Little Penguin Quilts Through the Year

Little Penguin Quilts Through the Year

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

I Like Thursday #65 - in the sewing room

Happy "I Like Thursday", friends!  I like keeping track of things I want to share for this weekly post as I go through the days.  This week it's all about some new additions to my sewing room.

I don't buy a lot of specialty rulers, but I was finally convinced that I needed the Easy Angle and Companion Angle rulers.  (Thank you, Libby and Angela!)


Those were my first HSTs made with the Easy Angle ruler, and they turned out pretty good!  (Haven't had a use for the other one yet.)  Just like with any new tool, I need to get some more practice with this ruler - my preferred method for HSTs has been drawing the diagonal line on a square to make two at a time.  This usually requires lots of trimming, which gets old fast!  Hoping I can learn to make HSTs more accurately and cut out that trimming step!

Playing with a Scrappy Sprouts block - 



I also liked finding out that I can order things from Joann.com, where these rulers were both on sale, and then pick my order up in the store for free! 


Thanks also go to Karen, who posted about fusible tape to connect scrap pieces of batting - I found some of that at Joann's, too.  I have lots of bits and pieces of batting to use up.  I have zigzagged them together in the past, but was interested in trying something different.


At Costco a few weeks ago, I bought these plastic crafting totes to store some ongoing quilting projects.


I like that they are colorful and stackable!  Here is one opened up to show my Floral Sawtooth stars project stash, and one 6" star that I made this week.

Notice the sticky note with dimensions and diagrams, lol!  At least it won't get lost in some other pile!

After filling these five totes up, I realized that unfortunately, I could probably use another set of 5!  :) 

And, just in case you haven't done enough blog reading this week, I have one to recommend!

I loved this post on the blog, Cheeky Cognoscenti, (click on the blog name to get to the post) from earlier this week!  Her take on what she calls Compulsive Creative Disorder.  I think I probably fall into that category.  I love trying new things, which often turns into starting a new project! 


Hope you're having a wonderful week!  Please join us over at LeeAnna's place, Not Afraid of Color, every Thursday, for our weekly sharing of favorite things. 





19 comments:

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

have you tried the tape out? hope it works for you I have that ruler also - love it. and I have some of that plastic storage boxes :)

Libby in TN said...

Thanks for the shout-out! You will love those rulers. I get my project boxes at Jo-Ann in the scrapbook section, less expensive than the ones you got. I need to try the fusible tape as I have a lot of batting bits, too./

Quilter Kathy said...

Love the scrappy sprout block!
And those are my favourite rulers!

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

I like those rulers when I am doing a lot of HST. Lately I just have bonus triangles. :D Don't you just love those project totes? They are the best. I like your cartoon.

Jan @Cocoa Quilts said...

Love those project boxes from Costco! Wish they fit in my Ikea Expedit though. Now they just get stacked on top.

Vicki in MN said...

I have those rulers too, don't use them as much as I should perhaps. I do have the Fons and Porter HST and flying geese rulers(JoAnns) that I do love, same principle as the EA and CA ones. Why do I have both-no idea, LOL. You remind me I have loads of batting to frankenstein together!

Linda said...

Thank you for taking the time to photo and write about these great tips! I'm jotting down as I'm reading. :) What size are those totes? I have a few of my projects in "charming" baskets, but they aren't stackable, and I love the look of yours.

Home Sewn By Us said...

Hi Diann,
Hmmm, HSTs without trimming. That sounds like heaven to me - lol. Those totes and the batting tape! Who knew about these?! I did know about the online Joann thing but I haven't used it . . . why, I ask myself? Last but not least, I love the fabrics in your scrappy sprout block. Can't wait to see that grow up into a quilt. ~smile~ Roseanne

Jocelyn is Canadian Needle Nana said...

Love that comment and I eyed those same containers at Costco. I love to see things neatly organized and what lovely squares your containers are holding! HST's are hard for me and I'm not sure a ruler is the answer, but who knows, maybe.
Love those pretty blues.

LA Paylor said...

colorful containers keep the UFO's quiet til you can get to them. I love a specialty ruler if I can remember or figure out how to use it lol. Love the cartoon, it is hard to show love in the face of hate to the haters but I believe the sentiment to be so true.

Mari said...

I did not know that about JoAnn's! What a great idea--thanks! I also have those plastic project boxes. Yep, get a few more. They're great!

Janice Holton said...

I love your "I Like" Thursday posts, Diann! We have much in common! I use those kind of plastic totes for projects too. Love them! Walmart has the clear with turquoise tabs for $5.97 so I pick one up every time I go in there for something else. I wish they had more variety in color but I like the price! I didn't used to have any specialty rulers until yesterday. I got one in the mail from Bonnie Hunter that looks a lot like one of these. We'll see how it works! And last but not least, I LOVE That saying you included at the end. So appropriate for these days.

frayed at the edge said...

I recently invested in some of the fusible batting tape, so I am gradually using up the odd bits in my wadding basket.

MissPat said...

Wish my Costco had those project boxes. I'd snap them up in a minute, but I haven't seen that kind at my store. I have the Easy Angle ruler and the Companion ruler, bought for one of Bonnie's mystery quilts, but I didn't have good luck with the Easy Angle. Went back to drawing the line and trimming.
Pat

Cathy said...

Wow! I’ve got to check out our Costco for those totes! I’ve got some of that seam tape that I won somewhere, but haven’t tried it yet. My smaller batting scraps were being used in kennel quilts, but if I switch my charity sewing to baby quilts this year, I will need to use it to piece batting scraps! Cathy LaBath recommended the Easy Angle to me and I love it. The Companion Angle comes in handy now and then too. New tools help us in our creative journeys, don’t they?

Michele McLaughlin said...

Glad that ruler is working out for you! I've often wondered about it. I love your Floral Star blocks! Wow! Can't wait to see that one! Have a great day! Cheers!

PaintedThread said...

I'm finally getting around to reading everyone else's Thursday posts. You and I both wrote about fusing together batting! How crazy is that! lol

I am trying not to accumulate a bunch of rulers, but I've found the right ruler can make such a difference on a project.

Sandy said...

I think I would soon become disillusioned if I filled individual boxes with projects! I do have alot of them in large plastic zip bags.

Kate said...

I love my project boxes, but I have a lot more than 5. I'm hoping to get some emptied this year. I've been using the easy angle ruler for Bonnie's mystery quilt this year and decided to try it out for the HSTs for this month's RSC sampler block. Like you I normally do the draw a line thing. It works pretty well and it is great in that you only have to cut the strips one size!