Fabulous Florets & 2010-2012 In Colours

Good Evening,

I finally got the pictures of my latest cards taken - and here they are!! They are quite simple cards and can have whatever sentiment that is needed on the inside (Happy Birthday...Thank You...etc). I made the cards using some of Stampin' Up's! 2010-2012 In Colours. The best thing about the in colours - is that they are no longer only available for only 1 year - instead they are available for two full years. This means that starting this year (and every year afterwards) that there will be 10 In Colours (instead of just 5)!

The cards were made with only 2 colours each, and then duplicated for each additional colour. It's hard to tell by the picture, but I stamped the flower image twice and cut out the second flower and "popped" it up on the card.

Recipe for the cards are as follows

4 1/4" x 4 1/4" Whisper White Card Base

3 3/4" x 3 3/4"  In Colour Designer Series Paper Stack (you can use which ever pattern you prefer)

3 1/4" x 3 1/4" Whisper White Square

Piece of 1/2" Stitched Poly Ribbon

Scrap of  In Colour Card Stock (I used Concord Crush, Poppy Parade, and Peach Parfait)

Large 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch

Scrap of Whisper White Card Stock (Stamp flower image 2 times for each card)

Rhinestone for the centre of the flower.

Card made using Concord Crush.

Card made using Poppy Parade.

Card made using Peach Parfait.

Very simple cards, but I am quite happy with how they turned out.

What do you think? I would love to hear any comments : )

Well, that's all for tonight.  Happy crafting : )

Katie

Just A Quick Post

Good Evening,

Well, I have switched gears slightly and have actually been working on some cards!! I am taking part in an Entrepreneur Fair that is taking place at my workplace, and therefore need to make some new cards. I plan on having a few different card classes planned that people can sign up for.

I have the first bunch of cards done, but need the batteries to charge before I can take a picture of them. For a hint, the cards are made using the stamp set "Fabulous Florets" and some of Stampin' Up! 2010-2012 In-colours.

Back in a bit with the pictures,

Katie

Wonky Nine Patch Blocks

Hello there,

So I needed a wee break from the larger projects that I have been working on lately. I sometimes find that with the larger projects that since they take so much time to finish (that is their nature after all), that if I have multiple projects on the go at the same time or make some smaller projects that I am more likely to finish the larger projects and not have them be a never ending WIP (work in progress).

I have been following the blog Modabakeshop and they have TONS of tutorials submitted by many of the very talented quilters that are out in the blog-o-sphere. What I really like about Moda Bake Shop is that it leads me to the blogs of the quilters who submitted the quilting tutorials, as well as the very simple and easy to understand tutorials (which is much appreciated by a self taught newbie quilter). The particular blocks that I made were inspired by the Strawberry Fields Forever Quilt that was designed by Jera Brandvig. Here is a link to her blog - Quilting in the Rain.

I made the blocks slightly smaller, so that I could get the most out of the fabric fat quarters that I bought a while ago from Stampin' Up! And, I have been wanting to make some of these blocks ever since the tutorial was posted online.

They are very simple blocks to create. Here are some pictures that I took during the process of making the quilt blocks.

Each of the squares started out as a 8" square, and then were cut on an angle and sewn together. There really is no wrong way to make these squares as any combination or number of different fabrics would work (that is as long as there are 2 or more fabrics of course).  The the squares get rotated, and cut again on an angle and once again sewn together.

Here is a picture of all the block pieces sewn together. I like how no two blocks are the same!

After the blocks were assembled, I played with the placement of the squares and added a strip of white cotton in between each square. I plan on using one of the fabrics for the back (probably the blue with red dots) and then another for the binding (I am thinking the striped fabric).

I am not sure if I like the larger border on this one (but I can trim it down to match the sides if I want to). I had intended to do a 2" border, but didn't realize that I had cut the side pieces thinner until after everything was sewn.



This one has the same size border all the way around. Still not sure which one I like better.

Well, I am off to iron the fabric for the backing and binding, then finishing these little quilts - hopefully tonight! :)

Have a great night! Happy quilting! :)

Katie

Butterflies In Blue - Part 4

Good Evening,

So I finished the quilt back. I was originally going to have a row of butterflies on the back of the quilt (similar to the quilt top), but as I was nearing the end of the quilt top I was getting tired of butterflies. (2 butterfly quilts in a row will do that).

