INKLINGO vs EZ-ANGLE

I bought the Inklingo programs in June of 2009. I know the date precisely as Linda Franz had autographed my copies of Shape Collection #1 and #2.
I also remember an e-mail she had sent me in which she said that her husband loves customers like me. I think I had told her I wanted ALL of the collections. But could only afford two.
I bought these when I had Windows XP. BUT...I had never even opened the plastic wrap on the CD's.
I am so bad.
So now my OS is Windows 7. When I put the CD in the drawer my computer said there was a compatibility issue but there was a fix for it. So I let the machine waltz me through the steps and then I was able to access the CD. It was easy to follow the instructions. So all of you should have no trouble doing this step if needed.

 Above are the results of this morning's play session.
Can you tell the Inklingo from the EZ Angle HST?
There are many ways to get to a finished product. You just need to find what is easiest for you. And also what will give you good results.
Timewise there seemed really no difference in making these units. I made 48 with Inklingo and 48 with EZ Angle. It is now 11:00 a.m. I started at 8:00 a.m. but I am also doing laundry and waiting on my DH hand and foot during his recovery from the recent surgery. He is doing much better everyday.

 I did make a bit of a boo-boo when choosing the color to print on the back of my neutral. It was too light and I had trouble seeing on the first page I sewed. So above I took a pencil and traced the lines a bit darker for me to see. I sewed the entire sheet without breaking a thread. That means continous sewing. (what we love to do) I also decided I prefer cutting the HST out with the scissors rather than the rotary cutter. But then again that could be the too faint lines with the first sheet.
I also had fears of paper jams. The first sheet went through great. The second one did not. But I was able to retrieve it and start from the other end and it printed fine. I have a Lexmark Pro 205. Linda says she prefers her Cannon printer to her Lexmark for fabric printing.

This fabric is by MODA. It is part of the new collection called Etchings. It is a yummy neutral with grays. I am in love with it! I have been on a "no buy" to use up my stash but when I saw this collection I shouted out loud! I must have this!!!!! So I bought 9 yards.

Too much organization?

To those who care: I now know where my HST's are. In a moment of generosity (that was regretted as soon as the container left my hands to hers) I gave them to a old/new friend. Old friend because I knew her 30+ years ago and a new friend because she has been gone from my life that long. I also gifted her with all the leftover spirals from the Carolina Christmas Mystery. Those I did not regret...the HST's I do.
At least now I know my memory is fading...HA!
I am doing a little pressing and a little cutting.
FYI you can get 15 pair HST from a 22" X 2" strip.
XOXOXO Subee

Orca Bay clue#3 has been posted. Wow! I know I have these units already made!

Those of you who know me through the internet have praised me for being organized.

Yet there are times when I am my worst enemy when it comes to keeping spare units.

Below is just an example of how I save the waste triangles by doing the double sewing technique.
They are pressed,labeled and de-eared and ready to be used. I made two Smokey Mountain Stars in pinks and these are my leftovers. Maybe 400 units???
They are saved in really nice plastic containers. Also I save the strawberry/salad containers from the store. Some are even in baggies...labeled of course.
Too many different types of containers makes for a storing nightmare. It is best to find a size that works and buy scads of them.
If you have them around they will get used.
If they are the same they stack better.

 My quandry is that I KNOW I have more than enough HST in black/neutral combination. I just cannot find them! I have spent more time searching for them than it would have taken me to press and cut what I need!
ARGGGGG!!!!
This is one reason I do not like cleaning my sewing/cutting area. I am sure I have tucked that container inside a larger plastic container that may be in an even larger plastic container.
See my problem?

 I know they are somewhere in this house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The squirrel is not too obvious in this picture but the kitties are really enjoying the show!

Bad news turns into good news

I wanted to let all of you know that my dear Hubby is doing fine.

The bad news is that he had to have his entire left kidney removed due to a large tumor.

The good news is that the pathology has come back and all the lymph nodes and surrounding organs are cancer free.

I slept up there for two nights. Let me tell you that a recliner is not a bed and my back and neck are killing me.

Yet we are both so grateful that we are home today and that he did very well with the surgery. Many people live with only one kidney. And there will be no chemo or radiation to go though.

It feels so great to just be home again....

Orca Bay Clue #2-blue strings

I had so much fun sorting my strings. I was amazed that I had so many blue strings. And I did not even open my Pineapple block container that has a few pounds of strings!
These blocks are so tiny and sweet!
I press my strings before sewing them to the foundation paper. Then a good finger pressing is all that is needed before trimming. The paper is still on these blocks.

 My Sony Wega TV died last week. It did not go quietly. It was very scary. I am glad I was in the room when it happened. Electricity and I do not mix well. I have a very healthy respect for it's dangers.

Hubby did some searching for me and he found a 46" Sony Bravia LCD on clearance! I went and bought it immediately. Not only is it 10" larger than the old TV. It is 30 pounds lighter and is nearly totally flat. It fits so nice on my corner stand.
There is now a ledge for my TV watching MaggieMae to sit on. She used to have to watch it from the end table.

