A QUICK TUTORIAL TO DRESS YOUR CHAIR

Make this pillow for your Adirondack chair to ease your neck while lounging in it.  For this project you will need one fat quarter (I suggest this in case you want to make your pillow bigger than what is suggested here), Velcro (for one pillow you will need about 10  inches to be on the safe side), about 25 inches of ribbon, and polyester fiberfill.

1. From your fabric, cut one piece 15” x 17”.    Before you cut this size, determine which way you want the pattern on the fabric to go. For instance, my fabrics all have stripes.  The first one I made, the stripes went lengthwise.  However, my son said he wanted them to go “up and down.” 

2.Fold your piece of fabric in half with long edges together and press the fold.  It should measure 15” x 8 ½” when folded.

3. Now refold so that right side of fabric is on the inside.  Again, this should measure 15” x 8 ½” when folded.

4. Sew along the long open the edge of folded fabric.

5. Now slide or move this tube of fabric so that the seam line you just stitched, lines up with the fold line that you pressed.

6. Press the piece flat so that the seam is in the middle matching that fold line.  Press the center seam open.  This reduces bulk during the rest of the sewing.

7. Once pressed, sew across one end to close tube.  We will call this End A.  

8. Sew the other end, together leaving a 4” opening.   We will call this end End B.  A tip I read on another blog: When making this opening, start sewing at the corner and stop sewing at your mark indicating where to leave open.  With your needle down, turn the fabric and stitch to the outer edge of the fabric. Do the same when you continue on the other side of your 4” mark.  This makes it easier to fold after you turn it inside out.

9. Turn right side out and press.       

10. Then stitch ¼” around project.  Make sure to leave the 4” opening at End B so you can stuff the pillow.

11. Prepare the straps.  I used Velcro with a sticky back and 1 ¼” Ribbon (wider if desired).   I cut the ribbon in two sizes (to save on having to purchase more ribbon) but you can cut the length you want.  Just make sure the ribbon will reach and overlap when attached to the chair.  For me, I cut one piece 8 ½” long and the other 11 ½” long. I used pinking shears to cut the ribbon.  Before attaching the ribbon to the pillow, attach the Velcro.  First, place a 4” strip of Velcro on the short piece of ribbon.  Center the Velcro on the ribbon and place the Velcro about 1” from the one end that is Not going to be sewn to the pillow.  Then with the sister piece of Velcro, center it on the longer piece of ribbon, again about 1” from the end that is not going to be sewn to pillow. 

12. I chose the stick-on Velcro because I thought it would be easier.  Not sure about that because it kept gumming up my needle, consequently I just sewed the ends of the Velcro to the ribbon rather than the length of the cut Velcro and hope it stays on. 

13. Turn the other end of the ribbon under. This is the end that you will sew to the pillow.

14. Above, you can see where I sewed one end to the pillow, End A.  Center the ribbon across the center seam. You should sew the turned under edge down and make sure that the Velcro is facing up.  (I took this picture early, before I realized I needed to sew the Velcro 1” from the end.)

15.When attaching the ribbon, try to stitch on the stitching line you made when sewing the ¼” around the pillow in step 10.

16. Sew the other piece of the ribbon to the opening of the pillow, End B.  Center the ribbon on the center seam so it will match up with the ribbon you sewed to End A.  Be careful to stitch to only one side of the opening and make sure that this part of the Velcro faces down so the two pieces of Velcroed Ribbon will hook.  Do this before you do any stuffing.  (I know  the picture shows the stuffing but I forgot to take the picture in time.)

17. Then the fun begins.  You stuff the pillow as tightly as you can with the polyester fiberfill.

18. After the pillow is stuffed, pin it securely and using your zipper foot sew the opening closed.  Try to start and finish where previous outside stitching was made.

Here is the finished pillow from the back.

And here is the finished pillow from the front.  

ENJOY

PS:   I'm not used to writing a tutorial so, if you have questions please let me know.

Caroll, 

Caring, Sharing, Creating Smiles

A TUTE IN PICTURES

Check out this cute little thread catcher.  That's what I call it, but Saturday when the Happy Scrappers met at the Attic Window Quilt Shop, Adrienne referred to them as little boxes that she was making as gifts.  She said she was going to stuff them with various items: candy, lotions, etc.  What a clever idea!  The last little box I made like this was slightly different, so I took lots of pictures as Adrienne made her box.

