Snowball Quilt; Fussy Cutting

2016 is the year of using my stash. Or more correctly, the first of many years of using my stash.
I probably have enough fabric to last a lifetime so I really, really should use it.

Sometimes though it's not easy. Sometimes I pull fabrics and then find it quite hard to cut them up. Fabrics that I've had forever. Fabrics that are out of print. Fabrics that I had another plan for.
hmmm . . . if I had a plan then why haven't I used it?

Do you feel my pain? Come on. Admit it. I'll bet you've have a least one fabric that you've hoarded and don't want to cut.

I have been cutting a lot of fabric lately. Fabric for multiple projects that I wrote about here. This week I'm focusing on the snowball quilt. It's an abundance of color and blooms. Many of the blocks feature fussy cut flowers so I thought I'd share my fussy cutting method.

1.  Start by cutting a 2 part paper template. The first part is a window with an opening the exact finished size of the block. The second part is simply the cut out part from the window.
I use copy paper.

2.  Using the window, audition different areas of the fabric to find the part you'd like to fussy cut.

3.  Once the area to cut is selected, place the template shape in the window opening. It helps to have a rolled piece of tape on the back of the shape to hold it in position.

4.  Remove the template window, leaving the shape in place.

5.  Position a quilter's ruler over the paper shape allowing a 1/4" seam allowance around two sides of the paper shape and cut along the ruler on both sides. Reposition the ruler, adding the 1/4" seam allowances, and cut the remaining two sides.

6.  Thats' it! Now you have a fussy cut shape and leftover fabric with a hole in it.

You may be wondering why my template window is a hexagon but my cut shape ends up being a square. For the snowball block I will be using the stitch and flip method on the corners of the block to create the angles so there's no need to cut a hexagon shape. I do want to see what part of the fabric will actually show in the finished block though, so my template window is a hexagon. I've used this method for years and have a file full of different sized square windows.

It's the leftover fabric with holes in it that gives me pause right now. I find myself being indecisive about fussy cutting some of my favorite Kaffe prints. I've hoarded many of them for a long time and of course they aren't available any more. Fussy cutting can leave very chopped up pieces of fabric. Not that the remaining piece isn't usable but it might end up being less useful when there's a hole cut out of it. I'm doing my best to keep the holes along one edge so that I still have the option to cut WOF strips or other bigger pieces in the future.

While I may agonize here and there about cutting holes in my fabric, it feels sooo good to use my stash. I'm mixing my older traditional florals with a wide variety of Kaffe and Amy Butler prints.
So far I love what's going on.

This is how it's looking on my wall. No rhythm or reason yet to placement. That will come after I sew the corners on. I am curious though about the possibility of bordering it with the green prints. This happened accidentally as I cut mostly warm colors when I started and then moved on to the cooler colors. There wasn't anyplace to put them other than the edges. This is probably only half of what I'll need for a queen sized quilt so I have a lot more cutting to do.

If you're wondering about how to use your stash, take a look at this article by Weeks Ringle. While most of the fabrics in the article are more traditional than mine, Weeks provides valuable tips on using your stash by combining different fabrics into workable groups.

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Flower Pin Cushion Tutorial

The Pin Cushion Party for Good Neighbors is over but the fun doesn't have to be. You can see all the wonderful pin cushions made for the party here. Plus I'm back with a tutorial on how to make this sweet little pin cushion. Enjoy.

Amanda Jean's Good Neighbors charm pack has so many great fabric combinations it's hard to decide which three to use. Different prints in one color. Same print in different colors. Here's a few of the possibilities I pulled together.

This is the group I settled on . . . 

What you'll need:

• 3 charm squares or 3  -  5" x 5" squares of fabric.                                                                           Two for the top and bottom of the cushion plus one for the yoyo.
• 2  -  5" x 5" pieces of light to medium weight fusible interfacing
• 1 decorative button
• 3 small pony tail holders to create cushion divisions. Or you can use embroidery floss.
• Fiber fill or ground walnut shells for stuffing. See my notes below for more information on how different fillers behave.
• small funnel if you plan to use walnut shells.
• circle template approximately 4 1/2" in diameter. Use anything around the house that is about 1/2" smaller than the square. I used a plastic lid from a grocery store container.

Directions:

Making the pin cushion base:

• Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the charm squares for the top and bottom of the cushion.
• Trace a circle onto the fused side of one square. 
• Pin the top and bottom squares together right sides facing. 
• Sew along the pencil circle line leaving about an inch opening to add the filling. Backstitch at the beginning and end.

• Cut out the circle by trimming about 1/8" from the stitching line. Use pinking shears if available.

• Turn inside out and work out into a smoothly curved circle. 
• Press. Also press the seam allowance of the opening under to create a crease.
• Fill the pin cushion with the stuffing of your choice. If you use walnut shells, a small funnel will make this step easier. If you don't have a funnel, create your own from a piece of paper or snip a small hole in the corner of a baggie. 
• Sew the opening closed using a tiny slip stitch.

• Use small pony tail holders to stretch around the pin cushion dividing it into six sections. Poke and smush the filling until the cushion is evenly divided and the petal shapes are smooth and similar sized. If you prefer you can use embroidery floss for this step.

Making the yoyo:

• Using the same circle template you used for the cushion base, trace a circle onto the yoyo charm square and cut out.
• Turn under 1/4" all around the edge and press .
• Hand sew a long basting stitch around the edge leaving long thread tails at both ends.
• Pull the thread tails and ease the circle into a yoyo. Tie off.

• Sew the yoyo in place on top of the cushion and finish off with a decorative button. Originally I made a blue yoyo but decided once it was done that I wanted more color.

So I simply made another yoyo in red. I think the red adds a bit more punch.

If you used floss, you may wish to finish the bottom of your cushion to hide the sewing. Simply glue or hand sew a felt circle to the bottom.

Congratulations!!! 

You've just made a sweet little pin cushion and it didn't take long at all did it? They are perfect to give as gifts to your sewing friends and just plain fun to collect and have around. Consider yourself warned because they can be rather addictive. Just saying.

Filling Experiment and Notes:

When I made the pin cushions for the blog hop, I experimented with three different fillings. 

Fiber fill, steel wool, and crushed walnut shells. Each one filled differently, resulting in varying feels and looks to each pin cushion.

Fiber fill was easy to stuff and resulted in a very light weight pin cushion. This can be a good thing if you are mailing it but not so good if you need it to stay put on your table. I could easily see the fiber filled one being carted off by my kitties. The yellow one has fiber fill and is nice and puffy.

Steel wool is supposed to help sharpen the pins but is hard to fill, creates a mess and did not fill out the cushion very well resulting in a flat pin cushion. I would not recommend it. The red one has steel wool.

Crushed walnut shells are easy to fill if you have a small funnel. The walnut shells fill out the cushion nicely but it can be a little harder to sew the opening closed without loosing a bit.  HINT: fill over another container to catch any spills. The aqua one is filled with walnut shells and is the plumpest and has the nicest weight. Crushed walnut shells are available from your local pet supply store in the lizard supplies. Downside; you only need a little and the shells are sold in rather large quantities. Good time to share the expense with a quilty friend. Or plan on making lots of pin cushions.

I have also heard of using seeds, sand, and bird grit which is available from a pet supply store. I would be cautious about using any filling that might attract bugs or other critters.

Hope you found this little tutorial helpful. Now go make a pin cushion or two or three . . .  : )

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Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop

Hello all you bloggers hopping in to visit. Today is my day on Beth's Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop. I'm so very glad she put this together for newbie bloggers like myself. I've found many inspiring blogs through participating in the hop. Hope you have too.

So welcome to my little corner of blogland. Please take a few minutes to explore some other posts and get to know my style. And be sure to hop over to Kristy's blog at Cotton Addiction today for more quilty goodness. Don't you just love her blog's name? Then on Thursday, stop by and visit Julie at That's Sew Julie and Chelsea at Pins and Bobbins.

Now for a little about me. My name is Anne and I live in sunny Colorado. I'm a graphic designer turned stay-at-home mom who has now become an empty nester turned quilt blogger/pattern designer. I've quilted for at least 15 years, but it's been an on/off affair in the midst of raising kids that resulted in lots of UFO's. Last fall our youngest left for college and it became the perfect time to fully commit to my quilting. So this year I started my blog, decided to finish some of those UFO's and ventured into the world of pattern design.

I love color and pattern so when the two are combined into gorgeous fabrics I'm definitely addicted.  : )  I'm a huge Kaffe Fassettt fan, love the new modern prints, and have become a true convert to solids. I like working with traditional blocks in a new way and I like going totally modern with more abstract designs. I've got more sketches than I can manage to sew into finished quilts but that's ok because I love the design process.

When it comes to designing a new quilt, my design background takes over and I find myself exploring all kinds of possibilities. With all the exploration and variations I was dreaming up, I decided to start publishing patterns that included those extra options. Patterns are available in my Etsy shop. Each one includes 2 basic quilts plus several optional ideas. You can make several quilts and no two would be the same.

As for a blogging tip, I feel like I'm still figuring it all out but the one thing I'd say is find a QAL or something to participate in. You'll meet lots of nice people and learn/try something new at the same time. And please leave comments. Something I've come to truly appreciate. I love to respond to other quilters and find those little connections we might share. I wish I had known about blogging years ago. The work being done out there is always inspiring, and it definitely motivates me to get more done. But be careful about comparing yourself. Lots of people seem like super sewers who get loads done every week and have a bazillion followers. Another bit of advice . . . be yourself and sew what you love instead of simply copying other quilter's work. Or if you're inspired by their work give them credit. I've realized I just need to be me and do what I love. I need to stick to my own style and continue to develop my own vision. So be yourself.

If you've visited my blog before, you know I have a collection of fruit/veggie dishes along with a fabric collection to match. Each month during the spring/summer/fall I put up one of several quilts I've made with these fruit/veggie fabrics. A couple of years ago I made a series of tablerunners from a simple design I came up with and thought I'd share that with you today. Of course those original tablerunners are still technically UFO's, but this one for fall is finished. Wahoo!!! Thank you Beth for motivating me. One less UFO.

The design works perfectly with whatever fabrics you want to use. It requires just 2 fat quarters and a few strips. Easy peasy. So here goes . . .

Fat Quarter Table Runner
finished size: 15" x 48" (shorter if you prefer)

Fabrics required:
Focus fabrics:  2 fat quarters - 1 each of 2 different fabrics.
Works best if fat quarter is 18" wide but you can adjust later to accommodate a slightly narrower fat.
Narrow accent strip:  3 strips 1 1/2" x 18+"
Wide accent strip: 3 strips 2 /12" x 18+"
NOTE: I've listed the length with a + because it's best to cut your strips a little longer and then cut to size after they are sewn.

Step 1.
Layer the 2 fat quarters face up on your cutting board.
Cut 3 strips 6 1/2" wide across the 18" side for a finished size of 6 1/2" x 18+".
NOTE: if the fat quarters aren't a full 18" wide it's ok as long as you have 17" to work with. You can adjust later.

layer both fat quarters right side up.

18" side of fat quarter runs top to bottom in picture.

Step 2.
Arrange 1 strip of each fabric into a strip set as shown below. Place the focus fabrics on the outside and keep the accent strips in the center. Arrange 3 of these sets using one strip of each fabric for each set. Be sure to keep the same order for all 3 sets. Before sewing read the following if you have directional fabric.

If either of your focus fabrics is a directional print and you want them all to read the same direction, then cut each strip of one set in half so you have 2 strips 9+" long per fabric. Flip the directional fabric around keeping the same order for the strips. Make one full 18+" set and one 9+" half-set per arrangement. This will make more sense when you see the pictures below.

Strip set with pumpkins facing to the left.

Notice that the pumpkin fabric is flipped around in the bottom photo
but the other fabrics remain in the same position.

Step 3.
Sew strip sets together and press all seams to one side.

Step 4.
Cut sets into 4 segments 4 1/2" wide per segment.
NOTE: If your fat quarters were under 18" then just cut your strip sets into 4 equal width segments across the width of your strip set. It just means your finished runner will be somewhat shorter than 48".

Step 5.
Rearrange by flipping every other segment around so that the focus fabrics alternate along the sides. This is the point where the directional issues come into play. If you made the alternate sets all your directional fabric should be facing the same way. If not they will look like this. Absolutely nothing wrong with this but I just want you to be aware of what happens.

This photo shows what happens when you arrange the segments
without flipping your directional fabric.
Note the pumpkins go in 2 different directions.

Step 6.
Sew segments together into pairs and pairs together until runner is finished. Using a pin at the far side of each seam intersection helps to match the points. Otherwise pins aren't really needed unless you're a pinning kind of quilter. Press these seams open to reduce bulk.

TaDah!  Your runner is finished. Quilt it, grab a cup of tea and enjoy your newest creation.

Here's a look at two earlier runners I made. The proportions are slightly different but it's the same concept. This design works nicely with focus fabrics that come in both a dark and a light background. The lemon one is one of my favs.

Here's another one using just 3 fabrics instead of 4. Same basic construction. Just make one of the focus fabrics shorter so that when the accent strip is added on this combined measurement is the same width as the other focus fabric.  This way when segments are flipped the accent strip is staggered down the middle.

Well, that's it for my stop on the hop. Hope you've been inspired by some of what you've seen here today and I really do hope you'll come back again. It's been fun getting to know all of you.

Keep on quilting . . . Anne   : )