Thursday, February 6, 2014

Knock-Off Norwex

What's this have to do with modern quilting, you ask? By my figuring, the more time and money I save, the more quilting I can do! If you feel likewise, consider the savings I present.

One of my dear friends sells Norwex. It's one of those companies that relies on customers to sell their products to friends, and to recruit more salespeople who are interested in free products. It's like Pampered Chef and Scentsy, but the target audience is folks who have nightmares about the mysterious, difficult-to-read ingredients in regular household products.

If you are interested in a close-to-actual generic product, I have some ideas for you.

Let's start with the handy micro-fiber cloths. 
Norwex offers an Enviro Cloth for $16.49. Their cloth contains silver, which has antibacterial properties.
They also have a Kitchen Cloth for $9.99, Window Cloth for $18.49 and Envirotowel for $26.99. The grand total for these products is $71.96.

Target offers a four-pack of 14" x 16" cloths including a green heavy duty (Enviro Cloth), blue scrub (Kitchen), yellow glass/mirror (Window Cloth), and pink furniture cloth (Envirotowel) for $4.99. That's a savings of $66.97.

Unless you want the silver in your Norwex cloths to become deactivated, you will need the laundry detergent Norwex produces for $21.99. This will get you through 40 loads. Tide Free & Gentle will get you through 64 loads for $11.97. Sticking with Tide will save you $10.02 if you overlook whatever the poor Norwex customer is going to do about the last 24 loads of laundry.



You will need a spray bottle to accompany your cloths, which you can get from Norwex for $6.99 or Dollar Tree for, well, a dollar. Add $5.99 to the total savings. 

Norwex also offeres dryer balls to speed up the drying of clothing. Two of theirs cost $18.99. Target's run $4.59 for the pair. $14.40 more stays in the bank. Besides, these babies can also be pawned off as children's toys or tactile stimulation massage balls ($7.90 plus shipping). Given this, you might want a couple of packs.


Everybody needs a mop. Norwex offers one with a telescoping handle for $92.99. I found this look-alike for $19.99 at Target, and it came with an extra cleaning cloth, but no telescoping action. I suppose $73 in savings will help me get over it.


I think it's a great idea to have your kids get in on the cleaning excitement--before they are old enough to discover less-objectionable ways to while away their time. This means they need their own gear. Therefore, I got my son this mop from Dollar Tree. I do have to offer props to Norwex, as their kids'  version looks much more identical, at the $69.99 price mark.


Dishwashing liquid is $7.49 for 12 oz. at Norwex. I'm not quite sure how it's superior to the bottles at Dollar Tree, so I'm sticking with those for $6.49 in savings.

I would recommend pairing it with the Spirinett, which is a cute little name for a stainless steel scrubber. Norwex sells two for $5.49. Dollar Tree carries a three-pack, so they have the win in my book. Cu-ching! $4.49 more for me.

Don't forget to include your shipping cost for Norwex, which is $5.95.

Our grand total has hit $257.30, but you get to pay sales tax on that. For me, that's an additional $18.01.

What am I going to do with the $275.31 I saved?

I think I'll get 8 1/2 yards of Tula Pink's Acacia ($66.47) on sale for $7.82 per yard at 

Free Shipping on orders $35+

and half a yard of each and every print in Carolyn Freelander's Botanics ($110.25) and Sarah Jane's Wee Wander ($96.60) collections. After all that, I'll still have $1.99 to spare! 

Or perhaps, I just lock myself in my sewing room and swear off the cleaning altogether. Umm...my husband might prefer I reconsider this cost-saving option.






Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Quilt Bliss

I have just experienced the BEST WEEKEND EVER! Perhaps I am being a bit dramatic and my son, who optimistically insists each and every day is the BEST DAY EVER, is rubbing off on me. To my credit, I have been away at Quilt Bliss, a weekend retreat organized by the Utah County Modern Quilt Guild, where there was much to appreciate. 

