MooseStash Quilting

Friday, September 30, 2022

I'm Dancing with Delight...

The year was 2009. It actually was my very first year blogging. What did I know about anything? My photos are not even clear. I was well into my quilting journey, but I had never tackled anything this involved. "The Quilt Show" with Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson had a BOM from Sue Garmin, that really grabbed my attention.

I jumped in, carefully choosing my fabrics, and cutting a zillion little pieces. It was the biggest undertaking I had ever attempted. I stitched and I stitched, like I had a clue...

These were the only 2 photos I took and shared...it was never mentioned again. LOL!!

Not that I didn't work on it. I finished it and I was proud my huge accomplishment.

BUT

I had just bought a longarm and was going to wait to quilt it, until I got really good at using it.

Now there's a pipe dream that went right down the drain!

I am no "custom" quilter. So into the UFO box it went, waiting for me to get

"that"

good and lets just say, I'm not only still waiting, but I have come to the realization that it is never going to happen! My jam is piecing. I just love the process and seeing it come together. Yes, I am a fabricaholic!

The quilt would pop up in my mind occasionally and I would take it out and look at it,

only to fold it up and keep on thinking...one of these days.

With the urging of my quilt club girls, and some good advice from my friend Carol at "Just Let Me Quilt", I finally pulled out my quilt and took it to someone who knows custom quilting.

Deonn from "Quiltscapes".

Let me just tell you...she did not disappoint!

I was ecstatic when she sent me this video

(and I have to admit, I get a little misty eyed every time I watch it)

Put it on full screen to really appreciate her work.

Here are just a few of the photos she sent me

But nothing prepared me for seeing it, in my own hands.

Quilting really does make the quilt. Heck, it even makes it look like

I knew what I was doing when I pieced it.

😄

Deonn, I can't thank you enough. You have truly made my dreams come true.

If I have one word of advise for everyone...stash a few dollars away when you can, and treat yourself to a custom quilting job, on that special quilt you have made. Nothing will make your heart soar higher, than seeing your quilt come to life.

Not only will you cherish it until the very end...but you will have a true masterpiece to pass along to the next generation and maybe, just maybe one of them will aspire to become a quilter, as well.

We quilt because we love...

We share because we inspire!

Now I'm off to do the binding.

til next time...

Keep on Stitchin'

Thursday, September 29, 2022

Trick or Treat with Olaf

Halloween doesn't have to be scary, to be fun...

Olaf can bring the joy of the season to any little one.

You can join me over on the Thermoweb blog HERE, and download your free tutorial on making this sweet little costume for your Halloween Honey!

Using these HeatNBond products...

HeatNBond®EZ Print Featherlite

HeatNBond Ultra Hold

HeatNBond Ultra Hold for Dark Fabrics

it's easy! All you need is a sweatshirt or T-shirt and a coloring page.

There are tons of them available for free online!

Just turn your favorite, into an applique

and stitch or fuse it on your garment.

This little girl loves tutu's, so I have included all the information on how to easily make one, in the tutorial.

But don't forget those little guys! You can make his favorite character, too!

How about adding a pair of matching sweatpants for him.

Make your little ones Halloween a fun time, with dare not to scare costumes!

til next time...

Keep on Stitchin'

Saturday, September 24, 2022

Hopping into October and November

Carol didn't fail to delight us with her "Queen of Gadgets" blog hop this month, did she? I don't know about you, but I have a list of new things I need to have in my sewing room. Thanks Carol for another fabulous hop!

As we are moving into fall, October brings us, my OUR favorite holiday...Halloween.

"Gremlins, Goblins and Ghouls OH My" hop is coming!

Mark it on your calendar because you won't want to miss one scary moment of it.

It pretty much goes without saying, anything Halloween is perfect for this hop.

There are still a few openings, if you haven't signed up yet.

Drop me an email with your name, your blog name, your blog URL and your email address.

November, Carla is hosting...

The Challenge:

Carla says...

Create something to do with MUSIC

Do you have a song that inspires you or a tune you listen to when you sew?

Do you love a particular instrument or know someone who does?

Maybe something, anything, that's music to your heart

Does your Mary have a little lamb?

Do you have music fabric you need to use?

You decide.

The there is really your own interpretation, surprise us!

I say...we can all drive her crazy with the Baby Shark song!

LOL!!

Send her an email with the following information:
Your first name
Your email address
Your blog name

Your blog URL

You can read more on her hop HERE

As with all blog hops we do have a few rules...

Post on your assigned day at 12:00 am Eastern time.

Have a giveaway or don't have a giveaway. It's totally optional!

Visit everyone's blog on the list and leave a sweet comment. Make friends!!!!

