WE MAKE IT!

Have you been watching the new crafting show on NBC, MAKING IT?  The two hosts are kind of silly but I enjoy the creative aspect of it.  The show is loosely based on British competitions like Great British Bake Off and another Sewing show.  Why not have our own USA Crafting competitions?
 I've been watching Making it and last night, the interior designer ( and I am one of those) created a She Shed with a wall that looked like a quilt.  She painted wood slats in bright colors and then arranged them in a chevron pattern on the wall. She won the challenge this week and well deserved.  If you missed the show, you can watch the video https://www.nbc.com/making-it/video/inside-out/3782930
This isn't just about a new show on TV, there is a whole history here.  Back in the spring,
Craftsy Unlimited offered a free weekend and then a membership with 4 $25 bonuses for product, I watched and then signed up.  Then it converted to Bluprint and I've been watching Making it. Pat Sloan talked about it on her blog http://blog.patsloan.com/2018/08/a-review-of-whats-included-at-bluprint.html?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=A+review+of+what%27s+included+at+Bluprint&utm_campaign=20180826_m146854564_Pat+Sloan+Article+UPDATED&utm_term=A+review+of+what_27s+included+at+Bluprint  Many the comments on her blog were negative about Craftsy being sold, etc etc.   People dont like change.  There is comfort in the old ways but the world is moving ahead at a pace that it is hard to keep up with. 
As an interior designer, when we travel I look for quilting designs in buildings and walks and store windows.  I appreciate painted doorways and stained glass windows.  I did not know that Craftsy had been purchased by NBC but now I look forward to future shows like Making it.  It could open up a whole world of shows that high light the craft industry.  Making it is sponsored by Etsy and Bluprint.  Imagine all the traffic that is going to Etsy now from folks who didn't know about it.
I intend to enjoy the journey! 

BOXIE BAGS!

I've always wanted a serger but never gave it a thought to look for one.  Until my LQS, Stitcher's Quest, had a serger event at the shop.  She brought in a dozen Bernina L460 sergers with a Bernina trainer and set up two events.  I attended the first one and those sergers were sold in a flash!  I conveniently put my name on the one I was using and went home with it! 
So after my purchase, then what?  I watched a few videos online and got out the book and tried out a few things.  Craftsy Unlimited came along offering a free weekend of watching classes so I jumped in and took the opportunity to watch a few serger classes.  One showed me how to make a box bag with zipper inserted so off I went and made a few.  It was sew much fun! 

Here are a few that I have made to sell at my church Arts and Crafts Fair.  I have Alabama and FSU waiting in the wings, ready to sew up!  Where I live in NW FLorida, football is big!  

For a free tutorial on how to make a box bag without a serger, here is one from Sew Can She!  https://www.sewcanshe.com/blog/2018/1/12/the-pillbox-pouch-free-sewing-pattern-for-a-cute-zipper-pouch

Have fun!  

MY FAVORITE QUILT!

So I was reading Jo's blog this morning, http://www.joscountryjunction.com/about-the-process/

and she was talking about making Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt, Roll Roll Cotton Boll and how that quilt was the starting point of the learning process and love of quilt making. Which got me to thinking about my first Bonnie quilt. I had been following her blog and saw there was going to be a retreat at Camp Beckwith, Al which is quite near me. I inquired about it and was put on a wait list. On Monday prior to the Friday start, I got a call that there were some openings. I grabbed a friend, loaded a bin of old reds and greens into my car with 2 neutrals and was on my way. Bonnie blogs about it here https://quiltville.blogspot.com/2014/01/let-starsshine.html

There is a day 1 and a day 2 and if you go down to the final small pic on the blog and click on it, you will get a slide show. I am featured in both of those slide shows! It was so much fun and when I got home, I couldn't wait to finish up those blocks, create an additional border or two to make it larger, and get it quilted! I love that quilt even though the points are cut off in my border. Bonnie describes how there was a pile of scraps we could dig through that was continually expanding. I found a piece of Univ of Alabama fabric I even incorporated into the quilt even though we are avid FSU fans. Below is a pic of my FSU fabric proudly displayed.

I've got plenty more 1.5" strips again! Maybe I should do another one! I used a constant neutral for the quilt even though Bonnie suggests a variety. I find it helps to anchor all the busyness of the rest of the fabrics.

Thanks for reading and have a great quilting day!