Blackberry Quilts Blog

Can't find your projects ?

2012-01-10T07:31:00.000-08:00

This is brilliant. Decluttering in mini steps. Download a calender with one small daily task at My Simpler Life.
MANY thanks!

Top Ten Hand Quilting Tips

2012-01-02T09:29:00.000-08:00

I love hand quilting. I love to sit and stitch. I love the way hand quilting looks. But my hands and wrists can't take much of it. Some of my solutions:

Machine quilt structural lines. Sew around the borders of blocks. Then add a bit of hand quilting where it really shows.
Hand quilt every other item. I just stitched around 56 yo-yos, instead of all 121! The back of the quilt looks adorable, too.
Set a goal of stitching half an hour a day. Leave the project out near your favorite chair. Throw it in the car, and do it while waiting in the dentist office. You'd be amazed how far you can get with just a few minutes a day!
Wear a wrist brace. It helps a lot.
Takes lots of breaks. Get up and walk around, roll your shoulders and stretch your arms.
Use a new high quality needle. I am loving the size 8 milliner needles by John James. They fit my hands. Experiment, and find the needle that works for you. Just found some size 8 milliner needles at my Mom's that were my Grandmas. We had the same thumb. Hmmmmm.
Set up extra lamps to avoid squinting.
Baste with safety pins, saving yourself some time and some hand stitching.
Personalize your quilt. Add a name, a birthday, a quote. Just draw it on with a marking pencil that washes out, and that is heat-safe in case you find yourself ironing.
Use cotton thread. Your quilt might be around in the next century!

Almost Done!

2011-12-22T08:02:00.000-08:00

Five days, five pairs of pajama pants!
Tip: Use a scrap to make a 2" x 1/4" strip. Use this to make a loop. Tuck it onto the back of the waistband to mark the back of the pants!
Hope you are enjoying your holiday sewing projects.

Holiday Salad

2011-12-14T08:23:00.000-08:00

Holiday Salad

2 C green cabbage, shredded or chopped
2 C red cabbage, shredded or chopped
1 C dried cranberries
1/4 C red onions, diced
1/3 C vegetable oil
1/3 C sugar
1/3 C cider vinegar
1 tsp celery seed
1 package feta cheese
1 C chopped pecans or walnuts

Combine everything but the feta and nuts, Marinate 3 hours, then drain the liquid. Add the cheese and nuts.
Good up to 5 days!
Many thanks to my sister and her friend who share recipes!

Advent Calender

2011-12-02T14:48:00.000-08:00

Here is a last minute advent calender for everyone who had Christmas sneak up on them. I made this in under 2 hours, which included coordinating events with our schedule. Each of the 25 spools has a piece of paper coiled around it, containing an advent activity. Then they were 'wrapped' with ribbons, and numbered with a sticker.

Here are my family's activities:

1. Decorate for Christmas and drink peppermint hot chocolate.
2. Make a card, and write a special message to the person of your choice.
3. Pick out a Christmas tree.
4. Decorate the tree and drink eggnog.
5. Bake a batch of Christmas cookies.
6. Family game night!
7. Make doughnuts.
8. Bake another batch of Christmas cookies and share with the neighbors.
9. Is the sky clear? Try star gazing, or, if not clear, go for a nighttime walk with your lanterns. Take along hot chocolate.
10. Make fudge.
11. Make a list of ten things you are thankful for. Hang it where you can see it every day.
12. Sing carols.
13. Sleep under the Christmas tree. Read together.
14. Breakfast in bed!
15. Make paper snowflakes and decorate the windows.
16. Go to a Christmas concert.
17. Make chocolate covered pretzels.
18. Make and hang edible gifts for the birds and squirrels.
19. Go look at the Christmas lights.
20. Wrapping party! Watch a Christmas movie.
21. Observe the winter solstice with an outdoor campfire.
22. Go sledding-or watch Charlie Brown’s Christmas.
23. Ski or ice skate!
24. Make dog cookies for Opus.
25. It’s Christmas Day. Remember you have a family who loves you.

I was inspired by these Creative Advent Calenders, and want to thank everyone for their ideas: http://www.flickr.com/groups/561389@N24/

I can't believe it's been 3 years since I posted this! I am happy to share this with the Where Women Create group

Perfect Pie Crust

2011-11-22T07:02:00.000-08:00

Craig’s Pie Crust(and he follows the recipe!)

Keep fats cold and firm: coat the flour, don’t let flour absorb warm fat.
Add only cold liquid to flour and fat mix.
Use a pastry blender with rigid blades rather than flexible wires.
Start with (firmer) butter, then add (softer) shortening. ( Avoid overworking the softer fat and creating a mealier shortbread type dough).
Add liquid slowly and only enough to make mixture adhere. Avoid crumbly dough or a sticky dough.
Rest and chill the dough before rolling.
Keep work surface lightly floured at all times so the dough will slide along.
Put dough in pie plate and chill it before baking. This solidifies the fat and allows the gluten to rest.
For a flaky, crisp texture, blend the fat less intimately into the flour before adding the liquid, so the fragments of fat are like peas.

Flo Braker’s Classic Pie Crust, from the Sacramento Bee

Makes one 9 in. pie crust

1 cup unsifted all purpose flour

½ tsp salt

2 ½ Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled

1/3 cup chilled Crisco

3-4 Tbsp ice water(Stef’s Mom adds ice to water to chill it)

Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Divide cold butter into 6-8 pieces and scatter them over the flour. With pastry blender, cut in butter until largest pieces remaining are the size of peas. Divide shortening into 6-8 pieces and scatter them over the butter-flour mix; cut in with a pastry blender until fragments of shortening range from the size of bread crumbs to lima beans.

Pour ice water into a liquid cup measure. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp evenly over flour mix, using a fork to toss and distribute moisture. Add more ice water until mix is moist enough to stick together.

With your hands, gather the moistened particles together, using the side of the bowl to shape it. Transfer it onto a sheet of plastic wrap, press into a round, flat disc, wrap. Massage its surface into a cohesive round, flat disk about 4 ½ inches across. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Or wrap in foil and freeze for up to one month.)

Roll on a lightly floured surface, lifting and rotating dough a one eighth turn clockwise to keep the dough circular. Roll from the middle away from you but never roll off the edges. This makes thin edges which easily stick to surface and tear the dough. Roll until 1/8 inch thick, about 12-13” in diameter. Drape over the rolling pin, then ease into baking pan. Carefully fit against the pan to remove any air bubbles. Trim the dough with scissors to give a uniform overhang, about ¾”. Fold the overhang under to form two layers of pastry(like making a hem on clothes). Flute the edges.

Refrigerate until time for filling and baking.

