Riley Blake Blog Tour {Baby Play Mat Tutorial with Matching Zipper Pouch}

June 4, 2014 by Amanda 23 Comments

I am so excited to be participating in the Riley Blake Designs Quilted Cotton Blog Hop.

6/10 – Nancy Zieman

6/12 – The Sassy Quilter

6/17 – Just Let Me Quilt

6/19 – Simple Simon & Co.

6/24 – Haberdashery Fun

6/26 – Sew We Quilt

7/1 – Jina Barney Designz

7/3 – Leigh Laurel Studios

7/8 – Riley Blake Designs

Today is my day for the blog hop so WELCOME and thanks for stopping by! I can’t tell you how in love I am with Riley Blake’s new quilted cottons. They come in a variety of patterns and colors. I choose the black chevron which has polka dots on the reverse side. I love giving hand made baby gifts but sometimes it gets a little challenging to create a new quilt from scratch for every baby gift; as much as my heart wants to. The quilted cottons are perfect for sewing for baby: I appliquéd some flowers, added extra wide binding and it’s an adorable play mat or changing mat or quilt for baby.

I also used what was left of the quilted cotton to make a diaper change zipper pouch. It holds all the essentials: diapers, wipes, sanitizer, etc. Continue reading for the instructions….

Supplies:

1 yard Riley Blake Quilted Cotton

6 fat quarters flower appliqué fabric

3/4 yard fabric for wide binding

Therm O Web Spray n Bond basting spray.

Download the flower patterns HERE (for large flower, you will have to enlarge on your computer – it measures about 10.5″ across)

Cut the quilted cotton 35″ x WOF (Of course you can cut whatever size you want)

Cut the 3 sizes of flower and flower centers out to make the pattern.

Pin the pattern pieces to the fabric and cut out.

Spray the Spray n Bond to the wrong side of the fabric appliqué pieces and place on the quilt. It is a bit of a challenge to appliqué on such a large piece of fabric – there was some pushing and pulling involved. I found it easier to spray baste the flowers after finishing sewing the one before.

Stitch around each flower and flower center 2 times using black thread.

To make the extra wide binding…. cut 4 strips 5″ x WOF. Sew together and press in half. Continue as you would with regular binding, only line up the raw edge of the binding 1″ from the edge of the quilt like this:

I machine sewed the binding so it would hold up nice in the wash. I am hoping this will be used more as a changing mat or crawling mat so it will be getting laundered often! I love how it turned out! This could easily be changed up for a boy – the navy and white chevron would be cute with anchors or fish!!

Of course I needed to sew a matching zipper pouch. I like the idea of having all the diaper change stuff in one handy pouch. I used one of my favorite tutorials from my good friend Jennifer. I changed the measurements from 9″x11″ to 8″x11″. The rest of the tutorial is exactly the same.

Cut (2) quilted cotton pieces 8″ x 11″

Cut (2) lining fabric pieces 8″ x 11″

Applique the smallest flower from the quilt pattern above to the side of one of the quilted cotton pieces. Then follow the rest of the tutorial.

I need one of these for myself!!

They make such a darling set! I can’t wait to give this to my friend who is expecting her very first baby!!

Thanks for stopping by! I can’t wait to see all the projects on this fun Blog Tour!!

Filed Under: appliqué, FEATURED, gift, Heat n Bond, patterns, quilt, Riley Blake, sewing, tutorial, zipper pouch

BBQ Napkins {Father’s Day Sewing Tutorial}

June 2, 2014 by Amanda 1 Comment

I am so in love with this fabric line from Blend designed by Maude Asbury called Ribs and Bibs. It screams Father’s Day. I normally don’t sew for the men in my life but this year is totally different because of all the inspiration this fabric has given me! Don’t you just love it!! I wish I had yards and yards to make table cloths with! Every day this week I am sharing a tutorial using this fabric line.