First off, the accommodations are divine at the 26,000 square foot Timber Moose Lodge.



This enchanting hide-away boasts thirteen bedrooms with comfortable beds, a hot tub and pool, great views, and plenty of sewing space. 


Here's a peek into my bedroom, featuring three queen-sized bunks.


While my driving companions and I discovered the four-wheel drive vehicle requirement regarding the gravel road leading to Timber Moose was more than a suggestion, we made it to the formidable lodge in time for an elegantly prepared feast of pork tenderloin, green beans, salmon and scalloped potatoes. I will not soon forget dessert either--with its marshmallow snowmen, trio of yule logs, meringue mushrooms and chocolate-covered candies. 


Thank goodness this was not a fitness retreat, as I had no intention of restraint at the sight of the food, glorious food! This fine dining experience extended throughout the weekend, with an unending assortment of tasty delights.

It was a pleasure getting to know the talented women who attended, many of which are well-known fabric designers, quilt bloggers, or pattern designers such as Emily Herrick and Melissa Solecki.

I took advantage of the many optional classes included with the retreat. Amanda Woodruff gave great suggestions for fabric selection such as using a unifying solid color to tie together a quilt, balancing warm and cool colors, and excluding a color to make a desirable palette. Anna Morrison provided a step-by-step overview of paper-piecing so her students could create a free block designed by Anna of Six White Horses.


Kristin Barrus expressed the importance of journaling by sharing her late mother's beautiful watercolor journals and providing suggestions from her personal organization of quilt records. I learned a few helpful knots for hand appliqué and played around with fabric dyeing under the guidance of Jeanette Hartvigsen.


Emily Sessions gave some pointers regarding quilting and Leigh Hansen reminded everyone of the value of time to create. Amy Smart provided ample ideas for how to use scraps in her class, which resulted in these beauties.


The trunk shows from JoyLyn RigbySarah Jane Wright, Sherri McConnell, Erika Bartlett, and the Utah County Modern Quilt Guild were quite inspirational.

Sarah Jane

Sarah's Jane's Autograph
(Yes, I'm that groupie.)

Sherri McConnell

Sherri McConnell

What's more, there was SWAG. Check out the bountiful loot I scored from the sponsors!



I also won some fabulous prizes.


I participated in the Secret Friend swap too. I created this wall-hanging using the Lone Star tutorial on Better Off Thread.

These are the treasures I received in return from Pamela Cardell. Aren't I lucky?



The low volume and text print fabric swaps were a rousing success as well.



Now I've unpacked the bag I made for my trip using a free pattern tutorial by Jennifer Mathis. I'd say they are quite a match.


Bye, Bye, Quilt Bliss. I will miss you. Until next year...






Friday, January 24, 2014

UNM Winter Courses

Calling all Albuquerque locals--I have a couple classes approaching in the coming months that will take place at Ann Silva's Sewing Center on Tuesday nights from 6 - 8:30 pm.

Modern Sampler Quilt (February 4 - March 11)

Delve into the emerging world of modern quilting. Experience piecing techniques including improvisational, strip, pixel, foundation paper and curved. Compose a quilt top containing nine unique blocks set in an alternate grid layout. Experiment with bold colors, innovative background choices, on-trend fabrics, negative space, geometric shapes, Internet resources, and reinterpretation of traditional quilt blocks. This course is suitable for those with basic sewing skills, rotary cutting experience, and knowledge of quilt construction. Sewing machines are available for use free-of-charge at Ann Silva's Sewing Center.



Quilt Top to Finished Quilt (March 18- April 15)

Gain the skills necessary to turn an unfinished quilt top into a completed quilt. Various contemporary basting, binding and free-motion quilting methods will be explored. This course is suitable for those with basic sewing skills, rotary cutting experience, and knowledge of quilt construction. Sewing machines are available for use free-of-charge at Ann Silva's Sewing Center.