Modern Technology and a Twist

 jill here...An interesting situation arose last week while I was checking orders.  Someone on quiltingboard.com posted a comment on one of our quilts (thank you very much) and it started an unusual situation.  Our Paypal site wasn't functioning correctly and  others wanted to purchase the pattern so there were requests via our email.  Evidently the Paypal site was "under construction" so we retrieved  information and were able to send the patterns off to their new creators.  It was fun to chat with  people more directly.

Now this is a challenge that is hard to complain about.  Our business would not have been possible even ten years ago.  So it's really incredible that blog sites, secure payment systems and hundreds of you out there in the quilt abyss keep us going.  We are grateful and thank you.  Please let us know how we can engage you in our journey.

Now on to the twist... Have you ever seen those little bits of fabric sewn into garlands?  When I recently observed a mobile, I thought it would be fun to adapt it to fabric in a vertical format.

I started with a dot and a stripe and fused them right sides together.

I sliced them into 3 1/2"  lengths by a 1/4"  wide.  Looks like spagetti  confetti.

I press them in half to identify the center (important for balance).

Looks like a spider; not what I was going for!
The strips were too long and not rigid enough.
The fabric, although fun, was too busy and confusing.

So I shortened the strip and fed it centered through the  presser foot.
I used regular thread and took three stitches between strips.

Getting there, but not quite yet.

So I fused with a heavier weight interfacing,
choosing a larger scale  stripe, cut on the bias,
same on both sides.  I was attempting to create the barber pole twist 

This time I pressed in half before cutting from a  2 12" width strip.
I'm getting smarter....

So final test:  Instead of just thread, I used a narrow ribbon.  It looks more finished but doesn't have as much spin.  I added a few beads at top and bottom  to finish.

Always different from expectation, but fun!
Till next Tuesday.....