Friday, September 4, 2009

So-Easy charm-pack quilt

I just had to share this with you:


Ingredients: * 36--5" squares * 2-1/2 yards of fabric * approx. 50" square of batting (I use warm & natural--or warm & white in this case) * quilt basting spray (I like june tailor brand from Joann's--don't forget your 40% coupon!) * your choice of thread * safety pins

Instructions:

Cut your 2-1/2 yards of fabric in half so you have two pieces that measure 1-1/4 yards (or 45" square).

Lay your charms (5" squares) in 6 rows of 6 in a manner pleasing to you on the pretty side of one piece of fabric. (Okay, note: I like to do things fast, so I did not mark/measure/etc. my rows in a meticulous fashion. Needless to say, they are not perfect, but then, neither am I. I quilt for my own fun. That said, feel free to be way more precise, if you'd like. That is good, too.)



Now, use the basting spray on the back of each square and stick 'em on the fabric. Don't be scared, with the spray I use you can easily move them around if needed.


You are ready to make your quilt "sandwich"--yes, now!


Take the other 1-1/4 piece of fabric and lay it nice side down. Then put your batting on top of it. Then, grab your spouse, friend--basically, two more hands--and put your quilt top on top of your batting. Now, pin a safety pin in smack dab in the center of each 5" square. Yes, you just basted your quilt. You are so ready to sew.


Here's a closer-up of the stitching lines:


Using my 1/4" foot, I just sew a straight line of stitches from the top of the quilt to the bottom of the quilt, first on the right side then the left side of each row of 5" squares (refer to above photo). Do this across the whole quilt. Then, flip your quilt 1/4 turn and do the same thing again. You will now have a bunch of nifty straight stitching lines across your quilt.


Now, wash your quilt--this time I just used cold water, gentle cycle, a little Tide--and then dry it. (So far I've done that twice.) Loving it. Oh, right--don't forget to bind. (As evidenced by my pictures, no binding has occured yet. But it will.)

A couple of notes: the basting spray is nice and sticky. Be prepared to clean off the bottom of your presser foot at least once during stitching. Also, my machine was very happy to get a new needle after stitching--it got rather gummy during this project.

Did not expect to turn this into a tutorial. Just wanted to show you pictures, but you must try this! It took just about 3-4 hours. Please let me know if I can clarify anything (does that go without saying?). Have fun! And remember, easy-peasy!

Friday, August 28, 2009

Seriously...I'm still here!

Okay, I took the summer off blogging. Not on purpose, really, I just got caught up in having the kids out of school, taking a design class at the local college--basically running around like a crazy woman. But, I am sooo back! Must tell you about the cool giveaway going on over at Simplify, www.camilleroskelley.typepad.com (I really need to figure out the simple link-thing that everyone else seems to know how to do). A gal with a super-cute Etsy site is giving away a camera strap cover--and you know from my last post how I feel about those!

So, enjoy checking out Camille's blog and enter the contest--good luck!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Liven up your camera--make (or buy) a camera strap cover

I found a great tutorial for making your own camera strap cover at Cluck. Cluck. Sew.'s blog. You can click on her blog link over to the right under my blog list, and see her awesomely fun projects. She has the camera strap tutorial over on the right side of her blog, and it's so easy it's fun! This cover is actually the second one I made (just the other day), and it literally took less than an hour.


Here's the first cover I made--
I think they're a great way to dress up a pretty dull (but necessary!) camera accessory. And, you add a little padding, and it definitely makes carrying your camera more comfy. But, say you really don't want to make your own, then check out cottoncandybynatalie.blogspot.com. She makes gorgeous camera straps, and she'll even custom-make one for you. Her etsy shop is cottoncandybynatalie.etsy.com. Whatever way you go, you'll have such a fancy camera strap you'll feel like a whole new person! Okay, maybe not, but it's fun anyways!


Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Quick baby gift



I'm pleased with how this super-easy flannel receiving blanket turned out! It only took about 1 1/2 hours total, and it's so soft. I made it for the baby of another quilting-mom, and since it gets to be in the 100s degree-wise here, I didn't add any batting, so she can use it as a carrier-cover or just a lay-on-the-ground blankie for hanging out. My daughter helped me with the design, using three different flannels and the fun brown rickrack to dress it up a bit. Sometimes don't you just love a fast finish?!

Monday, June 1, 2009

And the winners are...

#117--Robin in New Jersey, 5/28/09 2:31 p.m.--chenille burpcloths

#44--Kate, 5/27/09 3:30 p.m.--minkee blanket

and

#208--camilledawn.com 5/31/09 11:52 a.m.--jelly roll

Yea!! I'm so excited for the awesome response to my giveaways; thanks to everyone who took the time to comment. I've read every comment, and am about halfway through the blogs/websites you all were kind enough to share with me. There are so many talented people around, it's great to get acquainted with all of you! I LOVE giving things away, so I'll definitely do it again! In the meantime, keep creating!!

(P.S. to the winners: I've emailed each of you, so check your in-boxes!)

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Giveaway!

I've got three fun items to give away:
A set of two chenille-backed burpcloths (made by yours truly!);



A super-soft minkee-backed flannel baby blanket (also made by me);





And, lastly, a Red, White and Bold jelly roll!




Here's how it goes: I am anxious to get to know you, so I'd like you to leave me a comment telling me your favorite crafting genre (like quilting, scrapbooking, painting, etc.), and a link to your blog (if you've got one) so that I can check it out(!), and I will choose three winners by random numbers on June 1. So, yes, that means you can leave me a comment anytime before 11:59 p.m. (MST) on May 31. I'll post the winners on June 1. (Oh, and I'm only able to ship within the U.S.)

Extra good luck for my giveaway, and, don't forget to check out all the other giveaways, too. Thanks to SewMamaSew for hosting this incredible event!


Monday, May 25, 2009

Confused

In doing a little checking (i.e. actually looking at my calendar), I noticed that the 27th is actually Wednesday. So...please come check for the giveaway Wednesday. And forgive my brain.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Giveaway on Tuesday, May 27!

I am so excited--on Tuesday I'll be participating in Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day; yes, I'm giving away two-maybe three(!)-nifty items! But, you have to come back to find out what they are (it'll be worth your while). And, you'll be able to check out a bunch of other bloggers' giveaways, as well, by just clicking on this link: http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=805. It'll be super fun and easy, I promise--I'm looking forward to meeting new folks and seeing what you all do. See ya Tuesday!



Tuesday, May 19, 2009

I like digital scrapbooking


Whew! It's taken lots of trial and error, but I finally finished a digital scrapbook page--woohoo! This was definitely fun, and I'm slowly unearthing Paint.net's secrets (with oodles of help from Google searches.) If anyone's interested, I could probably even do a tutorial. Hmmm...that would also be another first! (p.s. Paint.net is totally free, if you're looking for something like Photoshop--and there are online resources for help.) Best of luck!

Roses are red...


Two kids + free time = arguing. So...I sent them outside to cut some flowers, and they came back with these beauties. And, they have a story. The medium orange-ish roses started out in tiny little pots over 10 years ago, sitting in baskets on the tables at our wedding open house in March 1999. My grandfather asked for the little flowers, re-planted them, nurtured them, and brought them back to us a few months later and planted them in our backyard. Now that is special because my grandfather is now in a care facility, with Alzheimer's, and doesn't remember too much--except that he loves my grandmother (who passed away a couple of years ago) and flowers. Flowers have been a life-long passion for him. He is still alive, but we miss him.

Old Red Barn Co.'s Sew-Along

Okay, if you're a quilter, or a wanna-be quilter, you've got to check this out! Dana at Old Red Barn Co. is hosting a sew-along with six weeks of instructions in creating a quilt and awesome prizes! Can you beat that? I've added the button--just click and go! Too easy...and fun!! Click. Like now!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Tapper





I'm blogging straight from Picasa, so I've yet to figure out a few things--but here's Grace in her tap outfit and photo-op pose. Super sweet (very biased Mom comment!)
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Recital Time!





My ballerina, ready and raring to go to her ballet recital--she is fearless (when it comes to dancing)! Her recital was last night, and she did great. It was so fun to see her on stage, a cute little pixie-of-a-thing. She also danced Friday night--tapped her little heart out.
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Friday, May 15, 2009

So it's supposed to be a table square--




I've been wanting to post these pictures of my table square/wall hanging, so here they are! It turned out just dandy; even my stippling is all right. Couldn't use it on my table, though, or else it'd rarely see the light of day--due to the fact that my dining table also doubles as my sewing/craft table and goes for weeks at a time without seeing any actual "dining". Oh well, I sure do have fun!
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My not-so-little sweetie


I took this photo of Grace on a recent hike our family went on--since the temps have gone up to the high 90s during the day we aren't hiking so much--but I love this picture of my baby, particularly 'cause it shows her beautiful red hair and wonderful freckles!
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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Burp Cloth Frenzy


I went on a mini sewing-frenzy--mini because I made a bunch of chenille burp cloths. They turned out great...








Now, back to work (Mom, wife, quilter, photographer, laundress, etc....)!

Can you tell why I love this guy?

Three weeks to #6--a long time!



My special guy consented to letting me take a few picts--this shows his dimples perfectly! We were having (as he put it) a "boring day," so went outside to play some soccer and basketball and, oops! Mom brought out the camera, too. He's a good sport.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Check out this beautiful giveaway--

I just found the most adorable blog http://www.thepinkknot.blogspot.com --and she is giving away a gorgeous satin baby blanket. You must check this out asap, the contest ends today!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Giveaway on "Mormon Mommy Blogs"

There's an awesome giveaway on http://mormonmommyblogs.blogspot.com/ from Shelf Reliance! A great addition (or beginning) to anyone's food storage. Go on over by 11:59 p.m. tomorrow for your chance to win--good luck!

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Soccer Saturday...and other good things








Well, as you can tell we had a great soccer day! No win (not even a goal!), but that's okay; our team played with lots of heart. Our guy is loads of fun to watch, as are all the players, he gets pretty into the game. Fun stuff!



Also, decided to show a picture of a table runner I've almost finished--it's just waiting for the binding (my least favorite part to do). But I think it's turning out fun; it'll be cute when it's all done. Haven't decided what to do with it yet, maybe a gift or--crazy idea!--maybe I'll just keep it for our table.


Having a great weekend thus far; let's keep our fingers crossed for Sunday! See ya--



Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Happy April Fool's Day!

Hey, this is no April Fool's joke--there is a great giveaway over at Green Fairy Quilts (http://greenfairyquilts.blogspot.com/). If any soul out there happens to get lucky and reads this, go on over before next Monday and enter! Green Fairy Quilts is a fav of mine; Judi has fun designs and hosts awesome giveaways--it seems like a lot! Give her a look-see--

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

First Post!

Finally, my first post! This is a rather big moment for me, as I've been thinking a lot about what to say my first time. I finally decided to just start, and to tell you that I absolutely love quilting and sewing (and creating in general). I've been following several blogs for the past couple of months, and I am floored by the creativity possessed by so many people--I am not in those folks' leagues, but I'm going to take the blogging opportunity to share some of my creative passions with anyone interested, and to keep a record for myself! I'm afraid I've got loads of pictures to share, so I'll be working on this as often as possible. Any comments are gladly welcomed! Thanks, Chantie