These are a Few of My Favorite Things...

I know the Christmas Holidays are past, but I'm still in the "Favorite Things" mode, so I thought I'd share some of my very favorite products and why I love them! I've used all of these things in my video tutorials, and (heads up!) next week I will be releasing a new video that will splash a few more nifty notions your way! By the way, I've linked each product description below to my shopping page where you can read more information about each one.

First up...Clover's Straight Awl. An awl is typically used for piercing holes in things like leather, paper, etc., but I use it at the sewing machine to help keep my fabric edges held together and to guide the fabric under the presser foot. The point is so sharp that it acts as well as a pin to hold things together. I keep it in my hand most of the time when I'm stitching!

2. Olfa's 28mm rotary cutter. This is the one to go to for precise trimming and cutting. Great for paper piecing or trimming quilt block units to size.

3. The Frixion's Iron-off Marker! I use this pen for all sewing applications from garments to quilts to accessories (bags, etc.) I even use it at the long arm quilting machine and keep my iron handy to remove the lines after I have quilted them!

4. Fons and Porter's Glue Stick. Keep your fabric where you want it until you stitch it in place. Enough said.

5.  Applique´ Scissors by Havels help so much when I'm trimming the fabric away from applique´ pieces, or any time I need to trim layers.

6. One of my oldest and most useful notions in my sewing room is the Dritz Ezy Hem. See how I use it in the Sentimentalities video! (Posting first week of January.)

7. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love Monopoly thread! This versatile product shows up (well, not really, because it's invisible!) in so many of my quilting projects! I use it for applique´ and quilting. Because it becomes the color of the fabric it's stitched on, it lets your fabric be the star of the show! (Added advantage: mistakes don't show!) My machines love it so much, not like the old nylon threads we used to use.

8. The Point 2 Point turner by Clover is relatively new to the sewing scene, but it's a new love! Touted as the Swiss Army Knife of point turners, I still haven't discovered its many uses!

9. A wonderful addition to my ruler stash, the 9º Wedge Ruler by Marilyn Doheny has so many uses! I have made several quilts with this ruler and, again, I'll show you how easy it is to use in the upcoming Sentimentalities video!

10. Last, (for today) is the beautiful Hexagon Ruler from Marti Michell. Marti is a master of rulers, and this one is no exception.

Thanks for stopping by, and may God bless you in the new year! I'll be posting a new video tutorial for you right after New Year's Day! Don't want to miss a thing?? Sign up for my RSS feeds (email updates) at right and receive notices of each post! If you like this post, please share!

Love,

Maxie

A Shortcut for Adding Borders to Quilts

I usually add borders to my quilts.  I don't know about you, but by the time I have the interior finished, I'm mentally ready to be finished and on to the next project! The proper way to measure for a border strip is to measure the quilts center to find the length needed for the strip. Measuring this way will ensure that the quilt is brought back into 'square' if the sides are slightly different in lengths. Even a very small difference on each side will prevent the quilt from laying flat and square, and give your long arm quilter a few intense moments.

If I'm adding two borders, this means a lot of measuring and cutting at the cutting table. I measure the quilt's center with a tape measure top to bottom...move to the cutting table and cut the borders for the sides. Sew them on and repeat the measuring and cutting, etc. I've discovered a little bit of a shortcut that cuts at a couple of steps out of the process!

First of all, let me show you a really great shortcut for the initial cutting of the borders!

Enter my Accuquilt Go! Cutter and the 2 1/2" strip die (oh yeah, this will cut my binding, too)! I've just added Accuquilt products to my quilt shop, A Stitch in Time, and I'm in love! There are tons of different dies available and the basic strip cutters are must haves!

So, on to applying the borders. After I've sewn the strips together as needed for a ball park length, I simply lay the quilt on the floor (if it's too big for my work table), and lay the first two border strips across the center of the quilt. Next, I slip a rotary mat underneath the edge of the quilt so that I can cut my borders at the perfect length right there! Skip the measuring tape, skip moving to the cutting table to cut the strips, skip forgetting what the measurement was and re-measuring...twice...just cut them and sew them on! Press them and lay the quilt back down and place border strips across the opposite center for the next two borders. I'm cutting the first two strips in the picture below.

