Category: My Life

My Life, Quarantine Quilting

Second Quarantine Quilting UFO Finish

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The second UFO that’s been on my list for almost a year…

Robin’s Wreaths,

a 5-part quilt designed by my good friend,

Robin Koehler of Nestlings By Robin.

It was featured in

AQ Magazine 2018-2019.

I had the 6 blocks complete pretty much on schedule

with the release of each of the magazines.

The tiny leaf templates were all cut out

& fused to the leaf fabric.

That’s where I stalled out when I got too busy with market prep this time last spring…

So this is where I began.

Trimming seam allowances & gluing.

Starting with the smallest of leaves,

then the little bit larger, small leaves.

It’s my own fault!

I thought it would be so cute made miniature.

I actually made the templates from the printed

size templates in the magazine instead of enlarging them 200%.

Next, to glue the tiny leaves to the 6 finished blocks.

An issue which came with making a smaller version of this quilt is the fact that I had to improvise parts of the design that were just too small to incorporate into this scale.

Some I turned bias strips into stitched vines & some I left off completely.

The blocks are still very full of applique!

Next, borders!

This was a great opportunity to use my new Cricut BrightPad.

Love this!

I’ve been using a very old & crude (but much loved)

version of a light box that my then college boyfriend

(now husband of 31 years)

made for me to use in my design classes.

Lots of little hearts were next.

Thanks goodness for my Apliquick tools!

These things are a life saver!

It took me all day,

but the borders were soon made

& ready for stitching;

applique by machine then embroidery by hand.

It was nice having some hand work to do while watching TV.

With top complete, it was time to contemplate how to quilt it.

I decided on a grid to complement the block background

so as not to overpower the tiny applique.

These blocks are only 5″ finished.

It doesn’t take much to fill them.

Then binding!

And voila!

It now resides in a place of honor in our kitchen.

LOVE it!

Love that I could finish it in this crazy quarantine period.

What are you working on?

Please share your projects & progress on my Sewing With Susan FB group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SewingWithSusan/

Please stay home & stay safe!

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

My Life

Are You Quilting During This Time Of Quarantine?

suznquilts

It’s a very crazy time these days for sure.

I’ve been self quarantining myself this past week.

With Spring Quilt Market being cancelled &

my teaching scheduled been put on hold,

I decided I would work on a couple of UFO’s,

something I NEVER do!

The first UFO on my list was Diane Knott

of Butterfly Threads Quilting‘s,

Under The Mistletoe.

This is a pickle dish block made with foundation paper piecing

that Diane taught at our guild’s Quilt Away 2019.

I had just 1 block & 1 more “football” made.

So, my favorite part, I set to choose football fabrics!

I love FPP accuracy!

I trimmed the excess with my rotary cutter.

It’s quicker than scissors.

I just hold the ruler right where I want to trim, sliding it along the cutting line.

Inner curves are easy.

Outer curves, even easier!

It was fun watching this piece grow!

I love using my stash,

not worrying about how old a fabric is

or how it my appear photographed.

Soon I was sewing in the corners & side pieces.

A fellow guild member, Loraine, who had finished hers,

recommended how to quilt it.

Something else I don’t do a lot of is my own quilting.

I love the way my table runner turned out!

If you don’t have any UFO’s (lolololololol)

& you’d like a project to work on today,

my quilting friend,

Gudrun of GE Designs

is having a quilt along with a free download pattern today.

What are you doing during this time?

Please share your projects & progress on my Sewing With Susan FB group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SewingWithSusan/

Please stay home & stay safe!

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

My Life, New Notions

Circle, Circles & More Circles

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Yesterday while I was running errands

I bopped into a local flea market

& found that a new one popped up 2 doors down!

While there I spied this cool lithograph tin.

In case you don’t really know me…

I’m a sucker for junk that holds other junk!!!

There must be a term for people like me… (besides crazy…).

How cool is this one?

Right away I knew that my 1″ circles would fit perfectly!

I could also put 1/2″ circles in the small end.

However, that would last 30 seconds until they would all be mixed together, so no!

They will stay in their own tin.

Then 2 doors down I spied 2 tins that would hold my new size circles; 1 1/2″.

This morning I remembered that I hadn’t tried out my new 1 1/2″

circle cutters that I ordered in last month yet.

Within 5 minutes I filled the two new tins.

Voila, 216 circle templates!

Ready to start making some doll heads,

or Tiny/Mini plates for Dresden Village

or Around The Block.

Or something new…

I love cutting ahead.

It keeps me organized &

the fact that I don’t have to stop what I’m doing to get the freezer paper out

& meticulously cut circles is heavenly!

Just count out as many circle templates that I need,

whatever size I need

& start pressing them to the fabric.

That’s how I get so much done.

I’m basically lazy, true story!

Each size template has it’s own cool tin.

If you’ve had me in for a workshop you know that I’m good at sharing too.

This is my traveling workshop tin.

I bring it full of templates for the project I’m teaching & I share!

The 1 1/2″ circle cutters are now on the “Notions” page of my website.

Hopefully it’s just in time for your next Suzn Quilts project.

If you’re interested in having me come teach for your guild

check out my “Workshop” page for pricing & offerings.

Planning to get lots of sewing done this weekend, you?

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

My Life

Christmas Traditions

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Do you have Christmas traditions?

We have many if I think about it.

One that I have is our church’s annual bazaar

which coincides with our 59th annual smorgasbord.

I’ve been chairman of the bazaar for 28 years!

I can remember because the first time was Chloe’s first Christmas

& I was pregnant with Blake.

In recent years some of our best-selling items are sweet treats!

Many of our parishioners participate.

Each year, among other things, I make sweet treats.

This year I’ve made

homemade caramel & chocolate covered pretzel rods,

brownies in the shape of decorated Christmas trees,

Rice Krispie treats also in the form of decorated Christmas trees on a stick,

peppermint bark, (my niece Sarah’s favorite),

chocolate drizzled Christmas shaped pretzels,

& lastly banana bread in the cute mini ceramic pans.

They each make great gifts!

My favorite part is wrapping them to make them look festive.

I dare to ask, where else can you go to find such things???

The smorgasbord includes;

turkey, fried chicken, potatoes, gravy, pigs in a blanket (no! not hotdogs in a crescent roll!),

veggies, rolls, salad & many home baked desserts!

Have I tempted you yet?

If you live in the area

I hope you stop by for lunch & shopping.

Our Lady Queen of Peace Church

132 Butcher, Bethalto.

Hope to see you there!

Just Keep Sewing (& holiday eating & shopping)…

Susan

 

 

 

My Life

New Pattern, Around The Block

suznquilts

The fourth new pattern that I want to show you is

Around The Block.

How cute is this???

Just 3 of my new Tiny/Mini blocks,

& 6 little houses!

I love making these Tiny/Mini blocks!

Don’t you love the pieced backgrounds?

It just adds another dimension to this runner.

They’re addicting!

And the little houses are like candy.

This little pile of cut pieces are all it takes to make them.

Soon the whole top is complete!

You could make this one in a day for sure.

There’s so little to it that I don’t have hardly any assembly pics!

It’s on my website now too if not at your local quilt shop.

One more new pattern to go.

Stay tuned.

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

My Life

We’re Off To Houston For Fall Quilt Market

suznquilts

It’s that time of year again,

Fall Quilt Market (& post-season baseball) in Houston!

Houston, Big City, Usa, Texas, Skyscraper, City

This is not the first time that we’ve shared downtown Houston with baseball fans.

I hope the Astros do well in the series,

& if you’re attending International Fall Quilt Market,

I hope you stop by Booth #136 & check out my new quilts & their patterns!

I’ll be back next week with images of the new quilts,

but you can check them out on my website now.

 Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

Blog hop, My Life

WELCOME TO #SEWPINK 2019

suznquilts

Welcome to #SewPINK 2019

Welcome to the

#SewPINK 2019 Blog Hop,

~~~~~

THE INAUGURAL BREAST CANCER AWARENESS INITIATIVE FOR BYANNIE.COM

~~~~~

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM), and for 2019, ByAnnie.com is proud to announce that we are raising the banner of awareness worldwide with the #SewPINK initiative with over 20 celebrity bloggers.

I got involved because I too have family & friends that have been diagnosed with breast cancer,

some more than once.

The #SewPink Initiative was created by ByAnnie.com LLC to raise awareness for breast cancer during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness month. They have pledged to raise funds to donate to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation through sales and to promote action through giveaways.

~~~~~

Years ago I designed a quilt pattern, “Quilt For Hope“

for quilters to make a quick lap size quilt

to comfort friends and family that may be battling breast cancer.

It’s one of my signature Quilt-as-you-sew patterns so it’s quick & easy!

It could also be made in any color to associate it to another type of cancer.

Sewing it with a flannel or Snuggle fabric on the back makes it even more cuddly.

