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Geogram Blog Hop

Right as we were getting ready for our big move to Colorado I got an email asking me to be a part of the blog hop for Samarra Khaja’s new fabric line Geogram with Lecien Fabrics. Despite having so much to do with the move, I could not say no the the chance to make something with this gorgeous fabric line.

As soon as I saw the fabric line I fell in love with it, and it’s even more amazing in person. It has 30 SKUs and a variety of precuts and will be in stores this month. The colors are so incredibly vibrant, I immediately knew I would be making something rainbow.

Because of the move I was nervous to commit to making an entire quilt, so I settled for a mini. I recently made a bear paw quilt for a bee exchange on Instagram and I knew this would be a fun way to show off a rainbow of prints from Geogram. I was torn between using black or white for the solid, but I’m so glad I went with black. I love how much it helps the fabrics pop.

Though, now that I’ve made this mini, I can’t stop thinking of how much I want to make an entire quilt like this now!

• Feb 1, Wed: Brenda Ratliff | @justabitfrayed | http://ift.tt/1hIuY9o

• Feb 3, Fri: Katy Jones | @imagingermonkey | http://ift.tt/2lgpKXI

• Feb 6, Mon: Tara Curtis | @weftyneedle @t_jaye | http://ift.tt/2mm2EUu

• Feb 8, Wed: Nicholas Ball | @quiltsfromtheattic | http://ift.tt/2lgrvUN

• Feb 10, Fri: Jessee Maloney | @jessee_artschooldropout | http://ift.tt/1uKk6L7

• Feb 13, Mon: Nicole Daksiewicz | @modernhandcraft | http://ift.tt/1bsWAJr

• Feb 15, Wed: Kristi McDonough | @schnitzelandboo | http://ift.tt/1xXESdJ

• Feb 17, Fri: Laura McDowell Hopper | @sonicstitches | http://ift.tt/2lgpHex

• Feb 20, Mon: Giuseppe Ribaudo | @giucy_giuce | http://ift.tt/1MjN1Vn

• Feb 22, Wed: Daphne Parthoens | @octopurse | http://ift.tt/2lgh1Ve

• Feb 24, Fri: Kate Basti | @katebasti | http://ift.tt/2mmdHgs

• Feb 27, Mon: Rebecca Greco | @hugsarefun | http://hugsarefun.com

• March 1, Wed: Terry Druga | @tooheycohen | http://ift.tt/2lgpAiJ

• March 3, Fri: Samarra Khaja | @samarrakhaja | http://ift.tt/2brNmcy

from Geogram Blog Hop

#Geogram Blog Hop

2017 Temperature Quilt

At the beginning of the year we moved to Colorado. Josh got a job at Google in Boulder so we’ve all embarked on a big adventure. Before this move I have never lived more than an hour and a half from where I grew up. I had never visited Colorado until we came out in December to look for a place to live. I’m still adjusting and doing a lot of exploring. I’ve found a lot of great quilt shops and gone to some craft groups. I did get my sewing machine set up and one of the things I’ve worked on is a temperature quilt.

There will be 12 rows and I’m using any fabric that matches the color for that day’s temperature. I finished the month of January and I’m really excited to see it grow.

I started the quilt using Illinois temperatures and then switched to Colorado after the move. There’s only one <10 day and four 60 degree days. There’s a 70 degree day in the forecast for this week, so it’ll be interesting to see if I actually get to add some red to my quilt in February! My temperature scarf is very behind due to some knitting technical issues. Hopefully I’ll get caught up soon, but until then, here’s the temperature quilt.

from 2017 Temperature Quilt

#2017 Temperature Quilt

#2017temperaturescarf

In just a few weeks I’ll be moving to Colorado. My husband got a job at Google in Boulder and we are getting ready to relocate.

My friend Kristy mentioned wanting to start a yearlong project in 2017 and is going to do a temperature scarf. I’ve seen the idea before and have always thought it would be fun, but never made the commitment. With our upcoming move I thought it would be neat to see how my Colorado temperature scarf differs from her Illinois one. And we thought we would take it a step further and invite everyone to participate.

Kristy put together this color list, all the yarns are the worsted weight Mighty Stitch yarn from Knit Picks.