Of course Father’s Day is in June – during one of the busiest months of the year. The holiday has to compete with end of the year final projects, class parties, class field trips, graduations, and the list goes on. The tutorials I am sharing are projects that can be sewn quickly – because who has time in June for anything extra?

I am the world’s messiest eater – I really mean it. When I go out to dinner with my husband, I have a pile of napkins at the end of the dinner and my husband doesn’t even have one (because I used it for myself). At home I eat with a kitchen towel on my lap – it just saves paper 🙂 When our family gets together to eat ribs or BBQ paper napkins just are not enough – and even cloth napkins leave something to be desired. That’s when I decided to purchase “Bar Mop” towels and turn them into BBQ napkins. Bar Mop towels are available at any home store in the kitchen towel department. They are slightly smaller than normal kitchen towels, and not a traditional washcloth. They provide the right amount of absorbency for BBQ sauced fingers!

Let’s get started….

Supplies:

Bar Mop Towels – pre wash & dry

fat quarter Ribs & Bibs “Open Pit” in brown fabric

fat quarter Ribs & Bibs “Checker Board” in red

Therm O Web Heat n Bond Lite

Begin by cutting a piece of the Heat n Bond and ironing it to the back of the Open Pit fabric.

Cut around each image leaving a little bit of brown boarder.

Peel off the backing paper and iron it to the corner of the bar mop towel. Keep in mind the heat n bond won’t permanently adhere to the fuzzy towel so it needs to be sewn on. The Heat n Bond will hold the image in place temporarily and it will prevent fraying.

Sew around each image with a straight stitch.

Iron another piece of Heat n Bond to the wrong side of the checker board fabric. (This is a little bit of a “cheater” way to add an accent strip to the towel.)

Cut strips of the checkerboard 2 squares wide. Peel off the backing fabric.

Iron it to the bottom of the towel and top stitch around the strip. Now make enough for everyone coming to your Father’s Day BBQ!!

Filed Under: Blend Fabrics, Father's Day, FEATURED, gift, gifts, Heat n Bond, sewing, Therm O Web, tutorial

Bunny Love Pillow

April 3, 2014 by Amanda 6 Comments

I guess there is no stopping the bunny projects! Meet my newest bunny creation – Bunny Love pillow! This is a fast and easy project that will add a Folk Art Easter feel to your home.

Supplies:
Backing fabric, 3/4 yard
Scraps of fabric for appliqué – I used Anna Griffin’s Grace line
Pom Pom trim
22″ zipper
Pillow form or fiber fill
Heat n Bond lite

Begin by cutting the pillow front 20″ x 12″
Iron the Heat n Bond lite to the back of your appliqué fabric. I used the Sizzix bunny die for the bunnies. The folk art tulip pattern can be downloaded here.

Once you have cut out your appliqué pieces, center them on the pillow front. Iron to set in place and stitch around each piece twice with black thread.

Cut the pom poms the width of the pillow and baste them into place.

For the pillow back…..

There are a few options to finish the pillow:

1. You can cut the back piece the same size as the front, sew it, turn it, stuff with fiber fill and hand stitch the opening closed.

2. I used a pillow form and put an invisible zipper in the bottom portion of the back. I cut 2 pieces for the back: 20″ x 2″ and 20″ x 2. Set the invisible zipper joining the two pieces. For invisible zipper tutorial, click HERE.

Pin the back to the front with right sides together, making sure zipper is open. My back was a touch larger then the front, so I just trimmed off the excess. Make sure to tuck those pom pons in so they don’t get caught in the seam.

Sew all the way around the pillow using 1/2″ seam. Turn and insert pillow form.

OK, now this is my favorite thing in my house 🙂

Filed Under: easter, FEATURED, Heat n Bond, pillow, Therm O Web, tutorial

Vintage Bunny Skirt Tutorial

March 28, 2014 by Amanda Leave a Comment

The bunnies keep multiplying! I knew they would make a darling skirt (what’s next, throw pillows & tote bags??) This is a simple tutorial for a girls skirt size 6/7 that sews up in no time! The tutorial is being featured over at the Therm o Web blog. Click HERE to check it out!!

