FlossTube Episode Eleven: New Quilt Patterns and Cross Stitch Sneak Peek

Greetings friends...my latest FlossTube video has been posted - I hope you'll come visit with me! I share all the details for my two new quilt patterns - plus I show a sneak peek of a new upcoming cross stitch design. I also share a bunch of needlework finishing, project bags and some quilting...and I talk about my recent classes and class projects.  I look forward to sharing my passion for all things done with needle and thread with you...

You can find my YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/c/BelindaKarlsNace and I will post the latest video (https://youtu.be/WmqJ6isZQqw) below:

I also filmed a short tutorial video, with my trick for cutting pattern pieces accurately using freezer paper - this technique works great for wool applique, cross stitch finishing and quilting applique - it is a great trick for your creating arsenal. This video will be posted in the next week - I just have to finish editing it. I hope you will find this technique tutorial helpful...

On the home front, we have been doing some home improvement projects - so that is going on behind the scenes, as well. We had our garage flooring done this week and had to remove everything from our garage so they could do the epoxy coating. Once that was complete, we decided while our garage was empty to paint it - I know, not the best time to paint our garage walls, as it has been well over 100 degrees, but we finished it up really late last night. Now we have the task of putting everything back in the garage - I am making my husband become more organized out there...and we are cleaning everything before putting it away. It has been a big job, but the end is in sight and it has been well worth it.

I will be back soon to share my most recent projects (I've been busy in the studio). It has been difficult to find a balance with my new designs, Etsy projects, custom and finishing work, teaching, and my freelance designing...I am incredibly busy, but it is truly a blessing! Thanks for making the time to stop by my blog today...💗

FlossTube Episode Ten - New Cross Stitch

Greetings friends...my latest FlossTube video has been posted - I hope you'll come visit with me! I share all the details for my two new cross stitch designs....plus I show some of my classic Valentine's Day needlework smalls and a sneak peek of some new Etsy items...I also share about the quilt classes I will be teaching. I look forward to seeing you.... Thank you to those who have subscribed to my channel and to those who have liked and commented on my videos - I appreciate your kind support! 

You can find my YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/c/BelindaKarlsNace and I will post the latest video (https://youtu.be/pabbN8qDYzo) below:

I will be back soon to share my most recent projects (I've been busy in the studio). It has been difficult to find a balance with my new designs, Etsy projects, custom and finishing work, teaching, and my freelance designing...plus I am now in the process of building a brand new website...I am so busy, but it is truly a blessing! Thanks for making the time to stop by my blog today...💗

Out of My Comfort Zone

Well, I finally did it - I jumped into the deep end and did something I have shied away from for many years...yep, I finally posted a FlossTube video...actually, it may be too soon to call it a FlossTube video...for now, we'll just call it a video. I figured with new designs coming out soon, it was time to stop over-thinking it and go for it...and of course, it is another step forward in finding my worth. Yes, it needs improvement... and yes, I almost deleted it before anyone could see it...and yes, it is completely out of my comfort zone...like as far out of my comfort zone as you can get. For better or worse, it's now out in the universe (or should I say YouTubeland), so there is really no going back now. We'll see where it goes from here - if you like it and would like to see more, I will start filming additional video clips...if I get a negative response and I scare everyone, I'll find a place to bury it and it will be the one and only...I'll see what it looks like in a day or two...

Episode One is called "Figuring Things Out & A Sneak Peak (Next Time - Better Lighting)." It was filmed in a small corner of my sewing room (studio) and I give you a brief introduction to me and Blue Ribbon Designs. It has a sneak peek of a new cross stitch sampler coming out soon and I talk a little bit about two other designs I will be releasing with it. I also do a show and tell with my latest quilt pattern designs. 

Mostly, I was proud that I figured out how to write and post the closed captioning with the video - this was important to me and I am so glad I got it to work. It's the little things...

You can find Episode One on my YouTube Channel or you can view it here: 

Let me know if you want to see more - if I have some subscribers and the views/likes/comments are positive, I'll make time to create additional content...

For now, I am back to my happy place - I have to finish piecing a new quilt design and get the finishing touches done on my new cross stitch patterns...as always, my list is long. Thanks for stopping by for a visit today...wishing you a happy and productive weekend...

Some Serious Sewing

Hello all - thanks for stopping by for a visit! This will be a quick post, as I am in the middle of a sewing marathon. I have been catching up on custom project bag orders this week and my sewing machine has been humming along. I have been working on quite a few of my signature BRD project bags in both large and small sizes - all with fabulous fabrics provided by the customers. This batch also includes a few more With Thy Needle and Thread "Stitcher's Rule" project bags that are created from a printed panel (purchased from WTNT)...but in true Belinda fashion, I made changes to the panel instructions to make them with the zipper across the top...and I've made several with a boxed bottom. Plus, I had a special request for a vinyl lined zipper bag for a traveler - I made a special pattern for this unique bag that has cotton fabric on the outside and is lined with a coordinating cotton fabric and clear vinyl....along with a boxed bottom. This bag was a bit of a challenge, but I was thrilled with the results and may make more in the future, if the demand is there - it was a bit time consuming, but well worth the end product. So without further ado, here are just a few of the bags that I completed this week...

My signature cosmetic bag - cotton outside and inside
with an added clear vinyl lining...

Inside of cosmetic bag...

With Thy Needle and Thread "Stitcher's Rule" project bags
that are created from a printed panel and finished "my way"...

With Thy Needle and Thread "Stitcher's Rule" project bags 
that are created from a printed panel and finished "my way"...

It's been a busy week, as I rush to complete as many orders as possible before a trip to Florida in mid-February (yes, I am taking a week of vacation with my husband - headed to the Orlando area to visit my momma and Dan..and to get in some beach time). I have more project bags, a couple stitching mats, a custom quilt order and piles of needlework finishing in my studio bins at the moment...and some cross stitch design work in progress (yes, I am still working on some new designs!). I also just finished up a couple more pieces for Just CrossStitch magazine, so you will find Blue Ribbon Designs in several issues in the coming year. Plus, I would like to make time to get a few more items listed in my Etsy Shop - (EXCITING NEWS!) I am only five sales away from 2,000 which is a HUGE milestone. Things here are buzzing along and I feel so blessed to be able to be creative each and every day!

For now, I will leave you with a photo that Travis took of the dogs on Christmas day - Garin's head tilt is everything...and another one of them being BIG "helpers" in my sewing studio....

Three Blue Houses

Hello friends! I thought I would stop by for a quick visit tonight - I have been a little overwhelmed trying to catch up with work obligations and really needed a break from my sewing machine. I have been frantically trying to catch-up with custom sewing orders and finish a couple cross stitch deadlines (two more pieces for Just CrossStitch magazine)...my studio tables are pretty full at the moment and I have been feeling a bit frazzled...so, of course, my husband asks me to whip up a very special baby quilt for someone he works with (you know, in my spare time 😉). My to-do list is nice and full - but I feel extremely blessed to be busy. I have been meaning to stop by and share a couple cross stitch pieces with you - one I stitched for a very dear friend...and one that very dear friend stitched for me...

If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know, my personal stitching time is close to non-existent these days - when I'm stitching it is almost exclusively one of my own Blue Ribbon Designs. However, I have an extremely special friend that stitches for me often - in fact, my studio is full of pieces that remind me of her and her kind heart...and I knew I wanted to stitch her a piece for Christmas. I actually had something specific in mind, finished a specific way. Since our recent move, I still have a few large studio boxes in the basement to unpack (I know, shocker)...they are labeled quite well and I have just been grabbing things from them, as needed. Well, when searching for that something specific for my original idea, I ran across a small kit with a tiny desktop frame...I didn't care for the pattern, but I really liked the frame...so I quickly switched gears and started looking for a pattern to fit. I do have my charts and patterns unpacked and accessible in my studio, so I grabbed my large basket of cross stitch stash and found an old Ewe & I & Friends chart, that I thought would be perfect...it's called Three Pink Houses. I explain all of this, because I made quite a few changes to make it exactly what I wanted, but it was a great starting point for what I envisioned! Here is a photo of the original chart...

First of all, I left off the border, so it would fit properly. Next I changed the pink houses to blue...and I personalized it with our initials and the year...I'm pretty sure I moved around a few colors too! I used the DMC colors listed...and for the houses, I used Blue Moon from Classic Colorworks. All in all, I was thrilled with the results and it turned out exactly as I had hoped!

Imagine my smile when I opened my gifts from this special friend and she had stitched a beautiful piece for me, as well. This is Antique Scissors & Spools by Shakespeare's Peddler -  a fabulous addition to my studio...and it looks wonderful with the piece she stitched me for my last birthday (Sew Happy by All Through The Night). Right now, they are both displayed on the high-top counter in my studio, until I get some 3M Command Hooks (my husband says no holes in the walls of our new house). Aren't stitchy friends THE BEST?!! I feel so special and loved...

