Thimbles!!!!

Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville has asked her blog friends to share our favorite thimbles and then link up with her blog so her readers can see some of the thimble options out there and make decisions about what might work best for them.  Here's a picture of my very sweet little thimble collection.  However, I don't use any of these of course.

When I first began to hand sew as a little girl, my grandmother taught me to use a thimble, and I cannot sew without one now because my finger feels vulnerable and naked!  However, the traditional silver thimble doesn't really work for me.  My finger sweats and gets uncomfortable, no matter how well the fit.  I love the open backed silver thimbles, but unfortunately I can't afford one right now.  Probably because I can't keep out of the fabric shops LOL!!!!  


Today, I use several different types of thimble.  Mind you - they're not very sexy, they just work for me!  This is my favorite... the Ultra Thimble.

It fits right on the tip of my finger - any finger!  It has a sticky tape that adheres it to my finger, and the tape is reusable for many stitching sessions.  No sweating, no discomfort.  It's perfect for me!  I can also use a second one on my finger under the quilt when hand quilting.  Most quilt shops will carry these if you ask for them.  I've found them at most quilt shops.  Or Amazon of course, but check your LQS first!!!  And it's not terribly expensive.


A second favorite is this really inexpensive, plastic alternative to the above-mentioned open-backed silver thimble.  It's called the Adjustable Thimble.

It's not perfect, but it allows me to have nails and use a thimble, something a "normal" thimble won't.  (Not that I have beautiful nails to speak of, but sometimes I do & maybe you do! :*D)  Because they are so inexpensive, I have several of these and keep them in my various hand projects so they are handy.  Being adjustable, it fits anyone, so no need to find one that fits!  I've bought these at Joann's but I noticed recently that my local Joann's had discontinued them.  Not sure if that is a universal thing for all Joann's or just mine.


Hope this helps someone looking for the perfect thimble!  There are so many really beautiful and unique thimbles out there, and there are new designs coming out every day.  I'm looking forward to seeing everyone else's favorites at Quiltville.  Hopefully some of the other bloggers will have sexier thimbles than mine!  =^..^=


Hugs & Blessings,
Teresa
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Design Wall Monday – Week #8

The current focus on my Design Wall is the Scrappy Bearpaws quilt that I am trying to finish up for my February UFO Challenge.  You may have seen some of the blocks on the wall from last week’s report.  Well, here they are all put together!

Don't they just sparkle?!?  I worked on this pretty much non-stop during my retreat this past week at St. Mary’s Sewanee and I managed to complete the center of the quilt.  I still need three borders – a scrappy neutral 2” inner border, a scrappy red/neutral 1-1/2” sawtooth middle border, and a neutral 4” outer border.  

But let me tell you what I am so excited about…. At the same time that I was sewing together the quilt center, I was also sewing together the sawtooth HST’s as leaders/enders! 

So instead of having to tackle 224 HST’s today, I only have 50 more to do!  Yippee Skippee!!! Thanks Bonnie at Quiltville for teaching us how to do leaders/enders!!!  I am seeing daylight on this project my friends! =^..^=

Also on my Design Wall is this really wonderful block that I found on Melissa’s Happy Quilting blog.  It is a tutorial by Pat of Color Me Quilty which she shared on Melissa's blog.

Isn’t this a striking block?  I saw it as I was sipping my first cup of tea and getting ready to go on retreat last Thursday.  When I saw that it just took three 2-1/2” strips, I hurriedly ran upstairs and pulled three strips from my 2-1/2” strip bin and stuffed them into my bags to take with me to retreat.  First thing, I quickly – and easily thanks to Pam’s great instructions! – made the block and put it up on my design wall.  Boy-o-Boy, did it ever get immediate attention!!!!  Everyone came over to drool over it and get the link so they could go and make some of their own.  Click HERE for the link if you like it as much as I did!  (and everyone else at my retreat :*})

So now share what’s on your Design Wall at Patchwork Times.

I’m also linking up today with LynCC at What A Hoot for her BOM’s Away Monday link-up. 

Here is my progress on Block #2 of the Promises and Borders stitchery.

This is so relaxing – I am very glad I decided to join along on this one!  I wish I could get a better picture – the colors are all muddy looking.  The lavendar flowers are a variegated blue/purple, and they're just lovely!  I’ll try to get one in the sunshine for my next report.

The Scrappy Bearpaws was also a BOM back when I started it.  I had the first 12 blocks done but decided to make it bigger, put it away, and a couple years later it is now in my UFO crosshairs!!!

Don’t forget to go check out the other BOM’s Away posts HERE!


I'm also linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict for a big Whoop Whoop!

Hope everyone has a marvelous Monday and a wonderful Week!!!!

Hugs & Blessings,

Teresa

=^..^=

Sunday Stash Report – Week #8

Oh. My. Gosh!!!!  Can I just say “Ditto” to Judy’s report, except with a lot more fabric purchased? 

I just returned from ANOTHER retreat – this one to St.Mary’s Retreat in Sewanee, TN.  On the way, we stopped at 3 quilt shops.  Take a look at what I purchased ….

WOW!!!  This beautiful bounty adds up to 36 yards purchased!!!!!  But at a fraction of the cost of today's fabric prices.  The majority of this was $3-5 a yard.  There were only a few batiks that ran about $9/yd.  When I see fabric at that price, I buy it!  We got unbelievable deals everywhere we went.  And a special BIG SHOUT OUT to Jim Warf, owner of Decherd Needleworks, for bringing the quilt shop to us last night! =^..^=  

I’ll tell you more about Retreat and post some wonderful pictures as soon as I get settled back in here at home – hopefully tomorrow.  Web connection there was pretty spotty, and I really missed all my blog friends!!!!

I sewed like a mad woman at retreat, but alas no finishes this week, so my stash report is extremely lopsided for this week.  :*0  Never fear though, I'll catch up soon!

Used this week:      0 yards  (how pitiful is that I ask you?)

Used YTD 2012:      22.50 yards

Added this week:   36 yards

Added YTD 2012:   57.00 yards

Net Used for 2012: -34.50 yards (I’d better get busy!!!!)

How is your stash coming along?  Head on over to Patchwork Times to see how others are doing with theirs.

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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Happy Valentine's Day!

Share the LOVE!  Today and every day!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Design Wall Monday – Week #7

My Design Wall is pretty full this week!

I am working on my Scrappy Bearpaws for the 2012 UFO Challenge, and making great headway.  The blocks go together quickly and I just love making them.  As you can see, they are truly scrappy, with lots and lots of different fabrics! 

They will be assembled with neutral sashing and red cornerstones, then a neutral inner border, a red/neutral sawtooth middle border and then another neutral outer border.  I have been making the sawtooth HST’s as leaders and enders, and they are piling up quickly (thank goodness!). 

A friend recently gave me a bag of scraps from her last project and guess what I found inside ….

Yep!  A pile of these just-the-right-size triangles for the HST’s!  I usually use the Easy Angle ruler to make HST’s anyway, so I got busy and cut lots of red triangles to put with the scrap neutrals.  

Before I knew it, Presto! Shazam!!!  I’ve got lots of cute perfect HST’s!!!  Love it when a friend shares her scraps =^..^=  Of course, there will be lots of HST's with other neutrals too, but I just love these with the pretty red flowers.

I’m also getting ready to work on my green pineapples for the Rainbow Challenge – here is my bucket of crumbs with a lot of green scraps added in.  Yum!!!!  These will be so sweet when I’ve got them done.  They will look like Christmas when I put them on the Display Wall beside the red ones I made last month :*D

And just because I like you all, here’s a little Show-n-Tell of my recent finishes…..

Quilts in Progress – just love this little wall-hanging!!!  You saw it on my Design Wall picture above, but I completed it Saturday night, so Hooray!  A finish!!!!

And this is my Iris Tango, with its binding all finished up and now hanging on my quilt rack in the front dining room.  Doesn’t it look all sophisticated hanging there?  I’m so happy to have a new quilt to display!

