Scrap-a-long w/Cat..."Christmas Peppermint-Crunch Table Square" Phase 1

 Hey quilter's ...hope y'alls week is off to a great start. If you need a little "fabric therapy" to get you through the week,,,I've got it for you! Allow me to introduce my new twist on my recent "Scrap...Crackle...Pop!" technique. Yes, I did it...I actually did a spin on my own technique...you will use more scraps and hopefully get a little more "thread and fabric therapy" as well. The technique is called "Cats Crazy 1/2 sq. Triangle-Technique." Before I begin, let me share how this twist came about. It's "Hurrican Season", technically that should sum it all up but with my anxiety during this season and my "quilter's brain,' let's just say this technique happened. :-) This was definitely a "stress relief" recently! The funny thing is while scrap-piecing the technique I then realized "wholly smokes" how versatile this technique is. Again, with my technique there is no paper-piecing,,,no 2 squares the same...super scrap friendly & therapeutic. I will mention that I'm obsessed with this technique so just letting y'all know we have lots of fun scrap-a-longs ahead in 2023. So, while you're pulling your scraps 2gether please keep in mind that you can use the same design & technique with other fabrics for any decor season. This table square is very FUN-ctional due to you will use a piece of Insul-bright for any hot or cold item placed on square. A decorative centerpiece for entertaining or give as a great gift. I will also share a tip along the way where you can stop and make a "trivet" if you don't want to do the table square. Please keep in mind it's only 13 x 13 so you could easily enlarge just by adding more borders. Endless possibilities! I did accent quilting with Aurifil 50 weight thread in red/green and did I mention this adorable Christmas fabric is by Northcott. I love red/green peppermints during the Christmas season, so this design makes me happy, and I hope you enjoy it as well. So, grab your Christmas scraps and let's make another fun gift 2gether! 

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Here's all you need...

* Aurifil 50 weight thread (Red #2260) & (Green #2885)

* Christmas scraps! (I will note design/pattern name as we go) 

* 4 inch square up ruler (I use Nifty Notions)

* Fons & Porter 1/4" seam ruler (optional but is wonderful)

* Spinning mat (optional but is very convenient...see my previous tip to make your own)

* Insul-bright (insert for hot/cold items)

* Sulky tear-away lightweight stabilizer

Here's all you do...

* Scrap piece your Red/White Christmas fabric 2gether at random and finger press/trim seams to an 1/8th if possible...less bulk

Note: I used Northcott Banyon batiks (reds) scrapped w/ Deborah Edwards "Santa Paws" & Patrick Lose (white) Sparkling Stars

Tip...remember the more scrap pieces you sew 2gether the more interesting your square becomes:-)

* Press & square up to 4 x 4-inch block

* Repeat the same method with your green/white fabrics

Note: I used Northcott Patrick Lose (Glam) & white is Patrick Lose "Sparkling Stars"

* Now the fun begins :-) With my "Scrap...Crackle...Pop!" technique, featured on www.auribuzz.com you would have one solid square and one "scrappy half-square triangle." Now with my new "Crazy 1/2 sq. Triangle Technique you will do the same half-square triangle technique but you will as follows...

* Place w/ right sides 2gether one red scrappy square on top of one green scrappy square.

* Draw a diagonal line down through block and sew a 1/4" seam on each side of diagonal line.

* Rotary cut on that diagonal line. Press & square up to 3 1/2" square.

* You now have 2 red/green "Cats Crazy 1/2 sq. Triangles" Again...no paper-piecing & no 2 squares the same! Seriously take a look at how "crazy" your square is & no paper-piecing! :-)

* Repeat same step to have 4 squares.

* Now sew top 2 squares w/ right sides 2gether using a 1/4" seam. Press.

* Do same for bottom 2 squares.

* Now following design pattern, join the square 2gether at center using a 1/4" seam allowance. Press & square up to a 6.5 x 6.5-inch block. Again, is this totally crazy? Look at your block...you created this "hot mess" with no paper-piecing! I don't know about you, but I love a design that looks like I pieces all those points together but without the stress. You know me...less-stess quilting! 

Tip...note the "pin" at top...audition your block and decide which direction you prefer and pin it. This is very important when adding "directional borders." You can see previous blog tip for more info. :-)

Here is your option....you can stop here and add borders and you will have my "trivet" design in previous post or continue on for a "FUN-ctional Table Square!" 

Talk soon for Phase 2!

Cats Tip of the Day!..."Pin for Directional Borders"

 Hey quilter's...hope y'all are having a great weekend. I wanted to share a quick tip & a "sneak peek" of this week's project. As promised, it's another great gift for the Holiday's. First of all, you know me it's all about sewing with great quality thread. I'm obsessed with Aurifil thread. I've never had a "thread breakage" and for me that's a great testimony. Along with that great thread you need great quality fabrics. Yes, you may pay a bit more for these items, but your projects and time are worth it! So today's tip is for my project "sneak-peek" for this coming week. I'll be sharing my New-Advanced-Technique on my "Scrap...Crackle...Pop!" technique. Yes, I did it. I took my onwn design a made "Crazy Scrapin' Half-Square Triangles." The things a "quilter's brain" comes up with during the stress of another Hurricane. I have to say with my "therapeutic technique" it was well needed. Well take a close peek of the block below. You will see a "quilter's pin" at the "top of block." This is an old school tip that Oma shared with me several years ago and has been very useful throughout the years. With my design you will be adding directional borders. Very simple but you definitely need to keep your directional sewing the same for the design. So, taking a moment to pin the top of your block before adding borders will help you to remember to start at that side of block first. I know seems simple but trust me it's super important and a great time saver. Who wants to use a "seam ripper" if you don't need too :-) Also, if you've noticed in the design all the yummy Christmas Scraps. I used scraps from Northcott fabrics. Scraps from Banyon Batiks along with fabrics by Patrick Lose "Glam, Sparkling Stars, Christmas Magic" & Deborah Edwards "Santa Paws." The design is called "Cats Christmas Peppermint Crunch." I love red/green peppermints during the Holidays and this fabric line complimented the design perfectly. You'll be making a fun-ctional table square. :-) So, gather your "Christmas Fabrics" & your Aurifil thread for another fun "Scrap-a-long w/Cat" this Holiday Season. Talk soon!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Scrap-a-long w/ Cat..."Pumpkin Spice Latte' Trivet" Phase 2 & Finishing!

 Hey quilter's...hope your weekend is off to a great start. I woke to a beautiful fall morning with a "touch" of a Fall breeze. Wasn't much but I'll take it! :-) I do miss fall in Texas. You could see the leaves changing and just the smell in the air with the Pine Tress was wonderful. The month of November seems to go so fast and before you know it Christmas is here. I've been trying to keep up with my gift making this year. I decided to do "smaller" projects that are still memorable but less stress to finish. So, between now and Christmas I'll be sharing these fun & easy projects to make your gift-giving season less-stressful as well. But come January we'll be doing some fun seasonal quilt-a-longs. I'm excited of next year's projects but for now let's finish this cute fall trivet. I'm always stating with my projects "one-design-sew-many-ways" but it's absolutely true. The trivet is scraped pieced in fall colors, but you could do the same design in any fabric to match any seasonal decor. I love how this is a sweet fun gift to make as well. Call me "old school" but there's nothing more special than a handmade gift. Enjoy!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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*Border/Binding/Quilting

Here's all you do...

* Rotary cut 2 strips 1.5 x 6.5...sew w/ right sides 2gether to top/bottom of your square.

   Press & Square up if needed.

* Rotary cut 2 strips 1/5 x 8.5...sew w/ right sides 2gether to left and right sides of your square.

   Press & square up if needed.

Tip...I do my border/binding technique where you fold to the back of your square and then top stitch. You can make your strip width wider if it's easier for you when folding. I'm usually working w/ scrap pieces, so I tend to make useful of the strips...do what's easier for you.

*Tip...due to using the Insul-bright insert, I quilt the top as follows. I've quilted on the Insul-bright in previous projects but for this one I'm added on later. Do what's easier for you...this tiny block I didn't want to have all the bulk ;-)

* Rotary cut your batting to 6 1/4 x 6 1/4

* Rotary cut your tear-easy stabilizer to 6 1/2 x 6 1/2

Layer as follows...

Tear easy...then batting...then quilt top right side up (facing you)

Pin or clip to secure.

Quilt as desired.

Remember..."tear-away" stabilizer carefully when finished quilting :-) Lightly press if needed.

Tip...I did some outline quilting of the "orange peel" design using the 4-n-1 ruler by Piece N Quilt with 50 weight Aurifil thread in # 2235. The squares are tiny, so I set my stitch length to smaller stitches to make my pivoting easier. If you don't wish to do this technique you could always do a outline stich or quilt in the ditch. It's your trivet so have fun and try a new technique due to the small scale it's a great time to practice. 

Border/Binding technique...

* Rotary cut your "backing fabric" to 6 1/4 x 6 1/4

* Rotary cut your Insul-bright to 6 x 6

* Layer...Block...right side facing down...then insulbright then backing fabric (right side facing up/you)

Tip...Clip or pin at top to secure as you flip over. 

