HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE - 12/31/19 -

Got a little more sewing done -

On the Dear William Interweave -

With three more "twosies" ready to go - ;))

Will I finish the top before the end of the day? -

Before the end of the year? -

Maybe - we'll see - ;))

Did you notice that I didn't say the end of the decade? -

I think every year is the end of a decade -

It just depends on when you start counting - LOL - ;))

===

A SPECIAL NOTE -
To those of you who ordered a LEFT-EZE Rule™ -
PLEASE add my email address to your contact list -
"caseyq19 - at - gmail - dot - com" -
So that I can contact you regarding your order -
Either that or make sure to check your SPAM folder -
For any emails I may have sent you - LOL -
Sometimes I need to verify an address that has been "standardized" -
Since I certainly don't want to send your package to the wrong address -
And the sooner you get back to me - the sooner I can mail it -
THANK YOU!! - ;))

===

And another reminder -

TODAY is the LAST DAY -

My LEFT-EZE Rule™ is ON SALE FOR 20% OFF - $22.00 at My Store - HERE -
US Dollars - No Coupon/Code Necessary -
With Flat Rate Shipping - $8.00 -
U.S. Only -

Through the end of December 2019 -

You don't need a PayPal account - you can use your credit card - PayPal is just my online payment processor. Or you can email me at "caseyq19 - at - gmail - dot - com" - and put "Order" in the subject line - if you would rather send me a check - ;))

We're running out of December -

TODAY is the LAST DAY -

Because TOMORROW - on Wednesday - the SALE will be over -
And the price will go back up to $27.95 -

So if you are A Left-Handed Quilter like me -
Or you know someone who is -

The LEFT-EZE Rule™ will help start the New Year off right LEFT - LOL - ;))

It's a LEFT-Triangle - designed for Left-Handed Quilters - ;))

Use ONE RULER
To trim the selvage -
Cut Half-Square Triangles (HST) -
And Quarter-Square Triangles (QST) for Hourglass Blocks -
And Flying Geese units -
And Squares -

Using Pre-cut strips -

LEFT-HANDED!! - ;))

No more "flipping" rulers - OVER - BACK - or SIDEWAYS -

The numbers go in the CORRECT direction -

And are EASY TO READ -

Because -

It's LEFT-HANDED!! - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

No sewing on Sunday -

I got caught up in doing "chores" -

So I'll just show you what I have sewn so far -

On the Dear William Interweave - ;))

The lighting in my Studio is "Daylight" floodlights -

But even with that - my photos do not do these batiks justice -

They are MUCH more vibrant and beautiful "in real life" - ;))

===

A SPECIAL NOTE -
To those of you who ordered a LEFT-EZE Rule™ -
PLEASE add my email address to your contact list -
"caseyq19 - at - gmail - dot - com" -
So that I can contact you regarding your order -
Either that or make sure to check your SPAM folder -
For any emails I may have sent you - LOL -
Sometimes I need to verify an address that has been "standardized" -
Since I certainly don't want to send your package to the wrong address -
And the sooner you get back to me - the sooner I can mail it -
THANK YOU!! - ;))

===

And another reminder -

TWO days - TODAY and TOMORROW -

My LEFT-EZE Rule™ is ON SALE FOR 20% OFF - $22.00 at My Store - HERE -
US Dollars - No Coupon/Code Necessary -
With Flat Rate Shipping - $8.00 -
U.S. Only -

Through the end of December 2019 -

You don't need a PayPal account - you can use your credit card - PayPal is just my online payment processor. Or you can email me at "caseyq19 - at - gmail - dot - com" - and put "Order" in the subject line - if you would rather send me a check - ;))

We're running out of December -

TWO days - TODAY and TOMORROW -

Because on Wednesday - the SALE is over -
And the price will go back up to $24.95 -

So if you are A Left-Handed Quilter like me -
Or you know someone who is -

The LEFT-EZE Rule™ will help start the New Year off right LEFT - LOL - ;))

It's a LEFT-Triangle - designed for Left-Handed Quilters - ;))

Use ONE RULER
To trim the selvage -
Cut Half-Square Triangles (HST) -
And Quarter-Square Triangles (QST) for Hourglass Blocks -
And Flying Geese units -
And Squares -

Using Pre-cut strips -

LEFT-HANDED!! - ;))

No more "flipping" rulers - OVER - BACK - or SIDEWAYS -

The numbers go in the CORRECT direction -

And are EASY TO READ -

Because -

It's LEFT-HANDED!! - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

The Dear William Interweave -

Is coming along nicely -

And is going to be pretty - ;))

I had company the last couple of days -

Family who came to visit after spending time with "other" family -

Some of you probably knows how that goes -

We can't all be everywhere at the same time - LOL -

So now that they have gone back home -

After a wonderful visit -

I'll get back to sewing some more - ;))

And another reminder -

My LEFT-EZE Rule™ is ON SALE FOR 20% OFF - $22.00 at My Store - HERE -
US Dollars - No Coupon/Code Necessary -
With Flat Rate Shipping - $8.00 -
U.S. Only -

Through the end of December 2019 -

You don't need a PayPal account - you can use your credit card - PayPal is just my online payment processor. Or you can email me at "caseyq19 - at - gmail - dot - com" - and put "Order" in the subject line - if you would rather send me a check - ;))

We're running out of December -

So if you are A Left-Handed Quilter like me -
Or you know someone who is -

The LEFT-EZE Rule™ will help start the New Year off right LEFT - LOL - ;))

It's a LEFT-Triangle - designed for Left-Handed Quilters - ;))

Use ONE RULER
To trim the selvage -
Cut Half-Square Triangles (HST) -
And Quarter-Square Triangles (QST) for Hourglass Blocks -
And Flying Geese units -
And Squares -

Using Pre-cut strips -

LEFT-HANDED!! - ;))

No more "flipping" rulers - OVER - BACK - or SIDEWAYS -

The numbers go in the CORRECT direction -

And are EASY TO READ -

Because -

It's LEFT-HANDED!! - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

The Imperial Bargello -

Right half is looking pretty skinny - ;))

I'll know better when I get the other half done -

And sew both halves together -

Whether or not it needs a border on the sides -

I ordered some backing fabric that I hope will work -

And if it looks good on the back -

I could use some of it for borders on the front, too - we'll see - ;))

How many of you have tried making the "Kitchen/Scarf Boa" - HERE - ?

I thought it was so much fun -

I couldn't stop at one -

They're like potato chips - LOL - ;))

And don't forget -

My LEFT-EZE Rule™ is ON SALE FOR 20% OFF - $22.00 at My Store - HERE -
US Dollars - No Coupon/Code Necessary -
With Flat Rate Shipping - $8.00 -
U.S. Only -

Through the end of December 2019 -

You don't need a PayPal account - you can use your credit card - PayPal is just my online payment processor. Or you can email me at "caseyq19 - at - gmail - dot - com" - and put "Order" in the subject line - if you would rather send me a check - ;))

We're running out of December -

So if you are A Left-Handed Quilter like me -
Or you know someone who is -

The LEFT-EZE Rule™ will help start the New Year off right LEFT - LOL - ;))

It's a LEFT-Triangle - designed for Left-Handed Quilters - ;))

Use ONE RULER
To trim the selvage -
Cut Half-Square Triangles (HST) -
And Quarter-Square Triangles (QST) for Hourglass Blocks -
And Flying Geese units -
And Squares -

Using Pre-cut strips -

LEFT-HANDED!! - ;))

No more "flipping" rulers - OVER - BACK - or SIDEWAYS -

The numbers go in the CORRECT direction -

And are EASY TO READ -

Because -

It's LEFT-HANDED!! - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Busy - busy -

Hope you all had a Very Merry Christmas!! -

Mine was very quiet and peaceful -

Just the way I like it - ;))

I spent most of my time sewing -

And was having so much FUN -

That I totally forgot about blogging - LOL - ;))

I played with the Imperial Bargello -
And got the right panel sewn together -
Which I will show you some other day -

I took time out to play with a 3-D project -
Using some jelly roll strips and my LEFT-EZE Rule™ -
That I already told you about - HERE -

Then a friend chose two strip packs for two lap quilts -

The first one is Victoria and Albert - Island Batik -

The second one is Dear William - Island Batik -

I'll use one of my favorite patterns - Interweave - Timeless Treasures -

And then I got a BEAUTIFUL Christmas card from Linda S - Art in Search -

Lucky me - I'm on her Christmas card list!! - ;))

