Warning! Self Promotion!

New pattern is out!  This is one of the patterns that I have been working on for Indygo Junction that was introduced at the Spring Market in Kansas City.  I was told that it had good response - "techy" patterns are popular now and this fits into that category.  The blue tote is stitched with decorative stitches on my sewing machine on Cherrywood hand-dyed cotton.  The protective padding is Soft and Stable from byannie.com.  Fantastic stuff - you can iron it, sew it, embroider on it, wash it - it retains it shape, yet is soft and flexible.  Perfect for this project.  The natural colored tote is made out of osnaburg fabric - I like to call it a poor man's linen.  I used my Bernina circular embroidery attachment to make willy-nilly circles and partial circles. The other two printed totes are from fun print fabrics.  All totes have an inside zippered pocket to hold accessories and a strap that can be removed so that the tote become a protective sleeve for your tablet.  Run, run, run to your nearest store and see if they carry this pattern, or be on the lookout in catalogs.  Shameless self-promotion.  Jerilynn

New Laptop Cover

I hope you all had a good Labor Day. Did it just seem as if Memorial Day was a week ago? Crazy how quickly time goes anymore. The summer days in rural Indiana went on forever for a little girl that loved back-to-school. No new clothes to buy, supply lists to complete, or permission slips to sign anymore! What I do have, however, is a granddaughter that needed a new cover for her new Mac. She is started college this year and wanted a fun, protective cover for her new machine. She wanted an envelope style with a button -hook and loop tape would not do. She picked out this great floral with a purple fabric for the lining. We used ByAnnie's Soft and Stable for the interlining which made the project, well, stable, but still soft. A quick embroidered name, and the project was done. While staying here this weekend she decided that the bed in the studio was, from now on, "her" bed. Loved the view. Loved the soaking tub. She also spied the quilt on the wall and declared she wanted a queen sized one for her bed. I will add it to my list of things to make... I am off to Madison in a few days for the Quilt Expo. Daughter Ellen is going along with me this year. Last year's Expo was her first ever quilt show and she got hooked. She bought fabric for her first quilt and the top is now all pieced. We are taking a couple of machine quilting classes together, so I am sure by next year's Expo, the quilt will be quilted and bound and well-used. Jerilynn

Wine Bag II

Today's wine bag (Will there be a tomorrow wine bag?? Don't know) takes advantage of the great soft and stable properties of byAnnie's Soft and Stable. I put it between the outer fabric and the lining fabric and it has a great protective feel around the bottle of wine. I added the big grommets in the top for some modernness and for an easy and quick way to grab the bottle and tote it somewhere. Obviously a great hostess gift. This is one of those projects you need to see in person to appreciate. Bring your own wine glass and come on over. Jerilynn

Ipad Pouch

Our oldest granddaughter, Courtney, bought her mother the pink Ipad pouch for Mother's Day. Problem is, the color wasn't really quite what was desired. Courtney asked me if I could duplicate the pouch when they came up for the Fourth. Courtney picked out the green fabrics to match her mother's Ipad skin. I used Byannie's Soft and Stable for the padding. It is a great product the is perfect for this type of application. I have the original black color and I just noticed on her website that starting in July it will come in white! It is also great for bags of all kinds. I added hook and loop tape instead of the snap, and the pocket (in front and back) is lined and has an interfacing added for body. Next one I make I will make the pocket go up farther in the back to hold a cord or some notes. The flower trim on the flap is just for fun - no function. I also extending the padding a bit to cover both ends of the Ipad when the flap is closed - extra protection! I see all kinds of ways to personalize this pattern - applique, embroidery, buttons, patchwork. The new pouch is going back home tomorrow, but Courtney says I can still keep the original pink one. I will show you new versions as they happen. Jerilynn

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

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