Sew Simply

O' Sunny Day

2014-01-19T09:27:00.002-08:00

Today is a beautiful day! It's about 65F outside, and the sun is shining. I love my new sewing room, because it's a converted sun room - windows all around!

I have a finish today, though it's not really a quilt, just a quick fleece blanket for a baby shower gift. The parents are LSU fans through and through, so that's what I went with, plus the invitation to the shower literally says that a "little tiger is on its (not sure that they know the sex - at least when the invitations were printed) way"

Anyway, I was surprised by how cute it came out, I did a sew version, with rounded edges.

I have been working on a few things, like crocheting little leaves, flowers, etc.. for a wreath, or a collage of some kind. I don't know yet!

I also decided to finally finish a quilt I've been working on since last year, the 2012 BOM from Craftsy, while I'm not using all the pieces, I think it's still a nice little lap sized quilt to throw on the couch or the chair in the guest room. I took a break from this today to work on the LSU Blankie :)

Long time no see!

2014-01-15T06:25:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

It's been a while since I've had a minute to sit down and blog, much less work on anything other than Christmas gifts. So, I'm going to catch you guys up on what's up around here...

First with the WIP(s).

I've been working on a few patterns.

Bow Tie Required - I actually downloaded her pattern and have been working from that. My blocks were modified to be a bit smaller. :) I'm doing yellows, purples, and black for my blocks as well, rather than the teal and red.

Here is my new baby. My sweet husband picked her up for my Christmas present. On top you can see the fabrics I chose for my next quilt.. I can't finish a project before I've started thinking of my next one! I'm going to make the Bursting with Blooms quilt from the Feb 2014 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting (I might have already started cutting pieces for the appliques). Again modified to be black instead of the cream print. That is such a beautiful quilt!

I LOVE my new Elna, the throat is so wide... I FMQ'd a queen sized quilt with NO PROBLEM over the holidays.. I can't wait to work on something for me. :)

Now I want to share some HUGE news with you: I'm going to Impfondo, Republic of Congo in March with Mercy Ships on Field Service (a missions outreach). This is not my photo, so I take no credit. But I will be sure to post plenty when I return.

Last weekend I went to the opening reception for the first gallery showing that I have works in: Light/Dark. I don't think there are any photos from the event, they don't like cameras inside the gallery, which I'm appreciative of. The next exhibit is a fiber arts exhibit!! I'm really excited about that.

Thanks for reading!
Cassie

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday - oh wait, I already linked to her =D

Farmer's Wife

2013-11-02T04:41:00.001-07:00

I went to Barnes and Noble last weekend, and purchased the Farmer's Wife book. After reading it, I've decided that I'm going to hand piece the quilt just as the author had done.

Here is my progress so far. :)

This one is actually my favorite so far, and as usual, none of the photos do the blocks justice. =/

Vintage Finds and an Update!

2013-10-26T18:35:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite things to do on the weekend is go to garage sales and see what I can find. Usually I find stuff for around the house, or clothes; today I came across some fantastic vintage finds. I went to an estate sale - there was a vintage quilt that was completely hand stitched, it was a steal at 50% off (around $100...), but I thought my husband would shoot me for paying $100 for a quilt, this close to closing on our house. So I passed on that. Wish I could have bought it..

Anyway, same house, had a box of notions from the lady who, I'm assuming, made the quilt. I bought the box at a whopping $5.00. Here are a few pictures of my finds :)

These old needle packages are getting framed and hanging in my new sewing room. I would like to research more to find out just how old they really are. Anyone know??

The box also had a ton of wooden spools (which is what originally caught my eye)

I took my pictures after I had sorted through everything. There were also several vintage zippers in original packaging, and a bunch of buttons (I had already placed the buttons in the jar I have with my own buttons).

So, since I haven't written in a while - sorry! - I'll give a little update. My sister in law loved the baby quilt that I made for her. That stemmed a request for me to make a t-shirt quilt for a friend of my husband for Christmas. I won't say who, in case by some chance, he reads it. So, with the move, the new job, the hour commute, and the quilting, I haven't had time to blog. Hopefully I'll adjust to all the changes and be able to post more often.

