!Sew WE Quilt!

It's all about Heart and with Helen you get it and more...I heart iron on transfers….

2012-02-02T01:07:00.002-05:00

this month Madame Samm tells me is Hand and Hearts month – well I know I’ve twisted that theme a little but wanted to show you how much I looooove iron on transfers…
All of my Hugs ‘n Kisses stitchery and embroidery patterns include wonderful, easy to use iron on transfers…this saves you having to trace my little detailed designs onto fabric using a lightbox or window – yes, you can get straight into the fun part- the stitching! and because all of those little drawn lines and details in the design transfer exactly onto your fabric your stitching – if you just follow the lines, will also look perfect! no wobbles, missed bits or mistakes…

another plus of iron on transfers is that you can choose whatever fabric you like to put them on – you are not restricted to fabric that I used to screen print on in my pattern packs.. and yet another plus is that my iron on transfers (and I gather most others) can be used more than once!! so you can make the same thing many times if you really love it…
BUT,
they are only good if you follow the instructions and transfer them well, which is why I have twisted the theme today just a tad to give you a quick tutorial on using them…
Firstly, the transfer will look just like a drawing or design printed on standard copy paper. The lines will look black on the paper and will be very fine (because I computer trace them and make them as fine as I can so a single thread can cover them). When they are transferred the colour is actually called a quilters blue – a greyish blue colour which blends well under many coloured threads.

My transfers will always have a label on them which will say something like ‘I heart you iron on transfer’ as opposed to ‘I heart you design sheet’…..
and there should also be a little ‘transfer test’ patch on there somewhere.

Another clue is that the design will be reversed – so if there is any text, it will be back to front….
always make sure you have the right sheet – that is the transfer and not the design sheet (I always include both – so when your transfer does run out you can still trace more if you really want to make more).
Now, all of the ink on the transfer page is transfer ink. So if there is anything on there that you don't want on your fabric – like the title, and the test patch – you need to cut it off! (remember, use paper scissors to do this!)
You also need, a good hot iron with no steam – turn the steam off and empty any remaining water from the iron – steam is your enemy!!!
why? because steam spreads your ink and makes blurry lines…

and
a hard ironing surface – not a nice soft and spongy ironing board. Make yourself a board – just a piece of wood with some wool batting or an old woollen blanket works well or I use my hard Quilters cut n press for small designs.
why? because soft and spongy makes blurry thick lines…
(this is good as sometimes I can see the lines through the fabric to line up my design squarely) – note: can you see all the transfer lines on my mat – yes sometimes they go through so don't do it on your brand new ironing board cover from Aunt Mavis!
Cut your fabric to size – I always cut a little larger than needed and trim back later…
press the fabric to remove any creases…. if its already smooth still press it and warm up the fabric – prewarmed fabric takes the ink much better.

Position the cut out transfer design into position ink side down onto the fabric. ( I cut it out close to the edge of the design so I can position more accurately knowing where the edges of the design are.)

Place the iron flat onto one part of the paper. Hold a corner down away from the iron with a finger, hold in position for about 7-10 seconds ( this will vary depending on your iron and also the fabric you are using – that's why i include the test patch – test first!) the longer you hold the darker your design will be – but the less transfers you will get from your sheet – as the darker it is, the more ink you have used…and there is only so much on there..
Now, don’t slide the iron across the paper to the next spot!! yes, that's what everyone wants to do – but you will blur your lines…. believe me… please…. whilst holding the paper down with that finger lift the iron and position it down into the next spot… move your finger to another corner and repeat until you have covered the whole design… note: if you don't hold the paper down, when you lift the iron it will stick to it, lift off the fabric and you will never get it back down in the same place again….
Before you lift that last finger, carefully lift the corner to check that it is dark enough and you have all bits covered….

It is nigh on impossible to reposition the transfer once you have lifted or moved it – so get it right the first time…
I get many questions regarding the iron on transfers so before you ask I’ll attempt to answer them below:
Do I need to prewash the fabric?- although I say on the instructions to prewash the fabric – I don't very often do that!
What type of fabrics do I have to use?
Some fabrics take the ink better than others, some linens are difficult, but overall most things work. It doesn't have to be a plain fabric, tone on tones also work well. The ink will transfer onto synthetic and natural fabrics but if using your piece in a quilt I recommend using a cotton fabric.
Will the ink wash out when I am finished?
This ink is permanent if there is any synthetic element to the fabric. It may wash or fade out of natural fibres (ie cotton) but this has very rarely happened for me so don't rely on your mistakes and blurry lines washing out – they wont – if its a mistake it wont be nice and just wash out for you! I have found it to fade on some fabrics when left in light areas, so if you don't intend using it for some time keep it stored in a dark container.
having said that, now that you have read my little tutorial you are going to transfer them perfectly every time…. and if you have an elna press – that will eliminate any need to move that iron and risk the double or blurred lines at all.
How can I make my own Iron on transfers? my transfers use a special and VERY expensive ink so at this time it is not affordable or available for home use. However there are other products available such as transfer eze, transfer pencils and several other products I have heard of but never tried. I do have a transfer printing service I offer to other designers and stores but it is also not viable for single prints at this time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now I’m off to prepare my fabric (that is iron a stabiliser to the back), put it into my hoop and stitch it up! I’ll show you the progress on my blog or Facebook page…
I hope that this helps you all to get a great result with your transfers…. so that you too ‘heart’ them….
off to stitch….
hugs, Helen
OH, just a footnote: I will be teaching some of these projects shown (with transfers) in May in the US – see here for details – would love to see you there…

It's all about HEART and Color with Jennifer and her Color me this.. 2 guests today

2012-02-01T18:55:00.001-05:00

Hello! For those who don't know me, my name is Jennifer and I blog over at That Girl... That Quilt. I work in a very black and white profession by day so it's always exciting to get to talk color!

I love color. The geometry and math of quilting are what initially attracted me but what drew me in and has kept me is the color.

The process of quilting is fascinating and I talk a lot about it on my blog. I obsess over the color selection more than any other part of making the quilt. The fabric, the print, the design... they are all secondary.

image credit

A lot of color theory is based on the color wheel... primary colors... secondary colors... etc. That's all well and good but it gets a little boring trying to find inspiration on a wheel. I hear a lot of quilters talk about having trouble with color selection and I did too when I was trying to get inspired by a colorful yet one dimensional circle.

So how do we apply basic color theory to quilting? Here's how I do it...

I draw my color inspiration from what's around me. If something is pleasing to my eye then I bet it will be beautiful in a quilt. If something in nature stops me in my tracks, a quilt could probably do the same. I started taking pictures with my iPhone when I found something inspirational and I have never looked at my surroundings the same.

Purple & yellow. Not quite the traditional color combination.

But one look at my purple & yellow iris that bloom every spring...

and I knew that they had to become a quilt.

image credit

This also goes for beautiful photographs.

I was so inspired by the photo that I translated both the colors and the rooftops design into a quilt. It's one of my very favorites.

And then there's Design Seeds. I talk a lot about this site on my blog because it's an absolute genius idea. They take ordinary objects, landscapes, still life, etc and pull the colors out for you. It goes right along with my thought of finding something pleasing to your eye and transforming it into a quilt.

I've used Design Seeds here...

... to get these colors

and here...

... to pick these fabrics

Your choice of color can also help with your quilt design. I designed this quilt backwards thinking about the negative space I wanted to create using a dark background with lighter colors. This flip of color can make a quilt look completely different.

And last but not least, pick a favorite fabric and build your colors around that one. The center fabric of this quilt is what I based the rest of the color choices on.

Don't feel like you have to stick with the same line either. Just be brave, find your favorite, and build around that one!

pattern by Kate Conklin

The first time I did this, it was a little nerve wracking. But then I started thinking about fabric designers and the fact that they probably have a pretty good idea of what colors look good together... they are designers after all. ;)

can you spot the mistake??

My one last tip for today... when in doubt, take a picture. Doing so allows you to visually step back and look just at the photo instead of the distractions of background in the room. My iPhone is full of photos of random quilts in progress. This is my favorite way of making sure my colors and design are on track.

Thanks for having me today! I always enjoy visiting here. If you are looking for a pattern that will take you out of your color comfort zone and let you play with the concept of negative space and color values, I have a free step by step quilt along called Chasing Chevrons. It's a 6 part series and I talk a lot more about color, how to choose your actual fabrics i.e. prints & solids, as well as step by step instructions for making a quilt if you are new to quilting. :)

I hope you will visit me soon... have a wonderful day!

Editors note...

I had asked Jennifer to talk about Color as FEBRUARY is all about lot's of color.
And nobody could do it better. Thanks Jennifer, this is one of these posts
we will be referring to often.

It's all about HEART and color with Marianna and her Red and White Crazy quilted Valentines Heart( 2 guests today,)

2012-02-01T01:08:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Madamme Samm for inviting me over again! I am Marianna from QDD and Craftluver. I really love to write up tutorials for you all! I hope you like what I made this time: a crazy quilted Valentines heart, the easy peasy way!

The subject for February is Red & White and I love Valentines Day. So this was a good combination for me! So if you like something nice without spending to much time for a mother, daughter of beloved friend, than this might be the one! It is easy and fast to do. I made one in only an afternoon, binding and all!

Supplies:
Red/white scraps
A small embroidery piece or nice fabric for the center
Batting
Backing the size of the batting (see pattern below)
Lace trims and other cute decorating stuff for crazy quilting

How to start:
1)    Cut the pattern of paper (download the pdf in the end, the heart shape is in there)
2)    Put it on the batting and cut out. Make sure it is the size you want it to finish at (so add seamallowance more if you want it larger) and a little bit more for shrinkage.
3)    Do the same for the backing
4)   Lay them on top of each other batting facing up

5) Determine what you want to put in the center and place it on the batting

6)    You can use temporary adhesive to let it stick together or use some pins
7)    Pick a nice contrasting fabric scrap and put it right side facing down on your center piece. Make sure the center piece is covered at the edge.
8)    Sew through all layers at once.
8)    Continue clockwise or countern clockwise, but keep doing the same till the whole piece is covered.
10) You can decorate it on the way. Sew a piece of lace on top of one fabric piece before you add the next piece, so the edges are nicely covered. You can also do this in the end for the lace or trims that end in the border. They will be covered by the binding.
11) Finish as an ordinary quilt, without the quilting part (you have done that while sewing), and attach a ribbon at the top center to hang it. Even when totally finished you still can add embroidery stitches or buttons or beads. Sew through all layers.

Here's the process in pictures:

The pattern description and the heart pattern are in one document and you can find it HERE. Enjoy!

Behind the SEAMS of our FEBRUARY Banner WINNERS

2012-01-31T06:28:00.000-05:00

I already feel BLUE to say goodbye to ...

YOU and YOU and YOU and YOU

Sandra, Kathy, Cynthia and Mary...

It was a delightful month of tool sharing...

and you ALL made it a month worth noting...

YOU all have sew much ....

