February OMG Finish!

I think I can, I think I can, I think can just like the 'Little Engine that Could'. There were some serious doubts as to whether I would get my mini swoon done by the end of the month. I had my fabrics all pulled and anxiously waiting to be cut and sewed. You can read about my fabric pull here. Then my machine took a power surge. I haven't got a new one yet. A friend offered me her extra machine to use till I get one, and I was back to sewing. I did try using my vintage machine but I need to get a different foot as I was having all kinds of trouble with a 1/4 inch seam.

blocks sewn

I think I can, I think I can kept on playing over and over in my mind. I did it, the top was done and ready to quilt. I had no idea how I was going to even quilt it. I think I can was soon replaced by ' Get'er Done' complete with Larry the cable guy dialect. I really needed to Get'er Done. I decided the only thing to do was just dive right in, I let the quilt speak to me. And I GOT'er DONE!

Got'er Done

As you can see I didn't use the cornerstones in the sashing I let the block floats. I did very little ruler work just in the center and everthing else was free motion.

the center section

I took all the pictures of the finished mini outside, we broke weather records for high temperatures in southwestern Ontario today. It was beautiful sunny and 14 Celsius, hubby and I went for our walk and it felt so good not bundling up.  

I had a few problems getting the flow of the stitching right. I'm so used to how my machine ran using a different machine and getting the speed and moving right took some doing. As a result my stitching doesn't  have the nice curves and flow. But I Got'er done.

Overall I like my fabric choices and am extremely happy to have a finish.

Sunday Stash

One of my LQS's had a mystery bus tour. A  friend asked me if I wanted to go, I finally decided that yes I would like to go, I got the second last seat on the bus. I am glad I did go, it was a fun day, I met some great quilters. You can imagine a busload of quilters and all the fun and maybe a few shenanigans going on.
We went to four different quilt shops in southwestern, Ontario. From Tillsonburg to Stratford, then on to Elmira and Guelph finishing up in Tillsonburg. Elmira has a Mennonite community and the buggy is their mode of transportation and we saw quite a few of them out and about, some were open buggies as the temperature here was 13 degrees Celsius or 55 Fahrenheit and sunny. Not bad for a Canadian February day.

Of course there might have been a few things that came home with me...well maybe more than a few. But who's counting?  Not me that's for sure.

one meter of this

This one was in the clearance area of the first shop, at $4.50 a meter how could I resist. It is a Stonehenge by Northcott. I have plans for a table runner for it.

four different scenes in the panel

I don't usually buy panels but this caught my eye and I had to have it. It is fallscapes by Red Rooster. There are four different scenes in the panel

co-coordinating pieces

The above coordinating pieces are also by Red Rooster. I also got two meters of black Kona cotton for $6 a meter. Love sales!

five fat quarters and a half meter piece

The end piece is more green than the picture is showing and is Bellissima by Hoffman. The second one is tinted with a light green grunge, no info in the selvedge. The stripe is another Red Rooster fabric. The green floral is by Henry Glass. The pink floral is a half meter by Me & My Sister Designs. The last pink also has no selvedge info.

batiks

My batiks seemed to need a boost so I added six fat quarters to the stash. 

Now all I need to do is use some of these new additions up and quite adding to the stash.

Have you every been on a mystery bus tour?

Linking up to Sunday Stash at Ms Midge

  

Winners!

The winners from the Blue Line Eraser giveaway I had have been contacted and both have replied.

winners

Thank you to everyone who entered.

Love your Machines, Unplug Them

My Swoon mini is on hold for a little bit.  You see unfortunately due to a medical emergency I left mine plugged in and on, when I left the house in a hurry.

swoon progress or not

Do yourself and your sewing machine a favour, unplug them when not in use. While I was gone we had a power surge. You know it's happened when all the electronic clocks keep flashing at you and seem to be saying fix me. My motherboard is done on mine and can not be repaired. I do have an older Singer 1934 to be exact, my hubby's grandmother's machine. I don't have it set up to sew a quarter inch seam, something I plan on doing in the near future. I am now shopping for a new machine. One would think that would be easy, but it comes with all kinds of decisions. What options? What do I plan on using the machine for? The questions go on. My none working machine was a Pfaff 7570, I really liked that machine.

One thing I have done already is to go and buy myself a battery backup with surge protector. We never know if the power will go out when we are using the machine this one gives me 15 minutes to turn off my machine after the power goes out. I will still continue to unplug my sewing machine and iron as I usually do.

battery backup 

Be kind to your machines and get a battery backup and make sure to unplug them.

Craftsy Sweetens Up My Quilting Life Blog Hop

I'm participating in a blog hop. The hop is about all things Craftsy. Craftsy has sweetened my life by offering fabulous classes. My Craftsy class of choice to do a blog post on for the 'Craftsy Sweetens Up My Quilting Life Blog Hop' is by Amy of Amy's Free Motion Quilting Adventures  she is the class instructor for 'Quilting With Rulers on a Home Machine'.
The blog hop is organized by Sandra of  'Musing of a Menopausal Melon' and Julie of 'Pink Doxies'.

Today's Febuary 11th posts for the hop are:

Cindy of Stitchin At Home you are here now
Vicki of Vicki's Crafts and Quilting

Make sure to read to the end of the post, as there are giveaways.

Rulers do indeed rock!! I never would have thought a year ago that I would use rulers to quilt on my 'little girl machine'. I don't have a long arm and as a couple people have pointed out mentioned they have 'big girl machines' for quilting. So I guess I'm a little girl doing big girl ruler work on my little girl sewing machine. But let me tell you if I can do it anyone can, and to boot I'm having fun and enjoying the end results.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, not so sure about that, but I do have a few pics to show you. How about some before and after photos? 

wobbly and uneven lines

Wobbly lines and all. If you look to the bottom right corner you can clearly see some of those wobblies. This block is from my Spring is Sprung quilt, which you can read about here.

first time doing any ruler work

Next up is the first time I tried ruler work, I hope you can see the difference. Lines evenly spaced and wonder of wonders straight. This block is from my Medallion quilt you can read about it here.

I contacted Amy for a few pointers, might as well get them right from the expert. Right? 

Amy's Quotes...

1. My favorite tip for starting with rulers besides practice:

"Relax! Use only light pressure of your hand over the ruler to keep it in place, using the tips of your gloved fingers over the edge to lock the ruler in place on the project. Then only use enough pressure to keep the ruler against the ruler foot. You don't have to push it hard against the foot. If you're having trouble moving the quilt and ruler together, odds are that you're pushing down too hard on the ruler."

2. "If the price of rulers comes as a shock, remember that they don't get used up like fabric and thread and you can do a lot of great designs with a straight ruler and a few curves."

3. And finally, "Learn from a lot of sources and don't be afraid to try something new or think outside of the box. Most of all, find what works best for YOU."

Last but not least her advice is "Practice"! 

Thank you Amy for being adventurous enough to try something new and to teach the rest of us how easily it can be done.

A sample from Amy's Class

How beautiful are those curves!

click for 50% off on this class

You won't be disappointed in Amy's class, she gives you really good instructions in the ease and use of rulers. She clearly explains what you need to get started, the foot, the motion and what rulers to use and how to use them on your home machine. I thoroughly enjoyed her class and it opened up the potential for more quilting designs that can make a quilt pop. Even with a little girl machine.
As a special for my readers, during this blog hop you can get 50% off 'Quilting with Rulers on a Home Machine' until February 18 @11:59pm MT! This is an affiliate link, from which I get some $, if you make a purchase. If you are interested in being an affiliate I can send you a link.

mini quilt with lovely straight lines

Practice does indeed help! A few more pictures showing what just a little bit of practice can do. I made this little applique mini, it is an original design, and did straight line quilting using rulers around the outer edges of the design. 

current project with curved lines

Another project I'm working on currently, I'll show the back since the quilting shows up better. Love those curves! Using rulers you can create simple to complex designs. Amy shows you how in her class.

I did mention something about giveaways way back at the start of this post.

