Zanie Zoo

Dallas Quilt Show

2011-03-22T15:15:00.003-05:00

I had the opportunity to go to the Dallas Quilt Show, for the very first time, with an old friend and a new friend. I cant believe I have never gone before! It was so much fun looking at fabric, sewing tools, amazing show quilts and everything else quilt related.

Some of my favorite show quilts: (sorry for the cruddy phone pics)

Ive been wanting to make a patriotic quilt to put out around Independence Day so I was really liking these two:

Gorgeous cathedral window quilt. This was made a little differently allowing the windows to literally pop off the quilt giving it a 3D effect.

These next two are all appliqued. I thought this one was a print at first.

So much detail in this one too!

This mini quilt has the tiniest stippling ever! Pretty incredible.

Here's a little size reference. Incredible how it goes all through and around the ribbon flower (which were done before the quilting.)

I went in saying I wasn't going to buy anything, and of course wasn't able to stick to my guns. My favorite fabric find was this cute stack. I loved purple in high school and I guess I got sick of it because I've hated it ever since. But for some reason the combination of the gray, navy, and purple really struck a chord with me and I couldn't let go of this stack. It's Art Gallery Spellbound from Material Girl.

I also had to hunt down a pair of these awesome scissors after hearing so much hype about them the night before at the Dallas Modern Quilters Guild.

I had such a great time. I'm definitely going every year from now on!

Mistakes...

2011-02-28T13:33:00.002-06:00

...they happen to us all, but you rarely hear about them in blogland.

I always like to hear the "real" story from the more experienced crafters and how to fix problems. So I figured I'd share mine...

Remember the post that I first showed this?

For Christmas, my Mother-in-law had a special request for a laptop case. So I took measurements and then went to work. Well sure enough, on Christmas morning it didn't fit. This is always my biggest fear (the same reason I don't make clothing.)

I had no idea what I was going to do fix it and not make it look terrible. My initial thought was to add a couple of inches onto one end, which wasn't really an option because it would look totally obvious. So I thought and thought, and finally figured it out...add a couple inches to the middle!

So I basically cut the whole case right down the middle. Cut some red fabric strips and batting to size then stitched the middles back together. I also quilted straight lines down the new middle section (since the original pieces were also quilted and to help hold it all together.)

I actually like the final version best! Love the contrasting red stripe down the middle and cute yellow button!

Fussy Cut Bee block for January

2011-02-23T16:23:00.004-06:00

It has taken me a long time to get back into sewing since the holidays. I guess life has gotten the best of me lately...seriously, there is no end to the pile of laundry!

But I was finally able to finish my January block for the Fussy Cut Bee.

Love the fabrics and block design Lucia!

credits~
fabric: Nest by Tula Pink
block tutorial found here

Need help choosing matching fabrics?

2011-01-31T13:40:00.002-06:00

Hawthorne Threads has recently become one of my favorite places to shop online for fabrics. Why? Not only do they have almost every modern print you could ask for, but their website boasts some amazing features.

Have a print that you'd like to find some additional fabrics to match with it? No problem. When on the web page of your fabric, just scroll to the bottom and find the color blocks. These are the colors that are present in the fabric. Click whichever block contains the color that you'd like to have in an another fabric, and up pops tons and tons of fabrics containing that color. And not only that color, but you can change the options from the color being a high or low dominance, and even a "very close color" match or "somewhat close." This is such a great tool when trying to build a stack of fabrics to work with for a quilt or anything else!

Don't have a fabric picked out yet but have a color in mind? Just click on the color grid! Choose any color and tons of fabrics containing that color will pop up. It's really fun just to click around on the grid and see what comes up!

So next time you're in a bind trying to match fabrics for just looking for suggestions, try these awesome features over at Hawthorne Threads!

Christmas sewing

2010-12-31T21:31:00.004-06:00

December being a crazy month as always, there was not a whole lot of sewing going on. Except for the gifts that I committed to make. I tried to make as many of our Christmas gifts as possible. But with having a 3 yr old and 2 month old, it of course was not as much as I would have liked. But I was able to squeeze out at least a few.

For my mother-in-law, a request for a laptop sleeve.

And for all the little girls in the extended family, Black Apple dolls.

There was actually a couple more dolls, but they were promptly wrapped after being finished. I was lucky to snap a couple shots of these few before they were whisked away also.

Hope everyone enjoys a wonderful new year!

November's Fussy-cut Bee Block

2010-11-24T20:04:00.003-06:00

I really enjoyed our November block. Most months we make an improve block, so it was nice to do something different. When I first saw the block design, I really wasnt sure what the finished quilt was supposed to look like. Then I saw a picture of the inspirational quilt...and oh my. I've definitely got a quilt in this pattern in my future.

These blocks are made up of a half-square triangles with the fussy cut appliqued on top, then a border added on just two sides. Then when the blocks are all placed together, the borders turn into sashing and make the blocks look like their placed off-set.

Remember...

2010-11-11T11:38:00.002-06:00

...my appliqued onesie tutorial? Well here it is in action on my little man. So much cuter than a plain white onesie don't you think?

now he just needs some matching pants or babylegs...

(and yes, it is still warm enough here to wear just a onesie. Cant wait for that fall weather to finally arrive...if it ever does before winter.)

And the winner is...

2010-11-09T22:08:00.002-06:00

#1 - Foster Momma

Congratulations! I've sent you an email with news!

This is what happens...

2010-11-05T23:17:00.003-05:00

When you have a 2 year old...

who sneaks out of bed...

at 4:30am!

And you wake up to the sound of a bag of sun chips (there's no mistaking it)...

and come to find your "good" thread strung all around the house like an obstacle course...around couches...to door knobs...you get the picture right?

Let's just say I was not happy

Here's to hoping tomorrow turns out to be a better morning

Tutorial: Burp Cloths....and GIVEAWAY

2010-11-02T16:30:00.002-05:00

Burp cloths are about the easiest homemade baby gift ever. Simply take a piece of fabric and stitch it on top of a cloth diaper and you're done! Here's my method:

I prefer to have the fabric piece running across one end, leaving the super absorbent core down the middle uncovered and ready to catch the worst of messes.

To get started, you'll need some cloth diapers, Prefold 3-ply or 6-ply (make sure they are the PREFOLD.) Prewash because these babies shrink a lot.

After your burp cloths have been washed and dried, iron a few to make them nice and crisp. Measure the width. (Gerber does not make these things anywhere near perfect. Some will be drastically different sizes, so try to use two that have a similar width. Also the bottom edge may be very uneven. If so, try the other end of the cloth and use whichever is the straightest.)

Now we are going to make a cardboard template. Cereal boxes work great! It will be the same width as you measured from your burp cloth and 3.5" tall.

Next we will determine the measurement for the fabric pieces to top the burp cloth with. Everyone's burp cloths will be such different sizes, I am going to walk you through using your width measurement taken and adding a seam allowance. Take the measurement you got for your burp cloth width and add approximately 3/4"-1" to your width measurement (giving you a generous 3/8" seam allowance for each end.) I like to make my decorative fabric about 3.5" tall, so we'll again be adding 3/4"-1" for the seam allowance (giving a 3/8" for each side.) My measurements ended up being 14" x 4.5".

Once you have your fabric cut out, place it face down on your ironing board and lay your cardboard template on top, centering it.

Hold your template steady while folding the edge of the fabric over the template and ironing it in place. Do this for each side.

Take the cardboard out and press the fabric one last time to give the edge a good crisp fold.

Lay the piece of fabric on top of your burp cloth (right side up) about 1.5" from the bottom edge. You could line it right up on the bottom edge if your burp cloth is really straight. Most are not, so I find it best to put it slightly above the bottom, just high enough that your straight edge of the fabric wont emphasize the uneven bottom seam of the burp cloth.

At this point you may need to adjust the sides, taking the fold in more or letting it out, to match the sides of the burp cloth. Now just pin and stitch all the way around the edge of the fabric about 1/8" from the edge. ( I like to use monofilament (clear) thread, but you can also use any coordinating thread color.)

And you're done! Now just make a matching one!
These can be embellished in so many different ways, like adding ribbon or ric rac to the top or bottom edge of the fabric, or both. Or try placing your fabric along the bottom edge of the burp cloth and adding ribbon loops giving the baby a little entertainment while keeping the burp cloth close at hand to catch any surprise spit-ups!

These make such great baby shower gifts. A great way to have a little style while carrying around a spit rag!

GIVEAWAY!!!
Just leave a comment to enter to win the set of burp cloths seen below! Extra entry if you blog, tweet, or whatever about this post (just leave an additional comment.) Giveaway will end Sunday Nov. 7th at midnight CST.

September and October's Bee Blocks

2010-10-29T13:43:00.003-05:00

I am trying to get caught back up on all my "have to" sewing projects before I start working on all the ideas swirling around in my head. First on list were my Fussy-cut Bee blocks. Thanks for being so patient ladies!

September's block for Lynette:
She asked for traditional style blocks that create a little "home" for the chickens. I love all the blocks everyone has created and all the little chickens.

October's block for Jane:
Jane asked for "drunk love" inspired improved square-in-square blocks. I love love the Kokka princess and frog print and the light pink, purple, and grey color palette. It's going to be such an adorable quilt for her twins!

Welcome baby

2010-10-14T16:22:00.003-05:00

This little guy joined our family a couple of weeks ago. We've been enjoying lots of baby snuggles over here.Keep an eye out for all my upcoming projects and tutorials!

Modern Zoo Quilt

2010-09-01T17:44:00.003-05:00

Another quilt down in my endless battle of finishing WIPs. I love this one so much, I'm pretty tempted to keep it! And I just might...

This quilt was super easy. All blocks are cut 5" wide and varying heights, then stacked all together.

pieced back

I love the wonky straight line quilting (it was my first time.) Halfway through I wondered if I really liked the texture though. It seemed a little rough and I thought it was going to be super stiff, but it turned out nice and soft with a great thick cuddly texture. I will definitely be doing this again. And it didnt take as long as I was expecting it too either.

It measures approx. 35"x50" and you can find more of the specs. and description in the shop.

Alphabet Quilt

2010-08-21T10:04:00.003-05:00

I am so happy to say that the infamous Alphabet Quilt is complete! This quilt is a little near to my heart because it started out as one of my first quilts. I got about halfway through, with all of my individual strips done. But as I started to sew the strips together, for the life of me, I could not get the last block on each row to line up. So with my "nesting" on hyper-drive to finish all my old WIPs, I pulled it out from the back of the closet and was determined to get it done finally. I guess my experience over the last few years and new techniques did the trick. Turns out, it all went together so easily. Another project I wish I would have finished long ago. But I'm so happy to have it completed now!

It measures approx 35" x 45"

Can be found here in the shop.

Lately

2010-08-19T13:43:00.005-05:00

Not a ton of sewing has been going on around here...well at least not as much as I'd like. Chasing around a 2 year old while almost 8 months pregnant is pretty exhausting, so I havent been sewing much during nap time or in the evenings. It's also surprisingly difficult to sew with a bowling ball in your lap. But let me tell you, basting is the hardest! I've mostly worked on larger projects also, so there hasnt been a ton of fun stuff to show you. But here's something I've been playing with the last few days, and it's actually almost done.

Cant wait to show you the finished product soon!

Finally...

2010-08-02T15:13:00.002-05:00

Remember how I've talked about a big secret project? Well, it's finally finished and been gifted, so I can spill the beans. It only took me two extra years to finish! But to my credit, I didnt work on it during the entire two years, especially while baby #1 was still pretty small.

But with baby #2 on the way, I knew I had to get it done or it may never get done! So I rushed to finish it for my mom's birthday this weekend, and I'm so glad I did. Even though all the intense sewing/hand appliqueing almost put me in the hospital!

My mom picked out the fabrics and pattern years ago, and it was my goal to make it for her milestone birthday...but unfortunately, it was mammoth of a project, being queen sized and all.

So to recap, during all the quietness here on the blog, I pumped out tons and tons of these guys:

and hand appliqued THREE of these:

(see the little flower applique block in the pic? That's the one.) It's hard to see the detail in the picture, but that baby has 14 individual flower petals, plus the stem and leaves. I've never done hand applique before, but am a pro now!

pictures of the actual quilt top coming soon.

(credits-
Fabric: April Cornnel's Poetry Collection
Pattern: Cottage Tapestry by Fig Tree Quilts)

Where I buy fabric

2010-07-03T15:52:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I added a new section to my sidebar with links to some of my favorite places to buy fabric. Some are local, some are etsy shops, and some are internet based companies. So if you are looking for a new place to buy, or just look around, check it out.

Also, here is a list of my favorite "sale" sections that always have awesome fabrics at awesome prices.
Cabbage Rose
Fabricworm
Fat Quarter Shop

Where are your favorite places to fabric shop?

July Fussy-cut Bee

2010-07-01T15:24:00.002-05:00

If you stop by here often, you probably have heard that I participate in the Fussy-Cut Bee. Well it's finally my month! Wohoo! Im so excited. I had a really hard time deciding what I wanted to do, so I went with something that I've had in the works for a long time.

Here's what I started out with:

Alexander Henry's Starlings bird print for the fussy-cut block centers and coordinating colors taken from the print (red, light blue, lime green, yellow, light pink, dark pink, and black/white.)

And finally decided to go with a wonky log cabin block.

You can find a tutorial over at QuiltDad's for the wonky log cabin.

I am so horrible with anything that's "free-style", so this is a great one for me to have a little help with from my bee members. Im really excited to see what they come up with.

You can see more blocks as they are finished up by my bee members over in our group pool on flickr.

It's Official...

2010-06-28T08:50:00.001-05:00

I'm nesting. But not in the normal sense of preparing everything for the baby's arrival. We are having another boy, so we already have all the boy cloths, misc baby gear, etc. So there's not much more to do for the baby. It's more to the effect of finishing up all my WIPs (works in progress) that have been shoved in the back of the closet for who knows how many years. Most of them are at least half finished so I've been burning through them pretty quickly.

So far I've completed 3 quilts and a tablecloth. I've got a couple more baby quilts to finish up and one larger project that is a bit of a surprise so that's all I'll reveal for now!

Yum.

2010-06-23T18:24:00.003-05:00

Isn't this the most delicious colored binding? So glad I went with this instead of my usual red.

(Kona Cotton Chartreuse)

June's Fussy-cut Bee Block

2010-06-22T14:42:00.002-05:00

June was Ryan's month and I absolutely loved all the fabrics he sent. I secretly just wanted to keep them all for myself! And I am totally jealous of his Munki fish.

He asked for free-style pieced blocks with the fussy-cut fish to be off centered, plus a little wonky. So that's what he got...or I at least tried to do!

Click here to see more blocks from the Fussy-cut Bee.

WOW!

2010-06-18T18:30:00.007-05:00

I've heard so many people rave about how much they love the Fat Quarter Shop, but I hadnt had an opportunity to make any orders from them until yesterday. And all I have to say is WOW! I made my order yesterday at about 2:30pm and UPS dropped it on my door step at 10am this morning! That's right, less than 24 hours later! I could not believe it! (and I did not do expedited shipping.)

Not to mention the packaging. Everything comes wrapped so nicely with cute little Fat Quarter Shop stickers and ribbons.

Here's my loot:

These two came from the Sale section. I saw the first fabric and it caught my eye for some reason. Not my typical print. But then I realized it came from the same fabric line (Aster Manor) that I used for my long-forgotten-about Crazy Mom Star Quilt-Along (that I have yet to finish.) Well I whipped out my quilt-along fabrics and found that I, in fact, had never bought anything to use for the setting blocks. So this worked out perfect, especially since it was on sale!

And the second will be backing for a vintage-style quilt top that I just finished up.

But my most favorite part was receiving my supplies for the 2010 Designer Mystery Block of the Month. I had a hard time deciding whether or not to join. It's a little expensive for my taste and I was worried that it wasn't something that I'd totally love.

But after seeing the reveal of the first block, I was hooked. I've always wanted to make a Christmas quilt, but never found any fabric that I liked much. It was either too traditional or too novelty-ish. I almost used Figgy Pudding last year, but decided it just wasnt quite right. And when I saw Kate Spain's 12 Days of Christmas line come out this year, I still wasnt sure if it was right for me. That is until I saw the first Block of the Month...then I knew.

I mean, look at it. Is that not the cutest thing ever?! I have pretty high expectations for the rest of the blocks. Hopefully they live up to it and I end up loving the quilt!

You can check out the 12 Days of Christmas Flickr pool to see more completed blocks for the BOM and other projects using the fabric line.

It's not too late to join the Block of the Month! (and you dont have to order the backing or finishing quilt from them, since it's kinda expensive. You can just do your own thing.)

Appliqued Onesie

2010-06-14T21:20:00.000-05:00

I've got soo many white onesies from when my first son was a baby and have decided to spiff them up a bit for baby #2. Appliqued onesies are so easy and cute. Here's a little tutorial for you on how I make them. (Im sure that there are about a thousand other ways to do it though.)

To start out, you'll need:
a onesie (dont be afraid to use a colored one)
a fabric cut-out to use for the applique (just a rough cut for now)
Wonder Under
light-weight iron-on interfacing

Take your rough cut applique piece and place it face down on the paper side of your Wonder Under. Trace around your shape. I like to use a sharpie, but pretty much any marking device would work. (Dont worry about getting ink along the edge of your applique since the edges will be getting trimmed.)

Cut out the shape you just drew on the Wonder Under, being sure to cut just inside of the lines (so there isnt any extra hanging over when we apply it to the fabric.)

Iron the rough side of the Wonder Under to the wrong side of the fabric applique piece using the directions listed on the Wonder Under. I usually just simplify it and hold the iron on the piece for about 10 seconds.

While the fabric is still a little warm, peel off the paper backing. (Sometimes the paper can be a bit tricky to get off. Try another quick iron to warm it up if you're having trouble.) Now you can trim down the edges of the fabric to exactly how you'd like your final applique to look.

Iron the applique piece to the front of the onesie. (A lot of people make the mistake of placing it too low and it ends up on the belly of the baby. I'd recommend putting it pretty close up to the neck line.) Technically you could be done at this point if you are in a super hurry. Wonder Under claims that you do not need to sew around the edge to anchor it down. I've never tested out that claim though.

Turn the onesie inside out. Cut a piece of interfacing that will cover the back side of the applique and reach 1/2" past all edges of the piece. This will stabilize the knit fabric when you sew it, so it wont pucker or pull.

This picture is really hard to see, but it's the onesie inside out. You can see the applique showing through from the front and a piece of interfacing has been ironed on.)

Now just flip the onesie back to right side out and stitch around the applique, approximately 1/8" from the edge, using matching thread or even clear thread (that's what I used on this one.)

And you're done! Now go make another!

There are so many great fabrics that you could use as cut-outs for the applique. This is also a great way to save a stained onesie from the trash! Or you could even place a new applique over an old printed store bought onesie that you are just plain tired of.

A friend of mine had a baby shower recently, and they actually made appliqued onesies at the shower! I thought that was such a genius idea. The hostess had some fabrics ready for the guests to choose from to use as their applique and they each just ironed their creation on to a onesie. Super quick and easy, and so cute! If the hostess is as neurotic as I am, she could go back later and stitch each one to make sure it's nice and anchored down.

to prairie point or not...

2010-06-07T10:47:00.004-05:00

The Snippets quilt was my first time ever working with prairie points. For those of you not familiar with them, they make up the little triangle border seen below. They are not just triangles pieced into the quilt, but little folded pieces sewn into the quilt on only one side, giving a nice textural/3D effect to the quilt.

It's pretty impressive in my mind that all of the printed fabric (except the binding) came from ONE charm pack. It sure made this quilt pretty simple to assemble.

To make my prairie points, I cut a 5" charm square in half horizontally and vertically, giving me four 2.5" squares. Take one 2.5" square and fold it in half, creating a triangle shape (not rectangle) with wrong side together. Then fold again, creating an even smaller triangle. Now all your raw edges will be along one side of the folded triangle. Do this about a thousand times more to have enough triangles/prairie points to go all the way around your quilt.

Now here is my take on the prairie points. They take forever to cut and fold! So so long. Then you have to pin them in place along the border, making sure that they are all equidistant apart and fit perfectly along the length of the border (this took several attempts of pinning, unpinning, and re-pinning.) Again, this part also takes a really long time.

So basically, they take forever to make.

I think they really made this quilt and I wouldn't have done it any other way. But I'm not sure I love the way they look. The picture below is what they looked like after coming out of a wash/dry cycle...so wrinkled, squished, and puffy. I had to go through an iron them all down again. Definitely not something I'd want to do after every wash. Plus, ironing the prairie points down also means ironing down some of the nice crinkly quilting that you want to keep.

And lastly, the issue with quilting around them. I tried ever-so-slightly raising them up and quilting as close as I could, but that ended up being the worst idea. I tried really hard to not pull at the border fabric while doing this, but I didn't do as good of a job as I thought, seeing as how there is now a little extra bulk of fabric under the prairie points, making them poof up slightly.

I do love the effect prairie points give to a quilt. And I won't say that I'll never do them again. But if I do, the quilt will be one that is pretty important to me to spent the time a effort on them.

If there is a next time, there are a couple of things I'd do differently. First off, not quilt so close to them. Just quilt around them. And second, I would stitch in the ditch along the edge of the border (right on the seam where the prairie points are sewn in) to try and help keep them laying more flat.

All Star Mini Quilt

2010-06-04T15:20:00.003-05:00

I had a bunch of long skinny strips leftover from my other two All Star quilts and wasnt quite sure what to do with all the tiny scraps. Im not very creative when it comes to using my scraps, so I went with the typical mini quilt.

Because it's so "scrappy" it became a little busy for my taste. I usually prefer quilts to have more negative space (i.e. areas of the quilt that give your eye rest or don't demand attention), like using solid borders and sashing. But this was made to be used and is not sentimental, so I don't really mind the busyness.

And I barely had enough to finish! The quilt back and binding had only inches to spare! It measures 18"x 21" approx.

This mini quilt is a little out of the ordinary though. It's the first anything that I've made for my immediate family to keep. No quilts, no baby bibs or burp cloths, no diapers and wipes cases, no nothing.

The plan is for this to be a changing pad for our new little boy arriving in September. Our place is pretty cramped right now and he will be in our room for quite a while. So this pad will be a great place to change diapers without worrying about getting our bed, his bed, or the floor dirty. Although, with little boys and their "accidents" during changing time, we may need a few more of these!

Verna Quilt

2010-06-03T12:39:00.002-05:00

(fabric: Verna by Kate Spain for Moda)

I've had this quilt top done for months. Then my morning sickness got into full swing and there wasnt much sewing going on at all. It became one of those projects that sits and sits, waiting to be worked on. And when you finally do, it actually doesnt take all that long to finish. And then you wish you had finished it long ago.

It measures 42.5" x 57.5" and makes a great lap quilt, toddler bed quilt or baby quilt. Love it when they are so versatile! I can't get enough of all the bright, summery colors and would love for it to live in our home, but I just cant rationalize it. So it's up in the shop here!

And I just have to throw this one in. About half way through the photo shoot of the quilt, my little guy had a very exciting idea: "night night" time on the quilt. It was so cute how excited to got to lay on mommy's quilt. I love it when he shows his love for my quilts. At least one time, with every quilt I make, he will come over to it show how much he likes it (like saying "awww" and smile while running his hand over it, or giving it a big hug, etc.)

And the winner is...

2010-05-22T19:58:00.003-05:00

The winner of the Sew, Mama Sew May day Giveaway is...

Sarah

Congrats Sarah! You should be receiving an email from me shortly.

SMS Giveaway Day

2010-05-17T07:00:00.005-05:00

Up for grabs is one of my most popular products!

Zoology Diapers and Wipes Case

For those times when you don't need the entire diaper bag. Just grab the case and go. Or use it to keep your bag organized. Comfortably fits a wipes container and 2 large diapers. This case is thicker and more durable than most, because of its inner lining, and keeps its shape even when it’s not filled. It wont get all slouchy and crumpled like others do.

See more photos and item description here.

For your chance to win, leave a comment telling me what your favorite item is from my shop. You also MUST leave an email address to contact you. Follow/Subscribe for an extra entry...be sure to leave an additional comment. Giveaway will be open until May 20th and item will be shipped by May 24th. I will ship internationally.

Snippets Quilt

2010-05-16T22:54:00.001-05:00

Remember this little preview? I actually managed to finish this quilt pretty quickly and it's even made it into the hands of it's new owner. I have been wanting to make this quilt for a very long time and am excited to finally have it completed because I knew just who it was intended for.

The pattern comes from a Moda Bakeshop Tutorial. It's a really simple quilt that uses only a charm pack and 1 yard of solid white (plus backing and binding.)

This quilt had a few "firsts" for me. It was my first time making prairie points. They were pretty time consuming. They also came out very wrinkled after washing. But I love the look they added to this quilt. Not sure if I'll do them again though.

It was also my first time quilting the flower petal design (not sure if that's the official name for it.) It's definitely far from perfect, but I was fun to try something new. I really like this quilting design on top of the half square triangle blocks (which are in this case, making up pinwheels.) It gives them a subtle roundness and lots of movement.

May's Bee Block

2010-05-16T11:43:00.000-05:00

Chelsea's request for her fussy cut blocks was "framed" squares. I love her inspiration quilt and think the fabrics she chose will look great with this quilt. And the fabric she gave for the fussy cut centers had soo many options of what use.

Garage Sale Finds & Tutorial

2010-05-15T10:02:00.000-05:00

I found some really great items at a garage sale recently. All for $2!

Turning tool, glass jar (with a really cute finial-like top), and a bundle of bias tape makers

The tape makers run from $5-$10 each brand new, and these dont look like they've ever been touched!

Have you ever heard of a turning tool?

It's a tool that helps you turn fabric tubes right side out (like ties for an apron, etc.)

This tool isn't a necessity, especially at its hefty price of anywhere from $30 to upwards of $60! But it sure is great to have if you can find one on the cheap. In another post I'll show you how to make your own version of a turning tool that has worked wonders for me previously to getting my hands on this great little tool set.

If you've never heard of a turning tool before and wonder how this contraption works, here's a little tutorial for you:

Start out with your tube of fabric, sewn right sides together, a metal tube from the set that fits in your fabric tube and a wire hook.

notice the little spiral on the end of the wire?

Stuff your fabric over the metal tube.

Insert the wire in the metal tube.

Pull your fabric just over the end of the metal tube and push the wire spiral through the fabric.

Gently start to pull the wire back through the metal tube and the fabric will start to pull through, turning itself right side out.

As you pull the fabric, it will come out the other end of the metal tube.

Keep pulling until the fabric is all the way through and Voila! Your fabric tube is now right side out! Just iron your fabric tube and you're done!

Super fast and simple. So much better than spending hours trying to push a safety pin through all that bulky fabric!

April Block for the Fussy Cut Bee

2010-05-06T18:29:00.006-05:00

I had the hardest time trying to figure out how to put these fabrics together. In the end, it wasnt so hard because I barely had enough fabric to squeeze out this block. I wish there would have been enough of the purple fabric to have it in the center and the other corners, but I think it still turned out well. I love the tree print!

I had also read about the problems everyone else was having putting this block together and was a little scared to try it out. But I finally made myself. And I almost gave up soo many times. It is a really difficult block to piece! Hence the name Jig-Saw. But I miraculously was able to get it put together. The whole time making this block, I swore I would never make this block again, ever! But in the end, I actually really like the way it looks. I like how it takes the traditional whirly-gig block and adds the center square. I'd probably alter it for myself and not have the triangle pieces in the corners.

If you are interested in making the block, the template and instructions can be found here. Even it you're not interested, take a look at how it's pieced together. Once you get the hang of it, I dont think it would be too difficult to make an entire quilt out of. The hardest part is figuring out which direction to offset the pieces when putting it together. The instructions for this block are horrible, if you can even call them instructions. They're more like just diagrams. All in all it was a great learning experience!

See more blocks made by other bee members here.

WIP

2010-04-21T11:47:00.004-05:00

My latest work in progress...
from this little guy...
And it's not even for the shop. It's so much more fun to work on things that you want to instead of have to. I cant wait to get this finished. I've been wanting to make this for over a year now and finally have a good excuse. Photos of the finished product coming soon...hopefully.

Hand Quilting Class

2010-04-20T11:47:00.003-05:00

I know I have a lot of Arlington locals interested in quilting, so I thought I'd tell you that I just signed up for a Hand Quilting Class at Lone Star House of Quilts. I don't see myself doing a ton of hand quilting in the near future, but I've always wanted to at least know how. And with the class only being a mere $15, I couldn't pass it up. If you'd like to join me, please do! The class is going to fill up fast. It's being taught by an award winning quilter and is May 15th, from 10:30-12:30. Hope to see you there!

Treasury

2010-04-06T12:24:00.003-05:00

Check out all these adorable pinks. I love treasury's with random items are paired together, all with similar colors. So fun to look at.

Fussy-cut Bee

2010-04-06T12:15:00.002-05:00

I finally finished march's bee block for Lisa.

I love how the brighter pink brings out the stamens of the flower and the darker pink draws out the leaf from the fussy-cut center flower.

Sorry it's late Lisa! Hope you like it!

(click here to see more blocks made by the other participants.)

Block of the Month Update

2010-04-06T11:54:00.003-05:00

Not a lot of sewing has been going on around here lately. We've had sickness after sickness since the beginning of the year (literally, since day 1.) I have managed to sew 3 blocks though. Two for the block of the month and one for the bee Im participating in.

I got such a great response on my first two blocks for the Block of the Month, that I thought I'd share the blocks for months 3-7. (more about the Block of the Month found here.)

Btw, these photos turned out horrible! Sorry!

These two (3 &4) are my least favorite out of all the blocks. I think it's because I dont care for all the fabrics. Especially the dusty pink and mustard yellow of block 3. I just dont think they go with the rest of the bright colors of the other blocks.

The last (bottom) two might be my favorites. Love the fabrics and that the block patterns are a bit different than the others.

Featured!

2010-03-22T14:28:00.002-05:00

One of my items was recently featured on an Etsy Treasury and I thought I'd share all the dreamy blue goodness. I love all these blues!

Giveaway!

2010-03-09T11:29:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to let everyone know I'm hosting a giveaway over at p.s. i quilt!

head over there to enter!

seeing double

2010-03-08T13:17:00.007-06:00

Remember this guy?
Well I ended up having enough scraps to make another, slightly smaller, quilt! I was so excited because this is one of my favorite fabric lines for boys and am so glad to be able to offer it up to others out there looking for a good boys quilt. Because, you know, they are pretty hard to find!

It even has a pieced backing!

Quilt measures approx. 36.5" x 42.5" making it a great size for a baby or toddler. Fabrics are from the All Star collection by Riley Blake designs. Quilt can be found in my etsy shop here!

New Products

2010-02-26T13:06:00.006-06:00

I've been working on a few new products and am happy to announce that Zanie Zoo will now be carrying Mini Quilts! There are only two up for now, but many more are in the works, along with a few other surprises.
Mini quilts can be used for little girls to play with their dolls and boys for their teddy bears. They can also be used as changing pads for babies, car seat blankets, wall hangings, table toppers and so much more.

Giveaway!

2010-02-16T19:40:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to let everyone know I'm hosting a giveaway over at...

Head over there to enter by Feb 23rd.

New Scarf

2010-02-04T15:55:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to make this scarf ever since Ashley from Make It and Love It posted the tutorial. (By they way if you haven't seen her blog, you MUST take a look. She has soo many great ideas on projects for your kids, your home and yourself.) I finally was able to squeeze this baby in between other projects and am so glad I did. It was really quick to make too.
I only wish my ruffles were more ruffly. I would probably gather my strips next time. And believe me, there will be a next time. This is too cute to only have in one color. I really like Ashley's lime green version.

All Star Quilt

2010-02-03T15:35:00.005-06:00

I am so excited to finally be able to show you guys this quilt. It was a gift for a family member who will soon be having a little boy and I just couldn't ruin the surprise.

(sorry, it was late and pic's arent so great)

This is a disappearing nine patch pattern and is super simple and quick to put together.
I really enjoyed doing the looped quilting. It was my first time (doing it correctly) and it went so fast.These fabrics are all from the All Star collection by Riley Blake. I knew the Mommy loved the orange and blue prints, but when I found out the nursery was a western theme and discovered the new western colorway, I knew these prints would be perfect.

