Sunday, July 31, 2016

Oh Scrap! : Do I have Scraps?

I was recently asked if I thought I had enough scraps to put together a small string quilt in Mint, Gray and Light Turquoise....





Do I have enough scraps.....Ha!


My longarm Pete comes back Monday so my vacation is almost over.  Back to working on customer quilts this week.  And I have quite a few of mine own I will need to sneak in there someplace!


************************************ 

Now it is time to share your scrap projects, here are the details for linking up:
  • This linky party is for any scrappy project - It can be in-process or a finished piece.
  • You can link up your blog post (not your homepage please) or Instagram photo from the past week that features your use of scraps.
  • If you are linking to a blog post, I ask that you link back to my blog somewhere in your post. So if you are writing about scraps, just get into the habit of including a link as there will be a linky party available every week!
  • If you are using Instagram, please use the hashtag #ohscrap.
  • This is a party so remember to socialize and comment on the posts of others.
  • Following my blog is not necessary but it sure would be great if you do! 
Quilting is more fun than Housework

So if you love scrappy projects, feel free to grab my button for your sidebar or posts and get ready to share all your wonderful projects from scraps.  And if you have a great idea for using scraps and would like to be featured, feel free to contact me!

Friday, July 29, 2016

Quilty 365 Finish

Okay, so I didn't do 365 circles but I did sew little circles for over 6 months!




I finally got this one all quilted up and bound.  It has been a bit warm still in the evenings so the hand sewing took longer than usual.



 It is certainly filled with a lot of fun fabric scraps.  A big thanks to QuiltyFolk for thinking up this idea.  And kudos to all those who are still making daily squares!
This will be the last month I will be linking up.



I decided to donate this one to a kids' charity so I used some bright novelty fabric on the back.



 I wanted this quilt to be very durable so I quilted the entire top with all different sizes of squared spirals.  I quilted right over the applique and did all the quilting in a navy colored thread.


grab button for RedLetterQuilts




Finishing this quilt was my July OMG goal with Red Letter Quilts.  It is the last Friday of the month so I am just squeaking by!







Linking Up:

Crazy Mom Quilts (Finish it up Friday)
A Quilted Passion 
Red Letter Quilts
QuiltyFolk 



Thursday, July 28, 2016

Christmas in July - Holiday Cheer

Welcome to my stop on the Benartex Christmas in July Blog Hop.  Benartex has so many fun collections coming out for the holidays it was hard to choose a favorite.  But when I saw the Holiday Cheer collection, I immediately had the perfect project in mind.



Bright colored candies and cocktail treats....This collection was screaming to be made into party napkins!  They are pretty easy to make so I thought I would include a tutorial in case you want to get started on your holiday sewing.

The first step is to get the fabric pre-washed (to remove shrinkage) and then pressed.  I use either starch or a starch alternative like Best Press to get it really nice and flat.


 You will want to remove the selvages and square up the pressed fabric to the size you desire.  
 
When cutting your fabric to size, you will need to compensate for the 2.5" you will lose in the finished edging. For my 14" napkins, I cut a 16.5" square.




 At your ironing board, fold down 1/4" and press to the wrong side around all 4 sides of the cloth..  I use a small ruler to help with this.  
You can also mark your fabric with a light pencil line on the wrong side if that is easiest to follow.  
(Using Best Press on this step will help to ensure the fold doesn't open up in handling.)




  Next, with the 1/4" still pressed down, you will fold in and press an additional 1" on all 4 sides of the cloth.  Once again, the use of starch or Best Press will keep the folds from opening up.


On a flat surface, open up the 1" fold but keep the 1/4" fold, down.  In the corners, draw a line at 45 degrees through where the fold marks intersect.  I use the 45 degree mark on my ruler to line up with either the edge of the cloth or the fold mark.  Remember to mark all four corners.



Now fold the corners right side together (keeping the 1/4" folded down).  The outer edge of the cloth should be lined up and come to a point. Sew on the pencil line, remembering to back stitch at the beginning and end of the stitch line.  Sew all four corners.
 
Trim the corner about 1/4" from the stitched line.  I may also trim away some of the bulk at the corner where the fold is to help keep the points sharp.
 Now just fold in and you will get a nice mitered corner with a sharp point.  I use one of my cutting rulers to slide into the point to push them all the way out.  Give all the edges another press.

