Dreadful Dresden Or Beautiful Dresden

Hello, it's me!

I haven't been blogging for a while...just needed a break. Don't we all need a break sometimes?

After being a quilting slug, I started sorting my fabrics and realized I'd never be able to sew

 it all in my lifetime, but I could hopefully put a dent in it. Not much of a dent, but at least 

something is better than nothing, right? I started with gathering the UFO's into one spot.

Thank goodness there weren't that many! 

This quilt hasn't been a UFO for very long, but it needed to be finished.

It was a pattern I created to sew with two of my friends using Benartex's

 "Not Your Mama's Garden" by Sew Yeah Quilting.

The center Dresden measures 48" with the whole quilt being 76" x 76".

It is big!

Making a Dresden block used to scare me...they do look a bit frightening! 

I always called it a "Dreadful Dresden."

In reality, they are so easy. 

While having a sewing day, I finished several other quilts that needed binding.

Pictures of those will make there way here eventually.

Have a beautiful day!

Making A Seam Ripper Is So Fun

It really is possible to teach an old dog (like me) new tricks/crafts. My friend, Susan, told me about a class at Sew Yeah where you make your own seam ripper. I'd been sick for a month, so I hadn't gotten out much which made me initially say, "no." Luckily, I changed my mind and went for it.

Carla from Creatin' in the Sticks was coming into town and it worked out perfectly for her to go. We had so much fun! I was even brave enough to go first. 

Carla and me ready to rock that lathe machine. Her glasses are cuter than my goggles.

This is the beginning piece of wood.

They actually trusted me with this...scary! I've never used a lathe before. Yikes.

Zach was a great teacher! When he first started showing us the machine and telling us how we were

 going to make the seam ripper, we were all a little nervous and wanted him to just make it for us.

I love all the colors in this.

My seam ripper finished and ready to take on those sewing mistakes of mine.

Carla, ready to show off her skills.

That's Susan in the back. 

She's supervising Carla and Zach since she already finished her seam ripper.

Nancy was serious about making her seam ripper. 

The final products!

Left to right: Mine, Susan's, the other Carol's, Carla's, Nancy's.

The bottom one is Zach's demo.

Definitely a treasured adventure for me!

Thanksgiving Turkey Dash

Another class is on my schedule for Sew Yeah Quilting, so that meant a new sample of "Thanksgiving Turkey Dash" for the store. I love teaching classes there!

Thanksgiving Turkey Dash

Runner 16" x 40"

That turkey sitting in the truck is oblivious to where he's heading off to...Mom's Diner to be a Thanksgiving dinner! He's a cooked turkey for sure. At least one of them was smart enough to run the other way.

At least one of them was smart enough to run the other way.

I wish you could come to my class, but if you can't (darn!) the pattern is in my Etsy store HERE.

As always, I used my favorite iron-on adhesive, Heat n Bond Lite Iron-on Adhesive. 

Updated Bellagosa's Favorite Hats For A Class

Lucky me! I get to teach again at Sew Yeah Quilting on August 20th. I had so much fun at the last class with the Christmas project and was ready to do it again. This time it will be a Halloween project, an updated version of Bellagosa's Favorite Hats. You know I love Halloween!

Bellagosa's Favorite Hats

The fabrics are by Art Gallery Fabrics (AGF), their Spooky n’ Sweeter line. People can use their own fabrics, but these were definitely fun to sew with!

This is the original Bellagosa's Favorite Hats...I love the traditional Halloween colors in it, too.

It probably won't be the same crazy-fun class it was with Joan there, but I'm sure the ladies in the class will still be amazing like the last group.

Applique Class At Sew Yeah Quilting

I can't even put into words how much fun I had the last two days with Joan from Moosestash quilting. She's lucky I didn't tie her up to keep her a few more days. I was so, so sad when I dropped her off at her hotel today. I miss her already!

Ron and I had a great dinner with Joan and her husband on Friday. We went to Lazy Dogs and totally enjoyed their company!

Saturday morning, I picked up Joan and Susan and headed to Sew Yeah, the quilt store. The applique class had 12 students. Thank goodness I had Joan and my other friend, Susan, to help me stay focused. I do tend to talk fast and move around a lot.

Susan promised to stop me from getting a green tea latte from Starbucks, because she knows how wired I can be after drinking one. She saved me from totally jabbering out of control. Thanks, Susan!

Joan is the queen of applique, but beyond that, she made me laugh and kept me entertained. She had great input for the class, too. Thanks for everything, Joan!

This lady didn't want her picture taken, but she was up for her project being photographed.

Seriously, this was such a fun group of ladies to teach. Most of them were new to applique, but they jumped right in and didn't hesitate to learn how to do it.

Did I mention how much I miss Joan already? Well, I do!

After the class was over, I took Joan for a ride. We stopped at my house so she could meet Bruster and Bella, and then off we went for a cold drink and a shared sandwich. We ate in my air conditioned car while watching the Big Horn Sheep. The temperatures outside were 110 degrees...a little warm!

We braved the heat and wind to get closer to the sheep and asked someone to take some photos of us. Some of the pics were okay but some were pretty hilarious! I'm not sharing those.

Such a whirlwind of a trip for Joan, but the best time for me. I was so grateful to have her to hang out! I'm looking forward to teaching another class and/or hanging out with Joan again!