Who has the thread

 I am not a thread purist, although I have quite a LOT of thread in my sewing room.

However, I have come to love Superior's The Bottom Line bobbin thread for my machine quilting.

Every time I use this thread in my bobbin, I feel like the Energizer Bunny! It just goes, and goes.

When I use regular thread, I always run out of bobbin thread before I am finished quilting.  Which means I have to take my quilt out of my machine, change the bobbin and find the place to start quilting again. I kind of lose my momentum. 

I'm sure the newer threads are very nice, but they are quite pricey, and you see, one of my biggest challenges in sewing with this expensive thread is a lot of times it ends up in the trash.

Autumn Nights Leaf

 Block two of Autumn Nights Mystery quilt was a leaf pattern. 

Fun and easy to put together. Still one more block to go. Can't wait to see how this will all come together.

NTT  Finished or not Friday   Brag About Your Beauties   Scrap Happy

It Shouldn't Be You

 

It Shouldn't Be You by Jessica Wakefield is a well written captivating story about two people who should hate each other. 

Watching Declan and Addey fall in love was so sweet. The demise of the Community Center and the strained relationships with their parents, was a bond waiting to happen. Addey's involvement with senior residents and Declan's mother with early stage Alzheimer’s draws them together. Tensions rise and emotions deepen as they find resolution in the spark that happens between them.

This was a fun clean wholesome romance. 

I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.

Great rulers

 I have a lot of rulers. When I first started quilting, I bought a long ruler to use for any occasion. But since then I have acquired many many more.

But today I want to tell you about a little ruler that has been such a help for me.

These Creative Grid rulers are so perfect for accurate trimming.

The smaller one is great for trimming 2 1/2"x 2 1/2".

This is the larger one, which also features the 1/2" markings. But what I love about these rulers is the whole and half size markings.  Takes a lot of the guess work out. There are lots of different sizes to choose from.  And they have the little grips on the back so they stay in place when I am trimming. I believe I got them from Fat Quarter Shop.

Autumn Nights

 The Fat Quarter Shop is hosting another Mystery quilt. This time it is Autumn Nights quilt along.  I downloaded the first two blocks.

Here's my first ones.

I've never made wonky stars before but these were really easy.  

Going to work on block 2 next.

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Quilting the quilts

 It's time for me to finish quilting the Christmas Charity quilts.  

It may take me a while to work on them. The part that takes the longest for me is the binding. My daughter always said "one bite at a time."

NTT  Finished or not Friday   Brag About Your Beauties   Scrap Happy

National Sewing Month

 

Do you have big sewing projects in mind? Where will you start? 

Follow along with the Fat Quarter Shop for some fun projects.

• Thursday, September 4th – New Notions To Upgrade Your Sewing Room Blog Post
• Thursday, September 11th – 5 Cute Kitchen Projects You Can Sew in a Weekend Blog Post
• Thursday, September 25th – Kimberly’s Sewing Room Organization Blog Post
• Saturday, September 27th – All The Trimmings Tissue Box Cover Tutorial Blog Post

Welcome September

 

Hoping for cooler days ahead.

August Sew Sampler

 I always enjoy receiving the Sew Sampler box from Fat Quarter Shop. It is like getting a present every month.

For the August box we received three Charm packs, two patterns, a erasable pen and a hexi ruler. I really love the charms. They are so pretty. You can read more about the Sampler box at the Fat Quarter Shop website.

The Lighthouse at the Cove

 

The Lighthouse and the Cove is a clean romance, set on the east coast. A gem to be found.

Kaiah is a travel journalist who is on the way to South Carolina. She's hoping the trip will put miles away from a painful break up. But when her car breaks down in small town Coral Cove she finds she is stuck there while awaiting parts for her car. She becomes enchanted with the small town and the history of the lighthouse fascinates her, so she decides to stay and write her articles about Coral Cove. She meets widower Reid, who offers his garage apartment for her to stay. In the process she becomes involved with the Lighthouse festival, raising funds to rebuild a portion of the elementary school that was destroyed by a fire. Reid is drawn to Kaiah, as is his adorable six year old daughter Piper.

This is a fun, healing, finding love again story that captures your heart about coming together as a community in a beautiful journey. Amy Clipston delivers a heartfelt, well developed story.

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

It's in the bag

 Making bags can be challenging. Some more than others. 

Here are a few tutorials on bag making.

All People Quilt (I always find inspiration here) 

Stacey Lee Creative

Apple Green Cottage 

vickiemeyercreations

Niesz Vintage Home

Sew Can She

Patchwork Posse

The Sewing Chick

Fort Worth Sewing Studio

Noodlehead

Bee in My Bonnet

Noodle Head

Happy Quilting.

