tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48763724561934377412024-02-20T20:32:55.127-05:00When Life Gives You Scraps, Make Quilts!Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-56135918755293487422012-05-17T19:22:00.000-04:002012-05-17T19:22:26.876-04:00Hand Applique Tutorial<span style="font-size: large;">If you've ever thought about giving hand applique a try, but weren't sure how, you've come to the right place. There are many methods for doing hand applique, but the one I am sharing here is the one that I find the easiest.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBK6rg9UkZ4wLcxJkoWWepJXJFKdLoGTD3oBWC-nTdn2Qoy1tKMYoWyU38OfaNHduvmzPrd_-eav3yUX9wp8QbSflHoGpBspEVmTx1pHncSaVslsdMobGBg5ZQKe9kgCNy3MFc-7eMtFvN/s1600/App+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBK6rg9UkZ4wLcxJkoWWepJXJFKdLoGTD3oBWC-nTdn2Qoy1tKMYoWyU38OfaNHduvmzPrd_-eav3yUX9wp8QbSflHoGpBspEVmTx1pHncSaVslsdMobGBg5ZQKe9kgCNy3MFc-7eMtFvN/s400/App+001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">First, you will need some freezer paper. You can find it at the grocery store where they sell the tin foil and plastic wrap. You can also find it in quilt shops and fabric stores (aka JoAnn Fabrics). They even make freezer paper in 8.5" x 11" sheets that can be put right into your printer, so you can print patterns directly to it! If you aren't able to do that, then you can do it the old-fashioned way -- by tracing the pattern of your applique piece (in this case, a heart) onto a piece of freezer paper. Then cut it out along the lines you just drew.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzvV_wFrwutZPAINOA_uciEEBgpYR8T81nda1FUbPJF7DGDXHb_uNE88W_OoGIVmlcEQ44QwrcZW9EtoUiCt8xbBFUWqsvjMmtSc4zkWs2PdhNRkdjkrEUwfvFUxyblITdJtJYxkLTge6/s1600/App+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzvV_wFrwutZPAINOA_uciEEBgpYR8T81nda1FUbPJF7DGDXHb_uNE88W_OoGIVmlcEQ44QwrcZW9EtoUiCt8xbBFUWqsvjMmtSc4zkWs2PdhNRkdjkrEUwfvFUxyblITdJtJYxkLTge6/s400/App+002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Next, place the heart <b>shiny side</b> <b>down</b> on the <b>right</b> side of your fabric and use a hot iron (on the "dry" setting -- no steam) to temporarily adhere the heart to the fabric. If you aren't familiar with freezer paper, it is plastic-coated on one side. When you press it to the fabric with the hot iron, it melts the plastic a little which makes the paper stick to your fabric. It will stay as long as you need it, then peel off cleanly when you don't need it anymore. I have found you can also re-use your freezer paper two or three times before the plastic wears off completely and it will no longer stick.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-bIuJgOVJDn_VnpQFadB80EDwcp-QO5AuvnTrnl6mmRowWtbVkwpi8R-QYICRTgEYaO0jLlI7l_4ipkIZZVp-b_ixUgNNysnTUzZqnfh8rANKfi-TXci485qOrvxomKFWs6a20iTJwNNP/s1600/App+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-bIuJgOVJDn_VnpQFadB80EDwcp-QO5AuvnTrnl6mmRowWtbVkwpi8R-QYICRTgEYaO0jLlI7l_4ipkIZZVp-b_ixUgNNysnTUzZqnfh8rANKfi-TXci485qOrvxomKFWs6a20iTJwNNP/s320/App+006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Once you have the heart in place, use a pair of sharp scissors to cut out your fabric heart about 3/8" beyond the pattern. This will be your seam allowance that you will turn under to give the applique a nice, finished edge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Use your fingers to fold over and "finger press" the seam allowance back toward the wrong side of the fabric. If your pattern has curves (as this heart does), you will need to clip the curves to be able to fold it over flat (see next photo).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxCOXpuCgWM1IgOPItV9oejFTlXqCfwiL_C6dtW9ZJvopWQ7Np8L0Pza5LVkMB5-sekiA0mDR4-kon51YJCxAiKN3gW9MQoJxCsomqys8JYONgduP0hxJzOzHQEefn5QlxXRKjLSS8kvR/s1600/App+110.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxCOXpuCgWM1IgOPItV9oejFTlXqCfwiL_C6dtW9ZJvopWQ7Np8L0Pza5LVkMB5-sekiA0mDR4-kon51YJCxAiKN3gW9MQoJxCsomqys8JYONgduP0hxJzOzHQEefn5QlxXRKjLSS8kvR/s320/App+110.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Notice how the bottom point is folded straight across at
the tip of the point and then the sides are folded in one at a time to
make the point. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqAeYDDeHvQBKrmlzm0CBwE1HV7jFpvofxygl74Zmu8Yv5WCNC-vipmKOFsPnoQGGosSZkdQw1QWDWrQVCzbpDOfqZNMlxNxNnZHh4ZenMsr-BQ34vHQJQtxNnVeB-JVuyGzPyIdYJ4cu/s1600/App+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqAeYDDeHvQBKrmlzm0CBwE1HV7jFpvofxygl74Zmu8Yv5WCNC-vipmKOFsPnoQGGosSZkdQw1QWDWrQVCzbpDOfqZNMlxNxNnZHh4ZenMsr-BQ34vHQJQtxNnVeB-JVuyGzPyIdYJ4cu/s400/App+013.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Also, for an inside point (like at the top of this heart) you will need to clip into the center "v" to be able to fold the seam allowance back. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once you have creased the seam allowance all the way around, you can remove the freezer paper template, which can actually be reused a few times before discarding.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUFX-1-RGW6AnrtbZxcqP8sbsGAyxAfUNg-ZhkwIEyUGaMaD2kXTTV0uSvj5RhXbCH99FsfgcQI7aOizeyXa-E1RXVrItTiskwEZfZsIA4dwq8X-ckoVhwvyawBOUfoju_9RYZ7UkiqOxU/s1600/App+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUFX-1-RGW6AnrtbZxcqP8sbsGAyxAfUNg-ZhkwIEyUGaMaD2kXTTV0uSvj5RhXbCH99FsfgcQI7aOizeyXa-E1RXVrItTiskwEZfZsIA4dwq8X-ckoVhwvyawBOUfoju_9RYZ7UkiqOxU/s320/App+008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is how it should look from the back.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZC73l-BA9o9nEZ_kAc-p7VNmWtL2BiwlWTvpU-5frsE-ltUO1AIbOQXslxAG_CzVThDTx19w-GTcYxAYuPpJOx2FuFMxMT2gKXTMSBG2fp2vq__CuB-1I_dDLtxyN_Thlof4JjvLx5PA6/s1600/App+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZC73l-BA9o9nEZ_kAc-p7VNmWtL2BiwlWTvpU-5frsE-ltUO1AIbOQXslxAG_CzVThDTx19w-GTcYxAYuPpJOx2FuFMxMT2gKXTMSBG2fp2vq__CuB-1I_dDLtxyN_Thlof4JjvLx5PA6/s400/App+015.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Now it is time to baste the seam allowance. The color thread is not important, as these stitches will be removed in a later step and will not be seen in the final product.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Use a simple running stitch being careful not to pull the thread too tight. The fabric should lay flat and there should be no puckering.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here is a closer look at the basting stitches.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkMS-EAUtNjAp5QpOLq3CWIcpBPTFTxTOn5yTzUw7nIS4wcE2RIoga_X0fi6oKvLLxOW6voTuwejAPrhfIiaMQzf3grT552cQ_S_azQgTBP4zCu3wmwFMzQbWWIa2TW4ZpmqI3XfoYYum/s1600/App+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkMS-EAUtNjAp5QpOLq3CWIcpBPTFTxTOn5yTzUw7nIS4wcE2RIoga_X0fi6oKvLLxOW6voTuwejAPrhfIiaMQzf3grT552cQ_S_azQgTBP4zCu3wmwFMzQbWWIa2TW4ZpmqI3XfoYYum/s400/App+021.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is what the back side looks like with half of it basted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is what it should look like from the back when the basting is done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Close-up of the bottom point.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">All basted!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now comes the fun part! Position the applique on your foundation fabric. I am stitching my heart to a 6" block. To aide in centering the applique, I folded the foundation block in half (in both directions) and finger pressed it.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEgyxxZ85j1EKuq3bLn2UlkOpdLWpsvX92ng-QoW1Yf2fFHtvO5O9aZz3PafQojx4Sp573_Xz-vYPDeYNQEJexWLWoxhXrxJqaJLJIK4pqqv-W27CEvrs92o9CIsI9Mm46NN05AW0cAy6/s1600/App+026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEgyxxZ85j1EKuq3bLn2UlkOpdLWpsvX92ng-QoW1Yf2fFHtvO5O9aZz3PafQojx4Sp573_Xz-vYPDeYNQEJexWLWoxhXrxJqaJLJIK4pqqv-W27CEvrs92o9CIsI9Mm46NN05AW0cAy6/s400/App+026.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">This gives creases which serve as guidelines to help center the applique.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pin the applique in place. I like to use applique pins, which are smaller and have smoother heads to keep the thread from getting tangled on them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Always use thread that matches the applique piece. I like to use an "applique sharp" needle and cotton thread. These needles are very fine and have a very sharp point. One downside is that the eye is pretty small, so you might need a needle threader to help thread the needle.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfqvWN7STE4FyJI6IUierXBm2J9fNyKKjOwaw8bdhX_KOioB0ivN8qRalNZ2t8HgZ-7ftcXQBU-vhuK97CxuG6lkiddYJ8mIWrvqPUFBYiC_hKJ6Su10AxmGYQKjSUkufMJCLE5HU_zG-/s1600/App+028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfqvWN7STE4FyJI6IUierXBm2J9fNyKKjOwaw8bdhX_KOioB0ivN8qRalNZ2t8HgZ-7ftcXQBU-vhuK97CxuG6lkiddYJ8mIWrvqPUFBYiC_hKJ6Su10AxmGYQKjSUkufMJCLE5HU_zG-/s400/App+028.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">They can also bend fairly easily, so have several on hand in case yours gets bent.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Begin by tying a knot at the end of the thread. Working from the top, poke the needle up through the back, catching a few threads of the applique. Now put the needle down into the foundation fabric, close to the applique fabric, then angle it up and back through the applique fabric, catching just a few threads of the fabric. Continue this stitch until your thread begins to run short. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQjMA72JEiNYwfwwT01Be0-nWM-RFoQGhqJCI3c7SIVSF-h1fxuYvCjqO4B2JxaiKJtsxCKrBg-Ya7gme6MYA9zy747ehA_X9i-O_hRi3N2y3d7VrqKfCz7k_cc_VGrHJD8ci_mENVvcX/s1600/App+033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQjMA72JEiNYwfwwT01Be0-nWM-RFoQGhqJCI3c7SIVSF-h1fxuYvCjqO4B2JxaiKJtsxCKrBg-Ya7gme6MYA9zy747ehA_X9i-O_hRi3N2y3d7VrqKfCz7k_cc_VGrHJD8ci_mENVvcX/s400/App+033.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">To finish off a thread, from the back side, take a few small stitches in the foundation fabric (underneath the applique, where it won't show), tie off a small knot and cut the thread. When you are finished, it should look something like this from the back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A close-up of the back. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once you have sewn all the way around your applique piece, carefully remove the basting stitches. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You have now just completed your applique block! Congratulations!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now that you know how to applique, take a look at some of the things you can create:</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8Pta3uwuYnAg_euRjmrZFnp0cU8P6J51NwyNEwVhXm8hc5JY550nin8aPkwlou-NYEbLIoQcPzH8OneLLPAl4bEtnefz9JM-hTwEZggwQ-x4VIrRCZRYy_0X5mwgn_1PmFHjkt4VkxH4/s1600/Quilts+116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8Pta3uwuYnAg_euRjmrZFnp0cU8P6J51NwyNEwVhXm8hc5JY550nin8aPkwlou-NYEbLIoQcPzH8OneLLPAl4bEtnefz9JM-hTwEZggwQ-x4VIrRCZRYy_0X5mwgn_1PmFHjkt4VkxH4/s400/Quilts+116.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful, flowery border!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid0oCddxZlz1T4FrIzfG9zcNH6Rp0Rtk7vja80qeUoDkGt8XsyS8NlK5pJgjmEh0xafovWVEVjH_RRPQZdEM5rSUeatdmOt-LopNyKvZYKWh8YDinKN__7op-wQ10Ujie-eMBIvOXE88nu/s1600/Quilts+138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid0oCddxZlz1T4FrIzfG9zcNH6Rp0Rtk7vja80qeUoDkGt8XsyS8NlK5pJgjmEh0xafovWVEVjH_RRPQZdEM5rSUeatdmOt-LopNyKvZYKWh8YDinKN__7op-wQ10Ujie-eMBIvOXE88nu/s400/Quilts+138.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A garden of daisies!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QVxkEHHVTdbtknKW4ESeaLRMuCLaPBG-wp0yAZNWUID6LtbZI59sB4BL5KyJaUsKS4T86zQ9wTOBQctcPFQtwa2BG9TcvT0Dz3wg37L5rWi4IBXqMTlxddb1iNE46XAxNNNVs-j2vg3u/s1600/Quilts+067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QVxkEHHVTdbtknKW4ESeaLRMuCLaPBG-wp0yAZNWUID6LtbZI59sB4BL5KyJaUsKS4T86zQ9wTOBQctcPFQtwa2BG9TcvT0Dz3wg37L5rWi4IBXqMTlxddb1iNE46XAxNNNVs-j2vg3u/s400/Quilts+067.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A quilted alphabet!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfpjONgJPldN0CbKsK5JpZlS7RvKtcxZD-4GBU1CZkD0js4hS63qYLwVv41CCaOr5BiDTxjPjHd9j6woKOmZj8dXHCleoHTGmCP4Go51pcLm6onlOmpa_cd9-eBOJq2P1jkDgnvEjfv_T/s1600/Quilts+079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfpjONgJPldN0CbKsK5JpZlS7RvKtcxZD-4GBU1CZkD0js4hS63qYLwVv41CCaOr5BiDTxjPjHd9j6woKOmZj8dXHCleoHTGmCP4Go51pcLm6onlOmpa_cd9-eBOJq2P1jkDgnvEjfv_T/s400/Quilts+079.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A menagerie!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Whatever you decide to make, have fun with the possibilities of this technique!</span>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-20703897019261932472012-05-10T10:56:00.001-04:002012-05-10T11:07:11.370-04:00My First Quilt<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixC3Pdn3fwpoVZoNXvyQuk3ejev_IRJMevArQbXPhNoJKGRE1rR1RwqT0bueuTaLPecseoXAGHE5XQqRSrRC9XxMRGBoBb0TIkU7U59llZNNb-q4Q8Fbfe92HqaIGp4hjA1YRy9OWnIx2f/s1600/Quilts+057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixC3Pdn3fwpoVZoNXvyQuk3ejev_IRJMevArQbXPhNoJKGRE1rR1RwqT0bueuTaLPecseoXAGHE5XQqRSrRC9XxMRGBoBb0TIkU7U59llZNNb-q4Q8Fbfe92HqaIGp4hjA1YRy9OWnIx2f/s640/Quilts+057.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scrappy Squares, 1989</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well,
here it is. The very first quilt I ever made. I don't remember exactly
when I started it or how long it took me to make, but I do know that I finished it in 1989 -- the same year I graduated from high school.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was inspired by the children's book <a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-list-of-childrens-books-about-quilts.html" target="_blank"><u>The Patchwork Quilt</u></a> by Valerie Fluornoy, which was
featured on the PBS show "Reading Rainbow." It is a story about an African American girl
and her family. The little girl's grandmother lives with<span class="text_exposed_show">
them and teaches her how to make a quilt using all sorts of scraps from
their old clothes. It takes the little girl, her grandmother, and her
mother an entire year to make the quilt. When it is completed, the whole
family reflects on the year gone by and the memories that each patch
holds for each family member.<br /> This is what sparked my interest and
made me dig out a box of scrap fabrics and start sorting it out, cutting
it up, and stitching it together!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The overall size of this quilt is approximately 52.5" x 85". Each square is 4" (finished) and hand-cut by me using a pair of scissors and a cardboard template that I made.
This was before the advent of rotary cutters and rulers (at least before I knew about their existence).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Notice my attempt at a border -- I alternated the same two fabrics all the way around. The only fabric I purchased for this quilt was the backing (which was an inexpensive sheet I bought at K-Mart -- something I would NEVER do today). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All
of the fabrics on the top came from a hand-me-down fabric
stash. This was a cardboard box full of my great-grandmother<span class="text_exposed_show">'s scrap fabric, plus some scrap stuff my mom had laying around the house. <br />
Gram's favorite color was blue. Hence, the overabundance of blue in
this quilt. She worked as a seamstress at a garment factory in Boston,
so she had a lot of fabric laying around. Some of the flowery fabrics
were still in the shape of skirt pockets when I received them --
remnants from the factory assembly line.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="hasCaption">These fabrics always make me think of Gram,
especially that darker blue one near the bottom right. It looks like
flowers and blueberries. It reminds me of a dress she used to wear that
was made of similar fabric.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilP903MQS8Ce5292pSQQjjspIiCKXpWFPRfKo_izn4mSVppPpX6GxRjADsgC0vqHPZafa2-_cIGUQ0q1jZy94-lSJOrMZLcaAhXPrDQh1ttbuDSDDHCBHYzRw1Bvgz3NtVcihwsCN6teL/s1600/Gram2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilP903MQS8Ce5292pSQQjjspIiCKXpWFPRfKo_izn4mSVppPpX6GxRjADsgC0vqHPZafa2-_cIGUQ0q1jZy94-lSJOrMZLcaAhXPrDQh1ttbuDSDDHCBHYzRw1Bvgz3NtVcihwsCN6teL/s400/Gram2.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Germaine, 1914</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="hasCaption">Here is my great-grandmother, Gram. I'm sure she made this
dress she is wearing. She was about 17 or 18 years old in this picture.
She was born in Belgium in 1895. This was around the time she
immigrated to Boston in 1914 (I think?).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="hasCaption">And here she is in a fancier outfit. Her name was Germaine (my mother's maternal grandmother). She lived to the age of 93, passing away in February, 1989. She was always a very sweet and loving great-grandmother to me and my siblings.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="hasCaption">Below, are two close-ups of my quilting and proof positive that I had no idea what I was doing. The purpose of the quilting stitches is to keep the three layers of the quilt together -- the top, batting, and backing -- and to keep the batting from clumping and shifting as the quilt is used and washed. I understood all of that, but what perplexed me was how to accomplish all this quilting without having unsightly knots showing on the back of the quilt.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show">My solution (with some guidance from my mother who also knew very little about quilting) was to go ahead and do all the
quilting with the knots showing on the back. Then add a second layer of backing to
cover all the knots. I kept this additional layer in place by tying knots with embroidery thread in each corner
of the squares.<br /> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show">If you look at these
pictures, you should be able to see the white stitches that outline each square.
