My machines - day 3

Today is day 3 of the 31 day writing challenge hosted by Cheryl Sleboda @ www.muppin.com.   the prompt for us to write about today is our machine.

I have 2 that I use regularly.

My Juki tl98q is the machine I use for all of my quilting.   I do free motion quilting on it and I love it.   I have used it for piecing as well.  I must say I love the speed of this machine.   It is a semi industrial machine and I can do the maintenance on it myself.

My 2nd machine is the Juki 2000dx.   This is the machine that I use for piecing and general sewing.   It has great stitching and is overall a great machine.  I still have to play with it to learn everything there is to know about it.

I absolutely love the Juki machines.  I use the industrial ones at work and I know they are a good brand and are workhorses.

I do have 2 more machines that are not set up right now, but they are 2 really old Kenmore machines.   They are backups in case they are needed, but mostly they are used for when my granddaughters are here for sewing days.

Make a list Monday Dec. 1, 2019

 

Wow. Another week has gone by and Christmas is getting closer.

So lets see what happened last week.

 1.  Fancy Fox quilt - name is on there.  Need to applique it and then quilt and bind.

 2.  Christmas quilt - need to have it quilted by Thursday for a blog hop or at least almost done.
 3.  Churn Dash quilt - no progress

 4.  Frolic - I pulled most of my fabrics.  I started on clue 1 which are 4 patches.

 5.  Pantries cleaned and organized. Done.  As well as other cupboards.

 6.  Tree up - not decorated, but up.

 7.  Thanksgiving Dinner - Done.

 8.  Donation quilt - making progress

 9.  Pajamas - not yet

10. Quilt for my daughter - sandwhiched together.

Now I did take the week off to get things done, but sometimes the best laid plans don't always work.  Monday I had to have an emergency root canal done.  The tooth was infected and I was in pain.  Living off of ibuprofen is not fun.
Then Wednesday I fell when I was getting out of the bathtub which has been hurting like crazy.   It gets hard to move at times.  I also got to spend a day with a grandson while his parents worked.  So, now I need to work on this weeks list.

1.  Christmas quilt - I blog about this on Thursday, So I hope to get it mostly done if not all the way done.

2.  Fancy Fox quilt - the name of the baby is on there and ready for applique.  I would like to gift it this week.

3.  Work on more 4 patches for the frolic mystery hosted by Bonnie Hunter over at www.quiltville.com

4.  Pajamas for Christmas - I need to make 8 pairs of pajamas so I need to get those done.

5. Doll clothes.   I am making doll clothes for the granddaughters for Christmas.

6.  Decorate for Christmas.

7.  Help a son and daughter in law move on Saturday.

 8.  My daughter has asked me to quilt a quilt for her so I need to work on that as well.

With going back to work this week I think this is a good list.   If I can I will get more done.

31 day blogging challenge

I like to blog and share the  things I am doing.   So, I decided I would do the 31st day blog challenge.  This is hosted by Cheryl Sleboda over at www.muppin.com

With this challenge there are prompts each day.   There may be some days that I don't follow the prompt as I have my make a list Monday or I may have a blog hop or a finish that I want to share.

For today, I will follow the prompt and share a bit about myself.

My name is Kathy and I have been sewing since I was about 9 years old.  I started learning through 4-h and went on to take home economic classes in Jr high and high school.  I even took summer home economics. 


My hubby and I got married September 9th 1983.   We have 5 kids, 3 in law kids and 8 grandkids with our 9th due in April.
There have been periods of time that I have not sewn.

When my oldest baby was a few months old, I decided I wanted to sew for him.  And since then I have sewn and quilted more regularly.


There was a local shop that sold knits and they had a contest of making a wardrobe.   I did a group of clothes for my oldest son, but can't find a picture, but I know what patterns I would have used.

I took first place and have seen a lot since then.