First she started with two squares of fabric, and a square of batting (all the same size).  She sandwiched them together (pillowcase fashion) and did some quilting.

 Then she folded the piece together like above and sewed the side seams.

 Then she cut the extra piece of fabric off and turned the piece inside out and sewed the seams again (French seam fashion).

 Then her box looked like this.

 I like the idea of the French seams.  Above Adrienne shows us what the inside seam looks like.

And here she shows us what the outside seam looks like.  Looks so nice and neat!

A special Thank You to Adrienne for allowing me to interrupt her sewing and take the pictures.  You can get the full instructions for two different ways to make these cute little boxes by going to Connie Kresin at Freemotion by the River.  You can also get to her blog by clicking on her site on the sidebar.

JINGLE BELL HOP:

• Don't forget to stop in at the Attic Window Quilt Shop and pick up your Passport for the Jingle Bell Hop which takes place from Nov. 11 -19.  Passports are only $5.  Along with the purchase of a passport you will get a free pattern, store discounts, and your name will be entered into daily drawings.  Each shop will offer a grand prize of a $50 gift certificate.  You won't want to miss this!!!

Happenings at the Attic Window Quilt Shop

• Tuesday Bee, Tuesday, Nov. 15
• Sampler & Farm Girl BOM, Wednesday, Nov. 16
• Doll Bee & Spiral Lone Star Table Topper, Thursday, Nov. 17
• CHANGE: Craft Days has changed.  They are: Saturday, Nov 26 and Friday, Dec. 2.  Sign up now!

ON ANOTHER NOTE:

• The Stitching Scientist has a pattern and tutorial for a contemporary table runner.

Caroll,

Caring , Sharing and Creating Smiles

PREP LIKE A PRO - A MINI TUTORIAL

Well, I'm not a pro, but I thought talking about my prepping method for freezer paper applique might inspire you to try it.  I had to make a dozen of these little applique pieces above.  I wanted them to go around the perimeter of a quilt.  So I broke the prepping stage in half.  Instead of making one block at a time, I did the prep work for six blocks at a time.  To me, this was not only easier, but faster.

First I cut out six templates.  My freezer paper method is explained in full with pictures by clicking here.  After I made the templates for all the pieces, I placed them in like piles.  Then I ironed all the templates in one pile to the chosen fabric.  After they are ironed, I cut the pieces out leaving 1/4" of fabric around each template.

By doing six at once, the process seemed to go faster.  Above are all my templates waiting to be starched.

Before I used any starch I clipped in around the curved edges.

Then using a paint brush, I spread starch around the excess fabric, then pull the fabric around the template and iron to get a crisp edge.

Above are all the pieces ironed and ready to go.  Well, not exactly.  First I take out the freezer paper template, give it a quick tap of the iron, then place it on the fabric where I want it.  Once all the pieces are where I want them, I glue baste them in place so it is easy to carry the project with me and not worry about something moving or about losing a piece. Also, after the glue has dried I remove the pins. One less thing to worry about.

Above, the quilt I'm working on is draped across the frame.  As I finish my border pieces you can see that I place them on top so I have everything in one place.  I can't wait until this baby is finished!

I decided to show you how I do applique because so many have complained to me about the prep work.  This production method might not work when you are making just one unique block, but when you have to produce a number of the same blocks, I recommend the assembly line method.  If anyone has any questions about my method of applique, feel free to ask.

 DON'T FORGET:

• Happy Scrappers, Saturday, July 9
• Charity Quilts, Monday, July 11
• Holiday Open House & Big Sale, Thursday, July 21.  MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW!  More info here.

Be sure to check the check the calendar on the sidebar for happenings this week at the Attic Window Quilt Shop.

ON ANOTHER NOTE: 

• Quilt Therapy has a tutorial for Scrappy Pennant Points.

 ♥ Caroll, 
Caring , Sharing and Creating Smiles

A LITTLE TUTORIAL

Recently Cathy M. was scheduled to give a tutorial before the Grand Rapids Modern Quilters; however, she had to cancel due to a previous commitment.  So, Cathy asked me to do the demo, which I gladly did and thought, why not share it with you.  Cathy calls the above "tea leaves" and she previously did a demonstration for our Happy Scrappers group at the Attic Window Quilt Shop.  You may recall, Cathy had these tea leaves down the side of her place mats.  Above is the one I made at that time.  I decided to sew my squares together and made a little mug rug.

