Throwback Thursday {Volume 8}

Welcome to Throwback Thursday @ A Quarter Inch from the Edge! Each month, we share tales of our quilty pasts.

As for my offering this month, hold on to your hats, people. there's batiks. And lots of them!

Rhythm of the Sea from McKenna Ryan, entirely in batiks. It all started when I made Saltwater Symphony as an anniversary present for Himself in July 2005. It's the lower block in this pic and features a crab. Himself is a crabologist, so we likely have more crab-themed items in our home than your average family.

I purchased the patterns and a fabric kit (for the entire quilt!) from the (now long gone) Harbour Quilt Company in Antigonish. It was the most money I'd ever spent on a quilt all at once... and it was 50% off!

Each piece is backed with fusible web and ironed into place. Many, like this octopus, have layer upon layer of fabric pieces.

This was one of the first quilts that I quilted on my (no longer) new Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.0. Each and every wee bit of fabric is outlined in FMQ to hold it in place. And I did a little bit of playing with thread to create textures. If I were to do this quilt now, there'd be a whole lot more of that texture. But at the time, I think I just wanted to get it finished!

 Love these wild roses and lupins, traditional Nova Scotia flowers.

Flanking this quilt in my living room are the chairs where DT have had their bottles pretty much their entire lives. We used to be convinced that BT would stare at this block, likely the only one with enough contrast to be visible to him in early days! I look forward to them learning the names of all the creatures of sea and air in this one, even those dirty old shags that photobombed this orca pic. Or cormorants as the rest of the world calls them.

I love many of McKenna Ryan's patterns, but I think this is the only one I will ever make. They cry out for the depth and texture of batiks. Not my thing anymore.

Now it's your turn! Link up a blog post about a project from your dark quilty past. This month, we have a 25$ gift certificate from Dinkydoo Modern Fabrics.

If you're a fan of modern fabrics and pre-cuts, this on-line shop is for you! How to win? There are three ways.

1. Link-up a blog post telling all about a quilt from your past. Don't forget to link to A Quarter Inch from the Edge in your post or grab the Throwback Thursday button for your sidebar.
2. Leave a comment on this post telling me about a style of fabric you used to love, but just can't do anymore. 
3. And a bonus for followers of A Quarter Inch from the Edge. Just leave a comment saying how you follow. 

The giveaway is open to International participants until Sunday, February 10th at 11:59 Atlantic Time.

An InLinkz Link-up

Hope to see you back on Sunday, March 13th when I'll be hosting Sunday Stash for the incomparable, Molli Sparkles. And perhaps again on Friday, March 18th when I host TGIFF. And of course, for TBT {Volume 9} on Thursday, April 7th!

J

Tuesday Tip - Curious little fingers...

I never thought I'd be writing a blog post like this one, but as DT get more and more mobile, I think a lot about their safety. My sewing space is right next to their bedroom and GT has been known to take a detour on the way to nap. If you've got littles in your house, grandkiddies who visit, or even an overly curious fur child, some of these baby proofing tips might be useful to you!

There's no question that if you have a dedicated sewing space, as I am lucky enough to, you can close the door on all that potential danger. But one day you'll forget. Or they'll learn to turn a door knob! ☺

Before leaving my studio, I tidy my desk. Each. And. Every. Time. Even if I think I'm coming right back. Think of all the sharp edges (rotary cutters, seam rippers, pins, scissors) and wee things (safety pins, Wonder Clips). Danger! Danger! Danger! I push my machine to the middle of the desk and place my scissors back against the wall or in a drawer where BT can't grab them.

You may have noticed this handy mug in a few shots of my work space. When I leave my desk, the (closed) rotary cutter, seam ripper, and just about anything else goes in!

I try to think about all the wee things that live on my studio desk. Thankfully, bobbins and presser feet can be easily contained in my machine's handy flip top storage area.

My trusty Wonderclips are very attractive wee things. That's why they live in a container with a screw top!

Given that my ironing board is always set up, I make an effort to unplug my magic cookie making iron AND put the cord up onto the board. BT has a quite a reach and he wouldn't hesitate to grab that cord!

I read a tip some time ago about safely disposing of broken needles and bent pins. Ever since, I've saved medicine bottles to use as sharps containers. When full, you can toss the container in the trash without worry.

Related to sharps, the other item I'm planning to add to my tools is a magnetic wand to be swept across the carpet each and every time I drop a pin or break a needle. Better for me to take a couple minutes from my sewing then for GT to have it in her tiny pincer grip.

I'm linking up today with Tips & Tutorials Tuesday @ Late Night Quilter!

Got more safety tips? Please share them in a comment!

J

P.S. Apologies for the slightly wonky formatting on this post. The html seems to have gone a little cattywampus behind the scenes and I didn't have the time/energy to re-write the post!