Connecting Threads Wist List Giveaway

Yes they are at it again, the Connecting Threads Christmas Wish List Giveaway.  You should go and enter.  Even if you've just been eyeballing a new cutting mat, or would adore an entirely new studio.  Keep in mind the winner gets a $50 gift card, and who couldn't use a little of that this Christmas?

Want to peak at my wist list?  Well here it is.  Just keep in mind that I had a hard time restraining myself.  I'm actually very interested in their laminated fabrics as I recently decided that my Grandmother's Sunbeam Mixer should live on my kitchen counter.  The cover is an old 1970's sad quilted laminate.  I'm sure you'd know the pattern.  Yellow, and Orange with Garlic on it.  Personally I'd like to remake it with their Pitter Patter Laminate.  Then there could be fluffy cloud curtains for the window - and oh I could tie in their Mirage  Patriot Blue...  Wouldn't that be wonderful?

October's NewFO's

Time to wrap up October.  This group isn't about finishing anything.  It's about starting new projects.  Though I do like to tack a finish or two into each month so my studio doesn't end up flooded with UFO's.  Thanks to our generous hostess Barbara at Cat Patches you can win a quilter's pin for listing the projects you started this month along with us.

Firstly the dog dresses.  I made 20 in October, I became enamored with the concept of making 27, like the movie with Katherine Heigl, though obviously different.  While I didn't make it to 27, I do have a new customer that I will begin making dog dresses for her two dogs this month, so I am very excited about that.  New to my collection this month is a serger which so far seems to be a big help to my sewing.

I also made a diaper stacker for my new niece who was born at the end of October.  According to her mom it's prettier in person, with lots of glitter.  Can you tell her theme is butterflies?

I also made quilter's pincushions, which I gave away when I was hostess for this months CQAL.  Both of my winners have already received their cushions in the mail so I'm sure they've been stabbing them as they deem appropriate.  I also made one for me, but I haven't started using it yet.  I need to add Velcro so it can sew around on my midarm when I quilt.

Last but not least, while I'm sure many of you made your children's Halloween Costumes, or perhaps you did in the past, DD picked a store bought one this year.  I happily added a little black pocket for her to keep her Vampire Fangs in when not in use.  DD's favorite holiday is Halloween, so I spent some time shopping this month for a future NewFO buying fabrics for a Halloween Quilt for her.  Only the prettiest most friendly fabrics will do as I'm certain you understand.

I hope everyone had a safe Halloween!

Lonestar Nov. Dinner

Scrolls Passing the Tiny Test

Well now, how was your afternoon?  Tiny joined me after lunch.  I took that as a good omen, after all if she likes it enough to sleep on it, surely it passes the Tiny test?

Tiny said my struggles didn't matter,
and who cares if she's in the way?

Anyway I don't think I've given my fingers this much of a workout in a long time.  About halfway through the first corner I wondered if the two Fabrico markers I purchased could handle this entire job, and now with half of the scrolls done I'm certain I need to buy at least two more.  One for each of the remaining corners, and perhaps one for touching them up.  It was odd using them, the first one did an entire corner with some breaks.  But the second one seemed to star out with less ink and the wide end make a different color ink in the beginning?  More greenish than brown?  At the end of both corners I felt like I was struggling to lay down enough dye to make it through the pattern.

All the same that's HALFWAY!  Wow, who would have guessed?  Yippie!  When these scrolls are completed my Lone Star flismy top will be completed and ready to quilt...

A Lonestar Nap

For now both Tiny and I are calling it a day.

Lonestar November Afternoon Check-In.

Hello again!  Has everyone been busy so far?  I am finding I'm making faster progress than I had expected.  That's good for you as it means I have something to show!

First thing this morning I got down to the nitty gritty of my curved ends.  Some of these didn't print with the smoothest of curves and I wanted to refine that before I started cutting out the template.  Cutting the template was fine but my goodness it's delicate, and with all those hooks on the ends of the curves it wants to catch on itself.

Tracing the template is working out fairly well.  I've found I need to trace one side of the line and extrapolate the second curve and that seems to be working better than just tracing both sides, the curves transition more smoothly when I offset them without the template.

So far I've learned it's good to keep a wet edge on the Fabrico ink line, working from your last marked edge outwards.  That makes a nicer mark.  Not much else to add.  The part in the pictures is all I have done.  My white marking pen makes really nice lines but they wear off if left to long so after I'm done with these scrolls I'll be working up this side of first corner with more tracing.  It's a process, but one I hope will be worth it.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, No it's Lonestar Quilt-a-Long Day!

Good Morning!  How are you today?  Autumn has finally started showing her face around here, and the mornings are nippy.  I like that actually.  It makes me more inclined to do a bit of baking or do a bit of quilting.  I actually will be doing none of those things, at least not by normal quilting standards.  Last night DH and I printed many pages of my scrolling border and taped them all together.  Yes, I know I said that I was going to have it printed and I was but then I forgot, so just as well do it this way.

Today I plan to go through and thicken up the lighter scrolling areas before starting to cut this out.  Then I'll use it as a template and trace around it onto my Lonestar.  Once the tracing is done for the first corner I can start using my Fabrico markers to fill in the scrolls.  Are you up to anything today?