Author: libbychr

literally! No time left to make a valentine quilt? It’s OK–you can add a little love to many items by simply machine-appliqueing a heart. It doesn’t even have to be red or pink or lacy, though it could be. Just use your imagination.

IDEA: Buy or make a baby bib and add an embroidered heart with his/her name like this one–so sweet! Or embroider “Sweetheart”–not just for Valentine’s Day!

Tip 1) Usually fuse the fusible paper-backed web first, then cut the shape.

Tip 2) If the applique fabric is light and might let the background show through, try first fusing a solid white to the back for a double layer.

Tip 3) STOP!! After fusing, go ahead and hoop to embroider. THEN you can cut the shape to include the embroidery.

Tip 4) It’s easy to remove the paper from paper-backed fusible web if you score it with a pin or needle! (Just let it cool/dry first.) After removing the back paper, you can iron it to the fabric–much easier than trying to pin something.

Tip 5) Satin-stitch around the edge using an edgestitch foot or open-toe foot (NOTE: You can get a generic one for ANY machine from MadamSew.com) , taking one stitch INSIDE the applique and the other on the OUTSIDE background fabric. Sew slowly but steadily for best result.

Tip 6) Try other dense stitches, too. Always test the stitch on some remnants to get it adjusted.

Tip 7) If using embroidery thread, use an embroidery needle (with longer eye) or at least a size 90; you might also need to loosen the upper tension just a bit. Whatever thread you use, be sure to insert embroidery stabilizer (such as Tear Easy) BEHIND the applique/embroidered area.

IDEA: Make a quick hot pad. Use this Christensen Creations pattern or make your own. The pattern also makes an 8 1/2″ quilt block or can easily be adapted to 10 1/2″ or 12 1/2″ by adding borders:

Tip 8) Search internet for simple shapes like a heart. Simple coloring books for toddlers also have basic shapes.

Tip 9) Instead of a satin stitch, attach with simple zigzag and cover it with lace or cord.

Tip 10) Try placing applique on a diagonal for a block “on point.”

IDEA: Add a heart to any totebag pattern. This is one in the works using TheFabricHut.com‘s fat fifths (video to come this spring).

Tip 11) For tote bags and many clothing items, it’s much easier to applique on the piece BEFORE all the pieces are sewn together

Tip 12) Make a heart or other shape from an orphan block or quickly make up a little block of small scraps (like this one or the one below). Just piece first before fusing the web and cutting the shape.

IDEA: Decorate a T-shirt or sweatshirt.

Tip 12) It can be hard to get to the area to sew, so just cut open the sides and restitch afterwards.

Of course, you could hand-applique any of these if you prefer. Just be sure to add 1/4″ to turn under and cut a lot of little notches in order to turn those curves on a heart. I have no objections to hand-applique; however, I’ll be using the machine because it’s quicker and I NEVER EVER have enough time!

If you DO have plenty of time this weekend, here are a few little quilts to consider, from simple to more complex, but it might be better to start the fussier ones for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or a birthday!!

Have a Happy Valentine’s Day and spread the love,

xoxoxox, Libby at https://sewgocreate.com

PS Don’t forget that you can use these same techniques and tips to applique a flower for spring, a sailboat for summer, a leaf for autumn or a candy cane for Christmas….and hearts are for loving, not just for Valentine’s Day.

Is it time to plan a quilt for NEXT year? Maybe!

“Give Thanks CC2322,” a lap quilt/throw, has easy square blocks, but I used swirly quilting to suggest the round fruit https://sewgocreate.com/2021/11/14/time-to-give-thanks/

Also, see a brief video on the https://sewgocreate.com landing page.

Enjoy family or friends today. Get back to the quilting tomorrow. Christmas is around the corner. Happy Holiday Season!

If so, you’ll get a huge kick of this homage wall hanging. “Bubba Bass Wears Plaid” is a new pattern of the tail-waggling bass. Made of shirt flannels, it’s sure to please the fisherman (or fisherwoman) in your family and is a perfect homey wall hanging to display in a lake home! So cute, the fins and chin all flap, and the tail is wired–full instructions in the pattern.

