Reverse Applique Tutorial

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This tutorial is step two in the photo tutorial for making my Spiral Geese Mini Quilt Pattern.  If you aren’t making the pattern, but you are interested in learning my method for reverse appliqué, read on!

Step one: Paper-piecing Curved Geese is here.

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Start by sewing your paper-pieced geese together in numerical order.  You will create one large spiral.

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Take your second set of patterns that you had set aside and cut them out along the black line (you will be cutting off the seam allowance).

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Tape your paper templates together into one spiral.

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Lay your paper spiral face-down onto your background fabric. Pin.

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Using a water-soluable fabric marker, trace the edge of your paper template and mark the seams where your templates have been taped together.

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Mark a second line (cutting line) about 1/4″ INSIDE your original line.  This can get tricky.  Don’t draw your cutting line on the wrong side.

Don’t worry if your seam allowance isn’t exactly 1/4″. It just needs to be about that.

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 Cut along the inside line (your cutting line) the entire way around the spiral.

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Now you have a spiral!

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Lay your background on top of your paper-pieced spiral and match the tick marks you made on the background to the seams where you sewed your templates together.

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Here is a close-up. Those blue tick marks are lined up with the template seams and the outer point of the triangle.

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 Fold your seam allowance under, matching the fold of your fabric to the points on the triangles.

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You’ll need to clip the corners at the inner-most triangle, so you can fold the fabric under.

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All pinned!  At this point, you could hand-stitch the edge with a slip-stitch, but I prefer to do a quick basting stitch, so that I am not constantly sticking myself with pins, and getting my thread caught on them.

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Here it is basted. You now have two choices: you can hand-stitch the edge down using a slip-stitch, or you can machine stitch right next to the edge.

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I machine stitched this one.  My original rainbow mini was slip-stitched by hand.  Whichever you choose will probably blend in with your quilting in the end.

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Here is a close-up of the machine stitched edge.

You can press out the wrinkles in the triangles by placing the batting under it and pressing each triangle lightly with a dry iron.  

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You did it!

Don’t forget to check out my Craftsy pattern if you are interested in making this mini!

Sew Cute Tuesday

It’s time for Sew Cute Tuesday!

There were so many fantastic link-ups last week. Thank you all so much for spreading the word.  I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to comment on everyone’s posts.  I have several deadlines at the end of this month that are keeping me busy.  My dream is to be able to leave a comment on every single blog (I also dream of a vacation to Hawaii, but that isn’t happening anytime soon!).

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Here are a few great projects from last week:

Kim at Robot Mom Sews made three of these laminated crayon wallets.  This is another one of those items that is on my to-do list for the kids.  Check out her blog for a great tutorial on laminating fabrics.  Don’t you think that kitty fabric is the cutest!

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All I can say is “WOW!”  when I look at this quilt top made by Marianne at Sew Paint It.  There is so much to look at and I love all the fussy cutting. Go to her blog for close-ups of the fabric and piecing. A very lucky little girl will be getting this quilt!

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June at Lil Pip sewed up this “Pristine Swing Dress” out of knit and it turned out really cute.  She used a pattern line called “Blank Slate Patterns” and they have fantastic kid’s patterns and several for boys.  You can find out more info on June’s blog.  I’m going to try them out!

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It’s time to link-up your projects from the past week!

• Sewing projects only (that includes crochet, knitting and anything with fabric and thread!)

•Please be sure to visit a couple other blogs in the link-up and give them some love.

• Link back to my blog and help spread the word about Sew Cute Tuesday

Friday Finishes

I actually have a finish to post!

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My husband has an aunt who lives in a convent in Ireland (ok, actually he has THREE aunts who live in convents), but he grew up near this particular aunt and she has been a big part of his life. She moved back to Ireland a few years ago to a convent that could properly care for her and my husband wanted to do something special for her.

I recently made a quilt for Quilt Market from Studio Stash by Jennifer Sampou and I thought that it would be perfect for a cheerful, modern yet traditional quilt.

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I also wanted a simple, classic pattern, so I did a St. Louis 16 Patch.  I love the bold, checkerboard pattern that it created and if you are looking for something quick, this is it!  You can find the free tutorial here.

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For the back, I pieced together all the blue’s from the Studio Stash line, since it’s her favorite color.

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This was also my very first project on my new mid-arm and wow, it is like learning all over again, but I love it!  I just started with a simple meander, but it’s amazing how much faster quilting is with a frame and my back and arms are thank me, too.

It is now on it’s way across the sea and will probably be the brightest thing at the convent!

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Linking up with :

 

Plum and June

and Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts

Modern Mini Challenge

 

Jennifer at Ellison Lane Quilts is hosting a “Modern Mini Challenge” and if you haven’t stopped by, you NEED to!  I adore mini quilts and there are so many beauties in the link-up.

I decided to link-up my sweet, little pot-holders that I made over Christmas for a swap (my readers may remember seeing these before).  The pattern is by Alyssa at  Pile O Fabric and I scaled it down, left out the sashing and sewed all the triangles together.

This was really a labor of love, because the pieces were so tiny and once I sewed them together, there was a HUGE bubble in the middle where all the seams meet (since they were never supposed to be sewn together that way).  I almost gave up , but once I quilted and steamed them within an inch of their life, they looked great.  You can see that the right one is warped a little in the middle, but I compensated when I made the one on the left, and it is straighter.

Christmas Quilted Pot holder

I made a pocket in the back and used some cute Sheri Berry Christmas fabric from my stash.

I said it in the original post, but I STILL want to make an entire quilt out of these blocks!

Thanks for stopping by!

Paper-piecing Curved Geese: A Tutorial

This tutorial is step one in the photo tutorial for making my Spiral Geese Mini Quilt Pattern.  You can also use this tutorial for piecing the geese in my New York Beauty Circle of Flying Geese Pattern.

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Before you begin:

  • Cut all your fabrics out according to the pattern.  The smaller squares are for templates A & H and the larger squares are for templates B-G.
  • Shorten your stitch length to about a 1.5.
  • Print out your paper templates at 100%.
  • Please read through the entire tutorial before beginning (or at least read the tips at the bottom!).

I will be referring to the geese fabric as the “red fabric” (yours will probably be a color or a print) and I will be referring to the background fabric as the “white fabric”.

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1. Cut all your paper templates out along the gray seam allowance line.

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2. On the BACK (unprinted) side of template A, place a red square (right-side-up) over triangle #1.  The fabric square should completely cover the entire triangle and there will be at least 1/4″ extra on all sides.

(I superimposed the template lines, so you can see the placement.)

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3. Next, place a white square (wrong-side-up), so that edge is about 1/4″ over your first stitching line. (It doesn’t matter if you choose to sew the left or the right side first.) Pin through all layers.

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4. Turn your template over and sew along your first stitching line.  Make sure you extend your seam about 1/4″ on either end and back-stitch.

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5. Trim the seam allowance down to 1/4″.  You can use either scissors or a rotary cutter, but make sure you fold your paper template out of the way!

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6. Flip your white square so the right side is out and gently press with a dry iron.

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7. Next, place another white square (wrong-side-up) so that the edge is 1/4″ over the 2nd stitching line.   Pin.

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8. Flip your template and sew along 2nd stitching line.

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9. Trim seam allowance to 1/4″, flip and press.  Look, it’s a flying geese(or is that a goose?).

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10. Now, place a red square (wrong side up), so that the edge is about 1/4″ over your next stitching line. Pin.

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11. Sew it, trim the seam allowance, press it and continue repeating your steps until you have sewn all the geese.  Repeat for all templates.

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Trim the excess fabric off along the seam allowances.

You have completed step one!

Tips:

  • If you have never paper-pieced before, I suggest you begin with template D, E or F. They are the largest and least curved.
  • Paper-piecing will feel very backwards at first.  I promise that it will get faster, as you get used to it.
  • Always make sure your fabric square will entirely cover the area you want it to, once it is flipped over. If you are worried, sew with a basting stitch first, check the fabrics and then sew it again on the small stitch.

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On your curviest templates, you will want to make sure you end your stitches in the seam allowance. If you sew too far, you’ll sew right back into the geese.

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You can see how I trimmed the seam allowance, so that it doesn’t extend too far.

I hope this is all clear!  Email or comment, if you have any questions.

Next up is Part 2: Reverse Appliqué (which will be the final step in completing the  Spiral Geese Quilt Top).

 

Sew Cute Tuesday

It’s a birthday party link-up this week at Sew Cute Tuesday! 4 copy

Yup, today is my birthday!  I can’t wait to read about all the wonderful projects you’ve been working on while I relax for one day and eat cake.

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Here are a few fantastic projects from last week:

I saw this pillow in my Instagram feed and I thought it was gorgeous, and then there it was in the Sew Cute Tuesday link-up!  Amanda at “Material Girl Quilts” did an amazing job with this paper-pieced Kaleidoscope Pillow and that Essex yarn-dyed linen background puts it over the top.

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Rachel at “Once Upon a Sewing Machine” made this crazy-cute Pleated Playsuit from a !!!FREE!!! pattern by “Elephants and Elegance”.  I quickly downloaded the pattern and Emmeline will be getting a new outfit soon.  Check out Rachel’s blog for links to the pattern.

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Now, how can I not show this beauty?!  Renee at “Sparrow Lane Quilts” used my free Scrappy Lonestar tutorial to make this fantastic wall-hanging for her sewing room.  The quilting is amazing and you should stop by her blog to see the photos of the back.

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It’s time to link-up your projects from the past week!

• Sewing projects only (that includes crochet, knitting and anything with fabric and thread!)

•Please be sure to visit a couple other blogs in the link-up and give them some love.

• Link back to my blog and help spread the word about Sew Cute Tuesday

 

New Craftsy Pattern!

Do you remember this quilt?

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Or maybe I should actually ask, “Are you sick of this quilt?”.

 Thanks to your votes, my Spiral Geese Quilt won the Blogger’s Quilt Festival for favorite Doll/ Mini Quilt!

I’ve been working on and off on the pattern for weeks (and weeks) and I finally have it available for you on Craftsy.

 The pattern includes all the templates you need, plus step by step instructions to make your own Spiral Geese Mini Quilt. I would say this is advanced beginner to intermediate.  It isn’t as hard as it looks. To help you out,  this week and next, I will be posting photo tutorials on my blog to go along with the pattern.  If you don’t buy the pattern, you will still want to check out the tutorials and learn about paper-piecing and reverse appliqué! 

Happy sewing!

 

Enjoying the (Sewing) Moment

 

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The other day, I was ironing 45 freshly sewn seams and thinking “If I can just get through these, I’ll be onto the next step and I’ll enjoy that”.  Then, I realized that I’d probably be thinking the same thing during the next step…and during the next step.  Lately, I feel like I just want to get things checked off my to-do list, and I’m not enjoying the actual act of sewing.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hating it either. I just have very little time to sew. When the kids are awake, I am with them, and when they are asleep, I am rushing to get projects done.

If someone asked me what I love about quilting, my immediate answer would be, “Because I love to sew, of course.”, but is that the real reason?  I started wondering what aspect of quilting draws me into it so obsessively.

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I think there are various reasons people love quilting:

  • They love designing the pattern and/or planning the fabrics.
  • They love sewing.
  • They love seeing the completed project.
  • They love gifting their work to other people.
  • They love the social aspect of sharing and looking at other’s work.

Now, I will say I love quilting for each and every one of those reasons, but the sewing part has been lacking lately.  I’m torn between slowing down to enjoy the moment and being productive and driven. My ultimate goal is to have a nice, little, home business established once the kids are in school.

What aspect of quilting drives you to continue to create?  Do you think there is a way to enjoy the moment while also being a prolific quilter and full-time mother?

Sew Cute Tuesday

Happy June, everyone, and welcome to Sew Cute Tuesday!

Things are starting to get back to normal (whatever that might be) around here after being party central for Emma.  Sorry about missing the link-up last week.  I expect you to have twice as many fantastic projects to show this week!
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I am really crushing on these blocks by Esther at “I Patch and Quilt.”  It doesn’t hurt that this is also my very favorite color scheme at the moment .  Esther is going to put together a tutorial for the blocks, so check out her blog for more info.
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Adrianne from “The Windy Side” made this sly fox pillow. The tabs around the outer edge are such a unique and beautiful touch.
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Well hey, look!  Melissa at ‘We Shall Sew” made a Bouncy Flouncy dress. I really love her ombre version.  Looks like I am going to have to make another!

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It’s time to link-up your projects from the past week!

• Sewing projects only (that includes crochet, knitting and anything with fabric and thread!)

•Please be sure to visit a couple other blogs in the link-up and give them some love.

• Link back to my blog and help spread the word about Sew Cute Tuesday

 

 



Reverse Spiderweb Block Tutorial

PicMonkey Collage

June is my month for Bee Happy Quilting Bee, so I am posting a quick tutorial for a Reverse Spiderweb Quilt Block.  If you are not a part of my bee, feel free to still use the tutorial.  I probably won’t get this quilt done for a long time, so I’d love to see what a finished one looks like (ha-ha!)

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Here is a diagram of the finished quilt.  There will be more touches of color, though.  I was inspired by this lovely quilt by “Swim, Bike, Quilt”.  I love the way the various solids create movement in the quilt.  I also wanted to use an amazing shade of yellow fabric that I saw at Sew Modern.

You’ll each be making two 12.5″ blocks using the fabrics I have provided.  Please feel free to cut the strips narrower, or just leave them wide.  The solid background pieces are precut for sewing.

What you will need for one 12.5″ block:

  • Templates- I am printing them out for my Bee members, but if you need them they can be downloaded from google docs.  If you have 8.5″ x 14″ paper, go here.  If you only have 8.5″ x 11″ paper go here.  Make sure you download the file to your desktop and print at 100%.
  • Various scrappy strips for diamond templates.
  • Eight 5.5″x 6.5″ rectangles  for background.

Before you begin:

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  • Cut out your templates and set the large triangle aside for now.
  • Shorten your stitch length to about a 1.5.
  • All seam allowances are 1/4″.

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1. Take a diamond-shaped  template and lay your strips out to get an idea of placement. I’d like any directional prints to be oriented so that the shorter point is towards the top and the longer point is towards the bottom.  If you mess-up and flip a strip (or two, or three…), please don’t change it! 

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2. Starting at the shorter point, place two fabrics, right sides together, on the template and stitch.

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3. Continue to sew strips, until you have covered the entire template.

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4. Trim off excess fabric along outer edge of template.

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5. You have one diamond down. Now do that 3 more times!

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6. Take a 5.5″x 6.5″ rectangle and pin it, right sides together, to the long side of your diamond. Sew.

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7. Press seam allowances towards rectangle. Repeat with other side and with three other diamonds.

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8. Now, grab that triangle template you cut out earlier and pin it to your triangle, lining up seam lines and points.

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9. Cut off excess fabric, using template as a guide.  I save time by laying all four triangles on top of each other and cutting them all at the same time. 

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10. You now have a triangle!

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11. Arrange the 4 triangles like photo above.

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12. Sew two triangles together and press seam allowances open. Repeat with other half. Be careful not to stretch your fabric while sewing. 

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13. Sew two halves together and press seam allowance open. I like to remove some of the paper from the seam allowances before sewing the two halves, but it is your personal preference.

You now have a finished Reverse Spiderweb Block!  Pull those papers out, or mail the block back to me and I’ll pull them out.

Notes to my Bee Members:

• I’d like you to add a personalized strip to one diamond on one block.  Take a solid scrap  from one of your rectangles and write a message on it with permanent marker.  You can choose any of the solid fabrics I sent you for the strip and you can use a black, yellow or light aqua pen.  You can write anything you like, but I’d like you to include, at least, your first name.

PicMonkey Collage

• Latifah, Katie, Ramona, Nicole and Kelly will each be making one Spiderweb block and one Wonky House Block.  Information on the Wonky Log Cabin House Block is here.