I love my green and orange glass head quilting pins. (80449) But do you spot the imposters?

I have four flower head pins in there! (A12672)  Why?

When I’m sewing around something but need to leave an opening to turn the it right side out, like a pillow, I use the green one where I’ll start, and the red one to remind myself to stop!

With a quilt, I ignore their colors and use the flat heads to mark centers. For instance, in putting on borders, I use one to mark the center of the quilt, and one to mark the center of the border. I use my other pins the rest of the way. That way, when I go to put the border and quilt together, I know the flat heads are the centers and first place to match up.

I hope this is helpful!               Until next time…

(To find an item on our web page after clicking on the highlighted words, hold down the “Ctrl” key and touch F. Enter the item number in the box, press enter, and you’ll be taken to that item. Some of the images on this post are also links!)

Remember, you can see What’s New at Erica’s almost every day! Any page of our website has a column on the left that tells you where to find things, and all you have to do is look for “New Items” in purple, and click to find out.)

Planning in advance is the best way to stay on top of your projects. That’s  why here at Erica’s, we have started getting more and more holiday and winter fabrics. 

One is festive Stonehenge Starry Night from Northcott.
This fabric is absolutely lovely, with the perfect amount of holiday glimmer. But what really caught my attention with this line is the free pattern idea that came from Northcott using this fabric.

Check it out! Adding real sparkle to the printed sparkle is sure to create a lasting glow. Northcott’s easy instructions: create  holes with grommets, a button hole stitch or use a fabric adhesive to stop fraying. Pop the lights through the holes and create a small pocket on the back to hold the battery pack. You could probably put it in a frame if you want to use it as a wall hanging.  And for those that don’t want to think about winter yet, what about making a patriotic wall hanging where the stars actually shine? Or giving a glow to a world of Fairies for a little girl’s room?

I’d love to hear what other ideas you can come up with! Feel free to share them and maybe by the end of this summer, we will have completed projects that really light up!

(To find an item on our web page after clicking on the highlighted words, hold down the “Ctrl” key and touch F. Enter the item number in the box, press enter, and you’ll be taken to that item. Some of the images on this post are also links!)

Remember, you can see What’s New at Erica’s almost every day! Any page of our website has a column on the left that tells you where to find things, and all you have to do is look for “New Items” in purple, and click to find out.

What a pleasant visit we had from none other than Joan Ford of Hummingbird Highway, designer of Scrap Therapy! Ring a bell? You can find this product line here. 
She was driving to the Oregon Convention Center from New York. Talk about a long drive! That’s nearly double the trip that our staff made and our people flew! Making a long trip into an exciting journey, she has been stopping at shops and distributors along the way, and how lucky we were to be on her list of places to swing into!  She is promoting her new book, Scraps Plus One (which you can find on our Scrap Therapy page) at Market, as well as representing her company, Hummingbird Highway. We hope she has a great time at Quilt Market, and we really appreciate her coming to visit us! You can read her blog post about her long trip where her time with us is featured here.  We are so honored to know that she enjoyed her time spent here.

Thank you so much, Joan! Come back again soon. We would love to have you anytime!

(To find an item on our web page after clicking on the highlighted words, hold down the “Ctrl” key and touch F. Enter the item number in the box, press enter, and you’ll be taken to that item.)

Remember, you can see What’s New at Erica’s almost every day! Any page of our website has a column on the left that tells you where to find things, and all you have to do is look for “New Items” in purple, and click to find out.

What is different about these is that when you press down, little rubber feet come down and really hold your fabric securely! Sharon (the designer,) calls these the retractable cutting system. You can see Sharon demonstrate the magic of the Slidelocks here. Since I have been cutting with two rulers for a long time, I had no learning curve. (See my information sheet on cutting with two rulers here.)

There are two kinds and sizes: clear and lighted, in 14” and 24” lengths. I started off thinking I could manage with just the longer one. It wasn’t very long, until I got the 14” one. I just don’t want to cut without them! As for clear or lighted? I use the lighted ones because I don’t have too much light over my cutting table. The fluorescent green shows up against any color fabric and the edge really shows up. Here they are, sitting on my cutting table. (And of course, here’s Bernie, where he shouldn’t be! That bowl is the one we use to feed our smallest kitty, and we usually guard her bowl until she’s finished.)

These Slidelocks aren’t actually lighted by batteries, but it almost looks like it. I happened to notice after I turned my lights off in the studio, how they glow with just the reflected light from the bedroom. Look at them glow!

(To find an item or event on our web page after clicking on the highlighted words, hold down the “Ctrl” key and touch F. Enter the item number in the box, press enter, and you’ll be taken to that item.)

You can see What’s New at Erica’s almost every day! Any page of our website has a column on the left that tells you where to find things, and all you have to do is look for “New Items” in purple, and click to find out.

It’s hard to even think about springing into summer within the next month or two, while we are still wearing coats..
For some people, like me, summer is probably the best time for crafting of any kind. I am in college, and without exams and papers to occupy my free time, I know that I’ll be wanting to start a few personal projects! As humans, we tend to be more productive and happier when the sun is out more. Even when we’re inside.

So, how does one combat the winter that just won’t take a hint?
Where can we gather inspiration for summer projects if not from color?
I’ll give you a hint. One remedy is not too far away.
Have you ever just taken time to come into the store and walk around? I feel like every time I do, my eyes settle on something new and delightful.

It is an entire world of color! They say that color alone can catch the eye and send the imagination off in a hundred directions. And what better to help than the completed projects displayed here for you!  So if you see something you like, we have patterns, even fabric packs, if you want yours exactly like ours! Our staff is crafty as well, and we would love to get excited with you about a new project! Make sure you bring it in when you’re done, though. We love to share here. Doing so might help someone else in a creative slump find motivation.

So, don’t let the lackluster weather bring you down. Spring will come to stay soon.  However, you might find that it has come right on time here at the store!

If you’re one of our web customers, we don’t mean to ignore you.  We’re still “Your Inspiration Destination!”  We try to inspire you on our website, in our weekly newsletters, our quarterly newsletters, and here on our blog!  We love seeing your finished projects, too, because you inspire us!

Whitney Pace, for Erica’s Craft & Sewing Center

“Take time to smell the roses” translates for me to “take time to appreciate the kitties!”

And fortunately that pretty much gets imposed on me if I’m not doing it voluntarily. Puccini insists on sitting on my lap in the morning as I read and respond to some of my daily emails. Bernstein drops in front of me as I walk, for a quick back rub. Other times he brings his ball to my desk over and over ,and over, and over… (Bernie’s our fetcher!) Lacy, on the other hand, reminds me with a gentle paw to say “I’m here!”  Sometimes she’s lying on the ironing board, or the little mat I put on my sewing machine cabinet for her, looking longingly at me, hoping I’ll join her. Bernie sometimes sits behind the silent sewing machine and gives me the same look..

Well, the newsletters are done, and we’re back to the “normal busy” in this house the cats allow us to occupy with them.

Mama’s back at the sewing machine, and all’s right with the world!

Remember to “smell the roses,” however that translates to you. It’ll make life better for you, and for everyone around you.

So tell us, how do you take time to smell the roses?

Remember, you can see What’s New at Erica’s almost every day! Any page of our website has a column on the left that tells you where to find things, and all you have to do is look for “New Items” in purple, and click to find out.

The chapter entitled “Haberdashery” offers ideas for recycling and upcycling items you already have at home. This is one of my favorite things to do, using old items in new ways. My only problem is knowing how to store all of these sometimes oddly shaped, often singular items. Brocket offers suggestions on this as well as directing the reader to other potentially helpful resources.

I’ve heard or read “Sashiko” mentioned quite a bit but have never investigated what it really means until now. Sashiko is “an ancient form of stitching from Japan, a form of darning … used to reinforce and patch worn and damaged clothing. … The distinctive look of sashiko comes from the consistency, and the visibility of the stitching combined with the vast number of patterns – ancient and modern – to which it can be applied.” (p. 18) Personally, I think the geometric patterns are what draw me to this art style. I will definitely be ordering myself a kit to try this style of stitching very soon.

Anyone who can take a craft such as needlepoint, and make it look interesting and dare I say, modern, is impressive in my book. It’s nice to be able to learn from other’s experiences and the author’s work with needlepoint is just such an opportunity. She’s broken down the process into only it’s most integral steps and created several stunning, yet simple, projects for you to try.

One thing I’ve been challenged by since working at a quilt shop is how to use Kaffe Fassett’s fabrics in projects for my own home. I’ve not yet allowed myself to buy any because I really just haven’t known what in the world to do with it. I may have found my answer in the Seasonal Kantha Quilt projects. The simple stitching is just the foil for the bold, colorful fabric.

We all can use opportunities to slow down from the hectic pace of life that we live now. Overall, I think it’s the “gentleness” of this book which appeals to me the most by offering just such an opportunity.  The author manages to make all of the different, very disparate craft types easily accessible to all. From cross stitch to kantha, there truly is something for everyone.

By the way, if you’re still wondering which design I chose to use with my log cabin squares, here it is! 

The Straight Furrows design won out over the others this time. It was simply soothing to the eyes which, I thought, is what the fabric combinations were suggesting.

(To find an item on our web page after clicking on the highlighted words, hold down the “Ctrl” key and touch F. Enter the item number in the box, press enter, and you’ll be taken to that item.)

Remember, you can see What’s New at Erica’s almost every day! Any page of our website has a column on the left that tells you where to find things, and all you have to do is look for “New Items” in purple, and click to find out.

I just love it!

I’ve used it every day, every where I went. The other day I noticed it had worn on the corners.

Some day, I’ll make another the same way. But not right now! I have the newsletters to finish! So I got a bright idea!

I remembered using Liquid Stitch (57949) on thread tails in something I made, so why not use it on the corners?

So I put glue on each of the corners. It looked like this (above) when I first put it on.

This is what it looked like when it dried, with the fleece peeking out where it was worn. It has a slight rubbery feel.

This is what it looked like when I touched it up a bit with a fabric marker.

So it’ll do for now. And I’m going to put Liquid Stitch (57949) on the corners right away when I make my next one!  Hooray for Liquid Stitch!

(To find an item on our web page after clicking on the highlighted words, hold down the “Ctrl” key and touch F. Enter the item number in the box, press enter, and you’ll be taken to that item.)

Remember, you can see What’s New at Erica’s almost every day! Any page of our website has a column on the left that tells you where to find things, and all you have to do is look for “New Items” in purple, and click to find out.

I’ve finished my blocks, so now I’m ready to decide how to arrange them. This is where the conundrum comes in. There are literally hundreds of different ways to arrange log cabin blocks to make different designs.

The block doesn’t look scary, does it? But the sheer number of choices has me a little stumped. I’m going to share the start of some designs with you and see what you think. In the interests of time, I’ve not set up the entire quilt, but just a few rows on a table in the office.

First, we have the traditional Barn Raising set.

Second is one I really like, Streak of Lightning. Of course, if I use this pattern I’ll have to decide which direction my lightening is striking, since we’ve made enough blocks for a rectangle quilt and not a square. I guess I could make more …

 And, as you can see, I’ve got one of my blocks turned the wrong way at the bottom of that picture. I highly recommend taking photos of your quilts after arranging your blocks. It is quite often so much easier to see the design that emerges. It also is essential in a situation like this when you have several choices as to block arrangement.

Third, we have Sunshine and Shadows.

I’m liking that one, too. If I use that one I’m thinking I would like for red to end up all around the outside edge of the quilt. Or maybe let the lighter color end up around the edge and bind it in red?

Fourth is Straight Furrows. Again, a simple pattern, and honestly it took the least amount of time for me to arrange. Some of these patterns can get really confusing.

Fifth and finally, we have an unnamed pattern.

It’s very similar to the Barn Raising but starts off just a little differently in the center.

If you’ve made a log cabin quilt before, which block setting did you use? I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to make more log cabin quilts so I can use different settings. We have some great books with log cabin instruction and design ideas, such as Judy Martin’s Log Cabin Quilt Book (30692), Log Cabin Quilts (A19751), and one with a little more contemporary feel, Log Cabins Today (A14585).

I’m really hoping you’ll let me know which setting you like the best out of the five above. If you prefer another I’ve not mentioned, by all means, let me know, too.

Until next time (hopefully with a finished quilt top),

Jennifer

(To find an item on our web page after clicking on the highlighted words, hold down the “Ctrl” key and touch F. Enter the item number in the box, press enter, and you’ll be taken to that item.)

Remember, you can see What’s New at Erica’s almost every day! Any page of our website has a column on the left that tells you where to find things, and all you have to do is look for “New Items” in purple, and click to find out.

 

I love to do “custom” quilting, where I look at the quilt and try to enhance it with my quilting. I like to have a backing that will show the wonderful secondary designs created by custom quilting, too.

My favorite example of this is the back of my Star Crossed Love (59697). The pattern is by Deb Tucker, and my quilting was inspired by the original, quilted by Mara Novak – Flying Goose Custom Quilting, Chester, Vermont.

I chose a black backing and yellow bobbin thread. I didn’t really see the full effect of that choice until I took it off the frame, and I loved it almost as much as the front!

With quilts and fabrics like Modern Thinking, however, the quilting doesn’t really show. This is a great top to quilt if you’re uncertain of your quilting skill, want to try something new, or you just want to do all-over stitching, without worrying so much about precision. For me it was a chance to use my Handi Quilter Fusion and the new update to the Pro-Stitcher, which I hadn’t had a chance to use yet. I did a computerized all-over design, and love the new Pro-Stitcher! I also like the look of the variegated Isacord thread I used. It had most of the colors of the fabrics in it. All in all, our mother-daughter team did a good job!

If you go to the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show in Bloomington March 7 – 9, please stop by and say “hi” to the gals in our booth! You can see the finished quilt there, too.

Until Next Time,

Erica

Remember, you can see What’s New at Erica’s almost every day! Any page of our website has a column on the left that tells you where to find things, and all you have to do is look for “New Items” in purple, and click to find out.