Daily Blog

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Do you take care of your sewing machine? A little bit of preventative maintenance, like that shown in this video for the BERNINA 750, will keep you stitching on the right path. These types of videos are easy to find, just head over to YouTube and type in sewing machine maintenance in the search box, you'll find all kinds of information... just make sure it applies to your machine.

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Itching to do some quick stitching?  How about taking a few mintues to put together this quilted iPad Mini pouch from SewCaroline.com.  All you need is two fat quarters, some batting, some thread and a zipper.

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In the heat of the summer, I like to keep my meals really simple. I can keep quilting as long as I want, and then stop briefly for simple, delicious mini-meals. Its nice to have a little garden to pluck fresh vegetables from but there is lots of nice produce to be had at the farmer's markets or even the grocery store. If I have planned well, I don't have to cook more than one thing. A little chopping, a little defrosting, and bam! I've got a meal. 

Here are a few things I like to keep in the freezer:

• Pre-cooked salad shrimp
• Turkey burgers, already shaped in individual 4 ounce patties.
• Crabmeat.
• Individual tilapia filets.
• Crockpot chicken, frozen in single serving containers.
• Frozen berries, and frozen banana cubes.
• Frozen blueberry scones and baked oatmeal.

And in the fridge:

• Fresh fruit (my fave's: cherries, melons, pineapple)
• Greek yogurt.
• Cottage cheese.
• Tomatoes, romaine hearts, baby salad mix, spinach.
• Bunches of your favorite fresh veggies.

With just a few simple ingredients you have all the fixings for a number of different meals that literally require minutes to prepare.

For breakfast, I usually just reheat a scone or baked oatmeal in my toaster oven.

Try a green smoothie for lunch. With frozen strawberries, greek yogurt, water, and spinach, its delicious and refreshing. The Greek yogurt adds enough protein to make it last.

For dinner, a turkey burger on a bed of romaine leaves and fresh tomato slices--yumm! With corn on the cob on the side--cook the ear of corn in the microwave by wrapping it in a moist paper towel. 

And for dessert, a melon bowl.

For more ideas, check out my healthy living blog. I love talking about food--almost as much as I love quilting!

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We've been showing you all the wonderful quilts being created by some amazing artists that have been inspired by Libby Lehman. Now we thought we'd show you some of Libby's amazing quilts. While she was in Houston in the fall, Alex toured an exhibit of Libby's quilts with Libby's sister, Ellen, as her guide.

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Tula Pink bought an old farmhouse outside of St. Louis and turned it into a showcase for her work. One floor is a showroom, another a studio, and the top floor is her living space. The white walls are highlighted by her colorful work, and while you may not see any "live" animals, you'll find them in abundance throughout the house.

Star Members can watch Tula in Show 1406: Modernize Your "Toolbelt" with Terrific Techniques.

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Here's another great entry from BERNINA and their WeAllSew website, How to Design a Wholecloth Quilt: Renae Allen's "Quatro Decennie."

Renae created this quilt on her home sewing machine and shares some great tips on how she went about doing it.

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This ariticle was orginally published in 2013.

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Beginning Monday, November 9, Star Members will be able to see more of Lyric as she takes a different direction in her work in Show 1710: Conquering Abstract Fears. She will show Alex and Ricky how to move seamlessly and fearlessly from a recognizable form to a more abstract design, which she then turns into a fusible art piece.  She helps them to direct their focus on line and shape, rather than an actual object.  She shares her transition from the use of bold colors to a preference for soft neutrals, emphasizing composition and texture.  She then demonstrates transfer printing techniques, and the use of foil to add zing to a project.

But in the meantime, enjoy this slideshow with some of Lyric's previous work.

Lyric Kinard is sharing beautiful examples of her work with TQS. Learn more about Lyric and her work in Show 1311: Mixed Media and the ABCs of Good Design. Lyric, the 2011 Teacher of the Year, demystifies the basics of screen printing using a thermofax machine and a few simple tools, and shares lots of creative ideas for using beads to add color and texture to your work. The episode closes on a lovely note as Lyric, a classically trained professional musician, offers a sampling of Bach on the French Horn.

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Name: What If I Get Stuck
Designer: Jean Wells
Begins: July 01, 2013
Episode: 1301
Price: Free
Description: Jean Wells shares a number of ideas to get you out of your creative rut.

View this Project

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This week's puzzle quilt, Kapalua Sunset, is an original design from Ann Petersen, our guest in Show 1211: Fresh Techniques for Old Favorites. The quilt was made in 2008 and was based on her own photograph. It currently hangs in her dining room.

Click here to visit Ann's website.

(photo: Ann Petersen)

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A completely different take on sea life is shown in Toward the sea, "Ready, set, go!" by Hiromi Tanaka of Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan. This enchanting quilt features a mother turtle encouraging the young ones to be on their way. We love how each individual appliquéd turtle has its own personality.

Featured at the IQA Show in Houston 2012. Enjoy Toward the sea, "Ready, set, go!" by Hiromi Tanaka. Who can resist cute little baby turtles?!