Embroidery Floss & Scrap Storage

As I was looking for some fabric in the sewing room the other day, I realized that I forgot to post the final home for the ever-growing embroidery floss collection. This large glass jar was a gift many years ago and has housed a lot of items in that time.

 The most recent collection stored here were fabric scraps that required much larger storage solutions - the fabrics that I have already used in the construction of the Over the Rainbow 30s Dear Jane. It won't be long and I'll have all those lovely pieces and bits joining the soon to be colorized reproduction collection and I can hardly wait!

Happy sewing & stash organization,
Heather

Printing Quick Projects & Organizing the Sewing Room

 

Good afternoon everyone! I was excited to see the US numbers increasing in the stats this weekend.  💕 I've been clearing out the sewing room after my DH added a couple storage options to my room. I have been sorting, colorizing and moving fabrics around while printing some Alice Caroline Liberty of London Sew Along patterns for a friend's gift bag and related goodies. 

My dearest, oldest friend has been waiting so patiently as I heal from shoulder and multiple wrist surgeries; it's taken far longer than I could have imagined, truly.  They're not a fan of mixing prints or charm projects, so I'll have to pull a 💙 solid, maybe some of the light, yarn-dyed Speckled Blue Essex Linen for the dotty fabric? I'm just not sure yet. 

I don't have enough yardage for a full bag with insert(s) or tool bag, so I'm hoping something like the X fabric will also work for her. It's been so long, maybe it will be more appealing at this point. 

That is what happens when purchasing yardage is not a priority, I suppose. Now that I'm getting to projects other than the Rainbow 30s Dear Jane, I have been purchasing larger cuts. What can I say? Live and learn. 

Happy Sewing & Organizing,

Heather

Aurifil Deal

Twenty Aurifil Tula Pink cotton spools (50 wt) are deeply discounted at Hawthorne Supply Co. currently. They're perfect for fans of vibrant modern textiles and some 30's reproduction palettes. It's the lowest price that I've come across for popular designer collections. 

I just love Aurifil thread for my machine piecing and have had to do far less maintenance since making the switch but have been sticking to neutrals and white for current projects. Inexpensive thread causes major lint accumulation in our sewing machines. That makes it challenging to stay on top of, especially for those of us cranking out projects consistently. There was just one shop that cleaned and repaired sewing machines within a one hour travel radius when I moved here; it closed by the pandemic and I've relied on youtube videos since.  

Happy Shopping, 

Heather

Judie Rothermel's New Releases & More

Goodies just arrived and I can't wait to work with them! Judie Rothermel's Aunt Grace Goes Scrappy line is as lovely as expected. Some of the prints are re-releases in case you missed the original promotions. Initially, I only purchased small cuts and was a bit late to the party; the additional yardage is certainly welcome. 

The all-pastel jelly roll by Riley Blake will fit right in the growing stash. I decided to go with some smaller cuts of tiny prints that can be utilized in several projects. Reproduction prints and their beautiful, cheery color combinations are still appealing to me after all these years. Of course, the Over the Rainbow Dear Jane is still on my mind, but I also have a few other plans for some upcoming projects once sewing room access is restored. 

DH & the kids have been changing layouts in a couple of bedrooms and the only available temporary storage space available in a pinch was the laundry/sewing room. The applique go-bags and embroidery supplies are somewhere beneath the growing piles. Fingers crossed this process goes quickly, I'm difficult to deal with when I can't piece, applique, quilt, or embroider, as you can imagine. 

Happy Sewing,

Heather

Charms Arrive

Some harder to find 1930s charms arrived today. They may be used in my Dear Jane, with details to come later. I think the eye block in that blue fabric with the white diamonds outlined in black was on my redo list. It's been so long, I could be mistaken.

I was excited to see the Judie Rothermel red lily of the valley fabric. Lily of the valley flowers are my favorite. They were in my wedding bouquet that I designed and arranged. When I was a young girl, they lined my grandmother Lucile's driveway. 

I loved the scent and fragile nature of these beautiful blooms; they'd be nice to have in the yard in the future.

 

My love of flowers started as a toddler when my great grandfather, Eddie showed me how to propagate violets. He grew several perennials, his favorites were his climbing roses and asparagus ferns, a pink and green combination that appealed to me. The grands and great grands have been on my mind lately. It must be time to get that DJ done in honor of my great grandmother, Gladys.

Happy Sewing,
Heather

Embroidery Floss

The embroidery floss took longer to sort than expected. The carrying cases did not work as well as I had hoped but for now, they're sorted and all loose floss has been wrapped around a card. I have a large glass dry goods container somewhere with a lid that could hold everything in one spot. I'd like to keep them off my sewing room counters, if at all possible. 

I'm looking forward to starting some of Aneela Hoey's patterns from her books Little Stitches, Sweet Stitches and Stitch & Sew soon.

Happy Handwork,

Heather

Salsa Fresca/Pico De Gallo & Guacamole

I whipped up some salsa fresca, also known as pico de gallo. It's simple and so delicious! Start with fresh tomatoes, these are heritage varieties that we rarely have access to unless we grow them ourselves. Next, dice half a large or one whole small white onion. I opted to include four jalapeño peppers, sliced, seeds removed and diced roughly the same size of the onion pieces. I'm not a fan of cilantro but LOVE lime juice in my salsa and guacamole. 

