the split stitch

Some quick last minute gifts ....

2011-12-20T16:55:00.001-05:00

Are you scrambling to get those last minute holiday gifts done? I know I am!!! Just in case you needed some last minute gift ideas I thought I would remind you of some fun (and free!) Split Stitch tutorials and patterns that are quick and easy to make ...

A linen tea towel (osnaburg is an affordable substitute for the linen) ...

Stitch up something woodsy and cute like this mushroom ....

Or something folksy like this dala horse ...

Then make it into an ornament with my tutorial on how to frame your needle work ...

Got a baby in your life? How about this blankie or scrubbie? (And Hey! Grown ups need scrubbies too!)

A toddler to sew for? Well this roll up art mat that doubles as a chalk board and dry erase board will surely fit the bill!

And who says bunnies are just for Easter? Stitch one of these guys up in a more holiday-ish color ....

Got teachers to craft for?

How about a cute cottage door hanger that when done in holiday colors would make a pretty ornament?

Or some apple notebooks ...

or some fabric covered button push pins?

And even some gift tags!

See, I got you covered! Go out and make those gifts .... if you want to check out all of my tutorials you can access them through this page HERE.

Fabric Love.

2011-12-19T10:37:00.001-05:00

While I have been studying hard this semester my fabric shopping (unfortunately) did not stop ... but the sewing did, so now I have probably my largest stash to date, and have told myself that I must use at least a big chunk of it before I buy anymore. And once I do buy some more, here are some fabrics that are at the top of my list ....

Tanya Whelan's new collection, "Sugar Hill" ... I think I love just about everything that Tanya Whelan does, and this collection is no exception.

Image Source

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This Kei Japan print that I found on fabricworm.com.

Some prints from the "A Walk in the woods" collection by Aneela Hoey when they come out in the spring ...

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And of course I am desperately awaiting the re-release of Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market Fancy slated to come out in March ... here is an image from an Etsy seller who is already taking pre-orders ...

Any fabric you have your eye on?

Holiday crafts.

2011-12-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

To say I have been busy the past few months is a huge understatment. You probably guessed as much by my absence here on the blog. It really bums me out to not keep the blog updated, but there just are not enough hours in the day. During the summer I post daily, and now besides these past couple of posts this week I had not blogged in nearly 2 months (gasp!) ... I feel like I have committed some sort of blog crime. But, I am taking the "blogging without obligation" route, and just doing the best that I can.

As many of you know I have been back in school for nursing, and that is what has been taking up all of my time. I have finals next week, so you will see an increase in the frequency of my posts while I am on break, and then probably a drop in posts again until around April. Bummer, I know. But, I am happy to report that I am doing well in school, I have just been having a difficult time with time management and setting priorities. My head is constantly in a book ... makes me feel so bad that I am missing so much with my kids, but I keep trying to remind myself that this is temporary and I only have 3 semesters left.

But, in the midst of studying I have managed to get a few holiday crafts done, so I thought I would share ....

A wreath.

I was inspired by a similar wreath I saw in one of those Holiday craft magazines that I always read through when I am in the checkout line. Can't remember which one I saw it in, but I put my own spin on it anyways by adding different types of flowers, leaves, and little cardinals. Even though I have it handing on our front door for the benefit of this photo, I actually have it hanging up inside of our house, as I just do not know how well this wreath would hold up against the elements ... especially the sun as our front door faces West.

I used wool blend felt, a straw wreath (with the plastic left on), one full skein of Vanna's Choice yarn, a hot glue gun, some pearl looking beads and those cute little birds. It really only took me an hour and a half to make.

Next, I made this ornament ...

Every year I put an ornament on our tree of my kids ... I just think it will be fun when they are grown ups to see the photos of themselves from Christmas each year. Some times I use a photo that I take, but this year I am being lazy and using their school photos. Normally I just buy an ornament that has room for a picture, but this year I decided to make my own. So far I only have this one done of my youngest, but as soon as I am done with finals at school, I am going to get the other two made. I will try and get a tutorial together too ... if anyone is interested.

I mainly used Tim Holtz products as well as some Martha Stewart paper, and some other odds and ends I had sitting around from swaps and such. The base is one of those wooden circles that you can find at any craft store ... it was thin enough that I could punch a hole in it with my crop-a-dile. I think it turned out pretty cute.

I also made an ATC at the same time that I made the ornament from above ... can you tell? I used a lot of the same materials.

And lastly I made some glittered pine cones. In addition to a sack of cinnamon scented pine cones, I used the martha stewart glittering glue, and martha stewart glitter. I make these every year, and some how it seems like they always disappear ... so random. I think it is my husband secretly tossing them out after Christmas because of his disdain for anything with glitter on it.

I usually keep them in a wire bowl on our dining table as a sort of simple center piece. I just love the way the light catches the glitter. This one below is my fave ... I just love the color of the glitter ... sort of silver with a bit of gold mixed in ....

What about you, have you made any holiday crafts lately?

Christmas Photo.

2011-12-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

Each year I like to send out those Christmas cards that have a window in them where you can stick in a 4x6 photo. I like these cards best because some of the people receiving the cards have not seen my kids in a while, and might be like, "wow they have grown", or others like perhaps grandma and grandpa may even actually save the picture and tuck it away in an album or scrapbook somewhere .... and yet I know that others will be like .... "geez .... another picture of their kids? Who cares! Bah Humbug!" And to those people who fit into the latter category, I want to make you aware of something .... a lot of work goes into that one photo.

For instance ... see this photo below that I am using for this year's Christmas card? Can you guess how many shots it took to get just this one semi-okay picture? No, not 1 ... not 5 .... not even 20 .... 33. Yes folks, I had to take 33 pictures to get even one that was remotely worth sharing. In this pic my oldest is making a funny face, and my youngest is not even looking ahead, but to me this was the best one .... the one that sort of captured their essence best. I take part of the blame ... I have a crappy camera, and am not a photographer .... but trying to be patient with 3 boys to take one photo is work I tell you ... work!

Then I worked some magic with picnik, and came up with this one ....

