Hoppy - who said kids can't sew?

Little man came over before Easter and decided that he and his Nana were going to sew a "bunny"! Well I certainly was up for the challenge -- especially since the last time he was over it was a miserable crafting fail! Have you ever tried to make homemade slime? The stuff that keeps it's shape if your hands are moving, but will slimmmmmmmmmmmmmmme through your fingers if your hands are still? Well we did! We tried to color it green and with adding more colors (because I didn't have enough green), it turned out a lovely brown! "Nana!" said the little man. "I can PLAY with it, but I sure can't look at it!" ha ha

He picked the fabrics because it looked like tires. We traced it out on the fabric after we folded it in half. He was the "Pin" guy. Of course, with his hands on top of mine as we sewed, he would S C R E A M "PIN!!!" at the top of his lungs when we came to one. I would stop and he would remove the pin. He was thrilled with the outcome and was helping me stuff it, poking down the stuffing with chopsticks. We drew the legs a little bit too skinny, so rice, here we come. His legs and arms were filled with rice, as were his ears, so Hoppy would be floppy and the rest was stuffed. 

Next came the eyes that he picked out. I was quite happy to embroider eyes, but he wanted them to stick out! Oh yes and "Nana he needs hair!"

his ears looked a bit wonky, so knowing that this would not be his "forever" Hoppy, we tied his ears off so they looked separated from his head. Of course Hoppy needed a few whiskers! 

I thought it was all done when he announced, "Nana! he needs a tail!" and off of to my sewing room to raid the crafting supplies. I thought maybe a white puff....but no, it had to be blue because "Blue is my favorite color Nana! Right Nana?" 

"Yes Little Man, you are absolutely right! I love your bunny!"

"I love you Nana! Thank you for helping me with Hoppy!"

Remember...it's not the precision that counts...it is creativity and working with love in your heart! Whatever you create, will be a masterpiece to someone!

Today..create a Masterpiece!

Margo

Empty Bobbin Sewing Studio and Suchity Such

Where have I been? Of course helping The Youngest with her sewing and browsing the internet for blogs! So exciting that I entered a draw and WON!

Check out Empty Bobbin Sewing Studio . Shea drew my name and I was so excited when I read her email that I screamed! Chef was worried, but then shook his head as I told him the exciting news and he said "Bravo"! He is such a good man! He supports my addiction!

Shea's blog is a great source of info and inspiration! I've been lead to books that I would not have tried in the past and looked at projects that I thought I couldn't tackle, yet knowing that really, really I can!  Shea was on blog party (is that what they call it?)promoting a new fabric collection called  PAINT, for Windham Fabrics. Quite a bit different than what I use and listening to the voice of my daughter, I have to stretch and try new fabrics!

Carrie Bloomston’s new line is beautiful! Soft and peaceful colors. I was then drawn to her blog as well (you know how that goes! You go to one blog and then forty blogs later you wonder where the time went!) What I enjoyed the most, beside the amazing creativity of this young mom . She recently was sharing prayer flags and explained the spiritual significance of them. As she explained to some people what prayer flags were to her, she quoted, "honor the sacred creativity within you. As you work, be filled with love, let your work be like a prayer..." She then goes on to say, "fill it with love from your heart as you work."

I've been more in front of the TV and computer lately instead of my sewing machine. I now know why.... I have been doing projects because I HAD to do them and not because I was filled with love or honoring the sacred creativity within me. Who knew that entering a giveaway would lead to such an "ah hah!" moment...so ladies, Shea and Carrie, I thank you both!

Remember to fill it with love as you quilt!

No longer a Retreat virgin!

Hah! I am no longer a retreat virgin! Boy! What a challenge and what a wonderful weekend! First of course we had to pack up the vehicle....

She said we had too much stuff! You can see my carrier in the pile of things to take along with my personalized Stanley tool tote!

We fit everything in the back of her car and Chef took a photo of us. I had my winter coat under my arm along with my massive purse! We were headed to the mountains! Who knows what weather we would be faced with!

We headed to the glorious Rocky Mountains (about an hour and a half from Calgary)

We arrived at the hotel which had underground parking and blessedly had a cart we could load all of our gear on! Only one trip!