I did those all by hand. Then after I added the second layer of
backing, I tied the blue knots that you can see (barely visible) in the corners of each
square. The blue knots go all the way through the top, batting, first
backing and second backing.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show">I used the "punch and stab" method, which is just what it sounds like. You punch the needle down through the top, pull it through from the back, then stab it up again from behind -- very tedious and not all that efficient. </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-size: large;">I also didn't </span><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-size: large;">know much about thread either. My mom had told me that quilting
thread is thicker than regular thread. So, I went to the store and
bought this thread that is actually intended for crocheting! You can
probably tell by looking at the picture that it was pretty thick. I had
to use a really large-eye needle to even get it threaded.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="hasCaption">This is the cat fabric that my mother had chosen as a girl for Gram to make her a dress out of. For one reason or another, the dress was never made, and I have now inherited about two
yards of this fabric.</span></span></div>
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<span class="hasCaption"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="hasCaption">Yes, that's a guy on a trapeze and
Christmas ornaments to the bottom left of him! Notice that not only are
there no borders on this quilt, but there is also no binding. For any non-quilters reading this, the binding is supposed
to go around the entire edge to finish off the quilt. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="hasCaption">When I sewed that second back on, I simply put it right sides together with
the top, sewing all the way around and leaving a small opening to "turn"
it right side out. Then I stitched the opening closed by hand. Not an
entirely unusual way to finish a quilt but certainly not the preferred
method by most quilters.</span></span></div>
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<span class="hasCaption"><span style="font-size: large;">So, lots of mistakes, but you have to start
somewhere. At least I knew, even back then, how important it is to
sign and date your work!</span></span></div>
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</div>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-31752188761643971352012-05-08T11:25:00.002-04:002012-05-08T11:26:19.732-04:00Daisy Wall Hanging<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02yjBGZFMEHOrBFa-8o1blC936nSsPjnyBg8ixEneXAO4owvOfkERAFX3HTHeT6qWAQckUSguuFGVNU1EFfjzp6-KDsVCO2Ta4b57rQAubnNYvurkLWAEJ_00LPZxdywpv_aicw68GvN0/s1600/Quilts+137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02yjBGZFMEHOrBFa-8o1blC936nSsPjnyBg8ixEneXAO4owvOfkERAFX3HTHeT6qWAQckUSguuFGVNU1EFfjzp6-KDsVCO2Ta4b57rQAubnNYvurkLWAEJ_00LPZxdywpv_aicw68GvN0/s640/Quilts+137.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything's Coming Up Daisies, 2000</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I called this one "Everything's Coming Up Daisies." I'm not exactly sure when I started this, but I finished it in 2000. The overall size of this is 26 1/2" x 38." This actually started out as a quilt kit that I purchased at a quilt show -- "Buffalo Flowers" by P & B Textiles. It came with the fabrics seen here on the front and a pattern. I didn't care for the shape of the flower heads in the original pattern, so I changed it to a daisy design instead. I also added some three-dimensional elements to my quilt which are not part of the original design.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXq4cCSoEZ1zKgQxdJYQPXhmvdvvBq_ExFrbqovX37MbREwFPtO7D80vrGAIpfOqkEU530KkYxO24kUgPNZHCisVaM9VfjAMDm5QxfXZRW4rJ0aiKwBq_InDtiSfyWOQ2OtERCM95gG1T/s1600/Quilts+138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXq4cCSoEZ1zKgQxdJYQPXhmvdvvBq_ExFrbqovX37MbREwFPtO7D80vrGAIpfOqkEU530KkYxO24kUgPNZHCisVaM9VfjAMDm5QxfXZRW4rJ0aiKwBq_InDtiSfyWOQ2OtERCM95gG1T/s400/Quilts+138.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This entire quilt is hand sewn. I believe this is also the first quilt in which I used hand applique. It was after making this quilt that I realized how much I enjoyed doing handwork. I have since found ways to incorporate handwork into many of my other projects.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What really appealed to me about this design was the bright and cheery fabrics used. Here you can see some of the quilting I did around each flower. I used black thread for the quilting. I had an idea to use buttons for the flower centers, but once I began sewing the flower petals, I felt that it was a little too bulky to add the buttons.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here is a close-up of the applique and the quilting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here is a three-dimensional flower. I added a few of these to give the quilt a little something more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I originally made this, I didn't realize the leaves and petals were going to droop so much. I've been meaning to tack these back up with a few stitches, but I still haven't gotten around to it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This color combination is still one of my favorites!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another detail picture.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6DwfInYlXs1jdb4VE8BWYrTsNfMtEUuR2dVLylCZl9HqxIHerQZ0JbcnaWG4rJqo6jOENShho01FdPEUjKddvfQELijaLjOMfmZcwL6UUnHKzpB0o6MsQcCVtVVhH_jtQ06BgLqxObrx/s1600/Quilts+147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6DwfInYlXs1jdb4VE8BWYrTsNfMtEUuR2dVLylCZl9HqxIHerQZ0JbcnaWG4rJqo6jOENShho01FdPEUjKddvfQELijaLjOMfmZcwL6UUnHKzpB0o6MsQcCVtVVhH_jtQ06BgLqxObrx/s400/Quilts+147.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The binding is pieced using scraps from the flower blocks. This element is one that I maintained from the original design. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAeeFTeEhfQyDRz59W9ip2k7hDgehD3q56AejBd_5GZaWLEG2PgNz7phBRk3PFz0Gkl97JnqBO6al2iZLOV-i54-aCFigaLzBk11YlsSdn1xwtHLTcNs1UZtwWNguLm3-tRvnsWOu-Knq/s1600/Quilts+148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAeeFTeEhfQyDRz59W9ip2k7hDgehD3q56AejBd_5GZaWLEG2PgNz7phBRk3PFz0Gkl97JnqBO6al2iZLOV-i54-aCFigaLzBk11YlsSdn1xwtHLTcNs1UZtwWNguLm3-tRvnsWOu-Knq/s400/Quilts+148.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And here is how it looks from the back!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I hope you have enjoyed reading about another one of my quilts! Feel free to let me know what you think!</span>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-7547605184400388082012-05-03T16:06:00.000-04:002012-05-03T16:21:23.933-04:00Make A Handmade Book Cover<span style="font-size: large;">I am so excited to have finally made this!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqIU1CVT68FxYDOGctVwFVZQJNrvMLyD2va8OnQuW7-QkHzTkH1t82nPZoQyO1BKyHgFiddkr5SqAuBFAFy0NzOnPqWii5p7m_QoCzuBQMv7aBhV_stv_MyuP5fWlp2JA12jcADNw1YeN/s1600/BookCover+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqIU1CVT68FxYDOGctVwFVZQJNrvMLyD2va8OnQuW7-QkHzTkH1t82nPZoQyO1BKyHgFiddkr5SqAuBFAFy0NzOnPqWii5p7m_QoCzuBQMv7aBhV_stv_MyuP5fWlp2JA12jcADNw1YeN/s400/BookCover+001.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">I had an idea to make some fabric book covers for a while now, but this week I finally got down to business and made one! I am so happy with how this turned out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I typically do, I tried to stick with using only materials I had on hand (not that hard to do, since I have a plentiful stash of fabric scraps, buttons, ribbons, and other odds and ends). </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4QAIR6YYKgkPH2B5P1vb1zat9P6FDiEGc96ycmT9U9glVpcIuSEiWZbeTFhtwsAo0Gx3s-6IntajdXXcvBkFXfO4NIyXReC1A_a07CtXBT7FBgBE0xdRrO9AZna1ebXPOqQXQRZ4axAE/s1600/BookCover+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4QAIR6YYKgkPH2B5P1vb1zat9P6FDiEGc96ycmT9U9glVpcIuSEiWZbeTFhtwsAo0Gx3s-6IntajdXXcvBkFXfO4NIyXReC1A_a07CtXBT7FBgBE0xdRrO9AZna1ebXPOqQXQRZ4axAE/s400/BookCover+003.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">I started by doing a quick Internet search to figure out the logistics of construction (I didn't use a pattern). So, first I found this <a href="http://www.craftpassion.com/2010/08/sewing-note-book-cover-tutorial-pattern.html?pid=312#picgallery" target="_blank">site</a> which got my creative juices flowing. Next I found this helpful <a href="http://video.about.com/sewing/Sew-a-Book-Cover.htm" target="_blank">tutorial video</a> at About.com. I basically followed the video tutorial's instructions, but I did make a few alterations, which I will share: </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I sewed all seams with a 1/4" seam allowance.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I added some lightweight fusible interfacing -- fused it to the fabric that goes on the inside of the book cover.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I added a ribbon bookmark, a pen holder, and a closure tab.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I added some decorative embellishments.</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDQCh-Jb6i-Zf9w2s-zqZ0oWLpO04HJNqBVhXs_tKFKep7u2jZxA4n1KupLJCnJNF74P8aNTyk3j6nOdgf8NhJ-4TWNEv_dNTlx9kg2Wlc_tLThQp69AqpqYEBcuj2eRTizk2VvhdTxjI/s1600/BookCover+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDQCh-Jb6i-Zf9w2s-zqZ0oWLpO04HJNqBVhXs_tKFKep7u2jZxA4n1KupLJCnJNF74P8aNTyk3j6nOdgf8NhJ-4TWNEv_dNTlx9kg2Wlc_tLThQp69AqpqYEBcuj2eRTizk2VvhdTxjI/s400/BookCover+002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Also, if you decide to make one of these, I have a couple of tips and suggestions:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1. If you are making the cover for a spiral notebook (as I have), when you measure the width of your book cover, do it with the notebook in the CLOSED position. I measured mine both open and closed and there was a significant difference in the result. With the notebook closed, the measurement is larger. You want to make sure you have accounted for those extra inches before cutting out your pieces of fabric. Use a flexible tape measure and wrap it around the book to get the measurement.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAd7r8E5909PJ8p4y_KW2op7mNAW9yGs3VpnFUeR9okmVasGys0sn7_QelYOBPWKUTv4UEP71CnX-xQ_w_SL_5OkOLNTT-4UI0L9iE1DlukVijLAbe9cF0C17PNM-jrNMJnuH9gtbXDqpt/s1600/BookCover+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAd7r8E5909PJ8p4y_KW2op7mNAW9yGs3VpnFUeR9okmVasGys0sn7_QelYOBPWKUTv4UEP71CnX-xQ_w_SL_5OkOLNTT-4UI0L9iE1DlukVijLAbe9cF0C17PNM-jrNMJnuH9gtbXDqpt/s400/BookCover+004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">2. If you plan to topstitch, add more than 1/2" seam allowance all the way around. I would increase that to 5/8" -- which is the same as adding 1 1/4" to the height and width of your book. So, for example, if your book measures 8" high x 12" wide, cut your main pieces of fabric 9 1/4" x 13 1/4".</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The reason I would do this is because I originally intended to finish the book cover off by topstitching all the way around, as shown in the video. However, I did not end up doing that because after checking the fit of the cover with my notebook, I realized that topstitching the top and bottom edges was going to make it an extremely tight fit for my notebook. There really wasn't adequate roominess for me to topstitch without compromising the fit. The ends were a bit more roomy because I had added more than 1/2" to the width of the notebook, so instead of topstitching the entire book cover, I just did a little decorative blanket stitch on the ends.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx49tcTl0DvF6_FDT7XHsIYG9zmq2XpcBQbDvQIS8EzrbWuEvMyYI8EXk4LgfDeNSLuOvmk7J9P5Ttk7D4vw00sHlzQ52L_2J8Gvm5GoZ1NCjPWfF9gDXDBS_Jp8MVaFLZN_r10Ue3zom7/s1600/BookCover+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx49tcTl0DvF6_FDT7XHsIYG9zmq2XpcBQbDvQIS8EzrbWuEvMyYI8EXk4LgfDeNSLuOvmk7J9P5Ttk7D4vw00sHlzQ52L_2J8Gvm5GoZ1NCjPWfF9gDXDBS_Jp8MVaFLZN_r10Ue3zom7/s400/BookCover+005.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">3. Sew your embellishments BEFORE sewing the pieces of the book cover together. The only exception is that I didn't sew the pink button (for the closure tab) until the end because I wasn't sure of the positioning until after it was all together. My stitches ended up hidden behind the inside cover anyway, so it worked out just fine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, that's about it. If you have any other questions, feel free to comment below and I will try and reply as best as I can. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Good Luck! And remember: When life gives you scraps, make yourself a beautiful book cover!</span>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-36912152005328538572012-04-24T10:40:00.000-04:002012-04-24T10:50:53.001-04:00Hexagon Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Between all of the projects I have recently completed, I have continued plugging away at my hexagon quilt. It's been a year since I have stopped to document my progress, so I thought today would be a good day to lay it all out again and take a look. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This quilt is pieced entirely by hand. If you are curious as to how this is constructed, or want to view my progress from the beginning of this project, be sure to check out my <a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2011/04/hexagon-tutorial.html" target="_blank">Hexagon Tutorial</a> and <a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2011/04/hexagon-quilt-progress.html" target="_blank">Hexagon Progress</a> blog posts.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFSIe7XUe-72cytgDFBOw0dKVN1mImlCCAk4Z2ISnBFUT2DuC-PxabHfPL2_DJr1Ba_3hGetEx_Bp_TWJ9dFyC3VKaKjewEgppJKZP0Wb5Dl8Ppp5YFmre0Wj4LGZVPmbDOjbNdJY0qwx/s1600/Hexie+060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFSIe7XUe-72cytgDFBOw0dKVN1mImlCCAk4Z2ISnBFUT2DuC-PxabHfPL2_DJr1Ba_3hGetEx_Bp_TWJ9dFyC3VKaKjewEgppJKZP0Wb5Dl8Ppp5YFmre0Wj4LGZVPmbDOjbNdJY0qwx/s400/Hexie+060.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">So far, I have 22 flower units sewed together (rows 1, 2 & 3 are done)! All but 11 flower units have their muslin hexagons sewn on and I have prepared many more green hexagons (I stopped keeping track of the number a while back).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jVW5COnoxxjBWx4KSLIhedNEepz7oAOJdSv2JKh8SJv1cad58rfEO17PkvO4-Mse0fs_c2150e3nnadE8cuaD-p4QW94oTkBzF57Fvqwwj_M_nVw_mbikpUrGShsVJqIHauWPCAgmZDJ/s1600/Hexie+058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jVW5COnoxxjBWx4KSLIhedNEepz7oAOJdSv2JKh8SJv1cad58rfEO17PkvO4-Mse0fs_c2150e3nnadE8cuaD-p4QW94oTkBzF57Fvqwwj_M_nVw_mbikpUrGShsVJqIHauWPCAgmZDJ/s400/Hexie+058.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's really starting to come together now! I still have not decided exactly how I am going to finish this off -- what the backing will be, how I will handle the binding, borders (if any), etc. I figure I still have plenty of time to think about it!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicz01vwxzZ9HbHLBK-lvh_QNXvLtoNuixy1L3V9n45K4JTu8y8B18SWeZjAgB1E-7y6RCWVyKwKJKmzUrUpk6KeEsLxRaitIfwZxV-PITNcWVIAySqAKOimcaPIZQQHqafRHW2OSPKL8A_/s1600/Hexie+063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicz01vwxzZ9HbHLBK-lvh_QNXvLtoNuixy1L3V9n45K4JTu8y8B18SWeZjAgB1E-7y6RCWVyKwKJKmzUrUpk6KeEsLxRaitIfwZxV-PITNcWVIAySqAKOimcaPIZQQHqafRHW2OSPKL8A_/s400/Hexie+063.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-63910002042198690502012-01-25T10:40:00.000-05:002012-05-17T19:24:32.988-04:00Quilting 101 -- Lesson 6 -- Inner Border<a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-1-choosing-design.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Lesson 1 -- Choosing A Design</span></a><br />
<a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-2-fabric.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Lesson 2 -- Fabric</span></a><br />
<a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-3-cutting-fabric.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Lesson 3 -- Cutting Fabric</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-4-piecing.html" target="_blank">Lesson 4 -- Piecing</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-5-piecing-blocks.html" target="_blank">Lesson 5 -- Piecing the Blocks Together</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's now time to add the borders and complete your quilt top!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47Hpr8vvtwpq6Eb5ZHx7QC6Zpmm2YZ8Pc6PjhTvKR_uyHyv2VQMdQTGv-s9asSHfDNC_1olIo8JlJJ3t5AAaGMDTp44J-gPUQMWh_xnLxWFRJmE-6vW7m1LTNck763G90oBjxQwsFWMGq/s1600/NinePatchBaby.BMP" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47Hpr8vvtwpq6Eb5ZHx7QC6Zpmm2YZ8Pc6PjhTvKR_uyHyv2VQMdQTGv-s9asSHfDNC_1olIo8JlJJ3t5AAaGMDTp44J-gPUQMWh_xnLxWFRJmE-6vW7m1LTNck763G90oBjxQwsFWMGq/s320/NinePatchBaby.BMP" width="243" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you have not done so already, choose a fabric that you would like to use for your borders. I have included two borders in my design -- a narrow inner border and a wider outer border.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ryWx4YQ9Nu-0wOaYpCntR9khC3HIILmqdZK6UTkK-nQR4C7XWQ-bhShziE-Z_-UqTa9K1tziXzl6KkZYTHPBBeMPBLvDJVzeRkQirw_RZuVzXwV6VgkgPcoIifAh_kwk1CyEtT-R_9DK/s1600/QuiltTut+055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ryWx4YQ9Nu-0wOaYpCntR9khC3HIILmqdZK6UTkK-nQR4C7XWQ-bhShziE-Z_-UqTa9K1tziXzl6KkZYTHPBBeMPBLvDJVzeRkQirw_RZuVzXwV6VgkgPcoIifAh_kwk1CyEtT-R_9DK/s320/QuiltTut+055.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Audition" fabrics by laying them next to your quilt top. Then take a step back to see how they look. I actually did this step before sewing all the blocks together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once you have chosen your fabrics, cut the border strips. Cut these in the same manner as you cut the strips for your pieced blocks.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWqURnv9ET8h2iskM9vZ6sqKXMn0hM9FhZjLvbQgr-sGXIJ9OiEVBKHSfLwqpFwLcvRMMQLsQ68Z0tJn3gzmbLGv_SNvJctWrfWWnWtNeZ8QfuJoS-YacZbpLuy_UxgJ50WmoHGtFcO4Q/s1600/QuiltTut+075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWqURnv9ET8h2iskM9vZ6sqKXMn0hM9FhZjLvbQgr-sGXIJ9OiEVBKHSfLwqpFwLcvRMMQLsQ68Z0tJn3gzmbLGv_SNvJctWrfWWnWtNeZ8QfuJoS-YacZbpLuy_UxgJ50WmoHGtFcO4Q/s320/QuiltTut+075.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fold is along the bottom here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">Begin with a prewashed and ironed piece of fabric. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Fold the fabric in half (matching selvage edges). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Line the ruler up on the fold, cut a small strip off to square up the fabric, then measure and cut your strips. For the inner border, cut the strips 1 3/4" wide.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47P6AAMBQ9lmWjFNYtF2_6pLnGrTCO57dQYxXo8OoDjLPvhYFHGm0u04eeYGUTqZgeDawyXMQKeS6MUkD2qhDfpXQwlInHFTkkzI5ylXpYvZ-QQ1Hdulk5pAeo4RzAQqBuRcPVPlKCS-T/s1600/QuiltTut+079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47P6AAMBQ9lmWjFNYtF2_6pLnGrTCO57dQYxXo8OoDjLPvhYFHGm0u04eeYGUTqZgeDawyXMQKeS6MUkD2qhDfpXQwlInHFTkkzI5ylXpYvZ-QQ1Hdulk5pAeo4RzAQqBuRcPVPlKCS-T/s400/QuiltTut+079.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cut 4 strips -- one each for the top, sides, and bottom. If you would like to add the corner blocks to the border (see quilt layout photo above), you will also need to cut 4 - 1 3/4" squares. I used a yellow scrap piece of fabric that was leftover from the nine-patch blocks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lay out the strips with your quilt to make sure they are long enough.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1aYP2feV_tLT0DIxkXshGRt7IxOj8dgW6E62vvjqHkHqUGyb9vEQ9vKNFUWlI1TPndGPob_kzXDPMh36VkuyKtivjkemg9eCiq3UIs1oheZkuI4nVUyIRgePaLQdQiRwdqGYvBLl1Znh1/s1600/QuiltTut+080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1aYP2feV_tLT0DIxkXshGRt7IxOj8dgW6E62vvjqHkHqUGyb9vEQ9vKNFUWlI1TPndGPob_kzXDPMh36VkuyKtivjkemg9eCiq3UIs1oheZkuI4nVUyIRgePaLQdQiRwdqGYvBLl1Znh1/s320/QuiltTut+080.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sew the side borders on first. With right sides facing each other, pin one of the side borders to the quilt top. Your border strip should be a little longer than your quilt. Leave a little extra at each end. You will trim it off evenly after attaching the border. Sew the border to the quilt top using a 1/4" seam allowance.