Adventures in Binding

I am not a fan of cutting bindings for my quilts~ I inevitably get a strip cut wonky, with an elbow or my ruler slips and the whole strip ends up off. :-(

So I was thrilled to find the 2½ inch strip die arrive with my Crafter's Edge Crossover II machine.

And I was not one bit disappointed! :-)

 The die is super thin and  open on each end so it can be moved along your fabric to cut the entire strip.

I could easily place it by feeling the little groove catch at the edge of the previous cut.

See how thin the die is and the little groove that does the cutting~

You can click on the image to make it bigger. I had to take the photo in a bit of a dark corner otherwise I got too much shadowing.

I tried 4, 6 and 8 layers of fabric. :-) I found that with the 8 layers I got a few skips... 8 layers is not recommended, but I had to try. ;-) . 6 layers cut great with no effort on my part. The handle turned very easily. :-)

And in the blink of an eye, I have binding cut for 2 different projects!

No elbows, no slipping of the ruler, no problems!

I love it!!

 

I will be back when my bindings are sewn on. ;-)

Until then~

Happy Stitching!!.

Time....

I think I would like an 8 day week! :-)

Time seems to be moving so fast! It is nearly the end of April!

Where have I been?

Well, there is always that bunch of stuff I can't show you, but in time I can. :)

I wanted to show you this wall hanging today~

 I received it in the mail last week and am still just, well, nearly speechless!!

I was so surprised!! A sweet friend made it and sent it to me.

She knew it was my motto. LOL And its my colors!  

And it is just perfect.  ♥

I have found the perfect place to hang it so I can see it every day. :-)

Until next time~

Happy stitchin'!

 

 

I'm So Excited!!!

 Did that title make you think of the song?

Well, I can't hide it!! :-)

Have you heard of Crafter's Edge? 

They are a  relatively new company and they make a die cutting machine and dies. :-)

It works with both paper & fabric....

 

They have selected a Quilter's Design Team and I was lucky enough to be included!

 

Whoohoo!!!

I am telling, I just cannot quit smiling!! :-)

 

I am over the moon excited to be joining this team~

Anorina @ Samelia's Mum

Brenda @ Songbird Designs

Daisi @ daisitoegel 

Daryl @ Patchouli Moon Studio 

Julia @ Inflorescence 

Carol @ Just Let Me Quilt 

Carol @ Just Sew Quilter  

Joan @ MooseStash Quilting 

Susan @ QuiltFabrication 

 

You can expect monthly posts from each of us and lots of fun ideas!

I cannot wait to get started!! :-) 

 

Have a happy weekend!!

Do You Love Sales?

Who doesn't! Right?

Sara @Sew Sweetness has released her newest set of Minkins.

Minikins Season Three 

..is loaded with 12 fun pouch designs,  most in multiple sizes!

I had the fun of pattern testing 3 of the new bags. 

First is the Andalusian Pouch~

This handy pouch has a set of wire frames in it to open wide and hold the shape.

With a zipper pocket on the outside, and a zipper closing, I think it is one of my favorites. 

I did quilt my Betty Boop fabric before I assembled the bag. ;)

Next I made the Brumby Pouch~

 

This one was such a fun, quick pouch to sew! Again, I quilted my outer fabric for a little texture. 

And I also tested the Connemara Pouch~

Although you can't see it from my photos (sorry!),

I did quilt a grid on this one too. :-)

Even though it takes longer to make the pouch when you do the quilting, I love the final result. The texture is just so fun!  Do you quilt the exterior when you make bags or pouches?

Maybe it is because I was a quilter first?  Or maybe it is just me. LOL

Be sure to go to Sara's site and get the pattern bundle while it is on sale!

It is a great value!! You not only get all the patterns but videos of each bag are included plus SVG files if you have a machine that cuts those out and projector files if you cut using a projector.

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!!

Mug Rugs?

Are you a fan of mug rugs? Use them every day?

I am! And I do!! 

I love them! I have them all over the house and love the little pops of color on our end tables, next to my machine, computer etc. :-)

I recently took part in a FB mug rug swap and couldn't be more pleased with what my partner sent to me!

She made the mug rug double sided!

A beautiful paper pieced butterfly on one side, and applique flowers on the other. She also included a little tea mat with a pocket for your tea bag. That is so easy to take along when out. :-)

This morning I mailed off two mug rugs to my partner. I played with my embroidery machine yesterday. :-)

 The bunny is a free design from Kreative Kiwi. It comes in multiple sizes.

The sunshine is from a Kimberbell set (volume 3) .

I think they both sing 'spring' and I hope my partner enjoys them. 

We had a little snow this AM, but it has already melted.

If you are getting the major snow that is moving across the country, be safe.

Until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!

New Quilt top

 Have the first two months of this year flown for you like they have for me?

Some days it is 6PM and the day has just sped by so fast I am spinning! 

I recently finished this pattern test for Bea of @beaquilter

'Honor A Veteran' is a scrap friendly quilt that can be cut with your rotary cutter or an Accuquilt GO die set.  I was a really good girl last year because I received a GO! and the 8 inch die set for Christmas. This was the first full quilt I cut with it and I am very happy with the results. I had intended to make a medium  size lap quilt, but got so busy cutting scraps I ended up with the largest size. LOL  It measures 57" x 79".

I am sorry my photo is a little dark. I took it when I was at the retreat with my friends and although the lighting seemed bright~ it was under florescent  lights, so it looks a bit yellowed. I used all the red, blue and light scraps in my stash and it still looks like I have plenty of light scraps left for another quilt! Are scraps related to rabbits? 

Hop over to Bea's website and get the pattern while it is on sale. ;) 

Until next time~

Happy stitchin'!!

Time Flies!

 Good morning!

Time seems to have gotten away from me again. How can it be that I stay home all. the. time., and yet am so busy?  Projects, pattern tests, cooking, and the dreaded laundry fill my days. ;-) 

I promised you a photo of my DGD's stove/oven last time.  I didn't have a pattern. I measured our dining room chair and went from there. The little oven door opens with hook & loop tape and we put a little step stool under the chair for her oven rack. She spent a lot of time cooking for us. :-) The mixer and images on the back of it are all machine embroidered. It ties with bias tape to the chair at the sides.  It was a fun sew and I love watching her play!

I did get together with a couple friends for a sew-in the end of January. We all made this Tidy Tote pattern.

The pattern was for either a large or small tote. They both hold the same size plastic drawer unit, one is just taller than the other. I made the large (far right) and I can zip a project basket in it very easily. :) I am going to love using this! I just need to add some buttons so the flap can fold up a bit higher, making the mesh pockets easier to reach. 

 

I have much more to show you, but it will have to wait for another day.

Until then,

Happy stitchin'!