Oh Deer...I kept your quilt for myself!

Remember when I made my sister the Lady Lattice quilt for Christmas? And then decided to keep it for myself because it goes so nicely in my living room?!? That meant I had very little time to crank out another quilt for her before Christmas. I had already finished her twin brother's quilt and couldn't give him his without one for her!

I bought a jelly roll and charm pack of Oh Deer by MoMo for Moda at the Wisconsin Quilt Expo last year.

It was a treat for me to make something for myself because I loved the prints and colors dearly (hehe. pun.) So I decided it would be a fair trade to make her an Oh Deer quilt instead of me since I had stolen her first one for myself!

This is the first time I had even bought a jelly roll (40 strips of 2.5"x44" of coordinating prints). In the words of my friend Alisa, jelly rolls are "juicy." They are soooo juicy! They feel great in your hands, are so fun to unwrap and a breeze to work with. I can feel a new addiction coming on...

Anyway, back to the quilt.

It was quick to make and I love how bright, busy and fun it is. I just sewed all but about 6 strips of the jellyroll together in a somewhat random order. Then I cut about 10 inches off one side. I sewed the squares of the charm pack into two rows and pieced that between the two striped pieces. I did the whole top in an afternoon. 

For the quilting I did a meandering pattern, trying not to have any cross overs. 

This quilt was well received by my sister. She called and told me that roommates and guests to her house have all commented on it and she really loves it. That makes me really, really happy and feel a little less guilty that I am sitting under the quilt I made for her first but kept!

Lady Lattice Quilt

When I had the idea for this quilt, I thought it would be very simple. Cut a bunch of fat quarters into 2, 3 and 4 inch strips. Sew them together in random order. Cut strips and piece together. Ta Da! So easy, right? HA! Not so much. While the first steps of cutting strips, sewing them together and cutting rectangles from the big striped pieces was a breeze, cutting and piecing the rest of the top SUCKED! I learned that triangles and 45 degree angles are not for me.

Thankfully, the final product turned out beautiful! This is seriously one of my favorite quilts I've ever seen - and I made it! I will, however, never do this patter again!

I used a vintage sheet for the back. When it came time to actually long arm the quilt, I didn't want to add a whole lot tight stitching as the pattern is already fairly busy. So I created a large scale loop-de-loo pattern (yes, I am fairly sure that is the technical term!).

You can see the quilting really well on the back but it blends in fairly well on the front.

I am in love with the end result. I am giving this to my sister for Christmas but it will be extremely hard to part with. I hope she appreciates the time and effort (and frustration!) that went into this gift. Update: I just couldn't do it. I am keeping this quilt for me! Shhhhhh, don't tell Kelly! I am sitting under it right now!

I LOVE the fabric that I used for the stripes. (Thank you, Meredith!) It's Emperor's Garden by Maywood Studios.

The solid fabric was another vintage sheet. (Thank you, Alisa!) And as always, a HUGE thank you to Gloria for letting our QA club take over her kitchen and studio for long arming every few Sundays.

Inkodye to die for

Have you heard of Inkodye? It's light sensitive dye that you can use on fabric, natural wood and so much more. My awesome MIL got me 3 colors and I've been having a blast experimenting with them.

For our first try, my friend Alisa and I decided to dye canvas and go with an art/sewing/crafting theme. I covered large pieces of cardboard with garbage bags and wrapped the fabric around, securing it with tape. Mix the Inkodye with water and brush it on.

Now comes the fun part! Place cutouts or found objects (the flatter the better) in a pleasing pattern on the fabric and take it outside to sit in the sun. I used buttons and Alisa used art supplies.

While the dye goes on clear, it starts to change color immediately in the sun. In full sun, the dye takes less than 10 minutes. On a cloudy day, a bit longer. We did ours in late afternoon (see how the items are casting shadows?) This is not ideal. Next time I'll do it when the sun is straight overhead. But our first try fabric still turned out really cute and we had a blast!

I'm calling mine "ghosty buttons." Because of the shadows the low sun cast, the buttons aren't as sharp as they could be but overall I still really like the effect.

