SORRY, THE GIVE-AWAY IS OVER.
Here is today’s sur-prize:
Sunday’s package of fork pins are joined by Mary Ellen’s Best Press (starch alternative). If you haven’t tried it, you will love it. If you already use it, this is a slightly smaller spray bottle that is handy to take to classes or get-aways. It comes in different fragrances. One of these is Lavender Fields, and the other one is Scent Free. I like to give finished blocks a light spritz of Best Press. It makes them lie extra flat, and it encourages a troublesome block to behave.
The fine print: 1. Give-away runs Sunday 4/26 through Sunday 5/3. 2. You may enter once each day by posting a comment on that day’s new give-away posting (that’s what THIS is). 3. Each day I will add an item to each ”basket” (there will be two); to have the most entries in the drawing, check back and add a comment each day. 4. There are two baskets because there will be two names drawn on Monday May 4th. 5. Be sure to include your e-mail when you make your comment so I can contact you if you are one of the winners! 6. I will close the comments on this post at midnight CST (sorry, West Coast, but that’s the latest I can stay awake). Also at midnight the next day’s give-away post will come up, so if the comments are closed here, go to www.suehecker.com/blog (unless it is after May 3rd — then you’re too late!).
It was fun to read yesterday’s comments about the commentors’ first quilts and how some of you started quilting. In today’s comment, please share something that you’re working on now. I’ll start: I’m embellishing a jacket for a guild challenge, quilting a customer quilt, and putting borders on a gift quilt of my own. Next?
Yikes! Which UFO do I mention?!! I’m finishing up a mystery quilt I made a couple years ago….half the quilting is done and I’m in the middles of marking the top for the rest.
Thank you, Sue….this is fun!
oh, something else i’ve heard of but never used! this is making up to be a GREAT basket!
what i’m working on now (still!) is the star quilt using the new Beach House fabric line. I’ve had some pieces pinned together and ready to sew for the last week (hangs head in shame) but haven’t gotten back to the machine yet. Procrastination is my name these days!
What’s in the Best Press that makes it so good? Is it a starch? Since there’s a scent-free I may have to give it a try.
This is fun Sue.
Today I will work on 2 things. I have a t shirt on the sewing
machine that needs the sleeves hemmed and it will be done. I have the backing to
a quilt laying on the frame that needs to be loaded. These are the first 2 things on my
list for the day.
What fun to check back each day and see what is filling the baskets! I love the Best Press
and class size is a great idea…lavender is my favorite!
How fun! Just like oprahs favorite things (if she were a quilter). I always wanted to be part of that audience! I am working on finding just the right pattern to make a purse for spring. And at the rate I’m going it will be ready for a Spring 2010 debut! I’m also making a small baby blanket.
Maybe it’s easier to say what I’m “not” working on now. LOL I have so many UFO’s it’s sad. but what I’m working on right now is a miniature embroidered quilt. I have the 4 blocks done and now need to put the fabric on to finish the small top.
Love the give away idea!
I’m working on bindings. Our little quilt guild makes quilts for Habitat for Humanity–we give them to the family at the dedication ceremony where they receive the keys to their new home. We have a very active HFH chapter here, and there are FOUR homes set for May completion. Last week 3 of us went to learn to use a long arm, and now I have three quilts to bind. I’m the queen of continuous bias binding!
Right now I am just cross stitching. I am in Romania (will be flying home to WI on Friday) and I dropped my transformer 2 weeks agog so I can not use my machine. I’ve been here for 3 months and managed to finish 3 quilt tops. I can’t find any batting so I couldn’t quilt them. I can’t wait to get home so I can be close to my stash and my machines will not need a transformer. Saturday will be a very happy day for me!
I bought some Best Press and absolutely love it. It’s not sticky like starch but makes such a nice crisp fold. I love the smell of the lavender one too. Never tried the other one.
While I have lots of UFOs, right now I am working on a runner for an anniversary gift. Since the party is this weekend, I have nighttime sewing in my very near future! The weather turned summery this weekend, and I don’t get nearly as much quilt sewing done in the summer – more cross stitch, and a little applique.
I’m currently designing a handbag for my friend’s birthday and I’m also working on one for myself. I bore of bags easily so it’s good I can whip one out in an afternoon.
I am working on too many projects to list, but my current one is Judy L’s most recent stash project. I am loving the no waste method to make flying geese, Her directions are so clear, I’ve finally been able to figure them out and I’m addicted. Just recently discovered Best Press and love it but have not been able to find the small bottles of it.
I am working with my own hand-dyed fabric, adding small pleats to create texture. Great giveaway!
I am finishing up the piano-key border for a batik cat quilt, which will be donated to the local humane society for their annual cat-themed art sale.
I have been working on a picture of puppies that I purchased from JoAnn Fabrics. Trying to do this with a sore broken arm is a challenge, but very exciting. Eileen
This morning I finished quilted pillow covers for the throw pillows for my couch. This afternoon I am continuing my quest to clear the scrap basket, cutting the scraps from past projects to useable dimensions for kids quilts for Binky Patrol.
I have never heard of Best Press – it’s definitely true that you learn something new every day, the basket sounds delightful.
One of our young admins at work is expecting a baby and I bought material to make a blanket predicting it would be a girl. Today I found out that I was the only one who guessed correctly and the little princess will be born in about six months. I better get busy because she will be arriving before I know it.
Thanks, Sue, this is so much fun!
I love best press, you are very right about making blocks behave nicely…..and those forked pins……..I press open so they work great…except the last class I taught I gave mine all away so I’m out of them now……….so I have to win. What am I working on………a selvage project and a version of a feathered star quilt.
Karen L
bklang at agwireless dot net
How fun are you!!!
I am new to quilting. I am working on a block for the block of the month for a group that meets monthly. It’s piecing. I thought I would not like to do piecing, but’s it’s not bad. I really enjly paper piecing.
I don’t actually have anything I was PLANNING on starting soon – but I will be helping my neighbor quilt hers when she finishes (she’s had the fabric for 10 years!) and I have pieces cut for a quilt I intended to give, but realized it was too complicated for my time frame. It involves half circles…I may be calling you to find out what the heck these directions are saying!!!
Thanks for the opportunity!
I’ve been cleaning my mom’s house, so I’ve been lax on sewing…but what is on the schedule is to complete a project for my niece – she works with autistic kids so I found a panel in my stash that she can use as a matching project. I made part of the panel as the base and then I cut up the other section into blocks. It is a lot of quilting since I want her to be able to wash everything as necessary. It should be fun for her kds!
Wow the number of comments is growing! I’m only working on the Miranda day bag right at the moment and trying to finish hand sewing the binding on a child quilt to give to local police dept. Then whenever my king size gets back from the quilter- I get to sew the binding on it! I always wondered about this Best Press stuff- it’s nice to hear others opinions about things.
OOps I forgot I have two backings to make ( I know more than one comment doesn’t count but thought I would add anyway!!
I am working on making a duvet cover–just got the top back quilted to a sheet, a baby quilt for no one in particular just to be ready. It’s sandwiched and pinned ready to be quilted, and shopping bags made from pillowcases. I love best press. I’m not so good at keeping bias seams unstretched; this works wonders for me. Congratulations on your anniversary.
I’m quilting on a quilt for the local library’s raffle. (Did I tell you my sister the the librarian?) Actually there are TWO quilt, one an antique reproduction, the other a blended type pastel quilt–the winner of the raffle can have their choice of either quilt, and I will keep the other. Thought it would encourage more people to buy tickets–have any thoughts on that??