Tool Time Tuesday...Organized Quilting

Welcome to the first installment of "Tool Time Tuesday"

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What is Tool Time Tuesday? Every Tuesday I will bring you a new tool, gadget or doodad that will somehow help you with your sewing and quilting. I have scoured Home Depot, local hardware stores and even office supply stores, looking for that special item that catches my eye. My goal is to find you something that might make your life easier and a little organized. Hope you enjoy it!!! The bonus with Tool Time Tuesday is that it might inspire you to search hardware stores too. Ladies...your husbands, boyfriends and significant others will be wondering why you want to go to Home Depot with them all the time...shhh...don't tell them your looking for quilting stuff.

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For today, I'll be showing 2 items: a plastic cord storage wrap (96 cents Walmart hardware) and a plastic disposable paint tray liner (60 cents Home Depot).

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This is the cord storage holder. If you were normal, you would wrap an electrical or extension cord around it.

Close up of label
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This is what it looks like with the label off.

This is what it looks like when a quilter gets a hold of it. This one is about 2.5" wide. Just wide enough for me to wrap my binding around!! If you finish a quilt top, but won't get to the quilting right away, make your binding right when you finish the top. Wrap it on the cord holder, then store it with the quilt top, batting and backing. When you are ready to quilt it, all the items will be in one place, nice and neat with no wrinkled binding. See the next item below on where to store everything.

This is the plastic paint tray liner.

This is a quilt top begging to be quilted...sorry quilt top, no time...I'm addicted to blogging and shopping in hardware stores! I'll just store you in here for a while.

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Don't forget the binding wrap!

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Here's another hexagon project with my favorite Mistletoe Manor fabric from Moda. Sorry hexies your gonna have to wait to be worked on too.

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See how nicely they stack up and can be stored away. There are 2 trays in this picture below.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this first "Tool Time Tuesday". I have many more ideas to come, so stay tuned!

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Have a great day everyone,

~Karen~

Pizzelle Recipe and Consignment Goodies...

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Pizzelles are a wafer thin Italian cookie with a crispy texture. They can be lemon, vanilla, anise or chocolate flavor. They are made in a pizzelle maker, which is like a waffle iron. Once the iron is hot, it only takes 15-20 seconds to make each set of cookies. My iron (picture below) has 4 smaller cookies, but some come with 2 larger ones. Although I am not Italian (I'm half Portuguese and half Irish...I know, what a combo), my Portuguese grandmother was famous for these. This recipe is not hers, but still delicious. Which reminds me...I need to get her recipe from one of my aunts.

Pizzelle Recipe
Sspac

3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted (definitely use butter for a great taste)
1 1/2 cups flour (that looks funny, so it's one and a half cups)
1 teaspoon baking powder
dash salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
Confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Preheat pizzelle iron and spray with Pam (especially if it's a new iron). Beat all ingredients together. Batter will be thick. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto hot pizzelle iron. Close cover of iron and bake for 15-30 seconds. This time will vary depending on your iron. I always throw the first batch out and swear a little too. The first ones always burn or stick, but after that it's smooth sailing. Remove from iron and place on cooling rack. While hot, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. Cool completely and Enjoy!!
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This first picture is of all the ingredients, but I stuck in a few things to show you. The plant in the background is an Anthurium (I think). My neighbor just gave it to me for watching her house and watering her plants. They also gave my husband a $50 Home Depot gift card for plowing their driveway. I guess she doesn't read my blog...cause I'll be using that gift card for "Tool Time Tuesdays"!!! I bought that little red bell in a school supply store. I use it, much to my family's dismay, when I want them to come pick up something in the kitchen to bring to the table...you know "Ding Ding" Order Up. They just roll their eyes, but they humor me. The polka dot bowls were a gift from a friend and the cherry bowl is a gift from my sister-in-law when she stayed with us. Isn't cute!

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Here's the batter: yummy golden color
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This is the iron. This particular iron is reversible. You can turn the plates over to make waffles.


Here they are drying on the cooling rack...the first sets I was taking a picture of were already eaten by the girls and all their friends who come over after school.


This plate didn't last too long!!

Consignment Shop Finds!!

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Hubby and I went out for breakfast this morning and stopped by a consignment shop that was next door. Roamed around, but found all these in the 75% off rack. I also bought a cut glass punch bowl set for my sister-in-law for $1.25 and a sterling silver candle snuffer for my mother-in-law for 88 cents, but no pictures (I already dropped them off)
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This little chamber set stands about 7" high. It is so cute and only cost $1.50!

This teapot is a piggy bank and is from Mary Engelbreit. It was $1.12, but there were 5 pennies in it so that $1.07!! Woo Hoo.



and these embroidery hoops range in size from 7"-14" and were only $3.00 for all. I want to do that thing that I've seen on other blog where you put fabric in them and use them to decorate your walls.

I haven't been to a flea market, thrift store or consignment shop in a while, but I think I might make it a weekly venture. So many great things out there!

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Have a great rest of the weekend,

~Karen~

Rants and Raves...little rant and a BIG Rave

Hi Everyone

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THE LITTLE RANT!

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Just a short tuna rant...and I apologize in advance for this. Why can't I make 2 sandwiches out of one can of tuna, oh I don't know...maybe because they give you less in the can and charge you more. Tuna was always a 6 oz can. Now it's 5 oz. I know that's not a big difference, but now I can only make one sandwich. This along with every other product out there, like a pound (16 oz) of coffee is now 11.5 0z. and don't get me started on Nutri-Grain bars. When my girls were little those bars were big...now it's a 2 bite snack. Ok, I'm done. Do you feel the same??? The picture of the tuna can is blurry, but trust me it says 5 oz.

