"Cat's Tip of the Day!" Quilting Tiny Life-saver!

 Hey quilter's...hope all are doing well....preparing for storm here! I've been sharing posts lately  with designs that are "tiny" for me anyway. My back limits my sewing and quilting time but it does make you get a bit more creative on how you do things. I've also "downsized" my quilting/sewing room. Double wammy! But have to say coming across this padded pressing board by June Tailor has made things a lot easier. Not only is it a great pressing board but as you can see below it's also a great "mini design board." The size is 18 x 25 and it fits perfectly on my old sewing machine stand that I use beside my main sewing desk. Very convenient when needed to press a seam while piecing as well. Sometimes these little time-savers are so wonderful while piecing. Oh and can I say....it's wonderful when you are "auditioning your fabric and Aurifil threads! You'll be seeing this week on which thread won the battle with my upcoming Summer Series ;-) As long as we don't get blown away! Lord give me strength 'cause I'm the biggest wimp when it comes to "storms." Hope this tip is useful :-)

Blessings from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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"Cat's Tip of the Day!"

 Hey quilter's....hope all is going well. Here's a "funny tip" if you"re traveling this Holiday weekend or anytime actually. Sometimes you just need to laugh as I always say! Have a Safe & Happy July 4th weekend!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Series..."1 Pillow...Sew Many Ways!"

 Hey quilter's....hope all is well. Today is the beginning of my series "1 Pillow...Sew Many Ways!" I'm excited about sharing this with you these fun tips & techniques. Throughout this series you'll learn time saving tips & techniques. The most exciting tip for me to share is that you"ll be using "1 pillow." Yes! If you have limited space like me or just like to change out your decor then this is definately for you! This idea started a while back when I was making pillows for my grandson and my daughter had limited storage space.  I fully understand now that I've recently down sized. When you love to decorate for the holiday's but have limited space it does limit you a bit. So throughout this series, I'll be sharing some fun designs for special occassions and holiday's. I'll be sharing designs using my "scraps" & some "quilting art" designs as well. You can use a pillow you already have due to my designs are all using the "envelope wrap" or pillow slip design. Few recent designs below include a "Bunny Tree Farm" for a Easter gift for my daughter. The 2nd design is how I used Davin's "Grinch Pillow" (in earlier post) & turned the same pillow into a "Basketball theme" cover for him to use all year. The other is a gift for a sweet friend and I did a "Easter design" then incorporated a monogram wreathe to use all year. All designs are using the same pillow. A gift that keeps on giving! I hope you enjoy and keep following along for upcoming designs from Country to Coastal to Christmas!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Just a few recent designs below :-)

Designs appliqued with Aurifil thread & scraps are from Hoffman Fabrics. Endless Possibilities!

 

                                                

"BURP QUILT 4 BABY-DECORATIVE PILLOW 4 BIG-SIS!"

 Hey quilter's....hope y'all are off to a great day. As promised....I'm focusing on my "mini" project series. Due to my limited amount of time "sitting or standing," has forced me to "think" in small scale. I have to say it's been a bit of a challenge but fun. I've been able to use my "scraps" due to the small size of projects and if you do need to purchase fabric you don't need to buy a lot. But.....we all know to buy extra when purchasing for those "maybe must have moments." The gifts below are for a sweet friend back in Texas that recently had another sweet baby girl. I had "sew much fun" with this project. The "burp quilt" is very functional....after it's use you can display as wall hanging. #doubleduty! The leaves on the wreath were actually formed by tracing a cookie cutter on the back side of fusible web. Then all appliqued with AURIfil thread (a must have) :-). I also was able to use some of my "scrap fabric" of Hoffman Fabrics for the leaves as well. I wanted the designs to coordinate for the baby & big sis. It's always important for me to make sure you give a give to the older sibling so they feel extra special too. Let me explain why....years ago I was at a baby shower and all the attention was on the new baby coming and although the older sibling was having a blast going thought the presents with mommy, the real excitement happened. A sweet lady had a gift for the big sis to open. Oh my gosh, you can only imagine the joy on that child face. It actually brought tears to a lot of us. I thought from that moment on that I would do the same. Well...if you know me the gifts are going to "coordinate" as well :-) I have brief instructions below for the burp quilt. It's very easy due to basically it's a mini quilt design. The decorative pillow is basically the same applique method but using a "bi-fold" method in which I'll be showcasing designs starting in July for this fun method. Hope you enjoy & stay tuned for upcoming designs ;-)

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Here's what you need...

Leaf "cookie cutter"

Leightweight fusible web

Light weight batting

Light weight stabilizer for applique

Fabric of your choice

Coordinating thread ( #AURIfil)

Here's all you do...

For this size burp quilt (finished out @ 12 x 16....you'll need to cut your front & back piece of fabric to 13 x 17 which allows for your seam allowance of a 1/2"...you can do small if you wish but for a burp quilt I do larger seam allowance just for an extra sturdiness while turning inside out. 

The batting will be cut to the finish size of 12 x 16

*Fuse to back of your fabric following manufacturer's direction.

*Trace leaf design using cookie cutter on back side of fusible paper.

