notes from Terry Ann

Pedal to the metal

On Saturday morning we got together for a test class at Quilted Treasures of Rogers and made "quilt as you go" yo-yo tote bags. These girls had the pedal to the metal to get their bags done so we could work on machine applique in the afternoon. Whew! Look how fast Margaret's hands are moving - so fast the camera couldn't even catch them. (Or maybe it's the photographer?)

Brenda had a great tip for saving fabric. Instead of cutting squares for the yo-yo's - she simply uses a large scrap, puts it in the yo-yo maker, and then trims around it. This way she can fit the yo-yo's closer together on the fabric. Her civil war yo-yo's (above) are arranged and ready to stitch down.

Everyone chose different fabrics - here are a couple more:

Below is another cute version of the bag with a square bottom, purchased handles and 3 yo-yo's for an accent. What a great way to show off a beautiful batik. All in all we had a fun day and got lots of sewing done.

We'll be testing The Breadbox Bag pattern on Thursday, April 9th from 6:30-8:30 at Quilted Treasures. Contact the shop if you'd like to sign up!

Where is the Ocean?

You are probably wondering who got the Beach quilt leftovers . . . I was actually wondering what happened to them too! As I was cleaning my sewing room, I put them in a big envelope, ready to go to the winner. Then I put the envelope "over the line" into Kirk's half of the room so he would have them all ready to ship. Then I forgot where they were. I looked all over my clean sewing room and couldn't find them anywhere. (I can NEVER find anything in a clean room!) I might be the only person who can lose part of the "ocean". Then my computer quit and I was totally stressed and completely sidetracked! Now I have a new laptop - how long do you think it will be before I lose that in my clean sewing room? We found the beach in the picture last month in Carmel, CA.

Derek picked a number out of a Tag Along Tote and the lucky winner is #2 -Liz Arbaugh. Liz, send me your mailing address and I'll send you the leftover "ocean" pieces! (if they're not lost again)

Time for Testing

Come and test two new patterns with me on Saturday, March 28th from 9:00 - 4:00 at Quilted Treasures in Rogers, MN. The cost is $20 for both projects. We'll test a tote bag made with yo-yo's and the quilt as you go method.

We'll also test an easy applique quilt using my new "Over Easy" machine applique technique. Each tester will be provided with patterns in class and a CD with the quilt template. We have very limited space, and there is a little prep work needed before class, so contact Quilted Treasures today to sign up!

Bulldozing the mess

Nope, the shoemaker's elves didn't clean my sewing room while I was in California. When I got back home, I was kinda surprised to see how deep the "stuff" on the cutting counter really is! It piles up so gradually that I don't notice unless I'm away from it for a few days. So I revved up the backhoe and got to work. (just kidding) I uncovered the leftover pieces from my beach quilt. Not that I'm bad at math - I just have to make sure I have lots of choices, so there are always leftovers. Anyone want them?? I even have one seam sewn for you, so your quilt would be almost done!!

Look what else I found - a half finished zipper bag from my Fat Quarter Fonts book. All I had to do was sew the bottom seam and now I have a new bag. I put a big loop on the zipper pull so I can hang it in my locker when I go to the Y to exercise. Hey - doesn't cleaning count as exercise?? It should.

A Quilt Burrito

Derek's Star Sprinkles quilt was quilted by Cindy Kujawa, and she did a really great job! He wanted it to be really soft like the quilt he's had since first grade so Cindy used Hobbs 80/20 batting and left the darker rows fairly open so they'd stay soft. I like to do the binding by machine because when I stitch it by hand the stitches get longer and longer as I go and it falls apart right away.

As soon as the binding was done Derek had to try the quilt out on the floor of my sewing room. Kind of reminds me of a "kitty burrito". (that's when we wrap the cat in a towel so he can't escape when we have to give him medicine)

Here's Derek and his quilt - now we'll wash it several times to soften it up and then it's straight to bed!

I know a Cover Girl!

Look what Roseanne made that ended up on the cover of Quilts and More! She used our Paisley Party fabric from Red Rooster fabrics and wow! I love how it turned out. the design is really simple to sew - the diamonds are made out of half square triangles - it looks harder than that doesn't it?

Here's the quilt in a bedroom. Now I'm gonna need wood floors too (not to mention the quilt) - this room looks so clean and fresh!

Yay the books are here!

After a long, long wait, the Fat Quarter Fonts book is finally here! We had to wait until the books were printed before ordering the CD's so the colors would match. After the CD's were manufactured, they were shipped over to the printer to be attached inside each book. Whew! finally done . . .

Now Kirk and Derek have to get busy shipping the books.  Here's Derek making boxes to send books out to all of the quilt shops that are on our "autoship" list. (we automatically ship new patterns and books to them as soon as they are ready.)

Here's the bench full of boxes for the UPS man. (yes, that's fresh snow - gotta love Minnesota!) A couple of days and the quilt shops will be getting the books! Also time for me to send books out to the 5 winners from the January posts!

Color is Back!!

Quilters know that color never went anywhere - it surrounds us in our quilts, our stash, and even the threads on our floor. Fashion, however, follows trends. During times of recession, the hemlines go up and the colors get brighter. So Macy's advertising theme "Welcome Back Color" is a perfect fit for the economy. I just love the way they grouped the colors in the window displays. And I love the fluffy chairs - kind of reminds me of a Shaggy Chic pillow. Couldn't you just see your favorite batiks in those frames behind the models?