SEW A COZY TEDDY BEAR HEART POCKET PILLOW

Valentine’s Day is a great time to create little gifts with soft, cuddle fabrics.  But let’s face it, when sewing with those stretchy fabrics… we all tend to get a touch nervous.  Today I have a tutorial over on the Thermoweb blog that will show you a few easy steps to make it easier and enjoyable. 

The full FREE pattern for this bear and heart pocket pillow is available in PDF form in my Craftsy shop.

Happy Valentines Day!

Black Tie Lily - Project Quilting Season 8, Challenge 2

Black Tie Lily

Kim at Persimon Dreams hosts Project Quilting.

She announces a challenge and you have one week to create something quilty.

Prizes can be won and it's a great way to meet new blogging friends.

This is the second challenge of 6 for Season 8.

Challenge 2 - Carolina Lily

Black Tie Lily is not exactly what I had in mind when the Project Quilting Challenge was announced last week, but I was at a conference and couldn't sew until yesterday.  On the flight back home from the conference I had drawn what I hoped to make for this challenge but by the time I arrived home and looked around (HUGE ICE STORM AND TREES DOWN EVERYWHERE), I knew there was no way I would have time to complete the first plan. 

This book was given to me by my sweet Mother-in-Law and I had never tried the patterns so I took this opportunity.  After 5 years of not missing a Project Quilting Challenge,  it's more about the challenge and fun than just throwing something together so I decided it was OK to do the traditional block.  Have you ever tried making the traditional block?  It's a lot of Y seams which I kind of like....

The Rules:

1. Your project must be somehow inspired by the Carolina Lily.

2.  Incomplete or unfinished does not qualify. Every challenge piece must be a FINISHED project seen through from INCEPTION to COMPLETION during the challenge timeline (January 15 through January 22, 2017). Each piece must stand alone as DONE to count toward prizes. 

3. Please remember that these projects need to be created during the week of the challenge (started on or after January 15, finished by January 22). 

4.  Your project does not need to be a traditional quilt, but must meet at least one of these requirements:

1. Include patchwork.
2. Include appliqué.
3. Have 3 layers stitched together by hand or machine.

5.  Link up a blog post, flickr image, instagram post, or public facebook post  by Sunday, January 22, 2017, at noon CDT.

I wanted to make the block more modern, but with time not on my side, I went traditional with monochromatic color.  I love black and white and it's so unexpected with this block.

It was really a challenge to follow the pattern and I found out after I was finished with the piecing that there are plastic templates in the back of the book.  That may have helped...

I wanted to make this a wall hanging but was running out of time after choosing to do all those straight lines in the quilting.   I felt like the quilting was like pin stripes on a suit and I just had to take the time to do it.   

Black Tie Lily

Project Quilting Season 8, Challenge 2 - Carolina Lily

Made by Carla in Dodge City, Kansas

http://www.createinthesticks.blogspot.com/

Size:  16" x 16" pillow cover

Pieced traditional block w/ fusible applique stems
Straight line (pin stripe) quilting

You can see all the other challenge projects and vote for your favorites starting at noon central on

January 22nd

by clicking 

HERE.
Black Tie Lily is #110 (not the last entry this time)

My husband will laugh when he reads this, I haven't helped with tree limb removal yet...

It's a mess and I have too much stitching to do.

Have a happy day!!

Forever Pillow Cover

Say, “Happy Valentine’s Day” with a 10” x 16” pillow cover that says I love you forever.

This is super easy!  

I'm over at the Thermoweb blog today to show you how to make your own forever love a pillow cover.

The full FREE pattern is available in PDF form in my Craftsy shop.

Enjoy!!

In Our Garden Blocks - The Final Blocks

The

In Our Garden Block of the Month blog hop

Hosted by Amy over at 

Sew Incredibly Crazy

is coming to a close with the last 2 blocks.

Every month one designer shared an applique block and a pieced block

and by the end of January I hope this will be a super cute quilt.

Amy created these super cute blocks and you'll find the patterns over at her blog.

This one is Garden Cabin

and this one is Heavy Load.

Of course I used my favorite fabric iron on adhesive by Thermoweb, HeatnBond® Lite, for the fusible appliques.

 I was lucky enough to receive Riley Blake fabrics for this quilt.

The fabrics are Botanique by fabric designer Lila Tueller.

Here is the list of bloggers and the months with links to find the 

blocks and patterns:

February - Blocks 1 and 2

Amy – Sew Incredibly Crazy

March - Blocks 3 and 4

Carol – Just Let Me Quilt 

April -  Blocks 4 and 5

Doris – Quilting Queen Online

Bonus Block

Amy - For Thermoweb

May - Blocks 7 and 8

Carla - Creatin’ in the Sticks 

Bonus Block

Carla - Creatin' in the Sticks

June - Blocks 9 and 10

Sue – Super Mom No Cape

July- Blocks 11 and 12

Joan – Moosestash Quilting

August - Blocks 13 and 14

Kris – Kris Loves Fabric

September - Blocks 15 and 16

Pat – Life in the Scrapatch

Bonus Block

Pat - Life in Scrapatch

October - Blocks 17 and 18

Vicki – More Stars in Comanche

November- Blocks 19 and 20

Lana – It Seams to be Sew

December

Jan - Sew and Sow Farm

January

Amy – Sew Incredibly Crazy

The next BOM will start next month.

Are you ready?

There's a group Facebook page HERE 

 and a Flickr Group 

Join in on all this fun!!!

8 Days a Week - Project Quilting Season 8, Challenge 1

Several years ago I came across an exciting way to challenge my brain and creativity

in quilting.

Kim at Persimon Dreams hosts Project Quilting.

She announces a challenge and you have one week to create something quilty.

Prizes can be won and it's a great way to meet new blogging friends.

Season 8 of Project Quilting has just begun and there will be 6 challenges.

This is my 5th year to participate and even with a crunch of a schedule, I couldn't let this challenge go by.

Challenge 1 - 8 is Great

The song, "8 Days a Week" was one of my first thoughts when the challenge was announced. 

8 love notes (hearts) for every day.

The Rules:

1. Your project must somehow involve the number 8.

2.  Incomplete or unfinished does not qualify. Every challenge piece must be a FINISHED project seen through from INCEPTION to COMPLETION during the challenge timeline (January 1 through January 8, 2017). Each piece must stand alone as DONE to count toward prizes. 

3. Please remember that these projects need to be created during the week of the challenge (started on or after January 1, finished by January 8). 

4.  Your project does not need to be a traditional quilt, but must meet at least one of these requirements:

1. Include patchwork.
2. Include appliqué.
3. Have 3 layers stitched together by hand or machine.

5.  Link up a blog post, flickr image, instagram post, or public facebook post  by Sunday, January 8th, 2017, at noon CDT.

To my husband, who I've been away from lately because of work, here is my love in a jar.  Every pizza you eat while I am away can come out of the oven with this 8" hot pad and you will think of me missing you 8 days a week.

Since I've been out of town a lot, sewing had to wait until yesterday, but I have been planning my design for this challenge on my computer all week.  If you would like to make your own jar, I have included the templates here for you.  Just save the next 3 pictures and make them the size you would like.

8 Days a Week is a fusible appliqued (HeatNBond Lite) quilt.

Before I stitched around the hearts with black thread, I backed the piece with high loft fleece.

A little ruffle and ribbon were added for a 3 D effect then I made a quilt sandwich with another piece of fleece and stitched around the jar and quilted the background.  This made the jar look like it pops off the background.  

The quilting is figure eights and swirls. 

Do you practice your freemotion quilting before stitching it?

I have to get my brain into the design before I can stitch it.

8 Days a Week

A jar full of love.

Project Quilting Season 8, Challenge 1 - 8 is Great

Made by Carla in Dodge City, Kansas

http://www.createinthesticks.blogspot.com/

Size:  8" x 8"

Fusible Applique with black stitching,  Ruffle
Freemotion quilting "8's"  by me

You can see all the other challenge projects and vote for your favorites starting at noon central on

January 8th

by clicking 

HERE.

The next challenge will be coming up next weekend.
Are you ready to join us?

Easy Hat and Scarf with Applique - Made possible with New HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ LITE

Brrr.  It's cold outside.  It's a great time to stay in and sew a hat and scarf using the new HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ LITE iron-on web adhesive to applique a personal touch of whimsy.  A couple of hours is all it takes and you have the templates with a cookie cutter and a dinner plate.

These are the supplies you will need:

HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ LITE 

StitchNSew fleece (small pieces for the applique)

1 Yard of fleece (blue)

1 cookie cutter (pattern for the applique)

11" Dinner plate (or an 11" circle template)

scissors, rotary cutter and mat, matching thread, sewing machine with zigzag stitch, walking foot for machine, iron,  ruler, and basic sewing equipment.

To make your own hat and scarf set, head over to the Thermoweb blog for the full tutorial.

I used the same tutorial (different appliques) to make a hat and scarf set for a gift exchange during Christmas.

My nephew won it!

This is my hubby, nephew, and son showing their holiday spirit.  

My nephew will be sporting his new stylish hat and scarf on campus this semester.