Happy Howloween

 

We hope everyone has a fun and safe Howloween full of lots of treats and no tricks

 

 

Millie is looking forward to lots of doggie treats.

 

 

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Quilt Market Envy

This time last year I was at quilt market in Houston, Texas.

I had just started my job as a quilt fabric rep and my training happened at quilt market.

Yes it is my one year anniversary..

A year in and I wish I could be there now knowing what I know.

 

Instead tonight I am home working on a quilt using Peppered Cotton, one of the lines I represent.

 

I have a large dose of quilt market envy for all those in Houston this weekend.

 

Maybe next year I can attend.

 

 

 



Happy Birthday Hagen!!

Hard to believe but the man-child turns 21 tomorrow.

We love you Hagen!

Mom and Jim



Socks

One thing I always have on the needles is socks.

One at a time, cuff down, some vanilla some not.

For myself or Jim I will splurge and buy yarn from an indie dyer.

Cold water wash and hang dry.

For the man-child and fiancée's I prefer to buy yarn I know can be thrown in the washing machine and abused.

There has been a recent kirfluffle about the Regia Flormania sock yarn bleeding.

This was yarn I made socks for myself.

This is yarn mass produced and I had thought to be colorfast.

  I also have made socks for the man-child using Plymouth Neon Now.

 

I listen to the podcast The Knitmoregirls on a regular basis  and recently they have been addressing the issue of sock yarn losing color.

 

One thing that has been shared is how to preserve the colorfastness of your yarn.

Solution

 

And so I have taken the steps to ensure that my socks and the man -childs will be preserved.

 

 

He might not notice but I will.

 

 

 

 

Embellished Tea Towels

I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not but the company I work for was bought out in July by a new company.

 

For those of you that don't know I am a fabric sales representative and have the honor of visiting quilt shops encouraging them to buy the fabric for the company I represent. 

 

Before the sale I represented one line of fabric and now I have three.

 

Along with the buyout came a President that is very much present and involved and there are now weekly conference calls.  Our main headquarters are in New York so these conference calls are rather early.

  7:00 a.m. for me on the west coast. 

I am not a morning person.

  Especially at 7:00 a.m. but I am a team player plus Jim gets up at 6:30 and can I also say naps are GOOD. 

 

Last week Scott, our president, shared the idea we should bring a little something at each appointment.  He liked the idea of coffee or doughnuts. 

 

One of the reps mentioned she embellished tea towels for her shops.

 

I do make mug rugs and leave at shops I don't have appointments at as a way to introduce myself which have my business card attached.

 

 

 And  I also have made a few shop samples of bags for some of my stores but I don't normally leave a little something at every shop I visit.

 

Today I focused on making tea towels.

 

I found this great tutorial by Lil Luna. 

 

And of course I might have done a little bit of tweeking. 

From three  1/8" cut of fabrics you are able to make two tea towels.

You can also use three fat quarters and make 4 tea towels.

 

I cut 4" the width of the fabric to make two tea towels.

 

Since each purchased tea towel is unique I waited to trim. I bought my tea towels at Tuesday Morning and TJMaxx and the cost per towel was about $2.00 each.

 

 

 

Once you sew your strips together you can trim them 1/2" from the edges before sewing.

 

 

I  turned in the top and bottom 1/2" and sewed rather then 1/4" twice.

 

I also stitched in the ditch down the center seam.

 

 

 

 

I made 14 embellished tea towels today.

 

I am ready to hit the road this upcoming week and start showing our fabric lines that are being shown at the October market in Houston..

 

Don't know of the sweatshop, ME, is going to be able to keep up with the pace of manufacturing.

 

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What's On Your Design Wall?

 

My design wall runneth over in projects.

 

In November 2013 I blogged about the Cheryl Anns design wall I bought at the Pacific International Quilt Festival held each October in Santa Clara, California. 

 

I like this design wall as it measures 72" x 72" so it holds a good size quilt. 

 

 The downside to this design wall because of its easel back system pretty much means it  needs a room of its own.

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 I my case the living room which is not where I sew.

 

A few months back I was visiting one of my shops in Santa Cruz, California,  Judy's Sewing Center

and she had on display a design wall  that looked like a window treatment.

 

  The design wall is by Classy American Design Walls and I bought one.

While the design surface is smaller than my other design wall, only 54" x 60",  I was able to hang it in my sewing room.  And if I so desire I can roll it up like a blind and it will all disappear.

 

I happen to like looking at my work.

 

Currently I have some of the  blocks from my Dear Jane quilt, two of the center blocks from the Garden Medallion by Kim Diehl which I am making with Dru Ann (I'm doing the applique, she's doing the piecing) and basket quilt blocks of my own design I am making for my Jo Morton Basket Parade on display.

 

Life is very colorful.