Scrap Bag

Finally got around to unpacking and checking out closely all of the scraps that were in the $4.95 Scrap Bag that I purchased at Lady Fingers last Saturday.  Why today?  Well I got notice that the wall hanging pattern I posted yesterday shipped!

My first thought was to try and see how many of the fabrics in the scrap bag might work for this project, thinking the pieces were really small.  I was very surprised to see there was nothing smaller than a 2-1/2 strip and over 3/4's of the pieces were closer to 8" wide and 22" long.  Once the pattern arrives, I am going to check out the size of the pieces and use as many from  the scrap bag BEFORE I purchase any fabrics other than the background.  Right now I am leaning towards using a bleached muslin for the background.

Here is the picture of the scrap bag all laid out so you can get some kind of idea of the variety of the prints and colors of the fabrics I received.  I was very happy with what I received and will make this purchase again.

Time got away from me yesterday morning so I never machine quilted one of my place mats.  Already did one today and will catch up with another one as soon as I hit "Publish".  Seems that 1000 piece lighthouse puzzle was calling my name!

Happy Crafting!

Sewing Update & More!

With the snow behind us and FRIGID weather for the next few days, it is the perfect excuse to stay inside and work on some sewing and crafts.  My list is long and I can't wait to see what I can accomplish today!

I promised an update on my "baby" fabric basket that I made with the scraps of material from the fat quarters I bought to make the 11" fabric basket.  The largest square scrap I could make was 6".  It was so cute as I sewed it, however turning the fabric right side out was a tad bit challenging!  Next time I will make the opening for turning a little larger and hop that will make it easier.  I still have some small scraps left that I will save for a future project!😃  Here is a finished picture of both baskets side by side.  Not sure what I will put in the smaller basket, but I have seen people use them for all kinds of gifts and figure I will fins something to use it for soon!

Been trying to machine quilt one place mat a day since I got the backing and binding fabric over the weekend.  They are NOT perfect, but I love how they are turning out and pleased that I was able to make smooth sandwiches when I basted together.  I need to commit here to working on the table runner which I am hand quilting. Now sure why I am nervous to start it!  OK, so I will plan to work on it later this afternoon.

I did a wide variety of things yesterday after machine quilting the place mat.  After lunch I finished a scrapbook page that I started at a crop last year.  It just needed a title, so I pulled out my baby Cricuit to cut the title and date.  Voila!  Another page done!  At crops I do as much as I can on a page, but don't drag my Cricuit with me and just complete the titles or whatever when I get home.  I think there are three more pages on my work desk right now, so hope to finish at least one more this afternoon.

Due to the weather and road conditions, "The Boy" came home at lunch and worked the rest of the day from home.  Good decision as the snow got heavier and the road conditions got worse.  I ended up starting AND finishing the three card samples and putting together of the kits for my Monday Card Kit!  Just need to write the directions and print them today.

Today I close with a picture of another project I will be working on.  The pattern is ordered and on its way!  

Happy Crafting!

Card Kit for the Week - Summer Silhouettes

A day late with posting the card kit for the week.  Ran out of yellow ink for my printer so I was unable to print out the directions for making the cards.  Should have the ink in a day or so, should be able to ship out at that time.

This set was an all time favorite before it was retired, since it has a nice variety of stamps.  I used every stamp in the set when I created the samples for this kit.  Perfect for a snowy day when we think and count the days until Spring.  😃

Here are the pictures of the stamp set and samples that are included to make in the kit.  As a reminder, in addition to the stamp set you will get materials to make 2 cards each of 3 designs by just adding your favorite adhesive and a few stamp pads.  Cost is $25 with shipping included!  This is a great deal as when I went to the post office yesterday to mail just a stamp set the cost went from $3.75 to $4.57.  Email me at abolse@yahoo.com. If you are interested in purchasing and I will send the first person who responds an invoice via Paypal.

Happy Crafting!

Road Trip Review

Whew!
What a whirlwind of a weekend.  Happy as a clam today as I start a new week with some new projects.  BUT first......a recap of the road trip to several local quilt stores.

My sister and sister-in-law met at my house before 9 AM, ready to head out to The Wooden Bridge Drygoods in Kutztown, PA.  The store was about 30 minutes away, driving through beautiful farmland and historic homes on mostly windy roads.  We even were startled to see an Amish Horse and Buggy in our travels!

Here are my travel mates/co-pilots in from of the store.

This store was AMAZING!  Not only did they have good prices, but great quality and organized so well.  It was easy to find what you were looking for.....IF you knew what you were looking for! The staff was very cheerful and helpful!   I had so much fun finding fabrics for a king size quilt I want to make for us.  Here are the set of fat quarters, and a few add on fabrics (the purples) that I purchased for this project.

I was also able to find the backing and binding fabrics to finish my table runner and place mats.  I think all of us had a fun and successful shopping experience at the Wooden Bridge Store.  We loaded our purchases in to the car, set the GPS on my I-Phone and headed to the second store, Ladyfingers in Oley, PA, about 30 minutes away.

This store is in an old historic hotel.  So quaint and filled with more modern fabrics that Wooden Bridge who is run by the Mennonites.  We were able to go upstairs to look at their classroom, where a class was in progress.  I also got a look at the longarm set up they have where individuals can take classes and rent the machine to quilt their projects.   None of us had big purchases in this store, as I think we had found most of what we were looking for at the first store.  I did purchase a few fat quarters to match fabrics I had at home for some more fabric baskets and scored a bag of "scraps" for $4.95.  When I opened the bag last night I was so happily shocked at how large some of the pieces were and look forward to sewing them together for a scrappy project!

