A few favorite things

The past few weeks I've been working on several projects and using some "tools of the trade" that I especially love.  I thought I'd share these with you in case you need a last minute gift for yourself or a quilting friend.

1.   Triangulations 2.0 by Brenda Henning/Bear Paw Productions.  This is a CD Rom that prints out Half Square and Quarter Square paper piecing patterns in 1/8" increment sizes.  Believe me- this makes any size you could possibly need.  I've used the half square patterns many times over the years, but just used the quarter square paper patterns for the first time and they are just as wonderful.
You can't beat them for speed and accuracy.

I love many other paper patterns like Thangles, but this CD is so handy to have on hand.  During the cold, stormy weather the past couple weeks when I really needed the patterns, all I had to do was pull out the CD and select the size quarter square triangles I needed and I could print exactly what I needed!

I've had this CD for many years and just found that they now have a new CD called  Triangulations 4.0 that looks really great too.

2.  Free Motion 1/2"  Quilting Ruler Foot for domestic machine sewing by Westalee.

This ruler foot is just fantastic.  I can't say enough about it.  I've wanted a foot like this for years and am loving all that it allows me to do with my domestic machine.  The foot and many quilting templates are sold in the US thru www.sewsteady.com. 

I find that I switch from my 1/4" foot, walking foot and 1/2" ruler foot continually.  They are my most used feet for my domestic machine.  There are also many You Tube tutorials to get you started, and be sure and check out all their quilting templates.

3.  80 wt Aurifil Thread.  I was fortunate to try out the new 80 wt. Aurifil Thread on a project that will be published in a book with Annie's next year.  I love 50-60 wt threads and this 80 wt is also wonderful.  The quilting was smooth and the thread seems to sink into the fabric.  Lovely!

These are three of my favorite things - check them out!

Quilting for Charity

December is a wonderful time to think of doing some quilting for charity.  The challenge for the Island Batik Ambassadors this month was to choose a charity of our choice and make something for them.  I chose David's Run for Autism.  A friend of mine has two teenage sons.  The younger of the two boys - David, has Autism.  Two years ago David's brother Noah began a run in honor of his brother and to benefit the group Autism Speaks.  Autism Speaks  provides many services for those with Autism.

I made a table runner for the Silent Auction for next years run from a small bundle of strips from Island Batik.  I seldom remember to take photos of my quilts in process- but here are a couple:

I started with a small bundle of strips and thought it would be fun to see how large a project I could make with them.  I wanted to make a puzzle block design as that is the symbol they use for Autism Speaks and David's Run for Autism.  I had fun at a guild retreat getting the whole top put together in a couple days.  The leftover pieces I used in the binding.  For once I hardly had any scraps left!

Here is the finished Table Runner.

The run this year will be May 6, 2017 in Nappanee Indiana.  You can find more information by going to Facebook at David's Run for Autism.  The run is fun and there are informational booths, some games for the kids and a great silent auction. It is a fun day for the family and the proceeds go to a great cause.  If you are in the area in May- come for a run and join the fun.  Also be sure and check out the silent auction and bid on the table runner and other great items!

Crossing Lines Table Runner

There is a new book out that is about working with charm squares.  It is called Just Charm Quilts by Annie's Quilting.

My project in the book is called Crossing Lines,  It is a table runner 37 1/2" x 15" that uses a charm pack from Island Batik called Drizzle.  The 5" x 5" fabric packs from Island Batik are called Stamps. The background fabric is also from the Drizzle collection. These are lovely fabrics and the squares are fun to work with.  You might want to pick up some to work with!

Crossing Lines by Connie Kauffman   Published in Just Charm Quilts by Annie's Publishing, Berne IN.  Annie'sCraftStore.com