Author Archives: Becky Goldsmith

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About Becky Goldsmith

I am a quilt designer/teacher/author, a wife/mother/grandmother, and certified yoga instructor who is searching for balance, strength, and happiness in all things.

Finally, it’s Fall!

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The temperatures are actually dropping bit by bit here in North Texas and we are ready to get in the Fall mood. Lorna and I got our Halloween decorations up because it made us both happy!

We are pulling together Autumn items in the shop, and enjoying every minute. Here are a few…

This orange and purple mug is just begging for your coffee and pumpkin spice creamer. My granddaughter, Elanor (in college), already claimed hers—the gnome is so cute!

And for full on Halloween fun, these paper chains from eeBoo. Judy and Bear put one together and it is even more impressive in person. It makes a really long chain, which is awesome, or you can use fewer and make several smaller chains.

Halloween Paper Chain Kit—fun for all ages, but especially kids!

The paper strips have slots that fit together. Judy did say that small hands might struggle a little, so it’s nice to have an older helper. Work fine motor skills and hand eye coordination, plus Judy says it made them both happy. You could staple them if you really wanted to. But if you don’t, they are easy to disassembled and save for next year. The patterns are magical, and the quality is 100%, like we’ve come to expect from eeBoo.

And new from eeBoo is this 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle that is both spooky and beautiful. It has everything + ghosts! The Alchemist’s Home is not just for Halloween, but it sure does fit the theme. These puzzles from eeBoo are so detailed, they add layers of fun as you hunt for pieces and make those satisfying connections.

The Alchemist’s Home Puzzle

The 100-piece Love of Bats puzzle is on point for Fall and Halloween, too. Click here to look back at the blog post —it’s glow in the dark!

And Halloween scissor charms! Just tell us in the comments when you place your order: Purple Skull, Candycorn, Black Cats, or Owls. (If you need a witch or a pumpkin we can special order for you.)

Last, but definitely not least, if you’re working on a Fall wool project and looking for oranges and other Fall colors, Piece O’ Cake has you covered. I carry Tracy Trevethan wool, the best quality wool and colors I’ve found. Her’s are the most consistent as well, especially for hand dyed wool. Really vibrant.

For her Coordinating Solids, Sweet Rolls, and Felted Stacks, just click, or click All Things Wool. I have really extensive thread collections to match: shop Wool Threads and Perle Cotton Threads.

I hope this has put you in the mood to enjoy the seasonal changes as they come this Fall, and to make yourself happy!

Show and tell Hexie Garden…

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Mary Ann Karpinski shared her quilt with us—thank you Mary Ann! She combined the flowers from my book, Hexie Garden Quilt, with Toes in the Sand by Julie Herman from Jaybird Quilts. What a great idea!!!

Mary Ann says that she got a little carried away with the hand quilting. I don’t think she did, do you?

Well done, Mary Ann, and thank you so much for sharing your quilt with us :-).

Tiny Wool Animals

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I made kangaroos! It was so easy, and they’re soooo cute! Here’s a video, so you can see all the steps, and feel confident to make a tiny animal (or two or three) yourself.

Steve teaches at Austin College where the mascot is the ‘Roo!

These little animal hand sewing kits come with everything you need, including a needle and 6-strand floss. Floss works, but I substituted Ellana wool thread by Wonderfil because it melted into the wool and my stitches looked better. You can also use Perle Cotton if you want to add details in places.

Each kit has the materials to make one animal but you can use the pattern to make lots of animals. Use card stock (EPP paper would work) and Laminate to make templates of the pattern shapes and you will be good to go.

Judy made a puppy for Bear who looks just like Bear’s dog.

And then she made two more pink puppies for Bear and his friend. She used a variety of Hand Dyed Wool scraps for the puppies and Sequins for a collar. Good idea, Judy!

Our friend Keri made Ellie the Octopus. She replaced the eyes with her own bobbles.

You can personalize these animals to truly make them your own.

We have a special Dinosaur Deal that has the Brontosaurus, so don’t miss that for your little paleontologist. Includes the Brontosaurus Animal Kit, the Dinosaur Land Puzzle, and the Giant Shiny Dinosaur Dominoes. You can still get them separately as well.

You can make cute couples —lions or cats or foxes! Charlotte & Felix, below, sweet!

