Thursday, March 31, 2011

Now Available ...

Happy Friday y'all!

We just got our Sunkissed and Sugar Pop bolts in yesterday afternoon. 

Here are our selections from the Sunkissed line ... so sweet and spring-like!

Here are our selections from the Sugar Pop line ... these prints are just so fun!

And we got two new Essential Dots in ... Bubblegum and Peony.

I've gotten the yardage added and will add bundles up tomorrow!

The next edition of the newsletter goes out tomorrow ... don't forget to sign up as there will be a subscriber exclusive offer!

Happy Sewing!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Crafty Goodness

Hey y'all!  I wanted to stop in and share a little cross-crafty goodness with you today.  If you're like me, you probably dabble in a variety of crafts.  I also love papercrafting and I can tell you that one of the first blogs I started ever following was Mish's blog.  She has such a fun style and way of mixing lots of elements to create something amazing.  Not to mention, she can make some awesome the handmade embellishments too!

Recently, I saw on her blog that she fell in love with some Bliss prints she found at a local shop and I contacted her about offering some up to her readers from Sew Lux - kind of my way of saying "thanks for all the inspiration!"  She'll be doing that giveaway soon, but I wanted to also point you in the direction of this awesome post where she made some great embellishments inspired by the Bliss fabrics.

Here's a sneak peak ...
(photo by Michelle Wooderson)

Please stop by Mish's blog and and see how she made fabric + paper = crafty goodness.  :-) She also has a fun Etsy shop with lots of papercrafting supplies and goodies at

See y'all tomorrow!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Coming Soon ...

Hi!  We just got a notice that our Sugar Pop bolts have shipped.  We're very excited to be adding some additional fabrics to our collection as we look forward to getting more new lines very soon. :-)

Here are a few of the Sugar Pop prints we're getting ...



 

Also, I will be sending out the next newsletter this weekend ... we'd love for you to sign up (use the link in the menu on the left). We'll include a special coupon code just for subscribers!

Happy Sewing!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Pinwheel Stitch Along Week 3 - Quilt & Bind

Here we are at another Monday ... this is Week 3 of our Pinwheel Stitch Along and I'm going to give you some tips for quilting and binding your project. Ready?

First, once you've finished piecing the top, you'll want to press it well before sandwiching your quilt together.  If you are doing the fat quarter version (started with 8" squares) or the charm version, you won't need to piece the back of your quilt.  Just layer the backing (wrong side up), batting, and then quilt top (right side up) and baste using your favorite method. If you are doing the layer cake version (10" squares), you'll either need a 1-1/2 yard backing or you can piece it.  I am still working on my layer cake version, but here's an illustration for you. (Click on the photo to enlarge it.)

I prefer to baste my quilt with safety pins.  (I do want to try spray basting at some point, but haven't gotten any spray adhesive yet. Any suggestions?) I knew that I wanted to quilt down the seams, so I chose to pin along the diagonal seams so I wouldn't have to stop quilting to move pins. :) Here's a closer view of my basting.


Here's my quilt all basted up ... I took it outside for better lighting.  I definitely don't recommend basting on your concrete porch! :-)


Ok, so let's get to quilting. I am giving directions for straight-line quilting in a grid-like style, using the seams as my guide.  I like this style for these pinwheel quilts and straight-line quilting gives a nice drape to the quilt.  You could free motion or stitch along the diagonals or whatever you like. When straight-line quilting, I HIGHLY recommend a walking foot.  They are fairly expensive, but I think it makes a BIG difference.


Also, I like to LENGTHEN my stitch length.  I think this helps a lot!  Another tip ... start with a full bobbin so you don't have to stop in the middle to change that out!


Now, just use the seams as your guide.  I line up the edge of my foot with the seam and follow it down the length of the quilt. Work you way down the right side of each seam, moving across the quilt from right to left.  Then flip the quilt around and repeat the process to come back down the other side of each seam.  Then start on the horizontal seams.  Same process ... keep on stitchin'. I like to roll the edge of my quilt to help move it along through my machine as I get more quilt to the right side of my needle.


Look at that!  It turned out so nice!  Go ahead and press your quilt (after you remove pins, of course).


Square up your quilt. Careful to keep your slices nice and straight along the sides. (Tip: Sometimes if part of your quilt is hanging off the table, the edge of your quilt isn't truly straight laying on the table since the weight of the piece hanging off is pulling on it a bit.  So make adjustments as needed BEFORE you slice.)


