Aura Hexie Quilt Update

I've just returned to working on my Aura hexie quilt.  You can see in this updated photo that I've turned the corner on the upper left side of the quilt.  I've been adding lots of orange hexies to the curved area during the evenings.  This is great for TV time.  Did you see The Middle last night?  It's my favorite show.  I really relate to Frankie Heck, but I was so happy to see Sue get a new love interest.  Go Sue!

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas

Kansas Troubles Heartfelt

Good morning.  I just wanted to share a preview of these gorgeous fabrics from the upcoming Heartfelt collection, by Kansas Troubles, for Moda.  I'm working on a quilt with these fabrics and they are fabulous.  These fabrics will be in quilt shops in June.

And just a reminder...join me for the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour next week.  I will be doing my part on Wednesday, May 6th.  Be sure to visit my blog for a peek at my block and a giveaway, too.

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas

Vintage Sewing Machine Treasure

My big find for last weekend - A Singer Slant Buttonholer and Touch and Sew Accessories for $1.00 each!  I found these in the upstairs section of an antique mall.  What a price.  I had to purchase them.

The buttonholer is in pristine condition.  I'm wondering if it's ever been used.  Beautiful condition instruction booklet.

Even the styrofoam is still intact.

The buttonholer and all it's parts.  Beautiful.

By far, the best one I have.

Here's the inside of the accessories box.  All the cams are inside, both the top and bottom of the box.  All the accessories appear to be there, too, also in pristine condition.  Plus a few different brands and sizes of sewing machine needles.  The needles themselves are worth the $1.00.

Now I'm at home anticipating my husband's return from a short trip to the mountains.  He called and said he's bringing two vintage sewing machines, plus a box of fabric.  Ooooooh - sweet anticipation.

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas

Orange Hexie Time

I've seen so many beautiful "finished" hexie quilts recently.  It's time to get back to work on my Aura quilt.  Last night, I went through a big box of scraps and pulled out all of the orange fabrics I could find.  Then I had a hexie Go cutting session. 

Here's the results.  A nice little stack to stitch.  Perfect for school bus waiting time in the afternoons.  What are you stitching today?

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas

Rainy Day Sewing

It's raining, the kids are back in school, the husband went to work...sounds like a sewing day to me!!! 

Enough talk - gotta go sew.

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas

Quilting Practice - April UFO

I had a little time yesterday afternoon to work on my April UFO, the Mulberry Square quilt.

I'm using this quilt for practicing different quilting designs, varying sizes, shapes, and designs across the top.  I'm not worried about anything being uniform.  

I played with a number of different swirl patterns across the center of the quilt.  You can really get a lot of different looks from the simple swirl.  It should be fun to get this quilt off the frame and compare the swirl styles.

Here you can see I played with a leaf pattern in the pieced border.  I've experimented with different sizes, shapes, and the direction of the leaves.  Some of the leaves are overlapping each other.  Other times, I worked from the center of the diamonds and quilted one large leaf in each corner of the block.

Still stitching....I hope to finish soon.  I've got two quilts behind this one that need to be finished by June 1st.  

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas

Save the Date!

It's getting close to that time of the year again.  Yes, Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour.  You don't want to miss it.  May 5th through 8th - you can visit different block designer's blogs each day and enter to win a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 11, plus many other fun quilty prizes.  Quiltmaker magazine will be having giveaways and fun at their blog, Quilty Pleasures with daily posts, links to the designer's blogs, and contests.

Here's a sneaky peek at the cover for the upcoming Volume 11.  It's exciting just to see all the amazing block designs on the cover.  My blog tour day will be Wednesday, May 6th.  Be sure to mark your calendar and visit all the designers on the blog tour, May 5th through 8th.  If you've never joined in the fun on the 100 Blocks Blog Tour, buckle up!  You'll be inspired, excited, and ready to stitch up 100 new blocks.

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas

Yo Ho! Yo Ho! A Pirate's Life for Me!

Ahoy Matey!  Yes, that's me!  I'm the happiest Blackbeard the Pirate that ever was.  Arrrrrr!

If you don't like it, walk the plank!

  

The NC History Museum is fun.  They have an old timey soda fountain set up in one section, complete with all kinds of things you could possibly purchase at one, including these antique sewing notions.  Cool!  Too bad you couldn't actually order a soda.

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creation Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas

NC History Museum Quilt

My children are on Spring Break this week.  Yesterday we went to the NC History Museum in Raleigh.  Every time I visit this museum they have at least one quilt on display that I haven't seen before.  I thought this one was really neat, because it was made recently by a young girl for an exhibit exploring NC history by children.  Quilting by the next generation, because of the past.  Very cool.

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas

Wishing Stars Quilt

Here is my Wishing Stars Quilt.  The pattern for this quilt is in the current issue of Fons and Porter's Easy Quilts, and yes, it is a fun and easy to sew quilt.  This quilt would make a lovely gift for a new baby.  At 47" x 63", it is a good size to grow with.  It would also make a nice lap quilt, or brighten up a bare wall in your home.

Here's one of my Star blocks from the quilt.  You can see I had a wonderful fabric collection for this quilt, Fancy Free, by Riley Blake.  I used Warm and Plush batting by the Warm Company to make this quilt snuggly soft.  I tried a new to me thread for the quilting, a solid white color of  Omni, by Superior Threads.  Quite a nice thread for smooth quilting and it also blended well over all the fabrics.

If you would like to make your own Wishing Stars quilt, pick up a copy of the Summer 2015 issue of Easy Quilts.  The pattern for my quilt begins on page 88 of the magazine.

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas

Kenmore Mini Ultra

The Kenmore Mini Ultra.  This is not a vintage machine.  All plastic, 3/4 size.  You can still purchase these new.  My husband found this one at a thrift shop for $7.00.  How can you pass up a sewing machine for $7.00?  It's in brand new condition.  I don't think it's ever been used.  No lint. Extremely clean.  It sews smoothly and has a variety of stitch functions.  Plus it's cute in the baby blue color.  I'm thinking this will be a good machine to teach my crafty little guy to sew on.  My youngest wants to learn to sew.

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas