Thursday Thoughts

Handmade for Newtown wrapped up last week and raised over $5,000! My Super Bright Strings quilt was auctioned off for $143. I gave it a last once-over with the lint roller, wrapped it up in tissue paper with a bow made of selvages and mailed it off yesterday to a very kind-hearted new owner.

I've had these cute bags from Debbie from A Quilter's Table on my Make Someday List and was excited to read about the Triple Zip Along which is getting underway on Monday, January 28th. I've got my fabric picked out and zippers ordered!  It's not too late in join the fun.

                                                  

Beth who blogs at Quilting Hottie Haven is launching a month long UFO event called Drop and Give me Twenty (DaGMT 2013) complete with prizes. Click HERE to read all about it.  First, you must make a pledge...

I, Deb who is the not-so-proud owner of a Fab UFO Collection, am joining Quilting Hottie Haven's second annual DaGMT event, and pledge to quilt for 2 hours every day of the month of February, 2013. In doing so I hope to finish 10 UFOs (to be listed on my sidebar Feb. 1st but you can get a sneak peak at my selection pool HERE) and I think Beth Helfter is brilliant for coming up with this concept and inspiring me to join.
Did you notice how I added my January Goals to my sidebar as a constant guilt inducing tactic gentle reminder? Considering I had company for the 1st week followed by a week of a sick son and problems with new sewing machine deliveries I'm not doing so bad. I'm heading down the homestretch on the binding for Shabby Roses (goal 3) and I'll be quilting my Valentine's Day table runner today (goal 7).  FMQ practice sessions (goal 9) are ongoing and I'll be heading back to Christmas over the weekend to work on goals 1 & 2.
We braved our absolutely frigid weather to see Life of Pi on Monday night. I love a movie that really makes you think after leaving the theater, which Life of Pi certainly did, but the thing I enjoyed the most about the movie was the amazing cinematography. I found myself gasping several times at the sheer beauty on the screen. I'm starting to think I should go see it again! Tucker is getting tired of being called "Richard Parker" by all of us.
I have my Juki set up on my sewing table and my Pfaff set up on my spare folding table which are both out in the middle of my quilting room right now. When I walked in yesterday I could not stop looking at the insane difference in height of these machines! Check this out.

I'm using my 6.5" square ruler in these pics. See the peek of my Valentines Day runner ready to be sandwiched back there? With no more wavy edges thanks to the IDF on my Pfaff!

Isn't it amazing? Just a few well placed inches makes all the difference in the world!  Not to mention the design for quilting... see the presser foot on the Juki completely behind the machine? On the Pfaff it's harder to see behind the 6" vertical line on the right. When you raise it goes sideways up into the arm space. I can't tell you how many times I've caught it on the quilt and had it slam down.

Two More Quilts for Project Linus

Call me crazy... but all I want to do is quilt tops these days! Here are my UFO finishes #5 and #6 for 2013, both are made using the free Warm Wishes pattern at Quiltmaker.com.

Ballerina Cats will be purrfect for a sweet little girl!

I backed it with adorable dancing little girls.

Pastel pink is a hard color to photograph even with photo editing! The 1st pic is accurate as far as color, the 2nd pic is too pale and next one is too bright (taken at night). 

But, I wanted to show you the beautiful binding sewn using my Juki 2010Q. I just folded the binding over by hand (no pins) and sewed it down.  No balking, no revving, just smooth durable stitching! With a little more practice I'll catch the ditch in the back, but it's consistent and I'm thrilled with how quickly I can finish these off.

Juki calls this foot a Compensating Foot. In the manual all that is written about this foot is "It is convenient to sew material end straight." LOL! I call it a Fantastic Foot to Attach Binding With.  

This is Animal Pairs. I posted about my challenges trying fusible batting on it HERE.

And I have V 2.0 of my blog button. I'm liking this one better so I guess my V 1.0 mistake was a good one! I'm looking forward to using this the next time my Inner Perfectionist shows up.

If you haven't entered my giveaway yet for a $25 gift certificate to The Fat Quarter Shop click HERE. I'm linking up to WIP Wednesday@Freshly Pieced, Fabric Tuesday@Quilt Story and a new blog I found yesterday called Such a Sew and Sew. Click on the button below to peek at other January Finishes.

Game ON!

Front Side

Back Side

I'm on my way!

