Cats "Scrapin a-play-que Series"...Scrapin' Summer Tote... Phase 1

 Hey quilter's....hope your week is going well. I just had the pleasure of seeing my grandson Davin graduate 5th grade. I'm always proud of him but seeing him receive an award for all A's was amazing. This is one proud "Gege.". A part of me is sad for enjoying this special moment knowing what other parents are going through in Texas. I always pray every morning for my family/friends safety to and from work. This week solidifies of how family time is so special. Not to take any situation for granted. Be blessed with every moment you have with your loved ones. Children have always held a soft spot in my heart. I've been a 4-H leader...helped with many functions....even as a designer I still love to teach children the art of sewing and quilting. Children are our future and my heart aches for their loss so early in life. My summer scrapin' series is geared towards a beginner sewer/quilter & especially now to have that quality time with your child. If you have a child in your neighborhood that you know needs some extra care this series would be a great way to make them feel good...not every child has the opportunity to be taught by an adult. So help spread the love of sewing/quilting this summer to a child. I'll be walking you through the steps so you'll be able to be in the comfort of your home as well. So let's get started in bringing some joy into these kiddos hearts!

Blessed Quilting from My home to yours,

Cat

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Here's all you do...

*decide on the size of your pocket...I sketched my design on a 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper then actually decided to use it for the size. It was perfect for this size bag. I then used "leaf cookie cutters" that I traced around for my design. Or get creative and "freehand" your art...as you can see I even changed my design later...no quilt police here so .get creative & have fun!

*In pic you can see that I marked a 1/2" seam allowance all around the block but also left the 3" opening at top for turning inside/out. 

*Now rotary cut your "pocket size" (remember add your 1'' for seam allowance) for your front fabric/back piece & batting.

*Rotary cut your accent fabric strips & fuse your heatnbond lite to wrong side following manufacturer's directions. (see previous instructions on quillow if needed)

*With scissors cut out your designs & again practice your layout on your front piece of fabric.

Pic is of my "design assistant approving my new layout"....hmmm...so I thought!

Turned my back & this happened...maybe he like the original design :-(...gotta love a cat!

*Once you've completed your layout as desired...then tear off the back paper & fuse to your fabric following manufacturer's directions.

Tip...remember to use your "pressing sheet" for less mess :-)

*Now your ready to "a-play-que" your design  w/coordinating Aurifil thread. Play with your machine stitches....get creative but most of all have fun!

Tip...use a piece of "Sulky tear-away" stabilizer on the back of fabric before you start to "a-play-que" This will help with neater stitches & maneuvering around your design as well. 

Check back soon for Phase 2 :-)

Cats "Scrapin' a-play-que Series"...Scrapin' Summer Tote!

 Hey quilter's...hope all is well. As promised...the second summer "a-play;que" project is ready! We'll be making a "summer tote bag" w/ a quilted and "a-play-que'd" pocket. We'll be turning a 2.49 canvas tote bag that I purchased from "Hobby Lobby" into a "Scrapin' Summer Tote Bag!" You'll be sewing/creating/designing your pocket on the outside using raw edge-a-play-que & outline quilting if desired w/ 50# AURifil thread.  Of course, you can totally do some more quilting designs especially "meandering" if desired. I posted a previous tip on Leah Day's tutorial...So wonderful...please check it out. If you made the "quillow" on my previous project, you might be able to tote your quillow in this tote project. This depends on the size of your quillow but the purchased canvas tote is 13 1/4 x 13 1/4. This tote from Hobby Lobby also comes in hot pink, bright blue. red & dark blue. I'll be sharing an advanced tip of making a "smaller pocket" for the inside to hold your cell phone, sun glassed etc. This scrapin' a-play-que series has the same fun & easy techniques that you learned making your quillow. You know me it's all about "less-stress-quilting!" Sew grab a tote...your fabric scraps & let's get ready to "a-play-que" 2gether & make a one-of-a-kind summer tote!

Blessed Quilting from my Home to Yours,

Cat

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Here's all you need...

*Purchase a Canvas Tote

*Scrap Fabric (size of your pocket)

*AURIfil 50# thread in coordinating colors

*HeatnBond Lite

*Warm & Natural Batting

*Sulky tear-a-way Stabilizer

Check back for Phase 1 :-)

Cats "Tip of the Day!" Watch Leah Day's Tutorial on previous post! :-)

 Hey quilter's...hope your weekend is off to a great start. I've been asked lately about "free motion quilting" & have to say I love Leah Day's tutorial. She is a wonderful/talented quilter & explains the beginning steps so thoroughly. She gives great tips along the way so please take a moment to watch Utube in previous post. We'll be using this technique in our next summer project...Cats "Scrapin' a-play-que Series" so watch this clip...even several times if needed like I did at first & just skip though the adds if desired. Have a great weekend & check back soon!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Beginner Free Motion Quilting Stippling - Quilting Basics Tutorial #7 wi...

"A little Seam Ripper Humor"...20 yrs. later!

