Quilting Lodge Blog

2012-03-10T00:05:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited! We have our very first guest blogger today...Sunni from Love Affair with my Brother! She's going to share a tutorial that uses the Moda Salt Air charm pack. For those of you visiting us for the first time...Welcome! I hope you enjoy the tutorial. And a little birdie told me there will be a giveaway in the near future {Monday}!

I'm Sunni from Love Affair with my Brother. No, I'm not immoral. I just have a close relationship with my sewing machine, a Brother!!

I live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and two little girls. I spend my days at home, playing, crafting, sewing and blogging!

When Vicki asked me if I wanted to try out Salt Air, I was really excited. I couldn't wait to try out an easy project using these adorable little charm squares! And for some reason, I have been really into kitchen accessories lately. So I thought a sweet kitchen towel would be perfect.

For this project, you will need:
plain kitchen towel ready for embellishing
6 charm squares
Easy dresden ruler or template
sewing supplies

I love the Easy Dresden ruler!

It's as simple as lining up the marks and cutting.

Then just flip it over to cut your 2nd blade.

I cut all my fan blades and laid them out to be mirror images. Alternately, you could go scrappy and use 10 different fabrics.

Fold the blade in half longways and sew 1/4" seam across the top.

Clip the corner so it lays a little flatter.

Turn the point out, and press, being very careful not to distort the fan blade.

Continue this process for all 10 blades.

To make the quarters, line the blades up at the top and sew 1/4" seam down each side. Join 5 blades together for each quarter.

For mine, I ironed the seams open, because that is my normal thing. Iron your seams in your usual manner and be careful not to distort your fans.

The Easy Dresden ruler comes with a circle template, but I used my circle cutter and cut a half circle out of my 6th charm square.

I cut the half circle in half again, and attached each quarter to my fan quarters.

You can see that I used 2 different decorative stitches. Just lay it over the top, pin and stitch.

Using a ruler, I squared each side of the fan. This step is not necessary when making a dresden plate, but since the edges will be turned under and sewn to the corner of the towel, I wanted it to be a true 90 degree angle.

When you square it, just make sure that the diagonal line on your ruler lines up with your center blade point.

Turn the seam allowances in 1/4" and press.

Line up the point of the fan and the corner of your towel. Lay the other fan blade underneath. The fans will be wrong sides together, with the towel sandwiched in between.

This photo illustrates that a little better. See why I made the fans as mirror images? Make sure that the points of each blade are matched through the towel.

Sew through all 3 layers using 1/8" seam allowance, making sure that you are sewing down both fans simultaneously. Do only the pointy tops and leave the sides open.

To reduce the bulk, cut out the part of the towel in between the fans. Matching up the sides of each fan, sew 1/8" seam along the remaining unjoined sides.

I also added a little bias tape tab to at the top of the towel to hang it.

Sunni is so creative! I'm extremely grateful to her for taking the time to put together this fabulous tutorial for us!

Stash Bee Tree!

2012-03-08T17:53:00.000-06:00

In February I joined the Stash Bee, hosted by Sunni from Love Affair with my Brother ~ my first quilting bee ever! Our bee leader this month has requested tree blocks. I racked my brain for several days trying to think of something different and thought I had a brilliant idea. I had visions of circle leaves with the centers cut out. So, I cut out lots of little circles and then cut out the centers. Originally, I wanted to interlock the circles but that did not work. I was just not happy with the tree.

Tree number 1

I'm really not sure what I was thinking with this design. Some ideas are better off left in my head. How in the world did I plan on stitching around that layered mess of circles?

Am I the only one that always ends up with a sticky mess when I appliqué? I had steam a seam stuck to everything: my iron, the ironing board cover, the fabric. I'm sure you get the picture. I actually had to stop so I could clean my iron and wash the ironing board cover. And yes, I was using an appliqué pressing sheet. I had sticky stuff all over it too! I think I'm just impaired when it comes to appliqué.

I cleaned up my mess and went back to the drawing board. I did a little surfing for some inspiration and I'm pretty happy with tree number 2.

I made a swirly trunk out of Moda Bella Solids ~ Steel and used up some pink and orange scraps for the leaves. I didn't cut perfect circles. I wanted them to be free form circles. I top stitched the pink leaves with orange thread and the orange leaves with pink thread.

Here's a closer look...

I'm pretty happy with the final product! Now all I have to do is stick it in the mail.

If you've never been in a quilting bee you should check out Stash Bee! It's loads of fun and a good way to build your sewing and quilting skills.

Vicki

Vintage Nine Patch

2012-03-07T21:44:00.002-06:00

Hello hello! What a busy week I've had. I've spent most of it quilting and trying to get caught up with all the tops I have in cue. I did manage to finish quilting two of them and bound yet another.

First up for show and tell is the vintage nine patch I finished yesterday. This top was pieced by my step mother's mother before she passed away. We're not sure when it was pieced but I'm guessing it was quite awhile ago. It's a simple scrappy nine patch but she used a mixture of hand piecing and machine piecing. I was a little uneasy about machine quilting a hand pieced top but it seemed to work out just fine.

Here it is loaded and ready to quilt

And after a half day of quilting...here's the finished product {well almost finished, I still have to bind it}.

I picked Hoffman Fabrics Watercolor Batik Sandy for the backing. I chose this particular batik because it is fairly neutral but it has a slight hint of pink. It blends beautifully with the pinks and mauves on the top. I'll probably use it for the binding as well.

I've also been working on my crazy shaped appliqué blocks. These definitely fall into the what was I thinking category. I spent a couple hours stitching them all down. Now I need to trim the blocks and make them a tiny bit smaller.

Here's a closer look at the stitching...

I used The fabulous Superior Threads Kimono Silk thread. This silk thread is awesome! I wish I was brave enough to try it on my long arm! I'm not going to lie, this thread is not cheap but I love it! It works wonderfully for appliqué.

We have some greats things coming up soon....a couple giveaways and a wonderful guest blogger. I'm very excited!

Happy sewing!
Vicki

Sharing Baby Projects

2012-02-27T21:48:00.000-06:00

I thought I would share what I have been working on for the twins. I had made these little aprons a few years back for a craft show. And of course for grand kids at the time and anyone else that wanted one. I really think my first love of sewing is sewing for kids, clothing or projects of any kind. I used to make all of Vicki's clothes when she was little, it was always so much fun.

So here they are, the first surprise project I'm sending them. There are more to come, I will share those as I finish them.

Of course it doesn't say name on them, but I wanted to cover that part up. Their names are embroidered on the same way I did the word name. I lined them with the same fabric as the bias tape, which I made with my bias tape maker. I really think that might be one of my best purchases. It made an otherwise very long job into a very fast one. I had to go get them a box of jumbo crayons and a sketch pad, you can't do fabulous art work without those things. I can't wait for pictures to see how cute they look in their new aprons.

My next project is for a great niece, she is having a baby in May and loves Pooh. I thought if I could find a panel that would be cool, I would embroider some smaller blocks to go with it. When I went looking I not only found a panel but I found some smaller panels that were suppose to be sewn together as a book. So thinking outside the box (which I love to do), I figured I could make that work and save some time by not doing the embroidery blocks. So I did some fast calculating on what I might need and went home and got started. Here's what I came up with:

This isn't a great picture, I'm getting ready to ship it to Vicki so she can quilt it for me. I will repost when it's finished with a much better picture. I'm doing a matching diaper bag and maybe a changing pad if I have enough fabric. Just thought I would share with everyone what I have been up to.

I hope everyone has a great week,
Judy

Stuck in Blah Blah Land...

2012-02-22T21:48:00.000-06:00

Yes that's right...I seem to be stuck in blah blah land ~ la la land's evil twin. I didn't think it had been a week since my last post but I guess it has. One of the many side effects of being stuck in blah blah land. Another side effect, not much sewing going on around here. I did make myself do some quilt related activities today. I loaded a quilt that one of our friends pieced. This thing is ginormous, measuring in at 90 x 105! The pattern is Lucky Stars, by Atkinson Designs, one of my favorites. And believe it or not this was her very first quilt ever! I think she did a fabulous job for her first quilt.

I love all the bright batiks. Hopefully she'll love the quilting, I think it's going to be beautiful.

Before Quilting

After Quilting

I decided to do an all over stipple and an outline of sorts inside the stars. One block finished...only 41 to go. I need to get this one done so I can keep loading quilts. I kind of have an over abundance of quilt tops needing a little love.

There is a chair under all those quilt tops. I see 8 tops in this picture but sadly enough there are even more buried under the visible tops. I am a little behind because of my back. Speaking of my back, I have great news. I had my two month post surgery follow up today and I'm finally finished with doctor appointments. Woo hoo!!! He said I'm doing great and I should continue to do even better. I still have some lingering pain in my lower back but nothing like the leg pain I had before my surgery. I'm so grateful to be virtually pain free.

Hopefully my good progress report from the doctor will help steer me out of blah blah land! I plan on quilting tomorrow and hopefully getting half way through that monster of a quilt.

Vicki

Moose!

2012-02-15T19:14:00.000-06:00

Last summer my husband was lucky enough to get to go to Anchorage Alaska for work. I very sweetly told him that he was not going to Alaska without me! So when he was done teaching his class I flew to Alaska and we had a little vacation. I found the neatest quilt shop in Anchorage called The Quilted Raven. I did a little browsing and found a Moose appliqué pattern that I decided I couldn't live without. The best part...the pieces were laser cut and already had fusible on the back.

Today I pulled out my Moose pattern and in about an hour I had it together. To be fair it's only 6.5" x 21" but I did get it together pretty quick. I still have to add stitching and then quilt it but it shouldn't take me too long. Here's a couple pictures of my mooses. {I know it's just moose but mooses is so much more fun to say}

And here's what it looks like all together

I did make one change. The kit had a very dark green for the sashing and border. I didn't like it so I used one of my favorite Hoffman batiks. I'm going to use that for the backing too.

Happy Wednesday!
Vicki

I don't Need No Stinkin' Pattern!

2012-02-14T12:42:00.001-06:00

I know this is a quilting blog but I'm going to take a moment and talk about my daughter. She's 15 years old and very artistic. She knows how to sew and how to quilt but she doens't spend much time doing either. Probably because she's 15.

The other day she told me she wanted to learn how to make clothes. As the typical mother I started rattling off everything she would need to do...decide what she wants to make, find a pattern, find some fabric, blah blah blah. Very confidently she looked at me and said "I really don't think I need a pattern." I started explaining to her in great detail exactly why she did indeed need a pattern. Within seconds her eyes glazed over. She wasn't listening to my well articulated rebuttal that was backed up by years of experience. She was going to do it her way. So, I gave her a couple yards of inexpensive fabric and told her to knock herself out. {insert evil laugh here} I just knew she was gong to have a hot mess and would come begging for my help in no time.

You can imagine what's coming next...she actually came up with a design, made it out of the practice fabric and had a working pattern for the vest. Say what? She's 15! I looked at her in complete disbelief. This child is either extremely talented or she loves proving me wrong. In all honesty, she's incredibly talented and proving me wrong was the icing on the cake. I'm so very proud of what she made.

Just for the record...I called my mom and told her what Hannah wanted to do. The first thing she said..."she's going to need a pattern."

This is a terrible picture that I took with my phone. I had to post it because of her little brother. He had to be in the picture I sent to Nana.

Here she is all dressed up and ready for school today. I think that smile says it all.

This is her Urban Expressway Quilt ~ her very first quilt design. I wish I could get her to design more quilts.

I'm so excited to share that I'm almost done reorganizing our website. I'm trying to make it easier to browse and shop through the fabric. I'm excited because that means I can get off this computer and get back to sewing!

Happy Valentine's Day!
Vicki

Ready for binding...

2012-02-08T20:48:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! I have been a busy little bee around here lately. I finished my February blocks for the Stash Bee.

By the way, if you're not a part of the Stash Bee you should check it out. Or click the cute little button in my sidebar to find out more. It really is a lot of fun!

I've also finished my Salt Air charm pack quilt. Well, it's almost finished. I still need to bind it but that shouldn't take too long because it's not that big. I need to name it but I haven't come up with anything yet. Any ideas?

I'm going to put together a tutorial for this pattern. I just haven't gotten to that yet. I used a Salt Air charm pack and 3 different Moda solids. I love the colors in this one!

I decided I wanted to quilt it with straight vertical lines. I was able to do that using my channel locks on Roscoe {my Gammill}. Oddly enough, he did not really like sewing straight lines. I had trouble with the top thread shredding and breaking. I don't usually have that problem so I was baffled. The only thing I can figure is sewing a straight line puts extra tension on the top thread. Doesn't really make sense to me but that's the only time it shreds. I was very glad to finish this one. i think it turned out pretty good.

There hasn't been much sewing going on around here because I've been working hard to get our web site updated. Boy is that a task. I still have quite a bit to do but I'm getting there. I've been spending most of my time the last 2 days working on that.

Hopefully I'll finish updating the website soon because I need to stitch down the applique pieces on my latest blocks.

I think I have 24 blocks...that's going to take awhile. And I really don't like applique. I'm pretty sure this idea falls into the "what was I thinking???" category! What was I thinking? Too bad mom's not closer...I could sweet talk her into doing it. :O)

Speaking of mom...didn't you just love the Pepe le Pew outfits? She did such a great job on those.

Well I don't have much more for tonight. It's time for me to get back to work on the website.