Thanks so much to Lynne at Never too hot to stitch! for sending me the link to this tutorial at Ellison Lane Quilts about making buttons using PicMonkey! I see more PicMonkey play time in my future.

OOPS - This is TOO funny!  After looking at this button umpteen times I just now realized I have my quote wrong - it should read Unfinished Perfectly. Version 2.0 tomorrow...

If you missed my post yesterday click HERE for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to The Fat Quarter Shop. I'm linking up to Freemotion by the River.

Liebster Award and a Give-Away!

Last week I was nominated/tagged for The Liebster Award by Maria at Mia's Creations and by Maribeth at Simply Delighting. It's an fun "award" passed from blogger to blogger as a way to network and acknowledge some of your favorite blogs. A receiving blog must have less than 200 followers.  

To participate:
1. Thank and link back up to the one that nominated you (Me).
2. Answer 11 questions asked to you by me.
3. Tell us 11 things about yourself.
4. Nominate 11 of your favorite blogs that have less than 200 followers
5. Ask them 11 questions.

I'd like to thank Maria and Maribeth by encouraging you to take a look at their blogs.  I've been following Maria for a few months... she loves to make bags but also quilts and makes really cute household items. I love this set she made for her dining room table!  Maribeth's blog is fairly new to me, she caught my attention with a great recommendation on an app for quilting.  I used this app on Saturday to calculate the # of binding strips needed for my Shabby Roses quilt.

I'm going to answer both sets of 11 questions and tell you 11 things about myself but I'm changing rules 4&5 and substituting a give-away instead. I'll explain why at the end of the post!

Here are Maria's questions:

1. What's your favorite color?  
Yellow
2.  Do you like to design your own patterns or are you happy making things from other designers patterns?  
I am more than happy to use other designer's patterns. There are too many to keep up with!
3.  Do you enjoy cooking, if so what is your favorite recipe? 
I'm not a very confident cook. I can follow a recipe but it's not my favorite thing to do, in fact my husband enjoys cooking more than I do. I do love to read cookbooks and collect recipes however. Weird I know!
4. Which is your favorite season?
This is a tough one for me. One of the reasons I love living in Minnesota is that we have 4 very distinct seasons. I'll have to say fall because it usually is too short.
5. What bad habit would you like to quit?
I'd like to stop creating UFOs. Easy answer.
6. Why did you start blogging?
When I started quilting again in September it seemed like a good time to start blogging because I hoped it would help me stay motivated. I was right!
7. Have you traveled abroad and if so where?
I've been lucky enough to travel abroad 4 times. My 1st trip was to Paris with my sister and 2 cousins; after that my sister and I continued on to Amsterdam where I had a work related event. The next trip was 3 weeks in Norway with my Mom and my sister. I'm 75% Norwegian and it was exciting to see my ancestor's birthplaces and meet relatives for the 1st time! We also spent a few days in Iceland on our way home. Trip #3 was a week in beautiful Aruba with my Mom and my sister. Best snorkeling ever! The last trip was back to Paris to celebrate my daughter's 16th birthday with my Mom and my sister. My daughters BFF and her mom who is a good friend of mine were in Southern France at the same time and we met in Switzerland to celebrate Thanksgiving together. I love to travel and have been blessed to able to do so!
8. Do you prefer cooking or housework?  
LOL. Neither does much for me. Just ask my husband and see question 3. I have someone come every week to clean my house. It makes our marriage happier!
9. What's your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?
Read a great book under a quilt with a latte by my side.
10. Do you have a pet and what is it?
Tucker is a blue point Siamese who finds his way into my blog on a regular basis!
11. If you could have one wish what would you wish for?
World peace. Seriously. I don't like conflict of any kind.

Here are Maribeth's questions:

