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St. Patty’s Day Placemats – 4 mats in 4 hours
The other night I decided I wanted St. Patrick’s Day place mats. I had found this cute fabric and had an idea in my head so I just went for it. They turned out so cute that I thought I should do a tutorial. These took me about 4 hours to do, start to finish, so you could make them this weekend and have them for your St. Patty’s Day feast. Supplies 1 yard of green fabric 1-1/2 yards of white fabric Batting (I used Warm and White™) Sulky® Soft n Sheer Extra™ Sulky PolyLite™ in Ecru or White 1/2″ Bias tape maker 1/2″ Steam a Seam tape Ruler…
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The Pinwheel Block Tutorial
I recently finished a very traditional quilt where I used pinwheel blocks as cornerstones. Since I made this quilt to go on the wall of my living room, and I really wanted to keep all the points on all of the half-square triangles. I know this is a simple block, but I thought I would share with you how I did them because the results were great! I didn’t cut off a single point and they all finished to a perfect 3 inches (I had a little dance party in my sewing studio when I saw the results). I started with 2.5″ squares in the 2 colors. I put the…
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Making a Quilt Your Own Series- Part 1
I just finished a quilt that I have been working on for awhile now. I finished it, of course, because I want it in my local guild’s quilt show in a couple weeks. I really need a deadline to push me to completion a lot of the time! But this quilt was a little different because I really wanted it to be my own design, all me, not just a pattern. So many months ago, I pulled out my graph paper and colored pencils and decided I would draw a quilt. I stared at the paper…and stared….and stared. Nothing ever got down on that paper. It was as if I…
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Quick Snap Bag Pattern & Tutorial
It is kind of ironic that I own yards and yards of fabric, I sew almost every day and yet more often than not, I carry projects and other miscellaneous things around in plastic zip top bags. The other day, I had 30 minutes to sew and decided to make some snap bags to put things in instead of those silly zip top bags. Here is how I made them. Supplies: Fabric 1 metal measuring tape from the dollar store 1 pair of scissors from the dollar store Serger (optional) Sewing machine The first two, I made to go in my car and hold the head phones for the…
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Off to College Bag and Towel Gift Set – Tutorial
It’s back to school time! Here in Georgia, my kids are happy to be back at school. They love getting to see all of their friends, and quite frankly, we all do a little better when we are on a schedule. I also know several young men and women who are heading off to college for the first time. Do you need a gift to give an entering college freshman? If so, this bag and bath set might be perfect. It is quick and easy to make and is sure to be appreciated. I started with monogramming the towel. I think monogrammed towels at college are a must. With new…
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Easy Chevron Quilt – Tutorial
Sometimes you need a quilt and fast. There is a little girl at my church who was just diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma. She is 10 years old and she will start some pretty intensive chemo treatments this week. Although we are all praying for a full and complete recovery for her, we also know that she is about to walk a very hard road. I just couldn’t in good conscience allow her to start chemo without a snuggly quilt to take with her. When I was in Los Angeles for the Mimi G Style conference I found this wonderful Minky at Michael Levine’s. I knew this would be perfect for the…
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Mitered Corners Made Easy (Well, easier)
Considering that my first thought when I see a quilt with mitered corners is “show off”, it won’t come as a shock to you that I don’t normally miter my borders. I do miter the corners of my binding, but not usually my borders. I am currently working on a project, however, and mitered corners are essential. I am using a striped fabric so the small 1.5″ border creates a framed picture effect. In the process, I have discovered some tips that make mitered corners a little easier! I also made a bunch of mistakes. Like not matching up the stripes. And sewing the strip onto the wrong side. And ironing my seams the wrong way! Once…
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Coasters – The Perfect Hostess Gift – Tutorial
Recently, a friend of mine sent me a Pin from Pinterest that she knew I would love: some adorable little coasters using half-square triangles. Later we were shopping and saw the Moda® Dottie™ mini charm packs! I snatched one up immediately knowing these adorable little 2.5″ squares were perfect to make those little coasters. This is the result: What I used: • 1 Moda Dottie mini charm pack • Scrap of Warm & Natural® Batting • Scrap of white and black fabric for backing • 1 fat quarter of white tone-on-tone fabric • Sulky® PolyLite™ in #1001 Bright White • Sulky 40 wt Rayon in #1001 Bright White The very first thing I did was…
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No Math Notepad Cover Tutorial
I hate math. Funny, I know, since we use an awful lot of it in sewing, but this little project has almost none! After you cut the stabilizer to the right size, the math is done. This little notepad would make a great gift for Father’s Day or Graduation and it only took a couple hours to make. What I used: Brown faux micro-suede and a matching batik fabric leftover from another project 6 – 8″ x 10″ pieces of Sulky Fuse ‘n Stitch™ Sewing thread Sulky 40 wt. Rayon #1266 Toast I have an 8″ roll of Sulky Fuse ‘n Stitch, so all I had to do was measure off…
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Easy Journal Cover Tutorial
As an end of the year “Thank You” to a teacher or a great little gift for a friend, this journal cover is quick and easy to make! I have always received a great response from giving these little journals as gifts. This took me about an hour and a half, start to finish. Here is what I used: 3 coordinating fabrics: Ticking Stripe, Chalkboard in Green and Allover Tags from the ABC Primer line by Wilmington Prints Warm and Natural® Batting Sulky 30 wt Cotton Blendables® #4009 Foliage and #4017 Lime Sherbet Sulky PolyLite™ #1128 Dark Ecru Spiral notebook Sulky KK 2000 Temporary Spray Adhesive Black Frixion™ pen Clover® Wonder Clips Begin…
