This is for you Lori...

No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth...not quite.  None of my goals have been accomplished, I am working to much, its getting to cold and I am getting grouchy!  But I am still here and I haven't touched my sewing machine since before I left for vacation.  Part of the problem is I can't find it...there is to much crap piled on it.

However, I have been preparing quilting lessons for handpiecing that will be offered at the library where I work.  We are doing a Read/Quilt along.  We will be reading the The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini, and will be learning how to handpiece the same sampler quilt that the central character is making in the novel; the blocks are integeral to the story.

Every week, there will be photographic instructions, as well as a brief synopsis of that part of the book that we have read posted to the library's blog.  So if you want to join us, leave a comment and I can point you in the right direction.

Other than that, thats be my life in a nutshell...

Have a wonderful Holiday Season, I even forgot about Chanukah this year!

Goals for this week

Well I am back from vacation, I got back on Monday, went to work Monday morning, and am now just getting a breather to update my quilt related goals for the week.  Vacation was great, and now back to normal!

Goals for this week are going to be very easy, I hope!

1.  Mail the blocks to Roma.
2.  Mail the huge box of fabric to Henrietta
3.  Deliver the huge boxes of fabric to Quilts of Valor in Lincoln.
4.  Work on 80 flying geese units for a green and white Dolly Madison Star blocks.

Hopefully these will all be complete by next Thursday!

And thanks everyone for the Birthday wishes.

Goals for this week...

I have been setting goals for myself and it seems to help out a lot.  I have also gotten EVERYTHING organized the way I like it when I sew finally.  So with that being said, I think I am going to start posting goals every Sunday, for the week so I can account for what I do during the week.   This is more for me personally, then you guys who read this.  So what were my goals last week:

1.  Finish the Trip Around the World Quilt
2.  Finish piecing blocks for a Patience Corner Quilt
3.  Set Patience Corner Quilt  top together
4.  Knit 5 caps for charity.

What did I get done?

I got the TATW, finished Monday, the Patience Corner Quilt top has been set together, though I did finish it Saturday night.  And I only knitted three caps, and those were knit in one evening while watching a DVD series.

Whats up for this week:

I am going out of town on vacation on Wednesday, and I plan to get some background triangles cut for a Maple Leaf blocks.  These are vintage from the 50's, and cut out, except for 80 triangles, I hope to cut the triangles before I leave, and have them with me to piece.  That's it for goals this week  That and to knit the other two hats from last week. 

My current book is the Worse Hard Time, about the Dust Bowl, very good read, a few mistakes in research, but overall, a good read, and very interesting.  I do recommend the book.

Design Wall Monday and I take terrible pictures....

Woe is me...I take horrific pictures, don't worry about the quality of the camera, its certainly the picture taker here.  So this is whats on my design wall, a very bright batik, and fossil fern trip around the world.  Does Benertex still make fossil fern fabric?  That shows long I've had it in my stash, time to use it up.  Its nice to have a bright quilt, amidst all the pastels and reproduction quilts that I make.

So without further delay here is whats on my design floor this morning...  Now this quilt is really very bright, like sunglasses white, but I digress, picture taking is not something I excel at.

Now on to another question.  You all know I am a librarian, and I catalog books, so why not catalog fabric.  Does anyone else do this.  I do...and here is how I do it:

I take a snippet of fabric, and I glue it to a index card, on that card, I write the manufacturer of the fabric, the name of the fabric line, the designer, the yardage, and the cost per yard, and grand total.  I also include where the fabric came from.  Whether its washed or not.  I keep this updated, for the current number of yards to a half yard.  From there the index card is weeded from the current use file, and is filed under scraps, and what I used to have.  I am sure some day, someone like Barbara Brackman will be happy I did this.  That and it keeps me happy.

How do I file the index cards?  Alphabetical by manufacturer, then alphabetical by fabric designer, followed by fabric line.  Make sense?

So here is a card for Maywood Studio's All Through the Night.  It shows the magazine picture, as well as the actual fabric, and the cost.  And it shows that this fabric was purchased on May 22, 1998 from Hancock's of Pacucah.  I paid $7.98 a yard for it plus $3.99 shipping.  I purchased a 1/2 yard, and its still not being used in my stash, lol.

I was asked in a comment if I have it indexed with where its located in my stash.  My stash is in file boxes.  Each index card also has a number on it.  Those numbers are transposed to the master sheet that is attached to the file box, via a plastic sleeve.  Each file box is lettered, so each fabric that is in the file box, also has the letter of the file box noted on it as well.  So basically it reads as this.

