Day Four of The Twelve Days of Christmas in July!

 

Hi, all!

Day 4 of the 12 days of Christmas in July - where has the time flown? We've had some great ideas already, but there are many more to come. And we've got the next step in our O Christmas Tree quilt along, too.  So let's get started!

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Today I want to share one of my favorite quick ways to get my home looking festive - pillow covers!

This is what the sofas in my living room look like eleven months out of the year.  But the day after Thanksgiving, things change!

I have pillow covers that are made to fit right over the sofa pillows that totally change the look of the room!!

Pillow covers are so simple to make - these are just a piece of buffalo plaid fabric with a cut-out felt snowflake appliquéd on.  (You can see a post about the making of these here.)  They have an envelope back and binding around the edges. And because they fit over the regular sofa pillows, I don't have to find a place to stash those away during Christmas.  End of the season?  I just pop off the covers, fold them carefully and put them in the Christmas decoration bins until next year.  

In 2021, I made pillows for all of the folks my husband works with using some leftover Christmas themed log cabin blocks.  I appliquéd J-O-Y on each one, finished them up and stuffed them with pillow forms I bought in bulk on Amazon.  Great gifts and it literally took just a day to make eight of them because the blocks were already made.  (It's a great way to use up some of those orphan blocks you've got hanging around!) 

Want to know how to make a cute pillow cover from a tea towel set from Target's Dollar Spot?  Click here to head to an old tutorial of mine that will share the process with you.  And if you're interested in learning how to make an envelope-style backing, you'll find the instructions there too.

So now - - - go forth and pillow!

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And now it's time for the next step in our quilt-along!  Today's job is simple, although much more time consuming for those of you making the quilt - we're going to put together the small red and white nine-patch blocks.

TIP:  Once again, I suggest making one test block, using a very scant 1/4" seam.  Press and measure to make sure it is 3.5" square.  If it isn't adjust your seam accordingly.

Assemble your 9-patch blocks using two red-white-red strips and one white-red-white strip.  You will make 16 of these blocks for the wall hanging, or 116 of them for the quilt.  

You can chain piece these to make the process go faster!

Once you've sewn two pieces of all your blocks, cut your thread, turn the long chain of pieces around, and sew the last piece on the other side of the center strip.

Cut the threads holding your string of blocks together, press, and voila!  You've got a beautiful pile of finished blocks, and you're finished for the day.  Set all of these aside to be used in a little while.  

If you don't have time to finish all your 9-patch blocks today, rest easy - the next two days are easy days and you may find some extra time to catch up.  You will only need 16 for the center of the quilt, so try to have at least that many completed.

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Come back tomorrow for some great ideas for spending time with the kiddos during the holidays, and the next step in the quilt-along!

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? A Big Christmas Project Finished!

 

Hi, all!

Well, it's Friday again, and we all know what that means - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  I know the holidays are coming up in a hurry and you may be doing a lot of secret sewing - but I hope you can still find something to share that you feel is whoop-worthy!  Let's get started!

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A few weeks ago, my husband asked me if I had time to complete a special project for him before Christmas - and of course I said yes!  You might remember seeing these on my design wall just before we left for New York City...

Then last week after we got home, I spray basted all of them onto scrap batting..... 

And this week, quilting began!  A simple cross hatch design, marked with a hera marker...

Once I had finished the quilting, I realized that the letters were still going to need to be stitched down, so it was time for a little raw edge appliqué....

That step actually went a lot quicker that I thought it would, and it was time to move on to the next step - backs and binding.

I had a great piece of Christmas fabric on hand that I used to make envelope backs for all eight pillows, and more of the glitter fabric I used for the appliqué to use for the binding. A little assembly line was set up, and binding began...

...and voila, all eight pillow covers are completed!  I'm still waiting for my pillow forms to arrive, but as soon as they do I'll be packaging these up for gifting!

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

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And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

Now that's a blast from the past! 
They're a lot bigger now!

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share! We want to dance right along with you,

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? A Mixed Bag....

 

Hi, all!

Friday has rolled around once again, and you know what that means - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!!  This week seems like it has just flown by, but hopefully you can find a little something that you're whooping about to share!  So let's get started...

