Tag: quilts (Page 7 of 13)

A Mini-Quilted Christmas

I wanted to make a little Christmas gift out of our dad’s shirts for my sister. I couldn’t come up with ideas, so picking the brains of my Lady of the Lake (LOL) quilting buddies proved quite helpful!

Image of Orville Wichern

Sitting around the table, we ran the gamut of ideas…a bear, a quilted Santa, an apron, a journal cover…whatever I could make from my dad’s old shirts – but it needed to be just right. One friend suggested framing a pieced/ quilted shirt quilt – she was on to something. It often takes a period of mulling…or percolating for me to round out an idea…instead of a frame, make it a shadow box… and add vinyl lettering to the inside of the glass…

I have to say, this little piece came out sweeter than I expected!

It’s not a big, fabulous quilt, but I really like how it turned out- and hope to one day make for myself one day–or maybe the gift to me was the cutting, stitching, and remembering that came with making this for my sister.

I used small amounts three different shirts. Once quilted and trimmed, I glued the quilt to the back of the box. Using Scan N Cut (click HERE for more info.), I added our dad’s name in vinyl to the inside of the glass (remember to reverse the lettering). I penned a short message on the back of the box with a Sharpie.

Do you gift your quilting for Christmas? How do you find ideas?

Please share in the comments below.

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Galations 4:4-5

Read The Tie That Binds to meet Willie (Orville, Bill, husband, brother, uncle, son…dad).

Cross-over Quilting Tools

Like many of us quilters, space is at a premium, so when I find a tool or machine that has multiple uses, I get excited about it!

Let’s face it, we can’t make everyone a quilt every time we need a gift! That’s why I like to use my Brother Scan N Cut, which I mostly bought for quilting purposes, to also make unique non-quilted  gifts.

Click HERE for a review of  the monogrammed baby quilt I made using a phone app and the Scan N Cut:

Click HERE to see the old Italian proverb made with Scan N Cut in this Italian Row-by-Row quilt.

The Scan N Cut project I’d like to share with you today is one I made for Christmas last year – and it requires a short story…

Each year, we gather at my husband’s family farm before Christmas. We all traipse into the fields and watch as the chosen tree is cut down. The (now grown) grand-kids decorate the tree while the older grown-ups visit. Before opening gifts and eating, everyone gathers around the very long dining table while our mother-in-law leads us on the piano in Christmas carols. It’s sounds all cozy and Hallmark-y, right?

Then comes the finale, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”! Except for two assigned parts, we all do the motions for each of the days. The assigned parts? The three brothers are “Lords a Leapin'” for which they do what is supposed to be a leaping type of movement (they take this role very seriously) and any new boyfriend or girlfriend brought to the party is the “goose” for “Geese a Layin'”. This involves squatting, twisting, and flapping movements.

Image of Kiefner Brothers Leaping

Fabulous Photo by Black Kiefner

Now, there is a year-long push for new geese–so each single grandchild has a bit of pressure to find a goose to bring for Christmas! Both of our daughters will say their geese have been somewhat traumatized by Kiefner Christmas!

What does this have to do with Scan N Cut? I came up with this gift idea last year using vinyl and paint on glass in a barn wood frame. The painting was very easy, just dabbing layers of green and white in the general shape of a tree (the only tricky part was that the paint is on the back of the glass so you want to paint the foreground first). Placing the letters was easy once I figured out to use a rotary mat under my glass to line everything up.  I ended up making a few variations for other families and I think they were all well-received. Image of Hanging Picture

If you’ve wondered about using a Scan N Cut for quilting, this would be a great time of year to check them out – dealers are having sales and you need something to put on your wish list, right? (I have no affiliation with Brother or any dealers, I just like to share with you the things I like!)

Check out these Christmas items in my Etsy Shop (Click Here).Image of Poinsettia Quilt

Image of JOY QuiltImage of Blue Christmas Tree Quilt

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

Christmas and Quilts and JOY!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for fun Christmas cheer!

“Holiday Revue” is our youngest daughter’s current fun Christmas dinner theatre gig at the Myers Dinner Theatre in Hillsboro, Indiana.

Our first stop in the quaint town was a visit to the old-fashioned soda shop!Image of Hot Fudge Sundae

Image of Myers Dinner Theatre Logo

Everything about the dinner was delicious and the Christmas “variety” show featured every fun Christmas genre: we heard beautiful spiritual music, classic carols, and youthful tunes. Featured guests included Mary and Joseph, Elvis, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Frosty, a cow girl, a giant blue bear, Linus, and a stage full of life-size toys. Image of Raggedy AnnImage of Cow Girl

And there was lots of audience participation! Yes, that is my husband on stage and dancing to Santa Baby! I got a little hug from Elvis!Image of Matt DancingImage of Karla and Elvis

The show ended my favorite way- with a wonderful White Christmas finale!

Image of Matt on StageImage of JacquelynImage of Singers

Oh, the weather outside is frightful…

It’s the most wonderful time for quilts! Do you include quilts in your fun Christmas decor?

You might recall JOY, made with Hoffman California Fabrics All Aglow on a scrappy background. The tree, topper, and binding are made from the front of the focus fabric and the gifts are made from the reverse.Image of JOY Quilt

Now see JOY made with Hoffman California Fabrics Supernova Seasons panel for the tree, topper, gifts, and  binding! It’s a fun Christmas quilt pattern that makes a great gift for a quilter friend, a quick quilt to gift, or to add to your Christmas decor.Image of Blue Christmas Tree QuiltImage of JOY Quilt Hanging

Shop HERE for the JOY Quilt Pattern.

Also, learn about Pepita (named after the poor Mexican girl in the Legend of the Poinsettia who had no gift to give the Christ Child on Christmas Eve) HERE.Image of Poinsettia Quilt

Silver bells…silver bells…

Yes, I’ve been listening to Hallmark Christmas music the whole way to and from Hillsboro, Indiana!

I love the classic big band sounds of the holidays and Hallmark has a great variety. Sirius XM has Free Listen – so check out the Christmas channels!

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: Isaiah 11:1

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For more winter fun, read Warning…Controversial Topic Ahead and Add a Little JOY.

Exploring Quilty Box

I’ve been intrigued by Quilty Box (click here) for some time now.

The combination of

a) them featuring Tula Pink and

b) me learning about the first-time discount was what it took for me to finally subscribe. I want to share my discovery with YOU!Image of Box

I remember as a teenager subscribing to a make-up club. It was so fun to get different products in the mail to try each month. I figured, what could be better than make-up? Fabric, patterns, notions, thread, and more, all mailed in a cute little teal and brown box and delivered to my mailbox!

Options: They state there is a Quilty Box for everyone – and there is!

Classic:  This is the original box which features a different artist each month, 2 yards of fabric, a spool of thread, pattern,  one or two notions or tools, and a mini-magazine. The price is $48.00 but if you prepay, you can get discounts on that monthly rate.

English Paper Piecing: In partnership with PaperPieces.com, this box includes a pack of 5 x 5″ fabrics, thread, templates and paper pieces for the pattern, and a mini magazine. This starting price is $34.99 with discounts applied for prepayment.

Mini: Inside this little package you’ll find a full-sized pack of 5 x 5″ fabric and a small spool of thread, the mini-magazine, three patterns, a mini-pattern, and an English paper-piecing pattern all for $23.99 (with discounts for prepayment).

First-time discount? Receive $10 off your first box!

So what are my thoughts about Quilty Box?

I loved it! It was so fun to get in the mail. I saved my box to open until I could give it my full attention! My box came with eight fat-quarters of Tula’s new line. This was especially fun because when we heard her speak this fall in Paducah, she explained how she designed that line of fabric. Also inside my box was Aurifil thread, a cute pattern for zippered pouches which I would actually love to make, zippers for the bags, and large piece of Soft and Stable for the bags. The Bundles of Inspiration magazine is high-quality and  I’m looking forward to reading it cover-to-cover. It features an article about Tula, several patterns, history and how-to’s for English paper piecing, and more!Image of Box Contents

Need a gift for a quilter friend? Send them a Quilty Box!

Shipping is free in the USA.

One thing you need to know about Quilty Box is that your order begins an automatic subscription. You can easily and promptly cancel your subscription with a simple email to [email protected] . I did it and received an email confirmation of the cancellation immediately.

So why did I cancel my subscription? ONLY, ONLY, ONLY because I am already overwhelmed with projects, new patterns designs, my Etsy shop, and my teaching/program schedule! If I were wanting a fun way to treat myself, get inspiration, and learn about the latest in the industry, I’d definitely continue my subscription!

By the way, I hereby reserve the right to order Quilty Box again!

 In fact…maybe (on behalf of my readers), I should really order at least one of each TYPE of Quilty Box – so I can report back, of course. What do you think?

Here is my Tula Pink version of Aria (expressive music heard in opera – she’s a “singer”…) Quilt Patttern. See Vintage Machine Quilt Pattern for more information.Image of Pink Sewing Machine

Shop Aria and 22 more #usebothsides patterns  in my  Creative Bee Studios Etsy shop.

 

Phoebee Goes to Market!

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

This is the story of how Phoebee for Hoffman began.

Phoebee, designed for Hoffman California Fabrics, was my first experience designing a pattern for a fabric company. I’d wondered for a few years what it would be like to collaborate with a fabric company. I never dreamed it would be this fun!

Starting on August 3, at 3:47 p.m., I opened two packages of 21 fabrics  from Hoffman California Fabrics company. 

Image of fabric to make Phoebee for Hoffman
Fabrics from Hoffman California Fabrics.

First and foremost, for the next six hours, I auditioned “Phoebee for Hoffman” fabrics trying to get just the right mix of color, contrast, values, and feel that would be worthy of this new line by Hoffman California Fabrics.

Well, Electric Garden rocks! Vibrant color with a soft, contrasting reverse side was just the recipe I needed. I flipped several backgrounds to their reverse as well, so they wouldn’t compete with the bee or flowers. The next step was cutting out Phoebee and her flowers.

Image of Quilt on Clothesline
Image of Phoebee Quilt
Image of Phoebee for Hoffman

I slept on this mix so I could get a fresh look the next morning. Yes!

Immediately, I began fusing and quilting (on my Handiquilter Avante) right away. Next came the prairie point hanging method, binding, label, photos, writing and producing the pattern, and Phoebee was flying to California on Tuesday, August 7th!

Image of Quilt in Frame
Image of Back of Quilt

My new friend in California let me know Phoebee for Hoffman arrived safely!

Image of Phoebee at Quilt Market
Phoebee 2.0 in the Hoffman booth at market!
Image of Electric Garden
Phoebee 2.0 pictured in the Projects Catalog

Quilt Market in Houston was a big debute for Phoebee. I was fortunate that several kind quilter souls saw her hanging in the Hoffman California Fabric booth and shared their pics with me on Instagram! Thank you, friends! 

In addition to quit shops across America, I am shipping Phoebee 2.0 patterns to a very fun quilt shop in Canada!

See more quilt patterns designed for Hoffman California Fabrics HERE!

Original Phoebee and Phoebee 2.0 quilt patterns are available in my Etsy Shop HERE.

Image of Bee Quilt
Phoebee Quilt Pattern

Catch The BUZZ! FOLLOW on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!

Enjoy your quilting journey!

Vintage Machine Quilt Pattern

Aria ahr-ee-uh: expressive music often heard in opera.  (She’s a singer!)Image of Sewing Machine Quilt

Aria is a fun little quilt pattern that you can make using both sides of one focus fabric.

Wondering how to choose fabrics for the Aria Quilt Pattern? Think about your florals fabrics. Or, how about feathers? She is a featherweight, after all. You could also use sewing notions motifs. Maybe you want a machine covered in sunflowers! Or consider larger prints like Tula PinkKaffe Fassett Collective. The possibilities are endless for making this the cutest little machine you own! So shop your stash. Pull out your fabrics and look at both sides.

The Aria quilt pattern sewing machine and binding are made from the front of the focus fabric. The pennants, little scissors, and thimble are made using the reverse side of the same focus fabric!

Someday (dreaming now), I’d like to own a beautiful turquoise featherweight, preferably purchased in person from Roxanne’s A Wish and A Dream shop in California!

In conclusion, I was drawn to this lovely, sweet floral fabric for this machine. It has sweet roses and leaves. Of course, the reverse side passed my audition test, which is all about value.Image of Quilt Hanging Outsides

Choosing backgrounds for this little wall hanging is the most fun. You can really mix it up here!

Wanna jazz things up? Check out this Tula Pink version! LOVE.Image of Pink Sewing Machine Quilt

Find the Aria quilt pattern and #usebothsides of your fabric! Etsy shop: HERE.

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New-Prairie Points for Hanging Quilts

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Use prairie points to easily hang your quilts.

Use simple prairie points instead of a long fabric tube to hang your quilts. The number you need will depend on several things: the size of the quilt and how you will hang it.

First, fold a few squares.

To make prairie points, cut squares. Fold them in half, diagonally and press. Fold them again, diagonally and press. That’s it! You just made them! The size and number you will need depend on your quilt size and how you will hang it.

For best results, run a stitch about 1/8th inch from the raw edges of the prairie points to hold them together.

Next, baste the prairie points onto your quilt.

Align your prairie points across the top edge of the back of the quilt. Distribute them evenly, with the outer points at least an inch from the sides.

Baste the points, using a seam allowance smaller than your binding seam allowance.

Finally, make a few hand stitches.

Lastly, you will stitch the points to your quilt by hand, with a doubled-tread. Take care not to stitch through the front of your quilt. About four stitches in each is enough to secure your points.

When your binding is complete, your quilt is ready to hang!

For sizes and to review the complete method, see Hang Quilts Using Prairie Points  and Prairie Point Hanging Method

Image of quilt with prairie points.
Prairie Point Hanging Method shown on Phoebee.
  • Use an even number of prairie points to hang a quilt from a single point.
  • Generally, consider 8- inch squares. Try larger ones for larger quilts and vice versa.
  • All the Creative Bee Studios patterns provide the size and number of points needed for each pattern.
  • Pressing well helps keep the points orderly.
  • Trim any uneven edges before attaching the points to your quilt.
  • For use with unusually large rods (like in a quilt show), hand stitch your points about an inch higher than they reach when flat. This will allow some added room for the large rod and help the quilt hang flat.

In addition to using scraps for Prairie Points, I like to use the REVERSE side!

Try using the reverse side to tone them down or provide interest on the back of your quilt! #usebothsides

Image of Back of Quilt
See the front of this quilt and new pattern in the next post!

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Enjoy your quilting journey!

Jacq O’Lantern Quilt Makes a Happy Boo!

This happy little ghoul is popping right out her top like a jack-in-the-box!

This little ghoul is named Jacq O’ Lantern. She’s the first mini quilt pattern designed to use both sides of fabric.

Jacq O’ Lantern is sew much fun to make!

First of all, Jacq O’ Lantern is a pint-size lesson about value.

Secondly, when you learn how to make this little ghoul, you’ve already learned the easy tricks for using value! Use the Tricky Traits of Value (click here for more info) to make any of the my patterns that use both spooky (or beautiful) sides of fabric!

Jacq O’ Lantern finishes at 12 inches square, perfect for the table-top quilt stands.

Side note: I was never real big on Halloween decorations when our kids were little. We didn’t avoid Halloween, but I just didn’t want to spend money on decorations when we could spend it on Christmas decorations instead. So…why is it I LOVE Halloween fabric so much? It’s a mystery.

Or…maybe it’s not such a mystery! One of my favorite scenes to draw as a kid was a witch on a broomstick. (I only had a couple of drawings I liked to do – over and over. One was a beach scene with a palm tree-are you surprised? ) This witch always had a long chin that jutted out and a big ole wart on her curved nose. Maybe these Halloween fabrics take me back to my childhood or something. Several of my favorite quilts and projects are Halloween themed. I’m sure you seen them before but, well, ’tis the season!

Here are more fun Halloween themed quilts:

Below is Something’s Brewing. The steam and bubbles are made from the reverse!

Notice the honey buzzard claw feet?

Want to make a larger little ghoul? To use up more of those fun, spooky fabrics, here is Jacq O’ Lantern XL!

Lastly, here are some other fun Halloween projects I’ve enjoyed in the past.

Image of Punch Needle
Black Kitty Punch Needle
Image of Instant Bargello Quilt
Instant Bargello Quilt

 

As you might have guessed, there’s a reason for the different spelling of this pattern. In short, our youngest daughter’s name is Jacquelyn. We’ve always had nicknames for her such as JacqJacq, Jacq, Da Jacinator  (at the age of two she could “destroy” a room in minutes), Jacqity Jacq (don’t talk back), and, of course, Jacq O’ Lantern.

See Jacq O’Lantern and all her friends HERE in my Etsy shop, Creative Bee Studios! 

Quilt Author Meets Hallmark Christmas Movies

I just love it when two of my favorite things come together! Best-selling quilt author Marie Bostwick’s book, The Second Sister, is being filmed now as a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie! Image of The Second Sister Book

The movie is titled, “Christmas Everlasting” and premieres November 24th at 7 p.m. central.

While I enjoy a number of  quilt-themed (and not) books and series, I’ve often referred to Marie as “My Favorite Author” – mostly because her witty comments and clever nicknames for her family members are endearing and inspiring. (I’ve often thought we could be best friends if we were neighbors, but in reality, I’m one of many fans who exchanges about two minutes of conversation with her once a year (if I’m lucky) at book signings.)Image of Signed Book

Of course, I love her books, even those not completely engrossed in the quilting themes and I read each one more than once! I suspect Christmas Everlasting will be another staple during the holiday season!

Click here to read here about her “on set” experience!  Image of Patti LaBelle and Marie Bostwick

How cool is it that she made quilted gifts for the actors? See more pics and posts on Marie’s Facebook page! (Yes, that is Patti LaBelle!)

Image of Marie and Actors with QuiltImage of Marie Bostwick and Tatyana AliHere’s a list of some of my faves by Marie Bostwick:

Standalone Books:

The Second Sister

The Promise Girls

            Just in Time

Cobbled Court Quilt Series:

A Single Thread

A Thread of Truth

A Thread So Thin

Threading the Needle

Ties That Bind

Apart at the Seams

Too Much, Texas Series:

Between Heaven and Texas

From Here to Home

Marie has also written three historical novels and three novellas in Fern Michaels Christmas Anthologies.

Mark your calendars and hit “record”!

Subscribe below to get a weekly post delivered to your email. Stay tuned for more #usebothsides reveals!

Shop patterns HERE!

 

 

You might not be a quilter if…

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Which is it, a quilt or a blanket?

Are you buying a quilt or a blanket? Troublemakers on social media sites seems to go through phases where they like to confuse the unaware buyer.

Buyer’s beware…

Oftentimes, companies will promote products that show in our Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest feeds based for things or subjects we like and follow. Sometimes social media learns these details when we simply talk in front of our phones. (I’ve had things show in my feeds that I’ve only THOUGHT about – how’d they do that?)

A popular trend for a while was what appeared to be beautiful appliqued quilts for sale. Not only were these “quilts” were priced was too low. Furthermore, they were way too pretty to be true.

You and I know the difference between a quilt or blanket!

While they are marketed as quilts, how does a non-quilter know if they are buying a quilt or a blanket?

First, the biggest clue for you or I is based on the fact that we KNOW the amount of work and time it takes to make one of these works of art. Mass production is highly unlikely. If fact, for many of us, an intricate quilt like one of these is a “one and done”!

Beware of themed quilts.

These people like to prey on unsuspecting parents or grandparents. For example, they might feature a quilt with a music theme. If one’s child or grandchild is into music, it’s an easy sell!

What was my next clue?  THEY CALLED THEM BLANKETS!

Furthermore, which is it, a quilt or a blanket? In the photo you see what appears to be intricately appliqued quilt. Their mistake: calling it a blanket!

You likely won’t get either!

The problem is they are fake companies stealing real quilters’ pictures and using them to cheat other people. It’s unfortunate. Quilters need always be aware that their photographs can be hijacked.

Image of quilt or blanket meme

Next clue: $59

You couldn’t buy the fabric for a quilt (or maybe a blanket, these days) for $59!

Last Clue: Selling MANY different quilts (or blankets)!

It’s amazing (and kinda sad) how many people respond excitedly to these posts by tagging their friends and loved ones. You can read the comments to see how many people are tagging others to show them this great buy. One such post which was being massively shared was for brilliant pieced, appliqued, and quilted musician-themed quilt of a cello – all for $59!

The personal story behind the quilt or blanket dilemma.

It’s been a “thing” in my family for years that when one of them asks me to pass them the blanket, I stand up and yell, “They’re quilts, not blankets!” (like Harry Potter, only with a pretend wand). Then, I add, “I am not a Blanketer!”

Karla

I’ve recently joined a pattern-maker group and, sure enough, they are suggesting you search these sites to see if these companies have stolen your pictures. (I have no idea what you do if that happens.)

What to do about the sites?

I try to report the company, when allowed by Facebook. I also comment on the post that the company is a fraud. The only other thing I know to do is to tell as many people as I know not to fall for something that looks too good to be true.

By the way, even if you ask for a blanket in my house, your’e going to get a quilt!

SHOP more than 50 patterns that use BOTH beautiful sides of fabric!

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