Coffee Koozie with Fat Quarter Shop

Hello everyone!!

Guess what?! Fat Quarter Shop is at it again with one of their oh so cute tutorials!  This time it is for a "Coffee Koozie"! Let me just tell you, it's WAY cuter than those brown ones that you get at a coffee shop or gas station!! ;)

I chose to use fabric from Kate Spain's line, Daydream.  The instructions advise to choose 12 squares that are 2.5" x 2.5"... that proved to be a bit difficult since I LOVED every piece in this line!  

But, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do... so here is my Coffee Koozie! 

As you can see, my only dilemma was not just the fabric.. choosing just the right Aurfil thread was just as difficult.... 

I finally decided to go with the teal.  You can never go wrong with teal, right? ;)

And here it is completed and on the cup of my favorite drink... White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha!!! Mmmmmm... So so cute, don't you think?

If you want to make your own, you can click here for the pattern.... 

and/or

You can watch this video tutorial! I suggest both. ;)

Enjoy making this!! It's a great gift and you can make them really quick!! 

Much Love!!!

One Million Pillowcase Blog Hop

Hello my friends!!! 

Today I am here to tell you about the One Million Pillow Case Challenge!! I am sure you have heard of it before and if you haven't, let me tell you a bit about it!

All People Quilt is heading up this challenge for all of us to make One Million Pillowcases and donate them to charities that need them! We all love pretty things, right? So lets share our creativity and our pretty things with those that need them more than we do! 

Please head on over to All People Quilts post about this challenge! Not sure how to make a pillow case?? They have that covered too! They have FREE Patterns you can use as a guide or to follow! 

I hope you will join us all in reaching this goal! It is so important to give back and to bring cheer into someones life! 

I used the basic pillowcase pattern and adjusted it a bit so I could use my Sizzix Tumbler die for the border! I also used the delicious Cotton and Steel fabric from Melody Miller plus a few basics.  The pattern called for a strip 10" x 41" and my tumbler die measured in at 5" before piecing.  So to make it 10" I cut a piece of matching solid fabric 6" x 41" and sewed the pieces together.   Cutting it at 6" allowed for a bit of trim to peek through. I love the effect!

I also highly encourage you to go check out these other bloggers that are participating in the blog hop to see what they created!! Inspiration is invaluable and this group of quilters have some amazing talent!!!

Alison Glass
American Patchwork & Quilting
Barb and Mary of Me and My Sister Designs
The Benartex Design Team: Sew in Love with Fabric
Debby Kratovil
Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts
Heidi Pridemore
How To Sew
Jennifer Paganelli of Sis Boom
Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree Quilts
Kelle Boyd of Ann Kelle
Linda Carlson
Lori Mason
Modern Quilt Studio
Nicole Daksiewicz of Modern Handcraft
Northcott: Patti’s Patchwork
Shannon Fabrics: My Cuddle Corner
Tammy Silvers
Timeless Treasures: Sew Timeless
Valori Wells
Verna Mosquera of The Vintage Spool
Wendy Sheppard of Ivory Spring

Before you go, check out this video too!! Its a 24 hour sew in! Check with your local quilt shops to see if they are participating!



Much Love!!!

Hip to be Square Pillow Cover Tutorial

Hello lovelies!! 

I had gotten my hands on Emily Herrick's new line called Rustique for Michael Miller and decided to make a pillow cover with it.  If you were observant, it made it's way into my NEW blog header!

I always seem to use a fabric line plus white or a light neutral.  When I decided to make this pillow I didn't want to add any fabrics to it because the colors are so pretty and the design didn't need the white.  

In other words, I'm using small projects to force myself out of the "white" habit...lol! 

Here is the pillow I made!  It's made using the Sizzix Big Shot machine and one Half Square Triangle die to cut all the pieces.  

The full tutorial can be found over on the Sizzix Blog! I hope you will check it out! 

Oh, I also added a link a the top of my blog under the header for links to all my Sizzix Tutorials too! That way they will be easy for you to find.  Of course, the other Quilt Tutorial link is there too. :) 

Much Love!!!

Tidbit Tuesday #46 - Binding Thread

Gasp! Another tidbit!

This one comes from an issue I was having while binding and I was getting so frustrated!! Let me explain...

When I bind, I like to use Aurifil 40 weight thread (the green spool).  I cut off a long piece, thread it through the needle, match ends, and tie a knot.  This way my needle doesn't fall off (those hurt to sit on, by the way) and I have secure binding.

What kept happening is after a few stitches, my threads would somehow become uneven and I'd get loops where my stitches were.  I'd have to go back and fix them.

Does this happen to you?

What I did to fix it is simple.  After  you thread your needle, match the ends and tie the knot. At this point the thread by the needle is loose. This allows the needle to slide wherever it wants to.

Now, hold the knot in one hand and the needle in another. Stretch it so that the needle is exactly in the middle.  Pinch the threads at the needle and tie a knot right below your needle.  This way the needle stay right in place!!

No more loops!!

Hope this helps someone else too!

Much Love!!!