Alisa's art supply inspired fabric turned out really cool too! Some of the smaller objects didn't work as well, but I love that you can see the markings and text from the clear ruler and triangle she used.

We haven't made anything out of our fabric yet, but we are thinking of making crafting utility aprons. I am also considering making a cushion for my sewing chair out of the button fabric, but the blue really doesn't go in my studio space. I'd love to hear any other ideas of what we should make - leave suggestions in the comments!

We looked! Then we saw him step in on the mat! We looked! And we saw him! The Cat in the Hat!

Have you seen the Dr. Seuss prints from Robert Kauffman? There is a Cat in the Hat and Lorax set. My friend asked me to make a quilt for her little Baby B that arrived earlier this month (Baby B turned out to be Miss Hathaway Jane!) She gave me a fat quarter set of both lines (both colorways for the Lorax!). She wanted me to use the Cat in the Hat fabric for her and the Lorax fabric I get to keep. The Lorax is one of my all time favorite books. I haven't quite decided what I'll make with the fabric, but I am leaning towards another quilt - for me!

This post is supposed to be about the quilt I made her, so I'll stop rambling about the Lorax fabric. (Can you tell I'm excited about it?!?)

There were a couple of difference challenges with this quilt. First, the fabrics are all adorable but a bit busy. Second, my friend wanted something that could be folded and work for a crib but would also work more long term as Baby B grows into a toddler then "big kid." We decided together that something long and narrow would fit both needs - then I discovered the two big panels in the bundle were long and narrow, so it worked out perfectly.

I am not a good pattern follower. I like to make things up as I go and see where it takes me. The Cat in that Hat is zany and a bit crazy, so I decided the quilt needed to be too. As I said before, the fabric is busy so I didn't want that to become overwhelming. So I stuck with larger blocks of the fabric, and just turned everything to a 45 degree angle. I am really happy with the results.

What do you think? Squaring the quilt and appliqueing the center panel on were by far the biggest challenges.

I also wanted to use both big panels that came in the bundle so I did just a little something on the back.

I basically used every scrap of fabric in the entire fat quarter bundle and it worked out perfectly. I quilted my favorite go to "pattern" of meandering bumble bee. It goes nice with the straight lines of the quilt and its so simple to do, you can't mess it up!

The Return of the Ghastlies

I realize it's nearly May but I'm just now getting around to posting pics of some things I made for Christmas gifts. I made these for my mother-in-law.

Ghastlies Table Runner

Ghastlies Oven Mit (front & back)

Four Ghastlies Placemats 

What made me finally remember to post these? I bought several yards of the newest Ghastlies family print, Family Reunion, when I was on vacation earlier this month! YAY! I can't wait to get reacquainted with the family with some new projects!

Mrs. Tonya Ghastlie

I am so happy to have found so many other Ghastlies loving women in the blogosphere. I had a blast last week checking out everyone's ghastlie creations and entering to win prizes. YAY! Now it's finally my turn to share!

My very first Ghastlies project means so much to me for several reasons. When I found this fabric line, I was not a quilter - and had no desire to become one. I loved the fabric so much, I bought it anyway. At the time, the only use I could think of was a quilt. (I know now that is NOT the case at all!) But I am actually glad that I didn't think to make other things with it - because now I am a quilter and I love it and it's all because of the Ghastlies!

So this is my very first quilt - made start to finish completely by me with no idea what I was doing the entire way through! Now, why do I love quilting? Many, many reason, but the number one reason is it makes me feel close to my grandma. She passed away nearly a decade ago - much, much too young - but she was a beautiful person and wonderful quilter.

I owe a big "Thank You!" to the Ghastlies for making me a very happy quilter.

On to the projects:

Queen sized Ghastlies quilt. 

Scrappy Ghastlies pillow.

Two sided Ghastlies bookmarks.

Reversible Ghastlies mug cozies. 

Ghastlies fridge magnets. 

Ghastlies Dinner serving tray. 

Ghastlies half apron.

I have one more Ghastlie project I'd like to show you, but it's not mine. My friend Staci over at One Girl made a dress from the white Sebastian print. And a cape! They are amazing! Check them out!

And now the best part: The Giveaway! What can you win? Ghastlies goodies of course!

The winner will receive the Ghastlies half apron, plus a Ghastlies mug cozie and bookmark. To win, subscribe to or follow my blog using the links at the top left or in the right sidebar. Then leave a comment telling me what your favorite Ghastlies project has been (mine or from other Ghastlie ladies' in the blog hop. You can see all the projects so far on my Ghastlies Pinboard) That's it! I will leave the giveaway open through Friday, November 4th and announce the winner on Monday, November 7th. Don't forget to leave your email or some way for me to contact you if you win.

I will also randomly choose one commenter to submit to Madame Samm to win today's grand prize. That winner will be announced here later this week. (UPDATE: Mrs. Pickles won the daily prize. MY giveaway is still open through Friday, November 4th!)

And don't forget to visit the other Ghastlie women who are posting today:
Mrs. Tiramisue Ghastlie
Mrs. Angela Ghastlie
Mrs. Pauline Ghastlie
Mrs. Karin Ghastlie
Mrs. Barb Ghastlie

Have a Ghastlie Halloween!

Ghastlies Blog Hop - Week 2

Welcome to week two of the Ghastlies Blog Hop! Just in time for Halloween, I and 50 other Ghastlies loving ladies have put together some great ghastlie projects for a blog hop! The blog hop was coordinated by the one and only Madame Samm who has also arranged for some great giveaways - daily and grand prizes. Many of the ladies (including myself) will have a giveaway with our posts as well.

If you have the Ghastlies fever too, here's where to find the cure this week:

Monday, October 31st
Mrs. Tonya Ghastlie (That's me!)
Mrs. Tiramisue Ghastlie
Mrs. Angela Ghastlie
Mrs. Pauline Ghastlie
Mrs. Karin Ghastlie
Mrs. Barb Ghastlie

Tuesday, November 1st
Miss Daisy Ghastlie
Mrs. Dana Ghastlie
Mrs. Elaine Ghastlie 
Mrs. Gramma Sheri Ghastlie
Ms. Suz Ghastlie

Wednesday, November 2nd
Mrs. Jane Ghastlie
Mrs. Laura Ghastlie 
Mrs. Mary Ghastlie
Mrs. Michelle Ghastlie
Mrs. Dawn Ghastlie 
Mrs. Mary Ghastlie

Thursday, November 3rd
Mrs. Sharon Ghastlie
Mrs. Corrie Ghastlie
Mrs. Cheryl Ghastlie
Mrs. Linda Ghastlie
Mrs. Pickles Ghastlie

Friday, November 4th
Mrs. Nan Ghastlie
Mrs. Gmama Jane Ghastlie
Mrs. Joan Ghastlie
Mrs. Nancy Ghastlie
Ms. Susan Ghastlie
Madame Ghastlie

As I mentioned earlier each day we will have a giveaway. Some of the other bloggers have made special projects to giveaway and we will have daily SPECIAL PRIZES from these sponsors....to sweeten the CAULDRON....

Some of our Sponsors:
Alexander Henry Fabrics - lot's and lot's of Ghastlie Fabric
Colonial Needle - sewing basket
Janes Fabrics - Kona fabrics in PINK - fat quarter bundle
Reliable Iron - orange Velocity 50
IHAN ( kelly ) - aurifil threads
Coeurdalenegifts - 2 sets of Halloween lights
Forth Worth Fabric Studio - gorgeous gift set of Ghasltie fabric
Creative Grid - 3 Rulers their top 3
Blue FIG - wheeled bag in PINK
Beam N Read and custom Ghastlie Buttons

The winner will always be announced on Mdm Samm's Sew I Quilt blog. To win, follow directions of the daily bloggers and make comments on their blogs.

I hope you enjoyed week one of our Ghastlies Blog Hop and I'm happy you're back for week two! My featured post and giveaway is tomorrow! Don't forget to come back and enter to win - there is double prize potential!

Ghastlies Blog Hop Pinboard

Update to the Ghastlies Blog Hop: I've created a board on Pinterest of all the projects. There are already 17 from today's 5 Ghastlie ladies! Follow the Ghastlies Pinboard here!

Don't forget to visit the 5-6 ladies daily to win great ghastlie prizes! There are links to this week's featured bloggers on the below post!

Ghastlies Blog Hop

Remember last year about this time when I became obsessed with the Ghastlies fabric? I'm still in love and apparently I'm not the only one!

Just in time for Halloween, I and 50 other Ghastlies loving ladies have put together some great ghastlie projects for a blog hop! The blog hop was coordinated by the one and only Madame Samm who has also arranged for some great giveaways - daily and grand prizes. Many of the ladies (including myself) will have a giveaway with our posts as well.

If you have this thing for Ghastlies

and they have tied you in a knot

and you wish you could get them out of your mind

than this may be a thought.

We heard her plea for a cure

Mdm Samm was pos/it/ively sure

that we could stitch the nights away

in hopes that we MAY----???

BUT....

The side effects are Ghastlie

there is no mistaking too.

If you don't run this very minute

YOU too will catch the FLU...

We suspected all along

this was her master plan.

She did not want to be alone,

with all YOU Ghastlie FANS...

If you have the Ghastlies fever too, here's where to find the cure this week:

Monday, October 24th
Mrs Kirie Ghastlie
Ms Carol Ghastlie 
Ms. Wendy Ghastlie
Ms. Carrie Ghastlie
Mrs Holly Ghastlie

Tuesday, October 25th
Mrs. Annie Ghastlie
Mrs Doris Ghastlie
Mrs Brandie Ghastlie
Ms. Alidiza Ghastlie
Mrs. Judy C Ghastlie

Wednesday, October 26th
Mrs. Barb Ghastlie
Miss Karen Ghastlie
Ms. Loralynn Ghastlie
Ms. Jen Ghastlie
Ms Penny Ghastlie
Mrs Rhonda Ghastlie

Thursday, October 27th
Mrs. Katherine Ghastlie 
Ms Sharon Ghastlie
Mrs. Gooden Ghastlie
Ms. Selina Ghastlie
Mrs. Melinda Ghastlie

Friday, October 28th
Miss Trudi Ghastlie
Ms. Deonn Ghastlie
Mrs. Marlene Ghastlie
Mrs Kim Ghastlie
Mrs Tammy Ghastlie

Next week there will be a whole new batch of participants. I'll be featured on Monday, October 31st. Happy Halloween!

As I mentioned earlier each day we will have a giveaway. Some of the other bloggers have made special projects to giveaway and we will have daily SPECIAL PRIZES from these sponsors....to sweeten the CAULDRON....

Some of our Sponsors:
Alexander Henry Fabrics - lot's and lot's of Ghastlie Fabric
Colonial Needle - sewing basket
Janes Fabrics - Kona fabrics in PINK - fat quarter bundle
Reliable Iron - orange Velocity 50
IHAN ( kelly ) - aurifil threads
Coeurdalenegifts - 2 sets of Halloween lights
Forth Worth Fabric Studio - gorgeous gift set of Ghasltie fabric
Creative Grid - 3 Rulers their top 3
Blue FIG - wheeled bag in PINK
Beam N Read and custom Ghastlie Buttons

Our 1st Prize Giveaway today will be this...

4 Yards of this GHASTLIE Collection from our sponsor Alexander Henry Fabrics

The winner will always be announced on Mdm Samm's Sew I Quilt blog. To win, follow directions of the daily bloggers and make comments on their blogs.

I've seen some sneak previews of the projects and prizes. You will not want to miss a post. Everything is so creative, wonderful and, of course, Ghastlie!

Ring around the rosies

I recently lost my favorite hair accessory and have been missing it dearly. I searched a few tutorials online and found two I wanted to try. The boutique flower tutorial at Diamonds, Fur and Laundry creates petals by burning the edge of fabric circles. I used this technique to make the biggest dark gray pinstriped flower.

