Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Beatin' the Heat

Well it was bound to happen ... It is almost September and in sunny San Diego we have had a pretty near perfect summer.  Three days ago that changed -- heat and humidity have come and it is slowing me down ... Well, just a little!  We have central air in the addition of our house.  It is amazing that 79 in my bedroom can feel like heaven!  The rest of the house is definitely in the 80's!!

I've been staying home in the morning, and it is amazing what I am getting done!  I go out to the cottage and listen to the radio and sew ... I am in my element!  See what I made this week ..
It's going to be a class ... Can't wait to see what it looks like after it is quilted!!  Simple and fun!!

Today I had to longarm ... I say had to like it is a chore, but it's just that I've been having so much fun piecing!  I definitely got a cardio workout today because it was so hot in the afternoon when I was done, that I was dripping sweat!  Whew ... That doesn't happen very often.  I had to turn the fans way down in the room because they were blowing my thread on the machine, and it was catching and breaking every once in a while.  Whew ... The sacrifices I make for my customers!!  (See me standing in the room with the back of my hand dramatically sweeping across my forehead!!  Ha ha). Don't you think my dear husband will agree that air conditioning is a *necessity* in the cottage?  I'm sure!!!  Ha ha 

Hear's a quilt I have had for several months ... It was a block of the month last year by JAM patterns.
Alphabet blocks .. So adorable!  I did a swirl in the entire quilt outlining the "tags."
Here's one of my favorites.  Isn't he cute?  Near each block I quilted the letter in amongst the swirls. If you look to the right of this block, you can see the "O" for owl.

I can't seem to get a great shot of quilts in the cottage in the afternoon ... The sun gets in the way.  But you get the idea.  You can click on the picture and zoom in.  I used a cotton/poly on top in a brown/caramel color and Glide in the bobbin.

Stay cool .... It looks like this sweet baby is!

Beatin' the Heat

Well it was bound to happen ... It is almost September and in sunny San Diego we have had a pretty near perfect summer.  Three days ago that changed -- heat and humidity have come and it is slowing me down ... Well, just a little!  We have central air in the addition of our house.  It is amazing that 79 in my bedroom can feel like heaven!  The rest of the house is definitely in the 80's!!

I've been staying home in the morning, and it is amazing what I am getting done!  I go out to the cottage and listen to the radio and sew ... I am in my element!  See what I made this week ..
It's going to be a class ... Can't wait to see what it looks like after it is quilted!!  Simple and fun!!

Today I had to longarm ... I say had to like it is a chore, but it's just that I've been having so much fun piecing!  I definitely got a cardio workout today because it was so hot in the afternoon when I was done, that I was dripping sweat!  Whew ... That doesn't happen very often.  I had to turn the fans way down in the room because they were blowing my thread on the machine, and it was catching and breaking every once in a while.  Whew ... The sacrifices I make for my customers!!  (See me standing in the room with the back of my hand dramatically sweeping across my forehead!!  Ha ha). Don't you think my dear husband will agree that air conditioning is a *necessity* in the cottage?  I'm sure!!!  Ha ha 

Hear's a quilt I have had for several months ... It was a block of the month last year by JAM patterns.
Alphabet blocks .. So adorable!  I did a swirl in the entire quilt outlining the "tags."
Here's one of my favorites.  Isn't he cute?  Near each block I quilted the letter in amongst the swirls. If you look to the right of this block, you can see the "O" for owl.

I can't seem to get a great shot of quilts in the cottage in the afternoon ... The sun gets in the way.  But you get the idea.  You can click on the picture and zoom in.  I used a cotton/poly on top in a brown/caramel color and Glide in the bobbin.

Stay cool .... It looks like this sweet baby is!

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Playing Catch Up

Well I have been a busy little bee, trying to play a little catch up around here.  Actually, since my sweet daughter is back at college, and hubby started school last week, it is quiet around here ... well except for the three dogs and the ailing cat!  But seriously, it has been nice and quiet, and I am taking advantage of it.  I am trying to get back to my longarm and at least clear up some quilts that I have had for quite some time!  It does feel good to get things checked off my list.

This is a quilt from a class at the store; piecing, applique and wool applique.  She did a beautiful job!  Her only request was no quilting over the wool applique.  I know she likes simple quilting, so I kept it to a stipple in most of the background, with a little wavy outlining around the applique, and in the big parts of the flower and leaves, a little stitching to keep the fabric from puffing up.  I used a permacore thread in the top and Glide in the bobbin. 

