It’s my quilting task of choice.

From hand piecing, to whipping down the binding when it’s done, I love the entire process of handwork.

I love hand embroidery and beading, English paper piecing, and hand quilting, too, but my very favorite type of handwork is needle-turn hand applique.

However, I could not do any of it as comfortably as I do without ThimblePads.

I’ve been quilting for over 50 years, and trust me, I’ve tried every thimble there is. For awhile, I was on a thimble mission, snatching up every new one I saw and giving it a try.

Trouble is, if I put a normal metal thimble on my “quilting finger”, that finger instantly becomes useless. I even hold it out away from my other fingers as if it’s suddenly become deformed or injured in some fashion, and I can’t use it. I gave them a good chance . . . tried oh so many different kinds and brands . . . but nope — as soon as the thimble goes on, the finger goes out of commission.

If I try the softer ones, they work for about 5 minutes. I push really hard when hand quilting, and the needle always ends up going backwards through the thimble and sticking me anyway. Or getting stuck in the thimble and I can’t get it back out.

I admire those of you who can use a real thimble. But it baffles me. And eludes me. Even after years of trying . . .

But about 25 years ago I found ThimblePads, and they changed my quilting life. Whoda thunk a little 1/4″ piece of fuzzy leather with a sticky side could be such a life-altering invention?

You just stick it on the spot on your finger where you push the needle, and there it stays while you stitch to your heart’s content. If you have to take it off, it will re-stick many times before you have to switch to a new one.

It’s very comfortable. You hardly know it’s there. In fact, I’ve even at times forgotten I’m wearing one, and found myself washing dishes with it still on!

They come 12 in a package, and a package will last quite awhile. When I first starting using them, a pack cost around $4. They’re up to around $10 now. But still worth it, and I will still keep buying them.

If you hand quilt, they also have a product called UnderThimble, which is a metal disk for the hand you use on the bottom.

It has little adhesive circles that you use to stick the metal one to your bottom finger, and it keeps you from turning your under finger into hamburger while quilting.

Don’t be worried that you can’t “feel” the needle well enough; you get used to it. And you just buy sticky refills for the metal piece when you need them, which isn’t very often.

If you try some, I don’t think you’ll be sorry. I always recommend asking at your local quilt shop first, but if that’s not an option, I’m sure you can find them online.

“I couldn’t find myself for 30 minutes.”

“This is better than watchin’ cartoons.”

“It’s like riding a psychotic horse through a burning building.”

“If you come outta there bitchin’, you’re just a moron.”

“Anytime you need to know somethin’, you just ask me.”

“You even know where this thing is?”

“When that guy walked past, he said, ‘Looks kinda top-heavy to me.’, but it’s OK. I don’t think he was talkin’ about you girls.”

“I know what ‘dickhead’ looks like in shorthand, and I don’t appreciate it much.”

“It come outta my pants. It ain’t toilet paper.”

“The key to life is a good sticker.”

“I’d rather look at this than Playboy. Not that I can have anything from either one.”

“She’s the kind of woman that’d drive you to a rope and a rafter.”

“Thrice? You don’t hear Lionel Ritchie sayin’ ‘Thrice Times a Lady.’ There shouldn’t even be such a word.”

“It’s not every day you get an ovation when you come outta the bathroom.”

“They’re gonna do the River Dance. It looks really flashy with the orange shirts.”

“The price of tuition is going up.” . . . “Did he say prostitution is going up?”

“You’re supposed to avoid becomin’ emotional over a jackass.” . . . “Did she just call me a jackass?”

“Cats are ex-wives reincarnated.”

“Well! You CAN dig your grave with a fork!”

“I’ve been your little pincushion all day.”

“The roaches there were so big, they talked a different language.”

“I think he had his shorts on too tight.”

“I wanna keep Katy as my friend, cos I think she could burn a guy down pretty quick.”

“We get up in the morning and go to work. We don’t get to sit around the house rubbin’ our hernias.”

“Deno, take your shirt off and stand in front of this one and let’s get some shots.”

“You’re multi-talented, aren’t ya?”

“Ther lights ain’t very well constipated, are they?”

“Her face is like one big coin deposit.”

“I’m watchin’ my figurine.”

“When you get old, you do stupid things. Unless you done ’em all when you were young.”

“I will be nice, as long as they see things pretty much my way.”

“And just what IS a ‘festplatz’?”

“That’s a lively bunch up there. I hope no one dies before they get done.”

“How’d you like to have your ass hangin’ off the side of the Rocky Mountains in that?”

“Oh, look. Dolly’s gonna sing now!”

“Whaddayou want for that?”
“$30. Most of ‘em are ate up.”
“Yeah, well, you’re ate up if you think I’m gonna give that for it.”

“I don’t remember the name of the town, but we’re gonna call it Lisbon for now.”

“What’s that asshole’s name? No, not that asshole. The other asshole.”

“Oh, hell. Just leave it like it is. It ain’t eatin’ no hay.”

“No. I know your last name. What’s your first name?”

“We’re gonna have to wait for the next tram. You know the old man ain’t gonna ride nothin’ pulled by a green tractor. The next one is an Allis. We can wait.”

“I told you I know how to get there. I just can’t remember the road. Well, at least I think that’s the way to get there, but it could be the other road.”

“Is that a tea strainer?” . . . “Well, it’s either that or somethin’ you smoke dope with . . .”

“Those plastic chairs must be better load bearers than I thought.”

“It’s gonna take a lotta forgiveness for the language you use gettin’ it started.”

“They’re probably bonding. A little Barry White and a glass of wine.” . . . “You mean some Black Sabbath and a bottle of whiskey, don’t you?”

“You’re not bleeding from that, are you?” . . . “My ears are . . .”

“Well, they really drew a crowd!”

“Are you gonna sing the ‘Star-Strangled Banner’?”

“I’ll tell you what — if these beans come out half as hot as they went in, it’ll be somethin’ . . . ”

“Chastity and I parted company a good while back, so don’t put yourself out defendin’ my honor.”

“Well, you know . . . there’s not usually a whole lot to do in this town.” . . . “I know, that’s why I’m thinkin’ about startin’ a brothel.”

“You’ve been treatin’ me like a bastard step-child from Hell.”

“I need to go home before I get any meaner.”

“I AM that talented, but I’m not gonna do it in public.”

“That man is so kooky over you, it’s nauseating.”

“You can ask if you want something; just don’t ask me for sex, ’cause I ain’t that kinda guy.”

“Every time I drink a beer, YOU need to go potty.”

“I get some whistles now and then — some even from girls.”

“The worst thing you can do when you get in a hurry, is get in a hurry.”

“I feel like a knight without my armor.”

“I gotta do some things in front of her, or she won’t think she’s bein’ nosy enough.”

“I mighta said whorehouse. I don’t think so, though. I thought I said warehouse.”

“Well, I AM the gooroo.”

“It’s a good thing you don’t drink, or you’d just have to sit on the toilet with your bottle.”

“I wouldn’t be good at workin’ the suicide hotline. I’d say: ‘Please. Put ME out of YOUR misery.’”

“I had a wasp just stroll into the bedroom.”

“If those were my kids, I’d step out for a pack of cigarettes . . . in Manitoba.”

“I am exceeding the speed limit at this very moment.”

“I’m sort of a flashlightaholic.”

“I got a little carried away with the cattle prod, but it didn’t cause him any lasting problems . . . just a little arrhythmia.”

“You were about to sink into ‘old fogey-ness’.”

“Everyone needs a good steno pad.”

“The phrase ‘You’re a moron’ seems appropriate for this moment.”

“I’m a positive person. It’s just that some of the things I’m positive about happen to be negative.”

“What are those little Mexican barkin’ dogs?”
“You mean Chihuahuas?”
“Oh, yeah, Chihuahuas”

“I thought once I told you I was tenured, you might start showing a little respect.”

“I think he needs counseling of some sort.”

“Everyone knows you sew. So if they find me with a needle in my jugular, they’ll know . . .”

