....another "back to school" tip!

it's quite simple, actually

this little pressing tip

after chain piecing a seam on a whole lot of blocks
I use my little baby bow scissors to cut the blocks apart

stack them up

then hold them up with one hand

I take the selected pressing spray in the other hand

(in my case, flatter by soak)

and spray all of the ends

all of them

together.

all at once.

and, of course, I do this over my pressing surface

easy peasy

done.

I lay the stack down on my pressing surface,
take each block off of the stack, one by one
and press the seam

(whether you press from the back, and press your seams open

or you press from the front, and fold over)

if it seems as tho one seam or another has not received enough spray

then I will spray that one block individually

otherwise - phew!

what a time saver.

be.do.create.

Natalie.

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

ps - did you find the pun in this post?

On your journey...leave tracks.

A girlfriend sent me a birthday card this month that read,

     "On your journey through the sands of time...leave tracks."

As quilters, we are always leaving tracks, aren't we.  Tracks.  Did I say tracks?  I meant threads.  What if it read, 'On your journey, leave threads.'  We leave our tracks on the minds of the people that see our quilts hanging in shows.  We leave our tracks as we wrap our loved ones in our three dimensional creations.  We leave our tracks on the hearts of the people that receive our donation quilts - for auction, for a ride along, for camp, for a chemo treatment chair...we leave our tracks on the hearts and minds of people we touch with our quilts.

Which is why I have posted this shining doorway pic.  Do not be afraid of going through.  Make tracks.  Take the class.  Make the quilt.  Make a mistake.  Make the successful ribbon winner.  But go through.  Because when you are done with the quilt, the mistake, the class, when you have pushed through, you will find on the other side....yet another door.  (now you are wondering why you read this blog, right?)  No, really.  And thank God for that!!  Because if we had only one door to push through, one class to take, only ONE quilt to make...well, you understand now.  Oh.  ONE quilt to make?  What would it be?  I can't pick just one, can you?  Make tracks.

I will, however, give you my list of ONE's here today, tho.  The things you can find at www.beyondthereefpatterns.com .  The things I really do use.  The things I can count on for great projects.  Which is why I carry them - to pass them on to you!!

• Jeana Kimble Needles
• Weeks Dye Works threads
• SOAK soap
• Bamboo Batting
• Amy Butler books
• Denyse Schmidt papers and journals

But just ONE quilt?  No way to make tracks, thank you.

I remember one day my 9 year old friend Kendra came through the garden gate and stood in the doorway of the cottage - just as I was tasting a quilt top.  "Natalie, are you making ANOTHER quilt?!?????," she asked.  And then she smiled.  If I knew Kendra's smile was the glow on the other side of that door, of course I would go through!!! And of course, I AM making ANOTHER quilt.  This time Kendra, it is a series of quilts.  And I am pushing through that doorway on my journey.  Hanalei Bay and Diamond Head.  Then Big Island and Maui.  The same size as the honu quilt (you can find this quilt kit on our website).  18 x 22 ish.  A journey.  Tracks.  

Won't you join me?

be.do.create

2008

Thanks for thinking of

b e y o n d   t h e   r e e f

Natalie.

natalie@beyondthereefpatterns.com

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

www.beyondthereefpatterns.blogspot.com

You are what you eat? You are what you read!

Some people say you are what you eat.

Hey.  I say we are what we read.  We are what we think.  Oh, let's face it.  We are what we spend the most of our time around.  About.  With.  On.

So I say to you again, like a broken record, "Choose wisely".

The picture above, I realized, epitomizes "what I eat".

First of all, there are those note cards.  Dots and Jots.  What a cute name.  Come on, you know some of you have received those good old fashioned hand written notes from me.  I send them to thank you for meals, for gifts, for all the things you give.  These happen to be from a great quilter, Denyse Schmidt.  Don't you love her works?  She makes her quilts for us to make, and for other to purchase, and for others to purchase as custom quilts.  I love that concept, too.  And then there's Denyse's book.  If you haven't seen this book before, pick it up.  Or go to our website www.beyondthereefpatterns.com to email me and I will send you a copy (I think there's a link now).  The projects in it are worth the time spent on them.  (choose wisely)

Of course, there is the new Amy Butler book Midwest Modern.  Another great thing to put time into.  I actually sat down and READ this book.  It may look like another coffee table style book, but it is anything BUT.  Amy has a sincere, honest, pure, well, midwest modern approach to things, and she's willing to share it all with us through this great publication.  Don't just buy it; read it.  Become it.

Finally, there's that SOAK soap up there.  Soap? You ask?  How do I become soap?!???  Well, back to my original statement - we are what we put our time into.  How many hours a day do you spend cooking to show those around you how much you love them?  How many times have you picked up a cup or a spoon or rinsed out the sink for a loved one?  We all know the phrase, "you cook, I'll clean" (or at least I hope you do).  SOAK.  This soap, however is for US.  The knitters.  The quilters.  The ones in those fancy 'unmentionables'.  You know, US.  Soak comes in scents - how lovely that we should treat ourselves so well.  And when we are done putting our time into the knit cap, the quilt, or even the pillow case to show someone how much we care about them, we should continue to care by the care we take in caring for that item.  (now that was a mouth full...)

So, when I say we are what we read, remember.  We are what we put our time into.  So put it into telling someone you love them...by knitting, by quilting, or just by sitting quietly with them while reading a good book.

Thanks for thinking of 

b e y o n d   t h e   r e e f

be. do. create.  2008

Natalie.

Road to California - the gift of friendship

Road to California is a California Quilt Show.  Quilts are juried in to be exhibited and vendors are juried in to be a 'show shop' during the show.  There are classes and hotel rooms and restaurants, and taxis and airplanes and all the things needed to get this many people into one place for one thing. 

Quilting.

beyond the reef is pleased to be chosen as a vendor for this show.  We are happy.  Playful.  Joyful.  But I am a sole proprietor and you notice I use the word 'we'.

I must take a moment to thank my customers.  Who come and stand in the aisle and smile, looking at my new set and the booth.  Or comment on the new layout.  I must take a moment to thank my suppliers.  Who greet me once or twice a year as a friend, but who make, pack and ship their fabulous things to me in time to bring them to you.  Who make the bamboo batting - who bring us Amy Butler's new fragrance Sola.  Who year after year come up with great ideas for our industry.  

And I must take a moment to thank my friends - Suzanne who leaves her home in Arizona to come be a part of my home for a while.  Lisa, who cuts straight, folds well and is always of good counsel.  Jill, who made this - the largest show in southern california - her first quilt show.  John who drafted for moondoggie & gidget and who loaded bins and boxes.  Patrick who continues to push chain.  Jeff for my little red wagon, for the painting, and for the loading.  Greg, for his incredible talent, and for sharing it with me.  I am the sum of all of their parts, and I thank them for that.  

Recognize the gift of friendship - of sharing between each other.

And smile.

With our friends, we truly can be. do. create.

Thanks for thinking of 

b e y o n d   t h e   r e e f

Natalie.

Winter is for Comfort

Well, it's certainly sunny here in California, but the picture above is Waterloo Nebraska, and the farmhouse doesn't look anything like this picture at the moment.  The trees have gone into hiding, and the grounds are still covered with snow.  It's a good time to bake for friends, and hand quilt something large enough to fall over the frame and onto your lap.

Winter is comfort.

What I really wanted to discuss with you this week, tho, was nice, flat, square quilts.

You know, when you go to a quilt show or see a quilt in a magazine - they are always hanging so flat, and so square.  I am here today to put the myth to bed.  They do NOT start out that way.  They are blocked.  They are hung.  They are hosed off and stretched and pinned and pulled and steamed into submission.  Take your pick - everyone has a special technique...one friend of mine (AQS winner, I might add...) strings her quilts up in the back yard, puts a metal rod in the top and bottom, and sprays it with the garden hose.  No kidding.  No special frame - she just hangs the rods from the awning on the back of the house.  Now, this, I admit, is extreme.  And she is a professional, so don't try this at home.  And she colorfast tests all the fabric she uses.  Please.  Don't take my advice and put your 1800's quilt out to hang from the gutters of the house.  But don't feel bad about your quilt with its lumps and bumps and funny corners either.  Talk to someone in your quilt guild.  Or a featured quilter at a show.  Or a teacher at a seminar.  Ask them.  They'll admit it.  And maybe they'll share their secrets with you too!  And if you want to experiment, start small.  Make a sample and try different bocking techniques.

Have you heard about the newest soap on the market?  It's from the knitting side of the pond.  soak.  Try it.  It's worth the extra effort, and it's low residue.  Me, well, I have been using Orvus Paste (tm) for years - on my fine washables (ahem), sometimes in my hair (if it's good enough for a horse...) and on my quilts.  But.  It's full of suds.  Try soak.  If Amy Butler can design a limited edition fragrance for the team, well, I can certainly try it.  And so can you.

Until next time, happy quilting in the happy new year.  We are off to Road to California Quilt Show in Ontario, California next week, so I'll try to post from the show.  We're building a whole new set for the booth, so look for the Plantation Store if you visit.

Thanks for thinking of

b e y o n d   t h e   r e e f

be. do. create. 

2008

Natalie.