So what have you been up to in your sewing rooms?  Share with us at Patchwork Times!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Sunday Stash Report – Week #7

Back in the black!!!  I had two finishes this week which brought my numbers back up into positive usage – yay!!!!

First, I finished up my Quilts in Progress wall quilt which was my NewFO for January.  I just LOVE it!!!!  It is so colorful and happy.  I can’t help but smile every time I see it.  Now I have to decide whether I am going to hang it over the doorway into my sewing room as originally planned or on the wall over my window.  I’ll be sure to post a picture when it finally settles into its new home.  I used about 3.25 yards fabric in this little gem.  

Also finished this week is Anita’s quilt.  The members of our Guild contributed floral snowball blocks for this lovely Floral Garden quilt to be given to the church secretary where we meet each month.  Anita lost her husband last year and we wanted to give her a quilt to show our sympathy and appreciation for all she does for us. 

I assembled the quilt and handed it off to others for quilting and binding.  Many willing hands contributed to this quilt, and many others contributed fabrics.  Special thanks go out to Ruth, Teresa C, Pat S, Joanne and Susie!  I only used about .5 yard of fabrics from my own stash.

This brings my stash totals to:

Used this week:      3.75 yards

Used YTD 2012:      22.50 yards

Added this week:   0 yards

Added YTD 2012:   21.00 yards

Net Used for 2012: 1.50 yards

How is your stash coming along?  Growing (fun!) or getting busted (more room for shopping!)?  Go over to Patchwork Times to see how others are doing with theirs.

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

February UFO Challenges

I am going to have to plead insanity for scheduling myself to take on TWO UFO's each month - one piecing project and one top to be quilted!  My reasoning was that I had twenty-four quilt tops languishing on a shelf in my sewing room closet that were desperately calling out to me every time I opened the door – “Save us!  Please quilt us and let us see the light of day once again!”

And I also had quite a few half-assembled projects that I really wanted to get done.  I hoped that getting on board for the Patchwork Times UFO Challenge would help hold my feet to the fire.  So I decided to work from two lists.

January worked out really well because Judy picked #5, which selected the Oriental Peacock wallhanging for my Piecing UFO, and my Iris Tango lap quilt top for the Quilting UFO.  Both were fairly easy and small enough to be manageable in a month’s time.  (Click on the name of each one if you missed my earlier posts about these quilts.)

But I knew that some of the projects I put on the lists would be well nigh impossible to complete in a month – especially getting my Dear Jane quilted.  Here is the top in all her glory!

So what number did Judy pull in February?  ......#1.  
And what projects are on my lists at #1? .......... **** drum-roll please ****

Quilting UFO – Oh yeah! You guessed it! – DEAR JANE!!!  I started quaking in my boots when I saw that Dear Jane’s number had come up!

I pieced Dear Jane over a 4-year period, meeting every Friday with a group of friends.  I took my time.  I was in no hurry.  But now I am getting anxious to have it DONE.  Two other girls are finished with their tops and they are almost finished hand-quilting them.  Not so Teresa!   As you can see, my quilt is more contemporary in color and design, so I decided that it did not require hand quilting.  However, even machine quilting seems pretty daunting to me right now!  I'm not even sure how I want to quilt some of these blocks.  And in what color?  My oh my!

But at least now I have a compelling reason to get it out of the closet and sandwich it in preparation to putting my nose to the grindstone!  I’ll start this weekend and keep you posted on my progress.  Wish me luck!!!

Piecing UFO – Scrappy Bearpaws.  

This is doable since I already had 27 of the 36 blocks done and have gotten 3 more done this week.  Strips are cut and ready for assembly, so the blocks are really quick.  Once the remaining 6 blocks are done, I’ll need to make a jillion red & cream HST’s for the sawtooth border and then put it all together.  Compared to quilting Dear Jane, this part of the Challenge is a cake walk!  If I don’t get it finished, I’m pretty sure I’ll be close.

How are you doing on your UFO's this year?

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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