In the "Grandmother Update" department, we had the Simms Family & Friends Baby Shower for Jennie last week. It was a wonderful day! I made the fruit

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Fruit Baby Low Rez

In the "Grandmother Update" department, we had the Simms Family & Friends Baby Shower for Jennie last week. It was a wonderful day!

I made the fruit bowl, two diaper wreaths (forgot to take pictures), a diaper cake, and used fabric for future crib sheets as table cloths. (The hems were sewn with water soluble thread, so, now that the laundry is done, I'm back to raw edges and ready to sew.)

For the first time in 30 years I picked up a crochet hook and made each guest a flower pin. (Thanks for the tutoring, Colleen!) I'm proud to say that's not yarn, it's #5 perle cotton with a 1.90 mm hook. And yes, I had to get the magnifying glass out to read that.

Scooter was very interested in all the presents. He and Jennie's dog Maizie made the new baby a Retrieving Blanket, which I forgot to take a picture of.

Jennie is due October 13th and we are all looking forward to the ultimate surprise: Girl or Boy?!

Jennie and Mom
 
Diaper Cake
 
Crochet pin
 
Scooter and Jennie
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More on Gummed Up Irons

A bunch of you were sweet enough to email back after reading the last newsletter suggesting dryer sheets as a better solution than traditional iron cleaner or nail polish remover pads for getting rid of melted fusible on your iron. Thank you! I never would have thought of dryer sheets.

Read this from Suzanna Moore-Sandoval from McMinnville, Oregon:

A product I use for removing "glue" from my iron, or other heat-able surfaces (the ironing board, etc.) is a dryer sheet! If you iron over the sheet, with the iron on it's highest setting. A couple of passes, and clean!

You have to move the sheet around to pick up all the glue from the ironing board cover, but it works there too.

Also, if you need to reposition a fusible applique, place a dryer sheet over it, iron, and it should pull up, and be reusable. So, it is also obvious, if dryer sheets can do all this, DON'T ever place an applique item in the dryer with a sheet, it can loosen it....ever see one of those with the curled edges...bet it was dried with a dryer sheet!

Thanks, Suzanna!

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Bohin Colored Refills

Mark fabric with Bohin cereamic markers.

All Five Colors: Boom!

If I'm marking fabric, my first choice is a Bohin ceramic marker. I can see the ultra-thin, consistent line on any fabric because they come in five colors. The line stays on long enough for me to use it (quilting, applique). And I can get every bit of the marks OUT when I'm done. 90% comes out after I sew through it, the rest with a gentle wash. (The marks can also be erased, but then you have to deal with the eraser droppings; I'd rather wash.)

For years one could only buy the mechanical pencil with a pack of white refills. Recently, Bohin came out with a 3-in-1 mechanical pencil. Carefully twist to select white, pink, or gray.

Sorry. I want it all. I want all the colors and I don't want to fiddle around removing one color to put in another. Please.

Bohin white marker

Bohin Mechanical Pencil - White

 
Bohin3in1pencil

Bohin Mechanical Pencil - White, Pink, Gray

 
Bohin refill leads

The Ami Special -
All five colors in a DIY fabric Pencil Pocket
Click the picture to order.

I just bought an obscene amount of mechanical pencils so you can get a color-coordinated mechanical pencil when you purchase Bohin refill packs from me, except that WHITE goes in the ORANGE pencil and GRAY is in the BLUE pencil. (BIC doesn't offer black or white mechanical pencils at a price I can give away.)

Bohin refill BACK

Pencil Pocket shown from the back. See how nicely the pencils clip over the back for a secure fit?

Make the handy DIY Pencil Pocket and you're ready to mark anything that comes along. I mean, REALLY ready. You won't have to swap out one color for another, and all the marking tools you need will be in one place. All six ceramic "sticks" in the refill container will fit in the BIC mechanical pencil, so you can use the container for needles, beads, or toothpicks. Buy all the colors or just the ones you need right now.

The Pencil Pocket will keep up to 5 pencils organized and at your fingertips. (Great gift idea.) Check it out here.

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del-cutting fruit

Down Another Rabbit Hole

Who knew you could peel fruit "incorrectly?" Seriously?! Well, check out this video on preparing fruit. I am amazed. Really. Especially the orange and the strawberries. The mango looks dangerous.

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Suitcases

On The Road Again

I'm teaching in Illinois and Utah this month. If that's not close enough to you, please let your program chairperson know that I could be packing to visit YOUR guild in 2015 or 2016. Scooter, unfortunately has to stay home. He doesn't know how to quilt anyway.

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del-dognose

Scooter's Video Pick

Dog here. She's right. I don't quilt, but I know other stuff. Good stuff. Like how to relax. I have never met the dogs in this video, but I would like to. We can relax together. They are Bull Terriers and I think they speak Russian. You don't have to speak Russian to enjoy the video. Just watch out. You might have to take a nap afterwards. You should dream of me while you are napping. I would like that. I will return the favor and dream of you.

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