*Cut out shapes

*Tip...I like to "lay out" my shapes to get the design that I want before tearing off the fusible web and pressing to "front side of fabric" This allows me to change anything :-)

*After positioning design as desired then applique each piece (tip....use a stabilizer on back side to make your appliqueing smoother and a more professional appearance as well. Keeps stitches in tact.

*Place front and back fabric (right sides together) and sew along edges leaving a 2" opeing for turning inside out.

*Turn inside out and make sure corners are neatly squared if possible (I use the tip of a pencil eraser to poke so I don't ruin the fabric. 

*Place batting inside & slip sticth opening

Top stitch around edges if desired w/coordinating thread.

That's it...a beautiful handmade baby gift that she can use for many years to come! #doubleduty!

"CAT'S TIP OF THE DAY"

 Hey quilter's...hope all is going well. I'll admit...my "year" did not start off as planned. Some times life gives you a unexpected turn and you just need to make the best of it. I've learned not to give up what I love just do it a bit differently. Yes....I now use a "kitchen timer" while sewing. What!??? Yes...due to back problems....I set timer for 10 minutes (if back allows) and sew....weird but helps! I know....sounds crazy but with back pain sitting or standing can be so painful. So I do things a lot these days in "moderation." The timer helps me stay "on track"....and yes you can use your phone to set time but I love "old school" kitchen timers. Sometimes it makes me feel like 'I'm sewing with an old friend." Here's a funny....that's not the "tip of the day" but maybe it will help someone else that has back issues to not give up, just do things a bit different. 

Here's the tip....recently I was sewing "half-square-triangles" on dark batiks "Hoffman Fabrics" and had difficulty seeing the lines while marking. I probably have every marking tool available and don't know if it's my "eyes now" or what but nothing was helping. So....on my cutting table is also my "colored pencils" in a cute container of course :-)....I grabbed the "bright yellow" pencil & marked my lines and it was perfect! I'm not washing the fabric after piecing due to it being a "quilt art" method. Win...win! My yellow fabric pencil was too light for my eyes so the "brightness" of the colored pencil really helped. Also, the "Fons and Porter" ruler is perfect for making accurate half sq triangles. Hope this tip helps :-)

Anyway....I'll be sharing tips throughout the week and with my recent downtime, I was able to design a very fun project or should I say projects. So stay tuned....I'll be posting this week some fun & easy projects that will aslo make great gifts. 

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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My New Year's Wish for Us all....."Health, Happiness & Sharing Gifts from the Heart!"

 Hey everyone....hope all is off to a great start in 2021. Last year was a challenge for us all & have to admit that I'm so glad it's behind me. It was challenging in more ways than I ever thought & challenged me to a limit that I never thought would happen. I'm determined for this year to be one that I can look back on and be proud of my strength to overcome obstacles. I always say "what happened yesterday can't happen today 'cause I'm aware of it." My designs were put on hold but back on track! I've decided to not let things get in the way of what truly makes me happy. I know a lot of us quilt....craft....sew for our pleasure but also because we like to make things that make others happy. So 2021 will be a year of "small fun projects" that we can accomplish quickly & get back to sharing gifts from the heart! 

This month I'll be starting "Quilt-a-long w/Cat".....so stay in touch & please keep safe & positive among all the crazy chaos that we're all experiencing. In the meantime....May our bobbins always be full in 2021!

Quilt Blessings from My Home to Yours,

Cat

email q's @ cmhdesigns2@yahoo.com

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www.cookinganddecorwithcat.blogspot.com

 

"Thanksgiving Blessings from my Home to Yours"

 Happy Thanksgiving quilter's....hope all is going well and you're doing good getting your Christmas presents finished. I FINALLY am able to set up my sewing room. This move has been a doozy and whoever said "downsizing" is easy, was never a quilter. The windows in my sewing room had to be replaced....but so thankful it's done. Supposedly "Gecko" proof. Which is a joke if you've ever been to Florida! Those little beasts come out of anywhere! I thought scorpions were bad in Texas but least they don't "jump" out at you. I have one in our outside laundry room "aka she shed" that literally stares at me while I'm loading clothes. Yes, I know it's the same one 'cause he's in the same place but yet I can't seem to catch him! Sometimes you just gotta laugh amongst all the chaos! 

Needless to say it will be a miracle if my Christmas presents will get finished this year due to the move. I was upset until I realized that now I'm just one step ahead for Christmas 2021. Again, still trying to laugh and not cry! One good thing with this crazy move it did allow me to work on my quilt-a-long designs with my downtime. I figured if I didn't have a spot to sew then I could perfect the designs while waiting on my EQ7. Yes, I know....everyone's on "8" but I can't help it....I still love my 7 :-) 

In the meantime.....please know that I'm so thankful & grateful for all the support and positive thoughts through this crazy time. I'm excited about this week,. finish organizing the sewing room and realizing maybe "quilting in tiny spaces" might make me be a bit more creative and come up with something even extra special :-)  Well, enjoy your day and pop back in soon!

Happy Thanksgiving & Blessed Quilting from my Home to Yours,

Cat

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