Over the Kitchen Counter: Angie's Place for Cooking and Crafts

Craftsy BLACK FRIDAY SALE!

From Friday through Sunday MONDAY*, Craftsy is hosting their Black Friday Sale! All Classes $19.99 or less! Now is a great time to get the classes you've been eyeing all year! Craftsy classes also make a great gift, so do some holiday shopping for the crafter in your life. If you have a free-motion quilter on your list I can highly recommend The Secrets of Free-Motion Quilting, the new class packed with modern, easy, free-motion quilting designs taught by Christina Cameli. By the way, you don't even have to pick the class for the gift certificate - the recipient gets to choose whichever one they want (but you can always suggest it!!)

*Craftsy extended their Black Friday Sale one more day! Through Monday, December 1st, All Classes $19.99 or less!

Quick & Easy Quilting - A New Craftsy Class!

Craftsy has a new class out, Quick & Easy Quilting with Eleanor Burns.  Of course, I had heard of Eleanor Burns because she is one of the pioneers of modern day quilting, but I had never read her books or watched her teach.  When I saw that Craftsy had released the new class instructed by Eleanor, and she demonstrates a project with a scalloped border, and she uses an Accuquilt GO, I thought it was my duty to take it!

Eleanor shares all her tips and tricks for quick and easy piecing and she's pretty animated doing so!  While I don't own an Accuquilt die cutting machine, it is interesting to see her use it to cut multiple shapes for blocks and applique with the turn of a handle.  I have a Big Shot and used that for my very first Purple Flower Quilt but haven't used it for quilting since.  The dies are expensive so I never invested in any more. Use of the machine is optional and the fabric can be cut in a standard way.  Projects made in the class include two wall hangings (including the one with the scalloped edge) and a quilt.  There's lots of applique, flying geese, and other blocks demonstrated along with extra lessons on making bias strips, the scalloped binding, chain piecing, and pressing.  You can use the link above to see the lesson contents and the materials you need to complete the projects.  The Craftsy class overview is a great way to see more in-depth info about the course before you decide if you want to sign up.

As I was watching the lessons as soon when I signed up for the class, it struck me that perhaps I HAD more of a connection to Eleanor Burns than I had remembered.  Sure enough, when I went to my quilt book shelf I pulled this copy of Quilt in a Day from the stack.  It was published in 1986 and my mother-in-law gave it to me last year.  She had actually taken a demo class at her senior resort in Arizona in '89 (the year her son and I became an official couple!!), bought the book, but then never caught the quilting bug.  I thought it was sweet that she gave it to me and I love having anything 'quilty' in my stash, but I didn't think then that I would ever use the patterns given all the updated and advanced ones I have.  Now I think it's great to have mother-in-law's hand-written notes from the day and it's cool to have something original from early Eleanor Burns!  I might even use the instructions for pillow shams!

EQ7 Progress: Lessons

While my hand-quilting is frustrating me, learning EQ7 (Electric Quilt) has been a blast!  As I mentioned, I'm working through the supplied lessons in order to understand what the software is capable of and how to use the features.

The lessons are divided into six categories, including quilts, EasyDraw, Printing, images, blocks, and applique - with several exercises in each to complete.  They really are an excellent teaching tool and I can tell they are designed to make you repeatedly use key functions until they become second nature.  You don't actually have to sew anything but all the projects are saved in the 'sketchbook' for later use if wanted.

So far, I love the program.  I'm not sure how much drawing and designing I will do from scratch because there are over 500 blocks and patterns built right into the program and I can't imagine I'd have to re-invent the wheel with all of those available.  There are over 5,000 fabrics in the library, including Gail Kessler's Dimples line (kind of cool for me since I met her and have the swatch chart).  Using the various tools is pretty intuitive, once you know what's there and how they work.  I'm sure it's a virtual playground for a true designer!  I feel like an impostor designer adding fabrics and blocks to imaginary quilts!  With all the colours, fabrics, borders, embroidery, applique, blocks, layouts, sizes, photos, etc. at your fingertips, the possibilities are endless.

I am almost through all the lessons and then I will switch to the manual and print off more specific instructions for the things I want to do, like create labels, plan a photo quilt, and import my own fabrics.  I think the fun will really begin for me then!  This is truly an exciting piece of software and I would totally recommend it for anyone who enjoys producing custom quilts.

Marathon Threads Canada & Organ Needles

It is important to change your machine needle after about 8 hours of stitching or every 100,000 stitches. One of the first things my dealer taught me was that many problems can be avoided or fixed simply by changing the needle.  I'm not sure why many people ignore the advice, given that a needle costs less than a buck and problems created by not swapping out a dull, bent, or defective needle can potentially cost you much more in time, hassle, or an expensive repair bill!

I am a rule follower and totally believe prevention is better than the cure so I heed the professionals' good advice and change my needles often - in my embroidery machine, serger, and my sewing machines. Obviously I would throw out a bent or broken needle immediately but as a general rule of thumb I will change the needle with every new project, even if it has been less than a total of 8 hours of stitching.  It's simply an easy way to ensure I have a fresh needle.  I keep a good supply on hand of various sizes and types of specialty needles (I love my storage system: an embroidery floss organizer with lots of compartments) for each machine but for every day piecing and quilting my favourite needle is an Organ 90/14.  My Horizon loves it and I never have any trouble.

Given that I do go through a lot of this size needle and the Organ brand is so highly recommended, I find it cost effective and efficient to buy them in bulk.  I always shop at Marathon Threads Canada as I found with my research they have the best selection and the best price (not to mention all the other goodies I've bought from them and written about: stabilizers, all the gorgeous embroidery thread sets, and my favourite thread stand!).  It costs so much less to purchase 100 or more at a time versus buying those little packets of five at the quilt shop.  I never have to worry about running out or waiting too long to change out my needle because I only have one left.

For essentials and consumables like needles (no matter which size you prefer) that you will use continuously, it just makes good sense to get a good supply and keep them in stock in your sewing room.

You can visit the Marathon Threads Canada website for information about needles and to see their selection and if you are not in the habit, please be kind to your machine and change the needle often!

Piece, Patch, Quilt: Basic Quiltmaking Skills

Piece, Patch, Quilt: Basic Quiltmaking Skills is a wonderful FREE class from Craftsy.  I signed up when it was released late last year but of course, I can return to watch it any time I want since I 'own' it forever. If there had been a free course like this when I was first starting out with quilting it would have been so much easier. I had to go the more difficult route and try to learn everything on my own - through friends, books, amateur videos, and a lot of trial and error!

This complete basics class taught by The Classic Double Wedding Ring instructor Gail Kessler, takes the new quilter through the entire process of completing that first project.  From an explanation of quilting terms, selecting fabrics, and choosing a pattern to the nuts and bolts of cutting, piecing, joining, and finishing a quilt.  Gail gently guides the student through each step and offers so many expert tips and techniques along the way.  She has a sweet and funny manner as she demonstrates each step and her years of expertise are obvious as she shares the time (and sanity!)-saving tricks throughout the class.

I never miss the opportunity to sign up for a FREE Craftsy class because no matter how far along I may have come in a subject, there is always something new to learn.  Each instructor has a unique style and perspective and there are many ways to do things.  I love to learn and am always open to a new approach. I keep finding teachers I admire and, like Oprah, I feel so incredibly appreciative and indebted to these generous people who so freely share their knowledge.  You may have read how excited I was to meet Gail Kessler in person so it was even more interesting for me to re-watch Learn How To Piece, Patch, Quilt.  I like to go back to the basics when I'm attempting a new-to-me technique or to brush up on a particular aspect of the quiltmaking process when I need help.

As I watched the quilting Lesson I actually...and I can't believe I'm saying this...am now considering trying HAND QUILTING in the future!  I never thought that would interest me at all but hearing Gail's enthusiasm and encouraging remarks made me believe I might not totally suck at it!  Plus, it's another example of how I don't like not knowing how to do something.  I want to try and I may or may not like it but I'll never know if I don't attempt my first hand-quilting stitch, right?  (And...it's an excuse to get a whole new set of needles and thread!).  I also found the quilt tying section interesting, too.  I wouldn't mind using this technqiue to finish a quilt and make use of a loftier batting some time.

