I am Featured on Etsy Treasury

Thank You Uniquelynancy for including me in your Treasury: Love is Everywhere.

I was just browsing through the treasuries last night and found it. So what a surprise! Made my day!

I appreciate it!

Kits, Kits, Kits

I have been busy making my Rag Quilt Purse and Pincushion Complete Kits available on Etsy, ArtFire, and Bonanzle as well as eBay.

Some new adjustments to the kits have been made such as including Warm and Natural/White quilt batting instead of flannel fabric. Also I am including plastic canvas and materials to make the base of the purse for sturdiness. You might find some kits using minky fabrics also....that is new and the prices are more for those. Traditional, 4-patch, and 9-patch kits are all available. I can custom design a kit for you with your specs so give me a message if you need something specific! Blessings!
Theresa

Ashlawnfarms Creations

Over Christmas break I was thrilled to do some sewing and creating. I made several rag quilted items and have listed the first few of them on Etsy now.

The first one is a Homespun Candle Mat. For those of you who do not know me, Homespuns are my absolute favorite fabrics.....whenever I make a homespun raggie it is hard for me to give it up! This candle mat would be a nice addition to your folk primitive decor.

Secondly is a cute little Shamrock St. Patricks Day Candle Mat. It is still good and early to be shopping for March 17th! This holiday decoration is a sweet little accent piece and can be used as a centerpiece for any table in your home.

The last creation is a set of 2 candle mats! These sunflower creations are bright and happy. One has a red accent while the other is blue. I could not decide whether to separate them or not....so for now I will list them as a set. They do go great together!

Making a Strip Rag Quilt

Rag Quilts don't have to be made with just squares. In fact the strip style is much easier to assemble, requires less sewing, and saves time.

I sell my patterns from my Etsy Shop- please visit!

Need a pattern for the strip raggie? Here it is!! Strip Rag Quilt Pattern

Please feel free to comment!

What is Minky Dot Fabric?

Recently I had someone ask me what Minky Dot Fabric is.

I started selling this item not too long ago as I am seeing more and more people using it it rag quilts, bibs, burp cloths, diaper bags, etc. I made a bath robe for my mother for Christmas as well. The squares I cut and sell have been going pretty well. And as more and more customers come along, some have no idea what Minky Fabrics are.

So I did some reading on it and discovered some things as well that I would like to share. I Google just about everything these days, so that is where most of this information is coming from. That and my own experiences!

I did discover that Benartex has the top of the line product called Minkee Blankee. People who use Benartex Minkee claim it is the softest and the best there is. The price of this product is also at the top of the line and can sometimes cost up to $20.00 per yard.

I do not know of any other Brand names claiming rights to this fabric, but there are some companies such as Joann's and Hobby Lobby that sell a similar product at a much lower cost when on sale.

Minky Fabrics are 100% polyester.
They have embossed dots, hearts, stars, etc. on them or they can be striped or plain just to name a few.
These fabrics are very comparable to a velour fabric and to touch it feels like petting a rabbit or mink. That is where it got its name I guess. The nap is longer like hair.
They also come in a ton of colors and more colors are starting to be made from what I am seeing.

Minky fabrics are very messy to work with though. Every time I cut a batch I go through several sheets of my lint roller. I usually lint roll all the squares before I ship too so they look better.

The squares I cut do not stack well. Since they are slick on the backside they tend to slide around some on each other. Minky is also a bit of a trick to sew since it slides. Be sure to use some scraps of it to practice with before you start sewing your project to get the settings on your machine in sinky with Minky!

One thing I read was not to use a hot iron on Minky. Especially on the embossed shapes such as the dots. In making mom's bath robe, I was ironing seams as specified in the pattern directions and learned the hard way not to iron it. Sigh!

Another thing I just read was not to microwave this product. You ask why? -Me too!! But in health care, some workers will do that to heat a blanket for patients. Minky will melt. So please "don't miky the minky!" lol

Visit any of my store links here on my blog to buy pre-cut minky dot squares from me!

Blessings!

2010 Changes

Hello!
The New Year 2010 has brought some changes for my eBay Store. My husband and I have discussed closing my eBay store a few days out of the week. So we have announced being open Thursday - Sunday and closing Monday - Wednesday. Shipping will take place most Mondays and Tuesdays. I appreciate my buyers, but sometimes I just need a break! We will see how this goes for awhile. I enjoy sewing so much that I need to close down to be able to.

My Etsy, Bonanzle, and Artfire shops will stay open daily.

Many thanks! Stop by anytime and browse around!
Theresa of Ashlawnfarms

January BOGO Sale ePatterns

Shop my Bonanzle Booth and get 2 epatterns for the price of one. That is Buy ONE Get ONE FREE!!!
Ends January 31st!

All you do is buy one at full price, pay for it via Paypal and send me a message on which other epattern you would like. I will email you both epatterns within 48 hours of payment.

Thank You!!

Rag Quilt Pincushion





Rag Quilt


Strip Rag Quilt


Cosmetic Pouch
Also BOGO Free are the Rag Quilted Purse Patterns
Traditional
9 - Patch
4 - Patch

Clean Your Machine!

Tip #4 From Rag Quilting Series

Rag Quilts make your sewing machine dirty. That is an understatement. Dirty makes it not work efficiently. Just like everything we have to clean it too. Always remember to clean your sewing machine when you finish a project. You will be glad you did!

This is a picture from one rag quilt I worked on.....wow how dirty can it get?



When you have cleaned and oiled your machine according to you user's manual enjoy some chocolate and kick back-you deserve it!