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Cool Tools – Thimblepad Leather Adhesive Thimbles

SM100This cool tool is an alternative to traditional thimbles. The Thimblepad Leather Adhesive Thimbles are great for those of us who find traditional thimbles to be awkward or too large for smaller fingers. This is also great is for your fine, delicate stitching projects, and it allows for more control of the needle. Look for this cool tool in your favorite independent quilt shop or fabric store.

Featured Pattern – Football Quilt from Spring Creek Patterns

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Since today’s Super Bowl Sunday, I thought I’d share a football-themed pattern I discovered with you. Spring Creek Patterns has created this fun applique quilt that will thrill the football fan in your life. Look for this pattern in your favorite independent quilt shop or fabric store.

Did you know that on Super Bowl Sunday many independent quilt shops and fabric stores have special events and sales for quilters and sewers who aren’t that excited about the “Big Game?” This is a great day to hit the road and check out what’s new and find the materials for your next quilting project. Find your nearest independent shop right here.

Are you spending time at your favorite quilt shop on Super Bowl Sunday?

Free Pattern – Windham’s Give Me Liberty Quilt

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Here is a traditional quilt pattern from Windham, inspired by the images from early America, designed by Jean Ann Wright. I love the way the Give Me Liberty quilt makes use of the large-scale artistic prints as the focus of the design. Get your free download right here (PDF).

This pattern uses Windham’s Liberty collection, which has a very interest mix of motifs–you can read all about it over here. Check out the entire collection in the slideshow below and look for it in your favorite independent quilt shop or fabric store.

Featured Pattern – Doggie Bag by Bunny Hill Designs

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Bunny Hill Designs describes this pattern as, “The cutest doggie bag ever,” and I couldn’t agree more! This chic pattern is easy to make–I love the details such as the “belt” and the clever “dog tag” that you can personalize. Plus, it’s a quick sew–so you’ll be carrying this stylish bag in no time!

The sample tote was made using Moda’s Rouenneries by French General. We’ve featured it here on FabTalk before and it’s worth mentioning again–it’s such a pretty vintage French look. Check it out in the slideshow below and look for it–and the Doggie Bag pattern–in your favorite independent quilt shop or fabric store.

Pattern image (c) 2010 Bunny Hill Designs.

Reader Tip – Needle Threading

FabShop Hopper Sharon sent us in this reminder about easy ways to thread needles. (I admit, I have never mastered the automatic needle threader myself!)

My tip has to do with needles. I have arthritis, severe dry eye syndrome (which makes for really, really bad blurred and double even triple vision–ever tried to thread one needle when there are three in front of your eyes?) and glaucoma, so threading needles is always a challenge. I hate having to keep up with my standing needle threader plus you have to get the eye of the needle positioned just right to get it to thread properly. And the needles where you just pull the thread down into a slot from the top are usually too large for the 11-12 stitches per inch I strive for in my hand quilting… I was very grateful when a fellow quilter shared her threading technique, which works with even small-eyed needles.

So, after the above rambling preamble, here it is:

Put the eye of the needle in your mouth and wet it with your tongue, pull it out and thread your needle just as you would normally. What’s the secret? The moisture left in the eye draws the thread to it where the fabric of the thread acts as a wick and helps to draw it through the eye. Ta Da! The thread can be either wet or dry; I like to wet mine in my mouth first and flatten the end with my teeth. A variation of this works for those of us who still have not caught up with automatic sewing machine needle threading: wet the tip of your finger and place it behind the eye of your machine needle, then thread as usual; the moisture on your finger is now the attraction for the fabric of your thread.

Hope my fellow Fab Shop Hoppers find this helpful!