Dare To Be Different

Ok. 

Wait.

Just a second.

You might want to sit down for this.

Wait.

No. 

Maybe I need to sit down for this.

**breathes in a paper bag**

You see, there is this magazine that I {heart} a lot. 

There is one more reason that I {{heart}} this magazine a lot....

Ready? 

Um..if I pass out, please throw cold water on my face and make sure I still have a pulse, ok? ;)

Page 68. That one there on the left. In the purples and grays and red....

It's MINE!!!! 

My very first magazine publication and I am SOOOO FREAKING EXCITED!!!!! You couldn't tell right? I mean, I think I hide my feelings pretty well, yes? ;)

I know it's a simple quilt but my style is simple. Usually. The thing that I adore most about this quilt is the meaning behind it. 

The story behind Dare To Be Different ::: "I designed this quilt with my daughter in mind. She is 12 and being in middle school, it's so much easier to follow the crowd instead of doing your own thing. As a parent, I've always tried to teach her to follow her own path, to be a leader, to make her own choices.  For the most part, she has and I am so proud of her for that. I wanted to make her a quilt that portrayed this message. One where I knew that every time she looked at it, she'd remember what I taught her and take that with her always. Hence the one red block. This one block reminds her to "Dare To Be Different". :)"

I can't wait until this quilt comes home to her. It is one that will always be treasured, not only by me, but by my daughter as well! 

Here are a few shots I took before I sent her off..

Notice the "lump"? Top right corner...

Notice what that "lump" really was?  (lower left corner...that would be Sunny!) LOL!

Waskawee witto wabbits!! :D

Stitch is on sale now. I got my copy at Borders or you can click HERE to purchase it from them directly.

Ok...now that I've let the cat out of the bag...or rather, out from under the quilt (heehee) I can breathe again, even though I'm still really excited and I might not come down for a spell. :D 

Much Love!!!

We're Done!

Happy Sunday everyone!! 

Today is show and tell day for our quilt along quilts! Woo Hoo!! 

Not sure what I'm talking about? I've been doing a quilt along using charm packs. It's not too late to complete one of your own as the instructions will always be here on my blog. Click HERE for all of the steps. :)

If you haven't finished yet, don't worry. Plenty of time to do that. I just hope that you will put it in the Flickr Pool when you're done so I can see it and feature them here too :)

As promised.....here is mine. All finished. Including being washed, because to me, a quilt isn't complete until it comes out of the dryer all warm and smooshed up! :D 

And....kitteh approved...LOL!

Speaking of kittehs.....this one sure likes to help out too. Testing all the fabrics I use to make sure they are soft enough! She also helps test them when they are done! 

Here she is "helping" me with the project I was working on today...

Now it's your turn!!! Lemme see em!! :D 

I hope everyone had fun with this quilt along! I also hope we have 100% completion before year end.. hee hee :) 

Thanks so much to all of you who participated! I had a lot of fun sewing right along with you and I will definitely do another quilt along in the future! 

Much Love!!!

Charm Pack Quilt Along - Final Step

How is everyone coming along in their charm pack quilt along? Did you get all your blocks done? I hope so, or hope that you are almost there because the best part is putting it together! 

Oh, if you are just joining us, no worries. You can join in at ANY time! Just click HERE for all the steps. :)

The only thing left to do is to put your blocks together, add the two borders, sandwich, quilt, and bind and enjoy! 

The hardest part about this step is deciding on which layout to use!! I can attest to that, since I change dmy mind 5 times before setting on this one....and I love it!!

At the end of the post, I will show you some more layouts in case you missed them the first go round. I encourage you to play around with your blocks though. You may find a layout different than what I've posted! Or, you might decide on one, lay out your quilt and not like it in the fabric you are using. So just move them around a bit until you say "THAT'S IT!!". :D 

Once you decide on how to lay out your blocks, just sew them together into rows of 5. Then sew those rows together. Remember when you are pressing your rows, press them in opposite directions so that your seams nest nicely. 

Once your blocks are together, you can add on your borders. Now, you can add or subtract borders as you choose. There is no right or wrong so do what you like. My instructions are just a guide. :) 

My first border, the white, I cut eight 2.5" strips so I had enough to go around. Then for the outer border I cut eight strips at 4.5" wide. Before you cut this, measure your fabric first. I had a tad over 36" fabric so I was able to trim the edge and still get 8 strips. If you have less than 36", you will want to cut your strips at either 4" or 4.25" so you have enough. Then add them to your quilt. White first, then print. 

After that, you are ready to press your top nicely, sandwich it, quilt it, then bind it!!

So, with that being said, and to keep consistent, let's meet back here in two weeks, on September 12th,  to show off our completed quilts!! I can't wait to see them all!

As promised, here are some of the layouts you can choose....or see if you can come up with something different. :)

Remember...have fun with this!

Much Love!!!

Charm Pack Quilt Along - Step Three

Hello Friends!! Are you ready to start putting your blocks together? Yes? Fantastic because that is the next step! Block Assembly! Woo Hoo!! 

First off though, I must apologize to Miss Sarah. She is the one who shared the technique with me on how to do the 4-patches in the first method and I completely forgot to add the credit in that post. She has made a quilt using a block that is very similar to this one and she emailed me with the tip on how to do them. Thank you again Sarah on those instructions!! My apologies for not giving you the credit the first go round...I have it updated now :)

Ok...block assembly. This is really easy. It's just like putting together a 9-patch block.

My first tip would be to suggest not spending a ton of time on which pieces to use in each block. I'd actually suggest putting your HST in one bag and the 4-patches in another, mix them up,  and just grab and go. If you happen to choose one with the same fabrics, you can choose again, otherwise, just let them fall where they may. 

Choose three 4-patches and six HST (half square triangles) and lay them as shown in the below photo.

Sew each row together and press them in opposite directions. (Press top row to the left, middle row to the right, and bottom row to the left again). This way the seams will nest when you sew the rows together. 

 

Then all you have to do is sew the rows together and voila! :D

You can make this one block at a time or you can chain piece them to do all 25 at the same time. I like to do mine in rows. Sew the first two pieces of row one together for all 25 blocks, then go back and add the third piece, press them all and put them in a pile. Then repeat for rows 2 and 3. Then all you have to do is sew the rows together. Much faster :) 

This weeks assignment will be to complete all 25 of your blocks! I will be back here on August 29th with the finishing instructions! 

A couple of you have been busy beavers and have already completed your tops!! Aren't they wonderful??!! 

This one was done by Kim...*swoons over 12 Days of Christmas** :)

This one is by Thomas.... it's blissful!! :)

I can't wait to see these start piling in!! Remember to post your photos in the Flickr Pool so I can swoon over them all :)

Much Love!!!

Charm Pack Quilt Along - Step Two

Ok, is everybody ready for step two in the Charm Pack Quilt Along? 

Did you miss step one? No problem. You can join in at any time! Click HERE for all the steps. :)

Want to print the instructions for step one in PDF? Click HERE to download. 

Want to print the instructions for step two in PDF? Click HERE to download. 

Alright...here we go :)

For this next step we need to make our Four-Patches. We need a total of 75 as we will have 25 blocks and each block needs 3 Four-Patches. 

I am going to show you two ways to do this.  You only need to do ONE. I recommend you try each method and choose the one that works best for you. Meaning, the one that gets you 4 1/2" square Four-Patches. :)

First Method

*Thank you to Sarah for this method*

1.  If you haven't already, you will need to cut 38 - 5" squares out of your solid, or you can use charms from a solid charm pack too. 

2.  Choose 38 charms in the print. 

3.  On the WRONG side of each of your solid charm, you will need to draw a vertical line in the center, or at 2 1/2" in from the side. 

 4.  Place the solid square RIGHT sides together with a printed charm.  Sew 1/4" on each side of the line you just drew.

5.  Cut on the drawn line. 

*please ignore the fact that I must have had my fingers in the way of the flash..lol*

6.  Press to the dark fabric. You should have two pieces for each charm.

7.  Choose two pieces so that each piece has a different print.

8. On the WRONG side of one of the pieces, draw a line down the center, at 2 1/2".

9.  Place this piece RIGHT sides together with another, making sure that the print is on top of the white on the opposite piece.

10. Sew 1/4" seam on either side of the drawn line.

11. Cut on drawn line.

12. Press to one side and you now have two Four-Patches. :)

13. Repeat for each pair. You will end up with 76 Four-Patches in total, so you will have one extra.

Method Two

1.  If you haven't already, you will need to cut 38 - 5" squares out of your solid, or you can use charms from a solid charm pack too. 

2.  Choose 38 charms in the print.

3.  Cut each print AND each solid in half. (2 1/2" from edge)

**NOTE: I didn't take a photo of the solids cut in half, but you will need to cut each of the 38 solids in half as well.**


4.  Pair one print with one solid and sew them together with a 1/4" seam. Press to the print.

5.  Now you will need to cut each of these in half. Again, 2 1/2" from the edge. 

6.  Next, pair them up so that each piece has a different print. 

7.  Sew them RIGHT sides together, making sure the print is on top of the white or vice versa. Sew with a 1/4" seam. Press to one side. 

8.  Voila. Two Four-Patches. 


9.  Repeat with all 38 charms and prints to yield 75 Four-Patches. 

****************************

Each of your Four-Patches should measure 4 1/2", just like your half square triangles. Before you start chain piecing (if you use that method) please do a test one first, to ensure they do not turn out smaller than 4 1/2". If they are a tad larger, you can always trim them down, but you can't make them bigger. :) 

This step will not take as long as the last one as there are fewer charms to work with and hopefully no trimming. Yayyyy!!! :D 

I will still give everyone two weeks to complete this step, and perhaps catch up on the last step so I will post Step 3 on August 15th! 

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments (just leave your email address so I can respond back to you) or you can email me HERE. 

I hope everyone is enjoying this quilt along. I'm really excited to see so much interest and I can't wait to see everyone's quilt come together! 

Feel free to add photos of your progress to the Flickr Pool too. :)

Enjoy your day and Happy Quilting!

Much Love!!!

Here A Giggle, There A Giggle

It's Friday!!!!! That in it self is is worth shaking your pom poms. :) 

It's nearing step two of the Charm Pack Quilt Along! How far is everyone? Didn't know about the quilt along? No worries. You can join in at any time!! Just click on the link and it will take you to all the information, including a PDF copy of the first step!

The next step will be posted on Sunday, August 1st! Be there or be square, or round... hee hee ;) 

I couldn't very well be behind on my own QAL so tonight I trimmed all 150 of my half square triangles. Let me just say, my arm hurts like a bugger! LOL! That's a lot of trimming! So worth it though. I wouldn't do HST any other way. They will match up so nicely!

Hopefully some of you will have piles that look like this now:

Don't forget to add your photos to the Flickr Pool if you'd like so we can see how everyone is progressing, because we will all progress, right? ;)

Ok, I have two videos I'd like to share. The first is very short, but I laugh everytime I see it. The video capability on the iPhone 4 is one of my favourite features. :)

It's a video of one of the kittens I rescued. Her name is Odyssey. Yes, that's me in the background laughing..LOL!

This next video. It just makes me smile, and as of right now, this is my favourite song. It's even my ringtone. :)

We all have something beautiful in our lives.....


Needtobreathe - Something Beautiful


Much Love!!!

Charm Pack Quilt Along - Step One

Ohhhhh...It's time! Are you ready? Do you have your charm packs and your solid to match? 

Yes? Alright! Let's get started!

**Edited to add the link to download the PDF if you'd like: Click HERE. :)

We need 75 charms in a print, and 75 "charms" in a solid. 

1.  First you need to cut your solid fabric into 5" strips. You will need 10 strips for this first step. (If you are using charm packs in the solid, you can skip to step 3)

2.  Now sub-cut these strips into 5" squares. Once you are done cutting, you will have 80 squares. You only need 75 for this step, but put the extra 5 aside because you will use them in the next step.

3.  On the WRONG side of your solid fabric, you will need to draw a line from corner to corner. 

4.  Next, place a white square RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER with a print square and sew a 1/4" seam on either side of the line you drew on the white square. 

5.  Now cut along that line you drew. 

6.  Press to the dark side. Yield two Half Square Triangles. (HST)

7. We need to get these HST trimmed down to 4.5" square. Don't be afraid. I'm going to show you how :) It's easy! 

8.  You will need a ruler that is at least 5" square. If you have a larger one, that will work just fine. It doesn't have to be square either, just so that you have two sides that are at least 5". 

9.  Position your HST as shown below and line up the 45 degree angle line that is on your ruler, with the seam line on your HST. 

10. Looking at the photos as reference, you will need to make sure of a few things before you start cutting. We want to trim these HST to 4.5". To do this, you need to make sure that you have part of the fabric that extends a touch beyond the 4.5" marks on your ruler to the left side, and on the bottom, as well as over hang beyond the ruler on the right side and top. 

11. Once your HST is set up like the photo above, you can go ahead and trim the extra fabric on the right side, and at the top. 

12.  Two sides down, two more to go. Rotate your block 180 degrees. In other words, when you rotate your block, the corner that was originally at the top right, will now be at the bottom left. 

Line up the fabric on the left and the bottom with the 4.5" marks on your ruler. Trim the right and top again. 

13. You should now have a perfect 4.5" HST. :)

That's it!! Do this for each of your 75 pairs, which will yield 150 HST. 

The quilt I am making will end up approximately 72" squared and has 25 blocks. Each block for this quilt needs 6 HST, so if you are making your quilt larger or smaller than I am, you can make as many HST as you need. Just take your total number of blocks multiplied by 6 to find out how many HST you will need. :)

This sounds like a lot, but it goes quite quickly, especially if you chain piece when  you are sewing your two squares together. 