To make each square (I made four squares for my project) you will need a background square and two other squares in complimenting fabrics.  You may choose the size block you wish to make.  Cathy's were 2 1/2" for her place mat.  I'm using 3 1/2" for my mug rug.  At the meeting the other night I noticed some were using 5" charm squares for their project. 

Place your background square on the table.  Fold each complimenting square in half to make a triangle and place it on the square.

Pin the triangles in place and sew all layers together completely around the block as shown above.  Once that is done, you sew your squares together.  For instance, if you are making a mug rug, make two rows each of two squares sewn together then sew those together to make a square. If you are sewing four in a single row for a place mat, sew them together before you go to the next step.

Once you have your blocks sewn the way you want them, you then make your tea leaves.  I call this the cathedral window effect.  As shown above on the yellow fabric, you pull the fabric back and sew it down.  I have pinned the red fabric back and am ready to sew it close to the edge. 

This is a close up of how I sewed the yellow fabric.  Of course, you repeat making your tea leaves on each block.  Once I have several made I will choose a thin batting and backing and bind each mug rug.  I believe it will be easier to do all that binding at one time!  I think they will make nice Thank You gifts, don't you?  Hope you enjoy making these as much as I do.  If you have any questions, let me know.

Also, if you are interested in Modern Quilts you can join the Grand Rapids Modern Quilters monthly meeting.  The meetings are in the evening at Kuiper College. Watch for meeting details on the Grand Rapids Modern Quilters blog on the sidebar or go here.

DON’T FORGET: 

• UFO Night, Friday, May 8
• Happy Scrappers, Saturday, May 9.
• Glam Shell Bag, Monday, May 11.
• Threads of Friendship Quilt Show, May 8 & 9, Muskegon, MI

ON ANOTHER NOTE: 

• S.O.T.A.K. Handmade has a tutorial for making a pouch made with scraps.  Love it!

♥ Caroll,
Caring , Sharing and Creating Smiles

A LITTLE SHARING AND CARING GOING ON HERE

This is just one example of what I mean by caring and sharing and creating smiles.  I find that the women who come to the Attic Window Quilt Shop are caring and sharing women.  Above Rosa shows us how to make a hot pad/coaster.

You have your batting, and two pieces each of three different fabrics.  You choose the size you want to make this project.

Rosa shows us how to sandwich the two yellow fabrics with the batting, then folding the rest of the squares into half square triangles you place them on the sandwich.  Note, the fold is in the center of the square, not on the outside edge.

This is how they should look.

Press the packet and sew all around the outer edge.  Rosa used a 1/2" seam which she later cut down to 1/4"

The you turn the folded pieces to the other side, encasing the raw edges.  Pull each triangle back like you were making a cathedral window, and sew.  Wala!  You have this darling coaster.  You can make a larger one and use two pieces of Insulbrite and use it as a hot pad.

Thank you Rosa for sharing your technique with us! 

DON’T FORGET: 

• SALE ALL THIS WEEK!
• Diana’s Glam Shell Bag, Thursday, April 16.
• Vickie's Intertwined Quilt, Friday, April 17.
• Diana’s Diva Wallet, Saturday, April 18.
• Marilyn’s Coin Purse, Monday, April 20.

ON ANOTHER NOTE: 

• Quilter’s World has a pattern for a Twist N Spin place mat.

Caroll, ♥
Caring , Sharing and Creating Smiles

ANOTHER SNOW/SEW DAY!

 

 It is another snow/sew day today and I have a little of this and that to show you.  Above is my bursting heart that I first talked about here.  It outgrew the pillow form so I made it into a table topper.  Today, I finished the binding.

Yesterday I posted about how to make a pressing bar.  I had a reader write and ask what it was for.  I’m so sorry I didn’t explain it further.  I’ve posted the picture above to show you how I use the bar to press open the seams on my binding.  Hope this clears things up.

Above is a pillowcase that Misti made.  She picked up the kit at the shop.  I love these fabrics.  Thanks for sending the picture Misti.

And this is Moe who insists on sitting on my cutting table and watching me work.  She’s such good company. 

ON ANOTHER NOTE:

• Bumble Beans has a nice tutorial for making curved geese.  Check it out.

Until next time,
♥
Stay Calm! Stay Kind! Stay Positive!
Caroll