Perkins Dry Goods

When I begin a new project, there is usually a draft of the quilt that I use for guidance.  I like to use Electric Quilt 6 to get an idea of layout, size, value, etc.  The quilt that I end up writing instructions for is often nothing like what I started with!

Right now, I’m working on a project using the Twelve Oaks line by Judy Rothermel from Marcus Fabrics.

I love to make scrappy quilts and you know one of my favorite things are Civil War era fabrics.  Although I try hard not to plan toooo much, I have to plan just a little.

A secret to making quilts that look scrappy without losing your mind is to choose  “sets” of fabric and use them to make repeats of blocks. You don’t have to make every single block different.

Another tip to keep scrappy things organized is to set all the pieces for one block on a paper plate.  You can easily stack the plates and work through them at the sewing machine without getting things mixed up!

I guess this is turning into a tips and tricks blog today!  An extremely useful tool that I discovered while blog surfing one day is this triangle trimmer by Quilt in a Day.  The horizontal and vertical lines that help you align the seams on the triangle (or hourglass) block before you cut.

And that tape that you see, that’s Nexcare first aid tape, it keeps the ruler from slipping.  A tip from Carrie Nelson over at La Vie en Rosie.

Even when you think you are pretty accurate with your stitching you can come up with a good pile of trimmings!

I hope to be able to show you the finished product soon…  now I better get back to work!

I love to re-purpose things that I find.  This is a shower caddy that I found at Target awhile back.  I was saving it for my daughter to take to college with her this past August.  Wouldn’t you know it, but she isn’t a pink girl…so I got organized!  It’s great – I can take it to class whether I’m teaching or a student.  Lots of pockets and the best part was that it was under $10.

Follow Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Blog Tour daily Nov. 9-13 at quiltmaker.com/quilty pleasures for inspiration, ideas and giveaways galore!  Visit my blog everyday this week to see what’s up! Leave a comment and be entered in a prize drawing on Friday for a packet of my newest patterns.

My website is now up to date with new patterns!
Click here to go to the pattern page.

Market was busy and lots of fun – and I’m always glad to get home.  I was there without a full time helper – but had some really good friends make sure it all went smoothly for me.  Susan Marth (Suzn Quilts) and Robin Koehler (Nestlings by Robin) drove from the St. Louis area and brought booth supplies for me, made sure I got fed and drove me all over creation.  Susan Knapp (The Quilt Branch) spent hours helping me set up my booth, with school house and then came by frequently so I could walk a little bit of the show and eat lunch.  Pam Mathews (Pam Mathews Designs) helped with booth set up and school house.  I couldn’t have done it with out them!

One of the coolest things I saw at market was The Binding Tool by the Quilter’s Mercantile.  I’m not sure when it will be up on their website, but I know that Quilted Treasures in Rogers, MN thought it was cool too.

A few people have asked about the pattern for the large quilt in the picture. It’s the queen size quilt from the Great Expectations book.
Click here for more information.

There are lots of things that happen at Quilt Market…people from magazines stopping by the booth, asking questions about your products, taking samples for possible inclusion in future issues. You never know when or if these contacts will turn into anything – they are important though!

I just found out that QuiltMaker magazine has featured my Perfect Piecing Seam guide in the March/April issue (page 56)!  How cool is that?  Thanks QuiltMaker!

The deal with this seam guide is that it allows you to mark your machine bed at a scant 1/4″.   Scant means “just shy of”, which is a very technical term.  In actuality, it is a thread or two less than a full 1/4″ and makes it easier to piece your blocks accurately.  There is a little hole in just the right spot that you lower the needle through and then put the presser foot down to hold it in place so you can mark your machine bed with a post-it or piece of tape.

I’ve found that beginners like it because it helps them get on track with that pesky 1/4″ seam allowance, and experienced quilters like it too.  If you have more than one machine (a big fancy one at home and one you take to class or retreats), the seam guide lets you standardize your seam allowance between the two!

I was just over at Pat Sloan’s blog reading about the business of quilting.  I thought she did such a great job of describing things that I wanted to share the link.  Click here to go to Pat’s blog.

