Happy Monday!

Did you sew this weekend?  Did you watch the Super Bowl?

I did though I admit it is always to see the commercials.  Yes, the "Lost Dog" Budweiser commercial made me cry.

On the sewing front, it was more pressing and cutting than sewing..  I added some fabric to both the Reproductions and the pink/orange/yellow projects, and got pieces cut for blocks on both. I probably didn’t need it but I did it anyway… it’s that physical vs. emotional dynamic – I didn’t physically need the chocolate croissant I had with my coffee yesterday morning but it made me very happy.

More fabric is always better, right?

I also pressed these fabrics with a little starch and got them cut.  I'm thinking I should have messed up my stacks a little bit as this looks a bit... compulsive.

Yes, orange and black.  Don't ask me how it happened but I'm now working on four projects.  These strips are for the Go Four It Quilt-Along party that American Patchwork & Quilting Magazine and ModaLissa are having.  Are you quilting-along?  (Please say yes.)  I know you’ll be surprised to learn that I’m making my quilt a little differently.  I'm using six or seven different backgrounds, including the Passport New York City map print.

I also wanted to see what I could do to help with acquiring some of those nifty notions and cool "quilty stuffus" I showed last week.  It's simple, the first best place to go is your local quilt shop to ask the owner if they’d be willing to order it for you. It's what I did for many years.  I would show up to greet my new BFF with a stock number and credit card - I always offered to pre-pay for whatever it was hoping to order. Because there are usually minimum order amounts, I was also willing to wait until they had other items to order, or I made sure my list included several things.  I’m a firm believer in asking… the worst thing that can happen is someone says “no”.

For something like rotary cutting mats – the red Miracle Mats – shipping is the reason they aren’t available online as they have to be shipped flat. As someone who once ordered a cutting mat from <insert name of the Kindle people here> and had it arrive folded in a box. It had also been on a UPS truck all day – a 90-degree day in Phoenix. I think they regretted asking me for “packaging feedback”.

So how do you find the stock number?

Go to Unitednotions.com and click Notions – it’s right under the Moda at the top.

Under the Notions picture, under all the tabs for Categories, Vendors, etc., there’s a Search box – Filter within results:   Type in Miracle Mat and click GO.  (Isn't Mixologie gorgeous?  It's in stores now.)

At the bottom of the page are three red mats – two different sizes and a set of two. Click one of those.

On the next page is the number you’ll want to provide to the shop owner – it’s the Manufacturer Item No. I always included the description and specifics since I do sometimes transpose numbers.

Do you see the green banner?  That means the only place this mat can be ordered is through United Notions.

I hope this helps.

Hold on to your hats... I'll be back tomorrow.