Acorn Precision Piecing Seam Align Fabric Glue

I am being totally spoiled at the moment - I'm on a Hawaiian Quilting Cruise. I'll write more about the cruise and teacher in another post. But I do want to tell you about a helpful notion that the teacher introduced us to. I had seen it before, but never used it.

"It" is the Seam Align Fabric Glue by Acorn. It's a Canadian product, so it was a bit hard to find at first, but now many shops are carrying it. I will have it in my booth at the Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival in June as well as in my Etsy shop as soon as I get back from the cruise (1 February).

What makes this glue so great? Well, first the applicator is very small so it gives you great precision. You only need a tiny bit. It's repositionable until pressed with heat, and then its more lasting but still not permanent. It is perfectly safe for your machine as it dries once its activated with heat.

The only drawback I see is that it requires an additional step - the pressing. If you're like me and need a bit more exercise, then its not a drawback at all! 

For me, any drawbacks disappear when you look at the precision you get. Especially with bias seams. The block we are sewing on this cruise has bias seams everywhere. I started with pinning and was not getting my ends to match. The pieces were laser cut, so I couldn't blame my cutting. The bias pieces were stretching. Even using 3 to 4 pins on a 2.5 inch pieces wasn't doing it.

As soon as I started using the glue, all my pieces fit. Every time!

Here's the easy process - 

Apply just tiny dots within your seam allowance, about every quarter inch.

 

Align your second piece - starting at the ends first and pressing towards the middles with your fingers.

Press with heat to activate the glue. You can still pull it apart if you need to.

Sew as usual. 

Have you tried this miracle glue? What do you think? Let me know!

Always Curious!

Congee

 I have seen congee on cruises and then more recently while in Australia and New Zealand. I tried it and am hooked! So I made a batch last week and now its a staple in my breakfast meal rotation.

Congee is a rice porridge originating probably in China. It is either plain or made with chicken stock. I made mine with chicken bone broth and chicken stock. What makes it so good (in my opinion) are the toppings you add to it. 

Here's how to make it:

Heat 8 cups of water or combination of water and stock to boiling. Add 1 cup any type of rice except basmati and stir. Reduce heat and partially cover. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking for about 45 minutes or until rice is soft and well incorporated into liquid. Add more liquid if too thick, or cook longer if too runny. It should be the consistency of oatmeal.

While cooking, prepare toppings-

    Finely sliced spring onions

    Chopped cilantro

    Hard boil eggs

    Crispy fried shallots - thinly slice shallots and fry til crispy in peanut or vegetable oil.

    Soy sauce

    Sesame oil

    Siracha or chili oil 

    Finely chopped peanuts

    Sesame seeds

Serve the congee with as many or few of the toppings as you like. For me, the more, the better. Its a warm, savory, filling way to start your day - especially a cold winter day with quilting on the agenda.

Sedona - A Very Cool Quilt Pattern

SewKindofWonderful has lots of very cool patterns and books. I've made 5 and have several in progress. The one I'm starting soon and will be hosting a Quilt Along for is Sedona.

I am so excited about this quilt - there are 2 layout options available in the pattern and one more on the SKW website. I haven't yet decided which layout I want to do - its either going to be the sky or the medallion. I love the colors in both these layouts. A trip to the LQS next week may be on the agenda.

The 11 motifs are fresh and use a combination of curve and straight piecing and have cool names such as slide rock, stepping stones, desert bloom, arches, chicken points, cool beans, reflection, ribbon, pole star, horizon, and trading box. What's not to love???

For the QAL I'll be providing tips on each motif. Check back here for the videos and info. If you want to join in, comment here or send me an email at djps1957@gmail.com. You can get this pattern at my Etsy shop, SewKindofWonderful, your local quilt shop, or Amazon. 

Curiousness Rules!

Quick Curve Ruler Mini

 Sew Kind of Wonderful began in 2011. And my, it has sure grown since! I've met sisters Jenny and Helen at a Missouri Star Quilting Company event years ago and have followed the progress and addition of new rulers and patterns closely. I love everything I've made so far and my stack of "quilts to-make" keeps getting higher.

