Our Halloween Goodies...

DIY: 60 Degree Angle Triangle Quilt Tutorial

Here is a tutorial for putting together a 60 degree angle quilt.

I really enjoy the playful geometric design of this quilt and hope this will be helpful for your future 60 degree project.

To begin, I will demonstrate how to cut a 60 degree angle.  It can seem a bit unnerving, but it is easy to learn and brings design options to a whole new level!

First, find the 60 degree line on your cutting ruler.

Make sure you use your cutting mat!  I just photographed it this way to better show the lines I am referring to.

Align your 60 degree angle with the top of the fabric.  Cut along the left side.

 

Flip your ruler, align the 60 degree angle with the top of your fabric AND THE POINT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FABRIC, then cut along the right side of the ruler.

 Continue flipping and cutting until you have as many triangles you need from each fabric.

 See, easy peasy!

Now, on to fabric requirements (based off 5" x WOF strips)...

Doll Quilt (approx. 19" x 17"): 36 triangles
Baby Quilt (approx. 34" x 43"):  150 triangles

The doll quilt has four rows, each with nine triangles.
The baby quilt has 10 rows, each with 15 triangles.

Lay out the triangles on a flat surface.

These quilts are stitched together row-by-row.  Stitch triangles together like so...

overlap, right-sides-together, stitch...

and press seams open. 

Now stitch rows together.

As you are doing so, try to match the points (circled in the below image).

It would look something like this with right-sides-together.

Stitch and press seams open.

Cut ends straight using your ruler.

Bright and cheerful!

It wasn't until after cutting the triangles that I realized I had a repeating print.  The bright pink and orange fabrics with white spots.  Drats!  I considered using these orange squares instead, but I am running rather low on this fabric and decided to stick with the orange dots.  Those spots shout at me every time I look at these pics, but hopefully when its actually wrapped around my daughters doll I won't notice it so much.

Enjoy!

Then he heard it again!

... Just a very faint yelp

As if some tiny person were calling for help.

"I'll help you," said Horton.  "But who are you?  Where?"

He looked and he looked.  But could see nothing there

But a small speck of dust blowing past through the air.

(only a weed gone to seed, but reminds me of the clover the inhabitants of Whoville journeyed on.)

So you know what I think? ... Why, I think there must

Be someone on top of that small speck of dust!

Some sort of creature of very small size,

Too small to be seen by an elephants eyes...

"...some poor little person who's shaking with fear

That he'll blow in the pool!  He has no way to steer!

I'll just have to save him.  Because, after all,

A person's a person, no matter how small."

                      Dr. Seuss                                          

stack of binding

i love $4 flat folds

 

Totally digging the "eggs" on the bottom fabric.  

I also pulled out my Halloween fabric...should be fun!

love note

From my son on my birthday.  Absolutely perfect!

Bee blocks

Thank you for all the great birthday messages!  It was a wonderful day.  Very low key and chill.  A great day spent as a family.

Speaking of aging, this little dude is 9 months.  Still such a happy baby.  I would have 10 more babies just like him, if only I was guaranteed his temperament in each of them.  Maybe it's a good thing I tend to have screaming babies. :)

These are blocks I recently finished for a couple Bees I am part of.  I had others to show you but my phone went to phone heaven before I got them off...booo.  :(

I really enjoy wonky star blocks and this one was no different.  It is for the We Bee Modern Too group.

These two asterick blocks are for the do. Good Stitches group I am part of.  The quilter this month said to feel free to be as wonky/improv as we wanted.  So I did! 

There is nothing more exciting in the quilting process for me then the freedom of improv.  Taking a little of this and a little of that.  Chopping here and chopping there.  I didn't have any real vision as to how these were going to turn out but I don't know that I could be much happier!

It may not look like it, but this one is actually square...at least I hope it was.  Pretty sure I double checked before sending it off.  Maybe I should have a third time.  :)

Happy weekend people!

Happy Birthday to ME!!

Surprisingly, 30 feels a whole lot like 29...hmmm, who knew!?

This past decade has been a great one.  Full of wonderful memories and difficult trials.  Big milestones and small sweet moments.  I'm looking forward to what the next 10 years will bring.

As part of my birthday celebration I wanted to offer a special discount in my Etsy shop.   I was planning 30% off (for obvious reasons) but then I got thinking, "I'm only turning 30 once, let's really celebrate!"

