My Gorgeous Wooden Seam Ripper

Three weeks ago I went to South Carolina to see my two BFFs, Pam and Anne. There was a "vendor only" quilt show going on in Columbia and it was a great excuse for us to get together. 

I bought a few fat quarters here and there at the show. Shopping was not the point of the trip-being with my friends was.

And the point of this blog post isn't to chat about the trip or the quilt show, but to share with you the new seam ripper that Anne gave me (she gave a similar one to Pam too). It is absolutely gorgeous and is a piece of art. 

Anne has a friend in her guild named Carol Fischbach. Carol's husband, Woody, turned the wood on his lathe and made this beauty. Carol brought some to their quilt guild meeting and the ladies went crazy for them! Anne bought several seam rippers and spool holders. (After they sold them all, Woody turned around and donated ALL the money to their guild!! Wasn't that sweet?)

Pam and I are ecstatic! They are SO beautiful! I wish you could feel how smooth and polished the wood is. Mine is made of maple. It has now actually become a pleasure to have to rip a seam. I have to admit that I have used it several times already. :)

In case you've never seen one before, I'll show you how it's made. The seam ripper pulls out of its wooden holder, and then you turn it around and put the non-ripper end back into the wood.

I can wear the necklace around my neck to keep my ripper close at hand, but when I need to use it, it easily pulls off, because it is held on with a magnet.

Anne also bought me a spool holder that Woody made. It is just as pretty to look at and fun to use. 

It's wonderful for those spools of thread with the large center holes or for thread cones. It keeps them from rattling around on your spindle.

Here it is sitting on my machine. Doesn't it make my spool of thread look fancy?

I'm such a lucky girl. Thank you so much to my dear friend, Annie.

Happy Birthday, Annie!

Today is Anne's birthday. Pam and I can't be with our BFF, so we have mailed her a "small gift" this year.

Last year Pam suggested that for our birthdays we send each other quilt blocks. I agreed and so for Anne's birthday we each sent her 12 green and cream quilt blocks in "Annie's Choice" pattern. For Pam's birthday, Anne mailed Pam blocks made of Japanese Diawabo fabrics. (My arm was in a cast and I wasn't doing any sewing or quilting at the time.) I don't think either of them has put those fabrics into a quilt top yet. I told the two of them that if they gave me another UFO for my birthday I might scream!! So, they blessed me with this beautiful old quilt.

I think we have now decided that the gift of quilt blocks may not be the best idea for us! We all have so many projects going on already that we don't need another one thrown in the batch.

Pam and I are both "into" mini quilts right now. So we thought it would be fun to make Anne a few for her birthday. We bought a wire frame that holds three mini quilts and we decided to make her the quilts to hang on it.

Pam came for a quick visit in early May and we went to work on these. We giggled like school girls as we designed and stitched.

It's really fun to see what you can shrink down and make in 6 X 10". It's addictive!

We paper-pieced these 15 little 2" log cabins--there are 255 pieces in this tiny quilt! It was SO fun to see it come together!

Happy Birthday, Annie!! We hope you enjoy your little gift. Love and quilty hugs from Pam and Marcia. 

Red X-Stitch Quilt

My birthday was last month and I got wonderful gifts from my family and friends. And some of them were even quilting related! :)

Pam and Anne came to visit me the first week of the month and brought me a fabulous old quilt. What a wonderful gift! Anne told me that she thinks the quilt may have been made by her son-in-law's grandmother. It originally had a ruffle around the outside edge, but after soaking the quilt and getting out the stains, Anne removed the ruffle. She then passed the quilt off to Pam, who put a solid red binding on it. 

I'm tickled to death with my new old quilt. Isn't it just delicious?

Anne pointed out the very thick thread that the quilt maker used to quilt the quilt---and the fact that she didn't bury any of her knots! A lot of work went into all of the X-stitch and it's baffling to me that she wouldn't have buried her quilting knots. :) I think the "thread" she used was just too thick! But I love a quilt with a good story, or even a mystery, so I think it's so fun that the quilt isn't perfect. What it is, is perfectly beautiful!!!

This year I am re-doing my guest bedroom in red and white and this quilt is going to be a perfect accent in the room!

Thank you, Anne and Pam!! I love it!!

Happy Quilting!

Grammy