Happy, Happy (TSS 004)

It's Sunday morning, and I completed another block in The Splendid Sampler quilt-along before the next one comes out. I said I would only make the ones that intrigued me so now I'm.. well... four for four.

But isn't this a happy block? It's aptly named Happy, Happy and created by Jen Kingwell. Her pattern called for straight appliqued circles, but I loved the idea of doing Yo-Yos and other techniques. When first I saw the block I envisioned ruched flowers, ribbon embroidery, poppies. I'm inspired by the others in the quilt-along fussy-cutting and embroidering. How hard can this be? 

Oh, how naive.

My first Yo-Yo in about 18 years and it came out a planned 5/8"! Holy smokes that's small! 

It took a few minutes to remember the formula, but I have it now.

Admittedly, I didn't like my first Yo-Yo flower. My second wasn't fabulous either. What is it? What am I forgetting? What's nagging at me? I felt like Winnie the Pooh

Think. Think. Think.

Ah, my running stitch was too small. As I result my first Yo-Yos were all "gathers" and little "flower". The smaller the stitch, the more fabric bunched in the seam and the taller the effect. With my red Yo-Yo, I made my stitch a little longer, and it turned out smoother and tighter.

By the time I was satisfied with my Yo-Yos, I had enough for a bouquet and decided to stick closer to the character of the original pattern. 

I almost fussy-cut my bouquet - lovely fabric.

Although not my favorite block, I've decided I might embellish it more but not make a new one. This Splendid Sampler is a journey, and I think it will be fascinating see how much I grow in the next year. Although normally very Type A about my quilting, I decided being overly critical of each block will take the joy out of this learning experience. And, besides, mixed in with 99 other blocks, who will notice a few imperfections?

Can you believe these are 6" blocks!?!

For a free copy of Happy, Happy, visit the The Splendid Sampler webpage.

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What have I learned?

• Batiks are fabulous to use for Yo-Yo's not only for their unique designs but they don't shred as much as regular cotton fabric.
• When using cotton fabrics, use a good-quality fabric with a tight weave.
• Don't forget that the smaller the Yo-Yo the likelier the fabric pattern will get lost.
• The longer the running stitch the flatter the Yo-Yo.
• Use the formula!
• Yo-Yos are addictive!

Quilting during a Michigan Summer

I saw the coolest thing today (wish I could’ve taken a picture!). 

A woman walking her 2 dogs and 1 cat in the park at lunch!  Yes, I said cat, and “Martin” was the only fur-baby not on a leash.  It was so funny to see him bouncing after the dogs like Tigger on pixie-sticks!  Martin followed the trio the entire perimeter of the park, fur flouncing in the breeze. He was only distracted once – by a very pretty yellow butterfly.  Not making this up!

As I’m sure you can tell I love summer in Michigan.  It’s so blue! And yellow! And orange!  I took this one walking along Meadowbrook road yesterday.

I can only see two downsides to summer: the heat and the distractions.

Heat. Very recently, we’ve experienced 95+ degree weather. Really hard to enjoy a large, very warm quilt draped over one’s lap while quilting.  I find that I’ve timed most of my projects to work around this.  In the Spring/Summer, I:

• Make small gifts for the holidays.  See some of my favorite tutorials here.
• Piece or embroider my blocks.
• Work on making bags and purses.
• Organize my UFO’s – love the index card method.

I then spend my Fall/Winter:

• Layering & basting quilts
• Machine quilting (snuggly warm!)
• Sewing down the binding (if on schedule, this occurs normally in the slow January or February months when you have time to sit in a warm house, for several hours, watching TV).

Distractions.  As you can see from my love of geocaching, the Zoo, car rides, family time… I love getting out on a good adventure.  However, I think even 15-minutes a day you can accomplish piles!  If I know I’m going to have a busy day away, I will normally plan 15 minutes first thing in the morning.

• Cut my scraps into charm squares or strips.
• Straighten my work space, clean out the bobbin area of my machine, return my thread to the proper place, etc.
• Reassemble strewn patterns & return them to their plastic sleeve.
• Add another block or strip to my journal quilt.
• Prepare squares of Kona cotton for embroidery.
• Trace embroidery patterns onto prepared squares of Kona cotton.

So, long story short…. Even though I don’t have many “finishes” to share right now, I’m still on schedule! LOL!

Elisa

Roll Call: More Favorite Tutorials!

I have a very dear friend that I miss greatly (Hi Dottie!) who likes to remind me regularly…. How many days until Christmas.  She loves Christmas! Can you believe just 7 more months!?!  Time to get cracking on those holiday projects!

 I have another friend (Hi Allie!) who completed a project a month last year so she could have a relaxed Christmas.  And, with summer coming up when we have the need to take portable projects with us on trips…. I thought I’d share some of my favorite project links for the last 6 months. 

Each tutorial makes a great gift for the holidays or birthdays or a guild gift or for your favorite blogger…..  These are not Christmas-specific projects.

·         Blooming Blossom Table Runner

·         Bunny Bowling Pins

·         Circle Zip Earbud Pouch

·         Clear Project Bag

·         Coffee Cup Cozies

·         Cutlery Tote

·         Denim Do-It-All Bins

·         Emergency Zippered Pouch

·         Flash Drive Cases

·         Gathered Round Baskets

·         Idle Hands Thimble Holder

·         Me & My Sister Fabric Napkin Rings

·         Moda Key Tape Fob

·         Pink Penguin’s Lunch Bag

·         Pink Penguin’s Puffy Pouch
·         Poochie Pillow

·         Quart-sized Travel Pouch with Window

·         Triangle Thread Catcher

·         Zip-it-Up Pencil Case  

You can see previous posts with more project links here, here, here and here…..  I can't guarantee all these links still work, though.

Hope this has inspired you for the summer!

Elisa

E-Magazines & the Advent of the Digital Quilting Age

As you can see, Ginger is trying to help me pick my next project. Well, I'm not sure if she's helping or hindering...

As you know, my bookstore chain closed last Fall and many blame the popularity of eBooks - that there's no room for a brick-and-mortar store in the digital age. Even if this is the reason, I do like eBooks. I do a lot on my iPad (like writing this post), and it's very convenient to always have several dozen books at my fingertips.

Lately, I've been offered several of my quilt magazines in electronic format. I must admit... The convenience and shelf-space would be nice, but I can't convert yet.

• When I work on larger quilts, I like to copy the pattern and keep it with the project.
• There's no pull-out section for pattern pieces or quilting motifs. Even if I could print them online (not sure I can), but can you guarantee they'll still be in business when I get around to that project?
• Many are the same price or more than the paper copy.
• If I don't have a paper copy, I forget I own it (sorry Reader's Digest, Smithsonian, and Mental Floss for neglect!)
• How else am I going to spend quality time playing "the game" with Ginger! (You know the one... You try to flip through magazines and she tries to sit in the middle of them at the same time! She likes to crinkle sound her butt makes!)
• Plus an eMagazine doesn't have the same look, feel, smell..
• I've also had offers for embroidery magazines. Now, how do you transfer patterns?

I must admit, though.... I'd be tempted to convert if they offered video tutorials within the magazine itself. Wouldn't that be great? Missouri Star Quilt Co does some sweet tutorials on YouTube & their site, and they've just released an iPad app to view them more easily. I see a lot of projects in my future.

Wow! Digital age has arrived. I do use Electric Quilt (EQ6) and PDF blog posts too. So, my question for you, do you use technology in your quilt making? And does it make you more or less productive?

 

Happy stitching!

Elisa

 

 

This is a Test for my Sister

I spent the evening making a present for my sister, and it made me wonder if she reads my blog. Tee hee!

So.... She's very busy so it may take a few days, but can she guess which one is hers?

Or this one?

I'm REALLY enjoying making these puffy pouches!

Happy Stitching!

Elisa

 

 

Poof Pouch!

I'm home sick today so I thought I'd cheer myself up with a poof pouch!

 

It's a Pink Penguin free tutorial. So simple and quick. I love it! Made it from the scraps of a t-shirt quilt I'm completing.

This one was made with flex frames (ordered on Etsy), but you can make it with Velcro or tape measures. I think I may have to order more!

Have a great weekend!

Elisa

Oh, on a personal note, I found my 500th Geocache today! Woot!

A Fabulous Finish!

Guess what I did with my "found fabric"?

I made the Bento bag using Pink Penguin's tutorial!

I really, really love the draw string top! The pattern was super easy - with lots and lots of pictures. I think next time I will use a stiffer interfacing.

Pretty cool, eh?

