Camp Erin

As my close friends and family know my daughter Tara is a Community Bereavement Counselor for Hospice of Albany County, NY. Every year Tara, as well as my daughter Emma volunteer their time being a camp counselor for Camp Erin. In addition, this year my son Chuck and his girlfriend Jessica participated. Camp Erin is a bereavement camp designed for children ages 6-17 who have experienced the death of a parent, friend or loved one. It is a weekend-long experience filled with traditional, fun, camp activities combined with grief education and emotional support -- facilitated by grief professionals and trained volunteers.

Let all of us applause these wonderful people who donate their time as well as their hearts to these children and teens in need!

Here are some photos:

Bolt for 3180 Horn Quilter's Dream cabinet

Many of you have asked to see a photo of the bolt my husband installed to make the Horn 3180 cabinet stable enough for the new Bernina 8 series machines. Here is a photo:




The bolt is on the left. It is a bolt with a washer installed in the existing hole on the hydraulic lift. This bolt can easily be removed by me if I want to raise the machine up. Yes, it is a tad bit inconvenient but to purchase a new Horn cabinet (4180) with the stronger hydraulic system is $2000. I rather save that money for other sewing goodies.

Fall Foliage

Autumn is here! I am going out and about today running errands but I am taking my Nikon D40 with me to take photos of the Fall Foliage. Here is a photo of the trees across the street:

My favorite cheese - Gorgonzola

Gorgonzola (Italian pronunciation: [ɡorɡonˈdzɔla]) is a veined Italian blue cheese, made from unskimmed cow's and/or goat's milk. It can be buttery or firm, crumbly and quite salty, with a 'bite' from its blue veining. It has been made since the early Middle Ages, but only became marbled with greenish-blue mould in the eleventh century. It is frequently used in Italian cooking. The name comes from Gorgonzola, a small town near Milan, Italy, where the cheese was reportedly first made in 879 AD; however, this claim of geographical origin is disputed by other towns.

Today, by law, the zone of production includes only a defined area. What was once the village of Gorgonzola (not far from Milan) is being swallowed up by suburbs. Most gorgonzola is actually produced in the province of Novara, but the DOC zone also includes such provinces as Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Cuneo, Lecco, Lodi, Milan, Pavia, Varese, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and Vercelli, as well as a number of communes in the area of Casale Monferrato (province of Alessandria).

The Final Re-Arrangement (I hope)

I have finally set up the sewing room the way I feel most comfortable. Tell me what you think! I converted my family room into the sewing room. All the kids are grown so we no longer need a large living AND family room. I love my new space. Here are some photos:

Sometimes, the little guy wins against the big company

And it happened 9/22/09 South Boston!

Barry Tuck had been fighting Verizon Wireless for four months over his bill. With the changeover from Alltel to Verizon, his bill had climbed to over $800. Every time he called them, he’d get no answer to his problem. Verizon had no sympathy for him and disconnected his service. So, what’s one person going to do against a big company?

After being confronted by Verizon store management, Barry stood his ground and said he was doing nothing illegal by standing on the public right-of-way and holding a sign. Store management even tried to take the sign and threatened to call the police. Barry didn’t back down. On the next visit out to him, the manager asked “What’s the problem?”. They talked and the manager went back inside. Barry did the right thing and took his sign down while Verizon worked on his bill. On the next visit out, Barry’s bill was taken care of and his phone was reconnected.
Well done, Barry Tuck.

Congratulations on taking a stand and getting what you wanted.
http://www.southsidecentral.com/wordpress/2009/09/21/sometimes-the-little-guy-wins-against-the-big-company/

Cosmetic Bags

I have been trying to improve a cosmetic bag pattern that I bought at JoAnns last week. It is a Simplicity pattern. As you know, Simplicity patterns have so many mistakes! Here is a photo of two bags I made so far. These bags are lined and have batting between the layers.

Only 2 blocks done today

Hi All!

Where did the hours go? It is 7:22pm already. I only accomplished 1/3 of what I wanted to do today. I spent hours down the basement trying to organize my sewing stuff that is in storage. I have accumulated way too much! I had all intentions of having a quilters'/sewists garage this summer but I never got around to it! Today I started sorting through it all and I have decided to donate much of it to the Goodwill. I have bolts of fabric, thread, trims and patterns all being ready to go. I hope my goodies find it's way into a good home.

Anyways, after I pieced two quilt blocks I shut off the machine and iron and made dinner. We had broiled cod with butter and virgin olive oil, garlic, paprika and Romano cheese, along with creamed spinach and baked potatoes. It was delicious. Just vanilla yogurt for desert to make up for the extra butter on the cod and potato.

Sewing and Bird Watching

Hi All!

I spent a lovely day in the sewing room making batik quilt blocks for a star quilt in progress. Here are some photos of the blocks I completed today.

The block pattern is from Alex Anderson's book Keep Quilting pages 13 & 19.

I pieced these blocks using my Bernina 630 with the #57 quilting foot.

While sewing I could see the birdfeeders in the yard. Here is a photo of a Humming Bird.

Earlier this afternoon the turkeys came to eat lunch under the birdfeeders. Here is a photo of a mother with her poult (baby turkey). Aren't they cute! the babies were so much smaller just a couple of weeks ago!

Wellesley State Park

Hi All,

As I mentioned in the spring, we bought a class A motorhome. Last month we spent a weekend at Wellesley State Park in Alexander Bay. We were so lucky to have a beautiful sunset AND I had my camera with me! Enjoy these photos!

Remember me?

Hi All!
Remember me? I have been so negligent about writing in my blog. The last thing I remember is late spring and my daughter Emma came home for summer vacation. The rest is a blur. Now she is back at school and I am struggling to fill the void in my heart, in my life. She fills a room with joy when she enters it and she warms a heart with just a smile. She is a wonderful daughter; a wonderful friend.

Anyways, this morning I was browsing, reading and trying to catch up on the weeks and weeks of postings on my favorite yahoo groups, my most favorite being YourSewingRoom. I came upon an entry by a member named Dana. It caught my eye because I enjoyed reading her signature quote:
“Remember, with every stitch you make, you’re sharing a piece of your heart. Nothing speaks louder than things made from the heart.”

I went to the photo section of this group and viewed the photos of her sewing room. I loved seeing her delightful, well organized sewing space. If you are a member of this group go take a look at Dena's sewing room. Also, here is the link to her blog: http://threadstofabric.blogspot.com/.

Grab a cup of tea and go visit Dana. Enjoy!

Syracuse Zoo - click on photo to enlarge

My son Chuck and my daughter Emma

Emma made us proud once again!

Emma carried 19 credits this past semester and she earned 8 As and one B+. We are giddy with pride. She is such a hardworking, determined young lady. Way to go Emma!

Freeport Island, Bahamas

Nassau, Bahamas

Vacation April/May 2009

Here is a photo of my husband patting his stomach after a delicious meal of Lobster and Prime Rib. Food was very good on the cruise!

The cruise was relaxing. There were so many comfortable places to sit and watch the ocean.
The water was such a beautiful color.

The housekeeping staff had a wonderful sense of humor. Those are my husband's sunglasses.

A cute lizzard wandering around in the village on Freeport Island in the Bahamas.

The boat has a great walking track on an upper deck.

I will post more photos as soon as I upload them onto my computer.

Every Quilter should have a design wall

Hi Everyone!

I started a new quilt project last week. Prior to that I was busy 2 full days making clothes for cloth dolls that my guild, The Plank Road Quilt Guild, is donating to the children's hospital. When I was finished with this I was itching to start a batik quilt. I chose a block from Alex Anderson's book Keep Quilting. The block is called Bright Hopes Star. I have completed 9 blocks so far. Because I don't have a design wall I tape up the blocks where ever I can find a space to hang them. I enjoy looking at the blocks as I progress. Do you enjoy doing this too? Anyways, this girl (ME) needs a design wall. The reason I don't have one is because there isn't any available wall space. I am brainstorming about where I can put a portable design wall. The only source of light is the double glass door to the deck so I can't block that. One full wall is taken up by the fireplace and glass cabinets. The third wall is the counter and cabinets (as you see in the photo below) and the forth is entry to the kitchen and a small display wall for my mini quilts.

After our quilt guild meeting today some of us women went to Red Lobster for lunch. I should be on a diet because I am quite "fluffy". I think the waitresses at Red Lobster thought this too. When the food arrived I watched as they served everyone their HUGE plates of food. I ordered stuffed flounder. When they put my plate in front of me I had to refocus. I never seen such a small serving! I was about to reach for my glasses to see the food on the plate! My bill came out to $15.32 so I don't think it was a selection from the children's menu. I tried hard to eat very slowly so I wouldn't be the first one finished but it is hard to linger over only 3 forkfuls of food! I guess the waitress was looking out for me helping me reduce my caloric intake. lol.

Stickley Desk

All of us have a certain thing that we crave to own since we were little, like a boat, or a kitchenaide mixer, or a motorcycle or a Gucci handbag, or a mickey mouse lunch box, etc. My craving was for a beautiful, solid wood executive desk. I have owned many desks in my lifetime but I never was able to allocate enough money for a "real" desk until this past year. Stickley advertised a big sale and after I read the ad I said to myself: "Now's the time to buy that desk".

Off I went to the huge Stickley showroom and roamed around for an hour or more looking at many different desks most of which could be ordered in different shades and/or kinds of wood. Then I found it.... It was big and a lovely rich wood with a leather top. I had to have it. I was afraid to look at the price tag but I did. It cost a small fortune, enough to take that cruise to Europe. Oh God did I want the desk. It was perfect. Just what I wanted. Sold wood finished to perfection, large, heavy, rich and beautifully crafted. I couldn't turn away. I bought it! My checkbook was smoking.

Here it sits in my home and I love it. Over the weekend a neighbor knocked on my door. I invited her in glad to have the company. I asked for her coat to hang in the closet. She walked in and dropped her KEYS and purse right on the desk! I cringed. Who would put keys on a good piece of furniture? And a purse?



As soon as she left I polished my prized piece of furniture. I used Old English on the scratch. It is barely noticeable.

Update on Janome 11000 SE

I have owned the Janome 11k SE for a few weeks now. I have 2 issues with this machine which I am trying to resolve with my dealer - AGR Sewing in Central Square and also with Janome Customer Care directly.

The first minor problem is the needle threader. It will only work with Janome/Organ 12 needles. If I try to use 11 (which I love for patchwork) and 14 for embroidery, the needle threader will not line up with the hole of the needle.

The second problem is the thread cutter. First of all, it is extremely loud when you engage it to cut the threads. My concern is the thread nest created at the beginning of a seam on the back/babbin side. I spent a few hours troubleshooting and was able to isolate the problem. It is the bobbin thread. After using the thread cutter and then beginning another seam a thread nest is created. Even if I hold on to the top thread when I begin sewing, I still get a nest of thread at the beginning of the seam. Here are photos:

When I first spoke with AGR Sewing (dealer) Allan told me this can't be fixed. He told me to contact Janome. Here is the first response I received from Janome:

Dear Roberta,

Thank you for your inquiry. When ever you use the cutter you will have a bit of thread on the bobbinside. There has to be a thread tail left to pick up to start sewing again. The only way to prevent that is to chain stitch or not to use the cutter and have your thread tails to trim later.Although we are not sure what needles/threads you are using (please see the Note on page 13 of your manual regarding threads and needle sizes),your needle threader can be adjusted.

This is what I wrote back:

I do know the difference between a "bit of thread" and a nest of thread. I will include photos so you don't disregard my inquiry. Please let me know if you still still think this is "a bit of thread". And, if you still do, then why doesn't any other machine brand thread cutter (Bernina, Pfaff, Viking, Singer, etc) leave this "bit of thread" behind? Please help me resolve this and restore my faith in Janome.

This was their reply:

Dear Roberta,

We have forwarded your e mail to our Service Training Supervisor and also to one of our Educators. Our Service Training Supervisor has spoken to your dealer about a suggested adjustment.
In addition, our Educator sent the following report:
I have been testing out some options here.
Here is what I see is happening:
When you use the thread cutter the needle thread stays down in the needle plate.
If you start to sew with it in this position, which is the most desirable because it eliminates the step of pulling it up, you are going to get the extra threads on the wrong side of the fabric. It appears that it is the needle thread that is pulling to the wrong side and giving you bunches. I used GREEN thread in the needle here.
If you pull the thread out, which on my machine is 1 ¾” of thread, then place your finger over the thread before you start to sew, you will get just a very little bit of the top thread being pulled to the wrong side. The down side of this is you need to pull that thread out before you start your next row and that you now have 1 ½ “ of a thread tail hanging off your seam which needs to be trimmed, but I think you will be happier with these results.

Therefore, we suggest that you “sweep” the thread up to the needle plate and hold in place with your finger. This will eliminate the bunching threads on the back. Please see the attached pictures.

We appreciate your interest in Janome America, Inc.

Consumer Relations
Janome America, Inc.

_______________________________________________________

Perhaps the new TOL machine being released this coming July will resolve these issues.

Deal of the Week

A friend from Jersey called to tell me that Big Lots has OttLite floor lamps at a really good price. I paid $119 for my tabletop OttLite about 6 years ago. Of course I had to go to Big Lots to check it out. I was truly blown away. A floor standing OttLite for $29.99. It is not the OttLite brand but is a HD (High definition natural daylight lighting system) full spectrum lamp and certainly just as good.

