My New Travel and Sewing Buddy - Meet Abbie

 After years without a furry friend, I took a leap of faith and adopted Abbie. I had the vision of a quilting and travel buddy - a four footed best friend to keep me company on the road. Abbie has quickly become a member of the family and I'm so happy she is here.

We are still getting used to her potty schedule - the cold weather has put a bit of a cramp in her style. But she's learning the rules pretty quickly.

She is somewhat fascinated with my shoes. No chewing, just bringing them out. In any given day she might bring 5 shoes out. 

She loves her bed, her toys, and meeting new
quilters. I brought Abbie on her first road trip down to Oklahoma City to visit the Central Oklahoma Quilt Guild last week. She did well in the car and hotel and was invited to join the workshop. 

We've been walking everyday - so she is helping me be a little more active. Next week the fence will be completed and she can run around the yard to her hearts content. We have 7 doggie neighbors - she seems to like them all.

So I'll apologize now for being an insufferable doggie mama - posting pics and talking non-stop about Abbie.  Look for my future  adventures to contain Miss Abbie.

Curious about adopting a furry friend? Contact your local Humane Society!

Designer Profile - Joan Ford

 I was first drawn to Joan Ford because of her Scrap Therapy books. I loved the idea of taming the mountain of scraps I had accumulated. Little did I know, until I took a quilt cruise with her, that she is a woman of many talents.

Her company is called Hummingbird Highway and has a definite bird theme. Lately her main focus has been on lazar cut, pieced bird patterns that she calls "The Flock".  These bird blocks (over 60 of them!) are perfect for birders - they are so incredibly cleverly designed and delightful. 

Joan is a perfectionist when it counts - matching points, using glue to help piece bias edges without that pesky slippage that normally happens, and lazar cutting the fabric for us so that everything fits together perfectly. As a teacher, she is organized, methodical,  informative, supportive and very humorous. Our group was divided into two room and she handled the back and forth between the two rooms like the pro that she is.

The design she did for the cruise was beautiful. It worked great as a
mystery.  We worked on small components  - no one could tell what the design was going to be until the assembly directions were passed out and the final reveal was done. We "oohed and awwed" over the striking quilt. 

I would definitely take another workshop from Joan. I'm also about to order some bird patterns. I think you should too!

Curious about the Flock? Fly over to Hummingbird-Highway and check it out!

 

Sedona Block 1 - Slide Rock

 I love this first motif. In addition to a cool row type block, it would make a very interesting border. Individually the blocks look like tulips. I can envision it in pink and green. 

In this post I'm going to add some tips and thought that arose as I was making the slide Rock motif. This is not meant to replace the pattern - you must have the pattern to participate in the QAL. 'Nough said.

First some general thoughts - these notes apply to all the motifs.

1. You probably should get some gripper dots for your ruler. I noticed some slippage with mine.

2. Cutting process for all the blocks – There are 3 different cutting processes, and each has its own accuracy level and ruler indicators.

• The first is to rough cut rectangles and squares according to the pattern for your step. In this case close (within 1/16^th) is good enough.

• 
  The second is to cut your curved pieces. For these, follow your pattern closely. In many cases you have to make a mark to use as a cutting reference. You can cut several at a time. Some are cut right side up and some are wrong side up. This is important. To do this I stack my fabric wrong side together. These cuts should be fairly accurate, but don't worry about perfection.   

• T
  The last cut requires precision. For this cut you will be trimming up your blocks. The pattern tells you where to mark your ruler – I use a sharpie. You could also use GE Designs repositionable arrows. On this cut you may find your points don’t match up to the dots on your ruler. Ideally you want all points to match the indicators on your ruler. If they don’t, get as close as you can on all points. In other words, don’t get one perfect and leave three totally off.

3. Sewing process for all the blocks. Since we will be trimming the blocks after sewing, reduce your stitch length so that the seams don’t start coming undone. Pay close attention to how you line up the pieces right sides together. I find I make fewer mistakes when I lay them how they will end up and then put them right sides tighter. Sometimes one of the pieces extends over the other .25 or .5 inches.  The amount varies with every seam so pay attention.

4. There is no need for pinning. Using both hands – one on each piece of fabric  - Bring the seam allowances together about an inch or less before it goes under the presser foot. Sew a quarter inch seam. The blocks will look wonky before you trim – don’t worry you probably haven’t made a mistake. If you machine has a hover mode (presser foot comes up when you stop sewing) it’s a good idea to engage that feature as you sew the curves. You can stop and realign your fabric very easily that way.

5. Pay attention to which direction to press – again, it varies with every motif.

Block 1 Specifics

•     Sedona Sky - Make 18
•     Sedona Trails - Make 21
•     Sedona Medallion - Make 12 (I would use fabric amount indicated for Sky. You’ll have a bit extra)

1.  Remember – cut half right side up and half right side down.

2.  Be careful when you cut your background fabric in Step 3 - the rectangles are 4” x 4.5” and could easily be turned the wrong direction. Make sure they are oriented correctly – the shorter side facing you and the longer side going away from you.

3.  Pattern says you’ll need 3 strips of the background fabric for Sedona Sky. I think you’ll need 4 strips, but cut 3 first and see if you need the forth one. I did need it.

4. Ensure your “extension” amount is correct. Extension is the amount that the top piece extends over the bottom piece. Its usually .25 or .5 inches. It varies with every block, so pay attention.

5.  Sewing the individual blocks together takes some precision to get your points just right. Pin and take your time.

Curious about the Sedona QAL? Check it out here.

Saul's Crepes

 I thought February would be a great month to share my sweet Saul's crepe recipe. Make them for brunch if you like, but we had them for dinner!

Saul’s Crepes (makes about 4-5 crepes)

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

½ cup milk

½ cup water

¼ t salt

2T melted butter

In a large mixing bowl, whish together the flour and eggs. Gradually add the milk and water, stirring to combine until batter is sooth. Add salt and butter. combine well.

Heat a lightly oiled fry pan over medium heat. Pour about ¼ cup of the crepe batter into the pan and twirl the pan to spread the mixture thin. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side.

Fill with desired fruit and roll up. Or fold into quarters, and enjoy. Our family likes Nutella and strawberries or bananas.

Cheers!