I can not believe how long it has been since I last blogged…let alone quilt. After sitting down last night to my machine I forgot how much I missed it. It’s often difficult to find long spurts of time to just sit down and quilt and since I don’t have a dedicated space I spend more time cleaning up then quilting.
Life has been busy! Work and home life have been busy yet exciting. I accepted a promotion at my job and will be starting mid September. I am stoked about that. Also, on the home front James and I have been looking for our first home. It is so exciting and scary all at the same time. Also, there are tons of exciting things going on at church! I love serving in our Real Kids Ministry alongside my dad. I teach the K-3rd graders and have such a blast being goofy and off the wall without judgement!
So that is life without quilting. Last night I added a little quilting back in. It was quite a productive night. I put on a pot of coffee and my new Netflix show Glades and quilted away. I finished the quilt top to this Jelly Roll Quilt using Ruby by Bonnie & Camille. I’m hoping to do a tutorial on this in the coming week. It was super simple and fun.
I also made a lot of progress on my first pattern. It’s coming together quite nicely and I can’t wait to share it.
So with all this talk from other bloggers about Christmas in July I got to thinking about potential gifts that I can make for those I care about. It also made me realize that yes we are in July and Christmas is 5 months away…but it will be here before we know it!
So over the coming weeks I will be focusing on projects that would be good gifts for co-workers, teachers, Aunts and Uncles or anyone else you buy for. Most of these will be good “stocking stuffers”. I would love to see some of your creations so feel free to post in the Flickr account.
Today we are going to do some simple coasters. They were pretty fun and quick!
There are a couple options for these (both shown here). You could do a simple charm square or you can piece the top of your coaster. You could bind the coaster or simple turn it inside out. I’m thinking I like the look of the binding but not the look of my mistakes….
So first piece your top or cut a 5” square
Then cut a 5” piece of batting and 5” piece of backing (I used Muslin
If doing the binding method
Sandwichthe fabric (backing good side face down, then batting, then Top face up)
Quilt as desired
Trim edges and bind
If doing the flip method
Sandwich putting batting first, then backing face up, then the top face down
Sew a ¼” around the edges leaving a 2 inch gap in the middle of the top
Trim the bulk off of the edges (making sure not to knick the seams)
Flip it rightside out like a sock and use a tool to poke out the corners
Sew up the opening by hand
Quilt as desired
I tried a few different ways to experiment. Have fun making these!!!
This week there were a lot of things I found that excited and inspired me!
Here’s the countdown:
4. Holly at Bijou Lovely did a tiny sneak peak on her organized sewing room. My favorite part of this room (or rather the picture of a part of this room) is the framed pegboard! I love it!!! Check out a picture of the pegboard here.
3. Rita at Red Pepper Quilts has finished her Butterfly Quilt. I love the fabric used and the text fabric integrated into the project. It is so unique and really shows that she is a master of her craft! Check out pictures of her progress here.
2. Faith posted this week about a very unique variation on a string quilt, Butterfly String. There have been so many projects that have been coming out on blogs about Tula Pink’s new Birds and the Bees line and Faith uses that for this project. Take a look at this gorgeousness!!!
1. Lori Hartman at Lori Hartman Designs finished an amazingly awesome tree skirt. She’s going to be ready to decorate as soon as Thanksgiving rolls around! She used some great fabric for the project! Stay tuned to her blog for a potential tutorial to come soon! Take a look at her awesome project here.
What were some of your favorites this week that you came across?
WOOHOO it’s Tuesday! I have been really excited about today’s project as we will be featuring a tutorial by Lori Hartman of Lori H. Designs. You know I’m all about functionality of these TSPs and this one rocks! It is a potholder as well as a pot grabber
First off, a little bit about Lori. It was so fun getting to know her
Why do you like small projects?
“I love the ‘somewhat’ instant gratification of small projects! Not to mention they are so much cheaper to make than a large quilt!”
What inspired you to make this?
“I had seen the ‘Put A Lid On It’ fabric a while back and fell in love! And then Beth, from Plum and June, asked me to make a tutorial for her blog hop. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, pot holders were definitely in order! I was so happy to have a reason to buy that amazing fabric!”
What sewing machine do you use?
“I have two machines. My main machine is a Husqvarna Viking Sapphire 835. It’s a great machine and is a total workhorse! I have put that machine through the ringer in the past year and it’s kept up with me! My secondary machine is a vintage Singer 301A. I love the look of the vintage Singers!”
Do you have a dream sewing machine?
“I would love a Bernina 820! But I don’t see that happening anytime in the near future unless Bernina wants to send me a machine to review! I would be more than happy to do that! ”
How do you control urges to buy large amounts of fabric?
