Calculations and Free Apps

"The things of this world cannot be made known without a knowledge of mathematics"

Roger Bacon

I was never fond of math class and it wasn't because I didn't understand it, I just wasn't a numbers person, at least I didn't think I was.  You know it was one of those classes that you think you will never need, so why try.  Little did I know then that I would be using it on a daily basis in my business and not only for keeping track of the bookkeeping.  Most of the time I do the math myself but sometimes I like to take shortcuts so finding new helpful sites or apps can come in very handy.

When it comes to quilting there are always calculations to be made, from size of finished and unfinished blocks to the total size of the quilt itself.  I make custom t-shirt quilts using shirts that people have been saving for years so they are in varying sizes making it necessary to figure out placement and measurements to make the quilt look balanced.  I also add sashing strips and framing borders so this all needs to go into the calculations of the finished size of the quilt.  Blocks are not always the same size so making it looked balanced can be tricky.

The purple quilt was actually lots of fun to put together, it really challenged me because of the sizes of shirts and the designs.  I loved working on this quilt even though it had me pulling my hair out at times while trying to make all my calculations and get the setting just right.

There are lots of calculations that go into creating a custom t-shirt quilt and those I do myself, but sometimes we quilters like to use shortcuts especially when calculating batting, backing fabric, or binding fabrics.  When I need help with this I go to one of my favorite sites called "Quilters Paradise" to make everything go so much faster  http://www.quiltersparadiseesc.com/Calculators.php    Well a couple of days ago one of my facebook friends asked about calculating corner triangles and I sent her the link to this great site to help her out.  When I went to check the link I found that they had added this wonderful new iphone / ipad app that makes it so easy to just carry this calculator with you when you go shopping. It took seconds to download on my phone and I did it while I was shopping and had the calculator ready to figure out yardage right on the spot.

This app is handy not just if you quilt, if you use fabric for any craft you might find it handy to calculate how many pieces of a specific size you can get out of a certain size of fabric.  You might even be able to use it for paper crafting since you plug in the size of fabric/paper you are using and what finished size of item you need.  I hope that some of you may find this web site or app helpful, I know I find it a very handy tool.

If you have any other free apps or website links to helpful tools add a comment and share your ideas.  I love finding new sites that make life easier, especially when it comes to work.  

Show Time

 "I long to accomplish a great and noble task; but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble."

Helen Keller

Holiday Craft Show Season is just around the corner and it is a whirlwind of activity in my sewing room to create enough inventory for the two shows I will be participating in this year.  The first will be next month, Oct. 9th, at the "Deep in the Arts of Texas" Show, sponsored by the Randolph Air Force Base Spouses Club held in the Live Oak City Civic Center.  This one day show is held every year and is quite popular and well attended so we look forward to a busy day there.  The next one is a week long craft show in downtown San Antonio, TX, sponsored by the First Baptist Church.  The show runs from November 15 through the 20th at the Wolfson House located on the corner of Broadway and 4th St. in a lovely Victorian house.  If any of my readers are in the area you are invited to attend this wonderful show in a relaxed cozy holiday atmosphere with free refreshments served all day, everyday of the show.  At both shows there are a variety of items, clothing, table linens, jewelry, Christmas ornaments and foods to buy in a wide range of prices that are affordable and reasonable.

I enjoy getting ready for these shows because I love the atmosphere and the friendly customers that are in the holiday spirit.  This year I am featuring my sets of doll quilts and pillow combos and the "Flower Child Series" of Pillow Dolls, that are child friendly with their hand drawn faces and made out of cotton fabric and polar fleece. For the adults there are aprons made from recycled blue jeans trimmed using cotton fabric in a variety of designs and of course there will be the usual Holiday table linens, quilts and other gift giving ideas.

The Results Are In

"Imagination is more important than Knowledge, for knowledge is limited while the imagination embraces the entire world."

Albert Einstein

The Apple Blossom "Project Quilting" challenge is over and the votes are in, you  and the judges have made their selection, find out the results of the challenge and the public winner at "Kim's Crafty Apple" .  Each judge has handed out their critiques to each quilter and here is what they had to say about my "Apple Blossom Baby".   The judging was on a 1-10 point basis.

Judge 1: This doll is adorable! I can certainly see the resemblance between Kim’s daughters and this dolly!  Very original and what a sweet face! The single crowning blossom is a nice touch, and the fabric choices are perfect for a little girl. 7

Judge 2: She’s adorable. I especially love the apple blossom in her hair. 7.5

Judge 3: I love your unique idea of making a dollie as compared to a quilt. It’s a very nice use of a variety of colors and fabric textures. 9.5

Thank you to the judges for the comments and appreciation of my vision.

UFO Sightings

UFO sightings are a common thing in a quilter's world.  Many quilters will say that they believe in UFOs and they seem to multiply, and will take over the world if not tamed and imprisoned in  plastic bins, boxes and bags kept in the closet, sometimes kept under the bed and yes sometimes cleverly disguised as furniture.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the kind of UFO I speak of, well in a quilter's world these are known as "unfinished objects", a   plaque that seems to have no known cure.  Every quilter that accumulates UFOs knows that along with the New Year comes the recurring resolution to finish these creations and not start any new ones. 

Of course, as an experienced quilter and long time resolution breaker, I know that these promises are only futile attempts to contain ones obsession.  The reason is that with every new season fabric designers come out with a new line of fabrics in lucious colors and designs that even the most hardened quilter can not resist.  The cycle is never ending, because it seems that with each completed UFO a new one takes it's place, so for some of us the fight continues.  There are a select few quilters that are not afflicted by this uncontrolable desire to start new projects one on top of the other and to them I say..... Where do I get the vaccine to cure myself?

Quilters Unite!

This year let us make a serious effort to, if not tame the beast within, at least keep it at bay.  If you are one of the many plagued by this affliction, join me and take the pledge to see if we can finish at least one UFO per month, now that is not too much to ask.  Is it?

Let us come together and hope that at least one of us out there can contain this Uncontrolable Fabric Obsession