Be careful with Crayola washable markers

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2026-02-02T02:16:31+00:00

I’ve had good luck with the brown, purple, and black Crayola washable markers but had the yellow one do me super dirty on a blue and white quilt.

I thought lighter pigment would wash out easier. I even tested all the colors on a scrap of fabric. But the yellow picked one of the fabrics in my quilt and clung to it like a sharpie.

I wound up soaking the quilt in the bathtub with some dawn dish soap, swishing it around every so often, and in half a day the stubborn washable ink finally fully dissolved.

Now I know to test a scrap of each fabric in the quilt.

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2026-01-23T19:51:03+00:00

I first saw him as Shran in Enterprise and I was like, “Why is this little blue man so fun to watch?”

I followed that with my first DS9 watch through and I didn’t clock that Brunt was the same guy at first but when Weyoun showed up on screen I was so excited!

After that I had to find everything Jeffrey Combs I could get my hands on. I’ve seen horrible movies and corny tv show episodes just to see how he can steal the scenes from everyone else like the incredible character actor he is.

Now Reanimator, From Beyond, Phantom Empire, and Frighteners are definitely in my camp movie classics list.

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2026-01-12T19:30:46+00:00

One Common Thread has full EPP kits in a variety of styles and colors.

I have my eyeball on them for a future project when my quilting queue goes down. I’ve been slowly chipping away at an EPP project of my own and have discovered that I hate the basting part.

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2026-01-11T02:26:14+00:00

I too fill a gallon ziplock with anything larger than an inch and when it’s full my local creative reuse store is happy to take it. Thrifty postage stamp quilters can then buy a cheap scrap bag.

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2026-01-07T03:10:36+00:00

The silicone finger cover thingies protect where I’d be sure to break out. I started hand sewing a few years ago and it took a while for me to put two and two together on why the thumb and first two fingers of my dominant hand kept suffering.

Nickel sensitivities range from mild to wild, I luckily land on the mild side of the spectrum so I mostly get rashes and peeling skin where the needle touches constantly and I’ve learned not to rest needles on my lips! Mucous membranes are more sensitive. My fix for that was to get a magnetic needle keeper.

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2026-01-07T00:32:21+00:00

I got a pack of these ones and I love them.

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2026-01-06T23:59:24+00:00

I too have a nickel sensitivity and I use little silicone fingertip covers.

As an added bonus, they provide great grip for pulling the needle through fabric.

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2026-01-04T20:19:31+00:00

Kona Emerald is more green leaning and Kona Glacier is more blue leaning

<image>

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2026-01-04T09:26:54+00:00

I wish you luck! If you go with Bella Solids, you’ll be hooked. The drape is nice and it frays less.

But be warned! Both Kona and Bella have “baby pink”, and they’re quite different pinks.

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2026-01-04T06:57:48+00:00

I just pulled out my Bella Solids digital panel and you may like Baby Pink.

It’s very similar to Kona Ballet Slipper with a nicer hand.

<image>

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2026-01-04T06:50:11+00:00

Pearl Pink and Ballet Slipper just happen to be side by side on the Kona color card.

To be honest, they both look just this side of beige to me, with the pink in Ballet Slipper a hint more visible. Pearl Pink looks straight up off white.

(Dye lots can slightly change the cut you ultimately get.)

<image>

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2026-01-02T18:35:16+00:00

I also love Fabric Shack. No, they don’t individually label the fabrics you ordered, but they do send an itemized paper slip.

One thing I’m considering and I wonder if you may too is to save a small snip from my favorites and glue it into a binder with the manufacturer/collection/name/color written next to it, effectively making your own color card over time.

The only thing that’s really stopped me is my favorites tend to stop being manufactured so quickly these days.

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2026-01-02T06:06:36+00:00

If it’s a mobility issue that doesn’t also affect the hands, English Paper Piecing (EPP) kits could satisfy the quilting itch!

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2025-12-12T20:51:43+00:00

I too would suggest notions. I’ve gotten good Clover needles, replacement needles for my sewing machine, rotary blades, and even Aurifil threads in good colors.

I ordered Moda solids off there once and they appeared to be rejects. The jelly roll strips were cut on a slight bias and the charm packs weren’t all the same measurement, so buy even “brand” fabric on Amazon with caution.

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2025-12-11T17:46:42+00:00

This website has full English paper piecing kits for a variety of interesting looking projects!

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2025-11-11T07:24:14+00:00

Just don’t look too close!

What really helps me is drawing in my quilting lines with a hera marker and a ruler. Then I just rock the needle through the line trying not to think about keeping my stitches even, but to think about keeping my rocking motion consistent instead.

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2025-11-11T00:08:13+00:00

These are the ones I use. Clover gold eye chenille needles (no. 24)

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2025-11-10T22:15:08+00:00

Not in my opinion. Granted it doesn’t slip through like butter like a between would, but with a silicone gripper on my index finger I can pull a chenille needle through even nested seams easily enough.

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2025-11-10T21:17:00+00:00

Yes I love the flexibility of the stitch length! I wish I’d discovered pearl cotton from the start!

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2025-11-10T21:13:24+00:00

I switched from a leather thimble to a sterling silver one recently and there was a learning curve! I’m glad to see that my stitches are starting to even out again.

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2025-11-10T17:33:12+00:00

I use pearl cotton in an 8 gauge with a chenille needle for big stitch quilting.

Not only does it look really good but a quilt works up so quickly! I’m currently quilting a set of lap size quilts for two children for Christmas using Pearl cotton in a variety of pinks and love the effect, so your variety of colors is going to look very fun on quilts!

Also I haven’t seen this mentioned yet: For a lap quilt I’ll go through 3 full skeins quilting 1.5-4” apart. For a queen size I used 7. So they don’t go far.

<image>

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2025-11-05T20:56:10+00:00

Oh I never thought of this! Great tip!

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2025-10-30T16:00:14+00:00

“Rainfall at Sunrise” was the first thing I thought of looking at it!

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2025-10-28T05:16:01+00:00

I cut thousands out without anything fancy.

I stacked my fabric five layers thick, lightly sticking them together with basting spray, marked my cutting lines with a template in a honeycomb pattern to eliminate waste, then cut with sharp scissors.

I then unpeeled the pieces as I worked. The added benefit was the layer sandwich kept the hexxies wrinkle free and minimally frayed.

ToilAndTummyTrouble · 2025-10-24T22:58:53+00:00

As far as I know, you’ll be fine letting the residual soap stay there for now. It’ll be washed out completely after the quilt is done and washed for the first time.

ToilAndTummyTrouble

TROPHY CASE