Click here to order pattern

Making 3D fins and tail is easy–“Bubba Bass Wears Plaid” cc2110

Don’t let anyone tell you that quilts must be made of special quilter’s cotton, which is getting more and more expensive. I lived in Montana a couple years, and believe me, THOSE quilter ranchers learned that soft flannel (cotton version is sometimes dubbed “flannelette” to distinguish it from wool flannel, but I’m OK with just “flannel”)–anyway, they not only BACKED their quilts with it, but they used it as the main ingredient for the blocks! Nice and warm and comfy. These days it comes in all colors.

The turquoise and blue shades made me think of water, so I ran strips going from the darkest blue near the bottom to the light ones on top. That made a great contrast for the red bass. Apparently I did something right because this hanging just made a “1st Place” in the Fine Crafts category of a Montgomery Society of Arts and Crafts art show. Woohoo! Who knew? The judge had probably had one in her family and must have had a good sense of humor! These days the singing bass originals are found in vintage store or thrift shops–maybe even garage sales–so you can go looking or you can get this new version that’s less dusty and doesn’t sing an annoying song over and over and over and….you get the point.

As for quilts–quilters used to use men’s old wool suits–ugly but very warm, my mother told me. She grew up in a house without central heating, so she knew the importance of a truly warm quilt back then! On the other hand, they used elegant silk and satins, especially for those divinely embroidered crazy quilts. They were using up every possible scrap of a luxury item! And I have to say that a woven polyester sheet (cheap from Big Lots) makes a lightweight, silky backing! (On mine, the color ran, so it’s good that I had pre-washed it multiple times!)

So don’t be afraid to break the quilters’ cotton code. Wait! Flannelette IS cotton, right? You could even search for old plaid shirts in thrift stores if so inclined! Then there’s fur! I knew some American quilters in what was then West Berlin who shopped for old used furs in the thrift stores and made teddy bears!

Don’t be afraid to be adventurous. This pattern has flexible wire in the tail! I might not do it for a BLANKET….but if it hangs on the wall, it shouldn’t poke anybody!

Watch for next video–coming soon, “Button Button…” and if you happen to be near Wetumpka, find me on Saturday, Nov 5, at the vendors’ tent just off Main Street for the huge Wildlife Arts Festival. Lots of photos and some cute crafts. The following weekend, I’ll be a Charis Crafters’ 3-day sale in the Wetumpka Civic Ctr. Now that this pattern is published, I’ve got to get back to tagging!

–Libby, quilting with zest!

Halloween is just a hair’s breadth away, or maybe a ghost’s breath? It’s not too late, though, to add a spider web, always a great touch for Halloween spookiness. (Personally, I like to put up webs around my doorbell so that trick-or-treaters get a spooky experience..is that too mean?)

It’s easy to sew a spider web. Just make some spokes, even or uneven, and make concentric circles. Even easier, use the trick in the “Halloweensie Weensie Spider” wall quilt below. The web is made by top-stitching double-fold biack bias tape. You could substitute soutache (sometimes called “middy braid) or even ribbon. I recommend using the open-toe foot and holding the tape or braid up and taut to keep it threading under the foot without slipping. You might even have a special braid foot. Just zigzag the web in place. If you’re a quilter, you can piece the pie shapes if you want and make this any size.

If you want to sew a smaller web, just stitch it. Draw on your fabric or print off my pattern, “Ms. Spider Spins at Night cc2027.” Be sure to use stabilizer under the fabric. Pin the paper onto the fabric and sew right through it, the fabric and the stabilizer, following the lines. Sew regular stitching (as the web) or zigzag (closely) to make a satin-stitch for a wider stitch (the pumpkin and moon). If you have newsprint foundation paper, you can use it, but it’s not necessary to go out and buy it. Regular computer paper works. It’s just harder on your needle and a little hard to tear. Just make smaller stitches. Tweezers help pull off the small pieces of paper.

Sewing with metallic thread, especially slick, ribbony “Sliver” (by Suilky) can be really challenging, but I have a really great tip. See my brief video on my landing page, https://sewgocreate.com, to hear my tip or buy the pattern. It’s spook-tacular and quick, very quick! Happy Haunting!

