Another Flimsy, Another Finish, Etc.

I finished another flimsy. This one is modern.  Some of you might be thinking I'm just a flimsy maker, but I'm not. I do finish quilts. I'm just taking a short break from the actual quilting part to make tops.  I'm working on building up inventory for my Etsy shop.  I'd like to take it off "vacation status" by mid October and have at least 20 items to list. I'm also waiting on modifications on the DIY sewing table in order to quilt more comfortably.  

I made me another bag.  It's a LARGE quilt carry bag that stretches to over 45" when full of quilts.   It's a quilt as you go pattern from the book Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott of  The Quilt Room.  I used fabric from the Laurel Burch Jungle Songs collection.  The pattern called for magnetic snaps but me being "Ms. Thrifty", decided to go w/the cheaper option of sew-on snaps.   Needless to say, if I make it again, I'll use the magnetic snaps. I'd also put some batting in the strap and make it longer.   

I added faux buttons to the outside of the bag too.

This is Penelope. A back-up/traveler/loaner I bought for $25 from a coworker whose Aunt (owner) had recently passed away. She runs beautifully.

And this is Oh Suzanna!  I got her for $25 too from the same coworker.  I had no idea how awesome sergers are! I'm happy to add her to my collection.  

Connecting Threads had their Essential Cotton Thread on sale for $1.95/spool. So I bought a few spools.

I pulled the old Black and Decker stand-by out of the closet.  I finally got fed up dealing w/my constantly dripping Rowenta Effective. I cannot for the life of me remember why I put this baby in the closet in the first place. It doesn't drip and it gives me a little warning beep when it's getting ready to shut-off.  I hope to use it until I can get the Panasonic Cordless 360 , which has been on my wish list for quite some time.

I won these adorable magnetic needle minders from a giveaway that Lara B. of Buzzin Bumble had a few weeks ago.  They are from an Etsy shop called YumYumButtons.

My new pen! It's cigar style (fat) and made of Bubinga.

And lastly, I visited Quilt n' Sew Connection in Prescott Valley and practiced a little woodgrain fmq on an awesome, if very expensive machine.  The Bernina Q20 which is a sit-down longarm. Yes! It is now on my wishlist too!

Until next time, Happy Quilting and God Bless!

A Thread for Life
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 NIV

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Fabric Fast Update and Other News

I started a Fabric Fast on Jan 1, 2014. The rules are I cannot make fabric purchases from Jan 1 - Jun 30, 2014. The idea is to use fabric from the stash I already have, instead of purchasing new fabric with money I shouldn't be spending.  It was a perfect solution for me because I am planning a trip to Canada and New York in May 2014 that I needed to save for.  I'm very proud to say that I have not purchased an inch of fabric AND my trip is just about fully funded! Yay Me!!!

Last week I volunteered and attended the AQG Quilt Show here in Mesa, AZ.  There were so many beautiful quilts. I left very inspired. I made the mistake of test driving a couple of Gammill Vision LongArm Quilting machines. OMG! They are awesome! I could totally do FMQ w/one of these babies!  I left there dreaming about owning one. I say dreaming because the cheapest machine is right around $10,000!!! Fortunately for me I have a marvelous and generous friend who says I can come over and use her longarm whenever I am ready! Yay Me again!!!

some pics from the show...

This was made by a QA Chapter member!!

I bought this pattern

And then to my delight, on Thursday night at our monthly QA meeting,  we had Obsessive Quilter - Ann L. Petersen as our guest speaker.  She won Best in Show at the  AQG!!

OMG her quilts are some of the most STUNNING creations I've ever laid my eyes on!!! It's no wonder she's a multi-award winner!  So her quilts are amazing but what's even more amazing is that they were all quilted on her regular sewing machine, which used to be a Bernina 150 and more recently I believe she said a Bernina 440.  If I was inspired after the quilt show, I was even more so after her trunk show!  And to make this night even sweeter, she was offering 50% off her online class Quilting BIG Projects on a small machine. Needless to say I quick hurried up and enrolled! Spending $20 on a class is much more feasible than $10,000 on a longarm! And I'm not saying I'll never get a longarm, but I'd like to be able to use and benefit from what I have right now.

And speaking of Bernina, they are currently having a Faceplate Face-Off.  By voting for your favorite faceplate you enter for a chance to win a 2015 Bernina 350 special edition machine (msrp $1899)!!! You can vote once a day until April 14th! I've been voting daily!

Now for my quilty news,  yesterday I basted these 2 quilts and started quilting the chevron.

Until next time, Happy Quilting! =)

A Thread for Life

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it. 1 Thes 5:23-24

This is How I Sew

Meet Betty, also known as Ugly Betty or Back-burner Betty. She's a Baby Lock 1506 Denim Buster and the first machine I'd ever owned. I bought her for $40 on Craigslist about a year and a half ago. I'm not sure how old she is but I do know she wasn't nearly as smooth as the borrowed one I was using before her.

Betty

Shortly after I got her, I decided to buy the borrowed one from my friend. This is Wilma. She is my work horse! She's a Baby Lock Quilters Choice Professional.

Wilma

She came w/this quilt frame (expands to King Size) and I paid a mere $400. I have awesome friends!

A couple months ago, something happened to Wilma and she was out of commission. This left me no choice but to get intimate w/Betty. I used her until I could afford to get Wilma up & running again. After a new foot pedal and spool pin ordered from My Sewing Machine Parts, Betty wasn't as bad as I once thought. We spent many hours together and she made me proud. =)