On September 18 starting at noon I’m giving a workshop on the Twinkle, Twinkle Little Tree. It’s a Christmas Tree that we put lights on.

Workshop is free if you buy (or bought) your supplies at Homespun Quilts. We should get most of the project done. I’ll do a free motion quilting demo and a stencil marking / quilting demo.

I found this on the APQS  message board e-mail and wanted to share.

• Put your new purchases into a box labeled “Christmas ornaments” or “baby clothes”.
• Put that big roll of freezer paper you bought for applique to good use. Stash your stripes, prints and solids by rolling them into “2-pound” packages. Label the package “meat loaf” or “cow’s tongue”.
• Shop for fabric with a friend, then trade shopping bags before you head home. Then you can honestly say, “This fabric isn’t mine–I’m just holding it for a friend.”
• Fabrics stay out of direct sunlight and prying eyes in the trunk of a car.
• Amongst all those clothes in your closet–the dress that’s out of style and the jeans that are too tight–drape up to two yards of fabric on a wire hanger. Then slip a blouse right over the top of it!

We got a new collection of Christmas fabric. It’s called ‘Tidings”. Designed by Nancy Halverson for Benartex. It ws easy to put together. I used fusible web and fused them to wool then sewed them on the panel.

The girls and I did some fabric painting. first stretch the fabric on the frame. Spritz with water. Mix paint 50:50 and have fun. We put rock salt on ours so it make these fantastic looks. We use Pebeo paints and broad cheaper paintbrushes.

Red party cups and newspaper are a must!

Don’t be afraid of color

Mix it up

Fun results!

I’ve been making pillowcases this weekend for ConKer Cancer group. Using the ‘hot dog’ method.  On these I don’t use the trim piece, just the cuff and body.

Lay your cuff fabric right side up (not folded), matching raw edges put the body fabric right sides together on the cuff

Fold or roll up the body fabric so it fits inside the cuff fabric.

Take the bottom edge of the cuff fabric and pin to the cuff, body layers. I stitch with a quarter inch seam, the a zigzag so it’s nice and strong.

Pull the body fabric out of the tube. Press flat.

I make a french seam, but you can do a quarter inch seam.

French seam, sew a quarter inch seam with wrong sides together, trim to an eighth inch seam. Turn, press and sew a three eighth inch seam. Turn, press and you’re done!

These will go to children with serious illnesses in the Portland area. We are a drop-off point for ConKerr Cancer.

Here is Belen’s quilt almost finished. We started making this before I knew anything about quilting. It has an old mattress pad for batting! We used steam-a-seam with no stitching around the dogs. There were only a few ties in it. Belen’s favorite color at the time was purple. Now it is orange.

Two years ago I told Belen I would finish it so when she had to tonque surgery she could have it for comfort. Well, I got most of the dogs stitched down, but didn’t get it done.

So, two years late here is the quilt being quilted

: I did loops all over. Added a red orange binding and finished today on the way back from Portland!

Belen has put this news on Facebook, so  feel comfortable telling you here. Belen has a kidney tumor. She has an appointment next week to make a plan. She is really happy to have here quilt now.

Looking forward to the Lewis and Clark Shop Hop this November. This is the focal print. Each person who turns in a completed passport gets 2 yards!

Meet our first kids sewing campers! This was their first experience with sewing. CeCe did an awesome job  teaching them the in’s and out’s of sewing. They picked their own fabric. The girl in the middle made 10 pillowcases during the week. CeCe gave them a lot of sewing ‘play’ time. They made many little bags from scraps. So much fun! We can’t wait to do it again in August.

Sisters, can’t live with them, can’t live without them.

What’s camp without lunch outside.

see you

There’s a bright light outside today. I’m not sure what to do…..heehee

Run, play, water, garden, clean house, bathe the dogs.? Sun fever I can’t decide!

Arrgggg! more computer viruses. When I tried to access the website I would get a site that said my domain name was not found. Myfreeze.  It is so frustrating to turn on my computer and have it instantly say you have a virus. remove, remove. Hoping that my software can remove it!  I sure don’t want to have my computer wiped again!

Okay on to better things: working on block six of the ‘Atlantis’ quilt. We picked a row by row for the new Saturday Sampler to start in October. We ordered a boatload of fabric to help out and to fill in the color wall a little more.

We got some shirtings, tone on tones in different colors. Black, purple, blue.

see you