Cut to Pieces

Craftsy Fabric and Classes

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 18:40:00 +0000

Hey all! Just a quick post in between travels for me. I just spent the most lovely vacation in San Diego with my husband and daughter....a much needed break for us! And now I'm off to Sewtopia Atlanta. It's totally bizarre to be jet setting around like this, but I won't complain!

While I'm gone, you may want to check out some great new fabrics that Craftsy is now offering, Boundless Fabrics. I'm sharing them because I thought that they would be perfect for my class there on working with precuts to make disappearing blocks!

Click on the Picture above for $20 OFF the class price!

According to Craftsy:

For quilting addicts, Boundless Fabrics is the brand of affordable indulgence that’s so stunning, you’ll want to use it for all your projects. Other quilting fabrics can’t compare to the quality hand, exceptional color and gorgeous prints of Boundless, especially at such a great value.

I'm especially loving these blues!!!

Click on any picture to check out more!

Oh and I am so excited to see that another fabulous class has been added to the list of classes available at Craftsy. I'm definitely going to be taking this one! Elizabeth Hartman has a new class, Patchwork Piecing, Woodland Animals. If you are familiar with any of Elizabeth's recent patterns then you know she has a knack for creating creatures that are completely rotary cut (no paper piecing) which are utterly adorable!

There is Dwight the Deer

And Bjorn Bear!

How cute are her signature glasses?!!

So be sure to check out Elizabeth's Class too!!

One Sheep, Two Sheep, Read Sheep

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 18:12:00 +0000

I'm so excited to FINALLY share with you a bookmark that I made for a Valentine's day swap. I had to keep it a secret until my partner received it. But clearly we are past Valentine's day now and I can share it now.

My partner requested a bookmark that she saw on Pinterest which had the basic idea of the heart book mark. It is made from two pieces of felt that are hand stitched together along the straight edges (the white floss).

And even though I used my favorite color blue and the white thread really pops, I knew that I wanted to bookmark to have a sweeter detail to it. And so began my search for a cute embroidery. I'm not a huge embroiderer AT ALL. But I wish I was. I find it to be super satisfying. And of course adorable. When I saw this little lamb/sheep embroidery I knew I had my cuteness factor.

The lamb is made almost entirely of french knots. So...you tube to the rescue!! I always need to look that up to refresh my brain. There are tons of tutorials on you tube thankfully. This is one of those things that I need to see in live action. I get a better sense of the correct tension on the floss. And I definitely got to practice a TON of french knots on this.

And I LOVE it. This was hard to give away. And totally worth making. How cute would a little kid's outfit be with these embroidered on it?! Some one do that, okay?

And the embroidery had no effect on the ability of the book to lay flat. I was pleased that even with that much stitching, the bookmark worked particularly well. I will definitely be doing this again in the future. And remember, if you don't want a heart, you can pretty much do this in any shape that will have two straight edges and an opening.

Give it a whirl. I bet you'll love it. It's a great gift idea!

Hummingbird Dress Maxi Style

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 18:47:00 +0000

I'm so excited about the dress I just finished for my six year old!! The pattern is from RabbitRabbitCreations on Etsy (she's got tons of great patterns at great prices! I bought a bundle of five patterns to try out). I was introduced to this pattern by my friend Emily and I've wanted to make more ever since. The original dress looked darling on Caitlyn but she didn't love the fabric choices...she's crazy...those fabrics were awesome...but whatever.

This time she picked the fabrics and this was a trial run version for a third dress that she wants for Easter...made with a knit ruffle skirt! So I needed to tackle this pattern again, on my own, and make sure I had the size correct. And check on making it in the longer length like my fashionista daughter wants.

I'm so happy to say that it turned out beautifully. I always hold my breath with clothing because you just never know until that fitting. But the size was just right for her.

My daughter is six, but tiny for her age. She wears a size 6 in a lot of clothes but I can still get her into a 5T if I need to...I made the size 5 pattern for her and it fit beautifully. I might even take the elastic in the back slightly shorter on the next version. She's a petite princess.

The dress is made from a quilting cotton on top, Simpatico, by Michelle Bencsko and the skirt is a lawn from Heather Ross' Tiger Lily Collection. It is fully lined as well as I was concerned that the lawn would be too sheer. It was iffy so I opted to line it.

It took me an evening to sew it together. I'm not a fast sewer as I think I have mentioned before. I'll go faster the next time because the pattern will be more familiar to me.

And thankfully she LOVES it. I put it on her to try on and forced (err...asked) her to take pictures and now she won't take it off. I just asked her if she likes it and she said "I don't like. I LOVE it!" High five mama!

Oh and I hope you have enjoyed her interpretive dance poses. She kills me. lol

When people ask "how are you?"

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 20:09:00 +0000

Am I the only one? When people ask me "how are you doing" or "how are you?" I just don't know how to answer anymore.

I know that some people just want the "I'm fine, how are you?" response. But I can't even give that convincingly anymore. (My face doesn't let me lie even if I wanted to lol). I want to tell them what is really going on. But I know that is too much for most people. I need to find an abbreviated answer.

But for you...you all are either going to stick around and read this...or you've already clicked away having figured out that this is not really going to be about a particular craft.

So how AM I doing? It's pretty rough actually. Well, it feels rough to me. I already feel guilty for saying it is rough when I know so many people have worse problems. But these are tough for me...and this is where I am when I am not creating.

In November, I was diagnosed with Ehler's Danlos Syndrome. Never heard of it? Neither had I. Basically, it's a connective tissue disorder that is genetic. I must have got it from one of my parents and my daughter has a 50% chance of inheriting it as well. My type is Hyper mobility (there are some more deadly types). Basically it means that I have a lot of pain that comes from unstable joints. I'm working a lot on what I can do to help it from getting worse. There is no "cure"....only treatments.

I regularly see a Dr for series of Injections to help regrow tissue (a painful, expensive, but thankfully slowly making a difference with my pain, experience). I've been working on changing my diet to be anti-inflammatory because that is major trigger for pain for someone with my syndrome.

The diet has been extremely challenging for me itself. I recently completed 4 week detox/cleanse elimination diet that was like hard core Paleo eating. No grains, No dairy, No sugar. No fun. I've been Gluten free since August in an attempt to be anti inflammatory, but I will probably need to eliminate more than that permanently.

I'm trying now to SLOWLY add foods back in, but it's particularly difficult to see if they cause problems because I didn't gastrointestinal problems before with them. I feel like I'm taking so much on faith and the long term goals of eating this way for my future and health.

It means that I spend days not able to move while I'm recovering from injections. That I've already eaten more avocados than I knew I would (it doesn't help that I'm a SUPER picky eater to begin with). And I'm trying to be a good mom and wife...let alone sew, design, write here, etc.

I've recently decided that for my health, I really shouldn't be quilting my own work anymore. Which means investing in sending my quilts out to be long arm quilted. Don't get me wrong...I don't mind that, but it's not free by any means. lol In fact, as I write this, my back is in a ton of pain, partially due to trying to quilt something.

I'm a person who likes to be in control. And I'm definitely not in control right now. There are a lot of tears and prayers and doubt about what the future will look like. But I'm being as proactive as I can. Once I get the diet under control, the next plan is to tackle physical therapy/exercise that will strengthen my muscles. That is key because the other connective tissue is so weak, you need strong muscles to hold yourself together. So hey, maybe I'll be a totally hot 40 year old in a few years! There's hope for that bikini body yet. ;)

I tell you all this, not for loads of sympathy or attention. I'm just trying to be transparent. My word for this year is "Vulnerable". And sharing this feels extremely vulnerable. But it's also a reminder that I myself am vulnerable. Every time I choose a project to work on, I'm making that decision based at least partially on how I feel physically. Every time I blog or don't blog, it's based on if I can act like all I do is quilt and sew. But I don't just do that. I live my life. And right now, even with some answers, I have a lot a questions and doubts and pain.

I hope to look back on this in a year and say "wow! look how far I've come from there".

Right now, I feel I relate most to this:

Craftsy 1000th Class Celebration!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 23:09:00 +0000

I've been a little quiet over here but never fear...every day is filled with fabric. And some of it is REALLY exciting. But I can't share all with you yet. (Do you know how frustrating it is to be working on things that you cannot share? #firstworldproblem)

But in the meantime, another thing I've been doing is exploring some of the classes on Craftsy. Since I filmed My class with them, on using Precuts to create Disappearing Blocks, I've been anxious to explore all of the classes they have to offer.

Just last night I was watching a photography class that made me want to understand it all even more and get out there and practice!

Lucky for you all, Craftsy is celebrating their 1000th class with a special sale on their most Wishlisted classes. They are 50% off. Here are a few that I would recommend or plan on taking myself.

I've been watching this class on family photography. I have found it particularly interesting because the teacher, Kirk Tuck, is not working a studio. They are out and about working with real sunlight issues and trying to capture the best picture with kids who are not models. And he spends the whole time teaching a dad how to use his DSLR camera and the kinds of settings to use. Some of the technical part is over my head, but I've certainly gained some great tips for photography. And I just want to take more!

Click on the photo or my LINK here and you can get this class for 50% off!

Not into photography? Or just can't tackle it yet? How about this quilting class on Jelly Rolls. Having just done a course on precuts, I'm eager to see the other exciting things that people are doing with them. And you've got to admit that the cover quilt here is stunning! I'll be watching this one next!

Click on the photo or my LINK here and you can get this class for 50% off! Then the class is only $14.99!

There are oodles of classes to check out. Just click over to the site HERE to see them all!

And don't forget, you can always get 50% off of my class right here on my blog as a special thank you for being a follower!

Not Your Mama's Bee - January Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 05:00:00 +0000

Well another month has come and practically gone. And before it ended, we had a little matter over here of getting a six year old to buckle down and sew a block for another little girl that she's never met in person. LOL.

Yes. It's another edition of "Not Your Mama's Bee".
Take your anxiety meds. Grab a stiff drink. Eat some chocolate. Because you are about to sew with a strong willed child whose attention span seems to be split second at moments.

This month's block was for Lee's (of Freshly Pieced) daughter Elsa. It's a darling block from a pattern by Holly DeGroot called The Amsterdam Quilt. Caitlyn selected fabrics from my plentiful wall of fabric based on the color preferences of Elsa with a refreshing lack of concern for how the prints might look together. I actually learn a lot by the freeing way that she chooses what she wants to use.

Given her age and abilities, this block was fairly mama heavy in terms of cutting and reading the directions. I was working with her on sewing on a straight line, and we definitely made some progress on that! And reminding her to sew with the Right Sides Together...or as well call them, The Pretty Sides together.

I will admit that in my effort to have her follow the pattern herself, I followed only the pictured instructions. Well that meant that I missed a crucial step where we were supposed to trim down the HSTs of the leaves. So we finished putting it together and I just chalked up the weird seams to the fact that I was having a six year old sew them.

But nope. It was mama's fault for not reading the directions. So after we were all done and she went on her merry way, I undid most of the block so that I could trim down those triangles. Then the block fit together beautifully. :p

I feel a bit guilty that the end block is only half sewn by Caitlyn, but it was originally all sewn by her. And trust me. There was NO WAY that she was going to sit down and sew this again. lol

But now, having sewn half of the block and cutting it all...I would TOTALLY make this quilt myself. It's darling! And a great option for a bee quilt like we are doing. Just be sure to trim down those HSTs for the leaves and you'll have no problems! ;)

Sister Sampler Quilts and Giveaway!!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 05:00:00 +0000

*the giveaway has ended*

My dear friend AnneMarie Chany has a brand new book out and boy is it pretty!! It is full of great block patterns to make the most interesting samplers. I think my favorite blocks might be her inverse pattern blocks. You can see an example of those in the bottom pictures of the picture below. She's played with color placement to change how you see a block pattern and it's completely genius. I've done that on occasion but she's been playing with the concept for a couple years now.

Sister Sampler Quilts: 3 Modern Sampler Quilts with Paired Sister Blocks

By AnneMarie Chany

Fons & Porter/F+W; $19.99

http://www.sistersamplerquilts.com

Her color schemes in the book are bright and juicy, so there is lots of eye candy. But for my stop on the blog hop I wanted to try something a little different. It's actually totally out of MY comfort zone. I'm more familiar with choosing colors like AnneMarie did. But life is about growing right? So I tackled her Moon & Star block with some different fabrics.

I couldn't resist a block with curves!

And I wanted to try a new to me way to trimming HSTs! Someone mentioned it on Instagram, that instead of trimming the square while it was pressed open. To instead, trim it while it is still in triangle shape (before you press it open).

I'm not sure I got the best picture of exact measurements here, but this is what it looked like while I trimming. You can see the seam along the diagonal side. It is sewn together there. And I am trimming the side and top edges to square it up BEFORE I press it open.

It worked like a charm! I think I'll do that from now on. Only two sides to trim instead of four!!

And didn't the colors and patterns turn out fun?! Definitely a departure for me. I'm working on using prints for the background rather than a solid. And this tiny beautiful floral by Kim Kight from Cotton and Steel was too pretty to ignore. I picked my other fabrics around that.

If I'm being totally honest then I would say that I *might* change the coral color to a lighter one to better balance with the light pink. But that is part of my learning curve here. I'm still struggling to find balance with a block of all prints and wanting to really see the beautiful design of the block. It's such a great design AnneMarie!

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And if you've read along so far, then now is your chance to get in on the giveaway. One lucky reader will have a chance to own their very own copy of AnneMarie's book Sister Sampler Quilts.

To enter, simply leave a comment below. I'd love to know what your feelings are on samplers. I personally struggle with them and my only UFO's left are all Sampler Quilts. I just cannot figure out what to do! I get tired of a typical sashing and all the blocks square. I'd love something different. Do you love them? hate them? Never tried one? Have a great finish you can share? Let me know!!

Congratulations to the Lucky Winner!
#120

Anna-MarieJanuary 22, 2016 at 5:22 PM

I've only made one quilt so far - for my son's 18th birthday but I think a sampler quilt would be a good way to try new techniques.

Good luck!

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And don't forget to follow along with the whole blog hop! There are tons of people sharing about this great book and you'll all kinds of blocks and quilts made up to get a really great idea of what AnneMarie's book is all about.

Monday, January 18

AnneMarie Chany / Gen X Quilters - Introduction

Sara Lawson / Sew Sweetness

Tuesday, January 19

Leah Day / Free Motion Project
Brenda Ratliff / Just A Bit Frayed

Wednesday, January 20

Faith Jones / Fresh Lemons Quilts
Angela Pingel / Cut To Pieces

Thursday, January 21

Lynne Goldsworthy / Lily's Quilts
Amy Friend / During Quiet Time

Friday, January 22

Christa Watson / Christa Quilts
Violet Craft

Monday, January 25

Lee Heinrich / Freshly Pieced
Melissa Corry / Happy Quilting

Tuesday, January 26

Karen Lewis / Karen Lewis Textiles

Amy Gibson / Stitchery Dickory Dock

Wednesday, January 27

Sherri McConnell / A Quilting Life

Melissa Mortensen / Polka Dot Chair

Thursday, January 28

Amy Ellis / Amy's Creative Side

Heather Valentine / The Sewing Loft

Friday, January 29

Cindy Wiens / Live A Colorful Life

AnneMarie Chany / Gen X Quilters - Wrap Up

All NEW Craftsy classes on sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 18 Jan 2016 22:22:00 +0000

There are only about 7 hours left on this fabulous sale! ALL new Craftsy classes are on sale right now!

They are 50% off!!

So that obviously includes my own class, Disappearing Blocks with Precuts, but it also includes fabulous baking, cooking, knitting, crocheting, painting and all other kinds of goodies!

If you have been waiting for a class, then this is the time to grab one. Oh and if you use my link, it helps me out a bit so I can keep doing all of this. Click on any image to get to Craftsy.

Someday I will actually make money. I keep telling myself that. ;) Good thing I love it.

Listen to me chat with Pat Sloan

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 03:15:00 +0000

This week I was on Pat Sloan's podcast American Patchwork and Quilting Radio.

We chatted about working with precuts, my new Craftsy class and organizing fabric. I was one of four! guests she had on that day (she was working very hard!) and I'm the last one. I like to think that they saved the best for last. ;) And the podcast is now live!

You can go to this link to listen

http://www.creativetalknetwork.com/ or http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/magazines-more/quilting-podcast

You can listen on their computer, subscribe by itunes (search American Patchwork & Quilting), or download to a player.

Enjoy! Now I need to get brave enough to go listen to myself. Oih!

Hand Dyed Bottle Brush Tree Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 05:37:00 +0000

So I finally decided to join in on the bristle brush tree bandwagon! I bought some last year with the intention of attempting to hand dye them but I chickened out. This year I was determined to try it myself and gathered loads of information via pinterest. But as always, somehow I can't just straight follow a tutorial. My hybrid method follows the materials I have available, my patience, and well...just how things turn out.

These pretty trees have taken over the Christmas decorations and are my new WINTER decorations! I've got to have something nice to look at while all the cold weather is around.

Tutorial for Hand Dyed Bottled Brush Tree

Materials:

- Bleach

- Bottle Brush Trees (widely available near Christmas)

- Containers for holding bleach

- Metal Tongs

- Glass for Dyes with Trees

- Wilton Food Dyes

- Glitter Spray (optional)

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Step 1:

Gather Bottle Brush Trees, Container, and Bleach

Step 2:

Place Bottle Brush Tree in Bleach. I didn't bother diluting it, but to be safe I just used my metal tongues to handle the trees and worked in a well ventilated area.

It doesn't take long for the bleach to start working. But you'll notice that delightful brown color that came off. I had to replace my bleach about half way through my bundle of trees.

Here's a tree that has been in the bleach for a minute or so compared to a fresh tree added to the bleach.

You can see how pretty the white tree is compared to the original dark green. I was surprised at how the "flocking" on the trees stayed on so well. If you look closely at the tree, you can see the white tips of "snow" on it.

Here are my trees all dye free. I briefly rinsed them under a gentle stream of water to remove any bleach and set them to dry. They are a lovely off white color. I decided to keep some of my trees just like this!

Step 3: Adding New Dye to the Trees.

I chose to go with Wilton Food dyes. I had read that someone used them and had success. And to be honest I didn't feel like paying for more dye. I will say that for more intense colors than the soft red and green/aqua, I think I would purchase non food dyes. The purple dye and peach dye did essentially nothing...at least at the amounts that I used.

I used a glass partially filled with water and put a dollop of dye in. I stirred it until dissolved.

I placed my trees upside down in the glasses and filled them over the sink until the water completely covered the trees. I let the trees soak for varying amounts of time to achieve different colors. I even double dipped some to get new colors. Then I rinsed them and let them dry.

At first I wanted more intense color, so I was disappointed in my results. But I LOVE them. I don't know what my problem was. lol They make me so happy. Although I did decide to add one more step...just for fun.

Step 4: (optional)

Use a spray glitter to add a little extra something special to the trees. This particular glitter created an all over shimmer to my trees. If I had more patience then I might try hand painting each with glue and adding a thick chunky glitter. Like I said earlier...this is all depends on my patience and products I had on hand.

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I added some bags of tiny trees to my little collection. They just happened to be in similar colors as my larger ones and added some nice depth of color to my collection.

I love how my collection turned out and next year I might attempt to do some more trees with more intense dyes to create a rainbow of trees. But we will see...patience. ;) I sometimes have it and sometimes don't.

Word of the Year: Vulnerable

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 31 Dec 2015 22:32:00 +0000

The past few years, I have taken on the habit of adopting a word for the year. I have never really understood New Year's resolutions and waiting until a new year comes around to start changing. I'm just not wired that way. But a word. A word that describes my goals and my heart. That makes a great deal of sense to me. It is something to embrace; something to aim for. But it not something that I will fail at. It is my motivation, but not my pressure.

I've chosen some great words in the past: fun, joy and last year's, deliberate...my best word so far. I'm getting better at choosing the very particular word for myself that describes my heart.

And so, this year? My word? My word is VULNERABLE.

Oh that's a tough one.

I first really heard about the word vulnerable and vulnerability from my therapist (yes, I have a therapist...vulnerability acknowledgement #1). She suggested an amazing speaker and therapist Brene Brown. If you have not heard her Ted Talk on Vulnerability, do yourself a favor. Drop everything right now and go watch it on youtube. It has literally changed my life.

All kinds of people are using her words as you can see. She is just one quotable phrase after another. One pearl of wisdom after another. I need to go listen to her again...and read her books again. She was the person who introduced the concept of vulnerability as a strength. And not just a strength but something necessary to FEELING.

I am using the word vulnerable in two ways this year. One is for the way that I think of when I think about Brene Brown's version. The idea that vulnerability is the root to strength. That without letting ourselves be vulnerable, we will never experience the true high of happiness. You can't have success if you never risked anything to have it.

I've been using this word this way for a couple of years now. It has changed the way that I think about risk and love. I'm willing to share more of myself because I understand that without sharing my goals and risks, I will never truly experience the joy of realizing accomplishing those things.

Being vulnerable allows me to embrace my imperfections. Something that I truly struggle with as a type A personality. I fight the need to be perfect. I want to be gentle to myself. And that means embracing imperfections. But when you allow imperfections, you open yourself up to vulnerability.

For instance, I recently chose when filming my Craftsy class to not freak myself out over every tiny detail. And of course, someone called me out on it. Not in a mean way, but in a way that just asked why I didn't suggest the "perfect" way to do something. As the teacher, she assumed I would do things perfectly. But I had chosen to let it go. But that means that I need to answer humbly, knowing that her way is indeed more "perfect" but knowing that I had made the choice to not be perfect....terrifyingly hard for a perfectionist. People notice.

So I make choices. These are indeed choices and not something I am forced to. But it changes the way that I might present myself. No longer "perfect" and "pulled together". I never have been, but there is always that temptation to present the world with that view.

I have shared my dreams and goals, knowing that they may easily never come true....or if they do that I won't actually want them. All of these things are extremely vulnerable.

But I said this was twofold. And by that I mean that I also understand vulnerable not just in a way I choose to present myself. But also an acceptance of who I am. I am a person who is literally vulnerable....or rather my health is. I have new diagnoses that make me more and more aware of the limitations on my body and my health. I will not be able to do what I do forever. I will experience pain and suffering and have indeed already done so. I will have days that are tougher than others and days that are better. To put it succinctly, I am not quite sure what my body will do and where I will have strength.

So this last quote below is especially true for me this year. Be gentle with yourself. I really am doing the best I can. That will look different at different times. You all may never hear me talk about it again, but I am on a personal health journey that requires to me acknowledge my own personal vulnerability.

So in body and in mind, I am vulnerable. I embrace it. I will discover more about it. I will be open and sometimes I will be shut off. All because of that vulnerability. But I know that I am striving for goodness and for health and happiness. Vulnerability is part of the package. Much like how without sadness, we cannot have joy...without vulnerability, we cannot have strength.

Nativity Advent Calendar

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 28 Dec 2015 20:19:00 +0000

I'm soooo excited! I have FINALLY done something with the beautiful paper pieced Nativity Scene I made a couple of years ago. No I didn't design it. I bought the pattern from Paper Panache and the pattern is named O Holy Night. (If you are feeling super ambitious there is a crazy epic full nativity scene you can tackle as well!)

I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with the piece when I started it, but after making it and realizing how special it was, I decided to turn it into an advent calendar.

..... and then two years went by....

.... this piece literally hung on my design wall for two years...

...reminding me every day that I wanted to do something really special with it...

I finally buckled down this year and said no more! It is time to finish this up!! Heavy research into the kind of advent calendar I wanted and the materials I should use, I ended up with this combination of fabric and felt. I went with classic and simple but colors that I love. I am finally ready to let myself use the colors I LOVE rather than the colors I think I should. I think that is what held me back for so long.

I ordered the 1" high felt numbers off of someone on Etsy...plenty of people sell them. Best decision ever. I did NOT want to worry about cutting those out myself. And lots of people have fancy cutting machines that make it super simple for them to do. The numbers I glued down with some heavy duty fabric glue...I was also NOT going to drive myself crazy trying to stitch those down. (See I'm learning to let go! Yay me!)

There was lots of stitching on the nativity scene, the felt pockets and the border...and of course the background itself. I made the whole thing with a casing for a rod so that we can hang it. Now I just need to figure out the perfect sayings/drawings/scriptures to go in the pockets. I love this piece so much that I want that part to be just as special. But I kind of need a break again. Here's hoping I do it in time for next year.

And here's for creating more handmade holidays and creating family traditions! I love that this will be part of our Advent tradition from now on.

Pillow Talk Swap - all wrapped up!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 19:49:00 +0000

I don't do too many swaps anymore where I actually make things for other people. I wish I could, but I just don't have the time and can't over commit. But when I found out that there was IG edition of the Pillow Talk Swap (a perennial favorite from Flickr days), I decided to hop in and do a little swapping.

My pillow has now been received and I have received my own, so I can finally share!

I got Kelly aka Scrap Studio, who was freaking running the whole thing as my partner. No pressure there. lol Thankfully, her favorite colors are some of my own, so I got to work in my happy place.

It took me a long time to decide on a pattern for her. But she had a couple of definitely requirements for her pillow that I wanted to do. Mainly that it be a rectangular pillow...which already sets your mind to designing because not every design we do in quilting is particularly effective in rectangular form.

But I decided to look at it as a way to guide my choice, not a limitation. Knowing that Kelly really appreciates traditional designs as well, I finally chose the class Flying Geese Block. But I really wanted to make it fresh and modern. It's such a graphic shape that you can definitely do that.

