Pink Simplicity

So,

this is where I left off when I pooped out at about 9:30 last night!

And, also about the same time I realized that I'm going to have to take a little blog break this week to get everything done (camper quilts, washing all the camper linens, the guys riding gear, prepping yummy camping food . . . ;)!

Side Note:

I'm absolutely smitten with this camper and flowers quilting pantograph and my new Greengate ironing board cover, too ;) ;) ;)!!

But, I wanted to pop in, say "Hi", let you all know I'd be gone from the blog the rest of this week, and to wish you all a great Memorial Day Weekend (I hope it's filled with the people you love and the things you enjoy)!

See you all next week ;)!

TTFN,

Kelly

It's that time of year again

and I'm giddy with excitement! Our first camping trip with friends is coming up!

Last year, I was insanely busy as we converted a covered trailer (completely empty) into our little home away from home. Somehow with all of the painting, floor laying, and stocking of the thing with dishes and such, I did manage to get the curtains and duvet cover made before our camping trip in the mountains of Colorado! Yes, duvet cover – it gets down in the 30's some nights when you're out in the middle of nowhere, mountain land, and there's only so much our Little Buddy heater can handle ;)! I'll see if I can find the pictures, and maybe do a little "Before and After" post soon ;).

But, I didn't get any quilts made for the bed for us to use while we are camping around here.

Time got away from me (again). So, I'm putting these cuties aside for a bit.

Side Note: This is why I have so many pincushions and pins. It's a dirty little secret of mine, but I love pinning and it really does help me to make the finished product neater. I call it "couch work", and try to schedule my projects so that each step is ready for the next pinning stage before I leave the sewing room in the afternoon, then I pin at night while we are watching movies, and they are ready for the machine the next day ;).

Ok, back to camping. Originally, I was going to make one quilt, but I fell so in love with both of these fabrics that I decided to make two (which will be nice to have for cooler evenings anyway ;).

Oddly enough, loving to quilt as I do, I really like whole cloth quilts for beds (picture the contemplating emoji here ;)! And both of these gorgeous Flower Sugar prints by Lecien are so beautiful they sort of scream whole-cloth-quilts

especially with the added touch of this darling "Road Trip" quilting pantograph!

I better scoot, and get to quilting.

Have a great weekend, girls ;)!

TTFN,

Kelly

Happy Friday lovely ladies! How was your week? Ours was much less stressful (thank goodness) though still busy, so not much time for sewing. Our son graduates from college tomorrow, so I've been busy getting ready for his graduation party. And, next week, Kate and Matt are heading out of town for a friend's wedding, so Tate gets to come and stay with us for five days ;)! But, I still have a fun pattern for you this week! I haven't mentioned it, but I had a blog called Charming Chatter for several years before I took a break, and then started this one. And, I've been meaning to transfer the Free Patterns from the old blog over here so they'd all be in one place – so perfect timing ;). While I'm working on new patterns, I can share these with all of you ;).  We'll start with this one, which was a favorite over at Charming Chatter! It's called Pretty Little Trivets and Hot Pads!

As a side note, the two smaller trivets also make darling Candle Mats or Scentsy Warmer Mats ;). So, here it is – a blast from the past ;) – first posted June 28, 2013 ;)! Enjoy!

Alright, let's talk kitchen goodies, girls!

I just love Dresden blocks, don't you? And right now, I'm especially in love with these

what I call "Chunky" Dresdens. There are only 12 fat little petals/blades in each block, and a nice big, round circle.

My hot pads were in really bad shape, and I needed trivets, too. So, I thought I'd put my love of Chunky Dresdens to practical use – and thought it would be fun to share a tutorial with you sweet girls. The hot pads are 7 ½" finished, and the trivets are 6", 9", 12", and 15" finished. This way, we have some for our little and big pots and pans.

Here are the pattern templates for each trivet in PDF Format for you to Download:

6" Dresden Plate

9" Petal Dresden 

12" Dresden Plate

15" Petal Dresden

These blocks would also make adorable quilts, so if you don't need trivets, I thought maybe you might enjoy them for quilting purposes!

