Ahead of Our Time

Everyone seems to be jumping on the new adult coloring bandwagon.  There are numerous coloring books on the market now for adults as well as the Zentangle books.  It's fun, releases stress, relaxing and a great way to let your mind rest from all the activities and worries of daily life.

As I was perusing a few coloring books the other day in the store it struck me that I have been doing this for quite a few years now when I create or start a new pattern and color it in to see what fabrics I might want to choose.

I returned the book to the shelf and went home and took out my colored pencils.  

If you haven't  previewed different colors by copying your pattern and then coloring it in to make sure you are on the right track for purchasing the fabric then I would highly recommend it.  Besides it is a whole lot of fun.

It's looking and feeling a lot like fall in my part of the world.  Enjoy your days and make the most of what you are doing.

Blessings,

Dee

Take Care of that Cutting Mat

That I have been Off-the-radar-screen is certainly an understatement.  Preparation for my California retreat and vacation took up the first part of the summer.  The trip to CA was wonderful, starting with meeting and seeing old friends, hugs and greetings from Leslie, Melissa and Carson, the retreat was excellent, and the time spent with my children was a precious gift.

While in CA I picked up a stack of beautiful and bright fabrics.  I am in the process of turning them into a pretty wild drunkards path quilt.  Can't wait to finish it!

My cutting mat has been through a lot with me and I have appreciated how well it has held up through the years.  Part of the reason for that is the wisdom of the woman I bought it from many years ago.  She shared with me how to care for my mat so that it would give me many years of use and she was right.

Your mat needs hydration from time to time.  She advised that I soak it in warm water and use a little dish detergent and a soft brush and scrub it.  I try to do this once a year, but more often I'm sure wouldn't hurt.  In between I use a damp cloth and wipe it down.

After each time I use it I have a piece of leftover batting that I wipe it down with to get the fabric particles out of the cut marks.  This helps it to self heal as it should.

Her last bit of wisdom was to keep sharp blades in my rotary cutter and avoid sawing back and forth on my mat.  I could do better at this one.

Let me know if you have learned additional ways of caring for this sewing room workhorse.

Blessings,
Dee

3D Flying Geese Tutorial

The next three posts will be showing you how to make three dimensional blocks with the first one being the flying geese.  Any size will work but we will use the following dimensions for this tutorial.

Fabrics needed;

Two 3 1/2" squares of the background fabric
One 3 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangle that will become the triangle portion of the block. 

Fold the rectangle in half short sides together and wrong sides together.  Lay the folded rectangle on a background square with raw edges to the top, folded side down.  Lay the other background square on top right sides together and stitch down the right side.

When you open the sewn unit it should look like this.  Turn the block so that the folded side of the rectangle is to the top.

Place your finger into the opening of the rectangle and spread it open.  This will give you the flying geese unit.

Press flat and there you have it.

The next post will be the three dimensional pinwheel.