Block of the Month Project: Block #13

It's Lucky Number 13!  Our 13th block in the series is this great Modern Dresden Wheel.  The straight lines really set it apart from the Traditional Dresden Plate that we made for Block 12.  It's a nice clean design, but as you can see there's still some room for creativity -- Amanda used a yellow center for a sunny look, I went with a neutral center, and Caitie used prints throughout.

Check out our other blocks in the Craftsy Block of the Month series:
Block #1, Block #2, Block #3, Block #4, Block #5, Block #6
Block #7, Block #8, Block #9, Block #10, Block #11, Block #12

More September Ornaments

We have more September ornaments to share!  The theme was, well, ornaments, so there was a lot of room for creativity.  Jen put together this amazing felt stained glass design.  It's so bright and clever -- great job Jen!

 

 

Our mom also joined the fun this month with this sparkly yellow ball ornament.  Sequins, beads, silver ribbon, and a glittery button -- it's bright and cheerful and appropriately girly for Jen's little princess Hannah, who can't resist adding a little (or a lot) of jewelry and accessories to every outfit.

Block of the Month Project: Block #12

I've been neglecting my Block of the Month updates, but that doesn't mean that Amanda, Caitie, and I fell off the BOM wagon.  We've been stitching away the last couple of months, so this is just one of a number of blocks I have to share with you.  So let's start with the first block for July, the Traditional Dresden Plate.

 

I've seen Dresden Plates all over the quilt blogs, and almost a year ago I even remember stumbling upon this great tutorial, Dresdens Decoded, from our very own Craftsy Block of the Month teacher, Amy Gibson at http://www.stitcherydickorydock.com/.  Amy pulled that rabbit right back out of her hat for this block in the series.  As you can see, Amanda, Caitie, and I all stuck to the original design by making a scrappy Dresden on a neutral background with a neutral center.  No, your eyes do not deceive you -- my Dresden is slightly smaller than the others.  It turns out just the teensiest variation in the size of the blades makes a world of difference in the finished size of the "plate."  I kind of like the variation, and now we have 3 gorgeous Dresden Plates to add to our stacks 'o blocks.

Check out our other blocks in the Craftsy Block of the Month series:
Block #1, Block #2, Block #3, Block #4, Block #5, Block #6, Block #7, Block #8, Block #9, Block #10, Block #11

Big Finish: Little Bow Ties with Grey

I recently finished this baby boy quilt.  It's going to an old friend of mine for her baby boy expected later this year.  I posted about this quilt when it was in progress here.

I used Kona Medium Gray and various scraps of orange, aqua, and lime green for the front.  The squares are 6" finished.  I didn't want the quilting to interfere with the colored bow ties, so I stitched simple diagonal lines through the center of each one.

 

 

For the back of the quilt, I pieced together the fabric remaining from the bow ties on the front and added some grey strips to extend the length.  The scrappy binding also features the prints from the bow ties.

 



Craft Book Month: Garden Party Selvage Wristlet

It's Craft Book Month at Craft Buds!

Have you been celebrating?  My craft book library is still growing – I have some oldies that feature more traditional quilt patterns, and the more recent acquisitions are split between quilting and knitting.  I like to get craft books from my local library to check out the patterns before I buy; if there are enough projects that catch my eye, I get my own copy of the book.  (I don’t know about you, but it can take me a while to start (not to mention complete!) a project, and by then the library copies would surely be seriously overdue.)

When I picked up Everyday Handmade by Cassie Barden and Adrienne Smitke, the first project that caught my eye was this selvage wristlet.  Selvages are cool.  These strips that may seem like trimmings to drop straight in your trash can actually have a lot of promise.  For this particular pattern, you don’t need much print fabric beyond the selvage strip, so if, before you knew any better, you were stingy (like me) and trimmed your selvages really close to the edge, this is a great project for them.

I decided to try to stick close to the look and feel of the wristlet in the book, using a green print for the outside accents. When I make another wristlet, I’ll use a bolder color and print. The pattern is easy to follow and the finished wristlet looks just like I hoped it would.  One tip: Assemble the selvage front panels and trim them to size (rounding the corners) first. Then use them as your template for cutting the lining pieces. The lining on mine is a little big and not a perfect fit because the pieces I started with weren’t quite a match for the assembled outer pieces.

This project is appropriate for a beginner sewist, even if you’ve never sewn in a zipper.  Oh, that reminds me of another tip: My needle-nose pliers were the perfect tool for moving the zipper pull out of the way of my presser foot as I sewed alongside the zipper.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll continue to follow along the Craft Book Month blog hop!
--Elizabeth

All month long in September, our friends at Craft Buds will celebrate sewing, quilting and all kinds of craft books by shining the spotlight on new releases, interviewing authors and editors who make the magic happen and giving you a chance to win.

Blog Hop

Week One
Sunday 9/2: Hopeful Threads / The Jolly Jabber

Monday 9/3: Stitchery Dickory Dock / Me Sew Crazy
Tuesday 9/4: Olive & Ollie / Sew Sweetness
Wednesday 9/5: Fabric Seeds / The Busy Bean
Thursday 9/6: CraftFoxes / Stitched In Color
Friday 9/7: Katie's Korner / A Prairie Sunrise

Week Two
Sunday 9/9: Sweet Diesel Designs / missknitta's studio
Monday 9/10: Sew Tara / Clover and Violet
Tuesday 9/11: Sew Fantastic / amylouwho
Wednesday 9/12: Projektownia Jednoiglec / Two More Seconds
Thursday 9/13: Ellison Lane Quilts / Don't Call Me Betsy
Friday 9/14: Live a Colorful Life / LRstitched

Week Three
Sunday 9/16: Fairy Face Designs / Canoe Ridge Creations
Monday 9/17: Inspire Me Grey / Freshly Pieced
Tuesday 9/18: Lindsay Sews / The Cute Life
Wednesday 9/19: The Littlest Thistle / Sew Crafty Jess
Thursday 9/20: Urban Stitches / imagine gnats
Friday 9/21: Sew Bittersweet Designs / The Plaid Scottie

Week Four

Link up your craft book project at Craft Buds from Sept 23-30 from your blog or Flickr account, and enter to win prizes. Winners will be announced on Monday, October, 1!

To participate in the month-long contest, just link up any project you've made from a pattern in a craft book. It's that easy! You'll tell us a little about the book, the project, how you personalized it, etc.

Rules:

1) One entry per person.
2) Your craft book project must have been completed in 2012.
3) Create a new blog post or Flickr photo (dated September 1, 2012 or later) and link back to Craft Buds/Craft Book Month in your post or photo description.

No time to create a project? This month, just follow Craft Buds and comment to win some new craft books and lots of giveaways! We'll also have expert Q-and-As to show you what it takes to write a craft book, from the initial idea to the layout, photography and the actual printed product.

Ornaments: 12 Months of Ornaments {September Theme}

The ornament theme this month is ornaments?  Yep, you read that right.  Fancy ball ornaments, teardrop shapes, sequins and glitter and beads -- there are lots of options.

This month's announcement is a little later than usual because I was finishing up this ornament to share with you.  I used felt and a scrap of ric rac that was hanging around my craft stash.  The ornament is decorated on both sides, since you never know what you'll see when it's hanging on the Christmas tree.

August Ornaments: More Snowmen

 



We have a couple more snowmen to add to the party for August's ornament challenge.  First up is Jen's creation, made with yarn pompoms.  I'd seen this idea online, and I'm glad Jen used it.  The three colors of pompoms really up the holiday factor.  (I can't tell if his top hat is really cocked to the side or just appears so, but either way -- cute!)

 

Also joining the party is this little guy made by our mom.  She used white fleece, beads, a little felt, and a scrap from a kids' shirt (because Mom is good like that and always has useful scraps around the house).  I like the simplicity of this snowman -- he doesn't need a body, just a cute scarf!