Shop Hoppin'!

I had a blast participating in my very first shop hop!  It was the Rally in the Valley Shop Hop Tour 2016 and included 11 stores in the Phoenix Metro Area from October 7 - 15, 2016.

Me and my friends, Teresa and Kelly, hopped on Mon & Tue Oct 10 & 11.

Of the 11 stores participating in the hop, I'd only been to one prior and that was 3 Dudes.

Here is how we hopped.

Monday
3 Dudes Quilting - Phoenix, AZ
Cutting Edge Quilts - Chandler, AZ
Quilters Ranch - Tempe, AZ
Mad B's Quilt and Sew - Mesa, AZ
A Quilter's Oasis - Mesa, AZ
BERNINA Connection - Phoenix, AZ
Bonus stop SAS Fabrics Phoenix, AZ

Tuesday
The Olde World Quilt Shoppe - Cave Creek, AZ
The Other Quilt Shop - Phoeniz, AZ
You Can Quilt - Peoria, AZ
Arizona Quilts - Surprise, AZ
Sun Valley Quilts - Sun City, AZ
Bonus stop 35th Ave Sew & Vac Phoenix, AZ

I had a great experience and bought a few goodies...

...and a little bit of fabric.

Here's a better view of my lovelies!

The only thing that would've made it better is if I was spending someone else's money!

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time, God Bless.

Linking up at:
Show Off Saturday
Main Crush Monday

A Thread for Life
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way. Psalms 139-23-24 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

Hazards in Quilting? Who Knew?!

If you would've asked me this question a couple of years ago, I would've said, "no way"! Believe it or not, there are hazards in Quilting and not just to your pocketbook! After doing it for awhile, I've found, not only can it make a significant dent in the pocketbook, it definitely takes a toll on ones body. Particularly the neck and back, and personally, my neck. I sew/quilt almost daily and really struggle w/keeping my shoulders relaxed and not straining my neck. After reading a few articles like this, I came to the realization that I've been doing it all wrong! =(   I would like to continue to quilt for many, many years to come, so when my neck really started bothering me, I began surfing the web for stretches and/or exercises for sewers/quilters.

I came across this handy dandy, preventative maintenance pdf: Ten Exercises for Quiltmakers. I pinned it on the wall behind my machine to remind me to take breaks often and stretch.  I'm sure the exercises are effective for Readers and heavy Texters too! I've since been working on improving my posture, bending from the waist, and using my eyes more than my neck.

While looking for the stretches/exercises, I found more good info for proper  height adjustment for sewing and cutting tables here. I know my sewing table should be lower, but I haven't come across one that is "cheap" enough. I'm thrifty remember ;)

Got the desk at Goodwill for $4 on a 50% off Saturday

My cutting table is just about the right height. It is raised w/4 - 1" risers. Another inch would probably do the body better.








And speaking of exercise, to keep in shape in general AND in preparation for Extreme Flagstaff, a mud run, or hopefully one day Survivor and/or The Amazing Race, my bff Melinda suggested I put my pull up bar in the doorway of my sewing room and do at least 1 pull-up every time I enter. Truth be told, I don't do a pull-up every time but I do about every 2nd or 3rd time... and I'm up to 2 - 3 reps when I do them!

One last thing where exercise is concerned, whether I'm sewing, cutting or ironing, I try to remember to keep my abs engaged (belly button to spine) to tighten my core and strengthen my back.

Lastly, from this point forward, I will end each post w/a scripture or verse as encouragement to anyone who reads my blog; a biblical truth or spiritual fruit which is truly my thread for life.

A Thread for Life
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer 29:11 NIV

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. =)