Happy Sewing!
Vicki

Nana vs Pepe Le Pew

2012-02-03T22:23:00.001-06:00

Hello everyone, yes I'm back. I have been working on a project for our twin Grand Babies that live in Texas. They shall be nameless out of respect for Mom & Dad, so we will just say the twins. I have been doing machine embroidery for at least 12 years, however the past 4 or 5 years before Gene had his stroke he would do all most all of the embroidery because he just loved doing it. I'm telling you this because this is part of the reason I decided to share with you my project.

I don't know if any of you do machine embroidery, if you have you will know what I'm talking about. It started off bad and went down hill from there. It got to the point it was me or the design, for awhile the design was definitely winning. Lol I thought I would share some pictures of my journey along the way, the first two are absolutely hilarious. How much mess can one person make doing a project?

How many times should you have to stitch out one design, apparently alot. I just couldn't get it to look right or the thread would ball up underneath, you know what I'm talking about. The other picture is my island in the kitchen (yes this project expanded to two rooms). How many pairs of scissors do you need? Now the funniest part of this story is when I wheeled Gene through the kitchen (mess #1) into the dinning room (mess #2) on his way to therapy and I have never heard him laugh so hard. Then we were both laughing so hard and I caught him counting how many stitch outs I had laying on the table and there was more laughing.

The first two are adding the heart appliqué.

The next three are the progression of Pepe Le Pew being sewn out. I love getting to the last step, the outline gives him personality.

The final project. I must say they did turn out cute and I can't wait to see pictures of them. It was a long road getting there but how much fun is it doing something for your grandkids. Now I can only hope I get back in the grove of doing the machine embroidery and fast. The twins Mom has several projects she would like for me to do and I would hope I can get this accomplished before they turn 20.

I hope my story has brought some smiles to your faces and a chuckle or two.

Have a very wonderful weekend,
Judy

One of Those Days...

2012-02-01T20:31:00.001-06:00

Have you ever had one of those days where everything seems to go wrong? I had one of those days yesterday. Everything I tried to do turned into a disaster. I finally had the chance to load a quilt and use my long arm and Roscoe {my Gammill} wanted nothing to do with that. He was not very cooperative with me. My lovely daughter said it's because he feels abandoned! {She's a funny girl}

I never have problems with the top thread breaking but yesterday was a different story. I tried changing my needle, slowing my speed, and so on. Nothing worked. As if the thread problems weren't bad enough, I kept forgetting to use my channel lock. That was a huge problem when I was trying to sew straight lines. I finally had to just walk away from the machine before someone got hurt. I did manage to get a little over half of my quilt quilted. I'm not sure how. Here's a sneak peek of what I was working on...

I just love how this little quilt turned out. I can't wait to get it finished...hopefully tomorrow.

Don't you just hate it when you have one of those days when your machine is possessed and out to get you? I know I do!

Vicki

Birthday Giveaway Winner 2!

2012-01-29T08:45:00.001-06:00

Hello hello! I am super excited to announce the winner of part 2 of my birthday giveaway. Yes, I am a day late in posting this. It seems I'm perpetually late these days. Let's just blame it on my back. :O)

The lucky winner is....

40.Josie McRaziesaid...

I am a follower. And if you are like me...(I am married 17 yrs, 3 kids 16, 11, 10) you are of course 26 3/4 and not a day older!! LOL No really that is all the older I will ever be! hehe Happy birthday!

I promise I used Mr. Random...it has nothing to do with her outstanding guess on my age! Josie is the proud new owner of a Salt Air charm pack and 1/2 yard of coordinating bella solid fabric. Congrats Josie!

I spent all day Friday finishing the Pink Pepto quilt.

And I've decided to rename it the Pink Beast! This thing finished at 81" x 108." I'm quite certain it falls into the "What was I Thinking???" category. But it is beautiful. Now I have to quilt it. I don't have any pictures of it because it's ginormous. I'll snap a few once it's loaded on Roscoe and a bit more manageable.

Happy sewing!
Vicki

Heat n Bond Lite Iron On Adhesive

2012-01-25T21:42:00.000-06:00

Ok, shame on me for not posting until now. It has been a crazy week around here and it's only Wednesday. First, I would like to say congratulations to Gwen! She was the first to guess my age correctly!

Gwen said...I'll guess that you are 37 years old...? :-) Whatever your age is, I hope you had a wonderful day today and that the coming year is very, very happy!!! :-) Thank you for sharing the happiness! :-)

Gwen is the lucky winner of 5 fat quarters! I'll be letting her decide if she would like batiks or prints. Congrats again Gwen!

Let's talk Iron On Adhesives. I'm a Steam a Seam gal through and through. Granted, I don't do much appliqué but when I do, I always use Lite Steam a Seam 2. I buy the 9" x 12" sheets sold in packs of 5.

I've recently hatched a plan for a quilt that has tons of appliqué {what was I thinking}. And for some reason, I designed pieces that are larger than 9" x 12" {again, what was I thinking}. I wasn't excited about having to piece the Steam a Seam so I decided to try a new product, Heat n Bond Lite. I found it in sheets of 17" x 1.25 yards. This was perfect for my project. It's easy to use and very similar to Steam a Seam.

~Here's how to use it~

Cut a piece of fabric that will become the appliqué piece. I'm using Amelia by Me & My Sister.

Fabric laying right side down

Heat n Bond on wrong side

Iron Heat n Bond to fabric

Once the Heat n Bond was ironed down I used my cardboard template to trasnfer the appliqué design to the paper backing on the Heat n Bond.

Cardboard template used to mark design

I will cut along the pencil lines

Next Template

Now I have 3 cut lines drawn

Last Template

I now have 4 pieces to cut out

After I get all my templates transferred to the fabric, I'm ready to cut. For this particular pattern I used my 28mm rotary cutter to cut a small opening for my scissors.

I used my scissors to finish cutting out the pieces.

After all pieces were cut out I was ready to iron them onto my white blocks, mix & match of course.

I put the pieces on the white block

I decided to add one more piece


Time to iron them down to the white block

Overall, this product is very similar to the Steam a Seam products. However, I really think I'm still a Steam a Seam gal. I was a little disappointed when I adhered the pieces to the white blocks. It seemed to take a long time for the fabric to bond. And I had one block that was a total pain. I had to peel two pieces off and start completely over. They just would not stick. I've never had that problem with Steam a Seam. Maybe it's because I used Heat n Bond Lite but I'm not sure. I was thinking about not sewing around the edges and just using an all over quilt design but I don't think that will be a good idea. I'm afraid the pieces will peel up if I don't stitch them down.

I can't wait to get the blocks finished and put together to show everyone. It's going to be a very cool design.

Have you used Heat n Bond? What did you think? Please tell me if I'm missing something. It was my first time using this product.

Happy Sewing!
Vicki

It's My Birthday! Help Me Celebrate!

2012-01-19T19:16:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! Today is my birthday! I planned on posting this morning but time just got away from me. I've actually had a rather busy day. I started working on another UFO and had to try out an idea I had a couple days ago. I'm determined to finish up some of these UFOs if it kills me.

My step mom gave me some blocks that she inherited from a dear friend. She asked me to make them into a quilt for her and left the design totally up to me. I looked at these blocks for months. I just wasn't sure what I was going to do with them. I finally decided on adding a border of HSTs around each block. I really like the progress I've made and I think she will like the finished quilt.

Here's a sneak peek...

I know it's very pink but I really like it. I think the ivory kind of tones down the pink. The blocks are huge! Just thought I would share a little work in progress.

The other item I worked on today was an idea I had about a week ago. I had to enlist the help of my husband to draw the designs since I cannot draw. Seriously, cannot draw! I think it will be pretty cool but it's going to go on the back burner for a week or so while I finish my UFO.

Here's a couple blocks I was playing around with today...

I think this will be pretty cool once I get it finished and put together. I wish I had a clone to help me get things done! The dark color is purple, not black. I was having issues getting the color to look right. I have so much trouble getting good pictures.

Well I submitted my quilt to the Moda Bakeshop this afternoon. I guess I'll find out soon enough if they like it enough to put it on the Bakeshop Blog. I'm driving mom crazy with text messages. I keep texting her and telling her they must not like it because I haven't heard from them. {I sent the first text an hour after I emailed them} It's so much fun! But seriously, I have zero patience!

Here's one more little peek at it. I just love the finished quilt. I think it's one of my favorites. Hopefully they will like it too.

Well it is my birthday and that's a good enough reason to me to have a little giveaway! I think we should have a little guessing game. The first person to comment and guess my age wins something! I'm not sure what yet, I just might let it be winner's choice. A couple of hints...I'm older than 18, younger than 75, married and have 2 kids {15 & 8}.

I realize someone could guess the correct age right away so we'll have a second prize. I'll draw a random number for prize number two. I think prize number 2 will be a Salt Air charm pack and a coordinating 1/2 yard of Moda Bella Solid, Porcelain. And I might just throw something else in for fun! After all, it is my birthday and you all should get presents too.

You must be a follower of our blog to be eligible to win.

~Here's how to enter~

Leave us a comment and tell us your favorite kind of birthday cake

(one entry)

Become a follower of our blog...make sure you leave us a

comment so we know that you did

(one entry)

Find us on facebook and friend us or follow us on Pinterest...make sure you leave us a comment so we know that you did

(one entry)

The giveaway ends on Thursday, January 26th at 11:59 PM (CST).

The winner will be randomly selected and announced on

Friday, January 27th. The winner will be contacted by email.

Please make sure you leave a comment for each entry. For example, if you friend us on facebook and follow our blog you should leave 2 separate comments. If you already follow us on facebook or here on our blog...just comment that you currently follow. Also, it is important that we know who you are. If you leave an anonymous comment we won't have a way to notify you.

Vicki

Long Time No Blog

2012-01-17T21:16:00.000-06:00

I know it's been awhile since my last post and I really have no good excuse for the absence. I do have a bit of good news...I've started sewing again and it makes me happy! Hopefully I will be quilting before long. I'm just not quite ready.

I did work on my UFOs last week. Ok, actually I started a new project and now it's a UFO. {I have a sickness....I love to start new projects. There should be a support group for people like me} However, I almost have it pieced and ready to quilt. I'm very anxious to get it finished because I want to submit the pattern to the Moda Bakeshop. I have a couple sneak peek pictures for you. I used one Salt Air charm pack and my favorite Bella Solid, Porcelain. I just love this quilt! It makes me happy!

I did have a quilt emergency regarding this little project. I needed backing! Road trip! So, I went to the Moda warehouse in Dallas. I. Love. Moda. I have tons of fun wandering around in all the bolts of fabric. Not to mention the loads of notions they have. It's heaven. I was going to snap a quick picture to show you all but I was having so much fun I forgot! I managed to find a great fabric for the backing. Ideally, I wanted one of the fabrics from the collection but they aren't available until March 2012. I do love what I picked out. I can't wait to finish it and see what the lovely people at Moda think. Wish me luck!

I also found some great solids while I was there. And a couple prints that appealed to me because of the bright colors.

Needless to say, I'm beat. Riding in the car for almost 5 hours and shopping for almost 2 was a bit much for my back. But I survived and have a bunch of new goodies to share. I'm currently devising a giveaway for this week to celebrate my birthday! I'm getting old and you're going to benefit!

Vicki

So Many Projects So Little Time

2012-01-08T20:54:00.001-06:00

I had to do my least favorite thing today...clean up my sewing area. I wanted to sew but I couldn't find my sewing machine. It was buried under papers and fabric and rulers and scraps. After two hours and a little help from my lovely daughter, I finally found my machine! I might actually be able to sew tomorrow. I'm so excited I can barley stand it. I haven't been able to sew since before my surgery. I hope I remember how.

While I was cleaning I came to a very sad conclusion...I have more fabric than I know what to do with. More started projects than I care to count. And more ideas than I can seem to get down on paper. Will I ever accomplish anything other than starting new projects? I'm not so sure. When I think of a new pattern I can't wait to try it out. I ripped open one of the Salt Air charm packs yesterday and I cannot wait to make something. I was really on the fence about this collection but I have to say. I love it! Here's a little sneak peek. The picture is not the greatest but I was afraid to climb up on the stool like I usually do. I had visions of falling to the floor and injuring my new back.

Believe me the picture does not do justice. This fabric is awesome!

So I've decided to join Quilter in the Gap's 2012 Finish-a-Long. Maybe this will help me finish some of my UFO's.

I'm going to put three things on my list of things to finish in the first quarter of 2012.

Make something with my lovely Salt Air charm pack
Finish my dear step mom's quilt I started months ago
Quilt a customer's quilt

UFO1	UFO 2	UFO 3

Other non-quilt related items would include blogging more, continue to organize our blog, designing more patterns, and start making video tutorials. Boy my list is long. I feel overwhelmed. I think I better take it one day at a time.

How about everyone else? Do you have a huge list of things you need to get finished? Surely I'm not the only quilter who can't keep up with myself.

One more thing before I go. I've been following the 100 Days of Modern Quilting and they have a great tutorial posted today. How to make half rectangle triangles {HRT}. They look so cool! I can't wait to try that out now! Check it out...especially if you love modern quilts.

I can't wait to sew tomorrow! Can you see me doing my happy dance?

Vicki

How Do You Like Our New Look?

2012-01-04T22:01:00.000-06:00

You may have noticed big changes here at our blog. I've been learning how to tweak html codes as I recover from my back surgery. I had to have something to keep me busy since I'm not quite ready to start sewing. I'm doing great but my back still tires very easily. I hope you like the new design and layout. Mom and I think it's a nice refreshing look.

I don't have any projects to share today since I haven't been sewing but we did get the new 4th Generation Hoffman Bali Pops in stock last week! I'm so excited I can't wait to tear into the Key Lime. It's full of greens and blues and is simply gorgeous! Check out our website Quilting Lodge for more details.

I guess I should have started by saying I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. Ours was pretty quiet. We couldn't go to Missouri because of my surgery so it was just the four of us here. We've been fortunate to spend Christmas with our families the previous 4 years and being away from our family in 2011 was particularly hard. I was quickly reminded that we're a military family and spending Christmas with loved ones is a rare and wonderful thing. But, I did get my Christmas wish...a new back and I'm truly grateful. I must share a picture of our sad little make shift Christmas tree. Don't judge! We weren't planning on being here and I did have surgery a week before Christmas. We had to improvise...

I cracked up when I saw that my son actually put ornaments on it! It's actually quite comical. It's our version of a Charlie Brown tree. And the best part is we didn't have any clean up.

The great news is I should be sewing again soon. I can't wait. I have so many projects swimming around in my head and I can't wait to share them with you! I would like to say thank you to everyone for being patient while I'm recovering. I know we haven't been very active on the blog but that will soon change! I'm feeling 100 times better than I was 4 weeks ago!

I think that's it for now...I hope you enjoy our new look.

Vicki

A very Special Show and Tell to Share with Everyone!

2011-12-29T19:52:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas with Family and Friends.

I thought I would share some pictures and the story of a quilt we made for a baby gift. Gene's daughter Kathy wanted a special quilt for her best friends soon to be new baby boy. She found out the theme in the nursery and we went to work. We picked out the fabric, Gene picked out the embroidery designs and started doing the blocks.

Then as some of you know my dear sweet husband Gene had a very bad stroke on May 19th. At that point all attention was on his recovery and spending many many hours at the hospital. After getting him home I had to learn a lot of things on how to take care of him so we neither one would get hurt. After working through everything and some melt downs, I finally decided it was time to get back to some sewing. I rolled my sewing cabinet in the room with Gene's lift chair and set right beside him sewing. I think it made him as happy as it did me. He doesn't talk yet but he would let me know daily I needed to finish the quilt.

Here is the quilt, and below are some pictures of some of the blocks.

The next picture is a very surprised Mom and baby Cash when seeing the quilt for the first time.

Gene, Deidre and Cash

The reason this is a very special quilt is this was the last embroidery work Gene did before the stroke. We don't know if he will be able to embroidery again but I am going to work with him. Kathy and I can't talk about the quilt without crying our eyes out. I have more quilts he did, one he did all of it from cutting out the fabric to piecing the blocks together and oh yes there is embroidery involved. I am planning on sharing them with you at a later time.

I have one last picture, Gene sporting his new hat he got for Christmas. Santa thought he needed something to keep his head warm this winter.

That's our little Christmas story and my second blog under my belt.

I hope everyone has a very Happy New Year!!

Judy & Gene

Blog Hop Giveaway Winner!

2011-12-18T16:05:00.001-06:00

Good afternoon everyone! I know I'm a little slow in announcing our winner and I apologize for that. I'm still moving rather slow but it's great to be home. I think I can actually say I don't have any leg pain! What a great feeling since I've had continuous pain and numbness in my right leg since March! I told my husband all I wanted for Christmas was a new back and I think I might have gotten my wish.

I'm so not ready for Christmas in one week! How did that happen? I haven't even really done any shopping. Yikes...I think I might be in trouble.

Okay okay I know you're all dying to know who won.

Our lucky winner was...

MoeWestsaid...: I like you on FB.; December 9, 2011 12:54 PM

Congratulations MoeWest! I have notified you via email. Please respond within 72 hours to claim your prize! I wish I was smarter than my computer but I'm having trouble showing you all the random.org number generator that spit out lucky number 32. I hate it when I'm not smarter than my electronics!

A big thank you to all who participated in the blog hop giveaway. I hope all of our followers, new & old, will continue to check out what's going on around here. I hope to be sewing again in the very near future. I have too many ideas to be sitting here doing nothing.

Merry Christmas!
Vicki

P.S. Didn't my mom do a great job with her first blog? I love her so much! She's quite the lady!

An update on Vicki's Surgery!

2011-12-16T21:18:00.000-06:00

Good evening to all, I'm Judy Vicki's Mom. This is my first time blogging, I hope this goes well it could be my last!

I thought I would let all of our friends and followers know everything went well this morning. She is going to spend the night in the hospital because things were far worse than they thought. The doctor is sure he got it all cleaned up and everything looks very good now. I have been speaking to her on the phone and texting her and she sounds much better than she did all week. The one thing that makes all of us crazy is when our kids are sick or hurt and we can't make it better. I feel much better after talking to her, even though I'm not sure she is going to remember all of the conversation.

She is looking forward to getting back to her everyday pain free life. Thank you for all of your well wishes, it is very much appreciated.

Merry Christmas!
Judy

A very brief post of the eve of surgery!

2011-12-15T18:09:00.000-06:00

Yes...that's right...I said surgery. I'm scheduled for back surgery tomorrow morning. I've been putting it off for months in hopes that steroid shots would help. But unfortunately, they have not. This week has been filled with trips to the ER for severe pain and I've finally realized it's time to just do the surgery and feel better. It must have been meant to be because Tricare approved the surgery within minutes. It normally takes 3 or 4 days to get approval so I'm very lucky it all worked out for me. I'm rather nervous but I know life has to be better once I get fixed. I haven't been able to sew for more than a week! That's terrible! I feel lost when I can't sew.

This post is going to be short and sweet as I try to relax and get a little sleep before my early morning appointment at the hospital. I have lots of fun stuff planned for next year and I hope you all will stick around and be patient with my recovery. It should be fairly quick and I should be up and running in no time!

Oh, the giveaway items will still ship out but maybe not Monday. I will be relying on my wonderful husband to make my post office trips. Good luck to all who have entered!

Merry Christmas!
Vicki

Blog Hop Giveaway!

2011-12-08T18:48:00.001-06:00

It's a wonderful day around here because it's time for the Blog Hop Party Giveaway!

This blog hop is to celebrate the 4th Anniversary of Quilting Gallery. What a wonderful way to celebrate! A big thank you to Michele for putting this together. The Quilter's Blog Hop Party with Give-Aways list will be posted Saturday December 10th on Michele's blog! There are 226 participating blogs from 20 countries so make sure you do a little exploring! I know I will.

Are you ready to find out what we're giving away to one lucky winner??? I've put together a little bundle of quilting joy.

The lucky winner will get the following items:

The prize package is valued at $32.00!

Strip Tube Ruler
Aurifil Thread ~ 1422 yard spool of 50 weight 100% cotton thread
Frixion Pen {your choice of pink, purple or black}
Fiskars Scissor Sharpener

You can click on the links above to learn a little bit more about each item. The only one we have not demonstrated or blogged about is the scissor sharpener. We just got these sharpeners in stock.

You must be follower of our blog to be eligible to win.

~Here's how to enter~

Leave us a comment and tell us what your favorite notion is and why

(one entry)

Become a follower of our blog...make sure you leave us a

comment so we know that you did

(one entry)

Find us on facebook and friend us...make sure you leave us a

comment so we know that you did

(one entry)

The giveaway ends on Saturday, December 17th at 11:59 PM (CST).

The winner will be randomly selected and announced on

Sunday, December 18th. The winner will be contacted by email.

Good luck everyone!

A Little Show & Tell

2011-12-07T20:32:00.001-06:00

Good evening everyone! I thought I would take a moment and share a very special quilt with all of you. But before we get to that I want to remind everyone of the current giveaway we are sponsoring at World of Charity Stitching. You could win a great Jelly Roll just in time for Christmas. Check it out!

The quilt I want to share with you is a very special quilt I made for my mother in law last Christmas. This quilt was made before my blogging days so I thought I would share it now.

I wanted to come up with something special that I knew she would love. Like any grandma she loves anything her grandchildren make. I came up with the perfect idea that the whole family could work on together. I wanted all the grandkids to color blocks for the quilt. Sort of like coloring book pages. Each block is significant in one way or another. For example, she loves Betty Boop so we did a couple Betty Boop blocks. My son loves Spongebob so we did a Spongebob block. Each grandchild is represented in the blocks. Here's s a few close ups.

She loved her quilt. I was very proud of how it turned out. I used a wonderful zebra print fabric for the back because she loves animal print. I also made sure the label included all of us and each block is labeled with who colored it.

I know she will treasure this quilt for a long time!

Here's a few pointers if you would like to make a quilt like this. It's actually quite easy.

I ironed freezer paper to the back of the white fabric to help stabilize it for the drawing and coloring. It peels right off when you're ready to sew.
We used a permanent pen {Sharpie} to draw the pictures on the fabric.
We used Prang crayons to color the blocks. You can heat set these crayons to protect the color.
I cut the white fabric bigger than necessary. Then I squared everything up before piecing.
Each block is labeled with the name of the person who colored it.

This is such a great way to make a keepsake for a loved one.

I hope you all enjoyed getting a look at one of my favorite quilts!

Don't forget we'll also be hosting a giveaway here starting Dec 9th! I haven't decided what the prize will be...any ideas??

Vicki

One of my Favorite Things ~Aurifil Thread Plus a Giveaway!

2011-12-06T20:52:00.001-06:00

Hello all! What a day I've had. I was on my way to Wichita Falls to see if I had finally found the solution to my broken down back and BAM...flat tire! I had to call my hubby and very nicely ask him to come and rescue me. Then off to the tire store I went. Several hours later I was able to head back home. Had to reschedule my back appointment for tomorrow. It just wasn't in the cards today.

Let's move on to more fun topics...my favorite thread ever ~ Aurifil! I just started using Aurifil about a year ago and I absolutely love it. It's a 2 ply 100% cotton long staple mercerized Egyptian cotton. Boy that's a mouthful.

The 50 weight thread is perfect for piecing. Aurifil comes in a multitude of colors and weights but I've only used the 50 weight. And I'm addicted! I'm not sure I will use anything else for piecing ever again. This thread is fine enough that it doesn't take away from my scant 1/4" seam allowance. I've never had it break on me while I was sewing. Not even once. And I have emptied three 1422 yard spools in the past couple of months. I've been sewing A LOT!

The thread is sold by the spool and also in collections. All the beautiful mouth watering colors in the collections will have you drooling before you know it. This thread would also be great for applique. I've also recently discovered that they make the 40 weight in cones so I'm pretty sure I need to try it on Roscoe {my Gammill}.

If you haven't tried Aurifil you should. I'm not going to lie...it's kind of expensive but I think it's worth it. Like anything else in this world, you get what you pay for. I would much rather pay a little bit more and not get frustrated with problems.

I do have a couple of Giveaway announcements. First up, we are sponsoring a Giveaway over at World of Charity Stitching! Make sure you check it out.

Click on the above link and then go to the Giveaway tab at the top. This is a great blog and they love to have giveaways! Who doesn't love to win something especially now at Christmas time.

We're also participating in the Blog Hop Party that starts Dec 9 and runs through Dec 17.

This will definitely be a great way to enter lots of giveaways! There are going to be tons of participating blogs. You can also click on the link to register your blog if you would like to participate. Don't miss out on all the fun!

Happy Sewing!
Vicki

Finally Getting Back to Work

2011-12-03T14:32:00.001-06:00

It's been a crazy couple of weeks around here. As some of you know I was sick over Thanksgiving and then managed to give it to my hubby. By the grace of God our kids were spared. I'm not sure how that happened but I'm super grateful they stayed healthy. Needless to say, I really haven't done much lately. I just didn't feel like it. I'm finally ready to get busy again.

I'm quite disappointed that I got sick because I was on a roll before Thanksgiving. I was actually finishing projects! Now I'm stressing out because Christmas is growing closer and closer and my list of things to do is getting longer and longer. Man I hate it when that happens. I promise myself every year I won't wait until the last minute to finish things. And every year I'm scrambling at the last minute trying to get everything done.

My list of things to get done is quite ambitious. I have 2 quilts that have to get done and I was hoping to finish 1 or 2 more. I'm just not sure I can pull it off. I guess only time will tell.

Next week we should be getting some really awesome pre-cuts from Moda. Here's a sneak peek of what's on the way...

I really love all the colors in the Good Fortune collection! I think this layer cake will be loads of fun.

Good Fortune by Kate Spain

Cherry blossoms are in full bloom as you take a leisurely stroll through this springtime water garden. Waterfalls of color energize your creative spirit as you meander along through raked sand gardens in the calming shade of bamboo trees. Discover the collection’s tranquil blossoms, dragonflies, lotus ponds, and geometric expressions of the harmony of nature. Good fortune and happiness await you!

Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket

Make a big splash with Salt Air from Cosmo Cricket! This vintage beach line is filled with warm summer colors and sea-inspired patterns that are perfect for picnic quilts, sundresses and beach bags.

Ten Little Things by Jenn Ski

Let’s count along with Ten Little Things, Jenn Ski’s debut collection by Moda. The main panel is made up of ten illustrations with numbers and pictures - great for a child’s quilt and will be featured in an adorable project for a softy book for kids to practice counting and writing their numbers. The coordinating prints feature complementary patterns inspired by the main design - numbers, owls, toy trucks and other objects of whimsy. Jenn’s designs are inspired by natural textures with a retro esthetic, and have a fun, playful quality that children of all ages will enjoy.