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjKnWuqTRd3bvGw_bkZSsv-ncLT8Beip5fm3cJkLyVyvk46ix0RSpsV84HEQl7B71y3aEOPkaSTkdhfS53nryQ2XXHLOLBASJfFpPCXF5zxWJ09V_KtoqBeMceLXeUdBERMqyDOGvb6C9P/s1600/QuiltTut+085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjKnWuqTRd3bvGw_bkZSsv-ncLT8Beip5fm3cJkLyVyvk46ix0RSpsV84HEQl7B71y3aEOPkaSTkdhfS53nryQ2XXHLOLBASJfFpPCXF5zxWJ09V_KtoqBeMceLXeUdBERMqyDOGvb6C9P/s320/QuiltTut+085.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Before pressing, lay the quilt facing down on your cutting surface, line up a ruler with the corner of the quilt, and trim the border to the exact length of your quilt.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlKMc5Ru6Rbo3Gk_MzpQApZp9YlpzoxepvZgkqJqBR6MjQ8fwNfk9REBQdiBYR2uFMvtIxBeRyAIafgxvz4JRUu1a732W7tq9FzjtH_RPhWxmLR4UdGw5MLvjmjkFYkirkkc7O2gUyGpe/s1600/QuiltTut+086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlKMc5Ru6Rbo3Gk_MzpQApZp9YlpzoxepvZgkqJqBR6MjQ8fwNfk9REBQdiBYR2uFMvtIxBeRyAIafgxvz4JRUu1a732W7tq9FzjtH_RPhWxmLR4UdGw5MLvjmjkFYkirkkc7O2gUyGpe/s320/QuiltTut+086.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Press the seam allowance toward the border fabric.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Repeat this process for the opposite side border.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you are not sewing corner blocks, you can go ahead and sew the top and bottom borders on in the same manner as the sides. Then skip ahead to Lesson 7 -- Outer Border.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you are going to add the corner blocks to your inner border, follow these steps:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1c6BCyd_v9OJQ159cHvZ-TWxSF9OvinLR3WcXtJV31JFMiwG3h5GcCOh6m1ti8tLvYZTHN5_OktKEB7yKysa6qImsOSbKxlXq1JpZhy0TG2j_htKEiBxIbqmcXYS4rcuJMthsAp2tqqX/s1600/QuiltTut+087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1c6BCyd_v9OJQ159cHvZ-TWxSF9OvinLR3WcXtJV31JFMiwG3h5GcCOh6m1ti8tLvYZTHN5_OktKEB7yKysa6qImsOSbKxlXq1JpZhy0TG2j_htKEiBxIbqmcXYS4rcuJMthsAp2tqqX/s320/QuiltTut+087.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">First square up one end of your top strip by lining up a ruler and trimming off a little bit. Take one of the corner squares and, with right sides facing, lay it on top of the border strip being sure to line up the edges. Sew the square to the strip with a 1/4" seam allowance. Press the seam toward the border fabric.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWw5QhPa09d79jK1rlFyCxf1QhyJL3fGONxPyUlmpYaTWaDsgVh4BsXg41xn4mHTypBcR2Qxnm5Iw94u8VN6vAgHT4KBAJmV9NQCbkVRzujHyt34uDg2sKRrWaPOJQt33NDd1OI8UlDcRz/s1600/QuiltTut+089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWw5QhPa09d79jK1rlFyCxf1QhyJL3fGONxPyUlmpYaTWaDsgVh4BsXg41xn4mHTypBcR2Qxnm5Iw94u8VN6vAgHT4KBAJmV9NQCbkVRzujHyt34uDg2sKRrWaPOJQt33NDd1OI8UlDcRz/s320/QuiltTut+089.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now take the border strip and lay it in position on your quilt, making sure to carefully line up the seams (see photo at right). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">You are now going to line up the opposite end of the strip and trim it to the exact length you will need.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Be sure to measure accurately in this next step! Line up the 1/4" line on the ruler with the seam from the side border.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNSbaNl1c99nDWjRxsk2eT5caXQIMUBp7YKhWU7Ib1IML4UYiINwDAkaE_WtmHW-Ij3twmfGLwAErEVOtMFsqm8PlrTfT5_Y_8ZLr9CmMMXndoAK1m-gr2Hk5OwZz9t4gheEsnEHY6gJt/s1600/QuiltTut+090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNSbaNl1c99nDWjRxsk2eT5caXQIMUBp7YKhWU7Ib1IML4UYiINwDAkaE_WtmHW-Ij3twmfGLwAErEVOtMFsqm8PlrTfT5_Y_8ZLr9CmMMXndoAK1m-gr2Hk5OwZz9t4gheEsnEHY6gJt/s400/QuiltTut+090.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Use a marking tool to draw a line on the top border along the edge of the ruler. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Your top strip needs to be trimmed so that it is equal to the width of the quilt, plus 1/4" seam allowance because you will need that seam allowance to attach the other corner square. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Trim the strip by cutting it along the line you just drew. Then sew the second corner square to the top border strip in the same manner as you did the first one.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_T1fwxhgq8uFDcvY_JQRzBf1MC1VQkM5Dv3DWsrR1OcafhlABoISvhTj0eZulgVU3xxIhoyq75t6B7ryeaONT1UU9RhgZJWuZRuA8dbNEZ9tfdRnepsSuEytxdpXzrBROq2oYfmqYgttp/s1600/QuiltTut+091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_T1fwxhgq8uFDcvY_JQRzBf1MC1VQkM5Dv3DWsrR1OcafhlABoISvhTj0eZulgVU3xxIhoyq75t6B7ryeaONT1UU9RhgZJWuZRuA8dbNEZ9tfdRnepsSuEytxdpXzrBROq2oYfmqYgttp/s400/QuiltTut+091.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top left corner of quilt</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With right sides facing and matching up the seams of the corner blocks with the seams of the side borders, sew the top border to the quilt. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Press the seam toward the border fabric.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLa_gQaGZGV2TihsFI-1MBjY0PjY4gBDuMhdecm1G8eWYdjDLCHZh0C50ZxacJMcPPr76-EGc3fw9UHKMONyncrbZH_TZlPkVCf3oih1qISWvJPee8Tk6KcDWEVJvkY8AqCh_uHQtxdGq/s1600/QuiltTut+092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLa_gQaGZGV2TihsFI-1MBjY0PjY4gBDuMhdecm1G8eWYdjDLCHZh0C50ZxacJMcPPr76-EGc3fw9UHKMONyncrbZH_TZlPkVCf3oih1qISWvJPee8Tk6KcDWEVJvkY8AqCh_uHQtxdGq/s400/QuiltTut+092.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top right corner of quil</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Repeat these steps for the bottom border strip.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The inner border is now complete! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In Lesson 7 we will add the outer border.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-76108398325168874162012-01-22T12:07:00.001-05:002012-01-22T12:13:38.360-05:0012 Secrets Real Moms Know<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/350487.12_Simple_Secrets_Real_Moms_Know" target="_blank"><i><u><span style="font-size: large;">12 Simple Secrets Real Moms Know: Getting Back to Basics and Raising Happy Kids by Michele Borba, Ed.D.</span></u></i></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dsuVxe2_KHZ3TkJPxiMnaKH7ej-OmJCgAXrbWCZCapO7UtnPR8Ie28IA35u8w_hrHT2IyXYLESMxjqzYG-Evc3DNjHJpev7k3127bsqPwYgJKEC_xQ5mO-APeitMWl75nIkZZche5LPq/s1600/12secrets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dsuVxe2_KHZ3TkJPxiMnaKH7ej-OmJCgAXrbWCZCapO7UtnPR8Ie28IA35u8w_hrHT2IyXYLESMxjqzYG-Evc3DNjHJpev7k3127bsqPwYgJKEC_xQ5mO-APeitMWl75nIkZZche5LPq/s200/12secrets.jpg" width="128" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"> I just finished reading this book today, and I think it is definitely a book worth sharing here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The author begins the book by discussing what some of the problems are facing today's mothers.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Many moms today are suffering from what can only be described as a kind of frenzy -- an abnormally high level of busyness, tension, stress, speediness, anxiety, heightened awareness, and even panic. Many moms can't get enough sleep; they can never keep up or do enough for their kids and are feeling guilty and inadequate about it. They're overwhelmed trying to be Supermom, to fulfill the expectations placed on them. They overcompensate by taking on more and more until you might as well admit that they're in a state of Motherhood Mania.....And is Motherhood Mania worth it? Is it worth all the time and energy and money we're spending? Do our kids really benefit from all these splendid extracurricular activities and stimulating experiences?"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">According to author, Michele Borba, the answer is a resounding "No"....."All our obsessive and hyper mothering is not helping our kids become happy and mature young adults and may in fact be doing them more harm than good."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, you may be wondering, what are the 12 simple secrets?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although there is a good chance the 12 secrets may be nothing new to many parents, Michele Borba points out that many mothers today have forgotten these simple truths about parenting. She urges all mothers to get back to what really matters and gives practical advice, activities, tips, and further reading suggestions to help you do it.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"12 Simple Secrets Real Moms Know"</span></b></div><ol><li><span style="font-size: large;">A mother who loves teaches worth.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A mother who is firm and fair gives her children a moral code to live by</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A mother who listens shows her children they matter.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A mother who is a good role model gives her children an example worth copying.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A mother who teaches values inspires character.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A mother who supports her children's strengths builds their confidence.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A mother who encourages independence cultivates self-reliance.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A mother who applauds effort nurtures perseverance.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A mother who accepts her children's shortcomings nurtures resilience.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A mother who takes time for her children helps them build strong relationships.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A mother who laughs teaches joy.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A mother who takes care of herself holds together her happy family.</span></li>
</ol><span style="font-size: large;"> As a mother, I find that I am continually a "work in progress." I find it helpful to have a list like this I can refer to when things get tough. Most of all, it helps me to stay focused on what is REALLY important.</span>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-86817427976911763292012-01-21T10:47:00.004-05:002012-05-17T19:25:05.596-04:00Quilting 101 -- Lesson 5 -- Piecing the Blocks Together<a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-1-choosing-design.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Lesson 1 -- Choosing A Design</span></a><br />
<a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-2-fabric.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Lesson 2 -- Fabric</span></a><br />
<a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-3-cutting-fabric.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Lesson 3 -- Cutting Fabric</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-4-piecing.html" target="_blank">Lesson 4 -- Piecing</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now it's time to "play" with all those pretty blocks you made! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once you have finished piecing all 18 nine-patch blocks, lay them out on a table or clean floor with the plain blocks and decide how you would like</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqgVasB0J0tLeasuaA8LFGnq6w9X9mY6jMoU9u3T0B0SIUo1242xHlvb6H__i3z0k5-8hV0zzqR6DaWW0NqfOs4FW23MLYdfqetZvp5kBlpOk7bJbUvku4UO_K3NGX0jjuvAH6LOJ-yoh/s1600/QuiltTut+054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqgVasB0J0tLeasuaA8LFGnq6w9X9mY6jMoU9u3T0B0SIUo1242xHlvb6H__i3z0k5-8hV0zzqR6DaWW0NqfOs4FW23MLYdfqetZvp5kBlpOk7bJbUvku4UO_K3NGX0jjuvAH6LOJ-yoh/s320/QuiltTut+054.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">to arrange them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you have several blocks that are similar in color, you want to pay particular attention to their placement. Try to "balance" the color in your quilt by distributing similar blocks evenly throughout the quilt. For example, note the placement of all the blue blocks in the photo here. Also, take into account the color value of each block. For example, if you have a few blocks that are lighter or darker than most of the other blocks, try to distribute those evenly as well. This way, you won't end up with some areas looking too "heavy" or "light" in value.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Once you have determined your placement, you may want to take a photo. This is especially helpful if you do not have a space to leave the blocks laid out where they will not be disturbed (like by children or a family pet!).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gN9mLSezsjfyhsoKrd8j8AsvLvFtHx_vOWsoMZQ4lQ3nqkPHUoPzeBd-o_9y-Jg9rmWOYrQb7GSLJ5dzytdKHICcQVGXdtj3tuApyGWWglSP0HgycOjnE27Yg8mAtl7JB5lCphC7sSy2/s1600/QuiltTut+056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gN9mLSezsjfyhsoKrd8j8AsvLvFtHx_vOWsoMZQ4lQ3nqkPHUoPzeBd-o_9y-Jg9rmWOYrQb7GSLJ5dzytdKHICcQVGXdtj3tuApyGWWglSP0HgycOjnE27Yg8mAtl7JB5lCphC7sSy2/s320/QuiltTut+056.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sew the blocks into rows using a 1/4" seam allowance</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The premise for sewing the blocks together is exactly the same as sewing together the nine-patch blocks. Begin by sewing the blocks into rows. Press the seams toward the plain block (in this case, the animal print blocks).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4wOPUbE1B4YNsK3DhCdGG5Oqp4DYKCwcb8lmJ8EIKF2XqhLJkFBdvpWteh7dWAL6GnYBM_Qeb2OXQ4TihWgIEsDU5mRKMiYtwkjLk8HRmCptn_I9sEzjm1gIv8x4eS3cdQoApagYpkUM/s1600/QuiltTut+063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4wOPUbE1B4YNsK3DhCdGG5Oqp4DYKCwcb8lmJ8EIKF2XqhLJkFBdvpWteh7dWAL6GnYBM_Qeb2OXQ4TihWgIEsDU5mRKMiYtwkjLk8HRmCptn_I9sEzjm1gIv8x4eS3cdQoApagYpkUM/s320/QuiltTut+063.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It is helpful to lay out your rows before you sew them together</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once all the blocks are sewed into rows, sew the rows together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Remember to carefully match (and pin) the areas where there are intersecting seams!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When you have finished, lay out your quilt top and admire your work!</span><br />
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</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In <a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-6-inner-border.html" target="_blank">Lesson 6</a> we will add the borders!</span>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-75074332402024731802012-01-18T18:51:00.004-05:002012-05-17T19:25:29.590-04:00Quilting 101 -- Lesson 4 -- Piecing<a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-1-choosing-design.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Lesson 1 -- Choosing A Design</span></a><br />
<a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-2-fabric.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Lesson 2 -- Fabric</span></a><br />
<a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-3-cutting-fabric.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Lesson 3 -- Cutting Fabric</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you have made it this far in the quilting process, congratulations! You are now ready to begin sewing your pieces together!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Before you begin piecing, you need to gather a few supplies -- a sewing machine, thread, an ironing board, an iron, and some pins. Let's take a moment to talk about these supplies and a few of the basic techniques of piecing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">THREAD</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It is best to use thread that is 100% cotton, however it is not absolutely necessary. What you should NOT use is thread that is very old (ie grandma's old thread). For more on the best thread to use for quilting, check out this <a href="http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/techniques/basics/basic-supplies-visual-guide_ss11.html" target="_blank">page about thread</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The color thread you use depends on the fabrics you are sewing. I typically either use white or natural (light tan) colored thread when piecing. For the most part, the thread will not be seen, so it is not necessary for it to match exactly. What you want to stay away from is using a very light thread to piece dark fabrics or a very dark thread to piece very light fabrics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">SEWING MACHINE</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Sewing machines can vary quite significantly in style and age. You know your machine best. Make sure your machine settings, tension, and needle are appropriate for the type of fabric you are sewing. For information about sewing machine needles, check out <a href="http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/techniques/basics/basic-supplies-visual-guide_ss12.html" target="_blank">this page about machine needles</a>. In addition, you should equip your machine with a <a href="http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/techniques/basics/basic-supplies-visual-guide_ss14.html" target="_blank">1/4" presser foot</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">SEAM ALLOWANCE</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As with cutting, accuracy is the name of the game when it comes to piecing. Be sure you are sewing using a 1/4" seam allowance. For more about accurate piecing techniques, I would highly recommend taking the time to check out <a href="http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/techniques/piecing/the-perfect-quarter-seam_1.html" target="_blank">this page about piecing accurately</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">PRESSING </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">After you sew your fabric, you will need to press your seams with an iron. It is very easy to stretch and distort your fabric by pressing incorrectly. Here is a great <a href="http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/techniques/piecing/the-perfect-quarter-seam_5.html" target="_blank">page with tips on how to press seams</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, now that you know the basics, let's get started piecing our quilt!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Start by laying out the nine squares for your first nine-patch block. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Wzqx6aBpUI3NFnu5dGUSFwRG99UmGbviFctapyrPr7KvzmSLAWf09WD1-4K7LFnG0d3Q48j7lm2g87hzwPS3qIxbJBz3aLvAQIVxZmwBMXIP-A_I0z5vCTvTtk173RUCcddwXeVjNJHE/s1600/QuiltTut+024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Wzqx6aBpUI3NFnu5dGUSFwRG99UmGbviFctapyrPr7KvzmSLAWf09WD1-4K7LFnG0d3Q48j7lm2g87hzwPS3qIxbJBz3aLvAQIVxZmwBMXIP-A_I0z5vCTvTtk173RUCcddwXeVjNJHE/s320/QuiltTut+024.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lay out the squares for your first nine-patch block as shown.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">The technique is to first sew the blocks into horizontal rows and then sew the rows together to complete the block. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pick up the second square in the first row and flip it over (right side down) on top of the first square in that same row. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Line up the edges and sew them together along the right side, using a 1/4" seam allowance.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzB0FZYw70m2qgUkDFrC7QbnV7Xcj5gB0CwRftIemReoQmo2dAue-vVXDPBZcmiRz2RhvbS7Wzg7RwSyl6_S3R3I0bGjCmt36oc3DCw8kP5hJYZGwCrfyX6Ol65RXe1SD09EOv6g5I_xD/s1600/QuiltTut+029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzB0FZYw70m2qgUkDFrC7QbnV7Xcj5gB0CwRftIemReoQmo2dAue-vVXDPBZcmiRz2RhvbS7Wzg7RwSyl6_S3R3I0bGjCmt36oc3DCw8kP5hJYZGwCrfyX6Ol65RXe1SD09EOv6g5I_xD/s320/QuiltTut+029.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After sewing, open the two-piece unit and put it face-up on your ironing board. Using a pre-heated iron set to a cotton setting, press the seam toward the darker fabric (in this case, the blue fabric).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Repeat this process for the second and third rows. Then lay the pieced units out as shown in the photo at left.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznGfcItDkpx8Ifxt7kDbpmUzYSsZzCThn2Buy0knsV9K2GfCqWtJBTYz7OzRlYRmgci4SpyUdmDh334R54LUj6nh6RIuoKH3hFgiwq3J_c7YcrwkZ59B_wOxDmCz9Qj4y4FMKB7r_928J/s1600/QuiltTut+031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznGfcItDkpx8Ifxt7kDbpmUzYSsZzCThn2Buy0knsV9K2GfCqWtJBTYz7OzRlYRmgci4SpyUdmDh334R54LUj6nh6RIuoKH3hFgiwq3J_c7YcrwkZ59B_wOxDmCz9Qj4y4FMKB7r_928J/s320/QuiltTut+031.