“Ummmmm …. this is a tough one. I try to purchase fabric that is on
sale. If there is a particular line that I really really want, I will wait
until it goes on sale and then purchase what I can. If I see something
that I absolutely love online, I will wait a day before I purchase.
Usually by the next day I won’t feel that it’s a necessity.”
If you could move anywhere in the country where would it be?
“If money was no object, I think I would move to Laguna Beach, CA. The weather is gorgeous! But I love where we are now. My husband and I live in the great state of Texas just north of Dallas. It’s a great area and we are blessed to be where we are!”
What are some fabric lines your are anticipating the arrival of this year?
“I am a huge Denyse Schmidt fan! I can’t wait for her new line, Chicopee, to come out! It’s going to be hard to wait for that one to go on sale!”
And that’s Lori Hartman in a very brief and small nutshell. I enjoyed getting to know her even if it was just from a few questions. It is nice to know I’m not the only one who has extremely bad and uncontrollable urges to buy fabric. I like her tip: step away from the fabric for a day and still see if it hurts not to buy it. Having lived in Houston for 6 years of my life I know what she means about loving where you are. Loved Houston (and Dallas!!)
Alright so…tutorial time!
Check out her tutorial. She has great directions and pictures to follow along with. Below are some pictures of my progress.
All scraps are accumulated and linen and insul-bright has been cut! (Got lorihdesigns.com on in the background
The big piece has been pieced (pre squaring)
The smaller parts are pieced
Quilting each individual piece
All of the pieces have been quilted. I did a diagonal quilting pattern on the small ones and a straight line pattern on the main piece
It has been a great week! I wanted to share some of my weekly favorites from the quilting blog world this week. Here’s my top 4!
Fat Quarter Shop had a special promo code for 50% off on Scoot and Millie’s Closet (I took advantage of this one!!!!) Follow them on Twitter for spontaneous deals and fun stuff!!! @FatQuarterShop
Number two for the week is the awesome and simple tutorial from Allison at Cluck Cluck Sew. Check out her Rainbow Strip Tutorial here
Jeni Baker’s post of her “apartment a year later”. I love seeing how she organized her space and made it their own. Of course I always love seeing other stash collections and sewing spaces! Check her adorable blog out here
Last night I decided to try a new recipe that the hubby was sure to like!
How can you go wrong with bread, meat and cheese?!
So I made Bubble Pizza (a brief tutorial is below so you can enjoy this yumminess too!)
Bubble Pizza
Serves 4
You will need :
2 things of Grands Biscuits
1 jar of Spaghetti Sauce
1.5 lb of ground beef
1.5 cups of Mozzarella Cheese
1 cup of Cheddar Cheese
1. First off heat your oven to 400 degrees
2. Next start browning your meat. I put a tablespoon or two of Extra Virgin Olive Oil on the skillet and start cooking the meat. Then I turn the heat down a bit and put a lid on it and let it finish cooking while I work on the next step.
3. Cut your biscuits into quarters and place them in a greased 9” x 13” casserole dish. (You may have no squish them all to fit them)
Quarter your Grand Biscuits and place them in a 9″ x 13″ dish
4. Back to the meat…..after it is fully cooked, drain the grease and add the jar of sauce. Heat.
DING DING DING….YOUR OVEN SHOULD BE HEATED NOW!!!
5. Pour mixture over the biscuits making sure to cover every area.
6. Bake for 20 minutes
7. Distribute cheese combination on top of dish and bake for 5-10 more minutes
8. Let cool. Serve. Enjoy
For next time I think I may put cheese on top of the bisquits (a lite layer) and then the meat mixture
This recipe was super fun and easy and definitely a hit with James! Being that we are only two people we have a lot of leftovers for lunch. Yummm
Tuesday! One of my super favorite days of the week! Not only is it simple project day but Tuesdays are just fun days!
What’s your favorite day of the week?
Lately the projects Kate Michelle Designs has been doing for TSPD have been practical. Like an ironing board or a dog duvet cover for my pup or an eye mask for my road trip (which was such a lifesaver). This week is no exception…
I have been in need of a pincushion so I mustered up a little tutorial on using some scraps I already had to create a cute little pin cushion.
1. First off find some nice scraps.
You can either keep it simple by using a charm square or do a little piecing to make your pincushion a tad bit fancier.
What I chose to do was use some leftover “outcast” blocks from a previous project. They are simple but fancier than a charm would be.
2. Get two squares that match in size (the size can be whatever you desire for the pincushion…mine is about 5-6 inches)
3. Cut two pieces of batting to match the squares
4. Next pin the batting to the wrong side of each fabric
5. Quilt each piece as desired. I did some straight line quilting with a twist…I like the results
**SIDE NOTE*** I absolutely enjoyed quilting these smaller pieces…definitely think a rag quilt is in my future….
6. Next put the two newly quilted pieces right sides together and pin throughout to keep it in place. Also leave a gap about two inches in the middle of one of the sides. Put two pins at both ends of the two inches to mark it.
