Leftovers

I always think it is fun to use scraps or leftover blocks to make pillows.  I had just enough scraps left from the Touchdown quilt using the Cluck Cluck Sew pattern and kit from Stitchin' It Up Quilt Shop (who just happens to have free shipping this month).  The blocks were 11 x 15 inches and they seem to be the perfect size for my guys.

Our team is the Minnesota Vikings, who are the most frustrating team to cheer for.  When they are on, they are on and fun to watch, but the majority of the time they aren't.  We were hoping for a good season this year, but with a record of 2-5 these pillows may just go flying on Sunday afternoons.  ;)  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

I finally figured out how to cut those charms

So first of all, I did get out right away and photograph this quilt.  It was a beautiful day and not windy...

And then I realized I should probably share a few things I learned while making this quilt.  First of all, if you ever decide to use the Moda Bake Shop instructions for the petals...cut your background squares at 5-1/2, center your petal, stitch it down, and then square up your block.  There isn't enough fabric if you for some reason miss on centering your petal with a 5 inch block...and honestly, a 1/2 inch isn't something to worry about as far as waste goes.

Next, yes you can add a small strip of fabric to a 27-1/2 inch quilt to make it 28-1/2 which is much easier to divide by 2-1/2 inches, and leads me to my discovery.

I love charm squares, I love the fact that every single color of a line of fabric is in there, I love that I feel like I get a huge amount of fabric for not a lot of money when I purchase one or two; what I hate about them is those pinked edges!  I don't know why I never realized this before, but if you do these few things with your charm squares when cutting them, they come out perfect every time!

I've used the lines on my cutting mat before to cut angles, but I guess I never paid attention to the 1-inch lines on there.  If you line the charm up perfectly using five of the 1-inch lines you don't have to worry about those pinked edges.  

You can just line up the marks on your ruler with the lines on your mat and cut.  Many of you probably already knew this, but for me it was one of those "oh my gosh, this is so easy and my cuts are straight" moments.  I had my 2-1/2 inch squares cut in no time, sewn together, and on the quilt.  I seriously think this is one of the reasons I get so far with a quilt using charms and I quit working on it as cutting the charms and getting them straight has always been frustrating to me.  Well, not anymore!!  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

Back In The Sewing Room Again

My son had a few extra days off of school this weekend and for some reason that meant that I got to do something fun!  We decided as a family that we would just do things that we never have time to do and enjoy it.  We watched movies, sporting events, played games, and I got to do some sewing.  Not that it was all fun and no work (I did turn on the washing machine and dishwasher once)!  It was wonderful, and of course I worked until after dark and didn't get any good photos, but I will in the coming days because the weather is supposed to be spectacular this week.

I feel like I'm getting back to my normal happy self.  We've had some tragedies the last few months that have been difficult, but I think we are finally getting through them.  I cannot wait for the sun to be out tomorrow and get these photographed.  I hope you enjoyed your weekend...now where did I put the backings for these???  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

Happy Fall!!!

We are almost a month into fall and for some reason it has been the busiest I've ever known.  My family celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary, and I ended up with a virus that lasted one day short of three weeks.  A sore throat that lasts over two weeks is almost enough to drive a person insane.  The sun is shining again after two days of rain, and I'm feeling like I'm going to live.  I also started working with a personal trainer and running again which I would love to blame for my illness, but they are both very good for me and necessary, so I won't.

I started appliqueing these petals over a month ago.  I love the way applique looks, I love the smooth rounded curves and I spent plenty of time researching how to make them that way.  I used starch, a paint brush, and an iron to get those curves just right.  For the most part it worked.  I'm not sure that applique is my thing though.  I had read somewhere that they should take about 10 minutes a leaf to stitch down.  I'm here today to say it takes a lot longer than that!  All the blocks are squared up and ready to be sewn together...finally!

I used the pattern  Orange Peel  from Moda Bake Shop.  I'm not going to use the same placement as that pattern, but I did use the petals.

I've also been working on this free pattern from Red Brolly.  I am using DMC threads instead of the Cosmo suggested on the pattern.  I will list the colors I am using once I finish this piece (which will hopefully be soon)!  I guess the family is waiting for me to go work out so I'm off.  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen