Bonnie Christine on CreativeLive.

So I spent three days with Bonnie Christine talking about 'Surface Pattern Design' on CreativeLive. Bonnie did a great job and I love CreativeLive.
Bonnie is a fabric designer for Art Gallery, and her fabric is featured in our pattern 'Sew ImPressed' (P209). She obviously has a whole range of talents which are very impressive. Watch out Martha Stewart!

Bonnie Christine's online class for Surface Pattern Design

Hugo's Amazing Tape

This glueless, reusable, self-adhesive tape is great! I use it to wrap around spools of thread, especially metallic threads. I also use it to wrap around pieces of trim. Really keeps things organized. I wonder how many different things this could be good for -- it really is amazing! http://www.amazingtape.com/products/

Hugo's Amazing Tape

Rotary Cutting!

Rotary cutting is an accurate and efficient method for cutting pattern pieces with a length and width measurement. Our patterns use rotary cutting techniques when paper pattern templates are not provided because they are something other than a square or rectangle. Though it is possible to make our patterns without rotary cutting tools, using a grid mat, grid ruler, and rotary cutter is preferred. Note that rotary cutting tools are basic to any modern sewer's inventory of supplies.

Grid ruler and really cool tape for grid rulers!

If you were to have only one grid ruler, which size should you get?  The 5" by 24" would be my suggestion. But I have tons of sizes and use them ALL. I love my 4" by 36", my 1" by 12", my 12" by 12", and even my 20 1/2" by 20 1/2".

I also like the cool colored tape shown above. If you are cutting lots of edges, let's say at 1 1/4", the tape can be put on the ruler, helping the quick identification of the 1 1/4" mark.

Cutting up with scissors and rotary cutters!

The only scissors I will use are Elan 8" Dressmaker with Florine made by United Notions. They have a slight serrated edge, so they grip the fabric -- right up to the tip of the scissors. Since they have a serrated edge, they can't be sharpened but they do last a long time. After that, the price point should be under $20 so just go get another pair every few years.
I also use the smaller 28mm Olfa rotary cutters. I have tried tons of different rotary cutters, but I always come back to these simple and plain Olfa's. Why complicate things when they don't need to be?! I also use these cutters to rip out seams -- though I hesitate to say this because it takes great skill to not cut the fabric. Be careful if you do this!

Elan 8" Scissors by United Notions and Olfa 28mm Rotary Cutter

Ring Around the Patterns

Keeping things organized in the sewing room is a big battle. Love the way I have found to organize my patterns. Each pattern, in its bag, gets stored on my gigantic ring. Check it out:

The Big Ring!

Iron cleaner - a must!

I can't tell you how many projects I have ruined or almost ruined because of a dirty iron. The ONLY thing I have found to clean them is Iron-off. You put about a 1/2 teaspoon (in a line) on an old dish towel. Then rub your hot iron on the goo - for quite awhile, back and forth really hard. You will be surprised how much dirt comes off the iron and onto the towel!

Iron-off [Hot Iron Cleaner}

Cordless Iron - love it!

Just have to tell you about the new iron I acquired recently. Brewer and Vanilla House teamed up at Quilt Market -- I demonstrated a new cordless Panasonic iron they are selling and they demonstrated my new pressing boards [P209 Sew ImPressed]. In the end, Panasonic gave me the iron. It is cordless, which is great for taking it a ways away from the wall plug. But mostly, just great not have to drag the cord around. It is pointed on both ends, so it forces you to put it back in the charger instead of standing it upright on the ironing board like you normally do. It doesn't take long to get used to that. I am finding I don't want to use my other iron since this one heats up very quickly, presses fabulously, and is easy to add water [the tank separates from the iron and you take that to the sink - so great]. I would give the iron 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

Panasonic Cordless Iron NI-WL600

[Bias] Tape Makers, etc......

There is a lot going on here -- let me explain . . . . . . .

I love putting trim on projects - always looks good. Bias trim that goes around edges that are curved, like my Pot Pinchers (P156), (takes more fabric since it is cut on the bias) and regular trim (not cut on the bias) can go on straight edges (uses a lot less fabric to make). Using tape makers, the trim can exactly coordinate with the fabric of your project (versus buying the closest possibility from ready-made trims). 
There are different sizes for different widths of trim. The pastels can attach the fusible Steam-a-seam as your press your trim. The basic colors like the red one doesn't! If you are going to buy a tape maker, go ahead and buy a pastel just in case you ever want to attach Steam-a-seam to your trim.

The tape is by The Warm Company and the tape makers by Clover.

 

Pot Pinchers have coordinating bias trim around the edges. This trim uses the 50mm tape maker and is folded again after the pressing in the tape maker.

The trim on the top of the pockets is straight and does not need to be cut on the bias.

Bobbins, bobbins, oh my!

Love these bobbin holders.  I have two in my drawer right below my machine and they are indispensable! Can't live without them.

Bobbin Holder

Favorite Stuff! .....series!

Thought I might post some of my favorite tools on the next few posts. After 20 years of business, I surely have some I really like.

505 Spray Adhesive

I love using 505 Spray Adhesive for various procedures. It's great to use when making oven mitts. When attaching several layers together -- the inside and outside layers, and two layers of Insul Bright fleece, spray the layers to keep them together. Without the adhesive, you have to pin the layers together. And they will still torque a bit at that. But with the adhesive spray, they hold together great as you baste  around the edges of the layers.
What's the box for? The over-spray is pretty sticky, so I keep a box around to set my project in and spray inside the box. Just keep an old box around the studio!
This company has all sorts of different sprays for different purposes.

Market Drawing - We have a Winner!

The winner for our Market drawing is O'Susannah's Quilt & Gifts in Watkins Glen, NY. 

Congratulations!

O'Susannah's wins a copy of each of our six new patterns AND a finished sample of each pattern. Yeah!

Kimono Bibs! (P207)

Check out our Kimono Bibs pattern. Love the gracefulness of this bib for little girls. Or use the button version for boys. A customer mentioned that the boy version should overlap the other way. Keep that in mind when you make one for a boy!

Even though she is not looking at the camera, our model is really cute. Love the ruffle version!

She got a little cheeky! Adorable!

Like this prairie point version also. Heather Bailey fabrics!

Here's the quad!

I mentioned that I ride my quad - happily, very happily! Don't have a pic of me on the quad -- because I am the one who takes the pictures most of the time and the one on the quad, most of the time. But here's a pic of the quad. This pic shows the gathering of ferns -- relocating them to the driveway entry for landscaping with native plants. 

http://goosiegirlboutique.com/blog/?p=3059

Not a fancy quad but she is so totally a very loyal workhorse!

Goosie Girl Interview!

So fun! Apparently, Heather from Goosie Girl saw my booth at International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh this last May. Heather has a great blog,  The Goosie Girl Blog. She decided to do an interview -- what fun questions. So check out her blog and see the interview -- and other interesting posts too!

http://goosiegirlboutique.com/blog/

Artsy Purse!

Artsy Purse is one of my favorite things to make. They make fast -- even if you are doing the strip pieced version with metallic thread embellishments. And I love sewing with metallic threads -- have I mentioned it is addictive! I guess it is somewhat the 'bling' effect that hooks me!

Artsy Purse, P204

Free motion metallic threads on plain front pocket panels.

Grey and strip piecing!

There are two straps, each about 40" long or the width of the fabric. Every technique in the purse is easy, easy. Lined but no pockets. The whole purse is 7" wide by 10" deep so you hardly need a pocket. You could put one in if you want -- wouldn't be that hard!! 
I also use polyester fusible interfacing - love the way it drapes inside a project.