At this point, you can choose not to line your napkins and just top stitch around the mitered edge (see below) - or you can get even more festive and line your napkins with a coordinating fabric.






I cut a 13" square and tucked it under the mitered edge.  I then pinned all the layers around the edge to make top stitching a little easier.
 
In a nice contrasting or complimentary thread (your choice), stitch along the inside fold about 1/16" from the edge.  Remember to backstitch when you start out.  To turn the corners, put the needle down right in the miter, lift the presser foot and turn. I also backstitch at the end.
And there you have it - fun holiday napkins!



Perfect little gifts for that favorite hostess...




 Or put them away for use at your own holiday party.  
Aren't the prints adorable in this Holiday Cheer collection!




So, I am not the only one featuring some great ideas for the new holiday collections by Benartex.  Check out what some of these other bloggers have come up with earlier this week.  You might even find a few giveaways there!

     Chris from made by ChrissieD, featuring Jolly Penguin and Friends
     Debby from Debby Kratovil Quilts, featuring My Little Chickadee
     Alison from Little Bunny Quilts, featuring Sparkle
And if you haven't already visited Benartex's Sew in Love {with Fabric} blog, be sure and head over for more information.



So did your ears perk up at the word giveaway?  Well, I am holding one too!  If you would like your own little fat quarter bundle of the Holiday Cheer collection I used in my napkins, you have two ways to enter.

1.  Just leave a comment below telling me what item you would make with this fabric.

2.  For a second entry, follow my blog through email or a blog reader like Bloglovin.  Just leave me a comment letting me know how you are following along. 

Quilting is more fun than Housework...

***This giveaway is closed. Good luck to all that entered!***

This giveaway is only open to US residents (sorry) and closes Monday August 1st 2016 at 12 noon (PST).  A winner will be chosen from the comments by random number generator and contacted through email.  So make sure I can contact you.  If you are not sure if you are set up as no-reply, please leave your email.  Giveaway bundles will be mailed directly from Benartex to the winner.

Good luck!


Linking Up:

Crazy Mom Quilts (Finish it up Friday)
A Quilted Passion 





Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Summer Solstice QAL - HSTs

So. Many. HSTs.

Our "homework" this week for the Summer Solstice Quilt Along with Happy Quilting is to make all of the Half Square Triangles.  I am making the 9 block layout so there were a lot of HSTs to be sewn and trimmed.



For me, that meant making 216!  I am going to use two different background colors and I am making some of the block components in the same fabrics for all the blocks.

In other words - I am making it much harder on myself!  :)

To see what others are using for fabric choices, you can check them out here.


Linking Up:

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Oh Scrap! : Before I Knew It

Happy Sunday all my Scrap Loving Friends!

I know many of you can appreciate this little story.



I was looking through some bags of fabric trying to find some gray strings I knew I was saving.  I opened one bag and came across a bunch of these leftover strip sets given to me by a client.  I knew I also still had a bunch of teal and brown 2 1/2" fabric strips in a previous bag I had looked in.




....so I started chopping up the strips and sewing up these blocks.



 Before I knew it, I had a scrappy quilt top all finished!

Now, back to looking for those gray strips again!  :)


************************************ 

Now it is time to share your scrap projects, here are the details for linking up:
  • This linky party is for any scrappy project - It can be in-process or a finished piece.
  • You can link up your blog post (not your homepage please) or Instagram photo from the past week that features your use of scraps.
  • If you are linking to a blog post, I ask that you link back to my blog somewhere in your post. So if you are writing about scraps, just get into the habit of including a link as there will be a linky party available every week!
  • If you are using Instagram, please use the hashtag #ohscrap.
  • This is a party so remember to socialize and comment on the posts of others.
  • Following my blog is not necessary but it sure would be great if you do! 
Quilting is more fun than Housework

So if you love scrappy projects, feel free to grab my button for your sidebar or posts and get ready to share all your wonderful projects from scraps.  And if you have a great idea for using scraps and would like to be featured, feel free to contact me!







Linking Up:

Love Laugh Quilt (Monday Making)
Patchwork Times (Design Wall Monday)
Cooking Up Quilts (Main Crush Mondays)
Em's ScrapBag (Moving it Forward)




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