Cyber Monday Sales at Spark Naturals!

Just a quick post today to let you know that Spark Naturals is having a great sale!  Diffusers are on sale and there is free shipping...and an extra 10% off using my coupon code *bobbins*.  I know there were a few of you who were asking me about diffusers.  Doesn't get any better than this!  :)

Diffusers:  http://sparknaturals.com/index.php/diffusers.html?SID=8n1pb3a0im8i7vreikg8dqgbq6/?id-57

Essential 4 Pack (such a great way to start in on essential oils!): http://sparknaturals.com/index.php/kits/15ml-4-pack.html/?id=57

And...introducing the NEW Exquisite Collection!
http://sparknaturals.com/index.php/kt-exquisite.html/?id=57

Back to quilting!
Warmly,
Jude

Another Machine Maintenance Day!

Quinn & Oliver - The Most Beautiful Boys in the World

Well, my goodness, it is September already.  And I haven't posted a blog post in quite awhile.  Hasn't this summer gone by fast?  I continue to be crazy busy with customer quilts but we also did our trip to Canada to nibble on the grandbabies and then hit the Grand Rapids quilt conference where I did some shopping and took several classes.  I always get so inspired by these classes.  :)

Chris from Blakeman Vacuum & Sewing will be here again next Friday, September 12th for a Machine Maintenance Day.  As before, give me a call (307-745-3200) or shoot me an email (bobbinsnthreads@gmail.com) if you would like to be put on the list.  I would need your name and phone number as well as the type of machine you have and what service you would like.  If there is an issue with your machine then I can tell Chris and he can bring the proper tools and/or parts that might be needed.

I finished a quilt top that was started in the year 2000...hand pieced Grandmother's Flower Garden.  We were living in Germany at the time and pieced a lot of the GFG flowers while sitting in our garden.  We had a rented garden plot...actually, it was a huge plot with a little garden house on the property and we spent most weekends there...loved that garden!  I brought the finished GFG flowers over to the States with me and had just about enough of the hand piecing so I appliqued them down to a floral background.  Not sure why I chose a floral background.  But there you go.  The blocks sat for years but I got them out and  have sashed the blocks in a variegated yellow fabric and it is now waiting to be quilted.  In my spare time.  ;)

This quilt will have a lot of memories in it.  :)

Here are a few tutorials that I found interesting:

http://www.quiltmaker.com/blogs/quiltypleasures/2012/02/qm-shorts-no-mark-stitch-flip/

http://tallgrassprairiestudio.blogspot.com/2009/11/straight-line-quiltinghints-and-tips.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJCSoljKnqU&app=desktop

Don't you just love the internet?  Honestly, there is so much to find on there and so much to learn!  :)

This month's Oil of the Month at Spark Naturals is Bergamot...one of my favorites!  It is such a refreshing floral scent and I really like to diffuse it on dreary days or on days where I just need a pick-me-up.  Rudi just called to tell me he seems to be coming down with a cold and will *need some of my potions*!  LOL!  It is back to school time...

****use coupon code BOBBINS for 10% off at Spark Naturals!

Quilts are coming in really fast...must be September!  If there are quilts you need finished by Christmas give me a call and I will schedule a time for your quilt. Christmas will be here before you know it and it is a really busy time for the Studio.  :)

I am also planning on having a sale on some retail items and need to go through my personal quilting books and purge a bit so, if I have the time, I will do so and they will be for sale.

I have an Etsy Store and and Ebay Store now.  Go on over and see if there is anything you would like.  I hope to continue to stock both of them.

And...the customer quilts...

Yep!  Been busy!  LOL!

Anyhow, let me know if you want your machine serviced next week!
Warm Regards,
Jude
307-745-3200
bobbinsnthreads@gmail.com

Machine Maintenance, Anyone?

We are popping into Cheyenne this Saturday to bring my vacuum in for Chris (Blakeman) to fix and I thought I would offer to bring in any sewing machines that need cleaning and/or servicing.

Give me a call at 307-745-3200 or email me at bobbinsnthreads@gmail.com if you would like to drop your machine off to me and we will bring it with us on Saturday.  And we plan on going the next Saturday to pick them (and my vacuum!) up.

