I have a new pattern titled “Sailing to Nod.”  It’s an easy pattern of a crib quilt and/or wall hanging.  There are only two fabrics needed and 3 pieces for this silhouette of an old sailing ship.  The directions are written for a beginner at fusible applique and include directions for hand applique also.  I’ve even included cutting layouts just like you see in fashion patterns to make the best use of your fabrics.

There are options such as adding rigging using embroidery.  But wouldn’t it be fun to make that rigging out of beads?  How about adding some sparklers on the waves and the sails?  I can see this ship with different fabrics on the sails.  Each sail might be cut out separately as I’ve included implied lines of each edge where they overlap on the silhouette and there is a small drawing in the directions showing which sail should be sewn or fused down first, second, etc.

Of course, the pattern can be done as shown on the cover, minus the rigging, for a contemporary graphic look.  Do you have a sailor in the family, or a little boy or girl who might like to dream of sailing away to nod?

Go to the website and look at the pattern.  I hope you like it.

Teaching and Learning

Monday, September 29th, 2008Teaching is fun.  Learning is more fun.  Tonight I learned how to shorten my T-shirts.  I just completed my first one.  I’ve never used a dual needle before and, at my age, it’s about time.  The type of needle is long lost, so I’m not sure if it’s a sharp or ball point.  Seemed pretty sharp to me.  However, it worked fine with my Janome 6600 P with the Dual Feed system in play.  Now I only have a dozen more to do.  Why are t-shirts so long for me and my husband’s too short for his liking?  Hey, could be because I’m 5’2? and he’s 6? 3?, ya think?

I haven’t done much posting but hope to do it on a fairly regular schedule.  I’d like to pass along tips and information I think would benefit anyone, quilter or not, and maybe make a comment about the world in general together with any quilting, designing, etc. I’m doing.

Now all I have to do is learn more about how to blog.  There’s so much to learn.

Bon Applique!

Teaching & hints

I’ve decided I need to blog more often and, after thinking about it, I would like to add a hint as often as I can.

Today’s hint:  Orvus soap.

Did you know you can purchase Orvus W A Paste (soap) at a business that sells horse supplies?  It is actually a horse shampoo but is the same soap sold for quilts.  A (120 oz.), 7.5 lb plastic jug costs around $20.00 +/- plus tax.  I have been using it for gently soiled clothing/sheets, etc. for years in my washing machine.  I only use one (1) Tablespoon of it per load.  At 120 ounces, if you divide it by the 8 oz. in a cup, you have 15 cups of the soap.  As there are 16 Tablespoons in a cup, you have a total of 240 wash loads per jug.  The paste can be liquid if warm or like a soft fluffy consistency when cold.  Sometimes you’ll use more or less than a Tablespoon.  But, if you could do 240 loads of clothes per jug, it would cost you approximately $.09 per load. Compare that to your detergent cost!

I met some really good people up in Bulls Gap, Tennessee, this weekend.  If you are ever in the area, go visit  Olde Towne Quilt Shoppe, and Gail Wise, at 153 S. Main Street.  It’s a great shop with friendly people.  Tell them I said, “Hey!”  (If you’re not a southerner, Hey is the same as Hi.)  Until next time, Florine

Organizing

Have you ever been so disorganized that you are paralyzed when it comes to getting things done?  Don’t know where you are and what to do next?

I’ve been through 3 house moves and become unglued.  Now I’ve begun a massive reorganization of my business office, home office and sewing room.  It’s an exhausting process, but also an exhilarating feeling to  get a handle on all that paperwork and those projects.  I can’t wait to get to the stage of maintaining only when the creating patterns can began again.

Here’s my new rule:  If it take less than 2 minutes, do it now!

Colds, remedies, coughing, organizing

Late night here in Georgia as I’m working on getting organized.  It will take weeks I’m afraid, but I look forward to being done with it all.

