Happy Holidays!

Wishing everyone Happy Holidays! Decorations are spars this year from having the flu for a week and still not 100% back to normal. But I had to have my Christmas monkeys and Swedish gnome out cause they make me happy!

 

I have lots of quilting projects started and planned for 2015 so stay tuned!

Biscornu Pin Cushion

I recently saw how to make a biscornu out of 2 small squares of fabric. I had never heard of these before so had to look it up. A biscornu is a French term for a small 8-sided pincushion, usually made with cross-stitch or embroidery.

I thought I would try making one with some fabrics from charm packs which are 5" x 5". Now I'm hooked! They are fast and fun to make.

Start with two contrasting fabrics. Fold each square in half and cut 1/4" in. Repeat folding in half in the other direction and cut 1/4" in. Do this on both your top and bottom fabrics.These are your pivot points. 

Line up  the top piece at the middle of the bottom piece and start sewing to the edge.

Keep your needle down at each corner and pivot and repeat. Be sure to keep an opening on one side with back-stitching.

Push the corners out with a pointed tool.

Stuff with polyfill batting and push it into each corner. Then hand stitch the opening closed. I then added button in the middle with a button kit to make fabric covered buttons to match or contrast.

Instructions:

• Pick two contrasting fabrics. 
• Fold each square in half, finger press at the edge and cut 1/4" in. 
• Repeat folding in half in the other direction and cut 1/4" in. 
• Do this on both your top and bottom fabrics.These are your pivot points.
• Line up  the top piece at the middle of the bottom piece and start sewing to within 1/4" from the edge.
• Keep your needle down at each corner and pivot and repeat. Be sure to keep an opening on one side with back-stitching.
• Push the corners out with a pointed tool.  
• Stuff with polyfill batting and push it into each corner.
• Then hand stitch the opening closed.
• Optional: Add a button in the middle - one on top and bottom.

  

Fat Quarters Gift Idea for a Quilter Friend

Not sure what to get for a quilter friend? How about cutting your own fat quarters and make your own bundle! Buy 1/2 yard cuts and then cut them in half along the fold line which will measure 18" x 22". You can keep one of the fat quarters for your stash too!

These are all muted light colors I found which are always good to fill in a stash especially since its natural for the eye to pick mid toned colors.

Tie a ribbon around then and share. Happy quilting!

Play day with leftover fabric pieces

It's a left over Thanksgiving food kind of weekend. So it's a perfect time to use up some already cut fabric pieces left over from a Hunter Start quilt I'm making. I never toss these little bits because you never know what you can make with them. I decided to jump in and just start sewing! Here's the mini quilt results.

 Now time to quilt it! I love long weekends!!!!

Day of the Dead Sugar Skulls Art Quilts

Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Art Quilts

I love the bright colors and folk art and floral aspects of sugar skulls. That inspired me to make a series of art quilts with lots of embellishments. This is the first sugar skull art quilt I completed in my series.

This is the second sugar skull art quilt in the series. They are made from cotton fabrics, hand embroidery, beads, floss, rick rack, and white fabric paints.

This one is in progress and still needs more embellishments and beads.

 These have been great traveling with these and being able to add to it as it strikes me!

Lined Zipper Bags

Lined Zipper Bags

I love having quick projects to do in between making large quilts. These little lined zipper bags are a great way to explore color combinations and have something useful afterwards too! Great for holiday gift planning!

Side 1

Side 2

I started with fabric strips 1 1/2" - 3" wide in colors I wanted to use. Start with any two pieces to stitch together for example a 2 x 2" square. Keep adding strips and trim until the bag is the size you want.

Place batting on the back and start machine quilting. On this bag I quilted in rows on the bottom portion and in cross-hatch on the top portion. This is showing I started with a strip of masking tape to get the angle right. I quilted both front and back at the same time.

 

Lay the outside of the zipper on the outside piece (right sides together) and the lining on top of that. Stitch with a zipper foot. You can stitch one layer at a time until comfortable doing all the layers at once.

 Press and top stitch through all layers. I like to use the zipper foot still for this step.

  Repeat on both sides. Now you are ready to sew the front and back together.

Mark a curve at the bottom corners with any round object such as a roll of tape.

 

Pin the front and back pieces together and the lining pieces together. Make sure the zipper edges are facing the outside of the bag an lined up.

 

Switch to regular sewing foot and sew all around the bag except leaving the bottom of the lining open! Inspect your stitching and then sew the bottom of the lining and stuff inside:

 

 Here are a couple other zipper bags I just finished.

 

  
 And patient little Olive is ready to play fetch now!

Happiness is.... new fabrics for my next inspiration

Happiness is gathering up some of my fabrics for inspiration. These are low volume fabrics and I may include a few pops of color. 

I'm thinking some little quilted zipper bags and such. Time to start cutting and sewing!

Ideas for Displaying Quilts

As a quilter I definitely have large quilts through out the house....on the bed, the couch, etc. Here are some other ideas for displaying quilts and art quilts.

This is a little quilt that works great under the ceramic aardvark my daughter made.

This vintage modern table runner adds a great pop of color. This was fast to make and is easy to switch out. (Hmm I think I need to do a fall theme next!)

These art quilts are in a hall displayed on metal strips and rare earth magnets for a super strong hold. This is a great way to change out my little quilts!


There are lots of other ways to add quilts to your home!

Quilted Tote Bag with Lining

This quilted and lined tote bag started out as "what should I do with these leftover quarter circles" from a previous project. I hate waisting pretty fabrics!

 

I started sewing the quarters together into 4 part circles and then trimmed them to 4" circles. (You can also start with squares of different fabrics. See my cutting instructions at the bottom.) 

 

I wanted to keep the soft look of the colors so added different off white prints for the main blocks. Then the circles are centered in the middle of the blocks by folding in half in both directions to position the circles.

 

 I stitched 1/4" around each circle. Then sewed the blocks together for each side of the tote.

For the lining, I added strips of leftover fabrics to show at the top and added a large pocket and sewed down the middle to make 2 pockets.

 

To sew in super simple lining just place the lining right side to tote right side and stitch around the top. Then the bottom of the lining is stitched 1/4 from the edges.

 
Turn the lining to the inside and stitch in the ditch around the top edge. I wanted the straps to be sewn on the outside so lined them up with the blocks and top stitch around them.

 

Each side is quilted differently which was fun to try different quilting on the same block to see the different results.This bag is super soft and will wash up nicely!

Bonus (or how to really be "green"): This is the trimmings from the circles which looks pretty jumbled together. But this will make great bird nest material if you set it outside. Believe me the birds will find it and use it!

 
My Cutting Instructions:

• For circles: cut 76 - 4" squares. Make a 4" circle template and mark it  in the center to line up the middle of the 4 parts.
• Blocks: cut 18 - 6" x 6" squares
• Pocket: desired pocket size (I made mine 11" x 14" and folded in half to make 11" wide x 7" deep)
• Straps: cut 4 - 2 1/2 wide x 30" long (press down the middle, and press each side toward the middles)
• Batting: 2 - 16 1/2" x 16 1/2" and 2 - 1" x 30"
• Lining:  2 - 16 1/2" x 16 1/2"

Sewing Instructions:

• Cut fabric including lining and batting
• Sew small squares together to make 4 x 4 squares
• Trace around circle template and cut out circles from 4 x 4 squares
• Position circles in the middle of the blocks and sew 1/4" from the edges
• Sew 3 rows of blocks together for each side of the tote
• Sew the 3 rows together for each side of the the tote
• Sew two straps lengths together with batting in the middle
• Quilt as desired!

Mini Quilts from project leftover fabric scraps

Here are a couple of mini quilt ideas on how to use up little left over fabric scraps from quilt projects (these are about 6" x 6"). I have the perfect spot to hang this little guy:

This one will probably be used a mug rug:

These were fun and fast for weekend projects!