Thread Order

It is the first week of June and that means my thread order goes in tomorrow.  If there is anything you would like me to add to the order, call me or email me.  Saves shipping costs for you!

www.superiorthreads.com <click here>

Essential Oils

And...a new month means a new Oil of the Month at Spark Naturals!  This month it is Respire...another of my favorites.  I diffuse this oil and I also use it in a chest rub when I feel congested...I rub it on my feet as well as my chest and the back of my neck.  It really, really helps.  And it is allergy season!  The Oil of the Month Club costs $15.99 per month (a 15ml bottle) with free shipping.  Regular price of the 15ml Respire is $18.00 plus shipping.

Oil of the Month Club <click here>

And to read about Respire <click here>

Spark Naturals Item of the Week

Spark Naturals also has a Special Item of the Week and this week it is DIFFUSERS! I would NOT be without my diffusers.  It is such a great way to use essential oils in a therapeutic way as well as for aromatherapy...or just to make the room smell good!

All Diffusers are 10% off this week PLUS $3.00 shipping on your entire order if a diffuser is added to the order.

And, if you use my coupon code (bobbins) at checkout, you receive another 10% off.  If you have any questions, just holler.  This is such a good deal...head on over to Spark Naturals and check them out.

Spark Naturals Diffusers <click here>

I am making more Moisturizing Cream this week so if you would like a jar, let me know.

Let's see...what else....

Haven't done a lot of quilting this week as I dropped the butcher knife the other day and it sliced the top of my big toe.  It is wrapped up and it hurts!  LOL!  Standing at the quilting machine is not a good thing right now but it should be better by tomorrow or the next day.  :)

The HQ Fusion demo has sold but the Sweet 16 Sit Down System is still available!  Let me know if you are interested.

Quilting from last week...

So you all are keeping me busy!  :)

Oh!  And I almost forgot...check out this great video on ending your binding:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuS76wVW210

Jude
307-745-3200
bobbinsnthreads@gmail.com

Handi Quilter Promo! 0% Financing AND Free Shipping!

Yes, it is a 0% Financing Promo AND Free Shipping!  Note the dates - May 21 to June 2nd.  If you are interested or have any questions, call me at 307-745-3200 or email me at bobbinsnthreads@gmail.com.  I have already sold a Sweet 16 Sit Down system with TruStitch stitch regulator to a very happy customer and I am thrilled for her.

Or, if you prefer not to finance, you can still take advantage of the Free Shipping!  Call me for my special prices.

My Sweet 16 w/ Sit Down Table Demo system is for sale...contact me if you are interested.  It is a good price!  And, as always, training is free and I am always available for help.

Chris from Blakeman Vacuum & Sewing was here last Friday for a Machine Maintenance Day and it was a huge success.  He is such a nice young man and very thorough.  I highly recommend him.  He had 15 machines coming through and was here almost 12 hours!  And it was a delightful time...I really enjoyed having him here and talking machines and future plans.  I love it when businesses work together.  :)

We are hoping to do it again in the near future and I have already started a list of people who want to bring their machines by for the next time.  If you would like to be added, give me a holler!

And....Spark Naturals is having a 10% sale on the Essential Oils 4 Pack!!  This is such a great offer...not only is the pack on sale, there is FREE SHIPPING!  And...if you use the coupon code BOBBINS at checkout you receive ANOTHER 10% off!   So...if you have been interested in starting in on learning about and using essential oils, here are the 4 essential oils.  There are so many uses for these oils and the ones I use the most.  Or, if you need to stock up....I do!

http://sparknaturals.com/index.php/kits/essential-4-pack.html/?id-57

To get the free shipping you will need to have the 5ml essential 4 pack in your shopping cart. When you go to check out and the shipping options appear, you will notice that the GROUND SHIPPING is FREE (the price will say $0.00) select that option and you will get your entire order shipped for free!

One Good Thing by Jillee (where I get so much of my info...also from Camp Wander) has this wonderful blog post for the many uses of the essential 4:

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2013/05/40-uses-for-my-top-four-favorite-essential-oils-a-free-printable-and-a-giveaway.html


On a quilty note:

Wonderful Mexican Star Quilt!  Custom quilted.

Back of the Mexican Star

Beautiful Strippy quilt...like a breath of springtime!

Pretty baby quilt!  I love doing baby quilts.  :)

Looks like spring has finally hit Laramie.  I think I will go outside and soak up the sun for a bit.  Then back to the quilting frame!  :)

Warm Regards,

Jude

Machine Maintenance Day!!!

