A Merry Christmas To You Quilt-Along

A Merry Christmas To You, Quilt-Along Week #8

Week # 8

I hope you are sewing my “A Merry Christmas To You” quilt with us.

Please keep posting your progress on our “Sewing With Susan” Facebook group.

I love seeing your Tiny Dresden plates.

This is the last step that we’ll be making the Tiny Dresden plates.

Just 4 more again this week.

Keep

spraying & pressing each & every fabric

with Mary Ellen’s Best Press!

Choose the fabrics for the next 4 Tiny Dresden plates

including background fabrics.

Follow the instructions on page 3.

You’ll need 12 petals, 1 background square & 1 center for each block.

Hopefully you’ve already printed off the free color-in sheet I offered earlier.

If not, it’s on my website for you to download & print.

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

A Merry Christmas To You Quilt-Along

A Merry Christmas To You, Quilt-Along Week #7

Week # 7

I hope you are sewing my “A Merry Christmas To You” quilt with us.

Please keep posting your progress on our “Sewing With Susan” Facebook group.

I love seeing your Tiny Dresden plates.

We’re more than half way done with making the Tiny Dresden plates.

Just 4 more this week.

Are you

spraying & pressing each & every fabric

with Mary Ellen’s Best Press?

It really makes a difference!

Choose the fabrics for the next 4 Tiny Dresden plates

including background fabrics.

Follow the instructions on page 3.

You’ll need 12 petals, 1 background square & 1 center for each block.

Hopefully you’ve already printed off the free color-in sheet I offered earlier.

If not, it’s on my website for you to download & print.

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

Holiday Sewing, My Life

Happy St. Patrick’s Day 2019

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Do you need an excuse to sew a little green?

If so, here’s a tiny inspiration!

It’s just part of my Tiny Dresden Seasonal Series.

A cute little quilt (6″ x 8″) that hangs conveniently on this adorable stand.

Included in each pattern are the instructions

to make a little sleeve so the quilt will hang perfectly.

Once you have that quilt made you’ll want to make one for each month!

A unique way to decorate a little corner of your or a loved one’s abode.

You can find it all here,

including the patterns, stands, notions & fabric kits while they last.

Doing my best to inspire you!

Just keep sewing (green)…

Susan

A Merry Christmas To You Quilt-Along

A Merry Christmas To You, Quilt-Along Week #6

Week # 6

Are you sewing my “A Merry Christmas To You” quilt with us?

Thanks to those of you who joined “Sewing With Susan” Facebook group.

I’m loving seeing those Tiny Dresden plates.

We’re making more Tiny Dresden plates this week, yay!

5 more,

& don’t forget…

spray & press each & every fabric

with Mary Ellen’s Best Press.

Someone asked me yesterday if I use more Best Press during assembly

so I want to mention it to you here.

I spray & iron all of my fabrics with Best Press before I begin.

Then after each plate is completely sewn into the circle

I spray both sides with Best Press again

(with the single finger pump bottle because it sprays a much finer spray than the hand pump bottle. I use the hand pump bottle for spraying yardage.)

then I press the plate from the back side.

After the plate has completely dried

after removing the freezer paper template,

I spray it again,

front & back

then press it again from the back side.

This helps the plates lie nice & flat

when glued to the background square.

They’re not stiff, just flat!

When the plate is nice & flat it glues easily to the background square

which makes it easy to applique around, yay & yay!

No stress, just fun :)

Today you need to choose fabrics for the next 5 Tiny Dresden plates

including background fabrics.

Follow the instructions on page 3.

You’ll need 12 petals, 1 background square & 1 center for each block.

Hopefully you’ve already printed off the free color-in sheet I offered earlier.

If not, it’s on my website for you to download & print.

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

A Merry Christmas To You Quilt-Along

A Merry Christmas To You, Quilt-Along Week #5

Week # 5

I’m glad you’re sewing my

“A Merry Christmas To You” quilt with us.

If you haven’t already, please join “Sewing With Susan” Facebook group

so you can see what others are doing

& to also show your progress.

This week we will start the fun stuff;

making Tiny Dresden plates!

There are 18 Tiny Dresden plates scattered across this quilt

(or quilts if you’re making the 4 small quilts).

Since I don’t want you to be overwhelmed

I’ve decided we will concentrate on making just

5 Tiny Dresden plate blocks this week.

From here on out, it will be inferred that you

spray & press each & every fabric

with Mary Ellen’s Best Press.

Choose fabrics for the first 5 Tiny Dresden plates

including background fabrics.

Follow the instructions on page 3 to make

just 5 Tiny Dresden plate blocks.

You’ll need 12 petals, 1 background square & 1 center for each block.

To keep track of which blocks you’re making,

you can note them on the free color-in sheet I offered earlier.

It’s on my website for you to download & print.

Something else I want to point out is the Dresden sewing

accuracy sheet that I’ve designed since making this pattern.

If you don’t have it from my book, Dresden Quilt Workshop,

or a more recent Tiny Dresden plate pattern,

you can find & print it here.

It allows you to check your sewing accuracy to be sure your plates will lie flat.

Just print the page then place 2 sewn petal on top the illustration.

If your petals are larger than my illustration, your seam is too small.

If your petals are smaller than my illustration, your seam is too large.

Checking your sewing accuracy with the first 2 petals,

should ensure flat, round plates!

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

My Life

What Inspires Me? #2

To further answer the question of what inspires me,

FABRIC!

Sometimes it’s a rainbow of colors.

I love being inspired by it then decide how to use it.

Perhaps it’s just one color that I love and have to find just the right design or setting.

I need to decide what will make the fabric look its best.

These made the final cut.

Not too light, not too dark, not too yellow…

Then to make it all happen

just the way I planned it.

Often I take pics to remind me how I want it to go together.

What inspires you???

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

My Life

What Inspires Me? #1

Through the years I’ve had lots of inquiries about what inspires me.

I can’t be specific or answer why,

but here’s a look at my brain at work being inspired…

At an antique mall this week I found a baggie of bitsy doll shoes.

(& then a couple days later at another antique mall the antique lunch pail…)

To be more specific, doll skates!

Are these not the cutest things you’ve even seen?

I’m always on the lookout for things I’ve never seen before.

That’s my goal at any antique mall, estate sale, etc.

When I got home and looked more closely,

I found that the ballerina slippers were pretty awesome too!

The skates are now in their new home.

Not sure where the rest of the shoes are going;

maybe a jar when I find just the right one.

Who cares?

They make my heart sing!

Sometimes I’m inspired by old quilts.

Who isn’t???

 

These are at Country Meadows, downtown Alton, if you’re interested.

Looking in books & magazines can spark an idea…

 

I’m particularly intrigued with this fabric with little red squares.

And I love the scrappy colors of this heart collage.

I have so much fun visiting antique malls.

It’s like a treasure hunt every time!

Lots of eye candy under one roof,

or when I’m lucky enough to enjoy an outdoor flea market, even better, more junk!

Just about a month away from the first one of the season; can’t wait!

What inspires you???

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan