Organization

A local gift shop in the area is closing its doors and having a huge sale, so the kids and I stopped by yesterday.  I found these great glass canisters that were just calling out to be filled with crafty stuff from my studio.  My plan was to fill the big one with ribbon, lace and embellishments, since my crafty drawers are overflowing, and fill the small one with thread.  My thread box seriously needed organizing.  I quickly found out that the tread was going to almost fill both canisters!  And now I can see what colors I have instead of digging through the box.

The ribbon, lace and what-not made its way into the old thread box:

And now my embellishment drawers are much more organized!:

There's the piping, biased tape drawer.

The feather and patch drawer.

And the spooled ribbon drawer!

Hmmm.... Wonder if they have any of those glass canisters left?

Binding Project Number 2

Got this one finished today!  This is another referral from mom.  This woman does not enjoy putting the bindings on her quilts at all, so I sewed the binding to the front, flipped it and did the hand work on the back as well.  Love these fabrics!





Up close...



In progress...

Binding Project

My mom has a number of clients that don't do their own bindings, and she "doesn't offer that service" (is how she puts it).  She doesn't mind doing her own bindings, but she has no desire to add that to her long-arm quilting services.  I, on the other hand, do offer binding services!  So she has been sending clients my way!  Sweet. 

This is a quilt that mom just finished for a woman in Switzerland. On this one I am just sewing the binding on the front and she is going to flip it and do the hand work on the back (although I do offer that service as well). It's a beautiful quilt and I've always wanted to do this pattern, but I would probably do it with much bolder colors. 

I always sew the bindings on with the walking foot on my machine.  It's so much easier.



Walking foot.



Binding project.





I have actually never minded doing bindings.  In fact, I enjoy every part on the creative process with fabric art:  designing, choosing the fabrics, cutting, sewing, arranging the pieces on the design wall, adding the final borders if necessary (okay, I actually don't like doing mitered corners.  I can do it and sometimes the piece definitely calls for mitered corners, but it's not my favorite thing in the world), applique, quilting, binding, adding a unique label and a sleeve.  If I had to pick one thing that I really disliked, it would be any bead or button work.  I have definitely done my fair share of both, but it is probably my least favorite part of the project.

I-Spy Star Quilt

It's Spring Break for the kids this week, but I did manage to get into the studio for a bit today.  Ahhhh!  I finished quilting a very cute I-Spy Star Quilt for a customer today.  She is another fabulously talented member of our local guild here.

It was fun to quilt as each block was different.

The quilting with the off-white thread
showed up wonderfully on that dark green border.

Close up of the I-Spy Star blocks.

 



Quilting on the back.

 I also got to use one of my new patterns on this quilt.  I got this swirly hearts and stars pattern at the Pacific International Quilt show in Santa Clara, and I hadn't found the perfect quilt to try it out on yet.  Yea!

Pantograph pattern.



Quilty/Crafty Blog Beginnings

I have had this blogger account for ages with the intent of starting a quilting/sewing/crafty blog.  But I've been so busy!  I got the website for my quilting business going (Have any quilt tops that need finishing!? I do bindings also!).  Then I added the Facebook page for the business.  I also manage the Facebook page for our local quilt guild -  Independence Hall Quilters.  Check us out!

After seeing a friend's sewing blog here, I've been inspired to get this going as well!  Check out her blog - Twain Harte Quilter.  She has a great eye for color and is doing some amazing things.

As most quilters and crafters do, I usually have several projects going at once.  Both personal and professional.  So where to start?!

Well, let's starts with what I did in the studio today.  I finished a bed skirt for a customer, who is a member of our guild.  It was definitely a challenge as it was longer than my machine! 

and reversible.

It's super long!

I had to load it the entire length of the  machine, finish that section, then remove it and move it over to reload it and finish the rest.  Whew!  Also, it is chocolate brown on one side and white on the other, quilted with dyed neutral thread.  So I knew that the quilting would really show up on both sides.  I used a fabulous meander patter that turned out great.  I didn't trim this one at all, as I usually do, since I didn't exactly know what her plans were for the completion of the bed skirt.  I'm delivering it to her on Monday at our guild meeting, and I think she'll love it!



Close up of quilting on bed skirt (front and back).