Showing posts with label solids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label solids. Show all posts

December 29, 2018

Fancy Little Mug Rugs from Solid Stars

Hello, Friends!
I have a fun little gift project to share today!



I made three little mug rugs, using
some 6 1/2" star blocks that I made
a short long time ago. 

{Ahem...time flies.}

You can read more about the Moda Sweetwater solid bundle
of fabrics that I used, in this post.




I had such fun stitching up these solid blocks!
I used one of them on the back of a little table runner,


Hmmm...solid blocks do tend to show "mistakes", 
don't they?
I'm pretty sure I've always had some issues,
but busier prints tend to mask them better.


A little miracle occurred when I pressed some fusible fleece
to the back of the stars. Everything flattened out nicely!
I had some little iron-on labels in my stash,
also from Sweetwater, so I decided to use them to
dress up these little orphan blocks.


It didn't hurt that the tiny houses also disguised those imperfections!


The little labels were easily ironed and stitched into place.


I used a Frixion pen to mark quilting lines.
I used a different quilting design for each block, 
just for added interest.


When the quilting was done, a quick press
with a hot iron removed the Frixion lines.


I trimmed up the blocks and prepared them for binding.


I used some leftover jelly roll strips, cut to 1 1/5" width,
to bind each block with a different print.


to finish off these little beauties in no time.
Feel free to try it - you'll love it!
It's a single-fold binding that works great for
small projects like mug rugs or mini quilts!


{I made one slight modification to the tutorial
and used a straight seam, instead of a diagonal seam, 
to attach the ends of the binding together.}


I chose a pretty print from Treehouse Club,
also from Moda Sweetwater, for the backings.
I still have lots of my fat quarter left over.


I only needed 3 7" squares...yay!


I wish I had time to make dozens
and dozens of these!


Little mug rugs are a great way to show off individual blocks.


That's one reason I like to join sew alongs,
even if I don't expect to use the blocks in a quilt.


Blocks can be made into special gifts
for friends, whether they are quilty friends or not.


These little orphan blocks will find their way to loving homes.
How do YOU like to use extra blocks?
Let me know in a comment!


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October 2, 2016

Spooky Delights Halloween Pillow

Hello, Friends!
October is here, and while I was decorating my home,
I decided to whip up a new Halloween pillow.


I used my charm pack of Spooky Delights
by Bunny Hill for Moda.
There are so many sweet prints...
I think I love this Raven Damask the most.

Can you see the tiny black birds?


The text print was another deal-breaker for me.
Mix in a few black cats, pumpkins and mischievous mice,
and you've got a fun focal print.


Of course, there are lots of pretty polka dots
to coordinate...making this line a hit with me.



I've been practing my half-square triangle (HST)
technique, so in nearly no time,
I had whipped up the 16 HST's I needed for the pillow top.


I love that HST's can be arranged in countless ways,
to create stunning designs.
This is the layout I chose, with a diamond pattern
of low volumes around a dark center.


My finished top was about 16 1/2" square...
my pillow form was 16" on the top, but it's rather deep.
I decided to use a Bella Solid
to add a narrow coordinating border.


Often I use a covered zipper backing, but this time
I took a practical shortcut in the zipper installation.
I placed the zipper in the bottom seam of the pillow.


It doesn't show, and it will be so easy to swap out
the pillow cover for other seasons.


I chose the text print in Vanilla for the pillow backing.


The quilting on this pillow was nice and easy...
I used a grid of straight diagonal lines.


For areas that weren't "in the ditch",
I marked my lines with a Frixion pen.
You would never know, even on the white triangles...
a hot iron removed the lines after stitching.


I'm so pleased with my Halloween pillow...
and there are enough charm squares left for another
Halloween project or two!


Are you getting ready for Halloween, too?
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September 5, 2016

Project Sweetwater - Solids - Part I

Hello, Friends!
 Earlier this summer I got a fun box in the mail,
from Project Sweetwater.


Even though I ordered it for myself,
it was very exciting to have it delivered.
Inside, I found all of the things that were promised,
and a few little fun surprises.


The star of the show was this amazing
bundle of solids, curated by the girls of Sweetwater.


I couldn't stop taking pictures of it...
this bundle looks so smart and inviting,
yet I hated to unwrap that pretty ribbon.


There was a project booklet filled with tempting blocks
that could be created from these awesome colors.
Oh, yes...I had to open the bundle and get started.


I love the simple graphic designs of the projects.
I'm taking my time, since my hand is still not strong,
but this is good therapy.


I'm sharpening my skills,
and next time I'll show you some things I've discovered
about sewing with accuracy.


Until then...
enjoy another pretty bundle photo!



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