Show and Tell Tuesday

Show and Tell Tuesday is fun today because I am showing off some fun things my friends have made.  First off is a bag made by Lee Ann in a bag class I taught on Saturday...isn't this bag sweet.  Lee Ann did a fantastic job and it turned out adorable.

This is a table runner made by Yael.  Isn't the fabric she used so wonderful and it was appropriate for the occasion she used it for.  Good Job, Yael.

 

Lastly, I'm showing my friend wearing a fabulous 'Men's Tie Skirt' that someone had given her.   I was googly eyed over it and went straight to work searching for ties so I could make one...I quickly found out ties are not cheap even at second hand stores.  Anyway, I will continue my search and make one real soon.


Happy Tuesday! and if you have good ideas of where to find ties...let me know. :)

Sewing Machine Cleaning

I'm a firm believer that if you are diligent at maintaining your sewing machine at home you will not have to spend a fortune getting your machine serviced...which the last time I heard was about $75! Ouch!

 

All it takes is a little time at home to clean your machine, change the needle, and oil it if your sewing machine manual instructs you to do so.

 

To clean your bobbin case all you will need is a pipe cleaner...you know, the wire, fuzzy pipe cleaners that kids make cute things out of in school.

 

Fold the pipe cleaner in half to form a loop.

Gently use the pipe cleaner to go inside your machine and then pull pipe cleaner out, do this a few times covering as much of the inside of the machine as you can without hurting any of the inside parts.  You will be amazed at how much lint a pipe cleaner will pull out.

 

I do this every time I put in a new bobbin...which is pretty often, and look how much lint I get out every time. 

 

If lint is left inside your machine it can do major damage.  I encourage you to do this little ritual every time you change your bobbin and your machine will be happy for a long time to come.

 

Oh, and remember...CHANGE YOUR NEEDLE OFTEN.  This too will make a huge difference in your sewing machine's performance.

So get cleaning...happy sewing!

My Inspiration

My inspiration...my grandmother.  She was a quilter, gardener, crocheter, and she loved me!  Growing up I spent a lot of time at her house and tagged along to a lot of her Shaklee meetings...does anyone remember Shaklee?...i think you can still by the stuff.  Anyway, my grandmother was a dear sweet lady...i miss her.  In this photo she is displaying her embroidered table cloths which she had entered into the State Fair, I think she has a blue ribbon on her apron.  Someday I will pull out the box of quilt squares that were hers and put a quilt together in her honor.

Things Piled Up...

Remember on Tuesday I said "I'll be back on Thursday with a sewing post"...well, things piled up and I didn't get my post written like I had hoped.

 

But I am going to remind you today to visit the Historic Deepwood Estate in Salem, Oregon for

A Vintage Flea Market...super fun and lots of great stuff.

Show and Tell Tuesday

Hi to all who read my blog...I appreciate your comments and love seeing that you are taking advantage of my sewing tips.

 

Today I'm showing a few photos of a recent trip to 'Bauman Farms' in Brooks, Oregon.  It's a wonderful place to get amazing fresh fruits, vegy's, and the hugest hanging flower pots you will ever see. 

 

My mom and I went to Bauman's for their annual 'Chicks on the Farm' event and picked up a few items at 65% off...ceramic pots and flowers.

 

Here's a peak at the inside of their greenhouse...beautiful!

Enjoy your Tuesday and I will be back on Thursday with some sewing tips!

How to Align Directional Fabric for an Hourglass Block

So, here's the dilemma...you chose your favorite prints for an hourglass block and both your light and dark fabrics are a directional print .  You cut your blocks and you're ready to sew...you sew one block together and you realize when you cut them apart your prints are sideways or upside down.  Ack!

(did I happen to mention, this happened to me...) but thankfully I only made one and then figured out which way to turn my block so that my little birdies and trees would be right side up in my quilt.

The method I am using to make my hourglasses is drawing a line from corner to corner and sewing a 1/4" down each side of the pencil line, cutting it apart, and repeating the process.  I'm not pre-cutting triangles in this method.

Take one block (birdies) and with them right side up turn them to the right one time so they are sideways.  Leave the other print (trees) right side up. (I do apologize for fuzzy photos...ipod pics are sometimes not the best.)

I have not shown the steps for making an hourglass block...I'm assuming you're familiar with this method.  But each hourglass block creates 2 hourglasses - one block with the dark fabric going up and down, the other block with the dark fabric going side to side.  You can see in my finished quilt that in each row the hourglass blocks are turned opposite...so the directional fabric turns out ALL right side up. Yay!  Hope this helps...if you are confused, please leave me a comment.