Easy does it...

I don't know about you, but I like to ease into the week.  I am blessed with being able to work from home.  So I'm wearing a ratty sweater- holes and all.  Box of tissues at my elbow- sinus infection. Pumpkin roll- remedy to a low blood sugar. My daughter is an assistant baker at a bake shop and she brings home some amazing goodies. Thoughts of sewing. Just taking things slow. 

Thread guide... maybe you'd be interested in this little gadget.  It's such a small and insignificant thing, but it works like a dream.  A dress maker would never be able to grasp the concept of how much thread a quilter goes through.  Where they buy a spool, we buy a cone.  My cone is getting low.  That's alright, I have a drawer of extra ones.  This guide keeps the tension nice and also keeps the cone from skittering across the table.  It's just a dowel rod with a hole drilled in the bottom, and an eyelet screwed into the top.  You could put your cone in a mug if you're still having skittering problems. The cones sure are nice when you're winding 25 bobbins at a time.  Barely makes a dent in the thread.

This is one of the little bags I make from ready-made place mats.  I actually made this place mat from some scraps, but I usually buy the place mats at a thrift shop for a buck.  The bags sell for $10.  Not bad. The place mats are lined and the edges are finished so there are no raw seams. Think they will make nice Christmas gifts- stuffed with some fun things. A lot of nurses buy them to store their stethoscopes and such.  Keeps toys separate in diaper bags.  Store make up.  Just whatever. Takes me about ten minutes to whip one up. Pioneer Woman has some really pretty place mats.