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Right after we joined the guild in 1996, we decided we wanted to do a Round Robin quilt. There are many different ways in which a Round Robin can be set up, but we wanted the kind where you start with a center block, and pass it around to other group members for them to add to it, and then eventually get it back.

We briefly discussed trying to get a larger group together, but we had only just joined our guild, and didn’t really know many other quilters in our area that well yet. So we decided that we weren’t going to let that stop us — we’d just do it anyway, the two of us by ourselves! So we embarked on a 2-person Round Robin project.

We made ZERO rules, which kept things pretty simple. We each made a center block, and swapped them with each other.

Here’s what I started with:

And here’s what Rose Marie started with:

We did not pass any fabric along with our quilts — we each let the other use from her stash for what she wanted to add. No rules!

She added a round to mine, and I added a round to hers, and we swapped them back again.

Mine:

Rose Marie’s. I actually did foundation paper piecing and hand piecing on this round for her!

Then it was time to add another round for each of us, this time to our own quilts.

Mine. I got a bit ambitious with the hand appliqué!

Rose Marie added a bunch of comets to hers this time. The white stars are pieced, then appliquéd on.

We swapped again, then each added another round to the other’s quilt.

Mine (at the time, my favorite color was purple, and boy, did she oblige me!):

Rose Marie’s, upon which I got SUPER ambitious with the hand appliqué, and did this ENTIRE round of sunbursts, which I drew myself. There are four different designs, and I made four of each one — what was I thinking??? I evidently had way too much time on my hands!

By this time, they were getting up to the size we wanted, so we swapped back one more time, at which point we each had our own quilt back, and were to add one final round to finish them up.

Borders, really, was all they needed. So I added a row of star blocks to the top and bottom of mine to make it fit a bed, rather than be square, then added my borders. I had actually won these star blocks in a guild block exchange, and didn’t even have to make them myself! I thought it was a great time to use them in a project!

Rose Marie stuffed hers in the closet, and didn’t touch it for about 20 years!

I sent mine out to my machine quilter right away (because this was well before I had a longarm machine of my own) — it was quilted by June Magers.

Then I started using it! It’s been on my bed off and on for nearly 30 years, drug around for a snuggle quilt, and washed and washed and washed and washed. It’s got faded spots, worn spots, and is still being well loved. (My favorite kind of quilt!)

Rose Marie finally dragged hers out of her closet and put her final borders on, then asked me to quilt it for her, because by then, I had a longarm machine and was quilting for customers — only fitting, right?

And because this was a joint project, we both agreed that we needed to hang them in our local quilt show at the same time, just for the sake of the story! Even tho my quilt is faded and worn, I hung it, and Rose Marie hung her newly finished creation.

As we were discussing them, we both had a chuckle over how much work we put into them. I mean, all that hand piecing, and hand appliqué on my part? And all the different techniques we had both tried: appliqué, foundation piecing, etc. Rose Marie said: “Yes, and I was deep into my learning curve at that time.” I replied: “It appears that we’ve both come a long way since then. I think we should do it again!”

So . . . 23 years later . . . in 2019 . . . Rose Marie and I embarked on another Round Robin project, just to see how different the next ones turned out compared to our efforts of a few decades ago!

Here’s what she started with:

And here’s what I started with:

I saw one major difference right off the bat!

Last time, I did traditional colors, and Rose Marie did brights. This time, mine is the bright one, and Rose Marie went back to more traditional colors.

Our only rule this time? We couldn’t take 23 years to finish them! We weren’t sure either of us will live that long! Haha! We also decided we didn’t have to make them as large as the last ones.

For Round 1, Rose Marie added some Drunkard’s Path blocks to my center. I started with a pretty wild color palette, so she had to rally to make this work!

I had just finished another quilt in Rose Marie’s color palette, so was able to use my scraps to add the first round to her center:

When Rose Marie got hers back, she added a round of appliqué. For mine, I fished through my box of orphan blocks, and pulled out any units I thought would work to make a round of little sampler blocks around my quilt, along with some more black-and-white scraps. For some reason, I didn’t take any photos of that round, but after Round Three, I remembered to take photos. Here’s what I added to Rose Marie’s after her appliqué border:

And Rose Marie kept my black and brights theme going and added a border to mine:

After passing them back again, we decided we were where we wanted to be as far as size, so Rose Marie simply added an outer border to hers.

I decided I liked mine the way it was, and didn’t add anything else to it! Ah, the beauty of no rules.

Rose Marie had hers quilted and finished quite a while back, but mine languished in the to-be-quilted pile here for a while (as most of my tops do).

We neither one belong to that same guild any more, and we have both moved away, so I don’t see her as often as I used to, but I recently got my Round Robin finished, and when I went to visit her yesterday, I took it with me to show her. Her husband was kind enough to take our picture with our finished quilts!

And all of this is to say to YOU:

• Don’t think that you have to get together a big group to do a joint project. While Round Robins typically have 5-7 people in them, it doesn’t have to be that way — don’t let that stop you! Just choose your best quilty friend and challenge each other!

• This is a good way to challenge yourself (and your best quilty friend) to do something you normally wouldn’t, and get you thinking outside your normal quilting box. If you need some inspiration to jumpstart your creativity again, this might be a good project for you to try!

• If nothing else, it’ll be fun and something to do with a friend, and you’ll both end up with a finished quilt to show for it. You can make up your own rules and do it however you want.

It turned out even more darling than I originally thought it would.

The fabrics in this top are so fun to look at!

I quilted it with a pantograph called Loophole. It worked perfectly on this top.

And I found this adorable print for the backing. Isn’t this a cute print?

I used a blue solid for the binding. The quilt is 76" x 91", and I used a cotton batting inside. I think it turned out so cute, and Richelle loves having it back as a finished, usable quilt now!

I do not like having to carry a purse. So . . . after twice dumping my purse out in the floorboard of my truck, I whined that I needed to get a bit different (read: bigger) purse, and one that has a firm, flat bottom (not always a desirable trait, but in a purse, it’s ok). But as usual, I didn’t do anything about it.

My Cowboy, though, hears every complaint I make, and knows that I won’t do anything about it, so he does it for me. This only reinforces my whining. If I need something that I don’t want to do for myself, I just whine a little, and he’ll take care of it. Yes, I’m spoiled. And this is probably not a good thing.

Shortly after my whining episode, look what arrived in the mail!

A Cowgirl purse! And Kate Spade, no less! With a firm, flat bottom! No spills!

I promptly switched all my necessaries over to it, and as we were headed to town that evening, I was holding it on my lap admiring it.

My Cowboy asked, “So will it do?”

I said: “Yes! I love it!”

Him: “Good. I got it from one of those places that buys stuff from car accidents. When someone dies, they take the stuff and clean it up and sell it.”

Immediate horror and ten thousand thoughts crashed through my brain like a tidal wave, not least among them thoughts such as “Eeeww!” and “Who DOES that?” and “That can’t be true!” and “Well, then, I can’t keep it” and as I slowly drew my hands back from the purse while scanning it for blood stains, he chuckled at the horrified look on my face, and said: “Just kidding!”

I have to be the most gullible person on the planet!

Would YOU have fallen for a story like that??

He’s beyond ornery!

But at least I got to keep the purse, and take comfort in the fact that it did not come to be mine because some poor woman died in a tragic accident. And we got a good laugh out of it. I don’t know how he manages to come up with this stuff!

If you’d like to read more from My Cowboy, I’ve been collecting his wisdom for years, and it’s all preserved in one handy place HERE.

And I’ll have lots more of his stories to share as we go along, so don’t miss any . . .

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Yesterday was Ranger’s birthday!!! He’s NINE years old. It makes me wanna cry. How can my little boy be so old already? He used to follow me everywhere, helping with chores and bossing everything:

Now, he still follows me, and still bosses everything, but he has to stay with the herd. The destruction would be real, if I turned him loose! And he’s this big now:

He would love to still be living indoors, but since he’s relegated to outdoor living, he fancies himself a pony. He’d much rather hang out with the horses than the other goats. They are so beneath him.