SLEEPING DESPITE A COUGH:  Here’s something to try if you, or someone in your family, has a cold with a bad cough.  I read that if you put Vick’s Vapor Rub on the soles of your feet (or kids feet) and put on socks immediately before bedtime, your coughing will stop in 30 minutes and you’ll sleep well.  I tried it and it works!  Amazing.  (I also read that if you take a garlic bud, cut it and rubbed it onto the soles of your feet, you’ll taste garlic in your mouth in about 20 minutes.  Haven’t tried that one yet.  Let me know if it works.)

COUGHING WHILE FLYING HINT:  We had to get on a plane when we both had horrible coughs.  I knew I hated being around someone coughing constantly in a plane so before we got on in Minneapolis to come back to Georgia, we purchased 2 thick washcloths.  We folded them twice to get a nice sized square pad.  Every time we needed to cough, we coughed into these washcloth pads.  It muffled the sound of the cough and kept germs from flying everywhere.   I don’t think anyone noticed that we had bad colds.  Try it.  Your fellow passengers will appreciate it.

Off to Florence, SC, Wednesday to give a program Thursday and teach Friday.  I’m looking forward to meeting everyone there at the Fox Swamp Guild.  ‘Till then.

Florine

Florence, SC

I had a great time in Florence with the Swamp Fox Guild.  Their name tags are so good looking, and the fox is really cute.  Thanks ladies.  You now have a bunch of roosters, so don’t let the fox get at ‘em!

Still organizing.  It’s good to see areas that are getting much better.  “Getting Things Done,” by David Allen has a very good system if you’ve got a million little things to do and keep track of.

I’m going to Aiken, SC, in March for a program and class.  I’m looking forward to that.  I’m hoping things will be humming along around here by then.

There are some new patterns in our future.  Some are already drawn just waiting for the time to finish them.

Keep your stitches hidden,  Florine

That Radical Rooster, Ricky, the dancer

As some of you know, I’ve tried and tried to get Ricky (the dancer) right.  Two or three times I worked on and changed his design.  Twice I worked on his colors and he just didn’t like them.  Getting him out of the coop has been hard for me!  You know, trying something over and over gets discouraging but I read something the other day that inspired me.  It was “do what you love and the rest will come easy.”  I decided to not overly think his colors but to go to my fabric room and started pulling fabrics.   I had finally gotten his design where I wanted it a month ago.

Today, I started to assemble him.  Yesterday I traced each piece on fusible.  Today I started deciding which fabric to use where.  He is starting to look really good to me.  He’s a bit flamboyant but that’s what he wanted for his act on the stage.

Yes, each of these roosters have talked to me every time I’ve worked on them.  They tell me their stories and I pass them on to you.  One of these days, I’m going to write a book about their adventures.  Oh gosh, now that I’ve said that, I’m going to have to sit down and finish that book I started a year ago.   I’ll have to self publish, I’m sure!

Watch for Ricky to show up on the web site.  After that, keep watching, because there are several more patterns coming up.

Tally ho!

Florine

Deadlines Met!

Deadlines. Stress! More deadlines, more stress.  Relief when a deadline is met.

I’ve had several deadlines lately and have been working frantically on them. My first deadline (self imposed) was getting a new rooster design finished and printed.  RICKY is now on the market and on my web site.

Second deadline was to get the mother of all those Radical Roosters finished in time for Spring Market in Pittsburgh in May.  She is ready for her close-up now and her name is HILDA.  People have been asking for a hen and she will be it.

When I start working on a design, I make up samples on applique pressing sheets.  If I don’t like them, I just peel them off and start another.  It’s a lot of work, but that’s how I have to process it.  After 2 failed attempts on Hilda, the 3rd looked good to me.  I have completely finished a wall hanging of her and now the real work begins!  She needs to be photographed, a cover designed for her, directions have to be written and a back cover devised and checked.  Then everything needs to go to the printers.  When all components are back, we start assembling the patterns, send samples off to distributors (keeping our fingers crossed) and work up a suitable ad for magazines, etc.  It’s a lot of work with a lot of steps.

The 3rd deadline was when I was asked to make a project for a book Dilys Fronks is working on.  I thought I had plenty of time, but was surprised when, on Friday evening, I was told they needed a photograph on Monday of the completed project.  Everything else in my life was stopped and I was able to complete it enough to be photographed and sent via email to Wales on deadline day.  The book won’t be out for at least 9 months.

I feel like I’m off to the races!

BTW, we were recently in Aiken, SC, and met lots of wonderful quilters there.  If you ever get a chance, visit Aiken.  We’d like to go back and explore.

Florine

Time Sure Flies!

Being busy is good, and bad.  Thinking of saying something here but then deciding maybe no one would be interested keeps me from blogging.  Anyone out there with the same problem?

Anyway, I have been working frantically on a new design for my BON APPLIQUE! division.

The project has turned out so well that 2 of the 3 people who’ve seen it said, “WOW.”  The 3rd one just couldn’t get over how beautiful it turned out.  Hopefully, everything will be ready for Quilt Market in Houston (Oct. 10-12, and Quilt Festival Oct. 15-18.)  I’m keeping my fingers crossed.  Until then, no one else knows what it is.

I will try to keep posts lots more current.  See you soon.

Florine

Bad Blogger!

I can’t believe it’s been so long since my last post. I’m a bad blogger!

I tried, yes I did, in 2009 to get totally organized. I did get some done, but still have a long way to go. Life keeps getting in the way. So the organizing will continue in 2010. However, 2010 will also be the “year of learning” for me. There are so many things I do not know how to do with computers in general that I must start learning how to do them. Time gets shorter every year and it’s too frustrating not knowing that which I should know by now.
Have you numbered any white socks lately? I just sorted mine out again and it sure saves time.
Until next week and an announcement just for you people who love to do fusible applique.
Florine

Oh, oh!  It’s been almost a month since the last post and I thought I could do one a week.  Optimistic, wasn’t I?

I’ve been reading about procrastination and have learned that a reason for being one of those people could be that you’re a perfectionist.  Seems true to me.  Sometimes we need someone to kick us in the butt to get us going…or keep us going.  Now I know I need someone like that, but it can’t be my husband!   I need an outsider to do the dirty work. Does anyone want to nag me?

Anyway, I do have some goals and one is to complete a project I call “pieces.”  Let me explain.  When I teach fusible web applique, I give each student a couple of sheets of drawings of each of the individual pieces of the pattern we’ll be using.  These “pieces”  all have the proper seam allowance drawn on them which allows the pattern to be assembled on an applique sheet instead of a fabric background.  These seam allowances are there just to hook the pieces together so that when finished, the pupils can gently peel off the entire design,  place it on a background fabric, be it a block, shirt back, etc.  Then all they have to do is press it down.

Because I have been required to make shop models quickly, I devised this way of constructing the models fast and easy.  It was a trial and error method of learning.

It has occurred to me that lots of people with my rooster designs want to do them the fusible way and they could use these tricks of the trade pieces I’ve devised.  So I’m working on them now and will have them available as soon as I finish up each one.  They will be in sets (both the simplified and advanced versions) .  Ralph is finished and Hilda  (only one version) will be ready in a day or two.  I’ll keep you informed of my progress.

I’m looking forward to my visit with the Hearts ‘n Hands Quilt Guild in O’Fallon, Illinois on May 11 and 12.  We’re going to have some fun!

Florine

This entry was posted on Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Competition

Look around you at your next quilting meeting. Who are you in competition with? How do you feel about competing with Tammy, Dolly or Helen? Does it make you feel inadequate? Frustrated? Tired? Hopeless?

Well, STOP IT! Really, the only person you should compete with is yourself. Yes, you. Are you better than you were at cutting, sewing, quilting than you were last year? Of course you are. So you’ve won the competition games.

Competing with someone else is a losing proposition. You don’t know their inborn talents, their hours of practice or their environment for learning. You can’t possible know what they know and can do.

Decide today that you’ll compete only with yourself from now on. It’s more fun that way!  Florine

I’ll be on the internet radio!

Monday, May 3th, I’ll be on Pat Sloan’s radio show. Come and listen in. If 4:00 p.m to 5:00 p.m. (I’ll be on at 4:30) isn’t convenient, you can access it for awhile as it will be taped.
To listen in, go to:

http://toginet.com/shows/creativetalkradio

I’m giving away a packet of 3 of my patterns so go here to leave a comment about the show and be eligible for the prize until Friday at noon the week of the show.

