Category Archives: creative inspiration

A Year in Review

January 12th 2016

If you are not seeing enough posts here, find me on Instagram.

Happy New Year! I don’t know what happened to 2015, it came and left in a flash. I was really having a hard time recalling events and projects but as I looked back via Social Media 🙂 I did see some highlights.

For starters my WORD last year was

FINISH image

It was a complete struggle for me, maybe more in connotation because it gave me stress and I wasn’t enjoying the idea nor was I accomplishing what it was supposed to do. The purpose of the Word was to get me to follow through, actually reach goals and get things done. I am a process type of person so the pressure was kinda ruining it for me, ya know? So I decided to drop it around Summertime (see that, I didn’t even finish with my word!)

Keystone, CO Dercum mountain view

In January, we took a nice trip to Colorado, which is always fun, although I didn’t find any quilt shops.

I started this heart wreath last Valentine’s and hope to put the last of the strands on it this year. I love Valentine projects, I also have a Valentine pattern I am working on.

In March, I met all these amazing ladies that are also working on their quilting businesses.

Baby Dean Collage

I made this quilt and pillows for Baby Dean who was born in June, see post here.

Vintage pattern Simply Retro 1

and I finally finished this one for his Grandpa, our pastor.

totes 2015 Collage 1

It was a blast to learn new things while making these totes, bags and pouches, most of which were gifts.

pattern Collage

I finally launched my first 6 patterns this Summer and visited some shops on vacation (more here and here) and they are now being sold via distributors (Checkers, Brewer, Quilters Warehouse) and my online shopping cart and I have more coming out soon!

As a new follower of Instagram this year (find me @elaine.summercrafter), I met so many great quilty people and participated in various swaps. First was the Rainbow Mini swap, more here.

Beachbound swap 2015 Collage

Then the Beach Bound Swap, for which I made my first Dresden block, more here.

Home Sweet home swap 2015 Collage

Next was the Home Sweet Home Swap, which was perfect for my swap partner who had just gotten married and had moved to a new place. Read more here.

Pat Sloan radio

Oh, and I was on Quilting Radio with Pat Sloan, woot!!

vermont 2015 Collage 2

In the Fall we enjoyed Vermont, although we missed the Fantastic Foliage Splendor it’s famous for.

Christmas swap 2015 Collage

Soon after Summer, the Christmas swaps started popping up on Instagram (find me @elaine.summercrafter) and I couldn’t resist joining two: Christmas Craft Swap 2015 and The Most Wonderful Time of the Year 2015 Mini Quilt Swap. The pillows are what I sent with personal embroidery and glass seed bead embellishments. The mini quilts are what I received, I was so happy with this exchange! These are so treasured, I will be glad to pull them out to decorate every season. Thank you @foreverquilting and @mommyhead7.

And just when I thought I was done, @vojen invents the B&C (Bonnie and Camille) Christmas Ornament Swap. That was a complete bust for me. I got on an ornament making marathon and I could not stop! I made Scrappy Christmas tree sachets filled with Balsam Fir, tutorial here, and I sent some, not only to my Swap partners, but other quilty friends I met on IG. Fun!

20151206_183018_resized

Everyone got Peanutized this year. Have you tried it? Go here.

hearties 2015 Collage

On a total whim, I made these craft “Heartie” ornaments after another fan posted her version on the Facebook Fan page of our favorite show When Calls the Heart on Hallmark Channel. We both kinda got carried away making renditions of all the characters. Find a tutorial here.

Christmas truck Collage 1

My last and most favorite project was this Vintage Holiday Embroidery Pillow I made for a friend. I used the pattern from Sherri Falls at This n That patterns and for the Patchwork, I used Holly’s Tree Farm Fabric by Sweetwater for MODA. I love how it turned out, now I have to make one for me!

december listing

I also did plenty of listing this year with 30 days of lists and loved it! (Another opportunity coming in March)

Christmas tree 2015

And just like that it was time to say “Merry Christmas” which was here today and gone tomorrow.

Miami beach 1

I wasn’t going to do a WORD of the year in 2016. I did a MORE and LESS list. The first thing I noted was More Nature and I am so glad I did just that on January 1st, I went to Miami Beach (which is a rarity). What’s the first on my LESS list? Social Media!

Progress

I did stumble onto this word PROGRESS which perfectly complements my MORE/LESS concept that allows success without stress or pressure, just moving forward and developing over time which relates to all aspects of life and work (including blogging). So I think we can both see it was a busy year (although I didn’t blog as much as I should have) I have set great goals for this year and have started working towards them already! What are your goals and plans, or your WORD for this new year?

When Calls the Heart Ornament Craft

November 25th 2015

If you haven’t seen the show When Calls the Heart, you will be wondering “What in the world is she talking about?!”

When Calls the Heart is a show that airs on Hallmark Channel starring Erin Krakow and Daniel Lissing. It appeals to those who love old fashioned romance and values, strong women and an appetite for adventure, it’s a great family show too! It’s got a cast you may be familiar with, more details about the show right here. Season 1 available on DVD and Netflix , Season 2 just released on DVD.

Before it became a hit on TV, it was a book series by Jannette Oak, “a Canadian author and pioneer of inspirational fiction. Her books are often set in a pioneer era and centered on female protagonists. She is a committed Evangelical Christian. ” Quote from Wikipedia.

It’s starting it’s third season this year with a holiday special airing on December 26. The perfect little “pick-me-up” for a day that is usually a downer.

This craft was inspired by Cara who is in the FB group for When Calls the Heart Fans. With her permission, I decided to make my own version and write a tutorial for other #HEARTIES fans to have a go at making their own. NOTE: Supplies listed available at Michaels and Joann Craft stores or maybe in your craft closet.

This is what you need, please read the list AND look at the picture.

JACK: Red and Navy felt for blazer and pants, two black felt scraps 1/2″ x 1″ for shoulders, 8-10″ hanging ribbon, gold sequins for buttons, golden beads for shoulders, 12″ leather cord, *yellow floss if stitching by hand.

ELIZABETH: Ivory and light blue felt, satin light blue ribbon, about 9 inches of lace, 8-10″ hanging ribbon, flowers or bows to embellish and some pearl beads, *ivory floss if stitching by hand.

Also: sewing machine and/or needle and coordinating thread/floss, hot glue gun or fabric type glue, some poly-fil, tracing paper.

First, start with a heart shape. Draw a line to show the separation between top and bottom of outfits. I did Elizabeth’s a little higher waisted to add skirt detail. PDF availalble here. Cut out heart image from PDF print out. Heart should measure 5 inches at tallest part on top to bottom point. Align on fold of fabric making sure the bottom edge of felt (blue arrow) is 1/4 inch from “Jack” or “Elizabeth” line. (for overlap)

Repeat for bottom aligning on the fold and to the edge of felt at the top (black arrow). Repeat for Elizabeth heart.

For Elizabeth sew on two strips of lace and fold inwards at dip in heart as shown below.

Next see diagram below. To join “top and skirt” step 1. Overlay ribbon at top of blue felt, you may want to pin at edges. Before sewing, lengthen the stitch and loosen the tension, this will ensure that your ribbon DOES NOT PUCKER and REMAINS SMOOTH. Sew on pearl beads by hand, step 2. Make sure you leave 3/4″ between last pearl and felt edge. **TIP: When you are done sewing on pearls or any embellishment, dab the thread knot with Elmer’s glue. This will make it less likely for the thread to pull through the felt accidentally. Pin the hanging ribbon in place between layers of felt about an inch in before proceeding. Step 3, sew around the heart (start at green arrow) leaving about 1 1/2″ – 2″ opening for filling (stop at red arrow)

Stuff gently for texture not bulging at the seams, and stitch the opening closed. Hot glue details as desired. I did a bow at neck and flowers at waist.

For Jacks heart:

Insert leather strap diagonally between red and blue felt. .Sew across, I used yellow thread. Step 1 in diagram below.

