Friday, February 19, 2021

Free The Sewing Room Stuff Friday

Wow how is it Friday already? 
Are you all ready for some more destashing?  
leave comment or email me your paypal.
Shipping is paid by the buyer. 
Cats don't smoke = )
Here we go.

Set of 4 orphan star blocks. 
I think these are 6.5" unfinished, from one of the first quilts I ever made. 
$5


Fat quarter of cream colored inspirational words.
$2


Assorted creams and browns.  These range from 1/4 to 1/2 yard pieces.  $15


Assorted deep red fat quarters.  $4.50


Breast cancer awareness 10"  $1


New Look pattern, size 14-20 $1


Pioneer Spirit book.  
Originally $13
$4


Some projects in the book


More projects from the book


Booklet of the quilts by Susan McCord.  
Very interesting historical quilts.
This came from an exhibit at the Henry Ford Museum.
The quilts were amazing for the time they were made.
Gorgeous photos of the quilts.
$2


Those are the goodies I found for sale this week.
I hope you find something you like and can give my things a new home!

~XOP~



Thursday, February 18, 2021

Dragon Dreams

 I had a chance to work on the dragon quilt today.  I managed to get the top finished and photographed!
I absolutely LOVE this pattern and would totally make it again. 
 It was very well written. 
 I found a couple of errors and made a few suggestions on the pattern. 
 I believe she is planning to release the pattern in March so stay tuned.  
She (Astrid) is Apples and Beavers on Instagram, where you can see her patterns.

As I said I opted to make mine an Ice Dragon and he is too cool.  
Isn't he the cutest??


I had to put him in his natural element for at least one picture, right??


It has been so cold and snowy here in MI lately.  Today, thankfully, it was not as cold.
It was a good day to go out and take some photos.


Is it spring yet?  

~XOP~


Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Pattern Testing

 I agreed to do an edit on a pattern and then to make a pattern to test for someone too. 
 I got the edited pattern back to the person and that was fine. 
 Then yesterday I was putting the blade to my food processor away and 
sliced the heck out of my thumb.  
Of course it is the thumb on my right hand too, my cutting and hand sewing hand!!! 
 I will show you the cut but at the end of the post, just in case anyone is squeemish.

I only had about half of the pattern cut out when it happened too.  
Of course!  So I bandaged it up and slept on it. 
 I figured I could make it work today and I was right. 
 I finished my cutting. 
 The pattern is by Apples and Beavers and is called Dragon Dreams. 
 It's going to be available for  purchase in the near future. 
 I have seen everyone else's dragons in the group and they are so adorable. 
 I decided I wanted to try something different so I am making an ice dragon.  
Sort of appropriate for the polar vortex we are in right now.  
Winter is coming...

Here was my fabric pull:


I managed to get the head of the dragon finished and the second part too, but not picture yet.


I saw this today and had a chuckle.  Look what she did here in Michigan!



So if you have read this far, and want to see the cut here it is.


It still really hurts.

Hubby is driving to Traverse City tomorrow for the car dealership.
That means I get the house to myself tomorrow.
I am hoping to finish my dragon then.

It's also Ash Wednesday so church tomorrow night.
I signed up to donate plasma on Friday.
I am also going over to Crazy Quilt Girl's house to help her cut Pearl Bracelet FQB.
She will be listing them in her ETSY and Amazon shop if you are interested.

Have a great night!

~XOP~



Monday, February 15, 2021

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~



Friday, February 12, 2021

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~






Thursday, February 11, 2021

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~



Tuesday, February 09, 2021

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~









Friday, January 29, 2021

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~