The Right Tool for the Job

My solo trip through the array of booths at the Quilt Show brought to light a fairly serious addiction of mine. I really love NOTIONS. Those wonderful tools of the sewing, embroidery, and quilting trades are like crack to me. I just need  them and have a very hard time just browsing.  I buy.  And then buy again. Lucky for me, many are reasonably priced to dang cheap.

This year's haul was smaller than years' past:

It would probably be best if I didn't mention the number of needle packets I own. I love having various sizes from which to choose. I blame this disorder on my mother, who for years would come to visit and bemoan my one packet of "Various Sizes" needles. "They aren't like Band-Aids! You can't substitute a different size or shaft and expect the project to turn out well." (Add your own exasperated sigh and eye roll). You'll notice two new packets of needles up there. One has an extra long eye for thicker embroidery threads without the extra wide shaft to match. I will try it out and report back.

I also have a love affair with thimbles.  I collect them, try them out, lose them, replace them.  Actually, it's not such a love affair as a horrible tracking system.

As always, there's a new presser foot to play with.  "It was on sale," I reminded myself, "and you don't have to deal with the cranky local dealer to get it!"

Lastly, I picked up a new pattern for teeny tiny pieced ornaments.  Buying them in March surely means they'll be complete for the giving season in 10 months, right?  I'm not betting money on that and neither should you.

A bit of fabric made it into my bag, as well:

These are for a table runner project that's been mulling around in my head for a year or so.   I have several other veggie and fruit prints in the stash and, finally, a dimensioned pattern on paper.  Now all I need is my New York sewing buddy to come home for a week or so and pull out the embroidery machine.

The last bit of fun fabric is a gift (Spoiler Alert - Karen):

You asked for SKY and I found what I could.  The upper piece (which could have used an iron prior to photographing, lazy me) is an ombre print.  Depending on where you cut into the fabric, the shading and gradation will be different.  It's more of an aqua than a true sky blue, but still beautiful.

Karen, my intention is to mail it soon and then just send a post-it note for Christmas saying, "remember that package of cool fabric."  The reality is that it will probably arrive for Christmas.

Thanks for letting me share.  Maybe soon there will be a project picture of something actually completed?  We can only hope.

Today's post title from Marcia Ball's The Right Tool for the Job.