A note about Glide ... my longarm dealer does not recommend this thread in the bobbin, because she thinks unless you are using it in the top as well, it is too slick to work well with a cotton on top.  I had run Glide in the bobbin for a long time, and after talking to her several months ago, I stopped using Glide in the bobbin.  Then I started thinking ... have I ever had problems with Glide in the bobbin and a cotton on top?  No I had not, and my tension was fine with that combo, so I'm using Glide in the bobbin again.  Something I learned through all this fiddling around with my longarm is that even though there is a "rule" for thread, needles, tension, etc., each machine is different.  Even though I can run a certain speed on my machine and be fine, someone else with the same machine may not.  It's just the way it is!  Lesson learned.

Next up a sweet quilt for a lady's granddaughter.  What I love about quilting for others is when I see someone's quilt, it looks incomplete to me ... my job is to make it look complete!  While I thought this quilt was so cute before I got a hold of it, I got to use a pale pink thread in top and bobbin and it just made the quilt light up!  I did my signature swirl on the quilt because it needed something sturdy to hold up to lots of love ... I'm sure this granddaughter will LOVE her quilt!


Next ... a class that Jayne (highuponthehill.blogspot.com) from work is teaching in the next schedule.  Isn't it cute?  I did an open cabbage patch flower design all over in a King Tut variegated gray/green color with Glide in the bobbin.  It was fast and fun!  Interested in that class at the loft?  The new class schedule through December will be on the store's website after Sat.  Give them a couple days to get it up ... at cloft.com


This next quilt was fun to do!  I love to see what this customer does with her quilting.  She does not care whether things line up, she makes it all work -- she just has fun.  She decided to do some machine and hand embroidery, and my job was to make the embroidery pop without taking away from the quilt.  It was just a fun, sunshiny (is that a word?) quilt, and I had a lot of fun!  I did something called "dwirling" ... it's a term and technique I learned from a DVD by Dawn Cavanaugh.  Great technique!  You just kind of echo line after line, throwing in dips and curves here and there.  It just gives the quilt great texture and highlights the fun embellishments.  I tried to stay away from the embroidery, occasionally going over areas that were lightly done.  A fun, bright pink Glide in top and bobbin.


And the last quilt ... are you tired from reading? ... I am tired from quilting!  Ha, ha ... the Country Loft is having their annual Sew for the Cure sale this Saturday, Aug. 24.  The proceeds go to the Susan Komen Foundation, and in years past they have donated as much as $10,000 a year!  It is a wonderful event and everyone involved is just beyond special!  I try to donate my longarming time, but didn't have much time to donate this year, so I did this one quilt for them.  It was fun ... in order to get it done quickly, I did a simple stipple.  Here's a sneak peek ...

Even though I haven't had a lot of free time, I have had time to catch up with this little wonderful person and her parents ... 5 1/2 months old and just babbling away ... what a personality she is developing!
       

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Shopping Addictions

Well we know there are many shopping addictions ... and of course as quilters, we all have a stash and a different way we shop for fabric ... And thread!!

But I'm talking about another addiction today ... saving money ... couponing!  Almost everyone has heard of the show "Extreme Couponing;" these are not your every day coupon shoppers ... these are crazy women and men!  No offense to them, but most people I know that coupon are not amassing a $7,000 stash worth of stuff.  They are just trying to save a buck, and in the process try to outsmart the retailers.  When I first started couponing in San Diego there were double coupons at two stores up to $1.00 every day.  That was awesome!  Well they did away with that several years ago.  A few cents here and there at the grocery store didn't excite me, so I stopped couponing for a while.  Getting a bargain is in my blood (I can still hear my grandmother telling me what gas station had the cheapst price, even when she didn't drive anymore!  =:-)  ), so no matter where I shop I usually don't buy unless it is on sale, or discounted with using the club cards for each grocery store, retail store, etc.  My friend reminded me the other day that the Target debit card (which I continue to decline) saves you 5% every time you shop ... that might not seem like a lot, but if you are using Target as your primary grocery store shop, that does seem worth it.

When I was really going hog wild with my couponing, I went to Walgreen's, Rite Aid, CVS, Target, Albertson's and Von's.  That was exhausting!  There are wonderful resources online that tell you what is on sale and at what store, but my favorite is couponmom.com.  This site has lists for each store .. the list tells you what are the best deals, what coupons there are out for the products, whether it is a printable coupon (which means directing you to another site to print), or the date that the coupon appeared in the Sunday coupon section, what the sale price is, and what the final register price should be.  Is that not incredible???  They have done 7/8 of the work for you!  No more pulling out all the sale flyers for each store and figuring out what is on sale and trying to match coupons to items.  The only drawback I have found is that because the site gives you information for all states, occasionally an item that they show on sale, is not on sale here.  No big deal.