Even so, I will give you all two weeks to complete this step before I write out the next step. I will see you back here for this quilt along on August 1st. 

I also have a Flickr group. Feel free to add your photos of the fabric you are using and/or your finished HST. :) I'd love to see everyone's progress. You can find the group by clicking HERE. 

Always know, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments (please include your email so I can respond to you) or you can email me directly HERE. 

Don't forget...have fun with this!! :D 

Much Love!!!

Charm Pack Quilt Along - Cutting Your Solid

Just a quick update and some more information on the Charm Pack Quilt Along.

There is still time to do your shopping as we will not begin with instructions until NEXT Sunday. 

You can still get your 10% off your total purchase over at Crafty Girls Workshop by using the coupon code CHARM.  This is good until the end of July! 

Some of you have asked me about cutting into the white, or solid, fabric if you are not using charms. 

You can get a bit of a head start if you want to cut out your white (or solid) "charms" now. 

You will need 75 - 5" squares for the first step. This will be cut from the yardage you purchased, whether it be white or a contrasting solid to your charms. 

From your yardage, cut 10 strips that are 5" wide. From those strips, you will sub-cut into 5" squares. You will get more than 75 out of these, just put the extras aside, we will use those later, in addition to the remaining yardage. 

I'm really excited to see all of the participation with this Quilt Along! 

Please let me know if you have any questions. Remember to leave your email address in the comments form so I can reply to your questions. :) 

Much Love!!!

Did Someone Say Shopping?

I know it's Tuesday and normally I would do a tip for you all....

....but...

I'm not going to because I have some more exciting news for you!! *whoop* 

I received an email today from Anna at Crafty Girls Workshop who was pretty excited about my Charm Pack Quilt Along! Guess what!?? She was so excited that she is going to offer all of YOU 10% off any of the charm packs in her shop!! **Whooop** 

Guess what??!! Her charm packs are on sale right now too!! So....you get the charm packs for $6.50  each, PLUS the 10% discount!! **Whooop**

Guess what??!! Yep...there's more!!! Not only is she going to offer you 10% off the already on sale charms, she is going to take 10% off your ENTIRE ORDER!!! Anything in her shop!! Go ahead....give me a *whoop*whoop*!! LOL!

This means that you can get ALL your supplies for this quilt along ON SALE!!  Here are the direct links for Charms and yardage!! 

This also means if you want to get the jelly rolls to make my Moda Bake Shop quilt, you can get those on sale too!!!! I can just see this quilt in 12 Days of Christmas!! Ohhhhh.... :) 

So here's the deets: Head on over to Crafty Girls Workshop, fill up that cart till it's overflowing and at check out, use the coupon code CHARM to get your 10% off your ENTIRE cart full of goodies!! You have until the end of July to use this code at Anna's store. THANKS ANNA!!!! 

Let's all give her a **WHOOP**WHOOP**...hahhahah! :)

If you have any questions, feel free to email Anna or me.

Have fun shopping!! 

Much Love!!!

Charm Pack Quilt Along - Supplies

I hope everyone is having a relaxing 4th of July so far!! Please remember to stay safe tonight and enjoy the fireworks!

I am really excited about this quilt along and happy to have you join in with me! If you have any questions along the way, please let me know. I will go step by step so even beginners can join in! 

The supplies listed will be for a quilt that will be approximately 72" X 72" before washing. You can make it smaller or larger depending on your own preference. However, going smaller will limit you on layouts.

Supplies:

• 3 charm packs (minimum of 40 charms each)
• 3 1/2  yards in a solid. This will be for your blocks and the 1st 2" inside border. OR you can also use 3 Moda Bella Solid Charm Packs and get an additional 2/3 yard for the 1st inner border.
• Border 2 - 1 yard in print of choice
• 4 yards backing
• 5/8 yards for binding (includes enough for bias binding)
• batting

Note: You have multiple options here with out using charm packs. You can use a layer cake cut down to 5" pieces. Or you can use fabric in your stash. You will just need to cut your fabrics into 5" squares first.

If you go with one of these options and want to have your squares cut before I post the first set of directions, start off by having 75 "charms" cut out. You will need more than that, but for step one you will only need 75.  

Here are a few of the layouts I came up with using just this one block. Pretty cool huh?

So, gather up your supplies, cut into your fabric if you need to and I will be back in two weeks with the first set of directions. Hopefully two weeks will be enough time for everyone to obtain the materials needed. 

Want a button for your blog? Just grab the HTML code below and add it to a gadget/widget in your blog layout settings. :) ***I hope this works. First time I've tried. Let me know if you have problems with it.***



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Much Love!!!