Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Lapel Stick Giveaway!

Lapel Stick, Lapel Stick, how do I love thee?
Let me count the ways... 
No seriously y'all, I love this little guy. 
I use it all the time. The Lapel Stick is great for tacking down anything you want to stay put while you sew it on. For instance: 
  • seams, especially when you turn something right side out and need to sew that opening. 
  • applique (see my circle tutorial and my pincushion tutorial
  • labels- I apply a little Lapel Stick to my labels before I sew them on so I don't have to worry about them moving on me - no pinning needed! 
  • ticker tape quilts
  • foundation piecing- Put a dab of Lapel Stick on that first piece so it sticks to your pattern and off you go.
I am sure there are more uses I haven't thought of yet and don't forget you can always use it as intended, to tack down a hem or a flyaway collar. 

Wouldn't this be the perfect little stocking stuffer or a little treat for yourself? Want to win one? (Sure you do!) The gracious folks at Lapel Stick have kindly offered to send one of these fabulous sticks to two of my lovely readers so to enter to win...
simply leave a comment - short and simple- your favorite food

Be sure you leave an email address for me to contact you - no valid email- no winning. I'll announce the winner on Friday. 
Good luck and have a great day!

This giveaway is now closed. 

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

x and + Block Swap

Hey there!
I'm sure you've seen these super fun blocks floating about in blogland. This is BadskirtAmy's tutorial I pinned from Pinterest.

There is a new Flickr group getting started (and looking for members) to make and swap these blocks. They are starting in January and mailing out in February so you have a short commitment for a great return. Make the blocks in increments of 5 and you get back as many as you send in.

My friend Di is making a queen size quilt with these blocks. Can't wait to see it!
Interested? Pop over to the Flickr group and join in!

Welcome Fabricworm!!

I'm thrilled to welcome the fabulous Fabricworm as a blog sponsor at Ellison Lane Quilts.

Did you know Fabricworm has free patterns and tutorials like this cute messenger bag?

And how cute is the Christmas stocking? There is still plenty of time to make one too.

I do so love their fabulous array of Japanese Imports including this adorable Kokka Push Pin fabric:

And this Monaluna Circa 52 Organic fabric. Such cute bunting!


Plus Fabricworm now has organic baby quilts too. Don't you love this color combination?

Looks so snuggly.

And Fabricworm offers 5% discount on $50 orders every day with the code Save5.
Now, that is a great place to shop!
Welcome Fabricworm!!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Hope you all had wonderful weekends. We spent Thanksgiving in the mountains and had beautiful weather. Spent time with my family, 13 of us, with ages ranging from 1 to 95. Pretty impressive and always special.

Now, Christmas is on my mind in a big way!

Our little Elf on the Shelf made his first appearance today- my daughter named him Ellie which I love. She already drew 8 pictures for him to take to Santa tonight, and she told Ellie she loved him on her way to bed. Sooooo cute!

I can't wait to make some of this and fill my house with delicious smells...




I've got this playing on Spotify- love Zooey Deschanel. 







Luckily Michael Buble is on Spotify.... 

I made some of these last week because I ♥ hot chocolate and boy are they good! EASY too (always a plus!) 



And we are getting our tree this weekend - fa la la and deck the halls and all that is merry and bright. It is indeed beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here.

Now onto that Christmas list! I have lots of shopping to do and even more sewing... time to get busy!

Have a great week!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving





Happy Thanksgiving!! May you enjoy time with family and friends and have safe travels.

xo,
Jennifer

Woo Hoo! iTote Winner....

And the lucky winner of the iTote pattern/workshop is... 

22 
Donna Joy said...

Ohh that is what I need, so I'd make this for myself first, use it and see who else needs one. Thanks for sharing.

Fabric Love

Browsing fabric today from the fabulous Fat Quarter Shop.

How cute is this?
Might be perfect for making a Christmas quilt next summer when I have more time! (It comes out in May, 2012.)