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I've been chasing a squirrel this week, working on a men's shirt version of Amy Smart's Gratitude quilt. (PS she's offering the PDF pattern for free this month - you ought to go get your own copy!) I'm saving the full photo for next Wednesday's post, but I did get the center of the quilt assembled....

Isn't that a pretty swirl?

And then I started some more pillow covers for a special project!

And look at the view out my sewing room window - isn't that spectacular?  Definitely whoop-worthy!

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

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And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up?

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share! We want to dance right along with you,

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

I May Have A Scrap Problem... But These Will Help!

 

Hi, all!

It's been a while since I've had the time (or the energy!) to post on a Wednesday, but don't think that means I have given up on my scraps!  Now that Hands2Help is in the books for this year, I should have more time to work on them.

And this week I'm very pleased to share something really special!  A while back I was contacted by the wonderful people at Felicia's World about their paper piecing templates. They asked if I would be willing to give them a try and post about it on my blog.  Now, if you've followed me for long you'll know that I have never really been able to wrap my head around the concept of paper piecing - but I decided that since I could make log cabin blocks by traditional piecing, I should be able to manage paper piecing.  So I said yes, and they sent me some samples to try!

After cutting out my vacation project, I took the leftover fabrics and cut them into 1.5" strips, then added some white strips and solid teal 2" squares.  

The instructions are clearly printed on the cover of the pad of templates, which was helpful!  I took my handy glue stick and put a dab on the center square, then placed a teal square right on top.  With that stuck on, it went pretty quickly!  For the first few blocks I made, I marked which ones were to have white strips (don't ask me how I know that might be a problem...) but after I had made three or four, they went together pretty easily!  

Stitching on the lines is easier than you might think!  But it's important to remember to use a shorter stitch - that makes it easier to take the papers off after the blocks are finished.

And as with all quilt blocks, squaring up is important!  It's easy to align your ruler with the dotted lines on the template that indicate the outer edges.

Et voila!  Look how pretty and perfect all those seams are!  I will say that paper piecing these blocks makes it easier to get a beautiful square block, even with narrow pieces.

And once the blocks are finished, it's time to play with how to lay them out!  This is just one of the designs I considered using for my blocks.

Once the design was decided on and the piecing done, it was time for quilting!  I decided to use a simple cross-hatch design that I marked on the piece with my hera marker.

And look! I may not have a summer quilt for my bed yet, but I've got a summer pillow!  (And hopefully after vacation I'll have a summer quilt top ready for quilting, too!)  I do love the colors in this piece - so light and cheerful.  The fabrics are a mix of Kate Spain fabrics from several different collections, and are the same that I will be using in my quilt top.

Be sure to pop over to Felicia's World and check out her line of paper piecing templates!  She's also got some great videos that will actually show you how to do it (if you're paper piecing challenged, like I was) and some really good tips, too.  And I can guarantee you that while the first few may be challenging, they DO get easier!  And they're a great way to use up some of those skinny scraps (and a little addictive, too).

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Christmas is Just Around the Corner!

 

Hi, all!

Does it seem like Fridays roll around faster as the end of the year approaches?  Today we are two weeks from Christmas, and three weeks from the end of 2020!  Hard to believe, but true.  And with it being Friday, that means it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on - are you ready?  Let's get started!

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It's been a busy week around here, but I managed to knock two things off my to-do list, both of which REALLY needed to be finished before Christmas!  First up was this bolster pillow that matches my new Christmas quilt...

I love the way it finishes off the bed - and it used up the last of the postage stamp blocks, too!  Nothing to add to the orphan block tub, which is definitely a win.

And then I finished the pillow covers for my living room sofa!  These were so simple - some red and black buffalo plaid fabric, fusible fleece cut into snowflake shapes, and the perfect backing...

Look at those fabulous birds!  And the colors were absolutely spot on. Canvas weight made this the perfect backing fabric.

Doesn't that look pretty?  I love the little pop of Christmas color it gives the sofa, and by making them as covers, I can take them off and store them away at the end of the season, and the sofa returns to normal.

And my last fun thing for the week is our new time-sucker....

 My husband got these VR (virtual reality) goggles as part of his work, and while I would never have thought to buy a pair on my own, I have to say they are a LOT of fun!  I've found an app that is fun to play, yet gets my heart rate up, improves my eye/hand coordination and concentration, and works the muscles in my arms, back and core, all of which is a win in my book!  

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

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And now it's your turn!

What's making you whoop it up this week?

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share!  We want to dance right along with you,

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? A Squirrel or Two....

Hi, all!

It's been a quiet week in my home town.......... but it's Friday and that means it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on again!  Are you ready?  Let's get started!

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A couple of weeks ago I got a pair of bird feeders and set them up in the back yard where we can see them from our patio.  It has been quite a treat seeing all the birds, but lately we've been visited by a pair of squirrels who have provided some serious acrobatic entertainment!  I'm sorry I don't have any pictures yet - they are still a little skittish - but they have been hanging by their toenails from the top of the bird feeders so they can eat the seed.  They don't seem to frighten off the birds, so we've just enjoyed their antics.

All that to say I chased a couple of squirrels myself this week, but in the quilt studio!  I needed some undirected sewing, as my mind was in a turmoil, so I decided to try to make a block based on this inspiration shot....

I had a lot of pieced strips of varying widths, from 1" to 2 1/4", left over from my Moongate quilt, and realized they would be perfect for a piece like this.  So I cut up some Kona Snow strips for the other sides, found a square piece to start each block, and away we went!  

After finishing the piecing, I decided that it would make a good pillow cover, as it finished up at around 19" square.  A little quilting ensued, and then an envelope-style backing and some binding and voila!  A squirrel pillow cover!

I love the way it looks with the Moongate quilt....

Simple quilting, but I think it enhances the design.  

And now, I'm happy with this guest room!

And remember, I said a squirrel or two?  Well, when working on my project for the Christmas in July Pattern Parade blog hop (coming this Wednesday, July 15th!) I had a massive fail on my first attempt.  So I had two big pieces of pieced fabric that I hated to throw out.  What to do?  Whack it up, of course!  

And this is what I ended up with - a future table runner!  I think I'm going to fuse some white snowflakes to the center panel to finish it off, then quilt and bind it.  I really think I'm going to like it on my table!

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

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And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share!  We want to dance right along with you,

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

I May Have A Scrap Problem... Here's A Solution!

Hi, all!

I had a fun experience this week, and since it has everything to do with scrappiness, I want to clue you all in on it too!

Sunday night I received an email from Christina Cameli of A Few Scraps blog, BluPrint classes, QuiltCon, and loads of other places.  Now, I love Christina to pieces - I met her in person in one of her classes at QuiltCon in Savannah and we spent two hours at lunch sitting on the grass outside, eating and talking up a storm.  She's fun and sweet and a very talented quilter and teacher.  So when I get an email from her, I sit up and listen!  She was a victim of the recent BluPrint closing, having prepared a class that was due to be filmed right about the time that they announced their closing - so she decided to film it herself!

If you've ever taken one of Christina's classes, you know she's a great and engaging teacher, managing to keep the attention of long-time quilters while not overwhelming the newbies.  

In her email, she asked me if I would preview her soon-to-be-released self-filmed class and give some feedback.  Of course I said yes!  And I am here to tell you that this is a class you need to take!

I mean, look at those gorgeous pillows!  The technique is great for using some of your favorite little scraps, and quick enough that you could easily knock out a couple of pillow covers in a day.

You probably know already that Christina is a great teacher of free motion quilting, and in this video she takes you through how to learn a new quilting design (doodling is your friend!) and makes it all look easy.  She demonstrates this design, and also explains how to do the straight line quilting you can see in the pillow in the class icon.

She even shows you how to finish your pillow cover with an envelope closure back, and has the neatest. trick. ever. to get beautiful corners.

And the very very best part?  If you go to her blog (click here) she has a code for a 25% discount on the class fee that's available for the next week!  

So thank me later, but go over and sign up for her class - you won't be sorry!

Hugs!

Sarah