Yes, we are again offering a Machine Maintenance Day at Bobbins 'n Threads!  New location, new maintenance guy, but the same procedure.

Chris Blakeman of Blakeman Vacuum & Sewing will be here at my Studio on Friday, May 16th.

He does minor cleanings and oiling for $55.00.

If there are any other adjustments/repairs then the price is $69.99 and a 1 year guarantee.

If it is a more technical machine that needs an adjustment/repair, the charge is $109.99.

Any service rate over the $55.00 charge gets $10.00 off as a thank you for coming out to our Machine Maintenance Day.  And you get a free pack of needles.  Extra needles is always a plus, isn't it?  I think his prices are really good and he is thorough.  Check out his website:

Sewing Machine Repair (click here)

Chris will bring a few Bernina machines if anyone would like to see a demonstration of the 350PE. Now...anyone who knows me and my machine addiction would know that I am excited about this. A machine to play with!  ;)

As before, when I had the Machine Maintenance Days in my store, you call me in advance.

307-745-3200  or email me at bobbinsnthreads@gmail.com and I will put your name and phone number on the list.  I would need to know the make and model of your machine and what you would like the service to be.  I will then email Chris a list of the machines coming in and what needs to be done with them and that way he can bring what he needs to service them.

You can drop your machine off to me early in the week or you can come by that day and meet Chris.  He is a nice young man and very good at what he does.

I, myself, have 2 machines for him to work on and we already have some other machines coming in so let me know ASAP so that we can schedule time for you.

I love offering this service to this area and I hope to continue to offer it.  

It is a new month already and that means a new Spark Naturals Oil of the Month! 

Oil of the Month Club! <click here for info>

May's Oil of the Month is Geranium!  I love Geranium...it smells like roses and I make a really nice body spray that has geranium in it.  It is also really good for the skin!

Check out Geranium here!

And, as always, purchases other than the Oil of the Month Club receive 10% off if you use my coupon code:  bobbins.  But with the Oil of the Month Club, you receive free shipping!  :)

Actually!  I just remembered!  Today is the last day for FREE SHIPPING at Spark Naturals!  They had a free shipping promo (first anniversary!) this weekend and I totally forgot.  I need to make a list of what I need.....

Spark Naturals <click here>

Isn't it gorgeous out there today?  I will sign off now and make a coffee and head outside to sit in the sun for a bit.  Then the quilting machine will be calling me.  :)

Don't forget to give me a call if you need a machine serviced!

Warm Regards,

Jude

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day Card <click here>

And...the Studio is finished!  We will start taking down the one machine this weekend and moving it up.  It will be nice to have my house back again.

New kitchen doorway and the stairs leading up to the studio

In the studio, looking at the bathroom.  The railing is taken down so that we can get the machines upstairs.

The little bathroom...toilet and laundry sink.

Coming up the stairs and looking in.

Spark Naturals is having a Diffuser Sale today for those who would like to get diffusing.  I use mine all the time and it not only makes the house smell good, it has also been therapeutic.  Actually, I will be ordering one for the new studio!  :)

15% off and an extra 10% off if you use the coupon code:  BOBBINS

This week I have been busy quilting.  Yesterday I cleaned the kitchen...what a mess of construction dust everywhere!  But today I will finish up a customer quilt and get it off the frame before we tear it down.  I should be back quilting by Monday.  :)

Also, I will be making more hand cream next week...almost sold out!  If you would like some, give me a holler.  It is lovely stuff.  :)

Have a wonderful and loving day!
Warm Regards,
Jude

Free Shipping!

Okay...another essential oils post but free shipping is a great thing.  ;)  Within the States AND Canada! (attention my Canadian family and friends....)

This is a great time to order some essential oils that you want to try.  Especially, the Essential Oil 4 Pack.  With free shipping AND by using the coupon code:  BOBBINS at checkout, you can have this pack for under $20.00.  I will be stocking up on some oils...especially the Respire and Dream.  I have been using a lot of these lately.  With all the construction going on here and all the dust that is everywhere, I am really feeling it in my chest.  The Respire in the diffuser and the Cold & Chest Salve that I make has actually kept things under control and I am so pleased.



This pack along with some Fractionated Coconut Oil (also at Spark Naturals) is a great start!

