WHIMSICAL BOM MEETS AT ATTIC WINDOW QUILT SHOP

The Whimsical Garden BOM met Tuesday at the Attic Window Quilt Shop.  Three participants braved the snow and made it to class.  This is the last time we will meet officially, however, we are starting an Appliqué Bee that will be held on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 1-3 p.m. so I hope to see everyone there and see how you are proceeding with your quilt.  I will be glad to help with putting it together, so please join us in January.  Also, above is the last block for this quilt, so bring your finished blocks in January so I can take pictures!

Above Sandy (left) and Cathy show their finished blocks for this month. Needless to say, these are my favorite students.  Not only do they get their blocks done, but they are like the mail….neither rain nor sleet nor snow nor hail will keep them away from their duty!  ;o)  A very special thanks to all of you.  It’s been a great year!

Mary Ellen selects the group of fabrics she wants to use for this final block.  Thank you to Chris for choosing such nice fabrics for our kits.

I arrived early at the shop and the Tuesday Bee was still in session and I got to take pictures of some of the great projects they were working on, so be sure and stop by tomorrow.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW:  The Annual New Year’s Day Sale at the Attic Window Quilt Shop will be held on Wednesday, January 1, 2014 from 12 noon to 4 p.m.  Chris says she can’t wait to clean out some of her secret hiding places and has lots of goodies and bargains for you to go through!

ON ANOTHER NOTE:  The Quilt Bug has a tutorial and instructions for a darling table runner.

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

WHIMSICAL GARDEN BOM AT ATTIC WINDOW QUILT SHOP

The members of the Whimsical Garden BOM group met today at the Attic Window Quilt Shop.  Above is the block we will be working on this month. 

Cathy shows us her finished block for this past month.

This is a close up of Cathy’s block.  I wanted you to see the cute little buttons she used on this block.

This is Sandy’s block.  No buttons for Sandy.  She made perfect circles for those flower stamens. 
REMINDER:  The Whimsical Garden BOM group will meet on the third Tuesday in December instead of the forth Tuesday as usual.  DON'T FORGET!

Judi A. was just leaving the shop as I arrived and showed me this beautiful bed runner that she recently made.  Won’t it look nice on a bed during the holidays!

This is a close up.  What perfect sewing!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW:
                       Black Friday Stitch-In will be held Friday, Nov. 28, starting at 8 a.m. at the Attic Window Quilt Shop!

ON ANOTHER NOTE: Looking for a quick Christmas gift to make?  Check out Therm-O-Web where  you can find a tutorial for a spray N bond fusible fleece place mat.

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

IT'S A WHIMSICAL GARDEN

Participants in the Whimsical Gardens BOM met Tuesday at the Attic Window Quilt Shop.  Kits were distributed and above is a picture of the block that we will be working on this month.

 Not everyone had their blocks completed, but Kay, Sandy and Cathy (hiding behind her block) show us their blocks.  They did a great job and I love how each block is unique.  We have only three more blocks to go. This has been a fun group and I can’t wait to show you all their blocks made into quilts.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW:

• Fall Clean-up Sale will be Friday, October 25th from 10-8 and again Saturday, October 26 from 10-5.  Sale fabrics, books and patterns will be up to 75% off.  
• The First Annual Jingle Bell Hop will be Monday, Nov. 11 through Saturday, Nov. 16.  The four shops participating are Attic Window, Pressing Matters, Custom Quilts Unlimited, and Queen Bee.
• Black Friday Stitch-In will be held Friday, Nov. 28, starting at 8 a.m.
• Craft Day will be held Saturday, Nov. 29, from 9 – 5.  Join us and make some fun Christmas gifts early.  Four to five projects are being planned for the day.  Class time is free but there will be a small fee for project kits.

ON ANOTHER NOTE:  This is interesting.  Toefeather has a tutorial for a Circle of Squares block.  I can see that in solids, but I’d love to try it with scraps from my stash.

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

WHIMSICAL GARDEN BOM MEETS AT ATTIC WINDOW QUILT SHOP

The Whimsical Garden BOM group met Tuesday at the Attic Window Quilt Shop.  Above is a picture of the block we will be working on for the next month.  Kits were distributed today.

Cathy and Sandi showed us their blocks that they had worked on during the past month and had some questions about completing them. They look like they are coming along fine!  Just a few more blocks to go on this fun quilt.

  I arrived early for class wanting to see if anyone from the Tuesday Bee had anything to share.  Above Geri shows us her latest project.  It is awesome.