The second ruler released by SewKindofWonderful was the Quick Curve Ruler Mini. Its a smaller version of the original QCR. Smaller, but not interchangeable. Each of the rulers have their own patterns. And There are tons of patterns developed for the QCRmini, including Sedona - the 2023 QAL project. 

As shown in the YouTube video, you can (should) use a regular 45mm rotary cutter to make cuts in the slot of the ruler. Once sewn together, you'll use the QCRmini to square up your block. It's helpful to use a sharpie to mark the "landmarks" on the ruler to align it for trim-up. The patterns indicate where to make those marks. 

You can get your QCRmini from my  Etsy Shop, SewKindofWonderful, your local quilt shop, or Amazon.

Keep the curiosity coming!

Sedona by SewKindofWonderful - a 2023 Quilt Along with Denise

 Looking for something new and interesting to work on in the new year? Think about joining in on the 2023 Sedona Quilt Along with Denise.

Here’s what you need to know – this is a no pressure, at your own pace, with tips and hints, as communal (or as solo) as you want it Quilt Along.  It is free and you can come and go as you wish. I’m starting in January, but that doesn’t mean you have to start in January. The only requirement is that you have fun. Oh and you’ll have to buy the pattern and ruler – either from me, from SewKindofWonderful, your local quilt shop or Amazon. Who knows, you might already have them!

Every month, I'll provide some instruction on how to make the motif for that month. These videos will be available on my Blog, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. You can join the QAL Facebook Grou if you wish, but its not required. I'll also send some extra info and fun stuff your way each month - picture a few new recipes, notion recommendations, quilting resolutions, etc. Just a few fun extras!

Here's how things will go - In January, we'll talk about the layout options included in the pattern as well as those available on SewKindofWonderful's website. After choosing your layout, you can figure out your fabric requirements. 

Then in February through August you can learn about and make the 11 motifs. The QCR mini is a fun, useful ruler.  Tons of opportunities open up once you're confident with it. Each month you'll have a chance to use it on a different motif. That will be your homework for the month - for those of you who like a little accountability (remember, no pressure unless you want some gentle nudging). The number of each motif you make is dependent on the layout that you choose. September will be dedicated to finishing up any loose ends before we start assembly in October. In November we'll all show off our beautiful creations.

So - the bottom line is that you'll have fun, no pressure, no charge (except pattern and ruler), as much or little accountability as you want, as much or little socializing as you like. And you'll end up with a cool, new, modern quilt and some new skills.

Got Questions? Ask in the comments.

QAL Curious . . .

50 Quilts from 50 States - New York

 

Its interesting that I am writing this post while I'm in New York, but
the inspiration for this quilt came from my previous visit in 2014 (OMG was it that long ago?). Saul and I made a driving tour of New England that included visits to family in Brooklyn and Ithaca, a drive up the Hudson River valley to the Finger Lakes district and then through the southern part of the state back to Brooklyn.

As I was pondering which of the many interesting sites should be my inspiration, I of course thought about the New York City sky line, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the hustle of Manhattan, and architectural points of interest. But the thing that struck me most of all were the various water courses and how they reflected the sky and surrounding buildings and foliage.

The water ways that caught my attention were the East River - its color reflecting the grey of the clouds overhead and the buildings surrounding it.

 As we drove north through the Hudson Rive Valley, we followed the Hudson, swollen and muddy from recent rains.

Then we stopped in Syracuse for a visit to the Erie Canal Museum.  The canal was completed in 1825 and was the first navigable water that connection the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean.

Next stop was wine tasting at one (or 2) of the many wineries along the banks of the Finger Lakes - Cayuga Lake to be specific. The lake was a beautiful blue and the sweet wine slushie I had was refreshing.

Niagara Falls was the highlight of a different trip back in 1996 and in fact I'll be going again tomorrow. The mist got everything damp - a nice cool down during the hot weather.

