Full Stop!

Think as in engines and forward movement.

Yep that's me!

Started last week with some discomfort… and finally got to the point on Sunday of some pain and by Wednesday… enough to seek medical intervention.

After several hours and  good old fashioned x-rays a diagnosis.

My poor thumb is experiencing tendonitis combined with arthritis (bone spurs and calcifications too). A steroid shot for the inflammation and a brace for the next 7-10 days and then see about further treatment of if it is just a management issue.

So the hard work for me is to ignore all the things calling my name with deadlines, needs doing or even the THINGS I want to do and rest my hand.

So to combat the hours of boredom I have broken out a jigsaw puzzle.

How do you cope with situations that require you to not only change the forward motion plans or the order of Full Stop!!!

More Later! (maybe) Beth

Focus

Do you ever find that you have lost focus in your creative endeavors. Not just falling out of love with a project, but forgetting that you even have it in the works. Not only that but the project is sitting right out in the open, on the table, -

Technorati Tags: Hearts,fusible,rainbow,focus,attention

visible!

I just did that the other night. Sometimes I have difficulty finding the order of projects after completing an unforeseen or unplanned project or obligation and when coming back to the Creative Space feel lost. I spent an hour piddling about… with a little hand work on an old quilt top, that was not really on the list ‘get done immediately’ projects.

I had been working on getting this

little thing done…

but was sidelined once because I hadn’t totally thought the project through and then I had those “Guild Chores” or Meeting Preparation things to move off the table, which totally drew all my focus from the creative fun stuff.

Do you find you are diverted from your focus, and find yourself doing nothing?

More Later! – Beth

Winter 2018

The middle of January has come and gone!!!

I would say I have no idea of where the time went since the New Year Year dawned... but I do.

Most of it has been winter!!! Lots of it. We went in the deep freeze in December and haven't really seen any relief since. This has been like Chicago COLD!!!  negative temperatures with biting wind chills, and we have snow to go with it.

There are a couple of bright spots.... even in the winter!

This bloomed yesterday. Can you see the snow outside. We had more than 5" on the ground when all was done. And it is still cold, weather people suggest that we will be above freezing tomorrow.

I know.... I said Linzi next, but well ...The only ones in our house that love the snow are the dogs. This was Goldies 1st snow of any accumulation and she loves it.

Plays tag/chase with Linzi... eats it, snow plows with her nose... and in general doesn't want to come in.

I observed the robins last winter... flocking, like in huge groups... and saw it again yesterday. If you were wondering how cold is is, this robin is puffed and sitting with his feathers covering his feet.

In the Creative Spaces I have been on hold. It is the end of year or the beginning of a new year for both of the guilds. I have been preparing to hand off the VP stuff for one guild and pick up Membership as well as have a Live Auction in a few months and that has taken a chunk of time recently too.  At the other guild we are gearing up for the Quilt Show... in September!

What are you working on.... something quilty or NOT!!!

More Later-Beth

Goldie 4 month Pupdate!

As I promised.... a Goldie update.

Let me just say that is Freezing cold in Kentucky these days. Much more like up north... in Chicago than down south in Kentucky. Several nights have been at zero... and a few degrees below that a couple of  times... and that does not include wind chills!!!

Her life in our household has been a bit difficult to say the least. Nothing too serious .... but her puppyhood has had a rather 'loose' beginning. I will try and discuss this delicately... She was 9 weeks old when she came to live with us. As you can see by the rug she is on... she has grown! Photo on the left  9 weeks + and one on the right is just the other day at 16 weeks +. She pretty much fills up the rug now.

  

At first we thought that she was under stress ... of leaving home new people, sleeping alone; then she wasn't eating so we gave her a little food additives (canned food as the breeder was doing) which can also bring on a bit of looseness.

Then we saw the vet for our 12 week inoculations, vet found Roundworms, (they come from mom, either in utero or via the milk). Medicated and eradicated.

Next we had a bit of teething.... which will often cause the same issue.

 

So, at about 14 weeks... still the same, so return visit to the vet along with a sample. The sun was coming in a high window... and I just couldn't resist the silhouette.

Diagnosis; Giardia -generally caused by unclean water or from a particular delicacy found in a yard that has visiting wild rabbits (Rabbit Treats).

At 16 weeks, the final shots and a revisit about the Giardia... Now after 4 weeks of 2 different medications, and not much improvement, although she feels better! More active. It might also be just a particularly healthy colony of Giardia and it has resisted the individual medications, but we may be seeing some improvement....  Along with this last course of medication we are changing her diet, as there may also be an allergy to something in her food. Hopefully this poor girl will get a bit more regular and I will get a full nights sleep without a trip or 2 outside in the middle of the night!!! We keep a calendar... of  'puppy business' so we will know if the puppy is holding longer... and able to go through the night without a trip outside. This calendar started out as joke for the husbands retirement...so he would know which day of the week we were on and the date. It only took a year for us to not need the chalkboard for that... we found a new reason to use it... first for Bandit and now for Goldie, but I din't change the reason!!!

It always seems to be something.... the next dog story I'll share some about Linzi, she has been a trooper!

Do you have a pet? Does it bring you joy? Share in the comments, we all want to know!!!

As Always- More later! Beth

New Year Perspective!

Wasn't it GREAT to catch up with Kelly? I don't know how she managed to have something new posted.... so often to the blog. I can barely think ahead... let alone back it up with pictures!!!

I have been thinking about and started to create a post about closing out 2017 or looking ahead to 2018... but everyone does that and in a week or so, we will all be ready to move on! I figure we would all do something differently, make better choices, save more, spend less, be more positive, laugh more, be a better person .... you know as we look backward or forward.... they all apply in both directions. Goal setting is like Resolutions... the are good until the next idea or opportunity comes along, and just like a chicken... we are drawn to the next sparkly thing or project! I belong to a loose creative group that is called the 'Sparkly Chickens' because we are always drawn off course by ....something.

I have tried the "word" for the year thing... several times but I always forget the 'guide' word I have chosen... around about the month of March or April, because the end of winter is near... and there is a new world beckining for us to come outside and play.

Most of us pick unrealistic.... ways to plan for the year ahead to overcome the boring- can you say exercise or lose weight, downsize the 'stuff' or clean something....or to laugh more, love more and not allow for serendipity, the unexpected and spontaneous opportunities we can't see coming. 




Me -I live for the opportunities that chance and change allow. To explore, experience and meet new people, different places or try new traditions;  to share tastes, customs and ideas, see something from a different perspective. I try to leave a little room while looking ahead for the unexpected something .... to happen while I muddle on with the daily stuff.

Happy New Year.... may it become everything you need it to be!  

More later! Beth (I promise more Goldie coming soon)

Where is the world is Kelly aka prior Queen of the IHAN Nation now?

Beth:  Inquiring minds want to know, what have you been up to since selling IHAN?

Kelly: The last 6 months feel like a blur and for that matter the last year feels like a blur too.  So let me think...what have I been doing with myself since selling IHAN?

Being a mother is more than a full time job so that has kept me busy.  The previous IHAN elves are now teenagers and Aaron is actually 6 feet tall now....which is freaky...how did that happen?  LOL

Previously known as the IHAN shipping Elves sporting their new metal mouths...LOL

I have been to CA twice to spend time with our oldest daughter, her husband and our new grandson.  Having a new life in our family has brought tremendous joy.  To see someone you dearly love hold their child and then begin to know that is how much you love them....it is a meeting of the souls in a way.

I cried so much having to leave them that my eyes are swollen. 

My first grandson....he is pure magic.  Expecting another grand child in June, our youngest daughter is now pregnant.  I can hardly wait.

Yes I continue to sew and quilt but in a much more relaxed and messy fashion.  I have several projects in progress and most are pinned to my design wall, one on top of the other.  A bit messy but this allows me to follow my energy and work on things that feel good instead of pressuring myself to have a deadline.  My creative process is not linear and I am most comfortable and happy when I do the next indicated pleasurable thing and when I hit a part that I don't want to do at the time...I set it aside until I'm feeling more up to the challenge.  An organic sort of creating focusing more on the pleasure and less on the deadlines.