And I think I must have some of this Amy Butler Lark:


And I KNOW you've seen this. Cannot WAIT!

What fabric are you crushing on? 

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Giveaway Day!

How cute is this?

This is from my fabulously talented friend Amy Gibson of Stitchery Dickory Dock.  She's created this super great pattern over at Craftsy and has put together all the directions for this fabulous iTote- a tote that carries all of your electronic devices.

I love the pockets and hand stitching. Amy has all the details, directions and over 60 pictures in her tutorial to help you make this adorable tote.

The best part of this pattern is that it is a workshop and Amy is available for Q & A in a forum so if you have a quick question or need some advice, you can ask her. How cool is that? Plus there is a gallery at the end for everyone to upload pics of their completed project.

Craftsy has this workshop/pattern on sale for $11.99 but one of you will be lucky enough to win this pattern- just in time for holiday sewing! Can anyone say Christmas gift? If you just can't wait, you can pop over there now and buy your own. :) 

To be entered to win, leave a comment telling me who you would make this for. And be sure to leave your email address in your comment so I can contact the winner!!
This giveaway is now closed. 

Mr. Random.org will choose a winner on Wednesday.

Now, go pop over to Amy's blog and check out all of her other super tutorials including her new recipe at the Moda Bakeshop!

xo,
Jennifer

Monday, November 21, 2011

Oh it was a good weekend!

Highlights of the last week and a weekend:
I finished up 3 quilt tops and one quilt!  (This many finishes in one week is CRAZY!) Two just needed borders but whew! Hmmmm, now to find the time to quilt them. I'd love to show you pictures but they are gifts and well, that would ruin the surprise! 

I also whipped up a little zip pouch for my SSSwap partner... hope they like it! I am super happy with the result because I FINALLY figured out how to do perfect zipper ends thanks to Anna's fab illustration here

Then I got inspired and made two ruffled eye glass cases. 

I think I might be obsessed with ruffles now. I am imagining all kinds of cute things I can put them on.... 

So Charlotte finally, finally got their first Jo Ann's (Finally!) and I had to make a trip there for the grand opening weekend. Walked in on Saturday and the checkout line was to the back of the store- I kid you not. Um, as I had a husband and two kids waiting for me at another store, I did not shop on Saturday. 

Went back yesterday and only to discover my stack of grand opening coupons were not valid on Sunday! But thank goodness for the kindness of sewing strangers because the sweet lady standing beside me at the cutting counter and I got to talking about modern quilting and low and behold she gave me her 60% off coupon just because! This was HUGE because all of that batting I was buying for those 3 quilts I mentioned above... she saved me a ton! Plus the lady cutting my fabric gave me another $15 off coupon so y'all, I saved $92.00! 

$92.00!!!  SCORE! I was thrilled to say the least. :) 

We've had quite a bit of fabulous fall weather - warm days and tons of pretty leaves. 
All the beautiful ones in my neighborhood are sadly not the ones in my yard. 

But we do have lots to jump in! 



Plus my daughter had successful quiet reading time in her room yesterday afternoon for almost an hour (this is BIG!) AND I got to see Breaking Dawn on Friday night. 
I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it.
Been listening to the soundtrack all weekend on Spotify. (Do you Spotify?) I've got to see it again and how in the world am I supposed to wait until next year for the last one?!!! 
I have a feeling I will be rereading the saga again soon.... 

I've got a fun giveaway for you tomorrow so stay tuned. :) 

xo,
Jennifer





Friday, November 18, 2011

Did You Win?

A big congratulations to...

63 
krazgrl said...

This sounds like something I would certainly love to read.
kmgrissen@gmail.com


who won the copy of Jennifer Chiaverini's new book, The Wedding Quilt.

Please email me your full name and mailing address. Thanks!  :)

Sewing Machine Cover Tutorial

You ask and I deliver! Here is the tutorial my patchwork sewing machine cover. It's easy-peasy and would make a great gift!


