Five Shadows

I got together with a friend and played with Barbasol Shaving Cream and Fantast/x All Purpose Inks. Here are a few of our pieces -

Simply spray some Barbasol on to a plate. Add a few drops of the inks in different colors. Use a toothpick to swirl the inks around. Lay PFD fabric on top of the shaving cream and ink, lightly press until you see the colors coming through the fabric. Peel fabric up off of shaving cream, lay on flat service and wipe off shaving cream with an old credit card, ruler, or squeegee. Allow to dry and then heat set with a hot dry iron. Your fabric is now ready to use a a project!

I used the fabric to make these needle cases. Aren’t they cute!?

Cut your marbled fabric into 2- 3 1/2″ x 5″ rectangles. You will also need a thin piece of batting that size. Layer the fabrics right sides together and place the batting on top. If you want the ribbon ties, cut two pieces each 7″ long. Pin the ribbon between the two layers of marbled fabric at the ends with the ribbons in the sandwich, making sure not to catch the ribbon in any stitching other than on the two ends. Stitch 1/4″ around the four sides of the layered fabrics and batting, leaving about 2″ opening on one long side. Trim corners. Turn the needle case right sides out through the opening. Press the opening seam allowance in 1/4″ and then top stitch around the needle case 1/8″ from edge. Cut craft felt or wool felt about 1/4″ smaller than the needle case. I used a pinking rotary blade for a decorative edge. Line up felt in the center of the needle case and stitch through all thicknesses down the center of the case, which will be the spine of the needle case.

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial and find time to play with some fabric marbling!

Have you ever used PFD (prepared for dyeing) fabric or inks? What did you make?

I’m linking to Stitch All The Things To-Do Tuesday.

This week I plan on working on Dance of the Dragonflies, and cleaning out my sewing room.

Jolene Star pattern by Laundry Basket Quilts.

I used a Rambling Rose Jelly Roll from Moda. Love the colors.

Pictured are the templates I’m playing with this week. There are some pretty funky shaped templates out in the quilting world!

I used to fear using templates, but lately, I am liking them. How about you, do you like using templates?

I’m a day late and a dollar short, but I’m linking up to Linky Tuesday and To-Do Tuesday.

My hopes for quilting this week are to finish a few blocks with the templates – rug mugs? And deliver the rest of the pillowcases I’ve made. Dare I mention the baby quilt now languishing in the corner patiently waiting for quilting? GOT to get to that!

Oh my, sometimes I just have to laugh at myself! Like when looking over my list for last week’s sewing. I forgot when coming up with the list that Easter was last weekend! Can I say “a little sewing might have gotten accomplished”??  :-)

Here is a picture of my darling 3 month old granddaughter, Lillah. Her momma, Kim, took the photo Easter morning.

And here is Lillah with her Grandpa, my hubby John, after Easter dinner at our house.

That was the only picture that I know of taken at our home Easter Sunday. Too bad as the whole family was over, we missed a good photo op time. We had a wonderful time together and a lovely afternoon walk in the warm NE Indiana weather.  All Lillah’s aunts had fun holding and cuddling with her. Grandma didn’t get much time with her tho. That’s OK as it was so nice having all our adult children home for our celebration, plus getting to see them interact with Lillah.

Sewing! I got the binding  and buttons sewn on Stitcher’s Garden. She’s all done now!

And I pieced  3 blocks for the Featherweight Club, meeting Wednesday, April 8th, at Fabrics and Friends Quilt Shoppe, Roanoke, IN. I think they are so cute! The blocks and the machine! ha ha! The 12″ block – Windblown was a new one for me.

And here is the first block for the Curves without Piecing pattern: Dance of the Dragonflies. Actually two blocks. The first block shows what the piecing looks like before you go back and stitch the curves. The block on the right shows the finished block. Interesting process, a bit tedious. These are small 6″ blocks with out the sashing. But I do like the results, and I’m sure I’ll get quicker with the piecing now that I’m familiar with it.

This week I have a sewing date with friends and I plan on taking the Jolene Star and Sweet Mint patterns to work on. So those two are on my To-Do list for this week. I’ll save the baby quilt I never seem to get to until next week. At least the kitchen table where I spray baste baby quilts is all cleaned off, so I’ll have a better chance at getting to it soon! Fingers crossed!

Linking to  Freemotion by the River – Linky Tuesday and Stitch All The Things – To-do Tuesday.

More pillowcases! I’ve been having fun pairing up fabrics for the pillowcases. That task is more time consuming than the actual sewing them together. I think I’m just about at a stopping point. After I pair fabrics in my stash with the new Riley Blake Chevrons and Riley Blake Dots I just purchased from Craftsy, I’ll be moving on to other projects.

Pillowcases will be donated to ConKerr Cancer.

22 made this past week, 50 total this year

Last week I linked up to Stitch All The Things To-Do Tuesday List. It seems I’m having difficulty following my own list! Those baby quilts that need quilting? They have been left untouched. But all those pillowcases make up for something, right!?  Plus I get the Stitcher’s Garden quilt back from the longarm quilter – that was unexpected!  Of course binding that quilt went to the top of my list. I put a flange binding for it and returned it to the quilt shop. Oops! I’ll have to get it back for pictures.