Once top and bottom are joined, add sequins with thread, step 2, (Remember to add a dab of glue to knots to secure). Pin black rectangles (3b) and hanging ribbon (3c) in place then follow step 3a, start sewing around the heart, stopping at red arrow (3d). Stitch golden beads by starting under flap of black rectangles to hide knots, sew 3 golden beads on each, trim felt if necessary. Stuff gently with poly-fil, for texture not bursting at the seams. Hot glue the leather strap across waist, trim excess.

I must warn you that once you start making these and think of the other characters, you may go nuts making WCTH crafts like I did.

GENERAL CRAFTING TIPS: Waist items may be sewn on while you sew around the heart. Vest and suit details and beads should be sewn on before the heart is sewn around. Hot glued details should be done after heart is stuffed and closed.

Henry Gowan…

A fan on the FB group requested Rosemary and Lee.

So for fun as we wait for the “Christmas in Hope Valley Special Event,” I want to have a giveaway!

Three people will get a chance to win either a Jack and Elizabeth pair of hearties (2 available – you can choose your Elizabeth from the group of female character hearts) or a pair of Rosemary and Lee hearties (1 available). Just leave a comment telling me why you love this show and which crafty hearties you’d like to win. I will do a drawing on December 6 so I can mail them out in time for you to hang them on your tree for Christmas.

Good luck Hearties!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED.

And the winners are:

An email was sent to the winners. Thanks for your comments!

Scrappy Christmas Trees

October 10th 2015

Some scraps are just to pretty to toss, some might argue, “what can you do with such a small scrap?” Well today, I am going to show you how to make a scrappy Christmas tree.

You can make it into a sachet, a pillow to hang on a door knob or an ornament. So gather your scraps, here we go!

As I sew, I like to tuck my tiniest scraps, greater than an inch, into labeled baggies so I know what line it is. The larger scraps are cut into certain sizes, but that’s for another day.

Here I have my designer scraps and some left over neutral strips.
Arrange your scraps smallest to largest like a wedding cake. 🙂

Center the smaller piece with the larger piece, eyeball it.

Sew the pieces together using 1/4 inch seam.

Cut your “cakes” into triangles, no special rulers needed! Center your cake on the cutting mat so there is a line down the center of the block.

Cut from the center line diagonally to the corner of the last piece.

Align your trees along a neutral strip, leaving at least 1 inch above and below ends of the triangle.

Press, repeat on the other side.

To trim your blocks, cut down the widest point where top and bottom strips align. A minimum of 1/4 inch is ideal but not necessary.

See below how this “fat” tree has no extra 1/4 inch. (It will be okay!)

Once sides are trimmed, trim the bottom of the tree.

Aren’t they festive?

Make trunk units. Trunk unit is a 1 1/2 inch square. Add neutral scrap to either side guess-timating the size of your block.

I did it slightly bigger and trimmed.

After trimming, add stabilizer, either Shape Flex, interfacing or whatever else may be at hand. Sometimes it’s just a neutral piece of fabric (I like an extra layer between when I am using the Balsam Fir)

Follow instructions suggested by package instructions for whatever stabilizer you are using. Trim as desired. When trimming I leave about 1/2 inch from the top of the tree so when it’s stuffed, the shape is not lost.

Cut a pretty backing piece and a neutral piece (or more stabilizer) about 1/4 inch larger than the front. In case you are worried about the tree on the right being imperfect, don’t. 🙂

If you want to add any embellishments, do it before stitching the layers together. I added beads in the same color as the fabric for a little subtle bling-y effect.

To assemble your tree, pin a ribbon in the center of the tree for hanging later.

With right sides together, pin everything in place, aligning the bottom.

Leaving a 2 inch opening, start sewing (back stitch to secure) with 1/4 inch seam (from front fabric not backing) all the way to the other side, DON”T STOP AT CORNER AND TURN YOUR SQUARE. I used the method for making corners suggested by Sew Mama Sew in this video. Sew all the way to the the end of fabric.

Remove from machine and trim off the excess. Fold the sewn seam at stitching and start your next stitch there, back stitching a little to secure.

When all sides are done and you back stitched at the opening, turn and press. Push out corners with something with a point. I used a wooden skewer.

You can fill with Balsam Fir, available here (or other scenty substance) or poly-fil.