Then I got a big box of wonderfulness from a friend -

And had to laugh when I saw that she had included a baggie of thread bits -

I save thread, too! - LOL - ;))

I also got a "blast from the past" when a bloggy buddy from years ago found my blog again and emailed me from out of the blue. What a nice surprise that was! We had lost touch when she stopped blogging - and it was such fun to re-connect after all this time - ;))

In the studio -

I cut out and sewed all of the pieces together to make the columns on the
Victoria and Albert - Interweave -
But haven't laid them out yet -

I cut out and sewed all of the pieces together to make the columns on the
Dear William - Interweave -
And then got them laid out -
I'm sewing the columns together now -
I'll show you that some other day, too -

Then I was reading Annie's blog - Annie's Quilt Orts -
And was intrigued by the "Chef's Boa" - which is/was new to me -
They looked like great little gifts for family and friends -

So I searched and found a tutorial for making a "Kitchen/Scarf Boa" - HERE -
They are very pricey to buy -
And much cheaper and more fun to make -
All you need is a couple of washcloths and some fabric and thread -

So I had to make one - or three - LOL - ;))

And by that time Christmas was over -

And I realized that I hadn't posted anything in over a week -

Maybe I should add "blog more often" to my list of New Year's Resolutions -

But I never keep those anyway -

So let's just say that I'll try to do better from now on - LOL - ;))

And - as much as I hate to spam my readers with "Buy Me" crap -

Here's a friendly reminder -

My LEFT-EZE Rule™ is ON SALE FOR 20% OFF - $22.00 at My Store - HERE -
US Dollars - No Coupon/Code Necessary -
With Flat Rate Shipping - $8.00 -
U.S. Only -

Through the end of December 2019 -

You don't need a PayPal account - you can use your credit card - PayPal is just my online payment processor. Or you can email me at "caseyq19 - at - gmail - dot - com" - and put "Order" in the subject line - if you would rather send me a check - ;))

Christmas is over -

But if you are A Left-Handed Quilter like me -
Or you know someone who is -

The LEFT-EZE Rule™ will help start the New Year off right LEFT - LOL - ;))

It's a LEFT-Triangle - designed for Left-Handed Quilters - ;))

Use ONE RULER
To trim the selvage -
Cut Half-Square Triangles (HST) -
And Quarter-Square Triangles (QST) for Hourglass Blocks -
And Flying Geese units -
And Squares -

Using Pre-cut strips -

LEFT-HANDED!! - ;))

No more "flipping" rulers - OVER - BACK - or SIDEWAYS -

The numbers go in the CORRECT direction -

And are EASY TO READ -

Because -

It's LEFT-HANDED!! - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Last week -

Was very interesting - ;))

For a little background - I used to enter my quilts in the County Fair and some local Quilt Shows - and I have my share of blue ribbons for my efforts - but I haven't done that in over twenty years -

More recently - for years and years - my friend, Susan has tried to get me to enter one of my quilts in the annual National Arts Program Exhibit - at the local venue -

Their blurb says -

Artists invited to participate in this exhibition include (venue) employees, retirees and their immediate family members. The National Arts Program is pleased to provide materials and funding for this visual art exhibit including awards totaling $3,450.

I qualify as an immediate family member of a retiree (my husband) -

And for years and years - I have said "No" -
I don't consider myself an "Art Quilter" -
And I didn't think that I had made anything that could be considered "Art" -

Then - earlier this year - in July - I decided to Skip a Squirrel -

And blogged about my daily progress -

As I made a "confetti" quilt that I called Autumn Trees -

So this year - when Susan asked me again -

I thought that I had finally made something that could qualify as "Art" -

I asked her to come over to the house - take a look at it - and tell me what she thought -

She liked it - and I entered it in the Exhibit - just for fun - ;))

Fast forward to last week -

The "Award Ceremony/Reception" for the Exhibit was to be held Friday evening -

Friday the 13th - LOL - ;))

Tuesday - 12/10/19 - I had decided that I wanted to attend the "Reception" - just to check out the competition - if nothing else - so I asked Susan if she wanted to go with me - thinking it might be fun - and she said yes -

Wednesday - 12/11/19 - I received two separate emails titled -
Invitation to (venue) Employee | Retiree Exhibition Awards Ceremony & Reception | December 13th 5:30-7:00pm

Thursday - 12/12/19 - I received another email -
Congratulations. Your art will be recognized during the (venue) Employee | Retiree Award Reception 12/13/19 5:30-7:00 pm.

