Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Put your Stamp On it Blog Hop


Somethings are not meant to be... This Blog Hop was one of those things for me!

First, I wasn't going to sign up for it! Then there was still some space available and I asked if I could be on the last day. That worked out, so I signed up.

Then I had a brain wabble...  no idea what I would do for this blog hop! Weeks went by and then...




My wonderful machine stopped working...



Then my sugars went out of wack and took my eyesight with it!



But don't give up on me just yet.  A commitment is a commitment...  and this WAS a commitment.


Here is how it all came together...

First, about a month ago I found this on one of my many blogs I follow...
http://sanfranciscostitchco.com/SpringSpellbinder2.html
The spring Spellbinder from this year


Which led to this...


http://sanfranciscostitchco.com/SpringSpellbinder.html


Which led to my inspiration for this blog hop...

The label for the Paris Spellbinder


This was my "Ah Huh' moment... I could use this to make my stamp, with a few minor changes... if my machine was working.  I almost cancelled this blog hop! Off to plan B... I would use my 730 which embroiders perfectly.

I started putting some ideas together. My son and his fiancee are getting married in less than a month and I could play around with all of these embroidery designs and come up with something that would work... so into Embird I went.



Well two weeks later... one week to go before my day at the hop,  I had three great ideas, one for each child, all ready to embroider. Luckily the problem with the "Beast" was minor, so I picked it up from the tech and put my ideas into motion...then for some strange reason my sugar went out of wack and I could barely see clearly... I almost cancelled my part in this blog hop again!

But I worked away, finishing up the embroideries at 11:37 pm July 2nd! So they are not quilted as I hoped they would be!

I have made 3 little wedding wall hangings. Each will measure about 8 1/2 x 11.

Two of the wall hangings have a theme. Each STAMP has the country they were married and the date. The cancellation has the month and the year as well as where they were married and the colours are the colours of the Bridal Party. The body of the hanging has a picture from their theme.

My son Scot and his wife Dee got married August 21, 2004 at a park near us. The bridesmaids wore fushia and black and carried Gerber Daisies, Dee's favorite flower.  The Gerber Daisy embroidery was a freebie from Zundt designs.







My daughter Susan and her husband were married on June 18, 2011 at the same park. The bridesmaids wore black and red.  Susan rode to the wedding in a Cinderella carriage; the embroidery came from Embroidery Library.

This is my family including 8 of my 9 grandchildren. The baby was off screaming somewhere.. LOL



The third, well that wedding hasn't happened yet... Kris and Mariona will be married August 1, this year in Mexico. The bridesmaids will wear a beautiful royal blue...


And the find that got all this started was the Spellbinder Paris, Eiffel Tower embroidery.

In October last year, Kris secretly planned a trip to take Mariona to Paris to get engaged under the tower.  A special moment for both of them.



Hopefully before I leave for Mexico, I will have all three quilted and ready to gift.  Or maybe they will be a wall hanging for me. Come back and check! Or follow me by email or bloglovin' so you won't miss the big reveal!  Right now... I am off to bed!

Thanks Mdm Samm for this "stressful" but fun blog hop and a special thanks to cheerleader Thearica from Pig Tales and Quilts  who came so close to scratching me off the list, but didn't have to.  Her encouragement kept this hop running smoothly!  Both of you worked so hard for the success of this hop and deserve lots of gratitude.

Don't forget the rest of my friends who are "putting their stamp" on today...  Here's the list!

Monday, July 1, 2013

Linking up to "A year of Finishes".. or not! I missed the link up by... 1 day!

Who knew!!!!


That I would have so many excuses why this quilt isn't finished...

The fact that I got sick during crunch time... you know... the time when you realize you only have a week to finish, but you have 6 months of work to do!

or/and

The time when you just get started and your machine goes on the blink! (Its back and it is sewing beautifully... lets hope it continues!)


But... I am really pleased with where I got to.

 I started this quilt in 2002 and I am really only a few days away from having it completed. As of the first of June, all the blocks and sashings had been embroidered and appliqued, but not sewn together and one long border had been appliquéd.




As of today, everything is sewn together...

All the blocks and borders were appliquéd and embroidered and 2 of 4 corners were appliquéd and embroidered...



And 1 of 4 corner butterflies has been embroidered...



The big reveal... Tada!



So much more work than I thought to finish up this quilt.  But with only a small portion of the work left to do, 3 or 4 more baseball games and I will have it finished! Go Jays Go! Thanks for the challenge!


My Favorite Tools... Sticky Stuff

I have a drawer, marked sticky stuff, that I TRY to keep all my sticky stuff in... And its full.

but not everything is my favourite...


But... Here are a few of my favourites...

First let me talk about ...

Elmers' Glue


I LOVE IT!
I am the queen of Elmers' Glue. I use it for everything.

  1. Sticking zippers in place before I sew them. 
  2. Applique
  3. Attaching Applique
  4. In piecing when I need something exactly where I want it to get nice points
  5. Attaching my bindings,
  6. And much much more.. 
I like the stick sometimes, but I mostly use the small pen or the regular bottle. I have tips for them, but mostly, I just adjust the caps to work the way I want them to. Quick tip. Press lightly with your iron to dry it faster. I have never had a problem with it not washing out or leaving any discolouration. 


Other Glues

I only ever use Roxanne's Glue Baste It!.  When I am doing a ton of appliqué, I like it because it drys quickly and I can turn edges in my chair while I watch TV. 



Sticky Labels

I use a lot of sticky labels. I need them to organize my stuff in boxes, drawers and shelves. I use the round ones on cut fabric, to remind me what size they are and I use the hole protectors to hold the ends of my threads on my slippery spools of embroidery thread!



Sprays

I am not a spray lover, but I do use 505 Basting Spray occasionally when I am quilting some little piece on my domestic machine. But what I really love are these spray handles that I found on someones blog a few months back... they are amazing to use, and easy to buy. Just look in the paint department of any hardware store!



Fusible Web


I love Misty Fuse. It is easy to use and I can use as little or as much as I want. And it has a very soft hand, your appliqués don't harden or get stiff. It is my favourite. I buy it by the meter and I don't think it is as expensive as other products.

Agent 007 works well for small areas you just need to permanently fuse! I don't use it much because it makes a huge mess but I use a little QTip to help me get it in place.


Household Glues and Tapes


I have lots of examples of household glues, but I have found that I like the E6000 the best for quick permanent gluing. 

Tape is tape, but I do look for the ones with the really sharp cutting edges. Nothing irritates me more than having tape twisting off the roller, as I am one handedly, trying to get a piece on a present I am wrapping or a pattern piece I am joining... Which reminds me... I really need to buy a tape dispenser! That will solve that problem!