Quilted Summer Day and Night QAL

Can I just say I loved quilting this quilt?! I can not believe how easy the three stitch zig-sag made quilting this. My husband prefers a loftier quilt...he would prefer I just tie all my quilts... he loves that fluffy cozy feeling. I on the other hand like a finished look to my quilt and I know that quilted quilts tend to hold up a little better and in my opinion just look nicer. This was the perfect compromise. It is a loose quilting pattern and still has a clean finished look to it. I recommend this to anyone who is quilting a quilt on their home machine! Now I just have to bind it and I can cross it off my list of works in progress!

Here is the link to the free QAL! http://sandraclemons.blogspot.com/p/tutorials.html

Finally Finishing...Summer Day and Night QAL (Only a Month Late...)

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. I know I did! I did some garage saling yesterday and had lunch with my parents. Then today my husband and I went to the apple orchards. We were back by noon and he had to get some sleep and I spent the remainder of my day sewing and listening to an audio book. A while back I had been posting about this quilt along. I wasn't very excited about block nine... and I put it off forever... until yesterday when I decided that I was just going to make a 16 inch scrappy block instead of the block they provided. Now I am on a mission to finish this quilt! I promise better pics then!

 

 I am quilting this one on my Janome. I am using a walking foot and a wide three stitch zig-sag. So far I am loving the way it looks and it is going pretty quickly.

 

 

Don't want to miss out on the finished product? Be sure to subscribe for blog updates!

 

Have a great week! 

Crispy Cheddar Chicken! and Summer Day and Night QAL Block 7

Hello everyone! I just had the best few days. I went to Door County, WI with a friend, my mom, and my sister. It was a blast. It was a long drive but it was worth it. We went to a drive-in movie, a light house, the beach, and lots of shops. Of course there are things I am forgetting, but it was fun. If you are from Wisconsin you probably already know about Door County if you are not from Door County do a google image search and you will see it is just gorgeous.

My husband stayed home with the dogs and I ended up leaving a night earlier than planned for the trip. Meaning I hadn't had time to cook anything for my husband to reheat. He pretty much ate out for the last three days. When I asked him what he wanted for supper this morning he told me, "Real food and something green!" I agreed completely. We were camping so we had quite a bit of convenience type foods and not much for vegetables. I was also craving some veggies. I had chicken breasts in the fridge so I decided to use that up. He had asked me to make the crumb chicken I used to make for him when he would come over in high school. I use to make that chicken nearly weekly for my family. It was good....but this is better!

I based my recipe on this link http://jamiecooksitup.net/2011/10/crispy-cheddar-chicken/. I did use some different spices to give it more flavor. I only made four servings. I dipped the chicken in milk, then in shredded cheese. I only needed a cup of cheese. Then in the cracker crumbs. I only needed half a sleeve of crackers. I seasoned the cracker crumbs with seasoning salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and a dash of chili powder. I didn't measure what I put in, but it was very little chili powder and seasoning salt. More pepper and garlic powder. I was a little skeptical of the cheese, but it turned out great. The chicken stayed very moist and the cheese added a lot of flavor! It was delicious. I highly recommend trying this recipe!

I also was able to finish my week 7 block for the QAL before leaving on our trip. I am hoping to get week 8 done sometime this weekend. I am also going to make valances for one of the teachers I work with. So, I plan on spending some time in my sewing room.

 

 

 

Summer school starts on Monday! This summer just FLEW by. I am hoping to keep posting on here at least once a week so be sure to stop in often. It may be more recipes than sewing for a while (seeing as how I HAVE to cook). If you enjoy my posts be sure to follow by email!

Pajama Pants!

I have a secret...I LIVE in my pajama pants when I am at home. Literally, if I am home and the dogs have been walked and sometimes even if the dogs haven't been walked I am in my pajamas. I have been this way forever...except when it was swimsuits. I used to LOVE going swimming so much that my parents couldn't get me to take my swimsuits off. Anyway, PAJAMAS are amazing. Up until today my favorite pair were my husbands and I had to roll the waist three times because they were too long and too big. Now I have these cute pj bottoms. Sorry for the bad pic...

*Funny story: I had to put socks on for these pics because my friend is totally freaked out by feet and I was concerned that maybe some of you hate feet, too. Do any of you hate feet?

 

Even better than just the pictures of the wonderfully comfy pants I am going to write down how I made them...all you need is approximately 2 1/2-3 Yards of fabric and a favorite pair of pajama bottoms to use as a pattern. That and some elastic for the waist. If you don't have elastic that's okay. Make a drawstring instead!

 

First, fold your pants in half  with the back showing to make the 2 back pieces of your pants. Lay your pants on the folded fabric and cut AT least 5/8ths from the edge. I cut more like an inch and a half from each edge.  Remember you can always take in, but it's harder to make bigger.

 

 

Next you need to fold your pants the other way, with the front side out. Make sure you line up the leg seams. This is what most of the tutorials were missing. They just traced four of the back then the final product turned out supper "poofy" in the front. The back has a bigger crotch seam to account for your butt, the front has a curved crotch seam, but it shouldn't be as drastic. Cut two (just fold your fabric).

 

Now you should have two back pieces and two font pieces. You are going to sew front to front and back to back with right sides together. Only sewing the crotch seam. Remember when you are sewing clothing you need to use a wider seam allowance. 5/8 in is most common. Remember ONLY SEW THE CROTCH SEAM. The curved part.

 

 

 

Once you have sewn the crotch seam of both the front pieces and the back pieces you need to open them up and lay them right sides together. You can pin (I don't but I am lazy). I sewed outside seams first. Starting at the waist and sewing down each leg seam. This way any uneven hem is at the bottom and will be trimmed when you hem or add a cuff to your pants. Once you have sewn the outside seams you are going to sew the inside leg seam starting at the bottom of one leg and sewing continuously to the bottom of the other leg.

 

 

 

At this point I like to try my pants on. It's just for fun and totally optional. You also have options here. You can just fold down the top of the waist 1/4 and then again 1 inch and sew along leaving a space to enter the elastic. Hem the bottom of each leg and be done...or you can add a fun waist band and cuffs on the leg hems. This is what I did.

 

To make the elastic waist casing I cut a 3 inch wide strip that would go all the way around the waist of the pants. Sewed the two short ends together and folded in half. Then with right sides and raw edges together pin the waist band to the pants. (I like to match the waist band seam to the seam in the back of the pants.) Sew the waist band on being sure to leave an opening to insert the elastic.

 





Cut a piece of elastic that feels comfortable but snug on your waist. *TIP* I safety pin one end of the elastic to my fabric so it doesn't accidently get pulled in. Insert the elastic. Then sew the end of the elastic together.

Now, admire your work! You're nearly done. Isn't that a nice clean finish?!

 

 

Last step! Add the cuffs to the hems of your pant legs. I made these the same way I made the waistband. Cut them to the length needed to go around your pant leg. I used 3 inches, so they finished at about 1 inch wide. This is the easiest way to measure how much you need. Remember when you sew them on RIGHT SIDES AND RAW EDGES TOGETHER!

 



FINALLY! Wear your new pajama pants and lounge around watching a moving and eating popcorn!

If you enjoyed this tutorial follow me on pinterest or by email!

Swoon Block Pillow

I have had a busy couple of weeks. We had two of my nephews for four day/three nights. We don't have any children...not two-legged children anyway so it was an adjustment getting used to have the boys running around the house. We went to the zoo, played in shaving cream, watched movies, played at three different parks, made homemade ice cream, and many other things. I know I teach kindergarten and I have 13-18 kids during the school year, but that time is always pretty routine oriented. Having kids without a plan or routine is a little bit scary for me. I have also gone to the beach and walked a trail with my sister and had a movie / game night with my mom and sister. So, needless to say I have been having fun I just haven't had craft time. Tonight was the first time I made it to my craft room since last week Wednesday.

Now to share the project that I finally made!!! I have been admiring the Swoon Block for a long time. I love this block...I finally found a good tutorial online and got busy. Here is the link for the tutorial I used. http://doublenickelquilts.blogspot.com/2012/03/scrappy-nickel-swoon-quilt-block.html It was well written, but it was written for charm squares, so just keep in mind that for most of the pieces you really only need to cut 2 1/2 in squares, so you could use any fabric 2 1/2 inches wide.

Here is my finished block.

 

 

It was so pretty. I knew I needed to do something fun with it. A pillow! *HINT* If you don't want to buy expensive pillow forms or stuffing, you can buy the cheap $2 pillows from Walmart and pull the stuffing from them! If you are going to do this instead of buying a pillow form, but still want your pillow to appear very smooth (no lumps) then just apply fusible fleece to the front and back pieces of your fabric before stitching and turning.

 

 



The last thing that I really wanted to share with you is this excellent recipe I found for Apple Crisp. Isn't it gorgeous. It is even prettier once it has been baked, but I was so excited to try it that I forgot to get a picture. Here is the link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Apple-Oatmeal-Crisp/. This recipe is great for many reasons, but I like it best because it has the crumb topping on top and bottom and everyone knows the crumb topping is the best part!!!

 

 

Hopefully I will find some more sewing time this weekend. I have a Summer Day and Night QAL Block to get done! I am going on an overnight trip next week and summer school starts a week from Monday! Hopefully you have been making the most of your summer as well! Have a great weekend.

Summer Day and Night QAL Block 3 and Other Random Stuff

Hello everyone! No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth...just off the face of blog land. I have had a busy few days and have done some sewing but mostly have been doing other things.

On Friday I spur of the moment decided I should probably have a garage sale on Saturday. So, that took up Friday and Saturday. Then yesterday we invited my husbands family over for a cookout for Father's Day and ended up going boating. That was...an adventure. We may or may not have ran out of gas, turns out the gas gauge is NOT very accurate. But the views were gorgeous.

Today I decided to rearrange our bedroom. Moving a king size bed by yourself is a bit of a struggle to say the least...my dogs tried to help.

 

 

 

Okay. Back to what is really important...sewing! Today I made block 3 in the quilt along. I have a picture of the block and a picture of it along with the previous two blocks. I am considering making these blocks into throw pillows for our sectional, but I will probably make the quilt. It was just an idea.

 

 

Here is the link in case you would like to join the quilt along! http://sandraclemons.blogspot.com/2015/06/summer-sampler-quilt-along-block-1.html



100 Modern Quilt Blocks (Block 3)

 

This may be my favorite so far!

100 Modern Quilt Blocks (Block 2)

 

Block 2 is finished...I love how quick and easy these blocks are. They are perfect to do just one or two each day. I had considered doing only black and whites for this block but the splash of pink is fun.

Tula Pink's 100 Modern Quilt Blocks (Block 1)

I am not very good at summer. During the school year in moments of great stress, I like everyone else, will sometimes count the days until summer. But once it is here I get bored quickly. I know I shouldn't be complaining but it is true. Of course there are things I could be doing. There are even a few things I SHOULD be doing. But I have ALL summer. That being said I need a long term project that is going to take me a while. Something that I can just work on without having to decide what to work on. I think I have found the perfect thing. I LOVE a good sampler and so I have decided to tackle all 100 of Tulia Pink's blocks from her book 100 Modern Quilt Blocks. I will post them as I complete them. If you are looking for a new project it would be fun to have you working on the blocks at the same time! If you have already made these blocks do you have any suggestions?

I plan to use mostly scraps for the blocks in this quilt and some small yardage I already have in my stash, but I may need to purchase some fabric as I go.

Here is block 1! It went together quickly and easily. The best thing was that it is such a small block I was able to use up some of my small scraps.

 

Summer Day and Night Block 2

 

 

Tonight I made the second block in the Summer Day and Night Quilt Along. If you would like to join in just follow the link.

 

http://www.sandraclemons.blogspot.com/p/tutorials.html

Dresden Plate Block

Today I made my very first ever Dresden Plate Block. I used the free pattern from Fort Worth Fabric Studio. I don't love 30's prints, but I felt like this block was one that everyone needs to make once and when better to try something new than today? So, I went on Pinterest and searched Dresden Plate Blocks to get some ideas. Click here to go to my Dresden Plate board on Pinterest. I pinned many that were a little more modern or that were used in some amazing projects. I liked the ones with the fussy cut centers best. I always love a good fussy cut block. I started with my center fabric and chose coordinating fabrics for the 20 blades.

 

The directions given on Fort Worth Fabric really are pretty good, so I don't have a lot to add. Other than two things. The first being that when you are cutting out your Dresden blades I started by cutting rectangles that were 2 3/8 by 4 1/2 from my scraps. Then stacked and cut. If you are using yardage and not scraps, I recommend cutting 4 1/2 inch strips and then just rotating your template like seen in the pictures below. Cutting this way you will not waste very much fabric at all.

 

 

 

The other change I made was to the center circle. I cut my circle a quarter inch larger than the pattern directed and used fusible interfacing instead of web. Sew the interfacing and the fabric together with the right side of the fabric facing the sticky side of the interfacing. Then you cut two small slits in the shape of an "+" in the interfacing and turn the circle right side out. This gives you a slightly more finished center. I have pictures below showing the process.



 

 

Remember that you can NOT iron the circle until you are placing it on your block!

 

The last suggestion I have is to use your stitch in the ditch or topstitching foot when you sew down your center and blades. I used my stitch in the ditch foot and then moved the needle to the left so that it would catch what I was sewing down.

Finally, the moment you have all been waiting for....MY FINISHED DRESDEN PLATE BLOCK!!!!

 

 

If I am being honest the block is a little bright, even for me. I am not sure what I am going to use it for yet but I am glad that I made it. I'd love to see any Dresden plate blocks you have made. Link in the comments or email me and I will post them to my blog!

Summer Day and Night Quilt Sampler

Last night I came across something wonderful! A quilt along that just started. It made my night. I immediately got out of bed and made the first quilt block in the quilt along.

The quilt along is on Sandra Clemons's blog. You can click HERE to be taken to the blog post. I would love to see some of you participate. I will be posting my block each week for you to see. I am using a fat eighth bundle I purchased as well as fabrics from my scrap bin and stash.

The best thing about quilt alongs is that it feels like Christmas each time the new block is posted! It is going to be Christmas for the next nine weeks! Then again...maybe that's just me.

Finished Sampler Quilt Top

I wish I could say that I have spent the week working on many different projects, but with so little time left in the school year things have been pretty busy. I consider it a major accomplishment to have gotten the sashing and borders onto my sampler quilt. I chose grey for my sashing though I had seriously considered a light blue as well. It really turned out better than I thought it would. I was really nervous that I wouldn't like the grey. I love the rest of the quilt, so if I hadn't liked the grey I would have been spending a lot of time with a seam ripper.  If you like this quilt I have links to all of the blocks in this post.

While I haven't had a lot of sewing time I have done a little shopping. Last weekend I had a friend visiting and we decided to go to a few antique shops in Iowa. I spotted a funky coffee table! Which was something I was looking for. I had figured I would eventually find one to make a project out of but someone had already transformed this one. Needless to say it came home with me.

Tonight on my way home from work I stopped at a garage sale. I had seen this side table and had to stop. Little did I know I would find another fun treasure. The side table is going to get a paint job. Either black or a fun color to match the coffee table I picked up. Did I mention I only paid $1 for it and it is solid wood. Which means I also have the option of sanding and staining...but I want it in the same space as the coffee table.

I also found this green lantern. I am just going to be using it as a decoration  in my basement. It matched the fun and colorful style of my coffee table. Our upstairs is relatively formal with pops of color so I want a more fun and bright scheme in our basement. I like that this old lantern adds a pop of color but still fits my thrifty style.