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See below for the rave, because it is a fantastic giveaway from a friend of mine!!

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A SUPER DUPER RAVE!!!
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My friend Tina, from where I work, started a blog not too long ago, Seaside Stitches. She makes beautiful quilts, volunteers her time with the girl scouts and does a hundred other things too. One of those things are these beautiful lapel pins. They are absolutely adorable and she hand makes them all!!

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Guess what...she's having her first give-away for your choice of 3 of these pins. Yes, I said 3, so go see her and tell I sent you (not for any reason for me, just tell her I said hi! Oh, and she's opening an etsy shop soon, so you can buy one if you don't win!

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Isn't this the cutest, tiniest thing you've ever seen?

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That's my rant and rave for today. I also went to Home Depot this morning and I got a ton of stuff for "Tool Time Tuesday." So stay tuned.

Have a great day,

~Karen~

Little Quilt Tops...

Just a few quick pictures before I head off to work. Remember the brown and blue fabric from a couple of posts ago...well this is it. I made up this pattern a long time ago for baby shower presents for friends. I actually sold a few tops on ebay years ago. I just loved this blue and brown fabric, so I thought I would put one together and show you.
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The first picture is of the little top:


This close-up is the birth information card. The little fabric corners hold in the card.

This next spot holds a picture of the baby:

and this is a little envelope that can hold little bits of memories about the baby...lock of hair etc.

I have a question: if I sold these on etsy, would it sell better as a quilt "top" or as a complete wall hanging, but I would charge more for the completed one, for the batting, backing and the extra work of quilting?

sapcae

I have a pink one that I finished last night, but I'll post a picture later.

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These last 2 pictures are just of a quilt top I finished a few days ago.

Off to work...have a great day.

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~Karen~

Just a quick one about peg board stuff...

Karen, from "Journey of a Quilter", and I were talking about accessories for our peg boards. I promised I would show her one that I use for all my sewing machine feet.
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This first picture is of the screwdriver holder...and no, I didn't steal it from hubby. He has one too!!!


This is what it's intended for:
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This is what I use it for: all the different feet for my machine:

Cute, isn't it. Never thought something from Home Depot would be cute!

Karen, you know that circle one that you never use, maybe you could put your scissors in there like this. Maybe?? Not sure of the size of yours.

Well, ladies that's my tool time for today. Remember, always think outside the box when walking through the hardware store...there are so many goodies in there. Hey, maybe I should do a weekly post on hardware store stuff for the quilter.

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Be back later today with some quilt top pictures!

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~Karen~

Miscellaneous Monday...

Hi everyone.

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Here in the northeast of the US we were hit with a big snow storm...over 12" in our area with another 4" more this afternoon. I want spring!
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Since we're all home and not going anywhere, thought I would share a few pictures today of miscellaneous things that have nothing to do with each other.
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These 2 pictures are of my fabric rack. When I buy fabric, I wash and dry it first. ( I know, 2 different thoughts on that subject) If I am going to start the project right away, I iron it, fold it twice then iron the folds. I then hang it on a hanger so it stays neat all the time. When I'm ready to rotary cut, I actually leave it on the hanger, cut what I need then hang it back up again. It's always ready and ironed when I need it again. I store my fabric in an armoire that has a hanging rod in it. I keep most hanging and the rest is folded.
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Like my new hanging lamps from Ikea...my sister bought them for me to hang over my cutting table. Too cute, stainless steel, only $15.00 and they plug in so no wiring...yay!!



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These next 2 pictures are a continuation of the eyeglass case tutorial. Two super ladies emailed me about the cases. Deb from "Patchwork Sanity-A Women's Piece of Mind", had a great idea to use the case to store your rotary cutter in. So what did I do, made more with some Amy Butler fabric and snapped a picture for you. Thanks Deb for the great idea. You have to visit her blog, she has the most spectacular applique work ever and beautiful quilt picture too!!
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Nancy, from "Blogging, Near Philadelphia", has been sewing up a storm. She read the tutorial and made a dozen the same day. She had a great idea to use them as little gifts for her quilting retreat. She is placing one at each dinner place setting with the napkins sticking out. Then she'll tell them they are for glasses, (for those of us who can't see!!) or rotary cutters. Go visit Nancy too...great pictures of beautiful quilts!!
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You ladies are the best. Thanks for emailing me!!

What's out your window??? Jodi, don't look to close at my windows...I haven't used your window tutorial yet. Thankfully, it's gray out so you can't see my streaks!!! We have over 12" of the white stuff with more to go.

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Scrubbing Bubbles Mega Shower Foamer...my new best friend. No affiliation with it, I just love it and wanted to pass it along. We had 2 additions put on our house a few years ago so my parents could move in with us. By the end of a very, and I mean very long process, when it came down to shower choices, we put in 2 of the one piece, fiberglass tub/shower combos. The shower in my dad's bathroom is all tile and walk in for wheelchair access, but when it came to the end for ours, money spoke and the one piece was a whole lot cheaper. However, not easy to keep clean. The soap scum comes right off with this stuff. I left it on for about 15 minutes in our shower and used a scrubby pad and it looked brand new. I sprayed it in my daughters' shower, forgot to go back to it for hours and it was still perfect. Give it a try if you have soap scum...I hate that word, but we all must deal with it, or do we??? Do you have soap scum??? Wow, this was a crazy paragraph!!! I took the picture outside, because there is no bright light inside, but doesn't the snow look like scrubbing bubbles? Looks like the can left a trail!

Well, I'm off to sew a little wall hanging that I'll share later with another top that I finished yesterday. Hopefully, my daughter Courtney will start her Underground Railroad quilt today, since there is no school. Maybe I'll have pictures of that too...don't count on it though.

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Have a great day,

~Karen~