Quilt Guild....meeting new friends

As most of you know I have recently relocated to a suburb in Syracuse, NY. I was quite excited to be living in a more populated area offering great shopping including a half dozen quilt and fabric shops. I was anxious to connect with other women who shared my love of sewing. There are a few quilt guilds in my area but I decided to give two a try. We know how difficult it is to be living in a new area, anxious to meet and connect with new friends.

I have to tell you about the Plank Road Quilt Guild. Never in my life have I been so warmly welcomed into the folds of a group. Immediately I was greeted at the door and invited to join a table. Mostly every member came over to me and introduced themselves. Everyone was warm, kind and friendly. After the meeting I was invited out to lunch. When I attended the second meeting, a month later, everyone was just as nice and I began forming real friendships. The experience was better than any I ever hoped for and twice as good as one could ever expect.

And I must tell you the talent of these women are amazing!

Finger Tip Towel Project - Makeup Bag

Here is a fun project. All you need are two finger tip towels and velcro. I machine embroidered the monogram but if you don't have embroidery capability you can leave it blank or embellish anyway you desire! I make these as gifts all the time. Sometimes I fill with makeup and other times just a bottle of Clinique perfume.

New Quilt Book - again

You know you are getting old when you go into your favorite quilt shop and find a book you get all excited about. You pay for it, get it home, excited to read it and plan future projects and then discover you already own the book! Ok. You are saying this happens to everyone in there life. But I did this twice! I have three copies of this book!

I decided to take inventory. I have another book I have doubles of. These are new quilt books purchased within 2 years. What is wrong with me? Is this what I have to look forward to in old age?

On the bright side. I will donate the extra copies to my quilt club and share this ridiculous story and give everyone a good laugh. I'll bake some muffins too.

In stitches,

Roberta

FedEx .............GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

I have been waiting since 9am this morning for FedEx to pick up a package I am shipping to Idaho. FedEx usually comes around 10am. At 11:30 I called and they told me any time between 9am and 6pm. At 2:30 I called again. I got the same response - pickup between 9am and 6pm. At 5:17 I called again. I was told they were here at 5pm and I wasn't home!!!! I have been sitting in the living room, looking out a big bay window which overlooks my driveway and no FedEx truck came! After telling her this I was put on hold for 9 mins. The rep came back on the line to tell me there is nothing that can be done until Monday. I asked to speak with a supervisor. A not-to-friendly woman gets on the phone and after I tell her the situation I was placed on hold again for another 11 minutes. She finally get's back on to confirm my address. Again I placed on hold. She gets back on the line 4 mins. later to tell me someone will be coming to pick up the package. A Gerald Cooper from the Syracuse division. It is 6:18. I still have the package.

I have to say, don't ship FedEx!

Aunt May's Smoked sausage w/chedder cheese, shredded cabbage amd carrots, red onion, potatoes and egg noodles

This is a recipe from my German Aunt May. It is delicious and so easy! You can make it as a main course or as a side dish for Sunday dinner.

Here is what you will need:

John H. Martin & Sons Smoked Sausage w/chedder cheese (or any other quality brand) or Kielbasa
1 large onion
Shredded cabbage and carrots (or cold slaw package from produce dept.)
4 medium washed potatoes cubed (leave the skin on for extra nutrients)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tabs. olive or cooking oil
package of egg noodles

Preheat frying pan with 2 tablespoons oil. Sautee onion and potatoes

Add smoked sausage

Cook until potatoes are tender. Add shredded cabbage and carrots. Cook until cabbage is tender but NOT mushy

Boil egg noodles until tender, drain. Add to frying pan. Aunt May puts in a half of stick of butter but if you are cooking healthy you can leave this out. Stir and serve. This is delicious served with warm bread fresh from the breadmaker.

A New Day! Breakfast!

The cinnamon buns I made on Tuesday were so delicious. I ate 2 on Tuesday and 2 on Wednesday. I am such a pig. So.... I am off sweets. This is my breakfast instead.

Valuable Quilting Tip

When doing quilt piecing, especially patterns where there are bulky intersections, I use a good quality serger thread instead of regular sewing thread. Serger thread is a lighter weight (generally 60 wt.), whereas general sewing thread is 50 wt.. Embroidery thread is 40 wt. With thread, the higher the number the thinner/lighter the thread strands. Confusing for beginners. Using the lighter weight thread gives less bulk in intersections and also allows for a more accurate 1/4" seam.

Closely examine your 1/4" seam. Notice how the thread takes up a fraction of this area? Because of this your seam is actually larger than 1/4" and this is why many intermediate and advanced quilters will sew a "scant 1/4" seam" to compensate for the area the thread gobbles up. The easiest solution is to use good quality serger thread, like Mettler. Do not use crappy thread like Maxi Lock or bargain thread. If you look at Maxi Lock thread under a magnifying glass you will see how "hairy" this thread is. This creates so much lint in your bobbin area and could damage your expensive machine.

Did you ever look at your serger right after sewing just one project? What a mess! Most of us use Maxi Lock thread for our sergers because for years typically Maxi Lock thread was the only serger thread available to us. I still use it because I have it in almost every color but I am slowly replacing it with Mettler. I will NOT use it in a sewing machine.

My favorite for patchwork. Color: Natural

Finally a President that protects the middleclass!

Squirrels

I have nut trees on my property so it draws a slew of squirrels. From my sewing room window I am entertained from early morning until late afternoon. The squirrels have no fear and they are quite indignant! If I don't put out treats for them they will come right up to the glass door and bang their head on the glass. They will sit there waiting for me to come give them food! I have tried everything to keep them out of the bird feeders but to no avail. Here are a few photos.

He wants that pretzel!

He is getting ready to jump over the hole in the snow to get it!

Baking Day! Cinnamon Buns!

Don't these Cinnamon Buns look delicous! I dabbed on cream cheese vanilla frosting leftover from Sunday's Carrot Cake. The house smells so good on baking days!

Disappearing Nine Patch

I have received several emails from beginner quilters asking about the Disappearing Nine Patch block. So I decided to do this quick tutorial. Here are a few tips and illustrations to help the process. First of all I recommend that all quilters invest in a spinning cutting mat. You can purchase it at the JoAnn.com site. It is on sale for $23.99. The spinning mat makes cutting pattern pieces so easy.

This mat also comes in a 17" size but I feel the larger mat is clumsy and awkward.

Lets begin. Cut 4" strips from 100% first quality fabric. Sew three strips in this order: dark - light - dark. Press. Now sew three strips in this order: light - dark - light. Press.

Cut the strips into 4" segments.
Take note that the top row are dark-light-dark and the bottom are light-dark-light.

Sew a dark segment to a light segment and then add a dark segment. Press. Your Nine Patch will look like the block above.

