Tutorial link and GIFTS

My favorite magazine to buy every year is Quilting Arts GIFTS issue.  Always chuck full of things I want to make! I spied this at Hobby Lobby earlier this week and snatched it up.

Of course sitting beside it was this:

Which  upon flipping through I had to have as well.  Also very inspiring and I can't wait to play with some of those patterns.

I have been busy all week working on a Quillow tutorial which I posted on the Quilters Crossing blog so please check it out if you have time. Great for a quick gift!

 Below is one of the Quillows all folded up in its pillow form. For this sample I used Kate Spain's Terrain line which I am absolutely loving! 

I also made up the free pattern for Terrain from Moda's website. Here is a work in progress shot:(All the blocks completed and laying out) Check out the secondary patterns created...

Then I added the white border but I had a whole bunch of 2.5x 10" strips leftover from the layer cake so I made a piano key border to use them up. Did I mention I love this fabric line?????

I really like the end result, I can't wait to quilt it!

I think I am going to keep this baby for me after it has a run in the shop as a sample- we are going to make kits for this too!

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

http://www.unitednotions.com/un_main.nsf/fp_quilting

Mug Rug Tutorial

Mug rugs are all over the internet right now.

 I just had to make one! 

I started with a 5"square which I will be using as a foundation for my selvage strips.

I weeded through my pile-o-selvages.

And found 8-10 that are sort of the same color family so they'll look like a spool of the same color thread in the end. I chose yellow here so I also chose to use yellow thread since it will show:

To make your spool: Lay a selvage strip at the bottom of your square and top stitch it down along the bottom edge. 

Lay another selvage strip on and overlap it with the top of the first strip and topstitch it down along its bottom edge as well.

Continue laying strips on, always overlapping with the last strip sewn, and stitch them down. Your edges will be goofy but you'll square them up later. Stop when you fill your square with strips as shown.

Trim your block down to (wide) 4" x 5" (tall).

Add background strips to each 5" side by sewing 1" strips on.

Next add the top and bottom of the spool with 1.25" strips of brown.

And here the little spool!

(***The block colors will now dramatically change, this is due to the fact that I did not take photos when I did the first spools because I hadn't made them before and wasn't sure if they would turn out. I went back and remade one in yellow so I could show you a full tutorial!*****)

For my mug rug I made two spool blocks and turned one sideways. I added an extra strip of background above the sideways one for the word to be embroidered on. I also attached a narrow 1" strip between the two spools just so you could see each spool a little clearer.

After I embroidered "Spools" on it my mug rug top was done and ready to be quilted!

 I wanted to have the option of hanging my mug rug so I added these super easy hanging corners. To make them start with two 3.5" squares of fabric:

Press them diagonally wrong side in.

Pin them to the upper back corners of the mug rug.

Baste in place.

Next I made and sewed on the binding just as I would with any quilt:

And when I turn the binding over to the back I hand stitch it in place just as always pulling the binding edge over the triangle edges and basting stitches, then I can just slide a chop stick in the little pockets created there.

And hang it on the wall!

In my new sewing room where else? Pictures of that will have to wait though!

I hope this inspires some mug rug making out there. I am kind of in love with this one now so I will have to make another to swap at the shop!