More cuteness in the shop

Hi - Are you ready for the new year? Library Gal and I have been gearing up for 2011 by putting together some cuteness in our etsy shop. Please stop by if you get a chance. As far as new year's goes, well be taking our son back to the airport so he can return to the Navy base. I'm a bit sad because I think this may be our last Christmas together as family, but excited for him. Have a safe new year's eve and a fabulous 2011!

Home for the Holidays

Hi friends. No, I didn't get lost or forget about my blog. Instead, I put blogging on hold so I could prepare for the holidays.

The mistletoe has been hung.

The mantle and table are decorated.

The trees are decorated.












And my son is home!!!

Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

A Great Give Away!

Hi - How was your Thanksgiving? Unfortunately, I'm afraid mine translated to about a pound a day. Yikes. Time to start exercising and eating in moderation. I wanted to tell you about a great give away hosted by Morning Star Quilts. Visit their blog and follow the rules for a chance to win a Hoffman bali pop. With names like Mocha Mint, Berry Bliss, Zinfandel, Blue Hawaiian, and Pink Lemonade, who could resist? Good luck!

Quilting the Owl Towel

Yep, I looked over my "finished quilts for 2010" and was horrified by my surprisingly small list. So, I'm trying to finish up every thing I can before year end. Right now I'm quilting the owl, tea towel that is. Here's two pics of it on my Juki.



If I can get it finished up this weekend, I can display it for Thanksgiving. On the Thanksgiving front, I got the turkey, fresh cranberries and brie cheese today. I'd better make a list for the rest or I'm sure to forget something. BTW, if anyone has a good baked brie recipe please send it my way.

Tomorrow I'll be teaching Beyond Stippling at Honey Run Quilters. Hope to see a few of you there!

"Tea Towel Owls" Wall Hanging

I was wondering through Hubbs (a wonderful local shop) last month when I saw this super cute tea towel. Since I seem to have been on an owl quilt kick lately, my mind immediately kicked in to quilter gear. Wouldn't that be cute as the center of a quilt, I thought. Later that week, I found a fall-inspired charm pack at the local quilt shop and the next thing you know .....
Isn't it cute? I hope to have it quilted up by Thanksgiving. I have my glass pumpkins and acorn collection out and I hung a fall wreath on the front door this morning. Next up, preparing my Thanksgiving day menu (not that it changes much from year to year, lol!). What are you doing to prepare for Thanksgiving this year?

Strawberry Season?

I like strawberries, but I love the strawberry patterns by Fig Tree Quilts. Although I don't have a little girl, I couldn't resist the Berry Sweet Bag pattern at Fig Tree's booth at PIQF.


And, of course, I had to have the Strawberry Shortcake pincushion pattern too! Here are the finished products. I was even able to use buttons from my vintage button collection to finish them off.

And, for those of you that know me, yes . . . I made 12 strawberries. I always say, why make only one when you can make a dozen!

New Necklaces

Library Gal Quilts and I have been busy. Here's what we've put together this week.

PIQF 2010 - Treasures and Tips

Believe it or not, I'm still recovering from our fun-filled weekend at Pacific International Quilt Festival. For those of you who follow me, you know that Pam (Library Gal Quilts) and I went to PIQF. Thanks to all of you who have inquired about or ordered our mixed-metal quilters jewelry, we've been quite busy. I am just now sorting through all my treasures and wanted to share them with you, along with a few tips that I picked up at the show. From Fig Tree threads, I picked up the cutest Berry Sweet Bag kit. It's funny how a mother of two grown boys would be so attracted to a strawberry bag, but I went back to it three times and finally decided that I had to have it. I think I'll make it for myself, paired with jeans I think it will be sooooo cute. I also love the owl patterns, so when I saw these, I was all over them. I especially appreciate the mini kit, with all the pattern pieces already fused and cut out. That should make this a very quick, but very quick project. And what a cute idea for a quick baby gift, the Minkee Binkee kit. I also bought the Bitty Buddy, sure to come in handy just about anywhere I sew or quilt; and the Curve Master, a presser foot that really does sew curved seams quickly without pinning. For those of you who have taken my free-motion classes, you know that I am a big fan of the Supreme Slider. Well, I picked up a Sew Slip, which is similar, but larger, has a larger needle opening, is thinner, and less expensive. Thanks to Nancy Hepp, I'll have one for demo at my upcoming classes. Finally, I learned that a Chopping Mat from the Dollar Tree (two for a dollar) make good tracing templates. (Thanks to Sharon Pederson for that tip.) I've already cut out the templates for the Berry Sweet Bag!