Here are some quilts that are in full swing at this time:

These are my tiny hexies quilt. 

This wild mess is what I call sewing one scrap to the next, cutting and re-sewing.  It will be finished in 2018. 

A small wall hanging I started for fun.  It still needs to be quilted.

Waldo inspired me to make this quilt for charity.  I was in the throws of darkness and she said I had to help her sew some charity quilts...that's all it took.  Thankfully Beth quilted it for me because quilting on a domestic machine is not my forte.

When I get stuck on a project or in need of ideas I run them past Waldo (Longtime IHAN blog followers are familiar with Waldo...Rosemary my girlfriend).  Having Waldo essentially 3 houses away really helps when a gal needs a different thread or to check the stash fabrics to see if there isn't something that can be used instead of stored.  We both have fabric stashes (more on that at another time) and our goal is to use it all so we share back and forth.  Unfortunately  Waldo's health is declining.  She had a stroke a few weeks ago and it has affected some of her thinking and she gets confused at times.  The great news is she is up and walking during the day.  She and I went out for lunch last week so that is a blessing she is about and interested in getting out of the house.  Naturally she has a large wall hanging in the process of being quilted and it is under her needle on the machine.  When she is feeling better I'm sure she'll be back in there finishing it.

Waldo and I

Beth: Kelly, do you miss IHAN?

Kelly: No, what I miss is regular contact with my regular blog readers, previous customers, and those in the quilting industry that I built relationships with.  I'm a people person more than I am a business person.  People come first before sales and profits and I think that is why I was successful.  That played a huge part in my agreement to sell IHAN to you Beth.  I had to be sure the honesty and integrity would continue with someone who had a wide breadth of knowledge of the quilting/needle arts industry.  Had the right person not come along, I would have likely just closed it and donated the inventory.

I feel I owe people an explanation for falling off planet quilting yet at the same time I was not sure people were interested in knowing all those personal details of my life.  Typically I am known for my humor, honesty and integrity not necessarily sharing the heavier side of life.  If people are truly interested, I'd be willing to share more in depth, just leave a comment below and I'd be willing to share more.

Thank you Beth for asking how I am and for staying connected.

Smiles,

Kelly

Finished Project!

So what do I do.... when... I am not cooking, cleaning, puppying or going to guilds?

Creating of course. Most of my creations don't start on Monday and finish in a chronological fashion. They start, get sidelined by an obligation or other deadline... like the project I am going to talk about today.

"The Night Circus" was inspired by a Facebook post made by a member of one of the Quilt Guilds I belong to and based loosely on creating this style of a patchworked elephant explored by another blogger.  About the only thing I used was the line drawing of the elephant, which I also cleaned up a bit for a better better pattern.

I wanted a really bright elephant, so I got out my box of batik scraps and started to build the body. I decided to keep the order of color symmetrical on both sides of the body although the fabrics may have changed from side to side, but color order remained.



Once the elephant was built I considered the background, plain anything was just going to be too plain... and while I was working on this I was listening to a book titled 'The Night Circus', by Erin Morgenstern. It was disappointing that the best thing about the book was the title, however the author also wrote "Water For Elephants" which is how the title of this Elephant quilt came about.... the Night Circus was about a black and white circus..... the second most interesting thing about the book, (I didn't find any other things to consider interesting in the book).







Next up was the quilting.... Of course I wanted to do this on the longarm, (for more practice). I didn't want the background quilting to be the star, so I used a swirl as the fill to add texture rather than a design since the focal point was the elephant. The elephant was nailed down with some squiggly lines across seams of the various colors, since it pretty much already stood out. 


I added her headband and some wobbly eyelashes with beads as the final bit of her costume.

A more detailed picture (as always you may click on any image for a larger view). I started this sometime around June.... but of course there were some other things between the start and the finish....











The particulars: The quilt measures 35"x35", the elephant is 17"x13"; threads were So Fine white and black (by Superior) on the background and Madeira monofil on the elephant.

So what are you working on? Has it had a sideways progression... or straight through to completion?

As always more later!! Beth
PS.... check back soon, a surprise blog contributor.... coming soon.

The Rush

Let's start with the good stuff!!!

Goldie at 12 weeks!

After Thanksgiving, is the onslaught of Christmas Planning, Preparations and then the New Year, which brings all that turmoil of clearing and cleaning up of the Christmas Holiday and making pathways into the whole of next year!

Today is only the fourth of December and the statement above makes me want to pull the blankets back up for another hour or two of rest!!! The constant onslaught of sales pitches for the things we need to buy (for others or ourselves) to have it all just seems to take all the fun out of it for me.

At our house we have been simplifying... the last few years, especially with a puppy in the house. So now the Christmas Tree has to fit on a table top, and fortunately for us... that is all we need. Unless a child or company comes for Christmas, I save all that decorating time, which is nothing compared to the undecorating time!!! Nearly 90% of the ornaments on my "big" tree have been handmade and are pretty old and fragile. Not only do they have to all be unwrapped from the boxes, but they must all be rewrapped, and some have to be repaired before being put away.

As usual, time is of the essence for me... I have way more on my plate and have some deadlines to meet. Most of them of course in the quilting arena. Don't we all think it will only take a few minutes which is in reality HOURs.... to get done in our creative endeavors?

Later this week the Kentuckiana Longarm Group meets at Quilted Joy in Louisville. It is an informal group and we all take turns presenting something... In July I presented a bit on thread, not that I am an expert on thread for the Longarm. However, I concentrated on the general properties of thread; size, weight and content. For December I am up again... with my friend Linda... and we are doing a little something on labels, we call it Low Tech-High Tech Labels. Linda does the Low Tech side of it and I do the High Tech side of it. One of my quilt labels is featured on the Quilted Joy blog, (it is a book style)

So I am busy preparing... my information and pulling out a couple of quilts to share. We only have about 10-15 minutes each... so we have to keep the quilts to a minimum!!! And both of us are creating a handout...... about our labeling. I need to pare my info down a little!

In the meantime life with Goldie is careening along! She is now 12 weeks, had her first Vet Check... weighs in at 12 pounds. Next up rabies vaccinations and obedience training starts.

We have started teething... last week we had a little floppy eared pup, and then a one ear up pup and this week they are both up again.

I hope you are staying ahead of the December rush... and as always,

More Later- Beth

Thankful and Goldie

I was going to post about Goldie today, but on retrospect I decided to post a Thanksgiving note. And on second thought I can do both.

I have so much to be Thankful for. I am Thankful for a fabulous worldwide network of friends that keep me entertained; and I am Thankful for a wonderful network of Quilters and Crafters that visit the store and occasionally a sale, (hope there will be more of those in my future!); Thankful that we have our health; and Thankful for family, even though we don't live close to them and will miss the gathering this year in Indiana, (but I did make a cherry pie that will rival last years if any family is reading this!!!!); I am deeply Thankful for my husband and partner in this life of happiness. We have had mostly fun along the way, lots of adventure and looking forward to more this next year.

And I am thankful to be able to say I am Thankful, for such a small thing...  as Goldie!

Meet Goldie.

She was 9 weeks old when we brought her home. Her sire is the same as Bandits, different mom. 

She is now almost 11 weeks old.

  

Her Kennel name was Goldie and it goes along well with Linzi, as in we can call them both with ease as the names fall together off the tongue without tripping, so we kept Goldie. She is smart and friendly with us and Linzi. Or maybe I should say Linzi tolerates her with a gentle firmness. It is fun to see the interaction between the 2. They play together, a little and sometimes lay together. 

We, (meaning she) have almost mastered the house breaking... and she likes her crate, sleeps through the night at least one night a week without a need to go out. She is playful and attentive to humans. She already knows how to sit... for her dinner and if finally eating with gusto. She did not like her food the first few days...