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

2011-11-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

I got the original recipe from Libby's-but I can't follow a recipe to save my life! Here is my version:

2 c flour
1/4 c flax seed meal
1/4 c whole wheat flour
1 and 3/4 c sugar
1 T pumpkin pie spice(or a dash from ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and a lot of cinnamon)
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 eggs
1 c canned pumpkin
1/2 c veg oil
2 c peeled, finely chopped apples

Combine flour, sugar, spice, soda, salt in a large bowl.
Combine eggs, pumpkin and oil in a separate bowl.
Add liquid ingredients to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Stir in apples.
Spoon batter into greased or lined muffin pans. Sprinkle Streusel topping over batter.
Bake at 350 for 25+ minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Streusel Topping:
2 T flour
1/4 c sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
4 t butter

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.

Favorite Halloween Costume Ever

2011-10-26T08:09:00.000-07:00

See the red dress? That was my favorite Halloween costume ever. It was 4th grade. My favorite books in the whole world were the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I'd read them through at least twice at this point. I wanted to be an old fashioned girl. I can remember going to Sprouse Reitz and picking out the fabric with my mom and my dad(he grew up with a seamstress Mom and appreciates fabric).

Sadly, I don't have the dress. But I probably wore it out. I can remember wearing it to school throughout the year. I did find a little square of it in a doll quilt I made around that time.

It's the floral center in the pink, green and lavender nine patches. So glad I started quilting then! It's a treasure.

A collective thank you to all the Moms and Dads out there who are creating Halloween costumes. Now and at midnight.

Inspiration

2011-10-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

"The creative mind plays with the objects it loves."
Carl Jung

Let's play!

Ideas and inspiration

2011-10-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

I just have to share this site with you! The Pattern Observer features photos of found patterns.......patterns found in nature, in art, in fashion design. Colors. Textures. Gorgeous photos. Inspiring!
Last week I was lying on a granite rock at the edge of an alpine lake in the High Sierras. Up above were fir trees. The tips of the top branches looked like snow flakes. Symmetry. Detail in the feathered edges of the needles. Pattern. Contrast against the blue sky.
Where do you go for inspiration? Tell us everything!

Winner and another Giveaway!

2011-10-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

Lee won a charm square pack and a fresh set of sewing needles for machine quilting! Lee, please contact us with your mailing info!

Here at Blackberry Quilts we are celebrating our 9th anniversary!

We are giving away a Prairie Girl baby quilt kit of your choice. To enter our anniversary giveaway, please tell us about the first quilt you ever made. What was the occasion? Who was it for? What fabrics did you use? Did you finish it?

Enter by October 30th, midnight.

Top 25 Thimgs to Take for Your Booth at a Trade Show

2011-09-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

Pack your bags with these items, and you will have 90% of what you need. I make no guarantees for the other 10%!

Camera
Chargers for those electronic gizmos
Extra Batteries
Square device for accepting credit cards on iPhone, iPad, Android
Cash drawer to make change
Double sided tape
Tape
Extra roll of packing tape
Pencils
Pencil sharpener
Pens
Stapler and staples
Scissors
Extension cord
Paperclips
Nail clipper
Safety Pins
Calculator
Swiffer and/or lint roller
Business Cards
Sharpies
Backup CD or flash drive of documents
Gum
Chocolate
Water bottle to refill as needed in airport, at show

And, after all that is packed, fly Southwest Airlines! Throw your clothing in a carry on, and then pack your stuff in not one, but two large boxes. Each box can measure up to 62" of height + width + depth, and weigh up to 50#. True story. Some people are so organized that they can ship it out early. That's not me.

Many thanks to all of the porters who helped me along the way.

How To Machine Quilt

2011-09-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

Machine Quilting is the Best!

Gather your supplies:

Rubber tipped gloves, preferably cotton, to grip the quilt and save your hands.
Safety Pins, the thinnest and finest you can find.
Brand new needle in your sewing machine.
Good music. You decide.
Straight Pins.
A walking foot. Buy one.

Stitch structural quilting lines

Sew structural lines across the quilt. Follow the sashing, for example, stitching in the ditch. Start in the middle and work your way to the edges.

Let the Quilt Talk to You

Sometimes at this point I let it sit overnight. It bubbles in my brain while I'm sleeping, and I wake up knowing just how to finish the quilt.

Here is a peak at my process:

The block has one large X across it, for structure. Hmm, not enough.

I added a diamond in the middle of the block. Still not enough. It doesn't speak to those little tiny 3/4" squares.

That's it! Stitched on the diagonal, through every other row, and now those tiny squares are talking to me!

Body Care:

Get up and do something different every half hour.
Turn on the lights. Work in natural light if you can. Add a lamp over your machine.
Drop your shoulders. (I tried Tai Chi-briefly-and came away with this gem. Turns out I'm not such a balanced person.)

Do you have any machine quilting tips? Tell us everything! One lucky winner will receive Schmetz sewing machine needles and a pack of 5" 1930s charm squares. Drawing ends Oct. 2nd at midnight.

The Creative Connection Event

2011-09-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

I had a magical time at The Creative Connection!

My fairy godmother was waving her wand:

having four days with my sister;
chatting with Darlene Zimmerman about her new amazing ruler that works for lefties or righties or when you're standing on your head;
giving an apron to a true blue farm girl;
waving at Amy of Inspire Co and saying hi like I've known her forever, and having her wave back;
oohing and ahhing over new fabrics coming soon from Carol Van Zandt;
talking buttons with Helen of Blumenthal Lansing;
meeting the 'white box challenge' that the 8' x 10' booth presented;
getting to know Emily and her mom, across the aisle.

The glitter on the fairy wand sprinkled a shooting star over me on the drive home.

Magical.

End of Summer Potato Salad with a Twist

2011-08-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

Adapted from Smoke & Spice, by Cheryl and Bill Jamison:

2# sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 3" chunks
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 Tablespoon sweet onion, diced
1/4 c cilantro, chopped roughly
salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:
1/3 c lime juice
1 canned chipotle chile, finely diced(this gives a hint of a bite-add more if you like it hot)
1 Tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/3 c olive oil

Boil sweet potatoes in a large pan of salted boiling water; cook until tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain, rinse, let cool, dice into 1/2" pieces.

Combine pepper, celery, onion, and cilantro in a large bowl. Add sweet potatoes, and mix.

Combine dressng ingredients and mix. Pour over potato mixture and mix gently. Taste and adjust seasoning. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.

Review: my non-potato-salad-loving hubby liked it! Also good with white potatoes.

Apron Giveaway Winner

2011-08-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

We have a winner! Thanks for all of your comments on aprons.

Nancy, please send us your contact information, to stef@blackberryquilts.com
and we will send out your apron. I apologize for the delay. Summer took on a life of its own here in our blackberry patch.

Inspiring

2011-08-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

Here is an amazing virtual quilt museum. Do you need an 'AHHHHHHHHHH' moment? Check out the beauties at the Eco American Quilt Museum. It's well worth the trip!

Win Tickets to The Creative Connection!

2011-07-29T06:14:00.000-07:00

Come say hi to us at The Creative Connection! In just 7 weeks we will be surrounded by creativity!

