Busy Mail Day!

Some days, there is nothing but junk mail in the mail box….and then some other days?!

Wow! It’s like Christmas, or a birthday, or something…and who are all these packages from, and why are they being sent to me?!

Some packages come with email addresses included so it is easy for me to get back to the person. Some of them don’t….but I have ways of looking them up!

And some of them? I know they are going to read my blog and see that their parcel has arrived if they didn’t include an email address in their package!

I opened this envelope YESTERDAY to find more MILLENIUM Y2K fabric! LOL!! Thanks so much Faye! I have not seen this one….are they STILL selling this stuff, or is it just left overs? I need to find a way to use it…..too fun! I still can’t believe it’s 11+ years since this fabric was introduced….I remember it being all the rage. I wonder if it will be something they look for in quilts 100 years from now…oh look, we can tell it was made in 2000 by the fabric in it….THINK AGAIN! LOL! I love it! Thank you!

And this little cutie! It’s a double-breasted notebook holder with pockets! Isn’t this cute? This came from Jill, who I met when I was in Texas a couple weeks ago. She had one with all her notes written on it, and I admired it. She SENT ME ONE!

It opens up to have these great pockets for pens, pencils, etc…..so very cute. Thanks Jill!

And this was sent to me by the gals in Connecticut from my last visit there in April! I got a 1/2 page in the newspaper! ((Boy, they must have been hard up for content at this point! LOL!)) I left the full size image big, so you might be able to read it if you click to biggie size it. Very fun stuff.

I tell you what – I have ENJOYED being submerged in normality this week. I know it’s been busy with Father’s Day, and Jeff moving to SC, and having to run around to find a new vehicle --- but the evenings have been wonderful.

Yes – I’ve sewed!

Yes- I’ve puttered around and did little of nothing at times!

Yes – I sat on the front porch swing and just enjoyed the sound of the birds long enough to be bitten by mosquitoes that kept me scratching at night! Ahhh – summer!

Yes – I’ve gone to bed late, and slept in later – and that is SO unlike me!

And it’s on days like this that I think – what can I possibly blog about that would be interesting to anyone, but this is it. This is normal life! This is me….trying to figure out how to run the nav system in the new car, and wondering why the people who drove it before me put their HOME ADDRESS as HOME in the nav system?! Don’t they know that I could now drive right to their house? LOL!

((This thing comes with an 800 page manual on how to run it, how am I supposed to learn it by tomorrow when I leave for VA?!))

Other random thoughts….Kernersville NC is beautiful in the summer, and I love driving down the tree covered streets and seeing the old buildings….and if I drive to Kernersville to take care of my banking, I can always find an excuse to go to Zack’s Frozen Treats for things like sugarfree/fatfree dreamsicle frozen yogurt! YUMMY! ((Doesn’t that sound so exciting?!))

Being home and being “normal” means…I get to meet up with my friend Lisa for lunch at the mongolian grill place. Bring it on!

Being home and being “normal” means….laundry is going, and I spent part of the morning cleaning cat hair off the furniture.

Being home and being “normal” means…there is now NO ONE else to ask to empty the dishwasher! I guess that is back to being my job now that Jeff is gone!

Being home and being “normal” means that after lunch out with Lisa, I can come home…ignore the rest of the house and take a nap because I want to!

OR --- I can start thinking of my up coming trip to Oregon, my retreat week with Randy and Lori and finish kitting up the projects so they will be ready to take with me.

I love this time of summer! I just want it to slow down a bit and not fly by so fast….

Bloggy Love Day!!

I was invited by the lovely Pat Sloan to participate in BLOGGY LOVE DAY!

This is so fun for me, because it is NOT a give-away thing…just a way for 5 un-related bloggers ((Well mostly, except for our love of fabric and quilting!)) to post some things about OURSELVES that you might not know!

Further down this post you will find the other sites to check out, but for now…are you ready?

And be sure to read all the way to the bottom because there is a PROJECT down there!!

The FIRST QUESTION….

1- What is your most interesting or unusual item in your studio?