We arrived early and the room was already half full! Die-hard quilters I tell you! The facility was excellent. One of the back exit doors was to the hallway where all our rooms were located! It was fabulous! You can see the youngest sitting there in awe. We had just finished setting up and were ready to roll!

each of our tables had cute little pincushions filled with chocolate! We also had cute little needlebooks and a sticker with our name on it to place on our machines! Totally unexpected and what a nice surprise!

My sewing machine was set up right in front of the coffee/water station. Very handy! The youngest was busy finalizing another of her projects on my machine on the last day so I could start packing up things. You can see one of her other projects finished hanging on the wall to the right of her -- it's a tumbler quilt in beige, blue and pink. Of course her Momma had to do the binding! 

What better place to sew on the binding than in front of the massive fireplace in the lobby area! It was a cozy spot and had a nice log table in front that you could put your feet up on to relax! 

The finished quilt all ready to pass onto the new owner!

The youngest still busy sewing away! I came back from the binding adventure in front of the fireplace and there she was! What a trooper! She was up at 8 on Saturday morning and crawled into bed at 1:30 early Sunday morning! Some ladies were up at 5 a.m. and sewed until 3 am Sunday morning! That would surely kill me! What great women!

Our retreat came to a sweet end as the local Banff  Girl Guides, set up a cookie table in the lobby! Of course I had to buy 4 boxes to bring home! I am sure they sold out in less than an hour with 18 quilters finishing off their quilting retreat weekend!

There were very few things that I forgot. Chef asked The Youngest if we were the ones with the most "stuff". 

"NO way!" she said, "Some of the ladies brought way more than what we brought!"

During the weekend there were a few things that I will add to the next retreat:

- more little projects. It seems that the ladies were switching it up between projects. Work a bit on this, then work a bit on that, and keep doing that. It would help with the boredom of doing one thing all the time. Great idea!

- Hera marker -- I found a new tip on sewing half square triangles. Instead of marking on each one with a fade or chalk marker -- use a Hera Marker and start sewing!

- more threads! I ran out and then needed a special colour. I could have done more had I have had more or shall I say a larger selection of thread!

- I forgot my thread stand -- and boy did I miss it! It was on my retreat list, but I forgot it in my haste packing up. I guess I should have re-checked my list!

Things that I discovered:

- you meet wonderful people - and sometimes some interesting people that are set in their ways! lol I know that I will meet up with many of them who were so generous with their quilting know-how! as well as those new to quilting like Youngest One -- it is nice to know that there are so many who are incredibly talented!  Special thanks to Stacey, Cindy, Karen and of course new friends Barbara and Barb! Your generous spirits are infectious! Thank you!

- you learn lots of new things and tips, no matter how great you think you are

- you are encouraged and assisted with challenging things (ie. if something goes wrong with your machine....mine was fine, but another lady had some issues with hers)

- you are motivated beyond words! I came home and set out some new projects with ease! These were things that I avoided, but got some tips that would help me along the way (i.e. machine applique with different threads and stitches!)

- best of all, I got to sew with my best quilting buddy, The Youngest! She is amazingly talented and the project she finished up was absolutely stunning.... more to come when we put both of our quilts into the Heritage Park Quilt Festival this year!

So? How was your retreat? What did you learn and what tips do you have for others?

PS.my BEST tip is to spell check your list! ha! The one I had on here has some spelling errors and repeats! Forgive me!

All the best on your quilting adventures!

Margo

Cutting Board and ruler carry bag

Well in a mad rush, I threw together a bag to take my cutting board and rulers to the quilt retreat. I was not happy about having to pay loads for a carry bag that wouldn't fit everything. I wanted something that would protect my extension table as well. I could order or make other things, but I thought if it didn't work -- oh well, it would be a learning experience.

I bought 1.5 meters of black "quilted" fabric. Black, only because the other color choice I had was a dark brown. I then bought 4 meters of webbing that I was going to cover with funky fabric (which I didn't in the end), a 24" zipper (because a sleeping bag zipper was really, really long...and this was my first zipper. I just threw it together -- so I don't have a lot of great details for you, but, if you imagine it in your head, you can do anything! good luck and don't hesitate to ask me questions if you have any. Remember...this blog is for my kids, and not meant as a professional blog for quilters. It's my take on doing things my "Margo/Mom" way -- so forgive me if it doesn't make sense to you!