This weekend is city wide garage sales so I am not sure whether I will be sewing, crafting, or "shopping" but no matter what I am hoping for a relaxing weekend! I wish you the same!

Framed Star Tutorial

In one of my more recent posts I had mentioned that school was out for the summer and that you would be hearing from me more often...that hasn't really been true. I took a bit of a crafting freeze over the last few days while we were getting ready for a new addition to our family.

This is Bella. She is a sweet but crazy German Shephard mix that we got from the humane society. We already had a chocolate lab, Bear. Bear is 8, he was 4 when we got him. Bella is 3. Bear has been very spoiled over the last 4 years so we had to make a couple of trips before we got Bella to make sure that they wouldn't fight when we brought her home. Plus we had to make sure that Bear was up to date on all of his shots which required a vet visit...anyway it just made for a few very busy days. If I am being honest I was VERY nervous about getting a new dog after Bear had been our only dog for so long. I was afraid he would get jealous or feel rejected. So far he has handled it very well and while they have had minor disagreements they seem to get along very well.

Today is only her third full day with us and I was able to get this picture of them yesterday. As long as there is space next to me for both of them they are happy. Okay, enough about my baby's...I mean dogs. It is time for what I was finally able to accomplish in my sewing room tonight!

It all started on Pintrest...like most things do. I clicked on a quilt block I loved, but unfortunately there was no link to a pattern and no instructions. I was totally bummed out until I really got looking at it and realized I can make that! But I didn't want to leave all of you hanging...so I was sure to take pictures and write down all the instructions!

It all started like this...I am thinking that maybe I should get some graph paper or something to make this stage prettier, but it works. Or to do this step on computer so I am not always retyping it, but when I am planning I like the feel of paper and pencil. I have to confess I am not magic and I do not know all the formulas for what size pieces to cut. I do, however, have this handy little book! You could find most of this information in this book in different places on the web, but I like having it all in one place. It saves me a lot of time doing some not so fun math!

If you look closely at the picture above you can see that I had intended this block to finish at 10 inches and I made two that I was going to use as potholders. They turned out to finish at 10 3/4 and I just feel that they are too big for potholders. I will for sure keep one if not both to use as trivets. If I decide not to use both it will go in a box for last minute gifts. To begin I used 5 different fabrics. You don't need very much of each. I used fabric scraps that coordinated.

Cut from color 1 (for the star):
1-4 1/2 in square
4-2 7/8 in squares (cut diagonally once so that you have 8 triangles)

Cut from color 2 (for the background behind the star):
1 - 5 1/4 in square (cut diagonally twice so that you have 4 triangles)
4- 2 1/2 in squares

Cut from color 3 ( for the pink part):
2- 5 1/4 in squares

Cut from color 4 (for the green):
8- 2 7/8 in squres

Cut from color 5 (for the corners):
4- 2 in squares

First I made the star. Using the same method as in this tutorial. Just be sure to use the measurements I gave! Learn from my mistakes and DON'T square this up. I squared mine to 8" and I should have known better, because I lost my points in the final product.

Next it is time for flying geese. You will make 8 flying geese all together. You can use your preferred method. The cutting measurements I gave were for this method.

Be sure you square your flying geese to 4 1/2 X 2 if they are looking wonky or too big.

At this point I got to excited and forgot to take pictures. But you are going to sew sets of two flying geese together. You will have four pairs. On each end of two pairs sew the 2 in squares. Then you are going to sew one pair of flying geese on each side of the star block. I started with the top and the bottom, then I sewed on the flying geese pairs with the squares on the sides.

This is just another picture of the final product...well finialish. I still need to quilt it and bind it, but you get the idea. If you make this block and would like to share a picture feel free to email me at kategoss91@gmail.com. I feel as though I have written a book tonight! Tomorrow is Friday, so go ahead and do a little happy dance. Enjoy your weekend!