A new Tutorial

One of my blog friends asked for a rope coaster tutorial.  I wrote it up today.  you can check it out here.

May your bobbins always be full,

Busy

I have been busy, just not quilting.  My quilt guild is small, just 20 members; we were formed just over 2 years ago.  We've been batting around fundraising ideas, and one of our members volunteered to "man" a table at a boutique being sponsored by a local salon.  She asked that we make small items for her to sell.  All proceeds will go to our guild.

At our last meeting, we had a demo and workshop about making rope bowls.  I had the bright idea to volunteer to make rope coasters for the fund-raiser.  Above are my first attempt.  They were all different sizes and I wasn't happy with the finished ends.

Above are the prototypes that I made next.  I decided that for the coasters to be the same size, I needed to cut the rope the same length for each coaster, I settled on 65".  Plus, I'm very happy with the looped ends.  First I wrapped the loop end with tread, to make the loop secure, then I covered the thread with a fabric patch.  Then I went to the other end of the rope and started wrapping fabric around the start of the coil.  I used a glue stick to help with the fabric wrapping.

Those are my pink New Balance shoes!

I still have more rope, so I'll be making more of rope coasters in the near future.

May your bobbins always be full,

A couple of finishes

I started this quilt top last Saturday and finished it on Friday.  I used 6 charm packs of Cookies & Cream by Wilmington Prints and lots of scraps!

One of my guild members called this an Improv Butterfly Quilt; I guess I'll go with that name!  I really love how it turned out.

A couple of close-ups of the Butterflies. 

I also did a quick project, birthday gifts for my granddaughter Erin and her new husband Jaimie.  Jaimie is a firefighter and Erin is studying to be a nurse.  These are quick, but I took longer than the 15 minutes that the tutorial claimed! 

I've previously made several of these pillowcases; I recommend the tutorial by Leslie, The Seasoned Homemaker.  I usually make these to give as a gift to an older sibling when I gift a quilt to a new baby in the family.  I don't want the older children to feel left out.  In August, two of my bookseller friends are expecting additions, so I'll be making four more pillowcases in the near future.

May your bobbins always be full,