If you have a picnik account and are wondering what effects I used for the photo above here it goes: cropping, "auto-fix", sharpening, 1960's effect (withOUT rounded edges), and some slight cross-processing effect.

Then I made this version below also using picnik, pretty similar to the one above, but this one I am going to use to make my own cards using some kraft cardstock, distress ink and such .... Once again if you use picnik here are the effects I used on this photo: cropping, autofix, sharpness, winterize, and cross process. I also added in the black rectangular shape at the bottom, and then added the "Merry Christmas" using the cool cross stitch looking font.

All in all, I really like the way the pictures turned out, but let me remind you bah-humbuggers out there .... it takes several pictures to get just one good one, lots of patience on the part of the photographer, and hours spent deciding on which picture is best, then editing it, getting them printed, etc .... Why go to all this trouble? You got me there ... I have no idea.

Anyhow, how many tries does it take you to get a good picture of your kids all together?

First Snow.

2011-11-30T12:27:00.000-05:00

Well, it is here ... the first snow in my part of Michigan that actually "stuck". I would not consider it a real first snow though, because I can still see the grass and the sidewalk poking through .... but that did not stop my 4 year old from being super excited to see the snow on the ground this morning. He just turned 4 this past Sunday, so I am not sure how much he actually remembers of previous year's snow, but for him it felt like he was seeing snow for the first time. He kept saying, "Look Mom! Snow! AWESOME!!!". To say that he could not wait to get outside and get his hands on some would be an under statement. So, as we waited for his bus to come whisk him away to preschool I caught this picture of him standing still for just a second ...

Not the best picture of him, he is looking down, and you can barely see his eyes, but if you did they would be lit up. I tell you, it is moments like these that remind me of how much we take for granted as adults. When I woke up and saw the snow I really did not think twice about it ... I mean it is the end of November ... we should have snow by now anyways, right? But, seeing it through the eyes of a 4 year old reminded me of the wonder that snow really is. You have any of these moments lately?

OPP: Zip Pocket Pouches

2011-10-14T13:55:00.001-04:00

I have not done my OPP (Other People's Patterns) segment in a while, and when I saw these cute zip pocket pouches, I knew I had to: 1. Buy the pattern right away, and 2. write a post about them. In case you have missed any of my other OPP posts, I occasionally like to share other people's patterns that I really love. In addition to designing my own patterns, I really enjoy looking at/buying/making stuff from other people's patterns too.

Image Source.

Anyhow, keyka Lou just came out with this cute new zip pocket pouch pattern. Three sizes are included, and I think these would make really great items to sell in your shop, or give as gifts. I am thinking I would like to start off with the medium size. I have almost everyone of Keyka Lou's patterns ... I really love her ideas, and her directions are always really clear.

Image Source.

Want to check out her new pattern? Click here to visit Keyka Lou.

Off to a very blessed little girl.

2011-10-13T09:00:00.002-04:00

When I heard that two of our friends adopted a beautiful little newborn girl, I was so happy for them. So happy in fact, that I cried about it. The next thing I did was get these two bibs out that I just made within the past month (or so) and packaged them up for the new Mom and Dad.

These bibs were meant to be bibs in my shop, but I was just so happy for these two special people that I wanted to send something over that day, and I am just so busy right now, that I knew that I probably would not get a chance to make anything especially for her for a while. But, I don't think that the parents will mind this. Here are the backs ...

The pattern I used is one by Jennifer Casa of "Jcasa". Even though I design a lot of patterns, I also like to use other people's patterns too, because let's face it ... they have done all the hard work already (figuring out what materials work best, sizes, templates, etc.)! I am really hoping that the new proud parents get a lot of use out of these bibs, and that their new baby girl is as happy as she has made her new mom and dad.

For the one above I used (from the left): Tanya Whelan "Delilah", Sandi Henderson "Ginger Blossoms", Monaluna "Sew Happy", Aneela Hoey "Sherbet Pips", and Tanya Whelan, "Delilah". This one is backed with the "Children at Play" fabric by Sarah Jane, and the ties are made from Cosmo Cricket's "Girl Friday".

For the second bib above, I used: "Kona Cotton" by Robert Kaufman, "Ta Dots" by Michael Miller", "Farmdale" by Alexander Henry, "Kona Cotton" by Robert Kaufman, and "Ta Dots" by Michael Miller. The back of this bib is by Holly Holderman from the "Annie's Farm Stand" collection, and the ties are made with Amy Butler's "Soul Blossoms" fabric.

What about you? Have you welcomed any new little babies into the world recently?

Some books I had to pre-order.

2011-10-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

So, my husband has already been asking me what I want for Christmas. We don't really do much (gift-wise) for eachother for Christmas. When it was just the two of us, we would get each other really nice, big gifts. But, with having 3 kids it just got too expensive. Not to mention my youngest son's birthday is November 27th, and my oldest son's birthday is December 28th. So we have to buy Christmas gifts for 3 kids, plus birthday gifts for 2 kids all within a time frame when our income is really low due to the seasonal nature of my husband's job as a Home Inspector. But, me and my husband will still try and get eachother a little something. So, when he asked me what I wanted, I told him to preorder me some books from Amazon. I not only love books, and love getting things in the mail, but when I preorder books I usually forget about them, and then it is such a treat to get something "random" in the mail. So here are the 3 books that I pre-ordered ...

This one (above) called "Modern Blocks" has been compiled by Susanne Woods, and promises to be filled with 99 quilt blocks from "today's modern quilters". I am loving the ones on the cover, so I am hoping to find more to love on the inside.

This next one was sort of a no-brainer for me. I love the 101 One-Yard Wonders book, and am definitely counting on their follow-up book to be just as good. This new book has a different focus, in that the projects are divided up by fabric type, and there are many different fabrics used. The first book was mostly quilting weight cottons, but this one is filled with many other fabrics, so it should have a lot of diversity and be really fun (hopefully!)

Lastly, I ordered this book by Sue Kim, the sewing wonder behind "i think sew". I have some of her PDF patterns, and although I have not made any of them yet, I always really admire her style, so I am hoping this book will give us even more than we can find on her site.