We’d love to have you join us. If you live somewhere without such a wide spread of temperatures you could adjust the range or change the temperature increments to 5 degrees instead of 10.

Our plan is to use the day’s high temperature as the color. Kristy also put together this calendar you can use to take notes in case you need to fall behind. However, there’s plenty of websites that can give you the data if you miss a day.

We are over on Instagram as @hugsarefun and @kristyg5 We’ll be using the hashtag #2017temperaturescarf if you want to join along!

from #2017temperaturescarf

#2017temperaturescarf

Rainbow Sampler Quilt

I have been on a quilt top making kick. I have a stack of 14 of them and I’m about to add another to it this week. Apparently my declaration that I am a real quilter went to my head.

I’ve had this idea to make a sampler quilt for a really long time. I love the idea of a quilt with varied block sizes and I knew that I wanted to do a rainbow one.

My original plan was that I would make each color span a 12″ strip of the quilt and make all the blocks sizes that would nicely fit together. However, I am very bad at math and ended up with really varied sizes because I was just making most of the blocks up as I went.

So I ended up adding a lot of random strips of white or other tiny blocks to fill the space and make everything fit.

I started to really lose my motivation to finish this once I had made all the main blocks and was left to figure out how exactly everything fit together. I wanted to just set it aside and start working on something else that was a much easier project. In the end I forced myself to just power through because I knew that if I put it down, there was a chance I wouldn’t pick it back up. That’s how my WIP pile has grown so big. I get to a part in the project I didn’t really plan or it gets kind of tedious and I start a new more exciting project. I’m glad I didn’t let myself put it down because I absolutely love it. Now to actually finish it…

from Rainbow Sampler Quilt

#Rainbow Sampler Quilt

Free Pattern Friday – Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan

I’ve gotten multiple requests to sell the patterns I used for the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan cross stitches I made. I don’t feel comfortable making money off them like that, so here are the patterns for free.

When cross stitched on 14ct Aida they fit in a 6″ hoop.

Download the PDFs here – Nancy Kerrigan Pattern Tonya Harding Pattern

There are more free patterns to download here, and patterns to purchase here at my Etsy.

If you stitch up one of my patterns, I’d love to see it! Tag it on Instagram with the hashtag #hugsarefunstitches

from Free Pattern Friday – Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan

#Free Pattern Friday – Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan

July TSNEM – Rigid Heddle Weaving

I’ve wanted to try weaving for a really long time, it was something I intended on doing for one of the TSNEM month’s last year. Every time I’d start looking into it I would get overwhelmed and pick something easier to try instead.

(Please note: This post contains affiliate links as indicated by an asterisk*)

I knew that this year I had to finally try it. A friend of mine let me borrow her Schacht Cricket Loom* and it sat for a few weeks because I didn’t know where to start. I got a Craftsy class years ago on Rigid Heddle Weaving* and it was all just so much to take in. The instructor is incredibly thorough, but the class starts with worksheets and math and I couldn’t even get through enough of it to find out how to warp the loom. I didn’t have a project in mind, I really just wanted to get a feel for weaving so I didn’t know what measurements I should be working with.

Kristy from Simply This Life told me to just watch a video on YouTube on how to warp it and just start. I watched a couple videos and felt confident enough to get started. I didn’t have it quite right but after a quick video chat with Kristy, I was up and weaving.

I’m glad I didn’t bother figuring out all the math for a specific project, because the weaving I’ve done is pretty awful. It took me awhile to get the tension correct and I wasn’t using enough force when I was bringing the reed down so the spacing isn’t consistent. I found my rhythm and it’s a nice craft for when I’m sitting on the couch watching something. I have a bunch of neon Caron Simply Soft yarn that I got on clearance super cheap years ago and it was fun to use it for this.

I’m not sure I’m really going to be starting anymore weaving projects anytime soon since I have a million other things I’d like to make and really don’t need to pick up another craft, but I am really glad I tried it!

from July TSNEM – Rigid Heddle Weaving

#July TSNEM – Rigid Heddle Weaving

I’m a Real Quilter!

I got this Maker Valley Quilter shirt but have always felt like a bit of a fraud when I wore it. I’ve got a stack of quilt tops but hadn’t actually finished a quilt so it felt disingenuous to call myself a quilter.

