Search Results for: kit

Posted on by — 4 Comments

Cheeky Churn Dash Quilt Along – Week Three

A quilt along week three


Quilt Along – Week Three

We’re moving right along into Week Three of the Cheeky Churn Dash Quilt Along!  Head over to the Original QAL Post to review the details and schedule, if you need to.

Congratulations to Marcy S. for winning the week one prize- the Alison Glass Insignia FQ bundle sponsored by Knotted Threads!  Marcy posted a lovely picture of her bluebonnet fabric for the week one prompt:A bunch of different colored fabric on top of the ground

A quick review of what we’ve done so far–scroll to the bottom of this page for links to each weekly post.

Fabric Discount!A blue and white banner with the words knotted read written in orange.

Jennifer at Knotted Threads on Etsy has joined in the Quilt Along fun to bring all Cheeky Churn Dash QAL participants a 10% discount on fabrics purchased from her shop!  She has a great selection of current and modern fabrics, so you’ll want to take advantage of this ?  Use the coupon code: CHEEKYCHURNDASH at checkout.

How to Participate:

Post Your progress on Instagram using the hashtag #cheekychurndashquiltalong

Be sure to include the hashtag when you post to Instagram so everyone else can see what you’re up to, and if you’re in the US, you can enter to win prizes ?

Stay in the loop!

If you haven’t signed up for the weekly emails that will go out for the Quilt Along, sign up here.  There might be some added info and bonus content for you as a little treat!

Alright, so here’s the breakdown for Week Three:

A close up of a quilt with the words " a little quilt along week three ".

  • In Week Two, you should have decided on which Option of the Cheeky Churn Dash you’re making–Option A or Option B.  You also should have kind of looked over the Accordion Sewn HSTâ„¢ Method and decided if you’ll be using that method of piecing your HSTs or the standard piecing method outlined on pages 6-7 of your pattern.  If you chose the method outlined in pages 6-7, you starched your fabric already.  So here’s the action list to complete for Week Three!
  • For Option AA picture of the instructions for making a quilt.
    • If using the Accordion Sewn HSTâ„¢ Method, draw a diagonal line from one corner to the other on the wrong side of each square designated for half-square triangles.
    • If using the standard method, follow the instructions outlined in pages 6-7 to make the HST blocks.
      • Check out the video for the Cheeky Churn Dash.
      • Assemble a total of 24 half square triangles made from combining fabrics B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I.  Assemble a total of 12 half square triangles made from combining one Fabric A with one fabric B-I.  So for Option A you will have 36 HSTs.
  • For Option B
    • If using the Accordion Sewn HSTâ„¢ Method, draw a diagonal line from one corner to the other on the wrong side of each square designated for half-square triangles.
    • If using the standard method, follow the instructions outlined in pages 6-7 to make the HST blocks.
      • Check out the video for the Cheeky Churn Dash.
      • Assemble a total of 33 half square triangles made from combining fabrics B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I.  Assemble a total of 12 half square triangles made from combining one Fabric A with one fabric B-I.  So for Option A you will have 45 HSTs.
  • For both options-press your HSTs well.
  • This week, post a picture of your stacks of completed HST blocks on Instagram using the #cheekychurndashquiltalong hashtag.  Be sure you post your IG picture with the hashtag before the start of Week Four to qualify for this week’s prize!  Week Three’s prize is sponsored by Crafter’s Companion– and they’re offering up a gorgeous fat quarter bundle and thread set!A close up of some fabric and sewing supplies
  • These are my completed HSTs for week three!  I can’t wait to see yours!A close up of the folded squares on the quilt

Next week, we’ll be squaring up all the half-square triangles!

Cheeky Churn Dash Quilt Along Posts:

Week One – Introduce yourself and gather your fabrics

Week Two – Starch and cut your fabrics

Posted on by

Cheeky Churn Dash Quilt Along – Week Two

A quilt along with the block of the week two


Week Two

We’re moving right along into Week Two of the Cheeky Churn Dash Quilt Along!  Head over to the Original QAL Post to review the details and schedule, if you need to.

The Quilt Along

Materials Needed:

Fabric Discount!A blue and white banner with the words knotted read written in orange.

