What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

QuiltCon 2025 has come and gone.  Many of my quilty buddies went to Phoenix. And before you feel sorry for me that I didn’t go, I made a conscious decision to not go.  My current life’s rhythm has changed.   The ones I attended were heaven on earth.  And this year I am watching several of the lectures on line.  Best of all, quilty Holly - with assistance from Sarah S and Eileen - shopped for me.  There’s a terrific piece of fabric from Sarah Bond.  And some very pretty zippers and strapping for handles.

These are the best purse ...

Yesterday was a LOST day! I accomplished nothing, yet I did do TWO things. 

My passport expires near the end of June, and I've had a note in my calendar since January that I need to renew it. There was no urgency to getting it done, but I knew I would need it probably in April, so I had time. I had gotten pictures taken, and I worked on printing the darn application. 

My plans have changed, and I need the darn thing in March. Oh boy! I intended to mail the application in, and it would take 20 ...

Island Batik's November Challenge and Blog Hop is sponsored by ByAnnie. 

I chose the project - Room with a View.  I chose to make all three sizes. 

The pattern and all supplies including vinyl, mesh, Soft and Stable, zippers etc. were provided, thanks to our generous industry partners at ByAnnie.

Supplies

I received fabrics from the Morris Mist collection. 

Morris Mist is a signature collection by Kathy Engle for Sherry Shish of Powered by Quilting. 

It should be shipping to a quilt stores in November 2023.

The Fabrics

ByAnnie patterns are very detailed with excellent step-by-step directions.  Once you make ...

It’s Vanessa’s birthday!!! Celebrate in this week’s WIP Wednesday and shop the Sitewide Birthday Sale!!

Everything in the shop (except sewing machines) is 20% off this week only! Shop here: https://craftygemini.com/shop/

In this WIP Wednesday episode Vanessa will be discussing:

– Sitewide Birthday Sale: this week only!

– how to increase or decrease a bag pattern

– how to cut fabric: with ruler or cutting mat lines?

– how to make the most of a zipper you cut up

• Submit your own question to be answered on a future WIP Wednesday here: https://forms.gle/D2qMCVJxfAgJHvWb7

What we ...

Welcome to another WIP Wednesday episode! In this WIP Wednesday episode Vanessa is answering presubmitted questions about:

– zipper feet differences and tips
– how to use zipper foot for topstitching
– besides bag linings what else to use Fashion Fuse for?

First up, zipper feet! Depending on the type of zipper and fabric you’re working with, you may need to use a different type of zipper foot. Vanessa will be sharing some tips and tricks to help you select the right foot for your project and how to use it effectively. So, if you’re struggling with inserting zippers or achieving ...

You might have noticed that I really like using metal zippers in my projects but recently I started to appreciate the ease of working with nylon zippers and the incredible array of colors they come in.

OK -- I think I've put more miles on my car this week than I have the entire year so far! I had things to pick up and drop off, and it just happened that it all came together this week. Holy -- it takes time to do those errands - I was away for FIVE hours yesterday, so I didn't get a whole lot done. However, I did FOUR errands in those five hours, and I've got some fun show and tell. But not today. 

I need to catch up from two days ago. Let's say that I ...

Since I had enough notions -- with the exception of zippers -- to make a few more Open Wide bags, I bought a few more zippers and got to work.

The first one that I made is the same three fabrics as the large pouch that I made in the original set, just in the smallest size. I used all of the same colors of thread for quilting and construction so that these are a matching set. 

For the second, I made a medium sized bag using only two different fabrics instead of three. I used the same fabric for both the ...

 Today is my day to share for the It's In The Bag Blog Hop, sponsored by Island Batik and By Annie!

The collection I got to use for my project is the new Floralicious collection!

If you remember back to my unboxing post from this summer, I got all of the pieces and parts to make a set of the Open Wide 2.0 bags from By Annie!

In keeping with the sh*t-my-mother-sends-me theme since this pandemic hit all of us broadside, forcing us to become bit players in a sci-fi film we didn’t know was in production, here’s the latest from my mother. Thanks Mom! ❤️ (Don’t know what I’d do without this woman…) Can we all just marvel at the sheer… Continue reading Sh*t my Mother Sends Me

I have finished another UFO! This one dates from 2018.

My April goal was to turn this kokeshi panel into a cushion. I made it originally as a humidicrib cover with fabric remnants I had bought in Japan, but when the hospital advised that they did not want any more humidicrib covers, I changed the plan into a cushion.

I was so happy when I found the Japanese scrap packs.

I hand quilted it during April and early May, wearing a hole in my thumbnail in the process. Despite the wear and tear on my hands, you cannot easily see ...

I'm happy to report that yesterday was a better day in the sewing department. OH - that's because I didn't sew anything! I did some cutting, but I spent a lot of time on the computer getting the homework assignments done and making videos. I have to say that the video editor on my Smartphone is pretty decent. It doesn't do crazy things, but I learned how to break apart a video and well - you'll just have to watch the video yourself. I'll post the link at the end of this blog.

It was an ...

Hmm - I'm listening to and reading news about the current situation. What will we call this period when it's over? This time? The current situation? We'll have to come up with a name because it's pretty serious and is something that'll be remembered and its effects will be felt for years to come.

I see the library sent out a note that if you're looking for recommendations that they have lists of recommendations. NO - I am NOT going to check that list. I don't need any more books to read at the moment ...

I solved my computer mouse problem by putting a book under the mouse. For some reason, it no longer wants to run on my desktop. No worries - I'm good with that. An easy and inexpensive fix! I would hope that in our current environment that we're all going to be finding ways to fix things rather than buy a new product.

I can't say that I'm surprised, but I'm a bit taken aback at how the BUY NOW e-mails keep coming through every day. Store owners - I know you're hurting. We're all hurting ...

I started this cushion last March. It happened because I was neatly folding my Liberty stash. We could say that Marie Kondo prompted this cushion. I was admiring the pretty blue fabrics as I folded them and was inspired to start cutting out hexagons. A cushion would not take long, I thought.

I used all of my blue and bluish Liberty prints in this cushion.

Machine piecing the 2-inch hexagons was easy and did, indeed, not take long, but finding the time to hand quilt the cushion front was another matter. I had a plan and had chosen the quilting ...

Before Christmas, I whipped up a handful of Lola zipper pouches to give away as Christmas and birthday presents.

I started with the intention of making two pouches with some sort of bird or cat print for a colleague, but while I was digging about in my stash, I decided to make a few more. I could have kept going – they always make great gifts – but I was trying to be realistic about how many I had time to make.

I even found coordinating tassels in my stash.

Until now, I had not made the smaller size in the Lola ...

Like the characters of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, I do love a useful pot (bag or other container) to put things in.

If you are unfamiliar with the story about Eeyore’s birthday and useful pots to put things in, here is an snippet.

Who would not be as happy as can be with a Useful Pot to put things in?

In the last few weeks, I made:

• three tote bags
• two divided baskets
• one lined basket.

Yes, I love storage!

The three tote bags used the basic bag pattern from Nicole Mallalieu’s The Better Bag Maker. After making my ...