On with the photo's!

First step is to lay out your fabric and trim so it's big enough for your cutting board. You can see that I have added an envelope to fit my rulers. The next step is to bind the whole piece like a quilt. you then add your envelope and sew down the two sides and the bottom of the sleeve (the bottom is positioned to the bottom of your whole case -- so when you fold it up, it will be supported as well by the bottom.

The next step is to add your zipper to one side. it starts at the bottom of your sleeve to the top of your cover. You have a zipper only one one side. I found it was enough because I only need enough room from the top and sides to slide in the rulers into the sleeve and extension table and cutting board into the main part of your carrier.

Your handles are the last task for your carrier. Sew along both sides. I placed one handle first, then measured how much so it was equally placed on the opposite side.  Remember to reinforce/sew the tops of the handles where they join the main part of the bag so the handles do not rip from the bag when you are carrying them.

I was not fussy with finishing the binding. I used a simple blanket stitch on the inside rather than hand-stitch it down. It is fine for the purpose of the bag.

The only changes that I would make, would be to add a button closure, or even an extra zipper along the top so when it is carried it doesn't gape. (you could use a longer zipper so it would go along one full side and along the top to close it shut--or maybe velcro).

What I have works and I love it! It may not be fantastically fancy, but it protected what I had to get to retreat in one piece!

Happy Creating!

Baby Quilts

Nothing like seeing one of your quilts wrapped like a hug around a little one! Sleeping no less! I think this is a far better use of a laundry basket don't you? Makes my heart smile!

Piece with Accuquilt tumbler blocks (small). Took about 2 days for me. One to piece and one to quilt. Accuquilt cutting took about 20 minutes. (Mind you I cut a whole lot more than just for this one! My 3 year old grandson took great pleasure turning the handle for his Nana!)

Happy Quilting Everyone!

Julianna Nagy, May 1, 1938 - August 21, 2013

Sad day of sorts for me. I went to my mom's the other day and was given a huge bag of "thread", "If you want it," she said. The large bag was full of embroidery thread of all colours along with a variety of table coverings/placements in different stages of being finished. Here is a closeup of one of the finished items.

Julia, was my mom's best friend, along with her other friend Barbara. Now these three women, our family referred to as the "three omigo's", "three muskateers", "triple trouble!" They would go shopping together to Costco and split those case lot items by three. They were the three single seniors making their way without partners. My mom and Barbara long ago lost their husbands to cancer and Julia's husband after 40+ years decided he wanted to be single...needless to say these three women made fast friends.

|Julia, lived in a small apartment in downtown, while my mom in the family home, had the yard, flowers, and way too many tasks to do with her poor health. Julia, in not so great health herself would come and spend her days with my mom, talking about old times in \Hungary, weeding the garden, an then of course roping Barbara in for much of the same!

The three were the best of friends....until August 21, 2013 when Julia passed on. She had a massive stroke and then lingered for a week before passing on. So many stories to tell about Julia who I came to love as a beloved Aunt (albeit with the sharp tongue!) She was one of a kind. Fast forward to a week ago, when my mom handed me this large bag of embroidery threads.

Julia had a hard life. She watched her father as a child, through a window being shot by a soldier. The family couldn't leave the house to bring his body inside for fear the snipers would kill them as well. They watched in horror as he died in front of their eyes. She was loved, but also abused by a husband, lost a child due to the abuse and then came to Canada to live out her life. She met another man who she loved dearly who again betrayed her. She was calloused, sharp tongued, but you could see the glimmer of that goodness that was inside, hidden deeply. She would make things for Chef and I -- homemade noodles and a chocolate cake that weighed 10 pounds (of course soaked in rum!). You would be sauced by having a slice! Knowing that we were one of the few that she would do this for, we enjoyed every morsel!

She never had children, but she adopted a family whom she would be the "Grandma" for. They were the one's who put on her funeral and cried together with us at losing a great person, a great friend and someone who is missed dearly.

Kindly the family brought my mom some of Julia's things to do with what she wanted. Julia was quite the embroidery expert. I have seen many of her items in my mom's house on the tables. Just beautiful! I could appreciate all the hours that went into it. Funny how she and\I never talked about it or shared. 

