Monday, September 25, 2017

A Month Or More of Monkeys

I can't believe the newest Monkey Boy is a month old already.
His mom and dad delivered him by themselves (not on purpose) but
everything turned out okay and they are all doing just fine.


My time was spent watching the two littlest monkeys and shuffling the others
to and from school. It was tiring and reminded me why we have kids when we're younger.
Thank goodness they are all really good monkeys!

I squeezed in some sewing, but it wasn't always easy because I was traveling back-and-forth
from Utah to Vegas to Utah to Vegas. It seemed that I was always leaving something important
for sewing at wherever I wasn't staying at the moment. Thank goodness for local quilt stores!
It was "torture" having to go shopping at them for needed items.

Just a few things I've made in the last few months in between monkey business...

It was only 95 degrees when I sewed my very first fleece fringe quilt. Seriously, I have never 
clipped and tied fleece for a quilt. It weighs a ton and will be perfect for snuggling this winter.


Sewing an apron for ThermOWeb using just fat quarters was a challenge but a fun one.


Jolly Old Saint Nicholas only managed to be made into a pillow.


This quilt was fun to make using Moda fabric, Woof Woof Meow by Stacy Iest Hsu.


Beach Boy Freddie was introduced for the Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM.


I was excited to sew a project for Benartex and Cherry Guidry of Cherry Blossoms Quilting.
A lot of you probably remember blog hopping with her during Madame Samm's blog hops.
Cherry is amazing with her fabric and pattern designs. I love her My Little Sunshine fabric!


There are still so many more things on my to-do list to sew, but today I'm watching
the four year old monkey. It will be a busy day, I'm sure!



Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Baby, It's Hot Outside Snowman Fleece Blanket

It's hard to imagine how close it is to Christmas, but it's coming soon!
I made a fleece blanket for Therm O Web's Christmas week that would make
a great gift or something sweet to snuggle in with that loved one.

Baby, It's Hot Outside!
 Fleece Blanket



I used Therm O Web HeatnBond Soft Stretch on the fleece applique
to keep it soft and cuddly. It's amazing!


Check out the Therm O Web blog!



You can find the PDF pattern for Baby, It's Hot Outside! at my
Craftsy store HERE.

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Ms. P Designs USA Christmas Caroling Row Along

I'm sharing my blog with Ms. P. Designs USA to show off another amazing
row for the Christmas Caroling Row Along. I love their row!



We at Ms. P. Designs USA are so excited to be included in this year’s Christmas Caroling Row Along
 Event!  Many thanks to Carol, from Just Let Me Quilt, for hosting our blog post.  Thank you, Marian
from Seams To Be Sew, for inviting us and a HUGE thank you to each of our great sponsors! 

Ms. P. Designs USA consists of Sharon Andersen and Susan Hatcher, sisters who have each been 
sewing as long as we can remember!  Growing up as farm girls in Montana, we learned various types 
of needle arts from our mother and our grandmothers.  We both relocated to Houston, Texas, as 
adults, and we have never stopped creating.



 Our inspiration for our Christmas Caroling Row Along Event row came from some little Christmas 
mouse ornaments that Susan made and sold at many craft sales in the 1990’s.  People at work 
referred to her as the “Mouse Lady”, so when it was time to create Ms. P. Designs USA’s logo, the 
“D” in Designs became a little mouse.  Our row brings to mind those precious little mice that made 
Christmas just a little bit merrier for her children during financially lean times.


“Here We Come A-Caroling” was written in 1850, and was sung to wish everyone good health and a 
Merry Christmas.  Bands of singers (usually beggars and orphans) made their way through the 
snowy streets of Victorian England, offering to sing good cheer if the homeowner would give them a 
drink, a penny, or some food to eat.  Sometimes the singers were invited inside to stand beside the 
warmth of the hearth and enjoy some wassail, to warm their tingling toes and fingers before they 
went out to continue singing the joy of the Christmas season.

Love and joy come to you,
And to you glad Christmas too,
And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year!

Our mouse family is dressed in typical Victorian-era costumes.  The mouse children represent two 
kids that you might see when you attend any children’s choir concert: the little boy’s enthusiasm for 
singing far exceeds his abilities (someone must have told him to sing loud during the rehearsal), 
while the little girl sings because it makes her happy (and it brings us joy to watch her)!  Mother and 
Father Mouse are dressed in their Sunday best, enjoying the family outing.


 Click this link to download the “Here We Come A-Caroling” pattern:  http://payhip.com/b/bQNz

The applique panel for our row was made using raw-edge applique, which Susan finished by hand 
with a blanket stitch and two strands of black embroidery floss.  The pieced star flower blocks were 
created by Sharon, using precision quick-piecing techniques.

Our sponsors at Northcott Fabrics generously provided several of the fabrics that we used to create 
our row model.   Our fabrics are from the following collections: “Magic of Christmas” , “Tis the 
Season” , and “Toscana”.  The rest of the fabrics came from our extensive private textile collection, 
aka “fabric stash”.

We hope you’ll enjoy our row pattern!  We’re happy to offer it to you free of charge through 
September 20, 2017.  You can choose to “pay it forward” by making a donation to the 
Samaritan’s Purse Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund
www.samaritanspurse.org/disaster/hurricane-harvey, or another charity of your choice.  
If you are able to help, your financial support will make a positive impact on the lives of those
who are still in need after the devastating effects of the storm that affected our area.

If you’d like to see more of our quilting patterns, please visit our Craftsy pattern shop: http://craftsy.me/2gHVpVd

Please join us in showing our appreciation for Marian at Seams to Be Sew, and each of our wonderful
 sponsors!  “Like” their Face Book pages and leave a comment.  “Follow” them on Twitter, and 
tweet about the Row Along Event!  Let them know that you’ve enjoyed the Row Along and 
appreciate their generosity.  It has been FUN!

There's a giveaway, too, from Anita Goodesign!



a Rafflecopter giveaway
Here's the list of all the other designers:

Tuesday, September 5, 2017





Thursday, September 21, 2017
Martina Latimer




*More giveaway rules from Seams to Be Sew:
Giveaways offered by sponsors are assigned to the various bloggers for their featured day. You'll have to visit the blog or the featured blog to enter the giveaways. Not all giveaways can be entered at Seams To Be Sew. Winners will be starting on September 12, 2017, and finish announcing winners on October 12, 2017. In most cases, the blog where you won at also will announce their winners. You must give a valid email address when you enter the giveaways, any email returned loses the ability to win automatically. With the exception of Show and Tell Day, all giveaways run for approximately one week.
You are given 3 days to answer the email, if you do not answer within 3 days a new winner will be drawn. Check those spam/junk mail folders, you may miss that winning email if you don't do so  because there are no exceptions to this rule. If you are notified that you are a winner, in most cases, you will need to provide your name, address, city, state, zip code, country, telephone number, and email address. In some cases, you will be asked to comment on the blog to enter the giveaway... do the right thing  and thank them for the time it took to create the pattern, thank them for the pattern and...
Thank the sponsor by buying their products for the giveaways. This helps them continue to offer  great prizes for these types of events. You can also comment on their social media pages.  Even if you don't win, letting them know you love their products is a huge incentive and they really do love hearing from you. No purchase whatsoever is necessary.
You must be 18+ in order to win a gift. You are responsible for claiming and paying any tax owed on the value of any gift that you win. Prizes valued at $500.00 should be claimed. All winners are chosen at random. All winners will be announced on the blogs via the Rafflecopter entry form and/or post by the  blogger at the site where they won and here at [Seams To Be Sew](http://www.seamstobesew.com).  All winners must allow for their first name and first initial of their last name to be announced on this blog. Odds of Winning a prize are based on a total number of rafflecopter entries during each week
 and in total for all giveaways. This giveaway is void where prohibited by law. Participating bloggers may enter any of the giveaways. The word giveaways in the rules and guidelines are also known as sweepstakes. Most of the giveaways are international shipping this year in some cases, you will be asked to pay for shipping your giveaways.

Fat Quarter Apron Pattern With Thermoweb And Windham Fabric

Making an apron with just fat quarters was a fun adventure, especially with the beautiful fabric 
from Windham's Meriwether fabric by Amy Gibson and the amazing products from Therm o Web. 

Fat Quarter Apron


I love all the gorgeous prints in Meriwether!


Supplies used for this apron:
Four buttons

There's a little appliqued bird on the pocket, too.
I used Aurifil thread from Amanda Murphy's Applique Collection. They are all beautiful,
but I only used Aurifil Thread, 28 wt, 2785 and Aurifil Thread, 28 wt, 2226 for the bird.


Please visit Therm O Web's blog today to see the whole process of making this apron.


You can find the pattern at my Craftsy store HERE.
 

Monday, September 4, 2017

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas Christmas Row

Marian at Seams to Be Sew had the great idea to create a Christmas Row Along of
our favorite Christmas songs. Thank you, Marian, for all your hard work on this row along!
Go to her blog to get all the info about this hop and giveaways HERE.

My favorite song is, "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas" so my row
depicts Santa listening and the requested gifts he left for the children.

"Johnny wants a pair of skates; Susy wants a dolly, 
Nellie wants a story book, She thinks dolls are folly
As for me, my little brain Isn't very bright; 
Choose for me, dear Santa Claus, What you think is right."


The unfinished row measures 12 1/2" x 30 1/2"
You can find this pattern at my Craftsy store HERE.


Yes, this row has LOTS of pieces, but using Therm O Web's Heatn Bond EZ Print Lite Sheets
makes it easy. Just run the patterns through your printer, iron to fabric, cut out, apply.
No tracing!


Northcott fabrics kindly gave us some fabric for our rows...thank you, Northcott!
Of course, I bought more of this line because I love, love, love it.
I'm hoping to have a new Christmas quilt to be finished by Christmas!


Fabrics I used were from these Northcott fabric lines:



With all the available rows, you can create a quilt, runner, or a pillow. 
There's so many ways to use them!



I made a pillow that can easily become a runner.


Pillow, 18" x 36"

Pillow instructions:

Step 1:
Sew 3 1/2" x 12 1/2" borders to left and right of center block.
Press seams towards border.



Step 2:
Sew 3 1/2" x 36 1/2" borders to top and bottom of center block.
Press seams towards border.



Step 3:
Cut 2 - 18 1/2" x 22" fabric pieces for back of pillow.
Fold under 1/4" narrow hem on one side of each 18 1/2" side of fabric.
Stitch along edge. Press.



Step 4:
Place right side of front pillow facing up. 



Place right sides of 18 1/2" x 22" hemmed fabric sections face down on front pillow.



 Line up outside edges with hemmed edges overlapping.
Sew around all outside edges with a 1/4" seam leaving overlapped section open.
 Clip corners. Turn inside out.



Step 5:
Place store-bought king-size pillow inside or make your own filling.

Moda has generously offered a giveaway today for a
Me and My Sister Designs Red Dot Green Dash Jelly Roll
valued at $40. That's so amazing...thank you Moda!


*They will ship anywhere, but shipping costs must be paid for by the winner.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

There are so many rows this year and they are all amazing, plus lots of giveaways.
Since all the rows are free from so many designers, be kind and leave a comment
thanking them.  It will make their day I'm sure!



Tuesday, September 5, 2017





Thursday, September 21, 2017
Martina Latimer

Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Cheryl LaPlante (sponsored by Quilt In Piece)
Morning Glory
Pampered Pettit
Fun Threads



*More giveaway rules from Seams to Be Sew:
Giveaways offered by sponsors are assigned to the various bloggers for their featured day. You'll have to visit the blog or the featured blog to enter the giveaways. Not all giveaways can be entered at Seams To Be Sew. Winners will be starting on September 12, 2017, and finish announcing winners on October 12, 2017. In most cases, the blog where you won at also will announce their winners. You must give a valid email address when you enter the giveaways, any email returned loses the ability to win automatically. With the exception of Show and Tell Day, all giveaways run for approximately one week.
You are given 3 days to answer the email, if you do not answer within 3 days a new winner will be drawn. Check those spam/junk mail folders, you may miss that winning email if you don't do so  because there are no exceptions to this rule. If you are notified that you are a winner, in most cases, you will need to provide your name, address, city, state, zip code, country, telephone number, and email address. In some cases, you will be asked to comment on the blog to enter the giveaway... do the right thing  and thank them for the time it took to create the pattern, thank them for the pattern and...
Thank the sponsor by buying their products for the giveaways. This helps them continue to offer  great prizes for these types of events. You can also comment on their social media pages.  Even if you don't win, letting them know you love their products is a huge incentive and they really do love hearing from you. No purchase whatsoever is necessary.
You must be 18+ in order to win a gift. You are responsible for claiming and paying any tax owed on the value of any gift that you win. Prizes valued at $500.00 should be claimed. All winners are chosen at random. All winners will be announced on the blogs via the Rafflecopter entry form and/or post by the  blogger at the site where they won and here at [Seams To Be Sew](http://www.seamstobesew.com).  All winners must allow for their first name and first initial of their last name to be announced on this blog. Odds of Winning a prize are based on a total number of rafflecopter entries during each week
 and in total for all giveaways. This giveaway is void where prohibited by law. Participating bloggers may enter any of the giveaways. The word giveaways in the rules and guidelines are also known as sweepstakes. Most of the giveaways are international shipping this year in some cases, you will be asked to pay for shipping your giveaways.

It Was The Cat's Idea Baby Or Fur Baby Quilt

All the cat's I've had over the years always had a sneaky side to them and
I wouldn't have been surprised to see one of them tie a rope around one of
my dogs and attach them to a helium balloon. Of course, they'd deny they did it!

It Was The Cat's Idea
The finished quilt measures 36" x 42"


It's a perfect size to cuddle a baby or share with your favorite fur baby and using
Moda fabric, Woof Woof Meow by Stacy Iest Hsu just makes it even more fun!

Check it out over at Therm O Web's blog today!

The pattern can be found at my Craftsy store in PDF format HERE.



Give It A Whirl Blog Hop Starts Today

It is time to whirl, twirl, and spin with the "Give It A Whirl" blog hop! What was the challenge? Somewhere in or on your project ...