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now take the third square in each row and flip it over so the right side is facing down on top of the middle square. Stitch each seam with a 1/4" seam allowance. Press all seams toward the darker fabric.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaqej9NoWaQdWZSl5L-IfEaFixlxiGtocqii64kHV67EhjdJxaKQoD5E7q-O15DBrrhnPqGCMCtVWarBckXnucBNS0TpU32sO9RGisq3q9g8Nbkb_w3T0T-paEEK8g53y5FZYEc9NFudE/s1600/QuiltTut+032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaqej9NoWaQdWZSl5L-IfEaFixlxiGtocqii64kHV67EhjdJxaKQoD5E7q-O15DBrrhnPqGCMCtVWarBckXnucBNS0TpU32sO9RGisq3q9g8Nbkb_w3T0T-paEEK8g53y5FZYEc9NFudE/s320/QuiltTut+032.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now you are ready to sew your rows together. Lay them out in the order they will be in the block (see photo at left).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZ4dVTELvinWhyphenhyphentHI8081mgv87jBtia7OPsGdSN0pgrds8d5U2fAnj1ExGaHGVi9gdoXGllUCiZEFOU04QkvOwaPhGJiKwgdNIS70F8eWfH3NHTRmQmplZ8qvZnjT3QIgsoW2DQ-l9Rf4/s1600/QuiltTut+034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZ4dVTELvinWhyphenhyphentHI8081mgv87jBtia7OPsGdSN0pgrds8d5U2fAnj1ExGaHGVi9gdoXGllUCiZEFOU04QkvOwaPhGJiKwgdNIS70F8eWfH3NHTRmQmplZ8qvZnjT3QIgsoW2DQ-l9Rf4/s320/QuiltTut+034.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pick up the top row and flip it face-down on top of the second row. At this point, it is very important that you carefully line up the previously sewn seams.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56zc5uQrP8YxbIiRBfh_XILuMe0j1DhUpGJ94zXCpgIRTGzk1X4ki54_AdyPY3qQgLHYqfA_iynW-uHKFpFcpEcNcdDm7xb192PZ7JBRkA69FsSECauhDP3KFLq9_CQn2WSn1PO_rMaud/s1600/QuiltTut+037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56zc5uQrP8YxbIiRBfh_XILuMe0j1DhUpGJ94zXCpgIRTGzk1X4ki54_AdyPY3qQgLHYqfA_iynW-uHKFpFcpEcNcdDm7xb192PZ7JBRkA69FsSECauhDP3KFLq9_CQn2WSn1PO_rMaud/s320/QuiltTut+037.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you did your pressing correctly, the seams should "nest" nicely, as shown in this photo. Pin each seam after you check that it is lined up.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPSRTWvrIM9JDRcb3ZCLzKe_wNHKdzW22RHFPcVep1QKI06jvb8IBKDLOtauGFnJZGP_1MhZOZcI4pSPeZxvqmMYWZbrkK-zIL_ceoBI_-UamHmy9GYXnUSZZ0A_BykHQK4w4P1gMBEGB/s1600/QuiltTut+039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPSRTWvrIM9JDRcb3ZCLzKe_wNHKdzW22RHFPcVep1QKI06jvb8IBKDLOtauGFnJZGP_1MhZOZcI4pSPeZxvqmMYWZbrkK-zIL_ceoBI_-UamHmy9GYXnUSZZ0A_BykHQK4w4P1gMBEGB/s320/QuiltTut+039.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Use a 1/4" seam allowance to sew the rows together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When you open the pieced unit, it should look like this. Notice how all the corners of the squares meet up perfectly. There is no overlap.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nrcIWwVi0-FZUJN_k14E6jkHGkU8L69PxJ0YSK5GNAA8dPP9pdYPOQhatovAANBV1sSNUDfIh2IkKFHmqqnaA_jYJ78JtGQmMJwd1gLYxDgS5014A_ul3mmZ0b5KxyrxPzqisrp3EnQ9/s1600/QuiltTut+041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nrcIWwVi0-FZUJN_k14E6jkHGkU8L69PxJ0YSK5GNAA8dPP9pdYPOQhatovAANBV1sSNUDfIh2IkKFHmqqnaA_jYJ78JtGQmMJwd1gLYxDgS5014A_ul3mmZ0b5KxyrxPzqisrp3EnQ9/s320/QuiltTut+041.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">This is what you are striving for.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It may seem a little time consuming to line up each seam, but if you sew the rows together without doing this step, the squares in your block will not line up and will result in a "messy" and amateur looking block (in my opinion).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the same manner as you just sewed rows 1 and 2, sew row 3 to row 2.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Congratulations!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You have just completed your first nine-patch block. Way to go!</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFSkT_SeofYot5A5NkFdH_zy3j81vt2Vt40WT7sIXWwT0uoSLUEW_klG80u4vCDxxMCMXkpuem6vTojL7iPn0TrsW9oSnK8ITSHJyVSM5mZUItGF_FMhnHkpaFL3XMBfaSaEK5iU3Znpb1/s1600/QuiltTut+043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFSkT_SeofYot5A5NkFdH_zy3j81vt2Vt40WT7sIXWwT0uoSLUEW_klG80u4vCDxxMCMXkpuem6vTojL7iPn0TrsW9oSnK8ITSHJyVSM5mZUItGF_FMhnHkpaFL3XMBfaSaEK5iU3Znpb1/s320/QuiltTut+043.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now take it over to the ironing board and press it nice and flat. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Press all the seams you just sewed in the same direction. I pressed mine all going toward the bottom of the block. It doesn't matter which way you choose. Just be consistent with all your blocks.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn31DZLGhtIoNRAE050w5bm3-zCInc_wxLVqPP97iUKI4gHCeLy1c6MZ-Iue87M0ikgmN5W-sGKVgqqJfGsb6Ta6qSXIeHkZPu9JdOD2JvEna90MGEd4sJXXzdwEdMgxUBDyqwkvycA1tK/s1600/QuiltTut+045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn31DZLGhtIoNRAE050w5bm3-zCInc_wxLVqPP97iUKI4gHCeLy1c6MZ-Iue87M0ikgmN5W-sGKVgqqJfGsb6Ta6qSXIeHkZPu9JdOD2JvEna90MGEd4sJXXzdwEdMgxUBDyqwkvycA1tK/s400/QuiltTut+045.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One last step that I would recommend is to take the time to square-up your finished block. A square ruler is very helpful for this task, but certainly not necessary.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you look at the lines for 6 1/2" on this ruler, you will notice that the pieced block isn't perfectly square. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The goal is to get the finished block to be as close to 6 1/2" as possible.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvy6fPACwu72gXHNApd4yt17PAUgOAj97ZfugO7BvYHfjSm2-OGkwCKZ37FJu09wAzXU5o3GNakH0l8IYKCWkLH0k45VIqSBEUNLkmoq-LUc-0HHBFvl5fttNrFXdGe8QrARLyj2oToMlm/s1600/QuiltTut+048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvy6fPACwu72gXHNApd4yt17PAUgOAj97ZfugO7BvYHfjSm2-OGkwCKZ37FJu09wAzXU5o3GNakH0l8IYKCWkLH0k45VIqSBEUNLkmoq-LUc-0HHBFvl5fttNrFXdGe8QrARLyj2oToMlm/s320/QuiltTut+048.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Use a rotary cutter to trim your blocks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">You can see in this photo where some fabric needs to be trimmed off. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The more accurately you can size your finished blocks, the more easily everything will fit together as you piece the top of your quilt.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVK4H2KZXbum_JCebnBSYEvG490d_q89GQweGbjDlMKEwkQB___B4K2Q1cq9ux9WuzfVDu-QltIjZFbr2USHVs8kloNJ40e4i1-Dmw64c8EqcNCzujECZDgDqefABIE3kp8wdIlaOsZKi/s1600/QuiltTut+051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVK4H2KZXbum_JCebnBSYEvG490d_q89GQweGbjDlMKEwkQB___B4K2Q1cq9ux9WuzfVDu-QltIjZFbr2USHVs8kloNJ40e4i1-Dmw64c8EqcNCzujECZDgDqefABIE3kp8wdIlaOsZKi/s320/QuiltTut+051.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished nine-patch block -- make 18 total for quilt top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">And here is how your finished block should look.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Repeat these steps to make all 18 nine-patch blocks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In <a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-5-piecing-blocks.html" target="_blank">Lesson 5</a>, we will begin piecing the blocks into rows with the plain block squares to complete the quilt top.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-48318359517723611582012-01-13T13:08:00.002-05:002012-05-17T19:25:55.217-04:00Quilting 101 -- Lesson 3 -- Cutting Fabric<span style="font-size: large;">Welcome to Lesson 3 of my Quilting 101 series! If you are just stumbling upon this post, you may want to check out <a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-1-choosing-design.html" target="_blank">Lesson 1</a> and/or <a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-2-fabric.html" target="_blank">Lesson 2</a> before continuing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is now time to talk about cutting your fabric. A few tools can really come in handy and make this task a lot easier (and a lot more accurate). There are a couple of different ways to go about cutting your fabric. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvVtHawAvA_LcmOL9RQ0pYa42pTIuSsBFD9xOXYHyByET0u9RmwOP8f2PUz8Nm8Ac3sw915QATp6ddCyn30tLf1vS6fWoPh4oePN2tRzqkvm9A4lx6HOlsx3IiKCqvxgJJll9EaK86FLa/s1600/QuiltTut+019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvVtHawAvA_LcmOL9RQ0pYa42pTIuSsBFD9xOXYHyByET0u9RmwOP8f2PUz8Nm8Ac3sw915QATp6ddCyn30tLf1vS6fWoPh4oePN2tRzqkvm9A4lx6HOlsx3IiKCqvxgJJll9EaK86FLa/s320/QuiltTut+019.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rotary Cutter, Ruler, & Cutting Mat</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The most common method is to use a rotary cutter, ruler, and mat. A rotary cutter is simply a disk-shaped razor blade (see picture at right). It is sharp, fast, and can help you cut your pieces very accurately. There are special rulers designed specifically for use with rotary cutters. The mat is also designed for use with a rotary cutter and is essential if you do not want to ruin the surface on which you are cutting. The rotary cutter's blade will also become dull rather quickly if you do not use a cutting mat. Using a rotary cutter for the first time takes practice, but once you become accustomed to it, you will find that it is a very fast and accurate way to cut fabric.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The other common method (and some might say "the old-fashioned way") for cutting fabric is to use templates. Templates can be made from paper, cardboard, or plastic. There are actually sheets of plastic you can purchase for just this purpose. The plastic comes in a few different thicknesses and can be easily drawn on with a permanent marker and cut by scissors. Plastic templates are sturdier than cardboard or paper; and, therefore, are longer lasting. If you don't want to make your own templates, you can also purchase pre-made plastic templates at a fabric store such as Jo-Ann Fabrics. The downside to purchasing templates, is that you may not find the exact size/shape that you need.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When cutting fabric with templates, you simply place the template on your fabric, trace around it with some type of marking utensil (a sharpened pencil works just fine) and cut your fabric with scissors. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A few words about scissors -- I would strongly recommend having a separate pair of shears for cutting fabric. Paper and other materials can quickly dull your scissor blades, and dull scissors do not cut through fabric very well! I actually have separate shears for cutting paper and scissors. I used a permanent marker to write on the blades -- "fabric" and "paper" -- to remind myself, and others (like my husband) not to use them interchangeably. My husband pokes a little fun at me about this, but at least I know I can count on my scissors cutting cleanly through fabric when I need them to!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One final note regarding the use of templates -- accuracy is very important in quilting! I cannot stress this enough. If you make your own templates, it is imperative that they are made accurately. If your design calls for a 2 1/2" square, your template must measure exactly 2 1/2" square. If just one side is slightly "off," it will affect your entire quilt. Just a small error of 1/8 inch will have disastrous consequences. That 1/8" will multiply itself with each piece you cut and sew -- to 1/4", then 3/8", and so on to 1/2" or more. This will pose a huge problem because pieces that are supposed to be the same size will not fit together correctly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">No matter which cutting method you choose, when cutting fabric, the same rule applies as in woodworking -- measure twice, cut once! Once you cut, it's a done deal, so remember to measure and cut accurately.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Okay, now on to our quilt project....</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Since I prefer to use a rotary cutter, this is the method I will be demonstrating here. After pre-washing and ironing your fabric, it's time to begin cutting. Let's begin with the solid white fabric. You will need to cut 72 - 2 1/2" squares (there are 18 nine-patch blocks, each needing 4 small white squares).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DVrzofx8ZAzQ0keQyPFaFl0t1BakEHf400Aoo9_5tvusH09CqOGiCb7x4tOzF35eXATz5JjakeGp2DIO8SzYUdfD42KBZQSFKCUs0vu7V2OOnOj7LY2VgP8I8BcnwzmuY8RIvQVyM6t2/s1600/QuiltTut+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DVrzofx8ZAzQ0keQyPFaFl0t1BakEHf400Aoo9_5tvusH09CqOGiCb7x4tOzF35eXATz5JjakeGp2DIO8SzYUdfD42KBZQSFKCUs0vu7V2OOnOj7LY2VgP8I8BcnwzmuY8RIvQVyM6t2/s320/QuiltTut+008.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bottom edge of the fabric is the fold</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Begin by cutting the fabric into 2 1/2" wide strips. Do this by first folding the fabric in half (matching the selvages). It's important that your fold is straight. You can use your rotary cutting ruler to check the alignment of your fold. Line the ruler up with the edge of your fabric and trim off a little to square it up. Then use that edge you just cut to line up the 2 1/2" line on the ruler and cut your strip.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Next, open the strip and cut it into 2 1/2" squares. Repeat this process until you have 72 squares.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmBWh1agqcCRWiS4F1YAoq1L6IN0JSsMzxAis1IWCpJ3WG-FH-zp4YO4zLTLP2tI8oU_cp7A5q3Vfstj2GVqbUb1wQhxToG_GIt_d8nO30d_nkyBOQOUbrZCv0_E5csG_o-VjKSbKUM7F/s1600/QuiltTut+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmBWh1agqcCRWiS4F1YAoq1L6IN0JSsMzxAis1IWCpJ3WG-FH-zp4YO4zLTLP2tI8oU_cp7A5q3Vfstj2GVqbUb1wQhxToG_GIt_d8nO30d_nkyBOQOUbrZCv0_E5csG_o-VjKSbKUM7F/s320/QuiltTut+010.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always measure twice and cut once!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I should also make a note here about using a ruler and rotary cutter. If you are right-handed, your left hand should be (firmly) holding down the ruler while your right hand is using the rotary cutter to cut the fabric. Due to the fact that I don't have three hands, my left hand is not shown in the picture because I needed it to push the shutter on the camera!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now that all your white squares are cut, you need to cut your colored squares. If you are using fabric that you purchased, follow the same steps as you did for cutting the white squares -- prewash and iron, then cut a 2 1/2" strip, then cut the strip into squares. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyTExANS1rOCrM4rAVMMlA2jwZAY_ScVzpIOnLJn6V5XXXxXmaOoHl1OR2rC51NAdNhRp6Q4HoxtadjGM73oCDJqPjMAyxAtTXTamrf2QZtuQNiQ4RMKKjgCAsst5ZfU8A9bldyR2Jfbtn/s1600/QuiltTut+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyTExANS1rOCrM4rAVMMlA2jwZAY_ScVzpIOnLJn6V5XXXxXmaOoHl1OR2rC51NAdNhRp6Q4HoxtadjGM73oCDJqPjMAyxAtTXTamrf2QZtuQNiQ4RMKKjgCAsst5ZfU8A9bldyR2Jfbtn/s320/QuiltTut+006.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of my 2 1/2" squares for the nine-patch blocks</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You will need 5 - 2 1/2" colored squares for each of the 18 nine-patch blocks, for a total of 90. I used scraps from my stash for these squares, so I just went through the box and chose fabrics that I thought would look nice with the animal print. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next you need to cut the plain block squares. In our quilt, these squares need to be 6 1/2". You would cut these in the same way you cut the 2 1/2" squares. Fold your fabric in half with selvages lined up. "Square up" your fabric, and then cut 6 1/2" wide strips. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7LyBePgQOeWGClD_Ixs5o-vy_LDmLptlT7VNkXI5f4RFwqnZ2x0FZZsYiWcxvQw-Un618LHs9KLcj98zaHE1mljlOhPVuq20ZcgFxAg0cxW6rPkdvjELRfHpLzgh4dN1acKROviVz2jfC/s1600/QuiltTut+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7LyBePgQOeWGClD_Ixs5o-vy_LDmLptlT7VNkXI5f4RFwqnZ2x0FZZsYiWcxvQw-Un618LHs9KLcj98zaHE1mljlOhPVuq20ZcgFxAg0cxW6rPkdvjELRfHpLzgh4dN1acKROviVz2jfC/s320/QuiltTut+016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut 17 - 6 1/2" squares</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Open the strips and cut them into 6 1/2" squares. Depending on how wide your ruler is, you may find it necessary to use the grid lines on your cutting mat to measure a 6 1/2" wide strip. Many rulers are only 6" wide. Simply line the cut edge of the fabric up with one of the lines on the cutting mat grid. Then you can slide the ruler over the additional 1/2" (by lining it up with the lines on the grid).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Congratulations! You now have cut enough fabric to get started sewing! You will still need to cut the border fabric, backing, and binding, but this is enough for you to move on <a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-4-piecing.html" target="_blank">Lesson 4</a> -- Piecing! Get your sewing machine ready..... </span>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-21076308452741689862012-01-10T15:00:00.001-05:002012-05-17T19:26:08.948-04:00Quilting 101 -- Lesson 2 -- Fabric<span style="font-size: large;">If you have already read <a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-1-choosing-design.html" target="_blank">Lesson 1</a>, you are now ready to begin thinking about fabric! To me, this is one of the fun parts of the process. For some, it is one of the most daunting. It can be very overwhelming, especially at first, going into a fabric store and trying to choose the "perfect" fabrics for a quilt. It helps to know some basics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">First, look for fabrics that are 100% cotton. All your fabrics need to be similar weight as well. You don't want one fabric to be fleece and another flannel and yet another cotton. At some point, you may want to experiment with combining different types of fabrics, but in the beginning, you want to avoid making things more difficult for yourself. Keep it simple and stick to the fabrics designed specifically for quilting.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47Hpr8vvtwpq6Eb5ZHx7QC6Zpmm2YZ8Pc6PjhTvKR_uyHyv2VQMdQTGv-s9asSHfDNC_1olIo8JlJJ3t5AAaGMDTp44J-gPUQMWh_xnLxWFRJmE-6vW7m1LTNck763G90oBjxQwsFWMGq/s1600/NinePatchBaby.BMP" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47Hpr8vvtwpq6Eb5ZHx7QC6Zpmm2YZ8Pc6PjhTvKR_uyHyv2VQMdQTGv-s9asSHfDNC_1olIo8JlJJ3t5AAaGMDTp44J-gPUQMWh_xnLxWFRJmE-6vW7m1LTNck763G90oBjxQwsFWMGq/s320/NinePatchBaby.BMP" width="243" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now for the colors! For reference, here is the black and white version of our quilt again. Below, I have shared some ideas for different color combinations you might want to try!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdYs83t0s9KM0mJte2xIlly9oXjNjqPVi3OJdNtpplilwq3Lj19_UQ7weWBfHuG2-uvuDQof1sBYUqRMrORdO9YKFvJmHkq4hpre0sGClBxpDH5-0vMAINedW0KyCgS4-xLcduuOyiirb/s1600/NinePatchPurp.BMP" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdYs83t0s9KM0mJte2xIlly9oXjNjqPVi3OJdNtpplilwq3Lj19_UQ7weWBfHuG2-uvuDQof1sBYUqRMrORdO9YKFvJmHkq4hpre0sGClBxpDH5-0vMAINedW0KyCgS4-xLcduuOyiirb/s320/NinePatchPurp.BMP" width="243" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The most simple would be to choose a monochromatic color scheme. This is very easy. Keep in mind that it is important to think about color value when choosing your fabrics. Think in terms of light, medium, and dark. If you choose some of each, you will most likely end up with something that looks good.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZJwQI1V_MZaOBYE7u2Dy8GYtgt-VBhbD5TLdT9_VatBF2luIVu_p_kYMLdrJKSCZYkgXtMBAlGog6I74sr6F7NyJWOwOwOOf1Z_BoAqZeMQ1MUqTpJqWIjdv9f5yhAh7_mZFzGUXMKJ6/s1600/NinePatchGrPurp.BMP" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZJwQI1V_MZaOBYE7u2Dy8GYtgt-VBhbD5TLdT9_VatBF2luIVu_p_kYMLdrJKSCZYkgXtMBAlGog6I74sr6F7NyJWOwOwOOf1Z_BoAqZeMQ1MUqTpJqWIjdv9f5yhAh7_mZFzGUXMKJ6/s320/NinePatchGrPurp.BMP" width="243" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you'd like to add a bit more color, try choosing two colors. Again, remember to include light, medium and dark fabrics. I should also point out here that one fabric can be more than one value, depending on the other fabrics in the quilt. It all depends on its value in relation to the other fabrics in the quilt. For example, a fabric might be "medium" in one quilt, but "light" in another that has a lot of dark fabrics.