Erin Underwood Quilts

And so it may be come my motto! I’m struggling along today trying to get a good invisible stitch on my Janome, tried all sorts of thread, pushed all sorts of buttons but could still see the stitch A LOT – finally it occurred to me that the sewing machine sequestered in the basement hiding itself from the Goodwill pile may actually have the right stitch – being old enough to only have all utilitarian stitches and nothing fancy.

Eureka! Not only does it do the right stitch, it still works!! And with out a squeak or hummmmm too! Unfortunately, it does not thread its own needle nor does it have needle up or down nor does it have that handy-dandy little thread cutter on the side of the machine but I’ll keep it just the same – just for the stitch!

Finally had time to stop by the new Quilt Store in Elkton,  Maryland,  My Favorite Quilt Shop What a nice set up – big classroom space in the basement – lots of places to wander and look and very nice fabric selection for being such a young shop! I especially liked the “blending room” where all the “solids” in many different shades reside. If you have the time, stop by or at least take a moment to  peruse their website!

Diamond in the Woods just photographed and  loadedt up on my gallery –  I tried to take pictures of more quilts but its just too darn hot outside to work – can’t take good pictures inside, poor light and not enough room to spread out. – so its outside or nothing. I have decided that its outside but still nothing – I’m putting on my suit and jumping in the pool!

Lots of interesting color choices at Bear’s Paw – I think my camera didn’t do justice to the colors – the last diamond star is actually shades of purple and lime green – looks sort of blue and yellow in the pictures.

Note the round cutting mat – This smart lady salvaged a warped cutting mat by purchasing a lazy susan at Ikea and attaching the best part of the warped mat to it – very sturdy, nice idea!

Just returned from Springfield, Virginia, where I was lucky enough to be invited to  show my wares to the Burke Quilter’s Unlimited Guild. I was greeted warmly and hosted nicely by the group and very much enjoyed my visit there.  Thank you to all the ladies there and especially Jenn and Judy!! There was quite a bit a talent in the guild – wish there had been more time for Show-n-Tell from the members. I have a feeling I might have missed something really special!

Yes, it is sitting there in prime position – right in my spot on the couch – just waiting for me to turn on HBO and get stitching. I think I have hand sewn down the binding on at least 10 quilts in the last 30 days. Granted some are bigger and some are smaller… After this one is finished, it needs a sleeve too!! And its on a deadline – egad!!! After my summer of binding is over, I will take pictures, really good pictures,  and load them all up in my gallery…eventually….

Busy ladies, working hard. We had a great time! And at least half of us fell in love with a line a fabric that  Bear’s Paw is now carrying – Flowers of the Sun (J. Windsor, South Sea Imports) Below is what I couldn’t resist. I can’t speak for the rest of the ladies!

As I roll into a week of lots of machine quilting classes in a row, I am happy to have discovered this wonderful website! Leah Day demonstrates several HUNDRED free motion quilting designs right on her website! Many are quite creative. She has challenged herself to come up with 365 designs. Please check out her site. Her video tutorials are wonderful! Her quilting is superb! And yes, its all done on a domestic machine!