Just Let Me Quilt: December 2020

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

My Stitching Resolutions 2021 In A Blog Hop

I'm the worst at making or keeping resolutions, especially if it involves eating less and exercising more. I definitely fail at those! Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks came up with a blog hop that I think works for me..."My Stitching Resolutions 2021." Thanks, Carla, great idea!

Carla's challenge was -- "This hop doesn't require stitching, it's all about your stitching plan for the new year. Let's share new ideas and inspiration. All you have to do is finish this statement in a blog post:

My stitching resolution for 2021 is _____________________________."

The first would have to be that I will try to keep my resolutions, but I will not beat myself up if I don't.

These are the amazing shelfs in my sewing room. They are begging for some organizations. I will clean and organize these shelfs for sure in 2021!

I will dig out that container of UFO's and decide which ones are worth finishing and which ones aren't. Say "bye-bye" to the not worth finishing things. I had to climb over a few things to get this picture of the container. It's buried way in the back of put-this-away-stuff.

I will get rid of fabric that no longer makes me happy. I tend to hold on to some fabric just because I might need it. After 10 years, I probably don't need it.

I will finish putting away all my sewing items that have been in storage. After moving, some of those boxes are still sitting there. It's not really fun to dig for things when I need it NOW. This is one of three containers that had things thrown into during the final moving days.

I will take time to play with my embroidery machine. I love watching it stitch, but when I'm pressed for deadlines I can't give up my sewing machine to play with it. The embroidery machine has only been out of this container twice since I bought it. I MUST use it!

I will start and finish the Cackling Stitches BOM in March. I'm so excited about this one! I enjoy every minute of the Cackling Stitches group. This isn't hard because it's fun to "hang out" on Facebook with other people who love Halloween as much as I do. Joan at Moosestash Quilting and I are hard at work getting some fun BOM's ready.

I want to/will sew a "Storm at Sea" quilt for me. I've wanted to for such a long time, so maybe, just maybe, this is the year. I even bought the Accuquilt die made for this. The first time I saw a "Storm at Sea" quilt I loved it!

I will keep those blog hops going. I love all the quilty people I've met because of them.

I will teach at least one of the Monkey Boys how to sew. They love to sit on my lap while I sew, but it's time they learned a few things.

Finally, I will do my best to take the time to do all of the above.

Here's the list of more resolution makers...check them out!

Good luck with your own resolutions in 2021!

Saturday, December 26, 2020

The Stockings Were Sewn And Hung

It was just a couple days before Christmas when my daughter decided that her family needed matching Christmas stockings. They were short a few stockings as more Monkey Boys arrived to join the family, and her husband had mentioned (for several years) that he'd like to see them all match. So...we went to work!

My daughter decided to sew them secretly at my house and she let me join in the fun. No complaints from me...I loved helping! I have lots of cool products in my sewing room, including this new one from ThermOWeb, SpraynBond Pattern and Stencil Adhesive.

I love this product! We followed the directions and we were both amazed at the results.

Always pre-test before use and protect your work surface.

Shake Well.

Hold can upright 12 inches from pattern or stencil.

Press spray pad button and apply a light coating of adhesive using a sweeping motion.

Let dry 1 minute. Press pattern or stencil to project.

Reposition as needed.

*My daughter used this easy and free stocking pattern by Orange Bettie.

The Pattern and Stencil Adhesive held the paper in place while she used the rotary cutter.

It didn't move!

The pattern easily peeled off the fabric with no residue left behind from the fleece.

My daughter cut out eight stockings without respraying the pattern.

I think she could have done more!

SpraynBond Pattern and Stencil Adhesive is definitely a winner. No pins, no residue, reusable...love it! This will be awesome on clothing patterns, too, and I can't wait to use it again.

I embroidered names on the cuffs, but here's a photo of the backside of the stockings. They need another hook on their hanger so mom and dad don't have to share a hook.

I was there when the family opened the wrapped box of stockings. They were so surprised! I wish I had my camera because they were REALLY excited! The old stockings came down immediately and these went up on the hooks. My daughter did good with this idea and I was happy she let me help.

I hope Santa filled your stockings with goodies and/or love!

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

HO HO HO Christmas Pennant Banner

I haven't done very much Christmas decorating for the last five or six years, but being closer to family has definitely brought out the Christmas spirit in me! I have lighted trees, nativities, snowmen, Christmas quilts (of course), and wrapped presents under the tree. I'm so ready for Christmas!

Crafter's Edge Flag Pennant and letters were just the perfect tools for me to add some more Christmas spirit to my front door. It's HO HO HO time! Plus, those letters are all on sale!

The Flag Pennant has two flags that measure 5 1/2" and 7 1/2" long that can be used together or separately. Red and white felt was used for the HO HO HO pennants.

You'll need an "H" and an "O" for the fabric HO HO HO's.

To use the dies you'll need the Crossover II cutter or you can get an adapter to use the dies on your Accuquilt cutter. Either way, the dies are amazing! The cutting edge is not sharp at all, so no risk of cutting your fingers.

The letters and pennant were even easier to put together with no-sew Heat n Bond Ultrahold. Just iron the adhesive to the wrong side of fabric/felt.

The flag pennant is placed on a fold before running through the machine to cut.

You end up with a full flag after cutting.

I love using my Oliso Mini Project Iron to press the two layers together.

Next, iron the adhesive to the wrong side of fabric for the letters.

Place the letter die on the protective paper side of the adhesive. This is important because the letters would be the wrong way if you cut on the right side of fabric. (This isn't so true with the H or O, but it would be with a letter like an R.)

Press the fabric letters on to the flag's right side.

Use bias tape or ribbon to create the string for hanging. Space the letters evenly apart. Clip or pin in place.

Sew the bias tape or ribbon in place, sewing close to edge. If you don't want to sew, use a fabric glue or hot glue gun to hold the tape/ribbon in place.

As an option, fabric strips can be tied between the flags. Crafter's Edge has a die cutter that's perfect for this! These ties were made by cutting 1" strips in 20" lengths and knotting them between the O and H, and on the ends.

Mickey is ready for Christmas with his Santa hat and HO HO HO flag pennant!

Creating and cutting with Crafter's Edge dies is so fun!

Merry Christmas and wishes to you and your family to have peace and joy.

Monday, December 14, 2020

Gingerbread House Pillow

Making gingerbread houses has been a tradition in my house for years. There's always lots of candy, broken pieces, and even dinosaurs. We have so much fun! This year we'll be changing things up a bit and will be decorating cookies instead of houses. At least we can eat those!

Not having a gingerbread house just didn't seem right, so with the help of Crafter's Edge fabric dies I will get my cookie house...on a pillow!

The pillow used the Gingerbread House, Squares (6 1/2") for the center block, and the Crossover II.

What I used to make the pillow:

Crafter's Edge Gingerbread House fabric die

Crafter's Edge Squares fabric die

Crafter's Edge Crossover II

Heat n Bond Lite, Iron-on Adhesive

Thread

Batting

18” x 18” Pillow Form

1/2 yard background fabric, pillow back, lining

6-8 fat quarters or fabric scraps for applique

1/4 yard - Binding

Oliso Iron

Spray n Bond Basting Adhesive

Cutting instructions:

Cut 1 - 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" Square fabric die, Center Block

Cut 1 - Gingerbread House from fabric die, Center Block

Cut 2 - 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" left and right Border A

Cut 2 - 2 1/2" x 10 1/2" top and bottom Border A

Cut 2 - 4 1/2" x 10 1/2" left and right Border B

Cut 2 - 4 1/2" x 18 1/2" top and bottom Border B

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

Cut 1 – 18 ½” x 18 ½” lining

Cut 2 – 11 ½” x 18 ½” pillow back

Cut 1 – 18 ½” x 18 ½” batting

Step 1: Applique – Iron adhesive to wrong side of fabrics; let cool.

Step 2: Following Crafter’s Edge instructions, place paper side of adhesive facing up on platform*. Cover as directed before running through machine. Run die and fabric through machine. *To reverse the direction of design, place fabric side up before cutting.

Step 3: Peel off paper liner from the backs of applique pieces. Place applique, adhesive side down, on right side of fabric. Press according to package directions until entire piece is bonded. Let cool. Sew around edges of applique using a straight, zig-zag, or blanket stitch.

Optional way to cut Center Block: After sewing edges of applique, center Square die around Gingerbread House. Following the machine's directions, roll through Crossover II to cut.

The advantage of these dies is the ability to fussy cut fabrics...I love that about them!

Step 4: Border A – With right sides together, sew 2 ½” x 6 ½” strips to left and right of Center Block. Press seams towards borders. With right sides together, sew 2 1/2" x 10 1/2" strips to top and bottom of Center Block. Press seams down.

Step 5: Border B - With right sides together, sew 4 ½” x 10 ½” strips to left and right of Border A. Press seams towards borders. With right sides together, 4 1/2" x 18 1/2" to top and bottom of Border A. Press seams down.

I had a little help with the photos...Hi, Mickey!

Step 6: Pillow front/lining/batting– Place pillow lining wrong side up on a flat surface. Lay batting on top of pillow lining. Lay pillow front, right side up on top of batting. Pin or clip with all edges meeting together. Baste around edges. Quilt if desired.

Step 7: Pillow Back - Fold under 1/4” on one long side of each 11½” x 18½” rectangles. Press. Fold over again 1/4” and press. Top stitch close to edge of fold. Overlap the two back sections with right sides up and turned under edges towards the middle to make an 18 ½” x 18 ½” square. Pin/clip to hold in place at overlapped sections and baste in place.

Step 8: Pillow assembly - On a flat surface, layer pillow sections on top of each other in the following order: Pillow back, wrong side up; Pillow front with lining, wrong side down. Baste around edges.

Step 9: Add binding using your favorite method. Place 18” x 18” pillow form inside through the flap.

Crafter's Edge has applique dies, English paper piecing dies, and quilting dies. Check them out!