Juki

This is Juki TL-18QVP.  She is new and she is all mine. I have sewn on a Singer Patchwork for the last several years.  Joining the guild and taking my first workshops showed me I needed a better machine.  I searched for about 6 months, trying out machines, talking to people, researching.  I finally settled on what I wanted most in a new machine - a larger throat space and the ability to do free motion quilting (FMQ).  This machine does all that.  She sews like butter and my FMQ has improved tremendously.  I love her.

Here are some example of the FMQ I can do on my new machine.  This is something my Patchwork could never do.  I don't dread FMQ anymore and I don't have to only do straight stitching any longer.

I love the ability to almost color a pattern and really make it pop by sewing around something.

I am so happy with my new machine.  I still have my Patchwork and I am proud of all the things we made together.  But having an expensive machine that is made for certain features can really change things.

Summer Book Club Quilt Along

I love to read, always have.  When I saw this summer book quilt along by Kate Basti I knew I was going to join in.  I didn't have fabric that matched actual book covers but I did have this lovely charm square and fat quarter combo.  Quilts can be very therapeutic and remind us of the time we made them.  I made most of these books during a weekend when I was having a medical issue and couldn't leave the house.  I was very uncomfortable but knew I would soon feel better. I just focused on making book after book and I got through the weekend.  This quilt will always remind me of that time and what dedication and focus can offer us during a time of need.   

Cat Bags

When you friend gives you a bag of fabric you make her a makeup bag.  This cat fabric was too adorable to cut up.  So I fussy cut the big cat faces out and make two makeup bags.  Having some cat fat quarters on hand helped to make the inside catastic!

Travel Case

Travel cases are always fun to bring along to workshops. In January I will be attending Road 2 CA and taking a workshop.  This travel case will be a great place to store sharp objects.  I picked up this pattern during a shop hop in Arizona with my friend Tina.

Patchwork and Quilting Magazine

I love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine.  They always have the best projects.  This fox pattern could not be passed up.  And I love displaying it in the hoop frame.  I may turn this into a tote bag at some point.  But for now it shares space on my bookshelf with my favorite magazine.

Scrap Buster

Several books and blogs have reshaped what I do with my scraps.  Instead of shoving them into a bin to get tangled and creased, I now cut them down to three different sizes.  When I have a sizable amount of scraps I trim them to 2, 3, or 4 inches.  If the fabric is really special I might adjust the scrap size to save more of the fabric.  I then store them in a tin.  This was the first quilt I made using the scraps. I actually made two of them I had so many scraps.  Each tiny square was 2 inches and the center square was 6.5 inches.  These two quilts took a while as sometimes I had to wait to accumulate more scraps.  Quilters never throw anything away so these quilts were a great way to use up every bit of fabric I had.  It is also super fun to look at the scraps and remember the project they came from.

Mini Hoop Embroideries

Super fun book with great projects.  I love making tiny craft projects I can share with friends and family.  These mini hoop embroideries are the perfect item.  Using fabric and embroidery skills that are clearly out lined in the book you can make rings, pendants, and necklaces.  Although it looks like part of the book cover that is my hand and those are the three projects I made.