What about you, are there any books that you have pre-ordered?

How many WIP's do you have?

2011-10-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

Sadly, I don't know the answer to that, but it has to be dozens ... yes, you heard right, dozens. Do you have a place where you keep all of your WIP's (works in progress)? Sadly I have 4 ... 4 different containers, each filled to the brim with WIP's. Sort of pathetic, I know. And when does a WIP become an UFO (an unfinished object)? One year later ... 5 years later? I don't know the answer to that one either. I think I must have some type of crafting ADD. But on the positive side, there is some sort of organization behind all of my WIP bins.

First, I have a bin for stuff that I don't know if I will ever finish, because I lost interest, or whatever. This one is mostly filled with a lot of crochet, embroidery, and cross stich projects such as this one ...

Second, I have a bin full of projects that I really had no intention of sitting down and finishing, but rather just making here and there, such as these reusable sandwich bags. I have a ton of fabric cut to make a bunch of these, but just sit down to sew them when the mood strikes.

Third, I have a space for "quilts in progress". Right now I have two that are in progress. One, the top is completely pieced and I just need to put it all together, quilt and bind it. The other I am still piecing the top. Then I have a stack of fabric waiting to be cut for yet another quilt. I don't have pictures of any of these ... but remember this quilt WIP? I actually did finish this one ... just need to get some pics ....

Lastly, my fourth bin is sort of my "what I am working on now" bin. It sits right on top of the big table that I use for crafting. If I were to go sew this instant I would reach right into that bin. Here are just a few of the projects I have ready to go in this bin ...

A log cabin mug rug ...

A door hanger ...

And a tea pot cozy, that I am 98% done with ... I just have to finish attaching the binding.

What about you? Do you have a lot of WIPs too?

Halloween ATC's.

2011-10-07T13:15:00.001-04:00

I gotta admit I really like Halloween. It is just so fun to make "spooky" things, but most of all it is so much fun to see the joy my 3 boys get out of creepy stuff. During a study break earlier in the week I stopped by Michael's and could not resist picking up some Tim Holtz Halloween craft supplies: some cling stamps, tissue tape and stickles. They were all on clearance, and I also found a gooey looking rubber stamp in the dollar bin, and a Martha Stewart mat stack on sale ... the result? Lots of fun had by my kids ... and me as well. I made these 6 ATC's with my new purchases ...

This one I made as an Altered Playing Card. The pumpkin is really sparkly thanks to the stickles. I also used embossing powder for the webs, so they really stand out.

Here is another pumpkin one ... this time a Jack-O-Lantern. I wrapped the card with some dark gray yarn I had on hand, and then stuck the pumpkin on with those little foam adhesive squares. I also decorated the pumpkin and the swirl using a sparkly and neon gel pen.

I then made 4 skeleton ATC's using a Tim Holtz stamp. I just love the skeleton stamp, and can see myself making a bunch more with this stamp. The first ATC is my husband's favorite ...

I used a ton of embossing powder on this one, and some more stickles ... looks really neat when you hold it in the light a certain way ...

Here is another skeleton one, this time I chose a more subdued approach then the one above. It still has some sparkle though ... I colored in the stamp with a glittery gel pen.

This one is probably the strangest one I made, but oddly one of my favorites ... I imagined that those are eyeballs floating around the skeleton. Sort of bizarre, right? But that is the fun thing about ATC's ... you can just do whatever you want.

And this last one uses similar materials as the one above, but is quite different ... this one has blood red eyes ...

What about you? Do you get in to making Halloween crafts, and if so, what do you like to make?

Made it through .... + My Fabric Wish List.

2011-09-30T13:13:00.001-04:00

Whew! I gotta say that these past two weeks have been so hectic for me. As many of you know, in addition to being a mom to 3 crazy boys, and a crafty person, I am also a "return to learn" student working on my B.S. in Nursing. It is hard keeping up with these 20 year olds! Okay, so I am only 31, but some times I feel a lot older when I am in my classes with these "kids".

Anyhow though, last week I had my first exam in Pharmacology, and this week I had my first exam in my Acute Care class ... and let me tell you, they were both difficult, but I did extremely well on both and just could not be happier about it. But, as I am sure you can imagine, I did nothing but study for the past two weeks. So, today feels great, because I am getting some crafty stuff done, like listing some new stuff in the shop, and getting the other two baby item tutorials ready for you for next week (hopefully). I think I am even going to do some sewing later (while I secretly try to forget that I have another round of exams coming up in 2 weeks and "should be studying").

But, since I figured I deserved a break today, I have been surfing around the web and found a bunch of fabrics to add to my mental fabric wish list, and thought I would share.

First, both fabric.com and quilthome are doing presales for Amy Butler's new Lark collection that is supposed to start shipping October 7th. And, Quilthome has a 20% discount going on, on all Lark pre-orders. You just use the code: QHPLARK20. Pretty cool, right? They also have a really great sale section HERE that I have been checking out today, but these Amy Butler fabrics are definitely going on my wish list ...

Then I saw that Lizzie House's new collection for Andover fabrics, called "Outfoxed", should be coming out next month too. It just looks so fun, and I really love that she keeps including the "Pearl Bracelets" print in different colors from her earlier "Red Letter Day" collection. I can't decide which color way is my favorite, but I am leaning towards the one in the center ....

And what about Heather Bailey's new Home Dec collection called "Garden District". It is just so pretty and feminine. You can find this fabric on Etsy, Quilthome, etc...

And look ... Little Apples yardage. I really want to scoop up these two prints that could act as a solid .. they are just my absolute favorite shades of aqua and red.

Last but not least, these Anna Maria Horner "Needlework" prints. The prints look like cross stitch, and if you like you can actually cross stitch over the prints. Pretty neat. I made a fabric that I printed from Spoonflower (maybe a year ago?), that was completely black and white with the intention that it can be embroidered on (or not), kind of a similar concept I guess (my fabric is HERE), but not nearly as cool as Anna's.

Also have you seen the new "Couture Solids" from Michael Miller by Sandi Henderson on Etsy? They match her new Secret Garden collection perfectly. I really want to scoop up these two colors that match with the few Secret Garden prints that I have ....

Are there any new craft supplies out that are on your wish list?

Baby Scrubbie TUTORIAL.

2011-09-28T09:00:00.002-04:00

Did you catch the all purpose baby bubbles blankie tutorial from Friday? If not, go check it out, and then come right back here, because I have another brand new tutorial for you. This time for a cute little baby scrubbie that just so happens to match the baby blankie.

I love this little scrubbie, it is not only soft and durable, but super functional too thanks to the chenille on one side that is perfect for scrubbing baby bottoms. There is also a cute loop of twill tape to hang the scrubbie up with.

Very easy to make, and *sew* fun! (Yes, I went there ... )

Baby Scrubbie TUTORIAL

Apx. Finished Size: 10" x 10"

Supplies:

1 piece cotton chenille cut to 11" x 11"

1 piece of quilting weight cotton cut to 11" x 11"

1 piece of 1/2" wide cotton twill tape cut to 4.5" long

Basic Sewing Supplies

Suggested Needle Size: 80/12 all purpose needle (I use Schmetz).

Optional: Walking ("Even Feed") Foot -- not completely necessary, but helpful.

Notes: 1" = 2.54 cm, RST = Right Sides Together

Directions.

1. Print out an all purpose corner rounding template (found in this post HERE) with scaling set to none. Using the template round the corners of both your chenille and cotton fabric.

2. Take your piece of twill tape, and align the raw edges of the twill tape with the raw edges of your fabric at one of the corners. If you fabric is directional, I would suggest putting the twill tape along one of the "upper" corners. Sew in place using a 1/8" seam.

3. Place the chenille and print fabric RST. Pin together.

4. Sew around all 4 sides using a 3/8" seam allowance, and leaving around a 3" opening for turning along one side. Tip: If you need help sewing the curves around the corners, it can be helpful to draw sewing lines onto your fabric at the corners, like I did in THIS post.

5. Press the seams. Trim the seam allowance down to around 1/4" all the way around, EXCEPT for around the opening. Notch the curved corners as shown below.

6. Turn right side out and press. Be sure to press the opening left for turning inward. Pin the opening closed.

7. Top stitch around the entire piece. For this step I aligned the edge of the print cotton with the side of my presser foot to keep my top stitching nice and neat looking (apx. a 1/4" seam). Note: I used a walking foot because on my machine I find that it feeds the chenille and cotton more evenly, but it is not absolutely necessary to use it ... just easier.

8. I love the look of top stitching and often add more than one row. Here, I went back and stitched on one more row of top stitching that was about half way between my first row of topstitching and the edge of the cotton print (apx. 1/8"). Once you have finished top stitching, be sure to press your stitches to set them.

Your scrubbie is done! I bet that did not even take 20 minutes ... am I right? Go ahead and make baby a whole set of them!

Roll it up and tie it with a piece of ribbon for added cuteness.

Enjoy!

P.S. Chenille is pretty fuzzy, isn't it? If you have not cleaned your machine in a while, now might be a good time to do so. Anytime I make a project with chenille or flannel (or anything that is very fuzzy), I am sure to clean my machine afterwards.

Stitched Example.

2011-09-27T13:22:00.000-04:00

It was not until today that I realized that I never got around to sharing the colors and stitches that I used for the second (of two) examples that I stitched up for my Days of the Week Bunting Embroidery Pattern pack. And I thought, better late than never, right?

I showed you what stitches and colors I used for the Tuesday bunting (below) here in THIS post.

And now, let me tell you a bit about the Friday Bunting example that I stitched up.

Quite honestly I do not think I would have come up with this color combination on my own ... mixing the sort of mustard color with the red and coral pink it not something I would have thought of. I give credit to Denyse Schmidt for this color palette, because her fabric from her "DS Quilts" collection is what inspired me. I tried to match the floss to the colors used in this fabric collection.

Here are the DMC colors that I used ...

I really love the way that the colors all went together. I ended up using some seed beads and sequins as well ...

Want to know what stitches I used?

And that is it! If you want to pick up this pattern pack, it is available HERE, and don't forget I have two free matching patterns available HERE and HERE.

Baby Bubbles All Purpose Blankie TUTORIAL.

2011-09-21T13:58:00.054-04:00

Well, I am here today to share with you a cute project to make over the weekend. I have literally been working on this tutorial since Sunday .. can you believe how long it has taken me to put this together? But, I had my first pharmacology test this week, and although I have not gotten my grade yet, I think I did pretty well.

Anyhow, as I mentioned before (HERE and HERE), I made a whole bunch of cute gifts for my new little nephew Daniel, who surprised us all and arrived a couple of weeks early just this past weekend. I gave the proud parents all of the gifts I made, and it seemed like they really liked them. So, I am spreading the love, and am going to be sharing tutorials for all 4 of the projects I made.

The first project I am going to share is the Baby Bubbles all purpose blankie. I love the way this blankie turned out, and can be used by Mom and Baby for a lot of purposes ... on the go in the stroller, carseat or cart; to make clean surfaces for playing or changing diapers, or just to snuggle up with or dry off with after a bath.

The construction is really simple, just two big rectangles of fabric -- super soft flannel on one side, and quilting weight cotton on the other side. What I think makes this blanket special are the fun details -- the applique bubbles and letters, the rounded corners, the zigzag stitching, and the two ribbon loops. The ribbon loops are meant to be decorative and functional .... functional because you can attach some of those nifty little link things to the loops to attach the blankie to a cart, stroller, carseat or whatever.

I am not going to go into detail with how to do the applique, because I have already done that for you HERE with some extra tips HERE... so if you are new to applique, or need some refreshers, please check out those posts before proceeding.

Another thing to do before starting this project is to prewash your fabrics that you plan on using for these (and the rest of the baby projects) using a baby or hypoallergenic detergent. I don't prewash my fabrics for grown-up projects, but when I prewash for baby items I use the gentle setting and warm water. You will have fraying, that is okay. Then I throw everything into the dryer. I pull the fabric out of the dryer before it is completely dry though, and make sure to press it real well. And that is it for prewashing!