HEART....

Nice segue to our new FEBRUARY Banner

don't you think?

Our February Banner Winners are......

Linda, Deonn, Bente and Christine...

321 red, black and white quilts

were submitted.. That is a lot of quilts

to look at and try to blend into a HEART felt

banner...I felt your heartfelt stitches in all of them..

SEW thank you all who entered.

First let's look at Linda's

Thank you, thank you Madame Samm for allowing my “Ladies” to strut across February’s banner! I feel truly honored to have my work included this month.

I made this quilt (The Ladies in Red) in 2011 as part of the “Red and White, Too” challenge sponsored by a member of my quilting guild, after she visited “Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts” in New York last March. Because I wanted to keep my entry simple so I could finish it quickly, I chose a design inspired by several pieces of African fabric from my stash showing “the Ladies” as if they were out for a stroll or window shopping. (I blogged about it here: red and white challenge and here and more about here ) I scanned a piece of the fabric into Photoshop, resized it and printed to paper. Then I traced silhouettes of their shape onto fusible web and transferred it to the back of my red fabric, which I then machine appliqued to a white background. I quilted it using a very simple meandering pattern. It has four adinkra symbols appliqued in the borders, with these feminine qualities quilted between them: patience, beauty, friendship, love, unity, and initiative.

The Ladies in Red will be part of the “Red and White, Too,” quilt exhibit in Northeast Washington, DC, February 6 – 24.

Thanks again Madame Samm, for allowing me to help make this month’s banner another great success!

Next, is Deonn and here is her...

Hi, Madame Samm,

Thanks again for including my quilt on February's banner--I am thrilled! And you'll love the story of this quilt. I originally worked out the pattern for my sister to make a denim quilt for her son when he went away to college. Not a fan of recycled denims sewn into squares or strips, I wanted a design that really made a statement. And since there is such a variety in tone with Levi's and other denim-weight pants that can be up-cycled, this traditional "Storm at Sea" made with giant 24" blocks, turned out to be the perfect pattern, and the perfect quilt for a college kid (practically free), or as a throw for the couch or car. It looks great in blues. Then I made this one for my son. It is even quilted with a layer of batting and backed with flannel - a warm hug from Mom. I've included a link to the original post, which also has a link to more of the story. Here goes:

I ♥ this quilt.

Denim Tsunami (A Giant "Storm at Sea"), Picnic Quilt 72" x 72"

Mostly though, I love the boy I made it for.

Original post HERE

And when the boy went off to war with his combat engineer unit, sweeping for mines, making roads safe, and performing other route clearance missions in Afghanistan...

...the quilt, too warm and heavy for desert climates, stayed at home as a comfort to this Momma during that long year of his deployment. Folded over the couch, the quilt was a reminder and a hope for his safe return home when we could wrap our arms around him once again.
Then the boy returned, a man. (Oh, my boy!)

Sometimes, a quilt is more than just a quilt.

~Deonn

Quiltscapes

Next is Bente's

( Btw Bente does not speak English, we are thrilled to have

her in her own words translated from German)

I´m so thrilled that my Baby Jane Quilt is one of the four quilts in

Madame Samm's
beautiful banner, THANKS it is a great honor!!!
My ***Dear Jane quilt is the most important quilt I have ever sewn, it
is my masterpiece. If you can you sew the Dear Jane quilt you can sew every quilt!
I sew the first block A1 on the 2003.8.8 and I had no problems sewing
until I reached A-11 “Pebble´s Protest”, I couldn’t see how to piece
that block together.
But as we all know, quilters are very nice and helpful, and a good
friend told me that it´s okay to draw extra lines in the patterns,
and generally to sew the blocks that is best for you. That was a very
important advice, and the reason why I mention it here.
I sewed most of the blocks in paper piecing, some are appliqued and D-2
“Mouse in a Mirror” is hand pieced,
at that time I didn´t like to hand piece so I do still remember that
block after all these years.
I only used two fabrics, muslin and a red prewashed! Benartex Fossil Fern.
I hand quilted the blocks individual, and I think after that the blocks
look as if they are alive.
Yes, I know it sounds as if I´m in love with that quilt, and yes I am *lol*
Like Jane A. Stickler did in 1868, I counted all the pieces sewn into my
quilt, I used 5689 pieces.
Facts:
First block pieced 2003.8.8 last binding stitch 2007.6.9
Size: 80¼ x80¼ inch.
Patterns from the Book “Dear Jane” by Brenda Manges Papadakis ISBN
1-881588-15-7

It would please me if you´ll visit my blog
My blog
Even if it´s in a foreign language, it about quilts!
Stay awhile maybe leave a comment and pay some attention to my quilt
gallery, I hope you like it.

Liebe Grüße
Bente – Germany
I like to QuiltBlog

*** link to my blog posting
You can see more of my quilt here~!

and last but equally impressive

Christine's

First of all I would like to thank Madame Samm for choosing to use my quilt as one of the four for February’s banner. I must say it was quite exciting to get her email telling me.

A little about me. I live in Diamond Creek, which is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. I’ve been quilting since 1993 which is when I did an overnight mystery quilt workshop. Thus I was hooked! I am a member of the North of the Yarra Quilters Guild. Besides reading blogs, this is where I get a lot of my inspiration.

The official name for this quilt is “Mitchell’s As Close To A Collingwood Quilt That He Will Get”. A funny name, I agree but I’ll explain. Mitchell is a die-hard Collingwood Football Club supporter. Collingwood is an Australian Rules Football team. Their colours are black and white stripes. Collingwood is the team you either love or hate! Needless to say, I do not barrack for Collingwood. Hence, the name.

Mitchell asked me for a black and white quilt. I used the stack and slash method. It came together very quickly and I had it commercially quilted. When I checked the label, it was made back in 2008. I can’t believe it was that long ago! This is how I labeled Mitchell’s quilt.

“Mitchell’s As Close To A Collingwood

Quilt That He Will Get!”

This quilt was made with love for

Mitchell James MacDonald

by his mother, Christine MacDonald (Kerr).

The quilt was quilted by Leanne Kaufmann.

Diamond Creek, Victoria,

Australia

2008

I like to add a picture or photo relating to each quilt on it’s label.

I haven’t actually done a post on this quilt as I made it before I discovered blogs! I’ll just have to do a post now, won’t I! Please pop over and visit me a tmy blog

Thank you once again Madame Samm for this special honour.

And thank you February Banner Winners...

Certainly a great beginning to our Heart Month..

EVIDENCE that you all have such big Hearts...

March is Runner month...all kinds of quilt

runners will be introduced, short, tall, long, thin,

fat, circles..all shapes..

and our color theme is GREEN

sew if you have any GREEN quilts you have made

I would love to see them...

Maybe next month YOU will be here...

showing your behind the scenes quilt...

If it's Sunday you know it is a day of ....rest

2012-01-29T11:39:00.005-05:00

See you Tuesday...

BEHIND THE SCENES

with our Banner Winners!

NOW go and REST!

Tool time with Kari and her Clearly Perfect Angles ( 2 winners today)

2012-01-26T01:07:00.007-05:00

Have you ever met someone for the 1st time and thought after the conversation, "We could be friends!"? That was my thought after my phone call from Madame Samm when she asked me to share a tutorial on my Clearly Perfect Angles template. We visited about many things and hopefully, someday we will get to visit over a cup of coffee! Thank you for asking me to participate.

I am a rather practical person who likes to use my time efficiently. I used to get so frustrated when I'd have to spend my time drawing lines for making half square triangles or sewing through and then ripping away paper or dealing with peeling, sticky tape on my machine. One day I looked down at my sewing table at a ruler that stayed in place with static cling... a lightbulb went on and the Clearly Perfect Angles template was born.

Because it stays in place with static, it can conform to any machine and smooth sewing surface. By the time you get throught this tutorial you will wonder why you didn't have one of these before.

Let's take a closer look at the anatomy of the "CPA".

A: Where the needle will be when placed on your machine.
B: 1/4" seam guides on each side of center. The gray bands coordinate for one of the techniques.
C: Angled green bands used when needed in conjunction with the two main techniques.
D: 5/8" seam guides...wait 'till I show you what you can do with those!

The following tutorial shows a flat shot of the CPA that is not actually on a machine so that you can see everything better.

Basic Center Alignment: This is used when the directions tell you to sew from point to point on the diagonal.

Place the top point of your fabric squares at the needle.The bottom point should be on the very center line. The trick with this is to watch the bottom point instead of your needle. So, begin sewing, simply letting the bottom point follow up the line and thru.

You can see how you now have the squares sewn together from point to point...Remember, you didn't draw a line! You would trim the seam allowance to 1/4" and when pressed you have a perfect half-square triangle.

Joining Binding: This is one of the best tips, and a great reason to just leave the CPA in place all the time.

Overlap your binding strips at a right angle so "inverted" points are formed (see arrows). Using the same Basic Alignment, stitch diagonally from one inverted point to the other.

Trim the seam allowance to 1/4" and when it is pressed, the seam is hardly noticeable. AND...you didn't have to draw a line....or guess!

Gray-Band Alignment:Use when the directions instruct you to stitch 1/4" on each side of the center points.

To make alignment easier, I color-coded the CPA for the different techniques. For this one we are going to use the gray bands. Place the top point on the outside edge of the vertical gray band. The bottom point also needs to be on the outside of the gray band. The top, left side of the fabric will be on the outside edge of the angled gray band. Stitch the first seam by following the bottom point up the outside edge of the gray band. I've stitched the first seam in this photo. Just rotate the block, realign, and stitches the second seam.

Cut apart between the seams. This method produces two half-square triangles. (No wasted fabric!)

Green Angled-Band Alignment: These bands are only used when the fabric squares are larger than the area of the CPA and there is not a line for the bottom point to follow.

This may happen if:
1. - the fabric squares are 5 1/2" or larger

2. - you have customized the CPA to fit your sewing set-up and havelost some of the depth due to trimming.

You can see the bottom point has no guide. When needing to sew from point to point,
align each of the top edges of the fabric at the bottom of the angled green bands.

Slowly begin stitching, keeping the same angles on each side. This photo demonstrates how both sides are now at the bottom of the 3rd band. Eventually, you will be able to go back to watching the bottom point come up the line.

The green angled bands can be used with the no-waste method of making half-square triangles too. Begin by lining the top left side of the fabric with the outside edge of the gray band (just as we did above). Watch your angles again until the bottom point can follow the vertical gray band.

I just want to point out that the fabric sides will be at different colors during this process (Example: left side is at the bottom of the 3rd green band and the right side is at the top of the 2nd green band, but the point will remain on the outside edge of the gray vertical band).

5/8" Seam Guides and Caboodles: I originally included the 5/8" seam guides for garment sewing (I am a Home Ec teacher after all...) and also for use in aligning the CPA to your machine. BUT, low and behold, I've discovered a new use for it in the quilting realm. In fact, just earlier this week I submitted the manuscript and projects for my next book with Martingale.

It uses the 5/8" line with fabric squares that have been sewn point to point and the corner triangle usually is waste. Basically, you will get a second project from those scraps. The book is
titled, "The Whole Quilt and Caboodle". So let's see how to make a Caboodle piece........

As you can see in the picture, I have already sewn from point to point. BUT do not trim the seam allowance at this time. Simply move the fabric to the left and line up the points on the 5/8" line. Stitch a second time.

Cut apart between the two seams (they will be slightly larger than 1/4" because the seams are 5/8" apart). On the left is the piece your pattern called for. On the right is the Caboodle piece, ready to be made into a second project.

I know it was a lot of words to describe how to use the CPA, but Ipromise you, once you start using it, it will make all the sense in the world.

The blog would get much longer if I demonstrated how to align the CPA to your machine, but that too, really is simple. I'd like to invite you to visit my site, http://www.newleafstitches.com/, to view the different videos featuring the Clearly Perfect Angles. The QR code below will also take you to an overview video of the product.

Fast, accurate and frustration free! You truly will wonder what you ever did without the Clearly Perfect Angles!

There's 2 free CPA in someone's future... just make sure to leave a comment to be eligible!

Thank you Madame Samm... the coffee pot is always on if you want to stop on by!

Kari

Congrats Ladies...

Marsha and Laqueria have won... both have been contacted
thanks to Kari and all those who participated.
Have a delightful weekend...see you next week
where we will be launching our new blog design
and a month of Heart and Hand...

Special note from Kari...
Thank you for all of the nice comments. It was very wonderful to be included. Many of you expressed an interest in purchasing a Clearly Perfect Angles. I would like to offer a reduced price of $8.00 (now thru the end of the month) to any of you who left a message. Please feel free to email for details. sales@newleafstitches.com Thanks once again! Kari

Tool Time with Staci and her Shape Cut Ruler Tutorial ( psst 2 guests today )

2012-01-25T01:07:00.003-05:00

Hello there! I'm Staci, The Confused Quilter. Thank you, Madame Samm for having me here today! Isn't Tool Time a wonderful theme? I've discovered several new tools that are now on my wish list, and I'll bet you have, too!
Today I'd like to show you a tool I have come to LOVE so much I have more than one. It's The Shape Cut Ruler. When I first saw one of these rulers I thought, "How dumb!" Then my hubby bought me one, and Wow, I totally changed my mind!! These rulers are wonderful for cutting strips and squares. Such a time saver, and very accurate results.

Shape Cut Rulers come in several sizes and configurations. My favorite is the Shape Cut Pro. It has a 20 X 23 grid, with slots every 2-1/2 inches. This ruler is perfect for cutting 2.5 inch strips (jelly roll size) strips, charm sized squares, and layer cake sized squares.

Image from June Tailor, Inc.

The Shape Cut Ruler is very simple to use. See the bold line at the bottom of the ruler on Line Zero? Line up a straight edge of your fabric with that bold line. It can be an edge that was cut straight, or it can be the fold in the center of the yardage. I find you can easily and accurately cut up to 4 layers of fabric.

As you know, fabric can be slick, and this plastic ruler has a slick surface. If you aren't careful, the ruler can slide across your fabric. Here's how I keep things still and stable: a pair of 5 pound hand weights.

The weights keep this ruler (and any ruler) from scooting around. Do a few bicep curls and quilting can become part of your work out! ;-)

Here you can see the fabric lined up with the bold line.

Place the blade of your rotary cutter in the first slot and take a slice. The first cut gives you a perfectly squared up edge. Next, find the correct slot for the size strip you need, and slice! Keep slicing until you have enough strips, repositioning the ruler as needed when you have cut all the fabric beneath it.
When the ruler is removed you can see the 5 inch wide strips I have cut. There is very little waste with this method, just the little bits of scrap of the right and left sides.

Next, I removed the fabric scraps, then rotated and re-aligned the ruler on the long edge of my 5 inch strip. Then I put my cutter in the appropriate slots, and made charming cuts!

In just a couple minutes I have 48 perfect charm sized squares!

This Shape Cut ruler also lives at my house. The gridded area is 12 X12 and the slots are 1/2 inch apart. This ruler is now available in a 12 X 18 inch size, and it's on my wish list! I often use both rulers together. For instance, I might use the Shape Cut Pro to cut 5 inch width of fabric strips and then switch to my smaller Shape Cut ruler to cut those strips at 3 inches wide to make 3 X 5 inch rectangles.

Image from June Tailor, Inc.

Here I've made the 1 inch sashing strips. Quick and easy, very little waste, and not a wonky strip in sight!

Here's a tip: Use little post-it notes to mark which slots you will be using. In this photo I have flagged the correct slots to make 3.5 inch wide cuts. Also note 45 and 60 degree angles are marked on the grid. If you line your fabric up on the angled lines you can cut triangles, diamonds and hexagons.

Another tip: I store my rulers on the wall behind the door in the sewing room.

Keeps the rulers from getting bent, and keeps them out of the way until needed.

(center ruler is my 20-1/2 inch square Creative Grids ruler)

If you'd like to see the Shape Cut Ruler in action click here for a link to a 3 minute video. I am simply not co-ordinated enough to use the rotary cutter and take photos at the same time and keep all my fingers intact, and oh, how tragic it would be if I bled on fabric!!

The only downside to these rulers is the price, they are on the expensive side, but watch Joann's and Hobby Lobby for sales and 50% off coupons. Overstock.com, Nancy's Notions, and Wal-mart often have them on sale as well. Remember, like any ruler, this is an investment. Buy it once, take good care of it and use it forever! I think my rulers are worth every penny. I am always a happy quilter when I can cut with these rulers.

Thank you, Madame Samm, for letting me visit Sew We Quilt, and thank you for all you do for the entire online quilting community!

Happy Stitching, everyone!

STACI

Tool time with Elaine....and her fav SHARP tool.... ( psst 2 guests today)

2012-01-25T01:06:00.001-05:00

A special "WHOOP WHOOP" to Madame Samm - with her unbelieveably busy schedule - she still finds time to reach out and "touch" all of us who love, love, love quilting!! Whoop, whoop, whoop!!

Now for the serious business of favorite tools! I've added several since this new "series" began! Anyone in the book business?! lol Could be a Quilt Tools for Dummies in the making?! (You know - those yellow and black books?) No, none of us are "dummies" - just - WOW I have that tool in MY posession and never thought about using it THAT way!

My favorite tool is actually from the medical "arena"!! As in SURGERY!! EEEEEKK!! It's cheap if you get it at the American Science Outlet (Geneva, IL - next town to where I live in the warm-weather months!!). I'm sure they're available at medical supply outlets - and some quilt shops carry them!

Now, if you are always PERFECT and never make a mistake - this is NOT the tool for you! I do believe that most of us are NOT perfect ALL the time and that's why this is such a wonderful tool for your tool box!!

TAH DAH!! It's a disposable scalpel!! YES that's right - a DISPOSABLE SCALPEL!!

It's used for the OOPS moments! Not to be confused with WHOOPS moments (times of excitement and joy and "you go girl"!!). As in - removing stitches, big-time UGH moments! Expletives deleted moments! Ugly moments! Not our happiest moments!

Yes - you need to be careful - keep it away from inquisitive little people, etc! But you just touch the unwanted stitches (those little devils!!) - and "poof" gone! Just kind of pull apart the seam - touch - pull a little - touch, ... touch and done!! Remember to put the blade cover back on!!

Hope you'll be able to locate a scalpel! It should last a long time - especially if you are perfect and never need to rip out seams OR if you aren't perfect and just think - nah - it's just fine!! It'll quilt out!!

Tool time with Cherry...ohhhh wait till you see the WISDOM in this!

2012-01-24T03:10:00.003-05:00

Hello! I’m Cherry of Cherry Blossoms Quilting Studio

and want to thank Madame Samm for inviting me to share my favorite tool…

I looked around my studio trying to decide “which” of my favorites to talk about,

since I have several I absolutely love, and finally settled on The Appliqué Pressing Sheet.

One of my favorite techniques is raw-edge-appliqué, and this sheet is a must have

– you can preassemble your designs with no guessing about placement

– no mistakes in fabric choice, whether for the appliqués or the background fabrics.

Let me show you how I use it, with my little owl

I start with the appliqué templates that have been reversed for a raw-edge finish,

and trace them on to the paper side of, in this case, Pellon Wonder Under,

using a fine-tip Sharpie marker

Fuse the traced templates to the wrong side of your fabric, fusible side down

Then cut on the traced line

You don’t have to have one of these,

but I love the firm ironing surface which allows me to pin everything in place

Lay your design on the mat and pin it down

Place The Appliqué Pressing Sheet over it – yeah, pin this one down too

Preassemble the eyes, starting with the “white of the eye”

Pin, and then “tack” down with a hot dry iron

Add the “eyes” and press

The Appliqué Pressing Sheet gets very hot, so be careful.

Allow everything to cool down, then peel off the eyes.

I like to clean the Sheet afterwards with this fancy “tulle”

Finish the eyes, peel, and set aside

Build the rest of the owl, laying the templates from bottom to top

Peel the owl off The Appliqué Pressing Sheet and remember to clean your sheet

Voila! a cute little owl ready to audition backgrounds…

How about a winter scene?

Pin It

Maybe some fresh white...

...or, snowflakes?

I think I like the clean, fresh look of the white fabric. I like to spray Sizing (bugs like starch!) to my background piece as a stabilizer for when I blanket stitch around the appliqué pieces.

Spray it to death!!! Yes, it can almost stand by itself it's so stiff, lol!

Center your background fabric over the design

Fuse the owl in place - don't forget to add the little leaves

Now it's ready for some pretty little blanket stitching.

This was so much fun!

I hope you’ll give The Appliqué Pressing Sheet a try,

and if you like the little owl, come by my blog and get a copy of my pattern.

Happy appliquéing,

Pin It

It's a GIVEAWAY to keep us STABLE! and the winner is......

2012-01-24T01:00:00.005-05:00

If you sew, quilt, design, you must have used PELLON

somewhere in your creations. As long as I can remember

and it has been decades, I have always used some kind

of stabilizer, interfacing, backing....you can call it anything

you like BUT from this day forward if you want

STABILITY you need PELLON.

For backing and interfacing, well PELLON

has it all..

Today our giveaway is this collection

of rigid fusible interfacing for bags and wall hangings..

- some underarm protection when you are making

something that needs that little bit of extra, and some stretchy

interfacing when you are making some garments that need

the give....... Enough for quite a few projects...

This package has 5 different types of interfacing

for all your sewing and quilting...

AND AMY BRADLEY has this PIN cushion

Pattern, MS Pinny....that would be just the little

extra to tie this giveaway together....

Winner Announced on Tuesday.....

What was the last project you made that needed

any kind of fusible interfacing...?

Congrats To bacontheneggs lady....

She won this package...and my she was pretty excited too..

