Christmas Oranges (and an iron review)

Happy New Year! 

Have you compiled your list of 2013 accomplishments and resolutions for 2014?  I haven't because I've still got Christmas on the brain.

It was a very merry and orange Christmas.

From my hubby, new flannel sheets just in time for a wicked cold snap. Tonight's low is -12 (-24 Celsius). Brr.

For my oldest son, an orange reading light.

For my fabric shop, a fresh bolt of the world's best orange fabric, Clementine Moda Bella Solid.

And to me from me, a new iron!

This is the Velocity V50 iron from Reliable. Don't be fooled by the cute orange exterior, this baby is a powerhouse!

What's so great about this iron? Simple. It presses a mean seam.

Why?

• It's heavy
• It's hot
• It's got wicked steam
• The edges of the sole plate fold those quilt seams over so nicely

I've made the same quilt three times now in the last three months (crazy, I know). The pattern requires lots of accurate pressing. I didn't realize how much I was struggling with getting flat seams until I suddenly wasn't. Honestly, this iron cut my pressing time nearly in half.

The Velocity takes a little getting used to. It's kind of like driving a manual transmission car. This is because you control the steam. See the white button on the side of the iron near the handle? There's one on each side. Press this button to get steam. Press it again to turn it off. Don't want steam? Don't press the button.

The Velocity has a separate heating element within the iron for generating steam. This means you can use the iron at cooler temperatures and still get good steam. It theoretically means no spitting, either. So far, so good. Here's a promo video from Reliable with everything you need to know and probably more.

There are a couple of things about this iron that will take some getting used to:

1. The manufacturer highly recommends using distilled water. Tap water, especially the type with a high mineral content, is to be used as a last resort. If this is the price to pay for no orange mineral messes on my fabric, then so be it. I also want this iron to last since it was not cheap, so distilled water it is.

2. I discovered that if I don't turn off the steam  when the iron is in the resting position, the next time I lift the iron to press a seam an enormous cloud of steam comes rushing out. Scary! Now I'm very careful to turn the steam off the moment I tip the iron back up again. Again, it's like driving a stick shift.

In general, I'm very impressed with the Velocity iron, and completely beguiled by the orange color. Never underestimate the importance of good sewing machine and a good iron!

One last thing before I go. Remember that reading light for my son? I have one, too, and it's the bomb for sewing.

This little LED light is super adjustable so you can get light exactly where you need it when you're machine or hand sewing. The JANSJÖ is $10 for the stand version and $15 for the clip variety. It's great for retreats, too.

Okay, that's enough product endorsing for 2014. Do let me know if you have any questions about the Velocity iron, though. Do you have an iron you love? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

Happy sewing,
Annik

It's Giveaway Day - Low Volume vs. High Volume

Congratulations to Patty - the winner of the quilting loot!

An enormous thank you to all who entered the giveaway and a double thanks to those of you who became blog and/or Facebook followers. 

*****

It's Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day!

I've been thinking a lot about color lately as I've been working on various quilts and patterns. Color, I love you, but it's hard not to notice the big trend of 2013 - low volume, neutrals, earth tones, whatever you want to call them.

So here's my question for you. Which color palette do you prefer? Low volume? High volume? Something in between?

Now a little about the loot...

Get your neutrals on with a signed copy of Amy Ellis' Modern Neutrals book.

Next up, a range of Moda Candy (cute little precut bundles of 2 1/2" squares) from low volume to high volume.

A copy of my quilt pattern, Bella Roma, where I encourage you to go bold with color!

And finally, a Hera Marker from Clover. While this item has nothing to do with high or low volume, it may come in handy when finishing your high or low volume quilt project. Use it to mark your quilting lines without using a pen/chalk/pencil.

So here's the entire lot of it:

This giveaway is open to U.S. folks, only. Good luck!

-Annik

P.S. Feel free to leave a comment on the blog if you don't want to enter through Rafflecopter. I'll make sure your name is in the drawing.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cure for the common cold (spell)

It's time for a little fun after a long weekend of sick kids and sub-zero temperatures. Thankfully, Sew, Mama, Sew's Giveaway Day is tomorrow!

Have you participated in the past, either doing a giveaway or entering others? It's such a fun way discover new blogs and potentially win some really cool stuff.

Here's a sneak peak of what I'll be giving away. Please stop by again this week to enter.

Stay warm!

Annik

Big Girl Quilting Camp

Tomorrow I'm headed to my first overnight quilting retreat. Yippee!

I had hoped to be packed by this point, but you know how it goes. My suitcase is still empty, save for the items my children kindly packed for me. Contents currently include a teddy bear, an Incredible Hulk action figure, a Hello Kitty backpack, and a Dora coloring book. So, aside from these essentials, what else do I need to bring?

Time to tackle the UFO pile

Here's my list so far...

sewing machine
my sewing projects
rulers
rotary cutter
pins
scissors
thread
extra bobbins
seam ripper
machine feet
painter's tape
extra fabric

and I'm also thinking...

ear plugs (I'm a light sleeper)
slippers
camera
an electronic device for connecting to the outside
cell phone
directions to the retreat center
food

Retreat prep day. Cutting up precious Hope Valley yardage.

What are your quilting retreat tips and essentials? I'd love to hear from you.

-Annik

P.S. Thank you, Minneapolis Modern Quilt Guild, for organizing the retreat.

Quiet blog, active sewing room

Yeah, I've neglected the blog again. That doesn't mean I haven't been busy, though. Here's a brief rundown of what I've been doing lately, in photos -

Cutting fabric orders

Cutting strips 

Free motion quilting and hand sewing binding

Raiding the fabric stash

Cutting more strips 

Washing and pressing fabric

Writing this pattern

Basting and machine quilting

That green Olfa cutting mat is kind of a reoccurring theme!

2013 Spring Quilt Market Recap Vol. 1

A postcard arrived in the mail last week announcing the dates of Fall Quilt Market. Yikes! I still haven't blogged about Spring Market in Portland, Oregon. It's time to blog about it before it's ancient history, right?

Here are some of the many things that caught my eye...

Hello Tokyo by The Red Thread for Robert Kaufman. Dying!!

Gorgeous red and white quilts from Minick and Simpson

Pat Sloan's new Bobbins and Bits. Now why didn't I include her in the pic?

Most swoon-worthy collection at Quilt Market? Violet Craft's Waterfront Park!

Lazy Daisy Baskets by Darlene Zimmerman for Robert Kaufman.

From Art Gallery Fabrics. Beautiful booth, beautiful solids.

The Art Gallery displays are always amazing, and this Market was no exception. Carnaby Street.

Gorgeous quilt pattern from Sassafras Lane Designs. I want to make this quilt!

Brigitte Heitland's Zen Chic patterns and prints are in a class of their own.

The latest Echino Ni-co line. I need this bag.

More beautiful fabrics from Kokka

Love these prints spotted in the Seven Islands booth.

Upcoming Joel Dewberry.

Denyse Schmidt's new line, Florence, for Free Spirit.  

Don't you just love these colors?

The reality is, I didn't shoot many photos and the ones I took are dark and grainy. Time to start saving up for a new camera!

In the next post I'll show you what I ordered for the shop, a book review or two, and give a peek at the massive amounts of fabric I picked up at Sample Spree. Oh, my.

Stay tuned. More to come.

Happy sewing!
Annik