Starting at the top...

Fold over border and only leave a 1/4" binding on the front...finger press...fold over again to secure your fold on the back side and pin or clip in place.  

Repeat same method for the bottom of block.

Top stitch on the front or "quilt in the ditch" and this will secure the binding on the back. No worries if it's not perfect on the back. I use a washable fabric glue to secure areas that didn't catch with thread as needed :-)

Repeat same method for left and right border.

Well, you finished another great "unique" project. I love this technique cause no matter how you piece it your blocks are always different. For me..it's fun and very therapeutic...seeing how different the squares are when piecing with my technique & using your scraps.  Check back soon for another fun fall project with Aurifil thread & Northcott Fabrics. Google their thread & fabric lines.... absolutely stunning & great quality! 

Talk soon, Cat

Scrap-a-long w/ Cat..."Pumpkin Spice Latte'" Trivet (Phase 1)

 Hey quilter's...hope you're having a great week. I love this time of year and wanted to share a sweet design paying contribute to my favorite fall coffee..."Pumpkin Spice Latte'." Recently I was going through scrap pieces from Northcott fabrics and fell in love with this Banyon Batiks collection. They have stunning batiks and these color hues just spoke fall to me. I incorporated a new way to achieve my  "Scrap...Crackle...Pop!" technique in a different block version. You will sew the same way as previously but follow the design layout to achieve the block design. Again, no paper-piecing...no 2 squares the same with this technique and the more scraps you use the more interesting your blocks appear. The design is only 6,5 x 6,5 and quilted with 50 weight Aurifil thread # 2235. I love how the thread complimented the fabric perfectly. I used my new 4-n-1 quilting ruler by Natalia Bonner for Piece N Quilt for the "orange peel" quilting in the squares. I absolutely love this ruler! It was perfect for small quilting, and I can't wait to try it in a larger scale. As you know by now with my designs you can easily enlarge the design if you desire. Just add more borders or make the border larger or use the same design layout and make your squares larger. Endless possibilities while you are using up your tiny scraps! This project was so easy and makes great gifts too. This trivet is so versatile when you use insul-bright. You can use a cold or hot dish to rest on and it's decorative as well when entertaining. Well...it's that time of year so keep checking back for more fun/easy projects for the Holidays. Enjoy!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Here's all you need...

*Fall scraps from Northcott Banyon Batiks

* Coordinating Aurifil 50# thread (2235) 

* Warm & Neutral low loft cotton batting

* Insul-bright (needled insulated lining for hot/cold items)

* Sulky leightweight tear-easy stabilizer

* 4-n-1 ruler by Natalia Bonner for Piece N Quilt (orange peel quilting)

Here's all you do...

* Scrap sew your light-medium Northcott prints 2gether w/a small stich length and trim to 1/8" seam allowance (less bulk)...finger press as you go along.

* Make 2 sets...press and square up to 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 in squares.

Rotary cut 2 orange fabric squares and 2 brown fabric squares. Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the solid square. With the scrappy square, right side up...place the marked square on top. Pin. Sew a quarter inch seam down both sides of the diagonal line. Rotary cut down the marked line. Press to darker fabric, trim off dog ears & square up if needed. You will now have a set of "Scrappy half-square triangles" Note they are not the same :-) Repeat same step to have 2 sets for center block.

* Following pic below....for top row...sew 2 half square triangles together w/right sides 2gether and a 1/4" seam allowance....finger press

* Repeat for 2nd row

* Join top to bottom row using the same sewing method. Press and square up to a 3/5 x 3/5. This is your center block.

Tip....Mark "top" if desired.

* Set in Side Triangles. Using the same method make 4 sets of orange/brown half-square triangles & 2 sets of your "scrappy-half-square triangles. 

Press and square up if needed. 

Layout per design below.

*Following design...Sew top row squares together with right sides 2gether using a 1/4" seam allowance.

Finger press as you go & square up if needed.

* Now sew row 2 & 3 half square triangles 2gether. Then join to center block with right sides 2gether.

* Sew row 4 squares together using same sewing method.

Tip....I mark my rows w/a pin and number them as I go...mostly to keep my pattern direction correct :-)

* Join row 1 to rows 2&3 then sew to row 4 using the same sewing method. 

* Press & square up if needed. You now have your "scrappy center block" :-)

Check back tomorrow for Phase 2...border/binding...quilting & finishing! 

Thanks for following & talk soon!

Scrap-a-long w/ Cat "2cute 2spook" Table square!