THIS IS HARD for me! I would have to say that my most interesting item is my vintage machine collection, and it is fairly extensive! Not as large as some, but it is more than one item…Everywhere you turn, there are MACHINES!

		Vintage Machines in the Studio! VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I do love the old sweeties. I admit it. I have a hard time resisting them, as you know if you’ve been reading me at all. And I have a confession. This is just what is in the STUDIO proper. It does not include the other machines in the rest of the house, or what is packed away in the storage closet…My friend Lucy got me collecting the old toy machines. And the others? Well, it all started with my great grandmother’s old black singer shown in the above slide show! It’s the middle black one on the blue shelf. It’s a singer 15-91 from 1942. My mom was born in 1941, and later toward her teen years, my great grandmother gave this machine to my mom’s mom, my grandmother and it was used to make all of my mom’s roller and ice skating costumes, among other things. I'm the 4th generation down the line who has sewn on this machine and I’m thrilled to have it!

You can click HERE for more of my machine collection, but I’m embarrassed to say that it is not quite complete on the web page either…there are some I haven’t added yet! Especially the hand crank machine I bought when traveling through Tennessee last month! She’s a beauty! ((I did include her cover in the slide show above…))

And if you happen to notice lots of dolls, etc in the pictures, that’s another thing that most don’t know about me. I started “Needle in A Haystack!!” doll pattern company in 1992. I designed over 70 patterns for dolls and stuffed animals, eventually licensing many of them through the Butterick Pattern company. You could find them around the globe through the Butterick pattern catalogues. Boy, was that ever a lifetime ago! ((and occassionally they still show up on ebay!!))

This plaque is of my first magazine article in Doll World, February 1995. It’s been a long journey!

2-Who would you like to hang out with for a day and why?

THESE GALS!

Kim Woodburn & Maggie MacKenzie!! The lovely gloved ladies of “How Clean Is Your House!?”

Disclosure: My house is NOT THAT BAD. Seriously. But I have a LOT of stuff in the basement studio, and I’d love to make it work better. And at the same time I fully realize and acknowledge that I am ADDICTED to my stuff, and I can’t let it go!

I’m walking a fine line between Quilter and Hoarder ((No, seriously..It’s NOT THAT BAD!)) But I’d love to let them come in and see what they could do ;c)

Haven’t seen these gals in action? Here you go:

And yes, there is a part 2, and part 3, as well! So…my question is to YOU!? Who would YOU like to meet and spend a day with, and why?? Come on, do tell! There is no giveaway involved, other than what we can learn from each other! FESS UP!! Now that we figured out the problem with the comment-leaving HERE, I hope to hear from more of you!

3- Give your "Top Tip" or link to a Tutorial you have written

Which is the Top One?! I have no clue..but there is a link of tips at the top of my blog under the Tips & Tutorials tab! Not to mention a huge selection of free scrap patterns, tips and techniques at my website proper, Quiltville.com!

However, there is SOMETHING that I have been demo-ing in my workshops that might not be entirely new to you, but might shine a bit of light on why things go the way things go! And while I’m explaining this…I’ll give you the directions to the 9” Jacob’s Ladder variation blocks to recreate this antique quilt I showed last week! Because this quilt was found in Florida, and is made with wonderful 1940s & 1950s Florals, I’ve nicknamed it Florabunda!

Get your printer friendly version HERE!

Yes, I still love this quilt, can’t get it off my mind, and I’ve started in on the blocks! Wanna join me? Here we go! For each block you will need the following cut from two fabrics:

(1) 2” X 21” strip of floral print

(1) 2” X 21” strip of yellow

(1) 3.5” X 9” rectangle of floral print

(1) 3.5” X 9” rectangle of yellow

Place the 3.5” X 9.5” yellow and floral rectangles right sides together, and using your easy angle ruler, cut 4 triangle pairs from each set using the 3 1/2" line on the ruler. Each block requires 4. There is a bit of margin left at the end of each strip set as cushion for cutting and squaring up!

**Note** These half square triangles will measure 3.5” before being sewn into the block, finishing at 3”. You can use any method that gives you 3” finished triangle units.

Sew the two 2” strips together. Press toward the floral strip and measure the strip set. It should be 3.5” wide. If it is too narrow, your seam allowance is too wide. Adjust where necessary! Sew the triangle pairs as well. Press seams toward the floral. Clip dog ears! The triangle units should measure 3.5". Double check that seam allowance if they are not!

Tip #1!!

Do YOU do this? I cut the strip set in half…and then layer it with yellow on floral, and floral on yellow…so when I make my sub-cuts, the 4-patch parts are already matched with right sides together and ready to feed through the machine! This saves HUGE amounts of time..just think of all that time it takes to align the two-sies one at a time to get them lined up before sewing pairs. Give this a try! You can feel the seam lock as you lay them together.

Cut five pairs of two-sies! There will be a small extra margin for squaring/trimming left over.

Each block will use five 4 patches! ((I was cutting for two blocks at once, that is why there are more shown here!))

Tip #2

See the left hand pic? All my pairs are stacked the same way! THIS IS IMPORTANT! You will notice the X on the last pair in the pic on the right… "One of these things is not like the others!” and he’s wrong!

And THIS is why!

See how they are all being fed in the same direction? Florals are leading, yellows are following. Then look at the right hand pic! Mr. No-no with the red X is heading to be fed in upside down! Can you guess why this is a bad idea?! You might think it doesn’t make a difference, but it DOES! Stick with me! I’ll show you why!

Tip #3!

Let’s spin those seams! I know this technique has been around for a long time, but in the beginning, I couldn’t figure out WHY half of my 4 patches would spin clockwise, and the other half would go counter clockwise. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason, and it meant that when I sewed 4 patch to 4 patch, my seams wouldn’t butt and oppose any more and it drove me nuts. Are you with me?

It all goes back to TIP #2! If you want your 4 patch seams to all go around in the same direction…they have to be fed through the MACHINE the SAME when you are joining the two-sies! SERIOUS!

To get them to pinwheel like this I grab the 4 patch with the center seam going side to side as shown. A quick twist will let a couple stitches loose within the seam allowance and allow you to spin them around. Which way will yours go? Look at the TOP seam allowance to see which way it is pointing. In this case, they are pointing right, so mine will go clockwise, like this:

Does it matter which direction they go? Clockwise or counter clockwise? Nope! You just want them all to go the SAME direction. The only time it wouldn’t matter is if you are joining all these 4 patches to units with seams that don’t need to match up. And some patterns, no matter what you try, you’ll find you have to re-press a different direction depending what you are sewing the units next to. So think it out. Of course, if you are joining all of these to plain alternate squares, you can press them any way you want because butting up doesn’t matter.

Let’s finish that block!

Lay out the five 4 patches for each block as shown. Now, lay out your four half square triangle units for each block as shown. Remember…the yellow is the ladder down the center! All the 4 patches chain in the same direction…

One block done! The Antique quilt above has blocks set 6 X 8 for 48 blocks. This will give you a quilt center that measures 54" X 72" before borders. As for me? I’m thinking bigger! 8X9 is 72 blocks for a center that measures 72" X 81" before borders. Do-able? Definitely! And a great place to use all those florals I have not had any clue how to use! I'm gonna be RUTHLESS!

Thank you so much for your visit today, and I hope you learned something you didn’t know before! If you are new here, I hope you’ll come back and visit often! Feel free to click the FOLLOW link in my right side bar, you won’t want to miss anything! You’ll also find my facebook widget in the right side bar….please click LIKE! We’d love to have you in on the quilty fun going on over at our Quiltville Friend Page!

And don’t forget to visit these OTHER Bloggy Love friends today--

• Amy - http://amyscreativeside.com/
• Amanda - http://msmcporkchopquilts.com/
• Sarah - http://thelastpiece.typepad.com/
• Pat- http://www.patsloan.typepad.com

Be sure to leave them a comment and tell them that Bonnie Sent You!

Evening Edition & A Free Kindle Book!

First Off! Just a little heads up so that you don't miss TOMORROW's post! I'm doing a fun fun thing with Pat Sloan and some other bloggers, just for kicks...

There will be:

• 5 Bloggers all linking to each other and showing 3 things. Just for Fun! No prizes-- just linky love to encourage our readers to try new blogs by linking to each other.... FUN is the big thing for the day!
• EACH blogger is sharing either a tip or tutorial, so you will want to check all 5 blogs

Sound fun? then join us TOMORROW! I'll have the other 4 bloggers linked in my post so you can see who they are!

So on to the freebie book!

Are you headed out of town for the weekend? Want a good beach read? This one came up on my searches today. It’s called The Days Of Summer and is written by Jill Barnett.

Editorial Review

From Booklist

One night in 1957, two cars collide, and the repercussions of the fatal accident form a compelling tale. Orphaned brothers Jud and Cale are raised by their grandfather, Victor Banning, a ruthless corporate titan. Aspiring musician Jimmy Peyton leaves behind gold records and a four-year-old daughter, Laurel, who will be raised by his distraught wife and domineering mother. Years later the three survivors meet after Laurel, a precocious teenager who dreams of becoming a chef, has moved to Catalina, California. Laurel is initially smitten with Jud but then falls in love with his younger brother, Cale. Their long-brewing sibling rivalry erupts as they each fight for the love of lonely Laurel. Barnett delivers a well-written novel filled with enough emotion, passion, and drama to please Danielle Steel fans. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

As always, double check that it is still free before clicking, what is free today may not be tomorrow..and if you don’t like it, never fear, at least the price was right! :cD

It's A Sienna, Baby!!

Let me tell you how much I *HATE* shopping for new vehicles. I hate the whole process. Seriously. All the internet searching ahead of time, so we know what prices are within the range of our budget, how much above cost they are asking, speculating on how low they will go, did I offer too much?

The one thing I really hate is feeling like I had a fast one pulled over me, that the guy next to me got a better deal than I did because he had better negotiating skills.

But I do have to say it was a pleasure to deal with Modern Toyota of Winston Salem! No pressure, fun test drive, great salesman ((I suppose that’s why he’s been there for 30 years!)) and it was not nearly as painful as I was dreading.

We were going from place to place, and all the while my friend Randy was texting me with facts from Consumer Reports on which vehicles were rated best! And before I knew it we were down between two vehicles, the Honda Odyssey, and the Toyota Sienna.

We drove both….and I just have to say I liked the features of the Sienna better. It was a quieter ride, much smoother, and we got more for our money. The rear seats WERE easier to put down on the Honda.....but my seats are likely to stay down all the time, so that was just a small trade off for the other things I did like better about the Sienna.

I have never thought a minivan could be so fun to drive….and this thing? It has MEGA space! Just the fact that it is this low to the ground is going to make loading the quilt bags and cases of books, sewing machine, project bins, sew-ezi table ((Yes, that goes too!)) so much EASIER!

The back seats are stowed down…look at this space! I don’t even think I’m going to need to remove the two second row seats….There is already enough room in the back! As Lisa pointed out on my facebook post ----“ROADTRIP!!” Says it all!

I have NEVER had a sun roof in my life! NEVER NEVER NEVER! Okay. How do I work this thing?!

There are so many bells, buttons and whistles, It’s going to take me a while to get this sorted out. Back Up Camera?!? I hate backing up! Do you think I can do it now? :cD

THIS is going to take some getting used to. No key? Just leave the fob in my purse? You mean I don’t have to dig through all the junk in the bottom of “the black hole” bag to find keys? I think I’m going to LIKE this!

I've thought about this for a long time. I practically LIVE in my car. I haul a lot of stuff from guild to guild to guild, and when my car is loaded, there isn't room for another person in it...how can I take anyone with me in a car that is that full? You can't. So...I have reached the realization that I "NEED" a van. My kids are laughing hysterically at me. But...I need a van!

So where are we going to go first? Sam’s club, of course! Mama needs some more mailing envelopes.

And Friday --- We take the first Sienna Road Trip up to Fredericksburg and Woodbridge, VA!