Thursday, November 27, 2014

Black Friday Fabric Sales!

Hi all!  Just popping in to say a belated Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and share some great fabric sales brought to you by my lovely sponsors!

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Dragonfly Fabrics now has Priory Square in stock, you can bet what I'll be getting my hands on with this great sale!


25% off the entire store at The Fat Quarter Shop!!  Too many amazing fabrics to just pick one - must. buy. all. the. fabric.

Lady Belle Fabric is having great deals too!

Black Friday Sale Starts Friday November 28th at 12 am!
Half Yards starting at $2.50
Fat Quarter bundles 15% off
Jelly Rolls 10% off
Free Shipping on U.S. orders over $75
We will have tons of other fabrics that are not listed on our website for this sale.

This Tula Pink Moonshine bundle might be jumping in my cart at 15% off!

Happy fabric shopping!!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Super Simple Non-Serger Burp Cloth Tutorial

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Welcome baby Jordan to the world!  No I haven't been holding out on you, he's not actually mine, but he's my very first nephew and godson, so he's pretty close to mine!  I don't think my sister-in-law would mind.  Ok maybe she would, but I fully plan on getting as many newborn snuggles as I can from this little guy!

Nora hasn't yet met her new cousin, but will in the next few days, I'm definitely a little nervous, as Jordan isn't quite durable enough to stand up to how Nora "plays" with her friends.  Daycare told me the one day that she was "using the other children as drums" during play time.  I guess I'll take peace in knowing she can stand up for herself.  

Anyways there is a quilty point to this post (not that sharing newborn tiny adorable-ness isn't a perfectly good reason to post), but I realized I never shared my absolute favorite burp cloths with you!

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When I was pregnant with Nora, burp cloths were one thing I was bound and determined to make oodles of.  From what I had heard you couldn't have enough (true story, you can't), and the ones available in the store just looked puny.  I made a few versions.  I made a flannel/chennile version using Made's tutorial, and while these were good and quite absorbent, they weren't quite big enough for what I really wanted, and ended up running a little on the pricier side to get the chenille that I could not find locally.  I also made a few using cloth diapers and sewed on some pretty accent fabric like these I made way back in the day.  These were nice, and while the quilting cotton sure made them look pretty, they weren't the most absorbent burp clothes I'd ever used.

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Enter one of my super sweet patients who in talking during one of her appointments, discovered we both shared a love of sewing and quilting!  She brought me the nicest baby gift just before Nora was born, and included was a huge stack of hand made burp cloths.  She said these were all of her grown children's favorites for their kids, so when I anxiously asked what she used and how she made them, she told me she used two pieces of flannel, wrong sides together and serged those puppies into THE BEST burp cloth I have ever used.

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Seriously now.  These ended up being the best burp clothes we used while Nora was in her prime spit up stage.  Even my husband would ask for "the good burp clothes" when he fed her, and they are so. simple. to make.

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Now, if you have a serger there isn't much of a tutorial, as the steps are: 1. (2) pieces of pre-washed flannel approximately 11" x 17" (this will give you 4 nice sized burp clothes from 1 yard of fabric) 2. align WRONG sides together. 3.  Serge edges.  and DONE!

Now if you are like me, and don't have a serger, follow the super simple tutorial, which is almost just as simple as actually using a serger, but uses a sewing machine instead.

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You will need:  
(2) pieces PRE-WASHED flannel appx 11 x 17 (I found this to be about the biggest size to get me 4 complete burp clothes from a PRE-WASHED 1 yard piece of flannel)
Sewing Machine
Edging Foot

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1.  Align 2 pieces of flannel WRONG sides together.  I like to press both pieces together to make sure they are as smooth and flat as possible.  Pin generously to avoid shifting while sewing.

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2.  Find your edging foot for your sewing machine.  I sew on a Husqvarna Viking Sapphire 835 and mine is a foot "J".  basically this foot looks like a fairly normal foot, only has a small bar, where the arrow in the above picture is pointing.  You will use this to line up the edge of your fabric, so the feed dogs don't "eat" the edges.

