AMANDA'S BASKETS: Ergonomic Quilting, Glue Gun Stencils & Crazy Quilt Block Progress

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Ergonomic Quilting, Glue Gun Stencils & Crazy Quilt Block Progress

I was invited to sit in and watch a speaker who covered quilting ergonomics and stretching routines.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the stretching routine I do at the end of my exercises were the same as those suggested for quilters.

I did learn about how to set up the proper quilting actions like cutting, ironing and sewing using the 90 degree angle.

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I watched a video on how to make stencils using a hot glue gun. The instructor used both a thin stream glue gun and a regular one, a silicon pad and a book.

I used the regular gun, parchment paper and a roller. You can vary the stream size with a regular glue gun by moving faster when 'drawing' the stencil.

The reason I used a roller is to flatten the stencil (after folding the parchment paper over the stencil) similar to the reason the instructor used a book.

I made a couple stencils before the four pictured. They are thick so I want to try again and move the glue gun faster.

I also found that they are fun to trace with using a pen or pencil. The shapes are very unique. The stencil does move a bit so be sure to hold it down when tracing.

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I thought I would share the latest picture of my crazy quilt square. I have added a lot of stitches and beadwork. But there is still more to do. I know this looks like an over-the-top quilt piece, but that is what I am aiming for.

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That's all for today...

Talk with you tomorrow...

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

MAGAZINE IDEAS

(New) One article in the Farmer's Almanac 2024 is a list of trends. One I knew about is the trend to downsize in just about every area. Another trend that I was surprised about was called ''The Human Library' which offers people on loan to talk about specific subjects. Finally, more folks are adding pets to their family and as a result, stores are adding more pet food, toys and medication to their offerings. There's also a nice garden article which suggests mixing vegetables and flowers together for success.

RECIPE IDEAS

Have you every made Cherry Dump Cake. It calls for 2 cans of Cherry Pie Filling (21 ounces), a white cake mix, 1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted & 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a 9 by 13 pan, spread both cans of cherry pie filling. Add the melted butter to the cake mix and break apart the resulting mixture and crumble it evenly over the pie filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Fast, easy and very delicious.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What if you want to establish better habits, then decide what habit you want to work on. Again, try an easier one first for that good feeling of success. Let's consider more exercise. Start small. Don't try to run a marathon right away. Set the amount of time, the type of exercise and when to do it to begin making sure that it is within your reach. If it works for you each week add a bit more. Walking is one of the best ways to get good overall movement but there are many exercise videos on YouTube of varying lengths and difficulty to check out. Change your exercise routines to eliminate getting bored. For hardcore exercise with weights, give yourself a day in-between to recover. Even on days you would rather not exercise, do it and see if you feel better. It takes an average of 66 days to establish a habit. Just think 66 days to establish a good habit for a lifetime. Sounds like a good thing to me...how about you?