Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Can You Slice and Stitch?

Update: The Slice and Stitch Quilt Block Tutorial is now available at Craftsy.com as a PDF Downloadable Pattern for Only $1.00.  Click Here.


I needed to make a table runner from this fabric, because it matched this cool plate. 



Found a striped fabric that would blend well.

I cut strips and started slicing --- Here is the link to the original post on "How to slice and stitch."  








When I created this table runner, I ran out of daylight!




Then I quilted.  I outline stitched a few of the flowers with a meandering in the background.  





I wiggle line quilted through the strips.



Stitched in my name and the year.



I love to take photos of these beautiful tomatoes. The colors are incredible! and they are not blue!  You know how I love BLUES...








Yes, I know I need to do the binding... I started it this afternoon.  I'll share it another day, along with the mug rugs I made with the leftover scraps.





Take to enjoy the colors around you...
Marcia 
"How to slice and stitch." 

Friday, September 21, 2012

Today is My Day for the Dots on Dots Blog Hop!

Update: The Slice and Stitch Quilt Block Tutorial is now available at Craftsy.com as a PDF Downloadable Pattern for Only $1.00.  Click Here.
__________________________________
It is the last day of the Blog Hop!  
Wow!  Hopping around gave us all some wonderful ideas using Dots! 
A big "Thank You" to Corrie and Des from Quilt Taffy Blog and Madamn Samm from Sew We Quilt Blog.




Dots are a simple circle and I decided I wanted to create a simple block with the dots in between the dots in the block.

My block can be made in a 10 1/2 or a 12 1/2 or actually any size you would like.

I started with 2 colors of dot fabrics - a light yellow and a medium purple. It works best if you have contrast between the colors.


I roughly rotary cut a square 2 inches larger than 12 1/2".  


Then I rotary cut 3 strips from the purple - 2 inches wide.


I laid them on my yellow block at an angle, making sure I wasn't too close to a corner.


Then I carefully lifted up the strips and cut.  See the next couple photos...








Then I started sewing the strips where I cut.  See the next couple photos.






Do not stretch or pull as you are sewing.  Pins are a good idea if you pin your seams. The angle cuts are bias and may stretch a bit.




Roughly trim off the edges.


Pressed/ironed.


Ready to trim the block.  I made it quite a bit larger, but probably an inch larger would have been plenty.


You could cut it at an angle, but then you are going to have more bias edges to stretch and pull. 


 I rotary trimmed my block "straight on" instead of at an angle -- less bias fabric to work with later when assembling the quilt blocks into the quilt top.



Trimmed to 12 1/2 inch block. Well actually if you look closely -- my ruler is a 13" Square!  So I cut it at 13 inches.


You could sew border strips around each block.




If you did the strips inbetween with the yellow on the purple you could make a whole quilt with just two colors.



My finished block was simple and so very easy to make!



 This weekend I will share a table runner I created using this block.

You can make this block in any size so the possibilities are endless!

Thanks for hopping by!

I am sharing a Giveaway today of the NEW Summer Tomatoes Quilt Pattern and the NEW Summer Tomatoes Fabric Set. Tomatoes not included.



Open to everyone!  You have two chances to win.  

#1 Leave a comment to enter.

#2 Leave a second comment, if you are a follower. And Thanks if you are... You are why I create and post!

Please make sure you leave an email, if you are a “no reply blogger”. Thanks!

Giveaway ends Saturday, September 29th, Midnight CST and will be announced during the following week.

Here are the links to all of the Dot on Dot Participants for today – September 21st.

September 21st 








         Enjoy the Hop!
        Marcia

Monday, September 17, 2012

Do you have any of these?

Did you have one that you kept in your pocket when you were a little girl?


Did you have a whole shoe box full of them? 

I had a shoe box full and so did my daughter.  My Mom and my Grandmas gave them to us.  Sometimes I would sit for hours just touching the embroidery and feeling the smooth silky fabrics. Several years ago, I dreamt of making a quilt with all of them.



This summer when my daughter got married.  She asked if we could use them for the wedding.  We washed them and pressed them and neatly folded each one. We put them into an old picnic basket of my Grandma's.  We handed them out before the wedding ceremony, as a remembrance of the day and if some wanted to shed a tear of happiness for the bride and groom.



Before I put the remaining little hankies away, (back into the box for a Hankie Quilt that I will make some day), I decided I needed to make something out of them.

My first thought was to use the same fabrics from the wedding table runners, but they didn't seem to match any of the hankies.

Yellow fabrics would be pretty with this hankie.



I decided to make a little mug rug. First I needed to reinforce the back of the hankie to make it stronger.  I ironed on a lightweight interfacing like you put on the back of the T-shirts when making a T-shirt quilt.



Then I trimmed it.



All four sides.



Chose the yellow strips.


Then I started sewing on the strips and building around the hankie first.



I wanted the hankie to be in the corner of the mug rug, so I added the strips to form a rectangle.



It is ready to quilt.



Note that I quilted --- meandered right through the embroidery stitching on the hankie.



I stitched my name and the year as part of the quilting - of course!



I used a yellow daisy print on the back of the mug rug.




Trimmed it.



Bind it --- All machine Embroidery Stitched Binding.



Ready for a cup of coffee?













I am ready to make another one... and another one and another one...



How about you? 

Dig out those old hankies and make a little mug rug!

They would make a great gift for Grandma or anyone.

Take time to play!  Enjoy the moments in your life...

Marcia