1. Share any nicknames you have.  
None currently. My maiden name is Bergerson and when I was in college some of my track teammates called me The Berg. When I met my husband (one of those track teammates!) he called me Bergler.
2. One goal you want to accomplish this year?
Finish a UFO a week.
3. What inspires you? 
I don't think I can single out one thing or one person. In relation to quilting, I'm going to say other bloggers.
4. 3 blogs you follow consistently.
Barbara at Cat Patches. She makes me laugh. I enjoy her projects and her cat tales.
Amira at littlemushroomcap. She makes the cutest projects and I just relate to her outlook on life.
Kathy at Tamarack Shack. Total eye candy! Her long arm quilting skills are amazing and she takes the most incredible pictures.
5. Your guilty pleasure?
How much I enjoy solitude. It keeps me centered and happy to have quiet time alone.
6. Most productive time of the day?
Afternoons. I'm a slow starter and a night owl, but I make too many mistakes if I quilt late at night so I read instead.
7. One thing you can't live without?
Something to read. A book, a magazine, a newspaper, the internet... anything!
8. Favorite holiday and why?
Christmas. My family has strong Christmas traditions that I cherish and I love seeing Christmas lights, trees and decorations everywhere.
9. Favorite reality show?
Project Runway. I'm a big Tim Gunn fan! I think he is the only classy person on Reality TV.
10. Movie that you can watch over and over and why?
The Graduate is my all-time favorite movie. I love the Simon & Garfunkel score and the scene at the zoo to "Sound of Silence" gets to me every time!  And, I dream of a career in "Plastics". Lol
11. Name of a song that when you hear it you turn it up and dance around like crazy, singing at the top of your lungs.
"I Will Follow" by U2. I can still remember hearing this song for the 1st time at a college track meet on a friend's Sony Walkman... it was love at first listen. I've seen U2 live 3 times and did those things along with thousands of others!

11 things about me:
1. I went to college on a track scholarship.
2. You will never hear me say "I'm bored" or "I'm lonely".
3. I love music. 80's music is my favorite but I'm pretty eclectic in my playlists.
4. I cried over all 4 Vikings Super Bowl losses.
5. I have UFOs from every craft I have ever tried in my life.  
6. I'm not fond of surprises. I like to know what to expect!
7. I love a good drama. You might say I like depressing movies and books.
8. I get worn down in big groups but I really enjoy people one-on-one. I'm a good listener.
9. I'm a major introvert who is happily married to a major extrovert.
10. I've always been a cat person but I'm dreaming about owning one of these. 

11. That's a Shiba Inu in case you were wondering. I'm also considering a Ragdoll kitten.

Whew! That was a lot of typing... 

I'm not going to tag anyone. Sorry! I was never a fan of chain letters and I don't change my status on Facebook to represent a cause either. BUT - If you would like to self nominate just let me know.  I'd be happy to come up with 11 fun questions for you!  Email me or say Tag Me in your comment.

Instead, I'm going to ask 3 questions. If you answer one of them in a comment on this post, you will have a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to The Fat Quarter Shop!

This give-away is now closed.

I reached 100 followers earlier in the month and I want to celebrate each and every one of you... so pick a question and leave me your answer. I'll draw a random winner on Friday morning, January 25th. One entry only please! If you are a no-reply blogger be sure to include an email in your comment.

1. Describe yourself in 5 words.
2. Do you collect anything (besides fabric)?
3. Shiba Inu, Ragdoll or both?

Have a great Monday!

Sunday Stash Report

One of the blogs I follow is Hip to Be a Square Podcast. Pam's blog is full of fun projects and I'm going to check out some Podcasts while I'm working in my quilting room this week. Last weekend I started doing Sunday Stash reports but I wasn't really getting I wanted from it. Then, I came across Pam's version and BINGO! More detail and I love the Charity breakout.

I'm also going to start putting them in a separate post so that my readers can quickly skip them (or skim them!). These posts are really for me and I've committed to a year of tracking this info.  

I'm counting used yardage when the project is complete and blogged about. Or mailed in the case of swaps or charity blocks. Easier for me and more motivation to FINISH!

• Used this Week: 19.5 yards
  • 8.5 for Shabby Heart
  • 5 for Sports Kid
  • 6 for muslin backing & purple centers for 60 Heartstrings string blocks
• Used Year to Date: 33 yards
• Added this Week: 34 yards
  • 4.25 @Quilting Lodge (Frugal Friday@$5 yd) 
  • 6 @Christa Quilts! (Pearl Bracelets Splurge!) 
  • 6.75 @Fat Quarter Shop (50% sale) 
  • 17 @Hancock's of Paducah (Year End Sale) 
• Added Year to Date: 55 yards
• Net Added for 2013: 22 yards
• YTD Used for Charity: 19 yards (58% of total used)

Big shopping week! I added some great backing fabrics from Hancock's, some text fabrics for a HGTV swap and my treat for finishing 5 UFOs was some retail therapy at Christa Quilts!. Aren't these lovely?

