Buzzings from a quilter who bumbles her way through life!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

My Day - It's All About Me!


It's All About Me! At least, that's what I thought when I was about 1 or 2 years old! I've learned since then that I'm not the center of the universe. BUT.....today, I can show you a little about myself! 
My project uses the Amy Bradley pattern that we were so generously given (Thanks, Amy!), but I've changed it up a little to fit my circumstances! Instead of "I'm a little Biased", mine says, "I'm a little...BEE-DAZZLED, BEE-HIND, and BEE-WILDERED!" That's me in a nutshell! At least recently!  I've hung it in my sewing room so that I can laugh at myself amid the chaos!
 
I'm a little "bee dazzled". Since the name of my pattern business is connected with bees, I have started collecting "bee" items. I have cute little bee "knick knacks" in my sewing room. They make me smile. 
 I'm a little "bee-hind". I have projects piling up on me! I have so much to do in such a little bit of time!! Sometimes I start feeling very.....
                                      "bee-wildered"!

Because you stopped by I would like to give you  a chance to win the pattern for Miss Bumble, a cute little bee pin cushion. Just leave a comment for one chance to win and a second if you follow me on GFC (on my sidebar). (I'd like to get to 700. I'm so close!) The pattern will be emailed as a PDF to the winner. (She is super simple to make and comes with a verse so you can give one as a gift!)
Thanks to Mdm. Samm and Marlene for hosting this blog hop! Be sure to visit the "hoppers" below today to see more!


Wednesday, February 20


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Monday, February 18, 2013

It's All About Me Blog Hop



The It's All About Me Blog Hop is about to begin! Here is the schedule. Join me on Wednesday for my post. Here is a sneak peak at part of what I will show you!  (I know you can't tell much from this, but that's the point. Be sure and come back to see what I have! There will be a giveaway, too!)


Tuesday, February 19



Wednesday, February 20



Thursday, February 21



Friday, February 22



Monday, February 25




Tuesday, February 26



Wednesday, February 27



Thursday, February 28

Friday, February 15, 2013

A 3-Hour Quilt and Another Free E-Book!

 
McCalls has again inspired me with their free e-Book, Modern Quilt Patterns. The quilt you see above is one I made from this little e-book and is called Lemon Squeezy. (The one in the book is much prettier, but I used strips of scraps I had in my scrap bin.) I made this quilt in 3 hours from start to finish! (Most of my strips were leftovers and already cut.)
Sugarplum was fascinated with this quilt. She thought it was hers!
Your quilting is done as you sew, so after sewing all the strips, all you have to do is square up and bind! Need a quick crib quilt? This is a good candidate!
This little book is only 10 pages long, but the three patterns inside will inspire you with the spring colors and easy, modern designs - Baubles and Beads (a modern square within a square design), Rainbow Rhythm (a contemporary take on half square triangles) and Lemon Squeezy (the quilt as you go strip quilt).
Here is where you can get your free download! Give it a try! You have nothing to lose!
  Until next time..... Bee Blessed!
 

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Toy Sewing Machine and Other Vintage Items

My oldest son sent me this adorable little toy sewing machine for my birthday! It is a Betsy Ross 707. According to what I can find, this model was made in the 1940's (the plaid box is an indicator). The 1950's models came in a red alligator textured box. 
This machine sews a chain stitch. I doubt I will be making quilts with it, but it will look so cute sitting in my sewing room!
I'm really drawn to all things vintage. I don't know why I'm so fascinated with them, but I am! Here are a few other "old" things that I consider treasures!
My husband's mom was a child in the "roaring 20's". She gave me these sweet "pin cushion dolls" many years ago. 
This little pin cushion doll is only about 2 1/2" to 3" tall including the skirt.
This pin cushion doll does not have her pin cushion skirt. She is about 3 1/2" tall without it.
This tape measure was in with my great grandmother's buttons. (She died in 1988 just shy of her 108th birthday!) It feels almost like paper. I have no idea how old it might be.
These sequins are not all THAT old, but old enough that you won't see any like this any more! A friend gave them to me. They had belonged to her mother. (Thank you, Diane!)
These two "knick-knacks" have nothing to do with sewing, but were also passed down to me. The snow globe on the right was from my grandmother and depicts a sailor and his girlfriend. (I have no idea how old it might be. - perhaps World War II?) The globe is very heavy glass and the base is a heavy porcelain or similar material. The globe unscrews from the base. I'm assuming that is for filling with water?
 This "saucy" little dancer belonged to my husband's mom. She appears to be dancing. Again, I have no idea of age, but she looks like she's having a grand old time!

When I look at these things, I don't really see old objects. I imagine stories and events surrounding them. Did my great grandmother use that measuring tape to sew for her family? Did some little girl learn to sew on the toy sewing machine? Although I may not know them, there are stories connected to these little things. 
post signatureUntil next time....

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Herringbone Scrap Quilt Tutorial

 
 I have a LOT of scraps that I would like to use this year. I have been trying out different fast and easy methods of using them in my quilts. One very easy method is the "Herringbone" quilt. This is a very old and very easy method. Best of all, you can custom cut your strips to fit the size scraps you have. Both of the quilts above were made using this simple method.
First you need to cut your strips to the same width and length. The batik quilt above used a purchased set of batik strips similar to a "Jelly Roll". The strips were 2 1/2" wide x 42". I cut them into 10 1/2" lengths and left the width the same. The quilt on the right used scraps that I cut to 1 1/2" x 5". (A pleasing size seems to be the a width you choose and the length ABOUT 4 or 5 x that width. So a 3" width might have a length that is somewhere between 12" and 15".  This is not a hard and fast rule. Experiment with what you have!)
Here is the way to start:
 
 Sort your strips into colors. Pull from each stack as you go. You can either leave it very random as in the quilt on the right, or planned as the quilt on the left. 
Place two strips right sides together as shown above. Sew across the end as shown. The first set will be a short seam
Finger press the seam toward the point.  
 The next strip will go across the intersection of the previous two strips, as shown. Press the seam toward the point.
 The next strip goes across the new intersection and along the second strip you added.
 This is what you will have so far. The next strip will go along the orange/blue strip. Just remember that you will always be sewing across the end of the last strip and the length of the previous one.(Note the next strip will be sewn to the orange/blue side and not the all orange side in the photo.)
 Keep going like this. You will find that when you get going, it will be very fast and easy! Keep finger pressing the seams to the point.
Lay out your strips to see the arrangement you like. If you want an arrangement like the one above, you will have to sew some strips in reverse. (Where you started with blue and then added red, on the next strip start with red and add blue. It will make sense when you see it.) If you are making a random arrangement, you don't have to change anything.) Make the rows as long as you want. Instead of just holding them up to see if they are long enough, count the strips along the edge.
NOW PLEASE TAKE NOTE: You have edges now that are bias. Handle the strips gently and sew a "stay stitch" along the edge to stabilize it before sewing the strips together. Also, it is helpful to not cut the points off the edge until after you've sewn the row together.  I didn't do either of these things in the batik quilt and had some distortion because of it.
Another thing to take note of is to match up the seams along the edges of the rows you are sewing together so that the rows match up. 
   On the smaller quilt, I chose to sew a strip between the rows. (I also stay stitched before sewing to keep my bias edges from distorting!)
  You could alternatively choose to cut your strips into blocks.
 Start saving those strips you have left over from borders and sashing. You might even want to start cutting scraps into strips and stashing them together until you have enough for a quilt. 
Have fun! Until next time....
Bee Blessed!
 

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