The Birth Day Cake...quilt

I just finished up a gift for my friend's new baby. I'm not much of a quilter - I maybe make one quilt a year. But when little Bo was born, I knew that he needed a quilt. I made his parents a quilt when they got married - it was the second quilt I ever made!

I looked around and decided on Elizabeth Hartman's Birthday Cake quilt. Her website is down, so I don't have the link...

But here's the finished quilt!

His mom and I looked at a lot of fabric online and decided on these. It's very wilderness! I made some pattern modifications: (1) I used yardage rather than fat quarters...only because that's all I could buy - so I used four brown and four blue (rather than five), (2) I made it (almost) crib sized - so it's 36" x 56" - there are fewer blocks, 3) I placed the blocks in a pattern, and (4) because of that, I had to cut a specific number of blocks out of each piece of fabric. 

I also had quite a bit left over, so I pieced the back.

The white fabric on the bottom is one yard of some extra fabric that I bought. It looked better on the back. I quilted it myself, so I really had to work to get the back even...and it was! I know a pieced back is a longarmer's worst nightmare!

 

I did a lot of straight stitching when I quilted it. I also used polyester batting - Warm and Bright. I learned that baby quilts take a lot of beating, so poly batting holds up better. I was worried about the draping, but after I washed it, it wasn't so stiff. 

Here's my assessment of the pattern. I love the design and it was really easy to modify. I hate cutting and there's a lot of cutting - you make the blocks then cut them to the correct size; this makes for an even quilt...but...cutting...ick.

Overall, I have to say that I enjoy baby quilts...they are small, easy to put together, and manageable to quilt! Plus, it's such fun fabric, who could resist!?

Fabric Deer Head!

Ok, before I start I need to be clear. I like my animals alive. I'm not into adorning my walls with deer heads and other animal parts. BUT...my friend and her hubby are. They are anglers and hunters, so when their baby was born, it's no surprise that they decorated his room with a "lodge" theme. 

My friend shared her Pinterest board and it gave me some ideas. Then I found this super cute fabric deer head by Charming Doodle. 

I pretty much followed the pattern, which is unusual for me...especially with a free pattern. But it's a goodie. I only made one change....and it's because I HATE PATTERN PIECES! Hate them. I think it's why I don't make clothes. Yuck. So rather than use pattern pieces to cut this out, I traced the designs on to a sheerweight fusible. 

I cut the pieces out a little larger than the design, then fused them on the back of my brown denim. Oh, and I didn't use felt for the ears - instead, I used double-sided fusible and fused the brown fabric to the antler fabric. Felt would work but I didn't have any!

Here they are all cut out and ready to go! I followed the directions and finished it up. 

You have to be a little patient to stuff it...the antlers are a bit of a pain - so just stuff little bits at a time.  

I plan on attaching this to an oval plaque (once I get it painted). The final size is about 22". I love it and can't wait to see it in little Bo's room!

Part Two: Creating the Wood Mount.

Cuddle Beach Ball!

I've been playing around a bit more with the Shannon Fabrics Lagoona Cuddle. While I was on Pinterest, I spied this cute beach ball pattern from The Purl Bee! I found my next project!

Like some of you, I often approach patterns a bit differently because I want things to sew together easily. So I downloaded The Purl Bee pattern, cut out the medium sized beach ball, and made some changes. Here's what I did differently:

I traced the pattern on to the smooth side of some Pellon Sheerweight fusible interfacing. I used a Sharpie Fine Tip permanent marker.

Then I fused them to the Shannon Cuddle. I put a dot at one end so the direction/nap stayed the same.

I cut them out and laid them so all the dots were at the top.

Using a 1/4" seam, I sewed them together, two at a time. A walking foot makes this process go quickly. Also, make your stitches longer - like 3mm.

Then I sewed two together. I did pin - which I normally don't do. But it really helped keep things aligned. Remember...dots at the top!

When you sew them together, start at the seam at the top.

Line up the seams at the bottom then sew down until you reach the seam. And always backstitch!

 You'll end up with these.

Join them together (dots at the top). And start sewing from the top. As you approach the bottom, line up your seams and continue sewing all the way around, stopping when you are about 1" to 1 1/2" from where you started.

Turn right side out through the hole.












 

And stuff. Firm. Fairfield Polyester Fiberfill is the best - it doesn't get bunchie!

Using a ladder stitch, sew the opening closed. I love the ladder stitch!

And now on the top of the beach ball. I found a wine glass with a base that was about 2" - I have a collection of these wine glasses from wine tasting events on Market Street in Corning! YUMMY!



I placed the glass on the smooth side of my sheer weight interfacing...

...and traced the base with a mechanical pencil. I did a rough cut. DO NOT cut out the circle - you don't need to! YAY!


You'll need FOUR pieces of interfacing. I originally only cut two - but changed my mind and cut two more.

I fused four pieces of interfacing to the back of four pieces of Shannon Fabrics Silky Satin Solid!



Satin can fray a bit, so this is why I fused interfacing to all four pieces.

Put the satin RST and pin. Then sew RIGHT ON THE LINE that you drew.

This is a bit of a pain, but I sew a few stitches, needle down, lift the foot, rotate, sew a few stitches...etc. Always backstitch when you begin and end. SEW ALL THE WAY AROUND!

NOTE: You can see here the one side didn't have the interfacing. I fused it on afterwards.




Slice ONE side of the fabric. Trim off excess (so you have about 1/4" seam alowance).

Turn right side out through the slice.

Using a turning tool (like a knitting needle), flatten your circle and press.

VIOLA! See how great the front looks! And no one will ever see the back!

Pin to the top of the beach ball with the nice side up (obviously!).

Sew the circle to the beach ball. I worked the needle through and in between the seam area. It hid my stitches.

DONE! Now repeat on the other side!

This would be really easy to make into a "taggie" just by randomly adding ribbon. Here it is with my three Cuddle Cubes!





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The Cuddle Cube! Free Pattern!

OK, I don't have kids or grand kids, so when Ellen at Shannon Fabrics sent me this adorable Lagoona Cuddle by Dana Brooks, I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. I am working on a purse for Ellen (!) and might make myself a beautiful Cuddle Scrunchie Scarf. Then I got the news! My niece announced that she was pregnant and expecting a baby girl! So I went to work on these cute Cuddle Cubes! 

The main problem that most Cuddle beginners make (including me!) is dealing with the stretchy nature of this fabric. It's also a bit fuzzy - but nothing that a good vacuum and a lint roller can't handle! But the lovelies at Shannon Fabrics have some provided us with a series of Cuddle Tips and Tricks! 

And...I've added one of my own tips: fusi-knit fusible tricot interfacing! 

So on to the pattern! I've made it easy - with very little pinning!!

There are three sizes: 4 1/2", 3 1/2", and 2 1/2". I've provided instructions to make the big Cuddle Cube (final measurements 4 1/2" square) because it's the easiest to make. Once you've mastered the pattern, the smaller ones will go together quickly.

OVERVIEW: Because of the nature of Cuddle, I cut my squares 1" bigger, fuse interfacing, then cut them down to size. This reduces shedding and curling, and minimizes stretching.

SUPPLIES:

• 6 - 6" squares of Shannon Fabrics Cuddle
• 6 - 6" squares of Fusi-Knit interfacing (or any lightweight fusible interfacing)
• 12 - 4 1/2" pieces of satin and/or grosgrain ribbon (or any non-toxic ribbon. I avoid painted ribbon.)
• Fairfield Polyester Fiberfill
• Hand sewing needle
• Walking foot
• Schmetz 80/12 or 90/14 Universal needle
• Fabric marker

DIRECTIONS:

CUT, FUSE, and MARK:

1. Cut Cuddle fabric and interfacing. 

2. Determine the stretch of the fabric and interfacing. Each stretches more in one direction. Place Cuddle WRONG side up with stretch going vertical. Place Fusi-knit on top with stretch going horizontal. Follow manufacturer's directions and fuse from the BACK of the Cuddle. 

By fusing the stretch in different directions, you've stabilized the fabric!



3.  Cut Cuddle to 5" squares.

4.  Place each square wrong side up and mark the middle on the back of each piece. I put them on my mat and mark a bunch at once.

5. When you are done, the back of each should look like this:



















SEW!
All seams are 1/4"! Backstitch when you begin and end seams.

1. Fold ribbon in half (WST) to make a loop. 

2.  Using the following layout, place the ribbon on the RIGHT side of the Cuddle so the ends of loop are on marks. Your ribbon should extend about a 1/4" off the fabric. Pin ribbon in place, then baste using a 1/8" seam.

3. Using a fabric marker, write the corresponding number on the back of each square. This makes things less confusing! 

4. With RST, sew #2 to #3, then #3 to #4 as shown. Make sure you backstitch!

A walking foot makes this go a lot easier! You can also extend your stitch length to about 3 mm.

5.  With RST, place #1 on top of #2 as shown. Note the placement of the ribbon! Line up at marks.












 
6. Sew along the edge as shown (with #1 on top). STOP with your needle down when you are 1/4" from the end of #1. Your needle should be near or in the seam that joins #2 and #3.





7. Make sure your needle is down and lift your presser foot.





 





8. Take the lower left corner of #1 and rotate it so that it lines up with the bottom right corner of #3. Line up your marks. Fiddle and fuss with it a bit. 

NOTE: once you've rotated #1, it should extend 1/4" below #3!

9. Continue sewing until you are 1/4" from the end. Stop with needle down, and rotate #1. Fiddle and fuss a bit and line up marks. Everything should line up (it will NOT be 1/4" longer!).






10.  Repeat for #5 - I found it easiest to place #5 on top of #4 with ribbon on the top and the right side. Double check placement. With RST and #5 on top, sew #5 to cube. 

When you are done, it should look like this!



Only one side to go!







11. With RST, place #6 on any of the side pieces, lining up and pinning at one of the mid points. This will be where you start sewing. TIP: I place a pin on my marks, so when I rotate, I line up the pins - this is easier than trying to find the marks.

12. With #6 on top, start at the mark and sew around the cube, stopping and rotating as you did before. 

When you rotate the last turn, take a few stitches and stop and backstitch. 



13. Turn right side out through the hole. 

14. Stuff with Fairfield Polyester fiberfill. It should be firm.

 
15. Using a ladder stitch, hand sew opening closed. 


Here's the tiny one-it's 2 1/2" square! Be patient when making these. Once they are stuffed, any wonkiness goes away! 

To make other sizes, cut Cuddle and interfacing 5" (and fuse. Then cut down to 4"). To make the smallest size, cut 4" and fuse, then cut to 3".


Want this in PDF? Download the free pattern in my Craftsy Pattern Store!

Want to learn more!? LIKE Shannon Fabrics on Facebook!

You can purchase Shannon Cuddle on Fabric.com! 

UPDATE: And be sure to check out the Cuddle Beach Ball I made from the free pattern at The Purl Bee!

Diaper Changing Pad

I have been finishing up some baby-related items - my final project? The diaper changing pad. I think this is pretty awesome. I'm not a mom but when I was designing this I kept my friends in mind. How do you hold a baby while simultaneously folding the changing pad? I've seen lots of cute ones online but they weren't practical. They rolled or had ties. That seemed like too much work.

So this is what I came up with. I made if from PUL, high loft polyester batting, and cotton fabric. It was really easy to make (thanks to a great sewing machine and a walking foot)...until I got to the bias binding. What was I thinking? I am quite comfortable with bias binding... but what about the inside corner? I've never done an inside corner. I started to panic. So I went looking online and found this great tutorial - it helped but ...(1) the pictures were a bit confusing and (2) my changing pad was bulky due to the PUL (waterproof fabric) and the batting. I practiced and practiced and finally figured it out. 

And here's the final product!

The sides fold in.

The bottom comes up and the handle slips through the hole.

And the top folds down.

It's reversible! So you can have the PUL side up or down.






I need to make one more to get the pattern written up. It make take a while. I just finished grading 78 speeches and start the second round later this week. The upside is that my Fall Break is this weekend! YAY!

Star Wars Baby Room....

The first shipment of Star Wars-themed baby room items have arrived and have been set up! And look...Bridget even made a Star Wars mobile!

I'm also in the process of making a Chewbacca Softie that looks like this. I'll be using this pattern from Draw! Pilgrim. Really cute - I want mine to be a little more fuzzy. 

When I made my first one (the tester), I used reverse applique on the face. I zig-zagged around the edges in hopes of making it more furry. This is when I decided that he looked more like Sasquatch than Chewie. I wanted more fur.

If you want this to be more baby-friendly, you could forgo the beads and use stitches on your machine. I did some sample stitches on my Bernina 240 and found that the eyelet stitch  (#16) works great for eyes. And #52 worked for the nose. To give them some "ooomph" I used black top-stitching thread; it's thicker and filled in better. I made the mouth with Peltex - it's stiffer than felt - and did some extra stitches to show teeth.

If I can't find fur at JoAnn, I'll check out Surplus City in Williamsport, PA. If you are ever in the area, you HAVE TO check this place out. It has hardware...craft supplies...AWESOME!