Halloween Candy revisited

Looking for a quick Halloween project for this weekend?  Here, again, is my Halloween Candy pillow featuring "Hocus Pocus" by Sandy Gervais.

Halloween Candy Tutorial

Find the link to my Moda Bake Shop tutorial in the original blog post, as well as a downloadable pdf of the embroidery pattern.

Have fun!

Flutter by, Butterfly

The landscape is finally in full bloom here in New Hampshire, and just the other day, I saw my first butterfly of the season.  To celebrate, I thought I'd share a sweet little project that I stitched up over the weekend.

This quick little project fits into a 5" x 7" frame and couldn't be easier!  I made the little butterfly by fusing two pieces of fabric together.  After cutting it out, I stitched it onto the background using a few long straight stitches that do double duty as the butterfly's body.  I did the rest of the stitching using two strands of embroidery floss—using a backstitch for the lettering and flower stems, lazy daisies for the flower petals and leaves, and French Knots for the flower centers.

You can find the pattern for Flutter by, Butterfly here.  Before beginning, make sure that the box of the printed pattern measures 5'' x 7''.  Using a water soluble marking pen, transfer the pattern to a 7'' x 9'' rectangle of background fabric and layer with a 7'' x 9'' piece of batting before stitching.  This step gives a bit of dimension to your stitching and prevents the floss ends from showing through.

After stitching your project, remove the contents of a 5'' x 7'' frame, wrap both layers of the project around the glass, pop it back into the frame and voilà!

By the way, I'm always on the lookout for great frames and I actually found this beauty at Kohl's.  The frame cost only $5 on sale, it comes in several great colors and best of all, it's deep enough to accommodate the extra layers of fabric and batting without having to tape the back.  I bought two and I'll probably go back for more!

Before I go, I just wanted to let you know that I'm hard at work on a big project that I hope to be able to share with you soon.  In order to be able to focus on the project, I've decided to take a month off from blogging.  In the meantime, I wish you all happy quilting and I'll see you back here in July!

Jen

Bloom Where You Are Planted

We're supposed to have a snowstorm here in New Hampshire tomorrow, and with a potential accumulation of 14-18 inches of snow, I can't think of a better time for a little spring stitching!!

These wooden buttons were the inspiration for this sweet project:

I saw them online when I was ordering some homespun fabric from Jubilee Fabric (jubileefabric.com) and I couldn't resist.  They're tiny—only 3/8"—but perfect for scattering across a background.

Back to the project!  First off, you can find the pattern for this little stitchery here.  The finished project measures about 5" square, but start with a larger background square (8" or so) so you can comfortably use an embroidery hoop.  You can trim the background square later if you like.

After tracing the pattern onto the background square using a light box and a water-soluble marking pen, I used size 8 perle cotton and a wrapped backstitch to stitch the "Bloom" and the big flower stem.  For the rest of the lettering and the little flower stems, I used two strands of embroidery floss and a backstitch—lazy daisies for the little flower leaves.  I appliquéd the felted wool flower and leaves using a single strand of embroidery floss and a whipstitch.  And finally, I used six strands of floss to stitch down the little buttons, making an "x" pattern in their centers.

I went back and forth about how to finish this project.  I thought about making it a little quilt with a loop that could be hung on a door knob or hook, kind of like this project that I made last November :

Give Thanks Mini Quilt

I also thought about adding a patchwork border and finishing it as a small pillow, but ultimately I decided to frame it.  To do so, I layered it with a thin piece of batting (flannel would also work), wrapped it around the glass that came with the frame, and inserted it into the frame.  Fast and finished!!

Happy Stitching!!

Give Thanks - Free Pattern

I've had the idea for this Thanksgiving project circling around in my head for a while and finally had a few hours this morning to knock it out.

It's my Give Thanks mini quilt— a quick little project and the perfect reminder to pause for a moment to ...well... give thanks!

To make your own little quilt, you'll need:

1—7" x 7" square of background fabric

1—7" x 7" square of backing fabric

1—1¼" x 30" strip of fabric for single fold binding

1— 7" x 7" square of batting

embroidery floss (shown in 729 (gold), 400 (rust), and 898 (brown))

13" length of jute, ribbon, rope—whatever you'd like to hang your quilt with

1.  You can find a pdf of the embroidery pattern here.  To make your project as shown, the box around the pattern should measure 5¾" square.  If you'd like to make your quilt bigger, feel free to enlarge the pattern—just remember to adjust the size of your fabric squares accordingly.

2.  Using a washout marking pen, trace the embroidery pattern onto your 7" background fabric square.

3.  Layer the marked 7" background fabric square with the 7" square of batting, insert into an embroidery hoop (I used a 4" hoop), turn on a holiday movie, and settle in for a bit of embroidery. Use two strands of floss and a backstitch for the lettering and wheat stalks.  Stitch the tops of the wheat using two strands of floss and lazy daisies.

4.  When you're finished embroidering, wash out your marked lines.  I use a spray bottle for small projects like this.  I spritz the marked lines, then blot off most of the water with a clean tea cloth, and let the quilt top dry flat on my ironing board.

5.  When you're satisfied that the marked lines are gone, press your work.  Then thread a needle with a short length of embroidery floss or perle cotton (I used green perle cotton).  Insert the needle on one side of the wheat stalks and then bring it up through your work on the opposite side of the wheat.  Tie the two ends of floss or perle cotton into a little bow and trim the ends.

6.  Layer your embroidered background fabric/batting unit with your 7" backing fabric square (I basted my layers together using spray basting adhesive), and trim all layers to desired size.  Again, my finished quilt is 5¾" square.  Bind.

7.  Finally, tie a knot at either end of the 13" length of jute (or ribbon, rope, etc.).  Stitch the knots to the back of your quilt to make a hanging loop.  And that's it!

Hang your little quilt on a door knob, from a hook, or wherever you like.

Or wouldn't it be great to give as a hostess gift on its own or wrapped around the neck of a bottle of wine or a bouquet of flowers?!  Yes please!!

Hope you have fun with this little project and I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

(p.s. Check back here after Thanksgiving for news about my upcoming 2nd Annual Holiday Mystery Quilt! Can't wait!)

Home Is Where the Heart Is

The Spring 2016 issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine is available now in bookstores and in quilt shops and it is GORGEOUS!

Even the cover is beautiful-- I think the fuchsia bricks and mums in the background of this picture are stunning!

Inside the pages of this yummy magazine, you'll find 16 inspiring projects that showcase a variety of materials and techniques.

And on page 94, you'll find my Home Is Where the Heart Is quilt...

Home Is Where the Heart Is is a fun and scrappy medallion quilt that features machine piecing, wool appliqué, and embroidery -- something for everyone.

There's a lot to this quilt, but when you break it down, the various blocks, embroidery, and wool appliqué are pretty simple.

Here's a close-up of the embroidery and wool appliqué.  I used only the Backstitch, Lazy Daisy Stitch, and French Knots for the vine and lettering and the wool is appliquéd using embroidery floss and a Whipstitch -- fast and easy.

The complete instructions and templates for Home Is Where the Heart Is are included in the Spring 2016 issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine.  Check out the PQP website too, you'll find a gallery of project photos for all of their magazines, free patterns, and more!

p.s.  If you like the look of my Home Is Where the Heart Is quilt, you might want to give my Peace on Earth wall hanging a try.

It's also a skill-building project that features piecing, embroidery, and wool appliqué, and I shared the free pattern for this little quilt on my blog throughout the month of December (2015).

Happy Quilting!

Tweet, Tweet, my Sweet - Free Pattern

So apparently I only post once a month in the summer!  Sadly I've had very little time to blog lately.  Maybe it's because I've been spending every waking moment in the car.  OK, not every moment, but this past month I've driven to Boston three times, to NYC, to Toronto, and to a teeny town in northern Vermont.  I've waited in the car for hours while my boys did a skating clinic at a rink 1½ hours from home and I've spent the last two weeks carpooling for two-a-day soccer practices.

I don't mind the actual driving, but the waiting was becoming brutal.  I mean how much time can you actually spend on your phone?!  My solution—stitching!  Embroidery is fast, easy, portable, and good for your blood pressure.  I don't have the scientific data to back this statement up, but it definitely works for me.

Here's my latest project:

All you need is a 6" x 6" piece of background fabric, blue, green, and yellow floss, and a little bird button.  After tracing the design onto the background fabric using a disappearing ink pen and a light box, I used spray basting adhesive to baste the woven background fabric to a 6" x 6" piece of white flannel.  You don't have to do this step, but the flannel prevents the floss ends from showing through the background fabric and it doesn't add much bulk—great if you plan to frame your work.

I used two strands of floss for all of the stitching and a backstitch for the tree and lettering.  The yellow flowers are made with french knots and their stems and leaves are made using a long straight stitch.

I chose to frame my little project because I made it as a gift for my amazing sister-in-law, Leisa, but I think it would also be cute made into a little pillow with a floral border.  If you decide to frame yours, you'll need a square frame with a 4" x 4" (or slightly smaller) opening.

Here's the pattern:

When you print/copy this template, the outer square should measure approximately 5" x 5".  The background fabric dimensions that I gave you are slightly larger to allow for squaring up, framing, etc. so just center the pattern on your fabric square.

Hope you have fun stitching this sweet little project!  Your heart will thank you!

Think Spring - Free Pattern

My vacation from blogging seems to have lasted just a bit longer than the week or two that I intended and I blame this winter.  Endless cold days and being buried under four feet of snow forced me into a kind of blogging hibernation.  But yesterday the sun came out, the temperature reached 40° and I realized that it was time to emerge from my cave, whereupon I heard birds singing, drove through mud on our dirt road, and grilled chicken on the barbecue for dinner.  Reinvigorated and hopeful, I decided to celebrate these unmistakable signs of impending spring with this quick little project:

I chose to insert this sweet quilt into a 5" x 7" frame, but if you prefer you could make it into a small wall hanging or turn it into a pillow.  Using the following directions, the unfinished quilt top dimensions will be 7½" x 9½".


You'll Need:

Green print:  10" x 10" - cut (2) - 2" x 4½" and (2) - 2" x 9½"

Cream print:  10" x 10" - cut (1) 3" x 6½" and use remaining fabric for foundation piecing of crocus blocks.  I found that if I cut 2" x 2" squares and cut each diagonally into two triangles, that the triangles were big enough to use for the cream sections of the crocus block (ie. A2, A3, A6, A7, A9 and A10).

Scraps of purple prints, yellow prints, and additional green prints if so desired (the 10" x 10" square of green print gives you enough to use that green in the crocus blocks as well).

Batting:  9" x 11"

Also needed:
Washout marking pen, spray basting adhesive (really helpful), purple embroidery floss - I used DMC's #3740, black, white and yellow embroidery floss - if you'd like to include the bee, and a 5" x 7" frame

(if you choose to turn this project into a wall hanging or pillow, you'll need additional fabric for the backing, binding, etc.)


To make the crocus blocks:

The 1½" x 1½" crocus blocks are paper pieced and I borrowed the block pattern from EQ7.

You'll want to print out or copy four foundation patterns (find the template here) and make sure that they measure 1½" x 1½" from solid line to solid line -- 2" x 2" from outer dotted line to outer dotted line.  1½" square seems small, but it wasn't unmanageable.

If you are new to paper piecing, here's a link to a Fons & Porter tutorial to help you out.

To assemble the quilt top:

After making the four crocus blocks, stitch them together horizontally and press the seams open.  Then stitch the cream print 3" x 6½" to the top of the row of crocuses (or is it croci??) and press towards the cream 3" x 6½".  Stitch a green print 2" x 4½" to either side of the center unit, pressing towards the green.  Finally, stitch a green print 2" x 9½" to the top and bottom of the center unit, pressing towards the green.  Remove the paper from behind the crocus blocks and press the finished quilt top well.

To finish the quilt top:

Referring to my framed quilt and using a washout marking pen, trace the "Think Spring," bee, and bee trail onto the quilt top.  I used a lightbox left over from my scrapbooking days for this step.  Then lightly spray basting adhesive to the 9" x 11" piece of batting and smooth the quilt top over it, right side up.  I like to embroider with the batting in place because it gives the stitching dimension and prevents the floss ends, etc. from showing through your fabric.

For the proper scale, when you print the above embroidery pattern (find the template here), the rectangle should measure 2½" x 6".  Use two strands of embroidery floss and a running stitch for the embroidery.  The dots above the two i's are french knots and I only used one strand of black floss for the bee's trail.  Trim the edges of your quilt and don't forget to wash out the marking pen.  And here's a close-up of the bee to help you out:

To insert the quilt into the frame:

Remove the contents of the frame - back, any padding, glass, etc.  Center the glass behind your quilt top and wrap the edges of the quilt around it.  You can tape the edges to the glass if you like or simply reinsert the glass and quilt into the frame -- the extra width helps to hold it in place.  Then put the back of the frame in place, taping if necessary.  And that's it!

I put my little quilt on the kitchen windowsill where it not only reminds me to hope for spring, but it also blocks out the view of the acres of snow in the backyard!

Only 10 days until spring!!