This is a close up of this darling quilt.  Geri said each small square in the nine patch finishes at ½” square.  If my math is correct, each nine patch is only 1 ½” square.  I can’t imagine working with something that small.  And look at how perfect each block is!  I’m showing this to the Happy Scrappers.   What a great way to use those small scraps.

ON ANOTHER NOTE:  Pink Chalk Studio has a tutorial for a Water Bottle Carrier.  I have to make one of these.

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

WHIMSICAL GARDEN BOM MEETS AT ATTIC WINDOW QUILT SHOP

The Whimsical Garden BOM group met Tuesday at the Attic Window Quilt Shop.  For those of you unable to attend or are just picking up your kit, above is the block we will be working on this month. 

I apologize for what I said previously about there being a few slackers in this group.  Today Martha came in with all her blocks completed.  Above she shows us one of those beauties.

Here are more of Martha’s blocks.  I find it hard to believe that this is her first attempt at appliqué.  Doesn’t she do a beautiful job!

Barb had all her blocks completed too.  Above are just some of her blocks.  Cathy and Sandy also had their blocks all completed, however, I must have missed taking pictures of them.

I did get this picture of Barb with her latest pineapple block.  Barb is the owner of the Garden Path Quilts blog.  She will have a tutorial for this block on her blog soon. She also has a Mystery BOM going now and you can still join in on the fun.   While there take a look at her binding tool demo.  I know some people have questions about the tool and this excellent demo might take care of those questions.

While visiting Barb’s blog be sure to check out all her quilting tips.  She has some great ideas.   For instance, she showed us this bobbin holder.  She purchased it with the bobbins filled with all these beautiful threads.  She said she takes it with her when she does appliqué.  She can easily find the thread she needs and doesn’t have to worry about losing a bobbin because they stay snuggly in their round container.   Wow, this will help me get rid of the big bag of large spools of thread that I always carry with me when I’m doing appliqué on the go.

Barb shows us this project bag that she recently made.  I love its larger size.   

This is the back of her project bag.   You can find this adorable fabric at the Attic Window Quilt Shop.

DON’T FORGET: 

• The Shop will be closed on Monday, September 2nd, in observance of the Labor Day Holiday.
• Teachers please get your upcoming classes on the calendar ASAP.  A reader said she’d like to learn how to hand sew. 
• Mark your calendar now for the next Stitch-In which will be held September 20th and 21st.

ON ANOTHER NOTE:  Sew Mama Sew has a tutorial for a darling Christmas Tree Table Runner.

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

WHIMSICAL GARDEN BOM GETS TUTORIAL

Tuesday was the monthly meeting of the Whimsical Garden BOM at the Attic Window Quilt Shop.  Above, Sandy and Kay show off their completed blocks.  (We are not going to mention the others who did not do their homework.) ;o)

We had a special treat as Mary Ellen D. agreed to show us how to do needleturn appliqué.  I teach only the freezer paper method of appliqué, and this was a real treat for me as I’ve always wanted to learn how to do needleturn.  I love the freezer paper method, but I must admit that it is sometimes difficult when you have only so much fabric to fit around a template.

Mary Ellen showed us how to start a project and take small stitches.  She says to begin with your needle under the appliqué and bring it up into the seam allowance.

She also showed us how to master those inner curves or V points which can cause us difficulty.  She showed us how to catch our thread, ways to avoid fraying, and how to swing the needle beneath the appliqué toward your body, pulling the fabric with the thread. 

Then Mary Ellen showed us how to make perfect leaves.

As you can see above, this leaf has a perfect point that lays flat.

Above, Mary Ellen gives Kay a private lesson on attacking those small curves and inner Vs.

 She did a great job too.  Look at how smooth the curve is on this bird’s crown. (click on the picture for a closer view.) 

A special thank you to Mary Ellen for sharing her talent with us.  She is patient and explains things clearly.  She gave good directions and a fabulous demonstration! 

For those of you interested in learning more about needleturn or would like to review all we learned, QuiltsALott has a wonderful tutorial with lots of pictures. 

There was also lots of show-n-tell on Tuesday, so come back tomorrow to see that.

ON ANOTHER NOTE:  I Heart Linen Has a tutorial for a Crazy Star block.

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

MACHINE APPLIQUE TUTORIAL #2

This is a continuation of last month’s tutorial on machine applique that Chris is presenting to the Whimsical Garden BOM group at the Attic Window Quilt Shop.  If you need to catch up, you can read the previous post which includes the beginning of this tutorial here. 

 Last month Chris showed us how to trace a pattern onto the rough side of Wonder Under fusible web using a Sharpie permanent pen.   Next you need to prepare your fabric.  If you are using a lighter fabric, you might get a shadow effect when turning under your edge or when placing a darker fabric beneath it, and you will need to face your fabric will Pellon Shape Flex Woven interfacing.  (see picture above)

Next Chris has roughly cut her pattern from the Pellon 805 Wonder Under paperbacked fusible web. 

Then she irons her roughly cut pattern to her fabric.  Not all of your fabrics will need to be interfaced.  I do not interface darker fabrics that do not allow shadowing.

Then she cuts out the design just inside the dark Sharpie pen line. Above she cuts the yellow top of the flower.  Since it is made with lighter fabric, it has been interfaced.

Here you can see that she has cut the top of the flower out and the flower petals are ready to be cut.

Once your pieces are cut, you should remove the paper backing from each piece and place them on top of your Teflon ironing sheet which is see-through and allows you to place your designs properly.

You can see above that the flower center has been placed on the red petals.  They were then fused together in previous photo.  Be sure and do this first fusing on the Teflon ironing sheet as the pieces will not adhere to the sheet and once cool may be removed easily and then adhered to your background fabric later. Above the new unit has cooled and has been placed on the ironing board as one piece.

This is another shot to let you see how it is done.

Since we didn’t get any further with our Whimsical design, I wanted to show you this sample to show you of an entire project fused using this method and adhered to the background fabric. 

Next step is to machine quilt.  Next month Chris will not be available, so we will skip a month (or two) before we show you the final sewing step.  Stay tuned.  There is more to come.

 ON ANOTHER NOTE:  From The Blue Chair has a Stack Whack Wonky block tutorial.

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

WHIMSICAL GARDEN BOM AT ATTIC WINDOW QUILT SHOP

 The Whimsical Garden BOM met Tuesday at the Attic Window Quilt Shop.  I think I have some slackers in this group...LOL...or maybe everyone has just been busy.  However, Sandy was the only one to complete her block for this month!  Congratulations Sandy.  You did a beautiful job.

 Look what else Sandy did.  She showed us this stunning quilt.  She said she started it when she went on retreat and recently finished it.  I love those bright colors.  Sandy did too, and told us that when she saw the kit with those lovely fabrics she had to buy it.  The pattern is Rainbow Log Cabin.

 Judi had a finish to show us too.  Remember the Little Miss Shabby blocks I showed you here?  Judi put them all together and made this darling quilt.

 This is a close up of one of the blocks.  So cute!

 Does anyone remember seeing a Whitman Sampler tin? I've never seen one. This one is circa 2009.  Judi had one and put it to use.

 This is what is inside this cute little tin.  She made the items herself.  How lovely!

 Mary Ellen had a free quilt to show us.  I say free because she won 52 fat quarters at a retreat.  She used 18 of them to make the front of this lovely quilt. 

Then she took 12 more of the fat quarters and some leftover fabric from the front and made the backing. That is Mary Ellen on the left.  She said she still has fat quarters left!  What a lovely quilt.  The pattern is Yellow Brick Road.

Chris also continued her demo for machine applique that she started last month here.  I’ll show you those step-by-step pictures tomorrow.

ON ANOTHER NOTE: Fat Quarter Shop has a pattern and tutorial for a Full Swing Quilt Pattern. 

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

IT'S A WHIMSICAL GARDEN

The group participating in the Whimsical Garden BOM at the Attic Window Quilt Shop met today and received their kit for this block.  This is a fun group.  I don’t know exactly how many are participating but I don’t think any month that we’ve all been together.  Today we had two new participants join us.  It’s never too late.  You can still catch up.

Above, Sandy shows us her completed block from the kit that was distributed last month.  Sandy should get a prize!  She was the only one to complete her block this month!  Congratulations, Sandy!  You did a great job.

Some of the other members were determined not to let that happen this month and got right down to business.

It is good that they got busy because next month we will have a special demonstration by Chris.  Above, she instructed everyone on how to prepare for our session next month.  She suggested that you trace a pattern (any pattern you would like to try) onto the rough side of Wonder Under.  She used a Sharpie permanent pen to do this.  She said that if you are interested in giving her method of machine appliqué a try; bring your sewing machine, the Wonder Under with your pattern drawn on it, and fabric.  Hope to see all of you next month!

ON ANOTHER NOTE:  Sew Lux Fabrics has a tutorial for a cute little sunshine mug rug.

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