Here are the supplies you will need:

6" Trivet

12 – 2 ½" Squares for Blades

1 – 4 ½" Square for Center

1 – 8" Square for Backing

1 – 8" Square Batting (or Insul-Bright)

9" Trivet

12 – 3 ¼" Squares for Petals

1 – 6" Square for Center

1 – 11" Square for Backing

1 – 11" Square Batting

12" Trivet

12 – 4" Squares for Petals

1 – 7" Square for Center

1 – 14" Square for Backing

1 – 14" Square Batting

15" Trivet

12 – 5" Squares for Petals

1 – 9" Square for Center

1 – 17" Square for Backing

1 – 17" Square Batting

Hot Pads (for Two)

50 – 2" Squares

2 – 9 ½" Squares for Backing

2 – 9 ½" Squares Insul-Bright

8 – 8 ½" Strips ½" Lace (Optional)

2 – 2" x 44" Strips for Binding

Optional: 10 – 2" White Squares for Stamping or Fussy Cut, and 40 – 2" Multi-Colored Squares, 2 Buttons for Hanging Loops, and 4 – 3 ½" squares for stamped blocks on back

Making Templates for Trivets

I printed the pattern templates out twice (to cut one with and one without the seam allowance). To make file folder templates (my templates to store and use repeatedly), glue the printed template paper (I use a glue stick) to a file folder. I only cut one center circle and one petal/blade for each block from file folders.

To make your freezer paper templates, trace the template without the seam allowance on the non-shiny side of your freezer paper. Iron the shiny side of that paper to the dull side another sheet of freezer paper, and cut out on the line. You will need one center circle and 12 petals/blade templates for each trivet you make. Note: You can reuse your freezer paper templates two or three times.

REMEMBER: You are using the template with no seam allowance.

Making the Trivets

1.    Iron the freezer paper template to the wrong side of the fabric for your center and your 12 petals/blades. I used several different fabrics for mine, but I think they'd be cute with the same color petals, too.

2.    Carefully cut around the outside of the template, leaving a ¼" seam allowance on all sides. Note: For the circles, I like to leave a bit larger seam allowance (about 3/8^th's inches). For the petals/blades, I used a rotary cutter on all of the straight sides (placing my ¼" line on the template line). For the rounded edges, I used my file folder template with seam allowance to trim the petals/blades more accurately.

3.    Leaving your templates on your pieces, give them a quick press. Note: You can remove the templates if you'd like, I left them in because it was easier to see, and made the stitching easier for me (especially the curves around the petals).

4.    Lay out your twelve petals in the order you would like them to be stitched.

5.    Place two petals right sides together, and stitch along the side. Add another petal and stitch, until you've stitched all twelve together. Then, fold the block in half, and stitch your first and last petal together.

6.    Leaving the templates in, press the seams open.

7.    With your file folder template (without the seam allowance) carefully mark your pivot points with a dot with your pencil (just at the corner where the template changes directions).

8.    Make your quilt sandwich. Batting on the bottom, then backing fabric (be sure it is face up), and then your Dresden (face down) – so that your backing and top are faced right sides together, as we will be turning them inside out.

9.    Using the templates as a guide, stitch all the way around your Dresden plate, pivoting at your pivot markings.

10.    Trim off the excess batting and backing at the ¼" seam allowance.

Clip your inner points, and around the curve of your petals. I'm pretty brutal with my trimming – there is quite a bit of bulk so I trim the entire edge down to closer to 1/8".

11.    Turn right side out, and press.

12.    Align your circle in the middle and hand applique it to the center.

To make the center circle, I use the corn-starch method. You can spray some starch in a bowl or make your own (1 heaping ¼ tsp. corn starch and ¼ cup warm water – mix well). Then, using a paint brush, paint the corn starch on in two inch section.

Pull the fabric over gently with your fingers and press, working your way around the entire circle.

Leave the freezer paper template in until you are ready to applique your circle.

When you are ready, give the circle a quick press, and carefully pull away the seam allowance from the template. Press again, and you're ready to stitch.

13.    Quilt as desired. I quilted a cross-hatch in the center, and then quilted about ¼" around each petal. I used masking tape instead of marking lines in the center

Voila – one very pretty little trivet to brighten up your kitchen.

Hot Pads

These are so simple, I'll be quick here.

1.    Lay out your 2" squares in 5 rows of 5 squares each.

2.    Stitch the squares together to make your rows.

3.    Stitch your five rows together.

4.    Make your quilt sandwich backing (facing out), batting, and hot pad top (facing up) – standard quilt sandwich as there will be no turning here.

5.    Quilt as desired.

6.    Pin your lace to each side of your hot pad and stitch using 1/8" seam.

7.    Lay your binding over the lace, and bind! Easy Peasy!

But, they make really pretty little hot pads, no?

