Thursday, September 29, 2011

Quilter's Pantry prepares for October

Hello everyone. 
It's been a very busy week at work. By the time I got home each night I was so tired all I felt like doing was sitting instead of quilting. I know you all have times like that too.  But, we are gearing up again with more energy to quilt, create and have fun!
We are looking forward to the leaves turning, the cooler temps, the beautiful clouds that come during fall, and to working on more quilts and guilty things. 

I know some are already following the count down until Christmas, and I am looking at the calendar to see that I still have 2 1/2 months to go!  All too soon that time frame will be cut shorter and shorter. So for those who have quilts to make or already have the quilt tops done and need them quilted --- check out Quilter's Pantry web site.  If you are one who doesn't quilt but would love to have a quilt to give as a gift ----check out Quilter's Pantry's web site. 

 




















For those just not ready to be thinking about Christmas here is a picture I took several years ago that is one of my favorites.  There is just something about the beauty that fall brings! 

And for those who are looking for someplace to go in October -- Jonesborough and the surrounding area has a two festivals going on for you to visit.  One is the National Storytelling Festival held in Jonesborough,TN. October 7 - 9 You can click on the link at the side and read all about it.  
There is also the Unicoi County Apple Festival.  October 7 - 8.
These two events take place on the same weekend, but you can attend both.
While you are in the area give us a call or drop us a comment and stop in for a visit!

No matter what your plans are for this last day of September and the first part of October, I wish you all well.  I'll be here with more  soon.

Happy Quilting!

Phyllis

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Good Morning





















Good morning everyone. Just wanted to stop in quick to wish you all a great day.
For those getting ready for Christmas here is just one of the quilts I made and that you can buy at Quilter's Pantry web site.
 Perfect for baby or toddler.

Happy Quilting everyone. And if you're reading this blog, but not yet a quilter - Have a great day too!

Phyllis

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Quilter's Pantry Tools of the trade

Hello all

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  I quilted on Sat and we went to visit some good friends today. It was nice to get away and relax in the Smokey Mountains of TN. Beautiful part of God's country!

For those who are new to quilting, watching this blog and want to learn to quilt and for those who just want to know the tools I use--- I've added a Tools of the Trade page listed above. I will be adding to it over time, complete with pictures, tips and tricks for using the tools.
I will also be adding hints tips and trick to quilting in general on that same page.

I hope you will find it helpful. If you have any questions let me know I'll try to help.

Til next time --- Happy Quilting!

Phyllis

Friday, September 23, 2011



















Another rainbow tonight during a rain shower. I saw the rain out the front window and the sun shinning out the back window so grabed the camera to capture the rainbow. It touched down in our back yard!   Still looking for pot of gold as it was not at the end of this one.
It is Friday and I actually have the weekend off.  Planning to quilt!  I have a Christmas wall hanging loaded into the longarm ready to go. I'll post pictures when it's done.
Have a great weekend.

Happy Quilting!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Good morning all.  This rainbow made a complete arc just off our deck last night after the rain storm.  We are blessed with our view and enjoy the chance to step out on the deck and relax from time to time.
Now, time to get back to quilting!  Have a great day everyone. More tips, quilts and quotes coming soon!

Monday, September 19, 2011

You Know You're a Quilter When...

Here you will read the many signs of being a quilter. So many little things we all seem to have, to do, to visualize, or to think that other's don't until they are quilters too (or live with a quilter). 
I've made this as a page also as I will be adding on to it over time. 
 
