Updated Cutting Table, Thread Give Away Winner, and Playing with a New Block

I had been toying with swapping out my cutting mats for the last 2-3 years, and I finally took the plunge. My cutting table consists of 2 hollow doors that I coated with spray varnish (I think I did 3 layers, sanding between each layer) almost 20 years ago, and these lie on top of many “units” of drawers and cabinets that we bought over the years at Lowe’s. As my sewing supplies grew, we would fill in yet another space underneath with a new drawer unit. This system has worked great for me but the cutting mat part was a bit problematic. I had 2 full size mats that were attached by this screw system, and they would sometimes separate. Even when they didn’t separate, my rotary cutter would never cut through fabric that laid over the seam. Here is a shot of my table with everything removed except my pair of cutting mats:

(As you might have guessed, the table is never this empty!) I hemmed and hawed about getting a full table mat for the last few years and finally did. Part of what held me up is that I did not want a large mat with a “plasticky feel” and was hoping for a material that was quite similar to my Fiskars mats. Here is a shot of my new system:

The mat is in 1 piece and covers the entire table. When it came, I needed to unroll it and have it lay flat in the garage for a few days so it would lay flat again. It does have that plasticky feel that I didn’t want but I have to say that I no longer care. It works beautifully and it is such a luxury to have this huge cutting surface. I love my new cutting system! You can get it with a grid on it, but I never used those markings before so I didn’t figure it was worth the extra $. If you’re interested in getting one, here’s where I bought it; they will custom-size it to your table’s specifications and they worked with me to have it arrive in a narrow window of time.

I have lots of cr-p on one end of the table; it’s all stuff I use constantly. Like this group of rulers:

That ruler holder was an old piece of extra plywood that Ernie routed for me so it would hold rulers. He is really great about making stuff that helps me sew more efficiently. Here’s a shot of the table with all my cr-p back on it…I lost a bit of cutting room but it’s still a dream cutting table for me:

I haven’t gotten to sew much lately but I wanted some sewing pics to post so I’ll show you a couple variations of a block I played with a couple weeks ago. Remember this block from before…

Here is the machine embroidered version of it:

…and here’s a closeup:

I did another one but varied the threads so it was really 2 pairs of stems that were alike:

…and the closeup of the second option:

And now for the winner of the thread give away…it’s Louisa Lawson! Congratulations, Louisa, and I hope you enjoy the thread!

Filed under Appli-K-Kutz Fabric Cutting Dies, Machine Embroidered Applique, Sizzix, Tips & Tricks . 6 Comments

New Products, a Sale and a Give Away!

When I have a new prototype die, the first thing I do is cut many shapes from it using scrap paper.  I play around with those scrap paper pieces, seeing different ways that I might put them together, whether it’s putting them together with similar shapes or with other shapes.  I’ve been playing around with a new die cut shape for about 6 months and I’m happy to say that it is now available for anyone to play with.  It’s called the Stylized Stems #2 Die:

This die combines plume and swirl shapes to create a unique stem design.  Here’s an example of it used in a very large quilt block:

(It’s the stem shape at the top; the bottom stem is the original Stylized Stem shape.)  You can also create some interesting quilt blocks by simply using the one die cut shape:

We also have 2 new digitized designs in our online store.  The first one is called Bird Block #1, or “Celebration of Spring:”

This is a 15 inch x 15 inch block.  It can also be coupled with Bird Block #3, or “Love Song Serenade:”

Both of these blocks also work very well with our digitized feathered wreaths:

In case you’re thinking it might be hard to stitch out these large bird blocks in multiple hoopings, we just posted a new video tutorial to show you just how simple it is:

To celebrate the addition of these new products, we’re having a sale!  From now through May 11, 2012 at 9 am eastern daylight savings time, all retail sales of  Appli-K-Kutz dies and all PTD patterns are 15% off!  To receive the discount, just enter Bird Block into the discount code box!

And one more thing…we’re having a give away!  We’re giving away 15 jumbo-sized spools of variegated 100% cotton  Star Quilting Thread:

The box is packed and ready to ship, so all you need to do to enter the give away is post a comment to this blog post by 9 am eastern daylight savings time on May 11, 2012, and in the post, please tell me what kind of digitized applique designs you’d like to see developed.  (You can talk about block or hoop size or applique shape theme or whatever!)  The bottom line is that I’d like to know what you are interested in!  With any luck, you may be opening the box below:

Filed under Appli-K-Kutz Fabric Cutting Dies, Machine Embroidered Applique, Sizzix . 51 Comments

An Actual Blog Post!

In case you’re wondering what I’ve been up to…I’ve been embroidering bird blocks!!!

