Tag Archives: Sewing

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Making a “Crazy” Mask with Scraps

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I save all my fabric scraps! Don’t you? There is so much you can use them for. They are beautiful pieces of fabric I just can’t throw away unless they’re really tiny.

My friend, Kim Green, has been making masks for over a month for those who are working with the public during this shutdown. She showed a beautiful heart that she made with her scraps. That gave me the idea to use some of my scraps to make a mask in a “crazy quilt” style.

The first step is to gather scraps and sew them together with random fabrics such as above. I chose fabrics in a turquoise and purplish color range. I made 2, one each for each mask side so I could position each side of the pattern when cutting.

Then I cut the pieces out using this pattern. I sewed the pieces and lining to make my mask. You may want to make your “crazy quilt” mask for yourself or a gift. If you are bulk mask making, I don’t recommend this “crazy quilt” method as it’s much more time consuming and cuts down on production. I also didn’t add embroidery stitches as I figured that the added texture may hold any virus, plus they will be washed a lot. I turned the ends of the ribbon under and stitched back and forth so they would not ravel when washed.

And while in the stitching-scraps-together mode, I decided to make another one in a different color combination. I chose pink, orange and green for this one.

I have always loved crazy quilting and love applying it to more modern type products. It works great for masks. I have many other crazy quilt projects that I have been working on the past several months – I just need to add the finishing touches.

I hope you are finding ways to stay productive and creative during the shut down. At first, it was hard to focus and saw that this was the case for just about everybody. Then, my need to stay busy with my hands and mind kicked in. So the result has been sewing masks, embroidery, creating new art, creating content for ArtBizJam Abundance (with Lori Siebert) and taking some creative online classes, mostly with Procreate. But I really, really miss being with family and friends.

I hope you are all staying safe and well. It has been a struggle with all of us as life goes on and we feel that aren’t fully participating like we have always done. Maybe we will be getting back to that soon.

Phyllis

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Love this Nurse Tote!

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I love to hear from any of you, and especially love it when you send me a picture of how you used any of my patterns or fabrics.  I love this tote sewn by Lisa Brooks Smets of Quilted Horse Designs.  She created it as a custom order that was being given as a gift. The red color really makes this bag pop!

Red nurse tote bag

The fabric she used was the red Love A Nurse fabric in my Spoonflower shop.  This fabric is available with several different background colors. This collection also small 5″ blocks with the words “Love A Nurse”surrounded by a border and in a 42″ x 36” cheater quilt layouts in 3 color backgrounds. I think Lisa did a terrific job sewing this tote. She does other sewing and can be reached for custom orders through her Quilted Horse Designs website.

I would love to hear from any of you! And if you purchase any of my fabrics, whether from Spoonflower or elsewhere, I would love to see what you make!

Phyllis

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Seasons of Fall – Falling Leaves Quilt Pattern

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I love the colors of fall leaves and it’s that time of year again. I can’t believe leaves are already falling heavily as everything, including the trees, is still so green. But a daily sweep of leaves from my deck is required to keep them from accumulating. Watching the gradual color change inspired me to create this quilt pattern “Seasons of Fall”.

Seasons of Fall Falling Leaves

The quilt is created with both piecing and appliquéing.  The size is 56″ x 68″ but you can easily adjust it to make it larger or smaller so that you can use it as a lap quilt, wall hanging or bed quilt.  With the appliqué, you can use your scraps or precut fabrics.  The pattern is available in my Etsy online shop for easy immediate download.

I’m headed to the International Quilt Market in Houston next week.  While the leaves are still green, I know they will change drastically while I’m gone. When I leave for a few days in both the spring and fall, I always return to a different landscape.

I hope you are enjoying a colorful change and spend cooler days inside quilting!

Phyllis

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How Many UFO’s (Unfinished Object Projects) do you have hiding away?

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I love needlework! But somehow this little piece ended up unfinished, a small UFO, sitting in my closet with more UFO’s.

Unfinished Ribbon Embroidery Project

During the years that I was a member of the Embroider’s Guild of America, EGA, I took every class offered and attended regional retreats. As a result, I ended up with a lot of UFO’s in addition to the finished projects. But, all was not lost with UFO’s!  I enjoyed every stitch that I did complete and learned so much about embroidery and other forms of needlework and canvas work.  In addition, I loved spending time with  friends and the conversations we had while sitting and stitching.

The stitching of this little project is finished. I started tearing away the paper but something distracted me and I didn’t finish the project. I will most likely turn it into a small sachet pillow or frame it, so I hope to post the finished piece shortly!  I’m also feeling guilty about my other UFO’s so will pull them out and work on them while being a couch potato at night. That will also limit my couch potato guilt!

I hope you pull out your UFO’s and give them a little love!

Phyllis

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Embroidery Design with my Cat’s Help!

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I have been giving embroidery needles a workout and have been creating some embroidery for new designs to combine with quilting. As you can see, I have help – my cat Bandit has to inspect what I am doing. He quickly lost interest and settled down for a nap, which is a good thing with needles flying back and forth.

Embroidery for quilt

Embroidery has been my first love for needlework. I started needlework at a very young elementary school age by my aunt as an excellent teacher. All the women in my family, my mother, aunts and grandmother, all spent a lot of time with needles with various mediums – quilting, crochet, knitting, sewing and needlework. I’ve continued with each medium except for knitting (I love knitting but keep forgetting how to knit between projects).

I am delighted to see young and fresh embroidery designs being created and love that embroidery continues with its “nine lives”!

Check back as I will be showing the finished design!

I hope you pick up your needles, no matter the medium!

Phyllis

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Fabric Love for New Sewing and Quilting Projects!

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I look at fabric as mini pieces of art!  I’m enthralled with the colors and patterns and cannot resist touching and feeling fabrics. I love designing fabrics as well as buying fabrics I find in the marketplace. I have attended the Modern Quilt Guild convention, QuiltCon, a couple of times and am headed there again next February. In addition to enjoying the classes and lectures, I do a lot of shopping!  Its irresistible and so fun!

Fabrics for new projects

I bought a lot of the above fabrics at Quiltcon’s (plus one is my design). I’m currently working on projects with these fabrics and think I will add some embroidery, another love! I can’t tell you what the finished projects will be at this time, but will post as soon as I can.

Enjoy thinking about your little pieces of art as you make something wonderful with them. Sometimes, I really hate to cut the fabrics, but then remind myself of the beautiful creation that will result.

Are you one of “those” people like me who can’t resist touching any kind of fabric, to feel the softness, weight and textures?

Phyllis

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Wholecloth Quilts – Easy to Make for Great Gifts

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Spoonflower is great for purchasing fabrics that you can’t find anywhere else for yardage as small as a fat quarter or for cut and sew projects. I recently opened a Spoonflower shop with many of my fabric designs and I’m continuously creating more. I also created wholecloth quilt tops that are easy and quick to make as a 42″ x 36″ quilt. You can also cut them apart for the blocks or use as a center panel of a larger quilt. These quilts are also great for a beginner quilter. Coordinating fabrics are available for each quilt.Love a Nurse Quilt Top

Love A Nurse quilt top is available in light blue and pink color choices.  Red, navy blue and yellow choices will be available in less than 2 weeks. These quilts make a thoughtful way to show your appreciation for a nurse and all that they do. Just make your quilt sandwich, quilt and add binding and it will be finished.

Kitty Cat Wholecloth Quilt top Spoonflower

I created this Kitty Cat quilt as a quilt pattern that is available in both my Etsy and Craftsy stores in a larger size appliqué quilt.  The fabrics were from my Purr-fect Balance fabric collection available to quilt shops. I used the art to create the Kitty Cat wholecloth quilt top for Spoonflower for those who want to make the quilt without creating the appliqués for the cats.

I have several other quilt tops in my Spoonflower shop am in the process of quilting them. I love the size for quilting with my sewing machine and hope to finish them before Thanksgiving. The weather has turned cool enough that they feel good on my lap while sewing the bindings.

I wish you a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving and time with people you love!

Phyllis

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Time for Christmas Quilting

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It’s hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner, and that Thanksgiving almost here. I think that the weather staying warm later this year has made me feel that the holidays are getting here so much more quickly than normal. However there is still time to make a quilt for Christmas, whether for yourself or for a gift and I will be sitting at my machine this week. These quilts are a few that I have designed for Christmas.

Christmas Stocking Quilt Pattern

This Christmas Stocking quilt makes a cute quilt for children to snuggle under. It can be made as a scrap quilt using different scraps of fabric for the different sections of the stockings as well as using your precut fabrics.  The size of this pieced patchwork quilt is 47″ x 58″ but can easily be adjusted to make it larger or smaller.

Holly Christmas Quilt

Holly is a natural at Christmas for decorating. This Holly Christmas quilt can be used each year to go with your holly decorating.  This quilt pattern gives two options, the full quilt or a smaller quilt using the center panel.  The pattern provides instructions for both to give you double use. Make one for yourself and one to give away. The full quilt is 68″ x 84″.

Christmas Tree and Bows Quilt Pattern

This Christmas Tree quilt is made dimensionally with the leaf sections of the tree sewn to the quilt top at the top point of each leaf. The leaves  hang loose at the bottom edge.  Bows are appliquéd in the border.  This quilt is 28″ x 32″ and can be made from your scraps or precut fabrics.  Red ribbon is used for the bow at the top of the tree.

These patterns as well as other Christmas quilt patterns are available in my and Etsy store as downloadable pdf’s so you can start quilting immediately, without a wait time for shipping. The weather has been nice enough to be outside some but isn’t it more fun to be inside quilting than raking leaves?

Happy Quilting!

Phyllis

 

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Christmas Cheer with Christmas Sewing and Quilting

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December is always such a busy and fun month to enjoy the holiday festivities. I enjoy visits with family and friends throughout the month, the rush of holiday activities, and the Christmas decorations everywhere.

Christmas flower pot for entertaining

I haven’t had a chance to put my tree up yet but it will go up by the weekend. Meanwhile I do have a few decorations out. This pot containing white ornaments is a terra-cotta flower pot that I painted red and white. While I only use it at Christmas, the red color can double up for Valentine to hold goodies for the kids or a kid’s party. It’s very easy to make with a clean flower pot and red and white paints.

With cold weather, its fun to sew or quilt while staying warm inside. This Christmas Wrap Apron is very easy to make in a couple of hours and will dress up your holiday cooking. The pattern is available from Etsy as a download.

Free Christmas Apron Pattern

I have designed several Christmas quilt patterns which are also all available from Etsy. There’s still plenty of time to sew a fun quilt for a Christmas gift, to decorate with or just to snuggle under. This stocking quilt is fun for kids and is created by piecing. You can use your scraps or pre-cuts for this the stocking pieces.

Christmas Stockings Quilt

You will enjoy this Christmas Holly quilt for many years. This pattern is very versatile and can be made as shown below, or by making only the center wreath section for a smaller quilt or table topper. This quilt uses the techniques of appliqué and piecing. The holly pieces can be made from your green scraps or pre-cuts.

Christmas Holly Applique Quilt Pattern

This Christmas Tree and Bow quilt pattern is dimension made with “petals” that are sewn to the quilt and drop down loosely to give the feeling of a tree. The bows in the border are appliquéd, and the bow at the top of the tree is made of ribbon that is stitched on.

Dimensional Christmas Tree Quilt Pattern

I hope that December is filled with joy for each of you and that you are surrounded by the people you love. And that you get in a little Christmas sewing and quilting!

Phyllis

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Stars and Stripes Waving Flag Quilt to Show Patriotism

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Cuddle in this Stars and Stripes Waving Flag  quilt to celebrate your patriotism. This quilt pattern in red, white and blue fabrics is easy to sew to give you a quilt to display all year, for patriotic holidays, or give as a gift to a veteran or someone in the military.

Stars and Stripes Waving Flag Quilt pattern

This quilt is a good size for a lap quilt, wall hanging, or for cuddling. The size of 56″ W x 44″ H  can easily be adjusted for a larger or smaller quilt. The chevron zig zag stripes in an assortment of red and white fabrics give this quilt a fresh modern look. Using both piecing and appliqué methods to construct, this quilt pattern has a wide blue band on one side with appliqué white stars. The pattern has full step-by-step instructions, charts, color diagrams and a full size star pattern.

This Stars and Stripes Waving Flag pattern is available online from  Etsy as a downloable pdf.

May our flag forever wave!

Phyllis