Time for an Ark?

I feel for all the folks in California suffering from lack of rain...if there was a way for me to send you a bit of our weather, I would! We have had soooo much rain! Hardly a dry day and many days with drenching, soaking rains! 

You would think all this rain means lots of sewing time. But for me it just means I have to find creative ways to keep a dog busy! But I have had time to do a bit of sewing...

 

I have been working on a little fun swap....

And I have been playing with a few of the new fabrics we received in the shop....

 

 I love this Yuwa 50's Tape Measure print. Not only is the print fun with great pops of color, but the hand of this fabric is yummy! 

Also, we got a few of the new Suzy Ultman Message In A Bottle prints. Suzy is a local designer and I adore her whimsical designs.

Again...I felt the need to just stitch...no pattern just a little improvisational stitching!

    

Plus,  how fun are these Jelly Clips!

It seems so appropriate to be working with nautical prints given our wet weather! 

Have a great weekend!

mary

Update on Hexies....

Last week I blogged about my foray into glue basting hexies. Sorry purists....I think I am a convert.  I do find stitch basting hexies relaxing...in a mindless repetitive way.

  

But the speed and convenience of glue basting is winning out at the moment! 

I am working with 1 inch hexies....

and my goal is to grow this to a piece large enough to provide me with a front and back exterior for a tablet cover.  

 My only real concern with the glue basting was having to tug at the papers to remove them.

But I have gotten some great tips so far...

such as:

press the piece before you attempt to remove the papers and some of you suggest starching and pressing before removing...

use a paper punch and punch a hole in the middle of the paper so you can 'fish' out the paper with a blunt object like a chop stick...

or using a sharp object, like a stiletto, to loosen up the edges...

and also, one I am terribly guilty of violating, use only a dab of the glue to baste! 

All great tips! Please keep them coming!

 happy tuesday!

mary

    

Just in Time to Wish You a Happy St. Patricks Day!

Wow! I can't believe I have been slacking away so long!

Our little shop has only been open about a month and it keeps me busy in such a good way.

 I don't know about you...but I definitely need to sew...even if I am drowning in chores. Sew something. Anything. Or I feel very disconnected. So, no matter what is going on, I try to squeeze a little sewing into my day.

Here is a bit of what I have been doing since March 4th....my last post :(

 

 I played with this adorable new line by Elea Lutz called Milk, Sugar and Flower. Sweetness overload here! I love vintage fabrics and new vintage inspired fabrics are equally as fabulous! This line is just so good. It feels so familiar...like my grandma's apron :)

       

     For this scalloped trivet, I used a rounded wedge ruler I purchased ages ago. After stitching the wedges together, I placed an over-sized square of backing fabric and the 'top' right sides together and stitched all around, leaving an opening for turning.  Then clipped in the curves and turned right side out. To finish, I hand stitched the opening closed, added a center circle, and hand stitched around the edge with perle cotton. Simple and cute!

I have also spent some quality time with 1 inch hexies. This is the first time I have tried glue basting my hexies. I usually stitch baste. I must say it is much faster, but I do feel like I am having to pull and man-handle my hexies a little too much to take the papers out. I would love to hear your thoughts. Do you thread baste or glue baste and why? 

      

To me English Paper Piecing is much like hand quilting...so relaxing. I love to sit with it while I am watching Netflix with the boy. 

There is a plan for these...I just need to get this to a useable size...

I love watching it grow and it's almost painful to cut it up! If you are connected to Instagram and want to watch a lovely EPP video...check out Clare's video. On Instagram you can find her at Selfsewn. 

Finally, I must say this online sewing, quilting, crafting community...both bloggers and folks on Instagram are some of the very best people. Lately, I have seen examples of kindness and goodness that just warms my heart. You don't have to know someone personally to develop a true friendship and have empathy. Sorry for being squishy, but I have seen and felt the love from this community. It's a good thing.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

xo mary