Eye Candy

I just wanted to share with you some of the quilty stuff I’m receiving from the ladies from QFC (Quilters for Comfort).  Not everyone is able to attend our annual Sew Fest so they generously send embroidered blocks, quilt squares (sometimes called “fillers”) and miscellaneous fabric.  It is so rewarding to spend a week making quilts for our veterans & troops and I’m so proud of these ladies who give so much.  Soooo, on to the pics:

		From the ladies of QFC VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Sew Fest is July 7 – 13.  Be looking for the assembled quilts the week after!  I will be quilting some and others will be sent out to other members for quilting.  These quilts will be donated to an Army hospital in Georgia…

Katie

Did I do that?

I was looking over my blog posts – I guess I’m not a very good blogger or simply maybe I don’t have much to say????  Maybe I need to start taking pictures of my WIPs as they progress and post about them?  Whatever….

I posted here about a favorite place I ‘shop’.  I really enjoy thrift stores, estate sales and that sort of thing.  “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure” fits me.  Anyway, I was at my favorite place and was going through some bags of stuff when the owner, Kevin, says “I haven’t had time to unpack the last estate.  I’m doing this by myself and falling behind.”  So I tell Kevin I can help him out.  He tells me he gets offers all the time but no one ever comes through and his regular girl didn’t show up.  Now I have to say here that Kevin is one of the nicest guys you’d ever want to meet and has given me some super ‘breaks’ on stuff.  I get my ‘haul’ paid for.  Give Kevin my card and tell him I’ll see him Monday.  He looks at me with a question in his eyes and I tell him I’ll be there Monday to help him out.  I ask him what time he’d like me to be there.  He hesitantly says, “8:00”  Okay, I’ll see you then.  Now I have to tell you I have no idea what I’m getting myself into and I really don’t care.  I just feel the need to help someone who I believe helps others.  I don’t know if this will turn out to be a ‘sort of’ job, payable in cash or items…. But I’m considering it an adventure………

Katie

2½ weeks and counting

That’s 2½ weeks until Sew Fest.  Sew Fest is where a group of ladies from QFC (Quilters for Comfort) get together and spend a week sewing quilts for donation to various veteran / active duty military organizations and/or hospitals.  We get so much done yet have so much fun.  After spending a week with these ladies, it will be hard to go back into my quiet little sewing room and sew alone…  This year Sew Fest is being held right here in Arizona.   We will be at Quilting on the Rim located in the White Mountains, some of the most beautiful country that Arizona has to offer.  Because I am ‘sort of’ playing hostess for this year’s Sew Fest, I am making  up some little grab bags for the ladies .  I normally have ideas of what I’d like to make for the little appreciation gifts, but this year I seem to be hitting a blank wall.  Due to the fact that several of the ladies are flying in and baggage space is limited, I need to keep the gifts small.  I would appreciate it if anyone could give me some ideas…..  I am trying to avoid pin cushions, as those are very popular gifts and as much as I appreciate them, I, personally, don’t really need another one…

With getting ready for Sew Fest in the form of embroidering quilt squares and making Patriotic themed quilt blocks that will go into these quilts, I have not done much of anything else, therefore, not much to share at this point.

I hope everyone is having a super summer,

Katie

Update

Happy middle of June day!  Really can hardly believe that 2013 is almost to the half way mark.  Okay, on to the update.

I posted here about this:

The small curved hobby knife I got at Harbor Freight.  At that point, I had yet to try it.  Well, as we all know, we are not going to go through life not having to ‘unsew’ something.  So, yes, it’s been tried and I LOVE IT!!!!  That little blade is sharp all the was to the tip, just a slight touch on  the thread needing to be removed and – gone, just like cutting through butter!  The ‘knife’ also fits comfortably in my hand – a good size overall (at least for me).  I give this a big thumbs up and would highly recommend it.  Full disclosure here.  The blades are replaceable and there are some included in the packaging.  As with any hobby knife with the replaceable blades, it has that collet (or whatever it’s called) that needs to be tightened just below the blade.  This collet needs to be tight to avoid the blade slipping and causing injury.  Anyone using this hobby knife as a seam ripper needs to be aware of that and check for tightness prior to using.  Also, I am in no way affiliated with Harbor Freight – I just enjoy finding something at a good price that can be incorporated into my craft….

Hoping everyone is having a glorious June day.

Katie

The more time I have…..

The more time I waste! 

So, time – we all have it, we all waste it, we all wonder how to better organize it!  I’ve read about routine, how to schedule, how to, how to, how to…  Then I think about “what if you do this, or that or whatever” that does not apply to the person writing about “how to”.  When I decided to be a ‘stay-at-home’ I figured I’d have all sorts of time to do the things I wanted to do.  My house would be spotless, my closets and drawers would be organized and I’d be able to spend hours quilting and crafting.  So much for my ‘figuring’!!!’

I do believe my house is (as my neighbor says) “tidy”.  I do keep it relatively clean and uncluttered (well, don’t look in the sewing room!) but I feel like it should be so much cleaner that it is seeing as how I’m home.   Am I stressing over this? Nope!  I feel my house is clean, just not as organized as I’d like.  Now my sewing room drives me nuts!  I’m always thinking of different ways to rearrange, move things around, etc…. I know, I know, we all do that.  I’m seriously thinking of packing it up, like I was moving.  As I go through  everything, make the decision if it’s something I’d move.  If it isn’t, it goes….  Now will I really do this?  Seriously?  Probably not… because I’d start packing it up then come across something I want to work on.  Then what would happen?  I’d have all this stuff pulled out and have a bigger mess than I have right now

Okay, so where is all this going?  I would really, really appreciate hearing what you’ve done to organize / arrange that was just the best idea you’ve had.  Oh, also, my space is very limited and because I’m a ‘stay-at-home’ my budget is also very limited! 

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings…

Katie

June 4, 2013

Another post without a title, you ask… It’s been a while since I posted, that I’m not sure where to start.  I started a new (to me) hobby.  Well a ‘sort of’ hobby.  I say “sort of” because for me, I’m not sure how involved I’ll get.  My dear friend and neighbor is a paper crafter.  She make the most gorgeous cards and little ornaments.  She will take something so plain and make it spectacular.  She also does You Tube videos.  I guess I never thought much about it, but there is a whole other world out there in You Tube land!  I’m amazed how many different ways there are to connect with other people who share the same interest as yourself.  Here we call it a “blog”, on You Tube it’s called a “vlog”.  So, anyway… in the process of looking at my friend’s vlog, I linked over to other vlogs and got intrigued by what is called “junk journals” and “Smash books”.  I am planning on making Kari a journal for her to take  to college.  I could hand her a simple ‘regular’ lined journal and she’d say ‘thanks’ and maybe write something in it occasionally.  But I know that if I give her something that is decorated and unique, she’ll love just looking at it and I also know she’ll actually spend some time writing in it.  Something unique simply suits her.  I will post some pictures as I work on it.

Okay, so in my sewing world I’ve been doing a bit here and there.  Sew Fest is the first week in July and I’ve been getting some embroidered squares done and working on some ‘filler’ blocks for the quilts we’ll be constructing.  And here are the blocks I made for my contribution for the quilts being given to the teachers from the Oklahoma tornadoes:

The block was labeled as a Friendship Star (something).  Once I got the 4  I made up on the design wall, I immediately thought of the “Monkey Wrench” block. 

I’ve also been playing around with those little sew-in snap purse frames:

This little purse is a good size in that it is long enough to hold a credit/debit card as well as the change.  Yes, I see that my ribbon/lace stripe is sort of crooked.  At my age, it seems everything is ‘shifting’

And now to Harbor Freight finds.  I think most of us know about the rotary blades at Harbor Freight, the 2 pack for less that $2… As I was browsing through there a week or so ago, I came across this:

On the right is  a seam ripper I just knew would make life easier.  I spent $8 (I think) for it in a fabric store.  I saw the “hobby knife” on the left at HF with additional blades for $3 and knew I needed it.  Look at the difference in the blade size between the two.  My ‘seam ripper’ is okay but not great.  The hobby knife is sharper and with that longer blade, well let’s just say I haven’t had the need to use it (yet) but I’m almost looking forward to it.  Another thing I’ve used as a seam ripper and loved until I literally wore it dull, was a scalpel that I bought at a hobby store that is used for carving/shaping clay.  I had gone in with my daughter when she was buying clay for her potter’s wheel and for less than $2, I couldn’t pass it up.  She no longer works with clay and because the store was a bit out of the way for me, I simply haven’t gone back.  Anyway, I’m hoping I love this hobby knife as much – I’ll let you know.

I’ve signed up over at Sew we Quilt for the “Stamp on It” blog hop.  It will be my first and I hope I can do it justice.  Not sure when ‘my day’ will be, so stay tuned…

I hope all are enjoying some fun, creative times. 

Katie