Craizee Corners

Blog Anniversary Give Away #1

2012-03-08T14:00:00.001-06:00

Announcing the first of several great giveaways for the month!

As many of you have guessed the first giveaway is your very own EQ7! I know everyone wants to get their hands on this gem of a program and here's how you can get in the drawing.

You must be a follower of Craizee Corners to enter, but you don't get an entry for that (I can check very easily), it's just a pre-requisite.

For your entry go to the Fabric of the Month page on the EQ7 site and vote for your favorite palette, then come back here and tell me which one you voted for. Simple as that...no jumping thru hoops with a bunch of ways to enter.

And while you are there why not check out the other fun things EQ offers to go along with the program.

This giveaway will end on March 13th at 11:59 PM. I will call Tyler the next morning and ask him to pick a number randomly for the winner, it only seems fitting that he be Mr. Random for this giveaway since it is his quilt, Floating Squares, that I showcased earlier.

Thanks to the Electric Quilt Company for celebrating my blog anniversary with me! Be sure to check out my blog post on the Quilting Design Wizard
So get to voting and good luck!

My EQ7 Adventure

2012-03-08T08:55:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Sally shared some things she came up with when playing around with EQ7 and today it's my turn.

One of the things I love the most about EQ7 is the ability to take the same block or blocks and manipulate them different ways to decide on what you like best.

When I was designing the Floating Squares Quilt for my son I knew I wanted to use bowties and 4 patches. I wanted it to be an easy pattern to make. But that was the only thing I knew. So I started out with every other block a 4 patch and every other block a bowtie. Then I added a little color based on what colors I know he likes. It was as simple as coloring in the blocks. There's this wonderful function in EQ7 that lets you color in all the blocks at the same time or every other block at the same time. So after a few key strokes here's what I had.

When I started out I had no idea this was how it would look but I knew I was onto something Tyler would like.

Another thing that is great about the software is that you can move your blocks in different directions very easily and you can change the blocks slightly. Here's a few ways I played with the design

Using connectors on all corners

Opposite colors

Different Colors

Girl colors

After seeing all these choices I knew which design I liked best and luckily Tyler agreed. The rest fell into place. I added 2 borders and had my design. I do my own quilt math since I usually make my blocks a little different, and this one was very easy.

I also knew that I wanted to make this in girl colors at some point (It's almost finished by the way).

Here's my finished quilt

Since Tyler goes to school in Baltimore I knew this had to be a warm quilt. I backed it with flannel and its very warm, he loves it. By the way it's not really crooked, I just didn't pin it on that side.

Stay tuned for my first giveaway announcement later today!

2012-03-07T08:00:00.000-06:00

Today a friend of mine is visiting to kick off the EQ7 part of the celebration! Last month I helped Sally transfer files from the Quilt Design Wizard to a JPEG file and when I saw here beautiful quilt designs I knew I had to have her visit Craizee Corners. She has some great new designs to show you and guess what? She is working on her very first pattern too. So make sure to visit her blog Sally's Quilting Corner often to see whats shes up to!

Hi quilters my friend Sharon at Craizee Corners has reason to celebrate. Her blog is one year old...She sure has had an exciting yr... All of her creations are so beautiful and the talent, well what could I say about her talent that everyone else hasn't already said...She graciously asked me to come visit her blog and tell her what I like about EQ7 because she is celebrating EQ7 week. Well I have a copy of Quilt Design Wizard and love it, but there are limitations then I was very lucky to get the EQ7 program and just love it!!! The fabric selection along with the colors alone can be overwhelming because there are so many possibilities to work with... Then you get into designing your patterns with the block library and all I have to say is OH BOY!!! I have been playing a lot with this program and I have created a few things that need some editing, but I thought I would share... Let me know what you think... I can't imagine if they add an update to this program, I may have to change careers...
The first pattern I created was from Quilt Design Wizard but I reconfigured things and created it on EQ7, and this is what I came up with. I called this wall quilt Crossflower Boxes. I think for my first one it didn't turn out too bad... What do you think...

Photo is the property of sallysquiltingcorner.blogspot.com and copying is prohibited, March 2012

These photos and design is owned by

www.sallysquiltingcorner.blogspot.com and copying of this photo is prohibited. March 2012.

I would like to thank Sharon for inviting me to share her excitement about the blog birthday and about celebrating EQ7 week... I hope you all have a good time seeing my creations.

Aren't those designs great? I know that I plan on making the Crossflower Boxes quilt as soon as the pattern is available. I'm thinking of using bright batiks, what do you think?

So now that you have seen the first special post of the month can you guess one of the things for the giveaway? I'll be posting how to win it tomorrow so stay tuned!

Fun With The Other Wives

2012-03-06T08:44:00.001-06:00

Today is my stop on the Farmers Wife In Your Life Blog Hop! The challenge was to make something other than a quilt with at least 1 farmers wife block. I immediately knew what I was going to make...a zipper bag. I can never have enough of them and love giving them as gifts filled with goodies. And the best part is that I brought a friend along on this hop :)

I am a member of the new Fort Worth Modern Quilt Guild and have met some great gals there. So I invited my new guild friend January, who blogs at Sew Sew Go, to make a bag with me. It was a lot of fun teaching her how to make a bag, I don't know who was more excited to see her finished bag. And it was a pleasure since she is a very fast learner. Please make sure to visit her blog, you won't be sorry.

Since I have already done a tutorial on making a zipper bag in January, here's a link to the tutorial.

The only thing I changed is that I put a 1.5" border on the sides of the FW block, a 2" border on the top and a 2.5" on the bottom. This worked perfectly and the entire FW block is shown on the front without losing any of the block to a seam allowance or the gusset.

Now for the eye candy. Here's the bag January made. She only had 7" zippers (lesson learned...always buy a zipper at least 14" long since you can always cut it down) so it was a bit of a challenge to figure out the quilt math. Once we had the border sizes correct it was a piece of cake. I just love how she fussy cut the top border, isn't is great?

And here's my bag

and a close up of the decorative stitching I did. I just love all the fancy stitches my Bernina can do and try to use them as often as possible.

This bag is going to quilting classes, retreats and sewing dates. It is going to be for my rotary cutters and scissors since my other bag is getting full.

I'd like to thank Sunni from Love Affair With My Brother for inviting me to be part of this fun blog hop. Make sure to check out all the other great projects from the other hoppers and to hop on board yourself on March 24th when the linky party begins. She has some great prizes!

Twist Along...The Big Finish!

2012-03-05T10:53:00.000-06:00

Hi fellow Twisters! How did you do last week? From the great pics on the flickr page I think you all had fun twisting and have that move pretty much down pat now...good job!

This week we will be putting the outside border on. It's totally optional and a great way to increase the size a bit. I did a tutorial on how to add borders to a quilt during week 2 of the Twist Along which can be found here.

Don't forget to add your pics to the flickr page, I love seeing the quilts!

A Month to Celebrate!

2012-03-05T09:54:00.000-06:00

This month I will be celebrating 2 things. First is my baby becoming legal! When did that happen? It seems like he was just a baby in my arms. The second thing is that on March 28th Craizee Corners will be 1 years old! I can hardly believe it. When I started I had no idea what I was doing and if I would ever connect with anyone. So to all the Craizee Corner friends thanks for sticking with me. I hope you have enjoyed the blog and will continue to enjoy it.

To celebrate the anniversary of Craizee Corners I have a busy month planned. There will be prizes...big ones and lots of eye candy from me and some friends too. And of course there will be tutorials and a new pattern by months end. I will also be guest blogging and blog hopping from time to time :). To start out the month I am taking part in the Farmers Wife in Your Life Blog Hop. Yes I know I divorced my 'farmer' a long time ago, but I got him to help me one last time for this event. For the divorce papers see here :)

Farmer's Wife in Your Life is a series inspired by The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt by Laurie Aaron Hird. The series will focus on using 6" quilt blocks in everyday sewing projects.

Here's the schedule:

March 4-Sunni is guest-posting on Jolly Jabber

March 5-Love Affair with my Brother

March 6-Craizee Corners

March 7-Lilypad Quilting

March 8-Love Affair with my Brother

March 9-Clover & Violet

March 12-Mommy for Reals
March 13-A Colorful Life

March 14-It's Sew Kiki

March 15-Lilypad Quilting

March 16-Why Not Sew? Quilts

March 19-Love Affair with my Brother

March 20-Echinops & Aster

March 21-Life's Rich Pattern

March 22-Ellison Lane Quilts

March 23-Love Affair with my Brother

For more info visit Love Affair With My Brother, there's prizes and a linky party too!

Come back tomorrow to see what I did with my Farmers Wife block. I might even have a friend along for the ride :)

I was a Wild Thing!

2012-03-04T09:43:00.000-06:00

Last weekend I attended a 2 day class at The Berry Patch. We made a pattern called The Wild Thing by Villa Rosa Designs. I don't have much experience with big prints, to me when you cut them in smaller pieces they are scrappier than I like. But in the interest of expanding my quilting horizon I decided to step out of my comfort zone and I am so glad that I did!

I had this fun fabric sitting around that is a very big and bold print, which was perfect for this quilt. It was pretty fast to put together, definitely could be done in a day.

There were 4 of us in the class and 3 of us finished our quilt tops. The other gal would have but she had to leave early. Hers was made for a little one and I just know it will be adorable. Here's the quilts that the rest of us made.

This is the sample quilt that Gail made. Seeing this made me want to take this class. Gail's classes are always great, if you in in the Fort Worth area you should take a class at the Berry Patch.

Here's the quilt Mindy made for her Grand Niece. Aren't these colors fun? I just love the focus fabric, well I love everything from Me & My Sister.

The new gal, Jennifer made this beautiful quilt. This is only her second quilt and I think she did great. I can see that she has a lot of wonderful quilts in her future.

And here's my Wild Thing quilt. I am going to call it 'Wild Weekend'

When I got home and showed this to my hubby he loved it. I was surprised that he was so Craizee about it since it's so bright, but that's what he liked about it. That man never ceases to amaze me, here I was thinking that he liked muted colors better. I still need to put a border on it and then I will get to play with it on the long arm. I will either do some swirls on it or I might do diagonals on my Bernina instead. Which do you prefer?

Come back tomorrow to help me celebrate my 1 year blog anniversary, I promise to have lots of fun ahead.

Not So Scrappy

2012-03-03T09:03:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago Jess & Jo from Bloomerie sent me a six pack of fat eighths in the most wonderful color combination.

The challenge was to create something with these six F8s to show what can be made. This challenge was perfect for me since I have been working on being a bit more scrappy.
That F8 bundle sat and sat in my to do basket until yesterday. I am not ashamed to admit that little bundle of happiness was petrifying me. Then all of a sudden I had a moment of clarity. The quilt pattern that I make with jelly rolls that I have no plan for is the Jelly Roll Race quilt. I wasn't even sure of what the finished size would be, but that didn't scare me. Of course I could have figured it out by doing quilt math, but where's the fun in that?

I cut the strips 2" instead of 2.5" and got 4 - 2" x 21" strips from each F8. When I sewed them end to end I tried to be as scrappy as possible for me. Then I filled a bobbin and off to the races I went. I started the race at 10:51 and finished it at 11:38 including a 4 minute call from my son. and I sew very slowly, although if you have ever taken a class with me you would not think that. For some reason when I am in class I get nervous and sew very fast and haphazardly, but that's a story for another time.

So here's the finished product. The finished size is 24" x 29". It's a little big for a table runner, but perfect for a table topper when we have company and I use the covered desk as a sideboard.

I had planned on doing some free motion quilting on this yesterday, but for some reason the BSR is not working. I have been to the store 3 times to make sure I know how to use it and the foots just not working so off to the store I will go today. They are wonderful at The Berry Patch and I am sure that they will fix me right up :)

I'd like to thank Bloomerie for letting me take part in this fun challenge.

Stay tuned this month for lots of excitement. It's Craizee Corners 1 year anniversary and some of my friends will be around to help me celebrate in a big way!

Twist Along Week 3

2012-02-26T11:09:00.000-06:00

Now that you have your 36 patch with borders on and have best pressed or starched it, it's time to start cutting. As I mentioned before, It's a good idea to be able to cut all 49 pieces at the same time. It makes keeping track of your piece placement easier.

The Twister ruler is a square ruler with lines drawn a little wonky. These are the lines you will be lining up on the seams.

Starting at the top left corner, place the ruler along all 3 seam lines. You will only have 3 here because the border is sewn on without any seams. Make sure there are no bumps under the ruler. It's easy to get bumps since the ruler is on 'stilts'. Then cut around all 4 sides of the ruler. Be sure to no go more than a 1/4" past the sides or it will cut into the next piece.

Remove the square from the cutting table and put onto a design wall or table.This is what the 36 patch will look like now.

Here's the fun part. Twist the block clockwise until the block is a straight square.

Repeat for each square, remembering to line up the lines with the seams. On any piece that has a border included there will only be 3 seams to line up with and on all the rest there will be 4. This is what it will look like after 2 squares are cut.

Keep cutting and adding squares to finish the first row. Notice how you can see the twisted pinwheels forming.

Then start on the 2nd row. This is what it will look like after the first two squares of the second row are cut. You can see the first twisted pinwheel now.

After you have all 49 squares cut out then sew them back together just like you did for the original 36 patch, but you will have 7 rows of 7 this time. Remember not to pull the fabric when sewing it back together because it is cut on the bias and has extra stretch.

Now I just need to give this a quick press. Next week we will be adding an outside border or 2 if you want. I have some of the black Sassy with the little paisley print for the border, but an thinking of doing a turquoise for a first border.

Don't forget to link up your twister quilts on the flickr page.

Twist Along - hints

2012-02-24T09:51:00.000-06:00

Hi Twisters! I hope you all have your borders on your 36 patch now, but if not there's still time to catch up. I wanted to share a few hints for when we start cutting the twisted squares out.

1. I strongly suggest starching or using best press before cutting the twisted squares out. This will give it some body and have less stretch when cutting on the bias.
2. Don't start cutting the twisted squares out until you have a block of time to get it done. It took about 45 minutes to cut all 49 of my twisted squares out.

Jane from Quilt Jane has some great hints for whenever you cut on the bias:

Stretching or distortion can occur as the fabric gives. Some pieces and blocks will have bias edges and will be prone to stretch. Give the fabric a tug lengthwise, across the grain and on the diagonal (bias) and see the different ways the fabric responds.

1. When you can follow the grain line on the pattern piece. This is not always possible on scraps so give the fabric a tug and work out where you can place pattern piece to minimise bias.
2. Minimise distortion by pressing with dry iron and not attacking block.
3. Use starch to stabilise the block
4. Sew a stay stitch (longer straight stitch which can be unpicked later) around the edge of the block. I made a quilt with large setting triangles so I stay stitched around triangle to keep it in shape.
5. Handle with care. Don’t keep pressing and handing pieces and blocks unnecessarily. The more you handle the fabric, the more likely stretching will occur.

So your twister homework for today is to starch the 36 patch with borders. Then on Sunday you will be all ready to start cutting and sewing the quilt top back together. Here's a sneak peek at the doll quilt top I made. Its made with only a 16 patch (4 rows x 4 columns) and the border. Its the perfect size for a doll quilt.

Don't forget to start posting your pics on the flickr page.

Valentine Voting

2012-02-22T09:14:00.000-06:00

Do you remember when I kicked off the Valentines Day Showcase at the beginning of the month? Well it's now time to vote for your favorite projects in the Valentine Showcase After Party.

I have 2 entries in the contest

Love Braids Tablerunner

and a Valentine Goodie Bag

I would love your vote. Click here to go to the voting page. My entries are numbers 9 and 32.

Voting closes tomorrow so please hop on over to the Valentine Showcase page and vote :)

My First adventure with a Long Arm

2012-02-21T09:16:00.000-06:00

Yup you read that right...I got over my fear of ruining a quilt when quilting it and with a little help from my friend Angela (and a little push) I was successful!

I decided to stipple this quilt and even though I looked tense and at times oblivious to the outside world (or the 6 others who were in the room at the time) I was as relaxed as I get.

I was petrified that I wouldn't know where to go with the needle and would have a quilt full of points when I changed directions, but that wasn't the case at all. Once I got my rhythm the curves followed. What do you think? Here's 2 close ups of the quilting.

I have to tell you that this was by and far the easiest quilt I ever finished. An hour or 2 to quilt it and then all I had to do was bind it. Here's the finished quilt. It's a Jelly Roll Race Quilt made from a Veranda jelly roll I won from FatQuarterly during a Talkin' Tuesday chat room. If you haven't check out these great sites you really should.

What are you working on this week? Believe it or not I am going back to the Long arm machine (my new favorite thing in the world) and finishing another quilt, just trying to decide which one to do.

Till next time

Grand Baby Quilt

2012-02-20T11:09:00.000-06:00

A good friend of mine just became a Grandma for the first time and what's a quilter to do? Make a baby quilt of course.

The pattern is from the Spring Quilt Along, you can find the info here. The pattern is by Kate Spain and the fabric is from the Grown With Me line.

Here's a pic of the back of the quilt, I just love how the pattern looks on the back.

Here's the original quilt I made during the Spring Quilt Along. This was my first successful QAL, the first one I finished 100%.

I think this is going to be my go-to baby pattern for this year. I think it's a good way to keep track of which baby in a family has which blanket. This way if I forget which blanket I made for each baby in a family there won't be any duplicates, since there will be a different pattern used every year.

Till next time

Twist Along Week 2

2012-02-19T17:13:00.001-06:00

Are you ready to work on your Twister Quilt some more? If you missed week 1 here's the link to that post.

This week we will be putting the borders on the 36 patch you made last week. Then later in the week we will be cutting the twister squares.

If you are using 10" squares for the 36 patch you will need to cut 8 - 6.5" x WOF strips then sew 2 strips together to make 4 long border strips.
If you are using 5" squares you will need 4 - 3.5" x WOF strips

Here's a short tutorial on how to sew strips together with a bias seam.

Here's a technique I use when putting borders on my quilts. I used to sew a strip of fabric onto the quilt that was bigger than the quilt length and trim the overhang off to be even with the quilt. But that just got me a wonky quilt. The secret is to cut the opposite side borders the same length and then make the quilt fit the borders so both sides are even.

1. Lay your quilt top out on the floor and take 2 of the border pieces. Pin them to the middle of the top part. Have a helper hold where the fabric is pinned together or put a pin cushion or something else that has a little weight to it on the spot where the pins are. The middle of the quilt is the most stable and least wonky part.

2. Now smooth out the 2 border pieces over the quilt, trying not to pull the border strips or the quilt.

3. Trim the ends of the border strips off where the bottom edge of the quilt is (I use scissors). These 2 borders are for the sides of the quilt. If you cut the pieces a tad bit wonky you can straighten them up.

4. Fold the quilt top in half along the side. If the half way mark is not on a seam then finger press a crease or use a pin to mark the center.

5. Fold the border piece in half and fold to make a crease or use a pin to mark it.

6. Line up both the half way marks and pin.

7. Now pin the border to the right end of the quilt. I find it helpful to pin along the top and then one pin along the side edge to prevent any part from stretching. If it is a tad bit to small or big you can spread out the problem throughout the entire side so it won't even be noticeable. This is how you fix a too big or too small side. Now pin half way between the 2 pins and so on till the entire right half of the border is pinned. I usually like to have a pin at least every 3 inches.

8. Repeat with the left half until the entire border is pinned.

9. Repeat for the opposite side so you have both borders pinned on.

10. Sew using a 1/4" seam. Then press towards the border.

11. Repeat for the top and bottom parts.

Walaa! Borders on the quilt that have right angles for the corners!

I'd love to see your progress, don't forget to post them on the flickr page for the Twist Along.

This should keep you busy for a while. Later in the week we will start cutting the twister squares and sewing them together. That part will take the longest so I have allowed a few extra days for it.

Till next time

It's a Mystery

2012-02-17T18:00:00.000-06:00

What is an average quilting day like for you? If you are anything like me at least a little bit of my time is spent ooogggling the great fabric and patterns at The Fat Quarter Shop. I can get lost in all that fabric and since I am the ultimate planner, I plan future quilts that way. I am always adding fabric and patterns to my cart.

One thing that I have my eye on is the 2012 Designer Mystery Block of The Month. It's made with Bonnie and Camille's newest fabric line Vintage Modern, which is just delish! Here's a sneak peek.

The blocks are designed by a bunch of great Moda fabric designers including Aneela Hoey, Bonnie & Camille, Blackbird Designs, Cosmo Cricket, Fig Tree Quilts, Me & My Sister Designs, Kate Spain, Minick & Simpson, Pieces from My Heart, Primitive Gatherings and Sweetwater. I am sure theres' a few of your favorites in that list somewhere. I am already Craizee about the block we can see.

There's also a finishing and backing kit so you have everything necessary to make the quilt.

I don't know about you, but I have just found the quilt I will be making with Modern Vintage! I will be blogging my progress every month so why not join me?

Till next time

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

2012-02-17T17:30:00.000-06:00

I am really running out of cute blog post titles for when I am announcing winners, if you have any cute ones please let me know :)

The winners of the Nifty Notions Cut For The Cure rulers are

Here are your random numbers:

4 5

Timestamp: 2012-02-17 23:19:47 UTC

Congrats to Richard and Lisa! I have emailed you!

Till next time

Go! Ahead & Show Some Love

2012-02-17T04:00:00.000-06:00

Have you seen the Go! Ahead and Show Some Love Blog Hop? Paulette from Sweet Pea Quilting and Creations is hosting it in conjunction with the Quilters With Modern Tools group. This months blog hop is all about the color red, Valentine Day and the Accuquilt cutting system. And today it's my turn on the hop!

The project I made for this blog hop is my Dresden Love hot pad. It's kinda big for a mug rug, but kinda small for a table topper, but is the perfect size for a hot pad.

This is a simple dresden fan using a 22.5 degree ruler. For those of you that are new to my blog, I do a monthly series on Nifty Notions rulers and the ruler of the month in January was the 22.5 degree wedge. Check out all the ruler tutorials I have done for you here.

You will need
1 - 2.5" x WOF red fabric
1 - 2.5" x WOF pink fabric
1 - 5" square red fabric
1 - 8" square white fabric for background
Steam-a-Seam
1 - 1.5" x WOF pink fabric for border
2 - 2.25" x WOF red for binding
1 - 12" square red fabric for backing
1 - 12" square batting

To make this hot pad you will first need to figure out what size fan pieces to cut.

1. Decide on the size of the fan/plate you want. For this project I wanted the fan to measure 7" across the diameter. For those of you who failed HS geometry the diameter is the size of the line drawn thru the center of a circle.

2. Once you know how big of a fan/plate you want you can figure out what size pieces you will need. It's a pretty easy formula:

Take the diameter and subtract 2 and then divide by 2. So if you want a 7" plate/fan it works this way... 7 - 2 = 5/2 = 2.5. So the strip you cut your wedges from need to be 2.5".

3. Now that we know what size strips to use it's time to cut the strips. If you are using 2 different fabrics for the plate/fan cut your strips the desired size and then lay them out one on top of the other with right sides together. Place the ruler on the strip with the Logo face up (so you can read it). Line up the top edge with the line that corresponds to the size of the strip. Trim the left side and cut along the right side to make your first wedge.

4. Then flip the ruler over so the small edge is at the top. Line the left edge of the ruler with the left edge of the strip and cut along the right side of the ruler.

5. To figure out how many pieces to cut divide 360 by the degree of the ruler. In this case
360 ÷ 22.5 = 16. So you will need to cut 16 pieces or 8 sets of wedges. This formula applies to any wedge you are using.

You will now have 16 cut pieces like this.

6. Once you have all your wedge pieces cut you will be sewing them to make a point at the top. Here's how:

Fold the wedge in half like so.

7. Then sew using a quarter inch seam along the larger straight line

8. Then turn the piece right side out to form a point. You can use a stiletto or other pointy object to push the point out. Here's what you will have now

9. Then sew the pieces together. Start at the part closest part to the point and sew using a quarter inch seam to the bottom. Sew them in 2's, making sure the same fabric is always on the top.

10. Continue sewing pieces together, pressing the seams open as you go till you have a full circle (made with 16 wedges).

11. Now it's time to put it all together. You will need the 3" circle die, some double sided web interfacing (I use Steam-a-Seam). Following the directions affix the Steam-a-Seam to the back of the piece of fabric you will be making your circle with. In this case the red fabric.

12. Using your Accuquilt cut a 3" circle out. Also cut a 5" circle out of the Steam-a-Seam alone.

13. Affix the 5" circle to the back of the dresden fan. Then take the paper backing off press the dresden fan onto your background fabric.

14. Peel the paper off the back of the 3" red circle and affix it to the center of the fan.

15. Cut the border fabric into 2 - 1.5" x 8" and 2 - 1.5" x 10" rectangles.

16. Sew the 8" strips to the top and bottom sides of the background fabric and the 10" strips to the sides of the background.

17. Make a quilt sandwich with the backing face down, the batting and the top face up. Pin to keep it together.

18. Using a blanket stitch on your machine sew around the circle to finish the edges. Or you can hand sew a blanket stitch if you prefer.

19. Quilt and bind. I quilted in the ditch between the background and the border until I got to the corners. I marked 1" in from each side and used painters tape to show the line to sew on. This gave it a slightly framed look.

There you go a Dresden Love Hot Pad.

I hope you like this tutorial. Be sure to check out all the other blog hop stops in the Go! Ahead and Show Some Love Blog Hop.

If you are looking for the Accuquilt cutting system and dies they can be found here.

Till Next Time

2 QSTs + 1 HST = Turnstile Block

2012-02-16T13:37:00.000-06:00

Do you know what this is called? I didn't until I checked on EQ7 and saw its called a Turnstile Block. I always called it a Double Pinwheel, which it might also be called. If you know of any other names for this block please let me know.

This block uses 2 QSTs and 1 HST and is very simple if you follow all these directions.

1. You need to know what size your finished squares will be. A square in this instance looks like this.

I want to use these squares on the next border on my Swoon quilt. Since it's currently 64.5" x 64.5" I decided that I want the blocks to be 4" once sewed together and onto the quilt. This is your finished square size.

Once you know the size you want to make these squares you can figure out what size strips you need.

For the HST add .5" to the finished size, which is 4.5".
For the QSTs divide the finished square size in half, 4/2 = 2. Then add .5" to that number, which is 2.5"

So you will need a 4.5" strip of the fabric for the HST (purple) and a 2.5" strip of each of the 2 QST fabric (pink and orange).

Cut the HST's and QSTs by following the tutorials I have already posted. If you missed them you can find them on the Ruler Series Tutorial page here.

2. I find it helpful to layout the pieces so I know what part to sew.

3. Sew the 2 QST's together along the short sides as shown above. Press open. You have just made a HST out of 2 QSTs.

4. Place the 2 HST's next to each other before you sew to make sure your sewing on the correct line.

5. Sew along the long diagonal line, as you would any HST. Be sure not to pull the fabric or it will come out wonky. Press towards the purple.

6. These can be used to make a Turnstile block or as a border (like I am planning on doing).

There you go another way to make this block without drawing on the back of the fabric or having to square anything up.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for 2 Nifty Notions Rulers. Click here to enter.
Note - you can link anything up, but leaving a comment isn't an entry so please link up.

Till next time,

QST & HST = Flying Geese

2012-02-15T09:55:00.000-06:00

How do you make flying geese blocks? I know there are several different techniques out there from drawing on the back of a square to make the wings to having to square up your flying geese blocks after sewing them. But the technique I use is so much easier...no drawing on the back of blocks, no squaring up and virtually no wasted fabric.

Here's how:
1. Figure out what height size finished flying geese blocks you want to make. I wanted my blocks to be 4" high. Add a half inch and that is the size strips you will be working from. In my case the strips needed to be 4.5".
2. Cut a 4.5" strip of the geese fabric and of the sky fabric.
3. With the geese fabric, use the Nifty Notions Quarter Square Triangle (QST) ruler to cut your pieces. Cut 1 per flying geese block you want to make. Here's a tutorial on how to cut the QSTs.
4. With the sky fabric, use the Nifty Notions Half Square Triangle Ruler *HST) to cut the sky pieces. Cut 2 per flying geese block you want to make. Here's a tutorial on how to cut the HSTs.
This is what the pieces will look like.

5. Flip the right side sky piece (orange) over so the diagonals are aligned. This is your sewing line. Sew along the line and press towards the sky.

6. Repeat with the other piece of sky fabric. Press towards the sky.

There you go, a flying geese block that you don't have to draw any lines for or square up and has virtually no waste.

So what do you think? Are you ready to try this technique?

Don't forget to enter the giveaway to win a set of 2 rulers from Brewer Sewing. Just link up anything you have made with fabric. It doesn't have to have triangles in it but if you had a project with triangles I'd love to see it. You can find the link here.

Until next time

HST BOM

2012-02-14T16:51:00.000-06:00

Do you know what that means? If you are new to quilting or social media perhaps you might not. It means Half Square Triangle Block of the Month.

Now you know how Craizee I am for triangles...HST's, QSTs, any of them, so imagine how excited I was to see Jeni from In Color Order's blog. She is running the HST BOM!

If you are as Craizee about triangles as I am why not join me in this fun project.

Till next time,

Twisted Pinwheel Mug Rug

2012-02-14T11:08:00.000-06:00

Have you joined the Twist Along yet? After checking out flickr and pinterest it seems this is a pattern that is sweeping across the quilting world and I love it! And I am so excited to see how many of you have joined in the Twist Along.

Today I have a mug rug I made for a Valentine Craft Swap using the twister tool.

To make this I used:
1 - 5" x 5" white square
2 - 3" x 5" rectangles red
2 - 3" x 10" rectangles red
1 - 12" x 12" backing
1 - 12" x 12" batting
2 - 2.25" x WOF for binding
Lil Twister Ruler

Sew the 2 - 3" x 5" red rectangles to the opposite sides of the 5" x 5" white square. Press seams open.

Sew the 2 - 3" x 10" red rectangles to the other 2 sides of the block. Press seams open. Your block will now be 10" square.

Follow the directions on the twister ruler package to make your twisted pinwheel.

Quilt and bind as normal. I hand quilted this with size 8 perle cotton in light pink and red.

Here's a few more pics of other Twister Pinwheel mug rugs I made.

Don't forget to post your progress on the Twist Along to the Flickr page.

And remember to link up here to enter this weeks Nifty Notions Ruler giveaway.

Till Next Time,

Nifty Notion Ruler Week & Link Party!

2012-02-13T09:35:00.001-06:00

Welcome to another Nifty Notions Cut for the Cure Ruler week. I hope you are enjoying this monthly series. I know I love sharing my enthusiasm about these rulers.

This month I am doing things a little different. I am going to show you different borders you can make with the rulers we have gone over already. What prompted this? I joined the Swoon Along that I'm a Ginger Monkey is running. Instead of making 9 swoon blocks I decided to make 1 big one and add different borders to it. It started out at 48" x 48" and is currently 64' x 64".

I was inspired to try this approach when the Quilt Sitters quilting group at The Berry Patch did a border round robin. Each group was composed of 6 people. Everyone made an 18" center block and then the block was passed from person to person monthly to add borders to the block. Unfortunately the round robin started before I joined the group, but I learned so much from seeing the quilts. They all came out really nice. So I thought I would try something like that on my swoon quilt.

So that's where the idea was born, which carried over to this months Nifty Notions Ruler series.

Here's what the 48" x 48" swoon block looks like.

The first border I put on it was a 2" border in white to frame the quilt block. Then the fun started. I decided to use the Nifty Notions QST triangle ruler for this border. If you missed the tutorial on how to cut these squares you can find it here.

The first step was to figure out the quilt math to see how many QST's you will need. Thanks to @quiltjane and Gail at The Berry Patch I didn't make a big mistake. This is the first thing to do when making a pieced border. My quilt top at this point was 52" x 52". So I knew 4" QSTs would go into 52 with no remainder. I almost cut the strips 4", which would have been wrong since the finished QSTs would have been 3.5"! That would have been a nightmare. Luckily they set me straight and I made the QSTs from a 4.5" strip. Lesson learned...don't forget about that pesky little 1/4" seam allowance.

I also suggest drawing out the border on graph paper so that you know what color goes where and how many of each color you need.

Once I had the QSTs cut it was time to sew. Using this cutting method makes these QSTs so easy to sew together if you follow these steps.

1. Layout your QSTs in a row.

2. Take your first 2 QSTs, place them right sides together along the sewing line. Here's what to do to make sure the come out even. Line up the edge with the flat tab 1/4" away from the point at the end of the other QST. The flat tab is 1/4" so placing it where it fits exactly between the point edges gives you a 1/4" guide. This is where you will start sewing.

3. Starting at the place where the flat tab and the point meet begin sewing along the diagonal, remember not to pull or it will get wonky. It's a bias cut so it is very stretchy.

4. Finish sewing where the other flat tab and point meet.

5. Press the seam towards the second QST.

6. Take the next QST and place it right sides together along the sewing line to the piece you just made. There will still be a 1/4" seam marker both at the top where the point is and the bottom where the flat tab is. Sew the same as before and press towards the newly added QST.

7. This is what the seam should look like.

8. Continue until you have the desired number of QSTs in the row. If you need a straight edge at the beginning and end of the row, make one less QST and put a HST on each side. They sew on the same as the QST's.

Here's the QST border on the Swoon quilt. It's 60" x 60" at this point. I want to make it at least 80" x 80".

And what would a Nifty Notion Ruler week be without a giveaway?

This week you can win your choice of 2 of the 3 rulers I have showed you so far. That's a choice of the QST, HST or the 22.5 degree ruler! And there will be 2 winners!

To enter I want to see eye candy! It can be anything you made with fabric. If it has a triangle of some sort in it that would be even better. So post a link description of the project. You have until Friday the 17th at noon to enter. Then Mr. Random will pic 2 winners! So link up and be sure to visit the other links.

Twist for the week

2012-02-12T13:29:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the first week of Twist Along with Sha Quilt Along!

First some info...
1. There is a flickr page set up for this QAL http://www.flickr.com/groups/1879756@N24/

2. There's a Twist Along tab at the top bar of the blog, this is where all the links for the QAL can be found if you get lost along the way.

Now onto the fun!

This week is simple, but the most important one in a way.

You will need 36 - 10"x10" or 5"x5" squares to start with. You can use either a layer cake, charm pack or cut your own squares.

Once you have them all gathered together it's time to decide on the layout. You will be making a 6x6 grid (6 across and 6 down) so start playing around with a layout. The important thing to remember is that you want lots of contrast. Try to spread the lights and darks around so they don't touch each other, as well as squares that are the same color. The more contrast the better the pinwheels will be seen.

Once you get a pleasing layout, take a picture and look at it on your computer to get a better look at it. This way you can try different layouts if you want.

Now it's time to sew the rows together into a 36 patch. Here's a tutorial on making a 36 patch for those who need it.

That's all for this week. Here's what my 36 patch looks like.

I'd love to see your progress, why not post it to the flickr page?

Till next time,

Winner!!!

2012-02-12T12:30:00.000-06:00

Mr. Random picked this weeks winner...

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2012-02-12 18:20:42 UTC

Who is Jennie P! When looking at Jennies contact info I saw that she has a brand spanking new blog called Eclectically Delicious. Why not check it out?

Jennie P I have emailed you.

Thanks to everyone for playing along!

Nifty Notion Ruler week starts tomorrow, I'll be showing you borders you can easily make with the Nifty Notion rulers I have already done tutorials on.

And remember to come back later for the first installment of the Twist Along!

Then End of Sandy Gervais Week Part 2

2012-02-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

My second guest today is Karen from Badlands Quilts who has some adorable projects to show us today.

Hello, I'm Karen and I blog over at Badlands Quilts. Thank you Sharon for inviting me to share some of my projects using fabric designed by Sandy Gervais. I love to decorate my home for the various holidays, so I am drawn to many of Sandy's lines that are bright and seasonally themed. Above is a runner I made using Sandy's Flirtations fabric line. The runner design is from Anka's Treasures Little Charmers II pattern.

I had a few charms left and added a few solids from my stash to make this coordinating table square for my kitchen island this year.

My favorite line ever of Sandy's is Pumpkins Gone Wild. Here I used several charm packs to create a modern fall values style wall hanging,

This UFO is from a wonky log cabin quilt along a few year ago and uses Friendly Folks, which is an older line of Sandy's paired with an aqua kona. I do love the color combinations of this line...and think this should get moved up to the top of the UFO list for fall!

Thank you so much for stopping by and again to Sharon for inviting me over for a visit.

Thanks Karen for all that wonderful eye candy!

Come back at noon to see who won the Designer Select FQ kit giveaway. You have till noon today (Sunday) to enter.

And come back later today when the Twist Along starts!

Then End of Sandy Gervais Week Part 1

2012-02-12T06:00:00.000-06:00

Today I have 2 guests to share their Sandy Gervais quilts. I will be announcing the winner of the Designer Select FQ kit giveaway at noon today (Sunday) so be sure to enter now before time runs out.

First up is Jennifer Neal who blogs at The Bradford Quilt Company. I saw an adorable wall hanging on her blog and asked her to guest blog here today.

I would like to thank Sharon for letting me take part in her monthly series, this week devoted to Sandy Gervais. I have several inspirations for quilting, one is fabric (more of an obsession, than inspiration, really) and the other is being able to use my quilts to mix up my home decor. Sandy's fabric in particular is one of my favorites because she always has something new for the holidays, using bright colors, with whimsical accents.

I have made several quilts using Sandy's fabric, my first consisted of Sandy's L'Amour fabric, in a queen size "crazy" quilt pattern from Buggy Barn called Crazy Hearts.

The above picture was taken several years ago, when I was pinning the batting and backing, before I shoved it under my sewing machine and wrestled with it for weeks trying to quilt this giant! No one ever mentioned that muscles were a prerequisite to quilting! Today, the quilt is hanging in my bedroom... ready for Valentine's Day...

Here are a few additional pictures, I have to include the dog, I'm pretty sure he thought this one was made for him.

The most recent Sandy creation I have uses her Fall 2009 line - Essence. I really enjoyed this one, because it sat in my closet (of all places) for well over a year, waiting to be finished. About mid September, I was dragging out my fall decorations and thought I could use something new (but really old)... so I finished it up and here it is.... This is also one of Sandy's patterns, it came in a kit from the Fat Quarter Shop.

Again, I would like to thank Sharon for allowing me to participate and for everyone who endured my first guest blog, thanks!!

Don't you just LOVE that quilt and wall hanging?

Thanks for sharing that with us Jennifer.

See the next post for the second guest for today.

Retired & Quilting with Frolic

2012-02-11T08:00:00.024-06:00

If you are looking for the Designer Select FQ bundle giveaway click here

Today's visitor is Patti Shanks. I found Patti on flickr and just loved her Sandy Gervais quilt! I knew she would be a perfect addition to this week!

Hi Everyone!

Big thank you to Sharon for asking me to do a to guest post on her wonderful blog.

My name is Patti and I blog at www.retiredtoquilt.blogspot.com

This is my first ever guest post and I am so pleased that the topic is fabric!

More specifically, Sandy Gervais!

When I first started quilting (I am just into my 3rd year), I knew absolutely nothing about fabric and designers.

My eyes were opened in a big way when I discovered online quilt shops with all the newest fabric by amazing designers.

I started shopping....and shopping :-).

Sandy Gervais was one of the first fabric designers that I was immediately drawn to. I had no idea what I was going to make, but I had to have Frolic!!

Oh, the colours!!

The amazing array of designs!

Flowers, leaves, geometric design...

It was love at first sight for me.

It wasn't until I started making a baby quilt which I named Kissing Koi, using a fabulous tutorial by Lee at Freshly Pieced, that I became more aware of scale, and since the HST's finished at 2", I was thrilled that none of the fabric design was lost in the finished quilt.

I had quite a few of the Frolic prints and a couple of Sandy's Plaids, so most of the quilt is made from her fabric lines.

I did have to supplement a few other fabrics to make all the fish.

Okay now, please don't look too closely at my piecing! Ha! I still consider myself a beginner....I am wondering how long that feeling lasts!!

Seriously, how cute are these darn fish!!

Here is the finished quilt.....

This baby quilt measures 39"x50"

Thanks again to Sharon for a wonderful week of Sandy Gervais, and for inviting me to do a guest post.

I've had an amazing time here.

In the interest of full disclosure......I also made a quilt using Giddy!!

Yup! I'm a Sandy Gervais addict!

Thanks Patti, I just love that quilt!

Remember to enter the giveaway for the Designer Select Sassy kit. You have till tomorrow morning at noon.

More Lollipop Fun!

2012-02-10T08:00:00.008-06:00

If you are looking for the Fat Quarter Shop giveaway click here.

Today Jane Davidson from Quilt Jane is here to show you her Lollipop quilt. This quilt first appeared on Moda Bake Shop Over a year ago and is a pattern I have been wanting to make. I think I will finally have to work on it soon.

Sharon Pernes from Craizee Corners has invited me to join in the her spotlight on Sandy Gervais. Sandy is a very talented designer for Moda that has dazzled the quilting world with her bright and cheery fabric collections. One of my all time favourites of Sandy's is Lollipop. It is a cheeky range of fun designs that come together in a rainbow of turquoise, orange, golds, reds, chocolates and creamy white.

For my first ModaBakeShop project I selected Lollipop to make this simple baby quilt / play mat.

A very achievable design for the beginner quilter, introducing them to simple piecing, applique and embroidery techniques.

I usually give away the quilts I have made but this little quilt has a special place in my quilting journey and will remain with me forever.

To coincide with my blog post today, I have listed in my little e-shop, five Lollipop kits. The kit has 2 Lollipop Charm packs and Lollipop yardage for the backing and binding. Team that up with the MBS tutorial - Lollipop Quilt - and you will have one cute quilt.

Thank you Sharon for inviting me to showcase my Lollipop quilt and the fabulous fabrics of Sandy Gervais.

Don't forget to look out for Sandy's new collections to be released soon, Merry Medley, Monster Bash and Phenomenal Falls.

Thanks for visiting Craizee Corners today Jane, that is one adorable quilt!
Come back tomorrow to see what great things Patti from Retired To Quilt has in store for you.

Day 4 of Sandy Gervais Week

2012-02-09T08:00:00.003-06:00

If you are looking for the giveaway click here.

Today's guest blogger is Aubrey from Mauby's (say that 3 times fast). Aubrey has an amazing amount of tutorials on her blog, about all different types of fabric things, several were made with Sandy's fabric. Take it away Aubrey...

I cannot remember the first line of Sandy's that I fell in love with, but I know that each one I have seen has spoken to me as a sewist/quilter. When I started to read Sandy's blog I fell even more in love with her work! She's a little bit goofy, definitely witty, and so talented!

And in case she is reading this, just want to take a moment and say, "HI! Sandy! Love your work!"

Throughout 2011 I wrote one tutorial a week and several of them featured Sandy's lines, I figured a good way to go over my love affair with Sandy's fabrics is to show you all some of these projects.

To start there was my Valentine Mug Rug which is a great small project to start on and just perfect for the upcoming holiday! Whip one up for the one you love! :)

The fabric in the mug rug is from the L'Amour line which I fell absolutely in love or amour with (insert my own dorky chuckles here)!

You can see some more prints from the L'Amour fabric line in this apron I designed. The pink swirls were fabulous and the little red hearts on the chocolate canvas, wow! This remains my favorite valentine line of all time!

Valentine Apron

I have a fascination with charm packs, I just adore those piles of 5" squares, and coming up with things to do with them. This line goes awhile back (about 5 years or so) from 2007, Celebrate Spring. I was just about to say how much I liked this line, and stopped realizing that I love ALL of Sandy's lines. Easter is really just around the corner, so here's another small project to put together a Candy Pouch:

Here are a few more items I put together with Celebrate Spring charm squares:

Women's Wallet:

Hair Tie:

And to finish I have to tell you all how much I really loved Frolic! I made a lot of stuff for myself from that line! Re-usable snack bags, light weight scarves, a quick wall hanging. So many fun things!

I still think this little wall hanging is a 10 on the super cute scale!

I thought I put together more tutorials using it, but I must have used up so much for myself that I only had enough fabric to put together one, the Tiny Ruffle Purse:

So that's a quick overview of my obsession with Sandy Gervais fabric lines. If you haven't read her blog you definitely check it out here: http://piecesfrommyheart-sgervais.blogspot.com/. Happy (almost) Valentines day! My little guy and I are going to make some honey sweetened chocolates - Yum! Maybe we will wrap them in my L'Amour scraps - how fabulous would that be??

That's some great eye candy,huh? And the best part is that now you have more fun tutorials to use, Be sure to check out Aubrey's other tutorials on her blog and tell her that Sha sent you!

Tomorrow Quilt Jane visits to show us her Lollipop quilt that was featured on Moda Bake Shop (Yay another free pattern!).

And don't forget about the Twist Along starting soon.

Rachaels Lollipops

2012-02-08T08:00:00.006-06:00

If you are looking for the giveaway from The Fat Quarter Shop click here.

Today I'd like to welcome Rachael Arnold back to Craizee Corners! Today she shares her Lollipop quilt made with what else...Sandy's Lollipop fabric line.

Thanks to Sha for having me back to talk about more gorgeous fabric! I’m Rachael, and I talk about all the stuff I make over at raevenfea.com. These days, when I’m not working my 9–5 Web Development gig, I can usually be found sewing, helping remodel our house, sewing, or doing something sewing-related. Okay, and maybe reading (not necessarily about sewing!).

Last spring, I was walking through a LQS thinking that once again, the trip was going to be a bust. There was nothing that fit the idea I had for a quilt I needed to start. But during one last pass, I saw this forlorn looking roll of fabric on a table. It wouldn’t work for what I was shopping for, but the colors and design just kept calling to me. They were fun without being over the top, kid-appropriate without screaming “kids fabric”.

The fabric? Sandy Gervais’ Lollipop line cut into a sort of home-made semi-Jelly Roll that was probably made of scraps (~40 22” strips that ranged from 2.5–3” wide). I didn’t know what I would do with it, but I just couldn’t leave it there.

It sat around for a while, until I was so tired of other projects and deadlines and really just wanted something simple and fun to work on. I dug through my box of stash and found the Lollipop roll. Again, the colors and patterns called “fun, fun, fun, no stress.” Perfect for my state of mind. So, I started sewing the strips together end to end with no goal in mind. Then I sewed the huge strip together side to side, again and again. Then I cut it up a bit, sewed it back together, and ended up with a great baby quilt that was simple to make, simply designed, and so much fun with that fabric (by the way, Gütterman’s Cream-Yellow-Orange variegated thread matches the creams, yellows and oranges in this line perfectly).

The only sad part? I used the whole roll with no leftovers! I love the simplicity of most of these prints. The textures are great, and a lot of the simpler patterns would make wonderful bindings or fill in great with other fabrics in a quilt for someone of any age. My fingers are crossed that I’ll come across more in the future.

While Lollipop is her only collection that has passed through my sewing room thus far, Sandy Gervais’ designs are packed with a sort of fun, almost-nostalgic whimsy that brightens my mood whenever I see them. I can’t wait to see what more she has in store.

As for the Lollipop quilt, it found a new home with my local chapter of Project Linus this past holiday season—I hope it made its way to a little someone and brightened their mood as it did mine.

Thanks Rachael, the quilt is adorable and I am sure making someone very happy right now. I never got any of this line, I think it came out before my quilting life began, but I sure would love to find some now.

I have some other fun news today...

Today I am guest blogging at Sew Sweetness. Sara is doing a week of tutorials from her followers and today is my turn.

My tutorial is for another valentine mug rug, yes I know I was obsessed with V-Day this year.

I hope you go visit Sara and tell her Sha sent you!
Come back tomorrow to see what Audrey from Mauby's has to share.

Twist Along Flickr Page

2012-02-07T11:05:00.003-06:00

I hope your ready to Twist with me!

I have started a Flickr page so we can all upload our pics.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1879756@N24/

Sue From Sweet Jane's here!

2012-02-07T08:00:00.005-06:00

If you are looking for the giveaway click here.

Today Sue from Sweet Jane's Quilting and Design is here to talk about a quilt she made with Sandy'snewest line Sassy. I recently found Sue's patterns while 'window shopping' at Fat Quarter Shop :) Her patterns are great! I already have a few on my todo list now!

Thank you Sharon for asking me to share my Sandy Gervais quilt on your Blog! I LOVE Sandy Gervais! I think I bought 3 fat quarter bundles of Frolic, my ALL TIME FAVORITE line of fabric!

I am a quilt pattern designer, and my company name is "Sweet Jane’s". I love looking at Flickr and all of the improvised quilts that people make. There are so many talented quilters out there that just follow their instincts and make beautiful quilts that are one of a kind and amazing! I wanted to try to write a pattern that let people make an "improvised" one of a kind quilt, but with the guidance of a pattern! I decided to write a pattern that uses random lengths of strips. As long as they end up measuring 2 ½" wide, you can use them. It is really a perfect scrap quilt, but I wrote the pattern for layer cakes and fat quarters as well.

I had a lot of fun making the quilts for the pattern. I toyed with the width of sashing to use between the blocks. I thought 2 ½" wide was too little, so I made this quilt with a 3" sashing and I think it is perfect. I also thought putting a border on it would be too busy. It has enough going on in the body of the quilt! My pattern is called "Sassy Frass", I incorporated the "Sassy" fabric name. My friend named it for me, I am terrible at thinking up the names!

Thanks for listening to me chat about my work! Happy quilting!

Thanks Sue for showing us that fun and Sassy quilt! If you are interested in purchasing any of her patterns you can find them in her etsy shop or at The Fat Quarter Shop.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a Designer Select FQ kit!

Come back tomorrow for another visit by Rachael Arnold!

Jacqueline is Frolicing for us!

2012-02-06T08:32:00.002-06:00

If you are looking for the giveaway click here.

Today my friend Jacqueline, who blogs at Handmade with Love, is here to share all her great projects. I met J in real life in October at Fall Market, we had a ball going around to all the booths together. Shes also a wonderful quilter and sewist as you will see.

You know that warm fuzzy feeling you get from a soft blankie or a new pair of jammies?? Yeah. THAT feeling. Well, I just so happened to get the same one when I received an order from eBay. Random, right?? It was when I first started sewing diligently - so, maybe 3 years ago? I had bid on something called a 'charm pack' and pretty much had said if I like it I like it, If I don't, I don't - I wasn't attached, ya know? So, I get this envelope and open it. I instantly fell in love. It was two charm packs (Yes, I had figured out what they were by the time they got here) of L'amour by Sandy Gervais.

Cute, right? Makes you just say 'awwweeee!' So I had it. And there it sat. For years. (Yes I just said years) As in this line came out in 2009 and I didn't use it until 2011 - and it was NEW JUST OUT when I bought it.

I had decided to do a quilt-a-long with Melanie (formerly of Above All Fabric) to make this quilt. I figured, its cute, its simple, I HAVE the materials, LETS DO THIS!!

Well.... I got as far as the 9-patches. And there it sat. And sat. And sat some more. Then I found out that my friend was having a bouncing baby girl. HOORAYY! Reason to finish!! The finish came out fantastic.

For those of you on Twitter (@jmmaxman here) you may have seen that I posted that the hubs was shopping in my stash. He was shopping for the sashing fabric because he tells me at the 11th hour that he didn't like what I had chosen. "It looks dirty - change it" Gee, if it were that simple! Well, it was that simple. He chose the light blue and its growing on me. Baby Brinlynn will look fantastic snuggled on it with her dark hair.

On another note, I have this AMAZING tree in my front yard - the documentation on this area puts this walnut tree at over 150 years old. We don't run the air conditioning in the summer. At all. Even in over 100* weather.

AND it makes for great photos.

At Christmas time year before last I got the wild idea to make my Gram a quilt. She is a quilter. Or she was until her eyesight became too poor. She says she misses it. I now understand what she means. I would miss it too. I had purchased a jelly roll of Frolic by Sandy Gervais at the LQS. I had NO idea what I was going to do with it, but I loved it. Instantly. Frolic spoke to my inner child. The funky flowers, the swirls, the colors. They reminded me of the wild flowers with the yellows, greens, and orangey-reds from when I was a kid on the ranch. Yes, I was a ranch kid. So, my Gram got a quilt.

(You can see her hair pokin out the top!)

I used a Moda Bakeshop recipe. I cannot remember which. (SORRY!) I backed it with red cuddles.

She loved it. She sat and had a little cry over it. She sniffled a little and shared that no one had made her a quilt since her mamma did for her wedding to my Grouchy Poppa. That made me tear up. It was such an awe-struck feeling to make her feel that good. AND she loved the fabric. I was a little worried that she wouldn't - its a little modern, a little funky, but she seriously LOVED it.

THIS Christmas I used scraps to make some zippy pouches for the teen girls in my life - I filled them with goodies and away they went. Well, all except this one. Which just happens to be some Frolic left overs...

Isn't it cute!!! This one I think I'm keeping. My mom has tried stealing it already!! Or maybe she just wanted the leftover Christmas candy that had been stashed in it... I do love me some Hershey's kisses!!

I hope everyone has a GREAT week!!

Make sure to stop back in at Sha's blog to see the rest of what she has goin' on for her

Sandy Gervais spotlight!

Jacqueline

Don't you just love those quilts? And the bag is adorable. I have some left over frolic too, guess what I'll be making with it?

Thank J for sharing this with us! If you are new to Jacquelines blog you should check out her post today and tell her Sha sent you.

Remember to enter the giveaway for a Designer Select FQ kit. Click here to enter.

Come back tomorrow for some more Sandy Gervais fun.

It's Sandy Gervais Week!

2012-02-05T08:00:00.045-06:00

First of all...GO GIANTS!!!

Ok now that I got that out back to our reguilarly scheduled program...

This month's Designer Select series is on Sandy Gervais. Her newest line Sassy is just the latest in a long line of great fabric designs. This Fat Quarter Shop exclusive kit is a great mixture of all the wonderful colors and patterns in this line.

When I first started quilting Sandy's Nautical and Nice line was brand new. The LQS here told me that I bought over half the fabric they had of this great line. I didn't buy it all at once, it was over about 6 months...I just kept going back for more.

I grew up sailing and have always loved anything nautical. I made 2 quilts with this fabric, one for my Dad and one for my Nephew Henry James. I thought it would be fun if they had matching quilts. Sadly I forgot to take a pic of the quilt for Henry, but here's a pic of the one I made for my Dad.

Then came Frolic. I made 2 quilts from that line. These are still just quilt tops, but I plan on quilting them soon. They are for my husbands Dad and Step-Mom. I wanted to make them matching quilts to use in their basement living room.

And you know how Craizee I am for table runners. I found an adorable pattern on Moda Bake Shop and made a table runner using Awesome. It's called Petits Fours Table Runner.

As for Sassy, I plan on making a Twister Quilt for the Twist Along starting next week.
And I really want to make this adorable runner.

And as if that isn't enough she has 2 more line coming out this year...
Merry Melody, due out in July and Phenomenal Fall, due out in June.

This week I have a bunch of guest bloggers who are going to show you their projects made with Sandy's fabrics.

And what would Designer Select week be without a GIVEAWAY?!?

This months giveaway from The Fat Quarter shop is a Designer Select FQ kit from the Sassy line!

There's 2 ways to enter:

Note - you must be a follower of Craizee Corners, but you don't get a entry for that, it's just a pre-requisite.

1. Go to the Fat Quarter Shop's Sassy page and tell me what fabric you think I should use as the border on my Twister Quilt.
2. Tell me which It's Sew Emma pattern is your favorite.

There you have it...2 ways to enter. You have until February 12th (Sunday) at noon CST to enter. Then Mr. Random will pick a winner!

Twister Quilt Along - the sample quilt

2012-02-04T09:10:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I announced the Twister QAL and I am so thrilled that so many of you are going to join in the fun!

You motivated me to make my first twister quilt yesterday. I decided to try the smaller ruler first. It was so easy to make. Here's the quilt top. I did a 6x6 grid, the outside charms all were the same color. Then I added the green border after it was all put together.

The charm pack I used was Tend The Earth by Deb Strain and the solidish fabric is Painters Canvas by Michael Miller.

I am already hooked on this ruler...I can see lots of twisty quilts in my future.

Are you going to join me for this QAL? Here's the original post with all the info so far.

Twister Quilt-Along

2012-02-03T08:00:00.009-06:00

A few months ago a friend of mine from Quilt Sitters at The Berry Patch in Fort Worth showed me a quilt that she made with one of these rulers.

You all know how I love rulers, I knew I just had to have these. And you know how I have been wanting to make something scrappy? I think this is the perfect first step for me to take in my scrappiness journey.

So how about joining me? All you need is a layercake and 1 1/4 yard of fabric for a border and the big ruler or a charm pack and 1/2 yard of fabric for a border and the lil twister ruler. I ordered mine from The Fat Quarter Shop and with how fast they ship you would have the ruler in no time at all.

Here's the link for the ruler http://www.fatquartershop.com/store/stores_app/Browse_dept_items.asp?T=1&Store_id=499&page_id=17

This Quilt Along will start on Feb 12th and will run for 4 weeks.

So how about it, are you ready to do the twist?

Floating Squares Quilt Pattern

2012-02-02T08:00:00.002-06:00

Introducing my newest pattern...Floating Squares

71" x 80

You will need:

4 yards brown fabric
1 ¾ yards orange fabric
1 ¼ yards cream fabric
4 yards backing fabric

Cutting Directions:

All strips are cut WOF (Width of fabric)
14 - 5" strips brown, sub cut 7 strips into 56 - 5" squares
4 - 2 ½" strips brown, sub cut into 56 - 2.5" squares
8 - 3 ½" strips brown for the border
7 - 5" strips cream, sub cut into 56 - 5" squares
7 - 5" strips orange
8 - 1 ½" strips orange for the border
9 - 2 ¼ strips brown for the binding

Making the 4 patch blocks:
With 7 brown strips and 7 orange strips sew a 5" strip of brown to a 5" strip of orange along the long side.
Press towards the brown.
Sub cut the strips into 5" pieces making each piece 5" x 9 ½".
Repeat with the other 6 strips to make 56 pieces.

Sew the 56 pieces together to make 28 brown and orange 4 patches

Making the Bowtie blocks:

First you need to get your machine ready. Do you have a marked line or a piece of tape along your 1/4" line? Just about everyone I know around here does. What you do is put your needle in the down position and raise your presser foot. Insert a ruler against the needle and lower your presser foot. Line up a line on your ruler perpendicular to a line on your machine table so you know your ruler is straight, ie. the 4" line on the ruler. Then with a fine point sharpie draw a line against the ruler or place a 1/4" piece of tape in the same spot. I didn't have any 1/4" tape when I did this so I used a piece of painters tape that I cut with my rotary cutter to 1/4". And don't worry about the sharpie, you can always remove it with denatured alcohol.

With the 56 cream 5" squares and the 56 brown 2 ½" squares:

Place the brown 2 ½" squares on the top right corner of a cream 5" square. Make sure they edges are even.

Start sewing at the place where the top left corner of the brown square begins. Keep the bottom right part of the brown square even with the tape line on your machine and continue sewing till you reach the bottom right point of the brown square.

Make 56 of these

Trim the brown triangle piece that is closest to the cream point off. In other words the part you will not see. This will keep the integrity of the square in case your points are a little wonky

Press the points over and you will have 56 connector squares

Sew a connector square to a brown 5" square. Be sure they are sewn together like the picture below. Make 56 sets.

Sew 2 sets into a 4 patch to make the bowtie blocks. Make 28 blocks.

Putting it all together:

Using the diagram below sew 4 rows like this, pressing towards the left

and 4 rows like this, pressing towards the right.

Then sew the rows together

Adding the borders:

Sew 2 orange 1 ½" strips together along the short side. Make 4 sets of these. Sew the 2 side borders on and then the top and borders on.

Sew 2 brown 3 ½" strips together along the short side. Make 4 sets. Sew the 2 side borders on and then the top and bottom borders on.

Baste. Quilt and Bind as you would like.

I hope you enjoy this pattern!

Valentines Day Showcase

2012-02-01T08:00:00.013-06:00

Today I am kicking off the Valentines Day Showcase at Sew Bitter Sweet Designs!

The tutorial I am doing for the Showcase is the Love Braids table runner that I showed you during V-Week.

Be sure to hop on over to the Sew Bitter Sweet Blog, Michelle has an awesome giveaway starting today!

Here's the rest of the Valentines Day Showcase Bloggers:

February 2nd – Connie from Quilting by the River
February 3rd – Vicki from Sassy Blog
February 6th – Kris from I don’t have a problem, I have a well-rounded fabric stash!
February 7th – Melissa from Sew BitterSweet Designs
February 8th – Debbe from Pieces to Love
February 9th – Lyanna from Purple Panda Quilts
February 10th – Jenna from SewHappyGeek
February 13th – Lisa – future food and craft blogger
February 14th – Michele from Quilting Gallery

Be sure to visit their blogs everyday too and tell them Sha sent you!

And speaking of Valentines projects I took part in a Valentines Day Craft from And Sew We Craft. Here's a pic of the mug rug I made for my swapee. To find out how I made this check back in February during the Twist Along!

Here's My Yellow Cherry

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000-06:00

Have you heard of the Made In Cherry Quilt-a-long that Pins and Bobbins is hosting?

The pattern is by Sarah Fielke and is available for free on the Lecien blog. Here's a link to it. I have been wanting to make a big star quilt and joined as soon as I saw this QAL. The directions on the Made In Cherry QAL blog are very well written and easy to follow.

I decided to use my Sunny Happy Skies FQ bundle for this quilt. I have a friend who is becoming a Grandma for the first time in February and I thought this would make a perfect Grandma quilt.

It's a fairly easy pattern, just uses squares and a few HSTs. Of course I used my trusty HST ruler instead of drawing on the back of the squares to get the HST pieces, but other than that I followed the directions precisely. Its a wonderfully written pattern. For those of you that use HST rulers, the HST pieces are cut from the same size strip as the squares you are using. I made the 60" quilt so I cut the HSTs from a 3.5" strip. I found it so easy to just cut a few HSTs from the 3.5" strips while I was cutting the squares.

I even know how I am going to quilt this, although the baby may be a toddler by the time I'm done quilting it. I am going to do a star echo, about 1" apart.

I'd love to see your Made in Cherry quilts. If you are just hearing of this now check out all the other great quilts on the Made in Cherry Flickr page.

Scrappy

2012-01-30T10:08:00.000-06:00

Do you like scrappy quilts or a more organized look?

You might have noticed that my quilting style is not scrappy at all. Even when I attempt to have a scrappy look I take lots of time to place each piece in the exact right place. I like to call it 'organized chaos'.

This past fall I somehow amassed a bunch of FQ bundles. Some I got at Sample Spree at Fall Market, some I got from giveaways and some I got from The Fat Quarter Shops Designer Select club while a few I just had to have. While I love FQ bundles they don't lend themselves to an organized look, unless I want to get some background or coordinating fabric. Right now I really want to use the FQ bundles without other fabric added. I see it as a challenge to grow as a quilter.

And therein lies my problem. I just can't seem to do scrappy, even though I really want to. I think it would be fun to just sew and not 'worry' about if a piece goes with the piece next to it. Not only would it be fun, but it might be a little bit more relaxing, who knows.

So I need your help. I need some pattern suggestion, hints on how to make scrappy quilts and lots of eye candy to inspire me to start using those FQ bundles. I am planning on making a quilt with the Yellow Brick Road pattern by Atkinson's Designs. I think it's perfect for the Sandy Gervais Designer Select bundle, made with Sassy fabric . But that's as far as my plans go.

I'm ashamed to list all the FQ bundles I have to use. I have never been one that had a stash, all that unused fabric makes me sad and a little guilty, so imagine how I feel about these FQ bundles. But I am going to swallow my pride and list them anyway.
So here goes...

Bunny Hill - Puttin' on The Ritz Designer Select bundle
Aqua Red by Michael Miller
Anne Kelle - Zoology Designer Select bundle
Fig Tree - Butterscotch and Roses Designer Select bundle
Daisy Dance
Pam Kitty Morning
Bold and Beautiful
Daisy Cottage
Twirl
A Stitch in Color
Pear Tree
Stockholm
No Bullying
Flower Shop I Heart
Amelia
Ruby
Little Apples

So it's your turn now...inspire me please.

V-Week Winner!

2012-01-28T09:51:00.000-06:00

I hope you all enjoyed V-Week here at Craizee Corners, I know I had fun working with all this happy fabric!

I enjoyed hearing about all your Valentine memories, we have some true romantics among us :)

The winner of the Darling Heart Garden FQ bundle is

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2012-01-28 15:39:05 UTC

Gwen!

She said "Favorite Valentine's memory.... I think that would be making Valentine decorated sugar cookies with my girls when they were young and still at home... They've all grown up and moved away now... well, I *do* still have *one* at home, but she's in college now... Thank you for the giveaway! :-)"

Congrats Gwen! I have emailed you :)

As always a BIG thank you to The Fat Quarter Shop for their sponsorship and for their great service and fabrics!!!

Yesterday I was a Basket Case

2012-01-27T08:18:00.000-06:00

If you are looking for the Darling Heart FQ bundle giveaway click here.

I admit it, yesterday I was a basket case! Not the Craizee kind, although I am that from time to time :). But I took a fabric basket class and yes at times it did drive me Craizee.

I love the classes at The Berry Patch in Fort Worth and take them often. They have just about every type of class having to do with fabric I can think of. From quilting techniques to smocking and from sewing cute little things to embroidery.

In yesterdays class we made an adorable fabric basket. We used the Biscuit Basket pattern by Aunties Two. And since I was in full out V-Day mode I used some of the leftover jelly roll strips from Always & Forever. I was a lot of fun to make, and I always enjoy the classes at The Berry Patch. I always meet new people and see old friends when I go there. If you live in North Texas its definitely worth the drive to go there.

I hope you enjoyed V-Week here on Craizee Corners. I'd love to know if you make any of these projects.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a FQ bundle of Darling Heart Garden from The Fat Quarter Shop. the giveaway ends tonight at 11:59 PM. If you missed it here's the link again. http://craizeecorner.blogspot.com/2012/01/its-v-week.html

I'm a Snake Charmer Now

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

If you are looking for the Darling Heart FQ bundle giveaway click here.

I admit it...I am a new snake charmer :)

No I don't mean real snakes (just the fact that I can type that word is a big step for me) but I did charm some charm squares into a cute quilt top.

I used the Snake Charmer pattern by Little Louise Designs. The great thing about this pattern is that its available as a PDF from The Fat Quarter Shop! This is my favorite way to purchase patterns. I can save them to IBooks on my Ipad and have it ready whenever I need it.

Instead of a charm pack, I used 7 FQ's from my Darling Heart Garden FQ bundle and made it a little wider and longer. The pattern is so easy that adding to the quilt is easy. There's no real quilt math to do.

And it uses one of my favorite techniques, connectors. If you missed my connector tutorial you can find it here.

You might have noticed that it's not all the way done yet, there's 2 reasons for that (aka my excuses):
1. I have been slaving away trying to finish my son Tyler's quilt before he goes back to school. I'm very sad to say that I did not accomplish that goal, but I'm very close. All I have left to do is the binding. It's a new Original Craizee Corner pattern so I can't share it until I get it all finished and written up. But Tyler loves it and I hope you will too.
2. I decided on a single fabric border and didn't order it until Sunday. Here's what I am using for the border.

This fabric is from the other colorway in the Heart Garden line called Beloved Heart Garden. I want the border to pull any red out of the snakes to make it pop more.

But I do plan on finishing this quilt this weekend. I am going to send it to my Mom for Valentines Day.

I also want to share an email I got from a follower yesterday. Alyce wrote me:

Awww, so pretty!!
I just wanted to share my creation from last night inspired by your mug rug yesterday!
http://justsewblossom.blogspot.com/2012/01/valentines-mug-rug-candy-love-hearts.html

I was so excited to learn that Alyce used Monday's tutorial to make her own mug rug. She modified it a bit, which I think is awesome and something I do often. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, well this just about knocked my socks off! As a blogger you never know if anyone's really reading the blog or if you are reaching anyone. This totally made my day, along with the other great comments y'all left this week. If you make any of these projects I'd love to hear and see them too :)

Here's my question for today, what would you make if you won this awesome FQ bundle of Darling Heart Garden from the Fat Quarter Shop?

Come back tomorrow for another V-Week project. I have to tell you a secret...It's not done yet. I am taking a class tomorrow and that will be the last project for the week.

Valentine Table Runner & Where I'll Be

2012-01-25T09:58:00.000-06:00

If you are looking for the Darling Heart Garden FQ bundle giveaway click here.

Do you cook for your someone special on Valentines day? I do. I plan the menu for days and make a big deal of it. We eat at the grown ups table with real plates and silverware and everything :)

I don't know how this happened, but with all the table runners I have made I've never made a V-Day one. Well that has changed. I now have this table runner to use every year!

It's made the same way as the Mug Rug from Monday.

I can't give you the tutorial just yet, that has to wait till February 1st when I kick off the Valentines Day Showcase at Sew Bitter Sweet Designs.

Another guest blog post I have coming up is on February 8th. I'll be sharing another tutorial for a fun Valentines project at Sew Sweetness' Blog.

And my Valentines projects will end with a Red/White project as part of the Quilters With Modern Tools blog hop. If you are not familiar with this group head on over the Insights From SewCalGal blog and check it out.

But if you just can't wait for the tutorial here's a hint...
The center is 8.5" and the strips are from a jelly roll.

I hope you are enjoying this series, I know it makes me happy to work on these projects with all this great fabric filled with hearts and stuff.

Valentine Goody Bag

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-06:00

If you are looking for the giveaway click here.

Have you joined any swaps this year? I joined a few and one of them is a bag swap. Since I am in heart mode I decided to make my swapee a heart themed bag.

One of the Valentine fabric lines that The Fat Quarter Shop has is Smitten by Barb Tourtillotte. I just love the way she mixed red, pink and aqua with a fun theme.

When I saw this line I immediately knew what I wanted to make with it.

This bag is so easy to make, you don't even need a zipper foot.

You will need to make an 11" x 12" front and the same size back. Be creative anything works, as long as it measures 11" x 12"

You will also need
1 - 14" zipper
2 pieces of batting cut 12" x 13"
2 pieces of fabric for the inside of the bag cut 12" x 13"
1 - 1 1/2" x 8" piece of fabric that matches the zipper

Make a quilt sandwich with the inside fabric wrong side up, the batting and the front of the bag facing wrong side down (just like for a regular quilt). Repeat with the back. Pin around the edges and quilt.

Trim the front to 10" x 11". Then place the front on top of the back and trim the same size. If you have side seams make sure they are trimmed the same distance from the top and bottom so when you sew the bag together they match.

Preparing the zipper

Take the 1 ½” x 8” piece that matches the color of the zipper and press it in half width wise. Then open it up and press the sides to the center. This will be a double folded piece of bias tape. Cut into 2 – 4” pieces.

Sew across the zipper to keep the 2 pieces in place and then trim close to the seam you just sewed.

Then nestle the cut zipper piece inside the bias tape you just made and sew very close to the left side of the fold. No need for a zipper foot here. Trim the bias tape even with the edges of the zipper.

Cut the zipper 1" less than the top edge of the front panel. Make sure the zipper pull is inside before you cut.

Repeat to finish the other side of the zipper. Here's a pic of a zipper from another project (sorry I forgot this pic)

Adding the zipper:
Note – you do not need a zipper foot for this but I do recommend you use your all purpose foot and not your ¼” foot. You will be doing a zig zag stitch and the ¼” foot might not be able to do a zig zag stitch.

Lay the front of the bag outside piece up on your surface. Put the zipper with the pull side down along the top edge of the front of your bag. Make sure the zipper is centered along the top (about ½” in from the sides).

Sew along the top edge halfway between the zipper teeth and the edge. Backstitch a few stitches at the beginning and end of the seam.

Now it’s time to finish that raw edge. Set your machine to the zig-zag stitch and sew. The left side of the stitch will be on the fabric and the right side will be right past the fabric so the entire raw edge will be covered. When done select the straight stitch again.

Flip the zipper up so it is above the front of the bag and with a straight stitch sew a line right below the zipper, making sure to catch the finished edge of the zipper underneath.

Repeat with the other side of the bag, being sure to attach the zipper to the outside part.

You will then have a piece that looks like this:

Finishing the bag:

Before you go any further make sure the zipper is at least ½” opened.

With the insides of the bag facing out (or right sides together) pin along the sides and bottom of the bag. Make sure to match up any side seams. Sew along the sides and bottom. Backstitch a few stitches at the start and finish. Finish these raw edges with a zig zag stitch just like before.

Making the gusset:

Fold the bottom right seam up to the right side seam and pin. Make sure the seams are lined up so they match.

Measure 2" from the point and draw a line from side to side. Repeat on the other side of the bag. Sew along the lines, trim 1/4" away and finish the seam with a zig zag stitch.

Turn the bag right side out and there you go!

Here's the bottom and side views.

The great thing about this pattern is that it can be used to make any size zipper bag from a IPod or cell phone case to an IPad case to large accessory bags. The skies the limit.

Come back tomorrow for another V-Week project.

It's V-Week!

2012-01-23T08:00:00.007-06:00

Welcome to Valentines Week here at Craizee Corners! I thought I would live up to my name and really get 'Craizee' this week. I have some valentines projects to show you and in plenty of time to get your Valentine projects done.

And what would a special week be without a special way to win some wonderful V-Day fabric of your own? Fat Quarter Shop has graciously given me a FQ set of Darling Heart Garden to give away!

Isn't this fabric yummy? But this is not the only V-Day fabric that Fat Quarter Shop has, there's several other lines so be sure to check it out.

Today's V-Week project is a mug rug. I love mug rugs and I am in several swaps so this one will be going to someone special.

Love Braids

You will need
1 - 3 1/2" square white
2 - 2" x 3 1/2" rectangles each of dark pink, white, light pink and red. (Piece A)
4 - 2" squares of red
2 - 2" x 14" of red

1. Sew a red 2" square to 1 dark pink 2" x 3 1/2" rectangles (piece A). Press towards the dark pink. Repeat with 1 white, light pink and red. These will be called piece B.

Note - All seams are pressed away from the 3 1/2" square from now on. I finger pressed everything until the end.

2. Sew a dark pink piece A to one side of the White 3 1/2" square.

3. Sew the dark pink piece B, that you just made, to the adjoining side of the square.

4. Add the white piece A, starting at the red square point. Sew it to the same side as the dark pink piece A.

5. Add the White piece B the same way as in step 3.

6. Continue adding the other 2 sets of pieces until all 4 are added.

7. Press the mug rug now. Here's a pic of what the back should look like.

8. Now it's time to trim the mug rug. Line up the ruler 1/4" away from where the 2 pieces meet, which should be where the inside point is (where the seam ripper is pointing. Do this on both sides.

9. Sew a 2" x 14" red rectangle onto each long side. Start sewing with a 1" overhang so you have room to trim. Press

10. Trim the excess off of all diagonal corners. Use the corner of the square as a guide to make sure the angle is correct. Line up a line on the ruler with the bottom straight edge of the mug rug and line the right side edge of the ruler with the right side of the square. Trim all 4 pieces this way.

11. Quilt and bind as normal.

Easy right?

Now for the giveaway!

To win the FQ Bundle of Darling Heart Garden you must be a follower, but you do not get an entry for that, it's just a pre-requisite.

1. Go to the Fat Quarter Shop Valentines page and tell me which FQ set you like the best.

2. Tell me your favorite valentines memory.

There you go 2 ways to enter!

Entries will be accepted until Friday January 27th at 11:59 pm. Mr. Random will pick a winner on Saturday morning once my coffee has kicked in.

If you would like to tweet, facebook or blog about this I'd love it too. Spread the word...the more the merrier. Although I would love it if you helped me spread the word, you do not get an entry for it. You will get my thanks :)

Come back tomorrow to see another V-Week project.

Valentines Day Showcase and Me!

2012-01-23T08:00:00.002-06:00

At the beginning of February Melissa from Sew Bitter Sweet Designs will be hosting a Valentines Day Showcase. Between Feb 1st and Valentines Day a bunch of bloggers will be sharing patterns and tutorial for different Valentines Day Projects. And guess who kicks the Showcase off? That's right lil ole me! Since I am in full V-Day mode right now I promise to have something awesome to share with you.

Here's a list of all the bloggers Melissa has lined up

February 1st – Sharon from Craizee Corners
February 2nd – Connie from Quilting by the River
February 3rd – Vicki from Sassy Blog
February 6th – Kris from I don’t have a problem, I have a well-rounded fabric stash!
February 7th – Melissa from Sew BitterSweet Designs
February 8th – Debbe from Pieces to Love
February 9th – Lyanna from Purple Panda Quilts
February 10th – Jenna from SewHappyGeek
February 13th – Lisa – future food and craft blogger
February 14th – Michele from Quilting Gallery

So mark your calendar and be sure to join me on February 1st for a fun V-day tute!

2012-01-21T08:54:00.000-06:00

Are you ready for some Rulers???
This month there's 2 winners who will each get a Nifty Notion Cut For The Cure 22.5 degree wedge ruler and a 4" x 14" ruler courtesy of Brewer Sewing.

.

Since my Mr. Random is at the gym right now I used the random integer generator at Random.org

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

26 3

Timestamp: 2012-01-21 14:44:53 UTC

Number 26 is Sally and number 3 is Mom2RyandSis!

Congrats ladies, I have sent you both an email!

Remember Valentines Week begins on Monday so make sure you come back!

Terrain Stepping Stones Quilt, My First Finish Of The Year!

2012-01-20T08:58:00.000-06:00

If you are looking for the Nifty Notions Ruler giveaway click here. Hurry the giveaway ends today!

This week was very exciting for me, not only did I work on 4 Valentines Day projects but I finished my first quilt on my 2012 Finish-A-Long list! It's my Terrain Stepping stones Quilt.

I finished the quilt top in November before Thanksgiving, so I guess technically it didn't take that long to make since I don't stop piecing until the quilt top is done. That keeps me from being confused. Besides it was a fairly easy pattern. If you want the pattern its available here for FREE!

I knew that I wanted to make a small lap size quilt to put over my legs when I am using the computer. We have hard wood floors and my feet get cold. I also knew I didn't want it to be too heavy and bulky so I decided to just back it in flannel with no batting. And its the perfect weight, its over my lap right now keeping me cozy :)

Like many of my projects this one had lots of HSTs, which you know I am craizee about! I know I am weird, but I like the challenge of matching them all up.

I decided to just quilt in the ditch around the different shapes, big squares, little squares, diagonals and diamonds.

The hardest part for some reason was hand sewing the back of the binding on. It was only 2 thin layers and my needle kept going thru the front so it took forever to hand sew. I think I need to learn to machine sew binding on.

Today is another big quilting day. I need to put the borders on Tyler's quilt and quilt and bind my Valentines quilt.

Speaking of Valentines Day, next week I have decided is V week here at Craizee Corners. I have a bunch of V-day projects to show you and maybe a great giveaway too! If you have a V-day project you would like to share let me know and I would be happy to show it here.

Come back tomorrow to see who the 2 winners of the Nifty Notions rulers are!

Little Red House

2012-01-19T08:00:00.002-06:00

If you are looking for the Nifty Notions Ruler giveaway click here.

I don't know about you but as soon as I made my first Dresden fan point I knew I had to make a Dresden house.

I have been thinking about it all week and today I had some time to make one.

I used 2 - 10" squares or layer cake pieces.

1. Cut 1 - 10" wedge out of the house fabric.

2. Fold the wedge in half along the length and sew a 1/4" seam along the bottom seam.

3. Flip the part you just sewed right side out to make a point. Use something pointy to make sure the point is crisp and press. Use Best Press or Starch .

4. Trim the house to be 6". Measure from the top point 6" and trim the rest off. I used the Nifty Notions 4" x 14" ruler which was perfect for this project.

5. Turn a 1/4" under towards the back to make a smooth edge on both sides and the bottom. Press. I used some Best Press to make the folds crisp.

6. Trace the shape of the house into some double sided fusible web and then cut the shape out 1/4" in from the line. This will make the web a little smaller than the fabric so it doesn't show. (I used Steam-A-Seam). Follow the manufacturers directions to affix the web to the house and then the house to the background.

7. Now either machine or hand applique the house onto the background. There you go...a little red house!

I am going to add some grass, trees and some flowers to finish this off. I used the blanket stitch on my machine to sew on the house and had fun with some other decorative stitches that my machine has.

Remember to enter the giveaway for 2 Nifty Notions rulers! Click here to find out how.

Tumblers

2012-01-18T08:00:00.002-06:00

If you are looking for the Nifty Notions Ruler Giveaway click here.

Have you ever made a tumbler quilt? A tumbler is just another name for a wedge of some kind. The wedge pieces are alternated like pictured below.

Most tumbler patterns use a template, but in my world that's a dirty word. And why would I make more work for myself when I can have tons of these great wedge shapes cut in a matter of minutes.

The tumbler pieces are cut the same way as the other 2 blocks I showed you this week. If you missed the tutorial click here.

You can make these tumbler pieces any size you want. I have to make a few more Valentines mug rugs so I decided to use the tumblers as a frame for some embroidery or applique I plan on doing.

For this mug rug I used 4" tumblers. If you trim a charm square to be 4 x 5 then you can get 2 - 4" tumblers from each charm. I had some leftover charms from a quilt I am working on and used them. Once the tumblers are cut, arrange them in a pleasing manner. Remember to turn every other one upside down or you will end up with a Dresden fan instead of a straight line.

To sew these together simply put them right sides together with the top points lining up. Sew down the right side diagonal. Then press the seams open.

Continue sewing tumbler pieces until you have enough. I used 7 pieces. Then I trimmed them slightly to even it all up.

Now cut the whole piece in half. I wanted the effect of the tumblers continuing from the top to bottom and visa versa. For the center I used a piece of white cut to 6" x 9".

Make sure the top part of the tumbler strip is on the top of the center fabric and the other is on the bottom.

Now comes the tricky part...getting the pieces to be even. I was taught to line up the centers when using sashing and this is basically the same thing. Fold the white in half along the 9" part and mark the center. Then fold the 2 tumbler parts and mark them. I find it helpful to make a sharp fold where the center is. Start pinning at the marked center line and go out from there.

Sew the top and bottom on and press towards the center. Then even out the sides using the center piece as a guide. There will be a little overhand on each side.

Now I just have to figure out what to put on the white piece.

So are you sold on this technique yet? I don't know where I would be without these special rulers. I personally will do anything not to have to draw on the back of a square, especially along the bias.

If you are looking for any of these Nifty Notions Cut For The Cure Rulers you can order them directly from Kaye England who is the designer of the rulers or from The Berry Patch (tell them Sharon sent you).

Don't forget to enter the giveaway to win one of these rulers!

Dresden Fans

2012-01-17T08:00:00.002-06:00

If you are looking for the Nifty Notions Ruler giveaway click here.

Yesterday I showed you how to use the Nifty Notions 22.5 degree wedge ruler and how to make a Dresden plate. Today it's Dresden Fan day!

This starts with the wedge pieces cut the same way as for the Dresden Plate. The difference between a Dresden Plate and a Dresden Fan is the tips. The plate has flat tips and the fan has pointed tips.

Once you have all your wedge pieces cut you will be sewing them to make a point at the top. Here's how:

Fold the wedge in half like so.

Then sew using a quarter inch seam along the larger straight line.

Then turn the piece right side out to form a point. You can use a stiletto or other pointy object to push the point out. Here's what you will have now.

Then sew the pieces together. Start at the part closest part to the point and sew using a quarter inch seam to the bottom. Sew them in 2's, making sure the same fabric is always on the top.

Continue sewing pieces together, pressing the seams open as you go till you have a full circle (made with 16 wedges).

I am making a mug rug for a blog hop and then a swap with this Dresden Fan so stay tuned till Feb 17th when I'll be hopping as part of the Quilters With Modern Tools Valentine Blog Hop!

Come back tomorrow to see another way I used the Nifty Notions 22.5 degree wedge ruler. And don't forget to enter the giveaway to win your own Nifty Notions 22.5 degree ruler!

22.5° Wedge Ruler

2012-01-16T11:19:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the 3rd installment of the Nifty Notions Cut For the Cure Ruler Series. This months ruler is the 22.5 degree wedge. And my friends from Brewer are sponsoring a great giveaway as usual!

For some reason I have never used a wedge ruler before. I have always admired Dresden Fan and Dresden Plate quilts, but was always intimidated by the applique part of it. Then I tried it and am totally hooked! This week I'll be showing you different ways to use the ruler to make beautiful quilts and other projects. But first here's how to use this awesome ruler.

The 22.5° wedge ruler is used the same way as the other 2 rulers we have seen so far. Once you decide on the size of the fan/plate you want...you cut strips and then use the ruler to make your wedge pieces. The size of the plate/fan is calculated by figuring out what diameter you want the circle to be. For those of you who failed HS geometry the diameter is the size of the line drawn thru the center of a circle.

Once you know how big of a fan/plate you want you can figure out what size pieces you will need. It's a pretty easy formula:

Take the diameter and subtract 2 and then divide by 2. So if you want a 12" plate/fan it works this way...
12-2=10 10÷2=5, so you will need a 5" strip to cut out your wedge pieces from.

Now that we know what size strips to use it's time to cut the strips. If you are using 2 different fabrics for the plate/fan cut your strips the desired size and then lay them out one on top of the other with right sides together. Place the ruler on the strip with the Logo face up (so you can read it). Line up the top edge with the line that corresponds to the size of the strip. Trim the left side and cut along the right side to make your first wedge.

Then flip the ruler over so the small edge is at the top. Line the left edge of the ruler with the left edge of the strip and cut along the right side of the ruler.

To figure out how many pieces to cut divide 360 by the degree of the ruler. In this case
360 ÷ 22.5 = 16. So you will need to cut 16 pieces or 8 sets of wedges. This formula applies to any wedge you are using.

You will now have 2 cut pieces like this. And remember that since the strips were placed together you are all ready to go to your machine and sew them together.

One very important thing when making a plate/fan is to be sure to sew the same piece on top each time that way you will have every other wedge be the same.

Today I will show you how to put a Dresden plate together, since it's the easiest of the 2 Dresden's. Tomorrow I'll show you the fan.

For the plate you will be sewing along the right diagonal side of the wedge. Starting at the small part sew down along a quarter inch to the longer part.

Sew them in pairs of 2 and press the seams open. Then sew 2 pieces together to get sets of 4 and so on. I suggest pressing the seams open after you sew them, this is much easier than trying to press them open when you have a full circle sewn together.

Next you will need to fill in the center with a circle. A 3" circle works well for any size Dresden made with this ruler, but you can use any size you would like to. I machine appliqued the circle in the center using a very small blanket stitch. This was a first for me so if I can do it so can you! I used a piece of fusible web to hold the circle in place. To hold the Dresden plate in place on the backing I cut a large circle of fusible web, almost the size of the plate to hold it in place.

One thing to be careful of is to keep your Dresden plate flat as it will go while sewing it onto the background. For some reason I didn't and got this mess. If you know what I did wrong please let me know.

But even with that small mistake I am happy with the outcome of my first foray into Dresden plates. After I had it all sewn on the background I decided to do a little decorative stitching. I used a kind of a swirly stitch.

And here's the back.

Now for the fun part! Brewer will be giving a Nifty Notions Cut For the Cure 22.5° Wedge Ruler and a Nifty Notions Cut For The Cure 4' x 14" ruler to 2 lucky winners!

As usual you must be a follower of Craizee Corners to be eligible (but you don't get an entry for that, it's just a pre-requisite).

This month all you have to do is friend or follow Brewer on facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/BrewerSewing
And while your there you can tell them Sha sent you!
Then come back here and tell me you did that (leaving a comment is not necessary, just follow/friend them for your chance).

This giveaway will run thru Friday January 20th at 11:59 pm CST. I will pick 2 winners on Saturday morning once my coffee has kicked in :)

Come back tomorrow to see how to make a Dresden plate.

My Week

2012-01-14T11:33:00.000-06:00

It's been a strange week, but I finally got my quilting mojo back and got quite a bit done. I can't go into all the details, but I can show you a few things. All I can tell you is that I have joined some swaps and committed to a few blog hops, as well as planning out the rest of January and February.

Here's part of a table runner I made for The Berry Patch. The colors are much brighter in person. I still need to put on the binding. This is made using my table runner pattern. I hope to have this done today.

Here's a table runner I have been working on. This is going to be part of the Quilter's With Modern Tools Valentines Blog Hop. I still have to do some applique in the center.

I also started working on my first Dresden Fan/Plate this week. Next week is Nifty Notions Cut For The Cure Ruler week. This month's ruler is the 22.5 degree wedge so you will be seeing quite a few things like this all week long.

I've also been working on Tyler's quilt this week. I just need to put on the borders and quilt and bind it. I have 1.5 weeks to get it done so I am confident he will be going back to Johns Hopkins with a nice warm quilt. He helped me design it, I am calling it Floating Squares. I will have a tutorial for it sometime this month, but I couldn't wait to show it to you!

Did I mention it was Valentines week in my house? Or I felt like it was since I got all my Valentines fabric out and started on some mug rugs, the table runner and this quilt. It's the Snake Charmer quilt pattern. There will be black in between the rows. I am going to bring this to Sit and Sew at the Berry Patch today to work on.

With all the football games on this weekend (Go GIANTS!!!) I will have plenty of time to get more done.

What did you do this week? I'd love to see it.

A Decision

2012-01-09T11:03:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was the first round of the playoffs (football) and my NY Giants were on at noon. As usual I was banned from the living room because my family is convinced that I am bad luck for the Giants, since whenever I watch them they start getting scored on. I'm not sure there is any scientific proof of this, but I don't want to jinx them so I play along with this superstition. And they won so I am happy I stayed away :)

So there I was yesterday, watching TV in the bedroom and doing some shopping on the Fat Quarter Shop web site (I needed some flannel backing and some background and binding fabric). I don't know about you, but when I am on there I get all sorts of ideas for new quilts. Then I got a bunch of FQ sets that I have 'collected' over the past few months, (some from Market, some from the Designer Select FQ Kit Club and others I won) and surrounded myself with them right there on the bed. I am ashamed to say that I have about 20 FQ sets as a 'stash' now. I don't really like the idea of a 'stash' it makes me sad to see fabric not being used and honestly drive me a little Craizee. I try to have a plan for everything I get, even if it will take a while to work on that project.

But still even as I was surrounded by all this gorgeous fabric, I was dreaming about fabric I didn't have and what I would make with it. That's when it hit me...a realization of sorts and I now feel like I am focused on my quilting more than ever.

I have decided to finish the quilts on my long goal list for this year before planning any new quilts.

The only exceptions will be any quilt-alongs and swaps I decide to join and any baby quilts I have to make. And also the Designer Select FQ Club Kit projects I do for my monthly series.
I am not pledging to stop buying fabric, but I am pledging not to start on any un-planned quilts as of today.

I am not pledging to stop buying fabric, but I am pledging to finish what I have planned.

How about you? Will you join me?