Elisa

 

 

Tutorial: Perfect 1/4" Border

Many years and many miles ago, I was attending a quilt retreat in the White Mountains.  It was late - Saturday night - and I was in my pajamas sewing down a binding in the grand ballroom.  Seeing quilters pass me, I looked up to see a small, excited crowd around a table near the rear.  Getting up to see what excited my carb-loaded, sleep-deprived companions, I spied a small lady, talking to the crowd, beaming ear-to-ear.  

I regret that I forgot this lovely lady's name.  I'm grateful I remember her technique.  She was demonstrating the perfect 1/4" border.  Done correctly, this border can really enhance a top or even just a block.  Here is her story:

In the example below, I will demo adding a 1/4" red border to a quilt.  There is a little waste, but the results are very well worth it.  It's not as complicated as it may seem - I've loaded this post with pictures.  Please disregard the cat hair - Ginger was very excited about this tutorial!

  To begin, sew on the first border to your quilt using four 1 1/4" wide by length-of-top (LOT) strips.  I've already done so in this picture.

Next, you need to cut your 2nd border strips.  Calculate the strip desired and add 1" to the width.  In this example, I wanted a 1.5" strip so I cut it 2.5" (I don't normally add such a small 2nd border but I knew I'd be adding several more borders to the final top).

This next step is optional but helpful - if the instructions aren't clear, it may make sense if you read ahead two steps and come back.

In this step, I turned my top over (wrong-side up).  Aligning my ruler along the white/striped fabric (my original top), mark the border as seen below.  Do this at both ends.  You will use this as a stitching guide.

With wrong-sides together and raw-edges aligned, pin your next border to your top.  VERY IMPORTANT: You will want to pin from the back, as seen below.

Here's the BIG TRICK.  You will NOT sew on the next border along the raw edges, as normal.  Instead, you will use the previous 1/4" seam allowance as your guide.

See how cool that is?  

By using the previous seam as your guide, your completed product will be a clean 1/4" finished.

When you are done and turn your top over, the "front" side will look like this.

See what happens when I flip it up?  Here's my 1/4"!

Trim excess before pressing.  Yes, it is necessary to have this little waste.  By having this excess width, it allows you to pin your borders firmly before sewing and gives your feed dogs something to grab as you move along.  This prevents a wobbly, wonky border.

Press.  Voila!

Now that I've added the top and bottom borders, I will repeat this process for the side borders. Notice I'm marking my borders to use as a guide when sewing.  Note, if you are good at "eyeballing it", you can skip the marking stage.

Second border is complete.  

Easy, eh?

Hope this was clear.  Used correctly, this is a very effective accent to any top.

Happy Stitching!

Elisa

Roll Call - Summer Edition

I love the internet because I’ve seen so many cool things recently.  If you haven’t visited yet, you should stop by Quilters Blog, which is a roll call of 1600+ quilt blogs daily.

In the last few months, I’ve seen some exceptional tutorials and fabulous freebies.   So in today’s post I wanted to take a few moments to share my favorites with you!  P.s. I have no tried all of these but I’m intrigued!

Basket with Bow

Beach Comber Bag  

Bias Tape Applique Tutorial

Casserole Carrier Tutorial  

Cinderberry Stitches free embroidery pattern: Woodland Faeries

Creating a Pieced Backing

Double Fat Jack Quilt

(Another and Fabulous) Fabric Basket

Faux Piped Binding Tutorial

Geta’s Flower Photo Transfer Technique

Glow Happy (Chinese Lantern) Quilt Pattern

Glue Stick Applique Tutorial – 3 parts

Hexagon Tutorial with Mylar Templates

Jillily’s Appliqué Method

Laminate Tutorial

Organizing Tote Tutorial

Pieced Centre String Quilt – block tutorial

Postage Stamp Quilt Along – I’m doing this!

Quilted Basket

Raw Edge Applique Tutorial

Scrappy Bunny and Chick dolls – quick and simple for Easter

Selvedge Phone Pouch  

Strippy Charm Pouch  

Super Easy Continuous Prairie Points

Thread Holder  

Witch’s Feet - Applique Tutorial with pattern  

This list is not all-inclusive and doesn’t include many of the amazing blocks-of-the-months out there.  Maybe I’ll do a BOM Roll Call another day!  If you missed my last Roll Call, you can see it here. 

Happy quilting!

Elisa

Roll Call! My Favorite Tutorials

We learn so much from other bloggers…they are an amazingly talented group!  I wanted to share some of my favorite quilting tutorials from the last six months.  

