First, the NEW! I treated myself at the Minnesota Quilt Show to a new thimble. I’ve been using the plastic and metal ones in more recent years. This beauty is silver by “Thimbles for You“. I love the new design as it flairs a bit at the bottom. It fits my finger with the bump. Most thimbles hit that spot and doesn’t make wearing a thimble comfortable. I love wearing a thimble so I’m thrilled with this find.

Second, the OLD…The Grandmother’s Flower Garden in plaids has been in the making for MANY years! AND it is still in the making. I’m adding the background round and getting closer to having all the flowers done. When I say MANY years, I did some quick math and can you say 25 years?…YIKES! This needs to be done. For years I carried it any time I travelled as my take along handwork. It hasn’t been travelling lately. It needs to! It is English Paper Piecing (EPP) with 1″ paper hexagons from Paper Pieces.

On a different note…what do you do when some deep cleaning happens in your basement and that is where your longarm lives??? Well, you wrap it up! I used a plastic floor paint “cloth” to literally wrap around the machine and table. The plastic was 108″ square, so I had to add extra pieces to each end. It kept the machine and table free from dust. It worked better than just draping the plastic over the top. I see my takeup bar handle snuck out of the plastic. It was covered when cleaning.

Where are the tips, you ask?

#1 – Treat yourself to a thimble that fits. Jan of Thimbles for You makes sure you get a good fit and works her magic on her beautiful thimbles.

#2 – Get out those UFOs! Finish if you can. I’m not bent out of shape that my Plaid Flower Garden is not done, but I’m revisiting it to get it closer to DONE.

Bonus – Protect your longarm or domestic machine from dust and cleaning products. Cover it, and even wrap it in plastic!

in quilting,

Debbie