Thanks to all those who entered.your projects sounded

very sticky lol

TOOL time with Pétra from Sew Paint Create and her special ......

2012-01-19T01:09:00.004-05:00

Hello my name is Pétra I blog over at Sew Paint Create and I am Creative Mom2010 on Flickr. I am so happy to be joining in on the tool fun with the amazing Madame Samm! I've already learned about some new tools I'll be adding to my quilting routine. I hope mine comes in handy for you as well.

I randomly bought my favorite tool one day when I had a coupon at Joann's. You all know what it's like looking at all the toys with 50% off flashing in your head. I saw this little guy and thought it would be handy for turning out corners and it is. Little did I know the real purpose for this tool is binding and it helps keep my corners nice and tidy. It's the Machine Quilters Friend, The Ultimate Stiletto by Fons and Porter! The name just cracks me up but it is the Ultimate!

This is a little mug rug I made and the binding was cut at a scant 1 1/4". I don't always machine finish my binding but on some mug rugs, potholders, place mats or runners I do. What makes this tool so successful is the stiletto is coated with rubber, it's not plastic, so it doesn't slide on the fabric it grips it.

The point is also narrow enough to get in the center of the foot to hold the fold of your corner down when your approaching corners.

Yes and it's still great for giving you pointy little corners!

Features of the Ultimate Stiletto

Great ergonomic handle with support for your finger.
Rubber coated stiletto holds fabric in place with no sliding.
Gets into little places for turning bags and such.

The only drawback I've found

Don't let your 10 year old play with it! The rubber on the tip will tear if banged against a hard object then the metal is exposed. Now I have two but they are still both handy.

Thank you again to Madame Samm for bringing all these new quilters together with more experienced ones. I'm not sure where I fall in the mix but I am happy to be here!

Pétra

Tool time with another Kerri, ( with an I) and her lil twister tutorial ( 2 guests today) YEAH!

2012-01-18T00:18:00.001-05:00

Hi!! I'm Kerri of Lovely Little Handmandes and am so excited to be a guest blogger today!! I love this months theme, and knew exactly what I wanted to share with you, as I have a new favorite tool that I've been loving!!

The Lil' Twister

Would you like to see how to use this clever little tool!?! I thought you'd say yes!! :) Here is what you need~

The Lil' Twister tool
Rotary Cutter and Mat
42, 5 inch charm squares
1/2 yard of two coordinating fabrics for borders
1 yard of a neutral solid fabric
1 1/2 yards of backing fabric
batting
1/2 yard for binding

Now lets get started...
Arrange your squares into a patchwork.

Start sewing your squares together into rows

Lets now sew the rows together

Now you have your squares sewn together in a nice patchwork

Take one of your coordinating fabrics and cut them into 3 1/2 inch strips. Stitch the border to your patchwork.

Take your Lil' Twister Tool and place the lines to match up with the seams. Cut around the Lil' Twister tool with your rotary cutter. Continue until you've cut all your squares.

Arrange your blocks as you are cutting your squares into the same order you had your patchwork.

Then sew the squares together into rows and sew the rows together.

Now to add on the borders...
I added a 2 inch white border,

a 3 1/2 inch border of the other coordinating fabric, and a wide 6 1/2 inch white border

All is left is to sandwich, quilt, and bind your quilt, and voila, a lovely new lil twister quilt!! :)

A close-up of the quilting! For fabrics, I used mostly all Atsuko Matsuyama fabrics and a few coordinating Lecien polka dots, gingham's and ticking stripes.

The binding is a new flower sugar one, and the backing is a soft vintage sheet!!

Thanks so much for letting me come and play today!! It was lots of fun!! :)

No More Tracing for Hand Embroidery!!

2012-01-18T00:11:00.000-05:00

Hey ya'll!

I'm here to tell you about a fantastic product

that changed my hand embroidery life.

I almost gave up on hand embroidery

because of all the tracing I had to do.

With Transfer Eze....

no more tracing!!

Below is my Buttercream Summer quilt

that has been almost totally done with this.

Transfer Eze paper is a paper backed with plastic.

You put it in the paper tray of your copier

and run your design off onto it.

(Or take it to a copier, or you can scan it into your computer)

Peel off the back plastic....

The paper will be very sticky.

Then put it right onto your fabric,

pressing it down good with your hands,

especially the corners...

Now sew right through it like you would normally hand embroidery...

If you have applique pieces like the basket here,

you can either applique it first,

or do as I did and just put the paper right over it and do a blanket stitch.

Saving a lot of work.

Here is the embroidered piece that is going in all of the corners of Buttercream Summer

You can see the Transer Eze is still on it.

Once you are finished embroidering,

cut out all of the big sections that has no embroidery on it...

Now take your piece and rinse it for five minutes....

All of the paper and black will disappear!!

Here is a pic of the border that is going on all 4 sides of the above quilt....

This stuff is nothing short of amazing.

All except three blocks in this quilt was made with it.

For the first three blocks I hadn't heard of it....

Otherwise the whole thing would have been done with it.

If you would like to order some of this paper

it is available for 10 sheets at $15.00

Click Here to Order!

30 sheets for $40.00

Click Here to Order!

If you would like to order this Block of the Month

you can go to our website at: The Scrappy Appleyard

It is also available in a second colorway called Parisian Summer.

(Pinks, Greens, Lavenders and Blues)

The best way to see this colorway is to go to my blog Here.

If you put "Parisian Summer into the Search Box,

all of the posts will come up about it.

Here's a peak....

True Friendship Never Ends

I'm going to give away one pack of 10 sheets.

Make sure to leave a comment to enter.

You can qualify a second time by becoming a follower

over here at my Blog!!

If you already are one, leave an extra comment letting me know.

Good Luck!

Thank you so much Madam Samm for inviting me to come over and play at your blog

today!

I appreciate you more than you know!!

With Love and Affection....

P.S. Sorry for some of the picture qualities! We had tornado warnings here today....which did nothing for the lighting in the house!

Tool Time with Kerry from verykerryberry and her seam pressers..( love these)

2012-01-17T06:30:00.000-05:00

A big thankyou to the wonderful Madame Samm for inviting me to share a post with you on tools. I don't know how she fits everything into her life but she does and does it so well!

I am Kerry from verykerryberry. Vintage inspires me and I love to sew and design paper piecing patterns. I do like a gadget, especially a low cost little tool that makes my sewing life easier. I have been working on a basket quilt block- a traditional pattern that you can find in the Farmer's Wife Sampler book or many other quilt block books and these are some of the tools that helped me along the way. I'll start with a pen. I have jars full of mark making pens and pencils and thanks to Florence, Pilot Frixion pens are something I use a lot.

They easily draw on to fabric and the ink disappears instantly under the heat of an iron.

You can rewrite in the same place and make it disappear as many times as you like. In reality, the 'ink' is still there, if you put the fabric in the freezer, the line magically returns, so I tend to use these pens for places that will finally be covered rather than for designs on a quilt, but useful and cheap nevertheless.

Clover produce some helpful, simple plastic tools that are very helpful in mark making. The Hera marking tool will produce a beautiful sharp crease that you can use for folds or marking the fabric. The folds wash out so no mark is left.

For the bias strip of the basket handle, the Hera was ideal for creating the 1/4" fold lines. I find it an invaluable tool, the sharper curved end is useful for turning out curved edges too.

I make a lot of small projects and I do not know how I have managed without a finger press. I only bought this Clover version a few weeks ago and now I wonder what I was waiting for. There are many times when an iron is a too big and I don't want to burn my finger tips, or I just need to flatten a tiny seam quickly and this is where the finger press comes in. I used it along the fold lines created by the Hera to turn the edges of the binding in.

On the Clover finger press, there is a dimple for your first finger to slide into and push along the seam. For a bias strip, it was ideal as an iron can easily distort the grain.

And now for the unsung heroes; needles and pins. I am a big fan of Japanese sewing and crafting and there is a Japanese festival, Hari-kuyo, which celebrates the needle and reflects on the job they do. Old needles are placed in a block of tofu along with secrets and things to painful to say. It is such a beautiful idea and it also makes you consider that pins and needles do wear out, they break, their sharpness fades, you might move your best pins to a lesser purpose where their bluntness will not bother you. My pincushions hold a hole range of pins. My favourite Clover patchwork pins are especially sharp, strong and thin at 0.5mm wide, and 36mm long.

The heads are iron proof glass. The points pierce easily without disturbing the fabric threads.

They can hold tiny seams of fabric without shifting. I keep these pins well away from paper piecing where the paper blunts them just as it does with scissors.

And finally the humble needle. I recently tried Clover Black Gold eye needles. There is no going back now, they are the business!

They glide through layers, no strain, no effort. Much easier on your hands and fingers.

Tiny stitches can disappear into the fabric, there is some flexibility built into the needle which is great for needle turn work and hand sewing binding to a quilt. I bought an applique/sharps mixed pack. They are a total pleasure to sew with, mine have their own felt page in my needle book!

I should mention here that I have no connection with Clover, I have just found many of their products to be the best. All the tools I have mentioned are low cost and easily available online- I have bought all of these from ebay and Amazon. We all spend so much on fabric but, don't forget the other essentials, they are often overlooked and are worth a little investment for the help they give us, you won't regret it.

Special feature using all the blocks from our Nov, Block of the month....

2012-01-14T01:00:00.003-05:00

Editors note...
When Christine shared with me her goal of creating a quilt out of the blocks of the month, I was excited to see her final finish...And wow....
It is beautiful .....and appropriate for our January blues...guaranteed to have you feeling anything but BLUE>.....

Congrats on such a great goal Christine...
Mdm samm

Something Special Created from SEW WE QUILT tutorials....

Over at my blog here is the link, Quilt Monster in my closet there is a special quilt that has been made. You have to sew go check it out. Christine L put the tutorials to work! The Block Party, held in November, was a motivator to a special quilt she has finished. Quite a few of our November Guest Blogger’s Blocks are featured.

Since it is January and we are featuring BLUE quilts in the Banner. I couldn't resist sharing her quilt with you all. She wanted me to tell all of the instructors that she really appreciated your tutorials.

See you there!

Tool Time with Mary and her NINE DEGREE ruler. yes....LOVING THIS RULER!

2012-01-12T01:07:00.002-05:00

Lets talk Tools

At Madame Samm's invitation, this is

Mary on Lake Pulaski checking back in with you on your Nine Degree Ruler!

Remember I was a guest here at Sew We Quilt on December 2nd

to show you this:

Well did you buy a Nine Degree Ruler or have one already? Now I'm back to show you another way you can use your Nine Degree Ruler.

Let's make a round tablecloth (or it could be a baby playmat or a tree skirt).

This time, I went to my scrap bin and "made" fabric all out of the scraps. My friend Victoria of Bumble Beans taught me how to do this at a retreat a few years ago.

I simply take my scraps and sew them together, trim to 1/4 inch seam, press open and continue until I get a large enough piece to cut out what I need:

I used everything; no worry about what went together. Here I am checking to make sure the piece is large enough to cut wedges with the the 25 inch Nine Degree Ruler.

Since lots of the edges are on the bias, I use spray starch when I press all the seams open.

Here I start cutting getting as many wedges as I can out of each pieced fabric section.

I needed 20 of the pieced wedges and 20 solid color wedges. I chose white Kona for my solid.

Carefully stack your print wedges to not distort the cut edges.

Sew a solid wedge to each print wedge and carefully press each seam open.

I continued until I had 10 pieces sewn together and then checked to be sure the edges forms a 90 degree angle and adjusted my seams if necessary.

I sewed another section of 10 and measure again. Then I sewed the two sections together and made sure it formed a straight line. I did the same with the other two sections.

Here is the whole circle sewn together.

Next I filled in the center hole and again used my scraps.

And here is my finished tablecloth out of scraps:

Edit: I backed the circle with a solid from my stash.

Instead of quilt this tablecloth that I wanted to stay soft and drape, I stitched in the ditch on both sides of each pieced wedge. I then added a turquoise and white striped bias binding.

The end result is a 50 inch circle.

Stop over at my blog Mary on Lake Pulaski and see what else I'm up to.

Tool Time with Marlene on her topic of It's A Sticky Situation!

2012-01-11T01:07:00.003-05:00

Hi y'all...I'm Marlene from Stitchinbythelake and I'm here to tell you about my favorite tool in the sewing room. I had a hard time deciding between two favorites but finally landed on this: glue/adhesive! It's about the handiest thing since sliced bread. I love all kinds...in fact I love it so much I have a basket full of several different kinds with the bigger ones spilling out onto the shelf beside the basket.

I don’t have a favorite favorite….I just use it all and use different glues/adhesives for different things. One of my current favorites is this one:

They didn’t pay me to say that. But they can if they want to.

I use this one for “pinning” my binding before I do the machine stitching. Here’s how that works.

First I put dots of adhesive along the outside edge of the quilt. So that you could see it I put way more glue on this than I normally would.

The pink is my ironing board cover - I make my own so I figure why have white or gray when you can have pink...right? I put dots of glue on the quilt top, lay the binding on it and press long enough to let the heat dry the glue. I glue one side, take it to the sewing machine and stitch it down, then go back to the ironing board to glue the next side. And when I'm sewing it looks like this:

Look Ma…no pins! Glue the next side and go again.

Once all the stitching is done I press the binding to the other side and glue it down so that I don’t have to have clips or pins in my way when I do the hand stitching. It’s very important that you just dot the glue along the top to hold it in place. If you get too much glue close to where you’re stitching it’s very hard to stitch through. I’ve put extra glue here so you can see it.

Don’t put that much – but if you accidentally do, just wet a washcloth and wipe it away. You can stitch it while it’s damp. And please remember this method is only for those pieces that you plan to launder right after finishing. Bugs like glue too so you don’t want to use this on something that you’re not going to wash. Sharon Schamber has an excellent video demonstrating this on YouTube and I recommend watching it here. It's a great tutorial. She only uses Elmer’s School Glue on her binding – I’ve used it and it’s wonderful. With this method the binding ends up laying smooth and even so you can just stitch away. This binding is all glued and ready for my needle.

Here’s another great use for glue. Because I have arthritis in my hands, when I sandwich quilts I need to use a method that minimizes using them, which lets out hand basting. So I either use fusible batting or spray adhesive. Sometimes fusible batting doesn’t hold well at the corners so I get out my trusty glue, put a few dots there and press it to dry. You can use the kind in the picture above, Elmer's or even a glue stick.

My second favorite use for glue is really spray adhesive used to baste a quilt. I learned this technique from a video by Patsy Thompson on YouTube. If you haven't explored YouTube for help on any and every quilting technique you're missing a great resource! Her video about spray basting is here. Patsy covers her design wall with newspaper….I use a sheet instead. I first pin the backing fabric, right side down, to the design wall. Then I spray it with this wonderful stuff:

They don’t pay me either. Darn!

Now I'm apologizing before you even see this picture because I'm a terrible photographer...just ask Madame Samm. But my sheet was white and the back of my quilt backing was a very pale blue and it hardly shows at all. :( I pinned my quilt backing onto the design wall on top of the sheet, then sprayed it with the adhesive above. Starting at the top just smooth your batting on the backing. Gravity helps pull the wrinkles out as you smooth.

Then spray the batting and smooth on your quilt top.

Mine ended up like this:

When I take it down I trim it a bit and let it sit for a while until I’m sure the adhesive is dry before I quilt it. It can stay like that for a really long time without getting unsticky. A really long time. I know that because sometimes you get sidetracked and don’t get back to that particular quilt for a while…or maybe that’s just me. Again you only need to do this with quilts you’ll be washing. (I do know this is sideways but that’s the way I basted it because it fit best like that)

If you don't have glue in your sewing room you're missing out on a great tool....try it, you'll like it!

Oh, for those of you who are wondering about the tool that lost out being chosen as my very favorite....

I love these pin cushion/thread catchers! I have three of them and wish I had a fourth. One is on my sewing machine, not for catching threads, but for holding my leaders/enders. I have a trash can right underneath for the threads. One is on my ironing table, not for catching threads but for holding my scissors, small ruler, and seam ripper, and one is on my chair in the sunroom where I do my hand stitching.

It's not for catching threads either...it's for holding chocolate. :) Now you know why I need a fourth one - I need one to catch my threads!

Tool time with Corrie and her what is STICKY challenge lol ( 2 guests today)

2012-01-10T01:09:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone!
I'm Corrie from Quilt Taffy.
And no,
it's not taffy or Barney.

It's one of my favorite sewing tools --
the amazing Sewing Edge.

Impressive, I know.
In real life, it is purple, trust me.

It's a thin strip of vinyl that is sticky on one side
and is reusable. Sewing Edge is from Qtools by Marci Baker.

And I use them
all
the
time.

You place them anywhere you want
on your sewing machine to guide the fabric.

For example, you can place it at 1/4" for block piecing or
at 5/8" for garments
and it helps you
keep an accurate seam allowance.

It's great for beginning quilters because often
they don't have a 1/4" foot,
but they're ready to sew
right now.

I also use these a lot with 4-H kids & my own children.

You can use them on rulers.

If you need to cut strips or squares,
you can quickly see which line you want instead
of peering at the tiny numbers each time.

What else do they do?
They'll help you lose 10 pounds.
Really.
Just put over the opening of the box or
chocolate chip bag
& don't eat.
How easy is that?

I also find them
helpful
in child rearing.

Hey, I think that's the trick -- this
is the better way to lose 10 pounds.

--
To Madame Samm,
Thank you for letting me participate in January Tool Time!
It's fun seeing what gadgets people use & recommend.
The right tools can make all the difference.

We invite you to visit our blog
--we have tutorials & a giveaway every Thursday.
And come visit us at
quilttaffy.com for fabric, precuts, notions & more!

The sewing edge is available on our site.

Tool Time with Barbara and the CutRite Bind Up Tool ( 2 guests today...)

2012-01-10T01:07:00.003-05:00

Greetings, Quilters! I'm Barbara from Cat Patches and this is my first guest post EVER! Today, I'm here to tell you about a tool that saved my quilting life! No kidding. Before I discovered this tool, I couldn't finish the ends of my bindings to save my quilting soul. There seemed to be no tutorial, written, filmed or demonstrated, that could help me with my bothersome bindings. No matter how careful I was, they always ended up too short or too long. Sound familiar? I was on the verge of committing hari kari with my rotary cutter when the Angels of Binding smiled on me and directed me to the CutRite Bind Up Tool.

Here's what it looks like when you take it out of the package:

So how does this miracle of modern quilting work? Before I go on, I should say that this tutorial assumes that you can get your bindings sewn onto the quilt. I'm going to show you how to use the CutRite Bind Up tool to get a nice smooth mitred seam to finish them off . . . with no crying, moaning, shrieking, or cursing.

First, be sure to leave yourself a nice tail when you start sewing and then again at the end. I like to leave at least 10 inches at both ends, if possible.

Next, with the binding ends still folded in half horizontally, bring them together until they meet at the spot where you would like your finishing seam to be and give them a good finger press, leaving a vertical crease on each side.

Then open each side so that the inside of the binding is facing up. Using your favorite marker, mark a "+" over the horizontal and vertical creases on both the right and left sides of the binding strip.

Now you are ready for the CutRite Bind Up tool. Starting on the left, place the cross from the tool over your marked "+" so that the horizontal and vertical lines match up.

(Pause here for just a moment to admire my lovely manicure.)

Just slide the tool into position.

Notice that if you are working with the left side of the binding, the "L" should read in the correct direction. (Note that the "R" for the "Right" side is upside down and backwards because I am working with the left side of the binding.)

Once you have the "+" lined up, you are ready to use your rotary cutter to cut the excess binding strip away.

Have you ever tried to hold a tool, a strip of fabric, a camera, a rotary cutter, AND press the shutter? (Don't try this at home unless you have a tourniquet, plenty of gauze close by, and paramedics on standby.)

Next, I want you to notice that the point is cut from the lower corner of the CutRite Bind Up tool.

Once you've cut the excess from the binding strip, slide the tool up so that the bottom edge is lined up with the bottom edge of your binding strip.

Then, use your rotary cutter to cut that little corner off the bottom edge of your left binding strip.

Great! Now you're ready to start on the right side of the binding strip.

First, rotate the tool so that the "R" for "Right" is reading the right direction. The "L" for "Left" will now be upside down and backwards. The right side of your binding strip should already have the "+" marked as it was on the left side.

Now repeat the steps from before. Slide the tool so that the "+" from the fabric is lined up with the "+" on the CutRite Bind Up tool.

Then, use your rotary cutter to cut the excess from the right side of the binding strip.

Now, notice that the cut corner of the tool is at the top instead of the bottom, as it was when you did the left side. Slide the top of the CutRite Bind Up tool even with the top of the right side of the binding strip.

Then use your rotary cutter to cut the corner from the right side of the binding strip.

Now use the excess binding you cut away to wipe the sweat from your brow, and then prepare to be amazed!

Bring the diagonal cut ends of your binding strip right sides together and pin. Notice that because you've cut the little corners off each side, the strips will line up perfectly, with no guess work. Pin if you like. I prefer to pin. You might have to bunch up the quilt a little to bring those ends together, but the ends of the binding strips should be pinned flat and smooth. Make sure there are no twists in the strips and that they are right sides together.

Now. Sew the ends together using a 1/4-inch seam.

Open up your binding strip and finger-press your seam open (or not, whichever you prefer).

Then fold the binding strip in half horizontally and pin it to the edge of your quilt. It should fit perfectly if you've followed all the steps correctly.

Finish sewing the remaining section of the binding to your quilt, and you will be ready to fold it over and finish it off!

. . . And you'll walk in fields of gold.

