice in my head.  The colors are all so wonderful that in the big scheme of things, if two fabrics side by side don't necessarily go together, that's ok, I love them all, so they all have a place on my quilt.

And now on to the next project, no resting on my laurels, according to the Wednesday Nite ladies (D and M---you know who I mean!)

But before that I wanted to show you the Blue stars with the borders....

I'm really happy with how it turned out and now that my Bernina has returned with brand spanking new parts, I can quilt this one.

ooo, don't you just love finishing things???

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan