SOLUTION - Design Problem Solved.

Yippee Skippee! Found a happy solution to the "blue really stands out" problem of this morning. I actually like this little Dish Mat now. Hope DD will, too.

Took my own advice and ADDed more Blue:
* Cut three 1.5 inch squares
* Applied Steam-A-Seam2 Light to squares
* Put prepared squares near the bottom
* Fused with Hot Iron
* ZigZag around edges

A little bit of quilting to hold top and towel [the backing] together and voila! Done. I think it is much better this way. This has been really bugging me. Now I can sleep tonight! lol

Thank you for stopping by. . .

Quilty Hugs,

FLIMSY FRIDAY - Crayons & Quilts

Remember the Crayon coloring I shared recently? Well, this little DM is where it is going to live.

I'm not totally happy with the outcome, though. The tiny flange surrounding the colored/embroidered square is only 1/8th inch - should have made it wider, I think. Maybe Green thread for quilting? Golly, sure hope it helps to settle down the two dominant blue strips in this little Dish Mat quilt. DD's kitchen counter tile is green, but she really loves blue, so was hoping these two fabrics would play nice together. As busy as the print is, the blue is dominating. Drat!

Let's hope a LOT of King Tut 40 wt Green thread will settle things down. Fingers crossed. If it doesn't, does anyone have any suggestions? Perhaps just making it all over again is the answer.

Isn't the cup cute? It was a recent gift from a dear friend. Love what's at the bottom of the cup! lol

The caption reads: "Never, ever, think outside the box."
I think this particular cup is the perfect one to set on this quilt! lol

Missy needed to 'help' and inspect things as I was sewing. I should have asked her about those blue strips!

That's it - thank you for visiting. I hope wherever you are that you have time to create something that makes you happy! Until next time. . .

Quilty hugs,

PS: Figured out what is bothering me - there are only TWO blue strips. I prefer odd numbers of things and asymetrical settings. I wonder if appliquing 3 small blue coffee cups across the bottom would help? A very accomplished artist friend once told me: if you don't like something, add MORE of it and it will likely settle down. I forgot about that advice when making this quilt. lol

ORCHIDS IN BLOOM & BOUQUETS, Too

Just a quickie post to share a gorgeous bouquet from my #2DD Laura. On HER birthday she sent me flowers to thank me for "our day"! Love that girl! The other pics are of some Orchids in bloom. Aren't they spectacular? I love Orchids. In the close-ups, if you look closely, you can see some of the "bearding". Isn't that neat?

Hope you enjoyed the little floral show. Thanks for stopping by for a visit -- see ya again soon.

Quilty hugs,

MORE FUN WITH DISH MATS

Melange a Trois - this is some really colorful and fun fabric. After it is cut and sewn into a 4-patch it is still recognizable. But, then sub-cut and make a D4P and it looks totally different! Even the Red and Green that were so dominant before now give way to Orange and Yellow. Hmmmm, I wonder if the yellow b/g fabric is contributing to this? Not sure. This might be a tad bright even for a Dish Mat. Time will tell. Here's what I have so far -- this has been a slow sewing day.

Sewn into a D4P:

The last of the embroidery has been completed on my 'crayon' coloring project and I am auditioning fabrics to go with it. It will be a Dish Mat as well. I am really having fun making these. If you want the "how 2's", just go to Connie's blog - she wrote a great tutorial. My DD Laura is looking forward to putting this one in her new little home as it adds to her kitchen coffee theme. Not sure how this will all come together yet. Can't decide between piecing, hexies, pinwheels, or just "stripping". What would you do?

That's all for today. Thank you so much for stopping by to visit.

Quilty hugs,

CRAYON FUN . . . more info at bottom of post

Let the crayon coloring fun begin! I'm using Prang crayons on this small sample, but Crayolas would work just fine. As well as a sheet of paper to create your pattern on, here are some other tools and supplies that you will need:

About a year ago I stumbled across this cute cup drawing on the Pickledish Patch. It was offered as part of a free BOM - there is even a d/l image available now - I just drew it out on printer paper.

Method: Iron FP to the back of your muslin to keep the fabric taunt, making it easier to work with. Color as you like. When satisfied with the coloring, place Wax Paper on TOP of right side [colored side up] on slightly padded surface and PRESS [do NOT iron] with an Up n Down motion for a COUNT OF 5. Supporting wax paper to keep it from moving, carefully move iron to next area and press again. Repeat until whole design has been heat-set. This removes extra wax and sets the color. Below the coloring is finished and heat-set:

Now embellish with embroidery. A tip to separate the floss: hold length of floss near its end between your thumb and forefinger and tap against the ends with finger of other hand. Voila... the ends separate just like magic. I am using the 'back stitch', but use whatever stitch you like.

Below the "steam" is partially stitched. There is a huge difference after the stitching! When the embroidery is finished I'll decide how to use the block. Probably either a Mug Rug or a Dish Mat. Whatever, it will have a smallish pieced border on it and that will finish it. Maybe cut some triangles out of a Charm Pack.

This post is not complete until I share a picture of Missy - aka the "Lap Lump" - she insists on sitting in my lap when I hand sew/stitch. She's a keeper! lol

That's all for now. Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Until next time. . .

Quilty hugs,


Additional info:
Yes, after heat-setting it is washable. If you are unsure, make a small test-sample, wash it and see if you like the results. I wouldn’t use any bleach or detergent with bleach in it. Also it has a very soft hand – not stiff like painted fabrics sometimes are.
Pencils are a good way to go, also. I have combined pencils, crayons, and Pigma inks with good results. Have fun!

Mug Wrap - Easy & Quick To Make

A sweet friend - Julie - made this darling Mug Wrap for me. Isn't it cute? She used wool/felt, a little Velcro to close, and decorated it with YoYos and Buttons. I just love it. Although it is the shape and size of a "Starbuck's cardboard sleeve", it works very nicely on many of my coffee mugs. Thank you again, Julie! I love it.

If you want to make one, just save one of the cardboard sleeves from Starbucks; open it up and voila there is a pattern. It helps if you elongate the back edges a little bit so it will fit more cups. I've also seen these made out of quilted fabric and they are cute as well.

That's it for today. I hope you will make one of these handy Mug Wraps for you or someone you love. Until next time. . . Quilty hugs,
PS: I took a 'crayon coloring' workshop a couple of weeks ago and will post about what we did and show a few awful pictures next time... you can hardly wait, eh?! lol

NEED MORE BRAIN-CELLS - or, even tho' it's Sunday, here is Rainbow Saturday's Pink DishRug

Hmmm, better late than never, I guess, but it does seem like I am forgetting way too much lately. Or perhaps just not paying enough attention to the miriad of projects I get myself involved in. Does that happen to you, too? Case in point: this cute little Pink Dish Mat that was supposed to be posted Saturday along with the little Pink Mug Rugs. Oh well.

I set a couple of cups on it to illustrate how they are used - makes for a better picture. lol. This one is currently in the mail system somewhere on its way to my DGC in Hawaii. My sweet DDIL always decorates to the "nines" for all holiday and seasonal changes, so thought this little Dish Mat could add a Springtime touch to their kitchen.

First we have Missy 'helping' me press and then...Construction method: choose 12 charm squares [or cut some]. I set mine 3 x 4. Sew together into a rectangle. Press all seams. Now for the fun: begin cutting apart like you would for a D4P or a Disapearing 9 Patch. [Note: check out the great explanation of D9Ps on Elly's blog.] The pictures illustrate where I made my cuts. I chose to cut all one direction [either vertical or horizontal], sew together, press, and then cut the opposite direction. With 12 squares and a rectangular shape it just seemed to work out better this way. Don't forget to "rotate" the cut strips before sewing back together - that is what creates the new pattern! It was fun to take another technique and modify it to fit a new project. And... the good news is it worked! Love that.

Now press again, rotate, re-cut, then sew it up. Done! Add a towel scrap to the back "a'la Connie" and another Dish Mat is born. Fun project. See Connie's blog for a great tute on how she incorporates a partial seam on piecing to facilitate turning and keeping the edge clean and neat! Nice.

That's all for today. I hope where ever you are that you have time to create something you love.

Quilty Hugs,

Happy St Pat's Day - flowers n Mug Rugs

Isn't this the cutest bouquet? A sweet friend brought it to me last night -- even sang to me as part of the presentation! What fun. We had a small dinner party here last night and these flowers made the perfect center piece.

Speaking of flowers, a couple of years ago some darling friends got together and sent me a beautiful orchid plant. This year it is blooming again for the third time! It is so beautiful.

Sewing up a storm I managed to make 18 Mug Rugs for DD's office. The pics don't show the amount of green in them, but the gals liked 'em and they are quick and fun to make:

I learned a nifty thing this morning: Make a folder on my desktop to hold modified pictures for my blog; save-as the pics I want to use and REDUCE the pixel size - now perhaps I won't be eating up my assigned mb in Piccasa. At the same time, a "watermark" can be assigned so all pics will automatically have my blog name on them. Won't have to do it individually anymore! WaHoo! I just stumbled across this info by clicking around. It is true what they say: "Necessity IS the mother of invention". I had topped out at my storage limit and was tying to figure out what I could do -- well, other than deleting posts and previous pictures!

Thank you for stopping by. I hope wherever you are you have time to create something you love.

Quilty hugs,

FUNKY CHICKEN... A Cute Pincushion

Today I am just in a Funky Chicken Mood - one of those days! lol. How about you? Just for fun here is a pic of a darling Chicken Pincushion a sweet friend made me many years ago. I especially love his [her??]beaded legs n feet. So cute.

It's been a week since I posted as I have been busy with the local Quilt Run that has been ongoing for the last couple of weekends. Yesterday was the last day, now things ought to get back to normal -- whatever "normal" is. lol

Last night I was goofing around with some Charm Squares. Sewed them together and then began subcutting them ala D9P. It's an experiment. If it works, or perhaps even if it doesn't, I'll share the results with you.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope wherever you are that you have time to create something that makes you happy.

Quilty Hugs,

DARLING FINGER SIZE PINCUSHION - vid on how to make it

The vid below was  just released by Linda Franz of Inklingo fame. This is the cutest little pincushion you ever did see. Take a look.

In about ONE minute you will see how to make the little finger pincushion, and it's fun to watch! Gotta love that Monkey!!

That's all for this Sunday. I hope you are having a lovely weekend. Thank you for stopping by to visit.

Quilty hugs,

*Note: photo and vid used with permission by Linda Franz

FLIMSY FRIDAY -- Finishing up small projects

My offering for Flimsy Friday is very small, but it is something. lol. The FF Button is on my left sidebar. My earlier plans to quilt a lap quilt and practice FMQing, was delayed by a necessary cleaning and de-gunking of my sewing machine and the attachments. A drop of oil in her clean body and she's good to go. Purrs sweetly just like Missy.

So... not the original sewing plan, but it's only 5ish p.m. and there is light enough to sew long enough to finish up these soon-to-be potholders. Easy 4-Patched the scraps. I don't want to throw out such good size scraps, so am making PH to match the Dish Mat I made yesterday for DD#2. Her kitchen has two themes: 1] all things coffee related, and 2] Sunflowers.  She alternates back and forth between them so these ought to fit right in.

That's it for today. Thank you so much for dropping by. I hope wherever you are that you've had time to stitch something today.

Quilty hugs,

IT'S A "NO NOTHING" PRESENT. . . Fun, Quick, Dish Mat

BIG thanks to Connie, of Quilting By The River, for writing a great tute about Dish Mats. What a wonderful idea -- I knew immediately that I would have to make one. Rather than me 'dish out' the how-2s [sorry had to put that in there; couldn't help it... bad fairy made me do it!], just click over to Connie's blog and read her excellent tute!

DD #2 recently moved into a little cottage down by the beach and has been busy decorating and putting her nest together. It's a perfect opportunity for this quilter to try a few quick projects for No Nothing Presents for her -- what's a No Nothing? Well, it's no birthday, no anniversary, no graduation, no nothing.... just a little something for absolutely no reason! Isn't that great? We've been doing No Nothing pressies in our family for decades. So much fun!

I used blue painter's tape as a quide for the simple straightline quilting. Worked out great -- no measuring and no marking. Love that! [Golly didn't realize how gunky my walking-foot looked. No more closeups until a cleanup! lol]. I used KingTut green variagated thread 40wt - it looks nice on the blue.

This is the back. This mat is so quick and fun to make. And practical? You bet! Nifty way to recyle old towels.

Thank you so much for popping in to visit. I hope wherever you are, you have time and the inclination to create something that makes you or someone you love, happy. Until next time. . .

Quilty Hugs,