I am having my own giveaway. There will be two winners each one getting a 2 ounce sample of  Blue Line Eraser. This is one of my favourite tools for quilt marking and removing those blue water soluble marks is easy. "Blue Line Eraser works on any of the blue water soluble markers out on the market", this is a direct quote from the folks at Blue Line Eraser.

blue water soluble marking on white

I also used the blue water soluble markers and Blue Line Eraser on my quilt Spring is Sprung with no residual marks. It has been laundered several times and the marks have never reappeared.

blue lines are gone with just a spray

A little spray of 'Blue Line Eraser" and those blue markings are gone.

Just fill in the rafflecopter below for a chance to win. It is open from Feb 11 til Feb 17. I will let the lucky winners know via email on the February 18th so make sure I can contact you. If you are a no reply blogger I will not be able to contact you, and will draw another name. I love followers but you don't need to be a follower to win. Of course if you want to follow me that would be great.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And now for the main giveaway for the 'Craftsy Sweetens Up my Quilting Life' blog hop. The link for the giveaway is below.

The giveaway is open until February 21st at 11:59 MST. On Julie's or Sandra's blogs.

The prizes for the main giveaway are as follows:
2 free Craftsy classes. Two winners will each win one class.
1 fabric package consisting of:
  Boundless Solids Crown Jewels by Amy Gibson Quilt Kit 
  Boundless Solids Clour Theory 6 in Strips Modern Brights
  Boundless Solids Clour Theory 10 in Squares Modern Brights

You can enter the giveaway here!!!

 
Good luck to everyone who enters!

Here is the schedule for the hop:

Wednesday, Feb. 10
Judy at Quilt Paradigm: Review of classes "Design It Quilt It" and "Machine Quilting Wholecloth Quilts" both with Cindy Needham
Helen at Midget Gem Quilts: Review of class "Creative Quilting With Your Walking Foot" with Jacquie Gering
Thursday, Feb. 11
Cindy at Stitchin At Home: Review of class "Quilting With Rulers on a Home Machine" with
Amy Johnson you are here!!
Vicki at Vicki's Crafts and Quilting: Review of fabric purchases:  Stonehenge Strips and Christmas Fat Quarter Bundle
Friday, Feb. 12
Zenia at A Quilted Passion: Review of classes "Start FMQ" with Elizabeth Dackson; "Secrets of FMQ" with Christina Cameli; "Help! How Do I Quilt It?" with Angela Walters
Jayne at Twiggy and Opal:  Review of quilting supplies: Pressing/cutting mat and mini iron
Saturday, Feb. 13
Tish at Tish's Adventures in Wonderland: Review of classes "Dot to Dot Quilting" with Angela Walters; "Shoot It! A Product Photography Primer" with Caro Sheridan
Anja at Anja Quilts: Review of patterns  Postcard from Sweden; 1 Hour Basket; Star Bright; Reusable Handwarmers
Sunday, Feb. 14
Beth at Cooking Up Quilts: Review of Amanda Murphy's class "20 Fresh Appliqué Techniques"
Preeti at Sew Preeti Quilts: Review of fabric purchases:  Kaffe Fassett Classics Design Strip
Monday Feb. 15
Julie at Pink Doxies: Review of class: "Color Play for Quilters" with Joen Wolfrom
Sandra at Musings of a Menopausal Melon - mmm! quilts: Review of Classes "Machine Quilting: Small Changes, Big Variety" and "Free Motion Quilting With Feathers" with Angela Walters; review of fabric purchases: 10-yard bundle and fat quarter bundles; review of patterns: Sea Glass and Snowflake

OMG: One Monthly Goals

My February single goal is to make a Swoon Mini.

Making a Swoon quilt has been on my quilty bucket list for quite awhile. So when Sandra of  mmm quilts asked if I would like to join her and Tish of Tish's Adventures in Wonderland in making a swoon mini. I said " yes please". We are going to keep each other on the straight and narrow and by the end of February we will all have a finished quilt. Thank goodness this month has an extra day as I might be need it.

Before doing my fabric pull I checked out this Pinterest board for some ideas. So many wonderful swoon colours!
I took a look through my FQ collection, I may have a little bit of a collection, every time I look they seem to grow. Such pretties! So many choices. I decided to pair a floral with a solid. I like my pull, although after looking at my photo I may change out my background fabric for more of a white.

mini swoon fabric pull

Wish me luck in completing my goal.

Linking up to Red Letter Quilts One Monthly Goal.