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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.

Looking ahead…

Christmas came—and went. The new year is coming but we have long way to go before things get back anything like the ‘old’ normal. Until then, I will do my part to not make the pandemic worse which means staying home, wearing a mask if/when I go out, and visiting with people outside. But it’s not all bad because, like you, I will my time with a wide range of quilt-related activities.

One of the things I spend time on is planning the weekly Time Out sessions. In last week’s Time Out, I showed the notions that I take with me when I sew on the go. Sandboards are always at the top of the list. Surely you have one?

I have three of the larger size and, amazingly enough, I use them all. One stays by the sofa, one in the studio, and one is reserved for gluing. I don’t use the travel sandboard at home much, but it is nice on the road when space is an issue.

If you decide to make your own sandboard, use a very fine grit sandpaper and glue it to a rigid board. Masonite is nice but I don’t recommend using a clip board because the ‘clip’ part can get in your way.

Wednesday Giveaway

Janet Kirby is this week’s winner. She will receive a sunny pack of felted wool charms and a skein of hand-dyed wool thread from In The Patch. They are wooly-icious! If you’d like to shop, you can find this and more wooly-goodness here.

I’ll be back with another Giveaway next Wednesday. Until then you can shop for all sorts of sewing notions, books, and other fun stuff at pieceocake.com!

Show and tell…

Sue Green just sent me this photo and I must share it with you, right now! What a great idea and I have to say, Sue, your appliquéd circles are excellent :-)!

Sue wrote:

I was watching your you tube videos on Searching For Beauty and got the brainstorm to make ornaments for my grandchildren using one of the blocks. I reduced the block to 4.25 inches and hand appliqued them. The kids are in 2nd and 5th grade and have been back and forth between in school and remote learning. Thank you for the pattern!

Thank you, Sue, for sharing!

FYI: Click here to find all of the free videos and pattern together on Creative Spark. Or you can find the pattern on my website, click here. There is a link on that page to the same videos on YouTube.

Show and tell…

Margery Tadder sent me this photo of her Welcome to the North Pole wallhanging. She wasn’t sure it was good for Show and Tell but it is perfect in every way for showing! Not only is the quilt super cute, the decorations above and the elf below so very happy. Well done, Margery!!!

She wrote: “It was fun to do and looks really cute hanging from my mantle. Thank you again for your adorable patterns! Wishing you and your family good health and happiness in a better New Year!”

And I send happy, healthy thoughts out to you all as well!

My most-used organizer for on-the-go sewing…

The Yazzii Mini-Petite Organizer is just the right size for me. It doesn’t take up too much space in my bag but it is big enough to hold almost everything I need when I sew away from home.

It was student in one of my classes who suggested taking out the inside pouches. Boy, she had an amazingly great idea! Don’t be shy… just do it!

Click here to find Yazzii’s at pieceocake.com.

Make a home for your needles!

This needle caddy is the perfect place to hold your hand sewing needles—and the epattern is free! I use my needle caddy all the time because it is small and flat and it holds lots of needles and a variety of flat notions. Super handy!

Click here to find the FREE Needle Caddy digital pattern at pieceocake.com.