I'm Alive...But Buried in Floriani :)

I know ya' all think I've left the country to hide away with all the new thread, designs and stabilizers that arrived here at IHAN....but I didn't.

A big ole semi pulled up yesterday  and I just about passed out.  I thought to myself...oh dear God...where am I going to put all that?  Then the fella only unloaded this one pallet....instant relief :)

Yes, Floriani...Floriani Thread, Floriani Stabilizers, and Floriani Software galore....where is the army who is going to inventory all this?

 I have almost finished checking in the order and then I'll have the joy of arranging it in a fashion I can easily see and find the threads to fill orders.

Just look at all those colors....YES I have every single one of them...and not just one spool of each either....nope...I have at least 5 of each one...the world is looking so colorful right now :)

While I'm buried in thread..... I had to speed clean the house because I had invited some friends for lunch and the guest of honor was Lyn Gladwin, the gal from Australia who visited our guild meeting last month. 

I've not hosted a lunch in I don't know how long....really...it has been years and I have no idea why I don't do it more often because it was such a treat.  There were 7 of us and some of the gals brought some quilts to show.  I'm only going to post Lyn's quilts because I need to get back to all that thread!!

 This is a quilt that Lyn made for her son and she "pinched" it off his bed before she came over.

 I really liked the way she cut her fabrics...and the bead is fun too.

I thought the quilting was interesting...the border and how she lined up each of the stars...I just know it would not be that straight had I been in charge...yikes.

This is a quilt Lyn made for her new daughter in law.  It is different than the one I posted about previously.  Unfortunately, the light from the window takes away from the beauty of this quilt.

 This is the view from Lyn's house in AU.  She can see the ocean...oh I can only dream of living somewhere so beautiful.  My camera and laptop are having an argument so I can't post the rest of the photos right now....but suffice to say there were lots of beautiful quilts and great women right here in my house....that was very cool indeed.

I know it is Wednesday and I am working on an E-Notion IQ post....that will be coming soon ....I'm roller skating as fast as I possibly can...I promise :)

Smiles,

Kelly

Beam N Read Pre-Holiday Gift Giveaway Nov. 14-21, 2011

Who is on your gift list this holiday season....I really do want to know.  Who would you want to receive the gift of a fantastic portable light?

That portable light just so happens to be a Beam N Read 6 LED Light! 

(the older I get the more light I need)

I don't know what I did before I had my Beam N Read 6 LED Light (the IHAN clan now has four in our emergency bag)  Who would have ever thought that a portable light would come in handy for so many things.  Certainly not me....but all of that has changed.

The Beam N Read Lights are indispensable during bad weather.  Our electricity went out and I grabbed our emergency bag and took out our Beam N Read Lights and each one of us put one on.  Our hands were free because the lights are on an adjustable strap around our necks.  It is tough to use your hands while holding a flash light...our Beam N Read Lights just hang around our necks.

Ok...on to the much more fun ways to use a Beam N Read Light......
They are wonderful for counting all that money you just stole from your local bank (where else are we going to get the money we need for all the fabric we desire?).  You're gonna be hiding under that bed for a very long time ya know.

And ya can't exactly use a lighter while hiding under a bed in the dark now can ya? 

(Me disguised as a man hiding in my closet....I'm getting ready to increase my stash big time :)

I know many of you are not prepared for robbing banks so I thought I'd let you know the Beam N Read Lights are  perfect for all hand needle work, sewing, reading, taking evening walks, and camping.  I use mine while we travel too. 

Now you have some great ideas for using a Beam N Read Light....

Who would you give one to this holiday season?  Leave a comment on this post  telling me who  you want to give a Beam N Read Light to to enter the giveaway.  You don't need to leave a person's name...My Dad, Sister, Quilting Buddy....etc. will do just fine.  You do need to be an IHAN blog follower to qualify and leave your comment before Nov. 21, 2011.

Can't wait?  Order your Beam N Read Lights NOW at I Have A Notion (IHAN)  and I'll pay your shipping...yep...Free Shipping in the US only ...hurry because I'm only feeling generous until midnight Nov. 21, 2011  :)  Coupon Code for Free Shipping on Beam N Read Lights Only is:
Free BNR Shipping

AND

If you have not checked out Patsy Thompson's blog post about how she uses her Beam N Read, you better head over and check out how she uses her light.

Smiles,
Kelly

 

Quilt Market 2011 - 6 Quick Points Rulers and Jillily Studio

Veteran's Day:  My sincere appreciation goes out to each and every person who has served their country and their family members for all the sacrifices that each and every one of you have made.

Busy day here at IHAN...sorry this post is up so late in the day.  If it ya really want to know...I've been working on it all day between everything else I do :) 

 Who else but the Queen of the IHAN Nation with Janet Platt from Quick Points Rulers.  Yes, she is the genius behind those amazing Quick Points Rulers and now the Scallop Rulers too.  Janet is one smart cookie .... there is no other way these rulers would have been thought of...they are really great tools in my book.

Before I go further, I'd be terribly remiss if I didn't introduce you to Brian, Janet's really fun and helpful husband!  Ya always got to point out the great ones!

Quick Points Ruler Booth, Houston 2011

The photos are out of order...but you probably would not know unless you were following me around....I think there was only one person with me...Karin....so pretend you know all about the out of order photos, OK?

Janet's School House presentation was excellent!  One of the things I really like about Janet and Brian's presentations is that they actually use the rulers right in front of you.  No pre-made samples that lead you to believe it is so easy.

(This is surely one of the things I notice while at Market or Shows: I am always making sure the person is actually using the tool right there in front of me...so I can see if there is anything that may be dificult for me to do when I get home.   I don't like those demo's where everything has been pre-made and you are shown just the samples.  How do I know it really works or if when I get home, I'll be so frustrated that I don't ever use the product.  If they are not actually cutting/stitching/ironing etc. I ask if I can do it...I have to be sure it is what it says it is and will do what it is advertised to do.)

 This sample board shows you exactly what you can make with the Quick Points Ruler and the Scallop Ruler.    I should probably tell ya that Janet also has the Teflon Pushers that help make your scallops smooth when you turn them right side out.

 This is Janet showing every one how she just used the Scallop Ruler and is turning it right side out.

This is a beautiful table topper Janet has made.  Not only is it fun...but check out the scallop edges....so much cheer was added with that one addition.

 If you look closely here, you will see the flowers were made with the Scallop Ruler and the trim on the outside is too. 

Want some deep scallops?  Check out this really great apron Janet made.  I just love that apron.

 If I'm not mistaken, this is another apron...could be pillow case...sometimes I forget...what ever it really is....the scallop separates those fabrics beautifully.

 Ok, I do know this is another apron...LOL :)

 Halloween Treat Bags anyone?  You know that Ghastlies one is way too much fun.  There are so many Ghastlies Fans now!

This is a baby quilt...the scallops are turned inward...neat isn't it?

Back to Janet's booth now. 

Believe it or not, when I got to the Quick Points Ruler booth, Janet was out shopping.  David was sitting and pressing all the prairie points he would manage.  Ya gotta love a husband who will sit and demo for you while you are out shopping!!

Now, on to Jillily Studio Booth

 When I visited the first time Jill was not there so I took my photos and came back later for the demo's.

This is a demo of Jill's Appli-Glue.  There were a few excellent points about the Appli-Glue that I thought folks would want to know about.  First, it is acid free and water soluble.  The dry Appli-Glue will even dissolve when soaked in water.  I really liked the tip on the glue bottle.  The tip is tapered so when you stop squeezing the bottle, the glue gets pulled back into the bottle and doesn't dry in the tip.  I have had that happen with other glues and I really don't like that one little bit. 

Above you can see the tiny dots of glue being used...they stick very nicely to the next leave and to the background fabric too.  If you are in need of some new applique glue...I definitely recommend the Appli-Glue.

These are Jill's Poke-A-Dots.  Can you guess what they are for?  The gal in her booth asked me that when I walked up and I immediately replied, " they are finger thimbles".  I guess a lot of folks don't know what they are.  (On a personal note...ya gotta love that they are red :).   They have adhesive on the back and you  put it on the tip of your finger when you are doing hand stitching.  You use that finger to push your needle through the fabric.  They have a textured surface which makes it really nice for pulling a needle through fabric too.  Have you ever had  a dog-of-a-time pulling your needle through (be honest)?  The Poke-A-Dots grip very well and makes it much easier to pull that needle though.  They can be used over and over again because of the quality adhesive that is on the back.  I typically park it back on the paper and use them over and over again.

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!  I'll be gone tomorrow to the Machine Embroidery Guild to demo all my Sizzix Cutters.  You know I won't pre-cut that fabric before I go....I'll have it ready to go and I'll let them cut the fabric so they can see how nicely the Sizzix Fabric Cutters work!

Smiles,
Kelly

Floriani Comes to I Have A Notion (Quilt Market 2011 5th edition)

Hooping of a different sort!! :)

If you love Machine Embroidery then you are going to absolutely love Floriani Embroidery. 

IHAN is now a distributor for Floriani Embroidery Threads, Stabilizers and Designs.  I know what you are thinking....yep..."how is she going to fit all of that into her "warehouse?"  Was I right?  For many of you have visited you know just what I'm talking about.  For the record, I don't plan on knocking out any walls...just yet!

All of the inventory is on it's way to IHAN and I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.  Everyone I know who is into Machine Embroidery tells me Floriani  is the Mercedes/Lincoln of Machine Embroidery Threads, Stabilizers and Designs. 

Check out these beautiful Halloween towels....come visit next Oct. 31st and you'll see these hanging in my kitchen and bathroom :)

 Most of you know I'm a newbie to Machine Embroidery and I have a lovely friend who has loaned me one smart Embroidery Machine.  The first one I bought is so old I can't get the technology to make it work.  Beware....when I say ME is addictive....I'm telling you the honest truth. 

Oh yeah....time to Hula Hula Hula....skip to my Lou and all those fun feelings...because I will have 24 hour access to all this thread....I feel like I have helium in my veins!

Oh yeah....then reality hits...I have to load all these products to my website.  Holey Schmokin' do I have a lot to do between this minute and when the doorbell rings.  I better get movin'.

Colorful Smiles,
Kelly

Quilt Market 2011 - 4 Famore Cutlery

I'm guessing no one has ever seen anyone use a hula hoop while at Quilt Market....until now :)

Oh yes, that would be me....using a hula hoop for the first time in my adult life.  I bet you are wondering why in the world I was hula hooping ...right?

It is all Mikki's fault!  Yes....completely true :)  Mikki has taken up belly dancing and hula hooping and when she was telling me about it I asked her to bring one to Houston with her.  I really wanted to see what she was talking about.

Mikki gave me a quick lesson and I was off and hooping.  It took me a minute or two to get the hang of it....but then....I was rocking that hoop.  Mikki was a little frustrated ...she said it took her two lessons to keep the hoop up for as long as I had kept it up.  All I can say is....I don't seem to be a natural with Free Motion Quilting so it's a darn good thing I am a natural at somethin'!!

You all know the story of my meeting Brint, the Scissor Man.  I lusted after his apron...but not anymore.  I had hatched a plan to TOP the Scissor Man's Apron.  If I wasn't going to have his, I was going to have one of my own...and it was going to be even better.  (There Brint...take that...Bat Man Pow sound effect ..listen closely...you'll hear it.)

 I made my own and when Brint was not looking I stood at a distance with my finger pointed directly at him and waited until he looked my way.  When he looked my way, in a loud voice I said, "I soooo Own You!" 

That got his attention and fast. 

Here is proof Brint was de-throaned....and I have to say...he took it well.

Not only did I get to wear my apron on the front....I got to wear his on the back.  Now, I'm one bad mamma jamma!!!

Below is a better pix of the front of my apron....yes, I was in the bathroom ( if Superman has his telephone booth....IHAN has her bathroom...LOL).

"Kelly Scissor Fiend

Queen of the IHAN Nation

(self appointed of course!)"

I used Artist Transfer Paper to make the label.  I put the ATC through my printer then ironed it to a piece of white Kona cotton.  I made several button holes and tabs to hold my scissor extenders with scissors attached.  The biggest reason Brint was de-throaned was because "MY" apron has all the bells and whistles that his doesn't have.  If you look closely, the top right of my apron has a metal name tag I covered with my business card. Then I used earth magnets to hold my Stiletto and my Famore Seam Rip.  I bet you are wondering how I managed to not cut myself or poke myself with all those scissors, right?  I put clear tubing over the tips of all the sharps so I couldn't get poked.  (ohhhh eeee I'm a smarteeee pantssss...giggles).  Brints don't have a protector on his...nor does he have his fine tip tweezers on his apron.  I re purposed my Bernina Bobbin holder and attached that to a zip line do-hickey (it is the tube to the right of center...my tweezers are in there).  I had more scissors than are shown here....but you get the idea.

I found some new scissors made by Famore while I was there...I'll be adding them to my website later today.

I really liked these small scissors and they were darn sharp too.

Brint kept his sense of humor through out his de-throaning process....I just had to leave him with his "simple" Scissor Man apron.  I'm just so darn nice aren't I?   (evil grins)

Fiendly Smiles,

Kelly

PS.....IHAN has select Sizzix Applique Dies on sale 60% off...winter and holiday themes included...only while supplies last.