I opened the bag and was amazed at the assortment. Surely this was something she clearly loved with the variety of colours and brands that she had collected through the years! There were some un-finished items that have to be finished. I will do them for her in her absence in hopes that her guidance will come through! I will sort the threads and put them lovingly in a container to protect the. After all -- this is my heritage. Hungarian embroidery. I AM Hungarian. Born in Canada to Hungarian parents who immigrated here. Julia as well immigrated to Canada.

Maybe one day, friends or family will see this post of Julia and remember her. Remember her with kindness and the love she so deserved!

Here's a photo of her sitting in my mom's living room. Her blouse of course is with traditional Hungarian embroidery and of course her on the right with her "garden" pants and hat. She so loved  being outside in the yard and tending to the flowers! Such a shame that her last years were in an apartment -- but my mom was blessed to have her tend her garden year after year.

If I can even match her stitches I will be very lucky indeed!

One of her "unfinished" projects with a needle still in.

yet another unfinished.. how beautiful!

Julia's pin cushion. She had pre-threaded the needles with different colours so she wouldn't have to stop too long to change colours!

deep int he bottom of the bag I found one of her needle books. I wonder where and what this needle book saw and heard. Where in the world has this little needle book travelled?

Cotton Perle! This is quite old, but the thread inside is intact!

Green...one of the major colours in traditional Hungarian embroidery.

So today and every day, I celebrate and thank God that Julia was in our lives. I can say that we honestly "got" her. We understood her and knew that she loved us without a doubt. I will strive to honor her through her gift to me. 

Thank you for reading my post about Julia. Maybe some of you know Hungarian embroidery, or maybe your path will cross my blog and you actually knew Julia! I would love to hear from you all!

God Bless and keep those you love close to you. Honor those who have gone before you and send prayers to Him in thanks.

Margo

WIP, UFO, ON THE GO, TO DO.... and organizing

The sewing room is a mess, but there is progress! I have a quilt ready on the design wall to have lattice/strips added and then off to Karen for quilting! I have my daughter's projects organized for the retreat! She has some hand-sewing to do for binding (which she claims she hates -- but I'm determined to teach her how to do it!)

I have my next baby project fabrics out and ready to go! All the applique has been cut and ready for placement. I hope to start appliqueing on the machine this week! I have Friday off, so I am hoping to get a big portion of it done this weekend! If all goes good, I hope to have it DONE!

My paperwork is all sorted in the file cabinets below my table.My papers for my taxes are ready to go! The cutting table is now cleared and ready for action!

Mess sometimes is encouragement to create and sort! I know that once everything is all organized, I am ready to sew! Thirst drove me downstairs and I thought I would blog a bit! Chef is prepping dinner and I thought I would show you my creative mess. Trust me, it's worse much of the time! I had to bring down a bag of garbage when I came down!

So much accomplished this weekend around the house! So much organization and a bit of Spring cleaning! It was great to get into the sewing room and do the same -- organize and clean! I think that once this retreat is over, there will be a number of UFO's that will be complete and not cluttering anymore! I also think that I need to put some things up for sale on Kijiji! We have a whole pile of household items headed to Value Village (like the Sally Ann) from our purge yesterday. I think that Chef is getting in the mood to do some major cleaning of his chef supplies, so that will be good. We have so many duplicates of things -- why are we keeping it?

Always organizing! I love it! I keep wanting things to be easier to find and pared down for just the right amount. I have the grandson to think of as well for projects and hobby/craft supplies. I found some of my paints have dried out never to be resurrected -- so those were tossed out! I also went through my UFO's, so I know a couple of them are quick to complete, so they got packed for the retreat!

I look around and see all the little "chatchkey's" I call them. Stuff that really doesn't pull at my heart, but is cluttering. Don't get me wrong -- there are lots of things that I love and wouldn't want to part with, but do we need it all? We've had a few things replaced that were plain old worn out! We've added by putting up shelves and reducing the clutter on counters etc. I still feel my sewing room could be more organized, but then again, the room is multi-purposed with the office basically in the closet and under my cutting table. I've thought of reorganizing the furniture -- but this works with the amount of space I have in there! I think I just have too many projects that need to be done to free up some more room!

We still have a kid at home -- so the spare room is no longer a spare room! I would love a room to put all those quilts in and decorate. Thus some of that spills into my sewing room! Working full time also cuts into all that creative time, but for now, I love my job and will just keep adding to my "quiet/me" time when I can!

Life is good!

Retreat packing list -- update and tips from Jenny in Wisconsin

I'm adding to the list with a little help from friends! I appreciate all your input and got permission from Jenny in Wisconsin to post her great ideas! Here we go:

Hi please send me a copy of your retreat supply list.........only thing I can add is aspirin,. cough drop's or lozenge's........breath mints and I see that you have a mug for coffee, but do you need a bottle of water or soda for more hydration....and what about water for your iron...........as facility were you sew might have terrible water to drink or for your iron........bag for scraps,.threads to hang next to your machine,. I use the brown lunch bag's.....suppose I need to make one so I can keep a permanent one next to my machine,. I need to find a pattern,. next sewing project ????

I also would like to add I loved the way you designed your sewing room......

and gave your insight into design,. I too have a variety of mismatch items.........

I'm in the process of cleaning and reorganizing my sewing/quilt room,. I also plan to paint the room green, and have red and black as accent colors,. and I found fabric which has sewing notions on them, (a Alexander Henry...sewing notions & sewing machines)....to make curtains,. not sure if it will be a valance and have mini blinds or roller shades covered with the fabric,.

I also would like to recommend a few cleaning products:

Pledge: dust & allergen unscented dry cloth's.....16 dry electrostatic disposable cloths (which are great for keeping threads and dust at bay).....wiping general sewing area and machine...........I also keep one by my cutting table for threads....

And Pledge multi surface everyday wipes which are 25 pre-moistened wipes..........safe to use on electronics........found in local big box store ...........brand...S.C. Johnson Co....I was told not to use anything with lemon as lemon discolors your sewing machine,.

I too wondered about magnetized items next to sewing machines, so I keep my pin magnetized pin cushion

in a drawer next to my machine and only use it, when I have to adjust my bobbin for bobbin work,. so if the screw fall out,. the pin cushion will catch the screw,. and when I change feet for my walking foot,. which I need to adjust the screw,.

I have a bernina and in the instruction book,. it mentions that the machine which is computerized is not effected by magnetic,. esp the new one's have a deviances inside to protect them,.. my machine is seven years old, but I still wonder about them.....Thanks Jenny in northern Wisc

Thanks Jenny! I love hearing from others. We are truly a unique group of people, quilters that is. I am looking forward to seeing how Jenny's sewing room turns out. No pressure Jenny -- it took me a long time before I shared mine with the world.

Funny how you read something an go, "oh yeah, I forgot about that!" Jenny reminded me about lemon scented products and how it can discolour plastic (i.e. sewing machine). I also heard that using the product "Endust" will make your extension table into an automatic slider when you are free motion quilting! Now I have to try and find Endust -- wonder if they still make it?

I cannot recall how many websites I scoured for ideas and still come into ideas that I adopt from others! New products, new uses for different things. I Googled "sewing rooms" and then looked at all the images they had. I drool over those rooms where all the furniture matches, and maybe one day all mine will. I keep looking at dressers and tables to see if I can re-purpose them in some way for my sewing room.

One of the re-purposed items was a cupboard. I think they call it a jelly cupboard?

This little cupboard was $10. I figured since it was narrow enough to hold my spool racks. The room is small. My wall space is limited as I have a bookcase beside it. I have another cupboard with even more thread. I still have not found a "great" way to store thread. I've tried to keep all my cotton thread together, polyester in another area, etc. Then I have my cones of thread that I use all the time in another area. I still feel that having it covered keeps it away from the dust and away from fading.

Spring is coming and it's time to do a Spring clean again. Maybe I'll get rid of stuff that I don't use or really need. I keep bringing in more to my room rather than out of my room! The closet serves as an office -- so most of the office supplies are in there along with yardages of fabric.

Can you tell the snow is melting here in Alberta? (well only until this weekend when they have predicted snowfall AGAIN!)

Happy quilting all!

Gypsy Bitty Buddy thread and scrap catcher

Hello everyone! Welcome to Tuesday! I received a really nice email from Jenny in Wisconsin ;-) Thanks Jenny! She gave me some great ideas to add to my Retreat List. I have asked her permission to share, so hang tight until I hear back from her.