I have to say I just love the Ten Little Things collection! I think it's rather hard to find collections for little boys. This one is full of trucks and all things boy. I can't wait to get it and make something for Jake.

I'm very excited to get the Ten Little Things and Salt Air collections. They aren't scheduled to be in stores until March 2012. Keep an eye on our store for these great products.

I think that's it for now. I need to go cut more HSTs for the infamous Pepto Quilt. I managed to sew all my strips together yesterday so all I need to do today is cut and press. Then I can start piecing everything together! I can't wait to get to that point.

Have a great weekend!

Vicki @ Quilting Lodge

Can I get kleenex please?

2011-11-27T18:32:00.001-06:00

Om my goodness...what a Thanksgiving! I think I was sick for most of it. I'm still not quite over it but I'm starting to feel a little better. What a terrible time to get sick. Needless to say, no black Friday shopping for me. I think I slept most of Friday. Unfortunately, I was nice enough to give my hubby this yuckiness. He's been curled up in the recliner all day. I think I'm on his naughty list for that!

I just wanted to share with all our followers that we are joining in the Cyber Monday craziness. You can use coupon code CyberM2011 when checking out to get 30% off your entire purchase.

That's all I have for tonight as I'm still a bit under the weather. I'm hoping to get busy sewing again tomorrow.

Vicki

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T19:45:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone is ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I know I'm ready to chow down on pumpkin pie and fried turkey!

This week hasn't been very productive for me as far as sewing goes. I spent most of today driving to and from Dallas so that I could go shopping at the Moda & United Notions Warehouses! I just love visiting Moda. I get to wander around looking at all the bolts of fabric. They go on and on forever. I can get lost in there for hours. Today, I was on a mission for batting and a few solids. Check out the gorgeous cross weaves I picked up.

This fabric is so cool. It's actually woven using two different colored threads ~ one for the warp and one for the weft. It really creates depth and vibrancy in the fabric. It almost looks iridescent when the light hits it. I can't wait to try it out. I also jumped on the bandwagon and picked up some solid grey. Grey is so popular right now. I think I'm going to combine these vibrant cross weaves with the grey.

Unfortunately, I think I'm coming down with a cold. Yuck! But I still managed to find enough energy to make my pumpkin pies tonight. Man do they smell good!

2 down...2 to go

This family is crazy for pumpkin pie. I have to make 4 pies for a family of 4! I also have my sweet potato casserole mixed up and ready to bake. Tomorrow should be pretty laid back as far as cooking. Thank goodness! Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow.

Don't forget to check out Hannah's quilt at Free Quilt Patterns! And make sure you click 'like' if you like her quilt. I think she did a fantastic job especially since she's only 15. I'm so proud!

Well that's all I have for tonight. I want to wish everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Vicki

How NOT to Machine Stitch Binding & a BIG Announcement!

2011-11-22T19:04:00.001-06:00

I'm going to start with the BIG announcement because I just can't hold it in any more. Hannah, my 15 year old daughter, has her first pattern featured on Free Quilt Patterns!

I'm so proud of her! I almost forgot...she's the youngest designer they have ever featured! Woohoo!! Please check it out and click 'like' if you like her design.

Moving on to other matters...I'm going to show you how I finished my son's dinosaur quilt by machine stitching the binding. I learned the hard way what NOT to do. Just a brief background. When I designed this quilt I used 1" sashing and corner stones. That was my first mistake. They sure do look cute but what a pain in the neck! I had to rip out several stitches because when I was piecing it, I doubled up many of those pesky 1" sashings. Ugh...this quilt has been a little cursed from the beginning!

Here's a picture of the quilt

My hubby and Hannah drew the dinos for the applique. Aren't they super talented?

I didn't want the binding to overlap the tiny sashing too much so I decided to use a larger than normal seam allowance when I attached it to the back of the quilt. Mistake number 2! I barely had enough binding to wrap around to the front and stitch down. Not to mention it barley covered the stitch line. And, the corners were near impossible to miter. But, I was not about to rip off all the binding. {I'm too lazy!} So I made it work. I used a gazillion pins and stabbed myself a million times. Good thing I didn't draw blood since I was working with white binding!

You can see that I had to use tons of pins, especially at the corners. It was even tricky getting the pins stuck in the binding. That's why they're all at an angle.

Once I had all the pins I own in this quilt, it was time to stitch it down.

I backstitched when I started. I worked my way around until I got to the first corner. I stitched up to the mitered corner and then left the needle down and raised the foot so I could pivot the quilt.

I was almost to the point of pivoting the quilt.

I left my needle down and it's time to pivot.

Then I started down the next side. I kept going until I was finished! And was I ever glad to be finished!

The best part about this whole mess was when my son woke up this morning and saw his finished quilt laying on the living room floor. He was so excited to try it out!

In the past, I have always used a 1/4" seam allowance when attaching the binding. In the future, I will ALWAYS use a 1/4" seam allowance when attaching the binding!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check out Hannah's quilt!

Vicki

Half Square Traingles made with the Strip Tube Ruler

2011-11-19T20:03:00.001-06:00

Happy Saturday to all my quilting buddies out there! I decided to work on my Pepto quilt today. The design I came up with is going to require 240 half square triangles. {HSTs} Say what! Yes I said 240 HSTs. I must be crazy.

I wanted to show you a quick and easy way to make HSTs by using the Strip Tube Ruler. It's one of my favorite methods.

All you need is a rotary cutter & the strip tube ruler.

I need 4.5" finished HSTs for my Pepto quilt so my HSTs need to measure 5" before I sew them together. When you use the strip tube ruler all you do is cut strips of fabric and sew them together. If you can sew a straight line, you can make HSTs. And you can make a lot of them at one time.

A HST is made up of 2 colors. Mine will be half pink and half beige. Therefore, I cut one 4" wide strip of pink and one 4" wide strip of beige.

The strips of fabric are put right sides together and sewn 1/4" on each side This makes a tube of fabric.

You can see I've already sewn a 1/4" seam on the left side. Now I'm doing the other side.

Now I use my strip tube ruler and start cutting the HSTs. I mentioned my HSTs need to be 5" unfinished. This is important information to know. This tells me what line on the strip tube ruler I need to use. I will be laying the 5" line of the ruler on my stitch line. See the picture below.

Then I use my rotary cutter and cut up one side and down the other.

I flip the strip tube ruler over to the other stitch line and cut again. That's HST number 2.

I keep going until I run out of fabric.

I was able to get 11 HSTs from one tube of fabric.

My pile of 11 HSTs

Of course the number of HSTs will vary depending on what size you need. The smaller the HST the more you will be able to get out of one tube. And vice versa. The strip tube ruler will make HSTs as small as 1/2" up to 9.5." I am NOT even crazy enough to make any 1/2" HSTs! That's just not going to happen.

Once I had them all cut I pressed them open and trim off the little triangle corners.

Trim that little triangle off.

Here they are after I've pressed them all open and trimmed the little triangles.

It shouldn't take me too long to get 240 HSTs made using this method.

I can't really think of any negative aspects of the strip tube ruler. All in all it's a pretty efficient way to make HSTs.

Have you used the strip tube ruler? If so, do you like it? I know I do.

As always...I try to make my tutorials easy to follow. If something doesn't make sense just leave me a comment. I'll do my best to clear it up.

Happy Quilting
Vicki

How to Square Up a Block and more...

2011-11-16T20:40:00.001-06:00

It's been another busy day around here. I didn't feel like working on the binding for either of my quilts that need it...so I didn't. But here's a look at the Sunkissed Quilt without the binding.

The soft pink and grey colors are so beautiful.

Today I started working on 1 of 5 quilts that my step mom has asked me to make. She was gifted 12 hand embroidered blocks and would like them made into a quilt. These are proving to be quite the challenge for me. They are huge blocks {18"} and very pink! Light pink, medium pink, dark pink and maybe a splash of red. She told me to "do whatever I want with them." I've spent several months just looking at them not knowing what I wanted to do. {Thank goodness she's not in a hurry} I think I finally have a plan of action.

I need to square them up and trim them down to 16.5." I figured this would be a good time to take pictures and show you how I square up my blocks.

Let's take a look at the block

I always start by finding the center of the block. Finding the center on this block turned out to be pretty easy. My square up ruler has cross hairs and a hole in the middle. That allowed me to mark the center.

You can see in the above picture that the black lines on the ruler actually fit nicely inside the embroidered design. I'm sure I wasn't 100% exact on finding the middle but I got as close as possible. Then I took my Pilot Frixion pen and marked the center.

The pink dot is approximately in the center of the block.

Now it's time to put the square up ruler back on the block. I need to determine where to put the ruler. My ruler has a diagonal line with measurements marked on it. I find the 8.25" point {half of 16.5"} on the diagonal line and place it on my mark. Unfortunately, my pink post it note is covering up the 8 on the ruler. {I placed the post note on the ruler to help identify the point. Basically, the bottom left corner of the post it note is the center of my block and the 8.25" mark on the ruler} I hope that makes sense.

There was excess fabric on the top and right sides of the ruler. This is what I trimmed off.

You can see another pink post it note under the ruler. You'll find out why in a minute.

I removed the ruler. Now I'm going to flip my block so that the top right corner will become the bottom left corner. Watch the pink post note.

I flipped the block. The previously trimmed sides are now on the left and bottom.

The block is lined up with the 16.5" lines on the left and bottom.

I replace the ruler so I can trim the last 2 sides. This time the ruler will line up nicely with the left and bottom. I line it up with the 16.5" lines on the ruler. Now I trim the right and top.

That's it. My block is square and measures 16.5" inches. I think I'm going to nick name this quilt the Pepto quilt for obvious reasons. I'm worried it might end up looking like a Pepto Bismol mess. Not to mention I think my step mom plans on using this in their bedroom. Oh boy...I hope dad loves pink! But I might have an idea. How about some pink camo for the backing? It could be like a mullet {business in the front, party in the back}. Lady like on top, manly on the back??? I thought it was pretty clever. Not so sure about my step mom. It might just be the end of "do whatever you want."

I almost forgot. I also made a block for a quilt along being hosted by Vanessa at the Crafty Gemini.

I do try very hard to make my tutorials clear. I know sometimes it's clear as mud. Please don't hesitate to ask if you don't understand something or I've confused you beyond belief. Leave us a comment or send us an email quiltinglodge@gmail.com.

Vicki

Slowly Getting Back in the Game

2011-11-14T21:31:00.001-06:00

I'm so excited that mom is finally able to start teaching again. She loves teaching others how to quilt and embroider. She hasn't been able to do much since Gene had the stroke but things are finally settling down and she's able to get busy again. Marilyn, one of our good friends, loves to go to mom's house and sew, sew, sew. She is a piecing queen! She loves for us to put together kits and BOM's for her. {BOM = Block of the Month} She was able to go to mom's last week and work on a quilt that mom and I designed back in March. It's a sampler quilt filled with half square triangles {HST} done in Hoffman batiks. Here's a little preview...

I love these colors!

This is Grasshopper green!

You can see here that Marilyn loves to use the Marin & Colusa Stitching Lines to make her half square triangles! Boy do the stitching lines make HST's easy!

Look at her go!

But that's not all! Saundra, another great sewing friend, also showed up at mom's last week to work on some embroidery projects. She bought a Babylock embroidery machine awhile ago and mom has been teaching her how to use it. Yes, my mom is extremely talented. She used to sell Babylock machines so she knows how those bad boys work. Mom even digitized the design for Saundra.

All done!

Just a few threads to clip!

Looks like mom has been busy. I'm so glad she's been able to get back to sewing. I know she's missed it.

That's it for now...I need to get busy sewing.

Vicki

Dinosaur Quilt is Finally Ready for Quilting

2011-11-14T19:00:00.001-06:00

I can't believe the weekend is over and it's Monday! Where does the time go? I didn't get much quilting done over the weekend but we did manage to wrap up the soccer season. Our kiddos finished 6-2 which is pretty darn good considering 5 of the 9 players were new this season.

I did manage to finish my Moda Sunkissed Bliss quilt. I have a little sneak peak of it. I still have to finish the binding.

I love the pink and grey Sunkissed fabric.

That quilt was another one that mom and I entered into the pattern contest. It was not a winner either. Oh well, I still like it. I'll post pictures of the entire quilt once I get the binding on it.

Today, I loaded my son's dinosaur quilt that's been waiting for about 6 months to get quilted. In my defense I have been fighting two bulging discs for the past 7 months so my quilting has been limited. I finally got 8 shots in my back and it's helped a little. Here's a look at it loaded and ready to be quilted.

This is another pattern that I designed. My husband and daughter drew the applique dinosaurs for me because I'm not good at drawing. And mom appliqued around all the dinosaurs when she was visiting in March. This quilt was a pain in my rear. I had to rip out several seams because of my inability to follow my own pattern. Then I could not get the applique to look normal so I had to call in help from mom. I had a puckered up mess and let's face it...I don't have any patience so I quit. I should probably try to find more patience but sometimes it's just not that easy.

I think I'll be able to finish the quilting on the dinosaur quilt tomorrow. Hopefully I won't have any more problems with this quilt. I know my son is super excited for me to get it finished. That makes it worth it.

After I finish the dinosaur quilt I only have about 8 more quilt tops to finish...yikes! I'm not sure how I got so backed up.

Vicki

Why My Mom is My Hero

2011-11-12T16:20:00.001-06:00

I would like to take a moment to wish all the Veterans, past and present, a belated Happy Veteran's Day. I know I'm a day late but I spent yesterday with my Veteran who was enjoying his day off. I am forever grateful to my husband for his service and dedication to this country. My father and uncle were both B-52 pilots in the Air Force. I'm also very proud of both of them.