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3. Attach your foot, align fabric edge with metal bar and select a zig zag stitch.  I like about 5mm width and 4-5 mm spacing.  This is what the reading on my machine looks like:

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4.  You will notice that the needle will sew over that bar and form an encased edge, similar to how a serger works.  Sew around all 4 edges, backstitching at the start and stop point, and that's it!  You are now in possession of one of the best burp clothes, that  took less than 5 minutes to make!


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I was a little worried about how the edges would hold up to multiple washings, as the edges aren't totally encased like when serging, but I have been pleasantly surprised so far!  The above picture is how the edges look after 3 washings.  Not too shabby!

Now go make lots of these for all your friends and family members (and yourself!) because they will LOVE these!






Friday, November 14, 2014

Lady Belle Fabric Giveaway Winner

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A few days overdue, but I owe you a winner!  The winner of the $50 gift certificate to Lady Belle Fabric is Entry #82 Cheryl!  Congrats Cheryl!  Look for an email from me later today to get your shipping information.  Thanks everyone for entering, and thanks Lady Belle Fabric for a great giveaway!

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Snazzed up cheater quilt

***Looking for the Lady Belle Fabric $50 gift certificate giveaway?  Check here!***

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My signature welcome baby gift to friends and acquaintances and even friends of friends and family is now almost exclusively a baby quilt.  Shocking I know.  Now that I've been at this quilting thing for a few years, I love hearing how these quilts seem to be used and loved for years and years by their recipients, and that just makes my heart happy.


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So when I found out that an old college friend had her baby, and it was a girl I went into immediate baby quilt gift mode and tried to think of something I could put together quickly to get to the new mommy and her bundle of joy.  Usually I plan ahead, but they didn't find out the gender, and I've found its much more fun to wait until baby is here and make a quilt more tailored to a boy or girl.

So, as I was thinking of what I could make quickly, I remembered those cheater prints I purchased from Dragon Fly Fabrics a month or so ago.  It was absolutely perfect for what I had in mind.  I quickly ironed my fabric and basted it to a piece of grey fleece and was ready to get quilting!

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I have never not used batting when making a quilt before, but I am loving the weight and drape that this quilt has with a little less bulk.  The fleece backing makes it super snuggly still, but this feels more like a blanket than a full on quilt.  I will definitely be incorporating this technique more often!

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I followed the faux patchwork seam lines quilting 1/4" on either side of every other square, so approximately 4" apart.  I think from start to finish this took me about an hour.  While it was beautiful as is, I felt I needed to add something a little extra to make up for my lack of actual quilt making.


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Enter my Cricut Explore.  Of course second to my trusty sewing machine, this is by far my favorite new crafting toy.  I've been using it quite a bit lately making paper and vinyl projects, so when I read about how nicely it cut fabric, I decided to give it a try.  I planned out a circle scallop and text "n" for baby girl's name, applied some steam a seam and got to cutting.  It worked beautifully and just as I had imagined.  I used a zig zag stitch to complete the applique and just love this quilt to pieces.

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 I seriously had to talk myself out of keeping this for myself because, you know, I also have a baby girl who's name starts with N!  You can bet I will be using my Cricut to personalize baby quilts more often (like every time) and showing them to you here on the blog.

This quilt will be going in the mail this week so it can begin getting it's baby love soon!

For the record: Cricut does not know me from Adam, I purchased the machine on my own and am passing along its rave reviews to you!


Friday, November 7, 2014

Welcome Lady Belle Fabric and a Giveaway!

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I'm happy to introduce SewCraftyJess' newest sponsor, Lady Belle Fabric!  I'm very excited to be working with Brooke, the lady behind Lady Belle Fabric, to bring you not only another great place to shop, but a $50 gift certificate (see below for entry details) to spend as you wish at Lady Belle Fabric!

Lady Belle Fabric is a new online fabric shop that Brooke and her husband Rob started a few months ago.  Brooke loves fabric (she is a self diagnosed fabric hoarder, just like the rest of us!) and all the beautiful colors and patterns that modern quilting has brought about.  The name Lady Belle came from their beloved dog who sadly passed away this summer.  They channeled Lady's beauty, entertaining personality and even her little bits of sass into Lady Belle Fabric's name.

