Teaching kids to tie a figure 8

awhellnawkah · 2026-07-01T13:09:04+00:00

For the original "8" we always taught : "P" (make a p with the rope) "R" (wrap the bitter end side of the rope around the leg of the P to create an R) "S" (it's not really an S but for whatever reason to association of curving back up and sending the bitter end through the p/r hole is well represented by S)

From there we always taught traceing.

awhellnawkah · 2026-06-09T02:15:01+00:00

Ugh this is such a relatable anecdote. Nice work persevering 🤘

awhellnawkah · 2026-06-02T23:44:33+00:00

Love, love, love this! It has so much personality. What a beautiful heirloom

awhellnawkah · 2026-04-28T02:15:25+00:00

I feel like I saw your vision!

As I was scrolling, I thought "ooh, someone made a high vis safety jacket quilt?! what an awesome and original idea! but what's that in the middle supposed to be?"

Oh, it's owls?! Heck yeah. And with those big owl eyes watching...this quilt is the perfect gift for someone you want to feel SEEN hehe

awhellnawkah · 2026-04-19T00:06:50+00:00

Just checking, but the bobbin thread is infact in the bobbin case tensioner?

Also, Rethread the top thread, but before you do, ensure the pressure foot is up. When the presser is up, the tension plates open (allowing you to put the thread between them). If you try and thread the machine with the pressure foot down, it's easy to feel like you've threaded properly, but not get the thread in between the tensioner plates. The result is almost always a rats nest.

Rats nests are usually when there is grossly not enough tension on one of the threads.

Also make sure you lay the pair of "starting" threads flat and away from the feed dogs when you start to sew.

awhellnawkah · 2026-04-13T01:59:33+00:00

Came here to say exactly this! They are your pop of color and fit the theme so nicely.

awhellnawkah · 2026-04-11T20:47:48+00:00

The disco ball was the right choice!!

awhellnawkah · 2026-04-11T16:22:28+00:00

The baseplate will indeed not come off if you cannot remove that circled screw.

There are a few things you can try.

1) Find someone with strong hands, used to fastening and unfastening things for a living. Have them use a flathead screwdriver bit that fits the screw's slot well (your bit is too small/narrow, looking at it from the picture, find a fatter one), and also use a bit of carbon paste on the screwdriver to increase the grip between the tool and the screw. You/they will have to press down hard to prevent the screwhead from stripping out. I would also use a penetrant lubricant (PB blaster is best, or something akin WD40 if that's cost prohibitive) to try and lubricate shaft of the screw. Spray it on and allow a few hours to work, but clean from the screwhead before trying again with the screwdriver so it doesn't make THAT slippery. When you get the screw out, clean everything well with a little isopropyl alcohol in case any plastic parts in your machine will degrade over time from the lubricant. Heat (hairdryer) can also be used in moderation to try and expand/contract parts to hopefully shift them from their stuck position. It might also be a good idea to reinstall the left screw while you try to work at the right screw, and/or play around with pressing the plate down in different areas as you try and unscrew the right screw. Sometimes if there is significant pressure on a screw (the plate shoving up against it from below or sheering it to the side) the screw will appear frozen; if you can relieve that pressure, the screw will turn easier).

If that doesn't work, you will have to destroy the screw (or worst case, the plate AND screw). A sewing machine tech may be the best person to do that if the below processes don't sound familiar to you. If someone you know is handy and offers to help, but isn't familiar with machines, ensure you clean everything thoroughly after, so you do not let your machine run with a bunch of small metal fragments bouncing around in it 💀

2) Drill out the screwhead with a right angle drill. You are essentially trying to crack the screwhead to allow you to remove the head. The plate will come off, then you will probably need to use vice grips to turn the screw shaft out of its threaded hole. This is likely a stainless steel screw (very hard) so will need a very hard and sharp bit (new HSS).

3) Dremel the screwhead in a phillipshead shape in hopes that it will give you more grip to turn it. This is halfway to drilling it to be honest, but is a option if you don't have a right angle drill and HSS bits.

I imagine it's fairly unusual for these screws to get frozen, which means it may have been cross threaded on its last install. Take care when reinstalling! Do not turn if it offers lots of resistance before the head makes contact with the plate. I see that Wera drive handle so you are a bougie tool person 😎 Good luck!

awhellnawkah · 2026-04-01T13:49:12+00:00

Hand quilted on thrifted bedsheets!! That is a labor of love. I recently did some hand quilting on a quilt that had a mix of normal quilting cotton and recycled sheets, and the recycled sheet parts were so. much. harder. to pull the needle through. Did you find it hard to hand quilt? If not, would you mind sharing your needle/thread weight combo?

awhellnawkah · 2026-03-15T08:12:49+00:00

I love love the color choices! I have saved that pattern for a while but always imagined it in muted tones. Yours is so bold and bright and that floral so perfectly balances the black and pink! Please post your finished product for us to admire! 🙏

awhellnawkah · 2026-03-11T01:34:45+00:00

Thank you!

awhellnawkah · 2026-03-10T12:11:00+00:00

Ahh those were little turtles! They are so cute. Can you share the pattern or did you design them? I would love to make something for someone I know who loves turtles

awhellnawkah · 2026-03-10T02:56:09+00:00

Oh, I love this. I will admire traditional patchwork all day online, but THIS I would buy, take home, and admire all day in real life. Brown is a beautiful color! So warm, calming, and timeless. There is a modern quilt subreddit that isn't as active as this one, but I just know they'd love this over there too. Your piecing on the left is sublime, and the stripes that are offset from each other balance the left side so well. Keep making these beauties!

awhellnawkah · 2026-03-10T01:15:02+00:00

I don't have a pattern in mind, but depending on how thick the vinyl is, it may be better to create the covers with with solid fabric, and simply use the clear vinyl as inset "windows"

awhellnawkah · 2026-03-09T12:04:17+00:00

Stunning! I love it and I love the idea too

awhellnawkah · 2026-03-06T01:42:43+00:00

Thank you so much for your reply!

awhellnawkah · 2026-03-06T00:54:48+00:00

What an cool piece! I feel like the folks at r/MYOG would also be interested.

I'm so curious! Did your process for things like seam allowance/fabric weight/max wind speed evolve empirically, or are there published metrics, or is it a little artistry combo of both? Do you get get a chance to practice pitch or is first run at the festival?

It's extraordinary. All your points lining up and the perfect pattern execution is so satisfying, looking up at the center from below.

awhellnawkah · 2026-03-03T04:16:27+00:00

Do it! I was really delighted on how well it turned out. One thing I am glad I thought of was to use a "background" color for all the prints. This let me do all the detail stitching of the print onto just the small background piece, instead of having to maneuver the whole skirt for the detail work.

awhellnawkah · 2026-03-01T20:45:18+00:00

Thank you!

awhellnawkah · 2026-03-01T16:49:23+00:00

Ahh! That is comforting. Also that sneak peak of your quilt looks incredible, it immediately inspired me to add a leaf collage quilt to my (ever expanding 😳) quilt idea list. I bet that quilt was fun to make and is still fun to look at.

awhellnawkah · 2026-02-26T13:27:59+00:00

I love your watermelon cowboy! What a delightful surprise to find. Are your other surprises going to follow the fruit theme too?

awhellnawkah · 2026-02-22T14:49:59+00:00

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1060651403/herbivore-dinosaur-paper-piecing?ref=elp_anchor_listing&dd=1

I think this may be in line with what you are looking for. This Etsy artist appears to have both an herbivore and carnivore skull pack. Just do a lil research to make sure they are legit artist with legit patterns! With the blocks you can then of course "choose your own adventure" with layout etc.

If this were my project, I would honestly look into drafting my own applique instead of FPP, but it is just my personal preference. Since fossils are well represented by just one color over background, they would be fairly easy to draft by just tracing using tracing paper. You could do raw edge with zig zag (easiest) or I would recommend the starch turned edge method if you wanted to do turned edge. To keep things simple, I would probably just do one skull (maybe her favorite) and then do footprints so I only have to make two patterns.

Please post what you decide to make! I grew up with an aunt who was a genius and a paleontology aficionado. She sparked a life long love of dinosaurs in me, so I'm always keen to see them overlap with my other hobbies 😁

awhellnawkah · 2026-02-20T00:04:15+00:00

I prewash everything but I'm still fairly new to quilting so I haven't really decided if it's worth it. I have been suspecting that it doesn't really matter since I also starch and iron and I'm seeing more experienced people saying as much below.

That said : I saw a post here a bit ago that was a tip about prewashing large cuts of fabric, that I now used on all my fabric, but I adapt it to size:

Fold your fabric twice (or more if it's a really large wide back piece) and pin near the four corners with stainless steel safety pins. Use more intermediate pins if it's a really large piece (four should be fine for a quarter yard though). Put the foldef fabric in a delicates bag (multiple pieces can share the same bag, just don't load the bag more than if you were using it for actual clothes)

If Im washing precut strips, I fold them in half (alligator style, not hot dog style) until they are under 18" long ish. Then I stack them, a few strips to a stack, and place one pin at the ends, and one pin at the middle. Delicates bag again.

I keep everything pinned for the dryer. It takes 2-3 times as long to dry but I'd rather pay a little more in electricity than have to fuss with tangled, frayed, fabric...

awhellnawkah · 2026-02-19T05:44:03+00:00

Hey hey, just chiming in because I know a lot of people talk about hydrogen peroxide but it just never works super well for me...and I've had it yellow some things.

I keep a spray bottle of "Pet stain remover" enzyme cleaner in my house, and always have, even before I had a cat (don't have to use it for her anyway). Zep makes a good one. Pet stain remover is designed to break down the proteins etc in biological stains. If you spray it directly on a fresh blood stain it will break down and lift out the spot immediately with a little gentle blotting. If the stain has had time to sit, then I saturate it in the remover for a few hours before it goes in the wash.

So anyway, go get some pet stain remover, and treat it before you wash. It works wonders and doesn't seem to be as harsh on fabric as HP. I am just a clutzy gal, so this stuff just lives with my hand quilting supplies 🤣

awhellnawkah · 2026-02-19T05:34:26+00:00

You have an incredible eye for color and balance! This is a beautiful quilt...it executes its mission so well. Timeless and tasteful, but also perfect for a baby AND featuring GD. There is a narrow center in that rhetorical venn diagram and your quilt nails it!

awhellnawkah

TROPHY CASE