Beads of Courage and a gadget

So for all those who want to participate in making bags for Beads of Courage, I have made a flickr group here where you can find all the information. If you haven't heard of Beads of Courage, definitely visit their website or my previous post. They need quilters to make and donate these easy to make little bags so that seriously ill children can keep the beads that they receive during milestones in their treatment. The whole organization is helping to keep kids diagnosed with illnesses motivated and encouraged. Lets all chip in! The bags hardly take any time to make!

I actually have a gadget in my sewing room that pertains to these wonderful bags. It is literally called That Purple Thang. This 'thang' is good for such a myriad of things. Relative to this project, it has a slot in it through which you can slide the ribbon and then slide the tool through the bag. This will easily guide your ribbon into the bag without any effort at all.

The thang is also good for turning projects inside out. It can perfectly push out corners and is not too pointy to poke through your stitching (I have had that happen before). Another great feature is that you can use it to hold down or help guide the ends of your fabric through the presser foot. I am known to use just about anything in arms reach, but this tool is safe for fabric and for me (unlike a fork, or a permanent marker). This thang seems like a weird thing, but it was one of the first tools given to me when I started sewing and one of the tools I use the most. It has no true intended purpose but is good for just about everything.

What's going on in my life right now? Well, I am sewing like a crazy person because I have so many simultaneous projects happening. (Why do we do this to ourselves?!) I am desperately trying to wrap some of them up before Rachel's Handstitched class starts. I got new fabric in the mail today for my medallion quilt. There is nothing more exciting than opening up new fabric. I bought it from Hawthorne Threads (which is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to shop) because they have this awesome color matching tool.

If you have or find a fabric you love, you have the option at the bottom of the page to click on any of the colors in the print, and it will take you to all of the other fabrics they sell that match that color. You can even sort them by color dominance. When you are trying to match fabric for a quilt online, it is REALLY helpful.

Hopefully I will have some fun things to show soon!