Detroit Zoological Gardens - June 2010

It’s Spring – maybe this will motivate us to cut into those precious stashes!

• All Machine Binding
• Cathedral Windows
• Diaper Pouch 
• Disappearing Four Patch - love it!
• Disappearing Nine Patch 
• Disappearing Sixteen Patch 
• Dresden Plates – No Applique
• Fabric Baskets (adorable!) 
• Fabric Boxes 
• Fabric Postcards 
• Fusible Applique with Blanket Stitch
• Grandmother’s Flower Garden 
• Half Square Triangles 
• Hugs & Kisses Block 
• Little Monkey Block 
• Pieced Curves (no appliqué) - Instructions or Video
• Scrappy Laptop Bag  
• Sketchy Stitchy Applique 
• Starch Basting Tutorial 
• Stringing You Along – String Quilts 
• Water Bottle Carrier 

No, I haven't tried them all... but I'm working on it!

Happy Spring!

Elisa

Great Online Tutorials

Good morning!

I came across these 2 fabulous video tutorials today and had to share!

The first one is for Pieced Curves So Simple that show you how to add "applique" circles to your blocks without curved piecing, appliqueing, or pins!  I really miss HGTV's Simply Quilts!  While watching the tutorial you can click on the icon to view the printed instructions.

The other one is through the Missouri Star Quilt Co for a "tube tutorial".  Using this simple strip piecing method, you can create on-point hourglass-within-an-hourglass blocks.  They give both right-handed and left-handed instructions as well as suggested settings.  I really love all their video tutorials, and you can view them on YouTube also.

This is another great advantage to owning my iPad.  When I watch these tutorials, I can set my iPad on my cutting table and work along with them.  So cool!

Happy Thursday!
Elisa

Super Bowl Sunday Stitching (a.k.a. Embroidery Tutorial 101)

I'm just about all set for some stitching (in between commercials) today!  It's early 2011, and I'm already behind in my Birdie Stitches BOM. So much to do and so little time!  A friend asked how do I prep my fabric for embroidery because I don't use a hoop so I thought this would be a good time to share.  The below instructions work for me, and I hope you find them useful for yourself!

Embroidery 101: Prepping the Fabric

1. I love Kona Cotton (though I will use others if it suits the project). I always buy more than I need, wash it, label it, and set it somewhere safe. Note, not all white fabrics are equal so always ensure you have enough for a project because matching it later will be impossible.

2. When cutting, always cut slightly larger than needed. For Birdie, my finished block is 8.5" square so I cut it into 10.5" square.

3. When pressing, I like to use Mary Ellen's Best Press to give the piece a little stiffness and a very smooth surface.

4. I cut a piece of Pellon's lightest fusible interfacing about a half inch smaller than my fabric and fuse it to the wrong side. Several good tips to keep in mind:

• Make sure your fabric has no lint or pet hair on it prior to fusing - it will show!
• After I fuse, I let my fabric rest for a moment or two giving the interfacing time to cool/adhere.
• JoAnn Fabrics sends out regular 40% off coupons so I buy my interfacing by the bolt.

If you are participating in a Block of the Month (BOM), prepare all your squares (plus one or two extra) ahead of time.  That way, when you are ready to transfer your new pattern, the squares are all ready to go!  I like to prep 1 or 2 extra squares in case something happens when I'm transferring the pattern.  If I don't need them, then I can use them afterwards for a quick project to give as a gift (like the Mug Rugs I made last month).

5. Using my fabulous light box (also purchased with my 40% off coupon), I will transfer my design to my fabric.

• Print pattern and cut any extra paper away from the design.
• Tape pattern to the light box. To prevent the tape from permanently adhering to the box, I will apply the tape to my jeans first and then use it to tape the pattern down (fuzz on the tape prevents it from permanently sticking to my light box which causes a bumpy transfer surface later).
• Tape the fabric to the light box (centering it using a ruler) and tape down with more "fuzzy" tape.
• Trace pattern using color Pigma pens. I always trace the lines in the same color I will use to stitch because it guides me to color placement later and is covered by the floss.  Here is my February block: 

6. After transferring the pattern, I will carefully remove the fabric from the box and peel off all the tape. Then I will press the fabric (no steam) to set the ink. 

All set to go!  I'll share again when I'm done stitching.

Elisa