Up-cycled Thread Spools

If you're a regular visitor to this blog, you know that some quilters save our empty thread spools and then count them at the end of the year as a rough measure of our quilting productivity. Every January someone asks for ideas about how to use them. How about this spool chair/folk art? Granted, the chair wouldn't look as amazing if it was made from the white plastic spools we have today. Haha.

This spool table was made around 1900. It was featured on Antiques Roadshow, and valued at $1,000-1,500 a few years ago.

Click here to see more ideas for up-cycling thread spools.

 Have a creative day!

Selvage Pickle Dish - Free Pattern from B

 

See B's free pattern showing how to make a little 4-block pickle dish quilt: Modern quilting by B. She says that using selvages makes this block easier. I like her fabric choices, very modern. Nice, B!

Flow Acrylic Painting

Flow acrylic painting has captured my imagination this winter and I'm working on achieving these pretty "cells," the rounded shapes with narrow borders. It's tricky business getting the paints mixed to the correct consistency, and getting the right variety of paints so that they interact in interesting ways (like forming cells). It's very messy too! This painting is one of my most successful ones. I have a lot of duds, but I just paint over them.  

I haven't given up quilting; this is just a little side-trip.

I hope your new year is off to a good start.

Husband Gives His Bride a Wedding Quilt!

This beautiful bride's husband bought my Bunting quilt for her. What a sweet wedding keepsake! He asked for a personalized label with their names and wedding date. I love it when my Etsy customers send a photo. 

They were married in December and had a nice honeymoon in Europe. I hope this quilt sees them through many happy years together. 

Big Year for Thread Use!

Biggest year yet for thread usage! 46 Spools! 

This is the least scientific measure out there because the spools are different sizes and I don't start with new spools at the beginning of the year. But still. I usually use about 20 spools/year, so 2016 was a very good year for sewing. 

Do you have a spool count for the year?