Let's Get Started!

Baby Bubbles All Purpose Blankie Tutorial.

Finished Size: Apx. 32.5" x 24.5"

Supplies:

Piece of flannel cut to 34" x 26"
Piece of quilting weight cotton cut to 34 " x 26" (I used Alexander Henry 2D Zoo)
1 piece of ribbon cut to 4" long (width is not too important, but I would stick with something that is at least 3/4" wide)
1 piece of ribbon cut to 3" long (at least 3/4" wide)
Various fabric scraps to make the applique (optional -- I used Joel Dewberry Woodgrain, and a calico polka dot from Hobby Lobby)
Heat and Bond Lite or other fusible of your choice to make the applique (optional)
Suggested needle size: 80/12 Universal Sewing Machine needle (I use Schmetz)
Other basic sewing supplies: sewing machine, iron, quality all purpose thread (like gutermann), pins, scissors, etc.

Directions.

1. First print off the Baby and Bubble applique templates HERE, as well as the free all purpose corner rounding template from the other day HERE. Be sure to print all of the templates with your printer scaling set to "None".

2. Make the applique. Once again if you don't know how, I have a tutorial HERE, as well as some other tips HERE.

3. Sew on your applique to the lower right corner of your blankie. Keep in mind that there will be a 1/2" seam allowance, as well as top-stitching, so do not put the applique too close to the edge. I applied the applique in a way that reminded me of bubbles floating along, but you can put them all on a straight line, or whatever. You also may attach the applique any way you like, but if you would like to make yours similar to mine, I simply used a straight stitch to attach the letters. Then, I used a straight stitch at about 1/8 " to first attach the circles, then went back and put a zig zag stitch around the circles. See the photo below for more clarity.

4. With your quilting cotton laying on a flat surface with the RS facing up, line up the raw edges of the ribbon with the raw edge of your fabric, and baste on the ribbon using a 1/4" seam. I placed my ribbon so that it sort of lined up with the bubbles. Note: I did not get a photo of the actual basting on of the ribbon, but I have a photo below that I took after the blanket was completed. I am inserting the photo here just to give you an idea of the placement for the ribbon.

5. Using your printed corner rounding template, round the corners of the quilting cotton and the flannel. I find it easiest to first fold the fabric in half once lengthwise, and then again crosswise. This way you can cut all 4 corners at the same time. This is not the most precise method, but I bet Baby will not mind.

6. Place the flannel RS up on a flat surface (Note: solid flannels may not have a Right side, but printed flannels do), and then place the cotton on top of the flannel, RS down. Take a look at your flannel, did it some how grow in size? Flannel is difficult to cut precisely to begin with, but as you handle it, it tends to stretch. If your flannel is still the same size as your cotton, great, if not, trim it up now.

7. Pin the flannel and cotton together RST.

8. Sew the two pieces together using a 1/2" seam. Leave a 4" opening along the bottom edge for turning. Tip: You may find it helpful to draw a stitching line (using a water soluble marker or similar) onto each rounded corner before bringing your fabric to your machine to sew. This can help you sew the curves more easily.

9. Press the seams, and notch the curves.

10. Turn right side out. Press in the opening left for turning, as well as the seams. Pin the opening closed.

11. Starting just before your opening, top stitch around the entire blankie using a 1/4" seam and a straight stitch. Then go back and do a zigzag stitch, so that it matches the stitching on your applique ... cute right?

12. Tie it up with a pretty piece of ribbon and give to baby and Mom.

Enjoy!

P.S. Don't forget to share a pic in the split stitch flickr pool! For personal use only please, if you would like a PDF with revised terms of use allowing the sale of items made from this tutorial, please contact me to purchase a copy of this tutorial at my normal pattern prices. Thanks!

P.P.S. Stay tuned for more matching baby item tutorials coming soon-ish. :)

Free Template for Rounding Corners.

2011-09-21T13:55:00.002-04:00

Okay so this might seem a bit random, but I have a free template for you. The template is to round corners on your sewing, paper crafting, or other craft projects. I made this initially as a tool for myself, because I used to use mason jar lids (or pretty much anything round) to round my corners. And while this method worked just fine, I would usually end up with rounded corners that were each a bit different. So, to combat this, I just drew this simple template that has straight sides.

You just line up the straight sides of the template with the straight sides of your fabric (or paper), and you end up with corners that all look the same. Some times I even make measurement marks on the template and fabric, and line them up before cutting just to be really precise.

I am sure there are really fancy quilting rulers or templates that you could use for this purpose, but some times a good old paper template just does the trick too. The curve on this template is meant for sort of medium to smallish items. I know that is not real descriptive, but I just mean to say that if you are making something tiny, or gigantic, you may want to enlarge or decrease the size of the template to make it work for you.

Anyhow, I hope you find this template useful .....get your free template HERE.

P.S. See the cute blankie in these photos? It uses this cool corner rounding tool ... and these edited photos for this project means that the tutorial is coming real soon ... like this week soon!

New SALE section in the shop!

2011-09-19T09:00:00.003-04:00

Just a quick note to let you know that I have a new "SALE" section in the Split Stitch Etsy Shop. Right now I have selected handcrafted goodies marked down by 25% as a part of my "Early Present Shopper" sale. Pick up some cute gifts for special people in your life (or yourself ... I won't tell), and save some money too!

Right now I have the following items on sale ...

Large Pleated Patchwork Flat Bottom Pouch in Spring Morning.

The Lacey Tissue Pouch Cozy in Chocolate Cake.

The Tea Time Mug Rug in Urban Pink.

The Tea Time Mug Rug in Kokeshi Kute.

The Tea Time Mug Rug in Butterfly Picnic.

Hand Stamped Nature Stickers.

Pick them up while you can! Sale is for a limited time only.

Do you have anything on sale in your shop?

YOUR Split Stitch Creations!

2011-09-18T10:47:00.003-04:00

Did you know there is a Split Stitch Flickr group? Well there is! You are welcome to post pictures of anything Split Stitch related in the pool ... stuff you have made using free or purchased patterns, stuff made with Split Stitch craft supplies (including the scrap packs), etc. It is really rewarding for me to see what people do with my patterns and ideas, and I find that other people interpret my patterns in ways I would never have thought of. Like all of these gems that have been added to the pool recently ...

Check out this Flat Bottom Pouch by mybrownbagstudio, I LOVE that she enlarged the pattern! Even though I included 3 sizes I don't know that I would have thought about making it even bigger ... odd, huh? But now that I have seen it done, I know that I MUST make some bigger pouches too!

AND, if the super-sized flat bottom pouch is not enough, mybrownbagstudio also made some gorgeous Tea Time Mug Rugs. I am loving the use of felt applique on these beauties. I am including a few of her mug rugs here, but she has a lot more that you can see for yourself in the flickr group, or in her Etsy shop.

And check out this flat bottom pouch by flickr user pomgrnte (aka scooch monkey) . She did such a gorgeous job on this pouch, and the zipper ends? Perfect! She also wrote a really nice review of the Flat Bottom Pouch pattern on her blog, you can find it HERE. She also explains that she is using this pouch to store her digital camera, and I thought that was just a fantastic idea. Love the Legacy Studio fabric too.

And lookee here .... a very cool cross stitch project using the free Ice Cream Cross Stitch Pattern Pack by flickr user Crunchy Con Mommy. She explained to me that she is making this as a towel for her parents. Mint chocolate chip is her Dad's favorite ice cream, and her mom loves chocolate chip and strawberry ice cream. How thoughtful is that? Makes me sort of wish I had at least one daughter who would potentially stitch me up some sweet gifts like this in my golden years, but alas ... I have 3 wild boys whose interest in stitching me something as sweet as this is about 0 on a scale of 1-10. Oh well, looks like I will just have to stitch myself my own sweet gifts!

And last, but certainly not least check out this set of mug rugs by flickr user GirlwiththeStarspangledHeart. I love that she used black fabric for the side panel, once again I don't know that I would have thought about using black fabric here, but now that I have seen it done, I think how could I not? And her embroidery looks awesome too ... I recognize those paper lanterns from Sublime Stitching (the Craft Pad maybe?). If you want to see more of GirlwiththeStarspangledHeart, she blogs HERE.

And that is it for today! Would you like to see your work featured here on the split stitch? All you have to do is just upload your Split Stitch project to the Split Stitch Flickr group ... that is it, and I will contact you to find out if it is okay for me to share.

Have you finished up any Split Stitch projects?

Some New Items in the Shop.

2011-09-16T18:49:00.000-04:00

Well, I took a break from studying to get some stuff listed in the shop .. and I thought I would share ...

My patchwork mug rug in what I am calling a "fruit punch" colorway ... these colors remind me of green grapes, "red" grapes, raspberries and even blueberries. I really love this one, the back is my favorite print from Joel Dewberry's Heirloom Collection.

3 sets of coasters that I think I showed you the other day ...

"Little Apples"

"Apples in Wonderland"

"Sugar Creek Fairground"

And two other items that coordinate with the last set of coasters, a simple patchwork pouch .....

... and a lacey tissue pouch cozy.

Have you added anything new to your shop?

More Applique Tips.

2011-09-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

Did you enjoy my cute cottage tutorial from a couple weeks ago? If you did not catch it, I explained how to make applique using templates, as well as make a cute little cottage applique with very basic shapes to get you started. Well, as I have been preparing my baby tutorials for you ... one of which uses applique, I thought of some more tips I would like to share with you before we get going with the tutorials.

So here they are ... some more applique tips for you, in a sort of question and answer format.

Q: How do I make applique letters?

A: Making applique letters is actually quite easy, but seems like something that would be difficult. If you do not have a template already, make your own. I like to use Microsoft word to make really big letters. I usually use the "Word Art" function to create words. After I have created my word, I save the document as a PDF, and re-open it using Corel Draw so that I can reverse the letters. Then I print it off the document and go about making my applique as I did HERE. There may be a way to reverse the letters inside of Word, but I have not figured it out ... but I am not the most computer savvy person, so don't take this to mean that there is not a way to do this. If you cannot figure out a way to reverse your letters on the computer, just print them off as is. Then place your letters over a light source with the back side up .... now trace the letters using a dark marker or pen. This will give you the reverse of the letter that you can now use as a template. Throughout this paragraph you may have been wondering, why do I need to reverse my letter? Because if you do not, your finished applique will end up being reversed. Just think about it for a second, and it will make sense. After all, you are ironing your fusible and traced template to the wrong side of the fabric ... once all cut out you flip your fabric over to the right side to use it .... you are thus flipping whatever shape your template is to the reverse side. If you are using a square or even something like a cherry shape, this will not make a difference, but for a letter it will. Lucky for you, I always consider this when designing my applique templates and reverse them for you.

Take a look at me making the letter "B" .... I traced a letter B that was already reversed onto my fusible.

After I cut it out and flipped it over to the right side, it ended up looking like this ....

Q: I have a problem tracing the applique templates.

A: Yeah, me too. You might think this is odd, because I like to draw so much (as evidenced by all of my embroidery patterns), but there is something entirely different about freely drawing vs. intently focusing your attention on a shape and tracing it. I usually get a slight tremor in my hand when I trace anything which is probably also be related to the large amounts of caffeine that I drink too. But my way around this is to just use the applique template itself as my "tracing". Huh? All I do is print out my template ... in this case a circle ... and roughly cut it out. I then place a small piece of double stick tape on the back of the template, and adhere it to the paper side of the fusible. When I iron the fusible to the fabric, I just iron right over the paper applique template too. Then, when I cut out the applique, I use the printed template itself as my cutting guide. Kind of lazy, yet clever, right?

See, just put a little piece of double stick tape on the back of your template, and then just stick it right on top of your fusible ...