When using the Balsam Fir, I finish off the last bit of filling with some poly-fil for a clean finish.

Hand stitch the bottom closed.

If you rather not stuff, use batting instead of stabilizer between front and back. Quilt the top decoratively if you are turning it out or quilt as a sandwich if you will or finish it off with binding like a quilt.

Home Sweet Home Mini Quilt Swap

September 15th 2015

Look! It’s another Swap post. I told you I only had ~~three~~ four more to go… In case you missed it, you can see my Beach Bound MQS post here then come back to read about this one called the

The theme of this swap was houses. How cute is that?

Once you sign up, they send you an email with particulars about the swap and partners then after browsing through Pinterest (which I only do sporadically) I came up with these mosaics of little houses to share with our team called #Housepartycourtney aka (@aquilterandhercat)

There are so many inspirations on Pinterest! When it came time to sew, I forgot to refer to the mosaics but my go to pattern was one she had liked. 🙂

This Swap was “open” so we knew who are partner was (we got to send to each other) so that was neat but I was still a little hesitant in posting progress shots and spoil the surprise. I did learn she had been recently married so I made this little trinket for her as a personalized little extra.

One of my little thrills with swaps is when I see my partner and I have similar fabric tastes. And if it’s Bonnie and Camille even better, who doesn’t love a little of their fabric goodness, right?

Since I had won a Hello Darling Layer Cake from Simply Love Fabrics over on Instagram (Thanks so much!!) I thought I would use some for my Home Sweet Home Mini. I have to admit that at first release, I was reluctant because I wanted to savor Daysail a little longer, but having played with it….. well ya know how that goes.

If you want a very little version, she has a mini pattern available in paper or PDF versions in her shop.

(photo courtesy: Twin Fibers blog)

I adapted the Dwell pattern from her book Simply Retro. I wish I would have taken a better picture.

My houses measure 6 x 8, perfect for a little neighborhood runner. Here they are:

I used some scrappy binding which tied together all the great colors. I also thought this backing from the Snapshots line by Rliey Blake would be perfect! Got mine from Jody at Fabric Shoppe on Etsy.

Labeling items for Swaps can be a headache. This was the best I could do for this one. The fusible was not behaving!

I have been collecting extras since I signed up so the rush at the end would not catch me unprepared, in this case though, I think I went overboard, because I just learned the limit was two, oops! I hope she likes them, they should be arriving in a few days.

And there they are! (EDITED)

Now on to the next swap. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

Beach Bound Mini Quilt Swap

September 2nd 2015

Have you ever been in a swap? I don’t mean a wife swap, or a kid swap or a swap meet. I mean a crafty, quilty, creative swap. You make something for a total stranger (based on the swap theme) and a total stranger makes something for you. Sometimes there are extra goodies involved. I have to say that I am completely hooked! I found these swaps on Instagram. Follow me @elaine.summercrafter

So here is how it goes. Someone on IG posts about a new swap. Harry Potter, Downtown Abbey, Princess Bride, Pirates, Bonnie and Camille, Beach Bound, the themes are endless. Then you click on the original post, go to the link in the profile and sign up. Shortly thereafter you get emails with dates, rules and finally partner information. Sometimes it’s secret, sometimes it’s open.

Now you make a mosaic of things you like related to the theme and post it on IG with whatever hashtag the host suggests. This way others in the swap, and your partner, see what your tastes and preferences are when you share. I had two beach mosaics. The one above and the one below.

The first swap I did was a Rainbow Mini Swap, see that post here. The next one, shipped out August 31st, 2015 was this Beach Bound Mini Quilt Swap #beachboundmqs.

Finished size 21″ x 25 1/2″

I was in the group #beachboundflipflop adding that little detail of our group was fun.I also like to try something new for each swap. For this one I made my first Dresden to be the sun.

I knew that I wanted to make a beach scene, my partner and I have similar tastes. I wanted the waves to be “wavier” but it was more involved that I had anticipated, so I strip pieced sand and water colors and sewed it to the sky at an angle.

After this part, I started working on some focal points. This beach umbrella was just the thing to incorporate some of my favorite scraps. I also added some button embellishments.