Threadbender's Elf on the Shelf,

We talk a lot about traditions at Threadbenders because so many quilters are in the tradition business. No, it's not a job. It's an adventure. It's the part where we love our families, friends, children and adult through what we do with them day to day. And for most of us, it's fun. And having fun is definitely a quilter's job.

But we forget that every tradition started somewhere. Christmas trees started with Prince Albert.  The Little Drummer Boy is a song that came out in the 60s and is not traditional. Silent Night was the result of a choir director trying to figure out what to do when the organ died on Christmas Eve.

So new to the scene is the elf on the shelf. He/she/it sits in unexpected places watching children to see if they're naughty or nice.And reports to Santa. He/she it come in both boy and girl figures in brown and white skin and blue and brown eyes. You can choose.

And she sees everything! And makes little encouraging comments. Of course there are those of us who feel this may have gone to far. 




How do really feel about big brother watching us? Snitches? People who tell on us?

Not everyone likes that. There have been reports of unhappy individuals arguing with the elf and his over judgemental attitude.

Henry decided to step up for this. He told us he really couldn't fit on the shelf but he would watch everyone for us and even wear the hat. Although the person who put it on him is on his naughty list.

Now Henry is a dog of lowered expectations.

1. Did you come visit?
2. Did you pet him or talk to him?
3. Did you bring home some cool Christmas fabric for projects and ornaments?
4. Were you as nice to everyone as you could be, including yourself?
5. Did you have fun?

Finally Henry said that if it was something your mom did it's a tradition.  And if you don't like it, you don't have to do it. Give yourself a break. The Elf is watching. And he wants to see you be good  to yourself.

Come in, stock up on Christmas fabric because it's on sale, and tell Henry what a good girl you've been.

Frog Stitching: Rethinking Ripping

Nobody likes that moment. When you look down at your stitching and realise something is just not right.The seam is jagged or missed one side or didn't end up equal. 

There's a deep breath. And a moment when you decide whether it's time for a trip down "denial". It's just fine. Well, no it's not just fine. It's quite "not fine".
And then you decide to rip it out.

There are several things that make this less nasty. A break is one of them. Get up. Go away from the sewing room and have a walk and a cup of whatever improves the day. If you're sewing with a friend, have her rip out your mistakes and you can rip out hers.
But it really helps to have excellent tools. 
Have seam rippers changed that much? Actually, yes!
Here are two ripping alternatives that are worthy.

These beautiful pens are actually seam rippers!

They have that lovely antique pen look. And pretty never hurts in your sewing basket. But they safely tuck their blades in so they can be in your pocket, right when you need them. And they're wickedly sharp for fast picking.

This brilliant seam ripper has an end that grabs loose threads. How cool is that!

And this is the best zigzag and serger ripper ever. Yes it's a mustache trimmer. Yes it's battery operated. You turn it upside down and shave across the offending stitch.

So frog stitching has changed. Good tools make for great sewing days. And these tools would make great stocking stuffers too. And if you are you're own best Secret Santa, you can make sure one is in your stocking as well. We have them waiting for you at Threadbenders!

An Ornament a Day: Christmas Traditions Make Memories

One of the things we can lose track of in this extra busy season are the home made pleasures. We shop until we drop, almost as an obligation we owe loved ones. But in truth, in a time when many of us are doing with less, trying to learn to enjoy the small things, it's nice to go back to the small wonders we make ourselves. 

One of my family traditions was the tv project bag. By your chair, tucked in a corner, was a small bag, plastic or otherwise with a project in it. And around Christmas that project was most likely a batch of ornaments. A santa out of yarn. A patchwork heart. An embroidered bird. Each year something different. You kept some for yourselves, and shared the rest with friends and loved ones. 

Working on a project while the specials played on always made us feel we weren't "wasting time." We weren't. Together we were making memories. And as the ornaments from other years were unpacked we'd remember making them together on a quiet wintery night.

So for 24 days we'll show you an ornament for your project bag. Some of them are obvious and need no instruction. More complicated ones we'll link you to information.

Take some time this season to sit together and make memories and ornaments, to treasure year after year.

Heirlooming:Making an Heirloom Quilt in the 25 Minutes We've Got

Every quilter I know dreams of their Heirloom quilt. The quilt their great, great granddaughter, who they never will get to meet pulls out of very safe storage and says" This was my grandmother's best quilt. " And every one goes teary eyed. 

Do get a grip. People  use quilts occasionally. Sometimes they even use them up.
But we do quilt to make a statement, to place our stamp of beauty on a corner of the world, to play with color and texture and light. Sometimes to keep someone warm and safe.

We want our heirlooms. But secretly, we would like them done in 25 minutes or less. It's a busy world. Quilting a top for 6 years is a bit past most people's patience.
How do we get there? like most anatomically impossible things, we cheat!

There's no cheating like a long arm. All that speed. All that power. All that room under the arm!

