My Favorite Triangle Ruler

My favorite triangle ruler is made by Creative Grids and is the 60° equilateral triangle ruler designed by Rachel Cross. I like this ruler for several reasons. First is the non skid grip that allows me to slid it easily around my fabric strips. Then when it’s in place, with a little bit of pressure, the grip holds the ruler in place to cut correctly. It’s made with a high quality acrylic that has lasted through many quilts. The black markings are easily read. I have used it to make my Twirly Hexagon quilts and my Honeycomb Hexagon quilts. 

This ruler can be purchased Here.

Best HAND LOTION for Quilters

 As the weather suddenly turns cooler, my hands are already experiencing dryness. Handling fabric seems to dry out my hands quickly! For several years, I have kept Ultra Repair Body Lotion on my sewing table and my nightstand. It is actually a Head-to-Toe Moisturizer that is all-over fast-absorbing, rich moisturizer that provides 24 hours of soothing hydration and makes my skin feel more comfortable after just one use, with no greasy after-feel—very important for us quilters! I especially like it because it is suitable for all skin types, even for my sensitive skin. It is free from Alcohol, artificial colorants, artificial fragrance, lanolin, mineral oil, parabens, petrolatum, phthalates, propylene glycol, sulfates, talc, formaldehydes, oxybenzone, coal tar, triclocarban, ethanol, ethyl alcohol.

You’ll want to try the tube here and the pump here. You won’t be disappointed!

Tapping into your Creativity

Book to read : The Creative Act: A Way of Being

My heart for quilt making has been stitched into my life since I was about twelve years old. From sewing my own clothes through high school and college to sewing dresses for my daughters, my journey has always been with fabric. When I retired, it was a dream come true to be able to spend my days quilting. Once I had more time, I knew I wanted to bump up my game and make breathtaking quilts. Not only did I study quilt designers and how they designed quilts, but one of my rock star quilters suggested some books to help your creativity. The best book I have read is The Creative Act, A Way of Being by Rick Rubin. That first summer I retired, I read a chapter a day and reflected on how to apply his ideas to my quilting. You can find the book here. I think you will find it helpful to create beautiful art, no matter what you craft. 

Game Changer—Three tools you need now

 Game Changers—Three tools you need now

You may make beautiful quilts that are admired by many, but to have your best tools available will be a game changer! We all sew and make mistakes, having to unpick stitches. Best advice I can give you to manage beat is to have a new seam ripper that woks to make it much easier. My favorite is here. You will not believe the difference a sharp seam ripper makes—game changer! 

The next game changer is your rotary cutter blade. A new blade will make your rotary cutting so smooth, you won’t believe it. Cutting fabrics becomes a dream job instead of a chore. I found a great deal here for a ten pack of blades. Don’t wait another day—order now!

The last tool to change your game up is your sewing machine needle. If you are like me, I tend to continue using the needle in my sewing machine way too long. Seriously, both of us should be changing our needles now. Make certain these needle will fit your sewing machine, but here is a great deal on a 10 pack of needles so you always have a fresh needle handy. 

Try these three game changers to make sewing fun and enjoyable!

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Starching first!

Best fabric starch

 Time to begin my Christmas projects! I like to get an early start to beat the holiday rush and make sure my quilter has time to quilt my projects early. Faultless Spray Starch is my favorite starch and is available in a 4 pack. It goes fast—buy the larger bottle in a large pack! Fabrics today are more stable, sew together while holding their shape and press better when starched first. Spray your fabrics slowly so it is saturated, then hang to dry. It will dry overnight, then press before beginning your project. I don’t know about you but I can’t wait to get started! 

How do I wash my quilts?

Quilts that are used and well loved will eventually need to be washed. Most folks are afraid to wash their quilt but it’s okay to wash it with a gentle cleaner. I recommend Orvus, a ph neutral, biodegradable, bleach free, phosphate free, chorine free and hypoallergenic for sensitive skin, cleanser.  

 

 It is safe for top loaders, HE washers and hand washing. For best results, I recommend using a cold water wash on a delicate or hand washing cycle on your washer. More specific instructions can be found on the packet. I’ve successfully washed many quilts with Orvus and had no problems with Orvus Soap.

Joie de Vivre

Joie De Vivre

Joie de Vivre Quilt

Joie de Vivre is a string pieced king, sized quilt made for my daughter, Carly. She chose the pattern from a quilt pin saved on my Pinterest page. The directions were simple, using only one star in the quilt, but she required a large quilt, so her quilt is made using 20 star blocks. Fabrics chosen coordinated with one focus fabric, mostly bright yet medium value colored fabrics collected throughout the year.With so many strips in each block, a lot of different fabrics were required so as not to duplicate fabrics. I'm not certain how many fabrics were used, but it was quite a few!

Each block was constructed of 16--6 1/2 inch squares string pieced on a muslin square. Strings were cut one inch, one and 1/4 inch, one and 1/2 inch, one and 3/4 inch and two inch strips. I began by making the split block, using half light and half bright fabrics. Each block required 8 of these. The quilt was so massive, I made each block separately, sewing all 16 squares together to complete each 24 inch block.

When piecing a large quilt, it's easy to become bored and set aside the blocks to complete smaller projects. But that didn't happen with this one. When you love the fabrics as much as I loved these, I kept plugging away until it was completed. Like birthing a baby, this quilt was nine months in the making!

Center blocks using medium value fabrics

Corner blocks using light fabrics

Finished quilt!

 Carly chose Teaberry, a coral fabric from the grunge line, for the binding. Warm and Natural cotton batting was used. The quilt is quilted by Joyce Coburn from Coburn's Quilting Plus in Barberton, Ohio.