 Hey quilter's...hope y'all are having a blessed Sunday. I was hesitant on posting the table square design due to it being so late in the month. But with this design and most of my designs you can flip it to any season just by changing the fabric. If you've noticed my designs are featuring the technique that designed, "Scap...Crackle...Pop!" I love this technique, it's very therapeutic and you're using those tiny scraps. There is no paper piecing involved and you achieve a unique design due to no 2 squares are the same. It's very addicting once you start seeing those scraps being used that sometimes you toss. I am excited to say we'll be doing some fun Fall & Christmas designs soon. But that is why I decided to share the Halloween table square. You can totally change out the Halloween fabric and use your Fall or Christmas scraps to achieve a gorgeous table square for your holiday centerpiece. Mine roughly finished out to 15 x 15 but again you can see by pic below you can easily enlarge if because I'm using the same design concept. I like to say "1 design...sew many ways!" I made the center squares the same as the "trivet" in earlier post and I just added more 3" blocks in accent fabric, added a couple more candy cane squares &.some fun Halloween fabric squares accented each corner and again did the random scrappy candy cane border. I did the crazy spider-web quilting and crazy stitch quilting in the candy corn squares with coordinating Aurifil 50 weight thread. The directions are basically the same as the "trivet" just adding more squares pieced together and just following the directional pattern of each square in design. I mostly wanted you to see how fun & easy it is to take a simple block and just do some creative accent blocks to enlarge the design. Sometimes even I get caught up on trying to be perfect but it's the simple designs that are super cute and less-stress to make. If you're like me....it's the thread & fabric that brings a design together and then accenting with some fun quilting. Due to the hurricane I'm a bit behind on projects so wasn't able to do some crazy quilting on the candy corn scrappy border but that's o.k. too. I'm slowly learning in my young old age you just need to deal with what life brings you. Anyway, give the design a try with different fabric. It's a fun design to practice piecing your squares together with matching points together too. Well, as always, I appreciate you following me and please check back soon for a design that I'm super excited about featuring Northcott fabrics. Beautiful fabrics to incorporate for Fall & Winter entertaining. Check out their website...you'll see what I'm talking about :-) I have seasonal scrap-a-longs coming in 2023 that I'm super excited about as well. Those have been super fun designing especially during Hurricane season. Helps keeps me focused. Well, have a great week and check back soon. This gal is excited about Fall :-)

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Scrap-a-long w/ Cat..."2cute 2spook Trivet" Phase 2 & finishing!

 Hey quilter's...hope your weekend is going great. We're finally having sunny days and no rain. Due to the coolish weather the humidity is much better and those of you with arthritis like me know how happy that makes me! Gosh,,,it stinks getting old, but we have to keep going and somehow keep doing what we love. Baby steps but that's why I designed..."threadnfabrictherapy!" Every day is a journey when you're in pain for whatever reason but sometimes it helps to have a "therapeutic out." For me...it's always been designing and with my limitations now it's been a relief to design quilts and share what I love...hoping to help others along the way. Well....the trivet will be completed in this phase but remember with my designs you can always change up the fabric in the design for any Holiday. I love how Aurifil thread complimented the fabric design with the candy corn squares & my crazy spider-web quilting. I'm not a "spooky" Halloween person...never did like haunted houses as a child and definitely not as an adult. My grandson laughs and tells me that it's not real Gege...I just laugh, what I don't want to tell him is that your Gege will have nightmares for weeks. Ha! Anyway, keep following 'cause I have a really fun fall design coming soon that is so easy and super scrap friendly. Now let's get started on finishing this trivet for your holiday entertaining. 

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Instagram @ ihearditthroughthequiltvine

Here's all you do...

* Press your accent fabric ( I used black Fairy Frost by Michael Miller) 

* Rotary Cut your border fabric strips and sew as follows...

  (1) Rotary cut 2 strips 1 x 6.5 and sew w/ right sides 2gether to top/bottom of block using a 1/4 " seam allowance. Finger press as you go.

   (2) Rotary cut 2 strips 1 x 7.5 and sew w/ right sides 2gether to left/right side with a 1/4" seam allowance. Finger press as you go and square up if needed. Iron before adding scrapping borders in next step

Tip: at this stage your block should roughly be 7.5 x 7.5. This is where you could skip the scrappy border and just do another sold strip if desired but would love for you to try it...super fun! 

Advanced scrappy border...

* Randomly piece your scraps in the candy corn fashion using a 1/8 in seam allowance (less bulk) & finger press as you go.

Tip...I roughly do my strips a bit longer then needed then square up as I sew...do what's easier for you.

* Now press your strip and rotary cut to a 1 1/4" inch width This includes a 1/4" seam allowance.