Thanks for reading!
Cassie

Dead after this week, but still have a finish

2013-09-27T05:58:00.002-07:00

I decided to take the Mercy Ships job, but I haven't started yet. I've been busting butt in the frame shop all week (I think I'm at 40 hours already, and I'm about to go in for another 8-hour shift.) Anyway, as a way to wind down after work, I've been working on my hand quilted QST table runner that has been a WIP FOREVER.

I finally finished it! Just in time to move into the new house and Thanksgiving. This weekend I get to sew on Sunday, and I'm very thankful for that. (I guess I should also squeeze a painting in there).

In other news: I won a little giveaway a few weeks ago, and got my package in the mail from Alyssa at Pile O'Fabrics from participating in her weekly stash share. The very same day I received my muffler mat from sending a photo of myself holding the most recent Fons and Porter to Arrow Sewing Cabinets. Here are the things I got in the mail :)

Thanks for reading!
Cassie

Stash Share 11

2013-09-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

Since I have the time today, I thought I'd make a stash share post, and give a shout-out to Alyssa at Pile 'O Fabrics for getting this weekly share going. I found this last week, and challenged myself to share each week.

Here is a link to this week's selection: Stash Share 11.

Here are my selections:

Thanks for reading!
Cassie

Finally had a chance...

2013-09-17T12:14:00.000-07:00

To sew something. I love my new job, but it's killing my studio time. (Not to mention, I had to make a painting for a commission.)

So, the good news is: I finished my first Mug Rug for the swap. I'm going to share it on here, and hopefully whoever ends up being my partner doesn't see it - I want it to be a surprise! I made it from my own design and got a little crazy with my applique.. I probably wouldn't do that if I could do it over again.

Here is a picture of the painting I made for the commission. . .

Thanks for reading!

Cassie

Tutorial Thursdays

2013-09-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Tutorial Thursdays! This week I want to share one of the very first tutorials I ever did.. it's from Vanessa the Crafty Gemini. She makes things so easy to understand, and I definitely love video tutorials! I hope you take the time to check out this video - and make one!

Here is a photo of my cover that I made about a year ago when I first started sewing/quilting. I've improved GREATLY since then, but it's nice to think that my very first concern was to take care of and protect my sewing machine.

Please hop on over to her page and youtube channel and check out the other great tutorials she has!
YouTube Channel
Crafty Gemini

Other News:
I have been thinking about how to get participation up for this - I think I'm going to ask for others to "host" Tutorial Thursdays, and promote their blogs from here. Thoughts? Any takers?

Now for the linkup:

A last minute WIP post

2013-09-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

Normally, I post something for WIP Wednesday.. so today, I think I'll make a last minute post before bed.

I have a few things I've been working on this week: First- the Craftsy BOM 2012... this one has taken WAY longer to complete than I wanted, so hopefully I can finish it soon; that's what I get for not buckling down and finishing, I guess!

So here are the two drunkard's path blocks that I made for the BOM. I started moaning about making them here, but by the end, I didn't mind them so much. Maybe I'll do another curved piecing project in the future.

I also joined in on a Mug Rug Swap today here. I started pulling fabrics that I wanted to use for that. I made a grand mess of my workspace, but it was fun!

I made a shopping trip to search for brown fabric, and came back with all this - (I got a GREAT deal on all this fabric, too. I think I paid something like $0.80/ea. for the rolled remnants on top of the stack!)

At 5, I got a call from my realtor telling me that they accepted our bid for the house that we are trying to buy (are buying)!! SQUEEEEL! I can't wait until we close and move in! Plenty of ideas for my new sewing room!

Then after I calmed down, I started working on my first Mug Rug for the swap. My own design that I sketched out, and am hand appliqueing.

Notice: I did bring home brown fabric ;)

Thanks for reading!
Cassie

Linking up with Lee @ Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesdays. :)

First Swap Ever

2013-09-11T06:31:00.004-07:00

So I just registered for my first swap - I'm probably overly excited! I was just thinking yesterday that I wanted to make a mug rug for my desk, and now today I've received an email about a mug rug swap. Naturally I joined in. I've been waiting for a swap to join in on, and this one was exactly what I wanted.

Join in here:

Maybe you'll be my partner.

Thanks for reading!
Cassie

Stash Share Compilation!

2013-09-10T07:12:00.003-07:00

Hi there!

Yesterday was my first day as a framer/painting instructor. I'm beat.. but I thought today I'd join in on the Stash Share over at Pile 'O Fabric.

Anyway, I'll cut right to it - with a little background on my stash share today. I blogged about my mom giving me much of my stash when I started quilting/sewing. So I really have no idea where most of it came from - but I love it even more because it was hers. So today, my stash share is from the pieces of fabric that my mom gave me.

{#10}These were my initial fabric choices. The tan fabric is actually much, much lighter, I just could not get my photographs to cooperate, and I'm too tired to figure out why!

{#10 - 2} I chose an alternative to the tan, with a pop of green for my custom bundle. I'm not sure which I prefer.. I don't really have another that fits better than either one at the moment. My creamy neutrals are wiped out at the moment!

I guess I will go back and do prior weeks, I'm on a roll!

{#9}

{#8}

{#7} The fabric to the far left is a piece of vintage sheet that I found. So cute :)

{#6}

{#5}

{#4}

{#3}

{#2} I have several yards of the back fabric.

{#1} The middle piece is another vintage find.

Well, that's it for my first official stash share. Linking up with Alyssa at Pile O' Fabric - and it just so happens that she's doing a giveaway of her custom stash. If you have time to do it today, you might want to join in :)

Thanks for reading!
Cassie

The Opposition: Curved Piecing

2013-09-07T16:54:00.000-07:00

Today, I finally decided to give curved piecing a whirl. I.HATE.IT. Not that I'm bad at it, but it's SO tedious.... and I don't like pinning. I'll be so glad when I finish the two blocks I need to do with curved pieces.

Okay, rant over. Does anyone have any tips on making it easier, or is curved piecing just one of those things that we do?

Here's a photo of my "progress."

Thanks for reading!
Cassie

Hexie Nook HD Cover - Tutorial Thursday

2013-09-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Tutorial Thursdays!

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I got the idea to make a cover for my Nook HD. I have a Lily Pulitzer cover that my mom gave me, but I want to make my own quilted one - and probably one for her too.

So here are my measurements The nook itself is 5" x 7-3/4" Since my nook is about half an inch thick, and it needs to have a cover plus room for the quilting and lining, I'm going to double the width and add 2 inches. (5" x 2 = 10" + 2" = 12"), The height, I'll add 3/4" to make sure I have room for the elastic to hold the thing in, the dimensions of my quilted cover will be 12" x 8-1/2".

Materials Needed:

Quilted piece for the front conforming to the measurements we calculated above. (mine is 12" x 8.5")
2 coordinating pieces for the lining which are cut 1/2" narrower and the same in height (instead of 12" cut 11.5" x 8.5")
A 1-1/2" WOF strip for binding
Scraps for closure and pocket (pocket optional)
Velcro for closure
Elastic
Sewing Machine, Needle and Thread, and a lot of creativity!

All seams are 1/4" unless otherwise noted.

I chose to use a 12.5" quilt block that I already had constructed. I quilted it and trimmed it to the size I noted above.

Creating the Closure

The next thing I did was create the closure. You can choose any closure type you like, but I did a simple strap and velcro setup. NOTE: You need to attach the closure BEFORE you attach the lining since the velcro is attached directly to the cover.

With the outside facing up (the right side of the quilt), the front of the cover is on the right. Attach half of the velcro to this side. Be sure to measure in from the edge a good two inches (as shown), and make sure the closure will be centered vertically.

Cut out two pieces of fabric of choice for closure. I cut mine about 2 inches longer than the distance from the edge on the front (2" + 2" = 4" long). Attach the other half of the velcro to the right side of one of the pieces.

Sew the two pieces together, right sides facing each other. Do not close in the flat edge (as shown below), that is how you will turn your strap right side out and attach it to the cover. After it's stitched, you can trim up some of the fabric to reduce bulk once it's turned right side out, reduce bulk in any way desired - after this picture, I snipped off the point on my strap.

Attach the closure to the "back" of the cover (the left side) as shown. Now let's move to the lining.

Making the Lining

For the lining, I used two pieces of the same blue fabric that the single blue hexagon is made from. Again, I cut them 1/2" shorter than the cover itself to create the pocket openings in the middle.

From here on out I used photos from a second cover that I made ---

If you desire: Use a light to medium interfacing inbetween the two halves of the lining (inside the fold).

For the e-reader side: measure 1.5 inches in from all corners as shown below. This is your guide for attaching the elastic.

On all sides except the folded side (which will be the only side that is not covered with binding) stitch the elastic at 1/8" and 1/4" in. This will help prevent the edges from folding in.

For the other side - I attached a simple pocket I salvaged from my scraps (optional). I used these steps to construct it:

This piece was a wider piece that I pressed in half and edge-stitched with a 1/4" seam.

I placed a seam near the folded part of the lining piece and another one further in to secure it. Refold the fabric in half to finish attaching the pocket.

I used a rough 1/8" seam here, just to seal the bottom and side of the pocket.

Next, pin the two pieces of lining to the quilted outside cover. NOTE: Make sure you are pinning them to the correct sides.

Stitch the lining all the way around the whole cover (back-stitch if you want) with a 1/4" seam.

Bind with the 1.5" WOF strip.

And you're done! If you have any questions at all about this tutorial, feel free to leave them as a comment, or email them directly to me here.

Thanks for reading, and please share pics of your covers with me in my Flickr Group. I would love to see them! :)

- Cassie

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Now I'd like to see your tutorials and projects - Link up!

Anchor's underway

2013-09-04T07:08:00.002-07:00

So, I finally decided that I could get over being upset with my brother enough to work on his Christmas quilt. It's based on the design by Tula Pink (Anchors Aweigh).

Since he's in the US Coast Guard, I decided to do a patriotic theme - hence the red, white, and blue. I did notice that some of the measurements of the negative space on this pattern are off by about a half-inch. Everything seems to be lining up pretty well other than that, and it's coming along very well.

Tomorrow I have a treat for anyone who stops by - I'm finishing up my e-reader tutorial for Tutorial Thursdays. :)

Linking up with WIP Wednesdays at Freshly Pieced

Thanks for reading!
Cassie

A Strange Job Interview

2013-08-31T07:23:00.000-07:00

So, I have to do a sort of audition for Grumbacher to become certified as an instructor of acrylics.. they asked me to submit a couple paintings - all realistic, which is something I don't really do often. One of the options for a type of painting I could submit was a Still-Life. I chose to paint some things I love -

On another note: the husband and I found THE PERFECT HOUSE!! It has everything we wanted, needed, and it's 3 blocks away from a great school (for when the little ones arrive), and the grocery store is within 1 block - we can walk there, easily. The best part, it was a foreclosure, but it's in pristine condition, and it's WELL within our price range. We're putting in a bid first thing on Tuesday.

Thanks for reading :)

Cassie

Nook HD Cover {Tutorial Coming NEXT THURSDAY!}

2013-08-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

This week I finished this - a great quilted Nook HD cover. I stole my hexie stripe block from my Craftsy BOM 2012 to make it, so now I have to make another - oh darn!

I have some exciting news: next week for Tutorial Thursdays, I'm going to teach you how to make this cover for any electronic device you might have. :D I'm in the process of writing the tutorial now.

Grab my Tutorial Thursdays Button here:

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Thanks for reading!
Cassie

Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts for finish it up Friday!

Tutorial Thursdays

2013-08-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

Today has been crazy! My husband and I are working on financing for our first home - needless to say, I have not really thought about doing tutorial thursdays, until just now. I would still like to open up the link-up, though!