That sounded like I won something - I just didn't know what it was - LOL - ;))

I thought I probably got a "participation" award along with everyone else -

And that reminded me of a line I saw somewhere -

"Well, at least she tried, bless her heart." - LOL - ;))

Friday - 12/13/19 - Susan and I went to the Exhibit Award Reception - and had a great time! - The curator did a wonderful job with the awards presentations -

They had five categories -

Adult (Amateur - Intermediate - Professional) - Teen - Youth -

With five awards in each category -

1st - 2nd - 3rd - and 2 honorable mentions -

So - 25 awards plus an Art Education Award and Best of Show -

Out of 89 entries -

I got a 3rd place ribbon in my category - Adult - Intermediate -

Not too shabby for my first try in an Art Exhibit, huh? -

The curator read the judges' comments before he called the names -

They were really nice - mine said -

A meticulous master piece representing a beautiful new fall season.
Color combinations complement the other, defining depth within a pseudo world.

I'm SOOOOOOOOO excited -

Guess I'm an "Award-winning Art Quilter" now -

And we can add "National" since it's part of the "National Arts Program" - LOL - ;))

Isn't that a hoot? - LOL - ;))

==

I want to celebrate my ART EXHIBITION AWARD -

And I want to do something SPECIAL for all of my readers -

So - for the first time EVER -

My LEFT-EZE Rule™ is ON SALE FOR 20% OFF - $22.00 at My Store - HERE -
US Dollars - No Coupon/Code Necessary -

Through the end of December 2019 -

With Flat Rate Shipping - $8.00 -
U.S. Only -

You don't have to have a PayPal account -
You can pay with a credit card -
PayPal is just my online payment processor -

Or you can email me at "caseyq19 - at - gmail - dot - com" -
Put "Order" in the subject line -
And you can send me a personal check - ;))

So if you are A Left-Handed Quilter like me -

Or you have one on your Christmas gift list -

The LEFT-EZE Rule™ is the perfect gift this season -

Christmas isn't that far away now -

So I can't guarantee that you will get your order before Christmas -

But you should get it in time for the New Year -

To start the year off right LEFT - LOL - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

3-D Challenge -

When my friend, Gene Black, posted his Stepping Up quilt - HERE -

And then his tutorial - HERE -

I decided to try to make a similar version using my LEFT-EZE Rule™ -

And I got this - ;))

I used my LEFT-EZE Rule™ to cut QST and HST for Flying Geese units -

From 2-1/2" pre-cut jelly roll strips in some Christmas colors -

And since the Flying Geese units finish at 2" x 4" -

It will come out to 14" x 16" - before borders -

With NO Y-seams - ;))

I love the 3-D effect and the RED blocks flipping back and forth - ;))

Simple to cut -

Simple to sew -

The RED makes it pretty -

And the GREEN and GOLD do all of the work - LOL - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

A little sewing -

Every day should be nice for the holidays -

No hurry -

Just sewing a column or two or three -

When I get the chance - ;))

Four are done so far -

With another two under the needle -

And - as long as I'm not in "cutting" mode -

It doesn't take much brain power -

And is very relaxing -

Especially at this time of the year -

With so much going on -

Since it's not a race anyway -

I'll take it nice and easy -

While I take time out to do other stuff -

It will all get done -

Sooner or later - LOL - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Playtime -

First - my "puzzle" friend and I put this puzzle together last week -

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving -

A "Patchwork" quilt - so fun! - ;))

Sorry for the blurry photo - but it was a "Luxe" - 500 piece -

Then - over the weekend -

I played with cutting some of the strips for the Imperial Bargello -

The pattern is symmetrical - and - because I'm LEFT-handed - and cut from the RIGHT end of strips and panels - and NOT the LEFT - as the instructions state -

I had to come up with my own little plan -

I started with the RIGHT panel - and in the center of the pattern - then cut my strips in order all the way out to the outer edge - reading the pattern from LEFT to RIGHT - but cutting the strips BACKWARDS - from RIGHT to LEFT -

Then I "reversed" the order when I laid out the strips from LEFT to RIGHT - with the help of my little chart - reading from the center to the RIGHT of the diagram - and shifting the strips UP and DOWN as needed to make the design work -

This may sound confusing and not make much sense to those of you who are RIGHT-handed and can cut anything according to the instructions as written - but being LEFT-handed - I often need to compensate in one way or another - and this is just one of them. The "instructions" are usually pretty clear - it's the "directions" that mess me up at times - LOL - ;))

It looks like it's working nicely - so far -

But I haven't started to cut the LEFT panel yet -

So I don't know for sure what I need to do to get THAT one to come out correctly -

I should be able to lay it out like I did the RIGHT panel -

And then just go around to the other side of the kitchen island -

To cut it UPSIDE-DOWN and BACKWARDS -

Starting again in the center of the pattern - then cutting my strips in order all the way out to the outer edge - reading the pattern UPSIDE-DOWN from LEFT to RIGHT - and cutting the strips BACKWARDS - from RIGHT to LEFT -

But we'll have to wait to see if that will actually work -

Like it does in my head - LOL - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Happy Thanksgiving - 2019 -

Happy Thanksgiving!! - ;))

Today is Turkey Day in the U.S.A. -

And a day to Give Thanks! -

And I DO! - ;))

I'm thankful for SO many things -

My family - my friends - my neighbors - my readers/followers/fans -

My stash - my sewing machines - my toys -

And SO much more! - ;))

Here's hoping that you have a very nice Turkey Day with your family! -

And have plenty of leftovers! - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Pressing -

Doesn't always go as planned - LOL - ;))

I pressed the odd-numbered rows up -

And the even-numbered rows down -

So that they would nest nicely when I cut the strata -

And shifted the rows up or down a notch -

But that doesn't work with an "odd" number of rows -

If I want to sew them into a tube -

The middle seam in the photo below needs to go BOTH ways -

And - since I am NOT a fan of pressing seams OPEN -

I added that left over "extra" strip to each of the panels -

To get an "even" number of rows -

And now they will both play nicely when I sew the tubes -

But my "pattern" will be off a bit -

So I'll have to tweak that a little to "compensate" for the new extra row -

But it will just be a variation of the original design -

So it should be no big deal - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Update -

Lately I've had a bad case of the "lazies" -

By the time I finish my "chores" -

I don't have the energy to do much else - ;))

So - in the last week -

All I've managed to get done on the quilting front -

Is to sew the strata into two panels - ;))

I still need to press and cut them -

But I think they are going to make a very pretty bargello -

One of these days - LOL - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Down to -

The last strip to be added to the strata -

Finally!! - LOL - ;))

Now I have to decide which pattern to use - LOL - ;))

I first thought that I could make it like my Summer Breeze Bargello -

Which used two panels of 40 strips (or thereabouts - I remember having to adjust for duplicates at the ends of the strata - but I don't remember exactly how many strips ended up being in each panel) -

Then I thought that I could make it like my RED Squirrel -

Which is a lot narrower - and used yardage - so it might need some tweaking -

AFTER I find the pattern - LOL - ;))

But then I thought I should make something brand new -

And found this one - Blue Bargello - HERE -

She said that she "used 2 jelly roll packs that have doubles of each color so you can get the same lights and darks twice throughout the quilt."

My jelly roll packs have triples of each color so I should get the same lights and darks THREE times throughout the quilt - which is even MORE fun - ;))

What do you think? -

Which one would you make - and why? - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Two more strips -

Have been added to each of the Imperial Bargello strata -

With five more to go - ;))

It's slow going -

But at least it's going - LOL - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Another strip -

Has been added to each of the six sets - ;))

To make sure that I get them all "oriented" the same on the strata -

I put the same selvage edge at the end when I line them up -

Before I stitch them to the "bottom" of the strata -

With the "top" of the design to my left - ;))

Here's the next set of strips all ready to go -

But this is getting boring and tedious -

I'm only half-way through -

And I have another six strips to add to each set -

So I pulled another 40-strip pack -

To check it out -

It's called "Alpine Jingle" -

Two each of 20 different batiks -

In Christmas colors -

Now while I continue to sew the strata -

I can wait for my muse to tell me -

What she wants me to do with them - LOL - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -