Safety Grip Handles for Rotary Cutting Rulers

We had an accident in quilting camp. One of the adults (I don't allow the kids to use the rotary cutters) sliced a portion of skin off her finger while cutting fabric for the kids' quilts.

The Gypsy Quilter has been offering safety suction grip handles for rotary cutting rulers:

Gypsy Gripper Trio

These are merely dent pullers (the dual suction handle is also sold as a shower grip handle). You will find them for great prices at places like Harbor Freight and similar tool outlets. The whole set will be under 25 dollars.

http://www.toolking.com/category/automotive/auto-body/dentcollision-repair.aspx

http://www.nationalwholesaletools.com/2inchsuctioncupdentpuller.aspx

Buy some for your friends. ;)

Quilts from 9th Annual 4-H Quilt Camp

(Click on images for a larger view.)

After a few challenging obstacles, 3 campers who missed a day of camp, and one mishap with the rotary cutter, we finished the week with 9 quilts and one quilt top to be completed later in the summer with one of the volunteers (aka the camper's 4-H leader). It is so rewarding for the volunteers, parents, and camp participants to see the results of their hard work and perseverance. A big thank you for all who helped make this year's camp a huge success. Without the helpful hands of parents and volunteers and the donated space at the local Catholic school, we would not be able to run this special program.

If you would like to make the pillowcase, you will find the instructions online:

http://4h.wsu.edu/clothing/quick_projects/Pillowcase2.pdf

For a CD including the complete program guide for the half-day camp program see the link below for details:

4-H Quilting Camp Program

Mom's Quilt

My recliner is modeling another quilt. This one is for my mom. I have been intending to make her one since I found 2 sets of 6 fat quarters in her favorite colors several years ago when I was in grad school. At the same time, I picked up the pattern, Yellow Brick Road. But having second thoughts about the scrappy look, I decided on a slight variation of the traditional Rail Fence pattern.

In an effort to develop my quilting skills, I worked on creating a new quilting pattern of free form flowers, loops, and leaves over the blocks. My border has vines of leaves and a flower in the center and each corner. You can see I cheated a bit and did some embellishing of the inside border with my domestic sewing machine. ;) (Click on pictures to enlarge for detail.)
Now to get a special signature block made on the embroidery machine. If I don't dedicate the quilt to her, my mom will be asking me in two months if she can give it to someone. She has done that with other things I have made for her. Not that I mind, because I generally make small, practical gifts like placemats and shopping bags.

First Online Quilt Show

Amy @ Park City Girl is having an online quilt show. Entries are favorite quilts of the contestants. Well, mine is a repeat because this quilt is a favorite. I always wanted to make a quilt from the scraps left from my kids' summer jams and finally, I did it! Here is the Treadle On Mystery Quilt for 2009. The pattern was perfect for my scraps and I had fun making the quilt; so many special memories were sewn into the quilt. Thanks for letting me share!

Signature Blocks and Starch

Last spring, I participated in a pinwheel block exchange. We were instructed to starch our fabrics before we constructed our blocks. I followed the instructions but had a nagging feeling that starch may prevent the ink from penetrating the fibers of the fabric. Today, I ran a little test. I starched one sample twice with spray starch and pressed it flat. The other was pressed and signed. On each sample I used the same 4 pens, a Sakura Pigma Micron Pen, an Identi-pen, an Uni-ball Signo (a water resistant ink for check signing), and a Zig Ball Pen. After writing, I heat set the ink for 10 plus seconds and then ran the sample under hot running water in a strainer basket but used no laundry products.

As you can see, the starch does keep the ink from penetrating the fibers deeply. The Micron Pen and the Identi-pen did the best in the test so far. Now, I wonder what laundry products will do to the samples.

Sneak Peek

Shhh, don't tell, but I am posting a picture of a quilt I finished for the Treadle On 2009 mystery quilt event. The Mystery Quilt Show won't begin until next week and I used a Janome Jem Gold to construct the top because I made all the kids' clothes on a Janome New Home my DH bought me in 1978 when my T&S Singer 758 gave out when it was less than 5 years old. ;)

The quilt is made from the Hawaiian fabrics purchased for shorts my kids wore in the 80's and 90's (well, one fabric was the apron my daughter made for 4-H). It brings back many memories of happy summers including a week spent on the beach and then another in Southern CA at Disneyland and Sea World.

Well, just for the record, the link to the Treadle On Mystery Quilt Show was posted Monday night (April 6, not April 15 as I thought it would be), so if you want to see the rest of the quilts, visit Olde Treadleonia:

http://www.treadleon.net/oldtreadleonia/mysteryquilt1/mq-finalshow/mq-ri/ri-mq.html

Last Blast of Winter

I have always said that the weather can change in a blink of an eye in Walla Walla. Last night, I was on a roll. I stayed up until 4 am hand stitching the binding down on a quilt. Sometime after 2 am, I put a load of laundry in the dryer. Our basement felt cold and damp - colder than it was when I put the load in to wash; like a winter fog had just rolled in. When I returned upstairs, I looked out the window in our living room from where I was curled up with the quilt over my lap, no sign of fog.

But soon a heavy slushy rain came pelting down. It was almost hail but not quite. It splattered and started to cover the ground. I stood and watched and all of a sudden, a huge thunder clap broke through the sound of the pelting rain and lightening lit up the sky followed by a sound that could have been a jet breaking through the sound barrier. The sound was so low and close, I almost expected to hear a crash but only silence came and snow fell heavily.

By the time I went to bed, there was probably over an inch of fresh heavy snow. When I woke up to blue skies at 8 am, it looked like there had been about 3 inches. But did the sun last? No! It is now snowing heavily again. There is always a last blast of winter at the end of February in our valley. It brings a cruel halt to the signs of spring and often surprisingly warm days.

And the quilt? The binding is on. I will do a label for it after it is washed. The batting is cotton, I like to see how the shrinkage shows up the quilting.

This quilt top was made on my Sweet 99, Minnie, a hand crank, on Christmas Day. We didn't get to be with family due to snow. I had to celebrate the season by making a Christmas quilt. And, I love sewing on hand crank sewing machines. There is just something so relaxing about the process. I forgot my disappointment over Christmas with every turn my hand made to stitch the quilt.