Voila! Borders made easy! Thanks for visiting! God bless.

Honeycomb Mug Rug Video Tutorial!

Hello! Today I have a great gift idea to share with you. Christmas is just around the corner, but these are great for anytime giving (to yourself, too!). And they are lightening fast to make, I promise! I bet you know someone that would love to have one of these sweet mugs with its matching Honeycomb Mug Home!

The fabrics pictured are from my daughter’s (Bonnie Christine) collections, designed for Art Gallery Fabrics.

Know what makes these little quilts so fast to make? There is no binding to sew on! Look closely and you’ll see that it certainly looks like traditional binding on the edges, but not so...watch my short video tutorial and I’ll show you how easy it’s done. You can make a set of 4 in an evening! Bonnie and I have a free, downloadable pattern here, if you’d like a printed hexagon template.

You can order the mugs online in Bonnie’s Society 6 shop. You’ll find many of her fabric pattern designs available there, printable on a variety of products. Here’s how to order:

• Look at the available mug patterns, then look at her fabrics.
• Choose two fabrics that coordinate (for front and back of your mug rug). Be sure to choose fabrics that are also available as a mug.
• Place your mug order with Society 6, (usually ready to ship out in about 2 business days) and place your fabric order with A Stitch in Time (same day shipping).

As soon as your fabric arrives, whip out the mug rug. When your mug arrives, you’re ready!
You’ll love the quality of the mugs, too! They are dishwasher and microwave safe.

You will be able to make three mug rugs from two different 1/3 yard cuts. (Total of 2/3 yards.) Choose one for the top, and one for the backing and binding.

Additional Supplies:

• Glue Stick (See my products page).
• Spray Starch or Starch Alternative (I prefer Flatter).
• 1/3 yard medium weight cotton canvas for inside the mug rug. (optional)
• Cotton batting
• Coordinating thread
• Marking Pen for fabric (See my products page)
• General Quilting Supplies
• Hexagon ruler (optional)

Enjoy making mug rugs! It's a great way to practice your machine quilting, too! If you like my video, please be sure to subscribe to my youtube channel and post pictures of your mug rugs on instagram tagging us @maxiemakes and @goinghometoroost! God bless!

Welcome to my little space!

Hello! Welcome to my little space! I hope you'll always feel at home while visiting with me. This is a new adventure for me, though the bones of it are deeply rooted in my life. This is a blog about being creative. We all have a primary element of creativity, God given by the Creator himself, in His image. For me, that means a lot of quilting and sewing, and a bit of other aspects of creativity as well...crafting, cooking, decorating, etc. I've been a sewist for most of my life, before marriage, throughout my children's lives, and now my grandchild. I became a quilter about 15 years ago and opened a quilt shop in 2005 in our little Appalachian town in North Carolina. So, come along with me for this ride and let's see where we go! I've taught sewing and quilting for years, not only in my shop, but at our local community college. I'm happiest when I'm sharing and observing as my students enjoy learning and building their skills. I hope to nurture creativity in you, any kind of creativity, but expect a lot of quilting and sewing! I welcome your questions and suggestions for posts, too!

I'll share video tutorials (several are coming soon!), unique patterns and sewing tutorials, tips and techniques! I'm especially excited about the videos I'll be sharing! So, today, I'd like to begin by sharing my sewing studio with you and how it came to be!

First of all, let me share with you (like any proud mama would) that one of my two daughters is a fabric designer! She is Bonnie Christine, and she designs for Art Gallery Fabrics. She's one of the driving forces behind me and much of my inspiration! She and I came together to design my studio, using one of her floral designs for the paintings.

This is me, painting the flowers on my slat board wall. Bonnie worked with her design on the computer to make it fit the corner of my board. Then she projected it onto the wall with a projector! It was almost like painting by numbers. I have to say that her computer image looked much better than my painting, but, in the end I had a rose!

Bonnie's painting is below. Her's looked much better than mine, but, in the end we had two roses!

And here is the finished room! Add Koala Cabinets, Baby Lock sewing machines, a few supplies and our studio was ready for filming (and sewing, he he he!). Look for upcoming videos from this very spot. Please stop by again soon!

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