tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063Mon, 07 Oct 2024 05:28:04 +0000http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)Blogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-6405982616195513273Thu, 01 Sep 2016 10:00:00 +00002016-09-01T06:00:03.811-04:00Have you ever done anything that you think "OMG I can't believe I did that"? I know that I certainly have. And being the optimistic 'cup half full' person that I am, I then wonder what I could've done so it wouldn't have happened.  Simple example would be when I hand sew (think sewing on binding). I've had just a few more inches to sew but my thread is extremely short. I know I can make it http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2016/09/fool-me-twice-shame-on-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-2039929274227896266Mon, 22 Aug 2016 10:00:00 +00002016-08-27T16:04:01.406-04:00I like so many other innocent quilters have been bitten by the hexie bug. I know I'm not alone...I've seen others...there's an outbreak on Instagram and Pinterest. We can't help ourselves. The darned things are fun to work on and they're easily transportable.   For me it started with an innocent glance and then a continuous stare at Millefiori quilts. The color and movement was http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2016/08/bitten-by-hexie-bug.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-6067561145474217466Sat, 30 Apr 2016 19:03:00 +00002016-04-30T15:03:05.909-04:00 This year I joined the Bag of the Month Club ( or bagomc.com as it's known). It's a great club that provides a new bag pattern every month by some fabulous bag designers that include Betz White, Mrs. H, Sew Sweetness (Sara Lawson) and Emmaline Bags (Janelle MacKay). The first of each month is met with anticipation for the pattern that'll be in my email box.In April it was the Gabby Bag by http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2016/04/my-gabby-bag.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-3351954244477970712Thu, 28 Jan 2016 11:30:00 +00002016-01-28T06:30:06.570-05:00   QuiltCon is less than a month away! Five of us from my Magpie group are going and one even has a quilt in the show which is amazing!   For two of us, this will be our third QuiltCon. Since I'm all about tote bags these days, I wanted to design something fun to take along.    At the first Con in Austin, we got the tote bags that were huge and long (but of course we http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2016/01/prepping-for-quiltcon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-7785451185686668868Thu, 02 Jul 2015 10:30:00 +00002015-07-02T06:30:00.384-04:00I'm still working on the baby quilt for Natalie. Bottomline, I bought too much fabric (awwww, too bad; right?!). So I am using the opportunity to try a fun technique that Nicole showed us at our Sew In last fall. Now I know she found it on the web somewhere, but I'm not sure who the sly sewist is that figured this out,but I think you'll agree it's slick. It's all about half square triangles...http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2015/07/working-smart.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-5811133995552102066Wed, 24 Jun 2015 22:12:00 +00002015-06-24T18:12:00.435-04:00This week I was invited to speak at the Westerville Quilt Guild.  The topic was Sewing Space Savvy...an extension of an article I wrote for NQA's The Quilting Quarterly on ergonomics. I had the opportunity to share information that I had found, but not able to put in a two page article. Some of the information I picked up apply to office spaces as well as sewing rooms. Here are some of the http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2015/06/importance-of-functional-design.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-3307590191926121013Thu, 18 Jun 2015 10:30:00 +00002015-06-18T06:30:02.484-04:00This year I am going to continue on my journey to improve the precision of my sewing. And it is a journey; not just a short trip. I'm showing progress so I know I am trainable (just ask my dogs; they got me whipped into shape in no time!), but I need to keep working at it. As Mad Eye Moody said in the Harry Potter books: 'be constantly vigilant'.  There are the very apparent tips like keep http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-quest-continues.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-8476071046837277505Thu, 11 Jun 2015 10:30:00 +00002015-06-11T06:30:03.064-04:00When you wake up early in the morning and the house is quiet because it's too early for anyone to get up, what crosses your mind? Well, for me this morning it was my quilt guild name tag. Weird, eh? I don't know why I thought of that but the point is that I did. I had a really cute name tag at one point.  I had made it out of fabric in yellow and black. But for the life of me I can't find http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2015/06/name-tag-design.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-6182505361666010293Thu, 04 Jun 2015 10:30:00 +00002015-06-04T06:30:00.988-04:00Natalie is having her second baby in June. For most people their initial thoughts are around 'oh, isn't that nice' or 'congratulations!'. However I'm a quilter. My first thought was 'the baby will need a quilt; an excuse to make something!' then it was 'congratulations!'. Once Natalie found out she was having a girl, I very subtly asked about whether she had decided on the colors for the nurseryhttp://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2015/06/computerized-design.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-8640915786064690501Sun, 31 May 2015 01:35:00 +00002015-05-30T21:35:39.536-04:00Birthdays are fun and my Magpie friends are always up for a celebration! We go out to dinner and exchange gifts this time for Karen and Kathy F. I can't just buy something to buy it, so I looked at all of the local quilt shops, but nothing seemed to be just right. And to paraphrase the Grinch...'I puzzled and puzzled till my puzzler was sore.Then I thought of something I hadn't before.'  http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2015/05/zip-it-up.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-8621395466092602452Tue, 17 Mar 2015 10:30:00 +00002015-03-17T06:30:00.699-04:00 On the third day were in Austin, I was able to take a 3 hour class with Bill Kerr. Not only does Bill design with his wife Weeks Ringle at Modern Quilt Studio, but he also teaches Graphic Design and is Chairman of the Art Department at Dominican University.  The class I had the opportunity to take was The Role of Color in Your Quilts. Bill talked a lot about the http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2015/03/quiltcon-class-with-bill-kerr.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-3057485016576484559Tue, 10 Mar 2015 20:42:00 +00002015-03-11T21:06:54.269-04:00I took two classes at QuiltCon. The first one was Rediscovering Your Stash with Weeks Ringle. On Pat Sloan's podcast I had heard them talk about Weeks' magic when she works with hard to match fabrics in someone's stash  so I knew it would be an interesting class. At the beginning of the session, we talked about color and its importance. Rather than thinking in terms of light/medium/dark http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2015/03/quitcon-class-with-weeks-ringle.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-6705126766080811832Tue, 03 Mar 2015 11:30:00 +00002015-03-03T06:30:00.582-05:00After months and months (and months) of planning, QuiltCon has come and gone. A fine time was had by all. We made it out of dodge right before the 'snowapalooza' hit Columbus and out of Austin before the temperature dropped. The Quilting Goddess was definitely smiling on the modern quilting community. As soon as we got downtown, we headed for the registration desk. Much to my surprise, I spent http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2015/03/quiltcon-was-great.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-7907823876738192781Tue, 17 Feb 2015 11:30:00 +00002015-02-17T06:30:01.017-05:00I've been following everyone's preparations for QuiltCon on Instagram. It's getting me  psyched for the show! People are sharing photos of things they're making for the event. Everything from tote bags to dresses to lanyards. While I did think about making a tote bag (hey, I even went so far as to buy a zipper!), I decided to make a lanyard for myself and my travel and quilting friend Kathyhttp://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2015/02/peer-pressure.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-2949266562915298732Tue, 10 Feb 2015 11:30:00 +00002015-02-10T06:30:01.133-05:00 I like to sew and sometimes I like to make something that can be completed pretty fast. You know what I mean; instant gratification! My husband got me an iPad for Christmas. Shortly after opening the box I knew I wanted to make my own case. I went onto Etsy and found a very cool cover in Katie's Modern Nest shop. Not only was it designed so the iPad could be propped up, but it also had a http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2015/02/ipad-case.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-4108007639517553460Tue, 03 Feb 2015 11:30:00 +00002015-02-03T06:30:01.491-05:00 I'm all about color. It energizes me. Gives me a positive attitude. Scheduled for a tough meeting at work one day? I'll be there in fuchsia or electric blue. Wear black on a Monday? Oh no, not me. No way to start the week. I'll be in something bright and peppy. My mood is influenced by the color around me. I share this psychological babble because I'm excited that color will be in the forefront http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2015/02/getting-ready-for-quiltcon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-3815945213827104798Thu, 09 Oct 2014 10:30:00 +00002014-10-09T06:30:02.972-04:00 Time to start quilting the North Market quilt. So I made the ol' quilt sandwich out of some fabric from a North Market apron because it's heavier than quilting cotton. I wanted to see how it would stitch out and I'm very glad I did. My machine skipped stitches. Ack! Not good. So I changed needles (three times, may I add), re-threaded (at least twice), and took out the bobbin thread and put it inhttp://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-quilting-has-begun.