Treasury Tuesday

Thanks to the curators who have included my shop in these lovely treasuries.
All pictured items are clickable links, so shop away!

Postage 101

This morning at the post office, I listened to a post office worker try to explain the best way to send a package to the young man in line in front of me.  Having been through Postage University, I could relate to the young man's confusion, as well as the postal worker's difficulty in trying to explain a complex subject simply.

Until I became a business owner,  I was basically ignorant about postage too.  Finding out the best and most economical way to ship to my customers has been an education.   I thought it might be useful to share some of my hard earned knowledge.  So here is Postage 101 for packages.  I am only  touching on U.S. mail (International is another story).

If your package is 13 ounces or less, your best route is First Class Mail.

If your package is more than 13 ounces, it gets more complicated.

Priority Mail Flat Rate packaging is free from the Post Office, and you pay one flat rate to ship it, no matter how much the item weighs.  There are different sizes of flat rate packages, and the cost goes up with the size of the package.

The small flat rate size package ships for around $5.00

Believe it or not, both of these flat rate packages ship for the same price

You can fit anything the size of a  video tape or smaller in the top box, and items like clothing, magazines, or up to eight yards of fabric in the padded envelope (ask me how I know).

The medium flat rate box, which is approximately  11-7/8" x 3-3/8" x 13-5/8"   ships for around $11

You can fit quite a bit in this box - toys, a quilt, lots of snacks for the freshman in college.

And  the large flat rate box, which is approximately 12” x 12” x 5 1/2”  ships for around $15

A sleeping bag would probably fit, a queen sized package of batting, Christmas presents for your favorite grandchild.

There are other style packages too.  Check out the Post Office web site to see them all and order packaging.

With a scale (a wonderful $30 investment for anyone who ships packages regularly) you can print your own postage through the U.S. Postal Service or Paypal.  You will also get a discount on postage.  The post office will even pick up the package at your door if you like.

Depending on the weight and what size packaging it will fit in, your item could also ship regular priority mail, (not flat rate).  This type of shipping costs are according to the weight of the package, and where it is going.  Again, the post office supplies free packaging (which look pretty much like flat rate supplies but without the words "Flat Rate"), but you might be better off using a lighter weight shipping envelope such as Tyvek like the one pictured in the foreground below.  Since regular priority mail is charged by the weight, packaging becomes an important consideration.

The Post Office offers free packaging for Priority Mail

You can order free packaging, calculate postage, and even print out shipping labels on the USPS site.  You can also print postage through Paypal if you have an account.  Either way, it is cheaper than buying it at the post office.  For example, Delivery Confirmation is only .17 through Paypal on many packages, but the same service will cost .75 at the Post Office.  Flat Rate Envelopes shipped from the post office cost 5.20, but 4.75 through Paypal.

Finally, there is Parcel Post shipping rates.  I do not use this service because it is slower, and usually ends up costing more than using Priority Mail rates.

There you have it.  Postage 101.  I hope the information was helpful.

Happy Mailing,

Memorial Weekend

Memorial weekend, three long beginning of summer days off.  How shall we spend it?

- NOT -

 I have a list:

• sale in my fabric shop
• clean the house
• laundry
• mow lawn
• open pool for the season
• plant tomatoes, weed, buy baskets of flowers to hang
• finish quilt
• schedule bills
• get two graduation gifts
• prepare and teach childrens fellowship on Sunday
• grocery shopping

Not a lot of room on the schedule for relaxing, but we've spent the last few weekends away doing that.  This is more of a catch-up working weekend for us.

So, what are your plans for the long weekend?

Happy Memorial Day,

Quilt in Progress

Here's a sneak peek at what I've been working on.

It has been lots of fun coming up with different quilting motifs for this baby quilt.  I've used several sizes of stippling, feathers, curlicues, mountain/valley stitches, leaf patterns, and anything else I can think of to enhance the design. 

I have a question.  Should I quilt within the animal figures?  Right now they are popping out because of the dense stippling pattern around them.  Should I do a little quilting inside, around the eyes perhaps or those polka dots on the owls belly - what do you think? 

52 Week Challenge - Week 21

Still working on that baby quilt, but I did finish an outdoor project this week. Pictured below is a strip of newly weeded and freshly planted grass seed on the step side of our pool. As you can see, the pool isn't opened for the season yet. I am hoping for soft green grass to stand on when we get out of the pool this summer.

 I also completed some children's crafts for the 4-7 year old group at our church.  The butterfly craft was my favorite.  The design came from Family Fun magazine.  It is a great recycling craft because magazine pages are used for the wings.

I made mine a magnet, you can never have too many of those

I don't know about you, but it seems the weeks are getting shorter the closer to summer we get.  Or is it that there is just so much more to do? 

Can't wait to see what you've crafted, or a project you've finished this week.  We are on week 21!

Treasury Tuesday

Thank you to the curators who have included my shop in these beautiful treasuries.
All items pictured are clickable links, so shop away!

Tilted Blocks the Easy Way

I've been working on a baby quilt using Amy Schimler's newest line, Animal Party Too.  The fabrics are bright and fun, and I wanted to enhance the party theme by placing the panel blocks in a tilted setting.  Here's an easy way to do that:

Start with the block you want to tilt, a panel is nice, but you could use any square block for this technique. Your starting block should be at least 1"1/2 to 2" smaller than you want your finished block to be.

You will need some kind of translucent paper for your template - wax, velum, drafting graph paper will work, as long as it is big enough to cut your finished block size plus extra for the seam allowance.  A square ruler the size you want your finished block to be will work perfectly also.

(For purposes of this demonstration, I will be using a plain block.  This block will have an applique added later as part of the Sampler Quilt series.  So I am killing two blog posts with one stone, so to speak.)

My finished blocks are 12" so I needed a template 12 1/2" square.

Cut your template the size you want your finished block plus 1/4" seam allowance, (1/2" bigger than you want your finished block).  You can use a permanent black marker to see the edges more easily if you like. 

I used Drafting Velum

Cut strips of the fabric or fabrics you want to use for the frame 3-4 inches wide, depending on the size of your finished block.  The larger your block, the wider the strips need to be.  Definitely do a trial block first before cutting strips for all your blocks so that you don't cut them wider than you need.

Sew these strips to all four sides of your block.  It doesn't matter if you sew opposite sides first, or sew them around the block clockwise.

Press to set stitches, and then press seam away from the block.

Trim extra fabric from strips.

Now lay your template on top of the block with the block right side up.  Tilt the template to a pleasing angle, making sure all edges are within the fabric, and not overlapping the inside block corners. Pin.

Trim away fabric from outside your template edges, using a rotary cutter and ruler.

Voila!  Your finished block, ready to be set into a quilt.

By the way, I don't throw away the trimmed pieces.  They are added to the bin I keep by my feet at the sewing machine, ready to be pieced into another project such as the Chinese coin quilt shown here. Waste not, want not.

Happy Sewing ♥

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

New Fabrics are in from Dr. Seuss Enterprises.  It is not too early to start those Christmas sewing projects like stockings, tree skirts, or even a cute baby quilt.

Happy Sewing ♥

52 Week Challenge - Week 20

Not much to show this week.  There were some false starts and stops along the way, such as discovering that a quilt in the final quilting phase has a backing cut too short.  I will have to piece a portion, which is annoying.

Also, I did start a really cute baby quilt with the Amy Schimler fat quarter set I recently purchased, but it is far from done.  The only thing actually finished is this little spool pincushion. 

This is an experiment.  I like the tiny tomato style top with the button, and the idea of wrapping novelty thread and beads, but it just don't have the balance right yet.  It is a work in progress.

So, what have you been up to this week?

Let's get busy,

Water Park Mini Vacation

To celebrate my son's graduation from college, our family spent the weekend at an indoor waterpark.

If you've never been, it is a unique experience.

