What One Does When HOME ALONE!

I was planning on being in Arizona right after California, but sometimes even the best plans fall through for a number of reasons.

We’ll do some make up dates in the future, and I was just there after Thanksgiving.

All is well with my brother Mark, so this shifted opportunity will work well.

And it allows me an even BIGGER break home before heading off to Florida at the end of the month – Oh JOY!!!

I didn’t think that I would end up home alone last evening though!  The men folk (i.e.: Jeff and Hubster) had already made plans for this holiday Monday since I was going to be gone.

Men folk, as you know, will do what men folk do when there is a new log splitter, a chain saw and 42 acres of woods to be dealt with.

And more power to them! 

And PEDAL POWER to me!

I spent the evening stitching on my 1918 Singer 127 Sphinx.  100 years old and sews like a dream!

More neutral string blocks and Jack Taylor on Netflix!

My body clock is still somewhere over central time zone, slowly making its way over to east coast time and I was up until midnight – HOME ALONE!

I have a plan for these!  I have a new book release happening in the fall, and these blocks will find their way into the exclusive digital download quilt pattern that you will receive with the purchase of the new book from my website.  Are you getting excited yet?  I AM!

I adore the little China man vintage print that Lani gave each of us while in China – it came from her mother’s stash along with a few other vintage pieces that have also found their way into these blocks.  Such a great way to sew up those memories into this quilt.

I haven’t done a red/neutral quilt since Talkin’ Turkey and I’ve got red and neutral on the brain.

In fact, I’m teaching Talkin’ Turkey from my book String Fling in Florida to 2 different guilds on my next trip so I got that quilt out to hang some of the creases out.  It’s been in cold storage for a while!

Just wait until you see what this next quilt does with red & neutral!

There was a lot of this going on at Jill’s!

(That tomato fabric you see at the right is also vintage!)

This time around – Bonus Triangles are for keeping!

Bonus Buddy to the rescue!

Every go to class bag, every sewing machine NEEDS a Bonus Buddy!  It’s the perfect size for marking lines, measuring units, and setting your correct seam allowance by using the needle holes for either 1/4’’, 3/8’’, 1/2’’ or 5/8’’.  But the best part of the Bonus Buddy is the bonus line for quickly marking stitch & flip corners when you want to save that bonus triangle in an ALREADY CORRECT SIZE.

With a 2 1/2’’ base square, I get a 2’’ unfinished bonus triangle unit that already measures 2’’ and finishes at 1 1/2’’ in the next project (Or in an extra pieced border on this one!)

It’s all in the placement of the line, and where you sew in regards to the line.  Full color photos included with complete directions, and available under the rulers, notions and tools category of the Quiltville Store!

Bonus Triangles on the left.

Quilt units on the right!

All I needed to do was press and remove dog ears.

It’s a bonus triangle bonanza, and I can’t wait to sew these up!

This happened on the plane home!

There are times I don’t draw lines, and use the Simple Folded Corners ruler instead.  There are times I DO draw lines in order to save my bonus triangles in a usable size.  It all depends on the project and what I want to see happen.

For me, if the corner squares are UNDER 2 1/2’’ I’ll go the Simple Folded Corners route.  2 1/2’’ or larger?  I WANT those bonus triangles!

It took me all of watching Far and Away with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman to draw the lines on my squares for this quilt in other-wise wasted moments of time.  And I know that I sew straighter when I have a fine drawn line to go by and I make up for any length of time it took me to draw the line by how quickly I can now sew it accurately. 

Funny story – I had stopped to take this photo of my small mat on the seat-back tray, being so careful to get everything just right, and WHAMMO!  That wonderful gifted mechanical pencil rolled right off the tray and down between my seat and the window wall and there was NO retrieving it what-so-ever!  I had to ask a couple of seat mates if they would perhaps have a pencil in their briefcases. 

I’m sure they thought I was nuts.  But mission accomplished!

So TODAY!!  What is on your docket for this gift of a Martin Luther King Monday?

I love this man and everything he stood for.

Today I will keep moving!  I will do some house organizing – easier to do when home alone!

I will do some sewing, some pressing, maybe some napping.

But I will keep in mind the man who likely could never imagine how much his legacy would live on.

Quiltville Quote of the Day!

Vintage hexagon quilt found in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

Start on the inside, and the outside will take care of itself!

Happy MONDAY!