CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA-- COUNTRY HOT PAD

If you’re like me, you never have enough hot pads, especially when you’ve cooked up a huge spread for company. Here’s a quick way to increase your hot pad supply and use up some of your fabric scraps. -- AP

Materials:

8-1/2” x 8-1/2” cotton fabric (sample uses red/ecru homespun gingham check

8-1/2” x 8-1/2” quilted fabric (sample uses quilted muslin)

two 7-1/4” x 7-1/4” pieces batting

6” x 6” contrasting fabric (sample uses blue ticking)

DMC #12 ecru Perle cotton

6” x 6” iron-on adhesive

straight pins

embroidery needle

scissors

iron

Press under 1/4” around perimeter of cotton fabric square and quilted fabric square.

Print the heart pattern, enlarging the heart to 4-3/4" wide. Trace the heart onto the paper backing of the iron-on adhesive.

Following manufacturer’s directions, apply iron-on adhesive to wrong side of heart fabric. Cut out the heart. Peel away paper backing. Position heart in one corner of cotton fabric, 3/4” from edges. Iron in place, following manufacturer’s directions.

With quilted fabric on bottom, sandwich batting between wrong sides of both pieces of fabric. Pin together, matching outer edges.

Using the Perle cotton, stitch around the perimeter in blanket stitch. Quilt 1/8” around the heart.

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA-- AUTUMN LEAVES KITCHEN TOWELS

Many people switch out their kitchen and bath towels for various holidays and the changing seasons. It’s a simple way to decorate your home, but it can become very costly. Think about it: winter, spring, summer, autumn, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, 4^th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas…Do you really want to spend $5-$10 or more on an appliquéd kitchen towel for drying dishes or your hands? Add the cost of potholders, placemats, napkins, guest towels, etc. and you’ve got a major expense. Even if unlike me, you don’t have bill collectors camped on your lawn, given the economy, how many people really have that kind of disposable income anymore?

Still, how can you not pine for those cute items whenever you pass them in the store? Here’s a simple solution: make your own. The kitchen towels in the photo cost $1 each. Yes, I said $1 each. I bought them at the dollar store and decorated them myself with scraps left over from other projects. Each towel took me less than 15 minutes to make. Here’s how I did it:

AUTUMN LEAVES KITCHEN TOWELS

Materials (for each towel):
1 kitchen towel
small amount of no-sew fusible adhesive
small amount of print fabric
a few assorted leaves from your trees
iron

1. Pre-wash the fabric and towel to remove sizing.

2. Use the leaves as a template and trace around them onto the paper side of the fusible adhesive. (If you don’t have leaves to use, print out some images from clip art and trace them onto the paper.

3. Following manufacturer’s directions, apply fusible adhesive to wrong side of fabric.

4. Cut out leaves.

5. Arrange leaves face up on towel. Fuse to towel following manufacturer’s directions.

Buy towels in a variety of colors and make sets for various seasons and holidays -- hearts for Valentine’s Day, pumpkins for Halloween, shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day. You can find just about any shape on the Internet if you do a search of “coloring pages” + whatever image you want.

And here’s a bonus: If you need a quick hostess gift, make a towel to line a basket and add a jar or two of jam or some fresh baked muffins (Cloris has lots of recipes she’s posted on the blog. Just do a “muffin” search.)

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA-- EVEN MORE SEWING TIPS

Today I’m back with even more sewing tips.

*Apply fusible batting to the wrong side of fabric for stuffed animals or dolls before sewing the pieces together. This will give a smoother finish to your project when you stuff it.

*To avoid skipped stitches when machine sewing fake fur that has a shiny finish on the wrong side, trace over the seam line with chalk or a bar of white, unscented soap.

*When sewing Velcro to fabric, place wax paper on top of the Velcro and under the fabric to prevent skipped stitches. When you’re finished stitching, simply tear away the wax paper.

*Use a Post-It Note to hold your place when following complicate sewing directions from a pattern or book so you won’t accidentally skip an important step.

*Ballpoint pen ink can be removed from fabric by spraying the area with hair spray before hand or machine washing it.

*To get a smoother, cleaner edge when using pinking shears, place a piece of paper underneath the fabric and cut through the paper and fabric at the same time.

*To puff quilt batting and remove the wrinkles, unroll it and let it lie flat for a week before using it.

*Stuffed animals and pillows can be dusted by placing them in the dryer on the air only cycle for about fifteen minutes.

*For a quick way to finish the edges of appliqué pieces, sew each piece, right sides together, to a piece of interfacing. Make a slash in the center of the interfacing, turn the piece right-side out, and press.

*When attaching safety eyes to stuffed animals and dolls, apply clear nail polish to the placement spot and allow to dry before poking a hole through the fabric. This will strengthen the fabric, keeping it from tearing or stretching when poked.

Have a tip I haven’t mentioned? We’d love to have you post it. Remember to post a comment to be entered into the drawing for a book from this week's Book Club Friday guest author.

DECORATING WITH JEANIE -- WINDOW MAKE-OVERS

Jeanie has a great idea for custom window treatments today. -- AP

I sure do, Anastasia. Window coverings are a necessity for most homes unless you live out in the country with no neighbors for miles. Custom drapes, curtains, shades, and blinds can be very expensive, though. So most of us settle for the standard fare we find at discount centers and chain home goods stores.

You can have custom window treatments without spending a lot of money. The first thing you need to do is purchase inexpensive drapes or curtains in a solid color that matches your décor. Make sure you buy ones that you can toss into the washing machine.

Next, take a trip to the fabric store and find fabric that coordinates with your purchased drapes or curtains. This can either be an overall pattern like a stripe or plaid or a fabric with large motifs, such as florals, birds, teapots, etc. What you need to decide is whether you want to add a border of fabric to the drapes or curtains or a free-flowing appliqué design. While at the fabric store, purchase enough fusible webbing for your project and any desired trims.

Wash the drapes or curtains and the fabric you purchased to remove the sizing. Following the manufacturer’s directions, apply fusible webbing to the back of the fabric. If doing appliqués, carefully cut out the images from the fabric. If doing a border, make sure you measure and cut correctly so you have the right lengths to fit across the drapes or curtains. You’ll want to add an inch or two to each end to turn to the back of each drape or curtain panel.

Fuse the fabric in place on the drapes or curtains. If you’ve gone with a border, use fabric glue to apply ribbon or gimp braid over the cut edges of the fabric. If you’ve gone with appliqués, you can leave the edges bare, finish with a machine satin stitch, or finish with fabric paint writers (the kind that come in squeeze bottles) in the color of your choice.

Thanks, Jeanie! Have any of you ever taken something store bought and embellished it in some way to make it more personal? Let’s hear from you. 

Everyone who posts a comment this week is entered in the drawing for a free book from our Book Club Friday Guest Author. 

-- AP

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--GUEST DESIGNER LORINE MASON

Today I have a special treat for my readers. I’ve asked designer Lorine Mason to do a guest blog along with a sewing project. This project is a bit more involved than the ones I usually feature on Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers, but everyone needs a challenge once in a while, right?

Lorine is a free-lance project designer and licensing artist. She appears regularly on the webcast crafting program, Cool2Craft with her Sew Far Sew Good creations. Visit Lorine at www.DivaSchmivas.com or check out her blog at  www.thedivaschmivas.blogspot.com -- AP

Hi everyone,

I am tickled pink to be offering you a peek into my world of sewing and crafting. My studio is filled to the brim with fascinating fabrics, trims, threads and embellishments purchased through the sewing world. It is a good base, but wait.  Add to the mix my collection of paints, glitter, stamps, die cutting paraphernalia, beads, metal, wood and more, and you really have something with which to create. 

