I'm a Winner :)

I entered a giveaway over at Just Sew Sassy for mixedbag designs and I WON!  I get to choose $75.00 worth of products.  How exciting is that?!  They have some really nice bags and are very reasonable.  Now I just have to make my decision...

 Hope you all have a super week!

Blessings,

Christmas Gift #1 (Joc don't read!)

Sorry about that friends.  

It's the only way I can blog about gifts without my daughter seeing what she's getting! :)

State Pillow

I saw this adorable pillow over here at In Between Laundry and thought it would be a cute idea for my daughter who meet her 'friend' in Pennsylvania at school. He's from PA, she's from MD.

Supplies:

• Fabric - I bought a 1/2 yard of off white fabric and 1/4 yard of the print.
• Embroidery thread
• Poly Fill
• Wonder Under or Heat and Bond
• Cord if you want to do a piping.  You could just do a ruffle.

Directions:

1. Find your state on the web.  It took me a couple of tries printing to get the size I wanted.  Print out.  Trace the outline on the paper side of the Wonder Under. Iron the Wonder Under onto the fabric.  I had a hard time with this.  I think I did Maryland 4 times.  UGH.  So many stinking tributaries!  Finally I did a google search for tips.  The trick is to only press for the time indicated on your Wonder Under.  Then let it sit and cool for a while before cutting and peeling the paper off.  I use a pin somewhere in the center and pull a little section up to get it going.

 2.  Place your states where you want them.   This pillow is about 18" by 12".  Also, keep in mind the shapes of your states because as you can see I put PA on the left and MD on the right THEN after I was all done realized I didn't like it that way because the lines from the heart weren't even...  I took them both off and redid them!

3.  Embroider a heart in the center.  I embroidered the red lines after I quilted the top.

4.  I free motion quilted lines all over the open area except in the states and heart.

                                              

5.  I decided it needed a big piping so I bought cording and gathered the fabric on it to make my own piping.  PS.  Not fun.  I would do a ruffle next time.

6.  I made an envelope closure for the back.  

7.  I couldn't buy a pillow form the size I needed so I had to make my own.  My trick is to use batting and make it the same size as the pillow form fabric, put it inside and then put the poly fill inside that.  It makes the form smooth on the outside.  I stitched close the batting and then stitched the fabric closed by hand.

                                           

I think she is really going to like it!  Now onto the next project. 

Blessings friends,

Hoo are you?

Good morning friends.  I hope your morning started out better than mine! I'd tell you about it but in the words of my son Michael, age 28, he would say TMI! So I will spare you! :)  Today I am participating in Night Owl crafting's Hoo are you? post.
1. Do you prefer sweet or salty foods?

I don't think I prefer one over the other. I like them both! I LOVE chocolate and Swedish fish but I also love pretzels. I was one happy girl when they started making gluten free pretzels!

2. Name your 3 BEST personality traits!

Responsible, trustworthy, friendly. PS. It is pretty bad when you have to do a google search for a list of personality traits. :)  

3. Name your 3 worst personality traits!

Insecure, Undisciplined, and Selfish with my time.

4. Do you collect anything?

I used to collect Precious Moment figurines when I first got married.  Now I am collecting fabric and sewing books!

5. What is your favorite season of the year?

I love the spring time.  I love watching my perennials start to come up in the garden.  Knowing that winter is over and you can open up the windows is wonderful!

Well, that was a lot of introspection for one day! :)  Do you want to play along?  I'm linking up here.


Blessings,

Another Mug Rug Adventure

I decided to join another mug rug swap through a blog I follow SewHappyGeek.  This was my second swap but this time it was not secret.  All the participants were partnered up and once I knew who my partner was I sent an introduction email to touch base.  When I didn't hear back for over two weeks I started to get nervous.  Then I got a reply.  She wrote in her email what she liked and I told her what I liked.  In the previous swap I did through flickr all the participants had a flickr account filled with their own projects plus a favorites link so you can see what types of quilts they like.  My partner...nothing.  This was really hard.  She did tell me she liked butterflies, owls, birds, and teacher themed things.  I had a crazy idea to use chalkboard fabric and my flickr friend Jeannie was so kind to help me when I asked for her thoughts.  She even mailed me a piece of chalkboard fabric from Florida! Thanks Jeannie! :)

Here is what I came up with.

I didn't wind up using the chalkboard fabric because it was a bit thick and I wasn't sure how the appliques would work on it.  I happened to have a piece of black fabric that had a bit of a shine so I used that.  I hand stitched the words to look like writing.  My partners name began with an 'S' so I put a large S on the back.

Now's here the fun part.  She bailed on me.  Now what?!  I contacted Jenna when there was no more contact from my partner because I wasn't sure what to do.  Do I still send it?  It was made specifically for her.   I was kind of bummed but then Jenna asked me if it would be ok if I swapped with her.  Her daughters name just so happens to start with an 'S'!  So I packed up my goodies and mailed them off to England.  This is the package I received from Jenna.

I just love it!  I've been seeing so many cute mug rugs made with Hexies and now I own one!  I am using it in my sewing room.  She also sent a nice piece of fabric, chocolate, and two pdf files of patterns she created and sells in her Etsy shop!!  Wasn't that so sweet of her to swap with me?  

I think I am going to go make myself a cup of tea and use my new mug rug!

Blessings friends,

I've Been Featured!

I've been featured at So Very Creative!  How fun is that!  Go check out Heather's blog.  She is very talented!







In other news, I got my syllabus and am wondering why I was crazy enough to go to college at my age!!!!  Hope you are all enjoying the cooler weather!


Blessings,

Cheat Silk Screened T-shirts - a tut

This summer was my first time working the two week camp our Montessori school has for 4 to 8 year olds.   Each year the kids make a shirt as a keepsake.  My daughter Jocelyn showed me this technique.

SUPPLIES:

• T-Shirt
• Embroidery hoop
• Sheer fabric
• Hard coat Modge Podge
• Fabric Screen Printing Paint
• A squeegee like you would use in the shower.  Make sure it will fit within the hoop.

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Decide on your design. I used the words 'Discover, Observe, Explore in a circle using Word.  Print out your design.  

2.  Place the fabric in the hoop and pull the fabric tight!

3.  Place the design under the fabric in the hoop and using a pen trace the design on the fabric. 

                                       

4.  Now take a paint brush and paint all the areas except the parts where you want the paint to come through.  You can hold it up to the light to see if you've missed any area.  Go all the way to the edges and you'll have to do a couple of coats. 

                                       

5.  Place a piece of cardboard inside the shirt to protect the back. Place the hoop down where you want it on the shirt.  Spread some paint along the top of the project area and take the squeegee and pull the paint straight down over the fabric.  You only need to do this one time. Carefully remove the fabric/hoop. Sorry I don't have a picture of that. I took them but apparently I lost them in cyberspace.  It took me a couple of tries so practice on paper first.  You can wash the hoop when done and reuse it.

6.  Once the paint dries iron the back of the front to set the paint.

I made almost 30 shirts. The kids and parents really liked them. We had the kids put their handprint in the center and then they used their fingerprints to make a few bee's flying around.

Thanks for stopping by.  I appreciate you and your comments!

Blessings,

Quilt Covered Composition Book, a tutorial

I saw these covered compositions book here and thought they would make great gifts.   

 Front

 

Back

SUPPLIES:

• Fusible batting - mine was 11" by 25" Composition book - I found mine at Target for 40 cents each.
• Fabric - this is a good project for using up your scraps.
• Lining/backing fabric  - 11" by 25"
• Optional - Embroidery thread, wonder under if you want to use an applique

DIRECTIONS:

1.  First measure your book. 

 2.  Add a 5" overlap on each side and make sure you have 3/8" added to the top and bottom.  Cut your fusible batting and backing fabric.

 

  2.  Lay out your fabric to your liking.  Sew together and then iron onto the fusible batting.  I used spray adhesive to attach the backing fabric to the batting but you can use pins.

 

3.  Stitch as you would like.  I did some free motion stitching and hand stitching.  Now is when you would do applique or embroidery if you want.

4.  Take two strips of fabric and bind the short edges on each side.  Then finish the long edges with a serger or a zig-zag stitch. Turn over the 5" overlap, right sides together and stitch a 3/8" seam.  Trim the corners and turn right side out.  Hand or machine stitch the center area between the two flaps.  

I made this one for my partner in the Scrappy Haiku Mug Rug Swap.  

The front.

And the back.

It's a quick, fun project that can be reused when the book is filled.   You could even add a button and hair tie or ribbons so it would stay closed.   If you make one I'd love to see a photo!   Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Check out my linky parties to see where I'm linking up!