WHOOMP There IT Is! #4

I went batting shopping last Saturday. I was glad I brought along my grandson & nephew.  I don't think I could've managed this giant roll of batting by myself. Together they carried it to the car. Neither could've carried it alone, but they each had to show the other and myself, just how strong they are.  If getting it to the car was challenging, getting it in the car was even more so! But we did it...and I'm happy to say I now have batting! Lots of it! I got this giant 30yd x 96" roll of Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 batting for $122 + tax at Mulqueen in Glendale, AZ.

Even though I now have batting, I still spent the week working on smaller projects.  I finished a project for the gift exchange at our annual Quilters Anonymous Christmas Party which will be on December 3rd.  If I remember, I'll show a picture after the party.

 I also made something that's been on my list for a long while...a quilters-helper apron. I had the idea to turn the butt-side of a pair of jeans into a half apron. I wish I could say it was an original idea...but after making mine, I looked on Pinterest and found that a bunch of peeps had already beat me to it! hahaha.

The 1st thing I did was cut out the entire front side of a pair shorts, salvaging the waistband...as this is what I'll use to fasten/tie the apron.

One could use the original pockets if they are big enough for one's needs. Mine weren't so I removed them and made plans to add larger ones. But first, I had to figure out what do do w/the butt-seam thingie.

I decided to lay it flat to one side and stitch it down.  I think I've seen it done like this on some denim skirts made from jeans.

Originally I thought about hemming the edges but quickly changed my mind and left them raw to fray instead.  I added trim to the bottom but didn't like how it would look on the sides, so I just did some straight stitching in red to add some color.  Like I said earlier, I wanted bigger pockets...though I've discovered a wider pocket is better than a deeper one. Anyway, I made generous pockets and decorated them before I sewed them on...again leaving the edges raw to fray.

I liked it so much I made a 2nd one. They will definitely come in handy when I work at kids camp next year!

And then I made simple Trick-or-Treat bags for the grands.

Oh, I almost forgot one more thing! I finally made something w/minky! I used it to back this simple strip quilt. I did not use batting and I did a very simple pull/roll over binding.

 I'm certain the little boy who gets it will love the cuddly softness of it.

That's about all I have for you this week.  Now it's your turn. Show me something good! =)

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Party Hearty!

An InLinkz Link-up

I'm linking up at:

Let's Bee Social
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

A Thread for Life  (This is something I'm totally struggling with, so please pray for me.)
“Wherever God has placed you, live that ordinary life faithfully for God.” - Pastor James MacDonald

I Was A "No Reply" Blogger!

Unbeknownst to me, I was a  “no reply” blogger! 

What is a “no reply” blogger you ask? Well, it means that in my blogger user profile (probably when I connected it w/Google+ (herein referred to as G+))  the little box that says “show my email address” came un-checked, so whenever I left a comment or question on a blog, the blogger couldn't respond to me. For the last year, (yes an entire year!),  when I didn't get responses from bloggers I just thought  maybe I asked a dumb question or they didn't really like my comments (which were always nice) or they were too busy to reply. But that wasn't the case at all! It all had to do w/how my profile was set up!  I read several posts on how to fix the "no reply" blogger issue, here, here and here but before I could do the 1st step in any of them, I had to disconnect my blog from G+. Though I'm sad that I've missed correspondence w/some bloggers, I'm glad the issue is fixed and I'm happy to say that I'm no longer a “no reply” blogger!  

 The issue was kindly brought to my attention by my new blogging/quilting friend at triangles and squares.  Thank you Christine!  Before I found out about  the “no reply” issue, my blog was connected w/ G+.  I've since learned that when a blog is connected w/G+, only peeps w/G+ profiles can comment on posts. I want ALL my readers to be able to comment on my blog so I've decided not to re-connect w/G+.  The only downside is now I can't display my G+ followers on my blog page.   

BUT wait a minute!!!   After much searching, I finally found this post  and was able to get Google Friend Connect to work  on my blog!!! 

So here is a final request  to ALL the peeps in my G+ circles:

  PLEASE take a few seconds and visit  my blog and under the About Me Section, click on Join this Site with Google Friend Connect, Connect w/Google, Follow Publicly.

Thank you in advance for the support in helping me develop my blog. 

God Bless.

A Thread for Life
God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us,
That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations
Ps 6:1-2 NKJV


I'm linking up on Let's Bee Social.

If Only Food Fasting Were This Easy!

I took a Fabric Fast Challenge that went from Jan 1 - Jun 30. I made it! I did not purchase a single piece of fabric for 6 mos! It wasn't terribly difficult for me because I had the Canada/NY trip to save for. AND in addition to the previous fabric donations I wrote about in May, I was given another HUGE donation!   I have a considerable stash now and I'm honestly considering going another 6 mos - 1 year w/o buying fabric!  I'll keep you posted on my progress.

I'd been wanting to make the Strip Twist Quilt for quite some time. I decided to make it for my niece who is going off to college this fall.  I LUV how it turned out! I even added a flange!  I thought I'd finished the top last weekend (66.5in x 81.5in) but then she told me that her bed is an extra long twin. Good thing I hadn't started quilting it yet. I'm adding another 5 inch border to the top and bottom (in the same pink).

 I also finished the mystery quilt top I was doing w/my chapter - Quilters Anonymous QA.

I made this cute little pin cushion/scrap bag combo a couple of weeks ago. I used this tutorial, but filled it w/crushed walnut shells.

I also made this caddy for my cutting mat (18 x 24). I actually started a tutorial for it but  didn't take all the pics I needed, so I'll have to make another one before I can post the tutorial.

Here are a couple of the smaller projects we're doing at kids sewing camp this year. A pin cushion and scrap bag. Camp is July 7-11. Last year I volunteered for 1 afternoon, this year I'm doing 2 full days! I'm so excited!

I'm now debating on whether to start a new quilt OR start quilting the 4 tops I have completed. Decisions, decisions!!

On another note, about a year & half ago, a friend brought one of her dogs to church.  A Blue Heeler aka Australian cattle dog.  I really liked the look of the dog. She told me they are very intelligent and loyal dogs. I said I might be interested it getting one in the future. Well...her dog just had 7 pups and I'm seriously considering getting one. I've even picked one out! I'm thinking of names for her and am considering giving her a name from a character in the The Outlander Series, but maybe not.

And lastly, as if I don't already have enough to do, I've added yard work to the list. I haven't really done much w/the backyard since I bought the house a couple of years ago and so I've been doing improvements little by little over the last couple of weeks. My "grass" was just weeds really.  I've been getting up early in the morning, having my quite time on the back patio and then I spend about a half hour working in the yard before work. By spring it should be really nice.

I definitely need to blog more often...so my posts aren't so darn long! On my honor, I will try...to do weekly posts at the very least.

Until next week, Happy Quilting!

A Thread for Life
But I am not ashamed, because I know the One I have believed in and am persuaded that He is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day. 2 Tim 1:12 HCSB

200+ Squares in 2 minutes

Nothing makes one feel more terrifically accomplished than finishing a quilt.  With that being said, I try to finish as many quilts as possible, as quickly as possible. But if you're a quilter, you know it takes time...sometimes a lot of it, depending on how complicated the pattern.  In quilting, as it is w/other things in life, (no examples come to mind at the moment) after doing it for a while, you start looking for faster, more efficient ways of doing things. Hence, this blog post.

Every month at QA we have a "sew and tell".  One night a sister quilter brought in a bag she'd made. It was love at first sight! I immediately ordered the pattern from a local quilt shop, In Stitches.

I finally got around to looking at the pattern last night and saw that it called for 208, 2.5" squares. That's a lot of squares! And if you're not a quilter or just maybe new to quilting, it seems like it would take forever to cut 208 squares, but it doesn't have to! I knew I could do it in about 2 mins and here's how.

First I dug out 13 -2.5" x 40" strips from my 2.5" strip drawer. I knew this would come in handy!

Next, I layered 2 strips on top of each other then aligned several rows on cutting mat. Each 40" strip is folded in half and layered on top of another.

I then cut off the selvage and commenced to cutting 2.5" sections (each cut yields 4 squares per row) and...

Voilà!

This method works well for rectangles too!


A Thread for Life
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by Grace you have been saved...For it is by Grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Eph 2:4-5; 8

Basting a Quilt on Carpet

Basting a quilt is the process of preparing it for quilting. It includes layering the backing, batting and quilt top and then pinning it together through all 3 layers, to make a quilt sandwich.  It's usually done on a hard floor by taping down the backing. But what if you have carpet?  Don't despair! Basting on carpet is possible...I do it all the time! Here's how.

First, lay the right side of the backing on the carpet and smooth out any wrinkles.  Remember, backing and batting should be bigger than quilt top, at least 2-3" on every side.  Once smoothed out, start pinning around the perimeter to keep it in place, every 8 - 10".

I use T- pins.

T-pins should be inserted at an angle away from the center of the quilt backing, around the perimeter.

Once the backing is secured, layer on the batting.

Next layer on quilt top, right side facing up and start pinning.

I use curved safety pins. I think they work best whether pinning on hard floor or carpet.

 I was taught to pin from the center out, which I did for a long time, but now I pin from one end to the other.  Also, I used to pin about a closed hands width apart (4"), now I pin about an open hand width apart (8").

So this is how I baste my quilts.  Occasionally I do pin to the carpet, but surprisingly it doesn't happen often.

A Thread for Life
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Cor 13:14