You probably already know this about me: I love quilting and I love Craftsy.  I love FREE.  If you want to learn how to quilt then please sign up for this class.  You can use this link to sign up for free and check it out.  Gail is a superb instructor and the projects she shares are ideal starter quilts.  (You get the free patterns for 4 projects: 3 full quilts and an adorable mug rug.  You also get a free Quilt Label template. I'm going to use it on my DWR quilt.)  Once you try, you will probably be hooked and that would, frankly, make me very happy!  Go ahead and give it a whirl.  Like my hand-quilting future...you never know until you try!!!

FLASH SALE at CRAFTSY!

Ooooooh!!  Great FLASH SALE at Craftsy this weekend!  Today and tomorrow you can get up to 50% off classes.  There are so many good ones to choose from and at half price they are totally worth adding to your 'homeroom' list.  You can use the sale link to the right to go straight to Craftsy and see all the sale classes.  Don't forget you own the class for life so if you can't watch it straight away, get it cheap and save it for when you can.  (I do that all the time and it's great to be able to come back to the lessons any time I need to get a refresher or I get interested in starting a new project.)  Have fun (and scroll down for today's other post!)

Mastering Foundation Paper Piecing

While preparing to start my DWR quilt I re-watched segments of Carol Doak's Mastering Foundation Paper Piecing Craftsy class.  I already mentioned how I was reminded what a great class it is and also that I'm re-inspired to add a couple of the projects to my to-do list.  Since I only watched the lesson on setting up a sewing machine to foundation piece, I decided to start over and watch the whole class in its entirety.

The perfect time to watch a Craftsy class, I have learned, is when cutting out 194 arcs out of foundation paper!  It's kind of funny that I was snipping away my Carol Doak's Foundation paper while listening to Carol Doak herself teach me how to paper piece!  How cool is that?

It made the time fly by and I learned so much about the process as I watched Carol create beautiful blocks with intricate designs and precise points.  She is a real doll - so funny and down-to-earth and she doesn't mind sharing all her excellent tips and tricks along the way.  I really like how even though she IS Carol Doak, expert paper piecer, she is not snobbish about the techniques at all.  There are lots of plain and simple things to do to make the process easier and she basically tells you in a straight-forward way how to do it.

I think I could squeeze in a project or two from the class over the summer, despite what I wrote on Saturday, because my set-up and machine are ready to go for paper piecing anyway.  I could easily keep new project pieces separate from my DWR stuff without much trouble and work on both.  It will be fun to have a small, easy block to work on concurrently with such a big, ambitious quilt.  With that in mind, and after watching most of the lessons, I hit Staples to gather a few more supplies as recommended by Carol.

I had to order more foundation paper anyway (I found the best price at Connecting Threads) so I bought 2 more packs for the DWR and an extra two packs for class projects.  At Staples I was so happy to find the Scotch removeable tape, which is perfect for repairing torn foundation paper or strengthening a mis-sewn seam.  It also has a higher temperature tolerance so it won't melt when pressing the fabric on the paper.

I got two packets of multi-coloured binder clips which are good for keeping the small pieces of cut fabric organized.  Carol uses tabbed binder clips which can be numbered but I couldn't find those.  I will look on my next visit to the States to see if I can get some.  In the meantime, I bought some removable labels which I think will fit on the side of the clip.  Carol also loves to keep her fabric on a Styrofoam meat tray so I'm in the process of locating one of those!

I'm excited to start one of Carol's class projects and I was also delighted to see that we were given a copy of her book FOR FREE in the class materials.  The 50 Little Paper-Pieced Blocks book has full-size patterns to make themed blocks, such as flags, crayons, hearts, trees, cakes, etc.  What a bonus!  These will be so fun for cards or mug rugs or little wall hanging gifts suited to the recipient.  There is plenty for me to play with and as soon as my foundation paper arrives I'm going to get started.  These small projects will also be PERFECT for me to take to my sister's at Thanksgiving and Easter.  I can pack up my little bits of fabric and use my 3160 sewing machine since I only need to do a straight stitch on the line!  Goes to show you that just because you haven't worked on a Craftsy class for a while, there will come a time when it offers the ideal project or technique you're currently ready for!  You can use the link above if you want to check out Carol's class.

CRAFTSY SALE! Up to 50% OFF CLASSES!

There are SO many amazing classes at Craftsy and they are having their BIG SUMMER SALE now until Monday.  This is the best time to get the classes you want and save (there is no need to ever pay full price!!!).  Craftsy has added a bunch of great new selections, including the one I picked: Cut to It: Strategies for Smarter Quilting (w/ Debbie Caffrey).  Learning to cut your fabric accurately is one of the most important parts of quilting.  While it may not be the most exciting aspect of the craft, it's critical to achieving good results and if you're going to the trouble and expense, you might as well do it right!

The class covers rotary cutting skills, how to cut strips, shapes, deal with fat quarters, squares, bias edges, and so much more.  It can be a little hypnotizing watching Debbie cut away and I sure wish I had this class available to me when I started quilting almost three years ago - probably would have saved a lot of fabric by preventing the mistakes I've made!!!  She has so many tricks and time-saving techniques - it's quite impressive how she's taken this skill to a whole new level!

I already wrote about the other class I just got, Machine Quilting: Small Changes, Big Variety (w/ Angela Walters) and I love it!  I always learn so much from Angela and she certainly gives me the confidence (and inspiration) to quilt new designs.  Her small changes to simple motifs help expand your quilting design repertoire with little effort.  (I've already pre-ordered her new book coming out in September!).

Have fun checking out the new classes and the awesome ones already available.  Of course, I gravitate to all the quilting and embroidery classes first but there are new cooking, photography, painting, and sewing classes too!

Machine Quilting: Small Changes, Big Variety

Today I promised to tell you about Angela Walters' new Craftsy class, Machine Quilting: Small Changes, Big Variety.  It launched while I was away so I watched most of it in one evening on my ipad at the hotel.  Seeing Angela quilt away using her simple designs in so many variations made me want to get home ASAP and start stitching.  She makes it all look so easy and natural - with NO marking!  If you read my post about the Baptist Fan test you know I'm all about not marking.

This is Angela's 4th Craftsy class and once again she teaches how to take basic designs and then make small variations to create totally new ones.  She demonstrates on a domestic sewing machine which is awesome for non-longarmers.  She does offer tips for people using quilting machines and I love that I can make use of all the information regardless of method.  There are traceable designs in the course materials and Angela shows lots of examples of how they will look on actual quilts (and how to incorporate them).

After I watched the lessons I sat in bed and practiced the designs on my "crappy doodle" (I couldn't find a real Magna Doodle).  I am pretty comfortable with most of the basic designs and learning the variations will just take a bit of practice - especially with the feathers!  Angela uses pebbles, swirls, ribbon candy, feathers, squares, and clam shells and it's amazing how many designs you can make starting with these basic ones, altering them slightly and/or combining them.  I am stoked to get started!  I had such success with her Dot to Dot Quilting class designs on my Teal Quilt so I'm pretty confident these new design ideas will work great for me.

I'm switching gears this weekend and focusing on scrapbooking and catching up my albums.  My Swoon quilt is basted and ready to be quilted and I'm starting to think a clam shell design might be just the right one to use.  Not only is it a design that Camille Roskelley herself shares in her Playful Piecing Techniques class (she quilts them upside down and calls them scallops but it's the same shape), I know I would love the puffy texture it would yield - not too stiff.  I'll ponder that while I'm cropping my photos and creating layouts!

 

CRAFTSY SALE!

FYI, there is a big FLASH SALE at Craftsy for today and tomorrow!  Some classes are up to 50% off!  I love the new 3 Blocks 30 Quilts (w/ Kate Colleran) class - it's very meaty and I can't wait to make one of the quilts.  

Creative Quilting With Your Walking Foot is another great one I recently joined and I've already used Jacquie Gering's tips and designs in my quilt!

I just mentioned to someone that Craftsy is now a verb in my house, as in "mom is busy Craftsy-ing"!  It is crazy how much of my life I spend watching, learning, and creating because of this amazing on-line educator!!!  Have fun!