Let's get some binding ready!  I am using a double-fold, straight-grain binding (as opposed to a bias binding) because I'm not planning to bind any curves.  Making binding is pretty easy ... start by cutting strips.  I like to cut my binding strips 2.5" inches wide.  Some folks like 2.25", for me its a little tight.  But do what you like. :)  Measure all 4 sides and add several inches to figure out how many WOF (width of fabric - usually about 42/44") strips you need to cut.  For the FQ version, I cut 4 strips. To join the strips, you'll need to lay them perpendicular to each other and stitch along the diagonal.


Press your seams in the binding. Continue joining all the strips together to get one continuous piece.


Fold your binding in half and press it.  Here's my binding (rolled just for this post! :-)



Start about 12 inches from the bottom of one side and lay your binding down on the edge of your quilt.  You may pin if you like, I don't pin for this.  Use your foot to maintain a 1/4" seam allowance, leaving several inches of binding unstitched behind your starting point.  (Again, I prefer to use a walking foot and a lengthened stitch for this.)

As you approach the corner, slow it down and stop and backstitch 1/4" from the edge.


Fold your binding up and then back down to lay in line with the edge of the next side of the quilt.  You'll have a little triangle-shaped fold in the middle like shown here.


Stitch from the edge of this side, backstitching at the top.  And keep working your way around the quilt.


When you get close to where you started, trim off some of the excess and fold your binding in and tuck the starting end into the fold. (My photo probably shows it better than I'm saying!)  Stitch across the seam and backstitch again to secure it.


Now, press your binding open. Looks good, right?!


Some folks like to machine stitch their binding to finish it.  I prefer to hand stitch it to the back.  Partly because I think it makes me feel like its more "hand-made" and also because I just prefer the look of a nice hand-stitched binding.  I use a basic slip stitch and I wanted to show how I do my corners.  (No new or earth-shattering technique, just pictures for you if you're new.)

As I work my way toward the corner, I stitch up into the corner before folding over the top side.
I will put my needle through the actual corner and then I'll be able to stitch down the diagonal and then continue on down the next side.


Here it is pinned so you can see a little better how it will look.

So, have a seat on the couch and stitch away y'all! I will share my layer cake version and my finished binding later this week.

As always, if you have a question or need more clarification on a step, please leave a comment and I will be happy to help out!

Happy Sewing! :)

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Pure Bliss ...

Hiya! Hope you are all having a lovely weekend.  Wanted to stop in real quick to share my Bliss pinwheel quilt all basted and ready to finish.  :-)  The quilting went fast and I am hoping to work on some handstitching on my binding tonight if I get some lesson plans done quick enough.

I've got tomorrow's post with quilting and binding instructions ready to go ... see you then!

Happy Sewing! :-)

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Pinwheel Progress


Finished piecing the Bliss (FQ version) Pinwheel Quilt.  Got it all sandwiched up and ready to quilt tomorrow.

Hope you had a wonderful day! :-)

Happy Weekend!

The weekend is here!  We're getting some chillier and rainy weather this weekend ... perfect for hanging out in my sewing room. :-)  What projects are y'all working on this weekend?

How are those pinwheels coming along?  I will share an update on my progress tomorrow. :)

We did get our patterns in the shop and our Flurry precuts came in as well (beautiful red, aqua and green prints)!  We also ordered some new bolts today ... we'll be getting small collections of both Sugar Pop ...

... as well as Sunkissed in soon!

As soon as it ships, I will show you some sneaks of the prints we'll be getting. :-) 

We also have a few prints at the end of the bolt ... Fandango Sarabande Sand, Fandango Alhambra Azul,  and Bliss Medallion Scarlet and they are listed in the Etsy store if you are interested in snapping one up.  We also have one Bliss Medallion Bundle left ...

And speaking of some Fandango prints, we added some new bundles in the Ole and Celadon colorways.

That's the latest for now - thanks for stopping by!  We'll see you tomorrow with some pinwheels :-)

Happy sewing!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Coming Soon ...

Hello, hello!  I hope you are all having fun with your pinwheels (and remembering to spin them in the same direction! :-)

We got our shipping notice that a few of the patterns we ordered are on the way.  Here's the first of several that we will be adding to the shop. 

I've been thinking about making a Christmas tree skirt for a very long time now ... and since we'll be getting in two awesome Christmas lines, I thought it might be a good idea to carry a pattern.  One thing I like about this is that you could make them in several sizes and use as table toppers/runners as well.  Bonus!

Speaking of Christmas ... our precuts for Countdown to Christmas are in and our Flurry precuts just shipped as well.

I love the Schnibbles quilt patterns ... so cute and CHARM FRIENDLY!  State Fair looks really fun, and is headed our way. (This one may be good to use up some of your larger scraps as well.)

We also got this fun pattern from Me & My Sister Designs.  It's called Maggie Mae.  I am imagining this in those awesome Summer House prints and think it would look great in so many different fabric lines or even a scrappy stashy version. (Don't let those squares on point scare you ... tilt your head to the side ... its just rows! :)

Which one do you like best? What projects have you been thinking about making, but need just the right pattern to motivate you?

We're expecting these patterns & the Flurry precuts very soon - hopefully by the end of the week - as soon as they hit the doorstep, I will alert you that they are available.  :)  We've also ordered Bella Solids Charm Packs in Snow and White Bleached, which should be in soon as well.  These are a great way to jumpstart your projects by skipping the cutting and getting straight to the good stuff ... the stitching!

Thanks for stopping in!  Happy Sewing! :)

Monday, March 21, 2011

Pinwheel Stitch Along: Week 2 - Stitch Your Blocks

Happy Monday!  Here we are at Week 2 of the Pinwheel Stitch Along.  This week, we'll work on stitching our pinwheel blocks together.  Ready?  In this tutorial, you'll see pictures from all the different sizes I am working on ... charms (Countdown to Christmas), fat quarters (Bliss) and layer cake squares (Fandango).  I don't plan to mix them all in one quilt! :-)


*Please note ... I updated the materials yesterday.  You need a total of 24 squares in whatever size you are using.

Last week, I asked you to cut some fabric and separate them into light and dark. Here's the charm pack prints I pulled from Countdown to Christmas.  (Note ... I know y'all asked for Flurry ... but when I went to use it, I realized that we actually had been shipped "Ready, Set, Snow" and NOT Flurry!  So, I will save that fabric line for another project.) Here's the charm pack prints ...  I have 3 sets of 4 light and 4 dark.

Ok ... next, let's pull two squares (one "light" and one "dark") and pin them right sides together (RST).

Now, stitch around all four sides using a 1/4" inseam. Press and lay it on your cutting mat.

Slice along both diagonals to create four triangles. 

Press all half-square triangles (HST) toward one fabric (the darker one).

Now, lay them out to create your pinwheel.

Note ... Make sure all your pinwheels are spinning the same way (dominant print in same position in all blocks).  Here's a photo where ONE of them (black print) is going the wrong way ...

And here's the same picture with the "wrong way" pinwheel fixed.  Better right?  So spin them whichever way you want, but make sure they are all spinning the same way. :-)

Ok ... so now let's start sewing the pinwheel blocks together.  Pin and press in the same direction.  Here I've pressed all sets of 2 blocks to the left (keeping the "V" seam down/pointing toward me when pressing). This will help your seams nest nicely together.

Now that you have two pairs together, pin and stitch the pairs to create a 2x2 block. Careful to line up the seams on the corners. :-)
You may want to press the seam joining the two pairs open as shown below ... it will help the center of the block lay a little flatter.

Finished layer cake block ...

Once you have your 2x2 block, repeat the process to finish the other 11 blocks. :) Finished blocks should be approx 6" for charms, 10" for FQ, and 13" for layer cakes.

This is a fast and easy way to create those versatile half square triangles.  There are many other ways, but this seems to require less math (which we learned I'm apparently not that great at! haha! :-)  If you'd like to watch a video tutorial, there is a great one here.

Once you have all 12 blocks, lay them out and arrange them as you'd like them in your quilt.

Then start sewing all your blocks together. I work in rows and then attach the rows together. Pins are your friend in this process ... so take a few extra seconds to match the seams, pin them and pin in between.

You'll end up with a pretty quilt top. :-)

I hope all this makes sense!  If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will do my best to help you out. :)  Can't wait to see your progress!  Feel free to share a link in the comments or in our Flickr group.

Later this week, I will share my Fandango layer cake top and the Bliss fat quarter top.

Happy Sewing! :-)