We have so many different adorable animals, you are sure to find the perfect one(s) for yourself, and a friend! You can make gifts, or give the kit itself. You can give the gift of time to a child in your life who wants to sew with you. Click here to shop all the Animal Hand-Sewing Kits.

Oh for the Love of Bats!

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Glow in the dark puzzles? Of course! And what if we put them together with a blacklight? That’s what my grandson Bear’s friends asked, and so they did. This eeBoo puzzle features bats, so many species! And the kids are big fans. Aria, Torin, & Edward have a swimming pool, and each night bats visit and eat mosquitos.

Bats bring a sense of mystery, maybe a little spooky, definitely cool. The kids love learning about different kinds, and what special powers they might have in nature. And we do all love Halloween (which is coming right up).

You can just feel their brains working, can’t you? Edward is 5, Bear is 9, Torin is 10, and Aria is 13. They are all fully engaged in cooperative play.

Puzzles increase fine motor skills and problem solving. AND they are not looking at a screen :-).

eeBoo puzzles are sustainably sourced, with high quality, glossy, sturdy pieces, and minimal puzzle dust.

The blacklight worked great for building, but lights-off was a dramatic spectacle you can see to the right.

There was a lot of going back and forth, enjoying the whole process.

All hands in for the last piece!

Done! And then lights on and off… and on and off…

A glowy, fun night was had by all!

I have two 100-piece Puzzles right now, and they are both educational, beautiful, and glow in the dark: Love of Bats and Bioluminescent (mostly sea creatures). You can click here to see all the puzzles for young and older. I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of the bats.

Buy this nice needle while I have it…

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Back in Stock! The Mary Arden size 12 applique needles are fine and sharp. For a small needle, the eye is kind of big which makes them easier to thread for many people. On top of all that, they are only $2.75 for a pack of 10 needles—a bargain!

We have had a hard time getting them in stock but Lorna found more. I don’t know if or when more will come in. If you are interested, get yours now :-).

Is it REALLY August?!

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And of course, back to school! It’s the rhythm of life. If you’re not feeling it yet, here are a few suggestions for the students in your life. Maybe it’ll spark your enthusiasm.

Blackwing pencils are my favorite, both on fabric and on paper. They have the best feeling in your hand as you press them to a surface. They come in soft, firm, and extra firm graphite. As you can imagine, the softer the graphite in your pencil, the less pressure it takes to write or draw with them.

Most of the time, I prefer the firm graphite (602 & Volume 200), my grandson Jack, who is 14, prefers the extra firm (Naturals & Volume 651). The soft graphite (Matte & Volume 93) would be ideal for those times when you want to make a softer, more expressive lines, drawing or sketching. (Also, the lines are thicker, because softer graphite. Not super soft, just softer.) If you’re not sure what you might need, see below for a solution and a special code.

While we keep the basic 3 types of Blackwing pencil all the time, we have several beautiful limited edition volumes in stock right now that will not be coming back. Each new volume that comes out has an inspiration, a story that highlights a movement, an idea, or a person. You can click the photo or link to find out the stories behind each of the volumes we currently have.

Volume 93, below, soft graphite. These are so happy with their bright colors, and there are just a few of the slate notebooks that match left in stock.

Volume 200, below, firm graphite. My favorite pencils to date, these are beautiful sitting on my desk.

Volume 651, below, extra firm graphite. A tribute to Bruce Lee, and could be perfect for school colors.

The Blackwing Starting Point Set is perfect for the person who needs to try out Blackwing. AND I’m giving you (who read my blog) $10 off of this set for back-to-school good vibes. Use code BWBACKTOSCHOOL. (This code will last until we sell out of Starting Point Sets.)

This is the first set that has come with my favorite sharpener! The One-Step Sharpener is more expensive, but I like the way it works, and because the blades are replaceable, it lasts longer. The Two-Step Long Point Sharpener also works to get that sharp point, and Jack happily uses his.

For the student moving out this semester, a needle and thread are a must! They might be the only one in their dorm to have a way to fix a button or do minor mending. Pebbles Needle Sets can be paired with the Neutral Bobbin Set for a quick fix when they need it.

And of course, the Lap App. For hand sewing, sure, but also, tablets, iPads, phones, etc. Help your student be mindful of their neck and posture. Take the pressure off!

Bear, a few years ago with his iPod. It works for smaller arms, too!

And don’t forget, I have the most fun Lap App covers!

I’m wishing everyone happy back-to-school prepping! You can do it!