Pillow Talk

I have been busy preparing for an upcoming Improv Class in March.  I always like to share lots of ways to use a technique so I have been making a few more class samples.

I thought I would make a fun 16" pillow.  This is a great option to learn the technique but now commit to a whole quilt.

This class will also be provided with a pattern sheet for my Improv Garden quilt (that you partially see in the background).  I also hope to finish a Night Sky wall hanging soon.  It is just waiting for me to find time to quilt it!

And if anyone is interested, I usually finish my pillows with a simple envelope back.  They are easy to make and easy to swap out so you can change your pillow tops often.

I really enjoyed making this pillow.  It feels good to stretch my mind around a new technique and step out of simple piecing sometimes.

Happy Friday!

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My Quilt Infatuation (Needle & Thread)

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Alycia Quilts (Finished or not Friday)

Another Special Gift

After finishing my nephew's quilt for graduating from high school, I moved on to a gift for my niece - who just graduated from college.  

Now that she has her own place and a great job, she recently got a new dog.

Meet Norman!  He is cuteness overload!  

When I saw the "Chi Chi Chihuahua" paper pieced pattern from UnicornHarts, I knew I needed to make it into a pillow for my niece.

It was challenging to make a completely white dog but there are subtle differences in the fabrics I used.  In person, you can better see the face.  There are so many tiny pieces in each section but it was fun to paper piece again.

I made it 18" to fit the pillow form I already had. 

 I think it is cute - but not as cute as Norman!

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Busy Hands Quilts (Finished or not Friday)

Crafted Applique New Possibilities Blog Hop

Finally!  It is my day to share with you Lara Buccella's new book "Crafted Applique....New Possibilities."


Have you seen all the wonderful projects being made with this game-changing new applique technique?  If you haven't,  I have a calendar at the end of the post so you can go visit others.


But first, check out what I made....








I received the book about a month ago.  The book does a great job explaining the crafted technique and has instructions for some wonderful projects.  But upon reading it, I was immediately drawn to try out the process with a project of my own.  I have never found raw edge applique works well with the projects I always want to attempt with it.  My fabric tears, the edges are frayed and the projects usually gets trashed before it is completed.  Let me just say, the crafted technique is a game changer!

After a quick trip to the store for a few supplies, in an afternoon I made this fun pillow for a friend who loves Jack in the Pulpits as much as I do.  I have had a remnant of Jane Sassaman's fabric in my stash for years just waiting for the perfect project.  Using Lara's technique, I was able to simply cut this glorious flower out of the fabric (as one piece) and apply it to an already quilted backing. How simple it that!

The detail I was able to get was amazing.  The fabric didn't tear no matter how close I had to cut.  And because the fabric doesn't fray, I had no issues with the topstitching.  My mind is now swimming with ideas - flower details on fabric buckets, patches on jeans and jackets, and 3 dimensional items as trims on all sorts of projects.  This pillow will definitely not be the last item you see from me using this technique!


Lara has graciously offered me a copy of the book to give away to one of you.  To be entered, just leave me a comment.  I would love to hear what you would add an applique detail to.  I will choose a random winner as I enjoy a cup of coffee on the morning of June 1st.

Please make sure you’re not a no-reply commenter (or leave an email address in your comment if you’re not sure). You cannot win if I cannot get a hold of you!

**************This Giveaway is Closed******************** 

Congratulations to Jenny!

You can also visit Lara's blog - there she has more projects to share from the book and even more giveaways.  This red and white wallhanging is one of my favorite projects in the book.


A huge thank you to Lara for including me in this hop and sharing with me her technique.  If you haven't "met" her yet, she is a sweetheart and so very supportive to all who come in contact with her.  I wish her so much success with this book!

Crafted Appliqué: New Possibilities Blog Hop
May 1^st to June 5^th 2016

Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
1 Lara Buccella BuzzinBumble   Introduce Tour	2 Valerie Smith Pumpkin Patch Quilter	3 Dana Gaffney Stormy Days	4 Lorna McMahon Sew Fresh Quilts	5 Mary Schuberg Needled Mom	6 Heidi Kuntz Red Letter Quilts	7 Alycia Carmin Alycia Quilts
8 Amy DeCesare Amy Made That	9 Sherri McConnell A Quilting Life	10 Lara Buccella Sew Mama Sew Guest Post	11 Christina Cameli A Few Scraps	12 Melissa Corry Happy Quilting	13 Sarah Craig Confessions of a Fabric Addict	14 Soma Acharya Whims & Fancies
15 Valerie Reynolds Val’s Quilting Studio	16 Angela Pingel Cut to Pieces	17 Sandra Walker Musings of a Menopausal Melon	18 Cheryl Brickey Meadow Mist Designs	19 Judy Murphy Quilt Paradigm	20 Yvonne Fuchs Quilting Jetgirl	21 Cindy Pieters Stitchin’ at Home
22 Susie Zlogar Susie’s Sunroom	23 Connie Campbell Freemotion by the River	24 Ruth Bourke Charly & Ben’s Crafty Corner	25 Kaja Zieslar Sew Slowly	26 Ann Brooks Fret Not Yourself	27 Cynthia Brunz Quilting is More Fun Than Housework	28 Holiday
29 Holiday	30 Holiday	31 Jenn Trott-Zisserson Quarter Inch from the Edge	1 Paulette Horn The Way I Sew It	2 Sandra Jansen Studio Sew of Course	3 Christine Sherman Triangles & Squares	4 Darlene Simmons Quilt Shop Gal
5 Lara Buccella BuzzinBumble Giveaway Winners Announced!

Linking Up:

My Quilt Infatuation (Needle & Thread)
Confessions of a Fabric Addict (Can I get a Whoop! Whoop!)

TGIFF (Thank Goodness it is Friday Finish)

Fabric Frenzy Friday

Crazy Mom Quilts (Finish it up Friday)
A Quilted Passion 

Posies All Around - Quiltmaker 100 Blocks vol. 13 Blog Hop

Bring on the margaritas - I have some great news!  I am so pleased to announce I have a block published in volume 13 of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks.  Today is my day on the Blog Hop along with many other great designers.  In fact, the hop has been going on all week!

If this is your first visit here, I hope you take some time to look around.

My block is #1258 and is called Posies All Around.  The inspiration for this block came about when I was working on my Scrap-A-Palooza sampler.  I was putting together various blocks that formed an X shape.  I used a similar block for the center of my quilt but I knew I could improve the scale, design fewer parts and create stems for my flower buds.

When I was sewing the test block, I knew I wanted some bright colors so I pulled some Bike Path prints.  It was the middle of winter and I wanted a garden of color.  Once I picked my fabrics,  I had to decide whether to use a single color or put multiple colors in one block.

 For the magazine, I decided to send off one block in a single color.

Once I discovered they were publishing my block, I decided to go back and make another block using 4 different colors.

The magic of this block definitely happens when you put them into a project.

 So I turned these two blocks into a couple of couch pillows.  I just added a small sashing of the background fabric around the block then finished it off with a pieced border.
I love these new summertime pillows!

And I just couldn't help myself - I reduced my block to 6" and included it in my Splendid Sampler - after all, I am sure it was an innocent oversight that I wasn't asked to be one of the block designers. (Ha!)

I hope you have been enjoying the rest of the 100 Blocks Blog Tour.  There have been some really great blocks being shared by some amazing designers.

One of my readers has the opportunity to win a copy of this volume of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks.  Just leave a comment and I will pick a winner Sunday May 8th.

******This giveaway is closed. The winner is Jo and has been notified by email. Thanks for all the wonderful comments!*****

For even more giveaways and other opportunities to win a copy of the magazine, be sure and check out the Quilty Pleasures Blog. You can find links to all the other designers participating in the hop.  Good Luck!


Thank you Quiltmaker!

Linking Up:

Sew Fresh Quilts (Bee Social)

My Quilt Infatuation (Needle & Thread)
Confessions of a Fabric Addict (Can I get a Whoop! Whoop!)

TGIFF (Thank Goodness it is Friday Finish)

Fabric Frenzy Friday

Crazy Mom Quilts (Finish it up Friday)
A Quilted Passion 
Sew can she

Oh Scrap! : Featuring Twiggy & Opal

I have enjoyed Jayne's blog (Twiggy & Opal) for a really long time now.  She is always obsessed busy with some fun project and it usually involves tiny bits of fabric.  

Plus, Jayne's sense of color is fantastic!

When Jayne starts playing with her scraps - the projects she comes up with are stunning.  And this weekend, she is sharing some beautiful improv pillow covers she made from her solid scraps.

 And because she is so sweet, she has shared how she went about making them!  These are such a great idea for all those little scraps you just can't bear to toss. 

My favorite is definitely the red pillow!  Yum!!!

So hop over to her blog and check them all out!  

(I'm telling you, you will also want to follow her blog so you can see what she is up to next.)

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Now it is time to link up and share what scrappy projects you have worked on this week.  Here are the details for linking up:

• This linky party is for any scrappy project - It can be in-process or a finished piece.
• You can link up your blog post (not your homepage please) or Instagram photo from the past week that features your use of scraps.
• If you are linking to a blog post, I ask that you link back to my blog somewhere in your post. So if you are writing about scraps, just get into the habit of including a link as there will be a linky party available every week!
• If you are using Instagram, please use the hashtag #ohscrap.
• This is a party so remember to socialize and comment on the posts of others.
• Following my blog is not necessary but it sure would be great if you do!

<a href="http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54Z8EyMCoCg0j1sBoz_APBotiRQveh32vQoL2dCSO4nQFAi8du60IuUCQp3Hb18vGD8IrM0W6_vmuufImGcr4Pf2Ve2dNIWd5LbQJfyDTRjtcekT6coT7c2nSCOG_9dvjiKGVAnuTN70/s1600/Oh+Scrap+Button.jpg" alt="Quilting is more fun than Housework" width="125" height="125" /></a>

So if you love scrappy projects, feel free to grab my button for your sidebar or posts and get ready to share all your wonderful projects from scraps.  And if you have a great idea for using scraps and would like to be featured, feel free to contact me!

An InLinkz Link-up

Linking Up:

Love Laugh Quilt

Patchwork Times

Cooking Up Quilts

She can quilt