Maywood Studio's All Through the Night:  Fabric number 000198M  Box AC

Box AC has a sheet attached to it, that includes the Fabric number only 000198M.  Each box is also generically labeled as Box AC Numbers; 000180 - 000199. 

I started doing this about 10 years ago.  When I do buy fabric, I usually buy enough to do borders with out piecing, so that's 3 yards for my quilts.  I rarely buy anything smaller than that anymore.  My fabric is easy to locate by using the index, and I am not making a mess of my stash, or needing to stop and put things back.  Everything is in its place.  1/2 yards and under, and not indexed, and the card is moved to the file that its gone.  This method also helps if you are looking for a particular fabric you need more of, its easier to search and, there is no posting that you need this fabric, with no idea what it is or where it is. 

I actually get more sewing done, because I am not constantly searching for something. 

Quilt Block Winner

Sorry I am a day late on announcing the winner...I used random.org to find the winner....

And the winner is number 2 which is Roma! 

If you e-mail me with your address, I will get them off to you in the next few weeks.

Give Away Announcement, Stash Enhancement, Sewing Machine Enhancement, and JudyL's Knit Along

Since I have been working on flower garden quilts, I thought I would have a give away for some vintage flower garden blocks from the late 20's to the early 30's.  There is enough to make a small doll quilt or wall quilt, or maybe something else you can think of.  There are 6 of them, and they measure about 9 inches.  I will keep the giveaway open until Wednesday night when I get home from work. 

I just received 400 yards of good quilt cotton.  It was from an estate, and they were just going to toss it in the garbage, so I brought it home.  I will take pictures as I put it away.  A friend of my mother's gave me a Singer 301a and its a long bed mocha, in pristine condition, and includes all the attachments that were available for purchase in 1951, which is the date according the serial number.  The case is perfect too...pictures to follow in a couple weeks, when I actually have time to look at it!

Now about the Knit Along, I finished the matching sock to the one in the previous post.  The next set of socks have been casted on, and the first sock is almost complete, the heel is turned, the gusset decreases are done, and I am almost to the toes.  Pictures to follow tomorrow, when I am not so tired.

JudyL's Knit Along Update number 1

Well I tried, I really did.  I really wanted to knit two socks at the same time on two circular needles.  But alas, I gave up in frustration.  I kept trying to cast on, and it would tangle, and I got so upset, I tossed them across the room, dug into my knitting basket, pulled out my double pointed needles, and blissfully casted on.  Below you will find the first finished sock this month.  Knit on size 4 needles with a heavier yarn, I call these boot socks, to be worn while scooping snow, and walking to work when its very cold. 

Quick and easy, took me about two hours to knit this one sock, the second one is on the needles now, and I hope to have it finished tomorrow!  Then on to some socks with some wool I dyed myself.  That makes me excited!


Please ignore the weird photo, and the tale I need to weave in, but its the only place I could get the photo to look like there was actually a sock!

Sew-in Results

Here are some pictures of the sew-in we had today yesterday.  Thanks to Mary for taking pictures, I had my camera, but forgot about it in my bag.  The red quilt is my favorite!

Join us today for a sew-in

Today beginning at 9:00 am, we will be tying quilts for immediate use for those who need warm blankets to keep warm this winter!  If you are interested in joining us, come to Keene Memorial Library in Fremont.  Lunch will be provided along with everything for the quilts, come join us, laugh, eat, and help those who are less fortunate than we are!

Check back later today for pictures of the finished quilts!

Nebraska Sew-in

The Nebraska sew-in is getting closer, just 22 more days!  The agenda will be tying quilts for immediate use in the eastern Nebraska area.  There will be many quilts ready to tie!   We will be meeting at the same location as the last sew-in.  Keene Memorial Library, 1030 Broad Street, Fremont, NE.

Lunch will be provided and we are having homemade chicken and noodle soup, with homemade noodles.  Fresh rolls, and a dessert.  It will be a bring your own drink sort of day.  There is a fridge for cold beverages.

We also have some wonderful door prizes being donated by Henrietta, who joined us at the last sew-in all the way from Hawaii, via South Dakota!  The images are below.  You can also visit her shop by clicking HERE

One of the prizes is a retractable tether for pinning scissors to your person, which can been seen by clicking HERE.

The second prize is a sewing related pendant that comes with a silk cord, and the image is below.  Please visit Henrietta's shop, and show her we appreciate her support of HeartStrings!