Salsa fresca is great served with tortilla chips but I also use it a component of my guacamole. Mash your avocado(s) in a serving dish. Guacamole seasoning is readily available, but I prefer to use the following: 

• Garlic Salt
• Black Pepper or Lemon Pepper
• Onion Powder
• Cayenne
• Thyme
• Chili Powder
• Fresh Cilantro (optional)

Next, add salsa fresca and more lime juice to your seasoned avocado mash. The rough ratio is about one ladle salsa fresca per ripe, soft avocado. If you are making this in advance, be sure to cover in cling wrap, pressing the plastic over the top of the mixture to avoid darkening to a gray-green hue. Be sure to share both the salsa and guacamole paired with fresh restaurant style tortilla chips with guests and family members. Enjoy!

Heather

Embroidery Floss Galore & Feedsack (1930s fabrics) Background

Good afternoon, RF readers. I'm sorting items a bit at a time for my sewing room, starting with my embroidery card collection. While I enjoy taking just a few embroidery floss cards with me for on the go or upstairs with the family, organization of this stash is long overdue. Separating the colors alone has me feeling more accomplished already. I chose an acrylic canister set designed for kitchen use for storage but may need an extra jar or two for the overflow, we shall see. 

It occurred to me as I was fussing over the beautiful colors that some of you might be interested in the background of 1930 fabrics. My focus has been on my reproduction collection, which reminds me of my great grandmother, Gladys and favorite fabric designer, Judie Rothermel. The history begins with garment sewing, common quilt patterns of the day, a revival of charm quilting, and dry goods of the period. The reproduction fabrics are more appealing in the soft, tight-woven quilter's cottons in joyful conversation prints and florals.

1930s Feedsack articles, if you'd like to learn more:

• QUILT INDEX
• SATURDAY EVENING POST
• FEED SACKS
• QUILTDOM

My favorite quilt patterns are from this era, including Nosegay (also known as Bride's Bouquet), various hexagon quilts, Dresden Plate, LeMoyne Star, various basket patterns, Double Wedding Ring, and Arkansas Snowflake (known by several other names including Periwinkle, Feedsack Star & Hummingbird). There are free patterns available if you're interested in the block instructions. I'm attaching a few but they can be made in many sizes; if you'd like something larger or smaller, a google search for the block name(s) should provide the instructions you're seeking. Some of the sites have pop up advertising, which I try to avoid sharing. 

• NOSEGAY
• ARKANSAS STAR & instructions and an alternate pattern
• LEMOYNE STAR
• DRESDEN PLATE
• DOUBLE WEDDING RING

Happy reading & sewing,

Heather

Heather Ross Line Arrived!

The anxiously awaited (pre-ordered) Studio Edit line by Heather Ross arrived today. They'll work well with the rest of her designs that I've collected over the years. I keep thinking that the incredibly adorable illustrations would make a fantastic I-spy hexie quilt in addition to several other future projects. YAY!

Piece,

Heather

Thank Goodness for Google Translate!

 It was a lovely surprise this morning to see so many visitors to the blog. Thank you! 

Overnight, the US dropped to 4th place with Vietnam, Hong Kong and Brazil taking first, second and third place respectively. After the US, we have Indonesia, Argentina, Singapore, Ecuador, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, South Africa, Bangladesh, Columbia, Germany, India, Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Morocco and "Other".

UPDATE: Brazilians are now nearly half my viewers!! Welcome to my site. When I'm able to update my university lessons, I have some plans to for this space that I think you'll enjoy. Please feel free to comment or reach out, I can always use translate, if needed. 

To the wonderful Alaskans that have popped up overnight, my oldest is working in your state as we speak. After this summer, he and his girlfriend plan to hike the PCT. I'm a little nervous about that with the national park workforce reductions, but what's a mom to do? Just so ya'll are aware, the continental US shows up as one destination, so I am unable to break down other visitors by state.

If your country is not showing up in blogger data, please let us know in the comment section. Family members are curious, and I love sharing stats when new spots appear. Whether you are new to the site, you've been here all along or you stop by occasionally, you are appreciated. I hope everyone finds something helpful and/or posts that bring you joy.  

I have purchased so much fabric over the years, I'm not sure where to even begin organizing and sharing photos with you. I have been buying LOTS of 30s of course, Tula Pink designs, Liberty of London Tana Lawn prints and some basic polka dots in addition to Heather Ross and Aneela Hoey fabrics. I'm thankful for the wonderful online options as all the local quilt shops have closed. 

1930s reproductions were very hard to find for a while but thanks to

 Judie Rothermel's Schoolhouse Quilt Shoppe and some Etsy sellers, they're available again. I'm buying larger pieces than I have in the past just in case they become difficult to find again. 

Happy Sewing,

Heather

Welcome!

Welcome new visitors & friends! It's so great to see the blog is getting some traffic again. Whether you are new to applique, the Jane Stickle quilt (Dear Jane), are a fan of 30s reproduction fabrics, a modern quilter, a combination, or just browsing, I'm so glad you're here! 

I've been teaching, finishing two master's degrees, have changed jobs a couple times, and am considering going for a third master's. I've also had several surgeries on my wrists and forearms, making some of my quilting and embroidery challenging - but I'm determined to get back to my piecing and applique soon. While I've been on the mend, I have purchased several new 30s reproductions for the ever growing collection and several new cabinets to house them in. 

My daughter and I have been collecting Strawberry Shortcake vintage goodies for years and added the new re-releases from France, thanks to some very kind online friends. You'll note that Strawberry has a sewing machine nook in the Berry Happy Home. It's behind the Brazilian brunette version in the picture on the left of the screen. While the pretend sewing machine makes me happy, my zen space, the real sewing room has been calling. I do hope that means once I get back to it, I can complete my Dear Jane between projects (and unfortunately, laundry!).

Thank you for taking the time to check in! 

Wishing you the very best, 

Heather