Inspire Me!

Geninne

I've been following Geninne for years

ever since finding her lovely birds on etsy.

She inspires me

her blues, her oranges,

her artistic honesty

And now I can have her in fabric

Cloud 9 - organic

love the strike-offs 

can't wait until I can buy it!

More inspiration ...

- - - Uppercase Journal - - -

Eye Candy

Creativity on steroids

Shadows

Like you've never seen before

Visit the site for more!

And finally

Jennifer Collier

Sewn Paper - 3D

Explore!

Be Inspired!

Bobbin Threads and Apron Strings

I've received a few questions about why I use bobbin thread so I thought I'd give you my two cents on the issue. I love bobbin / lingerie thread - specifically YLI Soft Touch thread - it's basically the only thread I use in my bobbin, with one exception which I'll explain below..


YLI Soft Touch is a 60 weight / 2 ply, 100% cotton thread. It is very strong - I've been know to use it on top as well as in the bobbin.

Soft Touch is available in 28 colors - I tend to use only neutral colored thread in most of my piecing so I always keep a supply on hand of white, off-white, grays, tan, brown and black. However when I am quilting I will try to match or compliment the backing fabric with my bobbin thread.

One exception - when I am using a heavy weight quilting thread on top - say a 40 weight - I will put a heavier weight thread in the bobbin - say a 50 weight. I've found that using a bobbin weight thread with the heavier quilting threads can throw of my tension - talk about a thread from the edge!

Why use bobbin thread -
1. because I'm lazy, - - - I hate to have to stop sewing to change my bobbin. A lot of sewers will wind a bobbin with whatever thread they have on top. If you're using a heavy thread on top, say a 40 weight - that bobbin in going to run out before you know it. This is me winding a bobbin - I actually hold onto my thread as it is coming off of the spool to create a bit of tension, allowing me to really pack the thread on my bobbin. FYI - do not do this if you have a machine that uses plastic bobbins - you can create so much tension the plastic will contract and get stuck on the holder - I know - I did it!

2. because I'm cheap - - - those fancy threads we like to use on top can be expensive - why throw money away on something you really don't see. Bobbin thread is more cost effective to use.

3. because I like the way the stitch settles when ironed - - - using bobbin thread really decreases the bulk in your seam.

Where can you find a nice selection of thread - seems I've had no problem with that - take a look at my thread collection below - ouch! There are still bowls and stacks of thread scattered throughout my sewing room that can't fit into this door "organizer" - if you call this organized.

Finding a quilt shop that has a nice thread selection can be tricky - I find a lot of quilt shops have a very poor selection of thread. If you're in the Greater Philadelphia area there is one shop that has an excellent selection of thread - Ladyfingers Sewing (I've always thought this sounds more like a massage parlor than a sewing studio). An FYI - they do not offer their full line of thread on line. Ladyfingers Sewing is located in Oley, PA - farming country close to Reading. But let me make it worth your drive - here's the perfect full day road trip for a quilter -
First stop: Generations Quilt Shop right off route 422 in Pottstown - great selection of designer fabrics
Second stop: Ladyfingers in Oley off of route 662 - stock up on thread, tons of notions, and silk on the bolt
Third stop: Quilters Palette in Pricetown on route 10 off of route 662 - a fantastic collection of batiks and hand-dyed wools
Fourth stop: Goggleworks in Reading - an incredible gallery / artist studio space. Mary Stoudt, who has been in Quilt National, has a studio at the Goggleworks.
Fifth stop: Somethings Looming in Reading - haven't been there yet, but am planning to get there soon.

Here's my pet peeve - why can't sewing machine manufacturers make a machine that doesn't require a bobbin - I feel like the girl in the Windows 7 Microsoft commercial. Why can't they make a machine where you put a big honking spool of bobbin thread on a special holder that feeds directly into the bottom of the machine - WHY??? Are you listening to us????

Enough about thread - I want to show you my Free Spirit apron that I made this weekend - remember this - I bought it at the quilt show?

It was so easy to throw together - if you don't have one of these tube turners - BUY one - they're great - made turning the straps a piece of cake.

Here's my beautiful niece Megan modeling the apron - I gave it to her Mom as a thank you for the big spaghetti dinner last night - I should have given it to her father who got sauce all over his new shirt!

I got a little tricky - the directions had you turning the edge - I decided instead to make it reversible - isn't this cute! Thanks Meg!

Now What?

I love this block - if you would see the component fabrics individually in all likelihood you'd probably not think of putting them together in a quilt. The inner fabric of the square, the dottie fabric, has been in my stash for years - it is a Jennifer Sampou fabric. As far as I can tell, Jennifer is no longer designing fabric, although I wish she was. The dots on the fabric look like they have been painted. The fabric surrounding the center dot fabric is my hand-dyed, from a gradation kit. The kit produced a beautiful array of fabric suggestive of autumn leaves - I didn't use any of the greens in constructing the blocks. I made 83 blocks - and then they were retired to the "now what" corner of my sewing room - you have one too, admit it, we all do. Enter the Kaffe Fassett Venetian glass fabric in the gold colorway - it is a perfect compliment - it makes all of the colors and patterns in the blocks come alive. I love the moment of finding the perfect fabric.
Look at the colors in this Kaffe Fssett fabric - it can compliment so much - it's just beautiful.

Now what??? - I've made a total of 12 blocks of 9 squares - every square having their own personality based on the color of hand-dyed fabric and the section of dottie fabric coloration. As you can see, I mixed up the hand-dyed colors in each 9 patch grouping - including 2 squares, middle of the top and bottom row - with a different hand-dyed color to add interest to the arrangement. Here they are hung on my daughter's bedroom wall - it's purple, and I'm toying with using a purple - darker than the wall - as sashing for the blocks - what do you think?
I'm definitely going to use a solid for the sashing - here are my solid swatch cards from Kauffman and Moda - tantalizing! I'll likely go with one of the darker purples on the Moda card - but I'll admit I'm starting to like the wall color - suggestions?

Yummy, quick dinner tonight - vegetarian - compliments of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, the January / February 2010 issue - Quick Chick Pea Curry. I made some changes to the recipe so I've included it below - give it a try!

Quick Chickpea Curry
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 sweet potato, cubed, 1/2 inch cubes
6 dried apricots, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TBSP curry powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup frozen soybeans
3 TBSP ketchup (yup - really adds to the flavor)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook to brown. Add the sweet potato, apricot, garlic and spices, stirring to distribute. Add the chick peas, chicken stock, soybeans, ketchup and stock - stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the cilantro or parsley. Serve over brown rice. Makes 4 servings chockful of fiber and vitamin A.