Instead of a row of butterflies I decided to do a row of 2" strips of the patterned fabric used on the quilt top, with a border around the row. The only thing that did not change in the design of the quilt back was having the remainder of the quilt back in the blueberry fabric. I figured that since the blueberry fabric was the first fabric chosen and inspired the whole colour/fabric selection that it was fitting for it to be the main focus of the quilt back.

Here are some more pictures.

The full quilt back.

The row of vertical strips.



A close up of part of the row of strips.

Despite the fact that I am getting tired of butterflies (and do not plan on making any more butterfly quilts in the near future) I am really happy about how this quilt is turning out. Wish me luck on the machine quilting - it will be my first large quilt that I will be machine quilting.

Tomorrow I will have some blocks made with some Stampin' Up fabric to show you.

Have a great night.

Katie

Graduation Day

Hi there,

Well, it has been a few days since I did a blog post, but I have had a busy couple of days.

On Mondays for the last 6 weeks, Jesse went to puppy obedience classes at PetSmart. And last night was his graduation night. He learned a whole bunch of things (as did I)! He can sit (which he knew before), knows the down command, loose leash walking and can even do a trick - "roll over". Some of the commands took some work (the down command was especially difficult for us to get him to do - seeing as he is already so close to the ground) - but he has mastered them. :)

Here are a couple of pictures from "Graduation"

Here is Jesse in his "down" position.

At the end of the final class, there were Graduation caps for pictures. Jesse is moving so fast that you can't even see the cord holding the cap in place.

Here is Jesse wearing his cap.

And a profile shot with the Graduation cap. By this point in the evening he was so tired and kinda just accepted the fact that he would have to wear the cap until I had taken enough pictures. I was able to get a few good pictures by having a treat in my hand while taking the picture

Well, that's all for now. I will be back tomorrow with a progress update on the Butterflies in Blue Quilt (I have the quilt back done - but still have a bit to do yet).

See you later,

Katie

Edible Quilts

Hi there,

I am sure that you are wondering about the blog post title. Well, I know that there are not quilts that are edible - that is unless they are made out of fondant!  One of my co-workers makes AMAZING cupcakes and I thought that I would show off one of the cupcakes that she brought into work today.

One of the ladies at work is pregnant with her second child - a boy! And the cupcakes that were made where definitely boy themed. Nicole used fondant to create the 'baby' and the 'quilted blanket'.  Isn't she talented??

That's all for now but I will be back later,

Katie

Some Past Projects

Good Afternoon 

Seeing as the Butterflies in Blue quilt is almost done (and I will be quite busy over the next few days working on the quilt back and quilting the top, batting and back together), I thought that I would share some of the projects that I finished prior to starting this blog.

After I finished Jesse's quilt, I had a few scraps. Seeing as I had promised to make a crate blanket for the puppy of one of my co-workers, Linda, I figured that making one that was similar to Jesse's - but smaller was a great way to use up the scrap fabric. Linda asked for the main fabric to be black (and not white), so this is what I came up with.

Linda and her dog both really like the small quilt. And it only took a few hours on a Sunday night to make. Gotta love it when a project comes together fairly quickly :)

Each of the scallop squares were cut using the BigShot machine, and the Scallop Square die. I love being able to cut fabric with the BigShot. It is so simple to cut multiple layers of fabric at once, and it saves on time too!!

That's all for now, but I will be back later to show you a small mug rug quilt (and will elaborate more as to what a mug rug is), and I will also show you a quilt that I am working on for myself.

Until then,

Katie

Butterflies In Blue - Part 3

Good evening,

I have had a busy couple of days, but have been very productive. The quilt top is DONE! Remember the pictures from this post? Well, I finished sewing the slashing between each of the squares, and the slashing above and below each row. I remember thinking - "this should be easy, I don't have to match up corners" - not quite, seeing as I had to make sure that the squares in each row were in line. It took some pinning and re-pinning, but I got everything to line up pretty well.

Here is a picture of all 6 rows sewn together (before the borders around the entire quilt).

And here is a picture with the borders sewn on. I worked out the pattern of this quilt using some Stampin' Up Designer Series Paper scraps, and then assembled each row. I originally figured that this quilt would be around 60" square, however it is currently around 65" square - a perfect size for a picnic/beach quilt or a quilt for two.