Materials:
42 fabric scraps at least 2" x 2"
assorted fabric for the letters SEW and the heart
solid fabric for front and back (Half Yard-two pieces: each one 17" x 33")
ribbon (1.75 yards- cut into 4 pieces 14" each)
batting (17" x 33")
Quarter Yard for binding (3 strips cut 2.5" x WOF)
Heat & Bond Lite fusible stabilizer
scissors
sewing machine template (CLICK HERE for template)

The finished cover measures 17" x 32."  My machine is a Pfaff and is 16" wide x 7.5" deep, and 12" high.   It is very easy to customize the cover to your machine. Simply measure yours and adjust as needed.

Let's get started. Pictures are above the directions. Read through all directions before getting started.


1. Cut 42, 2" x 2" patchwork squares and arrange into 6 rows of 7.

2. Sew the squares in rows then sew the rows together. (I sewed the first three rows together, then the last three, then the two sections.) Press the seams flat.

3. Cut a 11" x 8.5" piece of Heat & Bond Lite.  Follow the directions on the package and iron the stabilizer on to the back side of the patchwork.

4. Print the sewing machine template and cut it out (don't use your fabric scissors!) Hold up your patchwork and the template to center it as you like. Try not to place it on top of seams.

Trace the template on to the paper side of the Heat & Bond. Remember that the machine will be reversed when you cut it out so make sure you flip the template before tracing it on the paper.  See picture above. 


5. Cut out the patchwork sewing machine and set aside for now. From the remaining patchwork scraps, cut a small heart. Set aside.

6. To make the letters SeW and the heart for the back, choose your favorite font in Word, increase the size (I think mine were about 450 but you might have to play with yours) and print the letters S-e-W on to copy paper.

Iron on the stabilizer to the back of the fabric. Cut out the letters, flip them over, and trace them onto the paper side of the Heat & Bond Lite.  For the heart, just iron on the stabilizer to the back of the fabric and fold it in half and cut out a heart. Set aside.

6. Now, Take your two pieces of background fabric and make a quilt sandwich. I spray basted mine.  Quilt as you wish. I did somewhat straight lines. :) Take a moment to square up your quilt.


7. Next I placed my cover on top of my machine and put a pin at the top edge of each side. Then I centered the patchwork sewing machine on my cover and pinned it in place. (My letters are about 2 inches from the bottom and the sewing machine cover is about 1 inch from the bottom.) 




8. Take your cover to your ironing board and be sure to remove the paper from the stabilizer. Press to adhere the stabilizer. Press on the top of the fabric and flip over the cover and press on the back.  Repeat for all applique.

9. Sew on the applique using a zig zag or blanket stitch. Back stitch at the beginning and end to secure your threads. (If you don't want to backstitch, leave long tails and pull your threads to the back. You can read more about this technique, HERE.)


10. Time to make your binding. I cut my binding fabric 2.5." If you are new to making binding, follow this tutorial. Sew on as you would quilt binding but do not sew it to the back of the cover yet.


11. Cut your ribbon into 4 pieces- each 14" long.  Measure 5" inches up from the bottom of the cover and pin your ribbons.

Tuck/fold the binding (on the top of the cover) out of the way and sew the ribbon along the binding seam. (See picture) Repeat for all 4 pieces.

12. Fold the binding over and sew it on to the back side of the cover. Sew by machine or by hand. I sew mine by hand. Sew right over the ribbon to secure it further. 




13. Ta-da! You are done and you now have a fabulous new sewing machine cover. Enjoy!

If you make one of these, I would love to see it! Please upload a pic to the Inspired by Ellison Lane Quilts Flickr Group.

Feel free to email me with questions if something is not clear. Hope you enjoy the tutorial!

Coming up soon: a GREAT BIG SWAG BAG giveaway! You're going to LOVE this!
Have a great weekend!

xo
Jennifer

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Improv Block Tutorial: Just Wing It!

So excited to be guest posting at Sew We Quilt today. I'm honored that Madame Samm invited me over again!

Pop on over and check out my Improv Block tutorial.

They are so easy to make and really liberating too.

Can't wait to hear what you think!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

A Great Book Giveaway!

Do you like to read?
Love quilting?

Have you read the Elm Creek Quilts novels? They're stories about women, families and relationships all interwoven with quilting and history.  They are quite entertaining.

I've read several of them and have really enjoyed them so imagine my delight when I was asked if I would be interested in sharing a copy with y'all.

I've just stared reading my copy of Jennifer Chiaverini's newest book, The Wedding Quilt and am really enjoying it. Who doesn't love a wedding, especially when it's interwoven with a good story and a quilt!

Here's an excerpt of the synopsis from the publisher:

Sarah McClure arrived at Elm Creek Manor as a newlywed, never suspecting that her quilting lesson with master quilter Sylvia Bergstrom Compson would inspire the successful and enduring business Elm Creek Quilts, whose members have nurtured a circle of friendship spanning generations.  


The Wedding Quilt opens as the wedding day of Sarah's daughter Caroline approaches. Sarah's thoughts are filled with brides of Elm Creek Manor past and present-the traditions they honored, the legacies they bequeathed, and the wedding quilts that contain their stories in every stitch.


So who wants to win a copy? I have one to share with you so to enter, simply leave a comment below.

For an extra chance share this giveaway on your blog, Facebook or Twitter.
Be sure to leave an email so I can get in touch with you!

Sorry, this giveaway is for US residents only. 
I'll choose a winner via random.org on Friday, November 18.
This giveaway is now closed. 

Have a great day!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Christmas Tree Block Tutorial

Feeling a little Christmasy?

Well today I have my Christmas tree block tutorial to share with you for the 12 Days of Christmas Sampler Quilt Along. Thanks Sara for including me!

If you missed any of the other awesome block tutorials, you can check them out HERE.

Supplies:
tree template (CLICK HERE) (Print the 2nd page only. Sorry it is so light!)
green fabric for your tree- a few strips-one at least 7.5" long
white fabric
red christmas fabric for the border
iron
ironing board
thread
sewing machine

Let's get started: The pictures are above the directions.

1. Trim your green fabric strips at an angle and line them up as desired. Sew them together. Measure against your triangle template and add additional strips as needed. Press.

2. Lay the tree template over your green strips and trim to the tree shape.

3. Use the smaller triangle template and cut out two pieces of the white fabric. Start with the left side of the tree and line up the flat side of the white triangle about 1/4" above the flat top of your tree. Sew on.  Press.

Repeat for the right side. Trim the small points at bottom of the tree.

4. Cut 2 white pieces 2.5" x 3.5" and one white piece 1.5" x 1." Cut a trunk piece 1.5" x 2" and sew on to the small white piece to the trunk piece.
Now, sew the two 2.5" x 3.5" pieces to the trunk piece. Press. Center the trunk piece on your tree and sew it to the bottom of your tree. Press again.

5. Trim your block - mine is 6 1/8" x 8.5."

6. Cut 4 white strips to border your tree.  2 strips 1.5" x 9" and 2 strips 1.5" x 10.5." Sew on the short strips first, press and trim excess,  then add the longer strips on the sides, press, and trim excess.

7.  Last add your red border pieces. Cut two pieces for the top and bottom 2" x 8" and two pieces for the sides 3.5" x 12.5." Sew on the top and bottom pieces first, press and trim excess then add the longer side pieces and press. Now, square up your block to 12.5" x 12.5."


Ta-dah! You now have a festive Christmas tree block for your sampler quilt. You know, this would also be really cute as a pillow too!

Be sure to add your blocks to the 12 Days of Christmas Sampler Quilt Flickr group and the Ellison Lane Quilts Flickr group. I would love to see what you make!

Happy Sewing!

xo
Jennifer