 She knows there will be a flash and always shuts her eyes. Smart kitty!

 She is watching her favorite channel. Animal planet of course. I also have a DVD called "A Cat Sitter". All kinds of little creatures making small sounds and moving around so she can chase them across the screen. The only issue I have is that her little body does block the remote control's signal.
My cats are not spoiled at all! HA!

 I love sewing with Presencia thread. I use 50 weight on top and the 60 weight for bobbins. I have matching colors in both weights. They do make a 40 weight but I am in love with King Tut for the top quilting thread. I have emptied one of the 50 weight cones. That is a lot of thread! This thread is 100% cotton and there is almost no lint.
I had been using SO FINE! by John Flynn for bobbin threads. But I have been having issues with it. It sews wonderfully and is great for piecing until I noticed that if I use a good hot iron (and who doesn't) it MELTS AWAY!  It is a polyester thread. The seams then open like a zipper. So I will only use it for quilting now not for piecing. Bummer!

I have all my reds cut up for the Quiltvilleswap exchange. I could not resist making a few red string blocks. But then I decided I had better stop making them as we do not know the size for the Orca Bay red string blocks yet!

Orca Bay progress

My Orca Bay units from clue#1 are all done and counted out.
As usual I made way too many. But I also slipped in some grays and neutrals.
I am playing with the idea of making a second quilt using pinks/grays.

 All ready for sewing...remember I said I was done and I am all finished.

Why I bought/buy bolts of fabric

My precious DH and my first Greatgrandson, Drew. Music is in their blood!

 

 

A blogger friend had asked me where and why I bought bolts of fabric. I sent her an e-mail. She wrote back that I should make a blog of my e-mail. So I did a copy and paste and the e-mail is below.

 

"Then I found an EBay seller that sold bolts of fabric. (they are gone now) Granted they were old lines of fabric. But 1st quality...starting bid was always $24.95 for 15-20 yard bolts. I could not stop! But some bolts I just had to have and spent maybe $70 for a bolt. But that was still cheaper than stores. I was working. I had a Union job that paid very well. I spent it on fabric for retirement time. I made many BORING quilts and never made a dent in my bolts!

I am not stretching the truth when I say I have over 300 bolts of fabric in this house. Ask my husband. Ask the UPS man who thought I was hiding my fabric obsession from DH. That is a funny story! Ask Bonnie Hunter. She has been to my home. She has seen it. She says quilters tend to fill up all available space. This was after I told her I needed a bigger house.

Then I discovered scrap quilting and never looked back. I have gone through each bolt I own twice now, ripping off a yard hunk. Then I cut them into Bonnie’s Scrap User System.

I also inherited my sister-in-laws stash of fabric when she passed away. She bought fabric but never sewed anything. She was buying ahead too. Lots of 70’s calicos....some were only 36” wide. And that type of fabric was not what I had been collecting.

I bought Jinny Beyer, Fossil Fern, all kinds of batiks and cat fabric of course. So her fabric filled in a missing spot in my collections. Then I went nuts for 30’s fabric and bought 200 1/2 yd. cuts. (Ebay again)

Then I discovered fabric samples with cardboard headers....perfect for scrap quilting. I had bagillions of those too but have cut most of them up in to the SU System. You can still get those...sometimes I buy fabric scraps by the pound too. But I generate so many scraps myself that that is kinda silly.

I have sold lots of fabric and sewing machines on E-Bay. But that takes so much work. I guess if I were less of a sewer and more of an entrepreneur I could open an EBay store or even sell from my home like a garage sale that would never stop. HA!"

 

My cutting is all done for clue#1. I have them all in little baskets waiting for sewing. Another sleepless night. I got up at 2:00 a.m. Nice and quiet house and I am content for a while.

XOXOXOXO Subee

Orca Bay beginnings

I love mysteries. I love mystery quilts even more. And to try to explain that to someone who has never done a mystery is hard. They have trouble "jumping" in and trusting the designer to lead them down a successful path to a great quilt!
We all know that Our Bonnie Hunter (http://www.quiltville.com)
is a quilt designer we can trust to take us beyond our own boundries and give us so much quality sewing time.
I have been making a huge effort to not be stingy with myself when I even out fabric edges. That way I can generate more strings for me! And I throw them into this lovely basket. It does fill up fast too!

 You need to make saving scraps easy to do for yourself. I love containers and baskets and use them to help me keep things organized.
I went through all the bolts of neutrals on the cutting table. I cut 8  11/2" strips from each one. Way more than what I need for Orca Bay. I am on a Log Cabin block marathon too. This is the size strips I am using for the Log Cabin blocks. And since that last post of the black/white Log Cabin blocks I have made I want to make another quilt with another color family. Have not decided what color yet, so I am just cutting to feed the bins.

 This container is FULL! WHOOOHOOOO!

 This is the leftover from the Log Cabin quilt. They play right in to Bonnie's color scheme!

XOXOOXOXOX Subee