Announcement!

I Have A Notion blog and store have moved to:


the store can be found at


There is a much easier to navigate store, with new items. The blog has its own page as well... new content too.

The blog is now at www.ihaveanotion.com/blog

Please come and visit!

Friday, May 30, 2014

Hoffman Fabrics Giveaway

I'll be traveling back to PA today to spend time with my dear friend Mary Jane.  Since I'll be enjoying myself, I thought you may want to enjoy lusting after these beautiful Hoffman Fabrics and enter for your chance to win one of these 3 bundles. 
Oh the Hoffman Challenge Fabrics for 2014 are so beautiful that I'm really having a hard time parting with this bundle....but for you....I will....but just this once :)  giggles
This is the brochure for the challenge and you can read more on the Hoffman Fabric Website.
This is the bundle that I'll be parting with...so vibrant and lush. 

Suzy's Pumpkin Patch by Suzy's Zoo 

Hoffman Fabrics has a link for free quilt patterns on their website and they just so happen to have a way fun table runner made with Suzy's Pumpkin Patch Fabrics.  This pattern would be great for this next bundle as well....
Not only would Suzy's Christmas make a fun table runner, I think it would make a great Christmas quilt for any young child.

How to win?  Check out the Rafflecopter Widget below...I will ask the winners to pay for shipping so if you are not willing to pay for shipping, please do not enter. 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Smiles,
Kelly

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

All The Ways to Bind A Quilt

 Bot Troubles Over-Finishing my Post :)

I was responsible recently to do a presentation at the Black Swamp Quilt Guild.  The topic was Creative Borders, Creative Sashing, Mitered Corners and Binding.  My part of the presentation was binding.
All Quilts Shown in this post were made by Mary Jane Ehlich, my very dear friend, teacher and mentor.

Binding, why does it trouble people so?  I've heard many folks say that they hate binding....and for the life of me I don't know why......for me, that is the easiest part.  I love, love, love every stitch that I put in by hand because it is my way of saying goodbye to the quilt....it is the finishing...the end.

(Ok, sometimes ya just have to bow down to the tech gods and feed them mega bites of something!  All I'm trying to do is upload a photo from my phone so I can finish this post....nope...the IPhone camera isn't working like it always has.  Sometimes the universe speaks...as it is now)

Hand pieced and quilted by Mary Jane Ehlich



May 2014 Black Swamp Quilt Guild
Binding Tips, Ideas and Tutorials
Compiled by Kelly Jackson, I Have A Notion, Inc. (www.IHaveANotion.com)
Cutting Biased Binding Resources
Kelly’s note: I cut my binding 2 ½ “ wide and I always cut my fabric on the bias for quilts.  Below you will find some helpful resources that include a variety of ways to cut your fabric on the bias.  Note some people prefer to cut their fabric 2 ¼” and for smaller quilts they may cut their binding even smaller.
Below you will find a variety of tutorials and information about binding traditional quilts as well as art quilts.
Bernina Sewing Studio Video Tutorial

Demonstrates folding fabric prior to cutting bias binding

Video Tutorial: McCalls Quilting


Sew4Home.com

Title: Bias Binding: Figuring Yardage, Cutting, Making, Attaching
This site also links to several interesting tutorials for projects.


Julie Herman, Jay Bird Quilts, has several excellent tutorials on her blog for a variety of binding techniques.  Her book, Skip the Borders, is also an excellent resource on the subject of binding quilts.
“Julie reveals in Skip the Borders, bindings matter. Bindings impact the look of your quilt, yes. But even more importantly—at least to me, who owns quilts that are now 15 years old—the wrong kind of binding can wear out long before your quilt is ready to do the same.”

Sewing Bias Binding to a Traditional Quilt
Note: There are a variety of ways to attach the binding to a quilt.  This is not a complete list just a reference:
 Machine stitch the binding to the front of the quilt and turn the binding to the back and hand stitch the binding down.
Machine stitch the entire binding to a quilt, using a straight stitch or using a wave stitch (Bernina stitch #4) to catch both front and back of binding.


Tutorial demonstrating sewing the binding to your quilt:


Machine Stitched Binding



Fast Machine Quilt Binding 101


No Pins, No hand Sewing Binding


You Tube: How to Hand Bind a Quilt featuring the Binding Tool


Mitered Corner Binding

You Tube Video Tutorial: How to Bind A Quilt With Mitered Corners and an Invisible Join

Non-Traditional Ways to Bind A Quilt
Prairie Points, Ruffles, Ric Rac, Pillowcase Method, and Ribbons
These can be cute on baby quilts.