*Tweet the following: "Win a full pass and hotel for you and a friend to BlogHer Handmade and The Creative Connection Event!" #tccevent11" and have a link to http://www.thecreativeconnection.com/

*Leave a comment on The Creative Connection Blog that includes the following information: Why you want to attend BlogHer Handmade and The Creative Connection Event and who you would pick to take with you and why.

Also, be sure to leave the link to your tweet or Facebook promotion!

Additional entries:

Blog about this giveaway and tell your readers why you would love to attend BlogHer HANDMADE and The Creative Connection Event-5 additional entries-leave the link on each comment.

Have THE CREATIVE CONNECTIN EVENT button or link on the sidebar of yoru blog(2 entires-leave a link to your page on each comment)

Winner selected at random.org. This contest ends at 11:59 on Thursday August 4th. Winner announced Friday August 5th!

Pasta Sauce: Asian Pesto

2011-07-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

I was driving home last night at 6pm, with no idea of what I was about to make for dinner, but I had just picked cilantro from a community garden. Hmmmm... Here is what the cilantro became:

Asian Pesto

1 bunch cilantro, leaves only
1/4-1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 walnuts or a handful of peanuts
1-2" of fresh ginger, peeled and then grated
3-6 cloves garlic depending on how much you like garlic
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
(chopped jalapeno pepper)

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Whirl away until smooth.
Great mixed into a bowl of pasta, or as a dipping sauce for grilled vegetables or chicken.

Apron Strings

2011-06-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

Visit Apron Strings-still showing online!
Do you wear an apron while you cook? My Mom does. She has a favorite Sunset pattern -circa 1960s-that she makes up. It covers her from neck to knee. She's a serious cook!

Top Ten Quilting Tools

2011-05-31T07:04:00.000-07:00

These are my essential quilting tools. The top four would make it into a backpack for a road trip.

Really good hand sewing needles. I am loving John James needles. I threw away my collection of other needles when I found these. These slide into fabric.

High quality thread. No more cheap thread! It's not worth the headache. For stitching up quilt blocks on the machine my favorite is a huge cone of 100% cotton by Gutermann.

Sharp scissors. I have a classic pair of Ginghers which I love. And I have some lightweight Clover shears which are also wonderful.

Fine, sharp pins. These Clover pins are fabulous for all fabrics.

A new, sharp seam ripper for those unexpected oopses.

Radio-I need my tunes! And I'm old school. Haven't hopped on the IPod train. So far I prefer the simplicity of an on/off switch.

Light! I like to sew in natural light, next to a big window. If that won't work, I turn on my Ott light.

A comfy chair that's the right height for my sewing machine and table. No sore back.

A cutting mat and ruler.

The most amazing invention: a rotary cutter. I cut a lot, so I splurged on this weighted deluxe rotary cutter. If you counted up all of the hours this gadget has saved quilters in the last two decades, the number would easily make it to the sun and back.

The Creative Connection!

2011-05-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

There are only 110 days until The Creative Connection! We are so excited to be at The Creative Connection this fall! Come visit us!
The girl energy will be off the charts.

Apron Giveaway

2011-05-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

One lucky winner will receive an apron kit from BlackberryQuilts!

Please tell what it is about aprons that speaks to you. What colors do you like? What styles do you like? How do you feel when you are wearing an apron?

Contest ends June 30th.

Aprons

2011-05-08T08:32:00.000-07:00

Amazing photos of antique and vintage aprons, on the FIDM blog. The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising has a museum in Los Angeles. Thankfully they share their treasures on a blog!

Aprons

2011-04-26T10:26:00.001-07:00

Visit the Apron Museum in Mississippi! This is the only museum dedicated to aprons in the world. Are you headed south this summer? Take a detour to Iuka.

Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum

2011-02-27T06:48:00.002-08:00

Revealing the Diversity of Quilts-visit the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum and look at their current exhibit of WWII quilts.

The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Colorado is part of the Quilt Index. This project catalogs quilts, and you can look at all of this museum's quilts here.

Tell us which quilts you just love, and you'll be entered to win our giveaway for a baby quilt kit of your choice!

Share a Quilt

2011-02-27T06:32:00.000-08:00

Give art!

The San Jose Quilt Museum shares its collection with several e-postcards. Pick your favorite quilt, and share it with a friend.

Do you like art quilts? This museum has some gorgeous pieces. Peek at their current exhibits-and plan a trip!

National Quilting Month & Giveaway

2011-02-26T06:14:00.000-08:00

By the end of February I get antsy! Snow, ice, rain, dark skies.........it's time to get out of the house.

Let's celebrate National Quilting Month. Join me on a tour of quilt museums! Grab a cup of tea, and make yourself comfortable-our first stop could easily turn into an all day trip.

First stop: The International Quilt Study Center and Museum. Housed in Lincoln, Nebraska, this museum holds a treasure of our quilting history. And, best of all, you can look at the quilts from home! Here is a sample of what you can view:

Current exhibit on white corded quilts fom Marseille.

Grace Snyder collection, featuring one of my favorite eras, the 1930s

Mosaic patchwork exhibit, starting this spring

They even share their extensive collection of quilts with the online collections database. Have you ever gone to a historical quilt show, only to see a sampling of the treasures, released for viewing, then quickly stored and protected again? Now you can look at all of the quilts, for as long as you want!

Giveaway!
We will post fabulous museums all month long. Go peek at their quilts, and let us know which quilt caught your eye!

Post a comment here, for each museum, and you will be entered into our National Quilting Month giveaway. Tweeters: Let us know that you tweeted about it in a comment, and you will be entered again!
We are giving away a baby quilt kit of your choice, our fabulous John James needles, and hand quilting thread to the winner.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

2011-01-16T10:25:00.000-08:00

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Syrup

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

2/3 cup cocoa powder(we like Guittard)

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Combine water and sugar. Bring to a boil.
Add cocoa powder and salt, mix well, and simmer for 3 min. Stir! It will thicken.
Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.

Store in the refrigerator.

Substitute cinnamon for Mexican hot chocolate, or peppermint extract.

To make hot chocolate, add 3 Tablespoons syrup to 1 cup of hot milk.

Crossing the Finish Line

2011-01-02T07:51:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I played in a block swap on SewManySwaps. Every month I would receive a package with a few key fabrics. I was free to make blocks of my choice, staying within a few guidelines sent by the swapper. At the end of the month I'd send the package on to the next swapper, and wait for the next batch!When the swap ended I got an amazing package full of star blocks, each using a few of my key fabrics. This is the quilt those blocks made!
It took me several years to settle on this zig zag setting, and I am so happy that I waited for this.
This quilt now keeps my father-in-law warm and cozy on the East Coast.
My deepest thanks to everyone who made these blocks. It was so fun to play along.

10 Tips for Holiday Survival

2010-11-13T17:39:00.000-08:00

I really like to give home made gifts. When there is time and forethought, this is what I like to do: create something special. But I don't have endless hours......Here are 10 quick and easy hand made gifts! Try one this weekend. These are quick and easy gifts.

Make one with your kids. They will remember the time you spend together more than the latest gadget they are asking for. Come visit our tutorials.....

1. Customize baby onesies! Buy a generic package of plain white onesides, and add some pizzaz. Time: 1 hour

2. Give cash in a hand made wallet! Perfect for the person who has enough stuff.

Time: 2 hours

3. Pincushion-quick and easy We used scraps-try a corner of a treasured but retired quilt.

Time: 1 hour

4. Use scraps to make a headband. Make one in every color to match your outfit!

Time: 1 hour

5. Make your own advent calender with activities for your family. This is your chance to keep it real, keep it simple, and focus on what is meaningful for you.

Time: 1-2 hours

6. Buy a dollar store planner and cover it with fabric you make from your scrap pile.

Time: 2 hours

7. Share your favorite recipes. Ask your aunties and uncles for their secret recipes, and record them!

Time: 1: hour

8. Put together a sewing kit for a girl in your life. Or an embroidery kit! Last summer I put together embroidery thread, scissors, an embroidery hoop, and large muslin squares into a wrapped box for some pint sized friends. They were given instructions not to open it until they were 1 hour into a 4 week road trip. The creations they came home with!

Time: 1 hour

9. Make your own lavender water for ironing. Or spritzing your house. Go to town and create special labels.

Time: 1 hour.

10. Finally, wrap it up! Make your own reusable, green gift wrap. I use orphan quilt blocks and leftover pieces of fabric. Give a gift and feel good about the wrapping. And, over the years, this will end up saving you lots of time!

Time: 1 hour.

And, of course, start early. We take our family photo in November, and try to send out the cards by Dec. Who has time to write? A picture says a thousand words.

Tiny Prints provides stylish, modern and unique stationery from photo cards to personalized greeting cards to thank you cards and business cards. Offering exclusive designs from the nation's top designers, easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality, their designs have been lauded by numerous television networks, publications and celebrities. With Tiny Prints by your side the Holidays will be a cinch! They offer adorable Thanksgiving Cards, Christmas Cards, Hanukkah Cards, and even New Years Cards. All fully customizable and personalizable.

I wrote this while participating in the TwitterMoms and Tiny Prints blogging program, making me eligible to get a $75 Tiny Prints gift certificate. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Add your favorite holiday survival tip, for a chance to win a scrappy gift of a dozen fabrics! Drawing will be held December 10th.

Giveaway

2010-11-12T08:33:00.000-08:00

We closed our giveaway at midnight, Pacific Standard Time. We will count all comments entered on 11/11/10! Check back tomorrow for our winner. Thank you! I really enjoyed hearing about all of the color combinations.

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour!

2010-11-11T07:14:00.001-08:00

Welcome to our blog!

Would you like to win a hot-off-the-press copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks? One lucky quilter will win from our blog! Enter at Quiltmakers blog for another chance!

Leave a comment here-Just tell us your favorite colors to use in baby quilts!

We are waking up on West coast time, so I'm sorry if we missed some early birds. We will certainly use the entries from earlier this morning, posted below.

Giveaway Winner

2010-11-09T07:17:00.000-08:00

8th Anniversary Giveaway: Joyce has chosen the Pretty as Posie quilt kit as her prize!

Have fun making up this sweet baby quilt, Joyce!

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks 2010 Giveaway

2010-11-07T18:17:00.001-08:00

Join us on a week of touring blogs! Come back on Thursday, November 11th, and enter here for your chance to win a copy of the new release of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks.

Go to Quiltmaker's Blog to get your daily tour guide, and enter for a chance to win a fabulous ginormous prize package.

November 8-12 only. Pack your bags and let's go!

Giveaway Winner!

2010-10-31T13:33:00.000-07:00

We used the random number generator(how fun is that!) at http://www.random.org/ and got #17. The seventeenth person to comment was .....drum roll.......Joyce!

Joyce, Please write us, stef@Blackberryquilts.com and let us know which kit you would like!

Eighth Anniversary-Giveaway

2010-10-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

It's our eighth anniversary over at BlackberryQuilts!

Everything is on sale this week. Type in HIKE at checkout to get 25% off your entire order.

Tell us what you're sewing this fall, and you will be entered to win our giveaway! We will send the lucky winner a baby quilt kit of their choice.

You can enter more than once! Share our giveaway on your blog, facebook, or a tweet, and let us know about it in another comment.

Contest ends October 29, 2010. Enter now!

Doll Clothes

2010-09-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

Free patterns for American Girl doll clothes! How fun is this?! Thank you, American Girl Playthings.

Dolls!

2010-09-20T15:50:00.000-07:00

Just found a new blog for American Girl and Madam Alexander dolls.

Confession: I have all of the recent McDonald's Madame Alexander dolls.......and most of their Madam Alexander dolls for the past years. They come out to play at Halloween.

Lake Time

2010-08-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

I have been blessed with both good friends and a lake in my 'backyard'. Many thanks for the blue water, the kayaking, the picnic, the osprey diving for fish.

Carousels

2010-08-23T20:14:00.000-07:00

A summer icon: riding a carousel. We got to visit a restored Merry-Go-Round in San Francisco this summer. Kids were only a dollar! How refreshing.

Lose yourself on these Antique Carousels !

Scrap Bag Projects-Giveaway!

2010-08-06T08:02:00.001-07:00

Check out all of our Green Sewing Projects! Share what you have made out of your scrap bag, or old clothes, and you will be entered to win a bag of quilter's scraps!

Prairie Girl Kits on Sale

2010-07-31T06:57:00.000-07:00

Pssst-over at BlackberryQuilts we're having a sale! All Prairie Girl kits are just two for $29.95.

Beat the summer doldrums. Learn how to quilt-this is a perfect project for beginners.

How To Remove Berry Stains

2010-07-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

I grew up picking strawberries in Oregon fields. This was before the day of child labor laws. We had fun, mostly. And we earned a few dollars of our own.
To remove berry stains from cotton clothing: pour a kettle or two of boiling water over the stains. Watch the stains disappear. Honest.

Top Ten Quilting Mistakes

2010-07-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

I've made all of these mistakes while learning to quilt!

1. Using sheets for fabric. I've cut up white sheets-recycling-and tried a fancy designer sheet for the back of a quilt. Don't do it! The high thread county makes for difficult stitching.

2. Putting away a Work In Progress in order to work on something else more urgent-such as a birthday gift needed this weekend. I've discovered a few of those WIPs years later while cleaning closets.

3. Along those lines: getting into the habit of starting a new project before finishing the old one.

4. Not checking my 1/4" seam allowance for accuracy. It turns out that my presser foot edge is not anywhere near 1/4"! This has created quite a few wonky blocks.

