Ok, I'm feeling a little remiss in my blogging skills!
Jeanne and I recently attended our first engagement of the Spring season, out in Bonnyville, AB. It was a fabulous time! Both Jeanne and I taught classes on the Saturday, after a Friday evening of AMAZING food....oh ya and we did a trunk show also!! But the food....wow!
So for the past few weeks on Wednesday's, I've had a standing date with my granddaughter for a few hours each evening! I have been sneaking away from work early to pick her up, make her dinner, play, then relinquish her back to her mom! I'm going to miss those Wednesdays when she goes back to her regular sitter! It's WAY more fun being a grandma than a parent!!
 |
| Only a Grandma would let her dip her strawberries in sugar! |
 |
| But how could you not?? |
Ok, now on to my dirty little secret.
Are you ready for this......
I COLLECT MENS NECKTIES.
There. I said it out loud.
And not just any old kind of necktie....but old, used neckties! I have never bought a new necktie. Why do I do this when I have a perfectly good STORE full of brand new fabric? I don't really know. It's like an addiction. I have bins and bins of ties. Under beds, in closets. And right now....all over my sewing room floor!
 |
| Messy ties littering my sewing room floor! |
I do use the ties! I make quilts with them. I don't have a lot of time to play in my ties. I'm usually sewing something that is for the shop. The next sample we need or the next book project, or the next something new. But I do try to make one project a year with them - not a lot, I know, but it's something I do for ME.
So the project I'm working on now is called Eclectic Pickle. It is a Quilt Patch Pattern Co pattern!
It's a paper piecing project, but I use a fusible interfacing! (I'd be happy to share any tips - just drop me an email!)
 |
| Eclectic Pickle hanging in my house |
As you can see - this won't be my first Eclectic Pickle quilt! I have this one hanging in my basement. It's 60" x 60" and I think it's one of my all time favourite quilts I've made with ties.
So back to my sewing room....when I use the ties in a quilt, I sometimes mix in silks with the ties. Yes...another thing I collect!
I love the process of choosing a specific tie and pairing it up with either another tie, or the perfect color of silk to complement the tie! I could spend hours doing just that! I have little piles all over my sewing room! It's soooo incredibly messy when I drag out the ties! Not just the random piles all over - but taking the ties apart creates little threads that linger everywhere. Paper piecing creates random bits of garbage, silk frays quite a lot, and well...in general, I'd be the first to admit - I'm a messy sewer!
 |
| Ties pairs with silk |
 |
| Ties paired with ties |
So did you notice how I sometimes substituted a few piece here and there? That's because with a tie....you only get so much fabric! And if you don't have enough - it's not like you can run out and buy some more!
 |
| Close up of Eclectic Pickle |
So that's it my friends.....as you can see, what I do for myself, is a little different from what you see Jeanne and I do the store and in our books. If you'd like to donate to my addiction, please feel free, I appreciate each one! If you'd like a tip or two on how to use ties you may have - leave me a comment, drop me an email or come in to the store! I'm always happy to share! (Just not my ties!)