That got me thinking about where I started with all of this Quilt Biz too.  I had dreamed of working in a quilt shop but with a day job and little kids, the timing was always off.  Evenings and weekends were family time, and also the most common times that shops needed help!  One day in August of 2000, I was talking to Wendy Fedie who owned the Wayzata Quilting Emporium. She offered me the chance to try my hand at teaching a quilting class.  A one or two session class I could do, even if it were an evening or weekend.  That was the beginning of it all and that’s where my Four Patch Fancy pattern came into being – as a class called Table Runner Basics.  It is still a popular pattern!

The Quilt Makers Must Have Guide to Images, Files and More

I’m a geek.  I know.  I love all things digital.  Computers, cameras, sewing machines, gadgets of all kinds.  Can I tell you how thrilled I was when I found out that Gloria was writing this book?  It was written specifically for quilters who need to be able to navigate the world of images.  For me, that includes photography for my pattern covers, website and blog.  For someone else, it might include how to get a great image of a quilt that is being submitted to a show.

Yes, this is a total sales pitch – but I have to tell you that Gloria writes in a way that makes it so easy to understand.  She talks about images sizes, resolution, working with layers and much more.  She has screen shots and examples from Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro and other programs.

Gloria currently has a holiday special that you can find at her website for 10% off and the option for an autographed copy. She has a chapter from the book available for free download so you can see for yourself how well written and comprehensive the information is.  I keep this book next to my computer.  It is by far the best reference guide I have ever owned!

Tip of the Day:  I like to have reference books lay flat, so I often take them to a place like Kinko’s or Office Depot and have them spiral bound.  For Digital Essentials, I also had a clear plastic cover added to the front and back to protect the book.  Pretty inexpensive at under $5.00.

I am always on the look out for certain “perfect” items.  You know, those things that you use daily that enhance your life.  My list includes things like the perfect purse, the perfect sloppy weather shoe, the perfect iron and the list goes on.  I think I found the perfect IRON!

What does the perfect iron need to have or do?  It has to be HOT, have steam – I am a steam presser, not a dry presser – and it has to be cheap.  My friend Elaine has these irons in her quilt shop – Silver Lane Quilting – and they are great!  It’s a GE iron made for Walmart.  Has a 12 foot cord, gets really hot, is 1200 watts and interestingly, has an auto shut off that kicks in every 60 minutes.  When the blue light is on, the iron is on.  It’s easy to see from across the room.  It runs about $22.00.  I tend to go through an iron every year, so I really like this price!

This must be binding week.  Right after I posted about the fusible thread, I crossed paths with a link to some free videos by Sharon Schamber an award winning quilter and author.  One of the videos was her technique for binding application using glue.  Sharon likes to use Elmer’s School glue and has these cool tips that keep the glue under control.

 They look kind of like this. 

Then I read Pam’s comment on the fusible thread and she mentioned using Roxanne’s glue for binding.  Have I had my head in the sand all these years?  I had to give it a try.  I even did it on curved binding.  A little messy, but not too bad.  Both techniques have their drawbacks, but I sure like having choices.

Every year the state quilt guild hosts this huge show in June.  It was in St. Paul, MN  last weekend and I was able to go.  Actually I made the time to go and I am so glad that I did!  My friend Susan Nelson’s quilt got Best of Show for Wall Quilts!  This quilt also placed 1st at Road to California this year,  2nd in Paducah in 2006, 3rd in Houston last fall and 2nd at NQA!  Just so you know, this is not applique.  Susan machine pieced this entire quilt.

Swish and Swirl by Susan Nelson

The shopping experience is always fun with all of the vendors.  I found this cool ruler by Open Gate Quilts at http://opengatequilts.com called Fit to Be Square.  It has guidelines specifically for trimming square in a square blocks.  This is not to be confused with the Square in a Square ruler by Jodi Barrows.

The Perfect Piecing Seam Guide is my first attempt at a notion type solution for a quilting problem….I have been teaching for several years now and one of the biggest issues I have noticed in my classes is that pesky quarter inch seam allowance!  It is so very elusive for beginning quilters and can often be a problem for just about anyone.  If you change machines or even go from one 1/4 inch foot to another, there can be a difference in your results.  This little ruler is priced at about $5.00 retail and has a laser line with a needle hole that is a SCANT 1/4 inch from the edge.  You simply mark your machine with a piece of tape or a sticky note.  You can be consistent from machine to machine!

I will be introducing the Seam Guide at the Quilt Festival in Chicago April 13 – 15 and at Quilt Market in Salt Lake City.  They are also available from my distributors right now!