For All You Cat and Dog Lovers

Something to make you day of quilting fun, how would we manage with out our furry friends in our life.

What Sorry Looks like

What Sad Looks Like

A Little Privacy Please

What strange bed fellows.

Have a Happy Quilt Day.

The Slow Quilter

A New Dresden? For Me Yea.

I have always wanted to do a Dresden plate block or quilt, but have always stayed away from it because I am that lazy.  I do not like to sew all those round or pointed Dresden down.  But being the person I am (who am I?), I will not let a block hold me back, if I make it once, I might just make it again.  In the Craftsy BOM Dresden was one of the blocks, so in order for me to complete this block I thought I would go purchase me a template (I do not like cutting cardboard templates or thin plastic).

I love gadgets, and anything that has a template I most likely will buy.  Week before last I attend the Original Sewing/Quilting Expo in Chantilly, VA (sorry I did not post about it, but will show you some pictures later this week).  I went to my favorite booth, The Gypsy Quilter-Lanette Eden, she sales a lot of rulers and gadgets that make sewing fun and easy.  I went looking for a Dresden ruler and pattern, I was not disappointed when she showed me a Cheryl Phillips book, Dresden Flowers which came with a Dresden wedge tool (I paid $12.99, on line it was only $5.00, shoot me now why don’t you).

So here is how easy this was, and I love it.

I cut out 12 wedges from a 4-1/2” strip of fabric and then cut 12 2-1/4” x 3-1/2” insert piece.  As you can see you have about 1/4” of the insert sticking out from the side that is good.

 

Above is the back and front version before pressing.  I pressed all the Dresden in one direction.  Then I opened up the wedge and pressed them down.  Doesn’t this look cool, I have points, I love the colors I picked out, this is just my sample block, put if it comes out alright, I might use it for my BOM and since I having such fun, I just might make a couple of more.

As you can see from above, after pressing the wedges down, I turned it over and did a basting 1/8” basting stitch, then cut to even out the round.  Now the next step might seem hard for most of you, it was one of the things I have always stayed away from, how to fit a round into a square.  I have seen it done, I even have Cheryl Phillips Circles Around book, but never tried it.  It just looked like to much work.  My thinking is just cut a circle with fusible on the back and stick it on a square.

 

I folded a 13 x 13 square into 4 folds and using a circle template and cut out the circle, laid the circle and square face up turn the inner circle towards the Dresden outer edge and Walla!!!! the Dresden is complete.

 

Pressing out, trim to 12-1/2 square. It might look like a lot of work, put this was soooo easy.  I enjoyed doing the block and when I get home from work tomorrow, I am going to try the round tip Dresden.

So what do you think, those of you who have done Dresden plates before using different methods, how do you like this one?  Do you think it is easer or too complicated or too much work?  Let me know how you feel about this.

Loving The Dresden

The Slow Quilter

Sorry, I’ve Been Busy–Shopping For Fabric

O.K. to make a long story short, I have been working on a lot of different projects, since I work during the day, when I get home I work on different projects and hit the bed and have not been able to blog.  Some of the things I am working on I cannot show yet, but once they are given to the recipients I will be able to blog about them.  It wont be long.

My weekend started Thursday, when my girlfriends (Shirley, Pat and Charlene, I am on the floor) went to a hotel in Colombia, MD, for a girls weekend out and to celebrate Charlene’s birthday. 

This was also the weekend for Shopping for fabric with the Faithful Circle Quilters. It is an annul shopping trip to Lancaster, PA to Sauder’s Fabric, Shady Maples (great food) and on to Intercourse, PA to the Kettle, to shop at Zook’s.  We also met up with Linda (Eat, Sleep and Quilt), Emma, and Renee some of our other Guild and Bee members for this trip.

As you can see these gals can shop.  I see Pat in line thinking about what else she can buy.  The cutters are all busy trying to keep up with the fabric that was coming their way.

This is Sandy Lynch, she is the one we send our money to, for this trip.  Thank you Sandy for always having a seat on the bus for us, we Love hanging out with you gals, you all are such fun.

 

Hello there, look who I was seating next too at Shady Maple, Dawn Stewart of Spring Water Designs.  She is a designer and teacher and her shop is is in Jessup, MD.  She also has a blog http://springwaterdesigns.blogspot.com/, so if you have time check her out.  I also know that she took some great pictures of the country side.  This was her first trip hanging with us, hope to see her again next year.

Here is Emma and Pat on their way to Goodies to spend more money on fabric.

 

 

 

 

This is the quilt that is hanging in Shady Maple, all hand quilted, I think Charlene said that this quilt is on sale for about $2,000.  Woo, what a price tag.  We went down to the Good’s store to buy more fabric before we head out to the Kettle and Zook’s in Intercourse, PA (You know with a name like that, there is a joke in it, put I cannot in good conscious type what I am thinking).  I brought mostly notions (fusible flees, black and white fabric and some flees for baby blankets.  I did not take pictures, too busy using Tom’s credit card.

As you can see, we left the hotel with more then we came there with.  Lucky me, I sent my stuff home with Linda that Friday night when we got back in town, so I could squeeze my two bags in the back seat with me.

But do you think we went straight home when we left the hotel, well no, to end our weekend, we went to my favorite restaurant Houlihan’s, but before we went there, we had to make a stop over at Jo Ann’s Fabrics.  Yea, right did we really need to go there to buy more fabric, yes we did.  I was just going in to pick up a zipper and more purse closers.  I end up buying some fabric (which I cannot show you yet) I am making a WOW Bag for a friend.  I was just too busy to take pictures.

We finally made it to Houlihan’s and to my shrooms.   What are shrooms you say, they are mushrooms, with a cream chees filling and deep fried.  I love mushrooms and these are the best.  I was also introduced to some fried pickles, I know you have heard of them.  It was the first time I have tried them, but I must say they were delicious.

We finally made it home around 5:00, great time, I ran out to Linda’s to pick up my fabric and broom I brought my mother.  She wanted one of those corn brooms.  I have not unpacked yet, will do it once I get home form church tomorrow.  So as you can see I have been busy.

So until I blog again

The Busy Slow Quilter