Quilt Festival Coming To Austin

So excited to have this quilt convention come to Austin.  Look out for it 02/21-24/2013.

Since I am a newbie quilter and one who loves to work from scraps and (not necessarily designing quilts), but putting them together with what I have and making adjustments, I think the convention will give you great ideas.  Above all you can spend time in the presence of other quilters right in your own city.

Happy Quilting....

Do You Know the Difference?

I came across this post and I found it truly informative.  I have just started seeing it appear more and more in patterns I wish to make from appliqueing, bags, etc.  I love the fact that Ashley includes brief project examples of how to use either interfacing, fusible adhesive, and fusible web and the close up shots of what each one looks like (back and front) helps you understand what you will feel and see when trying to decide.  Have you ever wondered what was the difference between these (keep in mind there are several different companies that make them, so you will have to experiment which you like best), well Ashley has broke it down for you.  I have seen racks of various types interfacing at my local craft store and they were all different and I was baffled on what I needed, also I was curious if I should buy more or different types when they are on sale or when I have a 50% coupon, well this post helps me.  The next thing to do now is test it out.

Weighted Pin Cushion

Earlier today I completed the Weighted Pin Cushion by Elizabeth from Oh, Franson.  The pattern can be located at Sew Mamma. I had this on "current projects" list for almost a year.  I had not used fusible interfacing before and wanted to learn more about it before I dove into this project.  The project came together quite quickly.  I now can say that I like fusible interface.  I picked up a value pack on sale/coupon at Joann's and you get 15"X3 yards and I only used a sliver of it.  I have lots more for other projects.

I did have to refer to some of the pictures a little more closely to ensure that I was reading the instructions properly and I found that was on the right track, however, overall it was a great project.



Completed waste bin, this was neat, I did the boxed corners and lining.  I think I will make a larger one and make a trash can for my car in a fabric that I like.



With a button.



I dd not put in the sewed lines for the pockets as I have trays on my table that holds most of my tools, however, I am using the pocket to hold feet for the sewing machine.

 

Instead of rice, I used rocks.  I had these and they did not work for the project I bought them for, so far they are working in this project.



TA DAH........

The only thing that I would have done differently on this project was to put the waste basket on the other side.

Thanks Oh Franson for sharing this tutorial I really appreciate it.

Great Crafty Storage Ideas

I came across an article that gives various ways to organize and store your craft supplies.  In thinking of what I have in my craft room, I had already incorporated some of these ideas.  When I purchased my "faux" craft storage supplies, I did it because it was cheaper and did the job the same if not better than a name brand item.  What is cool about the items they list is they show you the before with an approximate cost then they show you the after and how they changed the item to fit in great with your craft room.  The items they show can be very expensive if purchased in a craft type store, but the options they give you can usually be found in your local hardware store or big box store in the sections that you would not normally visit for your craft storage.  You never know, there could be a gem waiting to be turned into a crafty storage system.

Quick and clever ideas for organizing craft supplies

Craft storage containers

Space tidy tabletop storage solutions

Some items I have revamp into crafty goodness:



This was from IKEA and it was a rack made for the tops of your pots/pans.  I use it to hold my quilting rulers.  I had to use some left over cardboard to hold some of the odd shaped and smaller rulers.





Got this at Wal-Mart in the automotive section for nuts and bolts, now holds my jewelry making supplies.



These are blocks in separate "Hefty Jumbo Bags" hanging from hangers.  This way I can pull out a bag to add a finished block or when I am done I can pull it out to work on the quilt top.  Keeps things clean and neat.



This is what I made into a ribbon holder.  I took a dowel (cut it in half), rubber bands and 4 curtain rod holders and made them to hold ribbon spools  Eventually I would like to replace the rubber bands with maybe some end caps, but the dowel is real small, so not sure if they have something like that.



This was an elephant that I found at a dollar store and I turned it into a pincushion which holds my needles with left over thread and my pins that have plastic heads (so I know not to use these when ironing).

I acquired this a few years back, it is a plate rack and I have turned it into a thread cone holder.  I will eventually paint it a different color (the gold is not for me) and I may decoupage the plates (they have a Christmas theme on them).



I got this from IKEA, it is used in the kitchen and it hangs from a metal bar (see the hanging mechanism to the the front).  I am  using that bar somewhere else so I used some left over picture hanging clamps and put it on my wall to hold my printer ink.

 

This metal grid is from the system that gives you tons of grids and the little plastic round connectors to make shoe racks, shelving units etc. It always fell apart, so I donated the system to Goodwill, but found this one left over in a closet, now it holds misc. items.  To attach what I need to it, I just use the black clips from office supply store.

 Like I said you can turn things into so many useful items for your craft room.  I am always looking to re-purpose something and not pay a hefty price for an item just because of a name.

I recently acquired this top and this base because I needed a table to support my vintage 66 Singer sewing machine.  The base made the table to low, so I remembered that I still had 2 legs left over from a sewing table that I created with IKEA legs and top (I ended up only needed 2 legs as my original sewing table, fell apart and the drawer unit was still good and that supported the other end of the table).  So I went to IKEA and picked up 2 more legs and which to my luck they were on sale for around $3.00 (originally $5.00) and now I have a VERY sturdy table for my somewhat heavy sewing machine.

Recyclying in a great way

I came across this tutorial and thought this was very interesting. By recycling a t-shirt this way you accomplish quite a few things, such as:

1. Help the environment by recycling a product that might end up in a land fill (sometimes even if you donate to a charitable organization).
2. You teach your children that everything has multiple purposes.
3. The item is washable and much cleaner that your regular bags (that or not washable).
4. You can coordinate the bags by color, design, etc. to go with your groceries to make unpacking them much easier.
5. When you are out shopping, you just look fabulous with a bag that no one else has.
6. Oh did I mention that you are helping out the environment.

By the way gardener friends, this is a great way to transport your new plants that you just got.

So take a minute to read the tutorial to find out how you can create your one of a kind grocery bag.

Quick Grocery Bag Tutorial