If you don’t do Halloween projects, it’s OK: don’t forget that you can also put spider webs in GARDENS…and I even have a few in my house!)

quilt labels on the back of quilts. They are especially important for quilts that are likely to be handed down to the younger generations and can contain everything from the name of the quilt and quilter to the date and information about the material or content.

If you have a lap quilt, it’s also important that the back be attractive and interesting because it will be seen. Sometimes you can find really unique backing fabrics like the rather “moony” one I found for the yellow, black and white “The Cat on the Moon”below.

If you machine-embroider a label, I recommend that you cut the fabric a lot bigger than the finished label. It’s easier to hoop and can be cut down. I usually just make a rectangle, but I’ve found it’s often nice to give it a little bound edge.

To make a bound edge, just sew a strip 1 or 1 1/4″ wide along the top and bottom, then strips along the side. Press the raw edges under to the back of the label. I use a dab of Elmer’s purple washable glue stick to hold them in place! If you prefer, you can use one long strip and miter it like a regular quilt binding.

If you have the time and inclination, you can “up your game” a little and add some embroidery, such as the butterfly on the label of “Butterflies Fly Free.”

For “The Cat in the Moon,” I decided to applique a cat in front of the moon on the back as well as the front. I left the embroidery stabilizer on the back of the label for the applique. The circle template was just a pan lid, and gathering with a basting stitch pulled the seam allowance to the back!

Labels can be small or large, with hand or machine embroidery, and as unique and fun as you want.

For more details, see the 17-min. video here on the landing page (on right hand side near top.) For a video explanation of the cat quilt, become a member of www.thefabrichut.com‘s Facebook quilting group. Just ask. It’s a fun group with lots of photos and sharing from all over the world. I’m collaborating with them to make some designs from their fabrics and then do Facebook LIVE presentations, but those are recorded so that they can be watched any time. I can only upload brief ones on my website or Facebook page; they host the longer ones. Watch me for lots of tips!

Yep, another year has passed, and I’m sharing my birthday cake!

Buy ANY pattern Sept 1-5, 2022, and get a slice of cake free!

Cake? Really? Yes, it’s a pattern for a delicious layer cake. My sample has chocolate icing and raspberry filling, but you get to pick your own colors and flavors. And I promise, NO CALORIES! How’s that for perfect? To Buy

This is a machine applique, but you can add 1/4″ to the pieces and hand-applique if you have the time and inclination. However, if you satin-stitch, here are a few pointers to remember:

1. Fuse first—iron paper-backed fusible web to the fabric; then cut out the pieces.  Fuse them in place to eliminate slippage.
2. Use a stabilizer—it goes under the fabric and is very necessary!  Get an easy-tear for machine embroidery.  (If you hoop embroidery, there are often unused sections you pull off.  Save them for use under satin-stitch.)
3. Use an open-toe foot—It’s really important to be able to see the stitches.  Open-toe makes it  much easier to see than a clear plastic foot, but both are better than a normal foot.
4. Check the length and width of the stitch—do this on scrap fabric to make sure it’ll cover edges well.
5. Remember the length and width number—sometimes you may have to go back and restitch.
6. Coming to a point?—You can often slowly decrease the width of the stitch AS you sew to the point, then increase it as you leave the point.
7. Sew slowly, but evenly, i.e., don’t jerk!—stopping and starting or jerking makes uneven stitches.
8. It’s OK to not be perfect—actually it’s quite easy to remove stitches and redo because the wide stitches are easy to cut and remove.  You can usually fix it.
9. Sometimes you need a do-over!—Really, do OVER in the sense that occasionally you can just do another layer to help fill in.  If so, make it just a tad wider to cover the original stitches.

Relax and enjoy the stitching. Sometimes it’s simply fun to use pretty embroidery thread for a break from piecing. Fusing the pieces first makes it so much easier than it used to be.

Quick–order ANY other pattern and get this one as well. Don’t forget that the Gladiola Bundle of 5 patterns is on a special sale for $10! I extended it through Labor Day. You’ll get 6 patterns, though, with the cake added–what a bargain! If you haven’t tried my patterns yet, this is the right time! To Buy

$10 “Glad Bundle” below