Deco Foil Hanging Heart {DIY project}

 

deco foil hanging heart valentineI didn’t quite know what to hang on my front doors this Valentine’s Day season.  Do any of you have the problem of having 2 front doors?  It’s always a delllama, do I hang just one item on the door we use, leaving the other one bare?  Do I hang two of the same thing?  Two different things?  If I hang 2 wreaths, does it look like my doors have eyes?  I came across these sparkly scalloped wood heart hangers at the craft store and I thought they might solve my front door problem.  They were just screaming for some embellishment, don’t you think?  I ran around the house, gathering items that might be cute all while eating cinnamon gummy hearts (highly addictive).  If you don’t have wood heart hangers like these, you can add this heart to a pillow, a frame, or pretty much anything!  Here goes!!foil valentine craft

Supplies:

fabric scraps for the hearts, I used Riley Blake Designs small dots, pink & white

a few yards of small lace and larger lace to hang

Heat n Bond Lite EZ Print sheets

Heat n Bond Lite

Deco Foil silver
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Don’t you just love all the colors this Deco Foil comes in?  This was my first time using it, I was a little intimidated; now it’s my new favorite product!

Begin by drawing your desired heart shape onto the paper side of the Heat n Bond Lite.  Roughly cut around the heart and iron it to the wrong side of the fabric.  I choose to use Heat n Bond Lite rather than fusible stabilizer because I like the texture it creates when applied.  Leave the backing paper on.foil valentine craft 2

Print out the words in reverse onto the EZ print sheets.  You can download the words like I used or make up your own.

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Press the words to the wrong side of the Deco Foil.  Then cut out with scissors.  The XOXO were easy to cut, the Love was a little intense, I might not choose such an intricate word to cut with scissors next time 🙂  But I like how it looks.
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Once the letters are cut out, peel off the backing paper and place the words as desired.  I covered my letters with tissue paper because I was afraid to put the iron directly on the foil.  Press into place.

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I LOVE the foil!  I can’t wait to try it on more projects!  To finish the heart, peel off the backing paper of the heart.  Center it on the wood heart.  Using hot glue, glue the lace all the way around the heart.  You will burn your fingers many times while doing so 🙁  If you have another favorite glue, you might try that.  I was in a hurry 🙂  You could also use any kind of trim: ric rac, small tinsel, pom poms, ruffles, etc.  I wasn’t in love with the cheap ribbon hanger the hearts came with, so I snipped them off and added some wire.

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I added a lace bow and also hung it with lace.  I don’t have a wreath hanger, so I tack the lace with a tiny nail to the top of my door.  Maybe that’s not a good idea?

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A little peak at my front porch….

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chalkboard frame front porchMy teenage daughter is in charge of all the chalkboard writing in our home.  It’s too nerve racking for me!

I found this desk literally on the side of the road.  I spray painted it grey and made it look rustic and it lives on my front porch.  In the spring I have flowers growing out of the drawers!!  I also found the chair on the side of the road.  People probably think my porch looks junky – I like it!!


repurposed desk diy

valentine front porch

Birdies for Baby: Cottage Garden Baby Quilt Pattern

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I love this baby quilt pattern.  I recently helped with a baby shower for a sweet friend who is expecting her first baby.  I made her this quilt.  This is the best baby quilt pattern because  you can sew it start to finish in a day (as I did), you can use precuts for the bulk of the quilt, it shows off larger prints or theme prints nicely which I always like to use in baby quilts, you don’t need to piece the back (yippee!),  and it’s a little more interesting then just squares.   The fabrics in this quilt really make the quilt – The Cottage Garden from Riley Blake Designs.  Click here for my other Cottage Garden Baby Quilt pattern:

the cottage garden quilt

Instead of writing up the tutorial, I thought this chart might be easier – I love “at a glance” pattern outlines like this.

birdies for baby quilt pattern

It’s important to let the kitten inspect all sewing!!

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Sew the quilt together in rows.  I used Spray n Bond to baste the quilt together.  This cuts my pinning and quilting time in half at least.  No more stopping and starting to remove pins.  It is a HUGE time saver!!!  The back of the quilt is flannel, I forgot to photograph it as I was on my way to the baby shower while taking the photos!!cottage garden baby quilt 2

I quilted loop de loos and swirly flowers in an all over pattern using light grey thread.

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I love this quilt!!  This is my new “go-to” baby quilt pattern, especially when I need it done in a day!  Kitten likes it too 🙂

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Jumbo Half Square Triangle Quilt

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I finally finished this quilt!  I attended Sewing Summit in September 2013 where I took a class from Diary of a Quilter’s Amy Smart.  I loved meeting her – she is the sweetest person ever!  IMG_5268-600x800

While at Sewing Summit I was able to put the quilt top together.  This is such a fast, fun quilt.  I also love half square triangle quilts because there are so many design options.

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I took the quilt top home and it sat in a drawer for quite sometime.  I wanted minky on the back of the quilt so it would be a cuddly throw quilt for the family.  Since I don’t quilt large quilts with minky on the back, I had my quilter quilt it this last summer.  Then finally this weekend I sewed the binding on!  I love it!  It’s fun sewing something for me!  I seem to give all my quilts away which I love.  half square triangle quilt 2

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This is the perfect quilt top to sew up in a day.  Most of the fabrics are Riley Blake with light grey Kona solids.  Now, I just need a good movie and a bowl of popcorn 🙂half square triangle quilt 5

half square triangle quilt

The Cottage Garden Baby Quilt Tutorial

the cottage garden quilt

 

Today my pattern for The Cottage Garden Baby Quilt is over at Riley Blake Designs.  This quilt is the perfect baby quilt size (38.5″ x 45″)  It also sews up pretty fast and really shows off the yummy fabrics.  Don’t you just love this fabric line by the Quilted Fish?  Hop over to Rile Blake for the full tutorial!!il_570xN.680196912_lcfffinished quilt 3

 

I branched out in my quilting and added this little flower/swirl thing in with the loop-de-loos.  Thanks Molly Hanson for your free motion quilting book ideas 🙂finished quilt 4

 

I can’t wait to wrap this up and give it to my friend who is expecting her first baby!!finished quilt

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Riley Blake Flannel Blog Hop Wrap-Up

Did you get a chance to see all the amazing projects these fantastic sewists created for the Riley Blake Blog Hop?  Here is a list of all the projects if you missed any!  Also, Riley Blake Designs is giving away 3 Flannel Fat Quarter Bundles!FlannelFinalCollage_png_600x600_q85
9/5 Riley Blake Designs – Flannel Play Dress

9/9 Quiltscapes – Pajama Pants & Pillow

9/12 Fishsticks Designs – Reversible Button Bibs

9/19 The Stitching Scientist – Toddler Nightgown

9/23 Sassy Quilter – Patchwork Dog Bed

9/26 Simple Simon & Co. – Flannel Pajamas

9/30 Fabric Mutt – Seat Cushion

10/3 Just Let Me Quilt – Nightgown & Quilted Cape

10/7 Jedi Craft Girl – Baby Blanket & Burpers

10/10 Rose and Odin – Christmas Pillowcase

10/14 Sew We Quilt – Newborn Nightgown

10/17 Haberdashery Fun – HST Baby Blanket

10/21 Leigh Laurel Studios – Personalized Pet Bed

10/24 Riley Blake Designs – Chenille Baby Blanket & Pillow

10/28 Flannel Queen – City Gym Shorts in Flannel

10/31 Lucy Blaire – The Cora Dress

11/4 Riley Blake Designs Final Post + Giveaway

Riley Blake Flannel Baby Quilt and Burpers Tutorial

flannel baby quiltI am so excited to be participating in the Riley Blake Flannel Blog Hop!  Thanks for stopping by!  Let me introduce myself….I’m Amanda, a Southern California mom of 3 children who LOVES fabric, sewing and quilting!  I love sharing my projects and patterns on my blog and connecting with people who share my same interests.

