Monday, January 28, 2013

AccuQuilt Now Offers GO! Custom Dies!!!!

Oh, heart be still!  I'm am swooning!  Custom dies for the GO!  I've been dying for this option since the beginning of my GO! die obsession!  You'd better believe I hopped on that bandwagon as soon as I opened the e-mail notification.

I've been especially craving a die for my FQs that I can cut multiple shapes from in one pass for my scrappy quilts.  I love me my scrappy quilts!  Yep, I've already submitted my prototype (using my trusty EQ7 program) -- here it is:



I know you're eyeing that 1/2" strip and going "hmmmm" since there would be nuttin' left over after 1/4" seams, but they will be used in string quilts and I will use tiny seam allowances.  I didn't want anything to go to waste.

The overall size of the blades will be 8-1/2" wide by 21-1/2" long, so I'll just have to fold my FQs in half once and I can cut 3 FQs in one fell crank.  I didn't want to make it 9" x 22" in case the FQs are cut a smidge too small.  So whatcha think?

I think I'm in looovvveee!
Suzy

P.S.  I see another FQ die in my future utilizing brick shapes and half-square triangles...(*fans self*)

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Setbacks...and Playing Catch-Up

Whew...that was a long blog break.  I've been outta commission in one way or another for longer than I thought.  First was the ribs thing...and just as I was getting all healed up, bam, I messed up the tendons in my left arm and shoulder.  Man!  The pain was worse than labor pain...no lie!  At least with labor pain, you get the slight reprieve between contractions -- not so with this kinda pain!  So after dr. visits and quartizone (sp?) shots and pain meds, I was finally feeling up to snuff again and just in time for my trip up north to spend three weeks over Christmas with my sister and her family.  It was a great visit, up until a week before I left and then, bammm, a lousy cold.  I blame my brother-in-law, he started it.  Then I got home and the cold kept getting worse and worse.  Finally dragged my stubborn butt to the dr's and what do you know -- bronchitis, strep throat, sinus infection and TWO ear infections.  Jeez, can a girl get any luckier?

Anyway, I'm doing much better now, although I still have a lingering cough.  Hope that's it for me in the poor health department for the remainder of the year.  LOL!

On the sewing front, nothing got done while I was out of commission; except for one good week at my sister's when they were at work and my niece was in school.  That's when I managed to get quite a few Farmer's Wife blocks done.  I'm now in the mid-50's!!!!  Honest, I will post pictures soon on that.  :o)

My Easy Street sat stagnant at the four patches (first step), until recently.  Now I'm caught up on all the parts and am starting to put it together.  I have the four corner units done and one of the side units.  I'm getting there!  I'm loving how it's turning out and the final quilts that everyone is posting are gorgeous!

I'm also working on a mystery lap-sized quilt that I had a workshop for this past weekend.  Just have the borders to put on.  It was a fun class and we didn't know what we were getting fabric-wise as all the kits were in brown paperbags.  I'm happy I got oriental fabrics, but not sure yet if I like how they play together.  I'll have to let it marinate.  If I still don't love it, I'll donate it to our guild charity.  Here's a pic of it layed out while it was still awaiting row construction:


Well, that's it for now.  Hope you all are healthy and happy in this New Year!
Suzy