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEY0Prj8EScycfZHz4twPMoJI9HSkjt8iF4vm7n_F5tUkz_3SDT5tAeGtxNDAeEMzuERkmLLM1V7cZRwO3qe7rsCGCK3qo9xvqf1OkK1WECRSoDsvzxA2N-CLc56BXIm4A3yE9tjFh6dxl/s1600/NinePatchScrap.BMP" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEY0Prj8EScycfZHz4twPMoJI9HSkjt8iF4vm7n_F5tUkz_3SDT5tAeGtxNDAeEMzuERkmLLM1V7cZRwO3qe7rsCGCK3qo9xvqf1OkK1WECRSoDsvzxA2N-CLc56BXIm4A3yE9tjFh6dxl/s320/NinePatchScrap.BMP" width="243" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And if you aren't afraid to try lots of different fabrics, something like this might appeal to you. This has a "scrappy" look and is one of my favorites! Once you have been quilting for a while, you will amass quite a pile of scraps. A quilt like this is a great way to use some of them up!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A smart way to make a quilt like this would be to choose the multicolored print first (that's the fabric in the plain block squares). Once you have that chosen, you can base all your other fabric choices on the colors in that fabric.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz63cP8ooizMIr9btolgO2OZqPKMtBCD_IAj8fVF-SHDnHI4I7Kd6z-zy5cV62c3qjQgdYbugU4JtTSAjZ-MqTyRhyphenhyphenw0f__eRh2_UCk1r0o6KhaF02kx1Fy3cb1qt5dZ8YNJ9vP_-lhh2m/s1600/QuiltTut+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz63cP8ooizMIr9btolgO2OZqPKMtBCD_IAj8fVF-SHDnHI4I7Kd6z-zy5cV62c3qjQgdYbugU4JtTSAjZ-MqTyRhyphenhyphenw0f__eRh2_UCk1r0o6KhaF02kx1Fy3cb1qt5dZ8YNJ9vP_-lhh2m/s400/QuiltTut+016.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now let's look at some of the actual fabrics I have chosen for my quilt. I started with this adorable fabric for the plain blocks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next, I started "auditioning" fabrics from my scrap box. I made a few nine-patch blocks to start. Then I tried lots of different fabrics by laying them next to the animal print. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">These are the 18 fabrics I decided would look best with the animal print blocks. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What I actually did here was decide on several different colors -- green, blue, purple, and yellow. Then I divided the number of nine-patch blocks (18) by the number of colors (4) to determine that I should have about 4 different prints in each color. This is a good way to make sure the colors are "balanced." In other words, I did this to prevent ending up with one color dominating the quilt.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Now, how do you know how much fabric you need to buy? Well, that can be tough at first, but it's not that difficult. First, determine what you need to cut for your quilt. As discussed in <a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-1-choosing-design.html" target="_blank">Lesson 1</a>, for this quilt you will need 17 - 6 1/2" squares for the plain blocks. Quilting fabric typically comes 42" wide, and one yard is 36" long (remember what I said about math in Lesson 1?). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you cut strips that are 6 1/2" wide and then cut those into 6 1/2" squares, one strip that is approximately 42" long, should yield 6 squares (6.5 x 6 = 39). Now, you need 17 squares, so you'll need to cut 3 - 6 1/2" wide strips. Finally, determine how many inches of fabric you will need to get those 3 strips -- in this case, 6.5" x 3 = 19.5" which is more than a 1/2 yard (18") and less than 3/4 yard (27"). In the middle would be 2/3 yard which is about 24 inches. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So, 2/3 yard would be enough for your plain block squares. I typically purchase a little more in case I make a few mistakes (either in my math or when cutting the fabric). I actually bought 3/4 yard of that animal print.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Also, some quilters, myself included, prewash and preshrink all their fabric. Buying a little extra also takes this into account.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">To summarize, all you need to know is a few key measurements (the width of your fabric, what size squares you need, and how many of them you need) to figure out your yardage. Make a little diagram of the fabric (if that helps you) to figure out how many squares you can get out of one strip, figure out how many strips you need, and then how many yards of fabric will yield that many strips.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For our quilt, here is a list of what you will need:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1 yard of solid white (nine-patch blocks and inner border)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2/3 yard animal print (plain blocks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">18 (2 1/2" x 20") strips colorful prints for nine-patch blocks, plus some scraps for 4 (1 1/2") inner border setting squares</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1/2 yard fabric for outer border</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3/8 yard fabric for binding</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1 1/2 yards fabric for backing</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You will also need a package of crib-size batting</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In <a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-3-cutting-fabric.html" target="_blank">Lesson 3</a> we will start cutting the fabric! Sharpen your scissors!</span><br />
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</span>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-17902029837738743162012-01-09T13:39:00.003-05:002012-05-17T19:26:21.792-04:00Quilting 101 -- Lesson 1 -- Choosing a Design<span style="font-size: large;">I recently decided that I would like to do a series of blog posts that would include step-by-step instructions on how to make a quilt. Maybe this will inspire some of you to make that first quilt you have been dreaming about but weren't exactly sure how to begin! Let's get started....</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first thing you need to do is choose (or create) a design. For a first quilt, I would strongly recommend a very simple design -- such as a quilt that is mainly squares. Once you learn the basic techniques, you can branch out into using triangles and other more challenging shapes/designs. You can find ideas in quilt magazines and books. You can also do an Internet search to look for pictures of quilts that you like. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A good idea is to start a collection of pictures of the quilts that you come across that you really love -- no matter how difficult the design appears. I do this by tearing pages out of magazines and catalogs and then organizing them in a binder with sheet protectors. Later, having this reference can really come in handy as you think about color combinations and fabric selection. It can be very overwhelming at first, so having a collection of pictures can help you pinpoint exactly what styles and color combinations you are drawn to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have chosen a very simple nine-patch block for this tutorial. The design below shows you what the finished quilt will look like. (I am purposely leaving the color out of this diagram, so you can try and visualize your own color combinations when you look at this).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRHsWNh48GZsi_yMgjTr4jvXlFjLLL-oa0JGOfIQ64Tlh9gZFCFBZk_H2mSclQpV5wpwYE_UOPHQlG7NNnhGpHv3fnn3QAiK6YswMIAjfgU62ZURhhugHHzsqxMg6LmyOpAOt0JXRsWKC/s1600/NinePatchBaby.BMP" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRHsWNh48GZsi_yMgjTr4jvXlFjLLL-oa0JGOfIQ64Tlh9gZFCFBZk_H2mSclQpV5wpwYE_UOPHQlG7NNnhGpHv3fnn3QAiK6YswMIAjfgU62ZURhhugHHzsqxMg6LmyOpAOt0JXRsWKC/s320/NinePatchBaby.BMP" width="242" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">So, what you need to be able to do when making a quilt is to "see" how it is broken up into its smaller components and then put back together into the whole. A "block" is the name for the pieced units that are put together to form the top of the quilt. The quilt above is comprised of 35 blocks -- the nine-patch blocks (18) and the plain blocks (17). The plain blocks are simply the larger white squares. They are not pieced. They are just cut from a single piece of fabric. You can't get much easier than that!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The nine-patch blocks are the ones that look like this:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPEkFn-P6A2DTVqScLav-xnMU2yCENx_CF3RmwoZC1TimI8MvBv58QA58e3_EA45IItAFE4kx29muxzQlGVhOLkOJh2szIXBbYhXZJxdB6fmPxDr5dq4VnFJv70AoPma5pdESj6kfqY1h/s1600/NinePatchBlock.BMP" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPEkFn-P6A2DTVqScLav-xnMU2yCENx_CF3RmwoZC1TimI8MvBv58QA58e3_EA45IItAFE4kx29muxzQlGVhOLkOJh2szIXBbYhXZJxdB6fmPxDr5dq4VnFJv70AoPma5pdESj6kfqY1h/s200/NinePatchBlock.BMP" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Each one of these is made up of nine smaller squares sewn together into one larger square that is the same size as the plain block square.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now, I hate to disappoint those of you that dislike math, but I must disclose the fact that there is no way you are going to get around doing some math when it comes to quilting. It's simply a fact of life for us quilters. The good news is that the simpler the design, the simpler the math will be too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One basic thing you need to know about piecing a quilt is the standard seam allowance -- 1/4". What this means is that you must factor this into account when determining the size you will need to cut your pieces of fabric. How do you do that?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">First, determine what size you would like your <i>finished</i> blocks to be. This is typically based on what size you want the finished quilt to be -- whether you want it crib-sized, king-sized, or somewhere in between. The quilt we are going to make will be approximately 38" x 50" -- the perfect size for a baby quilt! Each block needs to be 6" when finished, so we need to add the seam allowance to that number. Because we are working with squares, we must double the seam allowance (it will be needed on all four sides of the square). This means that if you want a finished block of 6" square, you must cut the fabric 6 1/2" square. Why? Because you will lose 1/4" from EACH side as you sew your pieces together -- cutting the squares 6 1/2" factors in the seam allowance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now, that's fairly simple if you are just cutting a block from one piece of fabric, but what about when your block is pieced, as in the nine-patch blocks for our quilt? First determine what size the finished block needs to be -- in our case that would be 6". The nine-patch block is made up of 3 rows of 3 squares each. So, divide 6" by 3 to get 2". The <i>finished</i> size of your smaller squares will be 2". So, what size do you need to cut those squares? They need to be cut 2 1/2".</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To summarize all of this -- you will need to cut 17 squares that are 6 1/2" and 162 squares that are 2 1/2".</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So, now you know some basics about getting started. But, what about the fabric? How much do you need? What kind of fabric works best? What colors should it be? I will address all of these questions and more in <a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilting-101-lesson-2-fabric.html" target="_blank">Lesson 2</a>.</span><br />
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</span>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-69400829641431222572012-01-06T09:15:00.004-05:002012-01-09T12:09:42.967-05:00Advent Calendar: Early or Late?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwiomrZi0VG9Y1MIA2Gc5gAJjFQ-6jj06YUXmGiSe6Uva4uZMpPwjl1FIvCeobflPu8bJJZ3r6kEYQalCuxjuIULYwtWqfhnVZvP-A3PaxRcJI8WP3Hk_eAuEv195-OIvr9iCYaBcbM_G/s1600/Jan12+013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwiomrZi0VG9Y1MIA2Gc5gAJjFQ-6jj06YUXmGiSe6Uva4uZMpPwjl1FIvCeobflPu8bJJZ3r6kEYQalCuxjuIULYwtWqfhnVZvP-A3PaxRcJI8WP3Hk_eAuEv195-OIvr9iCYaBcbM_G/s320/Jan12+013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Depending on how you look at this, I am either very late or extremely early. I just finished making an Advent calendar for my family. I found this <a href="http://allsorts.typepad.com/allsorts/2006/12/this_is_what.html" target="_blank">idea</a> Thanksgiving weekend, but I pretty much knew from the start, that there was no way I would have the time to put it all together by December 1st. So, I went ahead and began the project anyway in the hope that I could at least work on it while the Christmas spirit was still in our house and then tuck it away with the holiday decorations for next year (which, incidentally, is now THIS year).</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2z4hs_SNYH_LQXHidI29k7ZPmmUB9k1u2LoBMeDdoGzeBiQakBEfV2rSnIuC1nErF4zRDpMtLQXB1akoHQJpbQdEg_dNcba2wSqsZbVPTo883Lbo9CIGINtWhl5tXfEDdnQA_y3U0lmiB/s1600/Jan12+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2z4hs_SNYH_LQXHidI29k7ZPmmUB9k1u2LoBMeDdoGzeBiQakBEfV2rSnIuC1nErF4zRDpMtLQXB1akoHQJpbQdEg_dNcba2wSqsZbVPTo883Lbo9CIGINtWhl5tXfEDdnQA_y3U0lmiB/s320/Jan12+002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I can't wait to fill these little pockets full of surprises for my little ones! By the way, these pockets are just the right size for a Ghirardelli chocolate square! I think some round peppermint candies would also fit in them nicely. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another idea that I really like is to put notes in some (or maybe all) of the pockets. Each note can have an idea of a Christmas-related activity to complete as a family -- such as bake cookies, make holiday greeting cards, or go look at Christmas lights, etc. At the bottom of this post, I have included a list of web sites I came across that have ideas to use just for this purpose. Next Christmas should be lots of fun!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAXcnMCiBk6P07QR23j_Y9vkk8CPZUWoEIEF4GWuQt1U_YCy0gfJJPDPCu06an3Ct7v22DyE64mLqJSSh8OJgK_2Qo6N1XZnloDMWm_f87eRHUWhoZ7r9gZ3LP_PYtgxurtXaBnAUK8hL/s1600/Jan12+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAXcnMCiBk6P07QR23j_Y9vkk8CPZUWoEIEF4GWuQt1U_YCy0gfJJPDPCu06an3Ct7v22DyE64mLqJSSh8OJgK_2Qo6N1XZnloDMWm_f87eRHUWhoZ7r9gZ3LP_PYtgxurtXaBnAUK8hL/s320/Jan12+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I already took down our Christmas decorations from the mantle, but you at least get the idea here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And, if you're interested, here is another <a href="http://www.make-it-do.com/tag/make-your-own-advent-calendar/" target="_blank">Advent calendar idea</a> that I contemplated making. It's a Christmas tree design with pockets underneath the tree. Really sweet!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Web pages with more Advent calendar ideas to inspire you:</span><br />
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<a href="http://codenamemama.com/2011/11/16/activities-advent-calendar/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Code Name: Mama</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/11/29/recycled-tin-can-advent-calendar-50-family-activities/" target="_blank">Skip to My Lou</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><a href="http://secretmommy.blogspot.com/2011/12/activity-advent-calendar-ideas.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Secret Mommy</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-74085386457823291722011-12-22T17:06:00.000-05:002011-12-22T17:06:36.909-05:00My Gingerbread Cookies!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJC0QiglCjEOjv3vsKq9rzBu7411OJDf26ExZnKB5DvT2TLHJG47D_gqYqiZGLmPyOwXIabStlgXMeZ9xmaCsC1QVHVtSNmeqZSCxRgMk4PSeTDUlhKhEPZjaFUJpgz0QM6vDXCajJ7GZ/s1600/Dec11+090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJC0QiglCjEOjv3vsKq9rzBu7411OJDf26ExZnKB5DvT2TLHJG47D_gqYqiZGLmPyOwXIabStlgXMeZ9xmaCsC1QVHVtSNmeqZSCxRgMk4PSeTDUlhKhEPZjaFUJpgz0QM6vDXCajJ7GZ/s320/Dec11+090.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">For several years when I was still teaching I made these gingerbread cookies and gave them to my colleagues for Christmas. It was a thoughtful and inexpensive way to say thank you for all of their help throughout the year. These cookies were always a big hit! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you would like to make some, I should tell you that they do take a little more time than some other holiday cookies, but they are pretty simple to make. White chocolate, instead of the usual sugar frosting, give these cookies a special and unexpected touch!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-Ga8Ckg8Zb4FB53Og2pxTsVeKQGmuCRU8wZaKC39uXRAlSBAC2gfbxE40s8VbO9I2j1QWDCbkVqJDR-L99KpmX0c8VGpdRzcqrdSPImqZgmN2WPl2GM7t4KS8MxqJecxz1KfJ7v8_YyU/s1600/Dec11+083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-Ga8Ckg8Zb4FB53Og2pxTsVeKQGmuCRU8wZaKC39uXRAlSBAC2gfbxE40s8VbO9I2j1QWDCbkVqJDR-L99KpmX0c8VGpdRzcqrdSPImqZgmN2WPl2GM7t4KS8MxqJecxz1KfJ7v8_YyU/s200/Dec11+083.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">You can use any gingerbread dough recipe for these cookies. My favorite is the one for "Gingerbread Cutouts" from <u>The Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook</u>, which I have included at the bottom of this post. Once you finish making the dough it needs to chill for at least three hours before you can roll it out and make the cut-outs. I like to use a large star-shaped cookie cutter, but you can make whatever shape(s) you like. I also sometimes make some gingerbread people. I have found that lining my baking sheet with parchment paper, instead of greasing it, makes it easier to get the cookies off the baking sheet without breaking them. I should also add that if you use the recipe below, and you use large cookie cutters like I have, you should expect to get about 10 cookies per batch of dough.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBavCBHbfBsrWNnjN54OXG3UmftHHtPIu3utyVQG3lPfJmc6Ve9cMQm52PzpEpwTHkn1AD99j7flI9t_zHEYiB3uB8uIdn0t7eGf0lzOSqeMmqEN45gUyrY_poIATPYnXcL2swq_ng9yN/s1600/Dec11+084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBavCBHbfBsrWNnjN54OXG3UmftHHtPIu3utyVQG3lPfJmc6Ve9cMQm52PzpEpwTHkn1AD99j7flI9t_zHEYiB3uB8uIdn0t7eGf0lzOSqeMmqEN45gUyrY_poIATPYnXcL2swq_ng9yN/s200/Dec11+084.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">Once you have made your cookies and allowed them to cool, you can get ready to frost them. You will need some white chocolate (or other candy) disks. When I first began making these cookies I was able to obtain some wonderful white chocolate from a specialty chocolate store. Unfortunately, the business closed some years back. This year, I used some vanilla candy disks (the kind used to make lollipops) from the craft store -- technically not chocolate, but they were still yummy! More importantly, they were inexpensive, easy to melt, and cooled quickly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Melt the candy according to the package instructions. Personally, I like the double-boiler method, but some candies you can even melt in the microwave right in the bag! If you use the double-boiler method, once the candy is melted, pour it into a sturdy plastic bag (like a Ziplock-type bag). You will use this just like a pastry bag. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cut a small, and I mean SMALL tip off the corner of the bag. I learned the hard way to not cut the hole too big or you will have melted candy gushing out all over the place! Use the bag just as you would a pastry bag for doing cake decorating, only decorate the cookies instead. If the melted candy is oozing out too quickly, you might have to wait a few minutes for it to cool a bit, which should slow it down some.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2C-33ULVoNWxespVD8MHLuyOYX9m5Yw_OWkZ9pG82sHNbiWw0nH4Tc-vqCxh7LYFEIJMeFrWuVkVTQHrGXXTS4jbBEUwpr0DBtBQn-OTigpQOJo3hot8521wPEezgoaK8was2nqo_isEt/s1600/Dec11+091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2C-33ULVoNWxespVD8MHLuyOYX9m5Yw_OWkZ9pG82sHNbiWw0nH4Tc-vqCxh7LYFEIJMeFrWuVkVTQHrGXXTS4jbBEUwpr0DBtBQn-OTigpQOJo3hot8521wPEezgoaK8was2nqo_isEt/s200/Dec11+091.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">Your cookies are decorated, so now what? Well, what I like to do is take the time to get some really nice cellophane bags to package them in. You should be able to find nice bags at a craft store like Michael's, ACMoore, or JoAnn Fabrics. Then add a nice Christmas ribbon to finish it off!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1xipGEv7XFc0u_UYG7ZhEP_rMEb5CPg6aiWyt9XvVtOaZCmYqbTaO8hgQn5yNPEoQfBJJ8MDPEZ964U6OVpk5vMzhVM0ypeWQ6RpXc4JtlDb_Z5oDQquk3oUVAhyDz2wG3jYq73pD1oz/s1600/Dec11+099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1xipGEv7XFc0u_UYG7ZhEP_rMEb5CPg6aiWyt9XvVtOaZCmYqbTaO8hgQn5yNPEoQfBJJ8MDPEZ964U6OVpk5vMzhVM0ypeWQ6RpXc4JtlDb_Z5oDQquk3oUVAhyDz2wG3jYq73pD1oz/s200/Dec11+099.