All Decked Out

Zip it!!!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 7 Comments »

My name is Pat, and I am zipper phobic. Ask me to make a block with a hundred 1" HSTs, or sew cowhide together, or maybe quilt a car, but don't ask me to install a zipper.

My sewing horizons have been narrowed by this gap in my skill set. I love those cute little zippy pouch patterns that look like swell, last-minute gifts, and I long to make a purse with something other than a button-an-loop closure. Now I can!

Thanks to Nicole, at Sister's Choice Quilts, we have a fabulous, fool-proof, zipper-installation-for-dummies tutorial. Nicole wrote a post about a very cute, very simple cosmetic case pattern that she was using to crank out gifts by the dozen. Loved it! Then I lamented that I would love to try it, but alas, I had major problems with zippers.

Nicole came to the rescue and created this ASTOUNDING TUTORIAL. Go read it, print it out and bookmark it. It will unzip all kinds of possibilities.

Senior Wedding

Monday, October 25, 2010 1 Comment »

Every once in a while, someone sends me something that just tickles my funny bone. I got this today & it is too cute not to share.

Jacob, age 92, and Rebecca, age 89, living in Miami , are all excited about their decision to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding, and on the way they pass a drugstore.. Jacob suggests they go in.

Jacob addresses the man behind the counter:

"Are you the owner?"

The pharmacist answers, "Yes."

Jacob: "We're about to get married. Do you sell heart medication?"

Pharmacist: "Of course, we do."

Jacob: "How about medicine for circulation?"

Pharmacist: "All kinds."

Jacob: "Medicine for rheumatism?"

Pharmacist: "Definitely."

Jacob: "How about suppositories?"

Pharmacist: "You bet!"

Jacob: "Medicine for memory problems, arthritis and Alzheimer's?"

Pharmacist: "Yes, a large variety. The works."

Jacob: "What about vitamins, sleeping pills, Geritol, antidotes for Parkinson's disease?"

Pharmacist: "Absolutely."

Jacob: "Everything for heartburn and indigestion?"

Pharmacist: "We sure do."

Jacob: "You sell wheelchairs and walkers and canes?"

Pharmacist: "All speeds and sizes."

Jacob: "Adult diapers?"

Pharmacist: "Sure."

Jacob: "We'd like to use this store as our Bridal Registry."

A Blessing on your House

Friday, October 15, 2010 3 Comments »

Fiddler on the Roof is one of my all-time favorite musicals. I thought of the lyrics to one of the songs this week; it's from Tevya's Dream. "A blessing on your house, Mazel Tov, Mazel Tov!"

For those of you who may not be familiar with the Yiddish expression, "mazel tov", it is used as a response when someone has had particularly good fortune, or has celebrated a significant milestone in their life. Someone tells you they just had a baby? "Mazel tov!" To the new bride & groom? "Mazel tov!" Just got a promotion at work? "Mazel tov!" Although it translates literally to "good luck", it's really used to say "Way to go!" or "Congratulations!". It's always said with great joy and exuberance.

Well, one of my friends, Ms. M. has come through a particularly rough patch. She is in the process of reshaping her life and moving forward on new paths. Part of her journey involved selling her home of many years and moving to a different house. The journey has not been easy, and the journey is by no means complete, but this Saturday marks a significant milestone for her.

Ms. M. is having a House Blessing. I'd never heard of a House Blessing before, but what a terrific idea. She has invited family and friends to her new home to participate in a House Blessing service conducted by her church's pastor. What could be more meaningful than inviting God to come into your home and be a part of it? And what a wonderful thing to share with your friends. The house will be blessed, we will rejoice with her in having achieved this milestone, and we will reaffirm our support of her on her journey.

Way to go, Ms. M.!

"A blessing on your house, Mazel tov! Mazel Tov!"

Count Your Blessings

Saturday, September 25, 2010 1 Comment »

I've admired Judi Madsen (the Green Fairy) for quite some time. She is a young wife and mother who has been blessed with a tremendous gift for quilting. I drool over the pictures she posts of quilts she's long-armed for customers (and herself), I smile at the pictures of her youngsters, and I am in awe of her endless enthusiasm. Today I cried.

Judi and her husband Clint are involved with charity work for Romanian children. Last year they traveled to Romania, visiting an orphanage, and this year Clint and his dad made the trip, visiting various families living in very difficult circumstances. Their main purpose is to distribute donated quilts to children, but this year (through generous donations), they were able to deliver food and school supplies as well.

If you think those scraps in your stash don't really amount to much, take a look at what an impact those scaps would make when put into a quilt. Then pass it along!

Green Fairy's 2010 Trip to Romania.

MOOOVING RIGHT ALONG.........

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 2 Comments »

It's not going well, and I am starting to wonder how I ever got myself into this. Sample cow hide scraps in hand, I went to a BOM class at my LQS on Saturday & asked advice from some expert quilters for advice. Then I visited the store where I had purchased my Bernina, and asked their advice. The suggestions ran the gamut from butting the edges, using a strip of fabric backing, and feather stitching the seams, to sewing on top of a full fabric backing.

Leather needles and jeans-weight thread in hand, I tested 5" samples and was pleased. What works best is overlapping the edges, then doing two parallel rows of stitching, just like the stitching on a pair of jeans. Worked like a charm on the scraps, but not on the big pieces.

The pieces that I need to stitch together are roughly 18" x 24". Very very tough to hold them together so that they stay aligned while I stitch. And they are heavy, so they don't want to feed as nicely as I'd like through the machine. And they have fur that switches direction, so I'm sewing with the nap for 5 inches, then against it for the next 5. And the fur flies all over the place when you cut it, less so when you are stitching. Sheesh.

The current solution to the holding together problem is basting glue. I tried it for one pair of rectangles, but applied the glue too late in the evening for it to be set enough to work on. It was dry this morning, so I'll try again tonight when my bovine outlook is a little better. I will also experiment with my walking foot.

If that doesn't work, I might just staple the darned things together and throw some cow pies.