Tips:

•  Bring water shoes

• Bring bagels or bread to toast in the hotel breakfast nook, and your own soda.  The facility charges at least double the usual price for these commodities.  
• Bring beach towels for the water park, the ones supplied aren't sufficient.
• Arrive Friday if you can, and be sure to visit the waterpark, the lines are the shortest this evening.
• Try every ride at least once.  (I'll admit that I didn't try the boogie boarding)

My favorite memories of the weekend were playing board games together, floating down the lazy river with my youngest grand sound asleep on my lap, riding the family raft and the water slide (the green one was the fastest), hanging out in our family suite together, and taking turns playing "Angry Birds" with two of my grands snuggled in an armchair.

Family vacations are the best!

Happy Summertime,

52 Week Challenge - Week 19

In Ecclesiastes it is written that there is a time for everything, including a time to break down, and a time to build up.  My project this week was to help break down a large above ground pool in my daughter and son-in-law's yard.  

It  us amazing how quickly something can be demolished, as opposed to how long it takes to create, build, or assemble.

Our granddaughter had her tasks to do too.  She practiced her swinging technique, played in the hammock, and caught worms.  All very important work for a three year old.

We were all quite pleased with the results of our day.  The pool had been an eyesore for awhile, and it was great to have it down.  Now they can use the space for volleyball, or plant a garden, or as the location for the giant waterslide which they will be renting for their daughter's birthday in a month or so.

Maybe not everyone's idea of a good way to spend their Mother's Day, but it suited us to a "T."

Can't wait to see what you all have been up to this week.

Let's get busy,

April Round-Up

We've successfully completed another month.  I so enjoyed seeing all your projects.  As usual, they were interesting, inspiring, amazing, and some were just plain cute. 

Here are the projects we posted this month.

Fabric Fascination

PamelaQuilts

QuiltingDiva

Playing with Fiber

This Creative Journey

Life Lessons

Cedar Point Designs

CraftBuds, OftheFountain, Tutus and Tea Parties,

Sweeter than Sweets , Cyberwezz ,BeautifulSeams, LenMec

Congratulations to everyone who participated in April!

If you are new to the 52 week challenge, read more about it here.  You are welcome to join in any time. We would love to have you.

Let's get busy,

Cute New Fabrics

Some really cute new fabrics have arrived in my shop. Here are a couple of bundles for the younger set.

Amy Schimler's Animal Party Too Fat Qtr Bundle

Celebrate Seuss Fat Qtr Bundle

Just think of the fun you will have making quilts using these delightful fabrics.

Happy Sewing ♥

Treasury Thursday

Click on any of the pictures below to take you to the featured shop.

52 Week Challenge - Week 18

Eighteen weeks, the fifth month of our 52 week challenge. The April Round-Up of our finished projects will be posted sometime over the next few days.

 Having been away this past weekend (see previous post) I had limited time to work on projects this week.  I did make a few business card holders for my kimbuktu shop.

I came home from my weekend advance kind of clumsy, maybe from lack of sleep.  That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.  I broke our camera, and backed my husband's car into a trailer hitch denting the fender, all in one day.

 So, did you have  a profitable week?  I can hardly wait to see your work.

If you are new to the 52 week challenge, you can read about it, and see our progress here.  Join in anytime, we would love to have you.

Ponder Your Path

This weekend, my daughter and I and over 70 other women attended a Women's Advance at a Christian Conference Center in the heart of the Adirondacks.

I've been to this camp many times before, so it felt like coming home to be there again. 

The conference theme was "Ponder Your Path," and so we did.

We developed our life's mission statement, and vision.  We heard great Biblical teachings.  We ate, and fellowshipped with other women, and stayed up way too late  playing Bananagrams and eating homemade mandarin orange coconut cake.  

We even played a game of Around the World on the basketball court (which I won by the way). 

We came home relaxed, rejuvenated, refocused, and refreshed.  

It is good to stop and think about the path we are on sometimes, instead of just mindlessly going through our days, don't you think?

Thoughtfully yours,