When you go to cut out the applique you will be cutting through your fabric, the fusible, the fusible paper, and your template paper .... this can be a drawback because it may dull your scissors a little bit faster. But when you end up with your nice looking piece of applique you will be happy.

Q: I sewed on my applique, made some mistakes, took out the stitches and now there are a bunch of holes in my applique.

A: Happens to the best of us. Check this letter B out. During my first (and second!) attempt at sewing this on, my sewing just did not look good ... so I got out my handy dandy seam ripper and took out the stitches. Result? A bunch of tiny holes ....

You may be tempted to scrap the whole thing, but don't. Here is how you get the holes out: First spray over the holes with water. Get the holes nice and wet ... then massage them with your fingers (wow, this sounds sort of dirty). As you massage the fabric with your fingers, your goal is to get coax the fibers back to their original pre-hole spot. Just give the holes a really good rubbing .... they like that. Then press with your iron, and voila! Like magic your applique looks all beautiful again ....

And that's it! I hope these tips will aid you in your applique making endeavours! Stay tuned for the tutorial on how to make the cute baby blanket you see little glimpses of ... complete with the applique templates and all. I am hoping to get these tutorials up real soon for you, like within the next week or so, but as I have my first Pharmacology Exam coming up next week there may be a delay ... just sayin'.

Do you have any applique tips to share with us?

Some recent fabric buys ....

2011-09-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

Oh well, I give up on trying to stop buying fabrics ... there is too much loveliness out there!! Plus, I have actually been using a lot of my fabric, so you know ... I need to keep my shelves full. :)

Here are some of my recent buys ....

3 Lovely prints from Sandi Henderson's brand new "Secret Garden" Line ...

2 pink prints, the one on top is by Sarah Jane, the one on the bottom is a sweet rose bud print from Moda's "Rose Parade" Collection.

And 2 more prints by Denyse Schmidt from the new Sugar Creek collection. I really love that pink-ish one, and really wish that the buyers at JoAnn's would have the sense to buy the rest of the line that coordinates with it that you can only get in Australia.

I was also lucky to score some of this Timeless Treasures print that is so hard to find ... when I saw it pop up on Etsy, I scooped it up right away!

Have you gotten any new craft supplies lately?

All done!

2011-09-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

Remember how I showed you these stacks of fabrics, and told you I was going to simultaneously turn them into gifts for my new little nephew (on his way in 3 weeks!), as well as tutorials for you? Well, I am happy to say I am all done ... with the gifts at least ..... and took plenty of photos for you. Now I just have to put it all into tutorials for you (hopefully sooner, rather than later), so you can expect tutorials for ....

An all purpose baby blankie. I love this blankie, it is sort of one of those things that a mom can get a lot of use from .... it can be a receiving blanket, a clean surface for an impromptu diaper change, a cozy car seat or stroller cover, a clean playing surface, a bath blanket to keep the chill away, you name it! Complete with 2 little ribbon tags for mom to attach some of those awesome little link things to hook the blankie to a cart or whatever.

A patchwork burp cloth. Nice and soft ... and cute to boot!

A baby scrubbie ... perfect to get baby nice and clean. I also think this would be perfect for teething babies ... just moisten the scrubbie, freeze it, and then give to baby to soothe painful gums. I imagine that the texture of the chenille would feel nice. This scrubie also has a little tab ... hang it to dry, or attach links when baby is gnawing on it, so they cannot throw it on the floor!

And quite possibly my favorite, a rainbow tactile blanket. A rainbow patchwork on one side, ribbon tags, bumpy minky on the other side, and optional links attached. Fun, right? And easy too ....

And also, there will be a giveaway for this set of fabrics to make a second version of the tactile blanket, this time in a developmental colorway of red, white and black. Just because I did not get a chance to make it, doesn't mean that someone else shouldn't get the chance, right? The giveaway will come with the 3 different prints, the minky, the 6 pieces of ribbon, and 2 links. For the rest of you who don't win, I will give you the measurements for these items so you can make your own.

Lots of fun coming up, huh?

Do you have anything fun coming up on your blog? If so, tell us about it!

Stuff I have made ....

2011-09-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

I thought I would show you some stuff I have made recently ... some of it will pop up in the shop, some of it will be sold locally (which is what happens when I have something for sale in my shop, and then all of the sudden the listing disappears, like these coasters HERE, or when you see a picture of an item in my flickr stream that never makes it to my shop, like this pouch HERE).

Some new simple patchwork pouches ....

This one in Joel Dewberry Heirloom fabrics ...

The one above I made with Jennifer Pagenelli laminated cotton on the inside, and added a cute card pocket ...

The pouch above coordinates with this Joel Dewberry set I have in the shop now ...

I can't help it, I love the idea of sets, or selling coordinated items in my shop.

Another pouch in Denyse Schmidt's new Sugar Creek Fabric. The ribbon is a dark hot pink, I know it looks sort of red-ish in the photo, but it is not.

This pouch I also made with Denyse Schmidt's Sugar Creek Fabric, but I also combined it with some of her Greenfield Hill collection. I really love the way this one turned out.

Some new keyfobs ... you will notice how they match the pouches from above ...

Some tissue cozies, although this is the only one I have photographed at the moment ...

Here is a sleeping mask I made, once again not the only one I have made (I made another one in greenfield hill fabrics), but the only one photographed at the moment ...

Also, a cute bib, using jcasa's "Best Bib" pattern. Love the way this turned out, I actually have 3 made, this is the only one I have a picture of. It is in my "sugar and spice" colorway, partially inspired by Sarah Jane's children at play fabric (which I used on the back) ...

I also have some new coasters made ....

These feature the DS Quilts Sugar Creek and Fairgrounds fabric ...

These feature the Little Apples and Sherbet Pips fabric ...

and these feature the hard to find Wonderland fabric by MoMo as well as the Little Apples fabric.

Some hair goodies ...

What have you made lately?

Reversible Quickie Coaster Tutorial ... Now available as a PDF.

2011-09-12T09:00:00.001-04:00

Well, for those of you who asked for it, it is available ... the reversible quickie coaster tutorial, now a pdf file for you to save, print and enjoy. To those of you who inquired, I thank you for being patient with me, I don't know what it is about putting together patterns and such into PDF format, but it always takes me so much longer than expected.