Now this is where the spinning mat is must-have. Cut through the center of the block. Spin the mat 90 degrees and cut again. Your block will look like the illustration above.

Now rearrange the four segments to look like the above photo. Stitch the top two together. Next stitch the bottom two together. Last, stitch the two units together.

Press well first on the back of the block then flip over and press the front of the block. Make sure your rearrange the segments for interest. Below are a few examples of how a block looks when you rearrange the segments.

An important tip. Always use a sharp good quality seam ripper. Remove a few threads from the center intersection of the block. Then press the left seam toward the bottom and the right toward the top. Creating this little "4 patch" will allow the block to lay perfectly flat without any distortions.

Best machine for quilters

The Janome 11000 Special Edition has a wonderful feature that no other machine offers. It has a cloth guide to sew an absolute perfect 1/4" seam. I am amazed how easy it is to sew strips fast and accurate. The above is a photo of me sewing on my Janome 11K. Below is a photo from the Janome site which can explain the feature to you.

I have spent the last ten years researching all of the top of the line and mid-range machines. I have owned and sewed extensively on Babylock/Brother, Pfaff, Husqvarna Viking, Janome, Bernina and Singer machines. The Janome 11000 is, by far, the best for quilters. It is a more reasonably priced machine compared to Bernina. Janome machines are more user friendly and solidly built. Janome is superior over the competition.

***** Please note: I am not an employee for Janome, just a happy customer.

And the winner is.............

Lorene!

Here is what she wrote:

Anonymous said...
I LOVE the bow tucks bag!! and my fav color is PINK! wow, thanks for the chance to win!!! fav tip? - I like to cut out hearts of leftover batting. I will give these out to friends, other quilters. I use these hearts to set by my sewing machine, on the arm of my chair, in my little kit that I take with me for doing embroidery. the threads you cut off and want to discard go on the heart. EVERYTHING sticks to batting!!! I also will cut retangles of leftover batting to use on the swifter - for when I sweep! works wonderfully!

Loreneqlt7scrap at cox dot net
January 16, 2009 4:36 PM

Congratulations Lorene!

Rowenta Focus Iron

Well Folks my faith in Rowenta irons has been restored. I have owned quite a few over the years and after having to replace my iron every 1- 3 years I gave up on Rowenta. I purchased and or tried many other brands and was mostly disappointed. Nothing compares to the Rowenta irons made before 1992.

While in Kohls last week I looked over the irons. They were on sale 10% off (big whoop) but I had a 30% off coupon. I spotted the new Rowenta Focus Iron. Retails for $89.99 and with the discounts I paid about $60 with tax.

I can't rave enough about this iron! 1700 watts of power. Rowenta has finally decided to make a quality product again! This iron fits perfectly in my hand and is very comfortable to use. It is easy to fill with regular tap water and the settings are true. The steam is amazing. It is a soft stream, not a wet drippy steam. It has over 400 steam holes:Notice the tip of the iron? It is narrow and also longer than most tips. It is perfect for quilters to precisely iron seams. We no longer need those silly clover irons for applique. What a fantastic job this iron does. And it is also auto shut-off!

Asus 1000HA

I had a bunch of gift certificates earned from bonus points for using my Amazon Visa for just about everything. Of course you have to pay it in full when the statement arrives. It wouldn't be cost effective to pay interest, now would it??? Did you know that Amazon offers additional bonus points for academic purchases including college books and tuition?

So... to my joy I used the gift certificates earned to buy a Netbook. This little laptop has a 160 gig hard drive, a ASUS Super Hybrid Engine and 6 cell high density battery pack which last 7 hours. It has high speed cnnectivity anywhere with Wi-Fi 802.11b/g and also have a web cam! It is extremely lightweight and fits in my handbag!

It is a amazing little Gem!

Fantastic New Quilt Book!

This new book just arrived today from Connecting Threads. When I took it out of the box I was disappointed because I paid $16 and it only contains 20 pages. But after I paged through it I was very happy with my purchase! Each of the quilts are beautiful and so easy to make! What an inspiration! It is a perfect book for Stashbusters and for those of us that want to make quick and easy quilts that look wonderful.

I just love being a Quilter!!!!!!!

New Janome!

Hi Guys!

I know you have been wondering where I've been and asking why I haven't posted much; (just once) for the month of January. Life just got busy, which really isn't a good excuse.

Anyways... I have a new baby! A Janome 11000 Special Edition! I couldn't resist.

My new Janome is a fantastic machine! Years ago I owned a MemoryCraft 7500. It was a workhorse and the most reliable machine I ever owned. I got caught up in the Bernina hoopla and sold the Janome for a Bernina 1530 and then later on a 200E. Both machines were a disappointment. Although I must tell you I love my Bernina 630 but now it really does pale beside the performance of the Janome 11K. The Janome is built extremely well and hums when I sew. The tension is perfect. Embroidery is beautiful - surpasses Babylock and Brother. The Janome 11K is the first combo machine I have owned that I actually use for everything - quilting and embroidery. I can understand why Kenmore (Sears) contracts Janome make all their sewing machines and why mostly all the schools have Janome machines in their classrooms.

January Give-Away!

Hello All!

I have a new and exciting give-away for you. This is a Bow-Tucks handbag I made as a sample for a Handbag class I taught last summer. All you need to do to enter this Give-Away is write a comment on this posting telling us about your favorite quilting/sewing tip. The entry with the best tip will be the winner. The winner will be selected January 31st. Good luck!

Happy New Year!

Good Morning Everyone! Happy New Year!

I haven't posted in a few days because my daughter Emma has been home from college on winter break. We have been busy with Christmas shopping and then after Christmas shopping and of course catching up on all the news and gossip. It is so good having her home!

I have a few announcements. I am putting the fabric give-away on hold for a few weeks. There has been 3 fabric give-aways so far. The first winner Bonnie sent postage and I sent off her fabric bundle. The package was returned to me. I am now waiting to hear back from her to double check her address. The second winner, Rhonda J, never sent me her shipping address or postage money. The third winner, Nancy, I am waiting to receive postage. So, I am going hold off future give aways until the previous three are concluded.

I have a few other excited things in the works however for late January. Please continue to visit my blog in the meantime.

Happy Quilting!
Roberta in snowy, blistery cold central NY

Gobble Gobble

New Fabric Winner!

Nancy from PA! Congratulations! You are the winner of this week's fabric Give-Away!

Notion of the Day

Cuisinart Convection Automatic Bread Maker

I know this probably seems like a strange product to post as a favorite notion or item for the sewing room but take into consideration my sewing room is located just outside of the kitchen. I love the smell of fresh baked bread and nothing is more delicious than warm fresh bread when taking a short break from sewing. There is a lovely quilt shop in Fly Creek, NY that has a kitchen in their large back room which is the classroom. Whenever you take a class at the Fly Creek Quilt Shop, the owner, Bunnie, has a fresh loaf of bread baking in her bread maker. What a delightful smell! When it's break time she slicing up the bread and serves it with fresh homemade jam. Such a lovely touch, isn't it?