Jennifer at Knotted Threads on Etsy has joined in the Quilt Along fun to bring all Cheeky Churn Dash QAL participants a 10% discount on fabrics purchased from her shop!  She has a great selection of current and modern fabrics, so you’ll want to take advantage of this ?  Use the coupon code: CHEEKYCHURNDASH at checkout.

How to Participate:

Post Your progress on Instagram using the hashtag #cheekychurndashquiltalong

Be sure to include the hashtag when you post to Instagram so everyone else can see what you’re up to, and if you’re in the US, you can enter to win prizes :).  Just make sure you post the weekly prompt to IG by 11:59 CST on the Friday that ends that week.

Stay in the loop!

If you haven’t signed up for the weekly emails that will go out for the Quilt Along, sign up here.  There might be some added info and bonus content for you as a little treat!

Alright, so here’s the breakdown for Week Two:A pile of fabric next to a pair of scissors.

  • Starch all your fabric prior to cutting (unless you’re using the Accordion Sew HSTâ„¢ method)
    • Tips for starching:  I recommend using a starch with body–like the Faultless brand, or another inexpensive option from your grocery store’s laundry aisle–it will stiffen your fabric and lessen the chance for distortion if you’re going to be messing with bias cuts.
      • I like to spray the entire piece of fabric so it’s damp all over, then let it sit and soak in the starch.  I let it air dry, then come back and hit it with the iron.  I do this so there isn’t a lot of that flaky mess you get when you press immediately after spraying the starch.   Make sure you pre-wash your fabric if you think the colors might bleed–but not if you’re using precuts.
    • You don’t need to starch if you’re planning to use Beth Helfter’s Accordion Sewn HSTâ„¢ Method.
    • There’s a link to Beth’s videos in the pattern on page 4 or you can check out the video I made here.
  • Decide which Cheeky Churn Dash you’re going to make and cut out your fabrics accordingly.  You’ll need to make a large quilt option to qualify for the grand prize at the end of the Quilt Along, so keep that in mind.
    • Quilt Option A cut list is found on page 5 of your pattern
    • Quilt Option B cut list is found on page 17 of you pattern
    • Mini/Pillow cut list is found on page 23 of your pattern
    • There’s a note on page 4 of your pattern–if you have a hard time sewing a consistent 1/4″ seam allowance (don’t we all??), you can cut the squares that will be used for HSTs a little larger than the cut list calls for.  So instead of cutting 10″ squares for the large quilt option, you can cut them at 10-1/4″.
  • If you need help–there are cutting diagrams for each option that will maximize your fabric use.
  • This week, post a picture of your stacks of cut fabric on Instagram using the #cheekychurndashquiltalong hashtag.
  • I’ll be randomly picking one winner from week two (you have to post the week 2 prompt on Instagram with the hashtag by 9/28/2018 at 11:59 CST) to win an awesome prize!  This week’s prize is a FQ bundle of De La Luna, sponsored by Kustom Kwilts (me!) that I purchased from Knotted Threads.  Check out the Prize Roundup post for more details & the rules.A bundle of fabric sitting on top of each other.

Next week, we’ll be assembling all the half-square triangles!

Cheeky Churn Dash Quilt Along Posts:

Week One – Introduce yourself and gather your fabrics

Posted on by — 3 Comments

Janome Education Summit

A group of women standing in front of a sign.


This past week was one I’ll never forget.  I was invited to attend the first Janome Education Summit in Park Ridge, New Jersey to meet some amazing people and learn some awesome new things about what Janome has coming up!  The Janome Education Summit consisted of Janome Educators, Artisans, and Makers–generally a group of the most amazing people, packed with three days of classes and collaboration.

It had been about 7 years since I had flown anywhere, and I was REALLY nervous about getting on a plane and leaving my 1.5 year old, but once I made it to NJ, I was SO excited to be there!  I’ve been working with the amazing people at Janome America for almost three years now, and had never really gotten the chance to visit with them for longer than 5 minutes.  We had a nice meet and greet to kick off the first night there, and the opening remarks were made by Janome’s new National Spokesperson-Kimberly Einmo.

Kimberly taught a great class showing us the HP foot and needle plate for the MC 9400 and we made a really cool block using her Flying Geese ruler (it virtually eliminates ALL waste) and a design roll of her new Solid-ish line of fabrics.  If you’ve never taken a class with Kimberly, I highly recommend it.  She is so inspiring and has such a genuinely fun personality!

A sewing machine is shown with the foot attached to it.
Professional HP Foot

I’ve been using the Quarter inch foot for precision sewing on my MC9400 and had never thought to try the HP foot and needle plate.  Total game changer!!!  If I thought my seams were accurate before, this foot is even more precise.

A quilt block with an x in the center.
My finished block from Kimberly’s class using Solid-ish

Amy Johnson of Amy’s Quilting Adventures demonstrated a set of rulers for ruler work on the domestic sewing machine.  Amy provided all of the attendees with a printed piece of fabric to practice our ruler work on.  I had never tried to use rulers (except maybe a straight edge) on a domestic sewing machine, but these rulers from Janome are so versatile and fun to work with.  Here’s a picture I took of Amy’s sample quilt she quilted–and it’s AMAZING!!!

A close up of the quilt with a butterfly on it
Amy Johnson’s sampler quilt

And this is my very first try at ruler work on the MC9400–it’s definitely one of those things you have to practice a few times.  And some tools that would be good to have on hand–grab a Supreme Slider for the bed of the machine and some quilting gloves to keep your rulers from sliding.

A sewing machine is shown with the quilting on it.
Practicing Ruler work on the Janome MC9400

The second night at the Janome Education Summit, we had a pajama party and worked on some of our group quilt blocks that each attendee designed and brought with them to the summit.  We were also treated to Liz Thompson (Janome Canada) showing off the awesome quilt binder attachment to save time and fabric when binding quilts!

A woman is cutting paper with a machine.
Liz teaching us about the quilt binder attachment

Liz has the best sense of humor and is such a fun person to chat with!  I can’t wait to start using the quilt binder–you only have to sew the binding down once–no stitch and flip to do the other side!

On the second day of Janome Education Summit, Sheryl and Rachel from Shannon Fabrics brought us some delightful Shannon Cuddle and Embrace blanket kits.  They shared some super soft fabrics with us and walked us through a blanket pattern that seemed like it would take all day–but we finished them in under 2 hours with the quilt as you go method!

Two women standing in front of a table with clothes on it.
Rachel and Sheryl from Shannon Fabrics
A person using a sewing machine to make fabric.
Putting the cuddle binding on my blanket

My daughter already claimed the blanket I made–I selected a kit in bright turquoise and teal with grey accents in double gauze and cuddle, and Gemma promptly ripped it away from me as soon as I got home 🙂

Eileen Roche from DIME (Designs in Machine Embroidery) shared with us her amazing software to customize our own fabrics called My Fabric Designs–and it’s so much fun to play with.  I already have plans to create some custom fabrics for some bag linings to include my logo and colors–and there are so many fabric substrates!

We were also treated to a lesson in the Acusketch app from Janome by Tamara Kate (a Michael Miller Fabrics Designer).  Tamara is so talented and her fabrics and quilts are absolutely gorgeous!  I was blown away by what the app is capable of, but you can make drawings within the app and transfer them to the MC15000 to be embroidered on your fabric.  Essentially, you could have your child draw something special and have it forever preserved as an embroidery design (that’s what came to my mind when I was playing with it–but of course it could be utilized in countless other ways!)

A woman standing in front of a table with many different items.
Tamara Kate Designs

The Janome America team surprised all of the attendees with a dinner cruise on the Hudson River, touring New York City.  The weather was wonderful and the sunset was just breathtaking.

A woman standing on the deck of a boat.
Dinner Cruise in NYC
A view of the city skyline from across the water.
NYC at sunset

To wrap up our final day at the Janome Education Summit, our last class was led by Heather Peterson of Girl Charlee to make a quick and elegant pencil skirt with Janome sergers and coverstitch machines.  Heather shared all of the knit substrates offered on the site (holy cow, there are a LOT!), and provided each attendee with a pencil skirt kit.  I thought there was no way we could go from start to finish in under two hours and have a completed skirt, but we did!  We also got a sneak peek and got to use the new Janome serger that will be out shortly–I was squealing with delight!

A woman holding up an item in front of two other people.
Heather Peterson, Girl Charlee

I selected a super cute blue floral knit from the kits Heather brought for us, and it turned out so cute!  Trish from Trish Stitched posed for a quick picture with me with our finished skirts 🙂

Two women holding up fabric samples in front of a wall.
Our Girl Charlee pencil skirts

Every moment of the Janome Education Summit was jam packed with great information that I can’t wait to share with you in future posts.  I can’t believe I almost forgot to mention the swag bag–I literally had to fill an entire suitcase with nothing but goodies from all the sponsors and contributors (A huge thank you to all the sponsors!!!).  I think the plane flying me home was struggling with that extra load!  There were so many talented Educators, Artisans, and Makers in attendance, and each person has so many inspiring things to show with their Janome sewing machines!  Thank you so much to Janome America for hosting such a wonderful and inspiring event.

Posted on by

Wisecraft Handstitched English Paper Piecing Pillow

A colorful quilt is sitting on top of a wooden chair.


After a long day at work, picking the kiddo up from daycare, fixing dinner and doing the dishes…I like to relax by doing English Paper Piecing.  I started my EPP journey before Gemma was born by sewing up La Passacaglia (pattern by Willyne Hammerstein).  I’d pick my fabrics in the morning before I went to work (this was when I was still teaching high school), then when I got home, I’d cut the fabrics out as quickly as I could, make dinner, etc., then start glue stick basting all the papers on the couch.  I’d organize all my rosettes into little zip lock baggies so I could just grab and go.  I also had color coded templates I made so I wouldn’t get my little papers confused.  I’d throw a prepped ziplock into my purse when I knew I’d be travelling with students and had some time alone at the hotel at night and sew when I had a chance.  That project really hooked me into EPP.

Fast forward to now…I sew full time and any extra time in the morning is spent prepping for the day’s work ahead.  Now I have a sweet & sour toddler who demands most of my extra time in the evenings, and I’m so wiped after she goes to bed that the last thing I want to do is think about anything.  That is…until I got Blair Stocker’s Wisecraft Quilts book.  It’s such an organically creative book about repurposing and it really pulls at my creative heartstrings.

A book cover with two hands holding up a quilt.
Wise Craft Quilts

There’s an EPP project in Blair’s book called “Handstitched” that made me fall in love with English Paper Piecing all over again.  It’s a project I was confident I could complete, even with my never ending checklist and a needy toddler.  If you’re so inclined, you can pick up a paper template kit from Blair’s website HERE.  (Full disclosure-none of these are affiliate links.  I don’t get anything out of you making a purchase other than the satisfaction of knowing you’ll love this project as much as I do!)  Below is a picture from Blair’s book of the project and my beginning planning phase of the EPP.  Anytime I do EPP, I always sketch out a “map” of the project with a key for what fabric goes where.  I can’t ever remember what my original plan is without writing it down!

A table with some fabric and books on it
Handstitched EPP planning

You can see in the finished/progress pictures that I didn’t end up using some of my fabric selections.  I’m a die hard Anna Maria Horner lover, and I ended up mainly using one print of hers that I’m a sucker for fussy cutting.  There’s so much going on in the pattern of that one fabric that you can basically fussy cut it all over and get dozens of different looks.

A close up of some fabric pieces on a cutting mat
Handstitched step 1

I started by assembling the center with my fussy cut pieces.

A quilt with a large octagonal design on it.
Handstitched step 2

I absolutely LOVE incorporating stripes and straight lines into EPP.  I’m always surprised by the outcome.  See above.

A quilt with pink and red designs on it.
Handstitched step 3

There’s just something about those dull gold and maroons working with that magenta and mint that make them almost glow.

A quilt with a pink and purple design on it.
Spray basting onto my pillow front

So I decided this project would be a perfect throw pillow.  Once I started it, I knew I needed to see this EPP on a daily basis and not just hanging out in my sewing studio.  I grabbed my favorite spray baste and cut a pillow front a little larger than it needed to be finished so I could quilt it as well.  I used Chaco liner to mark the pillow front into quarters to easily find the center and centered the English Paper Piecing piece on the pillow front.  After I used just a smidge of spray baste, I hand appliqued it to the fabric (also AMH fabric-loominous).  All while sitting on my cozy couch with the husband 🙂

A spool of thread and some fabric on the floor
Appliqueing the EPP to the pillow front

I used Wonderfil 100 wt. thread to hand stitch.  I quilted some simple straight lines on the pillow front to add a little texture.  The Loominous fabric already has a grid motif on it, so I only did straight lines one way to save me some time.

