Help us pick a winner in our first quilt challenge! Look at these great quilts that our customers made from their 3′s a Charm quilt challenge packs. Leave a comment voting for your favorite. The winners will receive gift certificates to the store. We will also draw for a $10.00 gift certificate from all of the voters…so you can win too!
Way to go! Your space should be looking inviting now. You’ve done a good job hanging in. You’ll have a cool retreat during the hot summer months when we finish.
Today’s challenge is to assess your cutting station-are there piles that need sorting and moving? Is the mat in good condition? Does your rotary blade need replacing? Is it the right height? Are your rulers in good condition or do any need replacing? Are they stored properly?
If there are piles- put them away(tips in the binder, patterns in the basket, projects in boxes, scraps dealt with as planned, etc.)
If the mat has deep grooves consider upgrading to a Martelli cutting system. The mats are designed to grip the fabric so that it doesn’t shift when you cut and they are the most durable mats I have seen on the market. Their ergonomically designed rotary cutters have a long blade life as well. Check out the previous post on the cutting system for more information.
Dull rotary blades can really shorten the life of your mats and cause accidents because you increase the pressure on the cutter. You should have replacements on hand so you aren’t tempted to continue to use that dull blade.
Your cutting station should be within three inches of the height of your elbow. Lower than that can cause back fatigue.
You should consider replacing your rulers if the markings are worn and rubbed off or you have nicks in the edge. They should be stored in such a way that they wont be dropped easily. They shouldn’t be near any heat sources that might cause them to warp. At the minimum you need a 12 inch square ruler and an 18 inch by 6 inch ruler.
If they are all in good condition then consider treating yourself to one of the new Creative Grid Quilting strip rulers.
Box and label your ongoing projects.
Today’s challenge is to gather your on going projects. Pick the three you want to work on now. Put them in your working basket. Sort the others and place them in shirt boxes/pizza boxes, or some other project bag/box , label them and place them on a shelf. (Do not use last night’s pizza box! Ask your favorite pizza place for clean, unused boxes. Most will be happy to give you a few. Me, I wasn’t bold enough to ask but have found tons of shirt boxes in my wrapping closet and restocked after Christmas.) Boxing your projects will help you find them when you are ready to revisit them and you’ll have all the materials needed. You are also less likely to use a required component on another project because you forgot what you bought it for.
If you don’t have three on going projects then consider picking up a fun summer pattern like Auntie’s Bow N Go Flip-flops, Amy Butler’s Cabo halter top, or Amy Butler’s Blue Sky Hats patterns. They are perfect accessories for keeping cool in the summer.
If you don’t have a work basket then maybe you should make one using the Bali Boxes pattern.
So how many ongoing projects do you have?
Today’s challenge is to assess your pressing station- Is it the right height? Does your cover need replacing? Do you need more starch or sizing? Check the sole plate of your iron, do you need an iron cleaner? Does the board need to be unburied from towering projects?
If you press standing up the board should be within 5 inches of the elbow. You want to be able to pick the iron up with the natural flexing of your arm. If you are sitting, make sure you aren’t straining your back when lifting the iron. Adjust the stand or table if the height is not right for you.
If your iron is getting older or your cover has seen better days, check out Bo-Nash Iron board cover. It increases the efficiency of your iron by reflecting 300% more heat back than other covers. Older irons tend to not get as hot as they used too so this helps improve their performance. It also means you don’t have to drain as much electricity to run your newer iron because you can run it at a lower temperature.
You should always have starch on hand to help stabilize your fabric piecing and make your quilts glide better while quilting. I like to keep Best Press around for my everyday pressing. (Not the clothing kind, that never happens at my house, the quilting kind.)
If there is adhesive or starch on the bottom of your iron’s sole plate you can remove it with the Bo-Nash Iron Clean.
I also like to keep lavender water in my pressing station. I use it in my iron and in a spray bottle to spritz already starched fabric to help reactivate the starch. I mix my own from a web recipe I found. This indulgence can make pressing a little private trip to the spa- just press the steam button a couple of times and let it wisk you away! 
Don’t forget to keep working on that scrap pile plan.
What is your favorite pressing aid?
My scrap pile is overunning my sewing room.
Gather up your fabric scraps. Come up with a plan to make the mountain go away and start to sort according to your plan. Your plan could be to strip it all into 2.5 inch strips, 4.5 inch strips, and 5 inch charm squares. Or you can decide you will never make a scrap quilt in your life and pass the scraps on to a friend who will.
Or maybe you might want to grab some wash away stabilizer and start making your own special fabric for a cool bag or scarf. Tacky Living has a good description of the fun process. Just use more fabric instead of the specialty thread, unless of course you have those too. The great thing is that even odd angled shapes would look cool – you know the weird edges from cutting out a purse, dress. or applique pattern. Or the pieces from evening off a strip. Just slice and dice if the pieces are too big. (Ok, who else clicked on the duct tape dress form link on Tacky Living’s page? That is way to cool … now to find a friend who could be the wrapper or a friend willing to be a wrappee…) Oh wait- we were talking scraps weren’t we. Hey- why not stuff the dress form with those scraps! Oh I am on a roll now. I’ll have my space cleaned in no time!
If your scrap pile is too big to tackle in 15 minutes (Guilty!) make a plan to address it over the next few days in small increments.
I like 5 inch charm squares and 2.5 inch strips because there are a lot of patterns out there for those cuts and I can cut them on the Go. My current favorite pattern books for scraps are Loose Change and Layer Cake, Jelly Roll, and Charm Quilts.
Save some treasured scraps for a fun scrappy pin cushion.
If you weighed all your scraps, how much do you think it would weigh? How many years do you think the pile spans?
Lets focus on thread. Gather your thread and bobbins together. Wind up the loose tails. Sort according to type, purpose, and color. I like the Slimline boxes or matchbox storage containers for storing my spools. Baskets look nice with spools in them too. I like the Bobbin Saver and Bobbin Tree for storing my bobbins, they stay neatly wrapped when coral-ed.
Seeing your thread neatly organized like a designer box is a special treat. Speaking of thread how is your knowledge of thread? If it’s a mystery to you then you should check out Dancing with Thread by Ann Fahl and Threadwork Unraveled, both are great for demystifying thread. Also check out Aurifil’s descriptions and Superior’s Thread Reference, Thread Selection Chart, and Troubleshooting Guide. You might want to print them out and add them to your tips binder. Another good thread reference can be found at American and Efrid, distributors of Mettler. What is your favorite type of thread to work with and why?
The second challenge is a fun one. Take a moment to clear your sewing table of everything but your sewing machine. Think about what you really need at hand when you are sitting and sewing. (Usually it’s pins, needles, thread nips, pin cushion, and seam ripper.) Go gather those things from the far regions of your sewing area, or home, and bring them back to your sewing table. Find a fun pencil cup or glass and pincushion while you’re gathering. Set your collection of tools up in a pleasing manner with in arms reach of your sewing station.
If you can’t find thread nips or your seam ripper then consider restocking these sweet tools from Wish.
If your pin cushion or pencil cup is looking a bit too plain check out the fun Pin Cushion Caddy pattern in Seams to Me by Anna Maria Horner, Cupcakes by Lynne Koolish, or Henrietta Turtle and Effie and Ollie by Heather Bailey.
What did you find to keep your tools in reach? Let us know. We love hearing your ingenious ideas.
It’s that season where we want to run out side and play and we feel an urge to change things up in our indoor spaces after being cooped up all winter.
So in the spirit of spring cleaning we’d like to offer you a series of challenges designed to clean your sewing space up and increase your enjoyment.
The first challenge makes the biggest impact on your sewing space. Gather your patterns, informational pages/notes, clippings from magazines, newsletters, etc. Sort them into tips for a binder, patterns for a basket or box, inspiration for a design wall or folder. Stuff the rest in the garbage. Now go find a binder(s), boxes and/ or baskets for your sorted piles and make room for them on a nearby shelf or table.
While sorting consider each pattern, is it something you would make? If not, consider putting it aside and gifting it to a friend. As a reward, pull a pattern or technique tip that looked neat and exciting to you while you were sorting and put it on top of your “todo” pile and try it out next!
If your binder is looking poor and boring try sprucing it up with a half yard of fabric, just like you used to do with the brown paper bags and your school books. Glue it or tape it in place, depending on how permanent you want to make it. I used the stripe from the Wise Tree collection by FreeSpirit. Love it!
If you really want to kick it up notch check out Moda Bakeshop’s quilted binder cover- way fun. Tell us about your progress, it will help keep us all motivated!
