Cats!

I've been wondering if I could use the Calico Cat die to make striped cats. I knew that I could, but I didn't know if it would look right...

It came close to what I wanted. The light stripes need to be much thinner. The ones on this cat finish at less than an inch, but I think they're too clunky. And I want to make the tail have stripes that aren't lined up with the stripes on the body.

I think I can see how to do that...

This post is linked to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.

Butterfly

Butterfly is quilted and bound...

I designed this baby quilt to use the new AccuQuilt Bowties die (or you could use the 2 1/2" and 1 1/2" strip cutters....or cut 2 1/2" and 1 1/2" squares with a ruler and rotary cutter. Isn't it wonderful how flexible quilting can be?) You can find my tips for cutting with the Bowties die in this post.

To make each little butterfly, layer a 1 1/2" black square on a 2 1/2" print or background square and sew from corner to corner. Trim 1/4" from the stitching line as shown. (When I'm making traditional bow tie blocks, I leave the extra fabric in the seam, but leaving them in this case means that you'd be sewing through eight layers of fabric where the triangles meet. I tried -- it doesn't work!)

Make two print and two background squares for each butterfly and assemble as shown.

I made thirty-six butterfly blocks and set them on point in six rows of six. You'll need twenty-five plain 4 1/2" background squares. For the setting triangles, cut five 7" squares and cut twice on the diagonal to make four triangles. For the corners, cut two 3 3/4" triangles and cut each along the diagonal to make two triangles. If you need more explanation, check out this lesson from McCall's Quilting.

As always, if you make this quilt I'd love for you to send me a picture or link up to my weekly Let's Make Baby Quilts! linky party. There's a list of my free baby quilt tutorials over in the sidebar and you  can find out when new ones are added by either following my blog or liking the Let's Make Baby Quilts Facebook page.

Bow Tie Butterflies?

I've been playing with the new Bowties die that AccuQuilt sent me.  These aren't the traditional bow ties that the die was intended to make, but I've got an idea...

When I started cutting scraps for my Cheddar Bow Ties, I was desperately wishing I had a die to do it with. Squaring up the edges and then trying to be sure I could get all four squares that I needed before I started cutting took time -- a lot more time than just layering the fabric over the blades! Too bad this die doesn't make 3" blocks. With the quilt top 2/3 done, I'll finish that one the old fashioned way. And the 2" blocks for the Temecula Quilting version.

The AccuQuilt die makes 4" Bowtie blocks from 2 1/2" and 1 1/2" squares. To get the most out of my pinks scraps and the black fabric (which I'm supposed to be using for Hocuspocusville and keep stealing for other projects), I'm starting with strips just under 3" wide. Cutting the print pieces is about as straightforward as it could be.

To cut the smaller squares, I had to get a little more creative. If I let the end of the fabric run off the die in the other direction, I was afraid I'd cut it on the blades for the larger squares. So I position it just over the blades that I'm cutting with. 

And, to avoid extra wear and tear on my mat, I place the mat just over the portion of the die that I'm using. (I do this any time I'm only using a portion of a die.)

If I was cutting these pieces from yardage, I think I'd use my 1 1/2" and  2 1/2" strip dies to cut the squares. But for small or oddly shaped scraps, this die is just what I'd hoped for.

I'm linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.

Hunter Star with the AccuQuilt Go!

Hunter Star is one of the traditional blocks that I've been fascinated (and intimidated) by ever since I started quilting. Trapezoids and diamonds scare me, a fact that I promptly forgot when I saw the new AccuQuilt dies and dreamed up a baby quilt that would use the Hunter Star Block.

But this is going to work out. One of the things I love about die cutting is that it gives me accurate pieces so, instead of worrying about cutting and piecing, all I have to worry about is the piecing. That's the only way I ever had the courage to tackle my two color Drunkard's Path quilt, Cabbage Roses. And by the time I had it done, I was comfortable with curves. 

I really like the layout of this die. One layer of fabric gets you all of the light or dark shapes needed for a pair of 6" squares. It's laid out to cut both the "A" and "A Reversed" pieces without using a double layer of fabric, and the pieces are tightly clustered together, which will make it good for cutting scraps. Now all I've got to do is remember which way those pesky diamonds go!

To see what other quilters are up to, head over to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.

I've got fabric to cut...

Have you seen the brand new AccuQuilt Go! dies, the ones they're calling their Stash Buster Collection? They sent me three of them to play with -- the Hunter Star, the Snowball, and the Bow Ties...and I'm drooling over the rest of the collection.  

Now I want to drop everything and go start cutting scraps -- won't these make great baby quilts?!

Weekly Stash Report

Fabric Used this Week: 1 1/2 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 67 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 251 1/2 yards
Net Added for 2013: 184.5 yards


Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 2950 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 13200 yards
Net Added for 2013: 10250 yards

I'm linking up to Patchwork Times and Finding Fifth.

Quilter's Favorites - Share and Learn

Geta at Geta's Quilting Studio has invited bloggers to share what makes their quilting more enjoyable.



I love my AccuQuilt Go! and Sizzix Big Shot. I do a lot of scrap quilting using fabrics from thrift stores and estate sales. And I make a lot of baby quilts to donate, so it seemed like a die cutter would help me finish more quilts than I could if I was cutting them all with a rotary cutter and ruler.

I can't tell you how much fun I've had with these machines over the past couple of years.

I've used my Go! to quickly cut enough units to piece a two-color Drunkard's Path quilt while I was recovering from knee surgery, to trim someone else's unevenly cut squares so that they were all the same size. It's great for cutting things that would be time consuming or impossible with a rotary cutter and ruler.

When I've just been in the mood to play, I've experimented to see if I could use the Apple Core die to make Halloween bats, or the Dresden Plate and Drunkard's Path dies to reproduce a traditional pieced turtle block. The more ways I can find to use a die I've purchased, the happier I am.



I've used my Big Shot to cut intricate shapes that I just don't have the talent (or time or desire)  to cut by hand with an Exacto knife. There is no way I  would have cut all of those typewriter keys by hand -- not when I could buy a die for ten bucks that would do it for me over and over!

Depending on what shapes I'm cutting and what fabric I'm starting with, I also love the Easy Angle Ruler and Companion Angle.


I also use template plastic, or even cereal boxes, if I want to make something that I don't have a die for, but I sure do appreciate what I've been able to do when I've got the right size die or ruler!

Friday Finish -- Tumblers

Back in April, I cut a bunch of tumblers with my 3 1/2" tumbler die. I wasn't sure how many I needed to make a big quilt, or how big I wanted "big" to be... I just had a pile of dark scraps I'd used for other projects and  decided it was as good a time as any to start cutting tumblers. I also had a coffin quilt from an antique store on my mind.

I cut a bunch of tumblers, assembled some of them into rows, and got caught up with other things.  At one point, I realized  I didn't want to back this one with a sheet from my backing stash and that I didn't want to go spend real money on backing, so the project got put on hold while I figured that out.

Turns out there was a perfect piece of yardage in my sewing room that I'd forgotten about, from one of the big Craigslist finds last year. I bought it with a ton of other fabrics, sure I'd use it someday for something.

It's "someday," and for this quilt, it's perfect. Maybe not what I would have chosen if I was buying brand new fabric off the bolt, but it's not settling for the least awful option, either.  

Yes, there is a chunk missing from one corner of my quilt.  I took a risk, gambling  that I could make it work, then I made a mistake...and I fixed it by lopping off the corner of my quilt. That's one of the things I love about making utility quilts for my own house and family with the scrap bags. There's no guilt if things don't work out according to the original plan. And I'm giving this quilt to my boys. A missing  corner is the least of its concerns.

When I quilted the dark strippie quilt a few weeks ago, I used a light brown thread that blended with the fabric so well I couldn't see where I had and hadn't meandered. For this one, I used my usual off-white thread. The quilting is more visible, but it blends the tumblers together when you look at it up close. I definitely like it better than the quilting that doesn't show at all, but there must be some kind of middle ground between the two options.

I'm linking this post to Finish it Up Friday, Can I get a Whoop Whoop?, Link a Finish Friday.

turtles and tumblers

Ten of my sixteen turtles are pieced, and the fabrics are picked out for the other six. I'm not sure how I'm going to lay them out yet. That decision may have to wait until all of the turtles are pieced and I can see the whole thing.  

It's the quilting of this one that excites me. I want to play with different designs on each turtle and do a tight meander in the background spaces. How it turns out will determine whether or not this one goes to the boys or stays mine.

The top for my tumbler lap quilt is assembled.

To see more design walls, head over to Patchwork Times.

I'm absolutely drooling over the huge cross stitch patterns from Heaven and Earth Designs. It's like they looked into my head and came up with absolutely what I didn't know I wanted...and it doesn't help that they're on sale at 1-2-3 Stitch! right now. I'm wavering between Rhyme & Reason and Faery Tales and trying very hard to be good and not order either one.

Have you seen the "made fabric" quilt top over at Brown Dirt Cottage?

And look at these sewn bird gift tags that are part of the Holiday Bake, Craft & Sew Along at Skip to my Lou. I could whip those up so quickly with the birds die for my Go! cutter... 

I want to try the Spin Wheel Block Tutorial from Quilter's Nest....

What's out there that you want to try?

Drunkard's Path Turtles

I've been wanting to try a turtle block since I saw an antique turtle quilt on someone's blog a few months ago. I couldn't find that quilt again, but I did find a similar quilt at Monkeybox and one on Quiltville's Quips and Snips. (If you don't want to see the turtles, go read what she had to say about "quilt shop quality" fabrics.)  

The turtles are just so cute! They're also a variation on the Drunkard's Path block, which I love. They've got curved piecing...and I've got dies to cut them with!  Not to mention all of the green fabrics I pulled together while I was working on Quinn's green quilt. 

I hauled my dies and fabric down from the sewing room weeks ago, but I didn't get around to experimenting until Friday afternoon. They're not any harder to piece than regular Drunkard's Path blocks.

 Each turtle takes two curved Dresden Plate blades and two convex and concave Drunkard's Path pieces out each of print and background fabric. (I used the AccuQuilt 7" Drunkard's Path die and Dresden Plate die, but you could substitute whatever similarly sized templates or pattern you already have.) 

Place the two Dresden Plate blades right size together and sew all the way around the outside edge. Don't leave an opening to turn it, you'll create that when you cut the shape in half. Trim excess seam allowance from the pointed end and notch the curved end, then turn your head and tail right sides out and press.

Lay the head and tail pieces on the right sides of the convex background pieces and baste them in place before assembling the four Drunkard's Path units.

Press and assemble into a cute little turtle!

I plan on sewing this guy fifteen friends, which will  make a 56" square throw. 

snowball blocks using AccuQuilt half square triangles

For a quilter who claims to dislike snowball blocks, I sure make a lot of them. In the past, I've always cut squares for the corners and sewed along the diagonal, then wound up with waste triangles that I lose before using them for anything else. I've seen lots of great things done with waste triangles, I've just never pulled it off myself. And sometimes I'm working with limited amounts of fabric and want as much as possible in the quilt I'm making, not in a box of waste triangles for some possible future project.

This time I wanted to use up a bunch of half square triangles left over from my two Extra Scrappy Pinwheels quilts.

As far as I know, there isn't a die available that cuts the shape you'd need for the center of the snowball blocks. And if there was, I'm not sure it would be on the top of my wish list, no matter how many of these blocks I make.

For these blocks, I used 6 1/2" squares of white muslin and triangles cut with the 2" finished half square triangle die (which would be equivalent to triangles cut from 2 7/8" squares)

Cut a 2 1/2" square of paper to match the squares you would have used for the corner triangles, then lay a fabric triangle onto it and cut off the excess paper. That's the same excess you'd trim as waste triangles if you were using squares for the corners.



Using that extra little triangle that you cut off, mark the corners of the 6 1/2" background square and trim away the extra fabric.



The diagonal edge of the half square triangles lines up along the edges that you just cut.



Stitch and press and you've got your snowball block.



I'm not sure if this is faster than the "stitch and flip" method, but I suspect that it is. I stacked my background squares and trimmed several a time. And I didn't have to rip out and re-sew any seams that weren't quite down the center of the square. Which technique I use in the future is probably going to depend on what pieces I've already got cut.

This post is linked to Try it on Tuesday at Jo's Country Junction.

Apple Core Bats

Halloween is tomorrow?! How did that happen? I'm nowhere near ready for this. But I did get my bats, which I've been planning for months, finished this morning.

Did you realize you can make bats with the AccuQuilt Go! Cutter and the Apple Core die? Want to try some of your own?



In addition to the Apple Core die, you need some black cotton and paper backed fusible web.

For each bat, cut two rectangles of black fabric and one of fusible web. I cut my rectangles 6" x 8". If you're using a different apple core pattern, measure and cut a rectangle slightly larger than the cut shape. Iron the fusible web to the wrong side of one black fabric rectangle, then peel off the paper backing and iron the second black fabric rectangle to the exposed fusible web. You're creating a slightly stiff sandwich of fabric.



Cut out your apple core. The die leaves a little triangular tab in the center of each curve to aid in piecing. Trim those off so that the outline of your bat is smooth.






To give the wings some dimension, sew a straight seam down the center of the piece, using the longest stitch length on your sewing machine. Leave long strings on either end and do not back stitch.



Gently tug on the threads to gather the bat's body. When you've got it how you want it, knot the thread at both ends and trim it.



For the body of your bat, cut two 1 1/2" wide strips of black fabric. This time, you'll add the fusible web to both pieces.



Lay one 1 1/2" strip under the wings and one 1 1/2" strip over them, carefully lining up the edges. I used one of the bigger pieces of paper backing left over from the wing sections to make sure that none of the fusible web got onto my iron. Gently press the pieces together until they're fused. It will flatten your bat's wings a bit.





Trim the ends of the strips to shape the bat's head and tail.



I plan on joining a dozen or so bats at their wing tips to make a bunting.

Pumpkin Carving!

Every year, I talk about making a Halloween quilt. And every year, I spend the fall months working on anything and everything but a Halloween project. This year, I've got a quilt done and hanging on the wall with a few weeks to spare.



Want to make your own little pumpkin wall quilt? It's easy!

You'll need 1/4 yard of orange for the pumpkins (add a little extra if you're using a different die or pumpkin pattern), 1/8 yard of yellow to light up their faces, 3/4 yard black or dark grey print for the blocks and binding, and a yard of tan for the background and blocks.



You'll need to make nine pumpkin blocks as shown in the video (place your pumpkins on point on 6 1/2" background squares.) The sixteen nine-patch blocks are strip pieced from 2 1/2" strips -- or assembled from individually cut 2 1/2" squares, whichever technique you prefer.



For the twelve side setting triangles, cut three 9 3/4" squares twice on the diagonal as shown -



For the four corner setting triangles, cut two 5 1/8" triangles in half as shown -



Lay out the quilt blocks as shown in the photo and assemble in diagonal rows -

Be sure to check out  my other free Halloween Tutorials -- Halloween Parlor Quilt , Haunted House Potholder, Potion Bottle Mug Rug, Pumpkin Carving Wall Quilt.   To be notified when new tutorials are added, follow my blog or like Michelle's Romantic Tangle on Facebook.

Bird Needle Case Tutorial and Giveaway

Somehow, I never got around to posting my bird needle case here. It's a fun little project that uses the AccuQuilt Bird die -- or you could find a bird applique pattern to use. You've probably already got one somewhere in your pattern collection.



This is the first needle case I've made, and I'm surprised at how handy it is. I can never find a needle when I need one because I hide the packages from my little boys and then can't remember where I put them. My youngest takes those round plastic packages that dispense the needles one at a time as a personal challenge. And pin cushions, especially the cute ones, are just asking for trouble.

The needle case is small enough to tuck away, and they can't see the needles -- I think that's the secret of its success.

Want to make your own? (If you want one but don't want to make it, just scroll down to the bottom and enter my giveaway.) You'll need four 3 1/2" x 6" pieces of print fabric (if you're using the bottom bird on the die -- if you're using a different bird, check the measurements), some small scraps if you want your birdie to have wings, two 3 1/2" x 6" pieces of cotton batting, and four 3 1/2" x 6" pieces of fusible web, and a 6" wide strip of flannel for the inner pages.



Make two sandwiches of fabric and batting by fusing your print fabric to both sides of a batting piece. (I made my first birds without the fusible web, but I think it adds more structure to the book covers and makes sewing the edges easier, especially around the beak and tail.



Run each piece through the AccuQuilt Go! cutter. If you want your bird to have wings, cut those too. Cut four layers of flannel for the inner pages.



Trim off the head and tail of your inner pages, and just a bit off of the belly. This keeps the tail and beak from showing once your needle case is assembled.





Zig zag or buttonhole stitch around both birds and their wings. Layer the front and back covers of your needle book with the inner pages and sew a straight seam just inside the edge of the bird's back -- from the base of its neck to the beginning of the tail (marked with pins in the picture.)



Between the video and this tutorial, I've made more needle cases than I can use myself, so I'm giving one of them (the black one from these pictures) away. To enter, just become a follower and leave a comment before 11:59pm September 29. Or, if you're already a follower, leave a comment and let me know. You can get an extra entry by linking to this tutorial from your blog - just leave another comment and let me know where you've linked from.

I'll pick a random winner and send the needle case off along with some needles to keep in it. International entries are okay, too -- it's light enough to mail anywhere.