We had lunch at a pizza place in Oley before heading home.  All in all I think it was a very productive day and I can't wait to go back once I complete some of the projects I have in progress!  I have only been retired for about 7 weeks and I am already getting a "stash" of fabrics.

Saturday afternoon I spent washing and drying all of the fabrics I purchased.  Sunday I cut the batting and backing for the table runner and placemats.  Once the "sandwiches" were pinned together I basted them all so they are ready to start quilting today.  Promised my sister-in-law, who hand quilts most of her projects, that I would hand quilt the table runner, but plan to machine quilt the placemats.

Here are the pictures I took to show work in progress of the pinning and basting I did yesterday.

Today I plan to get some sewing done!  I am anxious to start my king size quilt, but need to finish this project first.  Watch out for progress update later this week!

Happy Crafting!

Yea for the Weekend!

Busy day ahead with errands as well as plans to finish the last sample for an upcoming card class.  Be on the look out for dates and details!

Tomorrow is the road trip to two quilt stores in my area with my sister and sister-in-law.  So looking forward to shopping with these two, as I feel like a "newbie" compared to them.  Over thirty years I took a quilt class with a good friend where we made a different block every few weeks.  My friend, who is also my hairdresser and I were talking about it during my appointment this week.  Neither of us ever quilted our tops since we no longer have those bed sizes in our home.  She still has hers, but I think mine got given away when I was purging for our move.

Directions to the stores are printed out for my co-pilot in case my I-Phone Maps program doesn't cooperate!  I figured out the yardage I need for the backing of my table runner and place mats, but want to review it one more time before we leave.  Not sure what else I will be looking for on this trip.  I do want to start a king size quilt for our bed and have picked a pattern, however I am not sure I am quite ready to start a big project like this right now.

Check back in a few days for a complete recap and pictures of our "road trip "experience!

Happy Crafting!

Can't publish a post without a picture🙂

Winter Sampler Workshop

Brrrrrrr!
It isn't quite as cold outside as it was Sunday in to Monday, but it is WINTER!

I jump around with my crafting like a jumping bean these days and LOVE IT.  It is so much fun to sew one day, scrapbook the next and make a few cards another day.  In fact it is so much fun that I actually try and do two different crafts a day to keep me productive and excited.

It has been a few days since I started working on this Winter Sampler Workshop.  Samplers are so much fun to make, but take quite awhile to design since with so many pieces involved, since you are actually doing NINE different layouts.  It is just the fact that instead on 12" x 12" they are 3" x 3".

Here is the completed Winter Sampler:

The picture doesn't do it justice, using cool colors for the sampler, including Stampin' Up Smokey Slate, Mint Macaron and Powder Pink.  There is very little stamping involved in this design, however there is a ton of framelits, thinklits and punches used to create this sampler.

Seats are limited for this workshop held at my home, so email me now to save a seat!  

***Will be keeping my fingers crossed the winter weather will cooperate🙂.

Saturday February 16, 2019

9 AM- 11 AM

Cost is $25 with the frame included or $20 without the frame.  I only have a limited number of frames available and they will be on a first come first serve basis.  It is a standard frame that Michael's carries and you can purchase with a coupon.  I can no longer purchase at the same cost to keep the class cost at $25.  

Happy Crafting! 

$$$$ The High Cost to Craft $$$$

This morning I had a few appointments to go to and a few errands to run, hence the later than normal post.  One place I wanted to stop at was Joann's Fabric Store.  You see, coupons burn a hole in my pocket and for the first time since we moved (almost two years ago) I got one of their pamphlets with a ton of coupons.  The one that excited me was 40% everything not already on sale.  I prepared myself with a list of items I needed and wanted🙂.

It took about 10 minutes for me to realize almost EVERYTHING I "needed" was already on sale!  Everything on my list that I "wanted" was also on sale for less than 40%, so why buy it when in another week or two I can use a 40% or 50% coupon to save money.

I was on a mission to look for another idea for a sewing project.  The one item of clothing that I have wanted for quite awhile is a nice quilted vest.  Every time I shop at Boscov's or Kohl's I look at them and refuse to pay their prices for something so simple to make. So I headed over to the pattern books to look what was available.

OMG!
I know it has been over twenty years since I have looked for a pattern and I was shocked to see the prices!  I can distinctly remember back then I thought they were expensive for tissue paper and newsprint like paper for the directions.  Then "a lot" was the cost of $2.95-$7.95 per pattern.

So guess how much this Simplicity easy-to-sew pattern was marked?

$16.95!

Yes, I did purchase it since this is EXACTLY what I was looking for as far as the design.  But all Simplicity patterns were on sale for $1.99!  Now that is a sale!

What is so sad is that at these prices for just a pattern, no wonder sewing clothing seems to becoming a lost art.  I hear they no longer teach it as a required subject in school, and most adults these days can't even sew on a button or hem an item of clothing they purchase at a store.  It is indeed a lot cheaper to make the flannel shirt I am wearing right now that I purchased at Vanity Fair for $9.99.  You can't even buy a yard of flannel material ON SALE for that price!

The quilted fabric was on sale, however I was not happy with their selection and will look at other stores over the weekend to see if I can find what I am looking for.  I don[t want to settle for a fabric until I look around since I have already waited so long for the vest.  Will keep you updated on this new sewing project as I start working on it over the next few weeks.

If there is a morale to this post...….watch for sales and NEVER buy a pattern at full price!

Happy Crafting!