I know this a blog primarily about quilting but I wanted to take a moment and tell you all about a wonderful woman, my mother. Six months ago her life was forever changed. On May 19th, her husband suffered a massive stroke. Gene, my step father, was severely impacted by the stroke. He was unable to speak or move his right side. I drove to Missouri on May 20th so I could be there with Gene and my mother. It was the worst day...it rained for 11 of the 12 hours while I was driving. I cried most of the way. I remember seeing him for the first time and it broke my heart. I could see the despair in his eyes when he would wake up. Those moments didn't last long. He slept for 7 days after the stroke. I stayed with my mother for almost a month following the stroke. Gene was facing the battle of his life.

He managed to fight everyday to get better. He eventually went to the rehab facility at the hospital. After almost 3 months in the hospital and rehab it was time for Gene to go home. His right side was still immobile and his speech was very limited. Mom's battle was about to begin. She was faced with being his 24/7 caregiver. I know she must have been terrified at the thought but she loves him. She will do whatever it takes to get him better.

My mom dislikes cooking. She now cooks every meal every day. My mom doesn't enjoy cleaning. She now does all the laundry and cleaning on her own. Gene can no longer help with any of these daily tasks. He is unable. She is able. And she does. She takes care of him day after day night after night. She does this because she loves him with all heart. She has remained positive and strong for him. She makes him smile. She makes sure he knows how important therapy is. She reminds him everyday how much stronger he is getting. She is his rock.

It still breaks my heart to think about what used to be. Gene is such a special person. He's a talented photographer. He's a wonderful mechanic. He's funny and loving. Caring and giving. A wonderful husband and a terrific grandfather. His life has been forever changed. He's fighting everyday to get his life back. He relies on my mom to help him and she does. I cannot imagine what life must be like for both of them. I live too far away to help. I wish I was closer. But I'm not. My mother's strength and courage are inspiring to me. I am so proud of her. She would do anything for Gene. My mom isn't famous. She isn't a movie star. She isn't the CEO of a fortune 500 company. She is strong. She is courageous. She is my hero.

Vicki

My Rectangle Tango Quilt is Complete!

2011-11-09T19:54:00.000-06:00

It's finally finished! My Rectangle Tango Quilt is all done and ready to snuggle under. This is a pattern that I designed for a quilt competition that I did not win. {insert sad face here} So I guess it's my quilt contest reject but I LOVE it! It's fantastically bright and beautiful!

Rectangle Tango

I used one Mango Margarita Hoffman Bali Pop and Gardenia {a Hoffman Batik} for the top. The quilt measures approximately 60" x 72" the perfect size for snuggling.

I just love it!

I quilted this on Roscoe {my Gammill} all freehand. It's not fancy quilting but I really like how it looks.

The colors show up better in this close up!

One more look...

Although I didn't win any awards for my design, I am very happy with my creation! My dad loves this one and he keeps trying to steal it. I guess I might have to make one.

I hope you all enjoyed getting to see my favorite quilt.

I'm linking this post to Quit Story. Make sure you check it out. I've also linked to Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Vicki

Hand Stitching Binding to a Quilt

2011-11-08T22:00:00.000-06:00

I've finally finished my favorite quilt ever! I don't have pictures of the whole quilt just yet. We had lots of rain today and indoor pictures never turn out because our house has terrible lighting. So, you're going to have to wait one more day to see the whole quilt. Hopefully the sun will be out tomorrow!

But before we get to that, I have to tell you all the funniest story ever. We have a 15 year old daughter and an 8 year old son. Last night at the dinner table the following conversation happened...

Hannah: Guess what I get to learn tomorrow. Guess what? Guess what? {She was very excited}
Jake: What? How to be a moron? {He just blurted it out with no hesitation}

My husband and I busted out laughing. A few minutes earlier Hannah was trying to explain to him what an oxymoron is. I don't think he even understood why it was so funny. Which made it even funnier! This kid is a riot. You just never know what he's going to say next. And by the way, Hannah was going to learn the shuffle.

I want to show you all how I hand stitched the binding to the front of the quilt. Don't forget to check out my blog posts on how to join the binding strips and how to attach the binding to the quilt.

The pictures were a little tricky so I hope you can see everything.

I'm going through the quilt and picking up about 1/4" of fabric on the needle

I immediately go through about 1/4" of the binding.

You can see the needle went through 1/4" of green (quilt) then 1/4" of purple (binding) fabric

If you look closely at the picture you can see there is no gap between the green and purple fabric. That's the key to hiding the stitch. The thread would show if there was a gap. That's all there is to it. I kept going until I was all the way around the quilt. This would be much easier to demonstrate in a video. I just might recruit my daughter to help me do that. It's a very easy stitch and goes pretty fast.

Quilt Top Mitered Corner

Quilt Back Mitered Corner

How about a sneak peak of the front...

One More

You'll probably be sick of this quilt before you ever see the whole thing. But I can't help it. I'm actually very proud of this one.

Do you have a different way to hand stitch the binding? I love to learn new methods...

Vicki

Attaching Binding to Quilts

2011-11-07T17:03:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday to everyone! We had quite the exciting weekend around here. We experienced our first earthquake as a family. There was a 5.6 quake centered near Sparks Oklahoma which is about 175 miles from us. We felt it loud and clear! Not something I care to experience again anytime soon. We didn't have any damage just a few rattled nerves. Hannah ~ our teenager ~ was completely freaking out. I didn't know her eyes could get that big. Of course, the little guy slept right through it and my husband thought it was pretty cool. Personally, I don't really like seeing my dining room light fixture swaying back and forth. I think mother nature is a little ticked off at us because today we're under a tornado watch until 9 PM. Yikes! I do not like tornadoes. I'll just say a lot of prayers in the next few hours. Hopefully things will be uneventful and I can get some more sewing finished! I only have 2 projects going right now and about a billion more in line.

I'm also going to try my first linky party sponsored by Sunni at Love Affair with my Brother. I love reading her blog! Check it out!

I'm going to show you how I attached the binding to my Rectangle Tango quilt. Obviously, as with all things quilting, there is more than one way to do anything. I'm going to show you how I do it. I used to hate binding but I think I'm actually starting to enjoy it.

A few weeks ago, I showed you how I join binding strips. That's the first step in getting your binding ready to attach to the quilt.

I prefer to machine stitch the binding to the back and then flip it to the front of the quilt and hand stitch it down. I also like to start in the middle of one of the sides. I always leave a tail of binding that is about 12 inches long. You can see the tail in the picture below. The tail is very important...you'll find out why later.

I'm sewing the binding to the back.

I use a 1/4" seam and start sewing. I sew until I get to the end of the first side. I stop 1/4" from the end.

I like to backstitch to make sure the stitches don't come undone. You can see my backstitching in the below picture.

Now I'm going to create the mitered corner. It's pretty simple.

I fold the binding to create the 45 degree line as seen above.

Now I fold the binding back to the left creating a fold. I pinned it in place so nothing moves before I get it back under the needle.

This is a view from the side so you can see the fold

It's time to start sewing again. I start 1/4" from the top, backstitching here as well.

I'm starting 1/4" from the top and backstitching.

I continue sewing all 4 sides and mitering the corners as I get to them. When I get back to the first side I quit sewing when I was about 12-18 inches away from where I started. I like to make sure I have enough room to join the last 2 strips. I did not do this on my first quilt and I had to wrestle the binding so much I wanted to rip it off! I learned the hard way...it's better to leave long tails at the beginning and the end. It just gives you more room to join the strips.

***There will be 2 tails of binding. The tails must be trimmed down to the right size before they can be joined. The strips need to overlap by the same amount as the width of the binding. For example, if the binding strips were cut 2.5" wide then the 2 tails need to overlap by 2.5."

I like to lay my quilt on a flat surface so I can trim off the excess binding. For this particular quilt I used 2.5" binding. Therefore, I need to overlap my binding by 2.5." You can see in the below picture that I have laid the binding tails flat, one on top of the other, so I can measure my overlap. I measured the 2.5" so I can trim off the excess.

I trimmed off the excess. The 2 pins are just to show the 2.5" overlap.

Now it's time to join these strips. It's a little tricky the first time but eventually it will become second nature. Here's my step by step.

Open the right side binding tail and lay it right side up.

Open the left side binding tail and place it right side down on top of the right side tail. See below picture.

I always double check myself here. It is so easy to flip or twist the binding strips. I can't tell you how many times I've had to rip out stitches at this point. For some reason, twisted binding just won't lay flat on a quilt! I used my Stitching lines again! Love these things...

I managed to sew this one together without flipping or twisting either of the strips. All is good in the binding universe! I can trim the little triangle off and sew the rest of the binding down.

See...it's flat! Woohoo!

After it's all stitched down it's time to flip it to the front and pin in place. I know a lot of people use binding clips or glue. I still use pins. I tried glue. I think I glued my fingers together more than the binding.

This part is very easy so I didn't take many pictures. I did take a few pictures to show how I mitered the corners on the front.

Almost to the corner

I pin all the way to the corner...

I like to fold it all the way out. It makes a 45 degree angle

Now I fold the other side into the quilt.

Mitered Corner

I realized after I took the picture that the corner isn't perfect in this picture. I will manipulate it when I'm hand stitching it place. Unfortunately, I didn't notice this in time to retake the picture. Oops...good thing I'm not a photographer!

That's it for now! Next time I'll show you how I hand stitch the binding down. I wish I could say I'm an expert in this department but I'm not. This will be my second quilt to hand stitch but the first one turned out pretty good so I don't mind showing you all how I do it.

I just have to say, this is my favorite quilt that I've made! I can't wait to show you pictures of the finished product. I'm actually working on finishing the hand stitching today. Hopefully I can take pictures tomorrow if it's not raining. This house we live in is not good for inside pictures. The lighting is terrible! I've also managed to get 29 blocks finished for my next project. I can't wait to show you that one too! Too bad I have to take time out to cook dinner. I really hate cooking. If I didn't have kids and a husband I would never cook.

As always we would love to hear from you! Do you have a binding tip? Share it with us.

***Please note I try very hard to make my steps clear but sometimes I fail. Please leave us a comment or email us if something is confusing.

Vicki

Sneak Peek ~ What a Week!

2011-11-04T22:08:00.000-05:00

Thank goodness this week is coming to a close. What a busy week! I finally put on my stretchy pants and dove into some Ben and Jerry's Americone Dream. Best Ice Cream ever. Anyway... Last Saturday we celebrated our daughter's 15th birthday which was surreal. It seems like only yesterday I was changing her diapers. Now I have to find peace with the idea of her behind the wheel. Driving. A car. Eventually by herself. Yikes! And then we had Halloween. Lots of dressing up and trick or treating. And finally our youngest celebrated his 8th birthday on Thursday. It really feels like just yesterday that I was changing his diapers. He's becoming quite the young man. He's more and more like his daddy everyday. We truly are blessed.

I didn't have much time to get any sewing done. After all, there were birthday presents to buy, costumes to make {the Hallo"wiener" ~ best costume ever} and more birthday presents to buy. And I almost forgot, midweek I was lucky enough to get an ear infection. Off to the doctor I went. But, I did manage to get a few things done....most of them today.

I've had an idea for a quilt cooking in my brain for awhile now. Let's just say it's been marinating. I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to get it from my brain to fabric. I think I might have it figured out. I managed to get a very good start on it this afternoon.

My newest obsession is pairing bright colors with a neutral such as white or ivory. I know this isn't a new concept but I just recently decided I love it! I chose Moda Bella Solids in Porcelain for this project and paired it with 8 batiks in blues, purples and greens, my absolute favorite colors. I think it's going to be gorgeous and easy to put together. That's always a bonus.

Here's a sneak peek

I also finished the quilting on my Rectangle Tango quilt. {This is one of my designs} Remember this one...

This is my favorite quilt so far!

I love the bright colors!

In case you're wondering I used a Mango Margarita Bali Pop by Hoffman Fabrics along with one of their 1895 watercolor batiks ~ Gardenia ~ for the white squares. I cannot wait to get this one completely finished.

I have the binding ready to sew on.

Big pile of binding!

Now I just need to find the time to attach it. I think I just might sew this one down by hand. It will be my second time ever to hand sew the binding but it actually wasn't that bad. It wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be. The worst part was trying to use a thimble. I needed one but it felt weird and awkward. Maybe it just takes time.

I can't wait to post pictures once I get the binding on my quilt! Finishing a quilt is the best feeling in the world.

We love to hear from our followers! Drop us line and let us know what you are working on. If you're like us the work in progress list is looooong!

Have a great weekend!

What Happens to my Brain when I'm Sewing?

2011-11-01T22:07:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been right in the middle of sewing something and your brain just shuts down? This happens to me all the time especially now that I have Roscoe, my Gammill. Case in point, my Rectangle Tango quilt. I had it loaded and was going to town on the quilting. Everything was going just great. In fact, I was very close to finishing it. And wouldn't you know it, my brain just shut down. I couldn't remember what I was doing or where I was supposed to be sewing. You can see in the picture below that I crossed over stitches which was not supposed to happen.

Arrr...I hate it when I do stupid stuff like that

I guess I'm pretty lucky that I didn't make a bigger mess. It usually takes me several minutes to recover from these brain dead moments. I was able to pull out of this one pretty fast. It's the craziest thing ever and I do it at least once on each quilt. Believe it or not I actually know what caused this moment. I saw a stray thread out of the corner of my eye. That's all it took for my brain to freeze up. Weird.