Scalloped Edge Binding
NOTE: With Janet's Quick Points Rulers you can make prairie point borders and bindings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMp5sRAzVD0

“Lady Eleanor Burns”





Binding Inside Corners Tutorial

A Quilters Table has a variety of great resources:
Straight Matched Binding
Pieced Striped Binding
Angled Matching Binding

Piped Binding
Kelly: A few notions that I know about for making quick piping
·       PipingHot Binding by Susan Cleveland
·       Grande Groovin' Piping Trimming Tool by Susan Cleveland
·       SimplyE-Z Piping Wizard by Linda McGehee
·       DeluxeBias & Piping Machine by Simplicity

Video Tutorial Piped Binding

Faux Piped Binding


Faux Piped Binding Tutorial by Trisha Chubbs PDF


Magic Binding aka faux piped binding

Faced Binding
Elizabeth's Faced Binding - a 2013 FAL Tutorial

Susan Brubaker Knapp Non Mitered Facing for Quilts

French Binding


Art Quilts

Quilting Arts Magazine 12 Quilt Binding Methods
PDF: "How To Bind A Quilt: 12 New Quilt Binding and Finishing Methods for Your Art Quilts"
I'm so very proud to be among Mary Jane's friends and the only purpose for adding these photos to this post was for pleasure.  I hope you have enjoyed.

NOTIONS
Kelly’s note: Some notions that I know about that assist in making and joining quilt binding.  **indicates tools I own and have used successfully
**Bias Ruler by Susan Brown
**Cut Rite Bind Up Tool by Quilter's Paradise
Fons and Porter Binding Tool
Binding Thingy Tool by Deborah Manlove
Zip Bind System by Martelli Enterprises
Instructions for Cutting Bias Binding- Instruction Sheet from Q Snap Corporation
**Bias Tape Maker Machine by Simplicity
Bias Bender Adjustable Presser Foot by Euro Notions
**Creative Feet by Clare Rowley
You Tube Videos using Creative Feet


One of the best books you can buy for yourself or a friend....it will tell you everything you need to know guaranteed!!!

Kelly’s Note: If you have any suggestions to add to this list, please e-mail me at IHaveANotion@yahoo.com

I hope you have enjoyed this page, please refer to it as often as you like and bookmarking it will assure you know where to come back to for all the latest and best binding tips, tutorials, and tools.

Smiles,
Kelly

Friday, May 23, 2014

"Ahhhhh" Part 2

Back to Virginia.....by way of Rwanda....sort of.....these are not real spears used to catch dinner, rather decorative spears and they grabbed my attention while at Beth's house.  Aren't they neat?

Imagine my delight when "that girl who can COOK" served a South African Bobotie (Bob-boo-tie) for dinner last Thursday evening.  This was my first experience with African food and it was amazingly delicious.  Malva Pudding was served for desert.  After such a delicious dinner I was so very tempted to stand and shake my bah-boo-tie!

I felt so very spoiled, not only by the food, the surrounds but also the amazing company I was enjoying.  Frank, Beth's husband, has been making his own knives and I must say they were a bit scary to see at first  (I didn't know he made knives when I first saw them).
They grab your attention don't they?  When I learned Frank made these knives I took the time to look over the craftsmanship and they are absolutely beautiful knives.  A house full of creative energy....yep....absolutely full.

I left Friday early afternoon to travel to Virginia for my Wonder Woman Weekend and on the way I stopped at Jinny Beyer's Studio.
I had an extra 45 minutes to stop and soak in the beautiful fabrics and quilts.....more soul food :)
 I asked and was given permission to take these photographs....enjoy!
Imagine several of these shelves full of Jinny Beyer fabrics.....yes and I was fortunate enough to be standing within arms reach of every last bolt.  I behaved myself....only because I didn't want to have to unload the entire shop into my housed...LOL.
 This handy gadget caught my eye....it is a "Golden Gauge Calipers from Jinny Byer."  I'd never seen one before
This handy tool allows you to find proportions without doing the math.....spanky indeed :)  Impressive gadget and I'm so glad no one asked me to develop that tool....you'd still be waiting.
The sky was very different than the day before....the clouds were just beautiful.
It was only a 45 minute drive from Leesburg, VA to the Bolger Center in Maryland where my weekend would begin.   I passed some houses that looked like a small nation could live comfortably inside and the one below made me stop my car and get out for a photograph.
This will be someone's home....the large window in front brought a wee bit of envy....but now the housework that will need to take place to keep that home up....well....lets just say I'm so pleased it does not belong to me!  If they plan to plant grass on that hill....you know I'd be laughing until I leaked watching someone mow that....better to plant some of that crazy growing ivy and leave well enough alone.
My first time to the Bolger Center and I was pleasantly surprised by all the lovely gardens and patios.  The rooms were very nice and the food was plentiful and delicious as well.  The weekend was all I needed it to be and more.  