I immediately went to my happy aqua place for fabric scraps and also threw in a healthy dash of low volume fabrics from my scraps (which then promptly distracted me for a few days because I decided my scraps DESPERATELY needed to be gone through - I have some for sale that I will offer here soon if anyone is interested....GREAT scraps).

I wanted to make it modern, so I also added in some solid fabric that would showcase some "ghost" quilting that I did in the flying geese pattern. I really love how that turned out. I used a thick thread in my machine and slowly sewed them.

I added an invisible zipper on the end (second one in a month! score for practicing tricky skills!) and quilted in the ditch on the rest to showcase the pattern of the geese.

I think Kelly really liked the pillow (thank goodness!) and she's now trying to find the perfect spot for it in her house.

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And there was the fabulous pillows (yes two!) that I received from Samantha aka Aqua Paisley. She actually designed the Nutcracker pillow and has the pattern for sale, so go get it!! Trust me! It's adorable.

I ADORE them both and they traveled all the way from Australia to South Bend, IN. How cool is that?! Thank you Samantha!!!

If this swap is run again, I encourage you to join. It's always been one of my favorites. Pillows are just the perfect amount of project to swap...just enough work but not too much. ;)

My Craftsy class is LIVE!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 19:58:00 +0000

I'm so excited to finally share my Craftsy class with you all! It is a really fun technique class that makes use of lots of precuts. I show you how to create all different kinds of disappearing blocks.

What is a disappearing block? It is a block that you sew together, then bravely chop up, and resew back together for an entirely new pattern. I take you through simple to more complex designs and I really truly believe that there is something in this class for everyone. Beginners will love it for the clear introduction to a new technique. Intermediate Sewers will enjoy tackling more precut shapes and creating larger projects. And advanced sewers will especially love the part of the course on designing your own blocks.

And I'm super excited to be able to offer the class to my readers at 50% OFF when you sign up through the link here on my page. (see below)

www.craftsy.com/ext/AngelaPingel_9058_H

Personally I think it would be the PERFECT Christmas gift for a friend or for yourself....oh and you know you will want to purchase some fabric to go along with it...so be sure to ask for that for Christmas too. You can see that I love being surround by all the fabric. ;) It's a tough job, but someone has got to do it.

Share with your friends and let them know that they can get this special price here. I hope you will all join me on a journey together.

December Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 19:18:00 +0000

December always ends up being a SUPER busy time for me. I know...it is for everyone. But we've got some family birthdays in there that just make my life extra crazy, including my daughter. She turned SIX yesterday! Oh my!!

We did our annual mother/daughter manicures and pedicures (you know, so that when she is a teenager she will still want to hang out with me on her birthday). And another tradition that we've done since she turned one, visiting Santa on her birthday. And tonight we are in for a kitty cat birthday party (get ready for lots of pictures on that one...I've been scouring Pinterest for a while now).

Last year, I finally decided to give myself permission to NOT quilt during December. I find that I want to do quick projects and lots of crafts. So this year has actually been a lot of fun...and I'm still crafting and sewing away on smaller projects. It feels great to get something accomplished in a day or two.

Last night I made this ornament designed by Betz White. I ADORE it. You should all go get it. You can find it in her Etsy shop

I made Star Wars pillow cases for my brothers, who are 38, 40, and 42 respectively. They have all been eagerly anticipating the new movie and I thought I would try to add to their fun by sending them all custom pillow cases. It was fun to work with Novelty Prints for a bit. I actually knew what I wanted to make, so that was helpful. I bought the fabric at The Fat Quarter Shop.

I've been making more rope bowls from clothesline (hot tip I got was to buy the clothesline at the dollar store...I haven't done it yet, but I'll try that out next time). I have been dying more rope and this time tried two tone dying AND dying bowls that were already made. I'll show you more on that later.

I've got this beautiful quilt up on my design wall ready for me to sew all the squares together (but not until January! no quilts until then!). The fabric is the glorious new designs by Karen Lewis for Robert Kaufman. I love how the quilt seems to twinkle. I should probably have a reason for this quilt...but it was just to play with her fabric!

I made some key chains. Mine was in poor disarray and I needed an update. Plus I love making these for gifts. So some are going to Caitlyn's teachers too. Now I need to get more hardware, so I can indulge this whim at a moment's notice. ;)

I even (gasp!) did a little baking! For Thanksgiving I was inspired by a friend who made a similar apple torte and decided to try my hand at making an apple pie. It is a thing a beauty! And it didn't taste half bad either ;) It was gluten free due to the crust I used and I think I'll keep tweaking the flavors a bit to get the exact taste that I want.

And there is MORE. But that is to let you know that I'm around and working! As always, you can follow me on IG for more photos and up to date finishes. But I still love my blog for when I really want to share the details of a project. Next I hope to share with you the pillow that I made for the Pillow Talk Swap on IG. My partner hasn't gotten her package yet, so I don't want to spoil anything. ;)

I hope you are all busy crafting and sewing or doing whatever brings some peace to a busy Holiday season! Now I need to go frost a kitty cat cake!!

Talking and talki.....__________

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 05 Dec 2015 05:04:00 +0000

I never intend to be gone long from here...but some times life just seems to move along faster than I realize.

I went to Denver recently to film for Craftsy. I'll let you know when I can tell you about my class and its release date. But I do have a funny/pathetic story to tell you about that.

All way going well and I had rehearsed for a day and filmed for a day already...ended early ahead of schedule. But I noticed a slight tickle in my throat and I thought that the two full days of talking and the high altitude of Denver were just getting to me. But it was not so.

I woke up the next morning barely able to talk. I drank hot tea and made my way to the studio for hair and makeup. And it just got worse. We tried filming my intro the class and it was comically dropping in and out the whole time. Decisions had to be made. Executives were called. What to do!

They've sent people home before apparently for this kind of thing. It's the risk you take when filming. But I DID NOT want to go home and have to fly back. I NEVER lose my voice. Great timing right? They decided to keep me an extra day and see if I would get my voice back well enough to film the next day. I was doubtful, but I headed back to my hotel to spend the day in bed with strict instructions not to talk.

I'm not going to lie...it was hard for me. I felt like I was letting a lot of people down even though everyone was SO nice about it. By the time 7 pm rolled around, my voice was actually worse and I knew that nothing I was doing was going to make a difference. So I asked for prayers from everyone I knew and then took an Uber to a local ER. I came away with some steroids to reduce the inflammation and headed back to the hotel to sleep.

Well thankfully the medicine started working right away. And combined with a lovely concoction that came highly recommended by followers on IG (honey, apple cider vinegar, lemon and cayenne pepper) that I drank buckets of, I was able to film. It's pretty unheard of to get your voice back enough to film a whole day.

I made my darling crew taste what I was drink so that they could bond with me. ;) I think they had some great respect for me after realizing how much of that I was drinking. lol

I'm home now and still dealing with some difficulty in the evenings...but I'm slowly getting better. I've been doing plenty of sewing (and unsewing!) and will have more pretty things to share soon. Lots of flying geese and Half Square Triangles. You can catch sneak peaks of everything on IG as always!

A glimpse at Quilt Market Fall 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 22:43:00 +0000

I've been dashing from event to event this fall and barely have time to catch my breath. In fact, I'm off to Denver in two days to film a class. But I've missed connecting with you all during this time and wanted to share some of the glimpses I caught at market.

Quilt Market is such a funny event...at least for me. I feel like each one is completely different and yet the same. And I am completely different and yet the same at each one. This was my fourth in a row and I really think I might take a break next time (I've said that after each one so don't hold me to it). I am always busy busy busy for different reasons every time I'm there. I know that it looks like we are all there just socializing, but trust me...every single person is WORKING!

But enough chit chat! I just want to share some of the eye candy that I saw. There was so much fabulous work going on. I've just barely scratched the surface. Enjoy!!

The Adventures of Ta and Boddington

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 01:49:00 +0000

The Adventures of Ta and Boddington

I have a delightful set of story picture books to share with you all today. The newly released, The Adventures of Ta and Boddington, are currently available exclusively from Wiggins Press. And oh what a treat they are! Beautifully hand illustrated, hard cover books set in the charming time of cavemen. There are currently three books in the series with more to come! Book 1: Into the Unknown, Book 2: The Chief's Dilemma, Book 3: Boddington and the Bicycle.

From Wiggins Press : " Join Ta and Boddington as they help their tribe grow. This is a world where all the rules are up for grabs, and friendly woolly mammoths - and not-so-friendly saber tooth tigers! - lurk around every corner. We promise, you've never encountered a series quite like this."

I snatched a handful of photos from the three books and placed them here in no particular order. My camera cannot even catch a glimmer of the vivid pages and illustrations. And I so wish I had caught a shot of my 5 year old daughter just sitting down with the books and staring intently at each page of illustrations. There is so much to take in and she was studying the books with delight.

Shown below are the charming illustrations of Ta, the tall gangly one with a bit of belly...and Boddington, the large and charming (if not a bit befuddled by life) one with a lot of belly. And never fear, their great friend Sally is always nearby to solve the problems they find themselves in.

I love how much my daughter laughed and laughed at the pictures and expressions. I know a book is working well for her when she is entertained. And these books get a 10 for quality of picture illustration. There are lessons to be learned in each one that will appeal to older children as well...while little ones will love the vivid images telling the story the way that they see it.

There is humor, as all good stories should have, but also real problems. These characters have struggles and ultimately solutions...especially thanks to that smart Sally. I'll admit that my favorite character is Ta, the unsung hero of the books. But I KNOW that my daughter's favorite character is Boddington (I think perhaps because he is often caught in precarious situations that requiring saving).

And I'm excited to share with you all a coupon code exclusively for my readers! If you head over to the Wiggins Press Website (and get a glimpse of some vivid pictures from the books), you can purchase these books. You can buy each individually, or a bundle set of the three 'the complete series'.

There is a discount on any purchase will be 15% until the end of October when you enter Promo code --- quilting

Plus if you order the 3 book set ('the complete series') you save another $2 off of shipping.

So get to SHOPPING! Sorry to remind you, but Christmas is coming.... ;)

Super Awesome Coloring Book

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 17:37:00 +0000

A few weeks ago Mark Cesarik (designer for Free Spirit fabrics) contacted me and asked me if I would like a copy of his new coloring book, Super Awesome Coloring Book, to check out. We do a lot of coloring around here (5 year old daughter) and I have a growing collection of adult coloring books, so I quickly said yes...eager to see what a male take on the coloring book trend would be.

Not everyone might be aware, but adult coloring books are quickly becoming the hottest new thing to create and/or own. It takes us back to our roots as adults and lets us play like we used to as children...except now we are probably a lot better at staying in the lines. They are therapeutic and give you a chance to indulge in all those lovely coloring pens and markers out there that you can't purchase for your kids because they are not washable. ;)

One thing I will say about these coloring books in general though is that these are not quick pages to color. I worked over an hour of focused coloring time on the picture above and completed about a third of one page. lol But you might notice that I like to make things complicated. Still, these are typically ornate pages that as adults you can handle.

I even had my husband and daughter get into the action. I love seeing a child's take on these designs and what she chooses to focus on and what becomes "background" to her. You might be able to tell that she started with the butterfly on top and finished with some of the background. lol But I thought she did really well with a complicated picture. My husband chose one of my favorite pictures from the book and I might have to finish that up for him. The birds are begging to be treated to multiple colors!!

There are a bunch of great designs in Mark's book that are unlike pictures I have seen in other adult coloring books. He focused more on Novelty topics rather than ornate florals (like so many adult coloring books). I think that gives the book a unique appeal. There are lots of geometrics in the book, but look at the page of sewing notions and then the dogs! Oh they make me laugh.

You can see here why some of these pages will take quite a while to color in. And then you can add in your own designs within the coloring. There are so many options! Overall, I was really intrigued by the designs he created and I think his strength is in his ability to combine a picture within a complicated motif...the cover photo is a great example of this.

There are a few things that I would love if the book included: I would love perforated pages for easy tearing out to work on a page without being in the coloring book.
I do love that designs are printed on one side of the paper only for bleed through purposes, but slightly heavier paper would help make it so that you don't have to put a piece of paper behind the page you are coloring on. My markers definitely bled through.

I'm sure we will be coloring in this book for a while over here.

5 Star Products for $5 at Interweave

Rope Bowls - my new obsession

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 03 Oct 2015 04:00:00 +0000

You guys. I have a new love. And it involves clothes line and zig zag stitches....who knew?!

I'm not here to tell you how to make them. There are tons of pins on pinterest for these and tutorials on you tube. They all do a good job...so just go find those. Try searching under coilbaskets or ropebaskets or ropebowls or fabric bowls etc. You'll find them.

The white basket above is the first basket I made. And I love it. Seriously. Instant fall in love perfection. I'm aiming to keep mine simple for now. I thought I would want to wrap these with fabric because I was seeing some fabulous bowls being made that way. And maybe I still will. But for now I'm really enjoying the texture of the rope. FYI: the rope I use is clothesline rope that I buy at Joanns. It can be found in the notions aisle near the ironing supplies.

It wasn't long before I found myself already wanting to change things up a bit. One bowl in and I was full of ideas! So I found myself dying for the first time. I was happy with how my cording turned out but I'm already ready to try more dying techniques. I just got back from purchasing more cording and two dye packs to see what else I can do.

This bowl was quite large for me and for my third attempt I wanted to try a smaller one. So I broke into my pretty ombre blue cording again and made another bowl with some little accents.

It's the perfect size for holding those little notions while sewing! And here is a closeup of the cording and the zig zag stitching. These bowls take a good amount of thread, so don't be surprised if you have to refill your bobbin for some of the larger ones.

I feel like I've found a new hobby! Never mind that it still uses my sewing machine. ;)

Flash Sale at Interweave for my DVD!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 02:11:00 +0000

Get it while you can!! There is a super quick sale on Digital Downloads at Interweave... 65% off!

That means that you can get my whole DVD on all types of curved piecing for only $7 !!

Just click the link below the picture of my DVD and search for my name on the site to grab a copy of your own today. I guarantee that it is worth $7. That is less than a yard of fabric people!!

Save 65% on Video Downloads at Interweave

How to Create a Mini Ironing Board - A tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 17:48:00 +0000

If you followed along with my LAST POST, then you know that I was in the process of creating a mini ironing board for myself. And then I got myself distracted with exciting chalk paint and decided to paint the legs of the table first. This is not a necessary step obviously for creating the mini ironing board surface but it does help make it even more custom. So check out that post if you are interested in more customization.

It is actually pretty easy to make a custom ironing board surface. If you have ever reupholstered something like your dining room chair seat cushions, you have got this in the bag!

The materials:

TV Tray Table

Assortment of Batting scraps - including a heat resistant batting :sized to fit the top of the table

Fabric for Cover cut at least 2" larger than the surface of the table top - I used a home dec weight for more durability

Staple Gun and Staples

The technique:

Gather your supplies and start with a clean working surface. I worked from the floor, so be sure that you have that tidy. For my batting, I found that some batting samples I had received over the years worked perfectly for this project! Yay for finally using those pieces! I used a total modge podge of types as you can tell but was sure to include a heat resistant batting (the slightly metallic looking one in the back of this picture)

Arrange your layers of batting on your table top. You don't need the batting to be wrapped around table. That just adds bulk, so I trimmed them to the top size. Some people even recommend slightly grading the pieces as you layer them so that you achieve a gentle transition from one piece to another. *Shrug* Whatever works for you.

The final piece of batting that I laid on the pile was the heat resistant batting (found anywhere you find batting) with the metallic side DOWN. And then the fabric will be centered over the top of the batting pieces. I did end up using a bit of spray glue to attach the bottom piece of batting to the table because I flipped it all upside down in the next step but that it not entirely necessary. The rest will naturally grip together.

Turn your piece upside down. You can see that my batting and fabric are much larger than I will need in the end, so I took this opportunity to trim away any excess of both. I needed to keep enough fabric to fold the fabric edge for a finished look, but that doesn't take too much. It's just eyeballing here. Don't worry...you can't mess up!

I begin to staple the fabric in place. I always work on opposite sides to keep the tension even. Start in the middle of one side and staple the fabric in place (Folding the edge under to keep it need and tidy and pretty from the bottom). Stop your staples from reaching the corners!! We will deal with those last!

A closer view of the folded edge that is stapled. Remember, this table folds up and can be put away for storage...so most likely you WILL see the bottom. That's why I want to keep it looking neat and tidy too.

Once you have two opposite sides complete, tackle the remaining two opposite sides in the same fashion...and then we are off to the corners.

Corners can be tricky for some people, but I think the main thing is to get rid of any excess bulk and fabric. So trim away any batting in there and cut back the fabric across the top of the corner. You will be folding this in on itself and the less bulk you have to deal with the better.

I start by bringing the very center of corner fabric in to the board and holding it down. Then I continue by folding one side down (this is very much like wrapping a present!) and stapling it into place.

Then I fold the other side down and staple it into place. The only thing that might make this step a bit trickier then normal is that I wanted to keep my nice finished folded edge. So just keep that in mind and manipulate that fabric however you need to get what you want!

Then continue and finish all four corners the same way....and....

You are done! You now have a custom mini ironing board that is perfect for retreats, sew days, or just having another surface near your machine in your sewing area.

I will keep this top until it needs to be replaced and then most likely I will make and elastic cover to go over it. But that is a tutorial for another time. ;) I hope you enjoyed this and go off and make your own!

But seriously. Aren't those blue painted legs just the cutest!!?

Chalk Paint - I've discovered it!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 04:14:00 +0000

So I'm probably the last person in the world to discover the beauty of chalk paint, but I catch on eventually. :) I started seeing a lot of mentions of it all over sites and pinterest and IG and such...and decided that I needed to give it a whirl. And I had the perfect first project...and tv table I was converting to an ironing board.

I assembled all of the tools I thought I would need after reading lots of tutorials and watching some on you tube. I decided to try the Americana Decor brand because once I got the plan in my mind I was eager to start (read; too impatient to wait for shipping of Annie Sloan's). I bought cheese cloth for wiping off the wax and some martha stewart stenciling brushes for buffing. And I bought a super cheap paint brush...bad idea...

Here I am using the ridiculously cheap paint brush to apply the chalk paint (with no sanding beforehand necessary!!!). I REALLY should know better than to use a cheap brush...my husband owns a painting and construction company! But I was trying to be independent and buy my tools at the craft store. I would HIGHLY recommend a good quality paint brush regardless of where you buy your paint.

After one coat of paint on the dark finish, my table legs looks like the picture above. Streaky but coming along quite nicely. I was very excited to see it coming along and see the TEXTURE of the paint. Chalk paint is really so interesting. I think I over applied it in a few places the first round but that was mainly due to the really poor paint brush I used.

I was much more pleased with how easily the second coat went once my husband took pity on me and lent me one of his long loved brushes.

Of course I still managed to get some paint in my hair...got to put your whole body into the craft.

I let my two coats of paint dry thoroughly and then decided to tackle some texture with sanding the paint back off. Distressing new paint jobs can be a bit distressing!! It takes some courage to scrape away at the paint you've so painstakingly applied.

But I distressed it and put away my pain. lol And I tried to enjoy created a piece that looked well loved instead of brand new.

After the distressing came a few coats of the creme wax. This particular wax was much runnier than I expected having seen different techniques. But it went on well...more like modge podge than a soft wax. But oh it felt lovely on the paint. What a transformation.

I buffed and waxed and came away with this fun tv tray that I now have ready for upholstery to turn into a mini ironing board. I'll share that next! For now, enjoy one of my favorite shades of blue, painted on the legs of this little tray. It was quite the triumph for me.

The Hour Basket with Pellon Fusible Flex-Foam

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 04:00:00 +0000

*the giveaway is now closed*

Pellon has a really exciting brand new product available: Flex - Foam. I think you are going to like it!

Pellon® Flex-Foam™ is a lightweight stabilizer consisting of a layer of foam sandwiched between two layers of soft fabric. It is excellent for use in crafts, accessories, and home décor projects for an elegant finished look. It can be used in place of or in addition to other stabilizers. Flex-Foam is a breeze to sew through and adds shape and body to projects such as computer cases, eyeglass cases, purses, tote bags, cup holders, diaper bags, and more! It is compatible with a wide variety of fabrics. It is available as a sew-in, a 1-sided fusible or a 2-sided fusible. Available 20” on the board and 60” on the roll in all of your favorite stores.

I was lucky enough to get some advance product to test it out and I decided to make my good friend, Kelly's, Hour Basket. This is a free pattern that Kelly has offered and I know tons of you have already downloaded it and made it. But I'm COMPLETELY sold on making this with Fusible Flex Foam. Love it. Seriously.

I used a precious piece of fabric I own for my basket...a fat quarter size piece of fabric cut from an old Orla Kiely table cloth sold at Target YEARS ago. So, sorry! Good luck finding any! I used Kelly's pattern and cut my pieces of foam and fabric to size. And easy peasy, I fused the fabric to the Foam. I used the one sided Fusible Flex-Foam because I added a lining that was separate from the base of the basket. To sew the pieces together, I broke out my Clover Wonder clips. (If you don't own these you should!!) And this was the first time that I wanted the jumbo version actually. But the regular ones worked really well to hold these layers together.

I used a foot that could accommodate some bulk...any kind of dual feed foot system or walking foot should do fine. It was super easy to sew over this. I was really surprised by that. I expected it to be more difficult.

Following the steps of Kelly's pattern, I again used my clips to start sewing box into three dimensions. Again, this was so much easier than I anticipated. The foam moved so easily into this shape. I did finger press my seams open as you can see to help eliminate any bulk and match my seams easier.

You can see below how well this basket is standing on its own without even being sewn or encouraged into a square shape.

I added the lining as per the instructions and again broke out the wonder clips (seriously...buy these) to hold the edges of the two together. I was pretty easily able to put this under my machine foot and sew all the way around the edge. The next step which you don't see is always the trickiest when making any lined bag...pulling the whole bag through a small opening in the bottom of the lining. There was some tugging that went on, but again...not painful. (I may have a hidden fear of bags lol...I'm realizing that as I write this). It all turned perfectly and.....

I am SO HAPPY with my new basket!! This is a really good size basket. I know people who made these for Easter Baskets last year for their kids and I understand why now. I personally took a note from Kelly and chose to fill mine with bundles of precuts. I've got a huge F8th bundle and two Fat Quarter Bundles in there.

I couldn't be happier with it!! I did a little hand pressing on the sides to encourage the foam into shape, but it did not need much. It has a beautiful shape empty (I just like it filled with fabric!)

Overall, I was very impressed with the fusible flex-foam and would use it again in a heart beat. I was particularly impressed with how well the fabric fused to the foam. There is no rippling in the fabric on the foam...I hate when that happens with interfacing. I'm sure that is user error, but I had no user error here. I just have a beautiful finished product.

--------------------------------------------------------------
*the giveaway is now closed*

Congrats to the winner! #189 AnnetteSeptember 12, 2015 at 7:31 PM

I'm not sure if I could be gluten-free. I love pasta too much!

~~And now for the giveaway!!~~

Pellon is offering one lucky winner a package of 1 yard cuts of each of the three varieties of Flex-Foam.

To enter, just leave a comment below. I've recently gone Gluten free for health reasons and may do a Paleo diet in the future. So if you have any tips on healthy eating I'd love to hear those....or tell me why you could never do it! lol Good luck!!

And don't miss out on the whole tour. There will be giveaways all along the way!

9/8 – Pellon

9/8 – Swoon Sewing Patterns

9/9 – Mommy’s Nap Time

9/10 – Cut to Pieces

9/11 – My Crafty Crap

9/13 – Pellon

9/14 – Baby Rozen Design

9/15 – Sew Sweetness

9/16 – Love to Color My World

9/17 – Anjeanette Klinder

9/18 – Pellon

Fancy Fox Baby Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 20:26:00 +0000

The mama has finally received her quilt, so I'm happy to share with you a baby quilt that I recently made for a very special baby #2. I used Elizabeth Hartman's wonderful Fancy Fox II pattern and I couldn't have been happier with it.

Each block was fun to make and I enjoyed picking out the perfect set of complimentary fabrics that would work for a little boy's quilt without being too boyish. Denyse Schmidt fabrics made a heavy appearance here as they often do when I work with oranges and yellows...She's really good at warm colored fabrics. And all of the background fabrics were linens or shot cottons, so they added a nice depth and texture to the quilt.

This is the quilt that I did the glue basting on with the binding and then machine sewed. (Some of you were asking for pictures of the whole quilt but I couldn't share until the mama got the quilt!) As you know, I was happy with how the glue basting went and I've already used it again for another quilt that I plan to hand sew the binding down...more on that later.

My color scheme was largely influenced by these pieces of fabric I had planned to use on the back of the quilt. They are from a bedding set I bought designed by one of my all time favorite designers, Orla Kiely. The two pieces here are cut up from the King Size pillow case shams that came with the set. And the brown cross hatch is from those as well. I used up every last piece of fabric from those two shams!! And I'm not going to lie. I love the back almost as much as the front.

For the quilting, I really wanted to do a wood grain free motion quilting design like Elizabeth does on her cover quilt. But my machine needs a little service right now before we are on great terms for free motion quilting. ;) So I opted for another great option...the cross hatch. I marked them three inches apart and I LOVE that scale for this quilt.

All of the elements came together really well and I was so happy with how it turned out. Right down to that wood grain grey binding.

And now we are just waiting on pins and needles for baby boy to arrive! He will come any day now and make his mama VERY happy. lol She's ready to be finished. And now that his quilt has arrived, he has no excuse to delay his appearance. That's how it works right? ;)