Optional: You can use a piece of your left over binding to make a hanging loop. Trim your binding to one inch wide (1/2" when folded). Press the raw edges in ¼" on each side to make a 3 ¾" x ¼" piece.

Run a stitch just inside the edge to close up the strip.

Attach both ends to the top corner edge of the hot pad, and cover with a pretty button!

Such fun little hot pads :0)!!

I almost like the back better than the front (it happens to me sometimes :0)!

My daughter Kate wants a set, so I'll be making more – which is fine with me because these were really fun to sew

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and that you have fun stitching up some pretty little trivets and hot pads of your own. These would also make great little gifts – for house warmings or Christmas don't ya think? If you do stitch some up, I hope you'll send me a picture – I'd love to see them!

Have a wonderful weekend girls!

TTFN,

Kelly

I finished Baby Aubrey's first quilt this week, and I sure hope Kate likes it.

It's a simple panel quilt , and I quilted it using an adorable pantograph called "Diaper Pins".

While I was quilting, I was thinking about how much we love this sweet baby girl, who will be here in July!

I've also been working on a new project to cute-n things up around here! I don't have much to show you, but here's a little peek at my fabric pulls.

I'm super excited about this one, and am working on a pattern in case you all love it as much as I do!

Have an awesome weekend ladies ;)!

TTFN,

Kelly

As I was stitching the buttons on to finish up the embellishments, I was thinking about just how much FUN I've had making this quilt!

I always enjoy sewing, but this one was just so much fun to make – from tracing the fun shapes, to choosing fabric, to the applique, embroidery, and I'm thinking the embellishments were the most fun part of all. So, big thank you's and XOXO to Lori Holt of Bee In My Bonnet!

Since I just don't find enough time to sew as much as I'd like, I decided to machine applique (it's so much quicker) this one using a very small blanket stitch, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I used my Winter Wonderland pantograph to quilt this one – it has these darling snowflakes with hearts that I love!

Here is another favorite part of the quilting process for me

unrolling it from the frame when I've finished quilting it – it's the first time I really see it in "quilt" form ;)!

I backed it with this darling snowman print from Lori's Cozy Christmas line. I didn't order enough, so I had to add that strip of white to make it fit.

NOTE TO SELF: Factor in the direction of the print when ordering backing ;).

Here is a close up of a few of my favorite blocks:

the sweet little gingerbread cottage,

and the Christmas tree, all buttoned up to look a lot like our real Christmas tree (which is decked out with lots of pink ornaments ;)

the Christmas wreath with lots of love ;)

the Hot Cocoa with giant marshmallows (because the Marshmallows are the best part ;),

this chunky little stocking with its ric-rac trim and heart hanger, and even this

sort of messed up little gingerbread man! You see I was going for a Gingerbread Angel, but when my husband saw it he said "Oh – a Ninja Gingerbread Man", and laughed because he knew I was going for an angel. Then I cracked up, because in all honesty, he does look a bit Ninja-y ;)! I thought about fixing it, but we both got such a laugh out of our differing interpretations that I had to leave it in – sometimes imperfections give special meaning, or a little giggle every time you see them – and well, this is one of those ;)!

Yup, I love this one – imperfections and all!

TTFN,

Kelly

I think I'll call her "Sunny" or maybe "Hello Sunshine", because these little Dresden Plates remind me so much of sunshine!

This quilt was a classic case of love at first sight! When I first saw this pattern (Sugar Dish) by Cluck Cluck Sew, I just had to make this quilt. I added a few rows, including an extra row of Dresden Sunshine to make it a little larger.

And, I used "Fresh Air" fabric by American Jane for Moda.

And, although it's made of 30's fabric, it reminded me so much of Spring time (again – those sunny little Dresdens), that I decided to quilt it with my "Butterfly Garden" pantograph!

And, my new Gammil has a fun little feature

that tells the machine running time (it takes a lot longer to quilt with loading, rolling, adjusting, etc.), and the number of quilting stitches in the quilt! So, this quilt took almost 2 ½ hours of quilting time and has almost 95,000 quilting stitches in it :0)!

I think we're going to be snuggling with this one for a long time to come ;)!

TTFN,

Kelly

It really is the little things in life that bring so much joy. And, today, I'm almost giddy over these cute little Dish Draining Mats I made for washing dishes! I'm a firm believer in using your best china and finest silverware (and even cloth napkins) every day, but I can't bring myself to put them in the dishwasher.

