Tool Time Tuesday...Quilt/Blanket Spike

Happy Tuesday! This week's Tool Time is from the hardware store in the tarp/painting section. If you passed by these little gems, would you think quilting, picnicking or the beach? Well, I did...a long time ago. We use these spikes every year at the beach. They hold down all four corners of our blanket or sheet. Just push them right down into the sand. A normal person would use these to hold down painting tarps, but on Tuesdays I'm not normal LOL!




These are 10 inches long, but they do come longer. I think they were about $2.00 each.



All you need is a spike and a length of ribbon (for each corner) and your quilt for a picnic or a blanket for the beach.

I used a piece of ribbon that was about 24 inches long. Fold it in half.

Place the fold on the wrong side so the fold faces towards the inside of the quilt and the tails of the ribbon are facing out.

Like this...sew in place.

Run the ribbon through the hole in the top of the spike.

Tie a knot or a bow and now you are ready to push the spike into the ground or the sand. This will hold down your quilt or blanket in any wind.

See that little hook on the side of the spike...you could also use a grommet on the corners of your quilt and this hook will latch onto the grommet. The grommet idea is in place of the ribbon.

You can also use suspender clamps or the clips from a name badge. You can find the suspender clamps in the notions section and the name badge clips at the office supply store.

Open up the suspender clamp...

place the teeth on the edge of the quilt and...

clamp it closed.

Slip in your ribbon through the ring and

tie it to the spike.

The name badge clip does the same thing.

Remember this Tool Time post I did a while ago. I used galvanized spikes to organize my ribbon. Well I used these spikes for this idea too.

These spikes are only 65 cents a piece.

Easy to drive into the ground and tie your quilt to.

I wish I could demonstrate how the spikes work in the ground, but this is how our yard looks. We had a storm Saturday and Sunday and we have 14 more inches of snow coming tonight.

I thought I would share this idea with you now just in case you were making a quilt for someone for this spring or summer. When you're done, you can just add the ribbon and buy 4 spikes. Place the quilt in a picnic basket or beach bag for a wonderful gift set.

space

I hope you enjoyed this idea and remember...when you're in the hardware store, always think twice when you're looking at something and think outside the box...or just give me a call and I'll come shopping with you!

space

Have a great Tuesday,

~Karen~

I Need Your Opinion...

I think I might take the plunge into selling some of my handmade items. However, I have a dilemma...well, not really a dilemma, but more of a business question.

When I walk into a fabric store or a quilt shop, I LOVE it ALL. I really do love all fabrics, but I'm drawn to certain ones more than others and continually buy the same type.

I love Moda's 3 Sisters (absolutely everything they've ever made)...






I swoon over all Moda's French General...








and so many others.

Then there are the trendier fabrics like Amy Butler that I love, but never buy...not sure why.

April Cornell...beautiful, but still never buy.

Other modern fabrics are Joel Dewberry and Kaffe Fassett. I think they're great, but for some reason they never end up in my stash. Maybe because they are out of my comfort zone or they're not the style of my home...not sure why.

So here's the question for you (whether you sell your own creations or not)...

• Do I make things to sell with fabrics that I love and I'm drawn to?


• or do I make things with trendy modern fabrics to please more people?


• or make things with both?

My thinking is a certain look for my whole shop...color, style, etc. Do I stay with a "look" or mix it up to fit a broader group of people.

Does this make any sense or am I rambling...ok that's another question LOL. I'll stop now!

Thanks for your input. I can always depend on my blogging friends.

~Karen~

I'm Guest Posting...

Madame Samm at Sew We Quilt @ Stash Manicure invited me to guest post today! I would love it if you could hop over for a visit. I have tips for organizing your stash and a tutorial for an endless scarf...quick, easy and uses one yard of fabric. Great to start making those gifts for...dare I say...Christmas!

Stash Manicure is a great site filled with guest bloggers and wonderful ideas from Madame Samm, so have fun roaming around!

Here's the link to the Stash Manicure blog...click here

Here's the link directly to my post...click here

Have a great day,
~Karen~

Tool Time Tuesday...Lasting Templates

Happy Tuesday! Today's Tool Time is a recycler too! Whether you are a crafter, quilter or some one who sews (notice I didn't say sewer, because that can go either way if you know what I mean LOL)...we all have paper templates that we use. Most are on flimsy paper that don't last too long. Today I'll show you a quick way to recycle and make your templates last longer. I'll also show you how to make these 2 cuties pictured below from a hexagon flower template. The first is a note card that you can tuck in with a package or gift and the second is a needle case.

It's after the holidays and I know we all have these...gift boxes and more gift boxes!!

Why not use the boxes that might be a little dented or crushed to help make your templates last forever!

I know I use Mod Podge a lot (because I love it), but regular white glue would work too.

Paint the Mod Podge onto the box...

Place your template down on the wet glue...(you may want to make a copy of your original template and keep the original for safe keeping. The glue might rip the template when wet. It hasn't happened to me, but not sure how thin your templates are.)

and then paint another layer of glue (Mod Podge) on top of that.

Here it is almost dry, but I was off to work before a better picture!

So here it is all dry. The Mod Podge acts as a sealer, so it has a nice plasticy coating to keep it clean and the card board makes it so sturdy. If you need it to be even thicker, you could always print your original template onto card stock first and then glue to the box.

Now for the fun part...doing something creative with this template. For crafters, I'm using double sided scrap booking paper. For those of you who have fabric busting out of your shelves...just take 2 of your favorite fabrics and use Heat and Bond to fuse the 2 fabrics, wrong sides together. Follow the directions on your Heat and Bond...Bond, Heat and Bond! (I couldn't resist. I just watch a James Bond marathon yesterday. Sean Connery is my favorite!) This will give you the same look as the double sided paper.

Now just place your super duper sturdy template on your paper or fabric.

Trace...I used a dark pen so you can see it, but a pencil would be less visible if you miss cutting some of it away.

You have to fold along the dotted lines, so pop over to this post I did on using a tracing wheel to help the process.

Crease along all your fold lines.

For the note card, just add your little message.

Start folding one petal over the other and then tuck the final one under the first one you placed down.

All set for your package, gift or just a little love note. If you want to keep the petals sealed and flat you can add a pretty little sticker to the center.

Here's the back side where you can write their name.

Instead of a love note...how about a needle case for your favorite quilter or sewing friend. They'll love it, especially if they are hand sewing a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt.

This Tuesday was the best of a lot of worlds...

• recycling
• saves your templates
• uses paper and/or fabric
• project is quick and easy
• and great gift idea

Have fun with this and Happy Tuesday,

~Karen~

Belated Wishes...We've Been Away

A very belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! We drove Christmas morning from New England to Florida to visit a few of our favorite friends.




Two days of driving, but we always stop here for our traditional picture. We had to drive further south on the first day to miss hitting the blizzard on the east coast. Normally we drive to Disney in the spring or summer...




so this is our first time at Christmas, but we didn't expect...

this! Yikes it was freezing...20 degrees and a wind chill factor I'd rather not mention.

We packed for all kinds of weather, so we were all set!

No matter the weather this is still a magical place.

Details are every where in Disney!

We all had such a great time...so I'll have more pictures to come this week. Just wanted to stop in and say hi and will catch up on emails this week. Unfortunately, we caught a stomach virus or the flu while we were there. Hubby had it on the last day and I had it on the ride home on Saturday. BAD!! Poor Courtney woke up with it this morning too. So happy we're home for her. Seems to be on an every other day schedule. Kelsie and Courtland are doomed I think!

Have a great day and stay healthy,

~Karen~