Up next week: Tutorial for a Nook HD (or any other e-reader) cover. Stay tuned!

Now, share what you've been working on!

Thanks for reading,
Cassie

Nearly... there.....

2013-08-28T10:30:00.001-07:00

So, I've been really busy again this week - not necessarily quilting though (unfortunately). I did get a few more blocks done for my Craftsy (2012) BOM series. I'm definitely liking my choices of fabric more and more as I continue.

No matter what I tried, I could not get the white background fabric to show as white. Probably because I took it on my blue cutting mat (as I do with so many other things), and that is shining through the Kona Snow... oh well. Still not bad for my first Dresden ever.

I'm still not completely satisfied with the points on this one.

Lastly, my in progress circle of geese block. I should finish this one in the next hour, and hopefully the remainder of the blocks today or tomorrow (there are only 4 left!)

Lastly, be sure and come back tomorrow for Tutorial Thursdays! It's a link party where I'm sharing a tutorial, and asking you to do the same. :)

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First HEX experience

2013-08-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited that I finally decided to do my hexie blocks. The first one is finished and it came out very pretty, I think. I decided to make my own hexie templates from the one that was in the class materials on the Craftsy class.

I was afraid the regular printer paper was going to be too flimsy, but it worked out okay. I'm glad I cut the template out of a cardboard piece I snagged from a FQ, now I'll have it to make more paper pieces later.

I stitched them all together last night while my husband and I watched a movie. Not many pictures occurred during this time. :)

I can't say how much I love those little flat flower pins.

I machine appliqued my hexie stripe on with a zig-zag pattern. Warm with one cool hex. So, that block is finished - now I'm going to hope for my local quilting shop to carry more kona snow fabric so I can finish the rest of the series.. I wish the fabric fairy would bring me some solids!!

Studio Update!

So, for a while, my studio has been a wreck. Between all the home repairs and updates my husband and I are doing to our 103 year old house, my studio has become kind of a storage room. Today, I got a bit of drive to clean up my fabric stash, and finally put it in its place - the awesome built in shelving unit in my studio. I was so excited because there is room in there to grow!

I wish that I had taken a before picture - my painting supplies were all over both the shelves, and it was generally a huge wreck. I think as a general rule, there is never enough storage space, no matter where you live. Don't you agree?

So, I'm calling both of these things my finishes for the week, baby steps, you know!

Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it up Friday
And Thank Goodness it's Finished Friday this week at Sewing By Moonlight.

Thanks for reading, lovelies.
Cassie

Tutorial Thursdays!

2013-08-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

Grab a badge for your blog here:

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So, this week I've been kind of lazy. My husband and I started watching Breaking Bad (from the beginning), and that has distracted me - so I've only been working on the Craftsy BOM from 2012. I blogged about it yesterday, in fact!

I have to say that Craftsy's BOM class - for the sake of Tutorial Thursdays, we'll call it a tutorial "series" - has been very good so far. I have not really learned a new technique, but it has been good practice, and I've been forced to kind of think about color matching as I go along, rather than just having all the fabric for the entire project laid out at the start (I went with the stash rather than purchasing a new bundle..)

That being said, I'm NOT going to actually post the tutorial, since I can't. You have to register on Craftsy to actually take any of their classes (it's free to register). However, I will post my finished broken spider web block :)

I just hate that my final point was off by like 1/8 of an inch.... I might unpick some of the stitches and try to fudge it a little. I haven't decided yet - have any of you had any success with doing that? Yes, it is a string block, so none of the seams are supposed to match other than around the center star.

Hopefully next week I'll have a better tutorial for y'all. Until then, share what you've been working on from a tutorial (or your own tutorial)!

Thanks for reading!
Cassie

Block Progress

2013-08-21T06:23:00.000-07:00

My A.D.D. self has started another project. Last week (I think), I blogged about wanting to start the Craftsy BOM series from 2012. I just loved Amy Gibson's choice of blocks, so I told myself, "you can make one block a day, and that's that." - Plus I just so happened to have a few yards of Kona Snow, the fabric she chose as her background fabric, so I took that as a sign.

Anyway, I wanted to share with you my progress so far. I've got 7 blocks completely done, and one 3/4 done - my husband wanted to call it early last night so we could go for a run this morning... out of respect for the light sleeper, I turned off the sewing machine.

Here's what I've made so far on this project:

January Blocks

The Asterisk Block

Slashed Pound Sign

February Blocks

The Balkan Puzzle - this one has been one of my faves so far :)

Chunky Chevron

March Blocks

String Block

The IN-PROGRESS Broken Spider Web

April Blocks

These are hexie blocks which I haven't done because, frankly, my printer is out of ink!

May Blocks

Modern Frame Log Cabin - I really enjoyed the improv blocks.. I'm thinking about making an entire quilt of either a May block or something from March... but that's in the future.

5-sided Wonky Log Cabin

Well, that's about all for now! Finishing up the Broken Spider Web block today, and going to go pick up ink for the printer so I can do my hexie blocks.

Linking up with WIP Wednesdays @ Freshly Pieced

5 Hexagon Project Tutorials

2013-08-16T16:12:00.000-07:00

Here you will find a list of 5 of my favorite Hexagon projects and tutorials. As I've been perusing other people's blogs and work a lot lately, I thought I'd share these gems that I found. I have linked directly to the original post (or where I found it originally), and have done my best to give credit where credit is due.

Strip of Hexies Dish Towel by Wild Olive

Eye Glass Case by Liesl Made

Hexagon Park on Moda Bake Shop by Lily's Quilts


Hexagon Quilt Tutorial by The Sewing Chick

Stitchy Hexie with Embroidery Pattern by Clover and Violet

Thank you original authors for your hard work, and for sharing it with us!

Thanks for reading,
Cassie

Finished Pressing Table + Tutorial

2013-08-16T09:16:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week I blogged about the table that my mom gave me that I was going to turn into my pressing table (here). I finally decided which fabric I wanted to use, so as promised, here is my process for repurposing the table.

So, obviously, you need a table - the top doesn't need to be in good condition (it'll be covered!), but it needs to be sturdy. Here are the other supplies you'll need:

I used 3/8" staples - they worked just fine.
The fabric is a heavy cotton, but not quite a decorator weight.
Since you'll most likely be ironing cotton on your pressing board, you want to use a cotton batting for the pad.

The first thing you want to do is sweep! Make sure your floor is pretty clean. I have OLD wooden floors, so dirt gets trapped in the cracks, but make sure the surface you'll be laying your materials on is fairly clean.

Measure the table. Write this down. You'll be adding inches to this measurement for the padding and cover.

Cutting the fabric piece. Depending on the height of the table top (the thickness of the piece on top that you'll be stapling to), you'll want to give yourself between 2"-5" extra fabric on all sides. I was not very comfortable with the whole process, so I gave myself a lot extra - about 4" on all sides. Place this face down on the floor.

Cutting the padding. I cut 3 pieces of batting - I like a fairly firm surface to press on, but you can cut more if you like yours softer. I cut my pieces 1" over on all sides, enough to go around the edge of my table - no one likes a crease in their fabric from the edge of their pressing board. Place these centered on top of the already face down fabric piece as shown here:

Next you'll place the table top down on the stack you just made. Without pulling the stack out of place, place a single staple on one side of the table. Once this staple is in place, move the opposite side of the table. Pull this side tight, and place another staple. Repeat for the remaining sides.

Continue pulling tight and stapling every 1"-2". Stop an inch or two away from each corner. Corners are last.

For the corners: pull the fabric tight, parallel to the leg. Depending on how round the corners of your table are, you will have a sharp point, or a flat one like mine.

Double staple the fabric as flush as you can get it to lay on the corner. Pulling the fabric tight and stapling it will ensure that you don't end up with bubbles in your pressing surface. Since I borrowed the stapler from my husband's tool box, it left some dirty spots around my staples - but I'm not that worried about it, they are on the bottom.