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-3592573377174784582Thu, 02 Oct 2014 10:30:00 +00002014-10-02T06:30:02.060-04:00Well, the North Market quilt top and back are done. I pieced together the back using some extra blocks left over from the front. It's a modern technique that I really like. Only issue in mine is that I really needed that extra fabric since I didn't buy enough for the back. Oh well, I stressed out, but got it done. This weekend's task was to put the three layers together because as we know...'http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2014/10/keep-this-in-mind.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-8739540652438470790Thu, 25 Sep 2014 10:30:00 +00002014-09-25T06:30:02.422-04:00I'm so happy to say that the blocks for the front of my North Market quilt are officially done.  And I'm proud to say that every single one is different... This is from my favorite and very first t-shirt: Steelers black and gold here. Gotta love it if you're from the burgh: This t-shirt is from the wine festival and is a real piece of art, so I didn't want to add too much busy http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2014/09/quilt-blocks-are-fini.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-7346094290147378178Thu, 18 Sep 2014 10:30:00 +00002014-09-18T06:30:00.707-04:00Excuse me just a sec while I get up on my soapbox. Ahem!  In my last post I mentioned the t-shirt class I took at Sew to Speak. When we started laying out the pattern pieces on the fabric there were two pieces labeled "6". At that point we should have known that the instructions might not be the best. I'm sorry but that's not an "oops" kind of mistake. One was the short sleeve and the http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2014/09/pattern-makers-please-take-note.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-4073650589687202369Thu, 11 Sep 2014 10:30:00 +00002014-09-11T06:30:01.047-04:00 Please excuse me while I digress a bit with this post. It all started when I was in junior high... Sewing that is. I've always enjoyed it. My mom got a Singer when I was in junior high and I thought I was in heaven. I even took tailoring in high school and made a suit and my winter coat. Sewing; always enjoyed it. I wanted a sewing machine for high school graduation, but I got a ring. A lovely http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2014/09/i-digress.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-8516116915929909931Thu, 04 Sep 2014 10:30:00 +00002014-09-04T06:30:02.769-04:00I thought one of my North Market blocks should have a special look and I wanted it to be asymmetrical. Then a little lightbulb started to glow and I remembered a book I've had for years and never used. It's called Basic Seminole Patchwork by Cheryl Greider Bradkin. It's nicely set out and very clear. Starts with easy designs and then gets more complex. At the beginning it even gives tips on http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2014/09/seminole-patchwork.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-3750181917635631050Thu, 07 Aug 2014 10:30:00 +00002014-08-07T06:30:00.633-04:00I am having a blast working on my North Market quilt. Since I want every block to be different, I've been able to let the creative juices flow. Working free form and without steps to follow is a stretch for me which, to paraphrase Martha, is a good thing. Here are my blocks so far... This one follows the steps I've outlined before regarding the selvage block technique. It didn't work out http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-quilt-for-mepart-deux.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-6281511930328998678Thu, 31 Jul 2014 10:30:00 +00002014-07-31T06:30:00.973-04:00 North Market is the last remaining public market in Columbus.  It is a fabulous energetic place and I've volunteered there apparently for about 15 years. The reason I say "apparently" is because that's about how many years worth of t-shirts and aprons from Apron Gala I have stuffed in drawers.  I realized I wasn't using them so what should I do to clean out those dresser drawers? The http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2014/07/a-quilt-for-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6464034354156950063.post-2846533387681685427Thu, 08 May 2014 10:30:00 +00002014-05-08T06:30:00.756-04:00On occasion I've written a report on a favorite book.This time I'm posting about my favorite magazine: Generation Q. I saw it the first time when I went to QuiltCon. I've been hooked ever since. I'm happy to say that's it's easier to find now than it used to be. It's a great magazine that I want to read from cover to cover. The articles are interesting and relevant. Every month has articles http://blacksquirrelthreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/magazine-report-generation-q.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)1