Peg has this great Sweet Sixteen Demo Machine on sale at an unbelievable price. The Sweet can eat through miles of quilting without taking up your whole basement space or leaving you eating peanut butter for 3 months.

She also has great accessories on sale! All the long arm teaching videos are  sale, ready to fly out the store. It's step by step instruction you need that you can watch right at home.

Have you ever wondered how long armers get those perfect scallops? It's not by eye. These great templates make it not only possible but simple. They're on sale too.

Of  course you could bring your top in and Peg will quilt it for you in a flash. Instant Heirloom! Or at least Quilt Happily Done and out of the UFO pile
So come in and let us help you.  We know how to cheat and we share!

The wonderful song in this post is Cathy Miller's, You Can Quilt that Out. You'll find more of her amazing quilting songs on her site at the Singing Quilter.

Henry's T'Day: Best Dog Toy Every

Hi! 
Just wanted to to give you a heads up for Thanksgiving. I'm planning on eating the whole turkey. When they're not looking. 
Actually every dog I know is planning this including my sister. I don't know if she knows we don't have two turkeys in the freezer.
I do know I won't get away with it, but a dog has to dream.
So my mom, Peg, made me the nicest doggy distractor. She made me a Buddah Bone.

Now everyone loves a bone. Rawhide, shank, even milk bones are much  appreciated. But you really can't throw a bone. Unless your mom has excellent aim,  you can find yourself concussed lying by your bone that hit you in the head rather than landing politely in your mouth.

A Buddah bone, named for Buddah because it's meatless, is a great chew and toss toy.

Peg cut up three of her old  tee shirts, that smelled like her, and braided them. The world's best, smells like mom, chew toy.

Then she tied the braid into a knot.

I know I'm not going to get the whole turkey. But I don't mind. My mom thought of me after all.

Book Corner Gold: Thinking Way Outside the Box

There's a secret treasure in the back of Threadbenders. Henry would tell you it's his food bowl. Well, treasure is always in the eye of the beholder. Here's mine. There's a book rack loaded with ideas, projects, information and wacky thinking that can change everything.When an author offers you new vantage points and possibilities, It's thinking way outside the box. It's the best way to stretch what you know, how you think and what you do.

We were flipping through Cheryl Phillips beautiful book, Quilts without Corners, and found this amazing idea.

She'd taken her gorgeous round quilts and turned them into a tree skirt. Who'd have thought?
And how pretty!

She only did that to one of them but any of her designs could be used that way.They were simple, easy to cut and sew piecing that makes an absolutely heirloom tree skirt. Great thinking outside the box!

Then there are classic reference books. Most books last 2-3 years before the companies stop printing them. Mimi Dietrich's Happy Endings has been in print for over 20 years. Why?
Because it's the smartest book on edges and finishes anyone every wrote. If you're a quilter with questions about binding and edging, you need this book.

There are so many other treasures in the book shelf at Threadbenders. And, unlike his food bowl, Henry's happy to share them with you.

You Can't Afford Cheap Thread

This is a time economically where we're looking to cut corners. Is there a place having a sale? Going out of business? Something from a yard sale?

While lots of times that does the trick, there are times when you just can't afford to buy something cheap. Why? Not because it's inexpensive. Because it really is cheap. And it's cheap for a reason.

Sewing threads and fabrics are a case in point. The biggest expense, especially when you're a working person is your time. You don't have time to work with poor quality materials. And no material matters as much as your thread.

Your thread not only holds your quilt together, hopefully for it's whole lifetime. It also has to work and play well with your machine. The mechanism that stitches thread through your fabric pulls that thread in and out of the needle 50 times before that bit of thread lands in your fabric. Are you getting a bad stitch? A lot of bird's nests on the bottom? A lot of thread breakage? Skipped stitches? That can be the result of using substandard thread.

So what is a good thread? You're looking for several qualities. You want a great color range. If it's not pretty, why bother?
``
But you also want strength. What makes thread strong?

• Mercerization: Mercerization is a process that makes thread stronger and more color fast. It's worthy.

• Cotton: You can use poly and poly core threads. But all quilters know that a cotton thread works better for piecing. Poly thread doesn't respond like cotton when it's washed. The difference in the fibers can cause puckering after. Not all cotton is the same either. Egyptian cotton spins down finer and makes a much stronger thread.

• Thread weight: You want thread to be strong, but you don't want it to be thick. It makes the seams lumpy  and can show through the top. Good piecing thread should be 50 weight.

• 3ply: Good sewing thread needs to be three ply to be strong enough to really hold things together. Do you really want to have to mend the seams after you wash your quilt the first time?

We chose to carry Presencia Threads at Threadbenders simply because it's the best piecing thread we could find. It's 50 weight three ply Egyptian cotton that will wash and wear well for the life of your quilt. And you were making a quilt that would last, weren't you?

About that old bag of thread you got from your mom's sewing room.....Thread gets old. It's not a bargain. If it breaks constantly it's really not helping you out. Start each quilt with a nice fresh spool of thread and spend your time happily piecing. Not wondering why your thread just broke.