It's Time for the AccuQuilt Block Contest!

(We pause here on the blog tonight for a little Proud Mama moment...) 

Every year AccuQuilt holds a contest where their fans design quilt blocks, and have a chance to win lots of goodies, but the coolest prize is that the winning block gets put on large sign outside of the AccuQuilt offices and headquarters. The entries are voted on by the public, and the Top 10 Blocks are reviewed by AccuQuilt and their Guest Judge (This year it's Eleanor Burns!).

This year, my daughter Heather has entered a block design!  You can vote for her block Here

Heather's block, named "Flying Together", is pretty cool!  I really like the vibrant colors and the flying geese coming together to meet in the middle.  (What a nice theme for a block this year, right!)

We love playing with blocks, and how you can get such different looks by just rotating a single block in a quilt layout :)  Here are just two versions using Heather's block:

This block lends itself to so many secondary designs by using different sashings, cornerstones, or an alternate block in the setting.

If you are voting in the AccuQuilt Block Contest for the first time, you may get an email with a confirmation link before your vote will count.  Once you complete that step, you should be all set ~ you can vote once a day within a 24 hour period from now through September 5th.

...We're hoping everyone will keep voting every day to keep Heather's block in the Top 10 ~ so if you like Heather's block, please take a second to go vote for "Flying Together"!

Here's the Link to the block one more time, or you can click on the photo of her block above.

Enjoy the Day!
~ Dawn

Home for the Holidays Blog Hop ~ It's My Day!

This week I've been playing with these Peace on Earth fabrics by Ro Gregg, and I'm participating in a Blog Hop on the Inspired by Fabric's blog!

Hop on over there and check out my tutorial on how to put together my Snowy Day Table Topper!  It's quick and easy, and can be made up as a quick item to decorate your home, or as that last minute gift :)

And Fabri-Quilt is sponsoring a Give Away!  Leave a comment here on this blog post and you'll be entered in a random drawing for a Fat Quarter Bundle of Peace on Earth fabrics!  Make sure you leave a good email address with your comment so I can get ahold of you when you win!  You have until the end of day on Saturday, December 19th to leave your comment.  I'll draw the name on Sunday, December 20th :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Some Quick Ornaments for our Furry Friends

I took some time this year to make up some cute Christmas Ornaments for our Furry Family Members.  These are for our dog Butters, and cat Maddie. 

I used these Go! Cutter Dies (#55064 Gingham Dog & #55065 Calico Cat)  to cut out the shapes for our pets. 

I started with two scraps of fabric (one for the front and one for the back), one 6" square piece of Timtex stiff interfacing, and two pieces of fusible web approx. 6" square (I used Heat n Bond Lite).

In preparation, I machine embroidered our pet's name to the center of the piece of fabric that will be the front.  
 

Using the Go! Die, cut the pet shape from a piece of cardstock...

I then used the cardstock shape cutout as a "window" to audition different fonts/sizes for the embroidery.  (This one is for my Mom's Cat, Spazz.)

After deciding on an appropriate size and embroidering the name on the front fabric, iron a piece of Heat n Bond to the back side, and add the other piece of fusible web to the reverse side of the fabric piece for the back of the ornament.  Then sandwich the piece of Timtex interfacing in between the two fabrics and fuse all together.  

Then, using the cardstock cutout to help in positioning the shape over the Go! Die blades, run the fused sandwich through the cutter to cut out the animal shape. 

Then to finish I satin stitched around the outside edges with the same thread that I embroidered the name with.  I like to satin stitch completely around the ornament twice to give the edge a smoother look.

To finish them off I used a thin gold cord that I ran through with an embroidery needle, and now they're ornaments :)  These are for my Mom for her pets Spazz & Barkley (Remember Barkley from This Post)

And these two are for Heather & Luke's dogs Max & River.  I had so much fun making these up, now I'm thinking of making up more :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Some Good News & A Friday Finish :)

Today, in the middle of frantically trying to get all of the work done for my day job, Spring Water Designs deadlines, pick up some groceries and get my household squared away before taking off on a week visit to spend some quality girl time with my Mom, I received an email with some good news that really perked me up ~ My entry for AccuQuilt's Barn Quilt Contest has made it to the Finals!  Now I need the help of my friends to go and vote for my design.  If you don't mind taking the time, here is the link to go vote (My design is #26):

http://www.accuquilt.com/barnquilt/entry.html

In between all that, I did finally get my Flamingo Challenge quilt quilted today, so I do have a Friday Finish too!  It's the first larger quilt that I've quilted on my HQ Sweet Sixteen :)

...Well I do still have to finish the binding, but it's pretty much finished!

I was running out of week quickly, so I didn't do anything fancy for the quilting, just my regular all over meander, but I think that will make for a nice comfy donation quilt.  I wanted to get it finished before leaving on my trip, because right after I get back I have to have it turned in for our Guild's quilt show display of all of the Flamingo Challenge quilts.

I used every last bit of the Flamingo fabric, with the last piece used in the backing :)

...And since it'll be a donation quilt, the guild gave out special stamped labels that I signed and pieced into the backing too.  It was a fun quilt to make, I hope someone gets lots of love from it :)

I'm a little late for WIP Wednesday, but you can still check out the Quiltsy Team blog to see what others are working on.  

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

A Bit of Heart Nostalgia

It's the month of the heart, so the Block of the Month challenge at the Baltimore Modern Quilt Guild is to make a 10" block with a heart of any color on a white background.  So I got out some fabric scraps (including this funky 70's looking print), my Accuquilt Go! cutter, and my Heart Die (#55029) and I started to play.

          ...Here's what I came up with:
 

I started with four 5" squares of white background, 1" wide yellow and red strips, and two of the largest 4" hearts on the die and five of the smallest 2" hearts (I had applied fusible web to the back of the heart fabrics before I ran them through the cutter).  I sewed yellow or red strip borders to two sides of each background square, sewed them all together, fused and blanket stitched all, and she's done!

It's a simple little thing but it makes me smile ~ it kind of makes me nostalgic for my Brady Bunch days :) 

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Sneak Peek and a Feature :)

I'm binding tonight.  Curled up in my recliner...finally...after a long crazy day.  I made sure that earlier in my busy day, I took the time to get the binding sewn around this quilt, and now I'm savoring every comfy moment of needle and thread in my hand as I turn the binding to the back.  (This is a tiny sneak peek of my next one being sent out for publication, so this is all I can get away with showing right now.)  It was nice to get to work with some really traditional fabrics this time ~ and I'll have them on the bolt in my web store any day now!  The quilting on it was done by my good friend, Mary Nielsen of Keep Me In Quilts :)

In the "Other Exciting News" category, I am featured in the Blogger Spotlight at AccuQuilt this week!   You can subscribe to AccuQuilt's emails by clicking on the link over on the right sidebar of my blog (the one for the 22 free patterns) to get all of these Guest Blogger posts each week.  My post was sent out today, so in case you missed it you can click Here to go read my Blogger Spotlight Post on the Winding Ways block.  It was so Awesome when I was asked to write a post that I of course said Yes! right away...but then I had to figure out what I was going to say that someone might care about.  I've included some design ideas in the post using the Winding Ways block...Let me know which ones you like best :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Some Friday Progress ~ Kind of a Finish...

I don't have a quilt top for my Friday Finish, but I finished some Red/Green blocks for a swap that I'm participating in with the Quiltsy Team on Etsy.  Getting them completed and mailed out was kind of a finish, so I'll count it!

I had to make Twelve 8" blocks (any block of my choice) using predominantly Red & Green fabrics.

I challenged myself to use all fabrics that I already had in my scrap drawers, so all twelve blocks are not the same fabrics, I made two of six different combinations.

...And I was able to cut all of the blocks using my AccuQuilt Go! Cutter.  I used the Value Die & the 2-1/2" strip cutter.  That was a real time saver bonus!

Speaking of AccuQuilt, I'm told my Blogger Spotlight feature on the Winding Ways block will be showing up next week ~ probably around Thursday-ish. 

So make sure you are signed up to get emails from AccuQuilt so that you don't miss it!  You can subscribe to their email list by clicking the above button, and you'll also get 22 free patterns that you can download at the same time if you want!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Winding Ways & A Tease

It's been a crazy time of off and on electric at our house, first from Hurricane Irene, then from Tropical Storm Lee.  That makes life really interesting when you have a delicate balance of deadlines to meet!  But amongst it all I did get some things finished.  I can't show you some of them just yet, but I can give you a peek at this one.  This is the Winding Ways top completed from the blocks that I cut using the Winding Ways Die for my AccuQuilt Go! Cutter (You can see how I pieced them back in This Post).   I'm excited about a neat feature I'll share with you about this quilt coming up next week :) 

...And check back on Monday when I'll unveil my Free Quickie Mystery BOM Project ~ How's that for a tease :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

The Audacity of a Tote Bag

I'm jealous...  Yes, I got a little day out Monday to Alexandria, but my Madras Summer Tote got to go to the beach.  Not just any beach, but my Madras Tote hitched a ride with Heather and is enjoying time sunning itself on the beach in Florida!  My tote even sent this picture back to rub it in how she gets around more than me ~ can you believe the audacity!

Besides Florida, you can also find my Madras Summer Tote on AccuQuilt's website where you can purchase a download of the pattern for the Tote and it's coordinating water resistant zippered pouch.  It'll make up really nicely in Autumn colors too :) 

My Circle Gets the Square pattern was spotted at AccuQuilt too!  It's completely AccuQuilt Go! Cutter Friendly, but of course all of these projects can be made without an AccuQuilt cutter as well. 

And I'm excited to share that my Stars and Bars Quilt is now also available at AccuQuilt as a Free Downloadable pattern!   By the way, this quilt pattern meets the size requirements for Quilts Of Valor donation quilts :)

(I'm sorry, I'm probably taking a little too much pleasure in seeing my patterns on other sites around the web) but my Scrappy Heart Mug Rug is also a Free Pattern at AccuQuilt!  Click on any of the above quilt names to link over to AccuQuilt's site and get them :)

***And Last Call to get in on the QuiltAlbum Give Away!  Click Here to read about the give away.  One lucky reader will win a copy of the software from QuiltAlbum tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m. EST!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

While We're on the Subject of Free Patterns...

Here is a really neat deal from AccuQuilt.  Sign up for their newsletter, and get 22 Free Patterns!  This is a cool deal even if you don't own an AccuQuilt cutter yet...free patterns are free patterns right!  Just click on the picture above (or the one on my sidebar to the right) to sign up for the newsletter and download your free patterns :)


Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Free Pattern! Stars & Bars

Summer is here, and it's that Patriotic time of year!  Just in time for the 4th of July, I thought it'd be fun to offer a Free Pattern called Stars & Bars.  This generous 64" x 77 1/2" Throw size quilt is quick and easy to make (so I'm sure you can have one done in time for Fireworks next week!).  To help with that endeavor, if you have an AccuQuilt Go! cutter, it's very AccuQuilt cutting friendly :)

Even if you don't have an AccuQuilt cutter, the strip piecing makes it quick to sew up, and it's a great use of scraps!  Make several and donate some ~ it meets the size guidelines for Quilts of Valor too :)

You can download the pdf file here from my website.  I designed the pattern to say Thank You to those brave men and women who have served our country.  Use the pattern any way you wish, it's my gift to you ~ and share the link with everyone...If you or a friend make one, I'd love to see pictures and especially tell us if you are making one for a soldier!!! 

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Playing with Warm Fuzzies

I've had some crazy stressful days lately, so with my little bit of sewing time when I got home today I wanted to work on something easy and quick.  So I used some flannel fabrics that were donated by my web friend Rita for our Mountain Baby Blanket initiative, and cut some rag squares with my AccuQuilt Go! Cutter.  I know there are plenty of Rag Quilt tutorials out there, but I figured I'd show you how easy it was to whip mine up (And it's the first Rag Quilt I've ever made!)

For each rag square (Cut with the 8 1/2" Rag Die #55013), I layered a 6 1/2" square of batting (cut using the 6 1/2" square die #55000) ~ perfect use for leftover batting pieces by the way!  When cutting my flannel rag squares I cut two layers of flannel at a time.  Any more than that with my Rag Die was pretty difficult to run through, so I didn't push it. 

Then another rag square is layered on top (wrong sides together with the batting in between).  Then, so the batting doesn't do any shifting in there, sew two diagonal lines from corner to corner to quilt each block.  I didn't do any pinning for this, but I did find that using a walking foot was helpful with the layers.  I was able to chain stitch all of the blocks pretty quickly too.

After all of the blocks are sandwiched, sew the blocks into rows.  I made mine from 20 blocks set in 5 rows of 4 blocks.  When sewing the blocks together, use a large 1" seam allowance.  My machine had this handy line marked 25 that happens to be 1" from needle center, so I could use that as my reference.  If your machine doesn't have a marking for a 1" seam allowance, you can apply painters tape on your machine bed as your reference line. 

Press the seams between the blocks open.

Then sew the rows together in the same manner.  After all the rows are sewn together, sew all around the outside edge, again about an inch in. 

This is what the finished front looked like before I washed and dried it to fray the edges.  It measured about 28" x 34" before I washed it (I had not pre-washed any of the fabrics before sewing).  Then after laundering the final quilt measures approx. 27" x 33".  It's the perfect size for nap-time cuddling, and for traveling in the car seat or stroller.  After all, if you make it too big a toddler can't drag it around as a Lovey easily. 

I used the same fabric for the front and back of each of my block sandwiches, so this is what the back of my little quilt looks like.  I love these muted 1930's vintage prints :)

So here she is all finished.  By using the AccuQuilt Go! Rag Die, I didn't have to do any of that cutting to fringe the edges after it was assembled.  I just threw it in the washer and was all done!  Playing with the warm fuzzies, and getting the instant gratification of a quick project definitely topped off my day on a good note. 

I've listed it for sale in my Etsy store and the proceeds will go to paying for shipping for our next box full of donations to go out to the Christian Appalachian Project for the Mountain Baby Blankets Initiate...And I have enough fabrics left over to make another one to put in the box and donate :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

A Special Promotion!

My Madras Summer Tote is being featured on the front page of the AccuQuilt website ~ How cool is that!

 

You can get the downloadable pattern for Free, yep I said free!  Plus the AccuQuilt dies that are used to make the tote are 20% off.  Just go to AccuQuilt's website, but hurry this special only lasts for one week!  Remember, you also get AccuQuilt Reward Points for all of your purchases from their site.

If you missed it, you can read more about the Madras Summer Tote, and the extra bonus project that's included in the pattern here. 

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn