Sewing in the Rain

February 12, 20186 Comments

It was a rainy weekend here in Ohio and I was recovering from a terrible cold. I was down but not out! I just sewed and sewed and sewed. Here are some of my masterpieces (if I do say so myself)!

I made this Sweet Heart Mug Rug for my friend who loves cats (you can download our free pattern by clicking on this link: Sweet Heart Mug Rug). Aren’t these cats the cutest? They are left over from some Cotton + Steel fabric scraps I had on hand.

Here’s another mug rug using pink, white and lime green scraps…I like this combo a lot.

Here’s a mug rug using a romantic black and white print. This black & white print used to be curtains; now up-cycled to another every day use!

After I got tired of making mug rugs, I moved on to quilt my husband’s birthday gift. Quilting this pillow took a long time BUT I am happy with the results.

Norma wanted to get in on the action so of course I took her picture….maybe instead of the fox guarding the hen house, the dog is guarding the fox house?

Valentine’s Day Sweet Hearts

February 5, 201810 Comments

I am obsessed with making mini quilted Valentines this year. The pattern for my mini Valentines is actually my free mug rug pattern. You can click on this link to download the pattern: Sweet Heart Mug Rug

I searched through my scraps for interesting color combinations that are “just perfect” for family and friends. Here’s my stack of Valentines so far; I’ve popped some of them in the mail already.

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I had some left over fabric from the Strawberry Fields Revisited fabric collection by Fig Tree & Co. These colors match the decor in my youngest sister’s house.

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Since Sandy likes “Frenchy” (is that a word?) things, she is the lucky recipient of this one. Work with me on this…I am hopeful it looks like the writing came from Paris!

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My older sister lives in Florida and I couldn’t resist making a flamingo Valentine. It is definitely one of a kind!

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Special note: with the above three Valentines, I deviated from the pattern and combined the inner and outer borders of Step 11 and Step 12. Each border piece around the heart is 1.75 inches wide.

The Valentine below goes to my pre-teen neighbor (and dog sitter). She picked out the blue fabric on a recent shopping trip and I know she will be very happy to see it in her Valentine!

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This is my favorite because it reminds me of an English garden. I mailed it off to my dear friend (DF). DF, I hope you like it!

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Chela from Chela’s Colchas y Mas blog post made a super cute Valentine using my pattern. She used shades of lavender with a pretty floral.

You still have time to make a few Valentines! Don’t be afraid to get started!

Free Pattern for Sweet Heart Mug Rug

January 25, 2018January 26, 20189 Comments

It’s almost Valentine’s Day and I wanted to make something special for mom. I had some extra fabric from my Heartland Modern 01 10 18 quilt and thought I would make a few mug rugs/coasters for her. Below is my finished product, isn’t it a sweet heart? (Pun intended!)

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Mom’s favorite color is pink and she likes to drink tea. I thought I would test this mug rug today, strictly for quality control purposes, of course! Yep, it passed the test!

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I put my trusted Bernina to work last night. I pieced it AND quilted this sweet heart in no time flat!

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This pattern is beginner friendly and easy to follow. Give it a try and be sure to share our site with your friends!

Hosting a bridal shower or a baby shower? Make one for each of your guests! It’s a nice take away from a memorable event and the heart can be made from the theme colors chosen by the guest of honor. If you have an embroidery machine, you could even personalize each heart.

Download this free pattern by clicking on this link: Sweet Heart Mug Rug

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I will be adding this pattern to the FaveQuilts website as well. If you are looking for other beginner friendly quilt patterns, be sure to check out the FaveQuilts web site. There are many projects for many quilting skill levels. It is our “go to” site for quilting inspiration!

Be sure to share pics of your “Sweet Heart” with us!

Free Pattern–Loved Mini Quilt

February 1, 20172 Comments

Yes, you still have time to make a Valentine Mini Quilt for someone you love!

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Download this free pattern: loved-mini-quilt-pattern and whip up this mini in no time flat! It measures 15 x 14 inches and can be completed by February 14th…honest!

I designed this mini quilt pattern to go together fast and easy. I’ve made three of these so far and plan to make a few more! While this pattern is nice for Valentine’s Day, I think it will work for other special occasions too, don’t you?

Maybe instead of the word “loved” you could insert a name…I might do that on my next one. I used fabric paint and stencils for the letters but for those of you who have an embroidery machine, the possibilities are endless for embroidering borders and words!

The mini below went to mom because she loves hummingbirds. I found this cute Cotton + Steel print and I fussy cut the birds…well worth the effort! Then I decided to go non-conventional and use navy as a border accent because the birds are navy.

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Here’s a full view of the pink and white mini. This went to a friend of mine who has a cat. This print is called “Naptime 2” by Darlene Zimmerman, a designer for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

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I quilted around each letter and then went to town on straight line quilting the heart block and borders. These mini quilts are helping me practice my machine quilting skills, WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT THAT?!