Sew in the Know!

Bake,bake,quilt. Quilt, quilt, rake. Transplant perennials. Quilt, quilt, cook lol!

It has been a very busy fall so far - and quilting has only been part of the hustle around here. Our new property needed a little gardening - transplanting perennials and cutting a few trees down. (Don't worry - they were dead and there are 33 more acres left to manage!) I have been taking breaks and trying to help outside and getting over 12,000 steps in every day.

Unfortunately the baking I did for the fairs needed to be consumed so there was no great weight loss for all the steps I took! I won first for my peanut butter cookies and Sourdough bread! I had never entered my baking before - and it was a fun experience.

In between I have found time to be grateful - and it's a great time of the year to remember all those who have helped and the circumstances that have brought us to where we are. We are blessed to live where we do despite all our occasional groaning about politics and taxes - we never have to be concerned about brutal terrorist attacks.

On that theme - if you look to the right I have posted several quilting organizations that donate quilts to the less fortunate and sick. So it you are ever thinking you don't need any more quilts - why not make and donate to one of these organizations!

Finally, I do not like to get political but I have a lot of friends whose families are affected with the terrorist activities in the Middle East. With all the world events going on - another organization you may want to consider donating - to is an emergency fund for the people of Israel.

Again - we are blessed...

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FIRST WORLD POBLEMS: DISASTER! Last week I had a 'motherboard failure' - so for a short time I am back to doing custom quilting - you can read about it here.

AND - Are you a CHEATER? Read below to find out!

Happy quilting,

Mandie

October 12, 2023

Make and Donate

The following are Canadian Organizations that you can donate quilts to and the links go directly to the page with more info

Touch Quilt Project - Alzheimers Society

Victoria's Quilts Canada - Comforting those with Cancer

Quilts of Valour - Past and present Armed Force Members

Quilts for Survivors - Residential School Survivors

Comfort Quilt Program - Ronald MacDonal House

Project Linus - Quilts for children

Additionally - please check with your local shelters for quilt needs that they may have.

Pick-up and Delivery Request

Christmas is coming - so if you anticipate having a quilt or two that you will need picked up - please fill out the "pick up request" so I can schedule next pick up dates. This also helps me plan ahead.

Request pick-ups here

I have several wall hangings and a few quilts that just do not hang right! It took me a few years and a longarming business to learn how to make sure my quilts hung well and were pretty much square.

When I first learned to quilt - I assembled the blocks and then got so excited about getting finished that when it came to adding the borders, I skipped the most important step!

Here are a few tips to squaring up your quilt:

1. Measure your assembled blocks corner to corner both directions with a carpenter's measuring tape (like an X). Both measurements should be the same (or close)Trim a little at a time to fix any wonky shapes.
2. Measure the center of the quilt crosswise. If it measures 60 inches - create the corresponding borders 60 inches each. Ease them in to each edge when attaching them.
3. Duplicate the same for the length of the quilt - AFTER you have attached the top and bottom. (Or sides first - whichever you choose)
4. Do not attach borders by cutting a long piece of border and attaching it to each side as you need it. Fabric often stretches on the top from the pressure of the presser foot. Additionally any bias edges from triangles stretch like CRAZY!

I recently helped a first time quilter who had a seriously wavy border - so wavy I could not quilt it. We removed the borders and found that she had added a 94 inch border to an 83 inch quilt! The squares were all on point and had stretched as she attached them.

I know finishing a quilt is sometimes a race to the finish - an upcoming wedding or holiday weighing on our shoulders - but taking a quick few minutes to make sure the quilt is square will add to YOUR statisfaction.

CLASSES

I will send out a separate email about upcoming classes. The Canadiana Fireside Quilt can also be a garden style quilt and we will be using layer cake precuts. You can order a kit, or layer cake or cut your own. The class will take place in Coe Hill in a great community room beside the store. I am working on a facebook live event for this as well - wish me luck....

In order to provide batting to you at a reduced cost - I have secured a wholesaler to provide batting. PDQ members get 25% off retail prices for batting and everyone else saves too. If you need batting you get at least 15% off the retail price.

AND for those who would like ongoing discounts on quilting and a bunch of extras - check out the PDQ club where are members who have sent 2 quilts or more to be quilted have already saved more than the cost of registration! Every little bit helps!

It's not always easy to find a good wideback - so I have decided to keep a few bolts on hand and make them available to you at reasonable prices. I will be sending an email out with good photos and pricing soon. But for now - here are three - called 'Thatched' by Robin Pickens. I can provide these widebacks (108 wide) at a discounted $26.99 a meter for PDQ members. For others the price is $30.99. I have Navy, Heather and Cream. Let me know if you need a wideback when you are sending a quilt pick up request in the comments section.

WHY use a subtle wideback? When you are considering widebacks - consider using a subtle pattern. Quilting gets lost in busy and bright backings and when you use a subtle pattern on the back - the quilting shows up very nicely - both on E2E and custom quilting. This makes the quilt completely reversible for a different look!

Here is are a couple of examples of quilt backs that were custom quilted:

If you do opt to piece your backing - watch this video for a few tips on do's and don'ts.

There are 2 items for sale in the quilter's buy and sell! Check them out or list an item for sale!

Quilter's Buy and Sell - Another Member Only Page!

Have something you want to sell? Need something you just cannot find?

Send me your listing through the forms on this page - and I will list your item(s) and highlight them in the newsletter next month!

I recently read a blog someone posted criticizing machine quillted quilts - especially those that are quilted using "Edge to Edge" computerized patterns and I had to chuckle.

(See the difference in this video)

I began thinking about all the things we cheat at. Washing dishes - hmm a dishwasher that does the dirty work must be cheating. The same goes with a washing machine. (My knuckles thank you Mr. Washing machine!)

Progress has given us the opportunity to do more of what we love instead of being busy doing things the hard way. And in fact my dishwasher does a much better job of cleaning dishes than I do - as does my washing machine with clothes. My sewing machine does a much better job than I ever could as well!

The writer continued on - disparaging machine piecers and quilters - saying his mother did it all by hand. Can you see the irony here? I wonder if he had considered writing his blog by hand on a piece of paper and then running around - world wide - yelling 'read my latest blog". I'm still giggling.

So go ahead and do what you love and use all the tools that help you do it better. It is not cheating. Quilting should be fun!

FORCED SHUT-DOWN, MOTHERBOARD FAILURE, BSOD.

Most of us who use computers have experienced the "Blue Screen of Death" (BSOD). According to Wikipedia "The Blue Screen of Death indicates a system crash, in which the operating system has reached a critical condition where it can no longer operate safely." I call it a forced shut down. And that is exactly what happened to me yesterday.

Sometimes we get moving too fast - trying to do too many things at one time. In my house when all the windows are open - there is a beautiful breeze, but when I have too many windows open in my life (too much going on), I know that at some point there will be an inevitable 'forced shut down'. Read more here..

Have questions or comments - please be sure to let me know! Email me at info@janestreetquilts.com