A quilt is being made on the floor.
Quilting

 

A colorful quilt is sitting on top of a wooden chair.
My finished EPP pillow

I could have just stitched up the project and made a mini out of it, but we’re a pillow household.  I love how you have to really look at the center to see the English Paper Piecing template shapes.  The stripes really break it up and make you have to search for it.  I’m really hoping to start another of these soon once I get some other projects off my plate because it is so enjoyable to sew.  I put a lot of thought and even auditioned some of the fabrics before I started sewing, but you could just as easily make a scrappy version that would look outstanding as well.  I believe Blair’s version in the book is all Liberty (insert all the heart-eyed emojis here!!!).

Basically, I love this project.  I can sit my fanny on the couch and relax while my fingers do all the work.  And it makes me still feel like I’m being productive (while not actually having to do anything strenuous).  Win-win, right!?

Posted on by

Chevron Table Runner free tutorial with foundation paper piecing

A piece of paper with some glue and a ruler


So St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner–let’s face it–everything is right around the corner!  I feel like I blink and the week is over ;)–anyway, you probably need some greenery in the kitchen to avoid getting pinched, right?  Well, you’re in luck (like what I did there??), because I’ve teamed up with Janome to bring you a super simple tutorial for a table runner.  If St. Patty’s Day isn’t your thing, you can easily swap out the colors for something more suiting and make it your own.  

So pictured below are a few great supplies to have on hand for foundation paper piecing.  I absolutely love my add-a-quarter ruler.  It has a little lip that you butt up against the edge of your fabric for easy trimming.  I’m also a big fan of Cristy Fincher’s glue basting tips that you can get HERE.  They screw onto the top of a regular bottle of Elmer’s school glue and are fantastic for distributing just the right amount of glue to the fabric.  And some 8.5″ x 11″ newsprint paper–you can use standard printing paper if you don’t have this on hand and don’t want to make a special trip for it.  The newsprint tears away a little easier than the heavier weight printer paper, so that’s why I prefer it.  And a glue stick!  The rest of the supplies are pretty standard sewing supplies.  

A piece of paper with some glue and a ruler
Foundation Paper Piecing Supplies

When you foundation paper piece, you sew on the printed side of the paper.  The fabric is secured by using a little glue from the glue stick to adhere it to the opposite side, and the elmer’s glue to add another piece of fabric.  Be sure you shorten your stitch length–a good rule of thumb is to shorten your stitch length to 1.5 or smaller.  This perforates the paper enough to easily tear away later.  If you don’t shorten the stitch length, you could play tug of war trying to tear the paper away once your blocks are complete!

A sewing machine is shown with the start button lit up.


Use a ruler to trim away the excess fabric and paper (you may want to use a rotary cutter that you designate for paper use for this), making sure you leave the 1/4″ seam allowance in tact!

A blue rotary cutter next to a white paper.


Visit the Janome Website for the full instructions on how to finish this sweet project!

A green and white quilt with an arrow pattern.

Enjoy the rest of your week!  I know I will–as I type this, my husband has taken our 3 month old for a walk so I can have a little break 🙂  I love her to pieces, but my lanta–sometimes it’s nice to have a minute for yourself!  Happy sewing!

Posted on by

Valentine’s Day Oven Mitt Tutorial

A red bowl of cookies and a quilted heart shaped bag.


Are you looking for a great project to showcase that one print that you may not have much of? 

A red bowl of cookies and a quilted heart shaped bag.


Check out the tutorial that I teamed up with Janome to bring you by clicking HERE!  I know that I just love Liberty of London prints, but gosh…they’re pretty proud of them, am I right?  It’s not often I spend $40+ per yard on fabric…but I will admit to purchasing a couple of “swatches” from fabric.com for a few bucks a piece.  I could almost never bring myself to sew with them, especially considering each piece that I had was less than a fat eighth…hello…!  Not many patterns allow for this!  

A pair of scissors and a quilt on the cutting mat.


So I whipped up this cute oven mitt tutorial and thought that Liberty fabric I had been hoarding for so long would be perfect for the little reverse applique window!  

A quilt with a heart on it sitting on top of a table.


It’s a great project for showcasing your favorite prints, and also for using up scraps of low volume fabrics (or any scraps, really!)

Have the happiest of Valentine’s Days and take this project into the kitchen to bake up some yummy sweets for the one you love 🙂

Posted on by

Alison Glass Ventana Quilt


I usually am not such a sucker for holiday deals and sales…but when Alison Glass had her twelve days of Christmas, I couldn’t resist.  I ordered the pattern below (picture from Alison Glass’s website) in the kit format.  And I have to say…I have NEVER purchased a quilt kit before.  I take immense pleasure in selecting fabrics and design for a quilt, but it was so nice to not have to think about those things for once.  I opened the pattern, cut up all the fabric that was sent to me, and I whipped this quilt top up in about 4 days.  

I have yet to quilt the top…I’m thinking of adding some applique to the center of the white parts of the quilt to add a little more to it, but haven’t quite decided yet.  I had allowed myself a few days of selfish sewing prior to the end of 2016, and this was the project I chose to do.  It’s a great pattern–especially if you want to just follow someone else’s instructions (the blocks are foundation paper pieced), and you don’t even have to worry about being too mindful of the piecing process.  
foundation paper pieced blocks ready to be assembled
The kit I purchased came with Alison’s newest line of fabric-Seventy Six.  I added a few blocks to the standard pattern to increase the dimensions slightly.  I really didn’t think this pattern would come together as quickly as it did, and didn’t really have a backing in mind for it when I finished.  So I just wanted to share my bit of selfish sewing for 2016.  And while this isn’t really a pattern review, I have to say the pattern is extremely easy to follow (and the kit even came with enough fabric for me to make 12 extra blocks–increasing the size from a 5×6 layout to a 6×7 block layout.) and such a pleasure to make.  

My nearly finished quilt top 

Posted on by — 28 Comments

Sew Home Blog Hop! It’s a Twist table runner


Welcome to the next stop on the SewHome blog hop!  I am super excited to be included in this blog hop and can’t wait to share one of my favorite projects from this awesome book with you.  There’s also a giveaway (open internationally) hosted by each blog hop participant!!!  Instructions on how to enter are at the end of the post 🙂

SewHome by Erin Schlosser (photo by C&T Publishing)

Be sure to follow the other participants as they showcase some seriously amazing projects from Erin’s new book!


Wednesday, September 21 – Sew 4 Home & Jen Carlton Bailly
Monday, September 26 – Windham Fabrics & Rebecca at Bryan House Quilts
Wednesday, September 28 – Dear Stella Fabrics & Mandy at Mandalei Quilts
Thursday, September 29 – Erin at Schlosser Designs


Let me start by saying I had the awesome opportunity to quilt another project for SewHome, and so found out about this amazing book a few months before its release.  Erin is so talented and has thought of literally every project you could ever want to sew up to make a house your home.  

I am not as blessed as others when it comes to the interior decorating gene, so this book is a God send.  Erin even thought to include some design basics and clearly explains everything that needs to be considered prior to starting any project.  She has tons of suggestions on how to keep your projects cohesive, even discussing color and fabric selection.  I had the opportunity to preview this awesome book before it was printed, and had to purchase it myself to keep a hard copy on hand.  

It’s a Twist Table Runner (photo by C&T Publishing)

I chose to make the “It’s a Twist Table Runner” since my kitchen decor is a little blah…and I had never seen a design this unique before.  With summer fading and fall quickly approaching, I opted for a warm ombre color scheme to do my “twists” in, and chose the new Essex linen in yarn dyed metallic by Robert Kaufman so I could keep this beauty on the table from September through December.  

Warm ombre color scheme with Essex metallic linen

I had so much fun picking out my fabrics, and couldn’t wait to try the new Essex yard dyed metallic to keep the design warm and fall-feeling.  This project is so fun, and great for adapting to use up your scrap pile!  

You can see the tiny metallic detail in this close up of the sewn together table runner

Erin’s instructions are clear and concise, and I was able to finish this adorable project in under 3 hours.  The twisting technique is really simple to follow and gives such a great look when finished.  I’m excited to try this technique in other sewing projects, too!  

My finished table runner


I also loved that the table runner didn’t have batting in it and wasn’t quilted.  It seems like most table runner projects these days are of the quilted variety, and the “It’s a Twist Table Runner” has ample interfacing to give it a luxurious feel and weight.  It also made it a quick and fun sew.  

I was thrilled to participate in this, and can’t wait to make more projects from SewHome.  Thanks Erin for a delightful read!!!

To enter the giveaway for your free copy of Erin’s book SewHome, answer the following question by September 30, 2016 either in a comment here (on my blog), or a comment on my instagram post about this project:  What home decor item have you been dying to sew for your home?   Giveaway entries will close at midnight, central standard time 9/30/2016 and winner will be selected randomly.  If winner is domestic (US), they will receive a hard copy of SewHome, if international, the winner will receive the e-book version.  Winner will be contacted by me for shipping information.  

Posted on by

Applique your way to a handmade Mother’s Day!


I’m always looking for creative gifts to make for holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and it seems like it’s always the same kind of stuff that you could really do without…like, how many cosmetic bags do you really need?  

So I was trying to think about what kinds of gifts would be meaningful to me if I were a mother.  What kind of gift would I cherish and appreciate forever?  

Well, right off the bat, I think about things that represent my “imaginary kids”.  Handwriting samples, drawings, things that could be made more permanent.  But then, I thought not all kids are old enough to draw or write…so how could that stage be permanently captured in a cute way?  My answer was hand prints!  But the painted hand prints are kind of cheesy, and lots of those probably come home from school in the form of turkeys,  reindeer antlers, spiders, butterflies, etc.  

So how about making a functional patchwork pillow with traced hands of the kiddos appliqued on top of the patchwork?  

I got to team up with Janome for this super easy tutorial, and really loved the experience.  If you’re in the need for a super cute, but still functional Mother’s Day gift (or grandmother’s gift!), this is the project for you!  Follow this Link to access the full tutorial and supply list.  

The pillow features Karen Lewis’ awesome fabric range, Blueberry Park.  The back of the pillow is an easy envelope closure that takes minutes to make.

Hemming the envelope closures of the pillow


Sweet little blanket stitch on one of the hands prior to quilting

Selecting thread to go with each hand
For more details, check out Janome’s project page and access the complete, free tutorial!
Until next time, I hope you are able to get some good sewing in!


Posted on by

Redecorating your bathroom on a budget


Bathroom Re-Do for $212.00 

How many times have you gone in your bathroom and hated it?  I could not stand how our guest bathroom looked.  The wall paper was from the ’60s, everything is trimmed in bright gold finish, the mirror on the medicine cabinet is cracked, and I had a huge picture of a monkey chugging a bottle of liquor on the wall in bright yellow.  The cabinets had water stains on them.  The wall paper had designs of ugly flowers and vines, that if you looked really closely, you could make out the outline of a woman and her breast.  None of the towels matched.  The decor really worked well together!

You are going to love the bathroom as much as I did!


                   


My husband and I live in a 1970’s model double wide that I have been taking strides to update and make into a home.  We got it for free.  F-R-E-E.  Now I know not everyone is blessed with a free house, and there were some definite drawbacks to it.  It’s gotten new shingles, new siding (it had been through a hailstorm and tornado), new electrical wiring, basically lots of new just to make it livable.  

So now that it is comfortably livable…I’ve been “decorating”.  I’m making air quotes with my fingers, because I’m a firm believer that I have an absolute lack of style when it comes to picking curtains, decor, etc.  This year, I’ve learned about myself that I really just don’t like what there is to purchase for decor.  I want to make it myself.  Partly because I didn’t even know how to use a sewing machine 5 years ago, and I am so excited that I can actually do something useful.  And when you make it yourself, you can save a ridiculous amount of money by making your house look AWESOME.  

Working on a budget!

