5 Days left in the IHAN 30 Days of Giveaways Anniversary Celebration

The 30 Days of Giveaways Anniversary Celebration ends on Thursday April 15th 2010 at 10 PM CMT. That means we have 5 days left and we've got some incredibly talented designers, authors, teachers and products left to be given away.

On Monday April 12th IHAN will be posting an GO! AccuQuilt Fabric Cutter!!!

Have you caught your breath yet? If you are hyperventilating you might grab a paper sack and breath into it. I know it helps for hyperventilating because my mother had to do this frequently when she turned 40. No kidding!!!

If it is safe to continue....keep reading....if you have not caught your breath yet....continue breathing into that paper sack....

If you would like 10 extra entries into the GO! AccuQuilt Fabric Cutter Giveaway just post on your blog, Facebook page, Tweet, or rent a bill board in Time Square and tell all of your quilting and stitching friends about IHAN's 30 Days of Giveaways Anniversary Celebration. Do you belong to any forums or chat groups that allow you to post about great events? Let everyone know about IHAN's 30 Days of Giveaways Anniversary Celebration and then post the link below in Linky. Feel free to let your Guild members know about the giveaway. Everyone who posts about the Giveaway between April 11th and April 13th will get Ten extra entries into the GO! AccuQuilt Fabric Cutter giveaway. There is a comment section to post share where you posted about the giveaway. If you let all of your guild members know, please leave the name of your Guild and their contact information in the comment box so all entries can be verified.

Please note your post must include a link to IHAN blog and Store
Blog Link:: http://ihaveanotion.blogspot.com
Website Link : http://ihavea-notion.com/store/

If you are a previous customer of I Have A Notion (IHAN) you might want to share about your shopping experience in your post. You also must let everyone know that all giveaways from March 15 - April 15 2010 are open until 10:00 PM CMT. Readers can post on any of the giveaways they choose but the comments need to be relevant to what was asked for in the post. Saying, "add me to the list" does not qualify as a comment relevant to the post.

You can use any of the photos of products that are posted on my blog in your post if you like. Keep in mind you can only use the product photos (not projects) and this is only good for the Giveaway posts. Feel free to share which giveaway you want to win the most or which post you liked the best or where ever your creative juices take you in your post.

Ten extra entries for an GO! AccuQuilt Fabric Cutter!!! Good Luck to everyone who enters!!! Everyone who leaves a relevant comment on that post gets one entry and you have the chance to get 10 extra entries. That's a possible 11 entries....oh yeah baby.


Stay tuned....many more exciting things to come!!! Don't forget about the Grand Prize Drawing.

Smiles,
Kelly

AccuQuilt Go Demonstrated

I've had a few people e-mail me and ask how the AccuQuilt Go works.  Below is a demo. 




Smiles,
Kelly

AccuQuilt Go went to Charity Night at GOQ for Project Linus

We had a great turn out for charity work night at The Gathering of Quilters Guild last Thursday night.  I don't know how many people were there but every table was full and people were working the entire time.  There were separate tables set up for a variety of charities including: Mended Hearts, Project Linus, Quilts of Valor and Hospice Comfort Pillows.

I took the AccuQuilt Go to cut fabrics from a variety of pieces Project Linus had in a bin.  My girlfriend Dana and I had some good laughs while we were cutting 2 1/2 in strips and 3 1/2 x 6 1/2 inch rectangles for Project Linus Quilts.  For more information about the Toledo/Lucas County Chapter of Project Linus Quilts please e-mail Nancy at bussing@bex.net.

We had fun fussy cutting some of the fabrics with sharks and other pictures.  I think that the rectangles will make a very fun scrap quilt with lots of really neat fabrics that we cut for them on Thursday night.

I was surprised by the number of people who had not seen the AccuQuilt Go before.  I demonstrated how it works and let them have some fun with it too.  If you are local (Toledo OH vic) and would like to use the AccuQuilt Go, feel free to e-mail me at IHaveANotion@yahoo.com and I'll let you give it a whirl....it is lots of fun.

Then of course was show and tell.  The first quilt here was done by Dale Burnett.  Had I known in advance she was working on this quilt I guarantee I would have found my way into her home and stolen this quilt...or at least had the urge to do so!!  Isn't is just soooo cool?  This quilt, "Zebras",  was designed by Lisa Moore and published in the Sept/Oct 2009 Fons and Porter Love of Quilting magazine.