Anyways, I have owned a few different bread machines in the past 15 or so years. I have finally come upon one that I absolutely LOVE. It makes the most perfect bread. The crust is crisp but not burnt. I purchased the Cuisinart Bread Maker from Amazon. It's a bit pr icy ($129) as far as a bread maker goes but well worth the extra money. Here is a photo:

It makes the most delicious 2 lb. loaf of bread in just ONE hour! Here is my favorite recipe for a 2 lb. loaf:

Water - 1 & 1/2 cups

Oil - 3 tablespoons

Sugar - 4 teaspoons

Salt - 1 teaspoon

Bread flour - 4 cups

Yeast - 1 & 1/2 packages

Vital Wheat Gluten - 3 teaspoons

Another product I purchased from Amazon along with the breakmaker was the Norpro Bread Slicer with Crumb Catcher ($15.49). This was an inexpensive product and worth every penny. Here is a photo:

The Best Christmas Present of All!

My youngest, Emma, is home on break. She just finished her first semester as a freshman in SUNY New Paltz studying Music Therapy. She received her grades today. She earned an A in all of her subjects - straight As. I am so very proud of her. This was a wonderful Christmas for me. Congratulations Sweetheart, I love you so much!

Pay It Forward

I received my Pay It Forward gift from Terry today! Wow! Look at this!

Fabric Giveaway!

Happy Sunday! Here is my next fabric give-away. This is a big pile this week, at least 5 yards.

These fabrics are leftover from this top:

To enter just leave a comment on this posting. A winner will be selected on Friday, December 26th. The winner pays shipping $5. Good luck!

Another Charity quilt top completed!

I finished another quilt top tonight. I think I will take a break from sewing for charity. I need to make new curtains for the bathrooms. The main bathroom is blue and white and the master bathroom is in tan and pinks. For my next quilting project I want to make a few rag quilts to use up a pile of flannels I bought quite awhile ago with the intentions to make cozy flannel quilts. I purchased a pair of Heritage 6 1/2" Rag Quilting Snips and I am anxious to try out. Tomorrow I will post a new fabric give-away.

Merry Christmas!

Notion of the Day

Heritage Curved Embroidery Scissors

I was visiting Penn Yan Sewing, an Mennonite owned Bernina dealer. One of the owner's daughters was giving an embroidery demonstration and I watched while waiting to pick up my machine. She used these scissors to snip the threads. I liked the way the tips of the scissors were able to get into a tight spot and snip the threads closely. I had to buy the scissors. It was one of the best investments I have made. These scissors cost about $30 but worth every penny. Here are two photos:

Fabric Give-away winner!

The Winner this week is Ronda J.! Congratulations!!!!! Please contact me Ronda as I don't have your email address and your comment does not link to a blog.

Pay It Forward

Hi All!
I volunteered to participate in Pay It Forward. For those of you that have not seen the movie the concept is this. Whenever someone does a good deed for you instead of doing something nice back to that same person you pay it forward. It's simple. You select 3 people to send gifts to. Their only liability to you is that they promise to also pay it forward three fold. What a fantastic way to spread a little goodness, huh?

The gifts I make will be sent out sometime in the next six months (probably much sooner than that, but I'm allowing myself plenty of time). Then in return, you make the same PIF promise on your blog. You must have a blog to participate and you have up to six months to send out your handmade gifts. Ready to join in the fun? Just leave a comment! :0)

Another Disappearing Nine Patch

I have finished another charity quilt top. Many charities make special requests for blue and other masculine colors that are more suitable for the male patients and clients. Since most quilters are women we tend to use more feminine fabrics and colors. Here is a photo:
I have to admit I am growing weary of using the Disappearing Nine Patch pattern. I need to try something different for my next top. Any suggestions?

Quite a few blogging friends have asked me where I find the time to make as many quilt tops as I do, blog and also work part-time. Well, I am a recent empty nester and on top of this change in my life my husband left 2 weeks ago to work in Beaumont, TX. He will probably be gone until spring. I have an abundance of time so instead of being lonely and sad I am doing something positive. I really enjoy patchwork and I am having great fun zipping out the tops while watching movies or listening to music. I pick easy, quick patterns so I make them fast. I am also a member of Stashbusters and I have committed myself to use 100 yards of fabric before shopping for more. Buying fabric has also been a passion and obsession of mine and I have cultivated quite a large stash over the years. I have always bought more than I use so it's time to turn the tables and use more than I buy. I can't think of a better, more fulfilling way to do this than to make charity quilts. So there you have it, my story.

Notion of the Day

Here is another notion that is an absolute favorite. I use a Bernina 630 for most of my patchwork sewing. This machine works best when it's clean and oiled. It likes to be cleaned after each second bobbin change. I have a professional air compressor with a built-in moisture eliminator. It is the same setup Bernina technicans use to clean sewing machines. After I clean out all the lint and dust I oil the bobbin area with oil. Here is how it is done:

First, remove the bobbin and hook. Clean the top and bottom of the hook race. Lightly oil the hook with 2-3 drops of oil. Insert the hook back into machine.

This is the best sewing machine oil available and I love that it has a needle applicator. I buy this product from the Marathon Thread Company, not via the Internet but at Quilting and Sewing Expos. My husband told me machinists also use this product so perhaps it can be purchased at a hardware store. Here is a photo.

New Year's Resolutions

Hey, how about those New Year's Resolutions? I usually don't bother but this year I will. It's time for me to focus on personal growth. Here are my 10 New Year's Resolutions:

1. Not to hate country music as much
2. To try hard not to dislike selfish people
3. Let it be about others more often
4. Not to buy any new electronics for a year 6 months
5. Pet my dog more often
6. Read 12 books from my library and donate the ones I will never read
7. Learn Italian and learn how to make Italian pastries
8. Become less cynical and have more faith in human nature
9. Smile at grumpy people
10. Wear a hat when it's cold outside

I finished another charity quilt top!

I am moving right along here. I am starting to have faith in myself that I will reach my goal of using up 100 yards of fabric soon! I am a member of the yahoo group Stashbusters and I made this pledge. I am quite motivated now to put a dent in my stash. Doing charity quilts are a great motivation. Anyways... here the latest top:

This is another Disappearing Nine Patch. This time the strips were 4" wide instead of 5". This top actually looks more vibrant in person. The camera makes it looks a bit washed out. I have tons of these fabrics left. Stay tuned for future fabric give-aways. It will be a very large bundle.