The first thing I did was move all of the mis-matched towels out of the bathroom.  I made a trip to TJ Maxx and purchased some really nice dark gray DKNY bath, hand, and face towels, then I purchased two coordinating rugs.  This was the biggest purchase I made for the bathroom.  I spent about $40.00 on the 2 rugs and $50.00 on the towels.  I could have gone to Wal-Mart for the towels, but the ones TJ Maxx has are really, really nice.  They are soft and plush and not thin and flimsy like the cheapies at Wally World, and I was okay with spending a little extra on those.  

When I got the towels home, I cut pieces of fabric and hemmed the sides.  Then I just trimmed all of the towels in a variety of different fabrics that coordinated with the color scheme I was planning on using–gray and teal/turquoise.  

This was the end result:

I have a hard time deciding on just one fabric, so I used all of the ones I liked.  I’m not a matchy-matchy personality, so that worked for me.  

Step 2 was getting rid of that awful wall paper.  I actually grew up in this house, and I have loathed that wall paper for as long as I can remember.  It gave me great satisfaction to paint over it.   


I purchased one gallon (I probably only needed a quart) of gray paint in the shade that I wanted at Home Depot for about $25.00.  I always buy the kind that has the primer mixed in with it so I don’t have to do double the work.  I probably should have used Kilz, but my husband insists we are building a house, so I didn’t want to spend the extra money if it was temporary.  I already had the bright teal paint that I had used to repaint our kitchen, but if I had purchased it, I would have needed a quart–so let’s add about $10.00 to that.  I already had the paint brushes and painter’s tape, but let’s say I didn’t and I spent another $30.00 on brushes and tape.  

The key to working on a budget is to work with things you have already purchased!  I really liked the paint I already had, so I just bought a neutral to coordinate with it.  And I am really careful about cleaning paintbrushes after they’re used so they don’t get stiff and ruin.  

I taped off the bathroom and painted the walls and cabinets.  Painting the cabinets was much cheaper than replacing them.  And if you use a really fine brush, it can make the room really pop.  (if you had a larger budget, you could actually fill up the cabinet with towels 🙂


Step 3 was wall decor.  I’m pretty picky about what I like and what I don’t like.  So I made my own.  Before I painted I took down the hideous monkey picture, and there was no way it was going back up.  I bought that myself, by the way.  I told you I had good taste.

After I painted, the walls looked pretty bare.  Don’t get me wrong, they looked GREAT without that dated wall paper, but something was missing to tie the room together.  

I made another trip down to the Wal-Mart and purchased some pretty decent frames.  I spent $12.00 on the smaller one, and $30.00 on the large one.  I could have gone way cheaper, but I wasn’t replacing the bathroom counter or the linoleum, so I figured I had a few extra bucks.

Mind you, I had no plan for what I was going to put in these frames.  I’m shocked that I came up with something.  For the 4-picture frame, I decided to put our last name in applique on some Tula Pink fabric that I had.  It was pretty time consuming, but worth the effort.  That was one picture.  The other three, I went with a nature-y theme and just did some free-motion quilting samples on solid colored fabrics that coordinated with the colors of paint I used.  I did pebbles, all over leaves, and wood grain.  Each one took me about 45 minutes.  

                                      

 



Helpful hint:  The glass in the frames I picked up was FILTHY.  Be careful when you take the glass out to clean it prior to mounting your decor.  I sliced the crud out of my finger and nearly bled all over the things I had spent so much time on, but luckily I noticed in time to get a band-aid.  

The second frame I picked up had three places for pictures, so I decided against quilting again and did something a little more “manly”.  I used google images for outlines of the state of Texas and a buck.  Then I appliqued them onto another Tula Pink fabric that I had.  Are you seeing a theme here?  (I love Tula Pink!)  If I have time, I’ll post a tutorial on how to do this–it’s really easy!


To sum it up, I spent $212.00 total to make this bathroom look a little updated.  I added in $15.00 for fabric-you don’t need much…that’s probably over estimating the cost.  

I could spend a little more and replace the sink and counter top, and I do plan on replacing the mirror (which I am getting for free).  

You save a ton of money by doing everything yourself, and you get the satisfaction of seeing your work put to good use.  

And the best part is I don’t have to look at an abstract picture of a woman’s breast every time I’m in there.  

-Joanna