But I finally did it, I finished a quilt. It’s not perfect, but it’s done and I love it. For Christmas my husband got me a jelly roll of Blueberry Park fabric and I made a really simple quilt top. I used Aurifil thread and did simple straight line quilting down each stripe.

The stitches aren’t consistent or straight, there’s some fabric bunching, and I’m sure a ton of other technical errors. But you know what? I love it and I am so proud of it. Washing and drying it made it crinkly and hid a lot of the imperfections. It’s the perfect size for cuddling under the couch.

Today I was wearing my Quilter shirt and someone came up and started talking to me about quilting. I finally felt like I could truly call myself a quilter and didn’t feel embarrassed to admit I’ve never actually finished a quilt. Now to tackle the stack of 10 finished quilt tops…

from I’m a Real Quilter!

#I’m a Real Quilter!

A Trip to Benzie Design

Benzie Felt has long been one of my favorite places to order felt online. The first time I stitched on it, I was converted and I could never go back to acrylic felt. Every felt project I’ve done has been on Benzie Felt.

Well, they recently opened a brick and mortar store in downtown Plainfield. It’s about a half hour from my house so I dragged the girls along and we went. It happens to be directly across the street from a splash park, so everyone was happy!

The store is incredible. It’s so bright and colorful and there’s so many fun things.

I actually ended up back in there a few days later to pick up more supplies I realized I needed. Evie lost her first tooth and requested a tooth fairy doll. I’m super close I being done with it and I even picked up some iron on glitter for it. Renae the owner is such a lovely person and I was so glad to get a chance to meet her. I’m absolutely thrilled to have such an amazing resource nearby!

Benzie Design’s grand opening is July 19 and I plan on being there!

from A Trip to Benzie Design

#A Trip to Benzie Design

Free Pattern Friday – Geometric Arrows

I went through a big geometric cross stitch kit a few years back. Most of them I would do without a pattern and I loved how little I had to think about it, it was so repetitive. I have a box with dozens of them.

The finished cross stitch is only about 3″ x 5″ but you could continue repeating to make it as big as you want. Whenever I do rainbow for my cross stitches I just grab any colors I have in that shade. Usually I’m lazy and pick whatever is already cut and split into three strands!

Download the PDF here – Geometric Arrows

There are more free patterns to download here, and patterns to purchase here at my Etsy.

If you stitch up one of my patterns, I’d love to see it! Tag it on Instagram with the hashtag #hugsarefunstitches

from Free Pattern Friday – Geometric Arrows

#Free Pattern Friday – Geometric Arrows

June TSNEM – Casting Plaster

I’ve had this plastic votive kit from Darby Smart for years, they don’t sell the kit anymore but you can buy the individual supplies and see the tutorial here. For the theme of “heavy craft,” this seemed like the perfect time to try these.

I had also seen this tutorial on making concrete gemstone pendants and had gotten a chocolate mold that’s been sitting on my shelf for years.

The whole thing seemed like it would be a lot more difficult than it was. Mixing the plaster wasn’t hard or overly messy. The plaster came out of the molds easily (though I did drop one and took a big chunk out of it before it fully dried)

The gemstones were a little bit trickier to get out and they don’t have the smoothness I hoped for. I’m going to try to lightly sand away the rough edges and paint them and see if they look better.

I still have a bunch of the plaster left and I just need to decide what else to make!

If you want to read more about TSNEM or see the full list of themes, check out this post. And make sure to join the TSNEM Facebook Group

Check out my past TSNEM projects –

January – Free Motion Quilting Febraury – 3D Doodler March – Watercolor Tinted Embroidery April – Rock Candy May – Hand Quilting

You can link up your post for July TSNEM here.

from June TSNEM – Casting Plaster

#June TSNEM – Casting Plaster

June TSNEM Highlights and July Linkup

I had every intention of getting my project done early this month and then there I was, doing it the night of June 30. So I did try something new and I’ll be sharing my project tomorrow. But until then, here are some projects by people who were more on top of things than me this month!

Stephanie from Swoodson Sews tried out metal stamping. What a neat way to recycle cans!