On the home front, construction is pretty much finished on the new studio.  There are a bunch of little things that need to be finished, like trim and the bathroom stuff and touchup painting, but we are almost there!  The carpet has been delayed because of the weather out east but once that is down we can see the end of the tunnel!  :)

On a quilty note...here is the latest quilt on the frame!  It might be finished today.  Isn't it a gorgeous thing!  All batiks.  :)

And it is a perfect day for making bread.  I do the No Knead bread quite a bit but this one is even easier!  No waiting overnight.

English Muffin Bread <click here>

Honestly...this bread makes the BEST toast!  I have it rising right now and I will be popping it into the oven this afternoon.  It takes just a minute to mix up, then it is plopped into a bread pan, let it rise for a few hours and then bake it.  Oh, and I only do one loaf at a time (I only have one bread pan) so I just quarter the amounts.

Well, back to the quilt!  Don't forget to enter the free giveaway from the previous post!

Share the Love Giveaway! <click here>

Or, just click on the picture of the giveaway on the right hand side of this page.  :)

Stay warm!
Jude

Share The Love Giveaway!

In honor of the *Love* month, fifteen Spark Natural lovers (and bloggers!) have teamed up for a super special giveaway.  And the best part is that it is not just for *you* but for *you and a friend*!

This Giveaway consists of TWO Essential 4 Packs each of which consists of the most commonly used essential oils in 5ml bottles:

• Lavender
• Lemon
• Melaleuca
• Peppermint

And TWO each:

• Oregano
• Shield

...and Two Roller Bottles!

(click on each of the names above and you will be brought to the Spark Naturals page where you can read up on these amazing oils and what they can do for you!)

 What a wonderful gift to give yourself and someone you love.

As always, you can order these and other Spark Natural products and receive 10% off at checkout by using the coupon code:  BOBBINS 

Use the rafflecopter widget below to enter this wonderful giveaway. Be sure to tell all your friends to enter!  If they win, maybe they will gift the second set to YOU!  ;)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Entry Rules:

The giveaway goes from Feb 2nd at midnight PST to Feb 10th at 9 PM PST. 

Winners must be US residents age 18 and older

The winning entry will be verified (for example, if you say that you have liked a facebook page but didn't, you won't be eligible to win)The winner will have 48 hours to reply to an email before a new winner will be selected.  

Here is the list of the  wonderful bloggers who are participating in this giveaway: 

A Mouse In My Kitchen

Patti's Place

The Granola Mommy

Life Inside Nickie's Little Bubble

Just Trixie

Bobbins N' Threads

Clothesline Chic

The Gray Area

Abundance of Goodness

Enjoy Life Anyway

Natural Mama

Curly Loves Essential Oils

Backdoor Survival

Haute Mess Mama

Crunchy Urban Mama

Simple Sunsets

Share the Love!

Warmly,
Jude


On the frame today!

Getting Doors Today!

I don't have a picture yet but the door leading to the garage has been put in and now they are working on the pocket door in the kitchen.  And, apparently, the flooring and the carpet is being laid next week.  There is also some pounding going on upstairs but I don't know what they are doing...

***UPDATE:  It's the siding!!!!   :)

This morning I made salves and hand cream. We are low on the Cough & Chest Salve and the Dreamy Sleep Salve so I made another jelly jar of them as well as an LLP Salve (lavender, lemon and peppermint) which is a great antihistamine.  I use LLP essential oil twice daily on my feet, mixed with fractionated coconut oil in a roller ball, and it is a good immune booster as well as a headache relief...depending on the type of headache.  I will use the LLP salve for skin irritations.

And I made some jars of the wonderful hand cream! (that is the white jar in the picture).  Love this stuff.  Remember, if you want to try it, bring me a little container and I will scoop you a dollop to try.  I have priced out the makings and will be selling it in a 4oz jelly jar for $5.00.  And you can bring the jar back to refill.

Oh!  Speaking of Essential Oils...
The painting of the studio was hard on me as the fumes make me really sick.  I could feel the headache coming on and some nausea and a kind friend suggested I diffuse straight peppermint.  So, I put 6 drops in my diffuser and within minutes the nausea was gone!  And I could not smell the paint fumes anymore.  I was stunned.  The headache did not get worse and my chest was just fine.  The more I learn and use these oils, the more thrilled I am to have them.  I use a lot of peppermint, actually.  It is great for headaches, for tummy issues (I rub it, diluted with oil, on my tummy when I am bloated), and just for a burst of freshness in my environment.