That's it for me. What have you been up to? Do you have any tips that you care to share?

Our Winner and Thank You

Have you heard? Sharon of Grassroots Quilt Studios is the big winner! For joining in our give-away, Sharon gets her pick of any of the designs we already have, or she can choose a personalized message....we had a suggestion from a quilter here for her longarm business of "long armed and dangerous! How funny is that!

Pam and I want to give a big shout out to Nicole of Sisters Choice. So many of you came by to visit us through her. Nichole, thank you for sharing your blogging friends with us.

Also, a very special thank you to Carmen of Honey Run Quilters for showcasing our jewelry in her booth. Carmen, thank you so much! Honey Run Quilters is a fabulous quilt store and I encourage you to visit it if you are ever in Northern California.

Also, thank you to all of you for leaving comments and suggestions. We are thrilled with all of your positive comments on our venture! Thank you too, for becoming followers of One Stitch Off and Library Gal Quilts.

Now, for Pacific International. Yes, we went for the quilts (and vendors), but were very fortunate to be there while an Indian wedding was in progress. Here's a picture of the bride. And the bride's procession.

The women were so beautiful. We felt very plain compared to them. And the reception area. Here's Pam - no we weren't crashing the wedding, although we did give some thought to how we would pull it off. Oh my gosh, every girl's fairytale dream. Finally, here's a close up of one of the tables - just beautiful.
I'll post pics from PIQF as soon as I sort through them.

Until next time, happy quilting.

We Have A Winner!

Thanks to all of you for leaving comments and becoming followers. We've had so much fun these last few days. As promised, we just drew names for the winner of a One Stitch Off mixed metal necklace, custom, hand-stamped, and made for quilters by quilters. Our lucky winner is SHARON, who said her favorite stamped saying is Keep Calm and Quilt. Congratulations to Sharon. We'll be in touch.

Tomorrow, pictures from PIQF so stay tuned.

Order Information

Thank you all for your overwhelming interest in our quilt-themed necklaces. Many of you have asked how much the necklaces cost and how to order them, so here's the info:



The necklaces are $22 each, plus $1.50 for shipping. If you want a personalized necklace the price is $35 plus shipping. To order, please send an email to 1stitchoff@gmail.com and we'll send you the order form. Just email us back the information on the form and presto - our little hands and fingers get busy!! Once we finish your order, we'll send you a PayPal invoice. If you don't have PayPal, we'll be glad to work out other arrangements.



We should have our Etsy shop stocked soon (www.etsy.com/shop/1stitchoff) but we will be taking this weekend off to enjoy the Pacific International Quilt Festival.



Again, thank you all for your comments and feedback!



Debbie and Pam

A Give Away!!

Hi friends. Well, I like quilting and I like jewelry and really, don't they go together quite well? I mean, who wouldn't want to be all jeweled up while quilting? Library Gal Quilts and I cooked up this great idea to start making stamped metal jewelry targeted toward the quilter. I guess you could say jewelry for quilters made by quilters. We both love how it looks and have been pounding our hearts out getting it up and going. One Stitch Off Mixed Metal Stamped Jewelry has been born! We are proud to say that it is going to be at Pacific International Quilt Festival, available in the Honey Run Quilters booth (#110). Please stop by and see if for yourself if you are going to the show.

Because we are giddy with positivity, we want to give away a personalized stamped necklace. Yours could say, Mom, Wife, Grandma, Quilter...we'll add the charm you'd like or crystals in a favorite color. So, spread the word and good luck!

To win a personalized necklace here's the two things you need to do:

l. Please leave a comment telling us which necklace you like best on both of our blogs.
2. Suggest one necklace message such as: "live, laugh, quilt"
Library Gal Quilts and I will throw all the names in a basket Saturday night and pull the winner at 10 pm.

