Design Wall Monday

It's a holiday Monday here for me and I plan to sew for the entire day! I'm so excited! I will be working on my local quilt guild summer mystery called "Teamwork".  Here is the recycled bedding container that I use to store my mystery quilt parts. All the blocks are  counted and labelled, and either in a baggie or pinned together in sets of 10.

The trimming of the square in a square blocks gave me a chance to try out my new Gypsy Quilter cutting mat cleaner. It's a cute heart shaped scrubber that you put your fingers into and you give your mat a good massage to clean off the fibres. I was surprised what a good job it did - I give this new tool a big thumbs up! 👍

Clue #5 had us make 20 Aunt Dinah blocks. There is always at least one oopsie block when concentration declines late at night!

These are the finished blocks on the design wall from clue #5. 

I love the look of all these blocks on the wall!

And now it's time to sew them into a mystery layout. Mystery clue #6 arrived in my email on Saturday, so that will be my focus for sewing today. 

Linking up to Design Wall Monday at Judy's

Cupid Box

I'm so excited that the pre-order for the 2023 Cupid Box from Fat Quarter Shop is posted! I loved the box last year - I mean really loved it! 💖💖💖 

I made an unboxing video which you can see here and here is the photo I took of the box contents.

And inside the 2022 box was the fabric, instructions and tools to make this lovely wallhanging. It was challenging to sew, but I enjoyed every single minute! Now I am deciding whether to add a border or have no border, and hope to quilt it before Valentine's Day 2023.

I have no affiliation with the Fat Quarter Shop, just like to share things that make me happy! If you want to pre-order a Cupid Box, you can do so here. Can't wait to get mine!

Mystery Quilt Update

1) My ongoing mystery quilt is Oh say can you sew by Primitive Gatherings and the August step was a doozy! As you know I am an avid miniature quilter as well as a mystery quilter, but I had no idea what I was in for with this project! This month I have sewn well over 1,000 HSTs measuring 1.5" (unfinished) and made them into 9 patch blocks.  It totally took over my sewing time and was my primary project in August so I could keep up with the mystery.

The triangle paper by Primitive Gatherings worked well and I used every sheet that came in the package. In addition I made many blocks using Thangles strips. Both worked fine, but I did notice that the accuracy of the Primitive Gatherings product (with 4 strips per sheet) was a bit more consistent than the Thangles (with 1 strip per sheet).

This is what the finished blocks look like in their tub waiting for the next step which will hpefully be posted today. I wonder what we are doing with all these blocks!?

2) The Fat Quarter Shop is offering a new Christmastime Mystery quilt starting September 13th. I must admit that it's way too early for me to be in the Christmas sewing mood! Here is the link to the supply list if you are interested in sewing along. There is a mystery quilt AND a mystery cross stitch pattern. I might start this since it looks like it can be made in a scrappy version so I can make it from stash fabric.

Triangle Paper

I have been participating in the "Oh say can you sew" mystery and last month we were given advanced notice that for step #5 we would be making 1" HST. 

So I invested in a Primitive Gatherings product called Triangle Paper. The product costs $9, but if you have it sent to Canada, with shipping costs of $15, taxes, and the currency exchange, it ended up costing me $31.74. 

That's okay - I knew it would be a pricey purchase but really wanted to try it out!

First step was to watch Lisa's instructional video.  This is the block we're making with 9 HST's sewn together. I am totally surprised that with no trimming, the blocks are coming out the exact perfect size! I have to make about 30 blocks per week to be ready for the next clue in September.

Here is a photo to show you the scale. These are sweet little blocks which make me very happy, but I can imagine that not all the mystery quilt makers are feeling the same! 

Have you tried this triangle paper? Do you like it for making small blocks?

Unboxing Video #2

I treated myself to another Fat Quarter Shop treat! I ordered the 2022 Cupid box and it took a little longer to be shipped and to arrive at my house. It was worth the wait!

Spoiler alert....here are all the treasures inside!

I love that they include all the fabric to make the project, which in this box is a pattern called "It Takes Two". I really like this pattern and the fabric that is included. Also in the box was cherry lip balm, and a pink key chain. 

And my favourite item in the box is a special edition pink Doug Leko simple folded corners ruler. I'm excited to try this out!

Click here to watch my Cupid Unboxing video. I didn't have my daughter here to help me like I did with the Christmas unboxing, so the recording quality is not as good as my first video, but it was fun nonetheless!

I love these gift boxes and am hoping there will be an Easter box to purchase!

Scrappy Saturday

We are digging into the red scraps this month over at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I have an abundance of red scraps and am having so much fun cutting and sewing them. 

For the first time I used the Alphabitties that I got in my Jolly Box. They are great! 

If you like to make complex blocks with many little pieces, you need these! The Alphabitties come in many colours, and I have the red ones, so they are perfect to use with this month's blocks!