The hand embroidery on this next quilt, "South of the Border", was done by Thorneta Hinkle.  She is 88 and has been doing hand embroidery for over 80 years.  She donated the embroidered blocks and some ladies put them together to make a beautiful quilt for charity.  I know if I were in need and received something this beautiful it would renew my spirit.

I happen to know some of the ladies how did some of the Hungarian Embroidery on this next quilt.  During some of our gatherings I watched as they stitched these beautiful blocks for a raffle quilt.  It is absolutely stunning, the photo does it no justice.  It was raffled by the Calvin United Church of Christ in Toledo Ohio.  Joyce Smith was the lucky winner of the quilt and she brought it to show and tell.  I'm going to start buying more raffle tickets....can you imagine winning such a treasured quilt?

This next quilt cracks me up.  Sheila Painter can take the credit for this fun quilt.  I know many people spend hundreds of hours putting together their Dear Jane Quilts.  Sheila did what I would do....she bought a convenience panel while on vacation and machine quilted it.

I can hear the booooos and hissssses through my computer girls.  I know, I know.....but think about the people who have no clue as to the hundreds of hours putting together a "real" Dear Jane Quilt.  This type of thing is for them.  They will see it and say....oh that's nice.

This last quilt here really grabbed me.  Candy Colleen Rudd made this quilt.  This is Candy's first quilt that was created with all hand work.  She did needle turn applique, embroidery, hand piecing  and then she hand quilted this wall hanging.

I only wish my photography was better.  These photos do no justice to the real magic in this quilt.  I love to do hand work and this piece is very inspiring.

Smiles,

Kelly

Response to the Accuquilt Go

Last night I took my Accuquilt Go to a guild meeting.  I showed several of the gals how nicely and easily it works.  I got lots of positive feedback.  The one thing everyone always says is, "well I still have to cut my fabric don't I?"  The answer to that is yes and no.

NO: You don't have to cut your fabric to fit on top of the dies.  It depends on what size piece you are starting with and what you want to do with it.  You can take a one yard cut and fold it to lay it over the dies for the strip cutter.  If you have scraps you want to use...don't pre-cut them...just lay them over the die and put it through the machine...and wahhhh lahhhh.

Yes: If the fabric you are using needs to be fussy cut or if you want to lay the fabric just a 1/4 inch overlapping the die blade.  Then you would need to pre-cut to the width you would be using. 

Consider this:  I just cut 140 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch squares for the I-Spy square swap that Karen did over at SewManyWays blog.  I cut 140 blocks using my ruler and rotary cutter.  It took me quite awhile.  I was very frustrated that no matter how well I looked at my ruler the blocks were not the exact same size.  I don't know why.  I had to re-cut some and some of that fabric was wasted.  So yes, you will have some waste....but there are very few projects where you don't have even a little waste.  It is all in how you want to work.  I truely find mundane repetitive cutting to be unpleasurable.  So if I want to just have the fun of sewing my strips, blocks, circles, hexagons and triangles I can get to the fun part faster. 

I never imagined myself buying the Accuquilt Go.  Honestly....and why....because I did not think I would use it enough to justify buying one.  Then I kept going back and looking at it...over and over.  I've had the privilege of using it several times at market and at shows.  I've decided it is worth my time and energy to own it and I've been really happy with how it works. 

The obvious thing about sewing notions are that no one really needs anything more than a pair of scissors, yard stick, needle and thread!!! That is what quilters used for many years and many still do. You don't "need" all these wiz bang notions. It is a choice for your own convience, comfort and budget. In order to get to the fun part I have chosen to use the sewing notions I really like and believe are worth the investment.



Everyone knows I would not recommend anything that I thought was not worth the money, RIGHT? RIGHT!!!  I'm saying this is worth every penny.   If you are even considering one...please call me (419-914-8080) and I'll tell you everything I know and some things I bet you'll be surprised by!!!   The call may be something you are Thankful for :)  Feel free to call and just say howdy anytime 9-9 CMT :)  If I'm in the middle of "working" with my co-workers....you might just have to talk to one of them for a minute!!! LOL 

Smiles,
Kelly

Accuquilt

Checker 61st Anniversary Open House Chapter 5

This is Jen Barlett from Accuquilt was at Checker's Open House. She demonstrated how to use the Accuquilt Go and answered questions.
You can put up to 6 layers of 100% cotton fabric onto the die to cut your shapes all at one time. To see the video of how it works click here.

