"AURIfil THREAD SAVES CHRISTMAS!"

Hey quilters....hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is enjoying the last day of 2019. This year has flown by for me. Had great times and of course some "issues" that I'm dealing with now. I always try to turn a negative into a positive. It's not always easy but in this case being down in my back has "forced" me to design differently. I myself....am now having to do "small sewing/quilting" projects due to my back. If you've noticed, I recently pulled a "Christmas quilt-a-long"....I received several emails stating it was too difficult. Well....for once I listened :-)….plus had plenty of down time to work on my designs. So needless to say....2020 will be full of fun....fast & "less complicated" projects but still fabulous! I'm actually excited myself because "small projects' make me feel like I'm getting a lot accomplished. What a great way to start off the New Year!
Well....as you all know I'm obsessed with AURIfil thread. The quality is amazing and you have so many hues to choose from. Our Christmas "mishap" is a perfect example! My daughter....removing the tag from her Christmas throw....had the biggest look of disappointment that I've seen in a long time. The tag stuck so bad into the fabric that it actually "ripped" a long tear in the throw. Oh my gosh...I don't care how old your child is the look of disappointment is horrible. She says..."mom can you do something?".....Because AURIfil thread is so "amazing"...I go to my thread holder and AURIfil 50 weight #1126 was a perfect match! Oh my gosh....we got so excited! I'm addicted to AURIfil 50 weight thread...it's so versatile for any sewing or quilting project. So....I hand sewed the seam with the thread to prevent any other tearing of the fabric.....Her "Christmas throw" is perfect in my mind 'cause sometimes a little "mishap" creates some fun Christmas memories. Below is a pic of the throw & I'm not bragging but it looks pretty good :-)...the huge tear was below rear tire.
 So thank you AURIfil thread for creating such an "Amazing thread!"
Looking forward to some fun...fast & fabulous projects 2gether!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,
Cat
email q's...cmhdesigns2@yahoo.com
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www.cookinganddecorwithcat.blogspot.com

CATS FUN-FRIDAY TIP...."FROM TOWEL TO PILLOW SLIP"...oops!!!

Hey quilters....sometimes you just gotta laugh when you get an email that says "Cat didn't see the post"....I thought that's weird....I know, I posted it.....Oh how am I ever so embarrassed. I posted my Friday tip on my cooking and décor blog. Never a dull moment! So instead of re-posting....along with my apologies....please pop on over to my "other blog" :-)

Please view on www.cookinganddecorwithcat.blogspot.com

Have a great week!

Cat

Cats Fun-Friday Tip...."Balancing Cooking,Cleaning & Quilting w/AURIfil thread"

Hey quilters....hope all is going well. Please keep praying for everyone going through this dread-full hurricane. My in-law's dodge the bullet this year but we definitely know what's it's like to worry about your loved one's especially this time of year. Recently I was talking with some of my "quilter friends" about "balancing" housework & quilting. I shared my process with them & they all had a good laugh but then said "hey, not a bad idea." So I thought I'd share my process with you. It's held up so far & truth be told if I feel stressed and behind on things, well.....I just keep my glasses off and everything looks perfect! :-) Yes, it's sad....I now clean with glasses on!
One other reason why I do this "process" is due to my back. It keeps me from sitting too long at machine so when I'm cleaning, I'm getting some exercise in as well.....right???? :-)
So here we go....if you're "addicted to AURUfil thread like me you hate to break away from your sewing/quilting projects. You know cleaning needs to be done.....cooking is a necessary....and as always....never enough time in the day. First pick a day that is your time to do the important things to balance your family life, mine is Fridays. I like to have a clean house for the weekend especially if someone pops in unexpectedly. Due to my back cleaning is something I have to do in moderation. So I make my "list" for the day.....I always start cleaning first which makes me get the process done and back to my sewing/quilting project. This helps "motivate" me :-) Basically it's 15 minutes of cleaning to 30 minutes of sewing/quilting. Maybe I stink at math but this "ratio" helps me "balance" my day. I feel like it's "rewarding" me by getting the "necessary tasks" done and then I don't feel so guilty working on my projects. On Monday.....I do a "fast spiff" to basically tidy up from a weekend. When you live on property it seems like dirt is always tracked in. Anyway, I hope this tip helps....most important thing to remember, for me anyway is..."be happy with what you have and enjoy every moment"....I'm always learning how to make a negative situation into a positive. I know that's life but for me....sewing and quilting with AURIfill thread seems to calm the soul :-)