Moving on to funnier topics...I have to show you all my son's Halloween costume. He wanted to be a hot dog. Say hello to the...

Hallo"wiener"

The hubby made his bun out of a foam mattress pad and a towel stapled to it. Isn't he cute? I love it!

By the way, I did finish the quilting on my quilt. I can't wait to post pictures. I still have to get the binding on it but that shouldn't take too long.

Happy Sewing!

My Sewing Space

2011-10-31T16:31:00.000-05:00

I've decided to be brave and share my sewing space with everyone. It's against my better judgment to post pictures without cleaning first but that wouldn't be a realistic view into my daily life. I am, after all, rather messy. I do take time out to clean up if I absolutely have to but I dread cleaning. I know I know, it probably wouldn't be that bad if I would keep things clean as I go. I just can't work that way. So, I'm going to put on my big girl pants and post some pictures. Keep in mind it would probably be easier for me to stay organized if I had my own studio. Right now my sewing space is smack in the middle of our dining room and kitchen. Hopefully one day soon we will settle down and buy a home with a large finished basement that I can take over! Ahh...a girl can dream!

So the first picture shows my cutting table aka the breakfast table. We used to actually sit and eat at this table. That was before I decided I wanted to start an online quilt store. My hubby really doesn't like the cutting mat as a permanent fixture. I should move it each day but then I think why bother. I just have to put it back. My trusty iron and ironing board now reside right next to the table. I haven't put the ironing board up in months.

I left the Sonic cup in the picture because I love Sonic! I'm a Diet Dr. Pepper-aholic.

Next up is where I do all my piecing. I use the fold up tables from Wal-Mart. They're inexpensive and work pretty good but it's impossible to sew at full speed with these tables. If I go too fast the table bounces up and down and I can't see anything! Not a good plan.

This is where things get a bit scary. My table is always cluttered up. Even if I clean it up it doesn't take long to look like this again! I can't explain it...I have clutter problems! You can see my Pfaff and Babylock in the picture! I love them both!

If you look close you can see the hunting gear on the back side of the table. That is NOT mine. Dear hubby has taken over part of my table as a storage area for his bow and hunting gear. I guess that's ok since I have taken over the breakfast table, dining room and most of the house.

Next up...Roscoe, my Gammill. He's my trusty long arm that my dad found for me in Phoenix. Dad even packed it up and hauled it to me in the back of his truck! What a great dad!

Roscoe...my Gammill!

You can see the clutter problems have followed me to the long arm table. I have thread, screwdrivers, a flashlight, rulers, and who knows what else on Roscoe's table. I think I even see thread hanging off the table. Sounds about right to me. The shelves at the end hold all my bolts of fabric. Well, that's one section of shelves. My awesome step dad built all the shelves for me. Man, I'm a lucky girl with a great family! FYI...the wooden plates hanging on the wall were collected while hubby and I were stationed in Germany. We tried to get a plate every time we traveled.

Thread every where!

That's a picture of the floor right next to Roscoe. Yes, I throw all my thread on the floor as I sew. I just can't be bothered with the trash can. I do pick it all up after I finish each quilt. I do not vacuum it up anymore. I learned the hard way the vacuum cleaner does not like all that thread! The craziest thing ever was when I found thread hanging off the blinds. I guess I was really putting some muscle behind my tossing that day.

This window comes in very handy for Roscoe's accessory storage. Notice there is a trash can...it's just not used for thread! More cones of thread, rulers, templates, bobbins, etc. I even sit here if I get stumped or just need a break. I'm fighting two bulging discs right now so sitting seems to happen more than usual. I had 8 shots in my back on Friday. I'm hoping that helps and I can bypass surgery.

Oh look, batting scraps stuffed in the corner. I would like to say my scraps are dwindling because I've been using them up. Check out my review of the heat press batting tape. I really love this stuff! My unopened packs of batting are under my bed. And I'm not taking a picture of that!

Another look at my shelves!

More shelves. Don't you love the bright California Dreamin collection on the bottom shelf!

You'll notice soccer cleats in this picture. It's soccer season! We've only lost one game so far...Go Lightning! And I love to store all my packing supplies on the top of these shelves. It keeps it off the floor!

One more close up Roscoe just for fun!

That's my messy sewing space. I guess it's a good thing I can find everything I need. I usually feel lost and I can't find anything after I clean up.

Hopefully I'm not the only messy quilter out there. I like to think I'm just a little disorganized but who am I kidding....I'm messy. I don't like to clean so I avoid it if I can.

I would like to let you all know about a new friend I found, Connie from Quilting By The River. Check out her blog where you can learn about a giveaway that we're sponsoring. She has designed a beautiful quilt using the Amelia collection by Me & My Sister for Moda. She's so talented!

That's all for now! Let me know what you think. I hope there are some other messy people out there!

I almost forgot...Happy Halloween!

Batiks Galore!

2011-10-25T22:42:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share a sneak peek of what's keeping me busy. I recently designed a pattern that I named Rectangle Tango. Now it's time to quilt it and get it finished! I just love the feeling of pulling it off the frame and seeing the almost finished product (don't forget the pesky binding)! I guess I'm about a third of the way done and I hope I can finish the quilting tomorrow.

I used the Mango Margarita Bali Pop by Hoffman Fabrics. I just love this Bali Pop! It's full of bright colors. I'm going to have to hide it because I know my dad's going to try and steal it!

I can't wait to get it finished and post pictures of the final quilt.

I just have show off what my family has been up to while I've been sewing. Afterall, I'm not the only talented one in this family. It's Halloween so that means it's time for pumpkin carving!

Our Creepy Pumpkins!

I don't have much else tonight. It's been a long day filled with doctor's appointments and house cleaning. I really dislike cleaning and cooking. I wish I could snap my fingers or click my heels and my house would magically be clean and dinner would be ready! Ahhh...a girl can dream!

Sometimes Things Just Go Really Wrong...

2011-10-21T22:24:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had one of those days when everything you touch turns in to a disaster? I loaded a baby quilt on Roscoe, my Gammill long arm machine, so I could quilt it for a customer. My very first quilt given to me by a customer. Yikes! I've made quilts for family but I've never quilted for anyone outside the family. Needless to say I was a nervous wreck which is probably why I sewed Roscoe to the quilt!!!! Can you believe that? I must have talent to be able to do that!

Check it out! Is that talent or what!

Just in case you're as baffled as I was...the yellow fabric was a flange that she added around her embroidered blocks. Boy was I shocked when I was sewing along and then Roscoe just stopped. It took me a second to figure out I had sewed him right to the quilt! What a goober! Thank goodness I didn't rip a hole in the quilt!

I did manage to finish the quilt and I had a good laugh too!

Joining Binding Strips

2011-10-20T22:29:00.000-05:00

I have to admit I've never been a fan of binding. I love piecing tops and I love the gratification of quilting the top. But the thought of binding makes me cringe. In fact, I dislike it so much that the quilt I made for my mother wasn't even finished. I gave it to her along with the fabric she needed to bind it! Looking back, it probably wasn't the nicest thing I ever did but I was intimidated by the whole binding process. I'm much more confident now in my ability to bind a quilt and I even hand stitched the last one. That in itself was a miracle.


This is my first hand sewn binding! The gorgeous Princess in the picture is my 14 year old daughter. She designed this quilt! I'm so proud of her.

I'm going to show you how I joined my binding strips in this tutorial. Attaching it to the quilt and stitching it down will come later.

I always join my strips on the bias because it's less bulky and I just think it looks nicer. So, that's what I'm going to show you....my preferred method.

First, I cut my binding strips. In this case I needed (7) 2.5" strips.

I laid the first strip right side up on my cutting mat. I lined the strip up so that the 45 degree line was lined up with the bottom left corner of the strip. See below picture.

The second strip will be perpendicular to the first strip with right sides together.


Second strip laying on top of first strip, right sides together

Now, here's where I do things a little bit different. I hate drawing lines on fabric. I never do a good job because the pen always gets stuck and I have to drag it along. It just irritates me. So, I found that I really like using Marin & Colusa Stitching Lines. The beauty of the stitching lines is you cut them to the size you need. I just happened to have some leftover pieces from a different project that worked perfectly for this. My scrap pieces were 3.5" long, the perfect size for my binding. I simply laid the stitching line across my fabric.

You can see the solid black line is matched to the 45 degree line on my mat.

I pinned the stitching line in place once it's lined up.

Pinned in place ready to sew!

Now, I just stitched right down the line. I did change my stitch length to 2.0.

Stitching right along

After it's stitched, I rip the paper right off. I did not throw the stitching lines away! I can still use each side.

I keep both of these pieces. I will use each one for joining more strips.

Now it's time to trim and press.

I placed the 1/4" line of my ruler on the seam and trimmed off the excess fabric.

I pressed the strip.

Remember those little pieces I ripped off earlier...it's time to use them. I found the end of the strips I just joined and started over. I placed the end right side up on the cutting mat and lined it up with the 45 degree line again. I put strip number 3 perpendicular with right sides together. This time I lined up the dotted line of the stitching lines with the 45 degree on my cutting mat.

Pin it in place, sew, rip paper off, trim, and press.

Now it's time to throw away the paper. I used the Stitching Lines the most efficient way!

I continued with this process until I had all 7 strips joined together. Once they are all joined I pressed the binding in half lengthwise with wrong sides together. My binding ended up being 1.25" x 280" (approximately). Now it's time to put it on the quilt...but I'm saving that for next time.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how I join my binding strips. I really like using the stitching lines for this because I hate drawing on fabric. I did forget to mention that the Stitching Lines are also a great tool for making half square triangles. The great thing is you cut them to the size you need. And if you're into saving money you can use them several times just like I did.

Just remember, there's always more than one way to do something, especially in quilting. This is certainly not the only way to join binding strips, but it is my favorite way.

As always, leave us a comment and let us know what you think. Have you used the stitching lines? What did you think?

How to Add a Flange to Your Quilts

2011-10-09T15:50:00.000-05:00

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm always looking for ways to add a little flair to my projects. Who doesn't love flair? I know I get tired of doing the same old thing all the time so I thought I would try adding a flange to a border. Are you asking yourself right now, "What the heck is a flange?" A flange, by definition is a projecting edge of cloth used for decoration. I have to confess I had no idea the folded piece of fabric sticking out on quilts was called a flange. But, I guess flange sounds better than folded fabric thingy. Any who...a flange is actually very easy to add to a quilt. You can add it to the border or individual blocks.

First, cut the flange pieces. The size will vary depending on what you're adding it to. For my demonstration, I added a flange in between the quilt top and the border.

I measured the width and length of my quilt top and cut 4 pieces that were 1.5" wide x the appropriate length. The 1.5" width is a personal preference, it will yield approximately a 1/2" flange. A wider cut will yield a wider flange.

Next press the flange in half lengthwise, wrong sides together.

Lay the flange on top of the quilt top (or block) with raw edges lined up.

Sew or pin all 4 pieces of flange in place one piece at a time. I attached the top and bottom then the left and right. I chose to sew it in place because I didn't want to try to pin through multiple layers of fabric ~ the quilt top, the flange, and the border fabric.

Flange sewn to quilt top.

**Note ~ I used a very small seam allowance when attaching the flange because I didn't want the threads to show. This will ensure the 1/4" seam attaching the border will cover all my stitching when I attach the flange.


This is my 1/4" foot. You can see I'm not following the edge of my foot because I want to make sure these stitches are buried in the seam allowance.

Once the 4 pieces of flange are added it's time for the final borders. Add the borders as you normally do. If you have trouble with skipping stitches you may need to try a larger needle. A flange does add some thickness to the seam.

Adding the border...notice I am now following my 1/4" foot.

Last border going on now

Ta Da! The white flange is all done!

I really like the way the flange adds just enough separation between the quilt top and the border. It also adds just the right amount of dimension!

Here's a quick look at an individual block with flange...

I added the flange to this block to help it stand out. Without the flange, the block would get a little lost since it has a lot of black and it's surrounded by black.

And a close up...

Next time you need to add a little flair give flange a try. It's quick and easy and adds a lot to your quilt.

As always, I try to do my best describing the process but I'm human and I do mess up. I know, it's hard to believe but it's true. If you have questions please let me know. Post a comment or send an email to quiltinglodge@gmail.com.

Enjoy!

Lazy Angle Ruler...Take it or Leave it?

2011-10-04T20:39:00.000-05:00

I've seen a lot of amazing patterns lately that use the Lazy Angle Ruler. So naturally, I wanted to try it out. I played around with the ruler this morning and I've decided...I'll take it!

Like anything else new, there was a small learning curve. But after ripping out the very first seam...I was good to go.

So, let me show you what I did today.

First, I grabbed some left over Amelia fabric, a little white, and my cutter and away I went.

The cool thing about this ruler is you use strips of fabric ranging from 1.5" to 6.5" in width. So, you could use jelly rolls, layer cakes, etc. if you love precuts which I do!

I decided I would use 5.5" strips just because that was the size of my scraps.

I'm going to cut my A pieces first.

The ruler is lined up exactly how I will cut. You cut along the diagonal edge of the ruler. This is considered a right facing A piece.

Next, you need to flip the ruler around to line up the diagonal edge and make another A piece. See below

Note my ruler is now upside down and I will cut along the straight edge on the right of the ruler.

I kept flipping the ruler until I had 4 A pieces. Now, it's time to do the B pieces.

The B pieces will be triangular shapes.

I have the left side of my fabric lined up with the 5.5" line on the ruler. Cut along diagonal side.

Now, you have to flip the ruler so it is right side down and flipped left to right.

Cut along straight edge on right side

I know that part sounds confusing but after you do it once, it's a piece of cake! If I can do it, you can do it.

I kept flipping the ruler until I had 4 B pieces. Then I cut another set of A & B pieces in another color combo just for fun!

Here's all my pieces!

Now it's time to sew them all together. Here's where things got a little scary for me but I managed to get the hang of it after one seam gone awry!

You will sew one A piece and one B piece together.


The B piece should line up with the right edge of the A piece.

This is the important part...if you don't line them up right you will have to rip the seam out...ask me how I know. You guessed it! I ripped out the first seam. There should be a little bow formed at the bottom and of course your pieces are right sides together.

The blue piece overlaps the white just enough to create the little bow tie.

I found it was easier to measure to make sure I had them lined up correctly.

You can see that there is 1/4" seam from the edge of the pieces to the seam I made.

I kept telling myself that my thread needed to be right in the center of the intersection of the two pieces. If it ends up to the left or right of the little intersection you will have to rip out your seam. It's not hard at all...it just takes a little practice. I hate ripping out seams so I measured before I sewed. However, after a couple blocks I was confident enough to eyeball it with no problems at all.

Now you can press it open and viola...one block done.

You will have little triangles that need to be trimmed at the top and bottom.

little triangle at the top that needs to be clipped off

little triangle at the bottom that needs to be clipped off

After you sew 4 blocks together you can twist and turn however you like. One design is below...


This is 4 blocks put together to form a spinning star.

Or...here's another color version.

I like the white star too!

But guess what...we've only just begun. You can take this block and slice and dice it to get something like this...

Or this...

Both of the above variations have two B pieces. But guess what...there's still more. You can keep slicing and dicing and adding B pieces to make all kinds of stuff! The included directions show 18 block variations! I did NOT make 18 blocks...sorry. I ran out of time. I do have kids and I already obsess about quilting more than I should. But you get the idea, the possibilities are endless! And don't worry. You won't have to sell your first born to buy this awesome gadget. The Creative Grids Lazy Angle Ruler is very reasonably priced at $21.95. Not too bad for such a versatile little gadget!

So, don't be scared, you can do it! And don't be discouraged if you rip out a seam. In fact, I would start with a few scraps just in case.

We would love to hear from you if you have this ruler or if you've used it. We welcome all comments even if you aren't as gaga as I am over this ruler!

Happy sewing!

And the Winner is...

2011-09-26T11:39:00.000-05:00

A big thank you to all who participated in our first giveaway over the last two weeks. It is my pleasure to announce that Heather is the winner of the Moda Amelia Jelly Roll. Congratulations Heather! For those who entered but did not win...do not despair. We will continue to have wonderful prizes available to win. Keep an eye on our blog for your chance to win!

Amelia

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Our First Give-a-Way!

2011-09-14T22:16:00.000-05:00

I think it's time to have our first giveaway! It's always fun to win things...at least I love it! I wasn't sure what I was going to use as the prize but I finally decided on an Amelia Jelly Roll.

This new collection by Me and My Sister for Moda is full of bright beautiful fabrics. You can click here to see the whole Amelia collection.

~Here's how to enter~

Leave us a comment and tell us what you will make with this wonderful

Amelia Jelly Roll

(one entry)

Become a follower of our blog or find us on facebook and friend us...make sure you leave us a comment so we know that you did

(one entry)

Blog about our giveaway...make sure you leave us a comment

so we know that you did

(two entries)

The giveaway ends on Sunday, Septemebr 25th at 11:59 PM (CST).

The winner will be randomly selected and announced on

Monday, September 26th.

Good luck everyone!

Frixion Pens by Pilot...my new best friend!

2011-09-09T20:26:00.000-05:00

Who would have thought Pilot would make a pen with ink that disappears when you iron it? I've heard and read a lot about the Pilot Frixion pens and decided I should try them. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical. I bought three different colors black, pink & purple and put them to the test.

First, I cut myself a piece of white fabric and wrote on it in each color.

Then I tried ironing over the ink...watch what happens.

The writing disappears faster than I wrote it!

WOW! It disappeared right before my eyes. There was no visible trace of the ink. There is one catch...I've heard that if the fabric is exposed to temperatures below 14 degrees it reappears. So, I stuck my sample in the freezer!

Look what happened...


Just ignore my dirty ironing board cover...too many mishaps with fusible makes for a dirty cover!

The writing did reappear after about 10 minutes in the freezer. So back to the ironing board I went.

The ink goes away just as fast the second time I ironed it.

I wanted to run the fabric through the wash just to see what would happen. I threw my little scrap in with a load of towels and washed it in cold water. I wanted to see if the writing would reappear in the cold water. It didn't.


This is the wet fabric after it was washed. No sign of the ink.

Next, I dried it and then stuck it back in the freezer. Guess what happened.

That's right! The ink is back. However, it does look a little faded.

In conclusion, I do like these Pilot Frixion Pens. I like the fact that I can mark a huge area and not worry about the ink disappearing before I'm ready. Have you ever used a disappearing ink pen and by the time you were done marking half of your markings were gone? I have. It's extremely frustrating! You don't have to worry about that with the Frixion pens. The marks will stay there until you're ready to get rid of them. I know some of you will be skeptical about the fact that the ink can reappear. It is a little troublesome. However, after a little thought I realized I probably wouldn't be freezing any of my quilts any time soon. And if they do get cold enough for the ink to reappear a quick tumble in the dryer would solve that problem. I would advise people to test the Frixion Pens out on a piece of scrap fabric. This will help ease any fears you may have.

Bonus ***They are rather inexpensive at $2.65 per pen.

Feel free to email us at info@quiltinglodge@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Happy Quilting!

Super Quick & Easy Baby Quilt...Tiny Trails

2011-08-10T15:54:00.000-05:00

I've been looking at the California Dreamin' collection by Free Spirit trying to devise a plan for an easy project. After a couple days of racking my brain I finally had an idea...a baby quilt backed with Minky.

Please note: This is a beginner project. It's definitely not very complicated.

I picked 5 fabrics from the collection and a coordinating minky for the backing

Here's the finished quilt top waiting to be quilted...

Tiny Trails

Here's what you will need:

5 fat quarters
1/4 yard for first border
1/2 yard for second border
One afternoon...yes it's that fast and easy

Cutting Instructions:

From fat quarters 1, 2, 3, 4 cut the following pieces:

(12) 3.5" x 6.5" rectangles
(2) 3.5" squares

From fat quarter 5 cut the following pieces:

(11) 3.5" x 6.5" rectangles
(4) 3.5" squares

The diagram below shows the layout of the quilt. The numbers in the top row represent the fat quarters.

You could mix up all the little bricks for a scrappy look but I decided to go with the diagonal layout above.

Now you will begin sewing the bricks together to make the rows.

All seams are 1/4"

This is row 1.

I sewed all the row 1 bricks together before pressing

All even numbered rows begin and end with a 3.5" square. See pictures below.

Row 2 begins with the 3.5" square

Row 2 ends with a 3.5" square

Press each row as you finish it. It really doesn't matter which direction you press the seams. You won't be matching any seams.


I pressed all seams to the left but it really doesn't matter...

After you have all the bricks sewn into rows you can start sewing the rows together.

I'm a pinaholic so I pin everything. You may not have to pin as much as I did but I decided to stick one at each seam.


See all my pretty pins?

Press each row as you add it. Again, it doesn't really matter which direction you press. You won't be matching any seams.

Keep going until all 13 rows are together


This is what you'll have when all 13 rows are together.

Now all that's left is adding the borders.

**I added side borders first then the top and bottom borders. I did this so I wouldn't have to piece any strips. I know it might seem lazy but I was going for easy.

I decided to frame the quilt with a white border. I think that really makes the design pop out.

Cut (4) 1.5" strips the width of the fabric

I never cut my border strips to the exact length needed. I always leave them longer than I need and then trim them off. I sew the border strip to the quilt, press, then trim.

The white border strip has been sewn on and pressed. Next, I trim the excess.

Trim the little tail off

I have the white border on

Next, add the second border. I picked green because my backing is going to be turquoise. I thought a turquoise second border would be too much so I went with green.

Cut (4) 3.5" strips the width of the fabric

Add the green border.

The quilt finishes at 38" x 47"

Now, I just need to load this baby on the long arm and get it quilted. I don't expect that will take very long since it's not a huge quilt. As I said before, the backing will be Shannon Fabrics Turquoise Minky with zebra texture. I cannot wait to finish it. I will post more pictures once I get it quilted.

This little darling couldn't be much easier. I put it together in one afternoon.

I'm still fairly new to writing instructions. So, don't be afraid to leave a comment and ask questions if anything is unclear. Or, you can email me at quiltinglodge@gmail.com.

I hope you all enjoy!

It's a Ghastlie Night...and MORE!

2011-08-05T21:09:00.000-05:00

I am so excited! We just received some new Alexander Henry fabrics today. The Ghastlies are back and better than ever! This fabric is so fun and perfect for Halloween. This stuff sold out fast last year. I don't expect anything different this year.

A Ghastlie Night in White with Pink Accents

Close up of the fabulous witches!

A Ghastlie Night in Rose with Pink Accents

Another close up of the fabulous witches!

Ghastlie Clover Fabric in Rose

But wait...that's not all! We also received a box from Moda containing some of the wonderful fabrics from the new collection, Amelia, by Me & My Sister.

I also have a little project I'm working on using the Free spirit Fabric, California Dreamin. I will be posting a tutorial in the next few days for a little baby quilt I'm making. It will be backed with the wonderfully soft Shannon Fabrics cuddle fabric.


Don't you just love the zebra texture on the cuddle fabric?

This quilt is going to be so cute and easy to put together. I can't wait to share the pattern with you all.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Coming Soon...Lemon Grove by Alice Kennedy

2011-07-18T22:52:00.000-05:00

I have to say one of my favorite designers for Timeless Treasures is Alice Kennedy. She has designed several lines of fabric including Taxi, Poppy Lane, Portobello, and my soon to be new favorite, Lemon Grove. This new line is chock full of black, white, yellow, & turquoise. It reminds me of the very popular Taxi line that Alice designed a couple years ago. I don't think I'll be able to resist ordering this fabric! Keep checking our store, Quilting Lodge, for availability.


Lemon Grove

This is just a small sample of Lemon Grove. I can't wait to get my hands on it and have some fun. I think might even have the perfect pattern in mind.

I just had to share my excitement of this new fabric. It's scheduled to release in early August. What do you all think? Do you love it as much as I do?

New Moda Fabric "Amelia" designed by Me & My Sister

2011-07-15T23:24:00.000-05:00

Have you seen the latest fabric designed by Me & My Sister for Moda? It's called Amelia and it's too cute! I just love the colors and prints they put together. Lots of purple, pink, blue, turquoise & green! I can't wait to get my hands on some of this but it's selling so fast there's not much left! I have the perfect pattern in mind for the Amelia Jelly Roll but I can't share it just yet. It's one of the patterns we entered in the Jelly Roll Quilt Pattern contest. We named it Papa's Garden in honor of my step dad, Gene, because it's his favorite pattern. It seemed fitting after all he's been through.

Amelia by Me & My Sister

On another note...we're expecting our first shipment of Minkee Fabric tomorrow. I cannot wait to get my hands on this stuff. I have so many projects in mind to share with you all.

Well, I guess I should head to bed so I can get busy tomorrow with all the minkee!!!

As always, drop us a line if you have any questions or just want to say hi.

Replacing Rotary Blades...a cheaper alternative

2011-07-11T17:43:00.000-05:00

I know I'm not the only one who hates spending on average $5.00 per 45 mm blade. In fact, I refuse to change my blade until I'm straining my entire upper body to cut through the fabric. Some might say that makes me a tight wad but I would disagree. I want to get every penny out of my blades, especially now when things are tight for all of us. Let's face it, not many of us are millionaires. I know I'm not. So, imagine my surprise when I found out there's a place where I can get a pack of 2 replacement blades for $1.99. That's less than a $1.00 a blade! You can get a 2 pack of 45 mm blades from ...Harbor Freight! That's right...Harbor Freight!

Now don't panic. I know the package says replacement carpet cutter blade but this blade will fit most rotary cutters. These blades can be found in the carpet cutting section of your local store.

I can say with 100% certainty that they fit the Martelli, Olfa, and Fiskars cutters. I have each of these brands and I personally checked to see if they would fit. And I cut some fabric with each cutter after replacing the blades. I didn't have any trouble. You can even order them online at Harbor Freight if you don't have a local store. Just search for item number 97642. They'll come right up.

Now I know saving a couple bucks won't appeal to everyone but I thought I would share this little bit of information. I love to save money when I can...especially if it means I'll have a little extra to spend on fun things like more fabric!

Have you used the blades form Harbor Freight? Drop us a comment and let us know what you think.

Keep an eye on our blog...we're plotting and planning a Give-A-Way!

Hello Everyone....It's been awhile since our last blog

2011-07-08T18:55:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a very long time since our last post and I have a couple reasons for that. One is kind of exciting and the other pretty much sucks. Sorry to be so blunt but you will soon understand.

First, mom and I were busy working non-stop on some new patterns for a contest sponsored by the Jelly Roll Quilters. We ended up entering 4 patterns in the Jelly Roll Pattern contest and should find out this month if we were lucky enough to win. Gosh, I hope we do, but you never know what the judges are looking for.

Second, on May 19th, we had a tragic family event. My wonderful step father had a massive stroke. My mom has been absolutely lost without him around. He's been in the hospital since the night of May 19th. I live in Texas and they live in Missouri. So, when mom called me on May 19th I was distraught that I wasn't there with her. I left the next morning and drove for 12 hours in non-stop rain. Boy was that fun...NOT.

My heart was broken that night when I saw Gene for the first time. It was such a terrible thing to happen to such a wonderful person. He lost movement on his right side and his speech has been severely affected. He was recently moved to a rehab facility at the hospital and we are praying for miracles. He's doing better every day but he has a long hard road ahead of him. His speech is slowly coming back but his right side is still pretty weak. The worst part of a stroke is not knowing what the outcome will be. The doctors have no way of telling us how much better he will get. So, we say our prayers every day that God will help him heal.

I stayed in Missouri for 4 weeks which meant our business was on hold. I'm back home in Texas (where it's a wonderful 110 each day!) and ready to get back to work. Hopefully I can get my head back in the game and start blogging a little more. I do have a ton of ideas for product reviews and tutorials.

I would like to close by saying I wouldn't wish a stroke on my worst enemy. It's truly a heart breaking experience!

Easy Strip Pieced Placemats

2011-03-04T11:00:00.000-06:00

Here's a quick and easy pattern I came up with for placemats. I didn't want to spend hours making a set of placemats so I decided to try something new. So, I started playing around with some leftover strips I had from a Berry Bliss Bali Pop by Hoffman Fabrics. And here's what happened...

What you will need

Don't you love my purple cutting mat! I know I do!

2.5" strips of fabric at least 19" long (6 per placemat)
12.5" x 18" Fusible Fleece (Cotton Batting would also work)
12.5" x 18" fabric for backing
Fabric for binding (I used 2 strips, 2" x WOF)

Let me start by saying I decided to use the fusible fleece because it's easy! I'm all about saving time. Cotton batting would also work but would require pinning the fabric strips in place. I HATE pinning so I went for easy and used the fusible fleece!

First, lay the fusible fleece with the fusible side up. Seems silly to point this out but I have first hand knowledge that this is a VERY important step. Otherwise, you will have to start over after you have your strips laid out and positioned. Ask me how I know!

Start laying the strips of fabric on the fleece. The first strip will line up with the top of the fleece. Each subsequent strip will overlap the previous strip by 1/2." I used the grid on my cutting mat to help me line up my strips.


The dark strip is strip #1. Strip #2, the green strip, overlaps strip #1 by 1/2"

Strip #3, the blue strip, overlaps strip #2 by 1/2"

Continue adding strips until all 6 have been placed on top of the fusible fleece. At this point, nothing is attached. The strips are simply laying on the fleece.

All 6 strips placed on the fleece

Iron the strips in place.

Flip it over and trim off the excess strips on both sides.

My little piles of scraps after trimming

I also trimmed 1/2" off the last strip I added. I wanted all my strips to be about the same width and that last one was a little bigger than the rest.

Now it's time to stitch those strips in place for good. Topstitch each strip 1/4" from the edge.

All strips are top stitched now! Almost done...

Put the placemat face down and lay the backing on top.

Pin in place

All 4 sides are pinned...this is a close up of one corner

Finally, make your binding, pin it on, and sew, sew, sew...


Almost finished....

Finished!

I also made one and added a little flower for fun! I just used steam a seam to adhere the flower and then sewed a button in the center. I added the flower before I attached the backing.

Close up...so cute!

Please note...this method leaves raw edges on the strips and flower. I really like the additional texture it adds to the placemat.

Let us know what you think! Leave a comment...you never know what might happen!

Did you Know...

2011-02-28T21:22:00.000-06:00

It is estimated that the total dollar value of the Quilting Industry is $3.58 Billion, according to the Quilting in America 2010 Survey. And, the number of quilters in the US now exceeds 21 million. That's a lot of quilter's spending a lot of money each year! The average quilter is a 62 year old female. Well, I fit half the profile...I'm female but I am definitely not 62 years old. My husband always says I act old so I'm not going to share that info with him! He will surely find a way to tease me. I have to wonder if that trend will start to change. I believe we are seeing an influx of younger quilters. And, the fabric manufacturers are introducing more contemporary fabrics all the time. These fabrics tend to appeal to the younger generation of quilters. I just thought I would share a few tidbits of quilty information.

Have you Tried Therm O Web Iron on Vinyl?

2011-02-24T19:51:00.000-06:00

Have you tried Therm O Web's Iron on Vinyl? If not, you should! I decided I should try this product out since we are selling it at our website, Quilting Lodge. After all, it is very important to me to be able to answer questions about the products we carry. So, I grabbed some fabric and a piece of the Iron on Vinyl and I went to town.

First, I ironed my fabric, Dilly Dally by Moda, to get all the wrinkles out.


I just love this fabric!

Next, I peeled the paper backing off the Vinyl. I put the Vinyl on top of the fabric with the sticky side touching the fabric.


The Vinyl is placed sticky side down on the fabric.

Then I placed the paper, shiny side down, on top of the Vinyl. The grid on the paper is face up, as in the picture below.

All I need to do now is iron it on. I slowly ironed over the entire piece until the Vinyl adhered. It did not take long at all.

I peeled the paper off and repositioned it so I could make sure the edges were secure.

I turned the paper to go around the edges one more time.

And finally, I flipped it over and ironed on the fabric side for a minute. It's that easy!


The final product!


The fabric on the left is coated. The fabric on the right is not.

Now, you might be asking yourself why you would want to coat your fabric with Iron on Vinyl? Well, just think of all the wonderful things you could make....bibs, placemats, tablecloths, coasters, diaper bags, little rain hats, rain coats, etc. The list goes on and on.

A couple things to keep in mind...

Your fabric needs to be smooth before you adhere the vinyl
You need to use a medium heat setting on your iron
Never place your iron directly on the vinyl. Always place the paper on top of the vinyl before you iron
Always laminate your fabric before sewing
This product is water resistant, durable, and UV rated

The only negative about this product is it's size. It's 17" wide and I think it could be a little bigger.

It's a great alternative to the high priced coated fabrics that the manufacturers are producing. And you aren't limited to what they produce...the possibilities are endless!

What do you think? Have you used this product? Would you consider using it? Let us know your thoughts!

Easy Pillowcase Pattern

2011-02-17T20:13:00.000-06:00

Are you ready to make a beautiful yet simple pillowcase in a matter of minutes? Well, I have the perfect pattern for you! This pattern is perfect for all skill levels.

I decided to try out a new line by Moda, Sunkissed, for my pillowcases! It is gorgeous...so soft and silky, not to mention beautiful colors!

Supplies: Cut:

1/8 yard for accent strip 2.5” x 41” for the accent strip

1/3 yard for the cuff 11” x 41” for the cuff

3/4 yard for the pillowcase body 27” x 41” for the pillowcase body

Use a 1/2" seam allowance

Making your pillowcase:

1. Fold the 2.5” accent strip in half, WRONG sides together, and iron. The strip will now measure 1.25.”

2. Lay the cuff RIGHT side up. Place the accent strip on top matching the RAW edges.

3. Place the pillowcase body on top WRONG side up. Pin all of these layers together along the 41” side.

4. Roll up the excess pillowcase body fabric until it is shorter than the cuff.

5. Bring the cuff up and over the roll. Pin together and sew.

6. Pull the body out of the cuff. Press the pillowcase. You may secure the accent strip by top-stitching it down.

7. Fold your pillowcase and sew the sides and bottom together. You will want to finish your pillowcase with a serged seam, zigzag stitch, or french seam so there are no loose edges.

We would love to hear from you! Leave us a comment and let us know what you think.

How to Use Heat Press Batting Tape

2011-02-14T22:23:00.000-06:00

Do you have a mound of batting pieces like this?

Well, I've been throwing all my pieces in the corner trying to figure out what to do with them. I'm not really a fan of piecing the scraps together but who wants to throw out all that usable batting? And it never fails, just when I think I'll be able to use a piece from my scrap stack, it's just not quite big enough.

Well, I think I have found a great solution....Heat Press Batting Tape! This tape comes on a roll that is 1.5" by 10 yards. I just tried it out this afternoon and it was super simple to use.

First, you will want to make sure you have a nice straight edge on both pieces of batting that you want to fuse together.

Then you want to cover the seam with the Heat Press Batting Tape.

Now you will iron the tape to the batting. Make sure you check your iron settings. You do not want to use high heat. Also, I did not drag my iron over the tape. After I pressed a section I lifted my iron and moved to the next section.

And, that's it...you're done! Talk about easy! The tape does a great job securing the pieces together. You don't need to worry about it pulling apart under normal circumstances. In the below picture, I have the batting hanging off the side of my ironing board so you can see it won't easily fall apart.

I wasn't sure if I would like this product, but I do. It is very easy to use and durable. Now I can save a little money by using all my extra batting!

Oh, you can use this on all types of batting...I used Warm and Natural in my demo. That's my personal favorite!

Questions? Just leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer.

Quick and Easy Tater Bag Pattern!

2011-02-09T19:14:00.000-06:00

I am finally posting our first FREE Pattern! Have you heard about the Tater Bags? These little quilted wonders perfectly cook your taters in the microwave in no time!

Cutting Instructions:
Outer Bag - Cut one 11" x 21" piece of fabric
Lining - Cut one 11" x 21" piece of fabric
Warm Tater Batting - Cut one 11" x 21" piece

**You don't have to use different fabrics for the outer bag and lining. You may decide to use the same fabric. If so, just cut two 11" x 21" pieces of the same fabric.

Next, layer your fabrics RIGHT sides together and put the batting on top.

Pin all three layers along the 11" side. Please note...in the picture below the batting is on bottom for picture purposes only. You will want to have the batting on top when you sew this together. Otherwise, your batting may stick to your feed dogs.

After you sew both 11" sides, you will turn your fabric sandwich RIGHT sides out. The Tater Batting will now be on the inside with the RIGHT sides of your fabric showing.

Topstitch 1/4" from the end on both 11" sides.

Now we're ready to sew up the side seams. Make sure the lining fabric is on the outside when you fold up your bag to sew the side seams. In the pictures below, you see the red polka dot fabric folded over. That will be the inside of my bag.

You need to fold the short flap first. I folded mine down about 3.5" and pinned it in place.

Then fold up the bottom flap. This flap should overlap the 3.5" flap by 1" and pin in place.

You can see I used my 6" x 24" ruler to help me get a good fold and to keep the fabric from buckling on the inside.

Now you are ready to sew up those side seams. I went over mine twice just to make sure it holds. You could also use a serger. The last thing you need to do is flip your bag right sides out.

You can see my red polka dot fabric peeking out in the below picture.

Please make sure you always watch over your tater bag in the microwave. Do not leave it unattended. A large potato will cook in about 3-5 minutes. I always keep an eye on mine because they can overcook before you know. Oh, I also wrap my tater in a paper towel then stuff it in the bag.

Please feel free to email us at info@quiltinglodge.com or leave a comment if you have any questions!

New Website

2011-01-30T22:40:00.000-06:00

I am proud to announce that my mother and I have finally made some progress on our website. After selling fabric and such on eBay for over a year, we are going to try our hand at our very own website. We are very excited to start this next chapter in our Quilting Journey. Please take a moment to check out Quilting Lodge, our new store! Let us know what you think. Please keep in mind that it is a work in progress and we are diligently working to finish it.

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Coming in June...EQ 7

2010-04-22T17:37:00.000-05:00

That's right...EQ 7 is on the way! The Electric Quilt Company is releasing a new version this June. This new version is supposed to integrate quilting and digital photos. It boasts 79 new features including artistic effects on photos such as making everyday photos look like watercolors or impressionist paintings. This should be another winner from EQ.

Hello Fellow Quilters!

2010-04-22T16:38:00.000-05:00

I guess it's only appropriate to begin with a brief introduction. My name is Vicki and I love to quilt. My mother taught me to sew when I was about 8. In the beginning I was obsessed with making one particular item....underwear! Yes, that's right, underwear. I must have made enough underwear for an entire community. Like any good mother, my mother continued to buy all the supplies I needed to make more and more underwear. I think we each had enough underwear to last a lifetime. I eventually branched out and made other things. I got hooked on quilting about 3 years ago. It's such a fun and unique hobby.

I should also mention that I am happily married to a US Air Force active duty man, Rick, who is obsessed with more manly things, like Jeeps. We have 2 children, Hannah (13) and Jake (6). We currently live in Texas but we've lived in a multitude of places including Las Vegas, Montana, Germany, and Florida.

My mother, Judy, has also been sewing since she was a little girl. She is amazing. She loves to sew and she's very creative. She also loves to do machine embroidery. She taught my daughter, Hannah, how to sew. Now Hannah makes purses, bulldogs, and quilts! She is a very talented young lady. My mother also taught my step dad, Gene, how to quilt and embroider. He has made several quilts that are absolutely gorgeous. Gene is quite the man. However, he's more accurately described as an accident waiting to happen. He's done everything from crashing a motorcycle to singeing off his eyebrows. Yes, that's right, he burned them right off his head. That's a story for another day.

My mother and I enjoy quilting so much and we love to share our knowledge with others. So, we hope that you enjoy your visit and learn something new.