First let me just say how much I love Riley Blake flannels.  I have been sewing with flannel for years and the quality and durability of Riley Blake flannel is amazing – plus it comes in so many cute prints!  My tutorial today is for two projects.  #1 Easy Quilted Flannel Baby Blanket and #2 “Old School” Baby Burpers

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…..yes I know super “Old School” but this burper pattern has been in the family for 40 years – since I was a baby!!  Each generation of babies and mommies has loved using these.
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Let’s get started….

Quilted Flannel Baby Blanker

Supplies:

1.5 yards top fabric, I used Riley Blake Country Girls Patchwork in Pink….I love this because it already looks like a darling quilt

1.5 yards back fabric, I used Riley Blake Country Girls Country Floral Navy plus extra for the appliqué letter

1/2 yard flnnel for binding and accent square

cotton batting

Heat n Bond Lite

Basting spray

I love sewing with flannel, especially quilting because it is soft and it doesn’t move around when you sew!  I always prewash my flannel.  
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The first part of the project is pretty much just quilting the two 1.5 yards of fabric together.  Pin baste the back, batting, and top fabrics of your quilt just like you would any quilt.  If the edges don’t line up perfectly, don’t worry.  After you quilt it you will square it up.  Quilt as desired.  I quilted free motion meanders.  Square up.riley_blake_flannel_baby_quilt_2

Attach the monogram:

Cut a 9″ square of accent flannel.

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Print your desired letter in reverse.  I choose a “J” because I am giving this to my friend who is having a girl and naming her Juliette.  Trace the letter onto the Heat n Bond Lite and iron it to the wrong side of the flannel.

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Cut out the letter, peel off the backing paper and press it to the center of the 9″ accent square.  Using basting spray or pins, position the accent square as desired on the quilt.

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Using a 1″ seam, sew around the square.  Then sew around the letter sewing close to the edge.  Cut little slits into the edge of the square like this:

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I choose to add the letter after the quilting so the letter would have a quilted look as well.  After a few washings, the fringed edge of the square should look more ruffley similar to a rag quilt.

Cut (6) 2.5″ strips of flannel for the binding.  I choose to machine sew my binding on so it would hold up nicely after many washings.

riley_blake_flannel_baby_quilt_23 I think it turned out so cute!  and it’s sooooo soft and snuggly!

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Old School Baby Burpers

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Just a word about these baby burpers…..  My mom sewed this same style burper when I was a little baby.  As a toddler I would carry one around like it was a little blankie.  I called them “Night Nights”.  I’ve continued the tradition with my children.  Below are ones I sewed 16 years ago for my first baby.  The flannel selections were so sad back then – but I made do!  I made stacks and stacks of these and boy did we go through them!  Since my children are older, I found a new use for them – dusters!  They are perfect for dusting the piano, the china hutch and for other finishes you don’t want scratched!!

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Supplies

1/2 yards of assorted flannels

ric rac

Pattern, click HERE

Begin by printing the pattern and tracing it onto tissue paper.  Note, the pattern is only for half the burper, trace both sides onto the tissue paper and cut it out.  Pin it to the flannel, I like to cut 4 out at a time.  Cut around the pattern line.

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Cut the desired amount and choose matching ric rac.

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Beginning and ending on the side of the burper, take one of the pieces you’ve cut and sew the ric rac on; line up the edge of the ric rac with the edge of the burper.  Sew the seam in the center of the ric rac.  Start and stop on the side, overlapping the ric rac and having the edges outside of the seam like this:

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Pin the second piece right sides together with the first piece.  Sew along the seam created by sewing the ric rac.  Start and stop on the side leaving a little opening to turn.

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Turn right side out, press seams so they lay flat and edges curve nicely.  Top stitch.  This will close the opening that was left open for turning.

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Now do this over and over until you have a nice stack!  These are great to make and keep on hand for baby gifts.
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I love that they are coordinating!  What a perfect gift!

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Thanks for stopping by!!!