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"> Here is a tip for tying the ribbon to the bag: Gather up the top of the bag and use a clothespin to hold it in place while you tie the ribbon on. I usually cut a piece of ribbon about 18" long. You can always trim a tiny bit off after tying the bow to make the ends look even. You can add a homemade label or gift tag to the bag as well. I usually get some store-bought self-adhesive gift tags and stick them to the back side of the bag.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwM9oZI9YPyeKXL-hfaI9K8xIjhnzGWdp6tnGP0d591ycnBc9iT1SesdfJ5Z5WJ2cf8xS_GYjKLfk9Y-BOAYNIhwwo9Kxmcpv4z_A3J_TIobfKDSvUb5J6nDo0iHYeHkfXhvzQcDz_sMC/s1600/Dec11+097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwM9oZI9YPyeKXL-hfaI9K8xIjhnzGWdp6tnGP0d591ycnBc9iT1SesdfJ5Z5WJ2cf8xS_GYjKLfk9Y-BOAYNIhwwo9Kxmcpv4z_A3J_TIobfKDSvUb5J6nDo0iHYeHkfXhvzQcDz_sMC/s320/Dec11+097.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So there you have it! A pretty inexpensive yet thoughtful gift to give someone you just want to say "Thank You" to. These are perfect for co-workers, teachers, hairdressers, mail carriers, etc. I can guarantee you they will love them!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The following recipe is my slightly altered version of "Gingerbread Cutouts" from <u>The Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook</u> (1996 edition). </span><br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Gingerbread Cookies</span></b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Ingredients:</span></b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">½ Cup Shortening<span> </span>½ tsp. Ground Cloves</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">½ Cup Sugar<span> </span>½ Cup Molasses</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">1 tsp. Baking Powder<span> </span>1 Egg</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">1 tsp. Ground Ginger<span> </span>1 Tbs. Vinegar</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">½ tsp. Baking Soda<span> </span>2 ½ Cups All-Purpose Flour</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">½ tsp. Ground Cinnamon</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">In a mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed 30 seconds.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Add sugar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Beat until combined, scraping bowl.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Beat in the molasses, egg, and vinegar until combined.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Stir in remaining flour.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Divide dough in half.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Cover and chill for 3 hours or until easy to handle.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Grease a cookie sheet; set aside.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">OR line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough at a time to 1/8 inch thick.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Using a cookie cutter, cut into desired shapes.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Place 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Bake in a 375ºF oven for 5 to 8 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">If desired, decorate cookies with icing and candies.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">For Gingerbread People:</span></b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Prepare as above, except roll dough to ¼ inch thick.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Cut with 4 ½ to 6 inch people-shaped cookie cutters.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Bake in a 375ºF oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-73416179893712224902011-12-20T17:06:00.001-05:002011-12-20T17:06:34.600-05:00Easy & Elegant Tissue Paper Flowers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqM704TLckazYdG0oCQoDTKSA5PUiekJBjkx0gsbTBHCAiBR0wQUJ0RoFXoLkEwfquTpqQDSmmOJB-xCkRTdZ3VWb12aR1GXib0YbP_8V6m1fx3fSYU4-arZddQjWK0AB8QjdlZlaC68zp/s1600/TissueFlower+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqM704TLckazYdG0oCQoDTKSA5PUiekJBjkx0gsbTBHCAiBR0wQUJ0RoFXoLkEwfquTpqQDSmmOJB-xCkRTdZ3VWb12aR1GXib0YbP_8V6m1fx3fSYU4-arZddQjWK0AB8QjdlZlaC68zp/s320/TissueFlower+018.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Make these beautiful tissue paper flowers to add a handmade touch to your gifts this year! All you need to make them is some tissue paper, a pair of scissors, and a piece of string.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let's get started! </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwo93V6CdQ3CBDDIeUqeYgn4o0uPKtBCw0U54r1CU3MGpw7CkgCkzKlqaq2kW92I008PCO-u9G6kIuEv7IeWaaRtFhG_JOzvcAilD1yHBSBiF7VRsFrMfCuLvhL3uy0vO8OqKh43BSWTE/s1600/TissueFlower+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwo93V6CdQ3CBDDIeUqeYgn4o0uPKtBCw0U54r1CU3MGpw7CkgCkzKlqaq2kW92I008PCO-u9G6kIuEv7IeWaaRtFhG_JOzvcAilD1yHBSBiF7VRsFrMfCuLvhL3uy0vO8OqKh43BSWTE/s320/TissueFlower+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">First, cut your tissue paper into approximately 6" squares. There is no need for exact measurements here (The larger your squares, the larger the diameter of your flower will be). I took my tissue paper and folded it into thirds the long way, cut three equal-sized strips about 6" wide, then folded those strips in thirds and cut them to get a bunch of squares. For really full flowers like these here, plan to use 5 - 6 squares of tissue paper per flower. You can use less, but they just won't be as full. The more you use, the fuller the flowers will be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stack your tissue paper squares directly on top of one another. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1Yn6SqnBMp225N0kHEwb-YCojQNr7kV6eVX-xrVr70BJJR27ZOy0wEZ8VHmeUvFsN9g2rY-alJuU1-0bVcFDD3_YerPCF8wshIYhLVUccLnp5ObsTMTDJqDzz47_ZpFaA-0-yjVCF5Iz/s1600/TissueFlower+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1Yn6SqnBMp225N0kHEwb-YCojQNr7kV6eVX-xrVr70BJJR27ZOy0wEZ8VHmeUvFsN9g2rY-alJuU1-0bVcFDD3_YerPCF8wshIYhLVUccLnp5ObsTMTDJqDzz47_ZpFaA-0-yjVCF5Iz/s320/TissueFlower+002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Beginning at one end, accordion fold the squares, as you would if you were making a paper fan. Make a fold about every 1/2 inch or so. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Keeping the tissue folded, find the center (I do this by folding it in half) and cut two small slits on either side of it. Your slits should be perpendicular to your fold lines. Do NOT cut all the way through the middle! Just cut close to the middle without actually going through. You are cutting these slits for the cording that you will tie to hold the layers of the flower together.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KHdPoHozE9ub6-rNaPJ-YRBJZh-MhuhA9xYxBx5biBi5QOIVFmdm_whn5USz65TI_MEwUFi8XQ1ZsOP9UB-Oefz8nOxKlIKExXCgLv21y6gmAxs63sN2kbY93-yMQ03g1rJk3xv7GFUp/s1600/TissueFlower+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KHdPoHozE9ub6-rNaPJ-YRBJZh-MhuhA9xYxBx5biBi5QOIVFmdm_whn5USz65TI_MEwUFi8XQ1ZsOP9UB-Oefz8nOxKlIKExXCgLv21y6gmAxs63sN2kbY93-yMQ03g1rJk3xv7GFUp/s320/TissueFlower+006.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Cut an approximately 18" long piece of cording (or yarn, string, ribbon, whatever you have on hand), and wrap it around the center of your accordion folded tissue. Do this in such a way that the cording slides into the slits you made in the previous step. Then tie it in a knot to secure. Leave the ends of the string. You can use these to affix your flower to something when you're finished.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqTUqHi-cs40_tRQPJCxU2vVWEp6DzzbUM0sRFZdd2nM6Ay9GVCQcFqLYQT8NX2RUEymY2bbqteU8rh9NEE7NjPWdny6wcrltpKxj2eb4WWQSo-l6N77mKNAFs5LmZF4fGFgm6uSAm5lv/s1600/TissueFlower+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqTUqHi-cs40_tRQPJCxU2vVWEp6DzzbUM0sRFZdd2nM6Ay9GVCQcFqLYQT8NX2RUEymY2bbqteU8rh9NEE7NjPWdny6wcrltpKxj2eb4WWQSo-l6N77mKNAFs5LmZF4fGFgm6uSAm5lv/s320/TissueFlower+008.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">Next take a pair of scissors and cut the ends of the accordion into a nice curved shape. Doing this will give your flower pretty, rounded petals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now comes the fun part! </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wO7ZveSeRkbswlpTOYiF_nOiG7rpkwDy3jDpndWGQ5wTSVp2rY8UT0liy8u38CHWUulBfk7ony3MrhJ6tPFTrabJV9lKfVB3VDAjufWaHRCOFgLYkP88A2fNjwkS1u8zyO4qJhVfnAhX/s1600/TissueFlower+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wO7ZveSeRkbswlpTOYiF_nOiG7rpkwDy3jDpndWGQ5wTSVp2rY8UT0liy8u38CHWUulBfk7ony3MrhJ6tPFTrabJV9lKfVB3VDAjufWaHRCOFgLYkP88A2fNjwkS1u8zyO4qJhVfnAhX/s320/TissueFlower+009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">Spread open the accordion folds. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Starting with the top layer, CAREFULLY pull up each layer of tissue paper toward the center of the flower. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsBIY3N_5TNp9m-MgwdHh2mktJHfsfB5JLrYFWvPW9QrT7D5LnqlV5Iq_6iwY2qcHnT77yIsbjhVuTCIeCMyNrey4gLhevgYP-iyPN6ntQ4kvFBA2YMhvcOcLT3yIraHv5UIK45IvFC5_/s1600/TissueFlower+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsBIY3N_5TNp9m-MgwdHh2mktJHfsfB5JLrYFWvPW9QrT7D5LnqlV5Iq_6iwY2qcHnT77yIsbjhVuTCIeCMyNrey4gLhevgYP-iyPN6ntQ4kvFBA2YMhvcOcLT3yIraHv5UIK45IvFC5_/s320/TissueFlower+011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">As you do this, you will begin to see your flower take shape. I recommend doing the top layer on each side, then moving on to the second layer on each side and so forth until you have pulled apart each of the six layers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tie your flower to a wrapped package, a gift basket, or a bottle of wine! You can make an entire bouquet if you like! Just use some green pipe cleaners instead of the cording to tie off the center of your flower and form it into a stem. Layer different colors of tissue paper instead of using just one color. Let your imagination go wild.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqM704TLckazYdG0oCQoDTKSA5PUiekJBjkx0gsbTBHCAiBR0wQUJ0RoFXoLkEwfquTpqQDSmmOJB-xCkRTdZ3VWb12aR1GXib0YbP_8V6m1fx3fSYU4-arZddQjWK0AB8QjdlZlaC68zp/s1600/TissueFlower+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqM704TLckazYdG0oCQoDTKSA5PUiekJBjkx0gsbTBHCAiBR0wQUJ0RoFXoLkEwfquTpqQDSmmOJB-xCkRTdZ3VWb12aR1GXib0YbP_8V6m1fx3fSYU4-arZddQjWK0AB8QjdlZlaC68zp/s320/TissueFlower+018.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Have fun!</span>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-49419019581461086922011-12-19T19:37:00.002-05:002011-12-19T19:40:07.978-05:00My List of Children's Books About Quilts & Quilting Part 2<span style="font-size: large;">This is a follow-up to my <a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-list-of-childrens-books-about-quilts.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> where I began my list of favorite picture books for children about quilts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, onward with the remainder of the list....</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWsAFZMmI33LH7fZAxPv7Camjj7CRI-lD2TkXUdwtA4Yrk2hPElqp-L2SQJMUE1ICw713v40Kv-LKVJNRL4abcJ2Devj_7673A33IxJj73yWOMa3ppBzYhKGzh8Hr3Xn3QLzaliiMzpWo/s1600/secret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWsAFZMmI33LH7fZAxPv7Camjj7CRI-lD2TkXUdwtA4Yrk2hPElqp-L2SQJMUE1ICw713v40Kv-LKVJNRL4abcJ2Devj_7673A33IxJj73yWOMa3ppBzYhKGzh8Hr3Xn3QLzaliiMzpWo/s320/secret.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">I discovered <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1398196.The_Secret_to_Freedom" target="_blank"><u>The Secret to Freedom</u></a> by Marcia Vaughan at our library. The story is set in the years before the Civil War and tells the story of Lucy, a young slave on a southern plantation, and her older brother. Lucy learns the "secret to freedom" when her brother brings home a sack full of old quilts. He explains to her what all the different patterns mean for slaves trying to reach freedom by means of the Underground Railroad. Lucy decides to help by hanging out the "right" quilts at the right time for the runaways that depend on the messages.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">One thing I really liked about this book was the Author's Note at the end. In it, the author explains the quilt code further and describes the most important patterns used in the Underground Railroad.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDIoB3smz-JH6k_dGeytvcpBsRGLAHgAJ47EgS7iP0LHvSFddtJyTZwDCQmz_0wBa0_Qb9c1SXzTNsbKsaDGPX2QDuFNpgW_L6dXrSj0kvZ0DMpd5Eq4VEzFlNxQFN2lJerhOn5aXvrOD/s1600/coat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDIoB3smz-JH6k_dGeytvcpBsRGLAHgAJ47EgS7iP0LHvSFddtJyTZwDCQmz_0wBa0_Qb9c1SXzTNsbKsaDGPX2QDuFNpgW_L6dXrSj0kvZ0DMpd5Eq4VEzFlNxQFN2lJerhOn5aXvrOD/s320/coat.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Dolly Parton's <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/378192.Coat_of_Many_Colors" target="_blank"><u>Coat of Many Colors</u></a> isn't really about quilts, but it is a sweet story about a little girl whose mother sews her a coat made of fabric scraps (much like a quilt). When the children at school laugh at her coat, she tells them how her mother stitched the coat with love and that it is worth more than gold. "And though we had no money I was rich as I could be in my coat of many colors that mama made for me."</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglu6gZx83njBEym6Z0O2qOZzHy4IiyoZW6ZAlCg5t-dgGUicM9xupQdP-Diwh834Sga25ymuT-srf0ZFXrO-dlB_0VjGTJcDk1OUcUhZNXPThCAPkn6dE0agSjwjwgsIlMuARy1X2wMkWk/s1600/eight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglu6gZx83njBEym6Z0O2qOZzHy4IiyoZW6ZAlCg5t-dgGUicM9xupQdP-Diwh834Sga25ymuT-srf0ZFXrO-dlB_0VjGTJcDk1OUcUhZNXPThCAPkn6dE0agSjwjwgsIlMuARy1X2wMkWk/s320/eight.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1398196.The_Secret_to_Freedom" target="_blank"><u>Eight Hands Round: A Patchwork Alphabet</u></a> by Ann Whitford Paul is a really unique alphabet book that teaches children the names of twenty-six different quilt block patterns. It is a "creative look at a meaningful folk art tradition."</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpYgY6kBsQlyco-Hd3JfRZ2B3GcBXWQg-jg5s6w9kqXqXPFcu3_9tcrVhXFijN2RlhRsygpQSMgDNWT1hJiPjqpV1eOFJXpJj116f_ecIcgzj1wFfpieT4nsrRtjl36bz7X-5ek5g90Ky/s1600/quiltblockhistory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpYgY6kBsQlyco-Hd3JfRZ2B3GcBXWQg-jg5s6w9kqXqXPFcu3_9tcrVhXFijN2RlhRsygpQSMgDNWT1hJiPjqpV1eOFJXpJj116f_ecIcgzj1wFfpieT4nsrRtjl36bz7X-5ek5g90Ky/s320/quiltblockhistory.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/328078.Quilt_Block_History_of_Pioneer_Days" target="_blank"><u>The Quilt-Block History of Pioneer Days</u></a> by Mary Cobb is another of my favorites. I'm just going to quote from the back cover on this one. "In this book you can find out what dozens of quilt-block designs -- from a simple nine-patch block to Martha Washington's star -- tell about America's early days. Easy papercraft projects will let you make your own quilt blocks without sewing a single stitch." </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This book would be especially useful in an upper-elementary classroom where students are learning about pioneer days. It's a great way to incorporate art as well as mathematics with social studies.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4exyujoTvg_V_4TsIN9Ycc73or2mhmqQ3b01EIBEHQ9fIQiEJMRdA7eTrhmYNZx0kW_2Okdiv_rCBUlfGRkoRiBRAEeS4tt7eKbKUt88tiKBTfszSjrVFy9VFna8e3jCSSboKpPqjSuq/s1600/logcabin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4exyujoTvg_V_4TsIN9Ycc73or2mhmqQ3b01EIBEHQ9fIQiEJMRdA7eTrhmYNZx0kW_2Okdiv_rCBUlfGRkoRiBRAEeS4tt7eKbKUt88tiKBTfszSjrVFy9VFna8e3jCSSboKpPqjSuq/s320/logcabin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"> I stumbled upon <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3805045-the-log-cabin-quilt" target="_blank"><u>The Log Cabin Quilt</u></a> by Ellen Howard at a second-hand store and knew it would be a fine addition to our collection. It tells the story of a pioneer family that sets out for the woods of Michigan from Carolina. The mother has recently passed away and the grandmother refuses to leave behind her flour sack of fabric scraps. The three children, along with their father and grandmother, try to make their new log cabin feel like home but to no avail -- until one cold and bitter evening when the children find a unique use for the fabric scraps.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjM6T1-Tpp725daxqdGisW_PqY2fjQVOIbqhjKnoVAxKzyejmT_AQDn-XnrF3tCiJXRHjblzZPOs6X6mkxUmWZh-Nq_AU_ilIddAbJQDQJpUonwXnA5B-oD7NkwfySiVIiv4ZhvwDWiMBL/s1600/sewingquilts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjM6T1-Tpp725daxqdGisW_PqY2fjQVOIbqhjKnoVAxKzyejmT_AQDn-XnrF3tCiJXRHjblzZPOs6X6mkxUmWZh-Nq_AU_ilIddAbJQDQJpUonwXnA5B-oD7NkwfySiVIiv4ZhvwDWiMBL/s320/sewingquilts.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My final book is <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1825007.Sewing_Quilts" target="_blank"><u>Sewing Quilts</u></a> by Ann Turner, which "captures the importance of quilting and the simple joys and fears of a little girl growing up in the early twentieth century." The little girl watches her mama sew a log-cabin quilt, and she knows that, somehow, the quilt will keep her family safe from harm.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, that completes my list. I'm sure that as time goes on, we will acquire more books similar to these. I'll just have to add a part 3 if that should happen! I hope you have time to check out some of these books from your local library and possibly even add them to your own collection some day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy reading! Happy quilting!</span>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-734356650806193042011-12-14T13:20:00.001-05:002011-12-14T13:21:40.158-05:00Crocheted Snowflake Ornaments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkPTRouhAzMIcw-9ZiMhqyvticoaMxKRMK52yVNMy7LbBPuRKtpE50mMa6QJLzInq5hOtfRmzN5sQWMEEDOxZqXYVhiuofYaJvQ7HCRT602aVnaCfxvynDOZBU2wnpRrkrzJ9BAefqQbmc/s1600/Snowflakes+017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkPTRouhAzMIcw-9ZiMhqyvticoaMxKRMK52yVNMy7LbBPuRKtpE50mMa6QJLzInq5hOtfRmzN5sQWMEEDOxZqXYVhiuofYaJvQ7HCRT602aVnaCfxvynDOZBU2wnpRrkrzJ9BAefqQbmc/s320/Snowflakes+017.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Need a quick and elegant last-minute project for the holidays? How about making some crocheted snowflake ornaments? All you need are basic crochet skills, a few simple supplies, and you can make a couple of these in an hour.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxdiX2EGjdcHfpzCiGPJKQbgsoWJGNkp4yDXcJ6AWUrkTDz01m3-AOKc5Eazy_49sCp1TJwK-OS57USWYimnlrAU8GBs4d_YbxtBAno4I-vERAwqRAipf2LG7zSKx2Lf5R9rQujegammp/s1600/Snowflakes+013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxdiX2EGjdcHfpzCiGPJKQbgsoWJGNkp4yDXcJ6AWUrkTDz01m3-AOKc5Eazy_49sCp1TJwK-OS57USWYimnlrAU8GBs4d_YbxtBAno4I-vERAwqRAipf2LG7zSKx2Lf5R9rQujegammp/s320/Snowflakes+013.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Some of the patterns I used for these snowflakes are from the book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Square-Hexagons-Triangles-Unexpected/dp/B0041JMT82/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323879726&sr=1-1">Beyond the Square: Crochet Motifs</a></i>. The designs I chose can be found in the hexagon section of the book. I also tried a couple of the free snowflake design patterns on the <a href="http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/craft-wes-snowflake.html?r=1&r=1">Lion brand web site</a>.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgluLZtjPlS_ICyEEvIFGLgMfl9Cu2qPAaXDiXUdC8mt0ZvA74OAmKrACkGvszsXZSar68WJLUcicwK8_4yYf4bjXUeyzgRr2hyphenhyphenCrNSJ7dDRqLg9XNFoKN5L83Vp7RRUqx7HVH6t1EKZCBf/s1600/Snowflakes+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgluLZtjPlS_ICyEEvIFGLgMfl9Cu2qPAaXDiXUdC8mt0ZvA74OAmKrACkGvszsXZSar68WJLUcicwK8_4yYf4bjXUeyzgRr2hyphenhyphenCrNSJ7dDRqLg9XNFoKN5L83Vp7RRUqx7HVH6t1EKZCBf/s320/Snowflakes+016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">For the snowflakes shown here, I used <a href="http://www.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/yarnInfo.cgi">"Vanna's Glamour"</a> yarn in "diamond," which is a white yarn with a silver metallic thread woven throughout. I like this yarn because it gives the finished snowflake a little sparkle without my having to do the extra step of adding glitter during the stiffening process. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I used a size D3/3.25mm crochet hook to get the size snowflakes I wanted. You could certainly use a larger hook with this yarn. Experiment to see what you like.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1c3n1nsixyB2xmMUFXOil0R14kn4203ckXWtnvoYVyNqxhyPibi5TcFw4P7evcOmmS3ZXM8y0Qp6WbObuWeMiQrrG8aRgPfmWdg7pd7cz9d6Upd079azYKrQ45k6hVZBRqgmzIaqNyipJ/s1600/Snowflakes+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1c3n1nsixyB2xmMUFXOil0R14kn4203ckXWtnvoYVyNqxhyPibi5TcFw4P7evcOmmS3ZXM8y0Qp6WbObuWeMiQrrG8aRgPfmWdg7pd7cz9d6Upd079azYKrQ45k6hVZBRqgmzIaqNyipJ/s320/Snowflakes+020.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">Once you have crocheted your snowflakes, you will probably want to use some sort of stiffener to finish them off. I used a simple method of dipping them in a mixture of equal parts white glue and water. I first measured and mixed up the glue and water. Next I saturated the snowflake in the mixture and squeezed out the excess. Then I lay it flat on a tinfoil-covered piece of cardboard (thicker is better). I used sewing pins to keep it in place while it dried -- about 24 hours. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are many different methods out there for stiffening crocheted snowflakes -- spray adhesive, glues, starch. For your convenience, I have included a list of web sites that I found particularly helpful at the bottom of this post.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEU3LJyRjkK6D1TQk6UxOBf3banK99_76grP5yT1wBAe01W4esrOQyznLlnlF_V6WcyRRur7rj1jfiwQc2M0qPq33Bd5w5kNNk9FIB2xhVzE-kwQCUZrjqsGm-cYBHbG2zsPGxZUKc-4IY/s1600/Snowflakes+023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEU3LJyRjkK6D1TQk6UxOBf3banK99_76grP5yT1wBAe01W4esrOQyznLlnlF_V6WcyRRur7rj1jfiwQc2M0qPq33Bd5w5kNNk9FIB2xhVzE-kwQCUZrjqsGm-cYBHbG2zsPGxZUKc-4IY/s320/Snowflakes+023.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">There are many different ways to give these beautiful one-of-a-kind ornaments. Besides giving them as stand-alone gifts, you can use them to embellish a store-bought gift. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">How about giving one to your child's teacher (along with a thank you card made by your child)? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">How about leaving one in the mailbox for your mail carrier? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Slip one over the neck of a bottle of wine for a lovely hostess gift. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Making a gift basket for someone on your list? How about replacing the bow with a snowflake instead? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The possibilities are endless! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">No matter how you decide to give them, I hope you have fun making these simple, inexpensive, and elegant gifts for your friends and family!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewwVrlMfGPM_Fn05WYV4OQs7EShBet3odMjb_EaG4DWn3shGeXiLrJmwsuFrv7eN67B4Tq6LiO5pgT3wUkArpIDJF5GrJm1eV0pxtsyQ8YzM9NI6DjUizo83xwyZAfziHnT7EUi_R04TJ/s1600/Snowflakes+026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewwVrlMfGPM_Fn05WYV4OQs7EShBet3odMjb_EaG4DWn3shGeXiLrJmwsuFrv7eN67B4Tq6LiO5pgT3wUkArpIDJF5GrJm1eV0pxtsyQ8YzM9NI6DjUizo83xwyZAfziHnT7EUi_R04TJ/s320/Snowflakes+026.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Want to learn more? Check out some of these web sites:</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.yarnovations.com/crochet-snowflake-free-patterns/"><span style="font-size: large;">Yarnovations</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Click to download the free snowflake crochet patterns. It will take you to a pdf file. Pages 2 and 3 of the pdf file have some great information on stiffening and describe a few different methods.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.jpfun.com/patterns/free/ornaments/f103016prettysnowflake.shtml"><span style="font-size: large;">JPF Crochet Club</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Click where it says to download the free pdf file for the snowflake pattern shown. If you read through the pdf file, you will see a description of how to stiffen the snowflake using fabric stiffener.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_7424_starch-crocheted-snowflake.html"><span style="font-size: large;">eHow</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This page describes how to starch a crocheted snowflake.</span><br />
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<a href="http://crochet.tangleweeds.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">Tangleweeds</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Great site with lots of information about making crocheted snowflake ornaments.</span>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-23367791181706089822011-12-07T15:39:00.002-05:002011-12-19T19:42:33.820-05:00My List of Children's Books about Quilts & Quilting (Part 1)<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've realized that I have a "thing" for children's books that feature quilts and/or quilting. I seem to have amassed a small collection of these types of books -- most of them purchased before I even had children! I guess I used the excuse of being a teacher to make some of these purchases, since you can never have enough books in your classroom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, I thought it might be a nice idea to compile a list of the titles we own and then add to it as I discover more titles along these lines. So, here goes....</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHrqLOlkKY4PzLhjVoFpgRbbPtn8z0T7hncUMyq87BmyWlteZx6RImN72HGHYKbeVMalNlNOgw4KhTgBnYh4Als5VLANNirN6VE0UvJ1poBZXnqMoxax6sOa-nsCMJi2ONDfoAWnATbq-i/s1600/Patchwork+Quilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHrqLOlkKY4PzLhjVoFpgRbbPtn8z0T7hncUMyq87BmyWlteZx6RImN72HGHYKbeVMalNlNOgw4KhTgBnYh4Als5VLANNirN6VE0UvJ1poBZXnqMoxax6sOa-nsCMJi2ONDfoAWnATbq-i/s320/Patchwork+Quilt.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">I absolutely MUST begin this list with <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1065302.The_Patchwork_Quilt"><u>The Patchwork Quilt</u></a> by Valerie Fluornoy, for this is the book that really started it all for me. It was after viewing an episode of the PBS show "Reading Rainbow," featuring this book, that I became interested in making quilts. The rest, as they say, is history.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>The Patchwork Quilt</u> is a beautiful story about a little girl who loves listening to her grandmother as she pieces a patchwork quilt made of fabric scraps from every member of their family. The little girl learns how to sew the patches onto the quilt too, and when her grandmother becomes too ill to work on the quilt, the little girl and her mother finish it. It is a wonderful story, not just about quilting, but about the love within a family. As well as being featured on "Reading Rainbow," this book was a winner of the Coretta Scott King Award.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh63r2CNYadNuiDwZ1Z5eJVb88UCNy710V_jqOUyrWB7JsJVYDqwXZuDkulK4V99wSwiwq8Zx3RVId5p638LRRIu8AMx73oCS9JJSsnxT7QApLxcSZZnJnF-KBd1D9dqVk9_uUR_Hv5PCI/s1600/the-keeping-quilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh63r2CNYadNuiDwZ1Z5eJVb88UCNy710V_jqOUyrWB7JsJVYDqwXZuDkulK4V99wSwiwq8Zx3RVId5p638LRRIu8AMx73oCS9JJSsnxT7QApLxcSZZnJnF-KBd1D9dqVk9_uUR_Hv5PCI/s320/the-keeping-quilt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">Patricia Polacco's <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/835010.The_Keeping_Quilt"><u>The Keeping Quilt</u></a> is the next book in our collection. As with most of her work, this is a story rich in family tradition and accompanied by Polacco's signature artwork. It is the story of a quilt made by Patricia's great-great-grandmother and passed down through her family for almost a century. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Throughout the story, one generation after another uses the quilt to mark special events in their lives. The quilt is used as a Sabbath tablecloth, a wedding canopy, and a blanket to welcome each new baby into the family. Patricia Polacco's <u>The Keeping Quilt</u> is "a heartwarming story of one family's special symbol of enduring love and faith."</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkluAmV8_v-3I4R2PyLL-VxH6wSTFDolRjunzc4TzqiOV-_SL1AY49Gc4LE5EnCvI5ChWdNJAK_Rf6ZZYUKffOwugiEuHCo1EcA2IUbg2mrFtGWFcyDrxmKHuCtZN68SHmp0TJ6eyBQu0K/s1600/The_Quiltmaker_s_Gift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkluAmV8_v-3I4R2PyLL-VxH6wSTFDolRjunzc4TzqiOV-_SL1AY49Gc4LE5EnCvI5ChWdNJAK_Rf6ZZYUKffOwugiEuHCo1EcA2IUbg2mrFtGWFcyDrxmKHuCtZN68SHmp0TJ6eyBQu0K/s320/The_Quiltmaker_s_Gift.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">The <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56471.The_Quiltmaker_s_Gift"><u>Quiltmaker's Gift</u></a> by Jeff Brumbeau is a "charming fable for our times that celebrates the joy of giving." It is the story of a generous quilter who gives away all of her quilts to the poor and needy. An angry and greedy king decides that HE would like one of her quilts, but the quiltmaker will only agree under one condition -- he must give away all of his worldly possessions. He must, himself, become poor before she will make a quilt for him. After many attempts to change her mind, the king finally relents and begins to give away his beloved things. With each gift he gives, he becomes more and more happy. Finally, when he has nothing left to give away, the quiltmaker presents him with his quilt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The artwork in this book (done by Gail de Marcken) is incredibly detailed, stunning, and a visual inspiration!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqKiHB6ZF-WerJyObmfKeQQ30ga8x7NhlAjSR_FihicZKEfhTQVTjCqUB82GGBSCCOJpLd6jNaPobWR-LYyi2-KMjdAkXApIFf9Cz5ueii4rkos8U-OonphHuOrRgil3uKJFieU6qac-i/s1600/QuiltStory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqKiHB6ZF-WerJyObmfKeQQ30ga8x7NhlAjSR_FihicZKEfhTQVTjCqUB82GGBSCCOJpLd6jNaPobWR-LYyi2-KMjdAkXApIFf9Cz5ueii4rkos8U-OonphHuOrRgil3uKJFieU6qac-i/s320/QuiltStory.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1451988.The_Quilt_Story"><u>The Quilt Story</u></a> by Tony Johnson with illustrations by Tomie dePaola is the next book in our collection. This is a cute story about two little girls -- one from pioneer days and the other from modern times, who share the same quilt. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The story begins with a pioneer mother sewing a quilt for her young daughter. The girl's name, Abigail, is sewn into the quilt. The little girl loves the quilt and it is a great comfort to her during times of sickness and especially after a move across the prairie. After a time, the quilt becomes forgotten until it is found again, mouse-eaten and torn, in an attic by another little girl -- presumably a distant relative of the first little girl. She takes the quilt to her mother who mends the quilt for her. Just like the girl from pioneer days, the modern girl has to move to a new place. The quilt brings her a sense of comfort during a time when she feels sad and helps her adjust to her new home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This book has a lot less text than the previous three books I have shared, so is a good choice for reading to younger children who may not be able to sit and listen for a longer story.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqUFK_lUqjmEch9QuKfRPHQV_P1-c-f7e0IERK9lWUUdgLu5nKL2oarBMhOVEG6cNz46Pf-FnNsseQZApxk47IRsoTwi13VpivKF5jCJ0fNhHESP_BTWDfjtYDzU_0s7TVatGmyUYKp3t/s1600/sweetclara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqUFK_lUqjmEch9QuKfRPHQV_P1-c-f7e0IERK9lWUUdgLu5nKL2oarBMhOVEG6cNz46Pf-FnNsseQZApxk47IRsoTwi13VpivKF5jCJ0fNhHESP_BTWDfjtYDzU_0s7TVatGmyUYKp3t/s320/sweetclara.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">My final book for this blog post is <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1206079.Sweet_Clara_and_the_Freedom_Quilt"><u>Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt</u></a> by Deborah Hopkinson with paintings by James Ransome. Another featured "Reading Rainbow" title, this book is about a 12-year-old slave girl who wants desperately to reunite with her mother and find her way to freedom. With the help of her "aunt" she goes from working in the fields to working in the Big House as a seamstress. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Working in the Big House allows Clara opportunities to overhear discussions about the Underground Railroad. She soon gets the idea to begin stitching a map to freedom in a quilt which is made of scraps she salvages from her work in the Big House. Eventually, Clara makes her way to her mother and to freedom. However, the quilt is left behind with her "aunt" in the slave quarters on the plantation and used by many others who have heard of the quilt and its map to freedom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, we have more titles, but they'll have to wait for another day....</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">**********************</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Click here for my follow-up blog post <a href="http://scrappyquiltslife.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-list-of-childrens-books-about-quilts_19.html" target="_blank">Part 2</a>.<br />
</span>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-61157943402566632912011-11-29T11:45:00.002-05:002011-11-29T11:55:01.106-05:00What Do Children Need?<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Today I thought I would share an excerpt from an article written by family psychologist and child-rearing expert John Rosemond:</span></b></div><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Children need compassion for the fact that they are inclined, by nature, to choose anti-social behavior over pro-social behavior. That is why they need corrective discipline from compassionate, loving, respectful adults. Until such discipline is delivered and begins to "stick," it can accurately be said that children truly "can't help it" when they misbehave; they were "born that way."</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Children require genuine, affirming love because they are incapable of putting themselves in proper perspective; therefore, they are incapable of "loving" themselves in a healthy fashion. A child's self-love is very likely to fuel tyranny. Only compassionate, loving adults are capable of responding properly to this inclination, which defines the so-called "terrible twos."<span class="aa"></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Children need adults in their lives who have tremendous respect for their needs and equal amounts of compassion for the fact that they don't know what their needs are. Furthermore, children rarely want what they truly need. It is the responsibility of adults who respect a child's potential for creative adulthood to give children all of what they need and little of what they simply want.<span class="aa"></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">What are their needs then? Here's a short, but far from comprehensive, list:<span class="aa"></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Children need to be contributing members of their families. Therefore, they need to be assigned daily household chores for which they are not paid. Why not paid? After all, adults get paid for working! Yes, but we do not get paid for cooking meals, cleaning bathrooms and vacuuming floors, and neither should children. This is the stuff of membership in a family.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp"></span>In addition, chores help instill a service ethic, without which democracy cannot survive. Have you ever stopped to consider why charities do not thrive in socialist countries?</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Children need adults who allow their brains to grow and develop naturally without much interference from television and other forms of electronic media.<span class="aa"></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Children need to be told to eat what is on their plates not because it is good for them (although it might be) but because it is rude to refuse to eat something someone, even one of your parents, has spent time and energy preparing for you. This civilized lesson begins at home, at the family table.<span class="aa"></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Children need adults in their lives who value and promote proper character traits over academic and athletic skills. One of the most important of all character traits is "do your best at all time." It does not matter if you are not as good as someone else in some area. What's important is that you do what you are capable of doing, and no less. In other words, if proper character is the priority, everything else will fall into its proper place</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="aa"></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Children need adults who confront them when they misbehave -- adults who calmly communicate that they will not tolerate anti-social behavior, even from a 2-year-old. As your great-grandmother no doubt advised, it is to the advantage of all concerned that misbehavior be "nipped in the bud."</span><br />
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</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">And I think that just about says it all, don't you?</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>(The previous is excerpted from an article written by family and child psychologist John Rosemond. The original article in its entirety can be found <a href="http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20111115/LIFESTYLE/111150309/PARENTING-Adults-shouldn-t-make-idols-children?odyssey=nav%7Chead">here</a>.)</b></span></div></div>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-1953250512301783752011-11-28T09:27:00.001-05:002011-11-28T09:28:37.263-05:00"What the?"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZW2bAEq_RcGi3dW2O7vyYClKQYgzYZVaGNw0N7WZjND7fxyXTKiKjS8UCUztOWKQNw67pCKtQ3Hd3iesPqwsUel0MGmzIETrfbfBpv1Goy2ZxhKt9Z4Haq3VUqMevAKMjKZc2KjOkbRQ0/s1600/Nov11+034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZW2bAEq_RcGi3dW2O7vyYClKQYgzYZVaGNw0N7WZjND7fxyXTKiKjS8UCUztOWKQNw67pCKtQ3Hd3iesPqwsUel0MGmzIETrfbfBpv1Goy2ZxhKt9Z4Haq3VUqMevAKMjKZc2KjOkbRQ0/s320/Nov11+034.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">An interesting thing happened yesterday afternoon. My husband and I took our kids to a nature preserve so they could exercise their new-found bike riding skills in a fairly level and traffic-free environment. We typically have them ride around a paved loop in the preserve.</span> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYlgWWAJP0B66XIuZWFZl0A_Dzt1FQJYFh5erMBLdDR5WnbwIfjLqWOkD-WuioDXAI9zakGB2T42Kh6IG9hmN6kVG02dWEMuAkO8E5lm2neFk3Z1l1n-busrcRuq487-CI7_DopFtordlE/s1600/Nov11+117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYlgWWAJP0B66XIuZWFZl0A_Dzt1FQJYFh5erMBLdDR5WnbwIfjLqWOkD-WuioDXAI9zakGB2T42Kh6IG9hmN6kVG02dWEMuAkO8E5lm2neFk3Z1l1n-busrcRuq487-CI7_DopFtordlE/s320/Nov11+117.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anyways, as we came full circle and were heading out of the preserve back to the parking lot, I noticed a book lying on the bench that was definitely not there when we had passed by on the way in.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Well, this interested me immediately, so I picked it up. I mean, I couldn't just leave it there to get ruined in the elements, could I? Especially after reading this:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQk44OAQsKMyozmmG2wnjyuNeKkTsgkCTozBzMI9vE5j2nPw1TbK-7CWE5oy8K5qnp0DwdU5P4ZcGzJ_BkDQ404O73o1dBzow0Vh1XLlYEZvaaWGEbva_WwJM-6zJye6bBMJ3fvYCXCED/s1600/Nov11+115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQk44OAQsKMyozmmG2wnjyuNeKkTsgkCTozBzMI9vE5j2nPw1TbK-7CWE5oy8K5qnp0DwdU5P4ZcGzJ_BkDQ404O73o1dBzow0Vh1XLlYEZvaaWGEbva_WwJM-6zJye6bBMJ3fvYCXCED/s400/Nov11+115.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So, I'm doing what it says. I started reading the book last night and registered the book on the <a href="http://www.bookcrossing.com/">book crossing web site</a> this morning. The title of the book is <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4588.Extremely_Loud_and_Incredibly_Close"><i>Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close</i></a> by Jonathan Safran Foer. It turns out I am the second person to read this particular copy of the book. I can't wait to see where it ends up once I "release" it back into the wild!</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWxUZuvJsgxVxmd6lnA8S_lLoADwYxjTfBl2f4BxZlLmtVaffR76rNhM5J00bGUdtANm_RKavK4LdOtF_UplNHTglF_N_SiCOS1iNQsZ5XEfzJ9fAbcHX94KquYwlPMokiadzShlXwiAm/s1600/Nov11+116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWxUZuvJsgxVxmd6lnA8S_lLoADwYxjTfBl2f4BxZlLmtVaffR76rNhM5J00bGUdtANm_RKavK4LdOtF_UplNHTglF_N_SiCOS1iNQsZ5XEfzJ9fAbcHX94KquYwlPMokiadzShlXwiAm/s200/Nov11+116.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Now, tell me -- Would this kind of thing happen with a Kindle or a Nook? I don't think so. No matter what technological advances come along, I hope to never see a day when "real" books become obsolete.</span></span><br />
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</span></div>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-55628697476297048732011-11-27T23:42:00.002-05:002011-12-14T14:04:24.048-05:00So Many IDEAS, and So Little Time<span style="font-size: large;">I have a love/hate relationship with the Internet. I can't decide if it is a good thing or a bad thing -- especially when it comes to providing creative inspiration. At times, it is a blessing -- I love the ease and speed with which I can find just the right thing I am looking for. At other times, however, it is just too overwhelming. And at those times, I just don't know where the time goes. It's as if time has ceased to exist for me. Then I look down at that little clock at the bottom corner of my screen.....Wow! WHAT time is it? It can't really be THAT late? Can it? Time for bed. My ideas will have to wait until tomorrow.....</span>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-4530122304361814642011-11-23T14:08:00.003-05:002011-11-28T08:34:06.943-05:00A Few of His Favorite ThingsYesterday was an exciting day because I finally finished the latest quilt I have been working on for my son. I started it almost two years ago, worked on it for a while, then put it aside for many months before picking it back up this fall and finishing it.<br />
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Here are the start-to-finish pictures I took as I documented my progress.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgETyZNQr8dC3bjA_z-3nWUII1kd_KOdZ5JAOyyywhYlo4YIo4fL57MSDlhL_kEOPGksGBPKdwg0pATvrKS_vh_jt6uzCQFul5LuKWJSQHuCO0jYaiWxLIzdl4XxNwKq5lLTTa2cmPliAfG/s1600/Quilts+248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgETyZNQr8dC3bjA_z-3nWUII1kd_KOdZ5JAOyyywhYlo4YIo4fL57MSDlhL_kEOPGksGBPKdwg0pATvrKS_vh_jt6uzCQFul5LuKWJSQHuCO0jYaiWxLIzdl4XxNwKq5lLTTa2cmPliAfG/s400/Quilts+248.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
The first pictures I took were when I was trying to establish the layout of all the blocks. I carefully chose fabrics with pictures of things my son really likes -- trucks, cars, trains, bugs, Peanuts, and other cute images. Some of these fabrics I had in my stash, while others I went out and purchased especially for this quilt.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFiBJSHqawMM-gkLlaEL5uPOlqBOQ-Ckb_2v053_qD2k_JPBIa1yDqzRRbxRNRssAjSBIu6TK7Gk-WF0Ie6MSEfyrPj1_Zj00jIhchHGniYhvSz4eySk69Gf2W6WTLPKCgKSrFM7PBA2H/s1600/Quilts+250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFiBJSHqawMM-gkLlaEL5uPOlqBOQ-Ckb_2v053_qD2k_JPBIa1yDqzRRbxRNRssAjSBIu6TK7Gk-WF0Ie6MSEfyrPj1_Zj00jIhchHGniYhvSz4eySk69Gf2W6WTLPKCgKSrFM7PBA2H/s400/Quilts+250.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Next I "fussy cut" images from the fabrics and chose brightly colored prints from my stash to make borders around each image. The trickiest part here was dealing with all the different sizes of the center pieces on these blocks.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvinNiictpXVKHWXIri9gPB2z11DcvkwNLEHTr8l6jNVbvHJ8YHPOD9SShzTe71Otae13TC2els89IinvbR6nNwuyW-2TyBsnwh_5lt-INpdWNk4O4R15TswtMgM_Ak5_AZw0b-h7dFvyX/s1600/Quilts+251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvinNiictpXVKHWXIri9gPB2z11DcvkwNLEHTr8l6jNVbvHJ8YHPOD9SShzTe71Otae13TC2els89IinvbR6nNwuyW-2TyBsnwh_5lt-INpdWNk4O4R15TswtMgM_Ak5_AZw0b-h7dFvyX/s400/Quilts+251.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
To deal with that, I just decided on a finished block size (in this case, 8") and then cut the border pieces whatever size I needed to make the blocks 8 1/2" (this included the necessary 1/2" seam allowance). I actually made all the blocks slightly larger than 8 1/2" so that I could trim them to exactly 8 1/2" with my rotary cutter and ruler -- just more accurate that way.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAiRGO3tYUa5k2tbhBxSEiRnSHRSdGcjafrDJsdptlYD1eOiruynh1gHLrp_mVTZa18gkP4Pa6B09ZO4iEeHGhpnRtiopsjOqoxQgUpQXLlBitpmP4TT5fo4Px_ynH9FaitGGXVTP6Ynzh/s1600/Quilts+259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAiRGO3tYUa5k2tbhBxSEiRnSHRSdGcjafrDJsdptlYD1eOiruynh1gHLrp_mVTZa18gkP4Pa6B09ZO4iEeHGhpnRtiopsjOqoxQgUpQXLlBitpmP4TT5fo4Px_ynH9FaitGGXVTP6Ynzh/s400/Quilts+259.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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As I worked on this, I tried to keep it layed out on the floor, so that I could make the right color selections for each block. I didn't want to end up with blocks of the same color adjacent to one another. I also didn't want to end up with clusters of similar colors -- like too many red, orange, and yellow blocks placed together.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgty-TwwvYpxn07c8xujw2s1alQgJ_UW0pJtix9FMAbTM7ZkBLucGp2ChY0PDdsqicofkjI4v7xpvBz6L41H21KrnJdlfjV-ZtDgkxO2wQGoBYNpatO_Kzp6vnlaNl85zias29zSMzMz5wG/s1600/Quilts+268.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgty-TwwvYpxn07c8xujw2s1alQgJ_UW0pJtix9FMAbTM7ZkBLucGp2ChY0PDdsqicofkjI4v7xpvBz6L41H21KrnJdlfjV-ZtDgkxO2wQGoBYNpatO_Kzp6vnlaNl85zias29zSMzMz5wG/s400/Quilts+268.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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Once I pieced all the blocks, I began working on the border design. I decided I wanted to try something a little different than the typical plain border. So, I decided to try doing these prairie points. They are really just squares of fabric folded and then inserted into the seam between the quilt and the border.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ur9l5z2SHOe-F9caRNU5Hy6KgUGnkMoWh0RPi7E5T7J7w4x3-OnaLu6te646Kqt-CUPiNcxG0cQ6pQaqMs3V9z07eWThqQ76HghJMstB52tL3Fz3vCoBsM1_FrqTVi3YZJ__Q5faBF4s/s1600/Quilts+271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ur9l5z2SHOe-F9caRNU5Hy6KgUGnkMoWh0RPi7E5T7J7w4x3-OnaLu6te646Kqt-CUPiNcxG0cQ6pQaqMs3V9z07eWThqQ76HghJMstB52tL3Fz3vCoBsM1_FrqTVi3YZJ__Q5faBF4s/s400/Quilts+271.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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This is where I was just laying out the triangles to see if I liked them against the blue border. I was also trying to determine how wide I wanted to cut that blue border strip.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrI-RAE2eHvracM9ESWn1Uxus_jTP8hmt7br5dtTsF_agZZapYJOdNF98EUnHhfaE6xfHgER2Gmrs_kgpBqT8_T0Hsc-eOsrECrMdYfMajOKUFNN8Wos64LQ2PxzmP5aGJXYhBpQVvfsZ/s1600/Quilts+277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrI-RAE2eHvracM9ESWn1Uxus_jTP8hmt7br5dtTsF_agZZapYJOdNF98EUnHhfaE6xfHgER2Gmrs_kgpBqT8_T0Hsc-eOsrECrMdYfMajOKUFNN8Wos64LQ2PxzmP5aGJXYhBpQVvfsZ/s400/Quilts+277.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Here is the finished quilt on my son's bed (he is 3 years old) and a matching pillow that I made for him. It's hard to see the quilting in this, but it IS quilted. I machine quilted in the ditch around each block and center image. I also quilted around each prairie point in the blue border. I'm still working on perfecting my machine quilting skills. For the most part, I am a hand quilter. As I'm making more quilts though, I have been trying to work on improving my machine quilting. Without a long arm quilting machine, I find it a rather challenging task.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzDWA1CBhQXj1iGyOy5lvH-bBbZ-y1IES81aL0FKE_RA9lIoZBUj4T4qUcrAwUrj01Lohv7ta8fKxPjDp68eOnCsdbsBZ7Qr_j0Dl7KeACu3r5TazRSBWvC8B_7BmRURhrzEUpurAfgSi/s1600/Nov11+067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzDWA1CBhQXj1iGyOy5lvH-bBbZ-y1IES81aL0FKE_RA9lIoZBUj4T4qUcrAwUrj01Lohv7ta8fKxPjDp68eOnCsdbsBZ7Qr_j0Dl7KeACu3r5TazRSBWvC8B_7BmRURhrzEUpurAfgSi/s400/Nov11+067.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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Thanks to a nice woman in my quilt guild, I made this very practical and cute backing out of my leftovers. All of these fabrics were used somewhere on the front of the quilt. And there is my son rolling around on his new quilt!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhKMpdfVgMIr2Et1650mVQZ-2Hjn1oQphVm2v5EGXlyuk7twDMW-hf63gtHHMuCSRycMql_jKk8pTsU46-FnfQdPNi2iSprnZEKS2ey1CJRm7WxVaQnPQgB3bh0dRVxmggzq-W0Lh0w5L/s1600/Nov11+059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhKMpdfVgMIr2Et1650mVQZ-2Hjn1oQphVm2v5EGXlyuk7twDMW-hf63gtHHMuCSRycMql_jKk8pTsU46-FnfQdPNi2iSprnZEKS2ey1CJRm7WxVaQnPQgB3bh0dRVxmggzq-W0Lh0w5L/s400/Nov11+059.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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Sprawled out on his new quilt! Now all I have left to do is add a label!Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-39108653566346204412011-10-12T13:09:00.003-04:002011-10-12T14:46:21.499-04:00Sailboat Quilt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVllnnGchNo1f_fiOp02iFkQzkfKbs9j2KC0nL2xxzzopTSg7oaxi3lQC7vpxZ-wfxI-UTM7MsGXRrV61hDmnsE4zdmAh8vhq1IzcZzFAY84HzJxzcpnjyUwfdyy2B9ePo6oZUukNjhn_/s1600/Sailboat+027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVllnnGchNo1f_fiOp02iFkQzkfKbs9j2KC0nL2xxzzopTSg7oaxi3lQC7vpxZ-wfxI-UTM7MsGXRrV61hDmnsE4zdmAh8vhq1IzcZzFAY84HzJxzcpnjyUwfdyy2B9ePo6oZUukNjhn_/s400/Sailboat+027.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
This was my first "commissioned" quilt. I designed this with the help of a good friend who wanted me to make something for her son's "big boy" bed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpi9LqCss6oSM9LRMskxtipK2I0sVw7f0eCbst8oModtwdCJ_5WOZll40bhI7BlU-QTN4EcZtGj9hIPmAnl4GVcy6Qs1ae90Ct_IHOgStuQoFMKSI36cHY7ex_hy5ZDknPsaslppG_VmS/s1600/Sailboat+029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpi9LqCss6oSM9LRMskxtipK2I0sVw7f0eCbst8oModtwdCJ_5WOZll40bhI7BlU-QTN4EcZtGj9hIPmAnl4GVcy6Qs1ae90Ct_IHOgStuQoFMKSI36cHY7ex_hy5ZDknPsaslppG_VmS/s400/Sailboat+029.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I used EQ to design and plan it out. The quilt is machine pieced and quilted. I did all of the piecing. Then we took it to someone I know who does machine quilting on a longarm machine, and she did all the quilting. It was completed in February, 2011.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3R0XV2FXFWCFKmIAR5qJkvSJywNVrqHQclIBeN9RNbDS7X1QMZOFsqiiuN4MgntIyhlOseSD7BTPd9nFFxOhrk9ZCrqY_fviAC9AWemvi0RvIQivX7oWBFrm88EWDM_fsrOh48b-HXbyW/s1600/Sailboat+033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3R0XV2FXFWCFKmIAR5qJkvSJywNVrqHQclIBeN9RNbDS7X1QMZOFsqiiuN4MgntIyhlOseSD7BTPd9nFFxOhrk9ZCrqY_fviAC9AWemvi0RvIQivX7oWBFrm88EWDM_fsrOh48b-HXbyW/s320/Sailboat+033.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Here is the label -- a fish that I hand appliqued on the back. (I chose not to show a close-up photo here to protect the privacy of my friend's name), which is on the label.<br />
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While making this quilt, I documented my progress with photographs. This is the first quilt that I have done that with. I currently have two other projects I am working on -- a hexagon quilt and a toddler size quilt for my son. I am doing photo documentation of those projects as well. I really like being able to view the photos and see the progress that is being made.<br />
Here are some photos of the start-to-finish process of making this quilt. Enjoy!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXgrNwACYr0ZDIaCz3EO0RmWCDP4O28QLChBW3D0wWSEdQRn9JMR_NwGK2fe8Y-12N1IribckjeePxAIkD7uHwoqvuiBeo2oFYlXGqg4CwBqM0mCfXRvUlweK6sLkmUU6yyEysGmpRzIN/s1600/Sailboat008.BMP" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXgrNwACYr0ZDIaCz3EO0RmWCDP4O28QLChBW3D0wWSEdQRn9JMR_NwGK2fe8Y-12N1IribckjeePxAIkD7uHwoqvuiBeo2oFYlXGqg4CwBqM0mCfXRvUlweK6sLkmUU6yyEysGmpRzIN/s400/Sailboat008.BMP" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My EQ Print-Out of the Design</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqX125mAgKTe2HarT5G_dJU73xIo8tiam5DTv_cs2HwWf419ttnWmQOSGyXVgv2B4hz1Ksa6d85orlL5LVhSEV3UJwIKfNKjyVHLs443svrSoh7cI4RWFyGqvFlHPJiSMLFbxjyktL0gk/s1600/Sailboat+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqX125mAgKTe2HarT5G_dJU73xIo8tiam5DTv_cs2HwWf419ttnWmQOSGyXVgv2B4hz1Ksa6d85orlL5LVhSEV3UJwIKfNKjyVHLs443svrSoh7cI4RWFyGqvFlHPJiSMLFbxjyktL0gk/s400/Sailboat+003.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Construction of Sailboat Blocks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgieAq-XF5E7DRbR4vebINCNx_8XHpnTXFXRsDYGgsSBBN3-sfjTjYEH0ScmJQ_q5Unzl8aBqSumh9PdvJzo1TEOkWDCe6T2t_T2lMCqOJbLqKwBICY_q8_k6Jxkc5a33gmCxsdiqDQuWTK/s1600/Sailboat+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgieAq-XF5E7DRbR4vebINCNx_8XHpnTXFXRsDYGgsSBBN3-sfjTjYEH0ScmJQ_q5Unzl8aBqSumh9PdvJzo1TEOkWDCe6T2t_T2lMCqOJbLqKwBICY_q8_k6Jxkc5a33gmCxsdiqDQuWTK/s400/Sailboat+005.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting & Piecing the Sailboat Blocks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjuUD0uyo0amFVj8Kz0rtnmHA1vjy5zoMbKBY1QVsFWXADnALvjAgKBPaLyRT6169jLyHPuopSt8waWQDE_u_RNCWFHKDfErffbbdnEejAo_xLRovD_qIES5i1-Di8gpq0esDP68hchaD/s1600/Sailboat+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjuUD0uyo0amFVj8Kz0rtnmHA1vjy5zoMbKBY1QVsFWXADnALvjAgKBPaLyRT6169jLyHPuopSt8waWQDE_u_RNCWFHKDfErffbbdnEejAo_xLRovD_qIES5i1-Di8gpq0esDP68hchaD/s400/Sailboat+007.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Organizing the Completed Sailboat Blocks</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68r38_Q-rufuT83166rPOse1Ry8B2uY75jyfURJBRhk1bzEmP2zbOWa-7ZKMybKACkqQnD9Iqot4QpOZw4ElJMSQ7e9d0Z2HOr9t8ILFMAF3rPQvVjbPSMEs6MXq6bRpxW8oPpNzDkenp/s1600/Sailboat+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68r38_Q-rufuT83166rPOse1Ry8B2uY75jyfURJBRhk1bzEmP2zbOWa-7ZKMybKACkqQnD9Iqot4QpOZw4ElJMSQ7e9d0Z2HOr9t8ILFMAF3rPQvVjbPSMEs6MXq6bRpxW8oPpNzDkenp/s400/Sailboat+009.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laying Out the Blocks</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmEGq_PnYurChu9YFt0s9rfJW46-DbBtxHrs_mSFAiLAg6Gjd8g3BLuvjRT1jRQI8L23VgmwxS5ADEprKsu1QNIEGJDqRDD-HbrqAUoQpBL4Dq88pWsmy7tgeprgC4X9i0ATjuPAdFEoc/s1600/Sailboat+019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmEGq_PnYurChu9YFt0s9rfJW46-DbBtxHrs_mSFAiLAg6Gjd8g3BLuvjRT1jRQI8L23VgmwxS5ADEprKsu1QNIEGJDqRDD-HbrqAUoQpBL4Dq88pWsmy7tgeprgC4X9i0ATjuPAdFEoc/s400/Sailboat+019.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Sashing & Borders Attached</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0Xx1sseMdH-IPOb3tXjYXCewuA9FmP5npQAgGuFJUxAGGUy9u0JGTt26G79rqmuYsn7ohFM-WAeoWANToXGx5OTVil0UwwuXY_4WZh1EYMknp_LrBOmdYRwpf6FTQaMxWc8CQP37eZa1/s1600/Sailboat+030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0Xx1sseMdH-IPOb3tXjYXCewuA9FmP5npQAgGuFJUxAGGUy9u0JGTt26G79rqmuYsn7ohFM-WAeoWANToXGx5OTVil0UwwuXY_4WZh1EYMknp_LrBOmdYRwpf6FTQaMxWc8CQP37eZa1/s400/Sailboat+030.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up of Quilting Design</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkQ0T207uce8QMY5IkSh1hwkNbn9m9bIZv9JV7As_OU022StiUJVJDUsC2OH38SaKaeAQle65Yy-b6v7uF_cgiXW7GMcrIotYOx3apMYXu_lxNzdei5y2lE2ayn7YLCiFTuNt9XCHnMkI/s1600/Sailboat+034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkQ0T207uce8QMY5IkSh1hwkNbn9m9bIZv9JV7As_OU022StiUJVJDUsC2OH38SaKaeAQle65Yy-b6v7uF_cgiXW7GMcrIotYOx3apMYXu_lxNzdei5y2lE2ayn7YLCiFTuNt9XCHnMkI/s400/Sailboat+034.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quilting Design, as seen from the back</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNykcpRVgjC-R60VUQBQ43-K7Dk2UEjnB42uDBZcj63y7Y98ZH03M34lZBvVoO8Gf_s4kPm6pnBieN74DOVEVsJFYcwysllIflvkf5UOtFqqg85CtDwzB7kGe2uL-t8Zy4FdSzmR7f49f/s1600/Sailboat+036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNykcpRVgjC-R60VUQBQ43-K7Dk2UEjnB42uDBZcj63y7Y98ZH03M34lZBvVoO8Gf_s4kPm6pnBieN74DOVEVsJFYcwysllIflvkf5UOtFqqg85CtDwzB7kGe2uL-t8Zy4FdSzmR7f49f/s400/Sailboat+036.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lucky Boy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-27259012384130625562011-10-11T12:58:00.003-04:002011-12-14T14:05:17.318-05:00Apple Tree Art Idea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHX70UUnA-GOZVR54sqnIlAxw-rbswV2GqZpkeO0jZFrh9wMrWBAqboDhWc8-zsVQy-FnTGdL-UKaH74y5CpGG3y3odzw2pD-fEecuvVtdppQ8Sqfbu52KryylkE87dI_UHzDH9UVFFrmK/s1600/Oct11+029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHX70UUnA-GOZVR54sqnIlAxw-rbswV2GqZpkeO0jZFrh9wMrWBAqboDhWc8-zsVQy-FnTGdL-UKaH74y5CpGG3y3odzw2pD-fEecuvVtdppQ8Sqfbu52KryylkE87dI_UHzDH9UVFFrmK/s400/Oct11+029.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here is an apple tree we made for our wall! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">(This activity is appropriate for preschool-age children).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Before doing the art activity, we read a couple of library books about apple trees.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I prepared the tree ahead of time so it would be ready after we read the books. I got a piece of green poster board from a dollar store. I cut it into the shape of a cloud to be the top of the tree. Then I cut open a paper grocery bag and cut out the shape of a tree trunk from that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next I cut an apple in half and then let the children take turns dipping the apple half into red paint and stamping it onto the tree. We did this step with the green part of the tree lying flat on a table (not with it hung on the wall yet). The kids loved "decorating" the tree with apples!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After letting it dry, I hung the tree on the wall with blue painter's tape (so it won't peel the paint off the wall when I remove it).</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3hpa6lYKYVoAzPnagvE6Ra6e0w-NVwICiWUwR1ekcdDaGZ_FSeYLExJRdeKKkJ7oHLtamAidhgclqjhvdpilWmFKE1K1RcHxgwqtbd58TWBNUFlTRPU0NIIa_PG-OwK887sSqYUPTECU/s1600/Oct11+036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3hpa6lYKYVoAzPnagvE6Ra6e0w-NVwICiWUwR1ekcdDaGZ_FSeYLExJRdeKKkJ7oHLtamAidhgclqjhvdpilWmFKE1K1RcHxgwqtbd58TWBNUFlTRPU0NIIa_PG-OwK887sSqYUPTECU/s400/Oct11+036.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876372456193437741.post-10241565020984342142011-10-08T10:47:00.000-04:002011-10-08T10:47:30.961-04:00Tablerunner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpY4ocHN2wD0bXSs-k1yQgkkmXuQbXCdNdqsyTqGqzKZh1875S7F4Atpi-0e8YZZnoZJdm3N_ZF_ThZCcim4o1yxH3BnaFA_NDcqDRpoaUU61k44V5ilJJxBElRjRDVJlNkkantNKsuBg/s1600/Quilts+027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpY4ocHN2wD0bXSs-k1yQgkkmXuQbXCdNdqsyTqGqzKZh1875S7F4Atpi-0e8YZZnoZJdm3N_ZF_ThZCcim4o1yxH3BnaFA_NDcqDRpoaUU61k44V5ilJJxBElRjRDVJlNkkantNKsuBg/s400/Quilts+027.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
This is a tablerunner I made for my mother-in-law's birthday in March, 2010. I used Electric Quilt to help me plan this out. I did not purchase any fabrics for this quilt. I made it entirely with fabrics already on hand.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nb6aXypZudy4gD01klzgVEAAycatqJ-zLFf_pHWwhVqFdVigrsbfNsur_mQUyCTXpHrGntwAsNfDaZ6cxmboLNn4TqUc5Vr3iIiVmAupSUM_EotogmBDLLjnmLR7b47uSWSAVDW5mFA0/s1600/Quilts+026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nb6aXypZudy4gD01klzgVEAAycatqJ-zLFf_pHWwhVqFdVigrsbfNsur_mQUyCTXpHrGntwAsNfDaZ6cxmboLNn4TqUc5Vr3iIiVmAupSUM_EotogmBDLLjnmLR7b47uSWSAVDW5mFA0/s400/Quilts+026.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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I machine pieced and quilted this one. Start-to-finish I think it took me about a week to make this. I procrastinated getting this going, mainly because I was working on my friend's sailboat quilt, so I was kind of in marathon mode when I made this.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7uIZ_VO5JD2aixUopPmA8HZF1N95StbUUwSWnurxQbRbMd9r0KKXdtLBYyvBTyzcRz4S5DIBsmxZVr4qfdPQFv3b2okizb5hq4axvRX9zBHA769HsiGmRtuP2OE8o3KQbA0rl_7U6fpI/s1600/Quilts+029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7uIZ_VO5JD2aixUopPmA8HZF1N95StbUUwSWnurxQbRbMd9r0KKXdtLBYyvBTyzcRz4S5DIBsmxZVr4qfdPQFv3b2okizb5hq4axvRX9zBHA769HsiGmRtuP2OE8o3KQbA0rl_7U6fpI/s400/Quilts+029.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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If I decide to make another one of these, I would like to make it a little longer. I also think I would change the yellow pieced border to one that is not pieced. That would make it a little quicker to put together, and I don't think the pieced border is necessary to the overall design anyways. This tablerunner would look good in many different colorways, and might make nice gifts for the holidays. I just might make a few more!Janinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17194520724134488377noreply@blogger.com0