Taking a tour

 I decided to drop off my pillowcases at a local quilt shop. And of course I had to look around.

Such beautiful samples made up. Almost like a quilt show.

Always remember to Be Kind

 

It's a Wonderful Life

Have you ever watched It's a Wonderful Life at Christmas time? I have watched it several times. But "The Heart of It's A Wonderful Life" by Jimmy Hawkins, who portrayed the Bailey's youngest son Tommy, shares his insights and memories into the making of this iconic movie.

Jimmy brings to light the original intent of the director, Frank Capra, in this telling novel. A reminder of the original premise and deeper meanings behind the scenes. A quote, " If we could see what life would be like if we hadn't been born, I suspect we'd realize how truly fortunate we are just to be in this world. We would discover that every experience in our life, no matter how dull or difficult, somehow is leading us to our life's purpose."

It's a great read for anyone interested in classic movies. If you have never watched "It's a Wonderful Life" I would encourage you to catch it in the upcoming Christmas season. Reading the book will draw you in to the deeper meaning. 

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Library quilt

I am hoping to make this quilt for a friend. She is a writer and has shared several of her books with me. 

The library pattern is from Holiday Hoopla by Pat Sloan.

I still need to figure out how to frame it with a border. 

NTT  Finished or not Friday   Brag About Your Beauties   Scrap Happy

Free House patterns

 This post from Quilt Inspiration caught my attention.

Whoop! Happy Quilting.

The Anchor Man

"Now this is the commandment, the statues and the rules that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it. that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statures and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. " Deuteronomy 6: 1-2

Recently I listened to a message on the radio as I was driving. It was about the Anchor Man. The more I listened to this program, I was hearing about my Anchor Man.

My admiration goes beyond understanding. I've seen this walked out in the life of my own Anchor Man. A man of integrity and honesty and faithfulness.

God always has His men. He always has a remnant of faithful men who love God and are anchored on Jesus Christ.

An Anchor man is a man who will have no other gods before them.

Men who will not make graven images. They love the Lord their God with all of their heart, soul and mind.

Men who will not take the Lord's name in vain.

Men who are motivated to work, but not so much that they won't take one day of rest.

Men who honor their fathers and mothers, and help care for them.

Men who will not murder or have murderous thoughts.

Men who will not steal things, whether it is possessions or someone's character.

Men who will not bear false witness.

Men who are a one-woman man.

Men who do not covet but are content and thankful for the blessings God has given them.

I am thankful for the covenant relationship I have with my Anchor Man. I have been blessed to learn from this man who places Christ first in his life every single day.

And today I am wishing my Anchor Man a Happy Birthday!

Chevron quilt

I watched a Youtube on making a Chevron quilt.  The demo was using a Layer Cake, but I thought I would make my own with 6" squares.

I picked out an assortment of fabrics.  Plus white background fabric.
Cut 6" strips WOF and then again cut  into 6" squares.

 

Pair up a white square with one of the color fabric squares.  Sew all the way around. (I love this method)

With your trusty rotary, cut the sewn square in an X.

Press your seams to the dark fabric.

 

Line up the Chevrons and start sewing the blocks together.

 

I cut two yards of white background, and various amounts of the red and blue.  I think it will make a fun and easy quilt.

Happy Quilting!

 Finished or not Friday   Brag About Your Beauties   Scrap Happy

What do you love.....

......about quilting?

Ha! I thought so!

Happy Quilting!

Sidelights

 

I've had this pattern for a while. I love the panel pictured on the cover. But alas, when I bought this pattern, the panel was already gone. A limited edition out of print. So I started looking for another print, hoping to find something similar. Every Asian pattern that I came across just did not do it for me. Until.......................

The colors are perfect. And I also found fabric for the large border with coordinating colors.  It's perfect for a friend I would like to gift this to.

It's fun to find something that has been elusive.

Happy Quilting!

Another one in the works

 Found some 10" squares and started making another charity quilt.

And some orphan blocks will make up nicely,

Design wall Monday    Sew and Tell    NTT     Finished or not Friday   Brag About Your Beauties   Scrap Happy

The Bitter End Society

 

The Bitter End Birding Society by Amanda Cox is an extraordinary story about a long history of family.

Ana Watkins is a kindergarten teacher who has gone through a harrowing experience with her kindergarten class. She is asked by her Great Aunt Cora to  come visit for the summer and help pack up her house at Bitter End Tennessee. Ana is more than happy for a little escape. What starts as a hope to reconnect with her long lost aunt, turns into a discovery of tainted family ties. 