Just trim up the excess fabric, and you're finished!

++++

Thanks for reading!!

-Cassie

Linking up with:
The Creative Connection @ Wait Til Your Father Gets Home
Crazy Mom Quilts

HST Tutorial (Tutorial Thursdays #2)

2013-08-15T06:22:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! This week I'm going to show you my amazing magical HST trick, it's probably not new, but I think pictures and a written set of instructions help. At the end I really want to see what you guys have been working on as far as projects from a tutorial - or even your own tutorial! I'm very new to quilting, so I will definitely try out whatever you share with me, then come back and show you what I've done.

So I'm going to get on with it.

The first thing to remember is that we're going to be sewing together 2 squares all the way around the edge with a 1/4" seam, closing them in together. You want to start with two squares that are 2 inches larger than the size of your HST. Each set of two squares will yield 4 HSTs. I made 3.5" HSTs so I started with 5.5" squares of fabric.

Materials for 4 HSTs:
Two blocks of material 2" larger than the desired size of your HST.
Rotary cutter
Mat
Ruler
Sewing Machine

Directions:

The first obvious step is to pin your squares together. This will keep them from shifting when you are sewing all the way around the edges.

Next take the blocks to the machine. Start about 1/4" away from a corner (doesn't matter which, we're going to go all the way around this puppy.) With your needle down, turn the corner 1/4" away from the end of each side. Don't worry if you go over a little - I just backstitched a few stitches and turned. The important thing is maintaining a good 1/4" border around the entire block.

This is what my corners looked like. Maintain the 1/4" seam around the whole edge and you'll be fine.

After you're done stitching around all 4 sides, take the block to the cutting mat. Line up your ruler diagonally from one corner to the corner across from it. Cut. Flip the triangles and cut again - to get what looks like a QST with all 4 closed.

Then, press. *Enter Darth Vader* Quilters always press to the dark side. :) Trim the dog ears, and then you are finished constructing your HST.

I found this method to be much quicker than the traditional HST method. I think you will too. Plus you don't end up with a mark on your fabric.

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Progress...

2013-08-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

I have been dragging this one out.. but it's coming along! I'm hand quilting it, and during my down time at the flea market that I helped my parents with last weekend, I sat in the shade and quilted. It was amazing how many people came up and wanted to admire my work and give me compliments for being a "young quilter." It makes me proud to know that I am taking up an art and past-time and making it mine.

Stitching the squares together on my machine.

The Quilt Sandwich.

In the hoop.

So now, I might not be done with it this week. Especially since my fingertips are complaining! I think I might go back to piecing something for a while.. thinking about doing the Craftsy BOM 2012 series - better late than never! I'll share that if I decide to get started on it. By the way, if you haven't already, check out Craftsy - they have tons of free patterns and the awesome BOM classes (one for last year, and one for this year.)

Addition to my sewing/craft studio. :)

I love my mom. She is always giving me things - I try to do the same for her (Something I think will be easier after I start getting paid!). Last week I gave her a rotary cutter and mat - she had been eyeing them for a while, so I made the buy for her. :-) I got her a nice little Fiskars set:
Cutter (came with a bonus pair of scissors!)
Self-healing Mat
Since her sewing room isn't as big as mine (how did I get so lucky?) I gave her the 18"x 24" mat.

Anyway, this past weekend I helped them do a flea market type sale (that I was talking about above..) My parents are something of a pair of pickers. So they had tons of treasures to take to the sale, I'm thinking if my back was crying this much afterward, I feel sorry for my dad's back! In the sale, she had this fantastic table that I had my eye on for a new pressing table for my sewing room.

I think that it didn't sell because it has this crack in the top. Something I wasn't so worried about, since I'm covering the top with layers of batting and fabric to create my pressing surface. Planning to make my first tute over this as well - repurposed table. I just need to decide which type of fabric I want to use - I'll be looking at it nearly every day, so I want to love it! - SUGGESTIONS?

That's all for now!

Cassie