1) You have threads on all your clothes, even as they come fresh out of the dryer.
2) You have quilter's pins stuck in the sun visor of your car.
3) You see quilt blocks in the carpet at the doctor's office - or other public places
4) You see someone's outfit and want to use the fabric from it in your latest quilt.
5) You know it is o.k. to pet on fabric in the store.
6) You understand that a Fat Quarter is not a bad term
7) You have children who can tell you the names of quilt blocks.
8) You plan your vacation around a quilt show (or two)
9) You make sure you know where the quilt shops are in the area you are vacationing in
10) You take your sewing machine with you on your vacation.
11) You have a pad of paper and pencil, or pen next to your bed to write quilting related thoughts on when you wake up in the middle of the night.
12) You use the napkin in the restaurant to copy the quilt pattern of the quilt that hangs on the wall (Thanks Diane for that one!)
13) You think an iron makes a perfect Christmas or birthday gift! (Hint, hint)
14) You get a package in the mail of fabric pieces from someone you don't know at all and are thrilled.
15) You make sure you have your sewing machine and supplies ready to grab and take with you in the case of a bad storm and evacuation notice.
16) You have a pair of scissors in your purse. As well as pins, needles, thread, and pieces of fabric.
17) You carry a photo album around of all your quilts, but the kids/grandkids photos are at home.
18) You have a stash at your house and it's all legal.
19) You take down all the art work displayed on your walls and put up your quilts and wall hangings.
20) You can't drive past a quilt shop without stopping in.
21) You get asked if you are a quilter and you haven't said a word.
22) You get asked if you sew and you say, 'No, I'm a quilter'.  
23) You have several pairs of scissors and none are for cutting paper.
24) You understand: LQS, FQ, WIP, LOF, WOF, D9P, BOM, STD, HST, FMQ,  LAQ and more 
25) You laugh at the above because you know what I'm talking about and are ready to add your own!
 Let me know what yours are and I'll add them to the list! 
Happy Quilting

Friday, September 16, 2011

Fall is in the air at Quilter's Pantry

Fall is in the air with cool temps and a slight breeze. After a long week at work (my job when I'm not quilting or longarming - Walmart fabric Dept), where we did a total reset of the department I am sitting down with my feet up enjoying a cup of coffee and sharing my time with you.
I hope you all have had a great week at your work as well as in your quilting. I will drop in over the weekend and have more to share. 
The pic today is one of the quilts I made a couple of weeks ago. It was one of two I made start to finish in just 3 days!  I'm blessed with a husband (see "A Husband's Point of View" above) who made sure I ate and slept during those three days!  This quilt is a queen/king. The other one I made is a full/queen and pictures will be at a later date.
Rest time is over - time to start supper.
Catch y'all later!  Have a great evening.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

How to calculate yardage for binding


Here is the information I told you I would post tonight.  I hope you find it useful.  If you have questions, please contact me and I will do my best to help you out. 
 How to figure out how much binding you will need for your quilt when using the straight grain cut of fabric. 
This is how I figure mine out and how I help my customers figure out how much fabric to buy.
I hope it doesn’t sound too complicated.  If you ever thought you’d never use Algebra after high school, think again. We use it in quilting, you just may not have realized it.
There is a formula
L(2)+W(2)+10=TL ÷ 42 x 2.5 = Y  J
Let me break it down some:
L(2) +W (2) + 10 = TL   (total length of strip you will need.)
TL divided by 42 = TC (total cuts you will need out of a piece of fabric that is 42” wide
TC x 2.5 = Yardage needed  (Yards of Fabric you will need)

Now that you are scratching you head and going ‘Huh?”
Here is an example:  This is using a quilt that measures 45” x 60”

Take the length of your quilt twice: 60 + 60 = 120
Plus the width of your quilt twice: 45 + 45 = 90
Add an additional 10”.
So now you have 120 + 90 + 10 = 220
The total length of strip you will need will be 220”.
Now, take that 220 and divide it by the width of your fabric. I use 42 just to be safe, but it gives you some extra, which is fine.
220  ÷ 42 = 5.23850952  , Round that up to 6
You are going to need 6 cuts of fabric to make that 220” length.
Now if you cut your binding strip at 2.5 inches which is what I do,
Take the 6 x 2.5 and you get 15!
You will need 15” of fabric to make the binding to go around your quilt that is 45” X 60”

Here is a chart to help you even more, but not be as precise as figuring it out per exact size of your quilt. This chart also figures it at fabric that is 40” wide instead of 42”.

How to determine your yardage for                     straight grain binding


When you know the distance around the quilt and                                       the width of the binding


Cut Width of Binding
Yardage* Needed if the Binding Length in inches is:


(in inches)
Up to 150
150 - 200
200-350
350-450
450-500


1
 1/4
 1/4
 1/3
 3/8
 1/2


1 1/2
 1/4
 1/3
 1/2
 5/8
 5/8


2
 1/3
 1/3
 5/8
 3/4
 7/8


2 1/2
 1/3
 1/2
 3/4
1   
1   


3
 3/8
 1/2
 7/8
1 1/8
1 1/4


3 1/2
 1/2
 5/8
1   
1 1/4
1 1/3


4
 1/2
 5/8
1 1/8
1 1/2
1 1/2


4 1/2
 5/8
 2/3
1 1/4
1 5/8
1 3/4


5
 5/8
 3/4
1 1/3
1 3/4
1 7/8


5 1/2
 2/3
 7/8
1 1/2
2   
1 1/8


6
 3/4
1   
1 5/8
2 1/8
2 1/4


*These figures are based on using 40" wide fabric


Little Bears wall hanging

Hello everyone. Pic today is one of the latest wall hangings finished. This is a small wall hanging. Just perfect to fit in a small empty spot in your house or cabin!

