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Christmas Tag / Ornament Tutorial

Hello friends! 

Today I bring a tutorial to you that is really easy and can be used for a couple different things! 

I love to put tags on gifts but what if you could make a tag that you could repurpose and use year after year? 

What you will need:

Fabric Scraps

Felt

Ribbon

Buttons

Sizzix Bigz Die - 2", 3" & 4" Circles

Big Shot or Fabi Die Cutting Machine

Heat n Bond Lite

Begin by cutting out the following:

1 felt circle that is 3"
1 Heat n Bond circle that is 3"

7 fabric scrap circles at 3" each

4 fabric scrap curcles at 2" each

8" piece of ribbon

Take the ribbon and fold in half and sew on to the front of the felt circle.  The color of thread really doesn't matter as you will be covering up both sides so no one will know :)

Now we need to make our first layer of "petals".  Taking 6 of the 3" circles you cut from your fabric scraps, fold them each in half and press them.  (not shown because I forget to take a photo)

Lay the half circle (since you folded it) so the straight edge is facing you.  Take the right corner and pull it to the left about 1/3 of the way, maybe a smidge less.

Now take the left corner and fold it BEHIND to the back so the edge peeks out on the right side just a smidgen. So your "petal" should have folds peeking out on each side. If your's does not, you will need to adjust your folds.  Begin by trying to make your first fold smaller until you get the below result. 

Now you can pin all 6 to the felt on top of the ribbon. Make sure you snug them up against each other and pin each one in place.

Time to tack them down by sewing a circle around the middle.  As you can see, my circle isn't anywhere near perfect (hahahahaha) so you don't have to be precise.  Just be sure you try to keep it with in a 1/2" of the center. Again, this will be covered up so thread color doesn't matter. 

Time to take those 2" circles and fold them in half, wrong sides together and then in half again so you have a quarter wedge. 

Lay them out on top of the petals you already have down, matching up the center points. 

You can try to do another circle here to sew them down, but I chose to do two straight lines. This was much easier using this thickness.

Next sew on your button using your favorite method. I just used a needle and thread and sewed it on.

You will notice the back isn't so pretty, hm?  Let's fix that.  Take your last circle that is 3" and the 3" circle that is Heat n Bond and bond it to the wrong side of your fabric circle using the manufactures directions.  Lay down a layer or two of batting or something squishy, then a piece of fabric, then your ornament face down.  You need these squishy layers so the button will sink down and you get a good adhesion of your Heat n Bond to the back.  Lay the circle with the Heat n Bond on it and bond it to the back of the ornament!

Now what I love the most is you can now write on the back of it to make it a tag to put on a gift.  If using Christmas fabrics it then can be used as an ornament!!  

Time for me to get started making a bunch of these for Christmas!!  Just remember, these don't just have to be for Christmas!!! What a lovely little keepsake when giving a gift!!!! 

Much Love!!!

Giveaway Winner!!!

Edited to choose a new winner.... the original winner was a no reply blogger so i could not email them to claim the prize and they did not contact me.

****************

Hello everyone!!!

I have a winner for my Kona Giveaway!!

Drum roll please......

Through the very technical choosing by Random.org....

The winner is.............

Congratulations!!! Please email me with your snail mail information so I can get that to Robert Kaufman! They will ship out your fabric pack and pattern! 

Much Love!!!

Kona Cotton Solids ~ 30 Quilts For 30 Years + Giveaway!

Hello my friends!!  I have something really exciting to share with you today!

Today is my stop on the incredibly inspiring Kona Cottons 30 Quilts for 30 Years blog tour! Several months ago, I was asked to participate in a celebration of 30 years of Kona Cotton Solids by Robert Kaufman Fabrics. Thirty quilt designers created quilts and patterns using this huge range of solid colors. The quilt I designed is my Cosmic Delight quilt.  I altered it a bit to use multiple neutrals for the background and lattice strips and I just adore how it turned out!  (Pattern is available HERE)

Robert Kaufman put together an amazing look book with all of the quilts.  I highly suggest that you take a gander at it. So many talented designers and their quilts all in one place.  One stop shop for inspiration!!  Have a look HERE! 

In celebration of these 30 Years of Kona Cottons, Robert Kaufman Fabrics and I are doing a little giveaway! Leave a comment on this post for your chance to win a set of 5″ charm squares of the new 2014 Kona Cotton Solid colors, as well as a copy of my Cosmic Delight quilt pattern.

The Giveaway will be open for 24 hours, ending at 10 am on November 19th CST.  This is also open internationally! Yay!  Giveaway is now closed...winner announced shortly!

I must say I adore all of the quilts in this book, but to give you an idea of the talent, here are a couple of my favorites! 

Josephs Coat Quilt by Darlene Zimmerman

And Paint Drip by Erika Jackman

You can also check out all of the other quilters and their posts, past and up and coming, so be sure to stop by and have a looksie!! :)

Week 1:

Saturday, November 1st: Johanna Masko

Sunday, November 2nd: Alyssa of  Aria Lane

Monday, November 3rd: Dorie of Tumblingblocks

Tuesday, November 4th: Megan of Canoe Ridge Creations

Wednesday, November 5th: Daniela of Cozy Quilt Designs

Thursday, November 6th: Faith of Fresh Lemons Quilts

Friday, November 7th: Anita Grossman Solomon

Saturday, November 8th: Debbie of Esch House Quilts


Week 2:

Sunday, November 9th: Alex of Teaginny

Monday, November 10th: Darlene Zimmerman

Tuesday, November 11th: Nichole Ramirez

Wednesday, November 12th: Rita Hodge of Red Pepper Quilts

Thursday, November 13th: Lee of Freshly Pieced

Friday, November 14th: Julie of Jaybird Quilts

Saturday, November 15th: Latifah of The Quilt Engineer


Week 3:

Sunday. November 16th: Elizabeth Hartman

Monday, November 17th: Erica of Kitchen Table Quilting

Tuesday, November 18th: Karrie of Freckled Whimsy

Wednesday, November 19th: Valori Wells

Thursday, November 20th: Marilyn of Quilt Moments

Friday, November 21st: Cortney Heimerl

Saturday, November 22nd: Shayla and Kristy of Sassafras Lane Designs


Week 4:

Sunday, November 23rd: Shea of Empty Bobbin Sewing

Monday, November 24th: Carrie Strine

Tuesday, November 25th: Rachel of Stitched in Color

Wednesday, November 26th: Liz of Lady Harvatine

Saturday, November 29th: Carolyn Friedlander


Week 5:

Sunday, November 30th: Elizabeth of Don’t Call Me Betsy

Monday, December 1st: Emily of Carolina Patchworks

Tuesday, December 2nd: Ken Kaufman

Wednesday, December 3rd: Grand Finale!




Much Love!!!!

Scrappy Drawstring Bag Tutorial

Hello! Hello! Hello!

It's been forever.  Again.  I really need to be better on updating my blog.  I keep saying that but it seems to always get put on the back burner.  I promise I don't intend it to go that way and I always have fun things to share, it's just finding the time to sit down and share it.  

So today I have a really fun and cute tutorial!!  I could make a million of these!! 

One reason I love this bag is because you can use them for so many things!! Need a gift bag? Whip one up.. Need a knitting bag like I did, whip one up!!  

That actually is what inspired this project.  I have began knitting again *YAY* and I really needed a smaller bag to put my sock knitting in.  My main focus was keeping the yarn away from the kitties so having a drawstring bag allows me to keep my yarn inside the bag and just pull as I go.  No rolling balls of yarn anywhere...lol! 

Ready?  Here we go! 

I am using my Sizzix Big Shot along with the 2 1/2" Squares Bigz Die to help this process go faster! It cuts 4 at a time and up to 8 layers.  

What you need:

88 squares that measure 2.5" x 2.5"

2 pieces of batting that is 15" x 17"

2 pieces of lining fabric 12.5" x 14.5"

2 strips 2.25" x 40" for ties

Let's Begin:

Start by laying out two panels of your 2.5" squares so they are in a grid of 6 across and 7 down.  That is 42 squares per side. You will have 4 left over.  Set those aside. 

Sew the squares into rows pressing seams in opposite directions in each row.  Meaning Row 1 you will press to the right, and row 2 you will press to the left and so on.  Once you have all rows sewn, sew the rows together and press seams to one direction. 

Next you will lay your panel on a piece of batting.  I did not put anything behind the batting because I didn't want it to be too thick and the bag is lined so I didn't feel the need.  You should have your panel on top of a piece of batting.  That is it.  Now quilt it as desired.  If you don't want a quilty look or for it to be a bit thicker, you can skip the batting and the quilting. It will all go tougher the same way regardless. 

Once you are done quilting both panels, trim off the extra batting and square up your panels. They should be 12.5" x 14.5". 

Next we need to add "tabs"  in the openings of where the drawstring will be fed through.  These are added so the fabric doesn't fray when opening and closing the bag.  This will make more sense when you see it. :)

Take one of the extra squares and figure out where you want your drawstring to lay.  I lined up the 4" mark on my ruler with the second seam of the panel and then centered the square.  Make sure right sides are facing.  

Now you need to sew this down.  Sew it using about an 1/8th of an inch seam.  Backstitch at the beginning and the end to secure it.  We only want to sew 1/8" in because we want to hid this in our seam and we don't want the stitching to show. 

Now fold it to the back and press it in place.  Repeat for the opposite side of this panel and also for the other panel.  Make sure you put them in the same place on all 4 sides. 

We want to make an opening that is 1" for the drawstring.  Measure in 1.25" from the edge of the square and place a pin.  Repeat on the other side and place another pin.  Repeat for a total of 4 "tabs" on both panels. 

Note:  In the below photo, the sewn edge is on the bottom so you will measure in from the sides.  The distance between the pins should be 1". 

Time to sew the front panels together!! 

Place the panels right sides together.  You will sew 1/4" around each edge except for the top.  You will also need to skip the sections between the pins.  Backstitch when you get to a pin, then skip over the gap, backstitch and continue sewing.  When you are done you will have three openings.  The top, and the two 1" sections where the drawstring will go.  Be sure you backstitch on either side of those pins as there will be lots of strain in those spots. 

You will also need to sew the lining pieces together.  Place right sides together and sew around each side (taller side = 14.5") , around the bottom (12.5"), and up the other side (14.5").  Be sure to leave about a 3" opening at the bottom for turning. Backstitch at the beginning and end of this gap as well.  

On to boxing the corners!  If you don't want to box the corners, you can skip this step.  The bag will be a bit longer/wider if you don't box it.  

To box the bottom corners, take the bottom seam and the side seam and match them up to make a triangle.  If you push the seams in opposite directions you can get them to nest.  

Lay your ruler down so the tip of the triangle is at the 1.5" mark on the ruler.  Take a Pen and draw a line.  Sew on the line and then trim 1/4" away from the sewn line. 

Repeat this for the other corner of the outer panels and also on the inside lining. 

Turn the outer panels right sides out and place it inside the lining piece that is still inside out.  Sew 1/4" around the edge, matching side seams. 

Time to birth the bag!!! From the opening in the bottom of the lining, carefully pull the outside of the bag through the hole. 

It should look like this. 

Sew up the hole in the bottom of the lining using your favorite method and then push the lining into the bag.  press the top seam so that the lining is rolled to the inside.  Then sew 1/8" around the top edge to secure the lining. 

Now we need to make the channel for the drawstring to flow through.  

Put a pin in place at the top and bottom of the 1" hole we left. Do this on the left and right sides of the bag. 

Using a fabric safe marking tool, draw a line between the top two pins and then the bottom two pins.  Make sure you use a marking tool that will be easily removed. 

Flip the bag over and repeat drawing the marked lines. 

Sew on each line going all the way around the bag, backstitching at the beginning and the end.  

You can see now where the "tabs" were placed created a finished edge. No fraying!!! Yay! 

Alright.. we are almost done!! 

Take the drawstring strips and fold in each of the ends about 1/2" and press. 

Fold each strip in half and press. This creates a center fold line to use as a guide. 

Open up the strip and bring the raw edges of the strip to the center crease you just made.  Do this for both sides. 

Fold the strip in half enclosing the raw edges and then sew down the edge about 1/16 to an 1/8th away from edge.  

Using a safety pin, pin it to the end of your drawstring.  Begin by feeding it in one of the channel openings, pass by the other opening and back out through the same hole you began in.  Even out the drawstring and tie a knot at the end.  

Repeat for the other channel opening. 

Pull on each of the strings in opposite directions and watch your new bag pucker up!!!! 

That's it!! You're done!! Pat yourself on the back!! Super easy!! 

You can also use this same tutorial for a plain panel.  You don't have to use the scrappy square look.  You can also add a decorative top to your bags too.  Here are a couple of examples in different sizes (super easy to adapt to whatever size you want). 

If you make these bags, please share them with me!!! I'd love to see your creations!!!! 

Much Love!!!

Face Cloth Tutorial - Softest Ever!!

We all love to pamper ourselves, right? Even if it's something little that makes us feel better, every little bit of pampering is accepted and enjoyed! 

I've seen a few of these floating around so I wanted to give mine a different spin. I like easy.  I like quick so I altered mine a bit.  

I don't know about you, but i hate turning small things right sides out, and then trying to stitch that opening together.  Mine never look very good so if I can eliminate that step, boy I am gonna do it!! 

So here is what I did...

I did use my Sizzix for this project for a few reasons.  Mostly because of the same reasons above.  It's easy and its quick.  No fuss about it.  :)  I am sure if you don't have these Sizzix items you can amend the tutorial to fit your needs, but let me tell you, with this baby I did 22 of these Face Cloths in an evening! Boom! 

Supplies:

Sizzix Big Shot or Big Shot Pro is the machine I used.

Sizzix Bigz L Die - Circle, 5" is the die you will need to cut out the circle.

6.5" x 6.5" squares of cotton fabric for each Face Cloth

Cotton Batting like Warm and Natural - 6.5" x 6.5" square per Face Cloth

Sherpa - I got mine from Nature's Fabric - 6.5" x 6.5" square per Face Cloth

Pinking Shears or Pinking Rotary Cutter (recommended)

Begin by deciding how many you want to make.  I made 22 so my daughter and I could each have 11.   That is enough for one cloth each morning and night for 5 days and 1 to have while you are washing the dirty ones.  I do plan on making more, but for now I started with 22.  

Once you have that "magic number" cut that many squares of your top fabric 6.5" x 6.5".  Using the circle die above, center that on your squares (remember you can cut multiple layers, up to 8), and run it through the machine to cut out the "peek hole".  

Next cut strips of fabrics 2" x 6.5".  You will need 4 of these strips for each face cloth.  Next, sew these 4 strips together and press to one direction.  Repeat for all face cloths.  

Now you need the guts! 

From each of the batting and the Sherpa, cut a 6.5" x 6.5" piece for each Face Cloth. 

Layer the Sherpa (soft side face down), the batting, and the strip pieced element. This is where you will need to decide if you want extra quilting. I quilted on either side of the strip pieced seams about 1/4" away to give it some stability.  You may choose to skip this or quilt it entirely different.  

Now lay down the top "peek hole" fabric. Don't worry if this stuff doesn't line up perfectly.  The Sherpa can distort easily but we are going to trim the edges later so no worries.  

Sew a 1/4" away from the raw edge of the circle making sure to backstitch at the start and end as this is a raw edge.  You don't want those stitches coming out!! 

Then Sew about 3/8" around all 4 edges.  Again be sure to backstitch at the beginning and the end!

Now comes the fun part!! 

Grab that pinking rotary cutter or a pinking shear and start trimming around each side.  I highly recommend the rotary cutter with the pinking blade because it is super fast and your hand won't feel like you just put it through the pasta maker when you are done ;)

I  stacked mine and took lots of pretty pictures because i just love the look of pinked edges!! 

Just to let you know too, if you have never done raw edge appliqué, when these are washed the circle will get "fuzzy" and you may need to trim some loose threads that let go and the same for the outer edges.  But once you have washed them once or twice, you really shouldn't have to do it anymore.  

See how easy that was? 

I love raw edge sewing when I can get away with it!! I personally like the fuzzy look plus there is no turning and trying to do that thing called the ladder stitch, or something??? LOL! 

Now that you have your cloths completed, go wash your face.  Seriously, these feel divine! 

They are also not limited to using them on your face.  You can use them on your baby/children.  Use them in the shower.  Stick one in your purse for emergencies.  What a pretty decoration ;) 

I am off to make more!

Enjoy!!

Much Love!!!