I am fascinated by doorways, just think of the possibilities of not only what the doorway itself might look like but what might surround it. Does it sport a crown of some sort, and most exciting of all, what is behind it? I have been creating doorways for some time now and have an ongoing series currently being published in Creative Home Arts for throughout 2010.  Here is a sneak peek and for more, check out www.creativehomearts.com

Anastasia asked me to provide a crafty project for her readers. My good friend Brenda Pinnick designed a line of fabrics for Henry Glass and sent me a few cuts of the fabric. I became inspired, and here is what I came up with:

SEW ART QUILT 

by Lorine Mason

Materials:

1/2 yard cotton print fabric; fat quarters of two coordinating prints; 12” x 18” pieces WoolFelt® –Native Maize, Pink Violet, Baby Blue, and White; cotton batting; fusible web; Fantasy Film™ fusible film – Mother of Pearl; metal brads – Flower & Mini; sheer floral accents – five

alphabet stickers; embroidery thread; non-stick ironing sheet; die cutting machine & dies (optional); sewing machine; iron; basic sewing supplies, including a twin needle.

1. Cut two 16” x 19” rectangles from the cotton print, cut one from the cotton batting.

2. Layer one of the fabric rectangles on top of the batting and pin around the outside edges.

3. Press fusible webbing to the back of the wool blend felt rectangles. Cut the following:

Baby Blue – one 9” x 12”; Native Maize – one 6” x 10” and six 1 3/4” squares; White – one 8” x 11”.

4. Press fusible webbing to the back of a 9” square of one of the coordinating fabric prints.

Cut out six 2 1/2” squares.

5. Using the project photograph as a general guide for placement, remove the paper backing from the fused felt and fabric pieces (with the exception of the six Native Maize squares) and layer them to the center of the fabric rectangle pinned to the batting. Fuse in place.

6. Fit your sewing machine with a twin needle and sew around each of the layers of felt, raising the presser foot and re-inserting the needle in the new direction at each corner turn. Trim threads.

7. Fuse the remaining Native Maize squares to the panel using the project photo as a guide for placement. Stitch around the outside edge of each square.

8. Using the non-stick ironing sheet on both the front and back, press fusible web to the back of a 4” piece of Fantasy Film™. Cut six 1” squares and fuse them to the center of each of the door panels, once again using the non-stick ironing sheet.

9. Using the die cut machine and an assortment of dies, cut the hinges, keyhole, key, sign and flourishes from felt backed with fusible web. Set the keyhole on top of scrap of fused fabric and press. Cut around the image using decorative scissors. Lay out the hinges, keyhole, and signage pieces on top of the quilt panel and press. 

(Note from Anastasia: if you don’t have a die cut machine, you’ll have to freehand these embellishments.)

10. Insert brads at each of the corners of the door panels, hinges, keyhole and signage.

11. Layer the quilt panel on top of the second 16” x 19” piece of fabric cut earlier and pin together. Trim the quilt panel to measure 14” x 18”. See finished sample for guidelines.

12. Stitch around the quilt panel, sewing 1” from the outside edges.

13. Cut 2” bias strips from the remaining coordinating fabric. If necessary join strips to create the appropriate lengths needed to bind the quilt. Sew strips to the top and bottom edge of the quilt, right sides together. Press strips away from the quilt. Repeat sewing strips to the sides of the quilt.

14. Turn under the raw edges of the binding strips and hand stitch to the back of the quilt.

15. Embellish the front of the quilt with additional die cut felt pieces, stickers, floral accents, a bird and thread. Refer back to the project photo for inspiration.

Sources:

“Opulence” fabric by Brenda Pinnick for Henry Glass & Co. ©; Steam-A-Seam 2® from The Warm Company; Fantasy Film from Art Glitter; WoolFelt ® from National Nonwovens;  

diecut machine and dies from Ellison.

So...are you inspired to pull out your sewing machines?  Let's hear from you. Everyone who posts a comment this week is entered into the drawing for a book by our Book Club Friday guest author. -- AP