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Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Happy NTT!

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  Things have been Crazy (with a capital C) around here lately!  In addition to the finishing the Strawberry Fields Revisited quilt I showed last week, and a duplicate of my Gemstones quilt for a friend, I am so delighted to report that my Stems and Stones pattern is available in my Craftsy and Etsy shops!  This is a really fun pattern (no curves), and great for showing off your favorite focus prints.  Check it out!


Lest you think I am some sort of quilty version of The Flash, I'll let you in on the reason this week has been extra productive.  It is a bit of a cautionary tale for all of us who do lots and lots of ironing (ahem- ALL quilters).  So here's the deal.  When I'm in a hurry, or just not paying attention in general, I tend to push down on my iron when pressing fabric, blocks, etc.  I don't move it back and forth because I don't want to distort my fabric; but when I put the iron down, without thinking, I push instead of letting the weight of the iron do the work.  Unfortunately, this has led to a nasty case of ironing elbow, known to the rest of the world as tennis elbow (which is a much less embarrassing cause of injury, I might add.)   Anyway, the pain has caused some sleeplessness, and I can think of no better way to fight the boredom of infomercials during the wee hours, than sewing to my heart's content.

What?  I should take a break from sewing and ironing, you say?  Nonsense!  I am nothing, if not adaptable.  I learned how to hold my iron with my arm in a certain position so that it doesn't hurt, and I do have a brace that helps, too.  All things being equal, of course I would rather have slept a little more, but I'm certainly not going to be sad about finishing two quilts this week.  Silver linings, y'all!  Just something to keep in mind.

Since ironing is such a dangerous activity, you should do what I do, and limit that task to quilts and blocks only- zero clothing.  And now that I have effectively warned you, check out some of the fantastic projects that were shared at last week's party!

Em's Scrapbag showed off this Scrappy Trip Around the World quilt.  I love the explosion of color!


This lovely, scrappy quilt is from Pink Doxies.


and Quilting is More Fun Than Housework showed off this improv wonky star- made from scraps!  Apparently scrappy masterpieces were the name of the game this week!


Before we move on to the party, I have one more little reminder.  If you aren't aware, I have FOUR awesome giveaways going on right now- three great bundles, and a $100 gift certificate.  All four giveaways end on Saturday morning, so be sure you hop over and enter HERE.  Just one comment enters you in all four, so it's super easy!

Alrighty then, y'all!  Let's get down to partying!

1.  You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!
2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.
3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link.  
4. Spread the comment love far and wide!
5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)


15 comments:

  1. Do people still iron clothes? I gave up years ago and steam mine now instead, so much easier. Hope your elbow's soon better and pleased you've found of way of still quilting without it hurting! - Chris x

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  2. Congrats on getting the pattern published. It's gorgeous.

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  3. Quilting is an olympic sport so injuries are just part of what we dedicated athletes have to deal with. Hope yours heals soon.

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  4. Take it easy. I don't iron clothes either...the horror. Yet another great pattern. Congratulations.

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  5. Sorry to hear about your elbow Kelly...I know how draining nagging pain can be...well done for being so productive. Your blog and patterns are lovely xx

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  6. Hi Kelly! I have learnt also that it's better to avoid ironing anything else that fabrics and blocks. I have problem with my shoulder and try to keep the iron board quite low not to lift my shoulder. That could help elbow too. Your Stmes and Stones patter is fantastic! x Teje

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  7. Very nice new pattern! Take it easy on your elbow and allow it to heal, I hope it feels better soon.

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  8. Great news about your quilt pattern, it's so bright and cheerful. Sorry about your elbow but in my mind most anything that gets you off the ironing is worth it.

    Smiles
    Kate

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  9. Yikes I feel your pain, been there done that with the tennis elbow! Man that hurts like crazy. I am pretty sure I got mine from my Cuttlebug die cutter(manual one). Only thing is I didn't stop doing a thing and I was hurting for months before going to a physical therapist and then months of healing. So be careful I don't want you to go through what I did. In the end I had over a month of not using my arm hardly at all to let it heal. I was pretty cranky with no sewing especially not cutting!

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  10. Thanks for featuring my red and gray quilt this week. I have trained myself to use both my right and left hands for both cutting and pressing. It is good to give each a rest. Hope your elbow gets to feeling better and you get some sleep.

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  11. Sorry about your elbow, but man nothing slows you down! Congrats on the new pattern.

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  12. Ouch! I hope you feel better very soon. Congratulations on the new pattern. It's beautiful!

    -Soma

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  13. Always nice to visit your link up, Kelly, and thrilling to see my work featured here this week. Thank you.
    Julie @ Pink Doxies

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  14. Just put Stems and Stones on my wishlist! Thank you!

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  15. Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy NTT. A quick peek into what's going on in sewing spaces other than my own is sometimes just the thing to get me off the web and in front of the sewing machine!

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Thanks so much for your comment and for visiting! I read and appreciate every single comment, and I reply to each one as soon as I can. If you don't hear back from me, you might be a no-reply blogger. :)

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