How To Make a Scrappy Dog Bed

From Jaclyn over at Urban Crunch shows us  how to make a scrappy dog bed.......a great way to use up bits and pieces.  If the dog bed is going to be in the house, it should really have something to do with your style.  Click on the link with a great tutorial with a ton of pictures.

 

Scrappy Dog Bed , Urban Crunch.

I made this photo larger than necessary, but this sweet face has me all dog-kissy!

Baby Quilt Tutorial

Tutorial: The 3-2-1 Throw, A Quick, Easy Little Quilt

Melanie over at Modern Organic Fabrics has put together a tutorial for a fast and fun quilt.  To the gals in my Project Linus Group, I am thinking this would a great pattern for baby size.

According to Melanie this is "Perfect for beginners who feel a bit intimidated about quilting, or for the more experienced who want to put something together super-quick! This quilt utilizes the "pillow-case" method of binding, so there are no bias strips to make. Please note, however, this method of binding quilts is best only for small quilts like throws and baby blankets."

The 3-2-1 Quilted Throw is made with organic fabrics and organic batting. Fabric shown is from Melanie's  "My Happy Garden" collection by Cloud9 Organics. (Found at Modern Organic Fabrics Shop)

Supplies:
~My Happy Garden organic cotton fabric as follows:

• Speckle Grass - 12 1/2" x 48"
• Meadow - 12 1/2" x 24 1/4"
• Speckle Sun - 12 1/2" x 24 1/4"
• Speckle Sky - 12 1/2" x 16 1/4"
• Toadstools - 12 1/2" x 16 1/2"
• Flock - 12 1/2" x 16 1/4" 
• Lines -  approximately 37" x 49" (this is the backing fabric, it is cut a little large at first and will be cut to size after the front is finished)

~Organic cotton batting:
  Approximately 40" x 50" (cut a little large, will be cut to size when the front is finished)
~Thread

Tools:
~Rotary cutter & cutting mat (or scissors)
~masking or painter's tape
~pins
~sewing machine (or needle & thread)
 ***1/4 inch seam allowances are used, unless stated otherwise***

Courtesy of Modern Organic Fabrics

Diagram is not to scale

~Step One~
Cut pieces for quilt front. Do not cut back to exact size yet.

~Step Two~
With right sides together, pin Speckle Sky and Toadstools together on one short side and stitch. Place Flock on Toadstools, right sides together, pin and stitch on short side.
~Step Three~
With right sides together, pin Meadow and Speckle Sun together and stitch on one short side.

Photo:  Courtesy of Modern Organic Fabrics

~Step Four~
 Place each column on the batting in it's approximate finished spot. Remove the 3-piece column and the 1-piece column. Pin the 2-piece (middle) column to batting.

Photo:  Courtesy of Modern Organic Fabrics

~Step Five~
 Stitch the middle row to the batting by stitching around the edge.

Photo:  Courtesy of Modern Organic Fabrics

~Step Six~
 Place the 1-piece column right side down on the 2-piece column. Pin and stitch long sides together (you are also stitching it to the batting).
~Step Seven~
 Flip the 1-piece column back, pin wrong side to batting. Stitch around edge.

Photo:  Courtesy of Modern Organic Fabrics

~Step Eight~
 Place the 3-piece column face down on the 2-piece column. Pin and stitch long sides together (you are also stitching it to the batting).
~Step Nine~
 Flip the 3-piece column back, pin wrong side to batting. Stitch around edge.

Photo:  Courtesy of Modern Organic Fabrics

~Step Ten~
 Trim the batting to the quilt top. Make sure the quilt edges are straight and corners are squared up, trim if necessary.

Photo:  Courtesy of Modern Organic Fabrics

~Step Eleven~
 Tape the backing fabric to a table or the floor right side up. Place the quilt top right side down on the backing and pin. Trim the backing to same size as top, keep quilt pinned together.
~Step Twelve~
Stitch front and back together, leaving a 4-inch opening on one short side.

Photo:  Courtesy of Modern Organic Fabrics

~Step Thirteen~
Trim the corners. Turn quilt inside-out and use a dull, pointed instrument (such as a chopstick) to turn out corners.
~Step Fourteen~
Press edges. Sew opening closed (the best way is to hand sew it closed).

Photo:  Courtesy of Modern Organic Fabrics

~Step Fifteen~
Sew around edge of quilt using a 1/2-inch seam allowance.

Photo:  Courtesy of Modern Organic Fabrics

~Step Sixteen~
You can be finished, if you'd like. This quilt is small enough that you don't have to quilt the back. However, this is a great little quilt to practice some machine quilting. I used a walking foot on my machine and stitched random diagonal lines.

Friday Brain Dump...

ok...there is too much flying around in my head.  I have started too many projects and my sewing room is just a mess.  That said...I did finish one bag today and promptly fell in love with it.  It is Laurel Burch "Felines" with Moda Marbles accent and lining.  

But (brilliant creative thought) I did all the topstitching with variegated thread thinking it would pick up all the great colors in the fabric.  It looks  rather weird to me today.  I need to take a fresh look tomorrow.


Here is the bag....I really want to keep it.  I had just enough fabric left over to do a thingie with it and found I had an old fabric covered button in my box and I got Garth to take it apart  so I could re-use, recycle and up-cycle it!

 
Moving along....today I made hot dog and hamburger buns (thanks EJ).  I have been making bread for years, but it  never occurred to me to go beyond the gooshy-gummy ones from the store.  We don't eat beef, so our soy-mushroom burger will be very happy bedding down in a homemade bun.

I need to get my fall quilt bound and on the bed before long.  This is the most beautiful ufo I have. 


I made the blocks for this quilt a year ago at our annual retreat in Truckee.  Now, it is together, quilted and ready to for me to bind it.  Only took a year to pull it together!  


We are leaving on Monday morning for this year's retreat.  Kay cannot come, so there will be Elly, Irene, Susan, Carol and me....makes five post-menopausal women having a sleep over for four days!  That kind of fun will keep us young. 

Quilting for Linus....

I missed my day to quilt with my Linus group, so I quilted for Linus at home instead.  I have been making quilts for the teenage boys, but today I looked at the seersucker and flannel and got the warm fuzzies to make a baby quilt.

We all want to make the girlie or newborn quilts, but I could not help myself.  So the flannel started flying and off I went...

These are very simple quilts to make, and are so adorable.  I want to run out and borrow someone's baby and wrap it up. 

After I was almost finished, I got the bright idea to try my hand at a tutorial (my first). 

Bearing in mind I decided to do a tutorial for this quilt after I had almost finished, the pics are a little strange, but here 'tis.

You will probably need:

1/2 yard of each fabric plus a little extra for the border, and 1 yard each of the backing flannel and the batting.  Scraps are great or you can get a charm pack of baby prints and make a bunch of quilts. 

1.  Cut squares (I used 5" squares of each fabric) to make a simple four patch using two fabrics.   I like to use soft cotton or, in this case, seersucker.  

2. Sew them together for the top to make whatever size you like, newborn, baby or floor.

3.  Add a border.

4.  Cut backing of some adorable baby flannel print a couple of inches larger than your quilt top and do the same with your batting.

5. At this point I like to sew the backing to the front of the quilt, right sides together with 1/4" inch seam all round the quilt leaving 6 or so inches open for turning.  Then layer as follows:  batting, backing up and quilt top down.  Sew around remembering to leave that open space.  

6.  Turn the whole thing inside out, pin the opening closed, press and whip stitch closed.  Sew around the outside with a scant 1/4".  

7.  Quilt or tie as you prefer, be sure to put a label on and give to that Mama-to-be.