http://www.sparknaturals.com/shop/peppermint-essential-oil-5ml/?affiliates=57

Actually, I just got my email reminder that the Oil of the Month (which I subscribe to) is Peppermint!  Good thing, as I am low.  The Oil of the Month Club is a really good way to get in oils at a reasonable price and to try oils out and the shipping is included in the price.  Just to let you know.

http://www.sparknaturals.com/shop/oil-of-the-month-club/?affiliates=57

Finished two more customer quilts this week and still have two more to go.  I figure I will get one finished (maybe both!) before we move the machine upstairs.  I am getting really excited for the move and to get my house back in order.  My year end inventory is done...so...onward!  :)

And in my delivery the other day I received some bobbin boxes that are made by Handi Quilter.  As a longarmer, I am always short of bobbins for my machine.  I try to re-use the thread on the bobbins and even though I *think* I will remember exactly what color the thread is on them, I don't.  ;)

So, one method I have used is to write the color number on a paper reinforcement circle (remember those?) and put it around the hole in the bobbin...it fits perfectly.   But I found that the number would rub off really quickly.  That, and I was always in so much of a hurry that I would neglect to number the bobbin.  And figured I would *remember* what color it was...the old story...



Box of bobbins (mess)



Bag of bobbins (mess)

Well...I have a plan.  I have a few of the Handi Quilter bobbin boxes here, now, and I cut out a rectangle of white paper to put on the bottom.  The sections are made out of a piece of foam and it lifts right out.  I used a pencil and put the thread number in a section and popped the bobbin in.  Let's see how that works. 

They retail for $9.95 if you are interested.  When I was doing my inventory, and it was a chore since everything is everywhere and I am still not sure where some things are, I found all kinds of things that I need to sell.  Once I get a break I will get that Etsy shop I keep talking about up and going.

There are just not enough hours in the day!

Warm Regards,
Jude

Some Free Quilting Tutorials and Homemade Laundry Soap

Free until December 15th!  A Sharon Schamber video.  I love watching her quilt.  :)
http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/sharon_schamber2.php

Also, I like to visit the Inbox Jaunt.  She has wonderful tutorials for free motion quilting.
http://theinboxjaunt.com/quilt/tutorialsprojects-2/free-motion-quilting-tutorials/

This week I had to make some more laundry soap.  I use the recipe from One Good Thing by Jillee and I make the trial size amount:

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2013/02/homemade-laundry-detergent-trial-size-version.html

I have been using this recipe for over 6 months now and I have to say that my laundry is just as clean as when I used to use Gain.  But with trying to eliminate as many fragrances and chemicals in my environment as I can, I gave this a try.  As far as tough stain removal, it is not as good as Gain.  And I haven't found a really good stain remover that is homemade.  Yet.  Just rubbing some Fels Naptha on the stain works on some but not all stains.  So I still use Shout for that.  I only use 2 coffee scoops of the laundry soap in a load (that is 2 tablespoons!) and at first when I saw that there were no suds I was pretty skeptical.  But it works!  Even Rudi's white undershirts are perfectly clean.  I suppose that is because of the oxygen powder in the recipe.  As a fabric softener, I just use 1/2 cup of vinegar in the rinse compartment of my washer.  And my laundry smells clean and fresh.  There is some static cling, though...especially now that winter is here.  But I am working on that, too.  I use a tennis ball in a sock in my dryer to help and it does make the towels nice and soft.  My towels smell wonderful and are soft and fluffy.

Here are some pictures of making laundry soap.  Honestly, it takes less than 5 minutes!  I do most of it in my food processor and find that if I leave the bar of soap unwrapped for a day or so, it grates really well.  It is drier.  This time I forgot but it grated just fine.

Here are the ingredients.
 

Grating the bar of soap.

 

Blending as much of the powdered ingredients as fits in the food processor.

And here is the finished product!  It is enough for about 3 or 4 months of laundry for the two of us and costs very little to make!  Another plus.  :)
 

Jillee's recipe calls for the fabric softener crystals which I used this time since I had some.  It makes the soap powder smell more like Gain but I haven't noticed it on the clothes afterward.  Next time I will not bother.  But I was curious.  :)

Today I am diffusing Zen and smells lovely in here.  And it looks like winter is here...finally....  ;)

http://www.sparknaturals.com/shop/zen-grounding-blend-5ml/?affiliate=57

(enjoy a 10% discount if you use coupon code: bobbins)