Another Check on the Bucket List

 I'm in the Bay Area

preparing for 

Pacific International Quilt Festival

San Jose is my home town

and I came in a few days early 

to spend some time with family.

While I have been home 

I placed a check mark 

on my 

Bucket List

My brother-in Law

recently purchased a 

Harley- Davidson motorcycle

and offered me a ride.

 I've never been on a Harley before :)

It was quite fun to stroll around the 

scenic tree lined streets of Pleasanton, California.

And then we hit the freeway....

Zoooommmmm!

I think if I ever get back on a Harley,

I'll request we stick to the tree lined streets.

Oh my.

 Those things can go from

0 to 70 miles an hour in just a few seconds.

 When we got back from our ride,

my brother (who is an amazing cook)

had prepared a fabulous meal

of Caribbean food.

Jerk Chicken
Coconut Rice and Beans
Caribbean Slaw.
Yum:)
I'll keep you posted on 

the events from the 

Convention that starts on Wednesday.

Seam Fix Seam Ripper

Recently I was in a local quilt shop

and saw the

Seam Fix Seam Ripper

on display right at the front counter.

I've heard of this nifty little notion

and for $7 thought it was worth a try.

Have you seen it 

or tried it yet?

In a perfect world, 

we would not need seam rippers.

But, in MY World

I need to keep one 

close at hand :)

You use the seam ripper part first,

and then rub the fabric with the white rubber ends 

to clear away the stray threads.

I gave it a try, and it really works!

I have a friend with arthritis

who struggles with finger dexterity

and she feels this tool is quite helpful.

Heirloom Creations 

has done a short little demo

on You Tube

After watching the video

I found out there 

are also

 Electric Seam Rippers?!!!

oh my

Is Your Ironing Board Toxic?

 The other day when I took Sharon Schamber's Workshop

she mentioned that many quilters are using 

Ironing Boards that emit toxic fumes.

I had never considered the possibility,

but now that I think of it, 

it makes complete sense.

Do you ever 

get headaches

become dizzy

or smell fumes as you iron?

The inner
chemical ridden  Polyurethane Foam

or

Teflon coating

may be a contributor.

I'd be quite happy to give up ironing my clothes,

but as a quilter,

I  NEED (yes need!) to press fabrics 

on a daily basis.

I've found several solutions that can help.

 I purchased a pre-made

Perfect Pressing Board 

14" X 19"

from Sharon's daughter Christy (Purple Daisies)

HERE

There are a lot of perks to this pressing board

including the fact that they are non-toxic,

 and made with 100% Cotton Canvas exterior

with Warm and Natural Batting underneath.

(the back)
Added features include

the use of a hard surface that helps in accuracy

by not distorting the size of your piece.

* see additional features 

HERE

Or, if you would like to make your own

Pressing Board

Sharon offers a

Free Tutorial 

on You Tube

Thanks Sharon!

And if you would like to recover your 

ironing boards 

with non-toxic materials

Rachel Hauser (Stitched In Color)

offers a great Tutorial

HERE

*and my friend Cathy Underhill from Australia
(Cabbage Quilts)
recently did a post
HERE
on how she made a large
Pressing Board 
(using Sharon Schamber's Tutorial)
to fit the top of a
green sideboard in her new
quilting studio.

Sharon Schamber Workshop

 On Saturday I attended a Workshop

provided by our Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild

taught by 

Award Winning Quilter

Sharon Schamber 

and her daughter Christy Fincher

I learned to make a

New York Beauty block

using Sharons' 

Piec-lique technique.

Have you ever tried this technique?

It's a little bit like paper piecing

except you use a glue method 

rather than sewing on paper.

 The class was full, and it was so nice to have 

both Christy and Sharon moving between stations

to help us individually.

 We all worked away 

 Piec by Piec

 I always love these kind of workshops

where you see the same block

come alive in various fabrics.

 My favorite block was Danni's.

Sharon showed us a method where 

you can also add another insert

in the arched sections.

 My block

I still have some sections to sew together.

Of course, I had to use (Kaffe) Triangles 

for my back ground fabric :)

 The Piec-lique method is quite popular with many quilters.

Bari Ackerman (Bari J.)

is a member of our guild 

and was in the midst of making a Double Wedding Ring

using Sharon's technique.

 Piec-lique

can be found on 

Amazon.com

HERE

Sharon brought a few of her quilts

from the book.

Showing her amazing quilting

that she does on a domestic machine.

I learned so much from this class

and am so happy I had the opportunity 

to learn from one of the best

in the Industry.

Bobbin Humor

Today was one of those days!

I need to stitch this saying
and put it on my sewing room wall :)

Image found on Pinterest