About Jenny

I love reading, quilting, raising my kids, and selling real estate.

Minky Quilt

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Jenny

I got a sewing referral through facebook recently, and I put two minky quilts together for my friend’s sister. It was simple piecework, but the stretchy minky fabric (aka cuddle fabric) was a little challenging.

Here is what I learned:

* Baste very carefully, someone mentioned basting spray, but I pinned and it was fine
* Use a walking foot
* Don’t backstitch because you might have to unpick
* Use a big quilting ruler/grid to flatten and smooth out the bottom and top before pinning

I just sewed the squares together and quilted the front to the back. The fabric was so thick it didn’t really need batting, and rather than a separate binding I folded the back over twice and sewed it to the front. I love this paisley texture, isn’t it gorgeous?

Our Friend, the Stiletto

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Jenny

I would never sew in stilettos. However, I would sew WITH a stiletto. I didn’t know that they moonlight as a sewing tool until Christmas time, when a friend from quilt guild made these adorable things for everyone in the guild:

They are really useful for holding down little pieces of fabric in spots where my fat fingers just dare not go.

See? I think this stiletto’s grandmother was a shish kabob stick. And look where she is now!

Win a Cute Valentines Day Topper!

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Jenny

Check out my friend’s blog at

Linz Sews

and leave a comment for a chance to win her cute Valentines day mini-quilt.

Don't you LOVE it?

Quick Quilt + Batting Scraps Tip

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Jenny

Ever wonder what to do with all of your million strips of leftover batting? Well, you should pull out your basting spray, and make a very small quilt that is batted with strips. Basting spray and strips of batting are a match made in heaven.

First, take your backing outside so you can get it nice and dirty on the cement in your back yard. Spray basting spray on it, and then arrange your strips edge to edge.

Next, spray the batting. Fold your quilt top in half, and spread / smooth it over your batting, then smooth your way from the fold up to the top. Basting spray is really forgiving. You if you get a wrinkle you can just pull up the fabric and smooth it down again. They should make something like that for skin.

After you’re all basted together, call your sister who likes to free-motion quilt, and enslave her to finish the quilting while you watch and eat bonbons.

I did bind this quilt, but I forgot to photograph it finished. It was in my UFO pile for a long time, and finally someone is due with a boy at a convenient time for me to finish it. I love how quickly a quilt comes together when the top is just one block. One. Done. Fun.

It’s Not a Girl

Posted on January 22, 2011 by Jenny

I accurately predicted the gender of my first two children, so when I decided that this third one was a girl, I felt very sure that I was right again.

I finished a lovely pink quilt, which took two years total after sitting in the UFO pile for a long time. I call it “Pink Headache,” because headache is what will happen after looking at it for too long.

Well, I was wrong. This baby will not be getting a headache from HIS quilt. Since I found out late that I was wrong, I wanted something easy and quick, and I have had the itch to do some stripping (hehe, I love to make quilter jokes about stripping. I’m a nerd), so I made up this maze quilt for him:

I cut random widths between 2 and 3-1/2 inches, and put white between each one. I laid them out with white filler strips, then snipped a spot in each scrappy strip and put in a white spacer.

For the path through the maze I used a Doll Needle
and some blue pearl cotton. I used Minky fabric on the back, because my sister always does that, and her children worship blankets with that stuff. My nephew confirmed to me that the fuzz will be well received, because he walked over and wrapped himself in the thing before I even had it bound. It was a gratifying moment.