Goofs and Giveaway!

I had one of those days, I got a lot done, but not without the help of my furry buddies and a lot of mess ups.

First I cut up some more hexagons. This way I have plenty to work on, to get some progress done this weekend.
Of course Izzy had to check them out.



Then I got the idea to make an apple core runner for my dining bureau. I have a large penny rug on it now, but the cats get all over it and i need something clean I can put on, to set the dishes on. But my first try, I jammed the threads at the beginning. The second, I sewed two together nicely, then realized one core was backwards, so I tried one more and got it right. But, it made me realize that I need to take my time and it is too much to get done for Easter. Soooo, I decided to make a quickie runner. I got some nice fabric from my friend Kelley, perfect for a table cloth. I sewed two pieces together and planned on doing a blanket stitch with my machine, but then I changed my mind and went fancier. Machine sewing a design, takes a long time, lol. I have never done this before and I made a mess, but it will have to be good enough. At least I can put the dishes down on a clean runner.



This is a close up, you can see my bad stitching, guess I need to show it to my pfaff lady and have her explain to me, how to do it right;) I really need lessons, lol. The good thing is that the material is still good, so later I can take off the edges and still use the material in another project.



And then I got a start on Easter cleaning. I cannot vacuum without Casey wanting a clean up for himself. He likes to be vacuumed and playing ball while I clean. As I vacuum he throws the ball at me and if I ignore him, he will put it on the vacuum. I think it is the noise that gets him going, he is definitely a bit odd;)

And this is my 500th post! And I think it is time for a double giveaway! First prize will be a handmade item from me and the second winner will receive a free epattern. But, I will make you wait till saturday to find out what the prize will be. That will be the official contest day! I haven't quite decided, but I have a few ideas;) So make sure to come back Saturday and leave a comment!

Lazy day and warped dies!

I had a lazy day today, I did some cleaning and some baking, and then some stitching, but nothing big.
I am working on a stitchery heart and experimenting with fabric and ink markers, so that should be done tomorrow.

I am cleaning my sewing room, so I can work more efficiently and find things.
Over the year, I have been creating and throwing things around, now it is a total mess.
With my ribs, I can only do so much at a time, but getting there. I am using plastic boxes and pull outs drawers, so I can store, but get easy access, without making more clutter.

I can't blame the cats, they are not allowed in there. They do want to come in though, lots of things to get into and knock over;)
When I just had Dora, she was allowed in to help me sew, but now she is too obnoxious and the others would get jealous.
This is what happens when Dora helps, she has a fixation with eating things. She has also chewed off all the tips, on one of my fake plants. She will chew on anything, including needles, so I have to keep everything in tight boxes.



On the Accuquilt go front, I am still having problems. I had more free money, so I got the apple core die. It came and I noticed it was warped, so told the company I ordered from and they sent me a new one. The new one is warped, does to happen to others or is it just me? I got a replacement for the hexagon die and was cutting my new ones with the middle size and it bent?
So now I have two warped apple cores and two hexagons, each with a bent blade. Accuquilt's response to the warped die was, try it and if it works, use it. It makes it tough, since i ordered from Amazon and from different companies, otherwise I would send it all back at this point. Time to write a letter to accuquilt;)

My New GO Experience!

First of all, I am one of those people who buys something new and am the one person who gets the bad one, lol.
I am beginning to wonder if that is the case with my new Go.

I decided for Christmas to treat myself to a Go cutter by buying the machine and using my reward cards for the dies.
I received the cutter on one day and the dies the next, so was happy that they came so close together. I ordered the hexagons and strip cutter for borders. The first thing I realized is, you need different sized mats for different dies, so remember that when you order dies. Since I only had the square pad, I figured it was good enough to use on the hexagons, since it is a small mat.

I used the mat and it worked fine, but started falling apart. I am not sure if it is from the fact that it is larger than the hexagon die or I got a bad mat? But, the wear alone makes me wonder how long a mat will last. This is the mat, it is coming apart at the ends, don't think that should happen?



I was able to get to the store and get the right sized mat. I used it to cut a few hexagons, to make a small mat. This is what I cut.



This is how the mat looked, after cutting those hexagons. One problem I see is that the die has three sized hexagons on it and I am only using one. Wouldn't it be better if they put more hexagons of the same size on one die? It would be much more efficient, in my opinion.



Then, halfway through I notice my hexagons are crooked?



Now, I did nothing different, was cutting with the good mat and it just went from cutting fine to cutting with one bad side. So I looked at the die and this is what I saw. This happened while I was cutting, so I assume I got a bad die and it went while I was using it.



So, I mentioned it to Accuquilt and they said to call them. That would be fine if I didn't have coughing attacks and hate to talk on the phone. For some reason they do not want to respond to email? So, I emailed the company I ordered it from and in two days I got a new one. Now that was nice of them, since it is the company that usually replaces the item. I was very happy since I could cut again and work on finishing my piece.

So, my opinion about the Go cutter is still up in the air. I do love using it, it is fast and easy, I did not have to read directions or do anything special to use it. I had heard that it is hard to turn the handle and I do have arthritis, but found it turned easily, with all six pieces of fabric, so that is a plus in my book.

My doubts are with how long the mats will last. They are not cheap, so I expected them to last at least a year, we shall see. They do work with all the cuts in them, but I wonder if they will still cut nicely after a lot of use, we shall see on that, as well. I never received a reply from their web support, but they do answer on facebook. I guess I have to call if I want answers and a replacement mat for the first one.

My recommendation if you plan on buying a go is to buy from a local dealer if you can. Then if you have problems, you have someone you can go to. Online, I have a Notion is one place, I would trust for product satisfaction. Kelly also tests all of her products and is happy to help you with your selections. I also have to say, SewVacDirect is where I got my dies from and they replaced my die, no questions asked.

I am working on finishing my hexagon piece, so hopefully I will have it done in a few days. I have enjoyed being able to use the cutter to make a piece and save myself the trouble of hand cutting them.

Moki and Me!

Today I received a wonderful package from my friend Kelley.
She knows how much I love fabric and she sent me bundles of wonderful textile fabrics.
And, plenty of velvet to create with, so I will have fun with some art quilts and maybe some nice runners.
She also made me the beautiful cross stitch, I love the linen and floss she used, she does such beautiful primitive work.



And for the Moki lovers, here is Moki doing what he loves most, playing ball.



And for those of you who are thinking about getting a Go cutter, I finally broke down and got one this week. This is what I decided to try today. I just wanted something to keep my hands busy and try the new cutter. Tomorrow I will give you my review and photos and It is not all positive;)

Mindless sewing!

I was in a mood today, couldn't get into anything creative.
Yesterday we opened our tent trailer and discovered that mice have been living in there and found a dead one, ick.
So, no camping this year. I will have to sanitize all the surfaces and anything not attached gets thrown out and replaced.
We do need a new canvas, so we will wait till next spring and replace everything then.

Today, I putted around the house and then decided to play with my scraps and try some hexagons.
I found the template online and using freezer paper, traced them onto that and cut them by hand.
I found the templates at Moxy Ideas. You can find the downloads on the right side and you can get different sizes; I used 1.5. ( If I had a Go cutter, it would have been easier;)

I sewed them by hand and they didn't come out too bad. I just tried to match up my points and eyeballed the 1/4 sewing mark, which I am sure I was off on, lol. This is a good project to use up your scraps and sew them until you have enough for a quilt. Now, how to make them into a quilt so they square off, I have no idea, guess I need to find a pattern. I am sure I have a pattern for them in one of my books. I was just too lazy to look through them.

The pink ones was my first try. I was using some of my prim scraps. The second ones are from my, too bright and fun pile, so maybe I will go with that theme, with dots and floral dot types.