Some New Toys

I recently bought myself some new toys to play with!

I was intrigued by these felted wool pressing mats and I really liked that they were square shaped and come in a number of sizes.  I have been wanting a smaller pad and a small iron to put right next to my machine to press things like my leader/ender projects as I go.  I am not a big fan of finger pressing and there are just times when having an iron right next to me would be nice.

I should say, I am a dry iron presser.  You can use steam on these pressing mats but you have to put something under them to protect your table surface.  I have used these for a couple weeks now and I have to say, I really like the mat far more than others I have used in the past.  Plus you can rinse this one out to keep it clean.  

The little iron gets SUPER hot and can be hot to the fingers but I am used to it now.  I also am sure I unplug it after using because it doesn't have an automatic shut off.  I never planned to use this iron every day - but this little duo is sure nice to pull out when I need them!

I see lots of scrappy mini 9-patches in my future!

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Thread!

One year ago, I thought I would start saving all my emptied thread spools to see how many I go through annually.  I thought I would share what I found out.

I use two types of thread - Signature (3000 yds) and Superior King Tut (2500 yds).  They run exactly the same through my longarm (so not a lot of adjusting for tension) and my Bernina DM loves it too.  I have been using the threads for about a decade and stock about 80 different thread colors in two large spool racks I had custom made.

In one year, I emptied out 63 spools.  These were not all full when I started this experiment and I have partial spools in my rack that might be close to empty.  I was curious which colors were most popular so I sorted them.  Below are the results:

Red     3 spools

Pink     1 spool

Orange     1 spool

Yellow     1 spool

Green     7 spools

Blue     8 spools

Purple     4 spools

Gray     10 spools

White/Cream     10 spools

Black    1 spool

Brown/Tans     13 spools

Multi - Variegated     4 spools

It was surprising that I go through that many spools of brown but I do like to use taupe and spice brown a lot.

I am not sure I will continue this experiment.  I knew I spent a lot of money on thread but seeing these spools in a box reminded me all year long how much I actually go through.

Sometimes ignorance is bliss!  😉

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When Fabrics Bleed

About 5 years ago, I quit pre-washing my fabrics.  Nor do I use color catchers.  Even with all the quilts I sew up each year, it is rarely that I have an issue with dyes bleeding in today's fabric.  

But every once in a while....

I'll be honest, I was hoping this would happen some day so I could share a product that I find to be a perfect fix for these annoying disasters.  It is in this little bottle labeled Synthrapol.

I usually always check my quilts when they come out of the washer the first time, but on this quilt, I didn't see that the fabrics had ran until I had dried it in a hot dryer.  

(Gasp...OK, that made me a bit nervous!)

But I quickly just threw it back into the washing machine with a teaspoon or two of this product and gave it a warm wash with a cold rinse.  I was very pleased to see that all the dye was gone and the quilt was perfect again!

Then to really test that all the excess dyes had been removed, I washed it again and left the quilt scrunched up in the washer for about 3 hours.  Yep...I was willing to take one for the team!  

There were no problems whatsoever!

I get this little product at my local fabric store.  So next time you are doing a little stash shopping, be sure and pick up a bottle to have on hand.  It usually runs about $4 and will save you from some possible heartache in the future.

(BTW - I think the darkest blue on the edge is the fabric that ran.  It was a scrap I had and is not a Kona solid.  I am not even sure where it came from.)

Linking up with Molli Sparkles for Sunday Stash and Stitch by Stitch for Anything Goes Monday.

And the winners are...

Thanks so much to everyone who entered my first giveaway to celebrate my publication in Quilty magazine!  I was so pleased with the results and had so much fun reading all your comments!  And thanks also to all who found me and decided to become a follower, either on this blog or my facebook page.  It was such a thrill - I will definitely be doing this again!



The giveaway was for a copy of the May/June Quilty magazine but I also wanted to include some other fun items.  Both of you will receive some of my favorite notions.  I'm always surprised that so many people have never tried these.

Some self-threading needles, a roll of glow-line tape and a package of Thimble Pads.

The ThimblePads are new to me.  I just discovered them thanks to a friend.  I have never been able to get the hang of using a regular thimble so consequently don't wear one.  And with all the handwork I do, my fingers have paid for it!  Since discovering these, I already notice a huge difference in the tenderness of my finger tips.  And best of all, they don't slow me down at all!



I know, so enough all ready!  Get to those winners, right!!

The first winner is Holly!  Holly commented "I'm an earthtone gal, other quilters always laugh, if it has brown in it, it's Holly's. Browns and rusts are my favorite.  Congrats on being featured in Quilty, you quilt is lovely."

The second winner is Happy Cottage Quilter who left the comment "I love working with blues, but lately I have been loving aqua and brown. Congrats on being published!"

I have emailed both of you for an address so I can get your prizes sent out.   And because I love sharing, I will be sending some other little surprises tailored to each recipient based on their comments...Hope you like it!!

I will definitely be doing more giveaways in the future.  It was a ton of fun!  So be sure and follow along if you want to be a part of them!  Thanks again everyone!!

Linking with Plum and June's Let's Get Acquainted.