Christa had these Amy Butler patterns on sale. I've always loved the Barcelona Skirts and couldn't resist the Rainy Days Hooded Raincoat & Runabout Jacket. Never heard of a Runabout Jacket but I want one! And, you can make it in 4 different lengths which is very fun. The text fabric is Pure by Sweetwater. Love it!

This was my 1st order from Christa Quilts! and I'm very pleased.  

I'm linking up to Patchwork Times and Finding Fifth.  

Making Headway on Imperfect

In my Thursday Thoughts post last week I mentioned my new mantra "Finished imperfectly is better than unfinished perfectly". If I knew how to make a blog button I'd make one! I think I'm going to need it...

Imperfect Test Case #1:

Thursday night I pulled out my Valentine's Day Table Runner UFO, assessed where it had been left and quickly finished piecing the heart section. I gave it a good press and added the background fabric border and the pink border. 

After easy sewing and a quick press I laid it out on my table to admire it. Yikes! How many waves can you count? I pressed it again and just made it worse so I set it aside (my normal reaction to imperfect!). At least I didn't stuff it into the garbage like I used to - thanks again Mom for all of those projects you rescued for me!

On the Threadbias board you can flag a project as "being in distress" so I uploaded my pics yesterday and asked for advice. I quickly received several answers and one of them gave me an "A-ha Moment" with the mention of uneven feed. 

I have sewed on my Pfaff for 10+ years. The IDT (built in walking foot) has taught me to rarely pin, rarely measure and I NEVER have waves. And, to make it even worse I just take it for granted! To get the same results on my Juki 2010Q I must pin and must measure my borders. Lesson learned along with a renewed wave of love for my Pfaff.  

Regarding imperfect... I can't live with this! I've started in with the seam ripper and will finish the piecing on my Pfaff.

Imperfect Test Case #2:

Friday night I went downstairs to pull batting for another Warm Wishes quilt and found I was out of Warm & White. But, I had read a blog about fusible batting that day which had reminded me that I had some June Tailor laying around that I'd bought on sale a while back. Let's try it!

The quilt top fused perfectly and I was pretty darn excited thinking I have 2 large bags to use up. The backing didn't fuse quite so well so I added some pins around the edges and scattered across the middle. Again, nothing unusual. I started to quilt it and the top looked fantastic! I peeked at the back. EEK! I frogged one row and tried it again with the same result. 

By this time I was frustrated and fighting my natural urge to set it aside. I forced myself to just keep going and finish the vertical grid. I knew going horizontal with anything would be a total disaster. Then inspiration... how about doing some walking foot wavy lines down the middle of the blocks? And, how about just making them random? How bad can it be?

As it turns not... THIS is imperfect that I CAN live with! I think after washing it will be even better. I did purposely sew one tuck along the left side to gather some fullness and that's just the way it's going to stay. I see that I have the animals upside down in my pic - how fitting is that?  But, look at the pretty top!

I see more walking foot curves in my future!  Fast, easy and fun. And, I'm batting .500 on "Finished imperfectly is better than unfinished perfectly". That's a whole lot better than having 2 projects stuffed in the garbage!

Cat Antics Part 2

Last week I posted about the holiday adventures of Tucker, J-Meow and Jax in Cat Antics Part 1. Thankfully, Part 2 involves no broken teapots!

My daughter decided we should put out a puzzle while she was home and started laying it out one afternoon while I was in the quilting room. She called me in to check out J-Meow who was on puzzle tray testing duty.

 Not very comfortable!

A bit later I heard some laughter and my daughter came in to show me this pic on her iPhone. A bigger box and a game of Peek-A-Boo!  I spy J-Meow.

By the way, the puzzle is still on the table with the all black pieces left... not very fun at this point. I'll post a pic when I finish it - a 3000 piece puzzle is huge!

Then we had another group nap session, this time in my daughter's room on the top bunk. Tucker and J-Meow are maintaining a safe distance...

But where is Jax?  J-Meow says "Don't care and stop clicking that #$&! camera!"

Here I am Grandma! Behind that funny black kitty.

For the mandatory Cat on Quilt pic we have Quilt Inspector In Training Jax who claimed this one as his for the week.

Of course, that is where Tucker usually sleeps... so he relocated to my quilting room for a new testing assignment.

Do you get the idea that he is wondering when those J-cats are going home? More Cat Antics will be posted next week!