Go Team! Broncos Pillow

We've been straying from big gift-giving for several years, especially at Christmas.  My family abolished gift exchange a couple of years ago and rather than disappointing anyone, it's really cut down on holiday stress.  Now, we just have a select few on my husbands' side that we still wrap things up for in December.  Jer's grandpa is a big Denver Broncos football fan (so is Jeremy and so am I) so I made -- ahem, skirting the license laws here -- a Denver Broncos throw pillow.  Here it is in all its glory:

The front has a simple grid of quilting in Aurifil thread.  The mane did not turn out how I envisioned but after cutting the blue appliqué, I realized my original plan would be too complicated and might stretch the fabric so I improvised with the zig-zag stitch in orange.  The lettering did turn out legible though and I feel like it gets its point across.

The back is my favorite part.  I made a cathedral window block but it's BIG.  I mean, it's twenty inches big.

That means, I cut four twenty-inch squares and folded them down into ten-inchers and then sewed those four together to make the foundation.  I picked some favorite blues and oranges from the stash and used a glue stick to keep them attached while I sewed.  I can't say it enough, cathedral windows are fun!  I did end up covering the intersections with buttons but they didn't look bad before.

There's a zipper at the bottom and a twenty-inch down pillow insert inside.  Jer's grandpa had to move into an assisted living situation recently and although his little apartment is accessible and clean, it doesn't have as many touches of home as he was used to.  We didn't make it to Montana to see Grandpa unwrap but I heard he gave it a long hug and that makes me feel really good to think about.

Did I tell you all Happy New Year?  I think I just did!

Keep stitchin'.

-Kristin

My Favorite Sewing Tool

Invariably, from time to time, bloggers ask you to share your favorite notion or sewing tool.  I have a few -- but in the spirit of not repeating the most popular ones (my rotary cutter, its holder,  self-healing mat, thread snips, the miraculous sewing machine itself...) I usually share one that most people overlook or in-my-humble-opinion, under value. This time, in honor of National Sewing Month and under the tutelage of Sew, Mama, Sew! here is my favorite sewing tool.  Duh-dun-uhn-Dah!

Sure - there are so many pretty pin cushions out there to love.  I have collected, received, and even made a few.  I actually use them.

But nothing compares to my one-true-pincushion-love, the magnetic variety.

I'll admit, I was biased from the beginning because mom had one when I was little.  Hers is blue and round (like the Grabbit) and still working hard at her house next to the Pfaff she sewed my little girl clothes on.  It's got some heft and so it can double as a pattern weight.  When I started machine sewing almost two years years ago, I knew I wanted one like mom's.  Here's another pic of mine.

It's a Pin-Pal...and it's magic!

If you aren't among the devoted already, I'll tell you why it's a superior sewing helper.  It grabs your pins.  It holds your pins.  It finds your pins.

Let me explain its usefulness.

When you are sewing along your pinned seam, you can keep your full attention on what you are stitching because the magnetic pincushion will snatch/catch/grip/grab a pin tossed near its direction.  It even tells you it's made the connection with a little "chh" sound as it wrestles each errant pin home while you drive along.  I'm right handed, so I keep mine on the front right side of my machine.  It travels with me to the cutting table for pinning and back to the machine for unpinning while I sew.  That's the holding part.

When you do drop a small, sharp object (or your sewing machine needle breaks in spectacular fashion.)  And especially if you're like me and you most often sew in your bare feet...your magnetic pincushion is there to help you out of a dangerous situation.  Simply wave it around over the floor in the suspected vicinity of impact and it'll tell you with its happy little "chh" when it finds it.

Piece of mind, people.  That's priceless.

For travel, I bought a second one.  The Clover brand has a snap lid so my pins won't get into any trouble while packed away.  It also has a nice indentation for your fingers to help you pick up every last pin easily.  This actually comes in really handy for needles because they lay so flat and usually find their way to the bottom of the stack.

All magnets are not equal, however.  I really like the concept of The Needle Nest but it's power of attraction doesn't measure up.  I loved it while I was finishing each set of loose threads as I started and stopped machine quilting but when it got knocked off the table open -- by a bad kitty -- my needles didn't stay put.

If plastic is simply not your thing, you can make a more aesthetically pleasing variety out of a saucer, footed ceramic bowl, or wide shallow teacup.  I saw this idea on Amy Smart's blog, Diary of a Quilter, and there are plenty of neat-oh examples in a Pinterest search.  You glue a neodymium (powerful button) magnet to the bottom and viola! Of course, this one wouldn't make the "chh", it might be more of a "dnk" but you get the idea.

That's it. It's my fave and now you all know it.

Happy pinning.

              Kristin

P.S.  If you are Googling "Pin-Pal" with absolutely no luck, so was I.  I think my beloved model isn't made anymore even though I bought it less than two years ago.  The bottom says, "PinPal ©1986 BFP, Inc. Pat. Pend. Made in the USA." 

Besides the Grabbit and the Clover I mentioned above, another comparable item is the Dritz Magnetic Pin Caddy.

Builder's Grade

If you're one of those people (and I'm beginning to think that means EVERYONE) who hates honey-oak trim, beige carpet and white walls - well - you're not going to like it at my house.  But to me, it's a gallery space with warmth and a place where every color looks just right.

See more from my photo shoot over at the MMQG blog where I posted this week about hanging and displaying quilts.

If you're sticking around to admire that purse in the photo, however, welcome!  I got it in the Minneapolis Modern Quilt Guild's bag swap at our February meeting.  A talented gal named Rozina made it and I couldn't love it more.  I immediately dumped the contents of my purse into it, threw it over my shoulder and haven't looked back.

Here's the one I made:

It's from the Tohoku Tote pattern/tutorial by Cheri at her "I am Momma, Hear me Roar"blog.

I followed the pattern except for adding this internal zipper pocket.  I found this tutorial helpful.

The prints are from IKEA; the black is duck cloth from JoAnn Fabric but I didn't like the way it faded when I ironed it.  All in all a fun swap.  We're doing name tags next.  Stay tuned!

Busy Bee

I made those flower pins myself!

I know it's been a long time!  I actually have been sewing (note the pincushion above--it's for a swap at tonight's MMQG meeting)...and I've got some pretty decent news too: 

I've got a sewing room!

Anything catch your eye?

We totally sent the guest bed off to storage and I've been moving all of my things upstairs.  It's a work in progress but I am no longer stitching at my kitchen table.  Here's a sneak peak:

Since my beloved RATZ Swap never started up again on Flickr I've been a little out of sorts.  I have joined up with some new ones which I'll post about soon.  Oh! And in January I'll be in my first quilting bee!!!



OK then.  I'll be back next week (I promise) and then we can catch up in a proper fashion.