Tag: Suzn Quilts’ patterns

My Life, New ideas, New Pattern Sample, New quilt pattern, Quick Little Projects

Happy Valentine’s Day

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

I hope you had a nice day with a bit of love included too!

Along with the day-to-day business stuff I made cookies for my valentines.

I love this recipe for two reasons; they taste great and you roll them into a ball then roll the ball in sugar, not the roll out and cut sugar cookie.

Sugar Cookies

From Suzette Krummel Quilt Retreat 1999

1 cup Butter

3/4 cup Vegetable Oil

1 cup Granulated Sugar

1 cup Powdered Sugar

1 tsp. Baking Soda

4 cups Flour

1 tsp. Cream of Tartar

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 eggs

Decorative sugars or nonpareils

Cream butter, oil and both sugars; add eggs & vanilla.  Sift dry ingredients, stir in and blend.  Chill dough for 1 hour.

Roll a teaspoon of dough into a ball.  Roll in decorative sugar.

Bake at 375˚ for 12 minutes.  Remove to cooling rack.

Yields approx. 8 dozen cookies.

I then quilted my “Heartfelt Table Runner” a mystery I designed for my guild, but soon to be a new pattern.

I also made Valentines for my sweethearts from here.

I just printed out 4 per page onto cardstock, punched a hole and added ribbon and a message then tied them to my gifts.  Isn’t she adorable?

I hope you had a lovely day too!

Until next time,

Susan

Hot Tips, Quilting Accessories I Love

The perfect scant 1/4″ seam

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One of the most important tasks to conquer for quilting is finding and sewing the PERFECT scant 1/4″ seam.

The easiest way to get it exact EVERY time is this tool.

It’s the Perfect Piecing Seam Guide by Perkins Dry Goods.  (I’m lucky enough to have an autographed copy!!)

Here’s how it works,

The tool has a tiny hole just big enough for your needle to go through.  Put the tool under your presser foot and hand crank the needle down slowly until it goes through that hole.  Put the preser foot down.

Put a strip of masking tape along the side of the tool.

Remove the tool and you have the perfect guide to follow!

I set up my machine and I can follow the side of my applique foot by moving my needle position one click to the right of center and I’ve got it every time.

Unfortunately not every machine is the same.

Every once in a while I take out my Singer Featherweight to sew on and I use this tool to refresh my memory of where the scant 1/4″ is on that machine.  Since I don’t sew on it very often, I can’t remember if I can follow the edge of the foot or not…It’s a memory thing that this handy tool fixes too!

You can find the tool at your local quilt shop or Celine’s website.

Until next time,

Susan

Hot Tips, New ideas

Hot Tip Tuesday #25, reinstated, at least for now!

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It has indeed been a while since I posted a hot tip for Tuesday hasn’t it?

It’s not that I don’t have any more hot tips, it’s just that I got busy with market, then I just plain had no time to think about it much less work at it, so my apologies and I hope you can appreciate this hot tip.

While getting ready for my post for the new Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Vol. 4 blog hop I realized I’ve never shown you how I cut multiple applique pieces at once.  I’m sure many of you already do this, but I’m always amazed at those that it has never occurred to, so…

When I have an applique piece that is used several times in a project and the pattern says to cut 4, I NEVER trace that piece 4 times then cut it out 4 times, no, no,no!  I’m much too lazy for that!

Look at the repeated flowers.

I don’t want to trace that same pink flower 4 times…

I determine how big the item is,

I trace the item 1 time,

calculate how big 4 would be,

fuse that much fabric,

trim fabric

peel off the paper backing,

cut the rectangles,

stack them up***********  VERY IMPORTANT:  Layer fabric to fusible web.  If you layer fusible web to fusible web and cut out, you will fuse the two layers together and you will NEVER get them apart. (Ask me how I know! You won’t make that mistake twice!)

Also make sure you pin the pattern right side to your fabric so you don’t accidentally reverse it.  With these flowers it will not matter, but with some designs it’s important.

pin together with template,

cut ONCE!

Voila!!!

4 pink flowers with cutting once!

I can usually cut 4-6 applique pieces if the design isn’t too intricate.  If I needed 8 of these same flowers I would have fused twice as much fabric, cut 4 more rectangles and cut out another flower (x4).

Even if each peice is not cut from the same fabric I use this technique.  Trace once, cut once, have 4-6 applique shapes.

If you need a shape and the reverse of the shape, like the bunny on this pattern, layer fabric to fabric then cut out. If you need 4 bunnies, do that twice since you can’t lay fusible web to fusible web.  It’s still cutting your time in half!

Now if you decide to make my table runner from the 100 Blocks magazine coming up next, you’ll have a way to cut your cutting time in half!

Until next time,

Susan

A Giveaway!, My Life, New ideas, New quilt pattern, Quick Little Projects

One more day!

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…until the blog hop.

You’ll want to join in the fun, trust me.

Each participating designer will be giving away one issue of the 100 Blocks vol. 4.

More freebies will be available from Quiltmaker including the original, signed blocks from the issue!!!

Just go to Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks to join in the fun!

My day is Tuesday.

Don’t forget to come back here then to see the project that I created with my Olde St. Nick block and its instructions.

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, New quilt pattern, Quilt Market, Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour

Exciting news, I’m a cover girl!!!

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I’m excited to announce that my block made it into the newest issue of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks from today’s top designers.  I’ve known for over a month, but while at International Quilt Market last week I learned that my block made the cover!!!

I know it’s a small photo, but if you look closely you’ll see a green block with Santa’s head and hat, see it?

I also made a table runner with the block, so stay tuned…

The blog hop starts Monday November 7th, and the issue will be available November 15th!

I can’t wait…

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, New Pattern Sample, New quilt pattern, Quilt Market

Newly revised Pattern #9 for Market

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I decided to update the fabrics in some my favorite and popular patterns.  My earliest patterns had hand-drawn illustrations that are accurate, but now that I use the computer for eveything I decided to update that part as well.

One of those patterns is

Bunnies in the Grass,

I couldn’t resist making it in the new Amelia fabrics that I’ve been working with these past few months.  It’s so bright & cheery for spring!

The pattern includes an 18″ x 51″ table runner, a small quilt, plus a smaller bunny applique that is just right for towels or shirts, etc.

Look for it soon at your local quilt shop or on my website.

One more newly updated pattern tomorrow.

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, New quilt pattern, Quilt Market

New Pattern #7 for Market

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This change in the weather can’t come soon enough for me and it’s not even winter yet, although there have been a few days this past week that could have been considered winter days, yuk!!!

I will think about spring instead of winter if you please.

Let’s hear it for Flowers on the Vine,

It’s another pattern made with my popular Quilt-as-you-go lap quilt technique.  You may remember if here.  It’s made with the new Amelia fabric collection by Me & My Sister Designs for Moda, plus a yellow polka dot print that I couldn’t resist.

I used a jelly roll plus some yardage for the borders & flower applique to complete the top. It also uses some jumbo rick rack and cute little flower buttons by hillcreek designs.  I’m always on the look-out for new, fun stuff to add to my quilts.  It’s a project that I can complete in less than a day and the best part is when all of the strips are sewn onto the foundation the quilting is done, no wondering how to quilt it, yeah!  You can easily make it in a weekend and these lap quilts make great gifts.  Ask me how I know!

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, New quilt pattern, Quilt Market

New Pattern #6 for Market

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My sixth new “In Season” pattern has to be about school don’t you agree?

It’s a time of year that I look forward to, but then soon regret when the house is so quiet that I can’t stand it!  Call it bitter-sweet, call it crazy or call it

In Season for Back to School,

I will now look forward to hanging this every year in June to remind me that I will once again miss all the craziness of summer, just kidding!!!

Look for a change in the weather tomorrow, spring is coming…

Until next time,

Susan

New quilt pattern, Quilt Market

New Pattern #3 for Market

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It’s just new,new, new here!

When we get done there will be enough patterns for you to make & hang one each month for the entire year!  I love changing out decorations throughout the year, I suppose that’s why I have so many seasonal quilt series.

They’ve been some of my best-selling patterns.

Here is

In Season for St. Pat’s Day,

Funny thing is, it seems so far away now, but it will creep up on us…

I’m not Irish, but I’m looking forward to hanging this quilt before March 17th!

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, New Pattern Sample, New quilt pattern, quilt as you go lap quilt, Quilt Market

Now this is a new Package

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I know it seems like a long time since I posted, but to me it seems like just last week!  This time of year (market prep time) flies by because I’m so busy designing, sewing, writing patterns, scheduling photo shoots, meetings with printers, and all this in conjunction with keeping up with my family.  You know what I mean, grocery and Wal-Mart shopping, food prep, laundry, and the list goes on and on.  Even though everyone is back in school, my life just gets crazy busy.  This is why I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted that I had a “new Package” made with the new Amelia fabric collection.

As I stated in the previous post, I knew my photographer would do a much better job than I could ever to, hence the reason I hire him!!!  Know what else?  After I posted that photo in my last blog I realized I didn’t like a portion of the quilt, so I “fixed” it!

Can you see what’s better and different?

I like it much better!

I have a total of 8 new patterns just about ready for market, in addition to this re-color of an existing pattern plus two more sample re-colors going.  I hope to be totally done with this part the end of the week so I can get assembling new patterns.  It sure would be nice to get a few good nights of sleep before heading off to market where there is no rest for the weary.

Until next time,

Susan