 Hey quilter's....it's finally Friday & hope y'all have plans to relax a bit anyway. It's that crazy time of year...end of school activities...awards, etc. I have to share this...this will probably go out to anyone that has taught a child to sew or quilt. Sometimes I tend to forget of how "terrifying" ripping out seams can be for someone that is just learning to sew. I mean...for me...the "seam ripper" is my best friend in my sewing/quilting room. I'd be lost without it! But...in this case...20 yrs ago...I was teaching 4-H sewing and one of my kids which happens to be my best friends daughter had a mishap with a skirt pattern. It involved pockets...need I say more. Yes...not going to say more just in case she's reading this post :-) Well...first of all if I could go back in time I probably should have had a little bit more "compassion" when I brought out the "seam ripper." It's so natural to me...you make a mistake...you rip it out...and continue. I had no idea of how much of an impact that I was going to "scare" her with! Needless to say, twenty yrs. later every time we see each other the "seam ripper" comes into the conversation & not in a good way. She tells me I scared her for life...she'll never sew again...and I seriously believe she's telling me the truth. We are laughing as we're "reminiscing" but I feel horrible to this day. All I can say is "it's a good thing we love each other!" So I did learn from this...when I do help/teach someone...I do have a bit more compassion of explaining  to them before I rip their "hard working project ." Well...here's the humor...after all these years of other fun memories our families have shared together....for some dreadful reason....we always managed to go back to the "seam ripper moment." And yes...to this day...I'm still trying to get her behind a sewing machine again...20 yrs. later it still hasn't happened. But....I'm not giving up...she has 2 beautiful & talented daughter's & I'm hoping that I can at least teach them to sew or maybe when they have kiddos...Hmmm....we'll see...positive thoughts! :-) To this day...for me...when I break out the seam ripper... I still remember that dreadful moment of making a child that you love so much cry. Oh my goodness :-)

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Cats "Scrapin' a-play-que Series" Phase 3...Finishing your Beach Towel Quillow :-)

 Hey quilter's...hope all is going well & hope you've been having fun with this project thus far. In this phase you'll be finishing up your "Beach Towel Quillow." I've had so much fun with this project that I'll be making some more for upcoming birthday gifts. I'll be "walking" you through these final "steps" with pics that I hope will give you the visual of what I'm saying :-) As a designer, my mind to fingers to computer tend to get a bit crazy so I'll make this as easy as possible. I'm going to show how I make the "quillow", but you can always "google" the instructions if mine don't make sense :-) I hope you've enjoyed this project and continue to follow along on blog this summer for some more fun & easy "a-play-que" series. Remember...I'm all about "less-stress-quilting"...so continue to be creative and get ready to have a fun summer 2gether!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Here's all you do...

*Layer your batting piece...then back fabric piece up (facing you)...then top fabric facing down.

*Using a ruler trace a 1/2" seam around your block but mark an opening of at least 3" that you will not sew....this will be your opening for turning inside/out.

*Now sew your seam on that line...reinforcing as you start & stop...remember to leave 3" opening :-)

*Then following that seam...sew a 1/4" seam allowance around your block which creates a "double seam for reinforcement"...again don't stitch opening :-)

*Now carefully turn your block inside out...finger press if needed and tuck in your opening seam...finger press & top stitch around your block to secure opening shut & to reinforce your block as well. 

*Press block if needed & this is the time to quilt your block as desired. I quilted around the "mermaids" to make them pop. Get creative & have fun!

*Now you will be placing your block onto your beach towel by positioning on the "right side/bottom" of your towel. Pin into place but leave the bottom side of your block opened...do not sew this area...this is where you will be inserting your towel into. Stitch around reinforcing at your start & start position as you did earlier...I used clips to remind me not to see the opening :-)

*Now get ready to fold...Flip towel to wrong side...fold one side in aligning with block...then the other side...then fold into small sections.

*Now hold the opening with one hand & insert your folded towel into it. Smooth out as needed.

You did it! You made your first "Beach Towel Quillow"...but have you noticed that you also have an extra "secret area" to store your snacks or whatever you take to the beach or pool. How fun is that! If your giving as a gift you could totally personalize this compartment! :-) Stay tuned for more "Scrapin a-play-que" projects this summer!

Cats "Scrapin' a-play-que Series" Beach Towel Quillow Phase 2

 Hey quilter's...hope y'all are ready to "a-play-que." In this phase you'll be accenting your pillow design using the "raw-edge applique" technique. This is the time to get creative...put your personal spin on your block using colorful threads. I love raw-edge applique...it gives me the chance to play with decorative stitches on my sewing machine. You've already done the tedious steps and now it's time to "a-play-que" as I like to say! I fully recommend using the Sulky tear-away stabilizer on the back of your fabric. This will allow a much neater stitch when appliqueing and also helps your fabric move more freely while doing so. I also like to take a sample piece of fabric that I am using and do some test stitches. This will allow you to do any adjusting such as your stitch length or width. Depending on your machine some are automatic but still allow you to adjust if desired. So, play with your machine...do some fun practice stitching and get creative! As you can see in pic below my AURIfil thread compliments the Michael Miller Fairy Frost fabrics perfectly, but you can always do accent threads as well to really make your design pop. Also, I keep a neutral color in my bobbin, so I only have to change my top threads to coordinate with fabric. Last pic is how I monogram my letters...I just rotary cut thin strips from my scraps, design my letter and fuse with heatnbond lite following manufacturer's directions then applique just like you did previously. Sew easy & saves you money!   Remember...there's no "quilt-police" on this blog so have fun...get creative...& lets "a-play-que" 2gether!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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*Next phase will be assembling your square & sewing to beach towel to form into your quillow :-)