Our first Christmas in the new house was memorable because I have the very best friends (located all across the country)...my circle may be small, but it is mighty!

It's been the longest day and I am off to relax a wee bit before bedtime. Thank you for visiting with me tonight...I'll do my best to stop back again soon!

Apple Patch

Hello friends - I am so happy you stopped by for a visit! Today, I thought I would share a recent quilt finish...a small wall hanging quilt I made for my momma. This lovely little quilt pattern has been in my stash for quite some time...I purchased it specifically to create for my mom...and her recent birthday was the perfect occasion to pull some fabrics and start sewing. While this design looks a little complicated, it is actually a paper foundation pattern - Apple Patch by MH Designs. Foundation paper piecing is a quilting technique done by sewing fabric to a printed paper foundation - this method is great when working with tiny pieces and can be used to create extremely precise points and shapes. The finished size of this quilt is 8.75" x 14", so as you can imagine, some of the pieces can be quite tiny. MH Designs has a fabulous selection of paper foundation patterns, that range from beginner to advanced and the instructions are wonderful! I have a small pile of these patterns in my library, several earmarked for specific recipients. The fabrics used in this quilt were all scraps and fat quarters found in my stash - all different collections - just fabrics I thought would work well together for this project. I truly enjoyed working on these quilted apples...and I'm pretty sure my mom was happy with it too! 💗

A day or two after this little quilt was delivered, I had a delivery myself...a gorgeous holiday flower arrangement from my mom...thanking me for the package. It was the perfect arrival at the perfect time. There has not been a lot of Christmas spirit in the new house, especially with being far away from our family and friends...and with my husband working insane hours, holiday excitement is pretty much non-existent. I know, every year, I say I am going to get a tree...but that still hasn't happened....and yes, I know, I have designed and stitched over 100 ornaments and I could easily fill a tree with handmade pieces...so I am not sure what is holding me back (the expense is part of it). I even went as far as measuring the height of the ceiling in our new living room (well, my husband did - who knew we had 9' ceilings?!)...and we looked online at TONS of trees (I knew I wanted a really natural looking tree with white lights)...but in the end, I din't order one (I know, insert eye roll here)...but I did take notes on a few that I liked. However, thanks to my mom and her flower delivery, I have a "mini tree" - it consists of carnations (my favorite), daisies, lilies, and lots of pine...and most importantly, it smells fabulous!! I have moved it around the house three or four times, trying to keep it in my vision at all times. 😊

So, that is my holiday excitement. I do have most of my (minimal) shopping complete...and I have belted out a few Christmas carols while working in my studio...oh, and I have managed to watch a couple Christmas movies/specials on my studio television while working. I'll get myself into the holiday spirit sooner or later...😄

I still have lots of finishing, sewing and quilting orders to complete...so I am spending my days in my happy place...or should I says "nights" - my husband has been working crazy mixed up hours and I tend to keep the same sleep schedule he does. I have also been formatting a few fresh cross stitch designs and researching printing companies in our new area...while my studio is clean, my desk is a complete MESS (I could barely find my keyboard to type this update)!

I'll be back soon with some more gorgeous needlework finishing photos to share with you...until then, I hope you find beauty and joy in the season....

Life in Kansas...

Greetings friends - happy Tuesday! I needed a little break from the studio this afternoon and thought I would stop by for a visit. I am starting to feel a little more settled in Kansas and I thought I would share just a bit of what I have been up to the last few weeks.

Creatively - I have been sewing daily - working on customer orders and items for my Etsy shop (all of the bags you see have been listed and some are still available), client finishing (photos will be in a future post) and model stitching new cross stitch designs in the evenings. The creativity is keeping me in my happy place while I adjust to the move.

The sewing room is unpacked and mostly organized - still a work in progress - I have a sewing studio upstairs and a warehouse, cutting room, supply storage and shipping area in the basement. My new sewing room has a nice walk-in closet, of which I am taking full advantage - the shelving is great for supplies and bolts of fabrics/fusibles/stabilizers/batting (I also have additional shelving for these in the basement)...and I found a great new way to store my abundance of zippers by utilizing the clothing bars, loose leaf rings and binder clips - it works wonderfully! Plus, we now live near an IKEA (bonus!) and I finally have my first RÅSKOG Utility Cart, which I adore - I only *need* a few dozen more (a girl can dream).