She is a cutie isn't she?

What are you Thankful for?

Fusible Review

A little late, but now that we are back on a straight road, even though we still have some bumps and curves ahead, I did get into the Creative Space to play with a new product.

 I have been playing with a new product. Not just new to me, but really new to the sewing/quilting world. I haven't heard much chatter about it... and thought I would give it a try because sometimes you just need a paper backing!!!! A really lightwieght paperbacked fusible.

New Product Review:  Barely There lightweight fusible from the Swirly Girls
(from the web page)
This new, ultra-sheer, iron-on adhesive comes in pre-cut 8.5" x 11" sheets to print or copy on your inkjet printer. Features quick, easy release paper liner - no more picking at the edges of your applique! Barely There is permanent, machine washable and acid free. Perfect for layered applique!

I use lots and lots of fusible, in the last 10 years or so... some where in the neighborhood of 70 yards. I have used Wonder Under (Pellon), Steam a Seam Lite 2 (Warm Company), Misty Fuse (attached inc), Soft Fuse (Shades Textiles) and many others that didn't make the grade to use again.  I saw this product and while I like Misty Fuse, it can be problematic when you want to make precise pieces or do not want to pre-fuse lots of fabrics for a project. Fusibles can cause some real stitching issues when you start stacking many layers, so I am always on the lookout for a fusible that is lightweight and does not stiffen after fusing leaving the quilt flexible and soft.

Free Spirit project

I have 3 projects currently under way with this product. The first one 'Birdies' are two that were not working for the 'Free Spirit' project was waiting for the right inspiration or idea to finish it off. I'm not sure it is ready for fusing yet.... still seems a bit dull. And I have a block to make for a friend, and thought I would try it for that as well. So the projects.

The Free Spirit project... not much more than the motifs cut from the Barely There fusible and I am not sure if I need to tweak the colors a bit more or not.... Not In Love with it as it is....

Gecko

The Gecko, is a block for a friend. I used the donut method, where you cut the center of  the larger parts of the motif out of the center of the fusible, so I could compare how it felt... in the fused and not fused areas.  I could detect the fusible, but barely. I had a bit of difficulty with the eyes and toes, and resorted to an old standby for fusing those. Not sure if the difficulty was me or not , but I was out of time and needed to get this completed. The block is a little over sized at 11", but I wanted to leave a bit extra for trimming.

The last project is one just for trying out the Barely There fusible. Birdies, or the formal title.... "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" was fun and planned on the go... as in we started with birds and designed on the fly. It will get picture heavy... but I know you want to see. (You can click on any picture to see it bigger!)

The birds fused, the yellow one is stitched.

A detail of the notes, these are about a half inch tall, and you can see how well the fusible keeps the fabric edges sharp.

And finished.

I like Barely There product.... however, I used too hot of an iron on one item and... I learned too much heat will fry the glue. It left the fusible glue (diamonds) pattern visible on the front. So, MEDIUM heat is the setting for fusing!!! Once I reviewed the instructions, iIt worked a charm. I have now fused both plain quilting cottons and Batiks, and none were prewashed and got a good tight fuse in most cases, Gecko eyes and toes the the one issue.

The fusible claims to be lightweight, not as thick or heavy as some of the more well known brands, and I found that to be mostly true after fusing the 2 layers together. Not sure I would say it is lighter than Misty Fuse, but pretty close!

Another Feature and as far as I am concerned the most beneficial was the ability to send it through an INKJET printer, (not advisable for laser printers due to the heat require for lasers to print. I drew up a pattern for the Birdies and sent one sheet through the printer on a copy and print and I also sent a print job from the computer on a mirror to get the reverse... for the birds. All printouts came through perfectly! If what you are making requires you to make many bits, this is the way to go, no wasted time tracing or copying to the paper side the same shapes over and over and over... The folded corner is to show the fusible on the back side of the paper. You can see the little diamonds I referenced above.

