Beach Pillow And HeatnBond Liquid Vinyl

Temperatures are definitely telling us that it is summer and time for a trip to the beach. With temperatures in my town reaching 118 degrees and higher, I would love to head to the beach right now! When the time is right, this beach pillow is ready for the trip.

A handle, a zipper pocket on the front, and an open pocket in the back make this pillow ready for almost anything. It’s a great way to carry a few extra things, plus have a place to lay your head and enjoy the sounds of the waves from the beach.

The pillow is water-resistant thanks to HeatnBond Liquid Vinyl. It is amazing! What’s really fun about HeatnBond Liquid Vinyl is how easy it is to use. It even can be painted over applique designs like this one.

There are three ways to use the HeatnBond Liquid Vinyl gel coating:

One coat: Fabric is water and stain-resistant
Two coats: Fabric is waterproof and stain-resistant
Three coats: Waterproof and stain-resistant with a semi-gloss oilcloth finish

Summer Beach Pillow Instructions: 

Step 1: Use a paintbrush to apply a light coat of HeatnBond Liquid Vinyl on the pillow front (don’t apply over the zipper.)
Step 2: Let dry for 30-45 minutes.
Step 3: Preheat iron to medium heat, no steam.
Step 4: Place fabric on top of parchment paper on a firm, protected surface (not an ironing board) and cover with HeatnBond Pressing Paper or non-stick pressing sheet. Press for 45 seconds, moving iron slightly. Let cool.

The Oliso Mini iron is perfect for small projects like this and the purple one is so pretty!

Heat n Bond Lite Iron-on Adhesive or Heat n Bond Lite EZ Print Sheets
HeatnBond Liquid Vinyl
Optional: Heat n Bond Light Weight Non-Woven Interfacing
Fabric Fuse Liquid Adhesive

Zipper Pocket – The zipper pocket on the front of the pillow was so easy to make. Following package directions, iron the 14” x 14” square of Heat n Bond Lite Iron-on Adhesive to the wrong side of the 14″ x 14″ fabric. Remove protective paper and fold square diagonally into a triangle, matching edges. Press.

Using the Heat n Bond Lite Iron-on Adhesive between fabric layers gives it a sturdy feeling and makes adding the zipper much easier.

Fish applique – Following the package directions, prepare the applique patterns using Heat n Bond Lite Iron-on Adhesive or Heat n Bond Lite EZ Print Sheets.

Using Heat n Bond Lite EZ Print Sheets means no tracing. Just run your designs through an inkjet printer and they are ready to iron on fabrics. Quick and easy!

Iron adhesive pieces to wrong side of applique fabrics. Cut out applique pieces.Peel off paper liner from the backs of fish applique pieces. Place applique, adhesive side down, on right side of zipper pocket. Press according to package directions until entire piece is bonded. Let cool. Sew around edges using a straight, zig-zag, or blanket stitch.

Apply HeatnBond Liquid Vinyl to zipper pocket on both sides. Having it water proofed on both sides makes it a perfect spot to stow anything that’s liquid, like sunscreen.

Apply a thin line of Fabric Fuse Liquid Adhesive along folded edge of pocket. Lay edge of zipper along adhesive and finger press in place. Allow to dry. Stitch close to zipper edge on front side of pocket using a straight or decorative stitch. Slide zipper open near edge to enable sewing if needed.

Line up pocket with raw edges along bottom and sides of pillow front with zipper pointed towards pillow center. Pin/clip zipper pocket to secure in place.  Apply thin line of adhesive to other zipper edge and finger press in place. Allow to dry. Sew along top edge of zipper to secure it to pillow. Baste around pocket’s raw edges to secure in place. Trim off excess zipper – make sure zipper pull is not cut off!

That’s it! The pocket is finished and ready for the rest of the pillow to be assembled.

The Whale

The fish and the nice little zipper pocket!

The Jellyfish

The back pocket

It is about 24″ x 24″ when finished and has a preformed 24″ x 24″ pillow inside.

Are you ready to make a pillow for the beach? You can find the complete instructions for the Beach Pillow in a PDF pattern HERE.

Check out the ThermOWeb blog for more ideas on using the HeatnBond Liquid Vinyl.

Grab your flip flops, swimsuit, towel, and especially the sunscreen, and go have some fun at the beach!

Applique Class At Sew Yeah Quilting

I can't even put into words how much fun I had the last two days with Joan from Moosestash quilting. She's lucky I didn't tie her up to keep her a few more days. I was so, so sad when I dropped her off at her hotel today. I miss her already!

Ron and I had a great dinner with Joan and her husband on Friday. We went to Lazy Dogs and totally enjoyed their company!

Saturday morning, I picked up Joan and Susan and headed to Sew Yeah, the quilt store. The applique class had 12 students. Thank goodness I had Joan and my other friend, Susan, to help me stay focused. I do tend to talk fast and move around a lot.

Susan promised to stop me from getting a green tea latte from Starbucks, because she knows how wired I can be after drinking one. She saved me from totally jabbering out of control. Thanks, Susan!

Joan is the queen of applique, but beyond that, she made me laugh and kept me entertained. She had great input for the class, too. Thanks for everything, Joan!

This lady didn't want her picture taken, but she was up for her project being photographed.

Seriously, this was such a fun group of ladies to teach. Most of them were new to applique, but they jumped right in and didn't hesitate to learn how to do it.

Did I mention how much I miss Joan already? Well, I do!

After the class was over, I took Joan for a ride. We stopped at my house so she could meet Bruster and Bella, and then off we went for a cold drink and a shared sandwich. We ate in my air conditioned car while watching the Big Horn Sheep. The temperatures outside were 110 degrees...a little warm!

We braved the heat and wind to get closer to the sheep and asked someone to take some photos of us. Some of the pics were okay but some were pretty hilarious! I'm not sharing those.

Such a whirlwind of a trip for Joan, but the best time for me. I was so grateful to have her to hang out! I'm looking forward to teaching another class and/or hanging out with Joan again!

Ready For Christmas Wall Hanging For A Sew Yeah Class

Covid restrictions are lifting and we're seeing quilt expos, classes, and retreats happening...woohoo! It has been a while since I've taught a class, but on July 17th that changes. I'm so lucky to get to teach a beginner's applique class at the Sew Yeah Quilting store in Las Vegas. I love that store and staff! 

Ready for Christmas

15" x 23" wall hanging

I'm even more excited because one of my blog friends is coming to visit and take the class. Not that she's a beginner at all, but she's there to harass/support me...fun times! 

Blog friends are the best and even better when you get to finally meet them. I can't wait to meet my wicked friend, Joan from Moosestash Quilting! Hopefully, we won't need anyone to contribute or rescue us with bail money. LOL I promise we'll behave...sort of.

If you're in the Las Vegas area on July 17th, you're welcome to join me. I'd love it!

Cackling Stitches "Hagatha's House" July BOM Blocks

We are on the final stretch of "Hagatha's House" BOM with only a couple months to go. This month it's Fat Jack, a pieced block, and Hagatha’s Daughter, an applique block, joining the BOM.

Fat Jack - make four

Hagatha's Daughter

Here's how "Hagatha's House" BOM works at our Facebook Cackling Stitches group:

The BOM will run from March 1st to September 1st.

On the 1st day of each month we will release block patterns that will be free until the next block(s) is released.

Once new blocks are released, the previous month's blocks will no longer be free. They will be available in our Etsy stores at a cost of $2 for each month's worth of blocks.

On October 1st the entire pattern will be combined and sold in our Etsy stores for $10.

We hope you appreciate the time we put into creating the BOM quilt and understand that we are keeping the costs to a minimum. If you're quick to get the patterns during the month they are free, there will be no cost to you.

You can find the supply list HERE if you want to join along with the rest of us wickedly crazy Halloween lovers.

My version of the Hagatha's House BOMs

Joan's version of the Hagatha's House BOMs

March BOM - Hagatha's House - Find it HERE

Created by Joan Kawano from Moosestash Quilting

April BOMs - The Butler Did It - Find It HERE

May BOMs - Ghostly Stitches - Find it HERE

Created by Carol Swift from Just Let Me Quilt

May BOMs - Gorf - Find it HERE

Created by Joan Kawano from Moosestash Quilting

June BOMs - Going Batty - Find it HERE

Created by Carol Swift from Just Let Me Quilt

June BOMs - Frankie - Find it HERE

Created by Joan Kawano from Moosestash Quilting

July BOMs - Fat Jack - Find it HERE

Created by Carol Swift from Just Let Me Quilt

July BOMs - Hagatha's Daughter - Find it HERE

Created by Joan Kawano from Moosestash Quilting

Thanks for stopping by!

Mini 4th Of July Star Quilt

With the 4th of July coming up really fast, I felt the need to sew up something patriotic. Here's my mini 4th of July star quilt! I love how it turned out and how cute it looks on this hanger.

A few weeks ago I found the little 6" quilt hanger at a local quilt shop and just had to have it, of course. This morning I saw it sitting on my shelf begging for something to hang on it. Out came my Crafter's Edge triangles to help me get creative! I love all the cutting dies from CE, but those triangles are among my favorites because of how easy it is to make half square triangles. 

This mini quilt went together really quick! The dog eared corners didn't have to be trimmed off after sewing the triangles together and there was no trimming to get the right size HST. Easy peasy!

The Crossover II can cut up to six layers of fabric and has adjustable pressure dials to allow for different thicknesses of fabrics.

Lining up the dog eared corners and sewing 1/4" seams gives perfect HSTs after pressing. I used the smallest triangles to give me 2" unfinished HSTs which will become 1 1/2" finished HSTs.

I used the 2" squares for the corners of the star. I really like all the sizes that come in this package!

What you need for the mini 4th of July Star Quilt:

One blue fat quarter, one red fat quarter, and one white fat quarter

8" x 8" batting square

Spray n Bond Basting Adhesive

Thread

Iron

Cut 4 - red triangles

Cut 8 - blue triangles

Cut 12 - white triangles

Cut 4 - 2" white squares

Cut 1 - 8" blue square for backing (extra added for quilting)

Cut 1 - 2 1/2" x 43" strip for binding

With right sides together, sew each of the red and blue triangles to a white triangle. Press seams towards dark side. 

With right sides together, sew 2" squares and 2" HST's together in rows as show below. Press seams in each row in opposite directions.

With right sides together, sew rows together; match seams. Press seams open to reduce bulk. 

*Mini Quilt assembly with batting and basting spray:

Protect the area where you will be working by placing an old sheet or paper under and around the area you’ll be spraying. Place the quilt backing, wrong side up on protected area. Lightly spray with Spray n Bond Basting Adhesive. Lay batting on sprayed fabric. Smooth to remove wrinkles. 

Lightly spray batting from one edge to the other. Carefully lay the wrong side of quilt front over the sprayed surface of batting. Smooth fabric to ensure it adheres to the sprayed fabric and remove any wrinkles. Let dry.

Quilt as desired. Trim mini quilt to 6 1/2" x 6 1/2". Add binding using your favorite method.

Have a wonderful patriotic July!