November Roundup

Eek! It's almost the end of the year and Christmas is now within sight! November was a busy and great month. Thanksgiving was fantastic! I cooked the turkey, and it was yummy. Shocking!!! 
Cheers to December!
Hopefully, I'll start a Leaf Pile Quilt this month. Here's my design so far...
This is all done using my own Falling Leaf Block Tutorial. I think I love it even more in an ombre-style layout...



Craftsy is having a fantastic sale now through Monday. All classes are $19.99 or less. They also have fantastic fabric bargains too...

Linking up: lilysquilts
Happy Stitching,

Happy Thanksgiving

Finally, the holidays are here. I am so grateful. I am particular grateful for my wonderful family and the gift of Jesus. I'm not sewing so much during the holidays as I focus more on my daughters.



They are busy helping me in the kitchen,



sampling, and




decorating.



Yes, our apple pie is decorated with butterflies because that is what my little gingers wanted. :)



My baskets are so full this year; I am so grateful! 'Thank you' is the best prayer, I think, and I say that a lot!
Linking up: freshlypieced Happy Stitching,

Super Easy Christmas Bib For Boys

Need a quick Christmas gift for a baby boy? I made two of these bibs in about 30 minutes! They are that quick and seriously cute.
Supplies:

1. Download bib pattern here,
2. Fat quarter of flannel,
3. Fabric scraps for necktie,
4. Fusible web (optional),
5. Turning tool, and
6. Snaps.

First wash and dry your fabric. Then Iron out all the wrinkles. Cut out the bib pattern around the outer line. Place two layers of flannel, right-sides-together, and trace the pattern onto the back of the fabric.

Pin the flannel together and cut around the traced line. I used pinking shears, but regular scissors are just fine.
After cutting out the bib pieces, take them to your sewing machine and sew a quarter-inch from the edge. Make sure to leave a 2-inch opening at the bottom for turning.
There. Trim the two sharp curves so that they lay flat when turned. Be careful not to trim the stitching. Eek!
Next, turn the bib right-side-out. I used a tool called the Purple Thang. Yes, seriously, that is it's name. The back of a spoon or a chopstick would work just fine as a turning tool.
Edge stitch around the entire bib with 1/8-inch. Go slow and pivot with needle down around the sharp curves. Mine didn't turn out perfectly. That's OK because the curves will be covered by the snaps later.
Now make the necktie. Cut out 1 necktie piece and 1 necktie knot. I used fusible web so the fabric didn't shift while sewing it down. When I made the tie with flannel, I didn't use fusible web because it's less likely to shift with flannel on flannel.
Place the necktie front and center. Iron too if you used fusible web.
Now, zigzag stitch around the tie. Set your machine to a 2.2 stitch width and 1.0 stitch length. I also changed my top thread to red. The bobbin is still brown thread. Start at the bottom left of the necktie knot. Go slow. Pivot around the corners of the necktie knot with needle down, and finish where you started. With needle down, pivot, and stitch down the necktie. Backstitch at the end.
Go SLOW! 
Finally, attach some snaps. I love KAM Snaps.
Ta Da!
Make two! They're so fast and adorable.
The reverse side shows a more subtle necktie outline that I think is just as cute.
Linking up: crazymomquilts




Happy Stitching,

Clamshell Christmas Pillows

'Tis the season (already!). I'm so happy these pillows are done. Clamshells require a lot of patience.



I stopped cursing at these 4-inch clamshells after piecing about 30 of them. Yes, it took that many to get the hang of it.



The second pillow went together easily. This was the first time using free motion ribbon quilting. That was fun! I'm trying to get out of my free motion meandering comfort zone. 



These pillows measure 16-inches square. I used the accuquilt 4-inch clamshell die, machine pieced the clamshells together, and quilted on the HQ Sixteen. I used five quarter yards of Christmas fabric and brown home decor fabric for the pillow backing.

They look great on my couch, but I will probably package them up in a week or two and send them to my brother's family. Yep, I'm a good sister.