Product of the Day

The Babylock Imagine Serger is by far, the absolute best serger on the market today. I have bought and used just about every brand on the market; all Top Of Line - Janome, Elna, Viking, Pfaff, Bernina. The Babylock Imagine wins hands down. I also purchased the Babylock Coverstitch machine. the Babylock sergers are so easy to use. The threading is a breeze and the stitches are perfect every time. The Imagine is a mid-line serger. The Evolve is TOL which is a combo of the Imagine and Coverstitch machine.

Notion of the Day

The best seam ripper available today is the Clover Seam Ripper. I have used and owned several different seam rippers in the 40 years I have been sewing and Clover (white handle) is the best! Whenever I find them at a good price (less than $4 each) I buy a half dozen. I give them away as gifts and I have one conveniently placed in the different areas of my sewing room. My seam ripper is my best friend. Here is a photo:In my opinion, there is no substitute. This is the best seam ripper. It is comfortable to hold and is great for ripping out seams as well as opening buttonholes.

Monday - The start of a new week!

Happy Monday!

Today is the start of a new fabric give-away. This batch has delicious fabrics as well as left over quilt blocks from this charity quilt:

Here is a photo of the fabric and blocks for this week's give-away:

There is approximately 2 yards of fabric here and a bunch of blocks. All you need to do is leave a comment stating you want to enter the give-away. A name will be drawn on Friday. The winner needs only to pay for shipping - $4. Good luck!

Another charity quilt top completed!

This morning I finished another charity quilt top. This time, for something different, I used my favorite pattern called Endless Star. I only used two different fabrics (instead of the typical scappy look) along with a printed natural muslin for the back ground. Here are some photos:

As always, the remainder of these fabrics will be offered in a future fabric give-away. And speaking of which...did we all congratulate Bonnie for being this week's winner?? Later on this afternoon I will be posting a photo of the next fabric give-away. Stay tuned!

Winner of Fabric Give-Away!

Congratulations Bonnie!

Favorites

Good Morning Friends!

I have decided to start something new in my blog. I believe that a good deed as well as a good product deserves recognition so I will post everyday about a favorite product of mine. This will of course, mostly, contain sewing, quilting and machine embroidery items and occasionally other great stuff. Today I want to start off with a recent purchase of mine, which turned out to be the best $50 I spent in a very long time.

This is the Dirt Devil 083414 Extreme Power Stick Vacuum. I purchased at Amazon.com for $49.99. It is cordless and bagless. I have wood floors in my sewing room and after a full day of sewing I like to sweep so that all the threads and fabric snips don't get dragged throughout the house. Sweeping is a pain and I hate trying to sweep the pile of threads and fabric snips into the dust pan and then into the trash. I purchased the Dirt Devil and I am amazed how easy it makes cleanup. It picks up everything on wood floors and also on carpets. It is quiet and it is easy to empty the large bagless dust cup.

Wild Turkey

I was taking photos of the latest quilt I made for charity and when I uploaded the photos from the camera to the computer I found a few photos I forgot I had taken. Here is shot of the wild turkey that come into my yard almost everyday. They are funny to watch - they move really slow like turtles unless they sense danger.I finished my sixth charity quilt top. Here is a photo. I have fabrics left from this top and will be offering them for the fabric give-away next week.

I'm back!

Hello All!
It's been two weeks since I last posted. Time just got away from me. I was busy with family for Thanksgiving and the following Monday I was sick with the flu. Afterward my computer crashed and I had to replace it. Finally life's unexpected events have settled down and I can return to what I love doing.

Today I want to start the fabric give-away I have talked about offering in the past. Here is a photo of the first pile I have to offer. There is about 3 yards of fabric here, all 100% cotton quilting fabric. The largest piece is the floral with cream background. This piece measured 52 inches. All I am asking for is $4 postage. I will draw a name on Sunday, Dec. 14. I will announce the name and after I receive postage I will mail the winner the fabric. If shipping is more I will pay it, or if shipping is less I will put the extra toward future fabric give aways.

Eddy can't wait until Thanksgiving! He is waiting patiently for turkey.

I want to wish Everyone a

Happy Thanksgiving!

Boston Legal Final Season

I can't believe this show is cancelled. It is absolutely the best show offered on prime time TV. The writers are brilliant. Using humor and intelligent dialog the show enlightens it's audience as the firm tackles a variety of timely issues.

Endless Star

Hi! I have received a few inquiries about the Endless Star wall quilt I made. Here is the source of this quilt. The book is called Endless Stars - Strip-Pieced Quilts That Sparkle by Jean M. Potetz. It is such a fast, fun way to sew accurate stars. Be careful. It is addicting. I made 6 of these wallhangings!

As requested...

A few people have written asking why my sewing room is so neat. The photos posted on November 11th were taken after the room was finished (I recently moved into this house and set up the family room as the sewing room) and before I began a project. I am now currently working on charity quilts for Hospice. As requested, here are photos of my sewing room with a work in progress. I do tidy up a bit each night so this is the way it looks in the morning before I begin sewing again. I have a cordless electric broom I use each night to pick up threads and tiny fabric scraps. This helps a great deal in preventing it from being dragged throughout the house. I also fold up fabrics and try to put some tools away each night. I love my sewing room to be neat and organized. It is more inviting (for me) this way.

This morning I got the nicest surprise, I was given the Kreativ Quilter Award, I was awarded this by my wonderful online/blogging friend Ginny. Thanks Ginny!!!

BTW, please visit her blog by clicking on her name. Don't forget to leave a comment.

So as a recipient of the Kreativ Quilter award it is now my turn to pass it on. So here goes, first the rules.

The rules of the award are:

1. The winner may put the logo on her blog.

2. Put a link to the person you got the award from in your blog.
3. Nominate 5 blogs.
4. Put links to the blogs.
5. Leave a message for your nominees.
So here are my five nominees. Make sure you stop by their blogs . You will be impressed with their talent and be inspired by their work.

1) Sara Maria Brockunier at: http://www.blogger.com/profile/00188797432417336539. She is one of the nicest people I have met online. She always has nice things to say and is a lovely person. Please stop by her blog and say hi!

2)Bonnie at: http://www.blogger.com/profile/04758275644964547751. Bonnie is a breath of fresh air and a very talented lady. She has a great sense of humor and I look forward to her comments every day!

3)Nanci at: http://www.blogger.com/profile/06425123492444675750. Not a jealous bone in her body! Always has something kind to say about everyone and everything!

4) Bunny at: http://www.blogger.com/profile/14952553076346739583. I thank my blessings for Bunny. She is talented and so very helpful and friendly.

5) http://www.blogger.com/profile/16392850776832804028 She doesn't post her real name but I really do enjoy her blog and her comments.

So there it is, my 5 nominees for the Kreativ Quilters Award, all truly deserved. Thank you again Ginny for nominating me, I am truly honored. I am also blessed to have so many of you stop by and read my little blog. I have been amazed and heart warmed by all of the comments and emails I have received. Thank you for stopping by and sharing part of my life.
Roberta in central NY

In the wee hours of the morning....

My Chihuahua woke me up at 4am to go out. I suppose it was the rather large cheeseburger he ate yesterday. He can be such a pig sometimes (he loves cheeseburgers especially McDonald's double cheeseburgers) and other times he will fast, only eating enough to keep him alive. He is a crazy dog but we love him!

After I walked him I didn't feel sleepy anymore so I decided to work on a UFO. Stashbusters is really an inspiration to me to use up fabric and to finish projects. About 3 years ago I started a machine redwork quilt (this was a class I taught) and I only completed 12 blocks. So early this morning I pieced 5 of the 18 remaining blocks. I haven't decided how I will set these blocks and if I remember correctly, this is why I put the project aside. Any suggestions? Here is a photo of the block:

OHHHH so ugly!

I just finished the blocks for the second charity quilt. I made twenty 12" blocks. Look at these fabrics! Can you believe the floral in the top right hand corner is actually a Hoffman??? So early 1990s - blue, green and peach together - yuck! I can't wait for this quilt to be finished! I do enjoy making the Tossed Nine-Patch pattern. It is fun, easy and quick to make. It will be joyous when I can finally cut and stitch into more eye pleasing fabrics again! I hope I rip through these 100 yards quick!

If anyone wants the remainer of these fabrics used in my charity quilts just leave a comment. Fabric is free, you pay postage.

Yes! Gas prices drop below $2.00!

I wrote earlier today in my blog that I was hoping to see gas prices drop below $2.oo. Well, my wish has come true. In this afternoon's paper: The Post Standard, was an article about how one gas station, about 10 miles east of my home is selling gas for $1.99 a gallon! Other gas stations will soon follow.

Below is the continuing article. Double click on photo to enlarge.

Good Morning! Yesterday we drove to central PA. Pennsylvania was just as cold as NY but far less snowfall. Gas prices were the same, costing $2.09 a gallon at most PA gas stations. Here in the north Syracuse area gas and milk prices are far less then other areas in NY (why I don't know, but I am not complaining). Sam's Club's as well as BJ's Wholesale Club gas prices are $2.04 and milk here in the area (Aldee) is $2.34 a gallon. I was hoping to see gas prices below $2 so I can take a photo and post here. No such luck!

Anyways....We stopped in our favorite Mennonite owned grocery stores. We save plenty of money shopping at these stores. There isn't enough space to list all of our finds but here are a few examples: At Wenger's in Mifflinburg, PA I found 93% lean ground beef for $1.15 a pound. At Surplus Outlet in Williamsport, PA I found Martin's Hamburger and Hot dog rolls for 99 cents and Dinosaur Barbecue sauce for 79 cents.

And.... we stopped in Verna's Fabrics located at: 1430 Red Bank Rd., Mifflinburg, PA. This shop is a quilters wonderland. I believe she started out with just one large barn-like structure than added on 2 other HUGE buildings. She must stock at least 10,000 bolts of quilt fabric. Prices are amazing also. I hardly shop in local quilt shops anymore since I have discovered that Amish and Mennonite quilt shops sell the same quality and brand fabrics for at least 25% or more less. The typical price for current Moda fabric (as an example) is $6.50 a yard or less.

And....for all of you that know I am a member of Stashbusters and have committed to use up 100 yards of fabric before buying more fabric, would be PROUD and AMAZED to know I didn't buy ANY (NONE) fabric!!!!

I am cured.

I really believe I am finally cured. Menopause is phenomenal. Since reaching menopause my obsessive personality traits are leveling out as well as emotional outbursts and mood swings. Wow. I love menopause! Life begins in our 50s!!! It is cool being stable. LOL

Here is a photo just because it makes a posting more interested but has nothing to do with today's entry.

Wow! What a surprise! This is what I woke up to this morning! What a winter wonderland. And....I checked the weather on Yahoo and snow is predicted for the next 10 days! Time to tune-up the snow blower! Perfect weather for a roaring fire and stitching!

Hi! I finally got around to taking photos of the fabric closets. There are two closets in the hallway and I was able to allocate the smaller walk-in closet entirely and the right side of the other. The first walk-in closet has shelves on the left side and on the right side. Straight ahead, inside this closet, I have plans to hang a peg board to organize and store notions. Now the wall is blank. Here is a photo of the left side:

Here is a photo of the right side: The other closet is larger but it triples as a laundry room, shelf storage for shampoos, soaps, etc and on the right I allocated for fabrics. I am determined to use up enough fabric so that I can move out of this closet and just have the walk-in as shown in the previous photos. Here is a photo of this closet:
On top of the washer/dryer and the shelf above it are some of my quilts in storage. In the previous house I had them stored in 2 hope chests but there is no place to put the hope chests in this house. It is very hard to downsize your living space.

First quilt project in new sewing room

Hi Everyone! Today I started working on a charity quilt for Linus. I am so happy and grateful to have my sewing room all finished that I want to give something back by making my first project a charity quilt. I am using a pattern from a new book I just purchased last weekend. It is called Slash Your Stash Quilts by Claudia E. Plett.

It contains simple, easy quilt patterns to slash your stash quickly. I belong to the Yahoo group called Stashbusters. I am committed to use 100 yards of my stash before buying any new fabric. I am using fabrics I no longer like, fabrics that, for the life of me, I can't figure out how I came home with. But you know what I found out? Sometimes ugly fabrics actually transform when sewn into a quilt. I am using the pattern called Ducks in a Row. The pattern calls for light, medium and dark fabrics. You can use scraps but I wanted to cut into big pieces of fabric so I am only using one of each. I picked an printed natural muslin as the light, a black print for dark, and a bright floral for the medium. The dark and the medium fabrics are UGLY. Above is a photo of the center of the block. The blocks are so easy. You only need to cut pieces into two sizes - 4-1/2" squares and 4-1/2" by 8-1/2" rectangles.

Here is the completed 12" block. I have never made a block that is so fast and so simple to make! I usually make blocks/quilts that are challenging to hold my interest. But doing fast and easy can be fun. I am listening to an audio book while cutting, piecing, and pressing.

At my quilt guild meeting last night the president made an announcement for those that rather make tops can just make the tops. The members that have quilting machines and rather quilt will quilt these tops. Fantastic! I rather make tops than quilt them. Perfect! My goal is to make 4 tops a month. I should have my stash slashed 100 yards by spring, don't you think??

