Thursday, April 29, 2021

The Bird Did Not Die In A Quilt!

One of my readers, Mary Ann, left a comment on my post about my Sue Spargo bird quilt. It had us both laughing! 

She said, "Boy did I interpret that title wrong!!! I was trying to figure out how you killed a bird in a quilt!!!!"

The title said: 

"Crafter's Edge Sue Spargo Bird Dies In A Quilt"


Seriously, I did not kill off any of these cute birds! LOL 




Note: I changed the title so that no one thinks I'm a bird killer. I'm not, really I'm not!

Mary Ann, you made my day so much happier!

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Email Subscribers, Changes, And Other Stuff

Google has decided to stop their email subscribing method so there's been a lot of us bloggers scrambling to find a way to let readers have an option for email notifications of our blog posts. 

Yikes! Just when things are running smoothly...BAM...somebody has to change things! I headed off to the internet to search for a new way to do things. I'm just a simple blogger and it's a scary world out there when you don't know what you're doing!

UPDATE: Here's a link that might help you!
 
I landed at MailChimp and set things up. Unfortunately, I didn't do it right so my sister emailed me this morning to ask if I'd been hacked because this is what she received. No link, just my logo. Ugh, ugh, ugh! I'm sure this wasn't quite what anyone cared to see.

So, back to MailChimp I went to fix the mess I had created. I thought I fixed it, but after having one of my sister's amazing techies, Jess, look at it...nope...it wasn't right. She used her magic fingers to fix things. Whew! Hopefully, those that want notifications will now receive them and those that want to receive notifications can sign up over there on the right.

I love getting emails with new post notifications from some of my favorite blogs, so I'm hoping those of you who still want them will receive them from me. My motivation and inspiration come from all of you and I want to keep it that way!

There have been some new blog hops I'll be hosting so if you are interested in any of them, let me know. Email me with your name, blog name, and blog URL. 


"It's A Guy Thing" challenge is to make something for a guy or tomboy, or in manly-man colors of blues, grays, browns, etc.


"Ghastly Ghouls" challenge is anything Halloween.


As always, I love having you stop by to visit!

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Crafter's Edge Sue Spargo Bird Cutting Dies In A Quilt

I have to admit, I'm crazy about Crafter's Edge Sue Spargo Bird dies. They are cute, funny, whimsical, and look great in any project! I loved using them in my small quilt! 

Spring Bird Dance
39" x 44"


These three bird dies were used in my "Spring Bird Dance" quilt: #10, #5, and #24.

The fabrics are Moda Grunge and I went with really bright and fun colors to match the birds personalities. Seriously, they just make me smile!


Crafter's Edge Sue Spargo Bird #5


Crafter's Edge Sue Spargo Bird #10


Crafter's Edge Sue Spargo Bird #24


Preparing the designs for this quilt was no problem because I used my favorite applique adhesive, Heat n Bond Lite Iron-on Adhesive, for all the designs. The backing peels of easy...no scoring with a pin!


One thing I do when I applique, especially where small pieces are involved, is to iron Heat n Bond Light Weight Non-Woven Interfacing on the wrong side of the fabric I'm appliqueing. It makes it so much easier to sew around the edges because it stays flat and stabilized. Just remember to cut your fabric a little bigger than needed and trim after applying and sewing applique designs. There can be shrinkage and that can mess with the size of the block. Ironing with a purple Oliso is a bonus, too!


There are so many great Crafter's Edge dies available for sewing and applique. The Crossover II allows for different pressure on the dies when cutting up to six layers. Another advantage to the dies...they are thin and take very little space to store.


Look close...those die edges are not sharp at all! 


The flowers and squares come in different sizes, which makes them so versatile. I used the 3" flower and the center circle along with the 5 1/2" square die in my quilt.



The lower half of the quilt was designed with a look of gingham using the Crafter's Edge 5 ½” Square die. 



The vine that the birds sit on was cut using the Crafter's Edge 1" strip die. 


Thin strips have never been this easy to cut! Because the strip is narrow, it can easily be curved as you iron it in place.


There is also a strip cutter for 2 1/2" strips, which was used for the border and binding.


You can find the free pattern for "Spring Bird Dance" HERE.


Thank you for stopping by!

Monday, April 26, 2021

New Blog Hops And Cackling Stitches Updates

I have played in blog hops for a long, long time, and now I love hosting and playing in them with my friend, Carla, from Creatin' in the Sticks. She never ceases to amaze me with her creativity and quilt designing! Carla has been a part of my blogging life since around 2012. We've both come a long way!


Then there's my wickedly crazy friend, Joan, from Moosestash Quilting. Joan has also been in my blogging life since 2012. She's funny and amazing with her sewing skills. I love how she makes me laugh on almost a daily basis! We host a Facebook page called "Cackling Stitches" that's totally Halloween related. It's perfect for the witchy part of us! 


I am so lucky to have been able to do lots of quilt things with them for such a long time and it's not over, yet! The three of us are teaming up to share the fun of hosting blog hops and designing for our Cackling Stitches Halloween related Facebook page. Check it out to see the block of the month and spooky, creepy, and Halloween shares. 


Joan, Carla, and I like to keep things relaxed and fun, because if it isn't fun why do it. But we do take our blog hops and designing seriously and love to share it with others. Coming up with challenges for all of you and us keeps the sewing mojo flowing.

The slots for our blog hops fill up fast, but we try to fit everyone in who wants to play. If you sign-up, we hope you're courtesy enough to show up on your assigned day. No one likes a no-show, but we understand life happens and do our best to understand. Comments on the posts are really welcome and appreciated because encouragement keeps us all going. 

Right now we have a blog hop coming in May called "Born to be Wild" that is hosted by me. I can't wait to see the "wild" side of everyone!


Joan will be hosting the June blog hop and she's come up with a great challenge, "Fairy Tales." I love having her talent to inspire me in these blog hops! If you want to sign-up for this hop, visit Joan's blog for details HERE.


I'll be hosting July's blog hop, "It's A Guy Thing", with a challenge to make something for a guy or tomboy, or in manly-man colors of blues, grays, browns, etc. Please don't yell at me about this not being gender neutral...it's a blog hop not a political statement. If you want to play along, you can email me with your name, email address, blog name, and blog URL. If you've never done a blog hop, don't be afraid to join in. We were new at it once, too!


Carla and Joan have new challenges planned for August and September to share soon. 

I'll have October to challenge your inner Halloween spirit with "Ghastly Ghouls." I think you can figure out that the challenge is anything Halloween. I can hardly contain my excitement to host this one!


Joan, Carla, and I enjoy each other and share the same love of quilting, blog hops, and designing. We're so glad to have all of you in our quilting lives, too!

Monday, April 19, 2021

It Is My In The Kitchen Stitchin' Blog Hop Day

It is always fun to see what ideas my blog hop friend, Carla, comes up with to challenge us. This time she chose to get us creating with "In the Kitchen Stitchin'". 


The Challenge: 

Create something inspired by the kitchen.
It can be pot holders, tea towels, coasters, placemats, table runners, mug rugs, or even a toaster cover.
It's your interpretation of a kitchen project.
Maybe a quilt with kitchen gadgets or a color in your kitchen that inspires you.  
Anything kitchen.  You decide.

My kitchen could use new potholders and towels, but I took on a different challenge...sewing an embroidered hot pad and a Kitchen Witch. 

My friend, Nancy, let me use her fancy embroidery machine and designs to make this awesome bug for my hot pad. The design is from OESD, Scissortail Stitches Boho Soul Collection.


The collection has some other incredible designs in it that I'd love to make a whole quilt with.



It has been a long, long time since I've sewn a doll, so this was definitely a huge challenge for me. 

I already had a vintage pattern full of kitchen ideas, including a kitchen witch. Of course, I had to change things around a bit (no embroidered face or glasses) and I will never win a contest for doll making, but overall it was a good challenge for me. 


She looks pretty sweet in my kitchen.


My ancestors were Norwegian, so I was raised around a lot of their culture and history. A Kitchen Witch was a part of that along with homemade lefse. According to Wikipedia: "There is some debate over where the kitchen witch originated, some claiming Scandinavia and others Germany, but consensus points to older Northern European customs, as it seems to have been more widespread earlier. For centuries, Norwegians have hung this good witch in their kitchen." 


Striped socks are a must for a kitchen witch.


Now that I've sewn a doll after years of staying clear of them, I might take on making another one someday. Maybe...

Check out all these other kitchen stitchers:

Thank you for stopping by to see my Kitchen Stitchin' project! 


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 ...