I was in Paducah Kentucky for Quiltweek last week. What a friendly place! I met a lady on the plane coming in and she was kind enough to bring me to the venue rather than me taking a cab. The quilts were beautiful and I met so many nice people at the show. I was able to drive out of Paducah and see some lakes and beautiful green areas. We ate at a few great restaurants - Flamingo Row and Jasmine, both had exceptional food. If you are in Paducah don't miss these two restaurants.
I stayed at "Maggie's House" that was eight minutes from the convention hall. I have always loved the name Maggie because it sounds so friendly. And believe me Maggie was friendly and she certainly knew how to laugh and made she me laugh too. She made my week. I can't wait to go back in the fall. Thanks for the hospitality Maggie!
This week found me short of batting for the quilt that I was making. I had some pieces so I used my new trick for piecing batting. There are several ways but the first is my favorite because it's so darn quick.
For either method the batting needs to be straight when joining the two together so use a rotary cutter and ruler straighten those edges. These methods work well with cotton or cotton/poly bats. I am not so sure about the polyester bats as I don't use them.
#1. Batting Seam Tape or Heat & Bond Hem Tape - width anywhere from 1" to 2"
a. Lay pieces of batting side by side, lining up the edges closely together
b. Apply tape using a steam iron with the fusible side down.
c. Press firmly for 10 seconds overlapping the previously fused area slightly.
#2. No Seam Tape? Try zig zagging
a.Lay pieces of batting lining up the edges closely together
b. If you have a edge joining foot, now is the time to use it
c. Change your sewing machine to zig zag testing the width with the foot
d. Join the two pieces together by sewing.
I believe I have mentioned the new spraying bottles when I first started my blog but it bears repeating.
These spray bottles are so much better than anything I have used in the past and you can find them for as little as $8.99. I can skip filling my iron with water and use the spray bottle. It has a great mist and my iron lasts longer because I am not putting any water into it.
I
I am frantically working on my granddaughter's quilt for graduation. The quilting is a lot more intense than I originally planned. You can see the markings but when I am done they will be gone. Wish me luck that I can finish!
Hopefully I will have a completed picture next week.
For now, I give you my Irish goodbye.
Rita
Recipe of the Week
Bloody Mary Mix
This recipe makes the best Bloody Mary!
9 C beef bouillon 1 tsp tabasco sauce
9 C water 3 tsp lemon pepper
1 C lemon juice 3 tsp celery salt
7 oz worchestershire sauce 3 tsp pepper
1 liter of vodka, pickel spear or celery stalk
Simmer and boil the above mixture. Once cool add 1 liter of vodka. Store in the refrigerator in covered container. Mix 1/2 glass of mixture with 1/2 glass of V8 juice. Add pickle spear or celery stalk for
“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” ― George Bernard Shaw