So here were my five water ways. I like to design in odd numbers of motifs - surely I heard that in an art design class at one time. Now, how to represent them? French Braids. A technique I hadn't used before, French Braids would be great to represent the dynamic, ever - changing water ways. 

I just happened to have a batik jelly roll in the muddy browns and green colors of the Hudson. A couple off trips to quilt shops added some grey, blue, and sea foam colored jelly rolls and some yardage that I wanted for the constant squares down the middle of the braid. 

I started work on  this quilt while visiting my Mom near Phoenix Arizona. Although not my standard work area, it served me well for the week that I was there. I'm not sure how Mom felt about the mess though.

Here is  pic of the almost-finished quilt top. Water ways are from left to right - Erie Canal, East River, Niagara Falls, Hudson River, and Finger Lakes. This was a lot of fun to do - picking out colors, deciding how wide to make the braid sections, and how to bring the sections together. 

The pattern (when finished) will be available to download or by mail from my Etsy Shop

Get Curious about New York! It's a great place!

A Week with Ricky and Hugo

Did I mention I love workshops? Oh, and retreats? Oh, and Colorado? Oh and Ricky Tims? Oh, and camping? Put them all together and this was how I spent a week in May of this year (2022).

I loaded up a couple of my Ricky Tims projects - Colorado Rhapsody, and the Portland Maine Lighthouse (each of these quilts will get their own post later), my sewing machine and sewing tackle box into Tilley - my new to me toy hauler (hauling a sewing machine, not motor cycles), and headed west for LaVeta Colorado where Ricky lives, creates, and holds his retreats.

I went on a retreat back in May 2019, which is when I started Colorado Rhapsody. At that time I didn't have a trailer, so I stayed at LaVeta Inn, a very nice, but pricey hotel. So on this trip, I decided to bring Tilley and camp in the local RV park - that way I could spend money on Ricky's hand dyed fabric instead of a hotel room and eating out.  A Quilter has her priorities!

My son AJ's birthday was on Sunday May 22, so I left bright and early on Monday, stayed in a church parking lot in Lamar, Colorado (thanks Harvest Host) and arrived in LaVeta by mid day on Tuesday. Except for some bumpy roads which resulted in one of Tilley's windows busting out, the trip was uneventful (no speeding tickets for me this time). 

The RV park was just a block from Ricky's retreat center, so I could actually walk. Did I walk? No, but I could have! I was able to pack lunches, cook breakfast and dinner, so I saved some money, which, of course, I spent on fabric and a new hat in LaVeta.

There were 6 of us quilters there, plus Ricky and Hugo, so we got lots of personal attention from Ricky (well, and Hugo too - he cooked a fabulous lunch for us one day, and kept the jokes and teasing going all week). Everyone worked on a different project, so we got to hear Ricky's guidance on multiple techniques. Several of us were working on the Rhapsody technique.

With Ricky's help, I finished designing, cutting, and ironing on a million applique shapes that illustrate Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, the Tree of Life, and the cardinal directions - all to represent Colorado in my 50 Quilts for 50 States project. Stitching these million shapes down has been my focus for the remainder of the summer and I'm only about 2/3 done. I heard Ricky when he said that you can have as many fiddly shapes as you want, but remember that you'll have to sew each one down. Somehow it didn't really register though.

After the designing and cutting was complete, I moved on to a
second quilt - Portland Maine Lighthouse. This quilt uses the Gridified Art Quilt technique that I learned in a online workshop I took with Ricky last summer. So I finished (well, started actually) foundation piecing the lighthouse tower and house, started the background blocks, and made some really good progress. I needed some addition sky fabric, so I couldn't complete it there, but almost! 

It was a productive week with some really great quilters who are now new friends. We had dinner at a couple of great local restaurants, visited the home of one of our local students, shared music, quilting ideas, stories, and basically bonded over the week. Here is some of their work - they are some talented artists!

I hope I can do this retreat on a semi-regular basis - maybe every couple of years. I learn so much about my creative process and various techniques. And of course LaVeta is beautiful!

Curious about Ricky Tims and his quilting, photography, and music? Check out this multi-talented man here, on his website.