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,
Cat
email q's...cmhdesigns2@yahoo.com
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www.cookinganddecorwithcat.blogspot.com

"WHY I TRAVEL W/ MY AURIfil THREAD"

Hey quilters....hope all is going well. Prayers to all who is going through this horrible hurricane. Texas is so dry but I'm not going to complain when you see the devastation the hurricane is causing. I feel guilty that I'm able to sew today when others are trying to survive a horrible storm.
I recently was blessed to have ten wonderful days with my family in the Hill Country. Days definitely go by fast and I always say when I leave...."we'll do that next time". Never enough time when you're having fun! I love traveling with my thread. My daughter always needs something for me to sew for her classroom & grandson Davin usually has a stack of mending on guest bed waiting for me! I was thrilled to hear of my daughter's promotion and she was going into a new classroom. I'm so proud of all she does and achieves. She wanted a "table skirt" for her kidney table and coordinating window valance and runner. We went shopping for her fabric and of course I already had the coordinating thread. I always travel with different hues of my AURIfil 50# thread. You never know what project will come up and I definitely wouldn't sew her projects with anything other then AURIfil. I can always count on the 50# for the strength I need for my sewing and quilting projects. Also, my sweet Grandson Davin asked me to sew a hole in his favorite socks. First I had to laugh 'cause I thought "who does that anymore"....then I thought....what a great time to teach him how to thread a needle. Needless to say....he's one talented young man....he can thread a needle and make awesome touchdowns! I was blessed to see two of his games & see him score two touchdowns! Memories to last a lifetime! Below are some pics of my adventures and I'll be posting for my "Christmas Quilt-a-long" this week too! I hope everyone's had plenty of time to gather their fabric 'cause it's full speed ahead in my house....Christmas Quilting here we come!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,
Cat
email q's...cmhdesigns2@yahoo.com
Follow on Facebook & Pinterest
www.cookinganddecorwithcat.blogspot.com

"CATS FUN-FRIDAY TIP"...ART CANVAS 2 PILLOW SHAMS

Hey quilters....hope all is going well. I designed this project several months ago for my guest room & recently received several compliments, so I decided to share. We have a sweet antique store where I live called "Pandoras Box". I love shopping their 'cause her items make you think out of the box. A mix of old and new which is so me! As a designer, I try to come up with clever ideas for my clients and for me. Yes some of my accessories are straight from a store but when you can do something different that makes a "conversation piece",,,well, you know it was all worth the effort! That's how I feel with these sweet Rooster Canvas Art. At the time she only had two and I haven't seen any since.
Have to say...."that makes me happy." Although I feel you can take this concept and run with it.
All I needed to turn the canvas art into pillow shams was a little time and AURIfil 50# thread. I can't talk about this thread enough. I absolutely love 50 weight #2311 so much that I recently ran out of it. I use it for all my basic sewing projects. The color is so neutral that it blends in with any sewing project that I don't need to coordinate a hue to the exact. And if you do....well, google AURIfil thread and you'll see what I'm talking about. So many weights & hues to coordinate with your sewing projects.

Blessed Quilting from my Home to Yours,
Cat
email q's @ cmhdesigns2@yahoo.com
www.cookinganddecorwithcat.blogspot.com
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Well, here's all you do to make your own unique shams.....

Purchase 2 Art Canvas Shams (or create your own)
Muslin fabric to size of each sham (x 2)
AURIfil 50 weight # 2311 (or coordinating color of thread)
Low loft pillow filler
Basic rotary cutter and ruler for accuracy

*Measure your shams and cut your muslin (or backing fabric of your choice) and allow an extra inch on each side for seam allowance. (I do an inch seam allowance to make my sham extra sturdy)
*Rotary cut fabric of muslin to size
*Pin right sides together (mark your opening with 2 needles) :-)
*With right sides together....sew a one inch seam around sham leaving at least a 2' opening for filling.
   Reinforcing seam at your start and stop points.
*Turn inside out (you should have both right sides of fabric facing you) if not (it happens) catch your     mistake now.
*Fill with low loft pillow filler and use a "dull pencil" to carefully get into the corners.
*Slip stitch opening with AURIfil thread :-)

Seriously... that's it :-) You now have your own unique project. Yes, I do remove them before my guest go to sleep....they are so stinkin' cute, in my opinion :-)