My To-Do Tuesday list this week:

personal sewing goals: How about one baby quilt FMQed and bound? Featherweight Club – 3 blocks.

quilt shop sewing goals: Prep and sew one block (maybe more?) of Dance of the Dragonflies by Annette Ornelas. Continue working on the Laundry Basket Quilts Jolene Star table topper and a Sweet Mint table runner, patterns by Edyta Sitar.

I’m linking to Connie’s Linky Tuesday and Christine’s To-Do Tuesday

Do you have a favorite charity you sew for and donate to?

Just a little bit of playing with “Quilt As You Go” using Double Duty Runners Pattern by G. E. Designs. The “Quilt As You Go” technique will be a demo this Saturday at Fabrics and Friends Quilt Shop, Roanoke, IN. Kits available for purchase.

I’m linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday

I’m late! For To Do Tuesday list, but here is what I have finished for next weeks Stitcher’s Garden Class held next Monday and Thursday at Fabrics and Friends Quilt Shop, Roanoke, Indiana.

In this block we learn how to make and insert piping in our quilt blocks. The hot pink between the white background and the first border is a very thin piping. And the green between the orange and purple is a fusible piping. Here is a close up of the pink piping -

In the next block we learn how to use the Fringe or Tailor Tack presser foot.

The center of the flowers has fringe stitching. Here is a close up -

Kind of fun, isn’t it!?

Yes, I know it is Friday. But here is a late post to To-Do Tuesday.

Are you familiar with Buggy Barn books and patterns? I made this one years and years ago.

Deb Roehm, owner of Fabrics and Friends Quilt Shop, carries just about all of Buggy Barn’s books. Deb has ‘Til the Cows Come Home! from the book _Crazy Till the Cows Come Home_ made and displayed in the shop.

This Saturday, I’ll be demoing Buggy Barn’s construction method. I call it a funky mix between Stack n Whack and sort of traditional piecing. Their patterns are very well written, making them easy follow and construct. I’m using the Bramble Baskets pattern for the demo.

(images from Buggy Barn Website. I’ll update with personal photos soon.)

I’m linking to To-Do-Tuesday with Red’s Needles and Threads.

Last week I hoped to:

-continue working on client’s quilt  ✔ top finished and heading to the longarm quilter!

-work on Luke and Kim’s quilt, I should aim for 2 blocks a week (ugh, just not happening)

-piece a few more blocks of Whirled Peas (that did not happen either)

-tackle daughter’s closet ✔ A partial check, we made progress

-some fun stuff with daughter ✔ Yes! We shopped and found a prom dress and ate dinner out too – Sushi!

This week I’ll be happy to:

-finish up the demo mentioned above, with step outs

-visit Grace College with daughter

-continue the clean out of daughter’s closet

-add helping middle daughter with her fast approaching wedding of May 25! I see less quilting happening as the wedding date draws closer! I’m trying to be realistic here!

Update to include some photos, April 11th.

Just finished this table runner Wednesday. From Buggy Barn book _Still Crazy_.

I have a finish! Its a signature quilt made of blocks used as the guest book at a wedding. I was sent the fence rail blocks, which I set in a 9-patch arrangement and then sashed. To add length, I added an extra row of unsigned blocks to the top and bottom.  I hope they will be pleased!

The MIL to the Bride was the Matron-of-Honor at my wedding 36 years ago. I was the Maid-of-Honor at her wedding 4 months earlier.

I’m linking to To-Do-Tuesday with Red’s Needles and Threads.

The celebrations started February 15th with our soon to be son-in-law’s birthday. Then son #2 born on February 23rd. In March we have birthdays on the 4th, 7th, 14th, 19th, and 21st. That would be my husband, myself, daughter #2, daughter #3 and son #1. Then one more birthday April 13th which is our daughter #1. Our other son-in-law and daughter-in-law make us wait until June and then November to complete the birthday celebrations. I’m hoping for grandchildren to finish out the year instead of clustering in March! I suppose I could mention that my brother and sister are also born in March, as is my mother-in-law and two sister-in-laws. My father-in-law born in February and my mother born in April, as is a brother-in-law!

Since I have been busy with birthday dinners, I didn’t accomplish much in sewing this week. I like making a favorite meal for each of my children on their birthday and they can invite friends over. They seem to think this tradition should continue even though 3 of them are out of our house, 2 are married! Last Wednesday we enjoyed sweet potato burgers, cole slaw, tossed salad and coconut poke cake with our now 19 year old daughter. And we celebrated our son’s 33rd birthday on Sunday (instead of Friday) with homemade Steak Gyros and apple crisp.

Today I did manage to applique this cute little bunny and Tulips on to Moda Toweling using Misty Fuse and Edyta Sitar’s Laundry Basket Quilts pattern Spring Surprise.

I’m linking to To-Do-Tuesday with Red’s Needles and Threads.

And since I didn’t get to anything from my list last week, it carries over to this week.