So yes it is great fusible for projects and I will be adding to my arsenal of fusibles. I have also added it to store, www.ihaveanotion.com!!!

Do you have a favorite fusible? Tell me what and why in the comments. We all like to learn...

More Later! Beth

Sometimes... life makes a LEFT turn

I started to write this post on Tuesday morning, but my heart was just too broken. Every line made me want to start crying all over again. So I erased what I had written leaving just the title.

I am back, not to normal quite yet, but there is a little brighter future and more work, but it will be joyful.

The Heartbreak: We had to give Bandit back to the breeder over the weekend. It was a very difficult decision for us. It was a first for me to abandon a pet. But it is what needed to be done. We had been working with the breeder to bring some of his escalating behaviours under control since late summer. While some things were getting better, the one thing that caused us the most difficulty was not. He wanted to be the dominate figure in the house and was starting to use his size (90 pounds at 10 months) and teeth to push back, we had been trying to work through this. The last straw was when he nearly got me in the face, (his teeth grazed the flesh and left welts) and he did get my hand, I have a few healing holes. 

Monday and Tuesday were difficult and after crying and agonizing I sent the breeder a note, asking how Bandit was doing. If he was adjusting (to living outdoors in a kennel after being a house dog and the new rules). We missed his presence (chaos and all) just like a year or so ago when we had to say goodbye to Axel his predecessor. We do have Lini, and she tries, but her temperament is very laid back and pretty easy going, (unless you are a rabbit or a squirrel in the yard). The breeder called last night to reassure me  us, that Bandit is adjusting, although in some cases not willingly, but he will continue to work with him. 

Bandit with Jeff, the breeder, you can see how big Bandit is!

The joyful part? He offered us another puppy. I don't think that would have been the case if we had not worked so hard to try and bring Bandit around. We drove 5-6 hours round trip to spend an hour or two each week with the breeder and we did all the homework and training he suggested and Bandit was happy to comply -but the Dominant Aggression just would not stop. So we go this weekend to view them and make a selection. I don't know if it will be released or if they plan to keep them a little longer, but I am making preparations! I know a new puppy will not be the same, but it will be close and that will have to be good enough. 

There will still be sadness, as we adjust. Bandit did have a sweet side that he showed us most of the time, but the times he wanted to be boss were scarey and becoming more frequent, not less. We knew he needed more that we could physically give him in terms of control and that was the best thing FOR him.

Stay tuned! Lots more later- Beth

Tuesday Tool

Before I get into the next tool, I want to say that I am pretty straight forward and of course my opinions are my own. I am not paid or endorsed by any company (and if I was it would start with that information right up front). So, when I share, I am sharing from my perspective... and what I found to be true or not. I also think that you do not need the latest and greatest of everything to be creative or create. We do need to eat, right? But sometimes we need to consider changing our tools especially if it makes creating and playing easier or more comfortable or in some cases, even possible! So with that said, on with the show.

I have recently discovered (for myself) some new scissors!!! I have been a dyed in the wool Ginger and Fiskars user. Why? Well I have several pairs of Ginger scissors in 3 different sizes that I bought way back when, (in the latter half of the 80's) and I rarely every use them. I have a pair of 8 inch dressmaking shears, a pair of 5 inch scissors and a pair of embroidery scissors.  I let a local sharpener sharpen them. Big MISTAKE!!! They are sharp, but the points are now too pointy so they catch on everything. I haven’t really missed any them... except on the 2 or 3 occasions I needed to actually cut out a pattern.

I also have a bevy of Fiskars and Fiskar-like (colored handle) scissors. Many I inherited and several I purchased. I use them about as often as I use the Gingers these days. I have discovered some new ones.

In April while at the Spring Paducah Show I picked up 2 new, to me, scissors.

The first one is for cutting batting. I find them very useful when cutting batting from a roll at the longarm. But don't let that fool you, they are great for cutting batting to size for smaller projects as well as regular fabric cutting scissors. So what is the advantage of these over say a pair of Fiskars (what I was using before). The Batting scissor has a blunted end so it does not grab or catch the batting as you advance you scissors to the next cut. And the blades are much longer so you are not advancing as often and that helps create a much smoother cut.