So, needless to say, with all the cooking we do around here, I spend a lot of time washing dishes, and these darling little Flower Sugar Maison mats – well, they just made doing dishes a lot sweeter ;)!

Here is a quick tutorial for you, if you'd like to make some! They're Super Cute and Super Simple!

Fabric

1 – 18" x 24" Rectangle Cotton Canvas

1 – 22" x 28" Rectangle Piece Batting (or 2 for more water absorption)

1 – 22" x 28" Rectangles Muslin

2 – 2 ¼" x WOF for Binding

Basting Spray

Sewing

1. Layer one piece of muslin on top of the other. Fold the top piece back half way, spray with basting spray and smooth out. Then, fold the bottom of the top piece up half way, spray and smooth out. Repeat this step with your batting, and finally your cotton canvas layer.

2. Quilt as desired. I did a simple cross-hatch, and I used painter's tape to mark my lines so I wouldn't have to draw on the fabric.

3. Trim and bind.

4. Marvel at the darling dish drying mats you made (that are so much cuter than the ones you can buy), when you are washing your dishes ;)!

I even made one for our camper!

Of course we don't have nice dishes in there (though we do have cloth napkins ;) – but, we also don't have a dishwasher, so . . . . ;). This goes perfectly with the Flower Sugar décor I did the camper in last year! I fussy cut some of those darling dishes – might make some fun little tea towels and hot pads for the camper with them ;)!

I just tried one out for the first time with this morning's dishes! They aren't quite as absorbent as the one I got at Bed, Bath, and Beyond – but, plenty absorbent for us and seriously you guys, they win on the Happiness, Cuteness, So Make Me Smile Factor

hands down ;)!

TTFN,

Kelly

Today, I'm welcoming "Happy Homemaker" to our snuggly quilt family!

This one was truly a labor of love, and I'm so happy with how she turned out! This was a free tutorial for a Kansas Dug Out quilt from Rita over at Red Pepper Quilts, and I couldn't be more grateful ;)!

This quilt composed of 480 different colored fabrics, and more than 20 tone-on-tone white fabrics, and 480 Y-Seams (yikes)! The fabrics range almost my entire quilting life, scraps from some of my first quilts, all the way up to and including fabric I had when I started cutting! It is backed with Lori Holt's Days of the Week white and yellow print from Calico Days, which fits this quilt perfectly.

It includes bits and pieces of fabrics covering cooking, gardening, preparing celebrations for all of the holidays, cleaning, laundry, storybook prints . . . and lots of flowers and hearts, too ;).

(I used that little kitten print in my first machine pieced quilt, so it's around 15 years old ;).

What can I say? I really do love staying home (I'm a homebody), and being here for our family. If you've been around here long, you know that cooking and sewing are two of my favorite things, but I even sort of like cleaning and laundry – well, I mean – in like the exercise way! I'm not very excited about doing it, but it feels so good after I'm done ;)! It's fun decorating and planning fun family stuff for the holidays and even just every day ;), and gardening – well, I'm not blessed with a green thumb, but we have a blast with our herb, flower and small veggie gardens each year!

So, here it is – a quilty Celebration of Life,

The Simple Life.

Welcome to our quilty family "Happy Homemaker"! I think you're going to fit in quite nicely around here!

TTFN,

Kelly

I'm super excited to show you girls my very first set of hand embroidered, vintage tea towels!

Here are my two favorites

-probably because I love baking and sewing so much ;)

And, here is the whole set

-really, truly, I do love them all! I just fell in love with this little cutie patootie vintage girl, and her ever faithful birdie companion.

I tried a new stitch for me with these – the stem stitch - instead of using the standard back stitch, and I got a lot of practice with French knots and lazy daisy stitches. They're not even close to perfect, but my stitching improved a lot as I went along!

I knew they would, I mean I really thought they would, and it turns out

they really do make my heart smile while I'm drying the dishes!

I can't wait to look through my vintage patterns and start our next set ;).

TTFN,

Kelly

I had such a good time sewing this fun little spring pillow! Spring is my favorite season of the year, and I'd love to have a pair of pink polka dot wellies just like these ;)

The pattern is by Kimberbell Designs. I made it a little larger, and opted for lace instead of ric rac, and I made yo yo flowers instead of using buttons. Oh how I love this little pillow ;)! Here's to hoping this warm welcome will bring spring to us a little early!

TTFN,

Kelly