DONNA POSTER NEWSLETTER
OCT/NOV ‘06
Boy, has it been busy here lately! October is the month for all our birthdays, Mr Donna, both our daughters and now Eliad, too! Besides that, I traveled to Houston to teach at Quilt Festival, and we got a new puppy!!! It’s all fun, but I am really behind in everything and it’s pretty bad when we start hunting for our undies in the dryer instead of the dresser drawers.
Eliad turned two October 18th!! He’s a great little guy and just gets cuter by the minute. He really cracks us up when he does the Eagles cheer. He loves cars and pores over the Road & Track magazine every month so Mr. Donna got him a subscription! He sent it to the head of the puplication with a photo of Eliad looking at the magazine noting that he had to be their youngest reader and suggesting they might want to include the photo in the next edition.
Our newest puppy, Cricket, is a Yorkie mix and just adorable! He and Corky became pals very quickly, even sleeping curled up together.
GIFT CARD: Just a reminder, at this time of year, our website---
donnaposter.com---has a neat “send a gift” feature. Simply create an order, then, in the message indicate which card you want included and write the message. Be sure to include the name and address of the person receiving the gift. Your gift of patterns will be sent along with the card containing your message. It’s similar to sending flowers by mail.
MR. DONNA HERE: Thanks to the folks who answered the questions I had with regard to overnighting the chili in the fridge. Everyone had the same answer. That it just provided more time for the ingredients to blend, enhancing the favor. Thanks for your kindness providing that input.
Fun Idea from Sandra----given to her by Sue from Nashville.
“Warm Flip-Flops---cut 1” to 1 1/2” wide strips from flannel or fleece. Cut strips in approximately 6” lengths. Knot the strips around the straps of the flip-flops. Makes warm slip-on house slippers. The flannel should be cut with pinking shears or scissors to prevent fraying. The fleece could also be pinked for decorative purposes. Great way to use scraps! I’m picking up clearance priced flip-flops now and making Christmas gifts.”
Donna adds: Thanks---sounds like fun. I’m going to try gluing flannel or felt to the inner sole, too.
HOUSTON FESTIVAL: The Houston festival was wonderful as usual, but I have decided this will be the last show I teach where I have to travel. I will do Hershey, Pa, as long as Missy will have me because it’s only thirty minutes from my home, but the traveling, hotels, etc are just taking too much time out of my life. I’ve really struggled with this decision as I do enjoy both the teaching and the quilters I’ve come to know so well. I will miss you.
The Houston show has changed quite a bit in the past few years. There were about a dozen or more versions of long arm quilting machines and quite a few booths showing “furniture” for sewing machines, worktables, etc. Embellishment and embroidery seem to be the latest thing---there was some great stuff being shown for that. Best of all, my daughter, Laura, traveled from San Diego to stay with me for two days. We shopped every booth---every one!! We were exhausted, but had a ball!!
NEW NOTIONS: Here are some of the notions I found. Some are not “new”, just new to me.
Brooklyn Revolver---One side is a 14” round cutting mat which easily revolves. The other side is an ironing surface with a silicone cover which is replaceable. The cutting side has thin lines and is easy to read. Suggested retail: $79.95.
Come Quilt With Me.
3903 Ave 1
Brooklyn, NY 11210
(718) 377-3652
comequiltwithme. <mailto:Comequiltwithme@aol.com>com
18mm Rotary Cutter--This teeny little rotary cutter has a blade just ¾” wide!!! It’s ideal for cutting little pieces and for cutting out curves without a ruler.
Clover Mfg Co, Ltd
www:clover-usa.com
Little Iron--A handy little iron for its size. It has a 4 ¾” by 1 5/8” soleplate with a nice long handle, a sturdy stand and a wide range of temperatures. Perfect for quick touchups or next to your sewing machine for press-as-you-go.
Gadget Girl On The Go
www.gadgetgirlonthego.com <http://www.gadgetgirlonthego.com/>
Pattern for Purse-- “My Bag Of tricks”--I loved this booth at the show! There were so many new ideas for handbags. I picked this one because it had a whole “wardrobe” of purses! The pattern is $11.00.
Delux Purse Hardware Kit--I had to have this handle!!! The clasp is not in the center. Also, it has easily removable rods so you can change the bags on it. And---it includes a long chain if you prefer a shoulder style. Kit--$22.00
Homestead Specialties
1883 State Road
Cochranton, Pa 16314
www.homesteadspecialties.com <http://www.hopmesteadspecialties.com/>
Euro Steam Iron--I can’t believe I paid $200 for yet another iron, but, boy, is it ever worth it It actually retails for $300 but they were having a special on it at the Nashville show. Unlike it’s “sister” steamer this iron has the steam system built into the iron itself. It comes with an easy-to-understand video, too. It can be used as an upright steamer (it shot a blast of steam for almost two feet!!!), or in the flat position with “dry” steam. The soleplate is specially treated to prevent scorching (the demonstrator left it on the ironing board for at least two minutes). I used it last week and finished my laundry in half the time and it really gets the wrinkles out--I love it! Can’t wait till the next time I have twelve yards of quilt backing to iron.
Euro Steam Iron System---$300 (don’t confuse this with the Euro-Pro. They are not the same
Redfern Enterprises
#14, 2505 Chandler Ave
Las Vegas, Nv 89120
(403) 735-5130
Toll Free: 1-877-387-7770
www.backplus.com <http://www.backplus.com/>
Mr Donna snitches: The way this newsletter gets put together is this; I (Mr. Donna still here) starts the process by keying in the administrative stuff; like changing email addresses, my recipes, and other non quilting stuff like that. I then send the letter downstairs to Donna and she puts in the meat and potatoes (quilting) of the letter. It then comes back to me for the final draft, where I use spell check, grammer check, and arrange the paragraphs of the letter. Then, back to her for a last look-see, then back
to me to make the last changes and send it to our webmaster who publishes it to you. So, I’m the last one in the chain, and I get to put in stuff that Donna doesn’t see until she reads it on the site. All this to lay the groundwork for my “dirty little secret,“ and here it is: my wife, (Donna K. Poster) owns 17 rotary cutters!! That’s weird!! When she gets to cutting fabric, things really fly. Shhh, don’t tell her I told you, or I’m in the dog house.
CHANGING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS: Mr. Donna gets a number of emails each month informing us that the person has changed their email address and asking him to make the change in the newsletter address listing. And, he is glad to do that. Actually, there is an easier way. If you change your email address simply go to the website and subscribe using your new address. The next time the letter is sent your old address will simply drop out.
Thanksgiving is very special to me and we always have the whole family for dinner. Can you believe this is the one meal of the year that I do really well!! Sometime before next November I’ll send you the recipes for my apple pie, a really easy way to do a turkey, sweet potatoes/pineapple dish and the potato/bread/celery/onion (Penna. Dutch) stuffing passed on to me by my mother from her mother.
Mr Donna and I wish you a wonderful holiday season with good food and warm feelings all around
Your quilting buddy,
Donna
PS: Mr. Donna doesn’t even know about the five rotary cutters I have hidden away!!!!Ha---