Good Morning! Sewing Room is done! Today is a dark, dismal day; not a good day for taking indoor photos. I shot them anyway. I haven't taken photos of the fabric closet yet because I am still organizing that. I will post a photo as soon as I am done, hopefully, later today.Horn Cabinet is the main sewing station Ironing Board Cabinet Installed Embroidery thread racks installed Cutting Table and Mini Quilt Wall

Sewing Room: Upper Cabinets are done!!!!

The upper cabinets are installed! Below the thread racks on in place. Now I have to unpack my embroidery thread to load up the racks.

Rag Quilt

I made this rag quilt for my daughter Tara's friend Reed. It was my first rag quilt. I really had fun making it. It was so easy but time consuming because I had to machine embroider each square. Reed's favorite color is orange.

Here is a close up.

Here is the source of inspiration. Below is a Monkey Wrench Quilt. I hosted an ongoing block exchange called Quilting Together for 5 years. This pattern was the choice of one of the members. The rules were 8" blocks with a floral center. We made two blocks - one to send and the other for our quilt. This quilt was machine pieced and handquilted.

I love making totes and handbags! Below are two. The first one is a Gracie bag and the second is a Bow Tucks bag.

Found the Pattern!

Hi! A new quilting friend wrote to me asking for the pattern for the star quilt that I posted. I found the magazine! Here is a photo:

It is the February 2004 #66 issue of Amercian Patchwork & Quilting.

Find a Cure

I just had to copy and paste this photo! Feel free to copy and share.

Women's Rights National Historial Park and Museum

This past October my daughter Emma and I visited the Women's Rights National Historical Park and Museum in Seneca Falls, NY. She is taking a Women's Study course this semester and she was eager to visit. It was an absolutely fantastic experience. You can link to the web site to learn more about it but here are some photos we took. Click on photos to enlarge. Please note: I included photos of information about a few of my favorite women authors.

I found this quilt pattern in an issue of Amercian Patchwork & Quilting. I made this quilt as a housewarming gift for my son Chuck. It was machine pieced and machine quilted using a Bernina BSR foot.

Well, I spent a few hours trying to figure out how to upload a slideshow of photos of my family. No success. For now, I will just upload photos here in a post so you can see my family.

First photo is Emma singing the National Anthem at graduation (June 2008). She is now attending SUNY New Paltz majoring in Music Therapy.

Emma right after the graduation ceremonies

Below is a photo of my oldest daughter Tara (on the left). She has an MSW and works for Hospice in Albany NY. She is excellent at her job and helps so many grieving teens as well as older folks. She is a kind loving friend to Emma as well as her big sister.

Below is my son Chuck. He teaches Biology at New Hartford HS. He has a strong moral character and is a gentleman - two virtues that are hard to find in the young men today.

View from the dining room, kitchen window and sewing room

We just put up the posts for the birdfeeders

Another beautiful day!

Good Morning! Early this morning I realized I can compose my blog in Microsoft Office and publish directly into my blog. This will be my first try. I hope it works. I am having so much fun learning how to blog. My daughter Emma said Blogging is "old news" but it's new to me and the process has been exciting! Today I will upload photos of my family. I have 2 beautiful daughters that I am so very proud of and of course my son, who is the oldest. This is short because I am anxious to "click" and see if Office will zoom it to Blogger. Bye for now.

......Later this afternoon

Progress with the upper cabinets. In the garage Roy is finishing the first coat of poly on the upper cabinets. Chop, chop... hurry up! Can't he work a bit faster? I am so excited to finally be setting up the sewing room in the new house. I have so many quilt ideas floating around in my head. I am itching to stitch. Hurry up Roy!!!!!

New House - New Sewing Room

As some of you know we have sold our house in Herkimer, NY and now live in Baldwinsville, NY. We purchased a lovely 40 year old ranch back by "forever wild" land. It an absolutely beautiful setting. I have large french doors overlooking the property in the dining room as well as in the family room. I have taken the family room as my sewing room. My husband has been busy the last few days helping me make this room into a comfortable sewing room. Storage space was a problem. For the cutting table we have installed lower cabinets and uppers. We have also installed a 10 foot long counter top with a drawer unit on each end. Roy is busy in the garage as I type putting two coats of poly on the upper cabinets which will be installed above the 10 foot counter. In the center of the room I stationed the Horn sewing cabinet. I have plastic inserts for all my machines so I can interchange which ever machine I need or want to use. You can click on the photos to enlarge.

Election Day

Wow....the newcasters are calling it Obamamania. This election is certainly exciting. Has anyone called you to ask you to vote Democrat? I received 3 phones calls reminding me to vote and to vote Democrat. My daughter is so afraid McCain will win because Palin is against abortion and against gay marriage. She is so young - this is her first year voting. This country will not go backward. This nation is far to intelligent to allow that.

Anyway... I went to Binghamton NY today (after voting of course) and hit 3 quilt shops. All three quilt shops has such beautiful quilts on display! Such inspiration! As I looked at all the delicious fabric on the shelves I realized that large and small florals are still popular as well as reproduction fabrics. Homespuns are nowhere to be found except at bargain fabric stores like Walmart and JoAnns. I love how quick easy quilts are becoming so popular. This certainly encourages beginner quilters to be less intimidated. Also, busy quilters who don't have 120 hours to complete a quilt can now enjoy making quilts.

While visiting my sewing group last Saturday I observed a new way to do applique. The applique pieces are fused into place and then simply zig zagged using clear thread. This method is used for wall quilts, seasonal placemats and any other project except quilts that have to withstand many washings and heavy use. This a wonderful method for beginner quilters especially those that own low level sewing machines that don't have a good satin or blanket stitch. I applaud the quilters that invent these methods to encourage more people to become quilters.

I will be uploading more photos of my quilts and other quilty projects. Please write to me if you want advice or help. In the future I plan on including instructional videos, photos and also machine and product (notions and such) reviews.

Happy Quilting!

The beginnings.......

This is my blog!!! Horray! This is all new to me so don't pay too much attention to mistakes as I am learning how to crawl into blogdom....
I am a fast learner and I am sure this blog will become interesting and a good place to visit often. Please write back. I love meeting new friends.

About me... I am a freelance writer, quiltmaker, and homemaker. I have been sewing since HS, quilting since 1987, and entered into the machine embroidery world in 1997. I live in central NY which is a wonderful place to live. I love NY! I also love PA because of the wonderful Amish/Mennonite fabric stores as well as grocery stores. PA is only 1.5 hours away so I take this trip often. I have taught several quilt classes as well as sewing classes. I love to listen to music when I sew (Amos Lee and Norah Jones are 2 of my favorites) and I am often "plugged in" (listening to an audio book) when I do housework, gardening or any other mindless chore or activity. My husband and I love fishing in the summer. We have a contest every year for who catches the first fish, the biggest fish and the most fish. Guess who wins? Well... the answer to that depends which one of us you ask....