I used the DIY fabric rosette tutorial from Write it in Lipstick to make the smallest gray satin rose. Tying a knot in one end and wrapping from there. This worked well too.

For the yellow rosette, I made up my own technique by starting at the outer edge and sewing and twisting my way to the center. When I got done with all three techniques, I decided they looked good together. I sewed them to a singe felt backing piece and the added a second piece of felt to create a sleeve of sorts. The end result slides on and off a headband, works with invisible barrettes, and can clip to a shirt, purse or necklace. It was fun and really quick. I think I need to make more. Lots and lots more.

Since I started this post, I made another one. It's so pretty.

Hang your hat on that

I've been looking for some unique vintage hooks to put in our kitchen to hang purses, keys, etc. on so that our kitchen table can stop being a catchall. I was just going hang them right on the wall until I found Kate's pretty paper coat rack via Pinterest.

Photo from Design Sponge

Oooo. Pretty! I use fabric instead of paper. The board is a piece of a drawer that never made it into our entertainment center. Under $10 and this is what I ended up with:

And now the table is clear and purses and keys are easily found!

Batik Ombre Quilt

A while back a good friend of mine gave me a HUGE box of batik fabrics, in every color of the rainbow, cut into 10x3 inches rectangles. The fabric is all beautiful and the thing that struck me the most was how the colors changed so gradually from light to dark. I wanted to play off that quality to make almost an ombre effect for a quilt. I needed to crank out a top pretty quickly before my next opportunity at the long arm and my least favorite part of quilting is cutting pieces, so I didn't for this quilt! Just lined them up in a pleasing gradient and stitched away. I really love how this turned out and it makes me want to do several more similar ones. I think the same effect in blue and green would be very pretty.

For the back, I found a very pretty fabric with tiny, batik-looking green flowers. I think it complements the front nicely.

The quilt is about 70 inches by 80 inches. Not big enough for a bed, but just about perfect for snuggling up in a comfy chair with a good book and a hot cup of coffee. That sounds so good, I think I'm going to do that now. 

Halloween math

2 fat quarters
+ 1 free pattern
____________
4 Halloween treat bags!

These are so cute, I can hardly stand it. They were super simple to make too. The fabric is Boo to You by My Mind's Eye. The pattern came from the Fall 2010 Quilts and More magazine.

They are just the perfect size for a gooey popcorn ball and a few pieces of Halloween candy. I've made 12 now but I want to make more by Halloween because I have a few trick-or-treaters in mind that will be getting these. I cannot believe it's October already!

Pushing Pins

I've been sewing a lot again and finally got fed up with my pincushions for the final time. I had one of those tiny tomato pincushions with the even tinier strawberry attached to it. My wrist pincushion was an 89¢ Wal-Mart special that typically inflicts more injury than it's worth. So I started scouring blogland and found so many cute, fun and funky patterns that I was overwhelmed. From my research, I did come up with two things: 1. I wanted one HUGE cushion that is stable and heavy enough it doesn't go flying every time I pull a pin out of it, and 2. I needed a comfortable wrist pincushion that I can't accidentally stick pins all the way through and into my arm.

Here's what I came up with to fulfill want #1:

I used some coordinating scraps of Viviana by Lonni Rossi for Andover Fabrics. I wouldn't call this post a tutorial, but I think that most beginner sewers could figure this out. Start with two 6" squares (one each of two different fabrics) and a long strip (about 25" x 3") of a third fabric.
1. Cut the two squares into 4 triangles each (corner to corner).
2. Using two triangles from fabric 1 and two from fabric 2, piece them together to make squares again. Repeat with remaining triangles so you are back with two squares.
3. Sew the strip around one of the squares. Then sew the ends of the strip together, cutting off excess.
4. Sew second square to strip, leaving a 2" hole on one side to turn and stuff.
5. Turn right side out, stuff, hand sew the opening closed and attach a button to the center of each side. Viola!

I really like the depth this has. It all has a weight to it so it stays put. It was quick and fun to make and now I might even pin things I'm sewing like I should!

Stay tuned for a pseudo tutorial for a very comfortable and adorable wrist pincushion.