The Alphabitties help to keep all the tiny block pieces organized which makes the sewing much easier. Did you notice that the 'F' Alphabitty is the same size as the pieces underneath!?

6" sewing machine

If you would like to try sewing this block, the free pattern is still available from Fat Quarter Shop. I have made the pattern in 3" and 6" sizes and they are so darn cute. This is going to be one of my ongoing 2022 RSC projects.

Next I cut pieces for the Riley Blake block challenge. I skipped right to block 2 and you will notice one small problem with the alphabitties... I am missing 'J' already! They are small, so you have to be careful you don't lose them!

Linking up to the weekly scrap party at the RSC

**Addendum - I was sewing mystery blocks  today and the lost 'J' has been found... woohoo!

Laundry Basket Mystery Update

I have been keeping up with the daily pattern postings for Edyta's mystery quilt.  If you are sewing along and not looking ahead, you might not want to keep reading this as there are mystery spoilers in this post!

Here are my  blocks from step # 7 and #8. I know these blocks as  "shaded four patch blocks". 

Because there are a lot of bias seams in this block, I always gently finger press each seam and then use a "wooden iron" or a seam roller before putting the iron on it. They have been coming out the perfect size!

For step #9 I decided to use the Companion Angle ruler which I think is one of my favourite and most versatile rulers. So I checked with Mr. Google on the math for Companion Angle ruler for the step #9 QSTs, and a link to my blog came up at the bottom of the first page! That made me laugh out loud! (It's a post from 2014 - click here to see that.) 

**Note to self** - the finished size of your QST block (in this case 4") is on the side of the ruler, and the strip size you should cut is in the middle (in this case 2.5"). 

So yes... I do love this ruler and enjoyed making these QST blocks in a jiffy!

Today we'll be making flying geese and I'll be using this ruler again in combination with the EZ angle ruler.

A Mystery Quilt Finish

My UFO project for March (and for February but we won't talk about that!) was to finish the guild mystery quilt that was started last summer. Nothing new was purchased to make this quilt and so many old scraps were used up. Being unable to shop during the pandemic has really helped me to be innovative in using up what I have accumulated over the years and I feel quite proud of that. 

The quilting is all free motion done on my domestic sewing machine, with each round of the quilt having a different design. I did not agonize over how to quilt this project like I sometimes do. I just made a decision as I came to each border and ended up with a variety of designs including arcs, swirls, waves and a few semi straight lines.

I really love the outside border for 2 reasons:

1) there are 13 pieces of black fabric scraps in the border and this really makes me so happy!

2) I love how the double swirl design turned out  using 2 different colours of threads. It was so fun to stitch that I contemplated adding another layer of stitching with a 3rd thread colour, but decided that I should focus instead on finishing the quilt instead.

The free pattern is by Robert Kaufmann and is called Gazebo Medallion. My version is much smaller and measures 54" x 64.5".

This quilt will join my guild's comfort quilt collection which is donated to victims of sexual assault that are treated at our local hospital. I love that this funky scrappy quilt will be given to a young person in need of some comfort.

I always use Warm and Natural batting for machine quilting and one tip I'd like to remember (so I am writing it here) is how to decide which side of Warm and Natural batting should be facing the quilt top. There are many different and opposite opinions on the internet (as there is with everything these days!) so I only trust the website belonging to the maker of the Warm and Natural batting. They say: 

"When quilting Warm & Natural or Warm & White, it is usually easier to do so in the same direction it was needle-punched – the cotton side facing towards your quilt top and the scrim side facing toward your quilt backing. With Warm & Natural the cotton side is distinguished by its leaf & stem remnants (face to quilt top)."

That is very helpful and I will remember that from now on as it helps with reducing thread breakage. The scrim side is smooth and it should face the backing.

Proudly linking up to One Monthly Goal and Favorite Finish party at Meadow Mist Designs

UFO Progress

My February UFO goal was to finish one of my mystery quilts. 

The first step was to find or piece a backing. I had a black wide backing in the closet which was perfect for this job. When I washed it, I tossed in a "Color Catcher" sheet and look how much excess dye it picked up! The white square is how the Color Catcher looked before washing, and the grey is how it looked after being washed with the backing. If I wouldn't have prewashed, the excess dye would be absorbed by the fabrics on the front of the quilt. Love this product!

Here is the backing, batting and quilt top ready to go. 

I'm blaming the fact that February is such a short month for the reason that this quilt will not be finished this month. 

Oh well, there is always next month, and progress has been made so it's all good! 