These don’t even represent all of the blocks I’ve embroidered, but I have to say that one certainly does generate an awful lot of blocks when developing a machine embroidered applique design!  I just finished quilting a wall hanging that used up a few other “experimental” bird blocks.  I don’t have a good photo of it but here it lays on the living room floor:

I’ll get a nicer shot once it’s been bound and can actually be hung on a wall to be photographed.  This one is made of samples of bird block 1, bird block 2, and the 11 1/2 inch feathered wreath.  These first shots are from one of the bird block 1 blocks.  First up is one of the birds:

I’m head over heels in love with those voluptuous tail feathers!  Here’s a shot of a tulip set…these are made using the Tulips die and the Stylized Stems #2 die.  This stem shape is a new die that will be available in the shop later this week.  It does many other things besides act as a stem shape, but I digress…

The background of all the blocks is quilted with the “rudimentary” version of the “plumify it” quilting design.  Here’s a shot of one of the sample blocks for Bird Block 2:

…and here’s a closeup of this second type of bird that sports a swirl tail instead of the tail feathers:

The center block is a feathered wreath, which I love, love, love!

You don’t really notice it unless it’s pointed out, but the wreath has one color of plumes on the inside and a different color of plumes on the outside.  I’m finding it’s a subtle way to jazz things up just a bit.  It’s more obvious in this closeup:

And not to be left out of the mix is bird block 3:

Woo-hoo, they keep getting better!  Right now, bird blocks 1 and 3 are tied for my favorites…sorry bird block 2! Unless something unforeseen happens, I believe that bird block 1 and bird block 3 will go on sale this week in out online store. We’ll also have a new video tutorial showing how easy it is to create these bird blocks through multiple hoopings that line up like buttah! Oh, and did I mention a give away?!!  Keep checking back for breaking news!

Filed under Appli-K-Kutz Fabric Cutting Dies, Machine Embroidered Applique, Sizzix . 5 Comments

Bird Block 2-the Machine Embroidered Version

I had a lot of trepidation about how well this block might translate into a machine embroidered applique block. I say that because what I like the most about the block is the delicacy/intricacy of the swirl tail and the teardrops that spring from it. I wasn’t sure it would be possible to finish those edges without compromising some of that wonderful delicacy. I think it came out great,  though! Here’s a closeup of the swirl tail and teardrops:

There is a very small rope cabling stitch that finishes those edges and I think it worked out so well. Sometimes it can be a real challenge to preserve the essence of a shape and also come up with an interesting edge finishing design! Here is a closeup of the flower section-this is from the Appli-K-Kutz “Poppies” die and the stem is one of the stems from the “Stylized Stems1″ die:

These birds are a bit different beyond just the tail feathers. Their bodies are finished with a dual edge stitch design that’s made up of scallops on the outside and crosses on the inside. Their headdresses are also different than the birds in Bird Block 1 as well:

I’m finishing up the quilting on a small quilt that uses Bird Block 1, Bird Block 2 and the feathered wreath block. It’s coming along really nicely and I hope to have some photos in a few days.

In the meantime, there are only about 24 hours left in our book and DVD sale! All DVDs and books by Patsy Thompson Designs are 15% off until 9 am EST tomorrow am (3/30/12). All you need to do to obtain the discount is enter “Spring” in the discount code box at checkout!

Filed under Appli-K-Kutz Fabric Cutting Dies, Machine Embroidered Applique, Sizzix . 5 Comments

Thanks, and New Bird Blocks

I forgot to post this bird block a few weeks ago and today I made another new one:

Both of these should end up as digitized machine embroidery designs, but more on that later.

This has been a rough week on a number of levels, but one thing that has really helped is the incredible support from our wonderful quilting community. I received so many kind and understanding notes that it truly warmed my soul. I also heard from many people who had quilts meet far worse peril than mine…like floods and fires. Kinda puts my situation in perspective, you know? So thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for all your compassion and empathy and caring. It’s hard to feel alone with all of you special folks out there!

And now it’s time to get back to quilting! I’m working on fine-tuning what I am affectionately calling “Bird Block 1;” how’s that for a catchy name?! I guess I need to come up with something that sounds a little more snazzy. In the meantime, here’s what the machine embroidered version looks like:

To put it into perspective and see how much MEA can add to a quilt block, here is a photo of the non-embroidered prototype I made for bird Block 1:

Now to really whet your appetite, here are some closeups. This first one shows the tail feathers:

…and here’s what the tulip triad at the base of the block looks like. I’m especially fond of how the stem came out:

And last but not least, the whole bird section:

This will be available in the store once I’ve made some more headway on Bird Block 2 and also once I’ve had time to shoot a tutorial about it. That was planned for this week, but life got in the way…

Filed under Appli-K-Kutz Fabric Cutting Dies, Machine Embroidered Applique, Sizzix . 11 Comments