Bluprint Blues

I took a year off from blogging to focus on acquiring a new skill.  Since Bluprint began as Craftsy, I have been purchasing online classes but I hadn't really joined the forum as a member.  In March of 2019, I bought a year's membership with the goal of learning to free motion quilt on a domestic machine and eventually my longarm.  My membership came with free forever classes and almost all the classes I enrolled in for the last year have been on free motion quilting.  Bluprint has been my favorite online class delivery system and educational community.  

Now Bluprint is closing and I am exploring ways to save my content, almost 10 years of classes and the accompanying resources.  I have managed to collect all of the patterns I had in my library but now the task of downloading the class videos.  This program looks promising, Allavsoft.  For the price of a Bluprint class on sale, one can use Allavsoft for a month.  Stay posted.  I will be busy.

It's Been a Long Time . . .

I could write about many topics.  So much has happened but I will be brief and stick to the isolation sewing details. 

In the last 3 months I made more masks than I care to count.  It all started with a nurse on our block needing a few to wear on her house calls.  Then her friends at the hospital wanted some, really a lot, and now it's special requests from family and friends.

My personal favorite for my small face is from I Think Sew.  It is free, fast, and folds flat.  I put them in my purse, jacket and jeans pockets, the car gear boxes, and in zip bags to give away.

In between masks, I have done a bit of happy sewing.  Today, I finished up a piece of thread painting and free motion quilting into a zip bag for a belated birthday gift. 

This zip bag is the second I have done with coloring on fabric with crayons and then adding some thread painting.  The first was for my DiL's birthday in May.   

My daughter asked for a sturdy book bag for her birthday.  She found the perfect fabric but thought the batik print would be too thin.  I said, "No problem, I can quilt that." 

It's been a productive start to 2020 in spite of all the distractions.  Now, I hope to get back to quilting on the Incredible Hulk (Innova longarm).  I have a top I just finished so I can practice some ruler work and free-hand fills from Natalia Bonner's online classes and YouTube videos.  The pattern for the quilt is a new one called Quick QST Quilt from Colorfun Quilts by Erin Ryan.  

So, there is the last few months in one quick overview.  I guess I should cover the last 6 months of 2019, also, but maybe in another entry.  

  

Quilt Camp 2019

Great kids, beautiful quilts, and an awesome volunteer team made quilt camp a success from beginning to end.

What Happened?

The month of January flew by and my Elm Street OMG didn't get finished.  The quilt label will have to be done in the next few days before we see our longtime friends whose daughter had the baby girl just this week.

Other projects were finished.  A Hanukkah quilt top was pieced, quilted, and bound.  Now to make a label.  Ten quilt blocks were made for a 2019 Christmas quilt.  I am really trying to avoid the holiday rush this year.

Just today, I made a new bib for Jojo and two pillowcases for my little sis's best friend now living in Texas.  They won't get there for Chris' birthday but they will by Valentine's Day.

The bib was needed and I wanted to play with my new toy, a genuine KAM Snap Tool and snaps.  I have been wanting a tool to apply plastic snaps for years.  With enough Amazon Prime Points saved, I splurged for my birthday and ordered one.  It works amazingly well.  I wish I had it all the years I was making clothes for my babies and toddlers.  The KAM snaps go in easily and perfectly.  My old tools applied the pronged metal snaps and I had a very high rate of application failure with those style.  I have lots of those snaps left but I am afraid they will not be used unless I am desperate.  The new tool is too much fun!

Elm Street Quilts January 2019 Link Up

Just a quickie to link up to the Elm Street Quilts January 2019 OMG.  My goal is to put a label on this sweet little quilt that was originally intended for a new adopted granddaughter, but we were blessed with an adorable grandson who has stolen my heart.  It will go to friend's whose daughter is having a little girl.

Elm Street Quilts December Link Up: Christmas Quilts Labelled and Gifted

The Christmas quilts with coordinating pillowcases were well received.  The labels complemented the themes perfectly. 

Christmas Bear loves to posed with the holiday quilts

Jonah's label:

It was a wonderful year of finishes for the Elm Street OMG.  I am looking forward to another year of fulfilled goals.  Thanks to all who make the event successful!

Elm Street Quilts December OMG: Make and Attach Labels for Two Quilts

Two quilts are in need of labels before they can be wrapped and put under the tree.  Betty's Original Embroideries offered two reindeer alphabet fonts that should make perfect labels for these quilts.  Hopefully, I will get to the embroidery this weekend and finish the labels before Christmas.  They are my my Elm Street Quilts OMG for December.

Hanukkah is this week and unfortunately the Hanukkah quilt is still sitting in pieces.  It will be a future goal.  I am not planning on staying up all night to get it done before Hanukkah ends.