Crafted Applique Winners!

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by for the Crafted Applique blog hop!

The first winner of the Crafted Applique book goes to: sewlost

Winner number two for the pillow cover goes to Kathy E.

I will be emailing the winners shortly, congrats ladies!

Crafted Applique & Two Giveaways!

Hello everyone, welcome to my stop on the Crafted Applique Blog Hop !
When I first learned of my friend Lara's new AQS book being published about NO FRAY raw edge applique, I was so excited to know her secret. Then I saw the book cover sneak peek and I was already sold, without even knowing the contents. Look at this camper, so fun!

Photo From BuzzinBumble

I really couldn't imagine what different technique she had come up with that wasn't already out there. The day I learned the answer to this mystery, it was a true WOW moment! Seriously, it was almost too great to be true. When my book arrived I immediately went to the back to see the projects. I do this with every new book I get :) It's really hard to pick a favorite but this one really caught my eye. I can see it hung above my little fireplace come this fall. All the projects are just as stunning. The best part is, now I, and you, can do this too!!

Photo From BuzzBumble

Lara starts by comparing other applique techniques with her method. The pros and cons, the process, supplies etc. I love that she added so much detail to really clarify her process. I know exactly what I need and how to use it. She evens tells us how to prepare lighter fabrics so the background does not show through. There are lots of tips and tricks that are very handy and helpful!

I received my Sweetwater project box at the same time as my Crafted Applique book. I had already missed the boat on Lori Holt's new sew along. So I decided to use a pillow pattern from Sweetwater and some Lori Holt fabric to try my hand at Lara's method for no fray raw edge applique. I have only done a couple applique projects and neither were raw edge. I was always scared of fraying edges and things not being tidy. That said, I was super excited to see if this worked for me like it does for Lara.

The answer is yes! It works just as good as she said it would. I found the fabric prep to be simple and kinda fun actually. I had reservations about how the pieces may feel after preparing it. I was pleasantly shocked at how soft and flexible it stayed. No bulk like a piece that has fusible or sew in interfacing on it! I used a pair of Sew Mate embroidery scissors to cut out my shapes. These little things are sharp and worked so awesome for this! I kept thinking, omg, I really did this, and it was EASY! And it's not going to fray! No more deciding on the zillion kinds of interfacing. One thing I loved was the ability to have the fabric adhere with placement, yet it was easily re-positioned. My stem was moved quite a few times and it always "stuck" again each time. Notice the edges of my background piece above, then the applique? Yep, it never frayed! I took a close up shot so you can see it after sewing.

Lara explains her recommendations in the book. I used a Janome blue tip, size 11, needle and Aurifil 50 wt thread. They both worked beautifully. You could still use a blanket, zig zag, satin stitch or whatever pleases you, I chose to just straight stitch close to the edge.

One of my grand daughters came outside as we were taking pictures, so I figured she was a pretty good backdrop :) Say hello to Amie!

I forgot to take a photo but the pillow back is also Lori Holt, Sew Cherry fabric. I really wanted to try to keep this short but it's already getting long, bear with me a bit longer as there are prizes involved!

This is an honest review of Lara's book folks. Not because she's super dooper talented, one of the nicest people you could ever meet, or just because she's my friend! If you have ever wanted to try applique, any kind of applique, I really hope you will try Lara's method. It IS new and different from anything I've seen elsewhere. The possibilities are endless. I love that it allows for really tough designs to become doable by anyone. It's also awesome for quick projects like my pillow. I feel so blessed to have been included in introducing you to a new, must have, tool for us quilters :) Be sure to visit Lara's blog BuzzinBumble because she is giving away all the books in my first photo and some other awesome goodies during the hop!! Each week she also shares sneak peeks of the projects from her book. All of us bloggers on the tour also have a copy to give away as well! If you can't wait and want a copy now, go here for a signed copy on sale, or here on Amazon or at AQS and if you win a copy she has kindly offered to refund your money! I told you she's a keeper :)

Tomorrow, Saturday, June 4th, the next stop is Darlene Simmons from Quilt Shop Gal so be sure to visit her too. There are weeks of stops and you can find the complete list on Lara's blog here. Be sure to visit everyone so you don't miss some awesome projects that have been shared. Lara's giveaway winners will be announced on Sunday, June 5th, so don't waste any time getting over to her blog!

If you've made it this far in my post, thank you! I have two giveaways right here friends! Lara is offering a copy of Crafted Applique to one very lucky reader. I am offering the pillow cover I made above to another reader. It will just be the cover, not the pillow form. Simply leave a comment and I will draw two names on June 8th at 6 PM MT. Winner will be announced here and emailed so PLEASE make sure you are not a no reply blogger. Leave your email in your comment if you aren't positive so I can contact you. Thanks for stopping by!
GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Linking Up: Let's Be Social at Sew Fresh Quilts, Linky Tuesday at Free Motion by the River, Sew Cute Tuesday at Blossom Heart Quilts, TGIFF at Devoted Quilter, The Giveaway Roundup Fabric Frenzy Friday at Fort Worth Fabric Studio, Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts

Dreamin Vintage Baby Scrap Quilt

Hello friends, it's been awhile! Both of my computers have been on the fritz so I've put off posting things. I have zero patience when it comes to technology!

I finished up a scrap quilt quite a few weeks ago. I had some strips left from Dreamin Daisies that I decided to finally use up. This is one of my most favorite Art Gallery lines. The colors are so saturated and beautiful. I'm really sad that Jeni Baker decided to not design fabric anymore, a real bummer!!

I originally quilted on each side of all the rectangle seams but decided it wasn't enough. The green fabric on the bottom left was my inspiration for the extra lines I did.

In an effort to use what I had on this, I dug through my vintage sheets and found a Wamsutta that had the exact colors as Dreamin Vintage.

I had just enough strips left from the backing I cut to use as binding.

It finished at 38 x 46.5 inches.

One last less than stellar photo I had on my phone for awhile now.

In other news, be sure to stop by next Friday, June 3rd, as it is my stop on the Crafted Applique blog hop. I have two prizes to give away as well. Lara has some great things going on at her blog, it's worth going through all her posts to see sneak peaks of projects and some pretty awesome prizes!!

Have a safe Memorial Day weekend, thanks for visiting!
Linking up to Fabric Frenzy Friday at Fort Worth Fabric Studio, Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation, Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts and Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Nouvelle Skipping Squares

This quilt has been finished for several weeks. I have never gotten proper pictures but decided to share what I have anyway. I used the Skipping Squares pattern by Cluck Cluck Sew. I'd seen this pattern before but when she recently posted it with her new fabric line, I ran over and got it. Have you seen her new line made in this? Beautiful! The fabric is Nouvelle by Pat Bravo for Art Gallery Fabrics.

This pattern uses 10 fat quarters so it was perfect for an Art Gallery collection. It was fast to cut and simple to put together. I used a lot of white scraps in this one. Sadly, when I took it outside, I noticed some pieces at the bottom must have been Bella white 97 instead of 98, ugh. I didn't even notice when sewing that they were different.

For the backing I used a print from SAS fabrics in Phoenix. Right when I saw it, I knew it would match Nouvelle perfectly and it did! At 3.00 a yard, I'm glad I took the chance. I was pleasantly surprised to open the fabric up and see that it was 58" wide, score! No piecing the back :)

The binding is a print from Nouvelle as well.
 

I tried something new with the quilting. I used the scallop stitch on my machine. I do love the texture it created. However, I don't think I will be using it again. There's a few places on the back where the tension just wasn't consistent, bummer.

It finished at 50 x 65. I've never been able to get an accurate 1/4" seam, no matter what I adjusted. I got a new foot and wow, what a difference! It sews right on the money so maybe I will quit losing inches on my quilts now.

This was the only place I could find to hang it and get a picture of the whole thing (mostly all of it), so excuse my husband's mess in the background. His dog tore down all the blinds in his garage, so he shoved cardboard up for the moment, ack!

Along with the tension issues and the whites being off, I mis centered my label and some of it is under the binding. Never done that one before, grr. I also stuck myself and didn't realize I was bleeding...on the white of course! So this one will get washed and rolled up to put in my basket for the grand kids to use :) Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up to Fabric Frenzy Friday at Fort Worth Fabric Studio Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts,  Needle And Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation, Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts, and WHOOMP There It Is at A Quilted Passion

Posy 16 Patch

I had cut the squares for this quilt many moons ago from a big stack of layer cakes I'd bought on ebay.
The inspiration for this quilt came from Lauren at Charlotte's gRACE for a Cure 
She was totally ok with me copying her sweet quilt :)

I won't carry on and explain why these pictures are less than stellar. Just trust me when I say, the struggle was real. This fabric is also really tough to photograph! I ended up using my iphone camera. The last quilt I made with Posy was the same way. The shades want to show so much darker than they truly are. I'm going to try again when I go to town. I just really wanted to get this post up since it's been done quite a few days now!

It's simply twenty 16 patch blocks made up of 2.5 inch squares. Sashing is 2.5 inch strips of Bella white 98

For the back I had found my favorite print from the line at Stitch Sanctuary and they also had a print I used for the binding and filling in the backing. I used Aurifil 2435 to attach the binding and it matched perfectly.

It finished at 40.5 x 50.5 before washing. I managed to get one shot that shows the true colors, and of course it had to be the one of a quilt roll!

I love this sweet little quilt, it reminds me of Easter. I do miss that Aneela Hoey is no longer with Moda, boo!

Linking up to Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts, Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation, Fabric Frenzy Friday at Fort Worth Fabric Studio and Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts

Jingle Stars

I finished up my Christmas quilt on Monday. Shortly after my last post, we decided my daughter was coming to get me for the holiday. I was gone a few weeks so it is late but that's ok!

I used the Moda Bake Shop tutorial Gooseberry Star Patch Quilt by Peta Peace. I decided to leave the borders off because I just wanted to be finished. I honestly hate doing borders, even though I think this quilt really needed it. It still finished at 51 x 71 so I'm ok with it.

The one and only thing I've learned about my new camera is that the auto mode really distorts the true colors. I still have lots of learning to do...

I have the Janome 6600P sewing machine and it doesn't come with the popular serpentine stitch. My friend Moira directed me to a Facebook group where someone had posted the exact instructions to program this stitch into your machine. I was thrilled to finally have this option. I don't think this quilt was the best pattern to compliment the serpentine but I couldn't wait to try it out! I quilted lines about 2 inches apart and wish I would have done one inch, but again, I wanted to finally have a finish.

For the back I just added Bella white to the strip of print, my usual go to backing.

For anyone unaware, the fabric is Jingle by Kate Spain for Moda. Her Christmas lines are always so bright and fun. I really love traditional red and green in Christmas quilts!

So, there you have it, finally a finish from me. It was so satisfying to sew that last stitch on the binding!
Have you guys seen all the amazing Christmas lines coming out in May?! (I'm a sucker for anything Christmas) I hope everyone had wonderful holidays!!

Linking up to Needle And Thread Thursday, Fabric Frenzy Friday and Finish It Up Friday

Home At Last

Hello friends! It's been 3 long months away for me. I have so much to do and catch up on. I wanted to put a quick post up before I get any more lost in cleaning, sewing, etc etc. I am doing some better and hope to accomplish a lot this month!

I'm working on a Christmas quilt. I really love this Jingle fabric by Kate Spain!

I had purchased a Jolly Bar from The Fat Quarter Shop and wasn't sure what I'd do with it. Then I remembered this lovely quilt I saw on Moda Bake Shop. I love elongated stars :) So, the Gooseberry Star Patch Quilt it is!

The day after I got home I made up these potholders for a Christmas gift. The recipient likes bright and dark, so I think they will fit. I used my own tutorial, you can see it here

I have said this before but need to say it again. I'm so incredibly grateful for the friends I've made on my quilting journey. I have to give a huge thank you to Cristina and Lara for always checking on me, listening and being so supportive. When you get so down and low, knowing someone cares means so VERY much. I love you both to pieces!! I had  a wonderful surprise from my good friend Jasmine when I got home as well. This pretty little pouch :) I love it and have so many use ideas that I can't decide what it will house yet. Thanks again Jasmine for your kindness and friendship!

And last but certainly not least. Thanks to a few readers that sent me emails asking if I was ok because I hadn't posted for so long. We are all so busy and life keeps turning, I didn't think anyone would notice my absence and it was really nice to know some did :) The quilting community is so awesome and I'm so thankful to be a small part of it! I've peeked in your blogs here and there as I've had time but have a lot of catch up there too. It's good to be back :)

Hillside Houses

I wanted to share a quick post of my Hillside Houses quilt along top finish with you all.
I'm a little late in the game but my top is finally finished! In case you missed it and would like to make your own, you can visit Cristina at Pretty Little Quilts. She shares free instructions, the links are on her blog!

I figured out using so many different brands of solids in one top can render things a bit off. I'm not sure what caused it, but things didn't all line up so well in this one. Perhaps different shrinkage or stretch when steam pressing. It's pretty straight forward piecing and usually things end up pretty good for me. It was frustrating but I still love this design and I'm happy to have a finished top :)
I have been working on a few different things. I completed a few more blocks of the Farm Girl Vintage sew along. I am waiting on my last two blocks from the Feed Company BOM and it will be almost ready to complete. I also got all my rows of the Ambleside jelly roll quilt sewn. I just have to join the rows. I'm trying to complete a few things before starting anything else. I don't work well in disarray!

I, like most of you, try to keep my blog a happy and sewing related place to visit. However, life does happen to us all sometimes. I'm going to be gone for 2-4 weeks for a new doctor visit in Dallas, TX. The truth is, I'm just not getting better still. If anything, I've continually gotten worse. I've studied and done all I know to do and decided it was time to get some real help! Please say a prayer that when I return, I have answers and I'm improving...it's way past time for me to be well again :)

I missed posting a two year blog anniversary giveaway, so be on the lookout for that when I return! Take care friends and thank you again for following along with me and for the wonderful friendships I have made :)