* Due to the "stretch" sewing scraps together this is what I recommend...I rotary cut my strips a bit longer than the size of block as I go....this is why I'm not stating exact strips measurements. Fabric will stretch along the way using scraps so just square up as you sew for less-stress quilting ;-)

*Sew top border to square with right sides together and press/square up.

* Repeat step for bottom and then left and right sides.

Again...if you omit this step just add a 3/4" border with coordinating scrap fabric.

Border/Binding strips...

Rotary cut your strips as follows...

2 strips 2 x 9 and sew to top/bottom of block with rides sides together using a 1/4" seam allowance.

2 strips 2 x 11.5 to left/ride side in same fashion....press and square up if needed

Tip...do not worry about your border being wider then backing due to this is where you will later do my border/binding technique (fold back)

* Rotary cut batting and tear-away stabilizer to roughly 9.5 x 9.5

* With block (right side facing down) Layer block...batting then stabilizer. 

* Pin in place and quilt as desired. I did my crazy-spider-web quilting which is so easy...no precise web quilting...I just drew a diagonal line from center of triangle to outside and pivoted a half circle as I sewed. Mimicking a spider web. You can do a precise web design if desired, but this was a fun way to achieve the same concept. You can use a wipe away pencil to mark your design first to follow along while sewing. It's your design just have fun! 

Repeat for all purple half-square triangles.

Carefully tear-away stabilizer when finished.

* Rotary cut your backing and insul-bright to 9.5 x 9.5 and layer as follows.

* Back fabric w/ right side down

* Insul-bright

* Block facing w/ right side up 

Fold borders over in this method....first top/bottom then left/right using steps below.

* Fold border over to back side leaving a 1/4 seam allowance on front.

* Fold over again and tuck in to make a finished seam on back side of block. Pin or clip to secure.

* Top stitch on front of block to secure the binding on back side. (less-stress-quilting)

Tip...I do this for all my projects unless I plan on it being "judged" then I would do a traditional method.

Once you have achieved this step then you can "crazy-quilt" around the candy corns & border or quilt as desired. 

You now have a unique trivet for your Holiday entertaining. Using the insul-bright insulated lining you'll be able to set a hot or cold item on your trivet. If you get a spill and need to wash, I would just "spot clean" and "air dry". Hope you enjoyed this fun project and check back soon for my fun fall designs. 

Have a great Halloween!

Cat

 

Scrap-a-long w/ Cat..."2cute 2spook Trivet" Phase 1

Hey quilter's...hope all has been going well. We're slowly getting things going again after the hurricane. I don't want to complain because we're only doing minor repairs and I can't even imagine what others are dealing with every day. I've been out of my routine dealing with things and excited to finally get to share the trivet design for the holidays. One good thing about how I design is you can use the same design concept and just change out the fabric per decor...#onedesignsewmanyways! This concept might come in handy due to the late posting of Halloween decor. But it's so easy so I believe you still have time to make this fun 2cute 2spook 9x9 trivet for Halloween. The design is using my "Scrap...Crackle...Pop!" technique with an advanced "scrappy border." If you're short on time you can totally omit the advanced border and replace with an accent scrap piece of fabric. But I would like to challenge you if you haven't already tried a scrappy border. The technique is sew much fun and you use up a lot of those tiny scraps! That's a win for me...I hate to waste fabric :-) Just like the "mug mat" you'll be doing the same techniques, but I did some crazy accent quilting to enhance the design & fabrics. Anyway, I hope we have no more hurricanes this year. It's frustrating packing up things...aka "sewing room" cause you never know what mother nature is going to bring. Believe me...this one was a shocker for this "Texas gal." Well...let's get started on some Halloween fun!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

Follow on Instagram "ihearditthroughthequiltvine"

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Here's all you need...

*Halloween scraps w/ coordinating Aurifil thread ( I used 50# 2692, 2582, 2235, 2134)

* Sulky light-weight tear easy stabilizer

* Insul-Bright (by the Warm Company)

* Cotton batting

Here's all you do...

* You will be doing the same "Scrap....Crackle...Pop!" technique on blog post (8-9-22) but using your Halloween scraps. 

* I scraped pieced my fabrics in the "candy corn fashion" then pressed and squared up. 

Tip...to make this step a bit easier....I also color coordinated my scraps in piles to make this step faster. 

Again....randomly sewing scraps in the "candy corn fashion"

Once you have made your squares...lay them in the pinwheel design and rotate your scrappy candy corn squares per design. 

Sew blocks 2gether in the same fashion as posted on (8-9-22)

Press & square up to a 6.5 x 6.5 block

See ya back soon for Phase 2 :-)