We are changing things up a bit for next year...

No, we are not going away, but there are some changes we are very excited about.

We will be sharing more on this soon, so keep an eye out for the big announcement!

til next time...

Keep on Stitchin'

Monday, September 19, 2022

My Day on the "Queen of Gadgets" Blog Hop

Gadgets...have I collected gadgets! Some are great, some are OK, some are completely unnecessary, but when they come in pretty packages, or worse yet, I see a demo at a quilt show with my credit card in hand...well they just seem to come home with me. My quilting BFF and I have frequently gone back to our hotel rooms and dumped out our purchases on the bed, then looked at each other and said, "I don't even remember buying that"! LOL!!

It's a crazy frenzy, I tell you!

Everyone has different quilting styles and methods, so gadgets vary widely.

I'm sharing my top 4 my fav's...some won't even break the bank!

Back in 2016 I broke my wrist and was going through quilting withdrawal. A friend loaned me her cutter to try. On my goodness, it was awesome. I am right handed, but was able to cut perfect strips with my left hand. Thankfully I could still use my sewing machine thanks to the automatic bells and whistles. This cutter actually allowed me to keep my sanity, during the long months of recovery.

My number ONE gadget and tip to share!

I think it's faster than using dies to cut strips, too!

My project needed 76 strips, some as narrow as 1 1/2". That's a lot of cutting and I don't know about you, but the narrower they are, the harder it is for me to keep them straight using a traditional rotary cutter and ruler. With this cutter I was able to cut and sub-cut the entire quilt in record speed.

What exactly was I making with all these strips, you ask?

This is Dart.

It's a free jelly roll/strip set friendly pattern from Robert Kaufman.

You can download it yourself HERE.

This is done with "Island Batik" fabrics, using a Victoria and Albert strip set along with the cream background. You can find the Fiskers Cutter/Ruler combo HERE

Need a less expensive option? Just cut a piece of the shelf liner and place it under your ruler. It's amazing how much easier it is to cut straight lines. There is just enough grip to it, that it helps keep the ruler from shifting as you cut. It's nowhere near as fast as the ruler/cutter combo, but it's a good alternative. I have to give credit where credit is due. I took a class from Pat Speth, the "Nickle Quilt Lady" years ago, and this was her tip!

If you haven't heard me talk about her lately, she hosts a Facebook group where she posts free member appreciation blocks and sew along quilts all the time. If you grab them early, the patterns are free.

She has recently started a Contributors Appreciation Program, where you can earn free patterns, just by posting photos of your progress to the group! Win-win!!!

I'm in working on her "Somerville" quilt right now.

It's just 2 blocks that are chain piecing friendly.

I haven't had a chance to layout all the rows yet, but here's a peek at a start.

Another tip I stumbled across, out of necessity with this quilt...

When my white marking pencil ran out of lead, I grabbed my grandie's white crayola colored pencil. In my opinion, they are almost useless to kids, but they work great for quilters! She will never miss it.

LOL!!

While I'm a huge Bonnie Hunter fan, and I love piecing her quilts, they can be overwhelming to many. Pat Speth's quilts are much easier to piece and they are all 5" (nickel) square friendly if you choose to go that route, and a great way to scrap bust. Check out her Facebook group HERE

Lastly, are you sick of those tiny little containers they give you to refill your iron with water?

That is, if you get one at all...

If your a cream in your coffee or tea drinker, this costs you nothing. If your not, it's worth buying and dumping it out. LOL!! Thanks to one of my quilt club girls for that tip. I absolutely LOVE it!

So there you have my gadgets and tips! I hope you find some of them useful to you.

Please visit my fellow bloggers and see what cool gadgets they are sharing today. Don't forget to leave them a little love with a sweet comment. We all love reading them.

September 20

MooseStashQuilting (your here)

For The Love Of Geese
Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life

Food for Thought

Karrin’s Crazy World

Patchouli Moon Studio

You can find the entire schedule HERE

Did you see that Carol is offering a give-away?

I love it when Creepy Bunny makes an appearance!

Benartex generously offered this fun bundle of "Halloween Spirit" fat quarters!

One lucky winner!

Enter using the Rafflecopter below.

USA mailing addresses only.

Please note: Only one entry per person!

til next time...

Keep on Stitchin'

Saturday, September 17, 2022

Queen of Gadgets Blog Hop Starts Monday

Do you love gadgets as much as I do?

Well, if you do, this hop is going to be one you won't want to miss.

Carol from "Just Let Me Quilt" is hosting the "Queen of Gadgets" blog hop, this month. Yep, it is her you will be able to blame for your frenzied search for new must haves!