Of course, I fixed him a birthday treat, as if he doesn’t get treats year-round. This year he got a bowl of grapes and carrots. The boy will NOT share! I love him so much.

But mainly, I’m popping on to show you what I’ve been working on in the studio lately. It’s been a struggle. You see, I made this rule for myself:

You must completely finish TEN projects before you can start another new one.

Truthfully, it should be more than that, but the agony is almost too much to bear. I haven’t started anything new all year, except a donation quilt for my guild’s challenge that has to be done on time.

Here’s where it gets difficult: The rule is not just to finish things, but my total UFO list number must drop by TEN. So I’ve actually finished about 14 things, but the list isn’t down by ten projects yet, so I’m still working on the last couple. When you clean out old tubs, you find projects that weren’t on the list, and the list grows anyway! And when you’re really wanting to finish a project, why does binding seem so slow?

Here are a couple projects I’ve finished recently, plus a few tops I’ve finished that can’t be counted as finished until they’re actually quilted, bound, and labeled.

First up, a baby quilt for donation, made from leftover squares our guild gathered up for a sew day a couple years ago. I’m throwing it in the washer later today, so it will be all clean and snuggly and ready to be loved.

This homespun Log Cabin quilt that I made to try and use up the last of my homespun stash. I still have one more homespun quilt to get quilted, and I’m happy to say that all my homespun is now gone!

This Potting Shed quilt I made for My Cowboy. I had a pile of what looked like salesmen’s samples of homespun tucked in a drawer for years, and then along came the perfect pattern!

I’ve had the top done for over a year, and finally got it quilted. I chose this cowboy print for the backing for him. So far, he’s been using it with the backing side up!

In the interest of finishing things, I’ve downsized several projects to be smaller than I originally intended. One was my Snowballs quilt. I had big plans to make this queen-sized — what was I thinking??? I gathered up the parts I had finished and came up with a layout I could put them into so I could call it done. I had just enough blocks to make this:

It turned out to be the cutest baby-sized quilt! And I photographed it upside down. The whole time I was working on it before, I thought it was gonna be super ugly, but now that it’s done, I actually like it quite a lot! Now, to get it quilted.

But I DO have my backing and binding ready. That’s a habit I got into years ago: before I put a top into the to-be-quilted pile, I prepare a backing for it and make the binding. That way, no matter how long it lays, I’m not stymied at that point when I’m ready to really finish it. My future self always thanks me!

And here’s another oldie . . . I finally finished hand piecing all the blocks for my Daredevils quilt.

This was started years ago in a quilt-along of Barbara Brackman’s. The blocks were challenging blocks meant to be hand pieced, so that’s why it took me so long. But the top is finally done. It’s made from all vintage fabrics from my vintage fabric stash. I bought a vintage sheet for the backing, and the last bit will be getting it quilted and bound. (And yes, I have the binding made!)

So there’s my latest studio news. I have many, many more projects in the works, so there’s plenty of fodder for future posts around here, so stay tuned! If you don’t want to miss any of the News From the Ranch, you can . . .

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However, while working on some recent quilting jobs, I’ve been mulling over the little things I do to keep the actual quilting part from stressing me out. I LOVE machine quilting, and therefore, it needs to remain fun for me.

Even if you’re not a longarm quilter or a Quilter for Hire, you might find some of this advice useful for however you do your quilting. (Or be able to apply it to other aspects of your life.)

Naturally, your machine needs to be in good working order so that you don’t have to fight with it to get it to work right. And I’m not the one to give you advice on tension issues, or needle sizes, or thread types, or how to fix real machine problems. I can barely muddle through those things my ownself at times. I just make the call for real help!

However, here are five little things I try to remember when I’m at my machine.