I will get a better picture of the quilt top once I have a couple extra bodies to help. It is hard to take a picture with the quilt hanging when it is just Jesse and myself. Mind you, he would love to be in the picture, but really couldn't hold it up for me to take a picture :D

I would love to hear what you think, so feel free to leave a comment.

Anyways, I am off to bed. Have a great night. Happy quilting!

Katie

Butterflies In Blue - Part 2

Good Morning,

Well, I had quite a busy day at my sewing machine. I finished sewing all the borders on the butterfly squares and have ironed the seams flat. The next step is to cut the Ivory Broadcloth fabric for the slashing between the individual squares and between the rows of squares.

Here are some pictures of the five squares...

Blueberry Butterfly with a yellow dot border

Brown Butterfly with a Blue Flower Border



Blue Paisley Butterfly with a Brown Border



Yellow Dot Butterfly with a Blue Paisley Border

Blue Flower Butterfly with a Blueberry Border

The last picture with the blueberry border is the fabric that inspired the whole quilt. I was given a couple of colour suggestions (some Stampin' Up! colours - Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue and Very Vanilla), but I have been given full creative control of this quilt (thanks Kristin). :D

I will be back later with some pictures of the rows (once they are assembled of course).

Until then,

Katie

Butterflies In Blue - Part 1

Good afternoon,

This is one of the quilts that I am currently working on. Kristin asked me to make her a quilt (and that she would pay me for it) - so it got bumped to the "front of the line". I hope that the intended recipient of the quilt (gotta keep this part a secret - I don't think that the individual will discover it on my blog - but I don't want to spoil the surprise) will like the quilt and the colours and fabric chosen.

Here's some shots of the butterflies. They are cut using the BigShot Machine and the Beautiful Butterflies Die. The great thing about the BigShot is that it can cut multiple layers of fabric at once - which certainly makes cutting multiple items much easier. (but I wouldn't recommend cutting more than about 8 layers - because if you do - you might wind up doing damage to the die).

Each Butterfly got temporarily attached to a cream piece of fabric, and then hand sewn. Everyone thought that I was CRAZY to hand stitch all the butterflies. I only had 45 to do - and it took me about 2 weeks. Then each square will have a patterned fabric border (in different fabric then the butterfly). The squares currently have the right and left sides sewn, and the top and bottom border pieces are all pinned - they just need to be sewn.

OK, I am going back to the sewing machine.

Have a great night!

Katie

Some Ongoing Projects

So I have a few WIP (work in progress) on the go right now. Pictures to follow later :)

1. An Easy Brick quilt - using reds, turquoises, greens and white. A tutorial for this quilt can be found here. My version only has 7 different patterns, and will have a border after I finish some of the other projects that are on the go.
2. An applique butterfly quilt for Marcia. The butterflies are cut with my Stampin' Up! BigShot and Beautiful Butterflies die. This one is almost done - just need to do the machine quilting.
3. A second butterfly quilt. I am calling this one "Butterflies in Blue". This one is being made for my friend Kristin. More about this quilt in a later post.

Well, I am off to the sewing machine.

Katie

A Warm Welcome

Well, I finally did it! I created my very own blog :D

I have been an avid follower of a few different blogs, and after starting my latest hobby (quilting) and following quite a few quilting/sewing themed blogs, I thought that it was the right time to try my hand at blogging myself.

To introduce myself....I currently live in London, Ontario, Canada with my very adorable long haired miniature dachshund Jesse. He is about 15 months old and I have had the pleasure of having him in my life for just over a year.

I have many hobbies - it all started back in high school (hard to believe that it has been 10 years since I graduated high school) - when I started cross stitching. My love of sewing started not long after and I am partially self taught and partially taught by my Nana.

I have been making cards for about 3 years, and I have been a Stampin' Up Independent Demonstrator for 1 year. I love seeing what people create and love getting inspiration from them as well.

I have to admit it, my card making has taken a bit of a back seat to my quilting lately. It all started when I saw an applique quilt done by Angie Kennedy Juda. The quilt that inspired it all can be seen here. My version was a quilt for Jesse (and yes - he is a very spoilt little puppy).

And of course, when I took the picture, Jesse had to be right there too!!

Anyway, that's all for now. I will be back later to let you know what projects that I currently have on the go, and some of the progress that I am making.

Have a wonderful evening,

Katie