Winding Threads

I profess to be a crafty and somewhat handy person. I can take a pattern and figure out how to make something come together. That is not to say I don’t give my seam ripper a good workout from time to time. The one thing I have not tried but have admired those who have done this, is building a computer. I would like to build high performance gaming computers for the kids. Easy AS My PC Kits have everything I need to build my own computer. That is the only way I know it can be done. Easy instructions that are in plain English and include lots of pictures. These kits also include a warranty. All I need is a screwdriver and I can save a lot of money doing it myself. I think it should be my next project!

I have to tell you that my niece loved her frog thread catcher. At first she thought I was simply showing her one of my projects. She was admiring them without much excitement. Then it dawned on her that the frog was for her. She was so happy. Silly girl.

Do you quilt while out on the road? I got some hand quilting done on my civil war quilt while we drove home from Kentucky on Sunday. If you travel in an RV and like to take your projects with you, there are some things you should double up on as far as supplies go. It helps so you don’t have to try to remember which supplies to bring along. You can purchase duplicate supplies at garage sales. Keep your cutting board under the couch where it will lay flat. You don’t want that mat to warp. Keep the basics in a decorative basket with a lid. (scissors, thread, rotary cutter, etc). There is a fold up table called “The Personal Table” that comes in handy. It’s a little larger than a tray table, but it has adjustable height. It helps to get your sewing machine at the height you need. It folds flat and comes in handy for outside cooking or other camping things as well.

While your husband is looking at the water holding tank and trailer hitch ball, you can check out the storage areas to see which RV has the best places to store your quilting equipment. Tweety’s RV, Truck and SUV Accessories specializes in parts and accessories for recreational and heavy duty business vehicles. That is the reason you should go to them for all your RV needs. They can help you figure out how to store your ironing board and all that fabric we lovingly call our “stash.”

It is important to have the proper apparatus when you plan to hang a quilt. Wood that touches the fabric can cause discoloration of the fabric on a quilt. Improper hanging of a quilt can result in a quilt that begins to sag and causes stress on points in the fabric of the quilt. Here is a good tip for hanging your quilt.

Here’s an inexpensive way to display quilted wall hangings.

* Make a split-sleeve (two-pieces) hanging pocket to produce a center opening.

* Cut a wood piece to the width of the quilt and attach a saw-tooth picture hanger in the center.

* Insert the wood piece through the pocket and have the picture hanger exposed in the center of the pocket opening.

This is great idea when presenting the piece as a gift.

When we added the new room onto our house, I was thrilled. We finally have a place to entertain without feeling like we are stacked on top of each other. When we are not having company, it is a great place to set up my sewing machine. We have double glazed windows in that room and it makes all the difference in the lighting. I get so much sun in the room without the sun heating up the room. Before we even started building that room, we did some research on what type of windows would be the best for saving energy. A double glazing company UK/National-double-glazing.co.uk gave us invaluable information on their website. Double glazed windows have made our house look so nice even from the outside. We have privacy without having to cover our beautiful woodwork with curtains. That room is covered with cedar sheeting and I want to keep that log cabin feel in the room. Without heavy drapes though you sometimes lose heat in the winter. That doesn’t happen with double glazed windows. They are so energy efficient.

There is nothing better than sitting at my sewing machine with natural sunlight shining down on my projects. It is funny how the minute the sun goes down, I am done with sewing. I love to watch the hummingbirds at the feeder and my dogs as they try to catch frogs in the pond. I am fortunate to have great windows for all that.

A month or so ago, I mentioned to a friend that I was making bags. I told her how my sister, who lives in Kentucky, also makes bags and she made one in Kentucky fabric. She was thrilled because she is originally from KY. She asked if my sister would sell her a couple of KY bags. Sis said sure and here is the first one. I think Patsy will love it.

We made it to Kentucky to attend my niece’s graduation from nursing school. I have lost my voice from talking so much. We girls have been showing each other all the purses we have been making and comparing notes on what things work best to make them look nice. I am going to try some fusible fleece my sister, Lynne, recommends. We have new patterns to swap around. I have some frog patterns to share. I can’t wait til my niece, Amanda, arrives on Saturday so I can give her frog to her. I hope she likes it.

My daughter, Stacy, drove up from Florida and was here to meet us when we arrived. She has been showing us how to use her new game system. I think that was when I lost my voice. We were laughing so hard while learning to bowl.

A fun thing to do when you get together with family and friends is to play paintball. Paintball is a great sport that most ages can get involved in. At Ultimate Paintball’s website, www.pntball.com, you can get all your supplies and have so much fun playing paintball. The sport can become quite an involvement for those who love the game. I can see how that can happen because the sport is challenging and great for exercising. Like most sports, it is fun to get good equipment to play. Once you start you begin to gravitate towards different systems of guns and equipment. It is good to find a source to buy quality equipment. I was amazed at the price of the Spyder paintball system available at www.pntball.com. For an unbelieveable price, you get the following;

Spyder MR2 With Eyes Marker
12″ Muzzle Brake Barrel
PMI/Spyder 20oz CO2 Tank
Heavy Duty Coiled Remote with Quick Disconnect
GXG Padded Gun Case
Premium 200rd Hopper
GXG Stealth Mask with Visor & Anti Fog Lens
Black Deluxe 6+1 Harness
6 - 140rd Paintball Tubes
Premium 1oz Oil
21″ Jerk Squeegee(color varies)
Detachable Stock
Battery
Battery Charger
Allen Wrenches
Barrel Plug
Elbow
Extra O’rings
Operators Manual
Full One Year Warranty From Kingman

Paintballers are thrilled to have a place to buy quality products for this fun sport and not have to pay an arm and a leg for them. On top of the fantastic prices is that the shipping is free!

Ultimate Paintball’s top selling guns - Tippmann A-5, Tippmann 98 Custom, Smart Parts Ion, Spyder Pilot ACS and other orders are shipped free using UPS Ground shipping for all orders over $99. That is amazing.

Check out Ultimate Paintball’s website for fantastic paintball products and get your family up and moving. It is great fun.

I love putting prairie points on my quilts. It takes a little more effort but it jazzes up a plain quilt. Here is the way to fold your squares when making prairie points.

Folding prairie points:

* Start with a selected fabric square.

* Fold the square into a half square triangle, right sides out.

* Fold the square again into a quarter-square triangle and press.

* Once folded, the raw edge will be the same length as the initial square.

This is a quilt where I used prairie points.

To determine the initial size of your points, consider the proportion of your quilt. It is suggested that you audition various size points to determine what looks best.

With right sides together and raw edges aligned, place prairie points along one side of the quilt top. When satisfied with the placement and all points are pinned down, continue in the same manner around the rest of the quilt top.

Sew the prairie points with a 1/4-inch seam.

Having a craft and sewing blog has introduced me to crafters of all types. I am in awe of knitters. How they can take a ball of yarn and make a beautiful sweater or pair of socks is beyond my capabilities. I’m afraid that I will be buying my socks. Don’t cry for me though because I have found some that are almost as awesome as handmade knitted ones. When I go to the department store in the mall, and look upon the racks, I could become confused. I don’t worry though because HUE is the brand where I am always drawn. You can put a zillion styles of socks in front of me and I always gravitate towards the coolest socks made by HUE. They make fashionable socks that are fun. I got involved in wearing funky socks years ago. I am so thrilled that Mary Jane styled shoes are in right now because when I wear mine, I can show off my socks. I have striped ones in every color and my polka dot HUE socks are so cool. I feel more of a spring in my step when I wear my fashionable socks. HUE also sells sleepwear and panties. I think I need to check those out.

I found the cutest purse pattern when I picked up my sewing machine on Saturday. My reverse button isn’t working very well so I left my machine after my class. It is still not fixed since they had to order a part. I just went in to pick up my machine.

I walked back to the fabric department and I knew I would be tempted to buy something. Well, I found the cutest purse pattern and it jumped into my hands. The purse has prairie points on it. It is adorable. The pattern cover shows it as made in fancy fabrics but the one on display was made in earth tone country type fabrics. It looked so nice that I bought the charm pack in those colors.