Brooke told me, "I was wanting to sell a beautiful moment. You know the moment, when the fabric comes together, the ideas of the pattern all click, and the project starts coming to life. Most quilts are gifts to others, an heirloom of love, hard work and beauty. Those are things which Lady is to me. She left a beautiful moment on my heart. What better way to show others how much I care about their fabric choices then to name my store after the girl I loved so dearly."  Sorry, should have warned you to have your tissues nearby!

And now for the fabric.  Oh Brooke certainly has an eye for beautiful fabrics, and I think I want everything she has in her store.  Not to mention that orders over $150 ship free AND everything else ships at a flat rate of $5.75!  Lady Belle Fabric also does everything in their power to provide same day shipping.  That means you get your pretty fabrics as fast as possible!

Bumble by Tula Pink for Free Spirit Fat Quarter Bundle

I'm loving this pretty color combo of coral, turquoise and lime featured in Tula Pink's Bumble line.  Totally makes me think of summer and a juicy watermelon.  Or honeydew.  Either way 100% delicious.

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I am also dying to have some of this Emmy Grace by Bari J for AGF yardage.  Florals.  Scallops.  The blue houses!?  Its just so darn pretty!



Be sure to check out Lady Belle Fabrics Sample Spree section as well!  This Cotton + Steel lawn bundle is calling my name.  Cotton + Steel AND lawn fabric?  Heavenly.

I could go on and on.  Like I said.  Want. All. The. Fabric.  Now its your turn!  Head over to Lady Belle Fabric and see what catches your eye.  To enter the rafflecopter giveaway, simply comment in the giveaway below with what you would spend your giveaway winnings on!

Giveaway details:  To enter to win, head over to Lady Belle Fabric and tell me what you would use the gift certificate to purchase in the comments section.  For an extra chance to win, share this giveaway on your favorite form of social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).  Be sure to log in to RaffleCopter below.  This giveaway will be open until Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at 12:00 AM EST.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Belated Halloween Post

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To say this post is a tad bit belated is an understatement.  As I finished this project up just before Halloween.  Halloween of last year.  The whole having a baby thing made my brain go on the fritz for some time, so when I was looking back through my Flickr feed, and found these pics I realized I never blogged about this little guy!  Without wanting him to feel neglected, I figured he's already waited over a year for his time in the spotlight, so who cares if two Halloween's have now passed since he was finished.

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While my quilting and sewing has definitely slowed down, I am really enjoying cross stitching at the moment.  I love that its a small project that is 100% portable and perfectly conducive to background tv watching while I'm stitching away.  My husband has recently accepted a new job, that means no more nights and weekends (woohoo insert happy dance!!)  and while I am thrilled to have him home every evening, I now have zero motivation to head downstairs after Nora is in bed to sew, and instead have been snuggling up on the couch as the hubs and I catch up on the DVR que (we haven't even started this season of Homeland yet!).

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So while my sewing machine is probably staging a protest from lack of use, I'm keeping my fingers busy working on a few adorable cross stitch patterns from the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery.  Their patterns are just so darn adorable, that I can't get enough.  This one is last years Halloween Spooky Sampler.  After working on this project last fall, I switched from stitching on Aida cloth to linen, and my like for cross stitch last year has turned into a full blown love with the linen.  The stitches just pop off the fabric!  I have half a mind to restitch this sampler on linen, but that will have to wait for another day.

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I just love how Amanda and Ashleigh have made cross stitching cute and youthful.  They seriously don't have a pattern that am not in love with.  I have stayed up to date with the Once Upon a Time 2104 Sampler, that is destined for framing and a spot on Nora's wall once its done and am almost done with last year's 12 Days of Christmas Sampler, which should be finished just in time for the release of this years Christmas Celebration Sampler.  Whew!

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So anyways, happy belated Halloween!  You can bet you'll be seeing more cross stitch projects on the blog, as I'm resolving to try and post more progress pics, as things are moving at a much slower pace than they used to, and I'm okay with that.

p.s.  be sure to check back here tomorrow, a little birdie said there will be a great giveaway from a new sponsor!