Sunday Stash: Wish

Man today's a tough one to get motivated to write.  We spent the day in Sisters/Redmond/Prineville yesterday.  It was the first actual day off I have had since January.  It really frustrates me when people assume that because I don't work in the shop during the week (I have a 40/hr/wk job) that I have more time off than the folks who do.  I have substantially less time off, actually, because all my shop work I have to do after hours.  When things are normal, which they are beginning to normalize again, and I do have a weekend off it doesn't always coincide with when John is free.  So we took full advantage of  the day and headed east.  It was a blast. It is SO pretty out there, and so quiet.  It's a nice little escape from the constant buzz.  More to come on the trip back out east, because yes, I did visit some shops.  And yes...I bought the things. 

I'm trying to write but I am also getting sidetracked by tunes on Youtube.  Found a new band I am liking so far, Lords of the Lost, so I'm a bit engrossed in that.  I love music.  While I have found very few people (in the non-internet world) that share my taste, it fuels my day.  I wish I had more musical talent.  I really have none.  You never want to hear me sing unless you want to rupture your own eardums. 

But anyway, a few weeks ago I noticed Wish had fabric.  I swear to God that site has literally everyone a person could want, and even stuff people shouldn't want (UH THEY HAVE METH PIPES ON THERE JUST SAYING) but I couldn't help but notice...fabric. It was $1 for 50 4"x4" pieces and they had a free shipping promo soooooo yeah I bought that and some other stuff.

I'M GALADRIEL Y'ALL.  I. AM. 

I mean, basically. Ish.  

But the fabric arrived the other day.  50 pieces of scrappy goodness with a little of every color. 

Pretty traditional stuff by and large, except the Louis Vuitton knock offs...and the quality is about what I expected.  It's not even remotely a nice greigh good on these:

Yes...there is gapping in the weave.  It's a little rough.  I would not buy yardage of this to use in a quilt.  But these little scrappies will be just fine. 

Like I said before, it is largely traditional stuff...except this gem which is my ultimate favorite piece in here, I was super stoked when I saw it, and yes, despite the greigh goods I WISH I HAD MORE:

NOICE.

I immediately thought of Key and Peele.  

I am considering using all these pieces together and calling it good.  I'm not sure I want to mix them in with the nicer stuff?  I don't know.  I probably won't get to it for a while!

Product Review: Bohin Two-Sided Chalk Pencil

Another week, another marking utensil review.  So this one happened in the spur of the moment.  Dad left the other day from work having shortness of breath and discomfort (he is fine now, don't worry), bt it just so happened that I found out on my way to the shop for one of our group meetings.  Cancelling wasn't an option at that point, and Mom and John were already on their way to the ER to meet him, so I hung out for updates.  My plan was to go to the ER after the group left, and of course this was the ONE TIME I didn't have a phone charger with me or my sewing kit.  So I made an embroidery pattern on the fly, and we had one of the Bohin Two-Sided Chalk Pencils out as a tester.  So I used it. 

Specs

• Wooden, two-sided pencil
• White and red chalks
• Cost: $1.25

Pros

• Awesome visibility for both colors

• Thick chalk is difficult to break even with significant pressure
• This stuff stays where you want it. You can rub on it with your finger, and it stays pretty well, little to no smudging. 

Cons

• It is thicker than a regular pencil, so a standard sharpener doesn't work very well. 
• Chalk is thick, not ideal for detail work
• It's a little more work to remove than your standard chalk.  On my test piece, the white came of with cold water and a little dabbing, but the red was more challenging - I had to use a little white vinegar mixed with the water.  

Conclusion
★★★★☆
This might be my new go-to.  I have been working on that embroidery regularly since I made it last Monday, and the lines are still clear and bright.  I wish the red was easier to remove, but for how well it stays I think I can tolerate the minor inconvenience. 

Sunny Day Sewing

Saturday was a sloooow day at the shop.  It's April in Oregon, the sun was out, and it was reasonably warm.  People got out to enjoy it while they could...because it's April in Oregon.  It could rain any second and not stop for days still.  So I got the pleasant surprise of a little in-store sew time.  That like, never happens.

