Thread?

Have you looked at the machine quilting thread selection lately? There are enough different brands of cotton, polyester and cotton/poly blends to make your head spin. Add in the different thread weights and the topic of thread really gets confusing! What's a new machine quilter to do to solve this thread mystery? She asks her quilty friends, of course! The funny thing is that each of my quilty friends prefers a different kind of thread! I guess there isn't a right or wrong thread for quilting, so the answer must be to use the thread that works the best for you and your machine.

Winter Wonderland

Even I have to admit that it is pretty outside this morning with everything covered in snow. Of course, I wouldn't be saying that if I had to go anywhere today! Thank goodness I can stay home and watch the snow from my window while I sew.

Fleece, Fleece And More Fleece

The last time I was at Joann Fabrics they had lots of fleece remnants all marked at 50% off the regular price. I also happened to have a coupon for 20% off of my total purchase, so how could I not stock up? I have cut all of the fleece to size and used the skip stitch cutter on all the edges, so now I just have to work at crocheting around each blanket...the perfect project for these cold evenings! Once they are finished, they will all be donated to Project Linus.

Something To Warm You Up

Here's a simple way to make a latte at home without an espresso machine. It may not be exactly like the what you get at the coffee house, but it sure beats going out into the cold and snow just to get a cup of coffee!





Vanilla Latte (one serving)

1/2 cup milk (skim, 2% or whole...I use skim)
1/8 teaspoon vanilla (use real vanilla, if possible)
2 teaspoons sugar (more or less to suit your taste)
extra strong brewed coffee

Pour the milk into a small mason jar and microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and add the vanilla and sugar, cover and shake vigorously for a minute or so (the shaking creates the foam). Pour the milk mixture into a tall latte mug, reserving the foam for the top. Fill with hot coffee and top with the reserved foam.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

It seems like just about everyone across the country is complaining about the cold weather. Even my sister-in-law who lives in Florida was saying that she had icicles hanging from her porch roof! January is supposed to be cold, but the temperatures that we have been experiencing the past few days are a bit ridiculous. It's a good thing that I have plenty of quilts and goodness knows I have lots of fabric on hand so I can make more...I just hope the firewood holds out!

Knitting And Netflix

A girl who is not coordinated enough to walk and chew gum at the same time, should know better than to try and knit while watching a movie! Even a simple knit 3, purl 1 ribbing was too much for me while watching Angels & Demons last night. I ended up ripping out most of what I did and starting over.

Quilting On A Whiteboard

My friend, Anya, has been telling me for months that I needed a whiteboard to practice my free-motion quilting designs on, and after doodling through more than a few legal pads, I finally took her advice and got myself a whiteboard. Practicing on a whiteboard isn't as much about developing the design as it is repeating the motif over and over until it becomes a natural movement for your hand. Basically, practicing on a white board helps take some of the awkwardness out of quilting a new motif before you attempt it on a quilt. Hopefully it will help me with my free-motion quilting...at the very least I will save a few trees!

Quilting In My Pajamas

Back in November I saw a quilting motif on Mary's blog, Mary Quilts, that I really liked. I left a comment telling her how much I liked the quilting and she wrote back telling me that it was a design by Dawn Ramirez, the pajama quilter. Mary highly recommended the Pajama Quilter DVD and workbook for anyone who wanted to learn freemotion quilting, so I added them to my Christmas wish list. I guess I have been a good girl because the DVD and workbook were under the tree! Today is the first free day that I have had since Christmas, so I'm spending the day in my pajama's and a new whiteboard to see if I can learn some new freemotion quilt designs!

Happy New Year!

Best wishes to all of you for a wonderful 2010 filled with joy, happiness and good health! Happy New Year!