My IRONING BOARD'S NEW DRESS!

Here is my new ironing board, I just couldn't wait, I went to town last night and bought Amy Butler's midwest modern 2 in pink of course, it is the Sunset color way. I LOVE IT SO MUCH! Actually it is my first piece of Amy Butler fabric. I have always wanted something to make out of her fabric, so now I have.

It took 1 and 3/4 yard for the length, but you only use 22" wide. I took off the cover I had and traced it on the new fabric, left enough around the edges to make a casing and ran 1/4" elastic inside, put the old cover back on and put my new "dress" on top of the cover...plus I have 1 and 3/4 yard of 22" wide left over for something else! Hooray for Jen for her fabulous idea! I liked her Amy Butler print too, but this is all I could find last minute!

HOW CUTE IT THIS?

This in a newly covered ironing board that Jen made, I had to show everyone....I have made a lot of things, but NEVER thought about covering my ironing board with beautiful fabric...I can HARDLY wait to find me some great fabric for my UGLY iron board. I USE it so much that it is ALWAYS up in my sewing room.

Thanks Jen what a FANTASTIC idea! Just think of it, every iron board in the world could have a new outfit!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They would feel soooooooooo happy! You will have to ask her what site she found to make the pattern. I just had the GREATEST idea, can't you just see a TV commercial with all the beautiful ironing board dancing across the screen in their new outfits? You could get so creative and give your a a ruffled skirt........just think a new pattern line...(someone shoud do this) wearables for your sewing accessories!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was so excited about the ironing board I forgot to tell everyone about a GIVE AWAY!!!!!
Check out Carrie's blog, a passion for applique!

LET'S TALK APPLIQUE......and short update!

There are many different ways to applique. I thought I would talk about a few.

1. NEEDLE TURN where you actually turn under the fabric 1/4" with your needle as you stitch the applique into place.

2.FUSIBLE APPLIQUE is the use of a iron-on material that you fuse (iron) to the applique piece, and then fuse(iron) that to a background, then stitch down with a hand stitched button hole, or machine button hole stitch, or a satin stitch. I like Wonder Under, or Steam-a Seam II.

3. FREEZER PAPER APPLIQUE TYPE ONE where you adhere(iron) the turned edges of the fabric to the slick side of freezer paper. (Paper can be found in your grocery store by the ziplock bags, or you can get it from the butcher.) After the fabric edges are ironed to the paper, you hand stitch the piece to a background..or you can machine stitch with a small zig-zag to a background. I know a lot of people who use this method, I always burn my fingers, so I like the next type......

4. FREEZER PAPER APPLIQUE TYPE TWO where you glue with a fabric glue stick the turned edges of the fabric to the slick side of the freezer paper and then hand stitch or machine zig-zag the piece to a background. I like to use an invisible thread for the zig-zag. You need to use a very small zig-zag, I use a 1.5 width and a 1.5 length. Stitch very close to the edge but make sure you catch the applique.

Using the invisible thread makes it look like hand applique.
This is part of a border that I am currently working on!!!! (more later!)
This is also part of that project!
This is another quilt project I am currently working on!!!!(more later!)

I really like this method of applique, I have tried every kind of applique and this one works for me. I wanted to make more perfect circles and this method was one where I was finally able to achieve those circles. If you like applique, you need to try enough methods to find one you like! I made a quilt with 4- 6 different blocks using different methods of applique for each. I hated everyone, until this one. I have always LOVED quilts with applique, the more the happier I am, but I didn't ever like doing most of the techniques. The type of applique does depend on what the project will be used for. If I am doing a quilt that will be on my bed and used a long time, I want applique that will last through the years. I personally like the fusible method for smaller projects and quick projects, but I use the freezer paper type two for any other. I like the freezer type two because I can make VERY small pieces and they don't have any of those little "pokey outy points" I can manipulate the edges until they are smooth.

UPDATE: On the glue stick method...(sorry, this was so intense, I am surprised anybody understood it)

After you zig-zag the piece to the background you carefully trim away the background fabric from the back leaving the slick side of the paper exposed. Because you used a very small zig-zag, it is now perforated. I use the eye end of a large needle, make a small slit in the paper, run the eye of the needle around the stitching to help loosen the paper a bit, and carefully tear away the paper from the stitching. This also helps to alleviate the bulk of so many layers, so you do it with every layer of paper.

You can see the green swirl on the red in the photo above? I cut away the backing, tore out the paper for the red, and then sewed the green swirl on the red....then, trimmed the backing from the green (which now was the red) and took the paper out for the swirl. Samething for the little yellow diamond on the blue flower.

You can applique many layers on top of each other this way and not have too much bulk.....OR you can use the applique method called, RAW EDGE applique where you just sew a 1/4" seam around a shape of fabric onto a background and leave the edge raw...so when you wash it, it frays and looks cool.

HELP for my BOOK!

Hello everyone, I need some help maybe from someone in the Kansas City, MO area....I am looking for a great place to shoot photos for my book. I love the red wall and sign at the Greenwood Mercantile....the place can be outside like this photo....

Or inside like these from the January 2009 Country Sampler magazine.

The place needs to be a "clean rustic" look, not too many things or antiques, more sparse ....

so, if anyone knows of any GREAT places , or "cool looking buildings," or names of places I can email, let me know.....There is a lot of red in the quilts for this book... THANKS!

FORGET THE WOOL, I GOT A PRESENT!

Forget that post with the wool, I just received in the mail a VERY lovely gift from Australia....Julie (sorry) my Valentine Swap partner sent me so many cute things. A DARLING PINK little table topper, a PINK pin cushion, and a little PINK bag, plus chocolate! Then as an after thought, on her way to the post, she found a wonderful scarf depicting Australia and threw it in....I LOVE EVERYTHING! THANKS SO MUCH!

This was so funny, I sent my Valentine swap to Australia and mine came from there....the world really is small in blog land!

WOOL

I bought some beautiful wool pieces at a darling little quit shop called, Stars and Scraps in Corona California, you would love those ladies. Believe it or not, I didn't buy very much fabric on my vacation, but I did buy some today at my local shops!

Hope you all are enjoying your February...only 6 more weeks for winter....hopefully!

EVERYTHING IS GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!

It has been raining here in Southern California and everything is GREEN! I am having so much fun with my sister. They have blooming flowers, flowering trees, and people are mowing their grass!!!! Oh how I wish I could stay here for a month. My husband says it is 5 below at home!
Here we are at the beach, the wind was blowing, but it wasn't too chilly, we only had to wear a sweater.

There is a park being built and the pipes they are using are PURPLE, they intrigued my sister so we stopped and took a picture.

We have been to several quilt shops, but I didn't have my camera, but who needs a camera at a quilt shop? All you need is, good eye site, and money!!!! Hope all is well for all of you!!

I AM OFF TO CALIFORNIA

This is Laguna Beach, it is one of my favorite little beach towns....I wish I were staying month.

Okay, I am off to see my sister in California, I can hardly wait!!!!! There are some really fun quilt shops close by that we like! I will take my camera and hopefully post a photo or two.

Note to all the ladies in Australia, I hope you are all okay....those fires could really scare a person.

Southern Gal I have posted my email for you. Send me your address so I can send you your pillow....it is so cute. GOOD BYE WINTER!!!!

THANK YOU, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU

Thank you to everyone who stopped by my blog and left such nice comments, you are all go GREAT! Here is the pillow the SOUTHERN GAL won. Let me know how to get in touch with you!! I will also send you a copy of the magazine!

This is not included in the prize! My granddaughter wanted to be in the picture with the pillow. I had to take one with the pillow for her, and one with just the pillow for you...but I had to show you since this was so cute! She calls me, "Sheri Grandma." I LOVE THAT!Happy sewing everyone! Let me know what exciting things you are working on!..... She is the same baby sitting on my lap in my profile photo...that was a few years ago!

MY VERY OWN QUILT...."I'm blushing"

Here is my very first quilt published in a magazine! It is SO fun to see your own creations in print.....very flattering....but it does make me blush! I feel like the I'm at the Oscars..."I would like to thank all those people who helped me get to this point....."

This Sweet Pink Daisies Quilt would be cute in any color, of course I did mine in PINK! It uses very small scraps, you only need 1"-2" strips for the flowers!

The people at Quilt were so wonderful to work with! Thanks Deb and Linda, plus their photo team made me look pretty good, don't you think? ( My daughter was my photographer!) "Thank you to everyone in blog land for your love and support!"
This is what the issue looks like, it is the April/May issue, #99, it should be out in your stores, if not yet hopefully very soon. Now for all my family, (and close friends) I purchased a copy for you so you won't have to go buy this one! And just to let all know, I do have another quilt coming out in the May issue of Quick Quilts, the sister magazine to this Quilt. I will let you know when it is in print. That one has butterflies on it and very large flowers from a line of fabric called, Butterfly Garden.

Tell everyone to come see, I am GIVING AWAY a Sweet Pink Daisy pillow made from one of the blocks! Leave a comment and your name, a site and/or email. I'll enter everyone's name twice so you have double the chance to win since I feel double happy for this opportunity to be in a magazine.

BACKS

This is a bad picture, but it allows you to see the back....piecing quilt backs....it is my least favorite park of quilting, even if it is only two large pieces of fabric. However, I do like to use the left over fabrics from the front of the quilt. I think to myself, "I paid good money for all that fabric and the front is pieced...(sometimes in very small pieces) so I will use the left over bits on the back." This helps to elevate a lot of left over scraps of the same fabric I have been sewing on for months.

These are some of the fabrics from front of the quilt. They are from Andover Fabrics by Jo Morton, the line is called, Jamestown. They are all dark and OH SO BEAUTIFUL!

This is one of several GREAT GREENS! This line had GREAT GOLDS!And a few ORANGES, orange is often difficult to find!
The REDS were so BEAUTIFUL. There were Burgundy reds and Cherry Reds...all in one line! My favorite part of quilting is the colors, I love finding "just the right color." My least favorite, is getting the backs ready. What is your favorite and least favorite part of quilting?

THE CRAFTY CROW

Perhaps I have mentioned The Crafty Crow site, perhaps not. It is great if you have little kids in your life, and there are some fun things even if you don't...like these two cute bags. ...just thought I would share my find.

Oh my goodness, do I love this bag? YES! Especially because I am old enough to remember sending Valentines like this....and I LOVE VALENTINES DAY!

This is cute for a party favor for dinner....invite some little people over!

Even though these are all Valentines, the site has ALL kinds of things, but they do a lot of seasonal things. This is the site where my daughter got the idea for the color scavenger hunt.Okay, this is all I have to post because I can't show you my book project....I hate that....but soon!