Tag Archives: Sewing

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Free Pattern for a fun summer quilt – Sunshine Resort fabrics by Loralie!

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I just love these  fabrics! Sunshine Resort fabrics by Loralie for Quilting Treasures are just adorable with Loralie’s ladies at the beach.  The colors and motifs of ice cream, sun and surf all make for fun summer memories. And flip flops are definitely a summer wardrobe staple although in the south, we wear them for a while longer.

I designed this fun quilt pattern for Quilting Treasures website . It’s available for free download from their site with just a quick click – Loralie Sunshine Resort Quilt.  The pattern is very easy and can be sewn quickly.

Free quilt pattern for Quilting Treasures Sunshine Resort fabrics

So check it out and create a fun quilt to enjoy for years to come!

Here’s to a great summer and fun quilting!

Phyllis

 

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Free Patterns for Aprons and Quilts

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Please note that this apron pattern is no longer available through Quilting Treasures website.  However due to the demand for it, I have recreated another pattern similar to this. It can be found on the Etsy Whimsicolor.  

Note also – The Rails quilt pattern below is also no longer available through Quilting treasures and has been redesigned.  It can also be found on the Etsy WhimsyColor.

I love sewing and quilting with beautiful fabrics, so its fun to design projects for Quilting Treasure’s website with some of their newest fabrics. I have finished several quilt and sewing designs for Quilting Treasures that can be downloaded free from their website and wanted to share them with you. Using the red, white and blue fabrics from Studio 8’s collection Monaco, these aprons can be made in a blue or red color combination. The aprons are sassy with two layers for the skirt to include a little overskirt. The top band of the bodice is ruched for extra detail.

Aprons in red or blue colors

This quilt is easy to sew and is made with the red colors of the collection. The blocks have a random arrangement of fabrics.

Free quilt pattern designed by Phyllis Dobbs for Quilting Treasures

Happy sewing!

Phyllis

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Staying Cool During these Hot, Hot Days!

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The heat is bad enough, but when you add lots of humidity, its time to stay inside and remain cool and refreshed.  This is also the time for iced tea or lemonade, both of which I have been guzzling!  Adding lots of cool fruits and salads completes my daily menu  (plus a little chocolate of course).

What better timing for completing my quilt book. The heat makes it much easier to be focused and content to stay inside, especially since I have been buried working on instructions and graphics. All the quilts are finished and the book is almost finished as well.  It will be out the door in a week.  I will be giving details very soon as well as photos from the photography session in absolutely the most wonderful and charming studio.

cutting quilt border

Stay cool and enjoy some iced tea, ice cream or anything iced!

Phyllis

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New Quilt Book!

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I have been buried under piles of fabrics the past few months!  I have been working on a new quilt book to be published this fall in time for the fall International Quilt Market in Houston.  Stack of fabrics for Quilt bookI’m really excited about this book and just love all the quilts.

I took pictures of the fabrics when I first got them in before I started cutting away.  It was a heavenly delight with all the wonderful array of colors. Fabric pile for quilt book

Fabric stash for quilt bookI can’t say too much about the book now, but I will tell the focus of the book and lots more about it soon.  Like most of my designs, it will have some whimsy. And again, I’m so excited about this book!

Have a day filled with inspiration and creativity!

Phyllis

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Quilting for Charity

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Do you have unwanted fabrics or UFO’s or PIGS?  You can help supply quilts for the opening of the VA Hospital in Las Vegas. They need 300 quilts by the hospital opening. I came across this worthy cause through Barb Johnson, a Facebook friend.

As a special outreach of Quilts 4 Cancer, this group is making quilts for the opening of the new VA hospital. They are all volunteer with no sponsors. They need quilts 50″ x 70″ or larger and are looking for lots of Military and Red, White and Blue but will take ANYTHING in a quilt, top or blocks. They have many volunteers that can sew up your “UFO’s” & “PIGS” as well as use up any unwanted fabrics.

Most of the veterans are men, yet there are some ladies, so they are also looking for quilts for the Lady Veterans.

If anyone wants to donate money (tax deductible), make the checks payable to Q4C and mail to P.O. Box 4702, Pahrump, NV  89041. More information about this event and for mailing supplies can be found on the Quilts 4 Cancer website.

I hope that you are able to help with this worthy cause for our veterans.

Phyllis

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Nurse Central Quilt – Free Quilt pattern by Quilting Treasures

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Loralie Nurse Central quiltDoesn’t this Nurse Central fabric collection designed by Loralie Designs for Quilting Treasures make a gorgeous quilt!  In addition to designing fabrics for Cranston Printworks (with new lines coming out 2011), I also design some quilt patterns for their free project sheets on their websites.  I designed this quilt using this really fun fabric collection and want to share it with you.

This pattern is available for free download from their Quilting Treasures division. The quilt is pieced in a block layout. Check out all the patterns on their website and you will see that there are many wonderful free quilt patterns for you to enjoy sewing.

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Sew a Pumpkin Placemat!

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Halloween is almost here – next weekend!  I love pumpkins – they represent Fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving. Plus they are so delicious to eat in great desserts.  You can make this easy Pumpkin placemat in time for Halloween.  This free pattern will serve double duty as you can use it for a Thanksgiving table setting – just leave off the buttons.

Click to download the free pattern and instructions and start sewing.  All you need is the background fabric, orange fabric, green bias tape, baby rick rack, fusible web and if you are making it for Halloween, buttons.

I wish you a fun Halloween! My husband will be handing out our candy since I will be in Houston for the International Quilt Market.

Happy sewing!

Phyllis

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Create a fun apron for Halloween

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I love sewing aprons and just created this Halloween apron with a spider pocket.

I used orange and black stripe fabric along with orange and black solids. Rick Rack is used for embellishment. The spider is the pocket and has rick rack for the legs and a large button for a head.

This apron pattern and others can be found at Etsy WhimsyColor.

Its so easy to make and you can sew it in a couple of hours or less. I would love to see the aprons that all you creative sewers make using this pattern so please send me pictures or comment!

Happy sewing!

Phyllis

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Repurpose (recycle) a tee shirt into a Halloween Treat Bag

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Repurpose one of your old tee shirts into a fun Halloween Trick-or-Treat bag for the kids (or for yourself to carry around for Halloween).  

To make this easy tote bag for Halloween, all you need is the following supplies –

Black long sleeve tee shirt

Green fabric paint (great if you use glow-in-the-dark paint)

2 pieces of green ribbon

Green rattail cording

Small orange buttons

2 large orange buttons

1 large orange decorative button brad

2 small yellow buttons

1 large yellow button

1/3″ wide orange ribbon

Needle and thread or glue

Piece of cardboard

Scissors

Instructions:

Lay tee shirt flat and cut the top of the tee shirt off above the top edge of the sleeves.  The cutting line is marked on the tee shirt below.

Fold the top of the tee shirt down over the front so that the bottom of the arm hole for the sleeve is at the top and the folded piece forms a flap.

Place the piece of cardboard between the 2 layers of the tee shirt and under where you will paint. Paint a pumpkin on the front of the tee shirt below the folded over edge and 2 to 3 inches above the bottom edge.

Sew the bottom front and back of the tee shirt together, sewing the seam 1 1/4″ above the bottom edge. Twist the sleeves and over lap the cuff edges by 1″ and sew together. Cut the bottom edge below the seam to form fringe.

Sew the end of the orange ribbon to the base of one sleeve “strap” and wrap around the strap until you reach the other end, cut the ribbon and sew the ribbon end to the strap. Fold 2 different lengths of ribbon together and stitch the fold to the tee shirt centered above the pumpkin.  Arrange the green rattail cording and sew loosely to the shirt as shown.  Glue or sew the orange brad on top of the ribbon at the fold.

Sew or glue buttons – 2 small yellow buttons in the eyes, 2 large orange buttons in the bottom corners, the yellow button centered on the folded over teeshirt area, and a row of small orange buttons to the edge of the fold over.

I hope you enjoy this project!  Be creative and paint a skull or any other Halloween design or use a different color shirt – let your imagination fly or enlist the help of the kids.  Your trick or treaters will love carrying this bag.

Phyllis

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An unexpected treasure – a wonderful metal dress form.

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Sometimes the unexpected happens – you find something that you didn’t know you were looking for until you see it! Look at this fabulous dress form I found in, of all places, Tuesday Morning.  I was shopping with my friend Brenda Pinnick for unique items to craft with when I spotted this dress form.  Its perfect for displaying aprons (I have several patterns mentally designed so I could “justify” buying it!)

A few months ago, I scoured the internet looking for the perfect dress form to display aprons and found a wicker one that I liked.  Now my wicker gal has a little sister joining her in my studio.

The only downside is that I was at the beach and had to convince my husband that I could pack around it for our trip home – not an easy task with either the convincing or the packing! I know its not the typical beach purchase, but a treasure is a treasure!

Please check back for a Halloween apron that I’m working on as well as for some other special arts and crafts that were created while beaching.

Phyllis