A wee bit of digression:  When my mother passed last year I knew I needed to find a time and place to get away to recenter myself and I wanted to spend some time with with someone or some people that I admired and respected.  There could be no sewing....this was going to be "soul time" for me.  Time to BE and not DO....know what I mean?  That's when I learned about Iyanla's Wonder Woman Weekend and I immediately signed up.  I was filled with anticipation and excitement and could hardly wait for my weekend in October 2013 to come.  Life did what life does....a week before my trip a nasty black rug reached up and grabbed me causing my left foot to dangle from the bottom of my leg....it was U G L Y.  I told the folks at Iyanla's Institute to hold on to my money because the first chance I got to attend the weekend in Virginia....I'd be there.

The first time I heard IyanlaVanzant speak, I think it was on the Oprah program, I knew I had found a kindred spirit.  She is a woman who says it like it is...what I call WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get)....my favorite kind of people.   What ever the weekend would bring, I knew one thing for sure;  my mind would be stretched and I'd more than likely leave with a big smile on my face and in my heart.  That is exactly what happened and that's all I'm going to say about my weekend.....you'll have to go for yourself if you want to know more.  If you go, please tell them all that "Ownership" Class of Spring 2014 says Hello :)
 a portion of Beth's studio
At Beth's invitation, I returned to her home for Sunday evening to rest before making the 7 hour drive on Monday morning.  She is one smart girl because I really did need that rest and having more time with she and Frank, well....lets just say I was like a pig in mud.
 Pure Inspiration
Above and around the doorway there are postcards that Beth has received in exchanges.  They were all special and a few really grabbed me:

This was a gift from a friend that Beth framed, it is a landscape of Africa.  Ummmmm, yummy isn't it?
 The right side of Beth's studio....pretty darn inviting I have to say.

I'd love to have been able to stay and stitch for at least a week if not a month....my co-workers were waiting and I wanted and needed to get back to IHAN® Headquarters.  

I'm here now.....just in case you were wonderin'.

Happy Smiles,
Kelly

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Ahhhhh

Yep, that's what I have to say about going to Virginia and Maryland this past weekend, "Ahhhhh."  Possibly preceded by a "Ohhhhh Ahhhhhh."

Driving out of  Ohio on Thursday, I said to myself, "It is raining giraffes and elephants out here."
The heavy rain came down with an urgency and there were some cars and trucks pulled off to the side of the road for a period of time.  I pressed on through those large animal size rain drops because I had an agenda.
 
The view outside the car was lush and beautiful from Ohio to Leesburg, VA.
Yes, I do hold my phone up without looking and snap photos of what I'm passing....will ya look at those clouds....they look so very pregnant.
We live in a country that is so very abundant with beauty.

Fortunately, I live in a community, the quilting community, that is also so very abundant with beauty :)  Before and after going to the Wonder Woman Weekend hosted by Iylana Vanzant, I stayed with a blogging friend, Beth Hunter.  She and I met blogging while she lived in South Africa.  Many of you know on the top of my bucket list is going to Africa so there was a natural attraction to hearing about Beth's life while she lived in South Africa. 
What I learned about Beth: She is the daughter of a wildly wonderful, creative, artistic  and colorful woman, the wife of a deeply caring and talented man and the mother of two beautiful and playful German Shepards.  Beth has embraced her creativity and I found her energy to be electric and magnetic.  Did I mention she can cook?  Damn that girl can cook!!!  Gotta love friends like that :)

The bed I slept in.
Contents of the room I slept in......
 The wall hanging I looked at while laying in that beautiful bed.
The jacket pictured below was made by Beth's Mother (wildly wonderful, creative, artistic  and colorful) who now lives without her earthly body.
The photo is dark....but you can certainly tell that those colors are right up my alley!  Check out all the hand stitching she did on this jacket:
This is not the only stitching either...there was lots of beautiful stitching.
 Beth comes by her talent and creativity naturally.  The "H" above was not done by an embroidery machine, nope!  Beth thread painted that piece....I just love it.
 More of Beth's work....
 Hand pieced and quilted by Beth....breath taking isn't it?
Now, I've got to stop here so I can go and package up those very special IHAN ® orders....there are folks waiting right now for the "Elves" to inspect their order!  More to come.....

Joyful Smiles,
Kelly

Translate

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...