Bias Binding

 I have been working to make all the binding for all the quilts I have to bind (4).  

I have 3 of the 4 made and one is even applied and hand sewn down! 

 I love the binding buddies from Doohickey Designs for holding my binding while I apply it.  

They are so darned cute!  

I want them ALL!!

I made some flannel binding out of a plaid but I cut it on the bias.  I am so in LOVE with how it looks!

I was applying it to the quilt  last night and it looks so pretty.  

The green minky is the back.

I can't show the front yet (but it is ADORABLE and I can't wait to share it).  

Look how CUTE that bias plaid looks as the binding!!  

Quite literally years ago I bought a bias binding ruler.  

You use half yard of fabric, straighten both edges they lay the ruler down and cut. 

 Easy peasy. 

 Just attach the strips and you have super easy bias binding!  

I always hated sewing a tube and marking it then cutting it.  My strips were NEVER right.  

I will look up the name of the ruler and edit this when I get home, just in case you need a ruler too.  Although I have heard that Creative Grid makes one, this is not from them. 

 I generally LOVE their rulers though.

Edited**Mine looks like this one

How do you like to cut your bias binding?

Would you like to see me using the ruler?

~XOP~

Free The Sewing Room Stuff Friday

 HI Friends!  So it begins. 
 I spent some time in my sewing room and found a few things to share. 

 If you are interested please let me know.  

If you want to make an offer, all reasonable offers will be considered.  

Shipping is paid for by the buyer. 

 Paypal and Venmo accepted.  

I will ship cheapest but likely it will be FRE, flat rate envelope (or box). 

 All fabric is unwashed unless stated.  

I have cats and they are in my sewing room, but they do not smoke = ) 

 I expect invoices to be paid promptly 24 hours after you receive it.
That being said here we go. 

Folk Art Animals book.  Showing several pages with some of the projects.  $10 plus shipping

Circle Of Light Pattern, $5 (new)

Forest Grove wall hanging pattern $3 (New)

Overnight Delivery Charm Pack $12 (new)

SOLD

1 yard On A Whim fabric by Robert Kaufman $12

SOLD

VINTAGE solids  assorted yardage but minimally 1/2 yard each (except the bright green one)  $10

SOLD

VINTAGE solids  assorted yardage but minimally 1/2 yard each $8

SOLD

Original Nicey Jane 2-3/4 yards Either $10/yard or $25 for the whole piece

Hunky Dory Wide (108") back 2 yards 22"  $40

Thirties reproduction fabric, CATS!!!  Amounts listed on the ticket.  Total is 2.88 yards  $17

SOLD

That's 10 things for this post!

I found more and will be posting next Friday too.

If you see something you want please either comment here or message me via my email.

mamaspark@gmail.com

PLEASE make sure if you comment that your email is in the comment so I can contact you.

If I can't contact you it will go to the next in line.

~XOP~

Update For Friday's

 Hi friends!  

I have decided that every Friday (except when I am in NC) I will be posting (minimally)

5 things for sale. 

I am DROWNING in fabric and "stuff". 

 My goal is to get my sewing room into a more reasonable shape.

I am going to be destashing a bunch of fabric every Friday.  

I figure if I put it here I will actually do it.

I felt that 5 things (maybe more) was a reasonable goal.

I feel like I can commit to shipping out 5 things each week.

Prices will reflect market value.

Some will be higher as that is what the market will bear.

I have a lot of OOP/HTF fabrics.

I will be cross posting on my Instagram and Facebook, 

so if you like something be sure to claim right away!

I will accept Paypal and Venmo.

See you all tomorrow for "Free it Friday"!!

~XOP~

Tip Tuesday

 Who knows if this will become a thing but today it is a thing.  

I figured out something tonight that made my life easier so I thought I would share.  

I was making some burp cloths

 (because I have a brain in my head and should be working on all the other things I really need to do).  It's funny, I was really wanting to make some but trying to hold off and 

today my daughter asked for some more. 

 Isn't that so weird? 

 I am overcome with the desire to do it and then she tells me she needs some more.

  But I digress.  

I buy flannel remnants and keep them for making burp cloths. 

 I HATE when I have to move the seams so that when I top stitch they are even on both sides. 

 Do you hate that too? 

 I found I was licking my fingers, then pouring water into a water bottle cap and wetting my fingers, 

but my fingers get so dry!  

It finally dawned on me tonight to use my spray bottle of water and spray down the entire burp cloth. 

 I was able to roll the seam and smooth it out and it worked so well!!!! 

 I took a video (one handed so please bear with me on that) 

of what I did and how I did it and how it looked before I top stitched it.

I then top stitched around all of the burp cloths.  

It was fun and mindless sewing and I loved every minute of it!  
Here are some of the ones I made tonight, not all but some.

I have quite a few more of these planned to make soon too. 

 I made 13 tonight! 

 I could have done more but I'm tired, LOL. 

 I went in to the lab for 6 hours today and then walked over to the hospital for my yearly mamogram.  (It was fine). 

 I have my first embroidery class of the year tomorrow morning. 

 I am sew excited because we are learning how to do quilt labels!!!!!! 

 I have at least 4 quilts ready for binding and labels.  

 will be so happy to have an easy way to make embroidered labels now!!

I will try to remember to take some photos tomorrow at class so you can see what I make too.

Have a great evening and go forth and spray those seams down!

~XOP~

I Really Am Still Here

 I know it has been quite a long time since I have posted anything. 

 I have been being kept quite busy with Avery!  

On top of that I contracted Covid.  

My daughter and son-in-law got it and shared the love with me. 

 Luckily we all had pretty mild cases of it and the only thing I have left over now is that I can't smell anything and some congestion that is causing me to cough. 

 We treated the baby as if he was negative so I have been wearing a mask around him. 

 I stayed home from babysitting for the first 4 days of my symptoms 

(they had it a week before I did).

 I'm on day 11 today and except for the pesky cough I feel good.

While I was self isolating in the camper I did a little sewing.  

This will be the third quilt top I have done since January 1.  

The other 2 were mailed back home to my long arm quilter. 

 She has quilted them both and dropped them off at my home,

 so now I just need to trim them and bind them.  

I have binding made for the Neverland one but not the dog one, yet. 

 I hope to make the binding for that this weekend.

The third quilt is one I can't show the whole of (one part in particular) or

 the person it is for will know it is for them!

  It's really a Christmas sort of quilt, maybe could be winter too, 

so I most likely won't even gift it until next Christmas!  

Cole is always helping me when I have sewing to do, LOL.

There are two sets of trees.  

One is light and one is dark.  

I used an ombre fabric so they are multi colored, just like real trees!

The other blocks are snowflakes. 

 I really love these blocks! 

 The centers are sparkly just like real snowflakes.

I now have the whole top put together.

There is one more BIG block 

(that's the one I can't show)

I need to put the borders on tomorrow.

Trying to decide if I want to make it bigger.  

If I end up making it larger I will do a thin green border (tree fabric)

and a bigger white border.  

I want to bind it in the green tree fabric too.

The boys have been good company during my month in NC by myself.

I love that Cole climbed into my lap and laid down like this.

We go in to the vet tomorrow for his 6 week blood work.  

Praying his blood work comes out well. He seems like his old self. 

 Just 6 more weeks after this for a total cure so keep your fingers crossed!

I think Finny has been missing Chris.  

He really is my husband's pal but I am trying to make sure he gets his share of Finny lovin' too.

These two really love each other and I am so thankful for their company at night.

So there you have it.

This is what I have been up to.

What's new with all of you my friends?

~XOP~

Another Baby Quilt Top Finished

 I cut out a baby quilt while I was at my friend, Debbie's house. 
 It is the Dogs In Sweaters pattern by Elizabeth Hartman.  

It is so cute! 

 The dogs are weiner dogs...in sweaters, LOL!  

I decided to work on the individual dogs on Saturday. 

 I used minky for the dogs.  

I love Elizabeth Hartman's patterns, but using 1" square pieces of minky is tricky. 

 I did a LOT of unsewing.  
Here are my 4 dogs all finished:

Oopsie, see the problem in this block?  

I didn't either until I had fully assembled the top.
DANG, that meant unsewing the block and fixing it, which you can see. 

So here is the quilt top all finished! 

 Now I have to send it to my quilter and have it quilted.

Isn't it so cute?  How would you quilt it??

~XOP~

First Top Of The New Year

 I have several baby quilts to make heading into the new year. 
 I think I am doing them in reverse order, LOL. 

 I have the one for the last baby complete, the middle one is this one and the first one is all cut out!
I spent the weekend at my friend, Mrs Goodneedle's house. 

 Her sewing room is a DREAM!  

It has a design wall (that I needed a step stool to reach the top of), a HUGE cutting table

 (made by her amazing hubby from trees that fell on their property, how amazing is that???)  

It was PERFECT for cutting out a long border I needed to cut. 

 That design wall was perfect for laying out the Starburst quilt!  

Wanna see? 
Here is the design wall, and you can see the sewing table.  

There are places for 2 people to sew too!

OMGosh you guys , this is the cutting table.  Is it not amazing?!

Here you can see the sewing table, cutting table and the wall of her books, her computer space etc.  

This is where you can sit and relax.

You can see her long arm from here too.  She is a rep for theAPQS long arm she owns too. 

So if you want a long arm, let me know and I can hook you up! 

 I really wish I had had more time there (or just could move in, LOL) and try her long arm.  

Maybe next visit?

All in all, I had the BEST time with her and her hubby. 

 The house was amazing (they built that too), 

the sewing room made me want to move in, and they were the MOST gracious hosts!

  I can't wait to move to NC and be able to spend more time with her and her friends!!!

Oh now I bet you want to see what I was working on, right? 

 I had some left overs from my last Neverland quilt and decided that I wanted to try to use them up and NOT have to cut into my FQB. 

 I was successful!!!  

I finished the top, seamed the back, made the binding and cut out the next baby quilt!

See?  Top, Back and binding!

I did have the stars made before I got to her house.  I LOVE this line.

as well as yardage that I don't need if anyone is interested! 

 I don't want to hassle with the shipping while I am here.  If you are interested please LMK.

I got to babysit for Avery today (my favorite). 

 He is just the CUTEST baby.  (I may be biased). \

 He LOVES to read with Gigi.

  My daughter took this photo of us together yesterday.

Happy New Year friends. 

 I feel so blessed by this year already! 

 I'm hoping that 2021 is a better year for everyone. 

It's funny but an old high school friend said,

 "I wonder what year (roughly) that grandmothers stopped looking like this and started looking like you. Just curious. So much fun! Jealous!" HAHA. 

 It was an OLD lady (like 90, I think), but it made my day!

~XOP~