I Predict a New Studio in My Future!

Yeppers, today we learned our cabin expansion is a go! This means more bedrooms/bathrooms for all of our kids and grandkids and family and friends and also a big studio for me! (Oh, of course it can be a big bunking room for bedroom overflow, but I prefer to think that it is just for me!) Anyhoo, it will be a fun project for us and Carl is very much looking forward to getting busy. Once the addition is all buttoned-up, he will take over doing the rest. Once it is all done I will really need to be productive...ideas and patterns for sale!!!

So, here are the promised addresses for the things I mentioned in yesterday's post. The new quilt shop owned by the sisters in Nebraska: ilovesewingonline.com Love their darling name in print. Cath's address is onewildernessroad.com. She is the Pfaff lady and the EQ7 lady. Drop her a line. The new stuff I bought for handbags can be found on byannie.com and it is called Soft and Stable. I think that is all I needed to tell you. Let me know if I forgot something.

Today's photo is a handbag that is the same shape as the one from yesterday, but it is made using embroidered squares that I designed on the Bernina V6 software. I have done other color combinations and all are well-received.

Thanks for the visit. Jerilynn

PhD in Threadology !!

Day Three at the School of Threadology was fabulous! Gush, gush. Seriously, what a great experience this has been. I learned so much, not only from the wonderful teachers, but from the other students. One lady, Cath, is a Pfaff educator and had a ton of Creative Vision hints that she shared with me. She also has a EQ7 club on her website, so as soon as I find her card I will let you know her address and you can go visit her site. I sold a few of my patterns to other students, and a newish store from Nebraska gave me an order for some to fill when I get home. I will also check to see if they have a website you can visit. Two sister, Marchia and Deanice. They were having so much fun, enjoying each other and all the information. I hope their quilt shop is a huge success. I think the name is I (heart - imagine a cute heart shape here) Quilts. I will find out for sure. This afternoon we played with some new stuff that Patterns by Annie is carrying. It is a fabric covered foam type stuff that is great for handbags and other items that needs some padding and some stability. We made a quick notebook cover that we could stitch all over using the fun Superior Threads. Of course, I still don't have a camera, so that picture will have to come later. We were also shown a good applique method with their fusible thread. A student demonstrated a binding method by a lady at Quilter's Touch. I must hop over to her site to check out her book on it. It uses yarn and wash-a-way thread and a edge stitch foot. Very cool. At the end of the day we had "graduation" and my name was called first! Maybe that means I am the Valedectorian! (Or maybe they knew that Carl was waiting for me). Anyway, I got a wonderful certificate, name spelled correctly (thank you to the fabulous Ricci!) I am now prepared to tell the world about threads and needles! Oh, funny thing this morning at the hotel in St. George, Utah. When I went to get breakfast the room was PACKED with people wearing nametags! I glanced at one and it said "Homespun Tours"....from CHIPPEWA FALLS! What a small world. Okay, another non-thread class related picture today. This is the bag version of the Penny Rug Tablerunner. No pattern for it yet, but I probably should work on one. Thanks for stopping by! Jerilynn

Day Two of School of Threadology

More good food today. All food has been great, but there must be a couple or more different people the school is using. Some have tablecloths, flowers, "tablescapes" (ala Sandra somebody on Food Channel). I am sad to report that I have eaten all the offered desserts, although I have avoided most all of the bread. Doesn't make much sense, but if I am going to blow it, I want it to be on something really yummy. When they said that we wouldn't go hungry, they were very right! I stayed a bit later after class to hear a presentation on websites and blogs. Pretty interesting. I know I haven't been blogging very long, but it has been three whole days and I don't have any followers! I know, I have to let people know about it, but I guess I just want to quietly sit in a comfy chair and write a bit and have people read it. Anyway, back to the school...today I played with all different kinds of threads. I learned that pretty much all I need are topstitch needles - for piecing, quilting, embroidering. Most of the thread I used today had a needle suggestion of 90/14 Topstitch. Some thicker thread required a 100/16. All of the Superior Threads I used sewed beautifully on the Bernina 730 that I was using. Upper tension was usually lowered to 1 to 3, depending on the type of thread. I am not afraid of playing with the tension dial - unlike some people who had the fear installed in them that IF THEY EVER TOUCHED THE TENSION SOMETHING REALLY BAD WOULD HAPPEN. I am looking forward to being home with my new threads and trying them out on the Bernina 440, 1630, and the Pfaff Creative Vision. Ya, I know, I have a lot of machines. After talking with other students, however, I think my machine "stash" is fairly modest! (This is not a hint for my spousal unit!). We also saw some gorgeous quilts made by Heather (Mother Superior). The quilting was done on a longarm machine and is looking more and more like something I would like to learn to do. Ooops, a machine stash addition? I am liking the King Tut thread the most - pretty colors and a bit thicker. I will let you know how it goes once I get home. Tomorrow we get to make another project and have another talk about threads. Who knew that three days playing with string could be sew much fun! Okay, since I didn't bring my camera (duh!) I will have to look in My Pictures to find something to post because all this wording is a bit dull. It is a picture of my Penny Rug Table Runner. I have a new pattern out for that and am teaching a class on the runner in October. Good night! Jerilynn

Still Getting Educated!

Yesterday was my first day at the School of Threadology in St. George, Utah. Loved the information so far. The morning was spend learning about - are you sitting down - thread! I imagine that some people would have found all the information a bit too much, but I drank in every moment. I always have been a thread fan, and these facts were very informative and interesting. We had a chance (or three) to tour and shop out of the thread warehouse. I am not sure what I will be taking home with me yet - I have to figure out which type of thread I would use the most. Right now there is a silk thread they just developed that looks interesting. I was told that it was too thin for machine embroidery, but I am thinking that two strands through the needle might be just right...The afternoon was spend making a bag with a texture-making material. We made a bag and the teacher was Annie from Patterns by Annie. She is darling and a very good teacher. Her instructions and pattern were very easy to follow. Loved her trunk show of other things she has made with textured fabric. In the past this textures stuff (Texture Magic by Superior Threads) seemed too gimicky, but now I can see lots of uses. A Big Bottom Bonnie Bag might be fun with this material! Today, more classes. A local quilt shop visit might be in order, too. :) Okay, since I don't have a picture of what I created yesterday, I will post a picture of the Big Bottom Bonnie Bag. Just imagine it in a textured material.

As you may know, we are hoping to add on to our cabin this year - we were hoping to get a call from the bank to hear about financing, but no messages yesterday while I was in class. I did, however, get a message from my daughter...she is making her first quilt (YAY!) and had a couple of questions about the cutting. I think she also would love this three day school, but there must be a reason that most of the students here are old, like me....JOBS. Oh, that's right. I am constantly amazed, however, at the talent and style and creativity of women I meet at these seminars/classes. I guess things really do keep getting better with age!

Jerilynn

September is my Month-O-Education! Classes at the Madison, WI, Quilt Expo; Bernina Software Extravaganza in Naperville, IL; and now three days at the School of Threadology in St. George, UT. I should be really full of knowledge as I welcome in October (btw, my favorite month). I have been busy making patterns and have sent them off to see if they could be picked up by a national pattern group. Printing them off on the ink-hungry Canon and having DH fold and stuff bags could get old. So far I have taught the Folkart Clothesline Tote and the Big Bottom Bonnie Bag and the students loved them! Lots of ideas bouncing around the head, October will be fun to get some fun items created! Here is a picture of the Clothesline Tote. It is created using a new way that I thought up - very fast and the stitching is very neat-looking. I have a couple of other clothesline and fabric ideas... stay tuned. jerilynn