5. Sewing one project on different sewing machines. I have my workhorse in the sewing room, and a portable hand crank machine I can use in the dining room when friends come over to sew. The presser feet sew different 1/4" seam allowances-and I end up with different sizes of blocks.

6. Thinking I can finish a king-sized quilt on my home machine. Seven years later I found a long arm quilter to finish that baby!

7. Using polyester batting. Those little white tufts that poke through the fabric are so annoying!

8. Cheap thread. Remember those 5 for $1 spools way back when? Throw them out! It's not worth the aggravation of broken threads and knots.

9. Not changing the sewing machine needle often enough. After 40 hours or so, those needles get dull! And, if you're like me and speed sewing over pins, they get bent.

10. Trying to save money and using that rotary blade for one more day, even though it has a hitch in its gitalong. Switch it out!

What mistakes have you made? Share with us, and enter our giveaway for a bag-0-scraps! Ends July 15th.

Desktop organizer

2010-06-20T07:18:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick project-and it will help my desktop stay organized!!! Grab an old book, one old Reader's Digest, and your glue gun. Art and organization all in one.

Desktop Organizer

Thank you, My Desert Cottage!

Journey into Quiltland

2010-05-24T07:02:00.000-07:00

How did I start making quilts? The charming girls are sharing their stories!

Stored away in my doll house, from age 10, there is a little bed quilt made of flamboyant 1970s colors. I hand stitched little squares of torquoise, green, and purple together.

(Where did I get that fabric? A friend of my grandmothers had sent us an entire apple box full of her sewing room scraps. And my Mom, bless her heart, gave us lots of room and space to play and make stuff. She didn't freak out at the mess factor.)

I definitely have a sewing gene. As a teenager I sewed lots of clothes. Mom was there if I needed help reading those blessed instructions. As a college student and beyond there was always a project in the works. For college graduation I got a sewing machine.

Two things happend in my 30s:

I grew tired of making clothes that would end up in the out-of-fashion-pile at the back of my closet. Hours to sew no longer stretched ahead of me endlessly.

and

Friend Laurie threw us a surprise baby shower, and then took me to a quilt store, waited while I chose fabrics, and took me home and showed me how to use that rotary cutter and ruler. Before Laurie that cutter had me terrified. So sharp! That was in 1995.

I've been making baby quilts ever since. I can finish them! Lots of large UFOs are lurking in my workroom, but the little quilts are done.

So, thanks to good friends and good family, I am a quilter!

May Flowers

2010-05-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

Sierra Nevada wildflowers are magnificent this spring! We are still having cool weather, sprinkled with rain. Flowers are blooming that I've never seen before. Thanks to some dear friends, I got to hike in the mountains today. The dogs romped, the friends talked, and I am at peace and satisfied.

Quote

2010-04-30T07:33:00.000-07:00

"You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him."
-Audrey Hepburn

What inspires you?

2010-04-19T14:00:00.001-07:00

Color inspires me!

I had the pleasure of taking pictures of rainbow colors on Maui this month.

What inspires you? Write me a note, and you will be entered into a drawing, on April 30th, for 1930s charm squares!

April's Project

2010-04-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

This falls in the category of "Done is better than perfect, and better late than never." Perhaps I could stencil that on the wall of my sewing room!

My April project for the Charming Girls Quilt Club is to finish some of my purplework squares. They have been languishing in a corner, and they really are quite darling. So I set a goal of doing one strand of embroidery thread a day. Some days that has not happend. Plan B: do 2 strands a day when possible.

11 days until the end of the month and I've finished a square!!

Love this goal setting.

Quote

2010-04-16T07:09:00.000-07:00

"Never grow a wishbone, daughter, where your backbone ought to be."

Clementine Paddleford

From my Mom!

Done!

2010-03-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

My March project is done! We're racing off to our tropical vacation. And I don't even need to hem this in the car.

Friday Photo

2010-03-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

Marble and Brick Detail, Sonoma Public Library

March Goal

2010-03-06T07:06:00.001-08:00

The Charming Girls & Boys Quilt Club has helped me finish two quilts! This month I want to make a sun dress for an upcoming vacation. I passed up the gorgeous but complicated Vogue dress patterns with linings and many pieces, and chose the 'Easy' pattern. This should be do-able. I'm learning.

Friday Photo

2010-03-05T05:01:00.000-08:00

Piano key borders? Sonoma Public Library Building

Machine Quilting Inspiration

2010-03-04T09:50:00.001-08:00

For anyone who's had the pleasure of seeing Diane Gaudynski's work in person, you know why I'm excited about this find. Here is a real treat: Diane's Blog. Go look at her quilts!

Friday Photo

2010-02-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

Old Brick Building in Sonoma: Texture!

Finished Quilt

2010-02-23T07:44:00.000-08:00

Ta Dah! Here is a finished quilt. This is a rare sighting. At our house we commonly see the quilt square, the UFO, the sketch, the fabric pile, but rarely the completed quilt. Thanks so much to Charming Girls Quilt Club for inspiring me!

This was started at a class with Sandy K of American Jane (we won't say when!). It took me about ten of those stars to get the hang of them. Lesson learned: don't give up.

Friday Photo

2010-02-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

Stucco Detail seen on Sonoma Square

Friday Photos

2010-02-16T11:12:00.000-08:00

Mustard Bloom: Napa Valley in January.

I see a row quilt.

Friday Photo

2010-01-15T09:07:00.000-08:00

More quilting designs-all around us!

Friday Photo

2010-01-08T11:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Friday Photos!

There are things of beauty all around us. This historic Methodist church was built in 1860, in California's gold rush country. Today the texture and patterns in the steeple caught my eye.

What inspires you?

3D Paper Stars

2009-12-14T07:32:00.001-08:00

These are so fun! Make 3-D paper stars at home with this fabulous tutorial from the Lost Button Studio!

Wrap it Up!

2009-12-10T07:31:00.000-08:00

Do you have some orphan quilt blocks? Pieces of fabric that didn't quite work in your last project?

Stitch them together into a gift bag!

Gather two fabric squares and ribbon.

Cut two pieces of ribbon, twine, or skinny scraps. Pin ends to the raw edge on the right side of one square, about 2" from the top edge.
Place two squares right sides together.

Stitch 3 sides, sewing over the ribbon to secure it.

Turn inside out and wrap!

You can use your pinking shears and work with raw edges. Or, finish off the top of the bag with a strip of coordinating fabric.

Gifts Week 1

2009-12-02T07:19:00.000-08:00

Personalize a baby gift! Add an applique to a onesie or a t-shirt. How to applique:

Fuse double sided iron-on fusible to the wrong side of the fabric. I like a very lightweight fusible.
Trace your shape on the wrong side. (Remember that the right side will be reversed, or a mirror image!) Cut carefully on the line.
Fuse shape on the onesie or t-shirt.
Stitch around the edge to secure. Handstitch a buttonhole stitch, or use a good old zig zag on the sewing machine!

Done!