Come check in to listen or download to a player for later listening.

This should be a lot of fun!

http://www.patsloan.typepad.com

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 29th, 2010

When making a quilt

Are you able to do everything well from choosing the pattern to choosing the fabric to completion of the quilt?  Do you perhaps piece very well but have other areas you wish you could do better?

Which part of the quilting process makes you uneasy or hesitant?

Do these problems turn your project into a UFO?  (UnFinished Object)

Is there a way to overcome this lack of competency in any part of quilting?  Well, yes there is!

Did you know that you can become an expert, or at least a very, very competent quilter?  Is there a secret?  Here’s what some experts tell us.  I’ve read that if you learn about, practice on, try again, think about it and do something for 1,000 hours, you’ll be an expert on that thing.  OK, maybe you’ll only need 100 hours or even only 8 hours.  It just depends, but you should concentrate on it.  Just make a project of it.

What if you decide that you hate binding and don’t know how to do it.  How can you learn how to bind your quilt beautifully?  Here are a few suggestions you can use with this, or any other part of quilting.

1.  Ask a quilting friend to go over the process with you.

2.  Take a class on the subject.

3.  Go to a quilt shop and ask for help.

4.  Purchase a book or check one out at the library.  They have quilting books!

5.  Search the internet for answers.  eHow.com or go to a search engine like Google and type in “How to bind a quilt.”  You’ll get many locations with instructions and/or short videos on how to do it.  Many famous quilters have teaching videos on their sites.

6.  Once you have some instructions,  it’s time to practice on a sample.  A small sample can be made from fabric you wish you hadn’t bought and may never use.  (What was I thinking!)  It could be made of old clothes you cut up or from bargain cloth from discount stores or garage sales.  Bind 8? to 10? squares until you have it down pat.

There are parts of quilting I need to practice also.  Let me know when you’ve tried some of these suggestions and how they worked for you.

Get To It and Do It! Florine

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Will this quilt ever be finished?

Back in January, 2003, a large group of  hand appliquers in my guild (Mountain Laurel Quilters’ Guild in Clarkesville, GA, decided we should each purchase the book “Rose Sampler Supreme” by Rosemary Makhan, then get together once a month to compare notes on the blocks and do some stitching.  I worked diligently on my blocks and finished 18 of the 20 blocks needed.  Then it was put aside as my pattern business was growing fast.    Over the years I thought about the quilt but couldn’t find the time nor inspiration to go back to work on it.  Some others in the group finished theirs within a year and more after that.  I don’t know how many unfinished quilts there are besides mine.  The group broke up after some had finished.

Energy was leaving me year by year and finally, a couple of months ago, I found out I was dangerously low on Vitamin D.  I was tired all the time and the more I “rested,” the more I needed to rest.  I just couldn’t get up the desire to do anything.  I asked to be tested for Vitamin D deficiency as my doctor hadn’t much to say about why I might be so tired.   Here I was thinking that age was catching up on me at last at 73.

I was given a prescription for 50,000 IU’s of D to take once a week for 8 weeks.  The first pill I took was at noon.  The next morning my attitude had done a complete turnabout!  I was still too tired, but I was willing to think about doing things.  Over the 8 weeks period, I have recovered more each week.

I took my 8th pill last Wednesday and am now exercising 6 days a week.  I walk Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday it’s “Do it with Debbie” day.  That’s Debbie Reynolds and her old VHS tape for us older gals of stretching and staying flexible.  It’s all done with 40?s music in the background.  I sure wish it were on CD, DVD or MP3!    If you can find one and have a player, it’s fun and has 3 classes, each one a bit more strenuous.  Thanks, Debbie!

The Rose Sampler Supreme blocks have come out of hiding now and are on my design wall.  I’m almost ready to stitch #19.  When # 20 is finished, I still have to consider all the work on the four borders.  Does thinking about all that work ahead make me tired?  Sure, but “Inch by inch, it’s a cinch.”

Have you had your vitamin D levels checked?  It seems there’s an epidemic of low levels all over the country and it’s so important to our health.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 14th, 2010