So Market stuff is rolling in.  Man, I cannot WAIT for Market!  It's in Portland this year and boy, it is something to see. Which, you'll see some here, but I am getting ahead of myself.  

Anyhoo, distributors are starting to send all their pre-Market stuff, and occasionally there is a freebie in there.  I don't know who sent this freebie, but they gave us Nine-Patch Revolution, 20 Modern Quilt Projects by Jenifer Dick and Angela Waters. Holy shit y'all, THIS BOOK.  Even if modern isn't your thing, you will probably find something you like in here.  Seriously.  I am not easily impressed by most quilt books (I might find two or three quilts I like but the rest are meh) but this one is solid.  there are several I want to make!

But one got me.  I turned the page and said "Wow." out loud.  

It has such a vintage feel but with a modern twist.  I love it, and had to make it.  You KNOW I love the orange, but this will end up as a sample, and man there is no color more divisive than orange!  I have never known anyone to be like, "orange is okay."  It's either vocal love or vocal hate.  I liked the idea of a print in there too, but I just couldn't find a print I like to take the place of orange that wasn't just competing all over the place with the pattern.  So I opted to go green with a white-on-white background:

I am in love.  I cannot wait to see how the rest turns out! 

Finished! Kinda. Spring Wall Hangings

So I am cheating a little.  These babies are done-ski and hanging in my cubicle.  I have been busy fixing my sewing room, and these were sewn and quilted before I got the "bright idea" to reorganize.

So I was rooting through my scrap bin and found the sheep...then the lion.  I have no clue why they were there, being panels and all, but they were.  I was in need of some Spring in my very beige cube, so I grabbed some other scraps and got to work!  Both are quilted now and bound in black.  Yay for small victories!  

Product Review: Hemline Water Erasable Marking Pencil

I like to embroider, so I am always on the lookout for good marking pens.  When I am marking sewing lines when I am piecing, air soluble is just fine, but for the time it takes for me to get embroideries done, water soluble is the way to go. 

So I gave these babies a try: The Water Soluble Marking Pencil by Hemline

Specs

• Twist style marking pencils
• 3mm
• Blue and White options
• Cost: $1.25 apiece, when sold in the bin and not individually packaged

Pros

• They twist up so the "lead" is always protected
• Blue: Highly visible
• White: See cons
• Inexpensive
• Wash away cleanly

Cons

• They are wide enough that they are not good for detail, and they are blunt
• They deplete quickly, and the "lead" is fragile
• White: It doesn't show up very well, and wipes off very easily.  I used it on a very deep gray background and it was only barely visible _ even pressed hard enough to snap the "lead"
• Blue: Rubs off on your hands very easily, and takes a little persuasion to wash away (though it does ultimately wash away cleanly)

Conclusion
Blue: ★★★☆☆
White: ★☆☆☆☆
Overall: ★★☆☆☆

The white is terrible, to be honest.  I got rid of mine.  But the blue is pretty decent, though, I wish it didn't smudge so easily!  For $1.25 though, it is still a good buy.  Save this marking pencil for your less detailed embroideries, lettering, and sewing lines. 

It's been nuts.

I know, it's been quiet around here. 

It's not that I haven't been doing anything...I mean, I have, but it's largely been trying to get over this god awful funk I caught.  I GOT COCKY.  While everyone else in the office was getting the creeping crud, I made the error of saying out loud that I haven't caught it yet.  Well.  I did.  And did I.  Every time I get a cold, I have a very high chance of getting a sinus infection because I am lucky like that.  And that is exactly what happened.  I got the sinus infection from hell.  Usually with a little neti potting (gross, I know but boy it works) and ibuprofen, I can treat it on my own.  This time, no such luck...it was a doozy. My nose has finallly stopped running at inconvenient and socially embarrassing moments though.

So I spent a significant amount of time home  a few weeks ago because I couldn't kick the fever before I gave in and went to the doctor.  I hate staying home because I am one of those weirdos that has to be doing all the time.  I'LL REST WHEN I'M DEAD.  So while I was home sick, I decided I couldn't just sit there like a sniffling lump...I binge watched history documentaries, napped, and embroidered.