Mary shared this photo in the TSNEM Facebook group. She made these amazing plastic beads from an old water bottle! She colored them with Sharpie and melted it with a craft gun. I want to make these with my girls, it’s such a fun idea!

Anna from 64 Color Box opted out of the heavy craft theme in favor of paper piecing. I did foundation paper piecing for the first time for last year’s TSNEM and I love it. She did an amazing job for her first time!

Amy from Swimming in a Sea of Estrogen tried out piping. I always want to make clothes but always get frustrated with cutting out all those pieces. But then I see pictures like this and it makes me want to try all over again, the piping is such a great detail!

The theme for July is yarn and we’d love to have you join us. Even if you haven’t participated yet, it’s not too late to join! Read more about Try Something New Every Month and see a full list of themes here. And make sure to join the Facebook group for inspiration and to show off your projects!

An InLinkz Link-up

from June TSNEM Highlights and July Linkup

#June TSNEM Highlights and July Linkup

Inside Aurifil and Aurifil Inside

The other week Alex Veronelli, the CBDO of Aurifil Threads came to Sew Generously, a local quilt store in St. Charles, IL.

Mollie, Faith, and I met up for lunch and then headed to the quilt shop. We had all previously interacted with Alex on social media so we were all excited to meet him.

The beginning of the lecture was like an episode of How It’s Made. Alex showed a video of the thread production process and all the different steps. I find it absolutely fascinating to watch factory video tours, I love seeing the machines that someone invented to do one specific task. I had never thought about how thread gets made, but it was incredible to see how much goes into it.

Next Alex showed off different Aurifil threads and quilts that had been made with them. There were so many amazing ones and I just want to make a million quilts now. This was a Tula Pink rainbow sampler quilt.

And then he showed off the Tula Pink ultimate collection and I considered if I could smuggle it out of the store. The colors are amazing.

This one made me want to play around more with hand quilting.

Each of these triangles is a cluster of French knots done with varying strands of Aurifloss. The top one is just 1 strand and the bottom is all 6.

This was the other side, I love the look of the different thicknesses of thread using the same stitches. You might see me making something like this soon, I just love it so much.

Someone made a quilt with a picture of Alex to give to Alex as a gift. The quilting on this was really incredible.

Everyone got an Aurifil bag with threads in all the different weights to try. Alex goes around to quilt stores throughout the country doing these presentations and if he’s in your area you should definitely stop by. It was really interesting to see everything that goes into making the thread and it really gave me an appreciation for good quality thread and the extra work involved. Alex is extremely passionate about Aurifil and you can see how much pride he takes in the company and the thread they produce. Alex is back in Italy now but it looks like he will be doing more presentations in the US in July. You can follow his Facebook to see if he’s going to be at any stores around you.

from Inside Aurifil and Aurifil Inside

#Inside Aurifil and Aurifil Inside

One Thimble Issue 11 – Wild Things Baby Shoes

Please note: This post contains affiliate links as indicated by an asterisk. I absolutely love Issue 11 of One Thimble*, there are so many fun projects. When I was picking the pattern to try, I couldn’t resist these Wild Things Baby Shoes*.

I originally intended to make them as a gift for a friend’s baby, but my children claimed them for their toys. Mira told me her mouse’s feet were very, very cold and thanked me for making him shoes.

This pattern is super adorable and a relatively easy sew (except I don’t read directions well so the seam ripper had to come out a few times). The most time consuming part for me was cutting everything out.

I forgot how much I love stitching on felt. I think I’m going to have to do more very soon!

Want to see more OT Issue 11 fun? Check out the following blogs –

Monday – Stephanie – Swoodson Says – 3D Puzzle Animals

Tuesday- Alicia – Felt With Love Designs – Roly Poly Critters

Wednesday – Jen – Ainslee Fox – Rainbow Cross Stitch

Thursday – Rebecca – Hugs Are Fun – Wild Things Animal Shoes

Friday – Ajaire – Call Ajaire – Bear and Bunny Quilt

from One Thimble Issue 11 – Wild Things Baby Shoes

#One Thimble Issue 11 – Wild Things Baby Shoes

1000 Cranes? What Was I Thinking?

When I started my 1000 crane quilt project I was well aware that the undertaking was insane and that it was going to be a lot of work. Then I breezed through my first 100 in about 3 months and I felt like I was going to be ok and I got a false sense of security.