If you are a follower or become a follower, mention that in your comments for an extra chance to win.

If you would like to order any of these designs, or a personalized themed necklace, email us at: 1stitchoff@gmail.com and we'll get it going for you. For example, my son just joined the Navy and graduated from boot camp last week so I had to have a necklace that will keep him close to my heart while he's away. My triple-stacked necklace says his name, navy mom, proud of my sailor; and has a Navy charm. Super cute if I do say so myself. These necklaces are reasonably priced at $22 + $1.50 shipping, with personalized necklaces running slightly more.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck! Debbie and Pam in Chico

What Happened to Sept?

I wonder what happened to September? It's almost gone and boy, did it speed by! I've been going nonstop this month.

I was able to teach a class, attend a sew/quilt day (on my birthday, too), partake in two wine tastings, celebrate my hubby's birthday, go out to dinner with some family, create some jewelry and work, work, work. My hubby was without a secretary for almost a month, so all my days off (except the day I taught a class and my birthday) have been spent helping him out. I am really ready for a rest.


Here's some pictures from my recent class, each wall hanging started with a vintage linen napkin:

Still Quilting ... Plus More

Hi. I've been busy these last few weeks. Yes, I'm still quilting, plus I've embarked on another hobby (more of that to come later). I've got about 4 wall hangings in various stages of completion, plus a few other quilts on the planning list. Oh, and my nephew's wife is expecting a baby so I hope to make a baby quilt soon, too. Here's a pic of a little wall hanging that I am almost done with (just finishing up the binding and still have to add a bead for an eye). I bought this cute pattern from Kellie at Don't Look Now. Also, this must be the year of the owl because I've started another. Here's the center block. What do you think?

Laptop Redo

First things first. A special thank you to Mod Podge Rocks for all the tips, ideas and inspiration. I visit the blog regularly, but have not attempted a real project until now. You won't believe the things that can be done with Mod Podge and fabric, or Mod Podge and just about anything else for that matter.

Those who know me know that I love black and white polka dots. In fact, you can find a bit of black and white polka in most of my quilts. Recently I bought some black and white polka coffee cups. I was sitting at my laptop, drinking a cup of coffee from my super cute coffee cup and a light went on - yes, it was inspiration. Off I went to the quilt shop for fabric and the hardware store for the wet sandpaper and steel wool, and a new project was started. With that said, I'm posting before and after pics of my laptop redo, along with a pic that shows all of the supplies I used.

Here's a quick rundown on the process that I used:
1. Apply the back side of the fabric with a coat of Mod Podge Gloss and let dry. (Note: This step is extremely important because it prevents the fabric from fraying when you cut it.)
2. Cut the fabric to size and applied a thin layer of Mod Podge to the top of the laptop.
3. Place the fabric, right side up, on the top of the laptop. Immediately use the edge of a credit card or something similar to smooth out the fabric and to remove any bubbles or wrinkles.
4. Wait 30 minutes.
5. Cover the fabric with a layer of Mod Podge; apply the first layer of Mod Podge from side to side. Wait 30 minutes.
6. Add another layer of Mod Podge; this time apply alternate the direction in which the Mod Podge is applied. Wait 30 minutes. Continue this process until about 5 layers have been applied.
7. After the last layer has set for about an hour, wet sand the fabric, wipe the top with a damp cloth and then with a dry cloth, and follow with 0000 steel wool. This will take the "bumps" out and make the top smooth. (Note: I learned that wet sand means you take a piece of the sandpaper, soak it in water for about 15 minutes, and then use the wet sandpaper.)
8. Repeat steps 5, 6 until you reach your desired number of layers of Mod Podge (my laptop has about 10 layers of Mod Podge) and then repeat step 7.
9. Tape off the areas that you don't want to varnish.
10. Finish with a coat or two of clear varnish.
11. Sit back and admire your handiwork!

If this inspires you, please drop me a note and let me know what you made, and send a pic if you can. And don't forget to visit Mod Podge Rocks.