Favorite Gadgets

Articles about the gadgets I like to use

Collage Art Cards

| Cindy Anderson

I’m sitting in my warm bed, drinking cup after cup of my echinacea tea and reading a post by my blogging friend Tierney Creates. Her post reminded of the absolutely adorable cards I purchased on one of my visits to the coffee shop in Downsville, Wisconsin. The cards, handmade by Jane Foos, are, as stated on the slip of paper inside the package,

  • Collage Heart Cards
  • Made from: Upcycled textiles
  • Using: Raw edge appliqué and free motion stitched
  • Suitable for Framing: in a 5″x7″ frame

I discovered Jane’s cards during my first visit to Woodland Ridge in June of 2016. She stopped by the center to replenish her inventory. Just like back then, I simply couldn’t resist purchasing a few more cards. I enjoy giving these cards on special occasions. I think they add a special touch to the recipient’s day. As an added bonus I think of them as forever cards because of their unique nature. They definitely are worthy of framing.

Here’s a look at one of the cards.


If you turn the cellophane package over you will see this.


That’s my contribution for today! Make today a good one!

Cindy Anderson

A GIANT Reconfiguration: Part Three-Art Bins

| Cindy Anderson

Friday Favorites

Here we are again about to tackle the third and final post in my series A GIANT Reconfiguration. Are you interested in reading the first two posts? You can find links to them here and here.

Now, let’s get started.

Somewhere along the line a company decided to design prepackaged methods to sell fabric. No doubt their intention was to make the fabric easier to purchase, which in turn would result in higher sales. Among the available units are rolls of 2 1/2″ strips (aka jelly rolls), 5 1/2″ squares (charm packs), 10″ squares (layer cakes) to name a few. The terms jelly roll, charm pack and layer cake are used by a specific vendor. Not all jelly rolls, charm packs or layer cakes contain the same quantity nor are they the same size. Other vendors use their own terms.

Of course the invention of the pre-packaged fabric units meant pattern creators could take advantage of these new sales methods by designing their patterns around the consumption of these units. 2 1/2″ strips, while not the only size used, are a very common measurement utilized when assembling quilts.

In a previous post I mentioned that I had cut one 2 1/2″ strip from each of my fat quarters. I cut these strips because it gave me a quickly accessed resource for making my art quilts. Rather than pulling out the whole piece of cloth, which wouldn’t usually be needed in its entirety, the 2 1/2″ strip gave me a smaller, much more manageable size. Of course I could have just as easily cut 1″, 2″, or even 3″ strips. There’s no limit to the sizes available. All that matters is that it suits your needs.

Managing my stacks of 2 1/2″ strips was made easy by storing them in my Art Bins which are designed specifically for that purpose. I have four bins that I purchased through an online vendor. Rather than purchase a bin for each color I divided the strips into groupings such as red, yellow and orange. Now when I’m looking for strips to audition for my projects I grab the bin containing the colors I want and search through for just the right piece.

I highly recommend the Art Bin Strip Case. It’s an awesome way to not only store your strip stash but also to transport them when traveling to retreats, a class, sew days or even on vacation. Here’s how one of my bins looks.

Art_Bin.jpg

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Friday Favorites: Something New

| Cindy Anderson

Friday Favorites

For twenty plus years I have proudly used my Pfaff 1475 sewing machine to assemble countless items, mend clothing, add buttons, attach achievement badges, among other items. It traveled with me to sewing events, retreats, and even on vacation. Throughout all of that it faithfully performed day after day with barely a hiccup.

Late in December of 2015 a new resident moved into my home. Inside the cardboard box was a brand new Pfaff Performance 5.0.

Pfaff Performance 5.0.jpg

So how did this come about, you might ask? As 2015 drew to a close my spouse suggested that we shop for a new sewing machine. I was quite surprised when he offered. Although I was very satisfied with my faithful companion I just couldn’t turn down such an opportunity?

Before setting out for a local vendor we did research on the available machines. We eventually decided to stay with the same brand as my current machine.

As is our custom we took several days to contemplate the purchase. We weighed the pros and cons carefully. After thoroughly analyzing our options we jointly decided to move forward with the purchase. We chose the Pfaff Performance 5.0. Before the close of 2015 the machine was paid for and brought home. Unfortunately it sat unused until early in February.

After unpacking the machine and all of the accessories I connected each of the cords and plugged it in. With the users’ guide on my left I paged through the manual learning how to thread the machine, wind and install bobbins, select a few options from the menu, then put the machine to work. The machine worked flawlessly! I’m very, very thrilled with the choice that we made.

Cindy Anderson of In A Stitch Quilting