Mariner's Compass

School has started in most places but every school district seems to be operating by a different set of rules.  Our oldest grandson, Everett, started kindergarten this past week but his school is from home.  And school is continuing here at the studio; Debbie has been working on her t-shirt

Finishing up...

I got the Diagonal Stripe Table Topper finished – even quilted and the binding sewn on.  This table topper takes just one package of blocks (16).  Its a simple block but the foundations are great because they hold all four outside bias edges to the correct size.  It makes sewing it

Stripes!

If you noticed that I haven't posted anything for awhile, its mostly because of the fires and the heat we've been having here in Central Coast California.  Although we have not been directly impacted by the fires, we have been inundated with smoke.  And there I

T-shirt Quilts

Funny how things go...last night I replied to a post about a baby memory quilt and showed the picture above which is made from a baby's first year of t-shirts.   My friend, Debbie was here yesterday and is back again this afternoon working on a t-shirt quilt

Art Quilts

This quilt is of the oldest building in our little Mission town.  I love doing architectural quilts – they make you look at the details and appreciate them.   We had a great trip to Texas to see the kids, although it was way too short.  We always plan to get so

Scrap Quilts Re-visited

With our trip to Texas rapidly approaching (we are leaving on Sunday!), I thought I better put some projects together to take to work on.  Laura needs more foundation blocks for the background of her gorgeous Sea Turtle quilt we have been working on for over a year.  I got

Log Cabins and Hearts

How do you all get rid of flies in your patio area?  I don't want to use a chemical or spray and for years, I have had plants around the patio that I read were great for keeping mosquitoes away.  They have really worked!  But we like to

Curved Log Cabin Table Topper

This flower is from my garden.  I love this time of year when this dahlia begins to blossom.  There are more blossoms on the plant this year than ever before.  I like to think the extra time I have been spending out there is part of the reason.  I have

Gentleman's Fancy Table Runner & Other Goodies

I finally got the instructions for the Gentleman's Fancy Table Runner written and posted in the Free Instructions on our website.  All it takes is one package of six blocks ($5.95 + shipping) to make this runner.  This is a 12" block so you can make it

Curved Log Cabins

I was asked a few weeks ago if I had an uneven or Curved Log Cabin block, and as is so often the case, I have a lot of blocks already designed that I just have not had the time to get the samples made.  Obviously, I can't

Roman Stripes

I certainly hope they can get this Covid-19 thing under control.  We have pretty much stayed at home throughout this whole ordeal, other than to make the trips to the stores for necessities.  I refuse to let this get me down, and instead, choose to find the silver lining.  For

Dresden Plate Quilt

I hope you all have had a wonderful Independence Day Weekend.  The weather finally seemed like summer here, just in time.  We sat outside late Saturday night, looking at the beautiful full moon and listening to what sounded like a war zone with the fireworks and such.  I'm

Seasonal Projects

With the uptick in Covid-19 positive tests, we are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible.  I have found that quilting has helped keep me sane these last few months.  Quilting and gardening.  This has given me some time to get a few projects done that always are

Neapolitan Swirl

After getting this quilt put together, as with every other quilt, I needed a name for it.  The family almost always have opinions and names to offer but I loved Laura's suggestion – Neapolitan Swirl.  Reminded me of my favorite ice cream as a kid. This quilt really goes

Free Patterns! (2.0)

Yes, I know that is what I named my last blog but I have actually got a couple of things posted on the Instructions page on our website.  It was brought to my attention that when we switched over to the new website, we forgot to put the instructions for

Free Patterns!

As the Covid-19 pandemic winds down and things open up, I hope you are still using some common sense methods for staying safe and healthy.  And, I hope our nation will find peace and join together to make a safer and better place for all of us to live.  These

More Scrappy Ideas

We are back to work!  I hope all of the mothers out there had a wonderful Mother's Day. Mine was great – got to Skype with the kids then the hubby made me a fabulous dinner and even cleaned the kitchen afterwards. It was a most relaxing day – and

Still SIP...

Life hasn't changed much around here lately.  My routine is pretty much the same seven days a week...first thing every morning is to process orders to get them in the mail, then oversee some production and usually, in the afternoons, I get to sit and sew.  I

Pineapple Blossom

Just a short note today.  Hope you all had a nice weekend.  Our beautiful weather held, the dog got his haircut and I did a little work in the garden.  I'm a little late with my vegetable garden but I wasn't anxious to put plants out

Winter to summer in 3 short days!

Wow!  Monday and Tuesday I was dressed like a polar bear, Wednesday I was down to a light sweater and today, I think its time to pull out some short pants! Its Friday and I am going to take off early.  I have a dreaded appointment with a dog that

Hello Spring!

I thought spring would never get here.  Donald and Laura are talking about being in the swimming pool in Texas and I am dressed up like a polar bear!  We have had a lot of cold, windy, cloudy weather this month.  As if being confined to home isn't

What is Happening?

I had not left the ranch in over a month and decided I needed to do some grocery shopping.  Normally, my hubby, Bob, does the shopping once a week and we are both pretty good about making a shopping list.  However, sometimes, you just need to go for yourself.  I

Sunday, Sunday

I hope everyone is staying home and staying healthy.  And, I hope everyone is getting some good sewing time in.  Sewing is what has kept me sane for the past month.  This is a time when a good stay-at-home hobby can save us.   This time has also given me a

Update

I want to thank all you that asked for the foundations for face masks.  We have shipped 1250 so far and have a couple hundred left but I have received orders overnight that will just about take care of our supply.  Again, thank you! Now, since we are still being

COVID-19 Face Masks

We've been notified that our foundation fabric is a perfect liner for face masks for added protection.  So, we've tried to make this as simple as possible.  We have printed the pattern on our foundation fabric and are posting the instructions here on our blog. We