Today is My Day - Say What?

Welcome
to the Sticks
and
 the second day of the
"Say What?" Challenge

Here is my finish:  Today Is My Day

Joan at MooseStashQuilting invited a great group of Bloggers to

create something inspired by something they have to say.

Thanks, Joan, for inviting me!

I listened to a motivational speaker once and he said that we should tell ourselves

every morning that "this is my day".

So when I found this project in the book "Sew Illustrated" by Minki Kim and Kristin Esser

I tweaked it from "This is the Day" to "This is MY Day.

I've been trying to use my books.

I bought them because they "spoke" to me.

Why do they sit and not get used?

So with my goal to dust my crafty and quilting books,

this is the one that "spoke" the loudest for the challenge.

From the reinforced corners to the quick zipper pocket inside,

the project was super fun and used techniques I hadn't done before.

And a few I had a little experience with.

Plus, I used some of my favorite Tula Pink fabric to make my new tote

perfect for me.

It's the perfect size for taking my lunch and more.

Check out the others that are saying "Today is My Day" today:

Tuesday April 18

Creatin' in the Sticks (YOU ARE HERE)
Inflorescence
Elizabeth Coughlin Designs
Just Because Quilts
BeaQuilter
Joyful Quilter

Joan has the rest of the schedule HERE

Have a great week
and make today yours!

Embellished Hugs and Kisses Denim Jacket with 4 Easy Techniques at Thermoweb

I had so much fun embellishing this denim jacket
and
I think my model loves it too! 

I'm over at Thermoweb today showing the 4 super fun and quick techniques I used to embellish the jacket.

There are also free templates for you.

Here is the list of Thermoweb supplies:

iCraft Fabric Fuse Liquid Adhesive

HeatnBond Light Weight Non-Woven Fusible Interfacing

HeatnBond Lite Iron-On Adhesive

StitchnSew EZ Print Quilt Block Sheets

plus you will need 1 purchased denim jacket (washed and dried), Aurifil thread:  50wt # 4660
Iron – I love my Oliso Pro, a few scraps of fabric, 3/4" trim, and general sewing supplies.

Check out my post over on the Thermoweb Blog today.

We had so much fun!

Sometimes, the pictures are even more fun than the sewing.

Hugs and kisses!

Scary Cat - Digital Embroidery Pattern

 There's another Scary Cat in town.

That's right, Scary Cat has a digital twin.

photo by Chantell Creations

Chantell of Chantell's Creations has digitized 

Scary Cat

for all embroidery enthusiasts.

Chantell has 2 versions,

Applique or Free Standing 5" x 7" and/or 8" x 8".

photo by Chantell Creations

Chantell offers many formats and has an

 introductory special right now

for the Scary Cat patterns.

Just in time for you to have Scary Cat for Halloween.

It's been a lot of fun working with Chantell 

and

 I see a few of her digital quilting patterns in my future.

You can find the original Scary Cat

mini quilt post and pattern information by clicking HERE.

If you want digital, click HERE.

SCARY CAT 

is perfect

in my

Halloween infested home.

Don't you want him in yours too?

Be You - Bold and Brave - Project Quilting Season 9, Project 3

Bold and Brave is the third challenge of 

Season 9

for

Project Quilting.

My entry is

Be You.

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.

I had such a hard time coming up with time and an idea for this challenge.

Then the saying Be bold, be brave, be you came to mind

and 

just wouldn't get out of my head.

So I incorporated my love of quilting and my long career of hair styling

with little aspects of me.

Here's my picture process and some details.

I fused HeatnBond lite to the back of florals and cut them out.

I peeled off the backing paper and layed out my design

then I fused it all down to the backing fabric at once.

A few details like a cowboy hat, birds, Kansas City Chiefs.

Love Tula Pink fabrics for collage quilting.

The quilting from the back.

Can you say afro?  

Fro courtesy of Aurifil 50 wt #2620

Be You

Project Quilting Season 9, Challenge 3 - Bold and Brave

Made by Carla in Dodge City, Kansas

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

Size: 17" x 20"

Fusible Applique Collage, Machine stitched letters and face
Freemotion quilting on a domestic- by me

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

February 11 through Friday, February 16th

by clicking 

HERE
This one is #79

A reminder to always be you.

Loved - An Embroidered Valentine Message in this Pieced Heart Quilt

Valentine's Day is a time for everyone to feel loved.  Hiding in this pieced heart is an embroidered "loved" to whisper a sweet hug to all that find it. Using HeatnBond interfacing as a stabilizer keeps the embroidery neat and the quilt soft.  No one will ever know a machine was used to embroider the letters with a simple trick using Aurifl 12 wt thread.

"Loved" is quick to make and features the new Moda fabric, "Just Another Walk in the Woods" by Stacy Iest Hsu.  The fabric is a whimsical collection and playfully bright with cute little characters in every corner. This fabric is so perfect for Valentine's Day projects because it just makes you smile when you see it.

Loved

by Carla Henton from Creatin' in the Sticks

Finished size:  34" x 34"

I designed this quilt for Thermoweb and you'll find the complete tutorial to make this quilt over on the Thermoweb blog today.

Don't you just love Valentine's Day projects.  I can't get enough of them and the sweet fabrics of the season.

I hope you feel loved

Land that I Love - A Patriotic Lap Quilt

This week I designed and finished 

Land That I Love

for Therm O Web using Stitch N Sew™ tear-away interfacing as the stabilizer for both paper piecing and embroidery.

The pattern for the embroidery design and the quilt is free over at the The 

Therm O Web Blog.

I wanted to change the traditional colors up a bit and used low volume versions of 
red and blue. 
 The fabric in the flag is from a fat quarter bundle - Moda Sherbert Grunge Basics 

Curated by Fat Quarter Shop 
and 
the grey fabric in the quilt is Moda Marbles.

 The United States over the flag just seemed like a perfect fit.

I didn't forget Alaska and Hawaii, but I'm afraid I did leave quite a few islands off the design.

The finished size is 40" x 48".

I was thinking how cute it would be to add a little bird to the top of the flag pole.

This is a fast quilt to put together, so I might just do that on the next one.

I would like to donate several to veterans at the Soldier's Home in Fort Dodge.

The full tutorial and pattern is also available in PDF format at my Craftsy Store.

It's been such an exciting month so far and

I just shipped my projects for Quilt Market (I can't show anything yet).

Now I am ready to catch up on my blocks for the

In Our Garden Block of the Month.  

Vicki over at More Stars in Comanche

 designed the blocks this month and they look like fun ones.

Play with Me Quilt Along Skill Builder - April

It seems appropriate to share my April block for the "Play with Me" quilt along as I am returning from a family vacation in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This is my hubby, my daughter, me, my son, and son-in-law riding from the airport to the hotel.

It was a trip I'll never forget.  I think my kids are as much (or more) fun now as they were when they were little ones.  It's even better with one more in the family.  Cheers!

I have finished my April block and I will probably get a low score...

The skill builder this month is embroidery.  As I said, I've been on vacation and time was not on my side so I put Miss Janome to work and machine stitched the fancy stitches instead of hand embroidering the lines for the game, GO.

I pulled out my trusty Heat n Bond lightweight fusible interfacing to stabilize the fabric and, after marking the lines, let Miss Janome embroider away with Aurifil 50 wt to match the background fabric.

I added an extra border, for extra credit  to add a little color since I cheated this month...lol

Here are all the blocks for the quilt so far.

My hope it to give this away at Christmas...

How fun is that?  A game board quilt.  I have a lot of game pieces to make, but I have until Christmas, right?  

April showers are almost ready to give way to May flowers.  YIPPPEEE!!

Although the weather was a beauty here today.  Hope yours was.

Light Through Friendship - Friendship Star - A Focus Through the Prism Project QUILTING Challenge, June

It's taken me all month to stitch up this little 20" quilt for a challenge from

 Kim over at Persimon Dreams

for a

Focus Through the Prism Project Quilting Challenge

You see, I'm a very slow stitcher...

The Challenge:  Friendship Star

• Each final project should read predominantly as one color in the spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, or violet. You may not use the same color as you used in a previous challenge.
• A ROYGBIV hand-dyed color bundle of fabric must be purchased from Cherrywood Fabrics.
• You must use ONE fabric from the ROYGBIV challenge bundle in each quilt which should correspond with the color you want your quilt to ‘read’.
• Any other fabrics from your stash may be added.
• You must use the month's block as your inspiration.
• Quilts must finish 20” square.
• Share the story behind your quilt and how the block ‘Friendship Star’ was the inspiration.
• Your quilt must have a name.
• Pictures of your FINISHED 20” square quilts must be LINKED UP by 11:55pm CST on Tuesday, June 30th
• 

When the challenge was announce it made me think of all the wonderful friendships I have made through quilting and blogging.  That was my inspiration along with the theme I had last month with the monkey wrench.  I wanted to incorporate a tool and shining a flashlight felt right.

I hand embroidered the world map while trying to make it look like the star was shining on it.  

Here is a picture of my May and June challenges.

"Light Up the World with Friendship"

A Focus Through the Prism Project QUILTING Challenge, June

Made by Carla in Dodge City, Kansas

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

Size: 20"x20"

Prism color:  Yellow from the ROYGBIV fabric bundle by Cherrywood Fabrics

Piecing and reverse applique

Quilting- stippling by me on my domestic machine

I had to wash this one before I could photograph it.  I am a mess and had a few spots on it before it was all embroidered.  I also have carried it with me everywhere I went this month so it's no wonder it had a little mess on it and yellow doesn't hide anything...lol

I have one day of rest before the next challenge is posted.  

I have NO plans to embroider the next one!!!

Tweet Dancette - Project Quilting Season 6 Challenge 6 - Isn't That Charming?

It's hard to believe, but this is the final challenge for 

Project Quilting Season 6.

My finish for challenge 6 

"Isn't that charming"

is

Tweet Dancette

Project Quilting is the brainstorm of

Kim at Persimon Dreams.

A challenge is presented and you have one week to link up

a project of your interpretation of the challenge.

The Challenge: Isn't That Charming?

This week we're going to use Charms.  Charms are 5 inch squares of fabric.  Many of you probably have charm packs in your stash.  Or if you don't you can cut your own 5 inch squares from any fabric you choose.

1. The entire right front side of your project must be constructed using charm squares. The only exception is the binding. It can be cut from yardage along with backings, linings, etc, that will not show on the right front side of your project.
2. You must use at least 20 charm squares.
3. The charms squares can be cut and manipulated in any way you choose.
4. Embellishments can be added, but are not required.
5. 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.
6. Your project must have a name.
7. Projects must be FINISHED and LINKED UP by Sunday, March 22nd at Noon, CDT.

I've had these charms for quite awhile and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to use them.

I cut more charms of Kona solid in silver.

I then set to work on about a billion  120 half square triangles.

I haven't made a chevron quilt until now.

Oh, points, points, points....

Once the blocks were all put together, I felt like a little embellishment was needed.

Inspired by a blog hop with all kinds of little birds I decided to add that "tweet" inspiration.

I embroidered the little birds perched on a few of those points.

The back and binding is from Basic Grey Sweet Serenade (Moda).

I had it in my stash and have always thought it was part of the Noteworthy line.

It wasn't until I started preparing the fabric for the back that I realized those little birds weren't the same.  

Here is a closer look for the little birds. 

I quilted a meander stitch because it is fast. 

One week isn't a lot of time....

Isn’t that Charming?–Challenge 6 of Project QUILTING

Tweet Dancette

Made by Carla in Dodge City, Kansas

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

Size: 40" x 48"

Fabric:  2 charm packs of Noteworthy by Moda

Kona solid in silver

Hand embroidery and piecing

Quilting - stippled by me on my domestic machine with Aurifil 50 wt. #2615

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

March 22, 2015

by clicking

Here.

Tweet Dancette is # 50

I hope to do a recap of the 6 Project Quilting Season 6 quilts I've made later in the week.

It's been a great season, but I know one man that may be glad it's over for the year....

lol

Guess I owe him a few meals.