Thread

I never really thought much about thread ... until recently.
For machine piecing I'm really liking Aurifil  - I like how it works with the fabric and it comes in a variety of colors and weights (you can find it at my favorite local quilt shop!)  After trying different types of thread  I have decided I like Superior Thread's Bottom Line for my needle turn applique - it is so thin you can't even see it! Which is the whole point! After lugging around my threads I came up with a novel idea! Instead of carrying around all of the spools of thread - which I'll be honest - when I started doing needle turn applique that is what I did ... it dawned on me to fill a bobbin with each color and just carry the bobbins! Which turned out to be so much easier! Here is my little travel case (actually an eyeglass case!) for my Blue Hawaiian Hibiscus Quilt....

Everything I need to applique:
snips, Thread Heaven, thread, thimbles and a needle threader....
Now where did I put my glasses?

Then there is the whole thread storage thing ... how do you store your thread? My mother used to throw all her thread into her sewing tin! I would dump them out arraign them by color only to go back later and find them all jumbled up again! When I started back at quilting I got one of those thread racks that stands on your sewing table - but that just kept getting in the way. Then I discovered the racks that hang on the wall - so I used that ... of course arrainging all the threads by color. This worked for a while, but once I started acquiring different types of threads (metallics, Bottom Line, Aurifil, cotton etc) I thought OK I'll arrainge them by types first then by color!! Then I decided I was wasting too much time playing with thread and not enough time actually quilting with the thread! So I stopped rearrainging my thread and started using it - until last summer when I acquired an old wooden two drawer Chadwick's Spool Cotton thread container that came from my father-in-law's father's store (back in the early 1940's I think)

My mother-in-law used it for her phone, address books, paper pen and pencils ... I always thought it was funny that she had a beautiful piece of sewing history and she hated to sew! Every time I used I think of her and smile. But now I'm back to playing with thread ... some times I just open the drawers and look at all of the colors! I feel like a little kid in a candy store!

I thought "I have enough thread" ...

Then I attended Libby Lehman's Thread class and saw her thread work...

and decided.....

I need More thread!

After all if we can never have enough fabric then I suppose

we can never have enough thread!

A Weekend with Ricky Tims and Hurricane Earl!

This past weekend I attended the Ricky Tims Super Quilt Seminar and all I can say is WHOO-HOO!!!!  

I wasn't sure what to expect. Last spring when I stood up in front of my guild and said, "I need 9 people to go with me to get the group discount" I wasn't sure I would have any takers .... but 11 of us went - even with the threat of Hurricane Earl (which turned out to be a dud - thank goodness!) and we had a Fantastic time. Two and a half days of quilting knowledge from Ricky, Alex Anderson and Libby Lehman - my mind is so full of thoughts, ideas and inspiration - I have to sew something!!!

Libby, Ricky and Alex (wishing my flash worked better!)

 Of course the weekend would not have been as much fun as it was with out my favorite Roomies!
Diana, Joan and Giuliana!!
We were able to get a photo with Ricky!! Whoo-Hoo!!

Diana, Janet, Joan, Ricky and Giuliana

The entire seminar was filled with helpful presentations on "caveman" style quilting, creating quilting motifs, marking quilts, quilting quilts, binding, soup to nuts everything you ever needed to know and more! Ricky, Alex and Libby all told stories about their family and quilting lives and best of all we were serenaded by Ricky through out the seminar!! I did not realize he was such a fabulous musician, and who knew Libby was so funny - some of her jokes had everyone rolling over in the aisles! Alex was gracious and wonderful and her love of quilting came through as she spoke. I was thrilled to be able to chat with her and have my picture taken with her....

Her husband - John, runs the web site for The Quilt Show and I highly recommend if you don't subscribe to the online series of The Quilt Show - do it NOW!! and get yourself a subscription the Quilt Life the magazine put out by Alex and Ricky - I think it's the best!

They even had a mini quilt show for us! That was fun, to be able to get up close to their quilts and really see them - unbelievable! My favorite was the quilt made by Ricky and his father! I was glad it was at the front of the room so I could stare at it the entire time!

And another favorite ....

Now it's back to reality with a head full of ideas and inspirtion...