Mug Rug Swap

I recently participated in a mug rug swap. What's a mug rug you ask? Well, it's a big coaster for your coffee mug - basically a mini quilt that you stitch up - be as creative as you want and it's all the rage lately. Just google Mug Rugs and see what you get or go to flickr and check out some there. I was assigned a swap partner through The Quilting Gallery Mug Rug Swap. Below are the two mug rugs I created for my swap partner. One has machine embroidery and applique, the other just a simple 4-patch design.

And these were the mug rugs I received in the swap from my swap partner, Judith in the UK. She has a great blog too! http://www.needlesandlemons.com/

Modern Bricks Quilt Top

I was able to put this together this weekend - Yeah - I feel so good that I actually am getting things done... need to keep the momentum going. Still trying to decide if I want to add a border on this one or keep it simple. I did add a two inch white border after I took this picture today. I guess I"ll have to audition some borders and see if anything works.

Week 6 Stash Report

I busted this week! Yeah Finally! Made a new quilt top this weekend out of some modern 5" strips of fabric I got from a swap along with some white fabric for sashing and borders...

Added this week: 0
Added this year: 27.5
Used this week : 3.875
Used this year : 4.375

Net this year : 23.125 yet to be busted! :(

I'm an Evernote! Winner

I can't believe it but February is off to a great start - I won a year's premium subscription to Evernote! from The Quilting Gallery. Yeah - I hope this will help me organize my life, my lists, my tasks, my oodles of patterns, downloads and inspirations I have collected in tons of different folders on my computer, and that's just for my sewing/quilting/embroidery world .... I need to do the same with my photography business world.... I might just have to purchase a second premium subscription just for that if I like how this works. Does anyone else use Evernote? Got any tips or suggestions on best way to get things organized?

Week 5 Stash Report

I don't know how it happened but another 4 yards jumped into my shopping basket online and arrived this past week. I really got to get going on some projects. Where does all the time go!

Added this week: 4
Added this year: 27.5
Used this week : 0.5
Used this year : 0.5
Net this year : 27 more yards needed to bust now!

Design Wall Monday - how about a design wall itself

I've decided to join in on Judy's Design Wall Mondays but there was only one problem, I don't have a design wall. So I carried myself over to The Home Depot today among other places that I needed to run to today, and I bought some pvc pipes and elbows and stuff. Didn't spend but $20 on all of it and I have enough for two design walls, one big one and one smaller one. I only made the bigger one because I needed that first, the smaller is for traveling to retreats and sew days. I bought five 10 foot lengths of 3/4 inch pvc pipes - four 90 degree elbows, four 3-way split/connectors, 4 end caps and some reducers to make it all fit. I cut, with a hacksaw, one 10 foot pcv lenght in half, so I have two 5 foot lenghts. I cut two of the 10 foot lenghts to 7 feet each, leaving two 3 foot lengths for the base. I loosely fit it all together and whalla, I have a frame for some flannel fabric and I'll have a design wall. Total time to cut and put these suckers together, maybe 1/2 hour. EDITED: I did not use glue, so I can take this apart and get it out of the way in the multi-purpose room where is lives now and also to take on retreat so we can have an easy vertical design space. I sewed up the flannel rather quickly too - I cut a lenght of flannel I had in half and serged it together in the middle; then I measured the design wall and added 4.5 inches all the way around to give me the rod pockets I would sew. I then cut my flannel to size, measured in 4.5 inches all the way around, folded the raw edges in to that 4.5 in mark, zig-zagged a rod-pocket in each side, cut the corners and reinforced the corners with some exta zig zag stitches and whalla, it was done. As I said, constructions maybe 1/2 hour, measuring, sewing and putting it all together, maybe 1 hour or 1.5 hours total, there was dinner somewhere in between some of the steps this evening.

And here it is in use this evening. I dug out some 5" strips of modern fabrics from a swap I participated in on Swapbot.com - I want to create a modern brick pattern quilt - I just need to decide on sashing between each 5x6.75 block or not... i'm envisioning a smoky gray sashing... tbd.

Week 4 Stash Report

Well we're at week 4 and guess what, I fell off the wagon already. I couldn't resist... they just jumped into my arms at the quilt shop - they screamed at me that they needed a home, to be loved and amongst all those other loverly fabrics so neatly and orderly stacked together. They wanted to be placed into a new project. They wanted to be a part of a family. So, here we are --- adding once again and not using a darn inch this past week. All is about to change.... I'm telling you it is!!!

Added this week: 23.483
Used this week : 0

Net this year : 23.483 more to bust!