Filed Under: clothes, easter, FEATURED, Heat n Bond, sewing, Therm O Web, tutorial, tutorials

Burlap Bunny Pillows

March 27, 2014 by 3 Comments

I can’t get enough of these appliqué bunnies in the Anna Griffin Grace fabrics!! I had some left over from my Bunny Bricks Quilt so I thought I would make a few burlap pillows for gifts. They are so cute and sew up really fast.

Here’s how you can make one:

Cut 2 pieces of burlap 8″ x 11″
I already had the Heat n Bond Lite fused to the bunny, so I just ironed it to the center of the burlap.
Stitch around the bunny twice using brown thread.
Pin the two pieces of burlap wrong sides together.
Cut a 17″ piece of lace and pin in place, tucking the raw edges inside the pillow.
Sew 1/2″ seam around the pillow leaving an opening at the bottom to stuff. Stuff with fiber-fill and top stitch the opening closed.

They are so cute, and did I mention I love bunnies? They are the cats of Easter 🙂

Filed Under: appliqué, easter, Heat n Bond, sewing, Therm O Web, tutorial, tutorials

Baby Octopus Zipper Pouches

February 21, 2014 by 1 Comment

If you know me at all, you know I LOVE zipper pouches! Since all the fabric is still out from my Octopus Tote Bag, I thought I would sew up a few pouches. They sew up super fast. I made 2 versions and I will explain them both below.

“My Favorite Zipper Pouch” This is modified from my tutorial posted here. Follow those instructions except for these changes:

Use the same measurements for the outer bag and the lining (9’x 6.5″) This bag is canvas so omit the fusible fleece.

For the accent strip, cut (2) 3″ x 9″ and press edges to the center.

I used basting spray to hold the folded edges in place.

Pin the accent strip 3.5″ from the top and make sure it’s straight. Topstitch both sides of the accent strip onto the canvas pieces. Do this on the front and back pieces.

Prepare the appliqué by tracing the octopus pattern HERE on Heat n Bond Lite. Iron to the wrong side of the fabric. Cut on the pattern line.

Position the octopus as placed above. I like to use an open foot like this Bermina #20 when sewing around my images. It lets me see the image better. Sew around the octopus twice with a straight stitch. I had some fabric with words on it and sewed the word strip on.

Once the bag front and back are finished, sew the bag together as in the tutorial here. I added a swivel lobster clasp to the side. Also, when notching the bottom corners, instead of a 1.5″ square, use a 1.25″ square.

Version 2 Rounded Zipper Pouch

This zipper pouch is super easy – there is no lining and no zipper tabs which means you can make it in about 15 minutes! The weight of the canvas gives it enough strength.

Cut (2) rectangles from the canvas 5.5″ x 7.5″

Using a bowl or plate, round the bottom two corners of the 2 rectangles.

Using basting spray, place one of the bag pieces to the wrong side of your fabric. Spray in place. Cut around the bag shape. This is now your bag back.

Applique the octopus on the bag in the same manner as the first zipper pouch.

These are the two bag pieces.

Lay the zipper in between the bag pieces, right side up like this:

Flip the zipper over and align with the top edge of the back piece. Sew using a zipper foot. Then sew the zipper to the bag front in the same manner. Press and top stitch along zipper seam.

With the zipper pull in the center of the bag, trim off the excess zipper. Place bag front and bag back right sides together. Pin. Sew using 1/4″ seams. Zig zag the edges so they won’t fray.

Turn right side out and press.

Filed Under: Heat n Bond, sewing, Therm O Web, tutorial, tutorials, zipper pouch

Octopus Tote Bag

February 19, 2014 by Amanda 8 Comments

I am sooooo excited to share this tutorial with you! It’s on the Therm O Web blog today!! I have been working like crazy to get it done! We are ocean lovers at my house. In fact the octopus is my daughter’s favorite animal! This tote bag is made with heavy canvas and accents of Blend quilting cottons. The blue fabrics have the feel of water. This project uses Therm O Web’s Spray n Bond, Fusible Fleece and Heat n Bond Lite.

Beach-Bound Tote Bag with Blend Fabric

I am so in love with these fabrics from Blend. Being a California girl who loves the beach, when I saw these beautiful shades of blue I immediately thought of the ocean! This is the perfect tote bag for a day at the beach – it’s made with sturdy canvas so it will really hold up! Let’s get started!

Supplies:

1/8 yards 5 assorted prints (can use jelly roll cuts 2.5″)

1/2 yard for octopus applique

1 yard canvas or duck cloth – mine was 60″ wide

HeatnBond® Lite Fusible Applique

HeatnBond® Fusible Fleece

SpraynBond® Fusible Adhesive Spray

Download the octopus pattern HERE

Instructions:

Cut 5 strips 2.5″ x WOF from the assorted prints

Sew them together lengthwise and press to one side, using 1/4″ seams

Cut the strip set in half resulting in 2 identical pieces. Align the strip sets and sew together forming a larger strip set of 10 strips. Press seam. Trim the sides (lengthwise) about 1/4″ off each side so the strip set measures 20″ across.

Cut strip set the following increments – cut carefully there is no excess!

Cut (2) 2″ strips and (2) 8.5″ strips.

Cut the canvas accent piece (2) 9.5″ x 20″

Complete the bag front and back…..

Lay the strip sets out like this – you will need to make 2

Sew the pieces together using 1/4″ seams and press away from the canvas.

Cut the Fusible Fleece (2) 19″x 20″ and fuse to the WRONG side of both the bag pieces.

You can add quilting or topstitching to your liking. I sewed 1/8″ straight lines next to each seam.

Time to appliqué the octopus!

Download the octopus pattern HERE. Since it is larger than a piece of printer paper, you will have to print off all the pieces and then tape them together. Draw the octopus image on the Heat n Bond® Lite.

Iron it to the wrong side of the octopus fabric. Cut on the lines of the octopus pattern – it’s a little tricky and takes some time. I wanted some of the tentacles to wrap around to the back of the bag. To accomplish this, position the octopus as shown and heat set the appliqué leaving about 2″ from the side seam. We will come back to this later. To reduce bulk, I stitched around most of the octopus leaving the last 2 tentacles for later.

Pin the floating tentacles out of the way like this:

Place the bag front and bag back right sides together and sew only the one seam where the octopus wraps around. Use 1/2 seams on this part. Press the seam open.

With the side seam now sewn, you can finish the appliqué process. I like to straight stitch around my image at least 2 times. This balances out any imperfections in the stitching and looks “sketchy”. I think 3 times would have been best, but I didn’t have it in me to sew another round!

When the appliqué is complete, put right sides together and sew the opposite side and the bottom seams (1/2 inch seams again), making sure to keep the top open. I also found the walking foot to be very helpful.

Cut a 3.5″ square out of paper or scrap fabric to use as a pattern. Cut 3.5″ “notches” out of both sides of the bag bottom

Open the notched area and match the seams and sew 1/4″ seam along raw edges.

For the bag lining, you will use the same technique.

Cut the canvas (2) 20″ x 19″ . Sew the sides and bottom leaving the top open. Make sure to use 1/2 seams (I use a slightly larger seam just so my lining isn’t larger than my outer bag). Use the same “notch” technique as with the outer bag. Finish the bag bottom the same way also. Now you should have 2 exact shape bags – and outer bag and a lining bag.