So, to all of my readers, I am offering 50% OFF EVERYTHING!  Yip, patterns and quilts.  I even have a couple pattern bundles at an already discounted price.  Add the 50% off and you get one sweet deal.

To receive this rockin' discount, enter code 30TODAY at checkout.  This code is good for today ONLY!  

Enjoy your day.

show and tell

Read to the bottom for a special offer!


Back to school! Summer is fun but I really enjoy the routine and structure that comes with school.  Plus, the weather cools down and so do the weeds!  My garden was such a failure this summer.  I couldn't keep up with it.

First, I got a late start on planting.  Then only half of what I did plant even grew.  I found myself so busy (and strangely tired!) that I hardly spent the time in the garden it required.  August took over my garden with weeds and now I am looking forward to cooler weather.

I did manage to get a couple quilts sewn this summer.

This was my first 60° quilt.  I'm really happy with the way it turned out!

I absolutely LOVE the back!  The colors and quilting look awesome together.  It's posted in my shop.

This other quilt is for my cousins new baby boy.  Mama is a bright and bold sort of woman and I felt these fabrics fit the bill quite well.

I really enjoyed pulling fabrics from my stash for this.  I normally wouldn't match several of them together, but with the combination as a whole I really like the way it came together.  So much so that I will probably be making a couple for my home!

It is back completely with Kona Aqua and bound with Kona Chartreuse. 

Guess what!?  I turn 30 tomorrow.  Crazy, people!

I'm looking forward to my 30's.  No real reason, just seems like a great age.

I have something special planned for my readers, but your going to have to wait until tomorrow to find out what it is.  It will be for ONE DAY ONLY so don't miss it.  It'll be good!

DIY: double fold binding tape

I know, TWO tutorials in one day.  Amazing!!  They went together so I felt it only made sense to post them together...right!?   :)

This is a great binding for home decor projects because it is made with raw edges tucked into the binding center.  This is not the type of binding I use for my quilts.  

Keep in mind, this is NOT bias tape.  "Bias" suggests it was cut from the fabric at an angle.  This tape was simply cut straight across the fabric.

Here is a tutorial for making 1/2" double fold binding tape. 

What you'll need:

2 1/4" x WOF strip (if you need more then one WOF, stitch multiple lengths together to get your desired length)

iron and ironing board

Here is an image to show where the finished pressed edges will be.

1.  Begin by pressing your strip in half lengthwise.

2.  Open your seam and fold one long raw edge toward the pressed line you just made (the center of the strip).  You want the raw edge to be just shy of the binding center to reduce bulk when it is finished.

3.  Repeat with the other long raw edge.  Be sure to press it just shy of the center as you did with the other edge.

4.  Now fold in half along your first press line.  If you want to press that fold again, go for it!

That's it!  Like I said, it's great as binding for home decor projects (like this and this) because the raw edges are folded into the binding.

DIY: prairie point garland

Real quickly...the race last weekend was AWESOME!!!  I'm so glad I participated in it.  I'll post more about that later.

I have a non-quilting tutorial for you today...YAY!!  It is super quick and very easy...it is a prairie point garland!  

When I was a little girl, I had a soft pink little blanket with prairie points around the edge.  I think it might have actually been my older sisters, but I sort of inherited it.  I LOVED that blanket.

Prairie points are such a fun cheerful design; whether as a binding, accent, or all by themselves.

Here is a tutorial for making a 13 point x 44" wide garland. 

To get started, you will need

13- 3" squares for prairie points

1/2" double fold binding tape

basic sewing supplies

1.  Take one of your squares...

and press, wrong sides together, in half diagonally.

2.  Fold in half again along the long edge and press.

3.  Make a prairie point train.  One point biting the backside of the point to its right.  Overlap the two fabrics by 1/2".  Pin.

4.  Stitch the prairie points together, approximately 1/4" from the edge.  This step isn't absolutely necessary, but I did it so my points wouldn't shift when stitching them into the binding strip.

5.  Insert the strip of points into the binding strip.  Find the center of your binding strip.  Place the center of the middle point in the center of the binding strip.  Pin at about every other point and stitch (backstitch at the ends).

And voila, you done!  

You will have approx. 9 1/2" binding strip on either of the prairie points...

to tie a knot for hanging.

Now, go hang your petite decoration and adore!