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Tuesday, June 01, 2021

Hello, June 2021!


Some things are not as fun as quilting.

Hemming curtains would be at the top of my "not so favorite" list.

I know, I know, I know - it's all pretty straight forward really.  And I've been needing blackout curtains in this bedroom for FOUR YEARS - but still, I drug my feet, I put it off, I'd rather scrub toilets than hem curtains.

But once I had that curtain rod installed, I knew it was time to do the deed.

Why do we put such simple things OFF?

After helping Jason to curtains for his camper van, I made up my mind to just get in there and do it.

So I purchased a pair of grey chambray blackout panels from Walmart, knowing I was going to have to adjust the length, but that was better than starting from ground zero.

I hung the panels, finding that the width of my two side by side windows was wider than I thought.

I let them hang there, the extra length dragging on the floor - to get the wrinkles out while I waited for the next trip to town to pick up another matching pair.

That happened on Sunday.


With the panels hanging, I marked where I wanted the fold of the hem to be.

And this is where quilting equipment got put to good use.  I didn't have a large enough cutting surface, so I threw my big mat on to the floor where I could spread out the panels and used my rotary cutter and a big ruler to cut them all to the same length, cutting 3 1/2'' below where I had marked the new fold to happen.

From here it was just a matter of marking where the hem was going to fall, , folding the raw edge under about 1/4'' and stitching in place.

All in all - it took me only about an hour to do it.

Once again - WHY DO WE WAIT SO LONG!?

The most important thing - THEY WORK.  They will keep the light from fading the quilts.  They will provide a nice dark nest of a room for afternoon napping.  

I am one of those who MUST sleep with the room completely dark.  

I can't even have a bedside clock illuminating the room.  

There is a piece of black electrical tape on the light on the smoke detector because even with my eyes shut - I know that light is there.

Dark, cool and silent - that's how we sleep it around here.

What did I do after the curtains were done??  Does anyone know what happens around the 4th of July here in Quiltville?


Leader & Ender challenge time!

And this go round, my objective is to minimize THIS bin.


I spent some time kitting up - 

And you will get to see just what we are making in about a month's time. It's going to be easy, and cute, with a variety of ways to set the units - and I'll be providing this unit in a couple of different sizes so you can choose how big or small you want to work.

More info coming up on that in due time!  

Did you check out our HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS post from yesterday? I hope you took some time to enter for the awesome gift-away packs - there are two ways to win on those!


And as promised - today we continue on Pat Sloan's blog tour for her new book Holiday Celebrations.

I have added Holiday Celebrations to the Quilting All the Time category of the Quiltville Amazon Affiliate Store. Use your PRIME from wherever you are and have the book in your hot little hands in just a few days!

Today, head over to visit Jacqueline Steves for her post about Holiday Celebrations and her gift-away!

((I'm not sure where she is located, but as I write this, her post isn't up yet - so check back later if you need to!))


Another sneak peek of what I'm doing with my own project from Holiday Celebrations!

Lumberjack beavers are just too cute!  This fabric came to me as a gift in the form of charm squares.  I have no idea who the manufacturer is, and I don't even remember when I received them.  If it was YOU who sent them, I hope you get a kick out of seeing where they landed!

My day for Pat's tour is SATURDAY!  I'm so excited to share it with you.

It's also time to draw for the winner of our May 2021 Quilty Box Gift-Away!


Info on this box is found in the original post.

There were 5621 entries for this Gift-Away!  So many of you really want that Heather Bailey fabric! (It's so scrumptious!)


So yummy for summer!

(I adore that red/pink geometric print on the far right!)

What is a Quilty Box?

Here are some highlights to keep in mind:
  • Quilty Box is a monthly subscription box of fun quilting supplies. We offer plans from $46-48/mo.
  • Each month we have 4 or more products (fabric, patterns, thread, or notions)
  • Boxes feature your favorite designers, authors and artisans!
  • We will be using the hashtags #QuiltyBox and #GetQuilty
Who is entry 5473?
Jane Klopfer!  This is your box!

Jane, look for the email I sent you this morning and reply with your mailing address.  I'll have the folks at Quilty Box  get your goodies right out to you!  Congrats!

The Tuesday after a 3 day holiday weekend always leaves me feeling a bit short-sheeted.

I thought today was Monday.  I didn't get the trash out last night.  ARGH!  I've missed trash pick-up!


Quiltville Quote of the Day -

That bend in the road thing can be a winding blind curve, so be careful!⁣
Last week as 5 of us were returning from bike riding the Viirginia Creeper Trail, we were winding along on highway 58 when a pickup truck coming the opposite direction suddenly lost his extension ladder which extended ACROSS the double yellow line smacking my van full on.
The flying adder took out the driver's side mirror, denting and scratching up the side of the van before it skidded and stopped behind us on the highway.
It was SO SCARY! The roads out here don't have shoulders, there was barely a place to pull over, nowhere to turn around, and that guy likely didn't even know he lost his ladder. it all happened so fast. ⁣
Today we start the fix-it process. And yes - it took out the same side that was hit by the deer last fall! It's a good thing I have a great relationship with my collision repair folks. LOL!
Today I pick up a rental car - and hopefully next week I'll be right as rain once again.⁣
The moral of the story? When all else fails, stop for ice cream. It helps!

The June Quiltvillians arrive for their retreat at Quiltville Inn TOMORROW, so I better get a move on!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend - please share in the comments below what you got up to!

Have a wonderful TUESDAY -


 

28 comments:

  1. I need a darkened room to sleep properly too. Thankfully there's no street lights on the bedroom side of the house. I sort of envy you your country place. Enjoy the dark.

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  2. Thank goodness you weren’t riding your bike! Holy cow!

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  3. I have a large, semi-bow Window in my living room, which faces south. Many years ago I had someone come and put a coating on the glass that blocks the UV rays so no fading of fabric here. I can still see out as if nothing is there and enjoy the view.

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    1. When I lived in Texas, I put that sort of window film on our house's windows. In 30 years living in that house, there was no fabric fading. The stuff really works!

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    2. Wow I didn't even know there was such a thing to put on windows. I really need it in my 2 bedrooms and in my bedroom turned into my sewing room. I love to open the curtains when I'm sewing so I can watch the birds and sometimes a humming bird comes be to get some nectar from my Rose of Sharon that is planted next to the window. I don't always close the curtains when I'm done sewing for the day. Then I worry about fabric fading with my quilts in progress. I need to make a trip to Lowe's. Thanks Debcal and Derrith for the info.

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  4. Totally understand the darkness thing. My husband does the same thing, even in hotel rooms...the tiniest bit of light and he can't sleep! And forget about ever sleeping on a plane..not going to happen! Me, not so much..give me a couch and a pillow and I'm good. I, too, have to tackle a curtain issue but in the dining room...ugh...been putting it off...
    Thanks for the peek at the upcoming project! Lovely day here on the coast of NC!

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  5. The curtains look good and good idea to start with ready made ones to save some work. For a minute, I thought you were on bikes in the ladder incident. I know it doesn't prevent stuff from happening, but I'm glad I have a dash camera. At least I have proof for the insurance company it wasn't my fault. And maybe it could help find the person who is at fault if they don't stop.

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    1. I thought they were on bikes too. Thank goodness they weren't.

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  6. "Burley Lumberjacks" is from Robert Kaufman. So cute!

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    1. Thank you. Those little lumberjacks are so cute.

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  7. I made a little shirt for my grandson a while ago out of the lumberjack beavers fabric. It was adorable and a hoot all rolled into one. I’m going to check if I still have scraps. Fun.

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  8. I recently had to hem curtains too. It takes so little time but so boring!! And yet, when it's done, so worth it!

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  9. Oh my... procrastination. Guilty. I want to create new & pretty things! I’ve made just about everything a person can make in 55 years, including clothing, drapes, lampshades, stuffed country bunnies.... but FIX something? It’s true, it’s usually a quick fix but I wait forever to do it! All I want to do now is anything with quilting... except REPAIR one! Haha!!
    Happy first day of June! Can’t wait to see the new Leader/Ender!
    Blessings, Marci H.

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  10. My husband sleeps in a sleep mask with Bose headphones and temperature must be ideal. I understand you!

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  11. I'm a person who can sleep anywhere. I currently have no curtains in my bedroom. The ones I had were in sad shape and were depressing me. I am probably moving later this month, so I have't replaced them. I'm excited to see this year's L&E will be. I never got started last year, and I'm putting the checkerboard rail fence from a few years back.

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  12. I have one of those light up alarm clocks that illuminates the room. That's how I find my side of the bed without tripping. Hubby goes to bed way before I do. TMI!
    Fun project in the works for L/E 2021. Can hardly wait to go home and work on it with you, later this year. I have a few weeks left here in Nebraska. Gonna miss this place and the people. Curtains aren't my favorite to make either.

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  13. I worked nights and slept in the day time so I can sleep anywhere with some light and actually have a night light on in the hall across the hallway and a night light in the back yard. I keep the blinds closed but there still is some light now that I actually sleep at night

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  14. The lumberjack beaver fabric is so cute! Burly Beavers by Andie Hanna for Robert Kaufman.

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  15. Would love to know which curtains you bought - all I've tried stayed wrinkled, even after running thru the air cycle in the dryer.

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  16. I too hate making or sewing curtains! What is it about long straight boring sewing? I've said more than once I would rather be sewing tiny pieces, even with all the matching that might be required than sew curtains.

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  17. Bonnie, you might be able to put the trash out for tomorrow's Wednesday morning pick up!! My trash company has certain holidays when the trash pickup just moves to the next day. Check your local .gov page for trash pickup dates and holidays!!

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  18. Oh I get the dark thing, except I can sleep with the lights on! And you say “then how does she get the dark thing?” Well I can’t stand blinking lights or the occasional flash, even if it is in the bathroom with the door closed!! ... I know it is happening. Mr handsome had a heart monitor that would flash about every 90 seconds! (He is better now so no more blindly heart monitor!) And there are the electric tooth brush, when they charge it is blink blink blink. Had to put a bit of painters tape over the lights-I don’t even want to know if they are blinking. There is also Mr
    handsome’s Fitness watch!😱😳. Well there you have it-my odd inability to sleep because of light issues!

    Glad you got the curtains hemmed.
    I usually wait to do that stuff (like mending) until we don’t need it anymore! That’s a whole new story. We will stop with the light issue!

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  19. It was my last weekend to work. Now I am free to travel up to the lake ( ERIE) whenever the sprit moves us. I began stitching binding onto my latest scrappy. I picked it up at the long armer last Friday. It is a bedsize and it is big and heavy and hard to wrestle with. I am going to have to find something other than cotton to use in my quilts to lighten them up . But the cotton batting maekes them look like quilts. I have used wool and liked that, they are a little lighter, but I have never been a fan of the poly batting. although I use it in baby quilts since they are laundred more frequently. Have a good day everyone.

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  20. Over the holiday weekend we went to Myrtle Beach and had a fun time. I went to the LQS and bought some pinks and neutrals for Zuckerwatt. Some of the August quiltvillians are going to work on that pattern while at the Inn. The entire store was 25%!

    Our guild met yesterday for the first time in 14 months. Lots of eye candy including a Grassy Creek. I need to get mine finished before our next meeting!

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  21. We all have things we hate to do, so put it off forever. With me it is emptying the dishwasher and taking out the trash. When I finally do it, it takes no time at all, and I wonder why I mentally made it into such a big deal.

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  22. My husband died in 2019. He too liked a dark room for sleeping. He would bring a roll of electrical tape to cover any lights. Thanks for the memory

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  23. Wow I bet you were shocked when that ladder came flying at you. I would have screamed. Why is it quilters are asked to sew "stuff"? I realize the curtains are your own, but totally understand the delay doing it. I have a bag of "grand-dog" toys to do some repair work on....groan.....not my idea of fun!

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  24. I solved the light bothering me. I wear a black eye mask problem solved. Sun comes up on bedroom master bath. The eye mask also solves my dry eyes problem. 2 birds..... yea!!!

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