She did suggest though to add a "bag" on the list to catch all your bits of fabric and threads. I too was looking for something and found the Bitty Buddy a couple of years ago! I LOVE IT!

Here is what it looks like when it's collapsed:

The Bitty Buddy does come with a loop of elastic to wrap around. I've stretched mine out so much that it doesn't hold mine flat. I have had to resort to those fabric elastics (purple of course!) to hold it flat while I travel. You can get a good idea as to the size with my Olfa (regular size) sitting beside it.

 It's deep enough to hold a LOT of scraps and threads and it's lightweight!

Mine hangs off a command hook off my sewing machine table. Close enough where I can toss threads into it and in a spot where it doesn't take away from my sewing space. At sew days, I have even resorted to using painters tape on the elastic tab to hold it to the table. I love it! I think I paid about $5 for mine, but keep your eye out for those sales, or put it on your "Wish List".

I've added a couple of websites where you may purchase one. Or, in your travels you may spy one at your local quilt shop!

http://www.amazon.com/Gypsy-Quilter-The-Bitty-Buddy/dp/B003FBHDD8
http://www.thegypsyquilter.com/
http://www.stitchintheditch.com/Bitty-Buddy-The-Gypsy-Quilter-p/tgq007.htm

Stay tuned for more! Happy quilting/creating everyone!

Margo

Sew day with daughter!

Happy girl getting a jump start on her project! She was over last week cutting out all her strips for the log cabin. She has them all organized and ready to go!

While she was working on her blocks, I was working at prepping my applique for the newest baby quilt on the go! Everything all lined up ready to go!

She's a natural! Yeah! Someone else to quilt with! I love it! She has such an amazing sense of color as well. She takes chances on color choices than I do. This will be gorgeous when it's done! I'll be sure to take a photo of the finished project. I'm trying to convince her to put it into Heritage Park Quilt Festival 2014. 

I'm hoping that she'll continue quilting as she is quite talented! My oldest is into scrapbooking. She has the artist inside and the patience (when she can, beside going to school and raising a chile) for setting up those pages and putting all those lovely pages together. My son, is into photography (hopefully I can learn some tricks from him for getting better photo's for the blog). My step son is into creative writing. Lastly our last boy (my stepson as well) is following his dad's footsteps and is quite the chef. I think we are both very fortunate with our kids!

Keep on creating! Love the journey! Breathe!

Margo

PS..and if you can't spend a lot of time....just spend 15 minutes a day...that's all! 15 minutes add us to quite a lot at the end of the week!

Dusting? Housekeeping for your machine? Sewing Machine Tips?

Tooltron Fine Sewing Machine Cleaning Brush

I read about this on a couple of blogs and finally ordered one through Amazon. It just intrigues me. something a little more sturdy that will get all that fluff out in a hurry! 

I have a retreat coming up the beginning of April. I think I need to take my Symphony into the spa before I go. I want her to be up and running in prime condition! I'm thinking the sewing machines in there are going to be smoking with all the creativity! I don't want mine being the one pooping out!

Do you oil your machine? My manual for the BabyLock Symphony shows how to clean it -- cleaning out the bobbin area, etc. No oiling!  It has had a year of sewing/quilting, so it's about time it went for spa day. Of all the guck that I have pulled out, only makes me cringe to think of how much is underneath in the workings below the bobbin area that I can't get to!

Funny....I'm already stressing over leaving my baby! What if they do something to her? Maybe I should insist on staying with her during her checkup! Egads! "Her"? funny how attached we get to our sewing machines. I sure don't want to neglect "her", so I'd better get cracking and get her in quick! It seems like NO time is a good time to be without her! Thank heavens I have a spare!

The BL9 by Babylock is a basic little machine. It sure isn't the Symphony, but it is a great little workhorse! I doesn't have all the bells and whistles like the automatic needle threader, knee lift or thread cutter -- but, it's a spare!

Back to cleaning -- I heard the worst thing to do is to use canned air as it forces all those little fluffies into the operating mechanisms of the machine. Sounds like an easy way to do dusting -- but no thanks if it's going to damage my machine! Oh, before I go any further -- UNPLUG your baby and take out your needle! 

I also heard that using Endust on the bed of the machine is a good as having one of those large sliders on the bed when you are free motion quilting. Do you ever remember getting that stuff on the floor and then almost breaking your neck wearing socks and hitting the sprayed area? Trust me..that stuff is deadly! 

I heard another tip for when you are machine quilting -- use those rubber doorstops to tip the back of your machine forward. Yes, I did buy them, but realized that I would have to buy another set as I also have to raise the extension table to the machine.

I've always just used a clean, damp (with warm water) cloth (rung out as much as I can!) to wipe down the machine to take the dust off. I always store it covered, though I think I need to make a fancy/cute dust cover for it to match the rest of my sewing room!

I follow the instruction manual to a "T" when I am dusting out with the brushes. I found the brush that they provided wasn't very substantial -- I added to my little cleaning kit a set of new/cheap (read Dollar Store) set of makeup brushes. They help me get into the little crooks and crannies.

I clean out my machine after every project. There are tons of instructions on the internet on how to do it and if you are not sure, take your machine into a reputable dealer and have them show you how to do it for YOUR brand of machine.

It was many years before I got a new sewing machine and I take it seriously to clean it religiously. I made sure that before we even left the store with it  I was confident with cleaning it myself. Taking out the bobbin case (drop in one) still sets me on edge....but I do everything step by step. If I have to take out screws, I make sure that I have a container beside my machine so I don't lose those screws. You don't want to be crawling on your hands and knees looking for that little thing -- nor do you want to magnetize the screw with a magnet being swept across the carpet. Many of these new machines have so many electronic parts, you don't want to mess with anything that is magnetized to throw your whole machine for a loop!

If you do not have instructions on how to take parts off or out -- DON'T -- get advice from the experts!  I remember when I was 12, I decided that I knew enough on how to clean my mom's machine and do it myself. I am sure back in those days it was a LOT of money for the technician to put everything back TOGETHER! I wasn't allowed near the machine after that! It's a miracle that I picked up sewing again after that!

Be nice to your sewing machines! They will be nice back to you for far more years than you expect! Or...unless you really, really, want a new one, I am sure that I can take that thing apart for you for FREE! ha ha!

WIP - Work in progress by the Young 'un! & straight pins!

Yesterday, was extremely cold! I should have stayed indoors, but the youngest needed my help with choosing fabrics for her upcoming project. She came to pick me up in her fancy SUV with the heated seats. How could I refuse? Besides, I really, really needed some straight pins!

Of we went to the local quilt shop. Just to give you an idea -- she was looking for 21 different fabrics. Although the piecing was smaller and yardage wouldn't be huge -- by paying $16.99 Can. per meter (3" larger than a yard), it still would be costly.

She did a great job (with little help from me) picking her fabrics! She went up to the studio and went to work cutting her fabrics with the Accuquilt, while I headed to the kitchen to prep dinner!

Fabrics were all cut and she was ready to sew! A few of the pieces she had to "un-sew" (in a huff no less -- you can relate!), and sew back together with perfect 1/4" seams! Take a look at a sneak peak at her first block:

Look at those perfect seams! The girl does me proud! Yeah! Another quilter in the family! She will be working on this project when we head out to our retreat. Somehow, I have a feeling she will be whipping up those blocks in no time! I'd better get some more projects ready to go in case she finishes this!

She is the girl that starts a project and doesn't stop until it is done! As for me, I get bored and have so many projects on the go that I have way too many UFO's hiding waiting for my attention!

As for the pins...

I came home with two packages. The first on the left are red/yellow head silk pins made by Clover. They come in a box containing 100, what looks to be 1 1/4" long, 0.5 mm diameter pins. The pins have glass heads so they will not melt with the heat of the iron. I have had these pins before and just love them! The only issue is, like socks in the wash -- they tend to disappear or get bent. The box of 100 was $6.99 Canadian funds.

Now one wouldn't think that few pins would get bent, but for me:

•  I run over the pins *ahem* accidentally
•  I tend to use pins for other things like tacking up fabric on the wall for me to stare at, or photo's without damaging the walls.
•  I get frustrated with some pins because they "catch" in the fabric, or I struggle to get them to hold intricate pieces.