Fast forward 10 months and I have only have 148. So that means that in over 3x the amount of time I only finished half the amount of cranes I did in those first 3 months.

And to make it worse, I went to here and checked how many days I have until my target completion day and found there’s less than 750. Now, this wouldn’t be so bad but I still need to finish 852 cranes PLUS join them all. So I really should probably be finishing two cranes a day if I want to have any chance at all in finishing.

I keep a pouch full of the cranes in my purse and if you follow me on Instagram you’ll see that I’m constantly stitching them when I’m out with the girls during the day. But I’m really only getting 5-10 minutes here and there of actual stitching time.

I’m still going to keep plodding away at these, but I’ve lost a lot of the spark I had for this project. I feel like if this were my only project finishing it wouldn’t be a problem. But as vice president of Project Starter’s Anonymous, I’m just not wired that way.

The totals are – 109/479 solid hexagons 148/1000 embroidered hexagons

So tell me, do you have any advice for sticking with a very, very long term project without becoming discouraged?

from 1000 Cranes? What Was I Thinking?

#1000 Cranes? What Was I Thinking?

A Cotton + Steel Gift Package

I’ve been slowly working on a Cotton and Steel star sampler quilt. You can see the progress on Instagram. I’m using the Cluck Cluck Sew July stars tutorial which ends up with a ton of little triangles from trimming.

I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away so I kept them all in a bin and decided to pull them out for a gift. I made a ton of tiny 1.5″ finished half square triangles and put them together into a zipper pouch for a gift.

I also used Cotton and Steel scraps to make a reusable coffee sleeve using this pattern.

I had a hard time giving up these. I still have a ton of the triangles left, I think I might need to make a pouch to keep!

from A Cotton + Steel Gift Package

#A Cotton + Steel Gift Package

Free Pattern Friday – Frozen Tsum Tsums

My Tsum Tsum cross stitch patterns have consistently been my most popular post since I put them up. It’s been on my to do list to make more and it finally happened. So here are Elsa and Anna in Tsum Tsum form.

Download the PDF here – Elsa and Anna Tsum Tsum Cross Stitch Pattern

There are more free patterns to download here, and patterns to purchase here at my Etsy.

If you stitch up one of my patterns, I’d love to see it! Tag it on Instagram with the hashtag #hugsarefunstitches

So tell me, which Tsum Tsums would you like to see in cross stitch form next?

from Free Pattern Friday – Frozen Tsum Tsums

#Free Pattern Friday – Frozen Tsum Tsums

May TSNEM – Hand Quilting

The May Try Something New Every Month theme was “hand sewing” and I really struggled to think of something I hadn’t tried before. I decided on hand quilting. I have tons of quilt tops finished, but I also knew that I didn’t have the time to hand quilt a larger quilt so I decided to make a rainbow star mini quilt specifically for this.

I watched this video on hand quilting basics by Wendi Gratz. I seriously love that woman, her videos are always the first place I search when I’m trying to learn a new crafting skill, she explains it all so well. I went out and got a 17″ Q-snap frame and I used Aurifil Cotton Mako 28 weight thread.

It took me a bit to get the hang of it, I was determined to do it the proper way and load multiple stitches onto the needle at the same time. I guess I’ve technically done hand quilting before on the Flower Pow Mug Rug but I basically just did embroidery and I don’t really think it counts. I started out with the fabric stretched too tightly on the frame, but once I got the tension corrected, it went much better. It took a bit to get used to the rhythm of it, but I was really surprised that it wasn’t nearly as time consuming of a process as I expected.

I’m not entirely sure if I’m done or if I want to add more quilting in the solid gray fabric. Once I officially declare it finished I will bind it and hang it on my wall.

If you want to read more about TSNEM or see the full list of themes, check out this post. And make sure to join the TSNEM Facebook Group

Check out my past TSNEM projects –

January – Free Motion Quilting Febraury – 3D Doodler March – Watercolor Tinted Embroidery April – Rock Candy

from May TSNEM – Hand Quilting

#May TSNEM – Hand Quilting

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