7. Sew 1/4″ seam around all sides leaving two inches open
8. Flip it inside out like a sock (gently) Use the eraser of a pencil to make sure all of the corners are pointed out all the way.
9. Stuff and hand-sew the 2″ gap shut
OPTIONAL: If you would like to add more flare you can sew a button to the middle. This will definitely be a cute addition!!!
It was such a nice and relaxing weekend! It was definitely a hot one which meant lots of indoor activities.
Happy birthday Josh, Zach and the best hubby ever James!
We celebrated a bunch of June/July birthdays with both sides of my family. I am on massive cake overload!!!
I was able to finish up, baste and quilt the Easter Is Near Quilt. Now all that’s left is the binding (which is a good excuse for some Netflix time). This quilt is super special to me because of all the memories that went along with our Church’s Easter service. I am pleased with how it turned out. One thing I didn’t anticipate with quilting t-shirts is how it would bunch around the lettering on the shirts. Any ideas on how to mitigate this? My favorite part of this quilt is the modern blocks throughout (inspired by the new Quilting Modern book)
Mom “instagrammed” my progress
Here is a picture of me at my grandparents house showing the fam. What was so cute was my Papa’s reaction to it. He thought it was the coolest thing ever. It was adorable. I always love showing my family because no matter how many “oopsy stitches” or “shoulda done it this ways” I see they still think it is awesome and that I am the best there ever was. Love family!
Here is a shot of me trying to baste the quilt. Had to put Oscar in his cage for this one because any time there is a blanket in sight he makes it a point to get under it! It’s cute but highly annoying sometimes.
I decided to do a straight line quilting pattern for this quilt. It kept it simple and quick. Now all I have to do it binding and that’s it!
Here is a shot of my semi finished Easter Is Near T-Shirt Quilt
I was pretty happy to have completed a WIP this weekend and I am definitely excited about the new quilt pattern I designed and bought fabric for….more to come on that
Well…sorry for the late post. It’s still technically Tuesday for another 25 minutes!!!
Today’s simple project is for that special pet of yours. It is a duvet cover for a dog bed. My boy Oscar is a nice blend of a MinPin, Dauchshund, Chihuahua and Jack Russel. He is the sweetest but is quite crazy at times.
When we first got him we had a hard time getting him to calm down when we went to sleep or left the house for the day. He had a bad case of separation anxiety and would tear up everything he could find while we were gone. We accepted a small cage from a family member and were hoping this would help but were worried about whether or not he would bark non-stop. Much to our surprise he was a doggy angel the moment he got in his cage. He was quiet, calm and this allowed us to leave our house without worrying and allowed us to sleep better at night.
It was amazing!!!
Up until today Oscar has just been using towels or my first small quilt I made to lay on in his bed. See he totally claims this quilt as his own….
My first ever quilt made when I was 14 now has been claimed by Oscar
But now Oscar is living in luxury. This project has been a long time coming in my mind but what really set it off and made me decide to do it was that Joanns Fabric had foam on sale for 50% off. I hustled down there and got me some supplies to make this. It’s fun and functional and fairy quick. I finished it in an evening.
The best part about this is that it has a zipper so you can easily take it off and throw it in the washer.
So….here’s what you do.
1. Figure out the size of the doggy bed you want
Mine was 13″ by 21″
2. Buy supplies
Foam, Fabric and a Zipper
3. Cut fabric (see chart)
Fabric Pieces
4. Next take the 13.5″ x 21.5″ piece and sew a 2.5″ x 21.5″ strip to each side using a 1/4″ seam allowance. This creates a 17.5″ x 21.5″ rectangle
5. Next Sew the 2.5″ x 17.5″ on the bottom and install the zipper and sew the 3″ x 17.5″ to the top
6. Then sew the larger rectangle all the way around with right sides together with the rectangle just made.
7. Turn it inside out with the use of the zipper and wiggle your foam into the newly created dog bed duvet cover
Let your pup enjoy!
Oscar loves his new comfy bed
Looking back I cut my foam too small so my case is a little oversized…..
What a great weekend we had in Nashville!!! It’s a tad bit rough being back at work this morning but trying to get back in the groove.
The drive up to Tennessee is always so nice! I love driving through the mountains. When we got to Nashville I was soooo surprised at how hot it was. Literally walking outside I felt like my eye lashes were on fire! It was unbelievable. What was even more unbelievable was that Tampa Florida was in the high 80s…..how does that work?!
This is the lowest it was all weekend. Mainly stayed at 109
Needless to say we stayed indoors the majority of the weekend except for our little gallivant to the strip for lunch.
