Peace By Piece

"When life gives you scraps ... "

<3 You put them in a scrap jar <3

Fill it with random bits and pieces of fabric too small to use 

and too precious to throw away.

It is mostly used for these ... 

(1) Leaders and Enders 

This is my current "leaders and enders" project.  I am using 1.5" scrap squares to someday piece enough of these two inch 4-Patch blocks for a quilt.

This shows the "leader" at the start of a chain and the "ender" under the needle 

and the stack of small squares I have for this purpose.

For my non-quilty visitors:

"Leaders" are the little pieces of fabric you run through your machine at the start of a long string of chained piecing.  You do this so that you insure your seams will be straight and 1/4 inch and your stitching will be even.

This is the ender I left under my needle last night to start my sewing today.

"Enders" are the little pieces of fabric you leave under the needle of you machine to have everything set for starting your next chain.  I find these little pieces are invaluable aids to smooth piecing.  My sewing machine has a tendency to "cough" sometimes when I start feeding fabric under the needle and it results in a small messy knot of thread on the bobbin side of my stitches.   Sewing machines do this all the time.

For smooth sailing, leaders and enders are the way to go. 

(2)  My current quilt project ... " quilty beach balls" anyone?

(Read more HERE)

Quilty cabin fever has struck very early this winter.  

My need for warmth and sun expresses itself each winter usually in January or February by a need to only sew bright spring and summer colors. 

Guess there will be no more red and green Christmas sewing this year and no blue and white snowflake blocks. 

(3)  Katniss "sunning" herself at midnight ...

under my daylight lamp one night this past week.  

Guess my kitties are feeling shut in by the snow and cold, too.  

(More quilty Katniss pictures HERE)

(4) The Tree 

... needs lights and decorations ... 

That is my hubby's hand holding a light set as he did not look very "ho-ho-ho" when I tried to take a picture with him in it.  We are very late getting out tree up this year.  Finding the tree is a family event and my boys were away on vacation so we had to go out last Sunday after all the snow and the tree was frozen and full of ice so it has spent the last few days thawing out and opening and filling our home with its lovely fresh fir scent.

<3 My big kiddos will be back tomorrow night to deck it out. <3

:)  I need to make Christmas cookies today.  :)

(5) My Favorite Christmas Song ...

performed wonderfully in this flash mob performance
at the courtyard of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Enjoy!

"Let there be peace on earth ..."

<3 I Peace By Piece <3

Linking up today with ...


Really Random Thursday @ Live a Colorful Life

... and ...



Random 5 Friday @ A Rural Journal

... and ...



Feline Friday @ Sarah Did It


Blessings to you and yours

<3

Randomly Basking in the Scrapatch

1) Crocus Blooms!
Basking in the morning sun.

I have really been enjoying spring arriving in my quilty corner.

Sunshine and Rain ... it is all good :)

2) If you stopped by my blog looking for my April Showers Mug Rug,
please click HERE
I am still basking in the quilty glow of making Top 3 for yesterday.

My Quilty Kitties have been enjoying life ...

 

3) The Katniss

... basking in a basket in a sunny window ...

  

4)The Cat

... basking in the soft squishy warmth of my comfy sewing chair
while I use the plastic folding one

... for several hours ...

after the sun left the windows, of course,

and The Cat needed the warm and comfy place to nap.

 

 

5) Yummy cookies basking in a sunny spot on my kitchen table,

Wheaties Cookies - 4 Ways from

In My Cookie Jar Recipe

I forgot to post last week so I brought cookies this week to

 

Really Random Thursday@ Live a Colorful Life
 

Random 5 Friday @ A Rural Journal

Did you miss me?

 

My kitties do not let me forget

 

Feline Friday

 

They like to visit with all the other pretty kitties.

Enjoy a cookie and stay awhile and try basking in the goodness of life.

Word for the Day

basking  ... present participle of bask (Verb)

Verb a. Lie exposed to warmth and light, typically from the sun, for relaxation and pleasure. b. Revel in and make the most of (something pleasing).

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/basking

My quilty kitties and I love to have friends visit.

Thanks for stopping by My Scrapatch today!

:)
 

A Colorful (and Tasty) Random Thursday

? No Sashing Posts ?

 

 More pretty fabric randomness

 

I need help deciding the setting for these pretties

Above I am "auditioning"  "no sashing posts"
to see the pattern and other options ...

 

Please Click Here

 

to offer a welcomed opinion ... TIA!

 

... Delicious Randomness ...

 

I still buy my milk in glass bottles with a deposit return from a local dairy.

Irish Soda Bread

Let's Dish Recipe Here

The Bread Baker

 

Tasty!

 

My hubby and I had this for lunch with homemade Chicken Soup.

 

It was good. 

 

I made it exactly as directed as I always do with new recipes.

 

I almost added caraway seed  which I usually use in Irish Soda Bread.

 

Next time I will tinker with the recipe.

 

I may add the caraway and raisins
 

or I may experiment with other herbs like rosemary.

 

I will bake it in a covered casserole dish.

It will become my random quick bread recipe.

<3

  

I am randomly linking up again with
 

Cindy's is my Favorite Blog Post of the Day!
(for all blog posts ... not just this linky party)

Check it out ... and all the other fun randomness

and

:-)

 

Really Random Fabric

Here are my fabric choices for

the Spring Mystery Quilt Weekend.

 

Thanks to all who helped me decide.

 

20 pretty colored fabric all numbered and laid out according to plan!

 

I can't wait to sew!!!!

 

Since this post is for

 at Live a Colorful Life

I am going to go a little random here.

First of all ...
 a blogger recently asked what my favorite quilting tool is
and I said my sewing machine,
but I here is "quilting tool" I cannot sew without ... Post it Notes!

I have been known to say if I ever start my own pattern line, I could call it "Post-It Notes Patterns" ... ;)

The other day I was looking all around the house for post-it notes so I could sew and lamented to my hubby that I could not find any post it notes! I was in a dither.

So my sweet hubby bought me a present ...
 

... aren't  they cute?

 

Okay ... now for some

 

Really Random Fabric Pictures

 

 

I have 23 of these colorful pin dots. 

Half-yards of the brights and larger cuts of the black and gray. 

I love the colors!  

The fabric quality is quite nice for what I paid,

which was very affordable.

.

.

.

The Wash Test

 

I washed the black and gray together in the washer on gentle and machine dried a few minutes of low and the fabric quality is very acceptable. For one I cut the edges with my rotary pinking blade the other I did not.  The large cuts did not fray too much in the machine wash and dry process. I take this as a sign of good weave.

 

I am not quite as pleased with the hand wash results.

 

I hand-washed the 1/2 yards of these fabrics as I always pre-wash to remove the chemicals from the manufacturing process and so I will not have any surprises when I wash my quilt the first time.

 

Also, I had never sewed fabrics from this shop and manufacturer before, and I like to test my fabrics.

 

This sink full of colored water is run off from

only the four dark fabrics on the right. 

The first rinse sink water was just as discolored.

It took awhile to get a relatively clear rinse.

 

I am sew glad I always pre-wash!

.

.

.

Some Really Random Cuts

 

This hand-washed and dried half yard measures 19 inches on one end

and 17.5 on the other ... hmmmm 

 

Unfortunately some of my 1/2 yards are not cut straight on the grain.

The dots should be in nice even rows along the grain and they are printed properly.  However, when I press to align the grain and line the dots up on this pretty minty green this is what I get ...

 

 

I have 16.5" of usable fabric for this 1/2 yard cut.

... hmmmm ...

This is another fabric that I will have to give up inches to get 

a straight cut on the grain of the fabric.  Also,the rip you see in this selvage was the way it arrived from the online shop. Now the rip is in the grain but I honestly feel that the person who cut some of my fabrics needed more training or to be more careful.  

 

My LQS always makes me feel like a quilty friend they are happy to have visit and knows I am a happy customer and will return and buy more fabric.

 

I have also had only one other less than happy experience buying fabric online and I have bought from many nearby and online quilt shops. 

 

For the record, I did speak with a customer service representative about my order and am sad to say I feel I had a less than satisfying experience.

 

 

Katniss says, "Sigh."

 



Katniss is considering whether we will buy from this online shop again.

 

Katniss says "... hmmmmmm? ... maybe? ..."

I do really like the colors and the fabric quality itself is very good.

So I have decided I will order from them again
but that I will only buy large cuts or pre-cuts.

 

I am really looking forward to sewing this mystery.

 

I am sure in the end, my quilt will make both Katniss and I very happy.

The 1st Installment of the Mystery Quilt Weekend in In!

Katniss and Butterfly and I will be sewing soon!

Linking up again with

 Feline Friday
@
Sarah Did It

Have a Happy Quilty Weekend.

And if you like sewing mysterys, grab the pattern
and some jelly rolls or strips and join in the fun!
 

:)