Halloween costume 1986

Sailor outfit for my sons first Easter. 1986

I get requests almost daily from the grandkids wanting me to sew for them.

My granddaughters baptism dress

Doll dress for the 18" dolls, like the American girl dolls

Well, that is about it.   I really could go on, but somewhere I need to draw the line.

Be sure to join me tomorrow for my Make a list Monday.   If you want to see what my list last week was, you can read it here https://kathyskwiltsandmore.blogspot.com/2019/11/make-list-monday-week-of-nov-25th-2019.html?m=1

Make a list Monday - week of Nov 25th 2019

It has been a while since I have done the Make a list Monday.   Life got crazy and so dis work, but I find if I make a list I can get things done a whole lot faster.   With Thanksgiving in here I will be stretched for time, but here we go.

This week I want to:

1.  Get my fancy fox quilt done.   I still have a few more blocks to do.

2.  Get this Christmas quilt quilted.  It has been pieced for a while.  I will hopefully be using it in a blog hop next week, so it needs to be done.

3.  Work on this quilt a bit more as it will be featured in a blog hop in January.

4.  Pull my fabrics for the mystery quilt with Bonnie Hunter.  Want to do a fun mystery quilt?  Details are here. www.quiltville.com. 

5.  Need to clean out pantries.   I started this over the weekend and just need to continue.   I also need to clean out my pan cupboard and find a better place for them to go so they are easier to get to.

6.   Get at least my tree up and decorated.  Maybe I can even get my villages up.  Just need to see where they are going.

7.  And of course do Thanksgiving dinner.

8.  If time allows finish quilting this donation quilt.   This is a quilt for the SBB Heartbuilders program through Cotton cuts.

9.  I should get the pajamas cut out for the grandkids.

10.   Oh yeah, my daughter asked me to quilt this quilt for her as a gift.  Hoping to have it quilted by Thursday.

Wow. That is a long list.   I am glad I took this week off of work.  I will still get up at my normal time so I can get started on things early. 

So, what are your plans this week?   I hope you get to quilt this week, if you are a quilter. 

Stitch it and Gift It

I am excited to share a couple of fun items on my blog today for the Stitch it and Gift it blog hop, hosted by Carla at www.createinthesticks.blogspot.com.

There are times you need some quick gifts and I have 2 tutorials for you.

The first one is for an envelope style throw pillow.   The best thing about a gift like this is you can give 1 pillow form and then make different covers for other gifts, such as birthday, mothers day, fathers day, etc. 

So here is the tutorial for a 12" pillow cover.
Materials needed:

1 12x12 fabric square
1 rectangle 16x12
Thread
Rotary cutter
Cutting mat
12" pillow form

The instuctions:

Cut your rectangle so it is 8 x12. Hem one of the 12 inch edges on each piece. Just a narrow hem. This is your backing for the pillow.

Now put these 2 pieces right sides together with the 12 inch square. You will have your back pieces overlapping by 4 inches in the center.

Pin and stitch, using a 1/4" seam allowance all the way around.

Turn the pillow right side out.

Stuff the pillow form inside. You will have a tight fit, but that is okay.

The 2nd gift I like to make when needed is hot pads. 

We can always use those.  The tutorial for this is here https://kathyskwiltsandmore.blogspot.com/2016/03/basic-hot-pad-tutorial-today-i-want-to.html

These are two great gifts that are fun to give. 

Hey, how about a give away?   I like to share with others.  So how about we do 2 giveaways.   Tell me which gift you would prefer and what colors you like.  I will give away 1 pillow cover, you provide the pillow form and 1 set of hot pads.  Sound fun?   Great.  Make sure when you leave a comment that you leave your email so I can contact you.   I will leave this open until Sunday, November 17th at 11:55 pm Mountain time.  U.S. only please.


Also, visit our other bloggers for this blog hop.