Swaddler and Shoes

2010-01-14T12:17:00.005-06:00

It's been crazy busy around here sewing up gifts and custom orders while also trying to juggle my very active 2 year old and a new part time job.

A good friend of mine will be having a little girl in the next few weeks and I've actually been able to finish up her gift before the baby getting here. And she'll need it right away too, because it has been incredible cold here (for Texas anyway.) She doesn't like pink, so I went for a little unconventional but still girlish print for the swaddler.
The pattern for this comes from this book, which has a lot of other great patterns too. Definitely worth having in your collection (you can get it at Joanns using a 40% coupon.)

You can also download the swaddler pattern for free here. (It's an enormously large file size, so dont just click the download link. Right click it and choose "save as".)

I also had to throw in a pair of these adorable little shoes. They are so quick and easy to whip up. They are Heather Bailey's Bitty Booties and the pattern can be found here.

Just received a package...

2010-01-08T15:44:00.002-06:00

of these beauties! I can not wait to dig into these!

*All Star by Riley Blake Designs

Block of the Month

2009-12-30T18:11:00.002-06:00

I met a really nice lady while visiting Country Stitches on the North Texas Quilt Shop Hop and she informed me of the shop's really-great-amazing Block of the Month that was starting in October. If you are not familiar with doing a "Block of the Month" program, they usually consist of a total of 12 blocks to complete a quilt top. Each month you come in, pay the fee (usually around $5-10 each month) and are provided the fabric and block pattern. I've never participated in one myself because, for one, I always miss the start, and two, they are usually Civil War revival stuff, which is definitely not my style (you know, that super dark maroon, navy, and dark beige look).

Well all my inhibitions went out the window when this lady told me that you pay $5 for the first block, and if you finish the block by the next month, they give you the next month's block free. And then if you finish that one, you get the next one free, and so on and so on. So you could basically get an entire quilt top for just $5!! I couldnt believe it. So I figured I join, no matter what it looked like and I could at least give it away as a gift to someone who would like it.

I was completely surprised when I found out that they were offering this cute, bright 30's reproduction. I love the bright colors and the intricate blocks...because you know I would never put the time and effort into designing blocks like these. I think one of the great things about joining a club or program at a quilting shop is that it gets you to step out of your comfort zone and try something new.

So here are my blocks for the 1st and 2nd month:
This is how we receive our blocks each month - a little baggie with the fabric pieces and directions for cutting and piecing the block.
It's kind of silly, but I get really excited at the beginning of each month to go in and pick up the new block. Maybe it's getting to peruse around the quilt shop for fun. Maybe it's the anticipation of a new mini project to work on. Or maybe it's just the "me" time, being able to do something I like, alone, without chasing a 2 year old around running and screaming.

Last Minute Christmas Gifts with tutorials

2009-12-23T13:51:00.006-06:00

I just wanted to drop in one last time before the holidays and give you guys some ideas of things you can make for those last minute gifts, instead of running out to the store in a frenzy. These ideas are easy and inexpensive.

Bean Bag Balls

These are great for those sport-loving kiddos who cant live without a ball in hand.
I made these for my son's 2nd birthday, and they were a huge hit. Now if only I could find the baseball and football...

For these I traced a 5" bowl and cut out two circles of fabric and two circles of interfacing for each. Iron one piece of interfacing to the wrong side of each fabric piece. Next, you add the details for each of the different balls. First use a fabric marker to mark the lines. For a basketball, baseball, or football, use a tight zig-zag stitch (the 2nd to smallest your machine will do) and just follow the lines on the fabric. For the soccer ball, I cut out 10 pentagons of black fabric, 5 for each side of the ball, and used a larger zig-zag stitch to applique them on.

Next, just put the two fabric pieces together, right sides facing, and sew around the circle leaving a small opening for turning. Turn the ball the right side out and fill. You can use rice, dried bean, etc. but I chose to use Poly Pellets so the balls would be washable. Lastly, just stitch the opening closed.

Coasters

These are so incredible easy to make and only use small scraps of fabrics. It would also be great to use non-Christmas fabrics for year round use. And you can make them whatever size you want. Mine ended up around 4".

I cut strips of fabric about 1-1.25" wide by 4.5" long, batting 4" square, and backing 4.5" square. Lay your first strip of fabric, right side up, on top of your batting, overlaying the fabric about 1/4" around the edges of batting (so that the batting doesnt cause extra bulk in the 1/4" seam.) Lay the second piece of fabric right side down on the first piece, lining up the edge with the first fabric and stitch a 1/4" seam allowance, going through the two fabrics and the batting (the two fabrics on top right sides together and batting on the bottom.) Fold the 2nd fabric open and press.

Keep adding more pieces of fabric until your coaster is covered. Square up the top, by triming any excess on the edges. Next place the pieced top, right sides together with the backing material and sew around the coaster, leaving a small opening for turning. Clip the points off of the corners (to eliminate bulk) and turn the coaster right side out. Iron flat and stop stitch around the edge with a 1/8" seam.

For ideas on other fabric coasters, visit the Sewn Fabric Coasters Flickr Group.

Black Apple Dolls

These new modern-faced dolls are all the rage. The Black Apple brand originated on etsy as artwork. I was so excited when I saw that Martha Stewart crafts showcased these dolls, with templates included! They are soo simple and can be made in so many different ways by changing the hair color, facial expression, accessories and clothing, you might find yourself making these every year. No little girl would ever get tired of them! Click here to go to the tutorial.

Fabric {paper} Chain

Paper chains are a favorite around the holidays for children. Why not make them more eco-friendly, much more attractive, and not have to re-cut those darn paper strips every year (I dont know about you, but I hate having sore-scissor hand!) Ashley from Film in the Fridge was brilliant when thinking of these. Just small fabric tubes with velcro! I cant wait to make one next year. These would also be great to use with kids for counting down to any exciting event, like birthdays, other holidays, and vacations! Click here to go to her tutorial.

Fabric Alphabet

A GREAT educational homemade gift! This would make a great gift for kids aged 1-5 years old. They can be used to learn letters, sounds, the alphabet, spelling and much more. These do take a little time to make, but are well worth it. I've just made the A and B so far, but am planning to finish the rest of the alphabet for a Christmas gift to my son. To make these just use any word processing software ( like Word) and print out the alphabet in large letters (I did mine landscape with two per page, so they're about 7" tall.) Layer your top fabric, batting (cotton preferably), and a backing material (I use inexpensive white muslin.) Trace your letter on the material and cut a 1/4" outside the lines, cutting all three layers at once. Stitch on your drawn line, then cut slits all along the edge, cutting as close to the stitching line as possible without actually cutting through your stitches. Wash and dry to get the nice ragged edge.

I hope these tutorials help you with this crazy time of year! I wish you all a very merry Christmas! And I cant wait see you back here in the new year with many more great tutorials and ideas for you to try out!

Quilting using a Walking Foot

2009-12-09T08:21:00.001-06:00

I wish someone would have opened my eyes up to the wonders of the walking foot a long time ago. It's not just for quilting. It's great to have for many other sewing/crafting projects. In really basic terms, it helps feed all the layers through your machine evenly. When sewing with a regular presser foot, your bottom layer is pulled through with the feed dogs but your top layer is dragged beneath the presser foot. A walking foot raises itself up and then sets back down with every stitch of the needle. So the top layer is feed through at the same rate as the bottom. It is especially great to use with fabrics that are stretchy.

If you haven't worked your way up to free-motion quilting, you can still easily quilt your own quilts, instead of paying some else to do it or tying them. In fact, a lot quilters use a combination of free motion quilting and straight stitching (with a walking foot or darning foot.)

It is so incredibly easy to quilt using the walking foot. If you can sew a straight line (or not even a straight one!), you can quilt. That's all there is to it. Below are some quilting examples that can be done using a walking foot. (Look closely at the stitching to pick out the different quilting styles.)

Amandajean's square dance quilt

Cluck Cluck Sew's quilt for her son's bed

Button Magee's quilt for newphew

Red Pepper Quilt's Modern Linen quilt

sewsecret's Black and White quilt

Robin's Traffic Jam

Amandajean's mini quilt

New to the Shop!!

2009-12-08T00:16:00.001-06:00

I've had these floating around in my head for a while now and have finally made them. Enjoy!

And the winner is...

2009-11-17T21:25:00.002-06:00

commenter #10...Mubeen!

Congratulations Mubeen! You should have received an email from me with the good news.

I will definitely be doing more giveaways in the future. Probably once a month, either here or on other sites. I'll be sure let you know when and where to enter. Thanks to everyone who participated!

I'm back!....with a GIVEAWAY!

2009-11-12T16:15:00.009-06:00

October was a long, hard month for me with going through a couple heartbreaking experiences, plus moving. So to celebrate my return to blogging, sewing, and life as we all know it, I'm offering a giveaway! Yea! It is one of the most popular items from my shop:

Honeycomb Diapers and Wipes Case

(To see the full details of this item, visit the product page in my shop.)

To enter, just leave a comment. But that's not all! For a 2nd entry, become a follower of my blog. And a 3rd, follow me on Twitter. For a 4th entry, subscribe to the blog. And even a 5th, blog about my giveaway, linking back to this post. If you dont want to take advantage of all of these options, you are welcome to pick and choose which ones you'd like to participate in. Just leave a separate comment for each entry letting me know which ones you've completed. Also, you must leave an email address to be contacted at.

The giveaway will close Sunday, Nov 15 at 12pm (CST). So enter quick!

Practice Makes perfect

2009-09-14T07:33:00.001-05:00

I am so sorry I have taken forever to get to this. We've had some fun-packed last couple weeks of summer. And I had so much floating around in my head for this post, I didnt know where to start.

First off, to "quilt" your doll quilt in the stippling method I used, you will use a Darning Foot (which is used for all free motion quilting.)

I highly recommend taking a Beginner's Quilting class at your local quilt shop. That's what I did, and I loved it. I learned so much more than I thought there ever was to it, and not to mention had a ton of fun having a "me" day and socializing with all the other quilters there.

The key to learning how to quilt is practice, practice, practice. In the class I took, we prepared a quilt sandwich that was 24"x24" out of scrap batting and two inexpensive pieces of muslin. I think this is a really great way to learn and practice, so I encourage all of you interested in learning to try this out.
Start out by using your walking foot (more on the walking foot to come) to sew straight lines down the center of each side, dividing the 24" square into four 12" sections. Using a walking foot I'd say is the easiest way to quilt, so in class that's what we started with.

To do a grid pattern, use your quilting ruler and fabric marker to draw one line on the fabric to follow while sewing. Sew you first line directly on your marker line. Next just move over however far apart you want your spacing to be (mine is 1" here) and using your first sewn line as a guide, simply stitch the next row. Then just keep going, using the last row sewn as a guide for the next.
I know what you're thinking. You dont have to be perfect for this to turn out well. In fact, it hides mistakes very well. In the picture you can easily pick out my mistakes, but I promise, in real life they are totally hidden. Not to mention that fact that it helps to use matching thread (instead of dark blue thread on white cloth like I did! But you can definitely see it.)

Next up is one of my favorites. Im not sure of the name but it's really fun and super easy. It's all just eye-balled. Just start out at whatever spot you'd like, and using your walking foot, just quilt as if you were sewing straight lines. But instead of holding the fabric still, turn it from side to side to make the lines curvy. And you really have to move it around quite a bit. I cant wait to do this on a really cute kids quilt.The next two sections, we used the Darning foot. In one section we did stippling (looks kinda like puzzle pieces) and the other was loops. I didnt take a close up pic of my stippling because it was hideous, but you can see it in the first picture. The loops were pretty easy, but for reason I really dont care for them too much. I quickly moved on to trying out other things. Can you see the flowers, leaves and ivy, my name, and stars that I did? I was quite proud of my self for it being my first time free motion quilting.
Before trying my hand out again at the stippling, I definitely needed some help. I just couldn't wrap my mind around making a random pattern and still starting and finishing at a designated spot. Using a pen and paper helped immensely! Just some old computer paper and sharpie did the trick for me. It finally clicked in my brain.

(obviously these aren't perfect, but much better than before)

Now it's time to practice again using more scrap fabric and batting. Another big part of free motion quilting is the coordination to move the fabric at the correct speed as you press the peddle to make the needle goes up and down to stitch. You dont want your stitch length to be too long or too short. Now get out there and practice, practice, practice!Amandajean over at Crazy Mom Quilts has another great tutorial on free motion quilting with a video.

Baby shower gift

2009-09-13T21:32:00.003-05:00

We had a baby shower for my cousin, and I actually planned well in advance for this one, so I had plenty of time to give a homemade gift. I started out with the intent of make a doll quilt and a couple other matching baby items to go with it.

I tried out a quilt block I hadnt done before. But I didn't realize how large the block actually was, so by the time it all came together, it was a bit larger than a doll quilt. That's ok though. It can be used as a play mat, diapering pad, or baby carrier blanket for the little cutie until she out grows it and can use it on her own dolls. Then I put together the matching bib and ribbon ball with the leftover fabric.
The moment the windmill blocks came together, I knew I had to outline them with my quilting.
I love how on the backing, it had "embossed" windmills and the design from the quilt front is transferred to the back also.
Then to finished it off, I did little loops for the rest of the quilt. Kind of like wind gushes from the windmills.

I've been featured!

2009-08-25T13:21:00.004-05:00

I was so excited to see I made it into my first treasury over at Etsy. Click here to check it out. It's a compilation of Modern Mom's Must Haves. I have to admit, this item/fabric combo is one of my current favs.

"Quilt Sandwich"

2009-08-19T07:34:00.001-05:00

To prepare your quilt top to be made into a full blown quilt, you'll need to make a "quilt sandwich." And basically what that means is putting all your quilt layers together in preparation for quilting them together (either by hand or machine.)

Sorry I didn't take many pictures of this process, but it's pretty easy so hopefully you'll still get the idea.

To start, lay your backing fabric face down. Since we are working on a small doll quilt, your cutting mat is a great spot to use. If you are working on a larger quilt, use the floor or a large tabletop (but make sure the floor or table are surfaces you don't mind getting scratched up.) Smooth the fabric out. Then place pieces of blue painters tape around all sides, taping the fabric to the work surface, to hold the fabric taut. Be careful not to stretch or pull the fabric. You just need it taut so it doesn't wrinkle or move around under the other layers.

Next smooth out your batting on top of the backing fabric. Batting and cotton magical "stick" together, so no more tape will be needed.

Now lay your quilt top on top of the batting, smoothing it out. Be careful to keep all your pressed seems in their proper place and not flipped over. Also double check to make sure the backing fabric and batting are underlying the entire quilt top. It's important to always cut your batting and backing fabric 2-4" larger on each side to allow for any variance, especially once it's getting quilted. (An easy way to do this is simply lay your quilt top on top of the batting or backing fabric, then using hand scissors, eyeball the extra 2-4" on each side and snip away the batting or backing. It doesn't need to be perfect, because the excess with get trimmed away later.)

The final step is to pin it all together. Using bent quilting safety pins, pin through all the layers.
Place pins approximately 5" apart, which is about the size of your fist. Also, vary the pin placement, row by row. See picture below.

Again, if you're sandwiching anything larger then a doll quilt, this next tool is your best friend. It is used to close the safety pins. Do it once without it, and you'll know what I mean when you wake up the next morning with busied finger tips. It's very inexpensive and can be found at every quilting store.

And that's it. You're done. Just remove the tape from the backing fabric.

In my next couple posts, we'll talk about machine quilting. This is a new topic for me, so I'm in that exciting and giddy phase.

Also if you took a closer look at my quilt sandwich above, you may have noticed that I pieced my batting. We'll talk about that later too.

Current WIP

2009-08-18T09:15:00.004-05:00

(work in progress)
using this little guy

Doll Quilt Tutorial

2009-08-17T13:25:00.001-05:00

Making doll quilts are my favorite way to practice quilting. In this doll quilt, Im trying out the string block. Click here to see my tutorial on how to make the string block.
For the doll quilt, you'll need 4 string blocks. Lay the blocks out, deciding which positioning you like best.
Then sew the top and bottom pieces together using a 1/4" seam. Because of the bulkiness of this type of block, I recommend ironing your seams open. Once that's done, sew the right and left halves together and press the seam open.
Next, we'll add a border. I wanted mine to be 2.5" finished, so I cut my border pieces 3" wide (allowing for a 1/4" on both sides.) For length, measure your blocks. I like to make my borders 1/4" longer than needed, just to make sure it fits.
With the border pieces on the top and bottom, square up the block, cutting off the excess edges on the borders. To do this, line up a long ruler, matching the edge of the string blocks at the top and bottom corners, and using your rotary cutter, trim the border edges

Next we'll need to add the left and right side borders. The width of these will be the same as before, but the length will change. To find the length, simply measure your quilt again, this time including the borders you've just attached (measure from the outside edge of your top border down to the very bottom of your lower border.) Once all the borders are added, square it up again.