"CAT'S FUN-FRIDAY TIP" GOLD FABRIC by MODA

Hey quilter's....hope all is well and you are in the process of gathering your fabric for my Christmas in July Quilt-a-long. I plan on making mine out of my "Christmas scraps" but last night I noticed my fabrics in gold hues did not quite work. Today I ran to one of my favorite quilt shops in Tyler "a nimble thimble" www.animblethimble.com for you on line shoppers. I found the perfect gold fabric, French General by Moda...pattern # 13529 (modafabrics.com) plus it coordinates perfectly with #AURIfil 50 weight #2134. If you follow me on Facebook you can see the sweet "Red Truck" pattern they had in the store as well. Oh my goodness it was hard to stay focused in that quilt shop! I know on line shopping is convenient but it doesn't beat walking and seeing all the fabrics and threads in person. As a designer, I get inspired while seeing the fabric hues. In fact, I've already found my fabric for my next quilt-a-long! Win...win as my grandson would say :-)

Blessed Quilting from my Home to Yours,
Cat
email q's...cmhdesigns2@yahoo.com
Follow on Facebook & Pinterest
www.cookinganddecorwithcat.blogspot.com

"CHRISTMAS in JULY"...CHILD'S SANTA BELT APRON

Hey quilter's.....I recently finished this sweet project for our town's fundraiser for the children's program. I thought any child would love to hear the "jingle bells" while baking cookies for Santa. I received several emails requesting the pattern for Christmas gifts. I thought...why not.... it's that time of year when we realize Christmas is only 5 mos. away and this is such a fun sweet gift. Also, please see previous post on "tips" for rotary cutting the Hexagons. All hexagons were appliqued with 50# AURIfil thread. Many weights and hues to coordinate with your projects & I've never had a thread breakage! I hope you enjoy this fast & easy project and remember to check back in this month for my "Christmas Quilting w/Cat" Quilt-a-long....you'll love this fun & easy quilt to make :-) The pattern will have tips for the advanced sewer/quilter as well. As always...email me any q's.

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,
Cat
email... cmhdesigns2@yahoo.com
Follow on Facebook & Pinterest (Cat Gege)
www.cookinganddecorwithcat.blogspot.com

Here's all you do...
Purchase one apron from craft store & a small Hexagon template to scale of your apron size.
Coordinating Fabric & threads (I used scraps from my fabric stash of Hoffman Fabrics and I coordinated the fabric with 50# AURIfil thread for all the appliques.
HeatnBond Feather Lite...for a smooth, flat applique


*Rotary cut all your Hexagons with your fabric choosing. (see previous post for tips)
Fold Apron in half & softly crease with your "finger" to mark the center line of your apron.
I used my 1/4" ruler to keep the Hexagons aligned (see pic)

Fuse your Hexagon's on Apron following manufacturer's direction.
For White Hexagon squares...
Applique hexagons with cording thread
(Tips) remember to coordinate your bobbin thread with your apron for a clean neat back. Also,
for continuous line appliqueing of hexagons.... applique the outer edge of Hexagons first then for center seams position your needle to catch both side of center seam. (see pic)

*For Black Hexagons....(remember to coordinate your thread)
applique around black Hexagon's using the same method above except the center black hexagon...I straight stitched around square to secure it which allows for less bulk when adding the gold ribbon for buckle.

*Sew on "Gold Bells" securely in center of white Hexagons or use buttons.
*For "gold buckle"....I used gold ribbon and rotary cut outline of Hexagon with the same template. Then using permanent washable glue, I position strips on top of black hexagon for the 3-d effect.
Do the same if you wish or "try to find a Hexagon belt buckle"...I had no luck so I did step above.
I would fully recommend using a garment bag when washing apron due to the bells.
Hang to dry & press if needed.
Enjoy!
Remember....keep following for the Christmas Quilt-a-long :-)

CAT'S FUN- FRIDAY TIP..."HEXAGONS FOR RAW EDGE APPLIQUE"

Hey quilter's.....hope all is going well. It's that time of year when the garden is in & Christmas quilting is in full speed. I've been designing a Cat's Country Christmas Quilt-along that I'll be posting starting in July so please keep following. Super fun & easy tips to create a special quilt for your loved ones. Today I'm designing a "Santa Belt Apron" for our towns Library fundraiser & I'm using a lot of hexagon's & wanted to share this tip for a fast way to fuse hexagons for the "raw edge" application. I'm rotary cutting so many that I had to come up with a speedy method that made me so happy that I just had to share. If you already use this method then disregard and all I have to say is "great minds think alike!" Anyway....keep following for the Christmas Quilt-along in July and as always email me any q's.
Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,
Cat
email...cmhdesigns2@yahoo.com
Follow on Facebook & Pinterest