I have pared down what stores I will shop at ... on my list is #1 CVS, #2 Target, #3/#4 Vons and/or Albertson's.  I often have great intensions to go to both grocery stores, but if I run out of time during the week, I don't sweat it ... unless it is a spectacular sale!  CVS works the best for me because it is very near where I live (and three doors down from the Starbuck's where I have coffee several days a week!); I think they are very consumer friendly.  I used to believe their prices were on the high side for a drug store, but when you really use all the tools they offer you to save money, it is the #1 store that I do the best at.

Here's an example from this week ... daughter is going back to college next week, so I am thinking about the things that she needs.  CVS had All detergent on sale for $3.99 for a 28 oz. bottle; an electrc t'brush for $5.99 and any of the Revlon mascaras for $5.99.  When you have a CVS card (and if you shop there it is a must), there is a red machine that spits out great coupons every week when you scan your card.  In addition, every time you shop there, the cash register will print out coupons on things depending on what you have purchased.  You usually have at least a foot of register tape.  This used to annoy me, until I started playing the game.  On top of coupons, CVS gives back "bucks" for different items that you purchase every week; those bucks print out at the register after you purchase them.  You then bring the bucks back and use them as cash on your next trip.  I'm sure loads of people throw that stuff away, because they can't be bothered or don't have the time, or don't realize what they are throwing away.  In addition, you can combine manufacturer's coupons with a CVS coupon and use both.  Here's how my recent trip panned out:

All $3.99 (with coupon of $1.00 from paper, and $1 extra buck) = final $1.99
Oral-B elec t'brush $5.99 (with coupon of $2.00 from paper + $2 ex buck) = $1.99
Revlon mascara $5.99 (with $1.00 coupons from paper + $4 ex buck when you buy 2) = $2.99 each
(when I show ex bucks here, they are printing at the end of my trip so I have to use them on my next trip, but they are included in my bottom line total)

On top of those coupons I also had $4 in ex bucks from a previous trip, several CVS coupons that printed at the register that say something like "$3 off on any cosmetic purchase of $10 or more," so the original total was around $21.96 before tax, and after coupons was $4.96.  That is an awesome trip!  Now I don't buy everything in one trip because I want to turn around and use the ex bucks that printed from this trip on another trip.  Some people separate there items into different groups and let the cashier ring them up in several transactions, but I don't like to do that.  Since I am near that store several days during the week, I'll just make a few short trips.  The next trip to CVS a couple days later netted me:

Pantene shampoo $3.50 (w/coupon B1G1 free + $1 ex buck) = $1.25 each
All detergent $3.99 ($1 coupon .. ex bucks were not avail because I used them already) = $2.99 (still a great deal for a 28 oz bottle of laundry soap)
Revlon mascara $5.99 (no coupons, but at that sale price a great deal) $5.99
Neutrogena cometic wipes $6.50/ea (w/coupon $1 on two) = $6 each  (daughter uses these after theatre performance and goes through them like crazy ... they are normally $8+ a piece)

With my $7 in extra bucks from my previous trip and more coupons that printed at the register that I had saved to redeem, before tax total was $38.27, and after coupons $8.99.  Now those are some savings I can get excited about!!  I don't do that well every week, but the things I routinely buy and stock up on at CVS are:  shampoo/conditioner; make-up; laundry detergent; toothpaste; toothbrushes; dental floss; paper products like toilet paper, etc.  The other thing I do because I am strange and get a kick out of seeing my savings ... is somewhere on each item I buy I write in black permanent marker the month I bought it and what I paid. 

That way I rotate my stock by, using the oldest products first, and I know what a great deal I got.  Don't know how well you can see this, but this is one of the bottles of laundry detergent I just bought ... I wrote $2.99 on it and the month and year 7/13.

After shopping like this for a short while, you will see there is a pattern to sales, times of the year, and rotation of what is on sale.  You stop trying to get every single sale you can (that is just too exhausting and burns you out), and buy the best deals and what you will use.  What I love to do is stock up on certain items; I always want a stash of laundry detergent, toothpaste, toilet paper, paper towels.  You can get toothpaste for usually no more than $1 tube when it is on sale, with coupons and ex. bucks, and I cannot stand to pay full price for items like that.  Sometimes I am more into it than others, and sometimes I don't do anything at all except sale shop, and always use the CVS extra bucks that print out.

I hope this helps someone understand a little more about the coupon game.  With so many stores, and so many policies, it can sometimes be overwhelming.  But there is nothing more exciting than scoring a great deal and taking the money you save at the grocery/drug stores and using it by fabric!!  Or there is something a little more exciting ... getting new pictures of my sweet granddaughter!