What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

I think everyone who makes a coaster has her/his own way of doing it. I have decided on this method because for me it’s a bit faster and a little more fun in the fabric choice.

I made a set of 4 coasters for my sister, different fabrics, but all with the same applique. Here it is broken down into steps.

• Cut a central fabric 4×4 inches. I used white.
• Cut cotton batting and a backing fabric 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches. My backings match either the border or the applique.
• Trace your applique ...

I decided to explain how I’m coping without a rotary cutter and mat. Yes, it’s like the days when I first started quilting. I don’t always want to measure, and luckily with the pouches I’m making I really don’t have to.

For this cat pouch I eyeballed the size of the cat fabric I wanted, then cut to the size I felt looked good. I centered the fabric by finding and marking the center of the batting/backing and the cat fabric, then pinning in place.

The blue accents to the side were just cut ...

I found the “just right” size of bean bag frog from my Jr. High years. McCalls had come out with a pattern in the early 70s for a bean bag frog. The mother of a friend made several of them for the friend to give away. Somehow I came up with the name Uncle Dudley for mine and it stuck. I played with Uncle Dudley for a long time but I don’t know what happened to it.

Pinterest showed me the frog and I searched for just the right pattern. It couldn’t be a different version, it had ...

Pinterest is wonderful and yet it can suck all the time out of your day. I open Pinterest to find ideas for making inventory for the flea market. I found these Origami butterflies and I felt challenged to successfully make some. What I found is that the photos and explanations didn’t make sense to me at the final steps. I had to look at more than 5 different blogs (I lost track of how many exactly) before I found one I could follow to the end.

So that I don’t frustrate anyone in the way I was frustrated ...

This week I worked on some applique. I used HeatnBond, which is fusible on both sides. I found some simple outlines I wanted to use, first were the campfire and tent. I traced the shapes onto the paper side of the HeatnBond and cut around them, then fused them to the back side of the fabric I wanted to use. I used a pin to scratch the paper backing and remove it, then I fused the fabric to the items. In this case it was to make two coasters.

The applique needs stitching, so I chose a blanket stitch, made ...

As I’m designing items for sale in my flea market booth, I am considering several things at once.

~ People want to buy something handmade that someone else made

~ Time invested in each item vs. how much to charge

~ What do customers want to purchase? Practical items or splurges?

I discovered by putting some hotpads out that they sold very quickly. It was right before Christmas so gift giving could be a big motivator. Handmade makes it a one-of-a-kind item.

I can quickly make simpler designs, but a more complex design may be appreciated and purchased sooner. Or not, I ...

I mentioned I had bought a pound of fabric strips. They are the ends of bolts, so they may be a bit uneven and can be anywhere from 3-5 inches wide. I knew I’d be using small pieces for patchwork so it worked for me. I could not picture how much fabric a pound would be. The internet was mostly not helpful, but being stuck far from home and not allowed to shop in person, I took the chance. I was thrilled with the variety and the amount of fabric I got for that bargain price.

There were blenders ...

Early in December I got another devastating diagnosis – this time it’s an aggressive Leukemia. I’ve been away from home since Dec. 9, with the exception of 2 days in January. I must stay within 30 minutes of the cancer treatment center and my home is much farther away than that.

I’ll be here until the end of May/early June. Since I have my sewing machine, and I didn’t want to waste opportunity, I bought fabric, needles, thread, notions, zippers, and more. I even found someone selling a pound of fabric strips from bolt ends, great ...