Valentine's Day Pattern

I'm home with the three kids and Casey waiting for Nemo to arrive.  With an almost certain power loss in my future, I thought this would be an opportune time to share a pattern for my Valentine's Day doorknob quilt.  What is a doorknob quilt?  Why, it's a little quilt that you hang on a doorknob!  A brilliant idea that I devised because I firmly believe that you can never, ever have enough quilts out.







Here's what it looks like:

Isn't it cute!  I used scraps of fabric from my stash for the quilt and some beads and wire for the hanger.

But it's not just a little quilt.  I added a pocket to the back to hold valentines and other goodies.  I'm thinking of making one for each of the kids for their bedroom doors.  And after the kids empty out their loot, I've got decorations ready-made for next year!









Here's what you'll need:

Pink fabric: 

4 - 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" squares
6 - 1 3/4" x 1 3/4" squares
1 - 7" x 7" square for backing
1 - 5 1/2" x 8" rectangle for pocket
enough for binding (I used two 2 1/4" x 18" strips sewn together)

Cream fabric:

4 - 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" squares
2 - 1 3/4" x 1 3/4" squares

You'll also need a 7" x 7" square of batting, a scrap of interfacing, a 10" - 11" length of floral wire, beads and two buttons.


Here's the pattern:

To make the pink/cream half square triangles, place a cream 2 1/4" square on a pink 2 1/4" square with right sides together and edges lined up.  Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the cream square.  Stitch a scant 1/4" on either side of diagonal line.  Press seams.  Cut on diagonal line and press open towards pink side.  Trim half square triangle to 1 3/4" x 1 3/4".  Makes 2 half square triangles.  Repeat for remaining 3 sets of 2 1/4" squares.

Referring to the photo, lay out the 8 half square triangle units, 6 pink 1 3/4" squares and 2 cream 1 3/4" squares in a heart shape.  Join together half square triangles and squares to form rows.  Join together rows.  Press.  The heart top should measure 5 1/2" x 5 1/2".

At this point I made a mini quilt sandwich by laying the 7" x 7" backing square right side down on my table and taping it down with masking tape.  I layered the 7" x 7" square of batting on top of the backing (also taping it down) and finished by smoothing the heart top over the batting and pinning through all three layers.

I machine quilted (using my walking foot) in the ditch around the heart with cream thread and a slightly lengthened stitch.  I also stitched around the edge of the heart top to hold the layers together.  After removing the pins, I trimmed the quilt to 5 1/2" x 5 1/2".

For the pocket, I took the 5 1/2" x 8" rectangle of fabric, folded it in half to measure 5 1/2" x 4" and pressed the fold.  I slipped a 1" x 5 1/2" strip of interfacing in between the layers near the fold and sewed a decorative stitch 1/4" from the fold.  Then I placed the folded unit on the back of the quilt lining up the raw edges at the bottom and sides of the quilt.  I pinned it in place and sewed the binding on the quilt.

For the beaded hanger, I strung beads on the length of floral wire and wrapped the ends of the wire around two buttons that I sewed to the top two corners on the back of the quilt.  And that's it!  Easy, sweet, and fun!

Now I'm off to bake some chocolate chip cookies while I can still use my oven!  Have a great weekend!

Got Fat Quarters? - Fabric Giveaway

Are you like me?  Have you been saving a fat quarter bundle, a jelly roll, or a charm pack for just the right project?  Do you shudder at the thought of breaking up the perfectly coordinated, full collection perfection of your pre-cuts?

Take heart and read on.

Last week I posted about Quilters Newsletter's latest special issue, Best Fat Quarter Quilts 2012 (see Got Fat Quarters? below).

Best Fat Quarter Quilts 2012 is full of patterns for beautiful projects, including my In the Garden lap quilt and Charmed pillow, that are sure to convince you that it's finally time to cut into your pre-cuts.

In the Garden

Charmed

I promised to show a picture of a table quilt version of Charmed.  And here it is -- quilted, bound, finished:

Look close.  Look closer.  Recognize the fabric?  It's confession time.  This little quilt is made from a charm pack of Kansas Troubles' Bound to the Prairie fabric that I bought in Ohio 6 years ago!  That is world class hoarding.  I LOVED this fabric and could never decide how to use it.  The longer I waited, the worse it got because I knew I could never buy more if it.  Every few months, I would take out the charm pack, fan out the fabrics and imagine the possibilities, but I could never commit.  I must have designed a dozen options for this charm pack before I finally broke down over the summer and pieced this little quilt.  And let me tell you, cutting that first square was rough -- made only slightly easier by the fact that Moda actually re-released some of the Bound to the Prairie fabrics in their KT Favorites collection (wait long enough and everything comes back into style!).

But look at it now!  The charm pack fabrics are just as lovely in smaller pieces and they look much better on my table than they ever did in the closet.

Now it's your turn.  Be brave!  Pull out your pre-cuts and take the plunge!

And yes, I did mention a fabric giveaway in the title of this post -- here goes:  Quilters Newsletter is promoting Best Fat Quarter Quilts 2012 by giving away fabric every day this week.  Check out the QN blog each day and leave a comment to enter your name in the drawings.  Hope you win!  Just don't wait 6 years to use the fabric!!

Got Fat Quarters?

For Christmas last year, my mom gave me a fat quarter bundle of Lynette Anderson's Secret Garden fabric.  Gorgeous fabric.  The kind of fabric that you just want to display and never use because you are afraid of making a mistake and wasting it.  Here's a picture of the fabric bundle:

See what I mean -- perfect just as it is.  Blues and greens, plums, browns and creams; all with adorable flowers, bugs, and beehives.  Yummy!  Needless to say, I let the fabric sit on my sewing table for months before I finally got up the nerve to cut into it.  But I'm so glad I did, because the end result, a lap quilt called In the Garden, is one of my favorite quilts I've ever made.

Here's a picture of the quilt top draped on our deck railing:

I wanted to stay with the garden theme of the fabrics so I decided to use a triple Irish chain as lattice work with two different "flower" blocks peeking through.  Here's a picture of the finished quilt:

You can find the pattern for In the Garden in Quilters Newsletter's latest special issue, Best Fat Quarter Quilts 2012, on newsstands now or available through the Quilt and Sew Shop.  

The pattern is probably more appropriate for an intermediate quilter because there is quite a bit of piecing -- I love piecing -- but it could be simplified by substituting a standard border(s) for the pieced border and it would still be lovely.

Want to try something a little faster?  Grab your favorite charm pack and check out page 40 of Best Fat Quarter Quilts 2012:

Charmed is a 20" x 20" pillow that's fun and easy to make.  Here's a picture of it in my favorite chair:

I turned this little quilt into a pillow (no quilting required!), but I liked the pattern so much that I'm actually making another to use as a small table quilt.  I'll post a picture of it when I'm finished.

Happy quilting!

Happy New Year!

Phew!  Made it through the marathon of the holidays and back to reality.  It's January 2nd and normally I'd be discussing my new year's resolutions in the hope that committing to them publicly would force me to see them through.  I floated my idea of a single resolution to "do better" to my sister thinking she would be impressed with its cleverness and simplicity.  Instead she informed me that it was a vague and non-committal resolution and clearly not destined for success.  So now it's back to the drawing board.

In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to do a little show and tell of the handmade gifts that my mother, sister, daughter, and I exchanged for Christmas. 

First up is the beautiful cathedral window pillow that my mother made for me.

Isn't it pretty!  My mom is sooo good at cathedral windows.  Once upon a time she tried to teach me how to make a cathedral window wall hanging, but sadly I didn't inherit the gene and my attempt is packed away in a closet. 

Here's the gift that my sister made for me...

It's a crocheted infinity scarf!  You loop it around your neck twice and it keeps you cozy and warm.  I love the puff stitch that she used and believe it or not, this is her first real attempt at crocheting!  Poor thing gave herself carpal tunnel syndrome crocheting one for me and one for my mom.  That's love.

My daughter made this adorable wool applique wall hanging for me...

I just love that the snowmen don't have any features except for their noses and how she tacked the scarves down with a sweet "x" stitch.  When I opened the gift my daughter said, "Aren't you proud of me -- I used real binding!"  I have to say that I got a little choked up.  Could it be that someday she may become a quilter after all??

Finally, here's a shot of the gift that I made for both my sister and my mom.  I found this adorable pattern in the current issue of Primitive Quilts & Projects magazine.  The "Slim the Snowman" pattern was designed by Rhonda McCray of Farmhouse Threads. 

 

This is my sister's snowman.  She loves the primitive look, so I used weaver's cloth for the snowman, denim for the background, and a plaid wool for the scarf. 

 

 

Here's a close-up of his face...

Definitely plan on making one of these for my house too!


I'd include a picture of the pecan pie that I made for my dad, or the death by chocolate trifle that I made for my brother-in-law, or the cinnamon-raisin bread that my sister made for my husband, but sadly they are no more.

And now I'm off to come up with some better new year's resolutions.  Happy New Year!


Warning: Rant Ahead

My husband and I have a Christmas party to go to this coming weekend.  Last Thursday I realized that, just to be sure, I'd better try on my party pants (denim trousers to be exact, not too dressy, not too casual, just right) and... wait for it... they didn't fit.  I could get them on and do up the zipper, but the end result was less than desirable.  Obviously one week is not enough time to whip myself into shape; so I decided it was time to invest in a new pair of party pants.  On Friday I packed the kids off to school, dropped Casey at doggy day care and headed for the mall, spirits high, feeling optimistic.

15 stores and 5 hours later I was back on the highway headed home in tears with staticky hair, sore feet, and hips rubbed raw from peeling myself out of skinny jeans.  All I had to show for my efforts was yet another cardigan and a pair of velveteen, side-zip ankle pants.  I'm ashamed to admit that I bought the velveteen, side-zip ankle pants in a panicked last minute frenzy when I succumbed to the sales clerk's insistence that they would be fantastic with a pair of cowboy boots or kitten heels, neither of which I own -- and by the way, what is a kitten heel?  I had an hour in the car to bemoan the loss of my waistline, my muscle tone, and my youth.  And it got me thinking about how much better fabric shopping is than clothing shopping:

• Fabric is much more affordable.  For $2.50 I can buy a fat quarter that will make me happy for literally years.  The velveteen, side-zip ankle pants -- $90. 
• When fabric shopping, you don't have to undress in front of a full-length mirror, under fluorescent lights, only to find that you may have made some questionable undergarment decisions.
• Fabric always fits.  When buying fabric you never have to feel inadequate if your legs are too short, or your hips are too generous, or your breasts aren't generous enough, or your roots are showing, or there's a new wrinkle on your face, or... oops, sorry, but I did say this would be a rant.
• With fabric you don't have to worry about pancake-butt or muffin-top or other carb-related fashion faux pas.
• Quilt shop sales ladies never hound you in the dressing room and follow you around forcing you to make hasty decisions (say it with me... "velveteen, side-zip ankle pants") that you then have to spend more time and gas money to rectify.
• Fabric is always age-appropriate.  You never have to worry that a certain fabric will make you look frumpy, stuck in the 80's, or worse, like you're trying to dress like your 14-year-old daughter.
• When fabric shopping, you don't accidentally stray into dark stores, with pounding music, and beefcakey guys lurking in the shadows, where you feel like you should have to show your ID to get in.  Although I must say, I didn't actually mind the beefcakey guy.  Wonder what it would do to fabric sales to have a token beefcakey guy in quilt shops.  Sigh, I think that makes me a cougar.
• Finally, and perhaps most importantly, fabric doesn't make your butt look big.

I still don't have anything to wear to the party this weekend, but I do feel a bit better now.  Which is good because I have to venture back into the clothing stores and I have to return those d@#* velveteen, side-zip ankle pants.  This time I'm building in time to hit the quilt shop on the way home.  Wish me luck!

Thanksgiving Recovery

I love Thanksgiving -- delicious food, time spent with family, and it's the kick-off of the holiday season.  Thanksgiving is fun and festive without the pressures of Christmas.  But today is the Monday after and with a sick child at home, there is no way for me to escape the aftermath.  I just strolled around my house to assess the damage.  Here's my Thanksgiving recovery by the numbers:

1 is the number of turkey carcasses waiting to be taken to the dump -- love living in the country.
2 is the number of pounds I gained over the holiday thanks to the...
3 pies I consumed -- with help, of course.
4 weeks until Christmas -- ARGH!!  Nothing to do with Thanksgiving recovery, just a moment of panic.
5 is the number of days it's been since I've done more than the bare minimum of housework; therefore...
6 is the number of hours of bed-making, dusting, vacuuming, mopping and, best of all, bathroom cleaning I estimate I have ahead of me.
7 loads of laundry await me on the laundry room floor.
8 is the number of hours of sleep I desperately need to compensate for my Thanksgiving average of 6 thanks to turkey gravy performance anxiety and early morning hockey.
9 is the number of plastic containers of leftovers in our refrigerator that I have to deal with -- somehow pureed vegetables have lost their appeal.

BUT...

10 is the number of new Christmas fabrics sitting on my cutting table, calling my name, waiting for me to play with after I recover from Thanksgiving. 

Bring it on!

Rosebud - Free Pattern

Just in time for the weekend I'd like to share a link for a free pattern for my quick and easy "Rosebud" table runner.  The pattern is currently a "Web Extra" for Quilters Newsletter's December/January 2013 issue. 


I originally designed this quilt with fat quarters in mind, but it can be made with standard 1/4 yard cuts of fabric or scraps you have on hand at home.  If you'd like to make it with fat quarters, you'll need 5 -- 2 cream and 1 each of a rose, medium red, and dark red.  Two yards of green fabric will be enough for the blocks, borders, backing, and binding.

The "rosebud" blocks are a variation on a log cabin block.  They are simple and so much fun to make.  And with only 12 blocks and a quick strip-pieced checkerboard border, you can easily knock this table runner off in a weekend -- that is if your husband agrees to cook dinner and do the laundry and drive the kids to their activities and do the housework and...  Ok, it might take a couple of weekends, but it is a piece of cake. 

Red not your thing?  Try this quilt in different shades of plum or periwinkle or go crazy and make a garden of many colors of rosebud blocks.  Whatever you decide, have fun and happy quilting!