April 28, 2017

May Machine Embroidery Classes

I have all of my samples ready to show you for the May classes at Quilts and Lace.  I had a lot of fun stitching them and I can't wait to share them with you! 

The first one is the May Flowers bench pillow from the Kimberbell Embroidery design line.  Very cute and just in time for a nice Mother's Day gift.  Most of the pillow's design is done on the embroidery machine, but there are a few extra dimensional goodies added.  I will be teaching this one on Thursday May 11 starting at 10:00 AM.


Here in the close-ups you can see the added ribbon flowers, buttons, and even a little bee.




Beth promised that at least every other month she would have a class available for her customers whose embroidery machines were only capable of stitching out a 4x4 design. To fulfil this promise for the Kimberbell Embroidery Club, which is on Tuesday May 23 at 4:00 PM, I selected a very cute little 'stitch and flip' house project.  This class is a good one for learning how to do a modified style of paper piecing, only it's done in the embroidery machine. 


On Monday May 29th at 10:00 AM, I will be teaching how to make a little gift bag in the hoop.  It is a very clever Kimberbell design, made completely in the hoop and the little bag is even lined.  It's from the Sweet Sentiments collection.


Then on Tuesday May 30 at 2:00 PM there will be another mug rug class.  I already posted the picture  here.  It is the very cute Bless My Bloomers one.

Next week I will give you a little sneak peek on how the competition quilts are progressing!

April 22, 2017

A New Look and a Class Update

I recently decided that I needed to update and refresh my blog's look and design, so I reached out for some help.  A fellow Stampin Up friend, Catherine, referred me to a good friend of hers, Patsy Waggoner.  Patsy has done a wonderful job and I think it looks perfect.  Thank you for your help Patsy!

I have successfully made it through teaching my first two classes at Quilts and Lace!  I was pretty nervous, but the ladies were super nice and we had a great time.  I think everyone was pleased with their final product.  First up was the Bunny Mug Rug class on Saturday, super cute!




The second class was the Bunny Tea Towel on Tuesday.  A couple of ladies from Saturday's class joined us again.


I think everyone had a great time and I hope they will keep coming to the classes.  I have four classes in May that I will be teaching.  I don't have all of my samples for them completed yet, but I do have the next mug rug one ready.

May 30 Mug Rug Sample
 As soon as I have the other samples made I will post them here.  I hope if you live in the Brevard County area you will join us!

April 07, 2017

Tree Collars

I thought today I would show you how I get from and idea and/or inspiration and then create my version of the project.  To show you an example of how I do this, I picked a project that I worked on last year.  I was shopping in one of my favorite places for inspiration, Pier One, when I came across this Christmas Tree Collar (seen below).  It was not what I wanted exactly, not to mention it retailed for around 100 dollars, but it was a great idea.  I liked that it was a much 'cleaner' look than the traditional tree skirt. I decided to ask Chantell of Chantells Creations for some help.

Pier One Tree Collar

Chantell and I decided that it was a good idea to make them in two different heights.  First, some trees need a taller collar, some need a shorter one, it just depends on the tree stand's height.  Second, its always a good idea to offer the designs in smaller hoop sizes since not every one has the bigger size available to them. 

As you can see they would have been beautiful just by picking really good fabrics. 

Shorter Tree Collar Panel

Taller Tree Collar Panel
Since I love applique, I felt that they needed a little more decoration!  Here are a few samples of some of the panels with applique added to them.  Aren't they even cuter?  Good fabric and cute designs.





They look a little different on the larger sized panel since the designs are the same size it's just the panel that is taller.


Here are the finished collars for both sized tree stands.  I actually put up two Christmas trees every year, so having both sizes really worked out for me.

The shorter tree collar

Taller Tree Collar
See how nice and clean it looks with the collar instead of a tree skirt? I didn't put designs on all of the panels, just the ones that are facing out.  But the great thing about this is that you can purchase the design panels and make them however you want.

So you can see how the idea and inspiration come together to make a new original one of a kind project!