Now that all the edges of the blocks have been sewn, you can remove the paper. Be gentle so you dont rip out any seams or damage any fabric. If you used a small stitch length it should come off really easily. If not, then it will just take little bit more time and you'll have to be very careful as to not to not cause any damage. Also, if you went overboard with the glue when making the string block and are having a hard time getting the paper to separate from the fabric strip it was glued to, just dampen the fabric a tiny bit with your finger that's been dipped in water. It wont take much to get the glue to dissolve.After the trauma of removing the paper, press the quilt top again.

Next up, I'll show you how to make the "quilt sandwich" and machine quilt it, then add the binding.

sew4home nursery sewing

2009-08-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

sew4home is hosting a segment on designing a stylish baby nursery. All of the fabrics they use come from the Andalucia collection by Patty Young from Michael Miller fabrics, which I haven't loved so much until I sew them put into action in the nursery. I absolutely love all the bright girlie colors and am really tempted to start working on nursery items for my future baby girl (if I am ever fortunate to have one someday!)

Like these gorgeous crib bumpers!Or these oh-so-useful collapsible storage binsCheckout the list of everything else they have in store for the stylish nursery here.

and the best part is that they have tutorials for all of it!

$50 gift certificate giveaway

2009-08-14T14:22:00.002-05:00

The Quilt Shoppe is celebrating their 2nd birthday. And Rachel at p.s. i quilt is hosting a giveaway of a $50 gift certificate to the Quilt Shoppe. So everyone be sure to head over to p.s. i quilt to enter! Good luck!

String Block Tutorial

2009-08-13T07:00:00.005-05:00

I've recently seen other quilting bloggers post about string block quilts. Now that I've been sewing for a few years, I finally have enough scraps to start on some stash busting projects. I definitely wanted to try my hand out on the string block, and now it's one of my favorites.

Here's my two cents in a little tutorial to get you started on your own stash busting project.

This is a paper-pieced block, so start by cutting a square piece of paper to use as the foundation for your block. I used regular ol' printer paper, but you can use just about any paper you have on hand, just make sure it's not a thick paper. I've heard phone book pages work well too.

I have a lot of smaller scraps so I'm making my blocks a little smaller, at 6 inches square. You can make your blocks any size you want, up to 12 inches.Next, cut a strip of solid colored fabric (or a print if you'd like) that is long enough to reach all the way from one corner to the other, diagonally across the paper block. The length does not have to be exact, just make sure it fully covers both corners. You do need to make sure the width is exact though - making sure both side are cut straight and has the same width the whole length of the strip. The middle strips are the only ones that will line up when you put multiple blocks together. My white strips are cut 1 in. wide.

Draw a thin line down the center of the strip with a fabric pen or pencil. Using a fabric glue stick (or any washable glue stick) apply a thin amount of glue down the diagonal of the paper block. Dont go overboard on the glue or you will have a heck of a time removing the paper later.Next, lay the white strip of fabric on top of the glue line. Make sure the line drawn on the fabric crosses exactly over the corner. Press the fabric down to make sure it is fully adhered to the block. Here's a close up of how the line should pass perfectly over the corner on both ends.Now we will apply the printed fabrics on both sides of the solid to fill up the rest of the block.

To start out, cut a printed fabric to any width, just make sure both sides are cut straight and that it will reach all the way across the block diagonally.Lay the print facing down on the white strip matching up one long side.
DECREASE the stitch length on your sewing machine in order to perforate the paper when sewing. I set my machine at 1. (It definitely takes a bit longer to sew at such a short stitch length, but it will be well worth your time when you're rippin' off all that paper later. It will be MUCH easier and put less stress on the stitches and fabric. Believe me, I learned the hard way!) Sew a 1/4 in. seam down the edge of the fabric pieces, going through the fabrics AND the paper.Fold the printed fabric over and press.Do the same to the other side of the white strip.And just keep going to cover the rest of the paper block, making sure to vary the widths of the strips. Align the long edge of the next strip with the last strip on the block, just as before with right sides together using a 1/4" seam sewing through the fabrics and paper. Do this on each end of the block, moving away from the center.

Since each strip will have a 1/4" seam on both sides (making a 1/2" total taken away by seam allowances) I would recommend keeping your cut widths between 1" (so the smallest strip will have a 1/2" visible area) to 2". But if you are making a larger block size, like a 12" block, you could definitely use even wider strips.
Once your block is covered, flip it over to the back side and using the paper as a guide, trim the excess fabric.And voila! Your done! Pretty easy. But dont be too excited just yet to start rippin' away all the paper. Remove the paper only when all four sides have been sewn to an adjoining block or border. Then have fun, but be gentle. It should come off really easily if you used a short stitch length.

I love quilt blocks that you don't have a hundred corners to line up. I cant wait to make a bunch more of these! I used fabrics all from the same line (Sweet Escape from Free Spirit.) Make your blocks more scrappy by using any of your scraps from your stash. See examples here, here, and here.

I'd love to hear any questions or comments you may have. If you make anything from my tutorials, I'd love to see it! Post your pictures to the Zanie Zoo flickr pool.

My next tutorial will show you how to combine four string blocks to make a doll quilt. Here's a sneak peak so you get an idea of what it looks like with multiple blocks sewn together.

Pincushion

2009-07-14T19:24:00.006-05:00

I made my first pincushion my sophomore year of college in a Beginners Sewing class. It was our very first project and we picked our fabrics from the leftover stash bin in the class. I never really cared for it took much. That is until I got back into sewing these past two years and finally appreciated it for all it's paper-pieced beauty. I've been wanting to make another out of fabrics that I actually chose. There are plenty of patterns out there, but when I saw this one from the Moda Bake Shop blog, I couldnt wait to make it. You can head on over there for the complete instructions, but I figured I'd show you how I completed it.

I started out with the Moda Charm pack Soire'e (charm packs are pre-cut 5 in. pieces of all the fabrics from the entire line. It's one of the few way's to actually get your hands on every single fabric from one collection. These are great to keep on hand for little projects just like this or for quilting.)
cut four 3in. squares of your favorite prints and four 3in. squares of a complementary fabric (I used inexpensive white muslin.) Cut all the squares along the diagonal to get the triangles. (Only half of my triangles are pictured below.)
match up a print and a solid facing each other and sew a 1/4" seam along the long side of the triangle, then press. (I like to press my seams open.)
decide your layout for the front and back. Sew pairs together then combine them to complete the block.
here are what I have for my top and bottom blocks.
at this point, the original Moda tutorial has you cut a piece of batting the same size of the blocks and quilt it. I dont think this is necessary and skipped it.

Simply lay the blocks facing each other, and stitch around, leaving an opening for stuffing. Turn it right side out and stuff. Hand stitch the hole closed.
At this point you could be done! I added the buttons and yo-yo like the tutorial suggested and am really glad I did. It gives it the perfect little final touch.

Baby Sling

2009-07-08T14:53:00.003-05:00

A good friend of mine just had a little baby boy. She also has an adorable almost two year old girl. And this girly is always on the go. So my friend definitely needed an easy way to tote the baby around. I found this adorable Alexander Henry fabric and couldn't pass it up. (Outer is "yoko" and lining is Quilters Only Poppy Passion.)Here I'm sporting my almost two year old in the hip carry positionSince little girly loves to help out so much and do what mommy's doing, she definitely needed one of her own.My little man wasn't the biggest fan, but then again, he definitely doesn't have the "mothering" instinct. He gave his bear a hearty pat, then moved on to another toy and got annoyed with the bear in his way.

There are tons of different tutorials out there for baby slings. I used one by the Domest Divas found here. I cut my fabric out the same size as they suggest in the tutorial, since it was supposed to be a size small. Next time I would definitely take off 3-5in. in length. It seemed quite long, but Im not sure since I dont have a baby to try it out with. (On most sling sizing charts, I wear a small. See the Hotsling sizing chart and how-to video here.)

It was incredibly easy to make and definitely cheaper, even with adding an inner lining of muslin to give some extra strength. I used 2 years of each of the three fabrics, totaling 6 yards, but it's enough to make two adult sized slings.

Finally back!

2009-07-01T22:54:00.007-05:00

Well, I am finally home, after being gone for about 3 weeks. I honestly love sewing and creating. The whole time I was gone, I wished I had my machine with me. Like bringing along a book to read...except it's a lot heavier and much larger. So I was so excited today to finally get back to business. I could have worked on something for the shop, but I was really feeling something "quilty" so I gave this project some much need attention. Of course, with my little man running around, I was only able to get two block done during nap time, but it was sooo nice!

This was supposed to be for my mom's 50th birthday in Aug of 2008. She picked out the fabric and quilt pattern while we were on a trip the previous year. We stopped in at cute little quilt shop (Stone Temple Quilts) and all four of us ended up leaving with bags in hand. I purchased mostly patterns and regret not getting a few of the fabrics I drooled over.

I've been working on this quilt for about 2 years now, off and on. I had a little stall in the middle while having a baby and we've had a few other major life changing events also, so it's been a bit neglected. But I am excited to get going on it again. My goal is to complete a block or two a day, or maybe a week! I absolutely love the pattern. I will have to eventually make one for myself too. It is called Cottage Tapestry by Fig Tree Quilts. They've got so many great patterns.Notice the pattern has a flower applique block? And I can't tell you how much I love my 1/4" quilting foot. It makes the piecing go so much faster and more accurately.It has a guide on the right side of the foot that you simple but the fabric edge up to.

Check it out

2009-06-16T00:52:00.004-05:00

Jaybird Quilts is having a giveaway.It's an I Spy template kit. That's right, a KIT!! Templates, instructions, and even the fabric (same stuff she used in making the hexagon topper tutorial.) This would be great project for all you sewing newbies out there, and even the not-so-newbies!

Hurry! Giveaway ends Thursday 12midnight EST.

Sewing Machine Meme

2009-06-13T14:09:00.002-05:00

June is "Sewing Machine Month" over at Sew, Mama, Sew and they are posting all kinds of info on sewing machines and components (like accessory feet, buttonholes, needles, ect.). They also have a bunch of great giveaways.

I was really excited to see that they are kicking off the month by asking for sewing machine reviews. I've had a few friends lately scoping out new machines and I'd love to see for myself what everybody else out there is using. So I am joining in on the action.

What brand and model do you have? Janome Memory Craft 3000

It is a computerized quilting machine, and has functions specificly needed for quilting, but great to use for all kinds of sewing. It's pretty heavy duty and able to sew through multiple thick layers of fabric.

How long have you had it? the machine is 9 years old, but I started using it exclusively the for the past 2 years.

How much does that machine cost? It orginaly cost around $600 but this specific model isnt being made anymore. There are still a few new ones out there though. Similar Janome Computerized Quilting machines can be found here.

What types of things do you sew? I sew pretty much everything. The majority of my work is quilting, home dec projects, anything craft related and a small amount of clothing.

How much do you sew? almost everyday

How much wear and tear does the machine get? quite a bit. I dont go easy on it.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? I absolutely love my machine. I couldnt live without it. Once while it was in the shop for a tune-up/cleaning, I tried using my old machine and I just couldnt. I guess you could say Im spoiled now.

What features does your maching have that work well for you? I love the needle up/down button, which allows you to set the needle to always stop in the up or down position. And I couldnt live without the adjustable presser foot pressure. And some of the extras that I really enjoy are the decorative stitches, built in needle threader, thread cutter, and snap on presser feet.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? the only thing would be that all the buttons make little beep when pressed. It's a little loud at night when everyone else is in bed and I'm trying to sneak in a few more hours of sewing. I wish I could adjust the sound level or have an on/off switch. It's not too bad though.

Would you recommend your machines to others? I would definitely recommend my machine!

If you havent check out Sewing Machine Month over at Sew, Mama, Sew! yet, you definitely should. If you are new to sewing I recommend the "Feet, Feet, Feet" post. Even if you arent new to sewing, it's great to be reminded what all the crazy feet are meant for, and even learn something you might not have known.

And the Winner is...

2009-06-01T21:16:00.002-05:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway. You all left such wonderful comments. I loved hearing what you thought of my product, and hope that if you didnt win, you'll visit The Zanie Zoo shop and check out my other items.

Now onto the winner:

#17

Congratulations Marie Ann!!(of Nob Hill Noob)

Please email me at ZanieZoo@gmail.com with your address and I'll get it sent right out to you!

May Giveaway Day

2009-05-27T06:00:00.002-05:00

I am so excited to participate in the May Giveaway Day with Sew, Mama, Sew! Here is a peek at the item that could be coming your way.

Diaper and Wipes Case

Comfortably fits a wipes container and 2 large diapers. This case is thicker and more durable than most, because of its inner lining, and keeps its shape even when it’s not filled. It wont get all slouchy and crumpled like others do. Fabric is from Amy Butler's Midwest Modern Fabric Collection. For more details see the shop.

For a chance at taking this beauty home, just leave a comment! I will ship internationally. The winner will be chosen at random. Giveaway will be open until May 31st.

Yo-Yo's

2009-05-26T18:30:00.002-05:00

I'm relatively new to the sewing world and have always wanted to try out making yo-yo's. But, like I've stated before, I'm a perfectionist and that has held me back. If you haven't learned the art of making yo-yo's yet, it's pretty basic: draw a circle and cut it out, stitch around the edge (the key here is making your stitching the exact length and exact distance from the edge), then pulling the thread to draw it in. Heather Bailey has a really great tutorial here.
But since finding these puppies, I feel liberated! These Yo-Yo Makers by Clover are well worth their $6 price. I got the "large" size which makes a 1.75" yo-yo. They are so easy and quick. I takes me about 3 mins. or less to make one using this genius guide. Once you get going, it's hard to stop.
First, insert a piece of fabric between the two discs, with right side facing down. Then trim, leaving 1/8-3/16" of fabric.Knot the end of your thread and while folding the edge toward the center, run your needle and thread through the guide holes, going through both layers of fabric. (The back has slits between the stitches so your thread wont get stuck.) Once you're back to where you started, make sure to leave your needle and thread attached.Then pop out the top disc and pull out the fabric. Give you thread a tug and the fabric will gather perfectly on it's own, forming the yo-yo. Knot the end to hold in place.If you make your yo-yo's without the guide, you can make them any size you want, just trace a circular object, larger or smaller to your liking. You can also make your stitch length shorter, giving you more gathers, and have a more open center. Or vice versa, use a longer stitch length, giving less gathers, and have a tighter center. It sounds opposite, but it's true, just ask Heather Bailey. Or try it out for yourself!

You can use these for so much. Just a few ideas I've seen are garlands, scarfs, broaches, quilts, and dolls. Or adorn pretty much anything: baby shoes, shirt neckline, purses, hair clips, zipper pouches, etc. You can add a button, jewel, or beads on top and a pin on back, and trade them out for your style of the day.

I cant wait to add these little cuties to my products (so keep an eye out for them!) And I am really excited to try out the flower shaped yo-yo.

Finally finished!

2009-05-23T22:06:00.010-05:00

My big project that I have been working on is finally finished!! Yay! It seems to have taken me forever and used up every ounce of my "me-time". Mostly because of the fact that I am a perfectionist and that the velvet was much harder to work with than I originally expected. It would slip and slide all over the place. Not sure of exactly what type of velvet it is, but it has a short nap and has a nice soft, silky feel.

My cousin-in-law loved her daughter's crib bedding and was sad to see it go when her little munchkin graduated to a twin. She had the great idea to make a whole new twin bedding set out of it.

So here's the before:

(crib sized quilt, bed skirt, and bumper)

And after:
I added the velvet and pink swirl fabric to make up for the extra yardage needed. It included a twin sized quilt, standard pillow case, sham, square pillow, rectangular pillow, bolster, and bed skirt. I am really pleased with how it came out and hope this adorable little girl it loves too.

Here it is in action:

I absolutely loved all the little ruffles...almost enough to make me want a little girlie of my own...almost.