Thursday, October 27, 2011

Greensburg Modern Quilt Guild and a drive over the mountain...

For "Make a Difference Day" the Greensburg Modern Quilt Guild joined together to start a new quilt from "Habitat" fabrics....

Mary, Judy and Kathleen with their blocks

Mary, Kathleen...... and ME..... working on our blocks!
We had six blocks finished, and enjoyed a lot of conversation, pattern patter, and sewing tips!

The next day, Sunday, was a beautiful- sunny- bright- perfect- day- for- a- drive kind of day.  So, Kathy and I took a break from our sewing machines and went off to enjoy a little foliage before the fall rains wash it all into the gutters!
The pull off was the site of a former restaurant built in the shape of a ship that had burned years ago... but the rubble remains.   I still find it amazing that anything was ever built on this spot!  It must be a bad spot for fires, because there was a car that pulled off and burned here more recently - altho not much evidence of that remained....
The view is still spectacular, and worth the drive!
 Looking south/southeast towards Somerset, PA
and as the sun got lower on the horizon... there was another photo op!
Then we stopped for a nice dinner on the way home! 

Hoping your weekend was also lovely, 
hugs & smoochies,
ggs

Thursday, October 6, 2011

how remove sticky tags from fabric...

A fat quarter often has a label on it - price tag or other wise - and most of the time they peel right off without a struggle.  However, once in a while that label has been on that fabric for way too long - and it refuses to come off without a fight!

Recently, while pressing a fat quarter, I noticed that the label had not come completely off... there were still 'label remnants' stuck to the right side of that fabric.  However, it peeled right off while the fabric was still hot from the iron!

I could have saved myself so much time if I'd only known this sooner....  Just press it from the wrong side (not the label itself - the 'other side') until it's nice and hot - then it peels right off!  Sew simple, everyone should know this trick... but I've never seen it before.

If you test this on other fabrics... make sure the heat of the iron isn't too high for the fabric you are pressing.  Wool, silk, rayon, and polyester blends can't take the high temp that cotton and linen take.

Save your scraps and selvedges in big plastic jars like this pic I found on C&T's blog: