Christmas gift sewing

It's been radio silence here for a long while, and now I can finally show you the reasons!

Earlier this year I decided to make each of my five sisters-in-law on my husband's side of the family a quilt. The idea occurred to me as I stared at the closet of beautiful fabrics in my sewing room wondering how I would ever manage to use them all in my lifetime.  My SILs are all lovely women with very individual personalities and color preferences, so I thought a large lap-sized quilt for each would be not only the perfect Christmas gift, but also a great way to use up some of my ever-growing fabric stash.  I started digging through the closet pulling fat quarters and half yards to coordinate with the few pieces of yardage I had that were big enough to use as borders.  Turns out I had been collecting fabrics all this time that were perfect for each of their individual personalities without even realizing it!

Much of my sewing time this year was spent working on these quilts and last weekend I had the great joy of presenting them to the SILs at our family Christmas celebration. And yes, they loved them :)   I fact, this is the last photo my husband took before they starting elbowing each other and holding up their quilts in front of each other's facing exclaiming "mine is the best!"

First up is Rita's quilt. She loves chrysanthemums in the fall, so I chose a mix of autumnal batiks from my stash that coordinated with this beautiful ginkgo leaf border fabric.  I used a free pattern from Timeless Treasures called "Tonga Harvest All Squared Up Quilt" which was designed by Pam See of vanillalattequilts.com.  It measures 48" x 68" with 10" x 12" finished blocks.

The backing is another fall toned batik, but I'm not sure of the manufacturer or pattern name.

Beth is a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan whose new home is painted and decorated with lots of soft greens.  I added some soft browns to the mix so the green and yellow wouldn't be too obvious.  This pattern is "Picture This" from the pattern book "Happy Hour" by Atkinson Designs.  The finished blocks are quite large - 14.5" square - with the entire quilt measuring 58" x 72".

The large piece of green and yellow sweet gum leaf fabric on the back was the original inspiration for the color palette used on the quilt front.

Mary is a master gardener who loves roses.  These fabrics are from Jennifer Paganelli's "Circa" line for Free Spirit, and the pattern is "Show Biz" by Villa Rosa Designs.  It finishes at 54" x 63".

Mary says the back of her quilt is just as lovely as the front; it's the "Taylor" print in blue from the Free Spirit "Circa" line.

Jody's home is filled with a burgundy and cream color palette so I used a mix of French General, 3 Sisters, and Red Rooster fabrics.  This quilt is made using the same "Show Biz" pattern and also measures 54" x 63".

The color of this French General backing fabric is slightly off in this photo - it's really a much deeper red that looks so rich with the deep red tones of the quilt front.  It's one of my favorite prints from French General and kinda makes me want to start hoarding their fabrics.

And the final quilt belongs to Lisa - lots of deep navy accented with gold, wine, and green.  The pattern is "Snapshots" from the "Happy Hour" book by Terry Atkinson and measures 57" x 75".  The multicolored border was my color palette inspiration.

I used several extra blocks on the backing to make it more interesting and colorful.

Each quilt has a hand-written and hand-stitched label containing my name, the date, and the name of each sister-in-law.

There are lots of machine and hand stitches in each of these special quilts, but I have to give the machine quilting credit to my super-talented longarm quilter Carol Linder.  She did a fantastic job getting each of them quilted in plenty of time for me to have them all ready for Christmas delivery.

It was a big job to finish all of these beautiful quilts, but I'm so glad I decided to do it, and I'm even more thrilled that each of these five special ladies loves their quilts.  I'm a lucky girl to have married into such a wonderful family :)

Watch for two more posts about my 2014 Christmas sewing projects coming this week!

everlasting pumpkins for fabric lovers

Christmas ads are already inundating us, but there are still a few weeks of fall remaining. Plenty of time for you to make a batch of these pumpkins to decorate your home for Thanksgiving.

I made these three last weekend, and it took me about one hour per pumpkin - a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. The project will go even faster if you've got a willing crafty helper :)

You can find these carve-able pumpkins at JoAnns, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and most chain craft stores. You'll also need fabric scraps, matte finish Mod Podge, and a foam brush.

I cut my fabric scraps into roughly 3" squares. I cut them with scissors, eye-balling the dimensions. No need for precision cutting on this project!

Beginning near them stem, brush a swipe of Mod Podge larger than your fabric square on the pumpkin. Place the fabric square on top of the Mod Podge, tamp it down, and then brush another layer of Mod Podge over the top of the fabric square.

Continue this process - layer of glue, fabric, glue over the fabric - down the side of the pumpkin, overlapping the fabric edges as you go.

Yes - this is my mostly Kaffe (and friends) pumpkin!

When you get to the bottom of the pumpkin with a "column" of fabric, start working your way back up to the stem. Continue until you have the entire pumpkin surface covered with fabric.

Check for any edges that may have lifted and re-glue them with another swipe of Mod Podge. Then you just have to wait for them to dry - usually only a couple of hours.

Now you've got some everlasting pumpkins to decorate your home. I've displayed mine on the fireplace hearth, but the outside photos are so much prettier!

You could cut your fabric scraps into any shape - rectangles, triangles, circles, diamonds - go crazy and have fun!

Next year I want to cover some white pumpkins with large dots of black and grey fabrics. What do you think?

snowflake pillows finished

The holiday snowflake pillows are completed and on display at my LQS. Here's a shot of the two pillow fronts and the little info cards I made to attach to each one.

The pattern called for the pillow backs to be closed with seven buttons. While I loved the look of the buttons in the pattern book photos, I didn't think that a button closure was the best option for a few reasons:

1. that's a lot of buttonholes to sew
2. all my buttons were different sizes so I'd need to recalibrate the buttonhole attachment frequently
3. I didn't want the pillow backs to look like when a guy wears a too-tight shirt and the buttons are just barely keep everything contained

So I put a zipper under the buttonhole flap instead!

Now the backs are all smooth and pretty with just five decorative buttons each.

You can read more about the construction of these pillows here. The pattern I used can be found in Amanda Murphy's new book, Modern Holiday.

snowflake applique pillows

I've found some Christmas spirit and started working on a couple of Christmas pillows for display at my LQS, Material Girl in Crystal Lake, IL.

The pattern I used is called "Snowflake Pillows", and it can be found in the new book, Modern Holiday by Amanda Murphy. This book is full of fun quilted projects you can make to decorate your home during the holiday season. I want to make all of the pillow patterns, as well as most of the quilts. You should definitely check out this book!

I traced the four unique snowflake patterns from the book onto Heat n Bond Lite, then fused them first to a Basic Grey Grunge fabric in white. I trimmed around the snowflake shapes and then fused then to my pillow fronts - four different snowflakes per pillow. Tiny zigzag stitches in matching thread cover the raw edges of the applique pieces and protect them from fraying.

Both of my pillows are made using the 2013 Basic Grey holiday line called "Aspen Frost". The first has a blue Grunge accent with nutcrackers and tree ornaments...

While the second pillow has a green Grunge accent with poinsettia flowers and pine needles. The buttons are for the pillow backs - I have quite a few mismatched deep red buttons of varying sizes from 3/4" to 1" that I plan to use to give each pillow a unique look, rather than purchasing new buttons that all match.

Each snowflake is centered on a 4.5" finished square, and the finished pillow will hold a 12" x 16" insert.

I quilted the green trimmed pillow with horizontal wavy lines on both the trim and main body pieces. The snowflake squares are not quilted because I appliqued through all the pillow front layers - pillow top, pre-washed flannel, and muslin backing.

The blue trimmed pillow is quilted with swirls - my favorite! - on the trim and main body pieces.

I'll show you the backings and completed pillows soon. I'm anxious to finish these and get them to the shop for display!

Happy 2013!

I'm a little late to the party wishing you all a Happy New Year, but better late than never, right?!

I managed to squeak out a few finishes at the very end of 2012 - and I do mean the very end. As in December 31!

This Sunburst Baby quilt had been quilted with an all-over stipple pattern...

And the binding was machine-attached in mid-December...

But the label wasn't attached until New Year's Eve. It's now been delivered to the family, and hopefully they are enjoying it :)

This sweet pink and yellow jelly-roll baby quilt is headed to a local hospital NICU unit with lots of other baby quilts made by my sewing group at church.

Love that sweet polka dot binding...

And last but not least, true to my usual habit of finishing a holiday project within days of the holiday, my little button tree was framed just long enough to sit on the hearth for a photo. It's now packed away, and I'll likely forget about it until late November this year when we haul all the decorations up again. I'll open the box, unwrap it, and say something like, "oh how lovely! I'm so glad I finished it!"

I'd like to say that I resolve to finish more of what I start this year, but that's just not me. I do resolve to finish items with a deadline first, but then I'm just going to work on whatever makes me happy at the moment, and if it gets finished, great! But the whole point should be to have fun, shouldn't it?

Here's to a healthy, happy, and FUN 2013!!

happy holiday button trees

I had some girlfriends over this past weekend for a little crafting party, and take a look at this cute project we worked on - Christmas Button Trees! They were so easy and fun to make. All you need are some holiday fabric scraps, buttons, and embroidery floss to make your very own.

Here's mine all stitched and ready to be framed...

This was our prototype that Lorrie completed last year and gave to a good friend. The pattern comes from a 2011 Better Homes and Gardens magazine called "Holiday Crafts", and the finished tree fits in a frame with an 8" x 10" opening. Lorrie purchased a white frame from a local craft store and painted and distressed it to showcase her beautiful work.

We each put our own personality into our individual projects, and they all turned out beautiful! Here is Wendy's glammed-up tree on a dramatic black print background...

Kelly's traditional red and green tree - she put a bird on it! And she chose a different embroidered message to personalize it even more...

Andrea's whimsical snowman-topped tree...

And Paige's red batik tree complete with bling and garland!

Lorrie also made a new tree to keep for herself this year - can you believe all those buttons?! I love her "Swell Noel" embroidery!

Here we are hard at work at my kitchen table...

Dixie is under the table hoping for dropped food, but she only got stray buttons and fabric scraps!

The mess necessary for creativity...

Of course we had to partake in some festive holiday beverages! These pretty drinks are Poinsettias - roughly equal parts Prosecco and cranberry juice - a little bit of pink bubbly cheer...

An hors d'oeuvres potluck to keep us sustained during our hours of crafting...

And the best for last - a delicious red velvet cake from Lorrie...

Such fun to spend a December weekend day with these great girls! I hope you are all able to spend some time with friends during this busy time of year :)