Tis the Season for Giving! Island Batik Ambassadors

This month the Island Batik Ambassador's are bringing you into the Season of Giving with

different ideas of handmade items for charity! For me, Animals have always had a special place in my heart.  I look at my two little dogs, Anna and Lucy and think what lucky girls they are. I also think about the animals that sit in shelters needing a home and love.  So I decided to make some kennel quilts for pets in need. 

TQPM Small Kennel Quilt Team was formed by TQPM (The Quilt Pattern Magazine) in cooperation with the Petfinder Foundation to help animal shelters affect by disasters.  TQPM Small Kennel Team is a team of volunteers that checks with Petfinder Foundation to see what shelters are in need of assistance.  Currently, there is a need for kennel quilts in Tennessee to help the animals that are need after the fires. The main contact is one of our Island Batik Ambassadors Nan Baker.  

The Kennel quilts are 12" x 18" in size and are made from 100% cotton material. These quilts are so easy to make.  There are plenty of patterns on the TQPM Website and Pinterest to use.  They would be great practice projects to for the beginner quilter, Child or Adult.  

Using my left over Island Batik I was able to make 9 kennel quilts. With Anna and Lucy's approval, I will be sending these to Tennessee Valley Humane Society to help the animals in need due to the wildfires.  

It feels so good to give back this time of season.

Make sure check back next month, the 2016 Island Batiks Ambassadors will be hosting a New Beginnings Blog Hop starting January 4^th.  We will be using Fall and Winter 2016 fabrics from Island Batik.  So make sure you check back.

Happy Holidays, 

Tina

Positive Mindset a Powerful Tool!

Last Month, I wrote how I overcame years of Yo-Yo dieting, lost 50 plus pounds and changed my life. If you missed my blog you can catch up Here. The key to my success was the support of the Facebook Challenge group, my family and my mindset. I went into the program determined to get the weight off; this was my mindset.

Mindset is defined as "a set of beliefs or a way of thinking that determines one's behavior, outlook and mental attitude". When entering into any program or new adventure in life you need a positive mindset, which can be a powerful thing.

So last year when I set my mind to stopping the yo-yo diets, getting healthy and meeting my weight goals, I was focused. There were many reasons why I wanted to do this and losing weight was only one of them. I wanted to gain the energy to quilt and make my deadlines for my fabric companies. In addition, I just wanted to feel good about myself. My focus and determination only grew stronger when I looked at pictures of female relatives on my dad’s side of the family that were obese. I wanted nothing to do with that. I wanted to be a great example for my family and friends who also wanted to lose the weight. Most important, I wanted to get out and be active with my family. The point of all of this is that I made a goal for myself to lose weight and get healthy. I focused on the reasons why I wanted to do it, came up with a plan and then set my mind on following through. Yes, my mindset was a choice to follow through and I believe that was the reason I succeeded.

Once you set your goal and focus your mind to following through. You need to trust the steps you laid out to accomplish them. In other words if you enter a program to get healthy, you should wipe away any doubt you may have and trust the system you signed up for. This is key to keep a strong mindset. I truly believe that if you join a program and start to question each step along the way, you are setting yourself up to fail. So to get healthy, do your homework and research different programs and then choose one that best fits your life style. Then trust in the program and believe in yourself that you will succeed.

That's what I did when I signed up for my first “Tina's 18 Day Challenge”. I researched it and also talked to high school friends that are RN's and have also joined in the program. In addition Tina Smith, the founder of Tina's 18 Day Challenge, is a Retired RN and she developed the program around getting healthy. Knowing that RN's are behind the program and many have joined, gave me and my family the confidence to trust the program. So I was able to set my mind that the program would work and I stayed focused on what I needed to do.

Almost a year later, I find I am almost an all new person. I still have as strong of a mindset as I did the day I started. Now I can focus on goals for my Quilt Pattern Business and Coaching others to get healthy. This strong mindset has brought me back to living my life, feeling healthy and strong. I can quilt and design all day long without feeling tired by afternoon. I love my new life. I look at myself today, and I'm just overwhelmed with emotions and I knowing I will not turn back. Tina's 18 Day Challenge, has shown me the way to live and eat the rest of my life.

2017 will be an exciting year for Tina's 18 Day Challenge. You will learn how to work on your mindset for the program. The first challenge of the year will start January 9th. So, if you would like to take your life back and make it a breakthrough year for you like 2016 was for me. Then please contact me quiltingaffection@gmail.com. Let me and Tina's 18 day Facebook group coach you to get your health and life back. 

Remember this is a lifestyle not a diet. Just keep telling yourself in the mirror daily that: YOU CAN DO THIS! 

Please feel free to comment or ask any questions below. 

Tina

EQ7 Quilt Worktable Snap Grid Feature

The Custom Set provides a large area for placing blocks of different sizes.  The block sizes can be adjusted to any widths and heights.  These various blocks can be placed and aligned anywhere inside the quilt center.  

When designing with a Custom Set you can use all 3 layers.  Layer 2 will allow you to float applique elements and Layer 3 is for your quilting stitches. These layers allow us to multiply your design possibilities. 

One of the wonderful features of the Custom Set is the Quilt Snap Grid. This grid allows blocks to snap for the best accuracy when layout a custom set grid.  Just like if you were drawing on a piece of graph paper. This feature can be used in all 3 layers of the Quilt Worktable.  EQ7 gives you the ability to change the Grid Snap Settings.

There are three grid snap settings that can be changed in the Quilt Worktable Options.

There is two ways to locate the Quilt Worktable Option you can get there by clicking on the Quilt > Quilt Worktable Options. Or by clicking on the Quilt Worktable Options button (Button pictured below) found on the project tool bar. 

Under the Tools Options Click on Snap Settings, then under Grid Settings, you will notice 3 checkboxes corresponding to the 3 buttons on the Graph Pad. Below are the explanation of what the three checkboxes do.

Snap Grid Setting

Show Grid (Custom Set): allows you display the grid on a new Custom Set quilt. 

The grid increments can be changed on your grid by using the Grid Snap every: drop down arrow and choosing a different increments.  Please note that the program can only “draw” so many grid lines on the quilt layout.  So if you don’t see grid lines that doesn’t mean that they are not there.

Grid Snap Every

Below show the grid set up for every ¼” apart. 

It’s recommended you turn on the Quilters Ruler just Click View > Quilters Rulers to put a check next to it and this will turn on the ruler. 

Once the Quilters Ruler you may want to verify your Quilters Ruler Origins in the Quilters Worktable Options.  Under Tool Options > Click View Setting > Select Top left Corner of Quilt’s center layout so it will match the Graph Pad.

Snap block position to Grid: When moving a block, motif, stencil, embroidery, applique text with the adjust tool, the upper-left corner of the block snaps to the grid when released.

Below is an example of the block position grid turned OFF position, you will notice that the block didn’t line up to exact zero position.

Note: The position can be found on the Project tool bar.  It will be the first set of numbers.  The side arrows will move your block horizontally or vertically.  

Grid OFF

The next images shows you with the Snap Block Position Grid turned ON.  Once the position of the block was done is made the blocked into position automatically.

Grid ON

Snap block size to grid: When drag the corner or side handle of a block, motif, stencil, embroidery, applique text or photo with the Adjust tool the size will snap to the grid when released. Remember this button doesn’t affect how the block is set on the grid, only the size while adjusting with the Adjust tool.

Adjust Tool

Example 1 – Show the Snap Block Size to Grid button turned OFF. The Snap Grid is now set to 1”. You will notice that there will be NO snap to the nearest grid multiple of 1, the size was left hanging in between the grid lines.

Example 1

Example 2 – Show the Snap Block Size to Grid button turned ON. The Snap Grid is still set to 1”. You will notice that once the adjust tool was released that there was snap to the nearest grid multiple of 1 the size, block size was now 4” x 5”. 

Example 2

The quilt snap setting, can be a powerful tool when you are design any custom quilt projects.  Understanding how the settings can make your project more precise.  Please remember to refer to your user manual Chapter 5 for more information on these tools.

I would like to congratulate all the winners of the EQ7 25th Anniversary Grand Prize giveaway winners. 

Make sure your check out other Bloggers (listed below) Celebrating EQ7 Anniversary with themed EQ7 Blog posts.  

Seams to be Sew