AccuQuilt Coupon Code

Use coupon code QQK49 through 11/30/11 to save 10% off your entire AccuQuilt order from http://www.accuquilt.com.

I just used this on my order today! :)  

Patriotic Pot Holder / Hot Pad using Accuquilt 10" Die & Riley Blake Designs "How To" Video

Uh-oh!  It would seem my OCD has taken over - AGAIN!  I've started creating things and I just can't stop!

I have just started selling Riley Blake Designs fabrics in my eBay store and their web site has a nice "How To" section.  I was intrigued by a video showing how to QUICKLY and SIMPLY make a hot pad using 10" squares.  Lucky for me, I just so happened (yeah, right!) to have a new 10" die on order from Accuquilt, so I HAD to make this potholder!!

The video calls for 5 unique 10" fabric squares, so I dashed out to my Patriotic fabric shelf and scooped up 5 coordinating prints.  I cut an 11" strip from each bolt and placed all 5 fabrics on my shiny, new die, which has blades for cutting 2 10" squares at a time (times the number of fabric layers).  Since each strip was double layered, I ended up with a total of 20 squares (4 each).  Oh joy!

I also cut an 11" strip off my bolt of Insul-Bright batting, which is specifically designed for making hot pads and other items that need to be heat-resistant.  I made 4 10" squares.   

 



I followed the directions on the video and in about 15 minutes I had completed this cute hot pad.  Great!  I will make a set for my mom for Christmas!  One more gift checked off my list.  Hooray!

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer & Fun Fur Baby Blanket - Merry Christmas!!

I sure have a short attention span these days!  From my son's quilt, to the new baby/Christmas gift for a friend of mine...

 

Rudolph Fleece Fabric

I have this adorable Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer fleece print listed in my eBay store, and I knew I just HAD to make SOMETHING with it!  With less than a yard left on one of my bolts, I felt it was time.

I scrounged around my store for a nice, fluffy print to back it with and ended up with this darker red fun fur fabric.  

It's my first time working with fun fur fabric, and I must admit that it's not my favorite.  It took a while for me to figure out that it kept getting caught up in the sewing machine foot.  Once I realized that (Doh!) it was simply a matter of pressing it down with my fingers as it fed through the presser foot.  Problem solved!

After I sewed the two layers together, I pondered how I would secure the interior of the blanket's front to its back.  Oh wow!  The PERFECT opportunity to try my hand at free motion quilting (for the first time ever)!!!  The pattern has a lovely, thick black outline, so it was so easy to simply trace some of the characters on the print.  The thread is practically invisible on the front, and it would take an archaeological dig to find it on the back side!  

The end result is going to be great!  The two layers will be secured to each other and baby can lay on the blanket without feeling anything but the soft, cozy fleece (and the fun fur, of course!).  Hooray!! 

I like the blanket, but I'm not sure I'm going to work with that fun fur again any time soon.  I have red fur EVERYWHERE in my studio!  Ack... time for shop vac!!

Rag Quilt using Accuquilt Studio 5.25" Square Die

Recently I decided to take a break from my business for almost a whole day (gasp!) in order to do something fun and crafty!

I've owned a couple dozen Accuquilt Studio dies for the past few years which have mostly been gathering dust, so I thought I'd actually put one to good use.  My little boy LOVES penguins, and I have an adorable penguin fabric that has been set aside for something special for him. 

I took my penguin fabric and perused my store (gosh, it's fun to go fabric shopping in my own home!) and found a bunch of coordinating prints. Before I knew it, I was whipping out 5.25 inch rag cut squares of fabric (with the Accuquilt 5.25 inch die) and stitching them together!  When all is said and done, I will have cut OVER 600 SQUARES (front/back/batting) to complete this quilt!  Yikes, why didn't I get the BIG square die???

Side note: Accuquilt is running a Black Friday week-long special of 25% off all Studio dies!  I'm probably going to be buying the 8.5 inch die set this week (includes smaller die for batting)!


Anyway, I'm not quite halfway finished with this project and I've already been "discovered" by my son.  So much for a surprise Christmas gift!  That's okay.  He actually enjoyed helping me place the squares in the right order, after which he handed them to me as I added square after square to my quilt rows.  


The end result will be a bit "busier" than I had hoped.  Oh well.  I didn't have enough of some of the prints I really wanted to use, so I added more prints.  When it's finished and run through the wash (to curl up the frayed edges) I think it will have a much cleaner look.


Here's what I've done so far:


Front & Back are 100% cotton quilting fabrics and the "batting" I used is a gecko 100% cotton flannel print that was pretty much a "dog" item in my fabric shop.  My son likes it, though, because he can see lizard bits and pieces in the frayed edges. And the colors on the flannel print coordinate nicely with the colors in the front of the quilt.  The back side is rows of several black and white prints.  


Here's hoping it will be completed before Christmas!  (THIS Christmas...)  ;0)

Here's what's done so far (probably about 40% complete).  Final dimensions will be roughly 42" x 63".

Joey with his best pal, Penguino, taking their first look at the in-process quilt.

Back Side with all Black & White Prints

Close Up Pic of Main Penguin Print

Vintage Neckties from Bucks Covered Bridge Farm

Hard to believe it's been 8 months since my last post.  To say I've been busy would be a BIG understatement.  The fabric business has been very good this year! :)  Excuses done, now on to the business at hand.

I know a lot of crafters recycle materials in their sewing projects, such as fabrics found in vintage neckties.  I have recently met a local gentleman who has a LARGE selection of vintage ties for sale in his eBay store Bucks Covered Bridge Farm.  He has other odds and ends, too, but the neckties caught my attention.

He has 100% positive feedback, is a top-rated seller and offers a 100% money back guarantee - INCLUDING shipping charges!  

Check out his store and maybe you'll find just what you're looking for to create your next beautiful craft!