Amanda Cox has written a moving story that digs deep and moves seamlessly through a dual time story. Paced and well developed, the struggles her characters face are relatable. The descriptive details, settings and the birds were brilliantly painted as Amanda writes a deep story of pain, tragedy, forgiveness and family. Amanda Cox is an exceptional author and I would highly recommend this book.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ecopy of this book which I received from Net Galley. All views expressed are my honest opinion.

Welcome August

3 Million pillowcases

 It's always fun to make pillowcases for Ryan's Case for Smiles.  I've started on some and have a few more to finish before taking them to the donation location.

Over 3 Million pillowcases have been donated to children in hospitals. 

Design wall Monday    Sew and Tell    NTT     Finished or not Friday   Brag About Your Beauties   Scrap Happy

Michaels or Hobby Lobby?

 Okay let's get real here. With the closing of JoAnn's, we as crafters and quilters have been thrown under the bus. Not only for fabric but other things like notions and patterns/books.  Although they do not have a big selection, I have purchased fabric from Hobby Lobby in the past. They would offer 40% off every other week on their fabrics. Which was a great buy for medium priced fabric. However they recently have gone to 30% off and not every other week. 

So what gives? Their new fabric is coming at 11.99 and 12.99 a yard. Huh?? 

I have also gone to Michaels. Their fabric run from 3.99 to 7.99 a yard. 

Which to me is a much more affordable than what Hobby Lobby is offering. And I think with Michaels buying JoAnn's intellectual property we will be seeing more fabric coming into their stores. I do not have an excess amount of money for fabric, so I have always had to buy sales to mount up my stash. And I do not think I am making heirloom quilts for the generations to come ;-)

So what do you think peeps? Is it just a coincidence that Hobby Lobby raised their prices and lowered their % off just when JoAnn's is no longer in business? Please don't shoot the messenger. I have never had a problem buying from HL. However I probably will think twice before buying fabric from them anymore. The more we support Michaels, the more they will provide affordable fabric.

Second Chance at Sunshine Inn

An opposites attract trope with a little family drama, on both sides, and some soul searching thrown into the mix. A little something for everyone in this one. As a traveling NICU nurse, Everleigh Hartnett is broken hearted to learn that her godmother, Alana, has passed away. Everleigh has inherited half of her godmothers B&B. She wants to sell the inn to have money to fund the nonprofit she and her godmother wanted to create, The other half has been left to the caretaker, Cade Witherspoon. And he doesn't want to sell. The B&B is his second chance at starting over. They are at  stalemate as to what Alana meant for them to own the B&B.

As they work together sparks start to form between them. They both loved Alana, and want to do what they think she would have wanted. 

This is a sweet clean romance with wonderful characters, good dialogue, and a beautiful setting on Coral Cove. Second Chance at Sunshine Inn is well written, and a delightful summer read. Amy Clipston has written a meaningful story that tugs at your heart.

I received a complimentary ecopy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are mine.

July Sew Sampler

 I have been receiving the Sew Sampler from the Fat Quarter Shop for over a year and a half now. And I have to say the boxes are always a pleasant surprise. And I think reasonable for what you receive.

I think there was only one month where I didn't use what was sent, and I did a giveaway that time. I have loved the fabric and supplies each month. It's fun to see the new lines that  are available. 

Have a happy quilting day!

Shop hop

 Last week hubby and I celebrated our 52nd anniversary.  We decided last minute to take a little trip. So hubs asked me where would you like to go? I thought about it for about a second and said Bird House Quilt shop in Warner Robbins GA.  We packed a bag and headed 4 hours north.

I have enjoyed this shop every time we visit. Not having traveled much in the last couple of years, it was a delight to visit once again.

Of course they have pretty samples on display.

And a clearance bin to choose from.

We were directed to another quilt shop, two hours north, so we headed there.

I was a little disappointed in this shop. They had several pretty quilts on display, but when I asked about the patterns I was told they didn't have any. Like last years designs. You know they shouldn't leave up displays that they cannot offer.

Next we headed east towards Charleston. To People Places and Quilts.

This shop has changed a lot of their offerings. More modern fabrics and a LOT of embroidery. 

The last stop was a cute shop in Kingsland GA. 

Now this shop is well worth the drive.

Beautiful fabric.

Friendly helpful people.

Did I make any purchases in our personal shop hop, you ask?  Why of course.

Now I just need to get busy and sew :-)

Happy Quilting!