The package to the right came in a really nice blue tin a bit smaller than a hockey puck. I couldn't figure out the tin for a minute, but discovered if you push down the middle, the top pops off. putting the top back on and pushing on the middle again, snaps the lid back on. Great for travel -- i.e. upcoming retreat! 

These pins are 1 1/4" super fine pins. The package contains 500 pins, made in Switzerland out of nickel-plated hardened steel with super sharp points. The only draw back is the heads are small -- so you I will really need to pay attention while sewing! Cost for these pins were $15.99 Canadian funds.

I have had quilting pins -- those long one's with the yellow heads. I found that they were quite thick and the heads tended to pop off under pressure. Not my favorite.

I also have applique pins that are very short, allowing you to work around with your hand stitching without stabbing yourself and bleeding to death! All very tragic I assure you!

Check around and try out the one's that work for you. Know your prices so you can grab the deals when those sales come on!

Now, on to a little sneak peak of what I have been working on. This particular project should be done in the next couple of weeks after work and between another baby quilt. I hope to have it backed with a nice purple Minky or Cuddlesoft!

I have been talking myself into blogging more. If I don't have anything to show, it would be horribly embarrassing -- so I am hopeful this is the kick in the butt that I need!

What great things are you working on?

Quilting Retreat List

What do you pack for your retreat? I have compiled a list for my upcoming retreat and hope that I didn't miss anything! I have my carrier after all and lots of little spaces to fill. Along with my sewing machine and of course my suitcase for my personal things -- I am hoping I will not forget anything!

From facilitating classes in the past in other areas that I taught as well as my own emergency last summer -- one thing that I swear by is the EMERGENCY CARD. Write up a small recipe card with the following:
- your full name and emergency contact information
- your family doctor and your date of birth and weight (in case medications need to be administered -- and don't fib on this one.. remember the card doesn't have to be seen by anyone unless it's an emergency)
- list any pre-existing conditions you have (i.e. high blood pressure, asthma, etc.)
- any medications you are taking and any allergies you may have.

This card doesn't need to be out in the open, but you have to let either the facilitator know where it is, or have it with you so that someone can find it if you are unable to speak. I'm very much a worrier (must be from my job and my own health scare!) I would rather be prepared than sorry! My extra card will be put into an envelope on the back of my sewing machine while at retreats and sew-days. I have one also in my wallet that is easy to see. Better that it is never looked at, or in the event that it's needed, it is there to tell them what they need to know!

Thank heavens I thought of this since my last ambulance trip. Poor Chef was a mess trying to remember everything! It would have been so easy to just pass over a card to the EMT's. (and yes, I am fine -- had a bad asthma attack and couldn't breathe -- or talk!)

Oh....and did I mention -- bring fabrics....lots and lots of fabric!

Let me know what I am missing! If you would like a copy of this sheet, email me at onlydiamonds@hotmail.com

Sew Day's - Retreat Carry-All

I'm new to all this packing for sewing days and retreats. I always seem to forget something and I also want to do it a bit in "style" instead of cardboard boxes and my grocery bags to carry it all. The dollar value to all those "totes" that you can get is a little crazy to me - so I do with what I have and make it work for me.

Canadian Tire (or any other tool-type store) carries tool totes. The beauty of these things is they are CHEAP. OK, they are around $35-$40, but way better than $200 plus!  BUT...it's ugly! At least it was ugly until I got my hands on it!

Of course Tigger had to "pose" as well. I am sure he would like to take credit for some of my creativity! (Did I mention that the last FART...fabric acquisition trip.. we left him at home and he decided to cover my sewing space in thread??) I found a spool of thread wound around every object in my space. I can swear he was grinning as I was collecting it all!

Back to the carry-all..... When I came up with this idea, I wanted it "now" and of course I couldn't order some of those great decals on-line -- but I did find some great decals (for $4 I might add) that was a great addition to the u-g-l-y box! I love it! Check out all the storage in this baby!

The bungie cords will be used to attach my cutting board and rulers to the tote.

This top box includes two smaller flip top lids, a yellow removeable lid and the box on the top removes from the larger bottom box that has wheels.

a place for everything!

While I'm at it, what do you pack for retreat? I'd love to see your list! I'm working on a master list that I will share here once it's done! 

Happy packing! Retreat/Sew days here I come!

Margo