Riley Blake Flannel Blog Hop

The Riley Blake Flannel Blog Hop is well under way!  Today’s tutorial is this darling flannel seat cushion from Heidi of Fabric Mutt.  You can go to her blog and get the full tutorial.Sidewalks Seat Cushion
Here is the schedule for the upcoming tutorials and hop locations!!
9/5 Riley Blake Designs – Flannel Play Dress
9/9 Quiltscapes – Pajama Pants & Pillow
9/12 Fishsticks Designs – Reversible Button Bibs
9/19 The Stitching Scientist – Toddler Nightgown
9/23 Sassy Quilter – Patchwork Dog Bed
9/26 Simple Simon & Co. – Flannel Pajamas
9/30 Fabric Mutt – Seat Cushion
10/3 Just Let Me Quilt
10/7 Jedi Craft Girl
10/10 Rose and Odin
10/14 Sew We Quilt
10/17 Haberdashery Fun
10/21 Leigh Laurel Studios
10/24 The Cottage Mama
10/28 Flannel Queen
10/31 Lucy Blaire
11/4 Riley Blake Designs Final Post + Giveaway
Hope to see you there!!

Halloween Disappearing 9-Patch Quilt

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Have you ever made a “Disappearing Nine-Patch Quilt”?  This is such a fun pattern and great for beginner quilters.  You can change the pattern of the quilt by changing the colors of the patches and the layout.  It is made by sewing a simple 9-Patch block and then cutting it in quarters and repositioning the new blocks.  I love the simple Halloween colors of Black, White and Orange.  I found this black, orange and white wavy boarder from Riley Blake Designs.  I think it totally makes the quilt!  Here’s how you can make one:

Finished quilt: 49″ x 62″

Materials:

assorted orange and black fabric

1 yard solid white

3/4 yard solid black for inner boarder and binding

3/4 yard orange and black wavy stripe

Begin by cutting 5″ squares of orange, white and black.  For this quilt I pieced (12) nine-patch blocks.  Each block had the same color values: orange corners, white side centers and black center.  I used a variety of oranges and blacks.

cut (12) black 5″ squares

cut (48) orange 5″ squares

cut (48) white 5″ squares.disappearing_nine_patch_quilt_halloween_8

Using 1/4″ seams throughout, sew squares together in rows and then rows together to form the block.  Press toward the dark.  The block will look like this:

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Cut in quarters.  Since the block at this point measures 14″ square, cut it at the 7″ point on both sides:

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Next comes the fun part of playing with the layout.  I choose to lay mine out like this so the small black squares made a pattern.

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Sew the blocks together in rows and the rows together and press.

For the boarder:

The black inner boarder is cut 1.5″ wide.  I didn’t measure the length, I sewed it to the sides of the quilt and trimmed the excess.

The wavy outer boarder is 5″ wide.  I matched the stripes when piecing the boarder together.  I added 5″ squares to the corners of the boarder.

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I LOVE how it turned out!  I have it on my couch and it makes me happy to look at it.  Now, to just keep the cat off it 🙂


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“Spooky” Quilt for Riley Blake Designs

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I am so excited to share this quilt!  Did you know I love Halloween and I love black cats?  The fabric in this quilt is Riley Blake Design’s “Witch Hazel.”  I love the vintage feel of the prints and the colors.  I enlarged the cat from the theme print to create this cat silhouette.  The pattern is being featured over at the Riley Blake Design Blog  “Cutting Corners” if you want to make one 🙂Halloween_quilt_tutorial_1

 

It’s 100 degrees here but all this Halloween sewing is helping me get in the mood for Fall. This quilt is hanging in my family room and it makes me smile every time I look at it….and it makes me want to adopt another black cat!!
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There are many different parts to the quilt: a patchy center, appliqué, lace and pom pom trim and an appliqué scallop top and bottom border!Halloween_quilt_tutorial_4

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Riley Blake Designs Flannel Showcase Blog Tour

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Today begins the Riley Blake Designs Flannel Showcase Blog Tour!  Each Tuesday and Friday a new blog will be featured with a fun project using Riley Blake Flannel!  I am excited to participate in this fun event.  Click Here to check out the first project!!