More Slice Stuff

Here a couple of more designs from the Slice Fabrique. I used these cute "manly" Carter's onesies that I found at Marshall's. I finished these while in Washington with my fabulous friend, Ellen. It's a good thing that my SIL has custody of the Slice at this time, it's really addictive! I'll share some more of the projects from Washington in the coming days.

It's Finally Here!

Our Slice Fabrique, that is! My SIL and I purchased a Slice Fabrique Digital Fabric cutter at the Houston Quilt Show last month and it has finally arrived. You can see the info here, http://slicefabrique.com/. I just spent a couple of hours getting acquainted with it. By that I mean a couple of frustrating hours shredding copious amounts of fabric trying to figure out the best size to cut the fabric and the best place to position it on the board for cutting. Long story short, you need at least a 6 inch square piece of fabric even if you are cutting an eyeball for a mouse applique! Live and learn! It is a great concept and I hope to get much more proficient soon because the designs are so cute and the possibilities are endless!

The owl onesie is for our new great nephew. I never knew it could be so fun to sew for boys, but there are so many cute projects. I would love any recommendations of patterns or ideas that any of you would like to share.

And finally, thanks to my SIL for letting me have first dibs on the Slice ;)

Intervention, Please

Hi, my name is Gretchen and I'm addicted to Pinterest. If you have not joined Pinterest, I cannot stress enough the importance of doing so immediately. Go ahead, I'll wait, http://pinterest.com. You have to request an invitation and wait for a reply, but don't let this discourage you. It's worth the wait. Pinterest is a way of organizing and keeping track of all the neat things that you see online every day, all in one place. Another cool thing is that you can "follow" your friends, or complete strangers, if they consistently pin things that interest you. I have found it especially handy for keeping up with all the sewing and cooking ideas that I am inundated with daily. Give it a try, but don't say I didn't warn you! If you do join, look for me so I can follow you.

Mineral Wells State Park

Well, it's been a while and I have missed you all terribly! I am so sorry to have been so neglectful of my blogging responsibilities. I have had a lot on my plate in the last few months. My sister was critically ill during the summer and is finally recovered from surgery and Cyberknife treatment for a benign tumor near her C1 vertebrae. We have also had a birth and a death in our families. Needless to say, it has been a roller coaster of emotions around here. Things are finally returning to normal (whatever that is!) and I am looking forward to a happy, blessed holiday season.

HD and I like to go camping during this, our very favorite time of the year. A couple of weeks ago we joined my aunt and uncle for a couple of nights at Mineral Wells State Park. MWSP is about 30 miles west of Fort Worth and about 3 1/2 hours from our house. It was like a beautiful, different world! They had fall color on the trees and water in their lake! We had a great time sitting around the campfire visiting, eating and being schooled in the finer aspects of playing poker. Here's a link to a slide show of our trip, http://s939.photobucket.com/albums/ad232/spicewoodquiltingdiva/Mineral%20Wells%20State%20Park/?action=view&current=9dc159e1.pbw.

Thanks for your patience, it's good to be back!

Possibly the Fastest Quilt Ever!

I got this link from my friend, Ruth. It uses one jellyroll and takes under one hour to piece. I can't wait to try it! Check it out here, http://www.quilt-video.com/2011/02/18/jelly-roll-quilt-race-lasagna-quilt/.

Spicewood Sunset

I took this last night on the way home. We got a wonderful rain shower yesterday afternoon and and this was the result!

Sewing Machine Cover Tutorial

She's back! Bari J., that is. You may remember me raving about taking classes from Bari in Sisters last year. She is so talented, inspiring and fun. And generous. Today on Sew4Home she is providing a free tutorial on how to make a sewing machine cover. You can find it here, http://sew4home.com/projects/bed-linens/971-paris-apartment-sewing-machine-cover-guest-tutorial-by-bari-j. Sew4Home is a great resource for tutorials and free patterns. They are even having a giveaway of kit containing some of Bari's Paris Apartment fabric to make the identical machine cover in the tutorial.

Bari is also a passionate hand stitcher. She has a new website devoted totally to the art of embroidery. You can find it here, http://www.welovefrenchknots.com/.

Sew much inspiration, sew little time!