Gifts Week 2

2009-11-19T07:21:00.000-08:00

Are you giving the gift of cash? Dress it up with a customized wallet!

How to make a wallet: Directions and photos are here!

Gifts Week 3

2009-11-12T07:19:00.000-08:00

Here is another scrappy project! Make a headband for the girls in your life.

Supplies:

two 2.5" x 19-20" wide strips for grownups, or 18" long for a 10 year old girl
3 inches of 1" elastic
two 2" x 6" strips

Sew Headband

Iron long strips in half to make them 10" long. To shape the headband, trim away a skinny triangle from each side, making the headband wide at the fold, and skinny at the ends. Mark a point 3/8" in from the cut ends. Draw a 10" line from this point to the edge of the fold. Cut. Repeat on the other side. Shape a curve by trimming away the point at the fold.

Iron 1/4" under on each end of each strip.

Place strips right sides togehter, and stitch a 1/4" seam down both long edges, backstitching at the ends. Turn inside out. Press. Topstitch if desired.

Sew Elastic Sleeve

Place 6" strips right sides together, and stitch both long sides, backstitching at ends. Turn inside out. Thread elastic through this tube, and secure it with stitching at each end.

Finish Headband

Stuff each end of the elastic sleeve into the ends of the headband, making a circle. Stitch across the ends of the headband to secure.

2009-11-09T12:39:00.000-08:00

"With many serviceable substitutes it is not really necessary for women to make quilts now, but the strange fascination about the work holds their interest."

Marie D. Webster, in Quilts Their Story and How to Make Them, 1915

Week 4 Gifts

2009-11-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

Share the love!
Do you have a quilt top that you have been holding onto, not sure how to proceed?
Share it with a wounded soldier!
Quilts of Valor will connect you with a long arm quilter, who will turn the quilt top into a soft warm quilt to comfort a soldier.

Giveaway Winners!

2009-11-05T16:35:00.000-08:00

We have winners for our October giveaway! Ruth Anne S., Sue C., Amy F, and Liz, please contact me with your addresses! Stef@Blackberryquilts.com

Week 5 Gifts

2009-10-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

Here's another recession proof gift: recover an old, tired potholder! You know those potholders that won't get clean in the wash anymore? The potholders from 80's color schemes that don't match anymore? Recover them! Make them cute again with a fresh new fabric cover.

Pick a color or pattern that makes you smile everytime you use it!

Week 6 Gifts

2009-10-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

Use your scraps and tidbits to make a custom cover for a planner. I found a 2010 planner for $1 at Target. Score! You can turn an ordinary notebook or diary or planner into something special in about an hour.

How to Make a Book Cover:

Make fabric out of scraps: Sew together scraps into chunks of fabric, then combine the chunks into a larger piece of 'fabric'. Press as you go. Make it 6" wider and 4" taller than your planner. Press well.

Place the planner on top of your fabric. Draw a line to mark the top and bottom of the spine of the planner, extending it about 1" on either side of the spin, and making it a smidge taller than the planner. Clip straight down to the line, as shown below. Press this flap down. Topstitch close to the edge of the flap.

Lay planner on fabric, and press it down flat. Draw around it, about 1/8" from the edges.

Trim the edges nice and even, leaving 1-2" on the top and bottom, and 2-3" on the sides. Press under 1/4" on the sides and topstitch.

Using the line on the sides as a guide, fold the sides on the line, placing right sides together. See the right side of the picture below. Sew across the top and bottom of the flap, along the lines.

Turn inside out, shown below on the left side of the picture below:

This is what the inside will look like. A mess!

Tuck the planner into the cover. No more mess!

Fun! Share your project with Just something I whipped up every Monday!

Quilting Designs

2009-10-21T18:31:00.000-07:00

Leah has posted a dresden-plate inspired machine quilting design! (Day 66) I think it'd look fabulous in a border. Check out her 365 days of quilting designs.

Halloween Memories

2009-10-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

This was my favorite costume. I was a prairie girl. Little House on the Prairie books were my favorites. My Mom and Dad and I picked out the fabric-at a Sprouse Reitze?-and Mom sewed it up. I also wore it to school throughout the whole 4th grade year.

When Mom cleaned out her patterns and gave me this I smiled. This month it's on display for my viewing pleasure.

(Check out the price-$1!)

Do you have a favorite Halloween memory?

Week 7 Gifts

2009-10-14T17:34:00.001-07:00

Seven weeks to December!

Our weekly gift idea is a home-made pincushion. Create a custom color combination, and personalize this pincushion. Use up scraps! Play! Decorate with buttons and trim as desired. Wouldn't this be cute with treasured baby clothes? Make a pincushion to match your decor.

To make:

Gather scraps, stuffing, needle and thread.

Make fabric. Sew together a few scraps into a 6" wide chunk. Press. Repeat, and then sew the chunks together. Continue until you have a piece of 'fabric' that is 6" x 12".

Fold fabric in half, right sides together. Sew around the 3 sides with a 1/4" seam allowance, but leave a 4"opening for turning inside out.

Miter the 4 corners with a 1" miter.

Turn inside out. Stuff. Stitch up the opening. Decorate with a button the top!

I'm having fun with this. Stay tuned for more variations on a theme of pincushions. Several years ago I used a scrap of a vintage quilt to make a little square pincushion. It's soft and worn and lovely.

Comment on our gift ideas, or share an idea, and you will be entered in this month's drawing for charm squares!

Week 8 Gifts

2009-10-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

This is our third week of the Gift Giving Ideas Extravaganza. Already!

-Make a comment, and enter our October giveaway for charm squares-

Thanks for the ideas that you shared with us. I think I'm going to put together some cooking baskets with an apron this year.

This week shares our cooking theme: share your favorite recipes! Do you have an amazingly easy casserole that everyone loves? A method of making vegetables that your kids love? Incredible chocolate cake? Share the love!

One year my sister, in college and broke, hand copied all of my Mom's best cookie recipes for me. I treasure those recipes. I especially like seeing her handwriting.

Gather your family recipes, and start copying! Or typing!

Here's my secret for serving broccoli, passed down from my Grandmother, to my Mother, to me.
Steam broccoli. Drain and place in serving dish. Return pan to the stove, add a dollop of real butter, minced onions, heat for about 1 minute, then add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Pour sauce over broccoli!

Week 9 Gifts

2009-09-30T16:53:00.000-07:00

Collect Seeds!

I have little envelopes full of marigold seeds, lupine seeds, and wild sweet pea seeds. We also have some type of wild sunflower that grows like a weed on the side of the road here. If it will grow there, I figure I can keep it alive, so I am off to collect those seeds too.

You can store seeds with a little bit of rice to absorb moisture.

Quick, before the rain starts.

Ten

2009-09-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

Ten, as in ten weeks to December.........Enough said.

Homemade jam, sauce, jelly, salsa. Yum! It's homemade, it's edible, it's a treat, it's special, you can personalize it with your own special ingredients. You can do this in a few hours one night.

Don't have jars? Ask an older neighbor, or hunt through a thrift store.

We just made Chipotle Peach Barbecue Sauce, and Salsa.

Need ideas? Check out Fresh Preserving.

The P Word, Again

2009-09-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

P for Pleasure, that is! I am so happy! Smiles all around.

At 10:21 on August 31st I finished this blessed top. Mitered corners and applique included.

I'm currently researching ways to get it quilted. Send it out, or take a class and rent a long arm machine. Hmmmm.

Thank you to the Charm Girls Quilt Club for the deadline and push in the tush to get going on this project.

The P Word

2009-08-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

Sunday-August 23-with 8 days left in the Charm Girls Quilt Challenge-I got the quilt out of the box, and found the other box with the borders.

I found borders almost complete and ready to sew. I found prewashed fabrics. I found a list of what needs to be done yet(!). This is no big deal, I think. So why did I stop? What keeps me from finishing?

As I pin one of 3 borders onto the body of the quilt, I realize that I could have had this baby done years ago if it weren't for this stupendous border I'm building.

Does this fall into the "done is better than perfect" category?
The first border is on!

I'm researching quilters to finish this larger than life quilt. Not sure I can arm wrestle with it on my home machine.

Berries

2009-08-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

The blackberries are here! We picked mountain elderberries yesterday. Today I will go back for some Sierra blackberries. Nothing will compare to Oregon berries, but these will do.

Charming Girls Tag

2009-08-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

1. Share your favorite quilting or sewing tip:

Don't prewash anything. You'll get that antique look. And save time!

2. Share your best tip for managing time more effectively (what works best for you)!

I keep coming back to http://www.flylady.net/; spend 15 minutes every day on that big overwhelming Thing you're trying to finish. Have I done it on the pineapple quilt? Unfortunately, no.

3. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Snorkeling........Great Barrier Reef? Curacao? Anywhere with turtles?

Need help finishing quilts?

2009-08-02T10:02:00.001-07:00

Do you find it more fun to start a project than finish it?

If you are like me, you have more than a few unfinished projects. I am a much better starter than finisher. But when I see those forgotton, unfinished projects, I feel a terrible weight and guilt and general ick. So, today, I went on a rampage:

1. Bag filled with UFOs that I will truly never finish. The cutest dress pattern ever, unfortunately, relies on a hundred pleats to make it swing. Gone. A modified dress pattern almost done over a year ago. Gone. Bits of baby flannels. Gone.

2. A list of small projects to finish, one a day, all week. Extension and new hem on a top. Done.

3. Signing up for the Charming Girls Quilt Club to finish the grandmother of guilt-quilts this month: A king sized pineapple with custom appliqued pinapple borders. Started for a dear aunt's 70th birthday. She just turned 76. Oops.
I found the quilt peeking at me on a shelf. It took a bit of digging to get it. Feeling scared and anxious.

There she is! That wasn't so bad, after all. Next step, spreading it all out, and figuring out what's next.
Do you have any guilt-quilts hiding in your closet? It's time to air them out! Post a comment by August 19th, on this topic, and you will be entered into a drawing for charm squares.

Green Shopping Bag

2009-07-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

Make your own green shopping bag! Download a free pattern from Burda. It only uses 3/4 of a yard of fabric (you might have some waiting to be used). Customize it to make it your own!

I'm thinking this is the perfect summer sewing club project for the girls.

PS After signing in to Burda, there is a very tiny button on the bottom right of the photos that says 'Print This'. That will get you to the pattern.

Recycling Quilts

2009-06-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

A dear cousin gave me a vintage quilt top. The vibrant colors were bright, so bright that it hurt my eyes. What to do? It's been sitting in a box for severaaaalllll years now.

On a recent car trip I tore up the quilt with a new, sharp seam ripper. (I love those Clover gizmos!)

Separated, the quilt blocks naturally fell into two piles. One pile was shades of blue, green, and turquoise, and the other was pinks and browns. Who knew that a quilt top from the 1960s would give up a fabulous, current, color combination?!

There are enough blocks to make two baby blankets. And luckily my cousin has two grandbabies in her life!

How To Hand Sew a Rail Fence Block

2009-05-29T07:38:00.000-07:00

I like handsewing. It's portable. It goes with me to softball games, orthodontist appointments, car rides. It calms me down. It helps me sit still and listen in meetings. It's social; I can do it while sitting with a group of people.

This is for dear Rosemary, who perseveres.

Rail Fence Block, 6" finished

Materials:

Strips of fabric, each 2.5" x 6.5"
A good needle. I love John James needles.
A few pins.
Cotton thread.

Mark a sewing line:

Draw a scant 1/4" seam allowance on one strip. Use a sharp pencil(mechanical is best)to draw a line that is almost but not quite 1/4" from the edge.

Tip: Make one block, measure it, make sure it is finishing at 6.5". If it does not measure 6.5", adjust your seam allowance to be smaller or larger, as needed, and then mark more pieces. Sometimes a very small adjustment in the seam allowance makes all the difference!

Sew a seam:

Next, pin two of these strips together, right sides together. You will only see the wrong side of the fabric.

Using no more than 18" of thread, thread your needle and make a knot in one end. It's best if you make the knot in the end that you just cut. The twist of the thread flows smoothly, and there are less snaggles that way.

Sew along the line, with a running stitch. Simply push the needle through the fabric, bend it or rock it slightly, and bring it back up to the top again. Try to stay on the line as much as possible. Make your stitches as small as you can. As you get comfortable with this stitch, put the needle through the fabric two or three times before pulling the thread through.

Tip: Be careful not to pull the thread so hard that the fabric gathers.

My grandmother's tip: Every few inches, make a small back stitch before sewing forward. This makes an incredible strong seam.

Make a knot at the very end of the seam. Take a very small stitch, bring the needle to the top, and pull the thread until there is a small loop left. Put the needle through the loop and pull tight. Repeat.

Next, add the third strip to this unit:

This is what the wrong side will look like:

From the top side of the block, press the seams to one side. This is what it looks like on the back:

Check Block Size!

Take the time to do this step. Measure the block from side to side, across the seams. It should be 6.5" wide. If it is not, adjust the seam allowance on your next block.

This block did not measure 6.5"! It's too small. My seam allowances were drawn at exactly 1/4", and they are too large. The next block needs to have scant 1/4" seam allowances.

Tip: You don't need to get too obssessive about this. 6 and 3/8" works just fine, but 6 1/4" makes for a very small seam allowance that is not very strong.

This all matters when you start to sew all of the blocks together.

Sew two blocks together:

Mark a scant 1/4" seam allowance on one edge of a block, as shown:

Pin two blocks together, right sides together, perpendicular to each other, as shown.

This is what the blocks will look like when they are pinned together and ready to sew:

Sew the seam. As you are sewing across a seam allowance, lift up the seam allowance, and sew only on the block. Take a small stitch before crossing the seam allowance, shown below in a blury photo:

When you get to the other side of the seam allowance, take a small backstitch, as shown below: Continue sewing. This process makes the seam strong.

Here are two blocks sewn together:

Continue sewing rail fence blocks until you have a lovely quilt! Each block will be 6" x 6" after all the seams are sewn.

How To Sew on Scout Patches

2009-05-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

No more aching fingers! Here are my tips:

1. Use a sewing machine.
2. Put in a large needle, size 100, or a denim needle.
3. Fill the bobbin with thread that matches the color of the vest.
4. Get out different colors of top thread to match the borders of the patches.
5. Gather all the safety pins you own.
6. Arrange patches in their proper position or in a pleasing design.
7. Arrange on a hard surface that can be poked by safety pins.
8. Keep the vest or sash flat, with nothing under it.
9. Carefully pin each patch with two safety pins. Two will keep it level and in position. Really. Take the time to do this.
10. Sew! Stitch on the border of the patch. Overlap the beginning stitches for one inch to secure it. Hold the threads as you start sewing to prevent snafus on the back.

How to: Make a Wallet

2009-05-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

My girlfriend wants a kayak. It was her birthday. We were leaving for the party in an hour. Eeeek! I made her a special wallet to stash her kayak fund. A dream fund. This would be a great graduation gift.

Do you have an hour? Gather your scraps!

1. Cut two rectangles of fabric, 9" x 4.5"

2. Cut one 'skinny strip', 9" x 3.5"

3. Cut trim, 1" x 9", or use bias tape.

4. Cut one scrap, 1.5" x 3", for tab, or use ribbon.

5. Gather assorted scraps and fusible web for decorating, and a snap or velcro for the closure.

(There is no photo here, but I am putting this up in the spirit of getting it done, but not perfect.)

1. Finishing the pocket edge: Sew the trim piece to the skinny strip, with a 1/4" seam, down the long edge. Press the trim up and away from the skinny strip. Press under 1/4" on the other long edge of the trim(like making bias tape). Next, fold the trim over the seam allowance, to finish it off. Stitch close to the edge. Tip: When you fold the trim over and press it, extend the edge a bit past the seam. Then you can stitch in the ditch, from the top, and catch the edge on the bottom.

2. Attaching the pocket: Place the pocket on the RIGHT side of one of the rectangles, matching raw edges. Baste to keep it all even and square.

3. Tab: Imagine you are making bias tape. Press tab in half, lengthwise. Next, press under one end 1/4" . Press each edge under 1/4". Stitch close the edges.

To attach the tab, place it on top of the pocket piece, on the left side of the wallet, aligning raw edges. Baste.

4. Sewing the wallet: Place the second rectangle on top of the pocket unit, right sides together. Stitch, with a 1/2" seam, leaving a 4" opening on the bottom. Backstitch over the tab and the pocket edges for strength. Trim the corner seam allowances.

Turn inside out, press. Stitch across the bottom, close to the edge.

5. Decorate! Now you can make this personal! Iron on fusible webbing to your scraps. Cut out into desired shapes, and iron onto the wallet.

6. Tab Closure: Sew a snap or velcro onto the tab and the wallet.

Done!

Spring Cleaning

2009-05-11T21:17:00.000-07:00

It's time to give your sewing machine a spring cleaning. Follow these step by step photos and directions . Your machine will hum!

Joy

2009-05-09T14:17:00.001-07:00

"One filled with joy preaches without preaching" ~ Mother Teresa

Quilt of Valor

2009-04-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

Last week many quilts were presented to wounded soliders stationed in New Hampshire.

Danielle finished the top with beautiful quilting. The '25 patches' are made of Kona Natural and 1800s reproduction prints.

Do you have any lap-sized quilt tops in the works? Connect with another QOV volunteer to have it machine quilted, and send it on!

Wildflowers

2009-04-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

Spring comes early in the Sierra Nevada. We have to catch it while we can! Enjoy a glimpse of our annual wilflower spectacular.

My Creative Space

2009-03-26T19:31:00.001-07:00

This week I am working on a scrappy Ocean Waves quilt. Sunday I almost got a headache, figuring out the configuration, and then, snap, it all came together easily. The antique quilts are my inspiration. More spaces are here.

Organizing 101

2009-02-18T13:58:00.000-08:00

I love this post by Bonnie at Quiltville. She has some great organizing tips for quilters. Here is one that I have already tried: Pin together 10 blocks at a time. No more counting one by one to learn that you have 77 blocks made, 23 to go!

P.S. These scraps are becoming an Ocean Wave quilt.

Love Letters

2009-01-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

Before there were emails and texts, there were Penny Postcards. Henry sent a daily postcard from San Francisco to his love Schotz in Connecticut. The one cent stamps were always upside down. This card was sent Jan 10, 1913. Henry and Schotz eventually married and lived down the hill from my grandparents.
We have over a year's worth of postcards.
Write a love letter!

Giving gifts

2008-11-30T10:36:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite gifts to give girls is a sewing kit.

Why I think girls love receiving these:

#1) It's their very own. No bugging Mom or Gram or Auntie.
#2) Mom can't accuse them of losing or ruining her best sewing scissors.
#3) Good tools work better.
#4) No-rules creativity is the best.
#5) Even a girl without a sewer in the house can start making stuff-all by herself!
#6) No sewing machine needed.

What I like to include:

Really good scissors. Clover makes some 7" pink handled scissors that are adorable.

Quality thread. Anyone who's ever fought with thread understands this. None of the five for $1 spools.

Pins and needles. I have become hooked on English hand sewing needles. They glide.

Fabric: scraps, bundles, thrift store finds. Cotton is easier to sew on.

One starter project or pattern or idea: pre-cut quilt squares, directions to make a tote bag or purse.

If you sew, a coupon for a sewing lesson.

Halloween Happiness

2008-10-25T07:44:00.000-07:00

One week and counting! Here's a hip hip hooray to all of the people who are busy creating happy Halloween memories for children. Thanks, Mom!

Share the Love

2008-10-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

Do you have any special quilt tops that need a good home? Send them to a wounded soldier! Quilts of Valor will connect you with a long arm quilter, who will finish the top and send it to a soldier wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Unfortunately, they need lots of quilts.

My quiting buddy and I started a project with Civil War reproduction fabrics this year. We have been following a Judy Rothermel pattern, and it was pretty darned easy. Do you ever just want to sit down and sew?! This was perfect for those urges: I cut strips, and sewed for 15 minutes whenever I had the chance, and watched the stack of blocks pile up. Now we've put these adorable little (5")checkerboards together. I feel that this quilt needs a new home. Off it goes to another Quilts of Valor sewer to be finished. I hope it will give comfort.

Lavender Water

2008-09-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

Mark Lipinski generously shares his recipe for homemade lavender linen water here: http://www.marklipinski.com/. (Look under Tips from Tulip.) It smells heavenly! What a way to iron.
Wouldn't this make a wonderful gift?