Make the handles

Cut canvas (2) 4″ x 28″

Fold right sides together and sew a 1/4″ seam lengthwise to both pieces. Turn right side out and press. Press the seams in the center, they will be covered by the accent fabric next.

Cut a (2) 2″ x 28″ pieces for the accent piece on the handle. Press each side under 1/4″ lengthwise.

Use Spray n Bond® to hold the accent piece to the canvas handle. Top stitch about 1/8″ from the fabric.

Position the handles 5″ in from the side seam of the bag. Tack the handles on by sewing a seam 1/8″ from the top. Make sure the fabric part is facing toward the bag.

Turn the lining inside out and place the outer bag inside the lining. Match up the side seams and pin all around the top edge. It should be right sides together. Sew 1/4″ around the entire bag.

Unstitch about 4″ in one of the side seams. Turn the bag right side out. Top stitch the opening closed with matching thread.

After you turn the bag right side out, you will need to press the top edge to get the lining to lay flat. Press and pin in place. Top stitch 1/8″ seam around the entire top of the bag. In this photo you can see closer stitching detail:

The tentacles wrap around to the side/back of the bag.

I love the back – it’s cute even plain!

Filed Under: appliqué, bags, Heat n Bond, sewing, Therm O Web, tutorial, tutorials

Burlap Hearts

February 6, 2014 by 2 Comments

We are a little burlap crazy at our house right now! My daughter choose to make these Burlap Hearts and sell them to earn money for her Young Women Camp this summer. I am so proud of her – she made 60 of these hearts all by herself! What a crafty girl I am raising!!

The hearts measure about 12″ square and they are big enough to hang on a front door. Here are some of the different styles she came up with.

There were a few more, but I didn’t have time to photograph them as they were flying out the door! If you are interested in purchasing one leave me a comment and we can work something out.

If you would like to make your own, here are the basic instructions. This tutorial is for a 5″ heart, but it’s the same for a larger heart.

Supplies:

Burlap

fabric or lace

heat n bond lite or heat n bond spray adhesive

fiberfill

Begin by cutting 2 hearts out of burlap. For the large hearts I drew a 12″ heart on tissue paper and used that for my pattern.

Cut a smaller heart out of fabric or lace. For the large hearts I used spray n bond to adhere the fabric to the burlap. For the 5″ hearts I used heat n bond lite. Here are more details on that method.

Adhere the fabric heart to the center of one of the burlap hearts and top stitch around.

With wrong sides together, sew around the 2 burlap hearts and leave a small opening for stuffing.

Stuff, and top stitch closed.

For the large hearts we used a piece of wire for a hanger and added a lace bow.

On the smaller hearts I made a garland (tutorial) and then also made some hanging hearts.

I had a Young Women Camp meeting and I used these as the handouts.

I have burlap dust all over my house! Time to vacuum 🙂

Filed Under: girls camp, Heat n Bond, tutorial, Valentine's Day

3 Minute T-Shirt

May 16, 2013 by 3 Comments

I bought this skirt at Crazy 8. We went to wear it only to find all we had that matched was a plain Navy Blue T-shirt. With 5 minutes till preschool, I had to hurry. Plugged in the iron, drew a strawberry on some Heat n Bond, ironed it to the shirt – quick stitching and done! I think I clocked in at 3 minutes!!

I LOVE Heat n Bond! If you haven’t used it – you MUST! It makes applique so easy! If you want to make one of these strawberry shirts, here is the pattern.

Filed Under: clothes, Heat n Bond, sewing, t-shirt, Therm O Web

Riley Blake Blog Tour {Baby Play Mat Tutorial with Matching Zipper Pouch}

BBQ Napkins {Father’s Day Sewing Tutorial}

Bunny Love Pillow

Vintage Bunny Skirt Tutorial

Burlap Bunny Pillows

Baby Octopus Zipper Pouches

Octopus Tote Bag

Beach-Bound Tote Bag with Blend Fabric

Burlap Hearts

3 Minute T-Shirt

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