Club Sew, Fabric Postcard, LED Light

Club Sew in Lincoln was fun to go to yesterday. I had planned on attending the 1:30 pm session but since I was wide awake at 5:30 am I decided to just get ready and attend the 9:30 am one instead. It is almost a 2 hour drive to Lincoln from my house so had to be on the road by 7:30 am to be on time.

The gals presenting were from a small group that got together after Ricki Timms presentation last August in Omaha. They all did Convergence quilts and now are all working on quilts with a Coneflower theme. They all told how they accomplished the different things on each quilt and how they each attacked the project from a little different way. Learned how to put a facing on a quilt and may try that some time on one of my miniatures. The quilts were all beautiful.

I did purchase some more bobbins and the Free Motion Couching foot (no. 43) and a couple of spools of Bottom Line thread. Am anxious to try the couching foot as the yarn or cord comes through the hole as it is stitched so it can be all attached with a straight stitch. Looked pretty cool on the Bernina web video http://tiny.cc/Berninafoot43 so decided that could be something I might use. The magnifier lenses I want to get had not arrived at the store yet so will have to wait a bit for them.

I pulled one of the post cards I had made some time ago and finished it to give to my mother instead of a regular birthday card. She had admired it once when I was showing her some of the ones I had made so decided she should get it. I have learned after putting the backs on some right after I made them I had more trouble personalizing them. I like to print some poem or message onto cardstock using pretty fonts, etc. This saves me from mispelling a word or messing up the back somehow. Now I just do the front of the card then wait until I know who I am going to give it to before I finish the back. Since I am going to hand deliver this to her with her gift I printed the words out centered on card stock that are appropriate to her and maybe the card too. I attached it to the back of the card with fusible then trimmed it square and zig-zagged around the edge to finish it. Will give her a small easel to stand it up on a shelf or on her desk.

The tree is free hand embroidered in brown thread and the fabrics are fused down on the Timtex, then the postcard was machine quilted.

Thought I would show you a light I purchased recently that sticks onto the side of my machine. It is from http://bendablebrightlight.com/ and I got it from my friend that owns a quilt shop. It is wonderful!!! The two photos below show what a difference it makes - one photo is of it turned on and the other with it turned off. Both photos are with the sewing machine turned on so the regular light is on. You might not see as much difference as you would in true life as the flash on my camera is probably distorting it some. The light has a very flexible arm and it plugs in so you don't have to be putting batteries in it all the time. Also comes with little cord holders that I stuck in a few places on the back of my machine to keep the cord out of the way when I stitch.

This photo is with the light off.

This photo is when the light is turned on.

Light showers this morning which is welcome as things are getting a little dry. We actually would love an inch of this slow rain then the irrigation wells could be turned off for a little while. There is a chance of more rain tonight so maybe I will get my wish anyway.

Lynn