Anyhow, if you would like to purchase the PDF version, I just wanted to let you know that the PDF version not only comes with the original tutorial, but also:

* Some additional hints/tips/ideas
* Some new example photos
* Metric Conversions
* and FULL SIZE PATTERN PIECES!
* terms of use allowing you to sell your coasters online, at shows, etc. as well as a couple of packaging ideas

So, lots of extra goodies in the PDF version. If you want to purchase the full PDF, you can find it in my Etsy shop or as an instant download HERE.

Whew! I have been busy ....

2011-09-11T11:39:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you, but this time of the year is so hectic. Getting the kids and myself back into a schedule is always such a challenge at first. And I already had a test this week ... a test within the first week of school, can you imagine? But that is nursing school, I guess!

And speaking of nursing school .... did you pick up the new nursing school patterns yet? I have them 50% off right now, but only for a couple more days. Honestly, they have been a lot more popular than I thought they would be. Even though I always hope that people will like the patterns that I design, I must admit that I don't design patterns because I think that other people will like them ... I design them because I like them ... sound selfish? Maybe, but honestly, I think that is the best way to stay true to yourself...... make stuff that you like, and then just hope that others like it too.

But, back to the nursing school patterns, I know that they are sort of a niche thing, and was not sure if anyone would get them, but to my surprise people have been scooping them up! :)

In case you were wondering what colors I used, I thought I would share. I wrote the numbers down as I stitched them, and generally about 99% of my floss is DMC, with a few Anchor thrown in here and there. I did not make a note to myself that any of the colors were Anchor, but I keep thinking that maybe the dark gray was ... I am only saying this because I don't want you to get mad at me if one of these numbers is an Anchor color instead of DMC. But here are the numbers
(all DMC ... I think): 891, 333, 959, 166, 3866, 741, 155, 401, 165, 964, 232, 3708, and 608. For the bits that are sort of metallic looking, like the steams of light coming from the penlight, I used Kreinik fine braids ... sorry, I did not write down the numbers, but you really cannot go wrong with their products no matter what colors you choose. Often times for my color palettes I have some sort of inspiration ... a piece of fabric, or a photograph I saw somewhere, or something, but really the starting off point for this whole project were the scrubs themselves. I started with the scrubs, and stitched them that pale bluish-greenish color that I think most people associate with scrubs, and then just chose a bunch of other colors that went with the scrub color . As I mentioned before I stitched this design onto white kona cotton, and I am intending on turning it into a log cabin block, and then perhaps a pillow for my study area or perhaps a book cover.

For the stitches, I mainly used a backstitch to keep it simple. I did use a satin stitch in some areas, like on the capsules, and the velcro for the blood pressure cuff. Also, as you can see I used a running stitch for some of the various tubing lines. On the penlight, I used french knots for the pupil gauge. The number of times I wrapped the french knot increased as I went along ... for example the first circle was one wrap, the second circle was two wraps, the third circle was three wraps, and so on. It made each circle slightly bigger ... just like on a real life pupil gauge! You can also see I used french knots on the bandage, and I made the cotton balls using detached chain stitches.

Anyhow, I also wanted to take this time to mention that my posts as well as new pattern releases and projects will be somewhat sporadic until I am on break in December. I hope you will stick with me, because I still have a lot of crafty goodness planned, but as I am up to my eyeballs in reading assignments and tests, I am just not sure when I will get to them.

But, for now, I am off to write a whole bunch of posts today that I will schedule to magically pop up throughout the week for you!

Nursing School Patterns ... now available.

2011-09-06T12:47:00.001-04:00

Remember my nursing school WIP? Well, it is done ... and thus the Nursing school pattern set is now available, and 50% off as an introductory price.

As I mentioned before, the inspiration comes from my own experience being in nursing school myself. I have been working on this degree on and off since I graduated high school (in 1998!), and am so happy to be getting close to being done ... I graduate in Spring of 2012 ... only a year and a half away! I started school again this past Thursday, and my kids went back to school today ... it has been so hectic trying to adjust to everyone's schedule ... not to mention I already have a test this Thursday, can you imagine?

Anyways, these patterns have been such fun for me to stitch up. Although I am calling them "Nursing School", they really apply to just about anyone in the healthcare industry. Doctors, nurses, hospital volunteers, paramedics, medical billing, professors, etc. I think they would be fun on book covers, totebags, lunchbags, handkerchiefs, or whatever else you can think of ....for yourself or anyone else you know who is a healthcare worker, or is in a healthcare school program. I also think that these patterns could be used on "get well" type items, and as gifts for the special healthcare worker in your life ... like that nurse you really connected with, or that pediatrician who really helped your child when he/she was sick.

Included in this set are the following patterns: stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, EKG wave, IV bag on an IV pole, specimen tube, syringe, cotton swab, cotton balls, bandage, prescription bottle, tablets and capsules, clip board, medical bag, scrub top, scrub bottom, reflex hammer, tuning fork, bandage shears, tympanic membrane thermometer (goes in the ear), and a penlight with pupil gauge. I have also included some fun abbreviations (meaning is in parentheses): Rx (prescription), 98.6 (an average oral temperature), 110/70 mm Hg (a blood pressure reading in millimeters of mercury), PO (by mouth), prn (as needed), gtt (drops), q4h (every four hours), D5W (Dextrose 5% in water - an IV solution), and b.i.d. (twice daily).

Like all my patterns, I strive for them to be somewhat realistic but with a touch of whimsy, and keep the patterns simple so that they are easy to transfer, and can be embellished any way you see fit ... with filling stitches, fabric, crayon tinting, felt, sequins ... whatever. I always think about the beginner too, and have attached the transfer methods PDF document to the file, along with a copy of my Linen Tea Towel sewing instruction with terms of use allowing you to sell your own tea towels, as well as items made using these patterns.

You can get the patterns instantly HERE or in my Etsy shop HERE --the pattern pack is only $2.00 (for a limited time only).