~~~~~

This month ByAnnie.com will donate 30% on all PINK products in their online store to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).

~~~~~

  • Wonder Clips ™
  • Zippers (Lipstick-Raspberry-Crazy Plum-Wild Plum)
  • Mesh Fabric (Lipstick)
  • Quick Turn Fabric Tube Turner
  • Protect and Grip Thimble, medium size
  • Seam Fix Seam Ripper
  • Add-A-Quarter Ruler
  • Topstitch Needles #90/14
  • Tickled Pink Pattern

~~~~~

To donate directly to the BCRF visit: https://give.bcrf.org/give/31404/#!/donation/checkout

Together, hopefully every dollar will eventually make

a significant difference in finding a cure.

~~~~~

Please check us all out & join us to donate to the cause.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3 

Week 4

Week 5

~~~~~

You can also find the blog hop calendar on the #SewPINK info page

~~~

As you follow along on this #SewPINK journey,

consider projects of your own and ways you can share support and awareness.

There are many ways to sew needful items for those going through treatments.

Look online for groups to help out.

ByAnnie is offering a daily and weekly social media prize!

Find the details for entry and the prizes on their #SewPINK information page.

I too will be donating 30% of the sales of my Quilt For Hope pattern.

~~~

~~~

You can find it here on my Quilt-as-you-go page of my website.

~~~

Most importantly,

everyone, please talk with your healthcare provider

about when & how often to have a mammogram.

Find a screening program near you:

~~~

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

baby quilt, My Life, Quilt-as-you-go

Another Baby, Another Quilt

suznquilts

For those of you that don’t know this about me…

I have a somewhat large family with lots of nieces & nephews.

When my niece was pregnant with the first great niece or nephew

I decided I would make baby quilts for that generation.

It can be a frequent occurrence in a larger family!

While deciding what type of quilt to make for the first baby,

knowing it would set a precedent for all the other babies to follow,

I decided it would be one of my quilt-as-you-go designs.

Quick & easy & washable = usable!

By the time we were planning the baby shower

the mom-to-be had the nursery colors & name picked out already.

So, I took the nursery photos,

the name “Benjamin” & made his quilt:

Soon to follow was this very appropriate book for me

(& anyone else who makes baby quilts!).

Benjamin is the baby in the photos.

He’s now 7 & I’ve made lots of quilts using this book!

Delaney is a family friend.

She is modeling the larger, lap quilt version of the quilt

that is also included in the book.

The entire alphabet is included (& reversed for you & me…)

Yay!

Well, last week while teaching out of town,

I became a great aunt again.

Regardless of how busy I am,

I’m taking the baby quilt to the new baby the first time I see them!

So, since I had a big quilt finish Sunday night, (reveal later…)

Monday I chose my 3 fabrics & at 6 pm started cutting…

I made the fused letters at the beginning of the project & got the

applique out of the way before I started sewing any of the strips onto the foundation.

Once the applique was complete,

I started sewing the strips.

Since there are only 2 types of strips,

& it’s a baby quilt, it goes together very quickly!

Soon all of the strips were sewn onto the foundation

& I was ready to quilt the border strip

since that’s too large of an area to leave unquilted.

I typically free-motion quilt around the letters.

Soon after, it was ready for the binding.

By 11:09 pm I put the very last stitch into the binding!

I never, ever, start a quilt and not stop until it’s complete

so it was fun to do that this time & know that it took me

exactly 5 hours & 9 minutes to make this quilt

& I took some photos along the way to show you.

I have to say having the fabric decisions out of the way was helpful!

I met baby Keaton last night & he’s a sweetie (of course!).

His big sister is in love with him too.

Here is her quilt when I finished it 3 years ago.

So nice to know exactly what I’m going to make when

another baby or baby shower comes along.

It takes a lot of anguish out of my day!

For those of you that sew for a baby that hasn’t had a reveal before the gift is needed,

just applique “BABY” in place of the name!

Pretty sure I’ve thought of everything with this one, Lol.

You can find the book on my website

& one happy great aunt right here!

Off to get more sewing done.

Fall Market will be here soon!

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan