Staggered Bargello 

I am taking the Sulky Certified Teacher course online.  I started in May and it ends the end of July. The bargello technique here is called Staggered, design by Carol Ingram National Instructor for Sulky.  I had so much fun doing the wallhanging and today I finished the project with this cool silhouette. I had to go on Amazon and order the laser cut fusible applique as the one the instructor wanted us to use was no longer available from the manufacturer, so I thought this one was good and fits the grassy into water and sky theme.

So then while I was waiting to get the silhouette applique I had ordered I decided that I loved the poinsettia fabric I bought a couple of years ago and made a tablerunner.   Here is the result. 

Wow, catching up on the NFYBS projects

NFYBS - Not Finished Yet But Someday- are projects that are sitting in the overfilled closet space in my sewing area....  It is much easier to view them because of the beautiful space made use-able by my friend Carl Mensch.

He was able to put shelving into the closet that fits the fabrics and tools of the trade(s).  Without organization I used to spend my day/nights just searching .....  "I know I have it in here" comment was a daily mantra.  Sound familiar to any of you?

The sewing supplies and fabrics are now in order, fabric is folded and my Zentangle supplies are in a drawers all by themselves.
It is sew nice to have things organized.

There is only one problem,  there is still a bed in my sewing area, and it tends to GET loaded up with excess fabric, patterns, ideas and I am continually having to remove the 'stuff'!

Zentangle(R) Inspired Art

I wanted to play with the fabric and make a Zentantgle(R) Inspired Art place-mat.... 

Finished edges with the 9mm Satin Stitch- it did require 2 go arounds of stitching, but lovely coverage.

Finishing edges with satin stitch

Ever spent a long time closing the edges of a quilted project with the satin stitch?  Well I found a good way to help that become an easier way, it also looks better.  
Well, it's pretty simple so give it a try.
Once your project is ready for a 'binding' which will close off the raw edges and pretty up the piece, get out some clear  Sulky 'heat-away' stabilizer.  Cut about a 2.5" wide piece to cover all the areas.  I measured my project and had two sides 12" and 2 sides 8", irregular shapes- so my strips were cut 12x2.5" and 8x2.5".  I used a touch of basting spray to one side of the stabilizer, and applied it to the underside of the project, with about an inch hanging off the edge.
Pick the stitch you want to use and go around the piece.  What I found was that the stabilizer gave the needle a place to land and it held much better than when it has nothing to go into on the outside edge. I did go around the project twice and had nice coverage.
Follow the instructions for removing the stabilizer.

Give it a try and let me know how that works for you.
Happy Stitchin'

Ft. Lauderdale

April 15, 2016

Landed in Ft. Lauderdale to a very strong rain storm, mixed with lightening and thunder.  Tomorrow Michelle and I will be boarding The Navigator of the Seas- a Royal Caribbean Ship-
and greet our newest group of cruising quilters.
I love the Caribbean Sea,, it is the most beautiful sapphire blue you have ever seen. On this trip we will have an excursion on the West Indes Island of St. Kitts.  A great Batik shop is on that island, it is also the Batik factory- of which our quilters have the opportunity of going behind the scenes. Each student is able and encouraged to try their hand in performing the traditional method of adding wax in areas that they don''t want color, making a design and then dying the cloth. They will go away from Caribelle Batiks with a piece of their own making. Each time I take the group there, they all tell me it was the favorite of the whole trip.