Linking up: Firefliesandjellybeans // myquiltinfatuation // freemotionquilting // naptimecrafters // crazymomquilts // confessionsofafabricaddict // quiltstory // sewmuchdo




Happy Stitching,

WIP Wednesday

My mind has turned toward Christmas, and it's not Thanksgiving yet. When Accuquilt came out with the clamshell die, I sprung for both the 4-inch and the 8-inch. Since my brain is obsessed with all things Christmasy already, I've been working on some clamshell Christmas pillows.



I'm not going to lie. I wanted to SCREAM at these cute little 4-inch clamshells! Don't be fooled by their overwhelming cuteness. They are a major PAIN! 



However, when all is said and done (and quilted), they are worth the seam ripping and cursing. Wait, are they? Yes, I think so. Maybe?



Also, a friend of mine just had a baby boy. So, it is time to make bibs. Another friend is due any day, and I better make more.



And finally, I'm having scrappy quilty fun with the Quilty Fun Sew-Along. It's not too late to join over here. It's a great quilt to use all those fabric scraps.

Linking up: freshlypieced



Happy Stitching,

Free Classes at Craftsy.com

Have you heard of Craftsy? I've learned so much via Craftsy, and you can too...

There are free classes provided at the bottom of this post!

What is Craftsy?
Craftsy is a worldwide craft community offering online classes. It also has a patterns marketplace where independent designers can sell their patterns; a supplies shop with great deals on yarn, fabric, and class kits; and a projects section where members share pictures of their latest craft successes. With over two million members and counting, Craftsy has something for just about everyone, in categories ranging from quilting, sewing, knitting, painting, photography, cooking, and more. 

 

Behind the Scenes: The Making of a Craftsy Class
Before filming even begins, hours and hours are spent determining what content will be covered in each class, and how to best teach specific techniques to the camera. Instructors work with an instructional designer to create an in-depth outline of each lesson, and decide how to best prepare props or “step-outs” that show what your project should like at different steps. Instead of a scripted class, instructors follow their outlines on camera to create an authentic and engaging teaching experience. 

Most Craftsy classes are filmed in one of five Craftsy studios in Denver, CO, assuring that every part of the production process goes off without a hitch. They fly in instructors from all over the world to spend several days filming, then spend several weeks turning hours of footage into a two to three hour class experience that has been watched, rewatched, and reviewed by industry experts. The final result is an HD-quality video that takes you in-depth into specific topics in any given craft category- from cooking and fine art to sewing and knitting. 



What IS the Craftsy experience? 
Craftsy classes are designed to have all the benefits of an in-person class, with none of the drawbacks. Available online and on-demand, you always have world-class instructors at the tip of your fingers. You can retake the class as many times as you want, and the 30-second repeat feature allows you to watch the same section over and over again until you get every technique just right. 

Watching a Craftsy class is like having a first-row seat with some of the best instructors in the world. Even better, classes have a 100% money-back guarantee. 

Try online learning today with a free mini-class from Craftsy! Choose from 23 Free Craftsy Classes ranging from drawing and painting to sewing and quilting, from knitting to cake decorating and more. 



Did someone say FREE? Sign me up! I highly recommend the Basic Quiltmaking Skills class and the Creative Quilt Backs class. I wish the Quiltmaking class had been around years ago. It's so much better learning from a Craftsy course rather than youtube. 

Enjoy the FREE classes!

Sugarplum Skirt

This weekend I made a few skirts in lieu of an upcoming tea party. Ginger #1 is so excited about going to her friend's birthday tea party so I asked her if I could make her a fancy-schmanchy skirt for the party. Of course my girl said yes, and that it needed to be hot pink. Of course!



So, I made three skirts, one for each Ginger and one present for the Birthday girl. Also, I made three underskirts for extra puffiness.



Whew! Thank goodness for my serger. 



I used the Tie Dye Diva Sugarplum pattern. I love the simplicity of these skirts. In special occasion fabrics, they are beautiful!

FYI: Craftsy is having a flash sale!

 

Craftsy yarn sale! Save up to 80% on yarn for 48 hours, November 15 & 16.

Craftsy fabric sale! Save up to 65% on fabric for 48 hours, November 15 & 16.

Linking up: freshlypieced // sewmuchado // myquiltinfatuation // firefliesandjellybeans // crazymomquilts // quiltstory // blossomheartquilts // JAQSStudio // freemotionbytheriver



Happy Stitching,