Vintage Sewing Finds

Enjoyed an afternoon of antiquing today. It's always fun to see what vintage sewing goodies I can find, even if they don't make it into my shopping bag.

Here's a few things I perused today...

A yoyo quilt.

An ornate Singer.

Linens & lace & crocheted doilies.

Buttons!

Chenille bedspread.

Old spools of thread.

Old patterns.

Upcycled spools as Christmas ornaments.

And the one thing that did end up going home with me - a wooden child's hanger in my favorite color of green!

Can't wait to find the perfect spot in my sewing room to hang it! 

~Sharla

QR Code Quilts - Say It Modern

QR code quilts are the epitome of modern. They're graphic, bold, and, well, just cool.

What is a QR code? It's a machine-readable code consisting of an array of black and white squares, typically used for storing URLs or other information for reading by the camera on a smartphone. Creative Grids started putting QR codes on their rulers. When you scan the code with a smartphone that has a QR code reader app, it will take you to a video that demonstrates how to use that particular Creative Grids ruler. Pretty cool.

You can make your own QR codes by using one of the many free QR code generator websites. You can make codes for website addresses, You Tube videos, telephone numbers, etc. You can even enter your own text to say just about anything. How cool would it be to make a QR code quilt for a child that says his or her name, or a QR code label for a quilt that gives all the details about the quilt.

I decided to make a QR code for www.thistlethicketstudio.com with the intention of making my own QR code quilt.

Then I drew the code onto graph paper to create a pattern.

I think I'll make my quilt in jadeite green and blue. I found lots of inspiration on Pinterest. Check out my pins here. I'll post a tutorial after I finish my quilt - stay tuned!

~Sharla

Vintage Chenille

I love using vintage chenille in quilts. So cozy! I saw these at a junk show today but, alas, none of them came home with me.

~Sharla

Quilting Apps

Is your online quilting obsession so great that you have to take it on the go? I have several quilting apps downloaded on my smart phone, but have to admit I haven't really used them. So i decided I needed to take the time to explore some of them.

The first one I found was Art Quilting Daily. The description grabbed my attention - "Love contemporary quilting, surface design, wearable arts, mixed media, embellished quilting, crazy quilts, beading, silk ribbon work, and fabric painting?" Yes, I do! So I downloaded the free app. It features blogs & videos from Interweave staff, who produce Quilting Arts; Studios; & Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazines. 

In the blog section, the 25 most recent blogs are shown. After reading a few, I realized that each blog was an advertisement to purchase one of their magazines, ebooks, etc. That's not all bad, there were a couple of articles & projects I was interested in & will probably purchase the magazine if I run across it in a store. There were also photos of projects for inspiration & simple enough I wouldn't need a pattern to make.

The video section may be fantastic, but after several attempts I gave up trying to open. On my phone while traveling, there just wasn't enough signal to download the page much less the videos & I had 4 bars! There is also a quilting glossary which gives definitions of quilting terms & a place to sign up for their free newsletter.

If I'm really bored, I might glance through this app again but it won't be on my favorite apps list. What about you? 

-Sharla