The other pair I picked up are for hand cutting. I often find myself cutting many motifs and bits from fabric for applique and most times I find the traditional shaped scissors bother my hands when I am making lots of careful repetitious cuts. In many of my older model scissors the small openings for my fingers and/or thumb tend to cause discomfort and depressions in the skin from holding and cutting carefully. I found these large handle scissors that are not particular about which side is fingers or thumb and are very comfortable to use for hours at a time. The serrated blade really helps hold and cut at the fabric at the same time is a great help. I think it is a huge asset to be comfortable while creating!!!

I was talked into one other cutting implement. A scalpel for the longarm. Long thin tool at the top in the next photograph. WOW! It really makes unstitching a breeze. Of course it is very sharp... and could cause some additional problems if you are not paying close attention. The longarm I have allows me to lift the roller the top is attached to, to get under the top above the batting. So I can do what is being called "skin the quilt", by breaking the stitches between the batting and the top. Goes really fast!

At the 'new' Fall Paducah Show in September, I decided to check out one more cutting item. I have seen them used by many Machine Embroiderers and since I do so much thread... stuff I thought they might be handy for me too. And guess what, they are! Prior to these I was using a very sharp pointed pair of small Fiskars, (bottom left in the photograph above) and once or twice cut something unintentionally (not a good thing!). With these very sharp, but curved blades and again no holes to stick my fingers in, snipping my project free of the machine is a quick snip away. I also found them very useful at the longarm, when snipping threads, again the curved blade helps to keep from cutting the fabric, when snipping the threads. In addition they are extremely lightweight.

So WHAT are these great scissors? Famore Brand- said Fa-mor-ray. You can find them at Famore.com. I Have A Notion™ Shop has one or two pair and I hope someday to carry the 4 pieces I have mentioned above, especially if there is interest. But if you think you might prefer ... another brand, say for instance Karen K Buckley... I have a couple of those in the shop too. I haven’t used them myself so I can’t tell you which is better.

I hope you day is full of treats, no tricks...and as always More Later! Beth

Its a Thread Thing

I don't know if I mentioned it or not, but Thread is my thing!!! It is how I learned so much about needles and the best one for the job. Well that is not exactly true, it was Free Motion Quilting that led me down that path, but much of what is true for the Quilting part is also true for the Free Motion 'Threadplay' part.

So I thought that my next logical step would be to do some show and tell .... about the "Threadplay".

Let me start with one of the most difficult Free Motion Threadplay options. Metallic thread. These are postcards, and came about so I could compare the difference/sameness of the Fil-Tec Glide to the Floriani Thread. I had never used the Floriani and if I have to sell it, then I guess I should know something about it. I have used the Glide in the longarm and recently used it for another project in the Janome domestic machine, which is where I did the postcards.

I stitched these Free Motions with just the spine drawn. The feathers on the left are Floriani thread and the feathers on the right are Glide thread. The threads appear to be very much alike and the only real difference is the slight variation in color, I picked Floriani threads that were a close match to the Glide threads, and chose red and green. There wasn't a problem with either thread and to further test things I also tested the Signature Metallic thread. Wow!!! You don't really see it in the pictures, but I went over some areas with the metallic. I stitched pretty quickly and the Signature Metallic stitched like a cotton, no breaks, no shredding and no kinking. Of course a large eye helped the thread move without breaking.

The second is a detail photo, and it also is a little light on the metallic sparkle visibility. These were great fun to make, if you haven't ever made any postcards now is the time to try. Send one as a surprise to a friend or far away family member. I keep a stack on hand to mail... as needed. People just love to get them in the mail!

So to sum it up Floriani thread seems to stitch up the same as any other Polyester thread that I have used. Next up is to test the Floriani for use on the Longarm.

Have you ever received a textile postcard in the mail? Leave a comment. You might be the lucky one to receive a feather in the mail!

More Later- Beth