No disclaimer here. I've been singing the praises of the CutRite Bind Up tool on my blog ever since I discovered it. I have not been compensated by the manufacturer to say any of this. My opinion about the effectiveness and usefulness of this tool are my own.

HowEVER, that didn't stop me from shamelessly hitting up the manufacturer at Quilter's Paradise for a tool to give away to one lucky winner. Do you think this is something that could solve all of your binding problems? I'm giving one away on my blog. If you'd like to win one, go to my blog right here for all the details.

Thank you, Madame Samm, for the opportunity to guest blog today!

If it's Sunday you know it's.....

2012-01-08T00:53:00.000-05:00

Now that I have a bit more time...

I would like to continue our special Sunday features...

How can anyone ever forget this lovely lady Susan Boyle....?

A Reminder to always keep our hearts open..

you will never what will fall into it..

see you all on Tuesday!

ps. our comments never seem to work on Sundays...winkx

Message for you all!

2012-01-05T23:23:00.002-05:00

Hello my dear quilting friends...

I have been trying to find a solution on how I can manage

a 45+ hour work load in homework and still manage this blog.!!!

( I am taking a course in Digital Design)

1st thought was to

close it down completely in March of this year.

( that was not a solution..just a thought lol)

2nd thought reduce the number of days that our Guest post which will

help me in the volume of mail. ( we are at almost 2 MILLION hits in one year)

( that is a lot of mail from you and our subscribers)

My 2nd thought seemed like a better solution...

Yes agree?

SEW from this month forward, we will sometimes have 2 guests per

day on Tues, Wed and Thursdays...

This will give me time to get my homework done on my 4 days off..

( which of course is not really days off, if any of you are students) ...

I know many of you will be disappointed and I am sorry about that..

but the alternative was to close it down completely..

I am enrolled in a condensed program for just 1 year!

YOU can CELEBRATE with me, as I will be learning

some pretty amazing creative and marketing things..

( which you all will be embracing through the months)

OR you can still stick around and forgive me for this decision lol..

See, not sew bad is it?

YOU is KIND, YOU is SMART, you is IMPORTANT to me!

p.s. Theme for APRIL

What's Cooking?

( anything that you quilt for the kitchen will be highlighted

along with a very small easy healthy snack recipe for quilters)

Sew if interested on being a Guest please let me know

ASAP. The calendar will fill up Quick...

Please contact me here if interested

madamesamm@cogeco.ca with subject line APRIL -What's Cooking!

PERSONAL NOTE:

Thank you for all of your kind notes...

Really if I had time today, I would call you all...lol

But of course that would not be possible.

Sew I will simply tell you here....

YOU matter sew much to me too!

THANK YOU SWEETIES...you made my day!

I will sleep much lighter tonight!

Tool time with Benita and her Quilting Tools from Around Your Home

2012-01-05T01:07:00.001-05:00

Hi! My name is Benita Skinner, and in case you don't know who I am, let me introduce myself.

I'm an independent quilt pattern designer and I offer my patterns exclusively online, through my site Victoriana Quilt Designs.

This year I'm celebrating the sites 10th Anniversary!

When I saw the special tool theme Madame Samm had planned for us this month, I emailed her right away to ask to do this post.

It's always fun to buy the neat, newest gadgets for our quilting, but I adore finding uses or 'reuses' for everyday items you probably already have around the house.

This harkens back to the 'frugal' roots of patchwork, being raised by
parents who went through the depression and WWII, and also fits nicely with
my personal green off grid lifestyle :)

I hope you have fun gathering these as your newest quilting tools!

1. A Thread Catcher Tip.

Make this thread catcher to catch the thread bits that you clip or pick off your

patches as you sew.

It's easy to put together with a large covered button, you might already have in your stash.

I removed the shank on the back, cut a circle of cotton batting,

and put this thread catcher together.

Now it sits in front of my sewing machine, and magically holds the threads until I'm ready to move the batch accumulated, into a large 'tiny fabric bits' tin, which I save to stuff
pet beds (older pillowcases) to donate to my local animal shelter!

2. To Draw on Fabric or Quilt Blocks.

Use a sheet of fine grade piece of sandpaper and tape it to a cardboard with masking tape.
Your fabric does not move around and you get better results.

3. Finger Press.

Long before I got the wooden finger press you can purchase from a quilt shop

[The one pictured above was only recently found in a local thrift store,

as part of a trim/embellishment package],

I used the half of a wooden clothespin pictured...It works as good!

4. Paint Brush.

This clean, fluffy paint brush makes a great tool to remove the dust that

hides in the nooks of the sewing machine.

5. Cardboard/Box Board for Templates.

Every home uses food products that come in cardboard boxes, known as box board...Think cereal, crackers, etc. This cardboard makes great template material for your quilting.

Trace your shapes onto the cardboard with transfer paper or glue the printed paper template down, and cut out the shape with a craft knife.

6. Repurpose an Old Tin.

I really like reusing items like tins, as storage for my sewing items.

I found this tin perfectly holds my large spool of basting thread,

so I turned the lid upside down, on a piece of wood, and hammered a nail

gently through the centre of the lid.

I pull the thread through the hole, as I need it, and now the
spool stays dust free and looks much prettier!

Do you already use these?
If you have others I didn't mention here, be sure to share them in the comments below!

And now for some giveaway fun...

Visit my Pattern Page, pick the quilt pattern you would like to win.
There are many to choose from and I'm sure you will find one you'd love to make.

To enter post a comment with the name of your pattern choice on my Facebook wall.
Or you could also sign up for my newsletter, and then email me
[benita@@victorianaquiltdesigns.com] to let me know your choice.

I'll draw the winner a week from now ~>Thursday, January 12th...Good Luck!

And be sure to check out the other quilty items I offer, including
the complimentary patterns, printable quilty bookmarks and calculator charts that are available to you as a Thank You for visiting.

Plus start collecting the new design of the week available throughout 2012.

Enjoy!

(((big hugs)))

Benita Skinner
Victoriana Quilt Designs

Tool Time with Melissa and her Rotating Cutting Mat

2012-01-04T01:07:00.000-05:00

Hello fellow Sewing Enthusiasts!!! It's me, Melissa from Happy Quilting. Today I am going to share with you one of my new favorite tools. I just got this about 2 months ago and I am wondering how I ever lived without it :)

How many of you have found yourself cutting like this. You know, when you don't want to lift up your fabric but you have already cut 2 sides and need to cut the other 2, so you do some yoga and contort your back so you can get your right hand up high enough to cut along the wrong side of the ruler and toward yourself. I know I used to do it all the time.

But not anymore. Enter my new Rotating Cutting Mat. Yup, it looks just like a normal cutting mat right.

Wrong. It is placed on a swivel base so it can spin a full 360 degrees. Oh my goodness, I am so in love with this mat. It is saving me some major ice pack time on my back and my cuts are a whole lot more accurate. It is great for so many jobs.

I love using it when I am fussy cutting.

Just give it a spin. No need to pick up your fabric and re-align it :)

My favorite time to use it is when I am cutting out a large stack of scraps. I don't like cutting them individually because it takes to much time. So I just make a stack and whack the first 2 sides.

Then spin my mat, align my ruler, and whack the second two sides. It is so fast and so easy, and most importantly so accurate.

It also really comes in handy when you are trimming blocks. HST's are so wonderful to trim on a rotating mat. I also love it when trimming down improv pieces. It really just blows me away how much time I save not constantly picking up fabric and moving it or trying to do that crazy yoga stretch :)

The mats can be found in 12 1/2" to 16 1/2" square so it even works great for squaring up entire blocks. just cut 2 sides.

Swivel your mat, and cut the remaining 2 sides.

And you end up with one adorable improv block (That I am making for a Bee member) and a not so sore back :)

This mat also has the added benefit of being super travel size. It fits perfect inside the front sleeve of my sewing machine cover. Easy and portable, there is a winning combination :)

So if you find yourself doing a lot of trimming, smaller piecing, improv, or basically any cutting beyond a straight Width of Fabric cut, you might find that a rotating cutting mat would highly come in handy :)

Thanks for your time and for Madam Samm for having me. I am so glad I got to share with you one of my favorite tools :)

Tool Time with Christine and her DIY Supersized Ironing Board

2012-01-03T01:07:00.001-05:00

If you would like to be able to lay a ½ yard of fabric out and iron it all at one time without having to move the fabric; you are going to LOVE THIS TUTORIAL! I ran across an ironing board similar to this and thought “WOW that would be awesome to have...I bet I can make one of those.” It is one of my favorite tool/items in my sewing room. You can make one of these too, and you'll be surprised how easy it all comes together. Easy peasy! *wink*

(Yes, that's a 15 inch ruler laying on that ironing board with room

all around it)

First, before we get started... I want to give Madame Samm a Big THANK YOU, for having me on Sew We Quilt. I have learned so much from all the instructors on her blog. We are so lucky to have this site, and all need to give Madame Samm a Big SHOUT OUT, WHOOp WHOOp!!!!

A quick little bit about me...My name is Christine, I am married to my best friend. My husband and I are proud parents to three furry children
(2 cats and a boxer puppy - they all make cameo apperances in my quilt pictures). When you don't find me at my sewing machine or computer, you will find me flower gardening in my yard or camping somewhere in the wonderful Pacific Northwest.

I am fairly new to blogging and my blog is called, Quilt Monster in my Closet.

Please visit anytime...I’d love to have you stop by, share ideas, or just say Hi! I am excited to be here at Sew We Quilt and share this tutorial, it is my first time
guest blogging. :)

If any questions come up… Please let me know. I'll answer them ASAP.

Enjoy.

Here is a list of supplies you need:

*Your existing Ironing board

(with old cover removed)

*Tape Measure, pencil, saw, drill with smaller than wood screw drill bit, staple gun w/staples and a screw driver, hammer and/or brad nail gun.

*A piece of ¾ inch plywood cut 20 inches wide and 6 inches beyond the length of your ironing board CLOSED.
(my example is for a standard ironing board and it’s cut 63 inches x 20inches)

*7 fender washers & 7 wood screws

*2 (10 ft) sticks of

¾ by ¾ inch wood (for finishing)

*100% Cotton Batting (I used scraps I already had)

*2 yards of fabric (You can choose whatever color you want…Dress it up or dress it down)

*Finishing Nails 1 ½ long amount varies. (fyi..I used a brad nailer instead)

Okay Let’s begin assembly. First mark the top of your board and lay it face down.

Lay ironing board face down on top of the plywood.

Center ironing board on plywood and mark where you will be

mounting the wood screws to the ironing board.

(I marked 7 total- one at the tip…and 3 along each side of ironing board)

(Mark the ironing board also,... a lot easier to realign later.)

Now remove ironing board and pre-drill your holes…
this step makes securing it easier to at the end.

(if you drill all the way thru..no worries, you will be
covering it up with fabric)

Next … Take your ¾ x ¾ inch sticks of wood, measure and cut the lengths to match the plywood length. From the left over cuts, measure and cut for the short lengths to fit in between the long sides… IMPORTANT >> DO NOT ATTACH YET! Put aside for finishing!

(Sorry I forgot to take a picture of this step.)

Next…Cut 4 layers of batting an inch or so larger than the
size of your plywood.
The extra will wrap over the sides and give a cushion along
the edge of your ironing board.

(I notched the corners of two layers so that I wouldn’t have super bulky corners. I hope you can see that in the picture… it was a sunny day)

Now…Clear off your table and lay your fabric so that the
Right Side is facing DOWN.

(WARNING…*Wink*.. there is going to be a bit of fabric waste, I know...I hate waste too, but you’ll want enough fabric to hold onto when pulling and stapling. That way you will get a tight fit across the board..I did trim 15 inches off the length of fabric before doing this. A good size scrap for later. *wink*)

Next lay your batting layers on top of the fabric…
and
lay your plywood so that the side marked TOP is face DOWN.

Pull the fabric over the plywood just like you are upholstering
a chair and staple.
(Be careful to not shift your batting)

Staple the fabric about ¾ of an inch from the edge.
Remember you will be covering the staples with
the sticks you cut previously.

When you work into a corner, fold the fabric like you are wrapping a present.

Once you have the fabric securely stapled, trim excess off.

(Be sure to not trim too close to staples)

When all the fabric is trimmed, go thru with a hammer and give each
staple an extra tap to ensure that each staple lays as flat as possible.

Now you are ready to attach the ¾ inch by ¾ inch pieces.
Lay the sticks on top of the staples.
Be careful not to hit a staple when finishing.
I happen to have a brad nailer and it was quick and simple,
but if you don't...
use finishing nails and tack the sticks’s down with a hammer.

Now that the edges are attached...

You are ready for the last step. (Are you excited yet??)

Position the ironing board over the pre drilled

holes that were made earlier.

Secure your new cover to the ironing board with a wood screw

and fender washer in each of the pre-drilled holes.

You are now ready to flip over your ironing board and enjoy
how much bigger it is.

CONGRATULATIONS...

You now have an awesome "Supersized" Ironing Board that
everyone you know - who sews - will be jealous of.
Be careful...you may have to make one of these for a friend, I did.

I hope you enjoyed my first guest tutorial. In honor of the special occasion, I am having a giveaway over at my Blog... One lucky winner will win a bottle of Mary Ellen's Best Press to start their new ironing adventures.

Check out Quilt Monster in my Closet to see what the
giveaway question is...
Leave a comment here for an extra chance to win :)
Winner will be randomly selected.

Again, Thank you Madame Samm for having me on Sew We Quilt, and I look forward to more sharing and learning with all my new internet friends.

Happy Quilting…and...Happy Ironing ;)
Christine L

Behind the Seams with our January Banner Winners...sadly goodbye December and 2011

2012-01-01T11:07:00.001-05:00

Yes there was

Christine and Nan, Marsha and Anne Marie

and by far one of my most favorite Banners of the YEAR.

YOU made our December sparkle with delight...

Thank YOU for making it a very special month...

will miss you !

Hope to see you all again!

And now for our JANUARY Winners

Oh look at them all...

Our theme was January Blues...but this

collection will do nothing of the sort...

This month will actually lift you up in their stories

and their creativity...

( there were 243 entries and all of them were unique,

striking, sew thank you for sharing a bit of YOU with me...

Please keep entering- love to see your quilt here someday

BTW I never know which

one is YOURS...I just blend till I find a match..this is what

I came up with for our January...)

There is

Sandra, Kathy, Cynthia and Mary...

* in this order

and here are their..

Here is Sandra's

I want to thank Madame Samm for picking my quilt for the January banner.

I am very honored and excited to be chosen.

My quilt was made in June 2011 for my beautiful niece

Courtney as a high school graduation present. A special event like that deserves a special quilt.

Her school colors were blue and white and the school's mascot is a pirate.

Most of the fabric was purchased at the Sew So Shop in Yuba City, California. The dark blue has white polka dots and the white has swirls that remind me of wind. The bright blue I had been saving in my stash especially for Courtney. It has pirate ships, mariner's compass', and topographical maps of the world all over it. The backing has little pirate skulls and I pieced the label and two paper pieced blocks into it. One block is a graduation cap and the other is a sports jersey with her #12 on it.

I stitched in the ditch around all of the blue and stipple quilted in the white. In the thin white border I quilted "softball, volleyball, cheerleading" over and over with a heart between each word. These were the sports she did throughout school. The quilt measures 54"x54".

Thanks again for the honor! =)

Sandy

( Kathy is MIA, not sure what happened there...)

Hers was the snowflake... kept sending gentle reminders

right till yesterday...it was then too late to change the banner!

NEXT is Cynthia's..

Hi Madame Samm,

Thank you for choosing my humble quilt for the January banner. Here is the quilt story...

This quilt started with a very humble center block. I called my friend after returning from a trip. She informed me that we were going to start a round robin challenge at our local quilt guild at our next meeting---in two days! In order to participate, all I had to do was bring a 12-15 inch block to be my center block. I was blue because I didn't think I had enough time to get a respectable block pieced. My friend said to look through my projects. She said that I would probably find a block that would work. This is the block that I found--a humble churn dash.

There were 7 participants. We did one row on each quilt, then passed it on to the next person. At every meeting, we got the guidlines for the next row. We drew a size and a technique out of a hat. Row one was 2" wide- plain. Row two was 3" wide-applique. Row three was 4" wide-plain. Row four was 3" wide-rectangles. Row five was 5" wide-diamonds. Row six was 6" wide-squares. We were not allowed to show the quilts until they were completely pieced.

What a lovely surprise it was when I finally saw my humble churn dash block again. It had grown into a beautiful quilt, pieced just for me by some of my best and most talented friends. I will cherish it always. I know that Round Robin challenges sometimes get a bad rap, but our experience was a very successful one. We had 7 really beautiful quilts come from this challenge.

We each quilted our quilts ourselves, then showed them again at another guild meeting.

I haven't given this quilt a name. The label on the back says...

Prairie Quilters Guild Round Robin Challenge 2010

Then I listed the Rows with the technique and the name of the special friend who did that row. The label was made on my embroidery sewing machine.

I am not able to supply a link to my blog because I am not a blogger--although I am a blog follower. I thank each and every one of you for your interest in my quilt. If I could leave you with one thought it would be this...

Do not be afraid to do a round robin challenge with some of your very best quilting friends. No matter what the finished product looks like you will have something made just for you by those who think you are special. And you may just get a real gem, like I did. I wish all of you a very blessed and happy new year!!

Cynthia in Illinois

Thank you again Madame Samm!

And now Mary's

Hello Madame Samm

I just happen to have a Booklet that I wrote all the details of my Quilts in last year.

It is a great reference for filling out registrations for Quilt Show entries and times like this.

This quilt was made as a TEST for a Blogging friend (Pam Avara, aka:Knitoid) Her Blog link is: her link

I had two grandson's due in March and April and this cute fabric that screamed BOY with V-room, V-room written all over it. I used Kona Blue and white for the other colors to go with it. It was started on February 1st 2011 and the top was completed February 5th. It was done sooner but when I e-mailed Pam the photo she noticed I'd assembled it wrong- I failed the Test..LOL. I quickly un-sewed the blocks and put them back the right way and sent her the corrected picture. She designed the pattern for a Retreat she attends each year. My Daughter from Arizona was home visiting while I was working on it and claimed it for her little one. There's a sneak peek of it at this post-post here

The finished size is 40"x40". It was quilted and totally finished March 21st. I tacked down the binding while travelling to meet the new little boys in Idaho and Arizona. I quilted a simple meander on it to look like roads to drive cars on. The backing fabric is a red flannel with Matchbox cars on it.

I call it "V-room, V-room for Jacob". The label is a triangle of fabric folded to a triangle and sewn into the corner. It has the date and the Name of the quilt and Made with "Heart" by G-ma Mary Crowther. I write the pattern and source of it on the backside of the triangle.

This is where I first showed it on the BLOG.

My blog entry

It was displayed at the Krazy Horse Quilt show in May 2011 also. I attatched two photos of the quilt, one with the baby on it. Use the one you prefer.

Thanks so much for choosing my quilt for the banner. My Birthday is in January and this is a great B-day Gift to me! I can hardly wait to tell DD #2 that her son's quilt is "famous".

Mary Crowther - Quiltingrandma

"To quilt or not to quilt, DUH!"

Thank you Mary~!

SEW here is to a beautiful month

for many reasons...

Thank you Ladies for adding your spark...

This week we begin a month of TOOL TIME....see you then

Happy New Year ....

2011-12-30T06:19:00.001-05:00

Imagine the possibilities of another year together?...I can ....lol

Happy New Year...

BEHIND the SEAMS stories will be posted on Jan 1st...2012

Comfort and JOY with Kd of KdQuilts and her Crystal Angel

2011-12-29T01:07:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas a few days after the fact!
Hey, this is Kd from KdQuilts,
and I sincerely hope you are enjoying the
holidays this year and being super crafty. Once again, huge thanks
and appreciation go out to Madame Samm for hosting
“Comfort and Joy” on the SewWeQuilt blog.
She is so talented at organizing wonderful
events to satisfy the creativity in all of us!

When I read the suggestions for this December quilty marathon there
seemed to be quite a bit of interest in embroidery, so that is when
the idea began to form in my mind for this little piece. Unfortunately,
it isn’t a five minute project. But I think you’ll really enjoy stitching
my Crystal Angel and displaying her into the New Year. She might
even become a new Angel Series! Stay tuned in the future on
http://www.KdQuilts.com.
Here’s a photo of the finished Crystal Angel
wall hanging so you know where we’re headed.

Select a light colored fabric for the embroidery background.

A fat quarter or 1/3 of a yard will do because the piece you
need to cut is 9” x 11”. I chose a fabric with a silver fleck in it
to add interest and sparkle, but you don’t have to use anything
that fancy. It’s a good idea to zigzag the edges to prevent raveling,
but not totally necessary. For the pattern go over to my blog at
http://www.KdQuilts.com,
sign up to be a follower and then you can
download the PDF file for the embroidery.

Using a light table or window secure the pattern with masking tape and

center the fabric over the pattern. The pink "+" on the Angel's hand
on the pattern marks the center of the design. Then trace all the lines
with a fine brown 005 Micron Pigma pen. Just make a small dot to

show the placement of the French knots.

I like to use Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils. I bought the 24 count

tin and used half of the colors. I love all of the colors, and can’t imagine

what it would be like to own the entire set of 150 in a neat

organized tin. Maybe someday! But I digress.

Mount the fabric backwards in a large hoop so that the fabric is held
securely but you can place it on a hard surface to be able to apply the colors.
With your colored pencils shade the Angel as shown in the picture below.

Here are a couple of close-ups for more detail. The top half...

...and the bottom including the star basket and red shoes!

The colors I used are listed in the following table. Most of my

coloring was just around the edges to accent the embroidery we will

be doing soon like the light green around the edges of the dress.

When using colored pencils in your quilting and embroidery,

a textile setting medium must be applied, allowed to dry, and

then heat set to make the color a permanent part of the fabric.

I like to use Jacquard Textile Color #100 Colorless Extender.

This product can be found in art supply stores, or you can use

Plaid brand FolkArt Textile Medium available at most craft stores.

The Jacquard Textile Colorless Extender is a milky white in the jar,

but dries clear. Again, it helps to secure the background fabric in a
large hoop for this step of the process, so remount the fabric in the

hoop in the normal manner. With a paintbrush apply the extender to all

areas of the fabric that are colored. Note: if using FolkArt Textile Medium

be careful to rinse your brush in between different colors and do not

paint any areas that are not colored as they will be stained. With the

Jacquard brand I didn’t have to be that careful as it worked beautifully

right out of the jar. Rinse your brush in water to clean the bristles.

Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s recommendation on the back

of the jar for this step. Jacquard says to allow the extender to air dry

for a couple of hours, remove the hoop and from the wrong side of

the fabric, carefully heat set the colored areas with a medium hot iron

for about 30 seconds, watching that you do not scorch the fabric.

Now cut a 9” x 11” piece of light to medium weight fusible interfacing

and iron it onto the back of the background fabric according to the

manufacturer’s instructions. I used medium weight Pellon 911FF

fusible interfacing for this step. Using an added layer of interfacing

helps prevent shadowing of the crossovers and knots (if you use them)

on the backside of your embroidered piece. Some people believe in

using knots to begin and end their floss ends and some don’t.

It is up to you how you wish to secure your floss ends.

The handy embroidery supplies pictured above (from top

to bottom) include a 4” hoop, a Clover needle threader,

Gingher 4” embroidery scissors, a pack of size 7 Bohin crewel

embroidery needles, and a brown 005 Micron Pigma pen.

We’ll keep it simple and only use 2 different embroidery stitches:

1) the Back Stitch and 2) the French Knot.

If you are confident with your embroidery skills feel

free to commence stitching. Otherwise we’ll review

the steps you’ll need to know now.

THE BACK STITCH

This is pretty simple. Mount the fabric in the hoop, thread a needle with

2 strands of floss, and knot the end if you wish. Holding the hoop

right-side up poke the threaded needle up from the backside at

Point #1 and pull the thread all the way through. Insert the needle

from the top side of the fabric down at Point #2 and back up

at Point #3 and again pull the needle and thread all
the way through to complete the back stitch.

I like to keep the length of each of the stitches about 1/8”
or less depending on how tight the curve is I am stitching.
The smaller the stitches the sharper the curve you can nicely stitch.

Repeat inserting the needle in the fabric at Point #2 and bringing it up

at Point #3 following the line you wish to stitch. Be careful to not pull

the thread too tightly as you stitch. Keeping a nice even tension is best.

THE FRENCH KNOT

A lot of embroiderers hate French Knots. I think the key to making

them is controlling the tension on the thread at all times.

Remember, practice makes perfect. So here we go.

STEP 1: Again, have your fabric mounted in the hoop, thread a

needle with 2 strands of floss, and knot the end if you wish.

Holding the hoop right-side up poke the threaded needle up from

the backside at Point A and pull the thread all the way

through. Hold the thread taut with your left hand

(if you are right handed) as shown above.

STEP 2: With the needle pointed away from the fabric wrap the thread

around the needle the required number of wraps around the taut thread.

STEP 3: Without losing the thread wraps, carefully poke the needle

back down into the fabric close to Point A. Continue to control

the thread tension with your other hand as you pull the

remainder of the thread through to the back side.

STEP 4: Admire your beautifully stitched French Knot!

So now we are ready to hand stitch the angel. You can see all

of the colors of DMC 6-strand embroidery floss I used in this

project. DMC #5282 is a metallic floss, but it's really not that
hard to work with and adds a nice touch to the embroidery.
The floss table below
is a guide to the colors to use for the different
parts of the Angel including the number of strands and the

number of wraps for the French Knots wherever they occur.

Stitch the parts of the Angel in any order you wish, but just have

fun with it! It is very rewarding to watch the progress

of a project like this and see it through to the end.

Back stitch all the lines and stitch French Knots on all of the dots.

Once your hand stitching is complete, remove the hoop and carefully

press the embroidery from the wrong side. You may gently hand

wash the piece if you wish, then towel blot and iron it dry.

With a rotary cutter and ruler, center and trim the design to

5.5” wide by 7.5” high.
We’re going to do a quick-finish now,

flip-quilting it so the completed piece will measure

8” x 10” with a hanging pocket on the back. You’ll need a
small piece of thin batting and a couple of fat quarters of

coordinating cotton fabric to complement the colors

in the finished Crystal Angel embroidery.

Cut the batting 8.5” x 10.5”

Cut backing fabric 8.5” x 10.5”

Cut 4 squares 2.75” x 2.75” for corners

Cut 2 – 2” x 9.5” strips for side sashing

Cut 2 – 2” x 8.5” strips for top and bottom sashing

Cut 1 – 2.5” x 7.75” for hanging pocket

Place backing right side down with batting centered on the top.

Center the embroidery on top of the batting and pin in place.

Press each of the four 2.75” squares in half diagonally.

Place one on each corner of the embroidery and pin as shown.

Pin each of the 2” x 9.5” strips with their right sides down

along long side edges of embroidery and sew with a ¼” seam.

You will be sewing through the side piece, triangle,

embroidery, batting and backing all in one step.

Press each side fabric piece away from the

embroidery and pin in place along outer side edges.

In the same manner, pin each of the 2” x 8.5” strips with their right

sides down along the short top and bottom edges of the embroidery
and sew with a ¼” seam (as shown below). Wait on pressing these strips
in place until the hanging pocket is sewn in place in the next step.

On both of the short edges of the 3” x 7.75” hanging

pocket piece turn under edges ¼” twice.

Stitch close to first fold to hem on both edges.

With pencil lightly mark a line centered down the length of this strip

(1.25” from each edge). Center this pocket piece right

sides together on the top edge of the back.

Sew along this center line through all three layers (pocket strip,

backing, and batting). Press bottom edge of pocket along

sewing toward the top, matching edges. Pin in place.

Now press the 2” x 8.5” strips on the front away from the
embroidery toward the top and bottom edges and pin in place.
Lightly press the entire piece. Evenly rotary trim the edges
so that the piece measures 8” wide by 10” tall.

Bind all edges as desired. This is how I did my binding:

For the binding fabric cut bias strips 2” wide and at least 38”

long (piece together strips if necessary). Sew binding right sides

together onto front of quilt with a 3/8” seam mitering corners as

you go. Turn binding to back and hand whip stitch in place.

Turn the four bias triangles away from embroidery and

lightly press as pictured above. Hand sew a decorative

button, as shown in photo below, on each one.

Insert wire hanger into pocket, hang on your wall and enjoy!

Thanks for “hanging” in there with me

through these lengthy instructions.

Happy New Year and a blessed 2012 to you and yours!

Comfort and JOY with Bea and her Tutorial for Owl Pot holders ( 2 guests today, tomorrow New Years EVE)

2011-12-29T01:03:00.001-05:00

I'm so excited that Madame Samm allowed me to host this tutorial here.

I've been quilting for 7 1/2 years and long arm quilting since 2009.

You'll learn more about me here and follow my blog too if you want :-)

So, how would you like to make these cute owl pot holders?

They are a HOOT to make.

They measure approx. 7" when done.

I just use scraps, but often use at least 1 FQ for the body or you can use scraps for that too.

I also used my GO! cutter and circle die for this but you can cut out circles yourself instead.

You will also need Heat N bond and batting.

(If you are intending to use them as ot pats too, I recommend special heat resistant batting also)

First cut out (4) 7 1/2" squares from a fat quarter.

For wings cut out 5 1/2" x 11"

For Eyes (whatever matching color) cut out (2x) 3 1/2" x 7"

For the iris of the eyes (white) cut out (2x) 2 1/2" x 5"

For the Pupils (black) cut out 2 1/2" x 2 1/2"

Beak 3 1/2" x 3 1/2"

Cut out the same in Heat n Bond but them everything about 1/4" smaller

and iron to the back of fabrics

I used my Go! cutter and the wing fabric I cut out (2x) of the large 5" circles.

The outer eyes (4x) of the middle 3" circles.

And the white of the eyes (4x) of the smallest 2" circles

(or trace or print out circles and trace that way if you don't have a GO! cutter)

The beak I used a 3" square die, but you can just as easily cut that out with your rotary cutter

With the black pupils of the eyes I used a small spool or a bobbin to trace and cut them out by hand

Here's all the pieces cut

I cut the NOSE square in half at an angle, or you can cut it into more of a diamond shape if you want

The wing circles I cut in half too, I line them up on the grid of the mat and had 2 1/2" on either side of the middle line and cut them in half (both of them)

Now it's time to iron them on!

I line up one wing, maybe 1/2" from the bottom edge of the owl body, removed the paper and ironed with a hot dry iron

then I laid the other owl body next to it and laid the wing so it matched the other side and ironed that again

You can also lay then on top of each other to match up where the rest of the wings are placed and remove the top one before you iron.

Now both are ironed down

Then I placed down the beak in the center and made sure it was straight, WITHOUT ironing.

Then placed the large outer eyes on top, one overlaps the other

when I was happy with the look I ironed them down

Then added the white and black of the eyes, I like to have them look in different directions :-)

Now it's time to cut the handles!

from left over scraps ( this time the FQ scraps) I cute (2x) 2" x 6" strips

ironed them in half

and then opened them up and ironed the raw edged in toward the crease

I stitched down the side close to the edge ( less than 1/4") and then put them aside

I then button hole stitched the owls with black thread, I like to turn when the needle is down, this way things don't slip around.

here they are both done

I cut out batting in both regular batting and heat resistant batting.

All 4 are 7 1/2" squares

first I laid down the heat resistant batting

then the regular batting

then the back of the owls with the top center marked with a pin

I added the handle and have the seam on the inside and pinned on either side of the pin marker

lastly the owl fron with wrong side up

I then pinned everything down really well, leaving a 4-5" opening at the bottom, I like to pin two pins right next to each other to remind me of where to start and stop

I attached my walking foot to the sewing machine

and sewed 1/4" all the way around ( if it's a little bigger seam allowance that's okay too)

I snipped the corners before turning inside out

I used this wooden stick that came with a bag of fiber fill, that's a great tool for getting the corners

I pinned the bottom closed and stitched close to the edge all the way around both pot holders

aren't they cute??

I gave these away already for Christmas, but this black and white set is cute for New years too!

Another set I made a while ago, using bobbins for irises.

If you make any of these sets, I'd love to see pictures of them, please send me an email or link on my blog!

Thanks for looking and

HAPPY NEW YEAR!