Invisible Thread...and How Did I Live Without It?

Wow!  When I was moaning about my decision to make placemats, and how much time it takes to finish the binding on them, several of my readers suggested that I machine stiitch the binding down with invisible thread.  Can't say enough good things about this stuff.  Of course, I wouldn't use it for a special quilt, but for placemats and quick little gifts, this stuff is awesome!  The only problem I had was that somehow my machine (a Janome 4623) overwound a bobbin, and it actually lifted the top of the bobbin off! 

And I just had to add this picture of the snowman my daughter and grandson made last week.  We finally got some snow.  I hope we get more!

No, It's Not Christmas.... and more Weekly Inspiration

We finally got some snow!  I would guess about 10 inches!  Yep!  Milwaukee had 80 degrees, and we got snow.  Gotta love it!  We sure needed it, too.  I love the weather here.  We get about 3-4 snow storms a year.  Just enough to play in it, and have some fun, but not the drudgery of every day cold and snow.  It usually lasts just 3-4 days because it is so sunny here. 

No, it is not Christmas, but it does seem a bit confusing doesn't it?  Christmas fabrics and snow?

I am really working hard to finish up some UFOs this year.  This table runner was made by my mom about 25 years ago.  It was never quilted.  She turned the top and back right sides together and stitched it up, and then turned it right side out.  I haven't had it out for many years because the colors had gone out of style.  Well, as you know, that bright green and red are so popular lately.  So I brought it out this year, but just felt that it needed some quilting.  I really love it now. 

And here is a picture of a couple birds getting some breakfast at my house this morning.  There were actually about 30 or so little ones, but when I walked over to the window, of course they were outta here!  We had a large covey of quail, too, but they didn't even wait until I got to the window.

This week I feel like highlighting two quilting bloggers who not only do some great quilting, but I can usually count on them to let me know that someone is reading my blog...lol!!  The quilts they work on are very similar to quilts that I see a lot of here, too, so I get great ideas from them!

Keeping it on the western side of the country this week...  Check out Teresa's blog at http://quiltingismybliss.blogspot.com/  and Karen's blog at **laugh yourself into stitches** 

Weekly Inspiration...Two Fabulous Quilters and the Quick Curve Ruler

This week I am highlighting two more fabulous quilters...

I am always impressed with Desley's quilting.  She is extremely talented.  Her quilting designs are just amazing.  If you don't already follow Desley's blog, you might want to pop over to see all the beautiful quilting she does...  http://www.addictedtoquilts.blogspot.com/

I recently received Jenny's Quick Curve Ruler and I have been playing around with some scrap fabrics...  I love this ruler.  The possibilities are endless!  The green, brown and blue one is from the pattern that comes with the ruler.  I was just playing around with the ruler and created the blue one..  I am not super crazy about the fabrics, but playing around with the ruler was fun.  Speaking of inspiration... Jenny Pedigo over at Sew Kind of Wonderful, and Jenny's Doodling Needle really inspires me!  If you are not already a follower, check out one of her blogs at:  http://sewkindofwonderful.blogspot.com/

Weekly inspiration...and more placemats

I am hoping to highlight a couple bloggers each week that really inspire me. Maybe they already inspire you, or are new to you? In any case, check out Leslie's blog for some beautiful embellishments and photography:  http://marvelesartstudios.blogspot.com/  Leslie has some incredible photography skills, and coupled with her talent for art quilting, it is a dynamic duo. 

Many of you probably already follow Linda, but her work is new to me. I cannot believe that she has only had a long arm since 2011.  A recent quilt that I admire is her swoon quilt.  I love how she did the borders:  http://www.thequiltedpineapple.com/2012/02/swooning-over-swoon.html


Lastly, my daughter made these placemats for my parents, I quilted them, and my mom is doing the hand stitching on the binding. It's a three-generation project!  We clipped the corners because their table is round.  They look good, but eight corners on each of six placemats was really time consuming.