Quilt Tools to the Rescue!

You never know when your quilting tools are going to come in handy for other things!

This is one of my favorites.  I keep one by the sewing machine.  I keep one here by my comfy hand stitching chair.

It’s a 4-in-one goodie from Alex Anderson (Some still in the Quiltville Store, need to order more) and It is one tool that does not get lost in my sewing area.

With the wooden caps on the ends – I can use the angled wood end for finger pressing, the pointed wood end (seen by my pliers in the background on the table) to poke out corners when turning things right side out (as in all of this mask making type activity) and the seam ripper itself needs no explanation.

I’m not one who usually sews with a stiletto – but you know where it came in handy this morning?

My Keurig would not pump water!

OH NO!!!

I tried every hack I could find to remove air bubbles from the line as instructed by many websites.  I cleaned parts – I washed down, I burped the bottom of the Keurig by turning it upside down and tapping it – and still nothing.

Until I read that ground can become clogged in the TOP needle puncture thing as well.

Let me tell you, it’s not an easy place to get to because the top doesn’t really open up far enough to make access a simple matter.

But this long tool came in SO HANDY!

As soon as I poked that stiletto end up into that grove the lodged coffee grounds came loose and water started to drain.

I ran the Keurig through 2 cups of plain water to wash it out some more before inserting a pod and:

Thank you, thank you thank you!!!

It was an intense moment, let me tell you – In times like these I need my Keurig to do what Keurigs do.  WORK!

Work has been modus operandi around here.

Yesterday’s 11:15 a.m. USPS drop off.

Working on a mystery behind the scenes in real time along with everything else had made it a bit hard in the “let’s post really interesting stuff” department around here.

The weather has been rainy and cold for most of the week, though today is supposed to be a bit better. 

I can’t over do Zoey after her surgery, so any walks we do this weekend will not over-tax her.  She is still feeling kind of punky, ,though a bit better every day.

Yes, we are talking bout YOU baby girl!

It’s the cutest thing – she has some “mostly un-stuffed” toys that instead of ripping to shreds, she treats like her babies.  (She is laying on one here.)

She carries them around, puts them in her crate, and then once in her crate herself will nudge them with her nose until they are all in a pile at the door.  It’s the cutest thing.

She just LOVES on them, occasionally squeaking their squeakers, but mostly – just loves them.

Yes, it’s my baby!

She is so gentle with them it is amazing.

Sorry about the dog overload!

But she really is keeping me grounded right now.

I try to keep things positive here 99.9% of the time.

But I got the word yesterday that the virus has now reached my corner of the Blue Ridge.  App Health Care Info

It was bound to happen.  We are still very rural but that also means that people’s attitudes have been a bit more lax.  “It can’t touch us HERE.  We are safe HERE.  It’s not that big of a deal.  It’s no worse than the flu.  The flu has killed far more.”

All of this kind of attitude is not helpful when it is killing people in your own community.  Brothers, sisters, parents, aunts, uncles, children, friends, neighbors.

Everyone who dies from this is not merely a number.  They were loved dearly by many.  Families are in mourning.

Alleghany county includes nearby Sparta where our usual vet is.  Ashe County includes Jefferson/West Jefferson NC – where our Walmart/Lowes and Blue Ridge Movie Lounge are.

Watauga County is a bit further away, but that’s where App State University in Boone is. It’s a more heavily populated area.

And though the numbers look low as of yesterday – where have these people been and what/who have they touched in the past 2 weeks?

So yes, there are times when I find it hard to remain positive all of the time.  Some things are reality checks.  And then we let it sink in and decide what we are going to do to rise above it.

So once again -

According to a recent recommendation from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), all Americans should wear a protective face mask when going out in public.

Wearing masks everywhere, including in places where cases of the virus have not already spiked, could help slow the rate of infection significantly, some C.D.C. officials believe.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed its stance on wearing face masks on Friday, including cloth face coverings sewn at home. Its new guideline recommends that people wear cloth coverings in public -- in addition to taking measures like social distancing -- as a "voluntary public health measure." (But don't take voluntary too lightly!)

In the CDC's words, "CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission (emphasis theirs)."

Though your homemade mask may not offer all the protection that frontline medical workers need, they can be used to cover existing N95 surgical masks (thereby extending their usage), as well as providing protection to support staff (receptionists, cleaning crews, stockroom, etc) so that N95 masks will be saved for those who need them most. 

Your masks can also be used by neighbors who may not be able to secure their own.

SO, YOU WANT TO MAKE SOME MASKS? Here's how you do it:


Yesterday's post included a PDF pattern for one kind of mask. I wanted to present some different options - especially for those who can't find elastic.

Bias tape ties work great – you can cut your own strips either bias or straight-grain and use those.

The tighter the weave of fabric the better.  THINK BATIK if possible. 

And the news has come out that using Pellon non-woven interfacing in between the layers really helps with the filtering.

No interfacing at home?  Wash some of your non-woven reusable grocery store bags and use that as the inner layer.

The fine folks at JOANN also have a very clear tutorial:


Joann Stores is also offering free tools and supplies via curbside pickup for your mask making project—just be sure to call your local store to see if they're open and participating.

And wherever you are -

Take safe measures to get outside and get some vitamin D.

It’s important.

I’ve got about 2/3 of the next round of Unity units ready.  I’ve been taking photos of each step for clear instructions. 

Sorry that hasn't been much quilty to post to the blog while I've been working in between everything else to get this done by Monday behind the scenes.

After dropping mail off at the USPS this morning I’ll be back at it.  Today is for photo taking and assembly.  Tomorrow is for writing Monday’s Part 2 post and the PDF copy that goes with it.

And I think I’ll need some sunshine and fresh air time myself.

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

It's all about perspective, and sometimes we need to look at life from a different perspective to understand where others are coming from and going through.

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

Have a wonderful Saturday, everyone!