Monday, November 11th

Just Let Me Quilt

Selina Quilts

Homespun Hannah's Blog

QuiltFabrication
Domestic Felicity
VroomansQuilts
Karrin's Crazy World
Storied Quilts

Tuesday, November 12th

Life in the Scrapatch

Alycia Quilts

Kaholly

Words & Stitches
Quilt’n Party 
Patchwork Breeze
desertskyquilts

Wednesday, November 13th

MooseStashQuilting

Pampered Pettit
Mary Mack Made Mine
The Quilted Snail
Days Filled With Joy
Melva Loves Scraps

Limeleaves

Thursday, November 14th

Beaquilter

RidgeTopQuilts

Cynthia's Creating Ark
Songbird Designs
Farm Quilter
Kathy's Kwilts and More
Bumbleberry Stitches
Quilt Schmilt

Friday, November 15th

Quilted Delights

Seams To Be Sew
Ms P Designs USA
Just Because Quilts
Inquiring Quilter
Susie’s World
Creatin' in the Sticks

Color challenge November 2019

I am excited to be sharing the November block for the Monthly Color challenge that is hosted by Jen of www.patternsbyjen.blogspot.com.   I appreciate that Jen has let me participate with her as a blogger this year. 

The color for November is Yellow.   Yellow is always a great color to work with as it goes with so many colors.

This block for the month is a quick and easy one to make.  I had forgotten until the night of Oct. 30th, an hour before going to bed and knowing I had to work on Thursday.  So I quickly got it done.

Jen writes her directions very clearly.  They are easy to read and follow.  She also makes sure to tell you which direction to press the seams.  That helps with the nesting of the seams so that they match up.

For the pattern for this months block, please visit Jen at www.patternsbyjen.blogspot.com to get the pattern.  Then, at the end of the month, link up with her to show us what you have done.

I have a tip I would like to share with you for matching seams.  After pressing seams, usually to the dark fabric, match your pieces and put a pin in the seams.  This works great for both hand and machine piecing.

Please join these other bloggers to see what their blocks look like.

www.tuning-my-heart.com
www.quilted-diary.com
joanne-everyonedeservesaquilt.blogspot.com

Back to school blog hop - making kits for on the go sewing

Hi and welcome to my day for the Back to school blog hop hosted by Sam of www.huntersdesignstudio.com.  thank you Sam for letting me be a part of this  blog  hop.

Today I am going to share some ideas of how I put kits together for on the go sewing.   I love to take projects with me, and dependent on where I am going determines if I take just hand sewing or a sewing machine and the works.  Usually though it turns out not be hand sewing.

When I get ready to make a kit, I cut enough fabric for 1 block to test it.  Then I cut all the pieces I need.  I usually buy extra (usually 1/4 - 1/2 yard) as a just in case, because when I don't I screw up.  I keep all my fabrics, including the extra together until the top is done.

My kits are kept in various bags and containers.  Easy to grab and put into a bigger bag.  Right now, I know what is in each bag, but I think i will make some bags with a clear plastic window in so I can stick a paper in there telling me what it is.

I have a few projects ready to go constantly.  I put 1 in my backpack so I can work on it during my lunch break.

Then I have 1 or 2 ready to go in a bag for when I go in the car.

So, what do I keep in my project bags:

A small pair of scissors
A spool of thread
A couple of needles (just in case I lose 1)
And of course the blocks I am working on
 Instructions are usually photocopied and folded up or I take a picture and keep it on my phone or tablet or both.

These 2 bags I keep extra needles a little ruler and an extra pair of scissors in.  1 is always in my backpack and 1 stays  in my bag I take projects in. 

I add other things if I am taking projects with me for a trip.
I add my rotary cutter, mat and a ruler or two.

I do find that most times I take more things than I need.  But if I am someplace with my granddaughters, they know I always have some hand piecing we can do.

It is great to always have something I can work on as we are driving someplace.


I use the same process for keeping my projects in my sewing room organized .  That way whether I am sewing or my granddaughters are wanting to sew and forgot their projects, they can still sew.

  If I ask them where there project is they often say home and I ask them how they can sew and they always tell me that I always have a project they can sew or fabric they can work with.  They are so right.

I hope I have shared some good tips with you.


I love reading your comments, so please share how you organize.


These other bloggers also have some great tips so check them out.

Day 1 – September 1 – Sam Hunter: Sewing Long Seams Without Stretching – huntersdesignstudio.com

Day 2 – September 2 – Susan Arnold – Joining Binding the Easy Way – quiltfabrication.com

Day 3 – September 3 – Angie Wilson – Fussy cutting tips and techniques – www.gnomeangel.com

Day 4 – September 4 – Andi Stanfield – No-Mark HST: Let your machine be your guide – truebluequilts.com/blog/

Day 5 – September 5 – Bobbie Gentili – Say YES to Y-seams – geekybobbin.com

Day 6 – September 6 – Mel Beach – 5 Reasons to Say Woo Hoo! to School Glue – pieceloveandhappiness.blogspot.com

Day 7 – September 7 – Laura Piland – 7 Ways to Use a Laser on Your Sewing Machine – www.sliceofpiquilts.com

Day 8 – September 8 – Suzy Webster – How to solve loops in free motion quilting – www.websterquilt.com

Day 9 – September 9 – Tara Miller – Accurate Stitch-and-Flip Corners – quiltdistrict.com

Day 10 – September 10 – Latifah Saafir – Accurate Seams Using Masking Tape! – latifahsaafirstudios.com

Day 11 – September 11 – Sarah Ruiz – The Magic of Glue Basting – saroy.net

Day 12 – September 12 – Jen Shaffer – Ways to stop your ruler from slipping while cutting – patternsbyjen.blogspot.com

Day 13 – September 13 – Cheryl Sleboda – Basics of ruching (a vintage fabric manipulation technique) – muppin.com

Day 14 – September 14 – Raylee Bielenberg – Choosing quilting designs for your quilt – www.sunflowerstitcheries.com

Day 15 – September 15 – Jen Strauser – Accurate and Attractive Machine binding – dizzyquilter.com

Day 16 – September 16 – Jane Davidson – Matching points for all types of intersections – quiltjane.com

Day 17 – September 17 – Teresa Coates – Starch and starch alternatives – teresacoates.com

Day 18 – September 18 – Jen Frost – Benefits of spray basting – faithandfabricdesign.com

Day 19 – September 19 – Sandra Starley – Getting started with Hand Quilting – utahquiltappraiser.blogspot.com

Day 20 – September 20 – Karen Platt – Drunkard’s Path Made Easy – karenplatt.co.uk/blog/

Day 21 – September 21 – Kris Driessen – All Kinds of Square (in a Square) – scrapdash.com

Day 22 – September 22 – Sarah Goer – Planned Improv Piecing – sarahgoerquilts.com

Day 23 – September 23 – Kathy Bruckman – Organizing kits for on-the-go sewing – kathyskwiltsandmore.blogspot.com

Day 24 – September 24 – Cheryl Daines Brown – The Secret to Flat Quilt Tops: Borders – quilterchic.com

Day 25 – September 25 – Cherry Guidry – Pre-assembling fusible applique – cherryblossomsquilting.com

Day 26 – September 26 – Laura Chaney – Getting started with English Paper Piecing – prairiesewnstudios.com

Day 27 – September 27 – Ebony Love – Cutting Bias Strips from a Rectangle – lovebugstudios.com

Day 28 – September 28 – Tammy Silvers – Working with heavier weight threads in your machine – tamarinis.typepad.com

Day 29 – September 29 – Kathy Nutley – Create a perfect facing or frame with 90 degree angles – quiltingsbykathy.com

Day 30 – September 3 – Joanne Harris – Using Leaders and Enders – quiltsbyjoanne.blogspot.com