I have a couple of busy days ahead of me in the regular job world. We are doing a reset in the fabric department. I will get back tonight to post a way to figure out how much fabric to buy for your bindings.  There is a simple math equation as well as a chart I hope to be able to share with you.  I know a lot of us don't like math, weren't good at it when we were in school, but have found we use it so much as quilters! Who knew math could be fun? 

Catch y'all tonight.
Have a great day!

Phyllis

Monday, September 12, 2011

It's a new day, a new week





















Hello one and all,
I appreciate all who have stopped by to visit my blog so far. Keep spreading the word to your friends and fellow quilters and to thier husbands. With the new addition of "A Husband's Point of View' page the blog has a rare insite to offer.
Today is a new day. Here in East TN the sky is blue, the air is crisp.  I was busy over the weekend with quilting and will share the work I got done in a day or two. Three more fall wall hangings!  Today's picture is a table runner I made a few weeks ago.
I've now started on a Christmas table runner - that may turn into a wall hanging.  There are times when a project gets a mind of it's own and just grows. 
I am also working on some pot holders.  
I hope you all have a great day and as my husband often tells people - remember two things if nothing else today - God loves you and so do I. 
----Phyllis ----

Sunday, September 11, 2011

We remember

Good morning all. Ten years ago today we, the country and the world changed. It wasn't just the USA that was affected. Many people from other countries also lost loved ones that day in the attack.We all remember. We know where we were when we heard the news, saw the horror of the attack. We all stood, sat, cried, talked to each other, we were speechless, we cried some more, and we prayed. 
Today - we remember. We stand, we sit, we cry, we talk to each other, we are silent, we cry some more..... let's remember to pray. May God bless you, your family, the families who lost loved ones, our country and the world. 
 

Saturday, September 10, 2011

It all started when....

Good morning and welcome to the weekend!  

I thought I'd take a moment to show the first quilt project I made.  This was a wall hanging I made called "Spools"  The pattern was actually for a queen size quilt (one of Walmart's quilt of the month), but I just did the nine blocks of it. I did this in memory of my Mom who was a seamstress, the spools remind me of her.
When I finished this one my husband asked if I could make a quilt for our grandson.  So my second quilt was one I designed, did other techniques in making and the rest as they say is history! (I'll share the second quilt on another day -- gives you something to look forward to )

Thus the added list of the day ---- 

You know you’re a quilter when…
1)   You have thread everywhere in your house, laundry, car, on your clothes...
2)   You have quilting pins stuck in the visor of your car
3)   People ask if you sew and you say, "No, I'm a quilter."
4)   Everyone knows you are a quilter even though you never say a word
5)   You buy fabric for no particular purpose, but know you just ‘have to have it’
6)   Your coffee table book(s) are about quilts
7)   All the magazines in the house are quilt related
8)   You make sure you have enough fabric in the house for a project to work on while you have no power or are snowbound for a few days.
9)     You know that a fat quarter is not a bad thing
10) You have learned a whole new language and find it amusing when you start talking ‘quilteze’ people, who aren’t quilters, look so lost. – So you teach them!
11) You’re not actually quilting you are on the internet looking for fabric, patterns, tips, or have joined in a quilting forum or two or three
  12)    You follow blogs about quilting or quilters
13) You have learned how to hide the fabric you just bought
14) You plan your vacation around a quilt show
15) You plan your vacation and make sure there are a few quilt shops to visit
16) Have part of your house or a full room or have built on to the house to hold your quilting passion –(Sewing machine, longarm, fabrics, tools….. )
17) You look at people’s clothes and think what a great quilt the fabrics would make
18) You see quilts in flooring, ceiling tiles everywhere you go.
19) You take down photos and other art work to make room to hang your quilts
20) You eat, sleep, dream and think in quilts!

There are so many more --- I’ll add as time goes on, or send me yours and I’ll add them too!

Happy Quilting!

Phyllis