Here are 6 circles Jen made. When Jen was demonstrating I noticed the handle looked tight to turn. I asked if I could try turning the handle to see for myself how difficult it was to turn. It was tight and I had to put forth some effort. I was cutting through 6 layers of fabric so it would be tighter to turn than just one layer.

I asked Jen if she has wrist problems and she said no. I don't have wrist problems either. I wanted to see someone with wrist problems turn the handle and tell me what their experience was. I asked several people if they had wrist problems and Mick Miller, Patches of Sunshine, happened to be standing near. He said he has had carpel tunnel syndrome and he has not had one problem with his Accuquilt machine. He explained it is the way the wrist works that his motion is easier than using a rotary cutter. I know many people have difficulty using a rotary cutter due to disabilities and injuries and I can see how helpful this may be for them as well.

I think this is a great tool if you want to make lots of cuts at one time. There are several dies to choose from. The most popular is the 2 inch strip. You can click on their link to see all the dies available. Just by chance, IHAN also carries the Accuquilt Go....hop right over HERE and get yourself a dozen...they would make great gifts...after all I offer Free Shipping!!!

I have heard some folks complain about the Accuquilt Go and it's accuracy when cutting. I asked Jen what she had to say about those comments. She said it does depend on the warp and weft of the fabric. They offer a TIPS sheet and to view the TIPS click this here little ole word....TIPS.

We stacked up 6 layers of fabric and we cut some fabric. In the picture above you can see the little bit that the fabric fabric is off at the top. I asked her if it was how I was lining up the fabric or was it the die cutting inaccurately. It happened on three of the pieces we cut. You can see the tiny bit it was off.

They were off a tiny bit. As I stood there I was thinking to myself....hmmmm...I know I have cut several blocks the exact same size with the exact same rotary cutter and ruler and all my blocks were not exact. People have been cutting quilts for years using scissors alone and theirs were no perfect. The quilts still come out looking beautiful. I personally think it is the accuracy of the layering. If you cut them one at a time...they would probably be perfect each time. But when you are cutting 6 layers you might study the Tips so you can get the grain of the fabric correct if you want every one to be exact. Either way, you're still going to have to square up your quilt when you are done....exact perfect cuts or not, right?

These circles were all exactly the same.

Here I re-cut the triangle making sure I had the fabric over the die and it did come out perfect. So again, I think it does exactly what it advertises that it does. However, you need to learn how to use the machine and learn how to line up your fabric. After all, you don't buy a sewing machine and plug it in and start sewing. You have to learn about inserting the needle, threading the machine, adjust tension....etc.

I'm truly not trying to "sell" you one of these machines. I just want you to know what my experience was and what I learned. It's like I'm taking you around in my pocket and you are hearing my thoughts. Now that is really a frightening thought ay?

Scary Go Go Gadget Girl Smiles,

Kelly

Accuquilt Go Now at www.IHaveA-Notion.com

You can now buy Accuquilt Go and Accessories at my store!!! So if you are considering purchasing one...or several....(you have to take care of those friends....and have great giveaways on your blog, right?) please think about buying it from I Have A Notion. At least you know the customer service is excellent....a bit nuts....but friendly none the less :)

Smiles,

Kelly

Accuquilt Go and SewCalGal's blog

When I saw the Accuquilt Go at the Quilt Market in Pittsburgh I was very impressed. I understood the concept because I had used a machine similar to this for scrapbooking. I enjoyed the demo and thought it would be great for quilt shops, classes and for very ambitious quilters.

I have recently been asked if I am going to carry the Accuquilt Go. I guess I'm interested in knowing how many people would be interested in purchasing one.

SewCalGal's blog has a review of the Accuquilt Go and I thought I would share that with you. If you are so inclined....click here.....no not here....there.....and check out her review. Let me know what you think.

Some of you may have also noticed that I follow SewCalGal's blog. She has a great blog and gives lots of information that I have found useful. Just by chance she was one of the winners of my giveaway last month. Then I get an e-mail asking me a little more about my business and how I started into business etc. Well, she was writing a post about me. How nice is that? In case you missed it, just click here :)

Smiles,

Kelly