Here's all you do...
Depending on your size of Hexagon...cut your strip of fabric 1/2- 1 in. larger then your "HeatnBond Lite fusible webl Pic below is using some leftover scrap squares but the method is the same.
Rotary cut your HeatnBond Lite fusible web about a 1/4" larger then your Hexagon square.
Fuse to wrong side of fabric following manufactures direction.
On paper side of HeatnBond lite mark 2 lines using a ruler the width of your hexagon (see diagram)
Using your Hexagon template then trace the outside edges "the arrow points"
Continue this method until you get the amount of Hexagons desired.
Note...the fabric is cut larger then HeatnBond lite fusible web so when your press this allows for any
glue seepage. :-)

Rotary cut the Hexagons using this same method.
Cut lines first then sub cut the corners.

Fuse following manufacturers direction & raw edge applique.
I fully recommend AURIfil thread....I've never had a breakage with all the raw edge applique that I do & they have wonderful weights & color hues to choose from.
What I've enjoyed using this method is that you have your main lines cut accurately & the sub cuts of angles go fast afterwards....win...win :-)
Enjoy & Hope you've enjoyed this tip.

"SAFE WAY TO DISCARD ROTARY CUTTING BLADES"

Hey quilters....I hope all is going well....we're finally having some nice weather in Texas! I love this time of year...I quilt & garden! Recently was discarding my rotary cutting blades and wanted to do a "shout out" to all you fellow quilter's & crafter's. Well.....first of all I have a confession...."I'm obsessed with Nutella." So when I discovered the jar was a safe way to discard my blades, I thought....win,..win! Not only am I being safe but I don't feel so "guilty" finishing the jar! :-) I did post this tip last year but felt the need to share again. Blades are so sharp and throwing them in the trash can be hazardous.
Also, here's another O.C.D. tip for you...when I use a blade on fabric and it starts to dull a bit, I then put it in a separate jar labeled for "paper." Usually you can use them a while longer on paper items. I tend to be so precise when cutting fabric that I keep my blades very sharp. Kudos to all of you that sharpen your blades. I'm not that brave! :-)
Anyway....keep following 'cause we have a huge project coming soon that I'm very excited about. I've been gearing towards simplifying home décor items with a quilt flair! I know were all busy & I especially need some time saving short cuts these days.

Blessed Quilting from my Home to Yours,

Cat
email q's....cmhdesigns2@yahoo.com
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"SOMETHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN"

Hey quilters....hope everyone is doing good & staying warm. Crazy weather here in Texas! I'm doing a "shout out" to all you home decors.....I'm finally working on my own home & will be posting some fun, time-saving tips on my "Cooking & Décor blog. It's a great "stress relief" to take a break from quilting. Just kidding....no such thing as a "quilting break" :-). Anyway....quilt designs/patterns coming soon but in meantime pop on over to my décor blog.
Below is a peak of what I just did...more info on blog
.
Blessed Quilting from my Home to Yours,
Cat
www.cookinganddecorwithcat.blogspot.com

"OUT w/ THE OLD & IN w/ THE NEW"

Hey quilters....hope everyone's New Year is off to a great start. I've been "forced" to upgrade my software recently & if you know me I'm always about cherishing the history of items. But I've recently came to grips there is a difference between repurposing an "Old Quilt" & a laptop! Sad to say my "old laptop" wasn't even old! Technology is changing everyday so I'm especially glad when someone asks me to "repair" an old quilt to keep it & when they gift-it forward. I always say...."if this quilt could talk"....how many stories were told while piecing and quilting this quilt. I do love my new advanced laptop for designing quilts & getting used to "all my new gadgets" it has to offer :-) Anyway, below is also a pic of what I've been "up to" this year. I'm proud to say our group "Friends of the Library" is doing a Scholarship for a Frankston High School student. The "Hot pad runner" was appliqued & outline quilted with 50# weight AURIfil thread. And yes....again no thread breakage while using this great quality thread! More details soon about the chance to purchase tickets for the fundraiser in our local paper & on Facebook.
As always, email me any q's!
Blessed Quilting from my Home to Yours!,
Cat
cmhdesigns2@yahoo.com
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and Facebook
I heard it through the quilt-vine

"Roses in my Garden"
( 3 piece Hot Pad Runner for entertaining.....stacks easily for storage)