I also made a trip to the local quilt shop in our new small town of Spring Hill called The Quilted Sunflower - and what a wonderful trip it was! The LQS is located on historic Main Street, which has a nice assortment of quaint shops (reminds me of a smaller Valley Junction). The owner is incredibly friendly and upbeat and made me feel at home immediately...and the shop has a lovely assortment of current fabrics, projects and ideas - it is definitely a positive and inspiring environment. I can't wait until things are a bit more settled here, so I can spend more time there - right now, I am still trying to find a balance.

Quite a few things have happened on the new house front...

We FINALLY have Internet service - who knew how much we would miss it...and it will make my job so much easier!

The new shades (upstairs) and shutter blinds (main floor) have at long last arrived and been installed - wow...having window treatments sure makes a difference - I am so happy with our choices - the shutter blinds are fabulous. I wanted classic window treatments without cords or cables that would be easy to operate and let in tons of light...and they are PERFECT.

I just *had to* to spruce up the front of the house, so I built a couple black rockers and added a couple of my quilted pillows...got a small matching table...and potted a bunch of geraniums (my favorite potted flower). I also planted quite a few perennials in the front flower beds - including: Lavender (my favorite perennial), Sedum, Bee Balm, Astilbe, and Carex - these are a great addition to what was already there - sorry - I don't have a photo to share in this post (look for one in the future).

Our backyard fence has been installed - and although a water leak in the new construction next door currently has our backyard a swamp (complete with frogs!) 😒, the dogs did get to enjoy it for a few weeks (the leak was fixed a couple days ago and hopefully it will start to dry out soon - fingers crossed)...the dogs can't run back there for a few more days, but the baby birds are sure enjoying the fence while they learn to fly...

Shutter blinds in the dining room....

House before porch decoration...

Happy kids after running in the backyard...

Stepping out of my comfort zone, I also decided to take an adult cooking class put on by the Spring Hill Recreation Commission. I enjoy cooking and really didn't need to take a class, but I thought it might help me meet a few people in the area. It was a Cajun cooking class - perfect for me - and we made Shrimp Étouffée. It was a full class of fifteen students, but only six work stations, so it wasn't everything I wanted it to be...but the dish turned out wonderful, I enjoyed a good dinner, and I got out of the house - so, I consider it a win. I may or may not take another class in the future (they teach one a month)...we'll see...

That's just a glimpse of what has been going on here...I'm starting to adjust to Kansas and find my way around. We did make a trip back to Iowa last weekend for a good friend's 50th birthday party - and that helped with my homesickness - I miss "my people" so much...but I know in time I will build some relationships here.

After months of craziness, we are finally taking a long overdue beach vacation next week...and I need it desperately! I am hoping a week out of the country in the sun and sand without an itinerary or cell phone service will refresh and replenish my spirit...

Triangular Tuffets

I am in model stitching mode today, but I wanted to stop by quickly and show you the finished chair cushions I made over the weekend. I have two wooden chairs in my studio - one at my desk and one at my sewing/serger machines....these are really not the most comfortable chairs, but like many of you, I work with what I have. So, I decided to make a couple quilted tie-on cushions - to make the chairs prettier and to make my hiney happier. I used the Tuxedo Collection by Doodlebug Design Inc. for Riley Blake, as it matches my studio nicely...and some black grosgrain ribbon with white polka dots for the ties. The top is pieced 7" equilateral triangles and the bottom is a 7" hexagon...both cut on my Studio Fabric Cutter using Nested Bullseye Dies by AccuQuilt. I was able to accurately cut all the pieces in just a couple minutes and started sewing right away...I fused a piece of Pellon SF-101 Shape-Flex Interfacing to the wrong size of each hexagon, to make the bases nice and sturdy. I quilted the tops with cotton batting and muslin, then filled the tuffets firmly with fiberfill - in fact, I over-stuffed them, because I knew they would flatten out after I sit on them for hours. I added the grosgrain ribbon to tie the cushions in place...and I think they turned out perfectly! It only took me a couple hours to completely make both cushions and they are such a nice added touch to my studio...

I am headed back to my stitching nest for a few hours, then it is back to work on my website...the sun is shining (I will try not to focus on the 45 mph wind gusts - ugh!), so I will be taking both dogs on good walks to the park today, as well. Enjoy you day!