Bees and Blooms Oliso Carry Bag

Greetings friends - happy Thursday! I have something extra artistic to share with you today, something I had so much fun creating. If you have been following me for a while, then you know I am obsessed with Oliso Smart Irons - my husband bought me my first one in early 2006 (yes, I had to look this up) and I have never looked back...that original white and blue iron lasted eight years with daily usage...it was a workhorse! Since then, I have had multiple Oliso Smart Irons and a couple Oliso Mini Project Irons. Even more exciting, the day before I left on vacation (last Sunday), the doorbell rang at 9:00 AM and it was FedEx delivering a new Mimi G Auto-Lift Smart Iron (SWOON!), with Mimi G’s iconic leopard skin pattern and signature colors....yes, FedEx delivered it on a Sunday! If you can't tell, I am a HUGE fan. My irons are a very important part of my studio, as good pressing is a must...

So, I was beyond excited when my collaboration with ThermOWeb, led me to a project with Oliso. In mid-January, Oliso reached out to ThermOWeb and asked if any of the Fabric Education Designers wanted to embellish one of their new Carry Bags for display at QuiltCon...YES, please! They sent me a Carry Bag for the Oliso Mini Project Iron, and then it was time to get creative...

I used HeatnBond Lite and HeatnBond Fabric Fuse to attach wool felt flowers, stems and leaves (I used happy colors of Benzie Design Wool Blend Felt)…then I did a bunch of hand stitching and attached some adorable, happy bee buttons and 1/4" round buttons. I didn't really plan it out too much, I just started playing and this was my end result...

I embellished the entire case, on all sides....and put a flower shaped label inside the zippered flap with all my details. I can't wait until I teach my next class and get to carry my iron in this HAPPY carry case. My decorated Oliso Carry Bag is on display in the Oliso Booth at QuiltCon 2023 - if you are lucky enough to be in attendance, stop by a take a look. I am looking forward to seeing other designer embellished Carry Bags on social media - if you would like to see more, search the hashtags:
#getcarriedawaywitholiso
#createwitholiso
#olisoconnects
…and visit @olisohome on Instagram

Thank you for stopping by for a visit today - I hope this post inspires you to play with wool, fabric and threads!

Catching My Breath...

Yes, I am still alive and breathing...and yes, I am okay. I apologize for taking so long between posts, but it has been a little hectic here to say the least. Thank you to everyone who sent me a message to check on me - I know it has been longer than usual since my last post...life just got in the way...but we'll catch-up quickly in this post, and then things should start to get back to normal.

Where to start...well, my husband was just out of town for a week plus on a fishing trip with his buddies in Canada, so that left me trying to balance the household, dogs, yard work, and my business, all on my own...I pretty much was on auto-pilot for the entire time he was gone - trying to cram everything I needed to do into each day. Here some photos taken on his trip to Gold Arrow Camp in Perrault Falls, Ontario, Canada...

Several of you have asked about my walking - yep, I have been walking/training daily. Schatzi and I walk/run 4-5 miles every morning, rain or shine...Simba gets two walks a day...and Schatzi gets a couple trips to the park during the day and usually a good walk in the evening...so yes, I manage to get in an average of eight plus miles a day. Schatzi is a good training partner...and I must mention she got her first title last night - she tested for her AKC CGC (Canine Good Citizen) and passed with flying colors!

Schatzi getting her AKC paperwork after she passed her CGC test...

Next up - the updated Blue Ribbon Designs website...yes, I have it all built...and yes, my SSL Certificate is now in place...and yes, it will be live VERY soon. I am doing some last minute testing and I am hoping to have that done today. A little hint (and reason why it has taken so long) - the updated site has a shopping cart and you will be able to shop BRD charts and BRD Etsy items all in one place....but a little note: I still support needlework shops 100% - my shop will only sell  my charts and handmade items - you will still need to visit your favorite needlework retailer to buy your supplies....more on all of this in the very near future...and the delayed BRD newsletter will be sent as soon as the new website is up and running.

...and yes, I am still sewing and quilting...I just finished up four large projects for AccuQuilt (sorry can't share them just yet)...and I am in the midst of putting together a pile of stitching wallets (12) and stitch starter ruler sleeves (36)...

Let's finish up on a happy note! In March, I entered the National Craft Month giveaway on the Therm O Web blog (a favorite blog of mine - they always have creative ideas and tutorials!)...they were giving away an Oliso TG-1100 Iron. We all know I love my Oliso irons and I am on my second one...well, to my complete surprise I won the giveaway (with over 1,000 entries)! However, as of last week, I had not received my prize...and after two months, I had completely given up hope. Well, thanks to Thermo O Web and Oliso, my new iron arrived this week - and to add to my excitement, it was a TG1600, just like the one I already own and LOVE. I am so excited - I now have a wonderful iron at my cutting table ironing board and an iron at my sewing machine ironing board - so convenient - no more shuffling my one iron back and forth from room to room!

Well, that's all the news for now...I must get Simba to the groomer - he's due there in less than an hour...I will be stitching on my 2014 Komen design model while I wait for him to get a bath and haircut. I'll be back soon with details on my new updated website...

Perfect for Pressing

There are a lot of things happening in my world right now...I am model stitching new releases, I am sewing up a storm (some commissioned work, some personal pieces, and some Etsy items), I am working on a fancy new look for my BRD website, and I am hammering out several large deadlines.

This past weekend, I was quite busy in my studio, working on several sewing projects...including a birthday gift for a dear friend. She is a dog lover, just like me, so I used some fun cotton quilting prints to make her a pincushion. The top is a broken dishes quilt block using Max & Whiskers by BasicGrey for Moda...and the bottom is an adorable dog bone print (Man's Best Friend designed for Exclusively Quilters). I pinned on a wool felt heart and added some decorative pins for a special touch...just a small surprise to brighten her birthday!

My old iron...

But, there is a little more to the story...after getting all the shapes cut for the pincushion and the initial piecing done, I went to my trusty old Oliso TG800 iron to do a little pressing...and when I turned it on, nothing happened...it had completely died. Now, I can't say that I am surprised, as Travis had bought me this iron in early 2006 and I pretty much have it running for hours every single day - I am not sure what the average life of an iron is, but after using this one daily for 8 years, I feel like it held up REALLY well - I'm mean, let's face it, I am extemely hard on an iron! I had known for a couple months that it was on it's last leg, as it was acting a little quirky, but I was pretty much devastated when it refused to turn on. My husband happened to be out running errands and I called and asked him to pick me up a cheap iron, just to get by until I had a chance to get a new Oliso. Well, to my surprise, he returned home with a new Oliso Pro (TG1600) - woohoo! - a newer fancier model designed for quilters and sewers - I was so excited - giddy, really...I know, I know, it's only an iron, but this is a top-of the-line iron for a quilter and when you use it daily, all the extra perks with this model make a HUGE difference. He called it my early birthday gift...and although I think birthday gifts should be "pretty, not practical", I will happily accept this one! Right away, I could see improvements and changes...like a longer cord - my old model had an 8' cord, but the new one has a 12' cord - so much better! Another thing I am happy about - the stay on time is quite a bit longer - my older iron shut-off after 8 minutes of no use...the new one shuts-off after 30 minutes of no use - so much better when quilting! I know an iron is really personal preference and there are good and bad reviews about every single model out there - but after the great experience I had with my first Oliso, I am just thrilled to have a new one...and I am hoping it will last at least 8 years (or more!)...

So with my fancy new yellow iron heated up and ready to go, I am off to press a pile of quilt blocks with a big smile on my face...it is truly the little things that bring me happiness!