I have gotten like, super into embroidery.  Am I great?  No.  Do I know tons of stitches?  Ehh...in theory sure, but in application...not so much... But I do really enjoy it, and I love learning new stuff.  My stem stitch where once really shitty has gotten a lot better.  My back stitch is pretty decent too.  One you get the hang of it, there is a definite rhythm.  And it wouldn't be me if my embroideries weren't a little attitude-y.

Of course...not everyone who has tried embroidery has taken to it...

It's also been quiet because (after I got over the hideous funk) I got asked to assist with organizing and cleaning Mom's sewing room.  It is a gargantuan task, and somewhat of a challenge because she and I are on opposite ends of the organizational spectrum.  We have very, very different methodologies, and when what works for you doesn't always work for the person you are organizing for...whelp, it's tricky.  We managed though!  It's looking really good in there, and I think another weekend will do the trick.  I really hope the new forma works well for her. It's off to a good start anyway!  I should have taken before and after pictures, but I didn't think about it. 

It inspired me to tidy up mine, because it looked like a tornado went through it.  I am not the tidiest person in the world (my living room is always in a clean, but uh, "lived in," state) but I cannot stand it when my work spaces are messy.  I overwhelms me big time, and my sewing room was awful.  I bought a new bookcase, and for the first time in nearly four years I was able to unpack my seasonal fabrics and get them set out - five boxes worth!

 New storage?  Check.

 Reorganized fabric?  Check.

 Corralled scraps into the Scrap Heap of Doom/Black Hole of 2.5" strips (left)?  Check.  

Isabelle (BFF) got a Cricut and was psyched to test it out.  I benefited from this with bitchin new metallic labels.

I still have work to do.  I mean, I can't cut and I have nowhere to sit. 

Until I get this mess fixed, I can't really sew.  Nothing like motivation!

Product Review: Judy Gauthier's Maker Tape

Gonna keep this short and sweet...here's the second of the ruler grippers I tested.

Specs

• Two rolls of rough, plastic tape
• Cost: $4.99

Pros

• Multipurpose - good for more than just being a frictional surface on a ruler or template
• Very repositionable, without residue
• Isn't tacky or sticky in the way silicone is - won't collect dust
• Lots in a pack
• Ruler stays PUT.  

Cons

• It is translucent bordering on opaque, so if you are using it on a ruler where you need to see the fabric underneath to line up a measurement, your view may be obstructed. 
• You need to use more than just an inch or two for the roughness to do its thing.

Conclusion

★★★★★

This stuff rocks, and for under $5, it is a GEM.  I just wish it were more transparent like the dots are!  But...no lint.  But this was a really effective solution for curing the slidy ruler problem, and can be used for other tasks too. I do love a good multi-tasker, so 5 stars!  Get you some!

Product Review: The Grace Company TrueGrips

Slidey rulers piss me off.  As I think they probably do most people trying to cut fancy shapes and curves.  Nothing sucks worse than having a rules slip mid-cut.  It's why I vastly prefer Creative Grids to Omnigrid.

There are a lot of different solutions to this problem, and I will review one this week, and another next week.  This week?

Specs

• 30 adhesive grippers
• Clear, silicone-esque material
• Cost: $5.95

Pros

• THE STICK IS REAL.  When you put these on you ruler, they stay stuck.  I mean sure, you can re-position them, but they have a hell of a stick
• I tested this on a straight ruler and on a curve ruler.  RULER DID NOT BUDGE.
• They are clear, so do not obstruct your view of the fabric position in relation to measurement lines (if used on a ruler where that might be important; less important for some templates)  

Cons

• The pack I had did not have the small and large grippers fully cut through, and I damaged a couple trying to separate them
• These are slightly tacky on account of the silicone-ish texture.  Do collect dust and thread bits.  

Conclusion

★★★★☆

They work exactly as advertised, and much better than I had expected.  They work very well, but boy, the lint is REAL.