The height of your working area

For years, I thought my frame was set at a good height. Then, when I got a new frame, I had it raised up a little, which helped, but it was as high as it could go. I always meant to put some blocks under it to raise it even higher, but, I’m a procrastinator, so that never happened. But then, I got an entirely new system, so while the guy was here installing it for me, I was forward-thinking enough to have him raise it up even higher. My back has been thanking me ever since. I sometimes think it’s a titch too high, but I know that lowering it back down would have my back rebelling again, so I’m happy with it how it is -- finally. Once that is set, it’s generally not something you have to think about again, but these next four I have to keep reminding myself of on the regular.

You don’t have to drive like Richard Petty

Like a car, just because you CAN go 120 mph doesn’t mean you HAVE to go 120 mph. Just because your machine can go fast, doesn’t mean you have to make it go that fast, or make yourself try and keep up with it because it’s set to go fast. Different types of quilting require different speeds, and most machines have a speed control (or a stitch regulator) to help you keep the speed where you need it. If you’re doing really intricate work, for example, quilting around appliqué shapes with a ruler, you’ll want to go much slower. Using a ruler, period, means you should go slower, so you don’t have a horrible accident. Freeform quilting designs like pebbles, stippling, meandering, or feathers can be done in regulated or un-regulated mode, and the speed can be set at whatever you feel is most comfortable for you to execute those designs smoothly. Practice them in several different ways, and once you find what works, make note of your settings for future reference so you can easily repeat what went well. And remember: Just because Miss So-and-So does them that fast doesn’t mean you have to. You be you! (And don’t forget that most online videos are sped up to keep them from being too boring!)

And if you are stitching out a pantograph by hand (if your machine is not computerized), going too slow makes things worse. Here’s where you can speed up a bit to make following those designs a bit smoother. Going too slow will make the design come out choppy. And once you’ve done a couple passes on it, muscle memory will kick in, and you’ll naturally be able to go faster towards the end than you did at the beginning.

Don’t look directly at the needle

You don’t need to see exactly what the needle is doing because it’s already there doing it. You need to be looking ahead at where you’re going next, so you can guide the needle to get there smoothly. Your brain works faster than your hands, so planning just a bit ahead of where the needle is can help you make much smoother designs, drive out a panto more smoothly, and keep you from quilting yourself into a corner with free-motion fillers. This advice works great with feathers, too. You can plan exactly the shape of each particular feather if you can see where you’re going just a split second ahead of time. This also takes practice to make yourself do it, too, so don’t get discouraged. I’ve been longarm quilting for 17 years, and I still consider myself “practicing” a lot of the time. I always say: “I still learn something new with every quilt!”

Don’t keep a death grip on the handles

Totally NOT necessary, and also detrimental to your stress levels, not to mention the tension it causes in your arms, neck, and shoulders. Ouch! Keep a light touch and guide your machine along. Some quilters get so comfortable with this, they can drive their machines with one hand. Even I can do certain designs one-handed, and you get to where you’re not even thinking about it. If you find yourself gripping the handles too tightly, stop and adjust yourself. Relax, this is supposed to be fun!

Take a break when you need it

My stepmother used to tell me: “When you start messing up, or things are starting to go wrong, it means it’s time to take a break.” Best advice she ever gave me. Because it’s true. If you start quilting things incorrectly and have to rip them out, if your machine starts breaking thread, or having tension issues (or if you’re having your own tension issues -- ha!), even if you run out of bobbin thread at an inopportune moment -- just step back, take a deep breath, walk away for a bit. I know all about deadlines, so I understand being in a rush sometimes, but my cousin always tells me: “The worst thing you can do when you get in a hurry, is get in a hurry.” Also some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten. Think about it: walking away for 10 minutes to regroup, or having to spend an hour ripping out bad quilting? Fussing with your machine while frustrated, or coming back to it after a break and being able to figure it out calmly? No contest, in my book. Also some of the best advice I ever got: “If they anger you, they conquer you.” It applies to inanimate objects, too. Don’t let the machine win. You’re the boss!

So there you have it . . . some of my tips to “Keep Calm and Quilt On” . . . hope these help you!

Don’t forget, if you’d like to subscribe so as not to miss any of the News From the Ranch (or Studio), just click here . . .

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