Thursday, November 14, 2013

I Think This One Works! Finally!

 photo BlogButton_zps6185a816.jpg  My Fabulous Friday Finish that I've shared over at Crazy Mom Quilts (see sidebar blog button) is some close-up photos of quilting.  Most of my finishes this week are customer's quilts so I can't show you the whole project.  I'm also sharing this project with http://marelize-ries.blogspot.com/.

I've also added this blog to the "NEW Quilt Blogs for 2013" over at "Crafty Sewing & Quilting".  Thanks for letting me join, it's for blogs with fewer than 50 followers.   I would love more followers, so let me know what you think!



Just curious, I have developed my own style of machine quilting which I call "Mix 'N Match".  I thought about doing a weekly blog article (with Linky party, if it doesn't kill me to embed that HTML) where you could share your links.  Does this interest anyone?  Here is a motif I did on a customer's quilt this week and would teach the thread-paths to do this.  I would allow home links--from recipes, home decor, general sewing and of course quilting!

I use a regular sewing machine to do the binding.  While I started out quilting on a home machine, I now use a mid-arm quilting machine.



We could start simple, with the thread-paths to create different portions of this butterfly then advance to the complete butterfly.

After enough time has gone by, I could even show the thread-paths to create wreaths like this!

Leave me a comment, I'd love to know what you think!  BTW, my fabric give-away is still accepting comments for one more week.  Scroll down to enter to win!  If you are a no-reply blogger, please leave me a contact email or website.  Thanks!-S

bLOG bUTtON mADDnESs!

Thanks to the photo editor PicMonkey, my fabulous friday finish is a blog button!  Finally! Here are multiple attempts at getting this right...I'll create a new post once I'm done. This is just so I can recall all the steps I took, which code worked and what didn't.

This was tricky, so grab my button!


Tips: I learned that if it still gives you grief, change all the copy and pasted quote marks "" one by one starting at the beginning of the code to the same "" and suddenly it works. I have no idea why. Getting the image to show up was the worst part. I put the photo in Photobucket and it will automatically generate a code blog button for you but it sends it to photobucket and not your home blog. Hummm...
 photo BlogButton_zps6185a816.jpg
So...here is the easiest way to do this. Upload your blog button picture in Photobucket and click on the "Get Links" copy (it's a right click in Photobucket) and select the third option--the HTML for blogs/craigslist and etc. Put this into the HTML part of your blog post. Then, change the '[a href="TO YOUR BLOG ADDRESS"' leaving the rest along and the picture will actually appear. Now...to add the text box part which is what I did correctly first! After that add the [textarea] box--code is posted all over the internet. What a mess !
 photo BlogButton_zps6185a816.jpg
 photo BlogButton_zps6185a816.jpg

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Flying To Paradise QAL Part 3

Hello!  It's time for another installment of my Flying To Paradise Quilt-A-Long.  After much debate, I decided to skip the applique on this project.  It just seems unnecessary.  Sometimes it adds to the project and sometimes it detracts.  When I sent the fabric proposal to the folks at Connecting Threads (Batik Sampler Link) they liked it without the applique, so I think I'm going to go that route.  To purchase a printable PDF of this quilt pattern, click HERE.


This looks cleaner to me.  What do you think?

That also makes this the final instructions of this project too!  That's exciting!  To celebrate, I'm sharing this with Freshly Pieced, Needle 'N Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, and Thursday Threads @ 627 Handworks.  Hopefully, I'll have a finished quilt top to share with Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts--but we'll see.  I also have a lot of machine quilting for customers to get done.  It's the busy season.

Here we go!  First things first, we need to add the border to the center patchwork section we've made before.  To do this, we're going to cut from the ecru colored batik fabric along the lengthwise grain.

BORDERS:
  • For the outer borders, cut four strips 6 1/2" wide by 2 1/4 yards long.
  • For the inner border, cut four strips 6 1/2" wide by 2 1/8 yards long.  Sew this to the already completed center panel.  There will be excess fabric on the first two sides, trim it square using a rotary cutter.


PIECING THE FLYING GEESE BORDER:
  • Sort the remaining fat quarters into piles of light and dark fabrics.  Tip: to ensure contrast between fabrics, simply squint at them (or take your glasses off).  If there's contrast, then you will see the blocks clearly int he finished  quilt.
  • From the dark fat quarters, cut two squares measuring 10 1/4".  Then cut these into fourths digagonally.


  • From the remaining light colored fat quarters, cut strips measuring 5 1/2".  Cut these into 5 1/2" squares and then across once diagonally to yield the remaining triangle pieces.


  • Sew the flying geese units together by adding two 5 1/2" triangles to one 10 1/2" triangle, matching bias edges together.  Use caution not to stretch these edges.  There will be overlap at the top of the triangle to ensure a place for adjacent rows to connect without blunting the top of the flying geese triangle.


  • Sew these blocks into rows.  Notice that on the top and bottom row, the far corners rotate to make the quilt blocks march around the quilt top.


  • Quilt Top Assembly Diagram:

  •  Add the flying geese border to your quilt followed by the outer fabric border.
Happy Quilting!  I hope you have enjoyed this project.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Here For The Holidays!

Hello everyone!  It's time to get ready for your holiday sewing.  To celebrate, I've got three awesome FREE patterns for your quilting!  If you choose to make one, please email me a photo as I would love to see them!  (email gsmower{at}netzero[dot]com).

BTW, if you appreciate freebies like this--please play nice. If you choose to download one, Sign up as a follower with either Google, Google+ or Bloglovin', so I know you appreciate freebies.  Also, obey all copyright laws--both local and international.  If you choose to show this on your blog...please link back to mine.  Thanks!

Also--check out this new awesome widget from Craftsy!  It shows you all of my current quilt patterns on their website and is a lot of fun to use!  It will link you to everything.  Look to my left hand side bar to view it!  I haven't figured out how to insert it into the blog post--but I did try!  :)

And...back by popular demand!  Twin Sisters Charm Square Quilt Free Download



Diamond Star Pattern Free Download



As The Wind Blows Pattern Free Download
Happy Quilting Everyone! Visit shanmodtraditio's Craftsy Pattern Store »