COVID19 Fabrics

My design wall is empty at the moment (cleared off to prepare for my mini quilt photo shoot coming soon!) so I am writing this post to share with you my recent purchases from Spoonflower. I have never ordered anything from them previously because the cross border shopping expenses (taxes, shipping and handling fees, border fees, low exchange rates, etc) just make it too outrageously expensive. But when I saw some COVID19 fabric that Bonnie Hunter sewed into a quilt backing (you might be able to see hers here), I just had to have some!
It was a long wait with it being more than a month from online ordering to actually receiving the fabrics, but that is due to the parcel crossing the currently closed US - Canada border. I was just thankful they let my parcel cross the border eventually.

There are so many Spoonflower choices and you have to read carefully so you order cotton fabric instead of wallpaper or something you don't want!

I ordered 8 fat quarters of coronavirus fabric and have no idea what it will become. It might become a face mask, a tea towel, or maybe part of my UNITY quilt backing. I just wanted to have some as a souvenir of this crazy year. It's kind of like all that Y2K fabric we had to have in the year 2000, and we keep laughing about it not getting used up 20 years later!

Covid19 Spoonflower fat quarters

I don't like how the bottom right fabric is so dull/dark/not readable, but I ordered it to honour the efforts of British Columbia's  Minister of Health Dr. Bonnie Henry who has shown great leadership throughout COVID days and repeatedly says "Be kind, be calm, be safe".

The fabric is very stiff/crunchy so I hope it becomes softer after washing. Spoonflower has some really cool face mask fabrics/kits available and a program where they donate one mask for every mask kit purchased. 
Full disclosure... this fabric is very expensive! The cost was $18 (Canadian) per fat quarter! But I justified it to myself as a "once in a lifetime" purchase, and I had the money to spend since I haven't gone anywhere or done anything (except work and quilt) in 6 months! What are you doing with your vacation money? 

Vacation planning

Well enough to Frolic a little!

Sewing Bonnie's mystery while listening to Bonnie!

It's so wonderful to be feeling well enough to sit at the sewing machine. And another added bonus is that while I enjoyed sewing a few Frolic blocks, I was listening to Bonnie on QuiltCam. Here is my work station. I have a leader-ender Shoo Fly block on the machine bed to put through whenever I am at the end of a section of work.

Did you notice that I have a new mini iron and wool pressing mat?  Can I tell you how much I love these new tools?!?! I resisted getting the wool mat because of the cost, but it is unbelievably amazing! 

The wool grabs the fabric and keeps it steady so there is no slipping or stretching of the blocks as you press. I do miss power pressing long strips of pieced blocks at the regular ironing board, but for pressing small blocks by the sewing machine this little iron and wool mat can't be beat! This mat will eliminate the need for Best Press Spray as everything presses completely flat. It's definitely worth the price, and this one is the perfect size to take to quilt retreat.

Unfortunately due to Christmas activities and getting the Norovirus at New Year's, I fell behind in sewing the Frolic mystery steps (and everything in general... the Christmas tree is still up!) 

Frolic blocks on the design wall

These are a few of the blocks I was sewing today. I really like my constant gold fabric (in place of the green). I have competely finished steps #1 to #3, and also #5 (I excel at making HST blocks!) however steps #4, #6 and #7 all need a lot more sewing time. I do hope to be caught up when step #8 is posted on Friday.
Linking up to Small Quilts Design Wall Monday.

Finished Memory Quilt

pin basting and picking the coral thread colour

This quilt project started in January when I adopted a bag of 128 HST blocks that were abandoned in the scrap bin at guild meeting. The little HSTs were perfectly made and I had a lot of fun making the blocks and creating the quilt layout. Once the quilt top was together I couldn't wait to get quilting!


Using the walking foot I quilted straight lines in the middle of the quilt. Then I switched to the free motion foot and made some squiggly lines in those long white spaces.

I quilted free motion swirls in the borders. This photo shows the quilting design which is much easier to see on  the back of the quilt.
I hand stitched the binding which is my most favourite part of quiltmaking. I love these Black Gold Clover applique needles that are so sharp and thin that I can easily push the needle through many layers of fabric to attach binding without using a thimble. Although these needles are pricey compared to others (here in Canada I paid $9 plus tax for 6 needles) they are totally worth it! 

This quilt finishes at 24" square and will be donated to the memory quilt collection at my quilt guild. These small quilts are given to our local hospital for distribution to families experiencing the loss of a baby.

My favourite OLFA tools

Did you see the great OLFA giveaway on Monday's post? You have until November 11th to enter. And be sure to visit all the featured bloggers to have 8 changes to win one of the OLFA packages. 
All this talk about OLFA products has inspired me to show you more of my favourite OLFA tools. I have no affiliation to this company, nor do I get paid for my endorsement. I'm just a very happy customer!

NOT an OLFA mat 

Over my years of quilting I have bought several brands of cutting mats, and here is a photo of why I always come back to OLFA. 
Unlike the pink mat in this photo, OLFA mats are self healing. Other brands develop nicks and grooves very quickly which make it impossible to get a clean cut. My OLFA mats do eventually wear out over years of continuous service, and when they do, I buy another OLFA mat to replace it. I think I've had 4 mats over 25 years.

Middle wavy edge of the folding mat

Folding cutting mat - this is such a great idea to make a large mat more portable. It folds across the middle to take up half the storage space. It's perfect to take to classes and retreats. The middle edges are wavy so that when you open the mat and lay it flat on the table, there is no groove or gap in the middle where the fabric wouldn't cut. You can cut long strips on this mat and there are no missed threads over the fold. Terrific idea!

My 3 favourite OLFA cutters

Cutters - I still have my very first rotary cutter from more than 25 years ago! It's on the left in this photo and it still works great, but isn't as pretty as the newer ones. I still think it has better ergonomics, and use it for big cutting jobs. I keep the smaller pretty ones beside my sewing table for small jobs. I'm sure I'll end up buying the new pink Splash cutter!

Rulers - my all time favourite, most used ruler is the 6" x 12" ruler with all the angles. I'm using it today to cut more Arrowhead blocks. 
Love love super love!

Fabric Sprays

Do you use any products to help with pressing your quilt blocks? I really like my blocks to lay flat since I do most of my own quilting and it really helps with reducing issues when the quilt is completely flat.
I've tried using a steam iron and had nothing but problems with the irons spitting, leaking, and staining my fabric.
Then I tried unscented and lavender Best Press Spray. This is a product that I really like and use almost every time I quilt. It is called a "starch and sizing alternative". 

When another product called Flatter was on sale, I thought I'd try it and see how it compares. This product is called a "smoothing spray" to relax wrinkles and freshen fabric. 
I tried it on my Ringo Lake blocks and it was okay. The Flatter spray pump was not as user friendly and the spray was more of a fine mist. I definitely preferred to use the Best Press spray bottle with more product coming out with each squeeze. And I do think my blocks were flatter with the Best Press.
And how do the prices compare here in Canada?
Flatter was $13.00 for 248 ml minus 30% on sale and Best Press was $11.50 for 473 ml. 
My only concern about the Best Press Spray is that the ingredients are not listed. I often wonder what's in this spray and why the ingredients aren't listed? 
There are lots of recipes on line to make your own version of a pressing spray, but at this point I am not motivated enough to try making my own. Also the recipes use Vodka, which I'd rather drink than spray on my quilts!

And speaking of drinking, it's Friday Night Sew In and some of my friends are coming over to sew tonight. It has been a long week, so I hope I can stay awake!

Fabric Washing Tips

Every quilter has his/her own fabric washing practices. Some never prewash, they just buy it, cut it, sew it, and when the quilt is finished they toss it in the sewing machine and hope for the best in terms of shrinkage and dye discharge. Other quilters prewash, and some even starch, every piece of fabric before they use it.
My habits lean more toward not prewashing but for block swaps it is usually recommended. I'm participating in Barb's churn dash swap so I wanted to prewash those fabrics and also threw in some fabrics from a kit I bought in December. I always use one or two colour catcher sheets in a prewash.

Just look at the dye it picked up! The sheets come out of the box white like the one on the left, and the pink sheets on the right show how much fabric dye was absorbed from the wash water. If the dye wasn't absorbed by the colour catcher, it would have likely run onto to other light coloured fabrics, turning everything a nice shade of pink.
But what really shocked me was that the fabric was a total mess and reminded me of why I dislike prewashing. It was a big wad of tangled, knotted threads and I had to use scissors to cut the threads to separate the fabric. Just look at the threads still tangled around the colour catcher sheet. It was like that with all the fabric. Then I read a brilliant tip from Carole about how to wash fabric yardage and gave it a try. It worked perfectly! Thanks Carole!

Summary of fabric washing tips:
Tip #1 - use a colour catcher sheet.
Tip #2 - accordion pleat the fabric and pin the selvage edges together.
Please pass along any additional fabric washing tips in the comment section.

Cutting Mat Tip

Every quilter needs a good self healing cutting mat. I prefer the Olfa mats  - I have no affiliation but am a very satisfied customer who has tried many different brands of cutting mats over the years. I found a list of great tip for mat care at the Olfa website and decided to try the eraser idea after cutting some batting. 

before

after

You know how the fuzzy bits get stuck in the tiny slits left behind by the rotary cutter? When you rub an eraser (I bought a cheap Staples brand eraser) over the mat, it pulls out the fuzz. You end up with schmutz that you just wipe into the garbage and your mat is clean again. I then wipe it gently with a damp cloth.

This mat however, is dead. Done.
It has worn completely thin and is no longer a self healing mat because it is bare. No amount of rubbing it with an eraser will fix it. It needs to go in the garbage.
Santa knows I need a brand spanking new self healing mat, and he also knows that I have been a very good girl!