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2015 New Quilt Bloggers – Blog Hop

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As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m a part of a special group of new bloggers who have a passion for quilting! Today marks the 2nd week of our Blog Hop hosted by:

Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs

Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl

Stephanie @Late Night Quilter

Terri Ann @Childlike Fascination

All of the New Quilt Bloggers have been divided into “Hives” and my group is called the “New Bees” led by Cheryl.  Below are my fellow hive members on the block this week.  Stop by their blogs and you also get the chance to win some awesome sewing prizes! (Check out the hosts blogs above for more information.)

*Edited to include all weeks of the Blog Hop

Week 1 – Monday June 15th

Ashley @ www.craftyashleyb.com

Gayle @ pedalsewlightly.blogspot.com

Sarah @ http://123quilt.blogspot.com/

Hayley @ Www.moobird.blogspot.com.au

Week 2  – Monday June 22nd

Cristy @ www.iloveyousew.com

Patty @ www.walnutstreetquilts.com

Sarah @ www.goer.org/sarah

Eileen @ eileeninstitches.blogspot.com/

Week 3 – Monday July 13th

Abby @ https://hashtagquilt.wordpress.com/

Shelley @ http://thecarpentersdaughterwhoquilts.com/

Mary @ http://quiltingisinmyblood.com

Week 4 – Monday July 22nd

Kim @ lelandavestudios.com

Cassandra @ http://thenotsodramaticlife.com

Kathryn @ Ourplacequilts.wordpress.com

Colleen @ https://colleenscustomquilting.com/

Deb @ newcreativestate.wordpress.com

Megan @ www.sewstitchingcutequilts.com

>>>

A little about me….I used to work in Finance and Accounting so I love numbers and Excel.  I’m a complete geek when it comes to understanding my sewing costs, margins and of course, profit!  This information helps me tremendously with my shop, craft shows and pricing custom orders for clients. I have plans for a few templates (you know I will share) to help you understand your costs.  Is there anything you would like to see or understand when it comes to pricing your sewing projects?

Fun Fact –  I was named after Cristy Lane, the country singer.  My parents are Chinese-Vietnamese immigrants to the United States.  A sweet woman who helped my family with the assimilation process, thought the song “One Day at a Time” spoke to their journey.  My parents wanted to give me a “Western” name to honor their first American baby, and thus, I received Cristy (without the “H.”)

Below is the first quilt I made for my first-born with my husband’s old T-Shirts.  Can you tell it has the most minimal quilting I could do?!?  It’s just about all “stitch-in-the-ditch.”  As you can see, we’re an Irish loving family and it was fun to pull this all together. This quilt by no means is elaborate, but it was for my son…so I can’t help but love it and be reminded of where I started…

Notre Dame T-Shirt Quilt

Admittedly, I love more of my recent work as I’ve improved some skills and increased my fabric stash 😉 Quilted Sunset has the rich deep orange-red-mustard tones I just adore. The Quilted Hoops have been my newest obsession and I can’t get enough of their compact cuteness. Spectrum of Gingham is a rainbow of love and helped my dear friend raise money to fight Cancer.Fave Quilt Mosaic

With all of this quilting and sewing, I’ve found the best advice it to go slow and steady.  It’s so easy to take short-cuts…thinking you don’t need pins or you can just sew at the fastest speed allowed.  But it will pay-off when you don’t have to rip out stitches when your fabrics don’t align or your stitches become noticeably uneven…TRUST ME…

I’ve been sewing heavily for about 5 years, have had my Etsy shop for about 2 years and have participated in about half a dozen craft shows, but am juuust starting with blogging. Without formal teaching (beside junior high Home Ec) I’ve learned a lot of my sewing techniques through other bloggers and wanted to give back to the community through my own experience and spin.

So far, I’ve learned to use my WordPress app as my on-the-go tool to help me capture ideas, make edits and upload pictures.  Since I’m a stay-at-home mom, my family always takes precedence.  I don’t always have time to sit in front of my laptop between life and sewing items from my shop.  The app allows me to work on posts whenever I do have a few minutes…any free time I have is precious!

I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about me 🙂  Don’t forget to visit my fellow 2015 New Quilt Bloggers to get to know them as well!

 

Happy Stitching,

Cristy

Love You Sew

 

FREE Walking Geese Needlebook Tutorial

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Love You Sew Needlebook Tutorial

I’m new to the world of Swaps.  I’ve seen and followed quite a few through Instagram and finally signed up for a few.  The #IGneedlebookSwap was my second sign-up, but my first which has been sent and received.  After looking at a few online, I wanted to design my own and share it for FREE with you!!!  If you are unfamiliar, these swaps have a theme (in this case, a needle book) and you have to post progress shots on your IG account.  They are usually secret and you have great fun finding out…aka “stalking” your partner’s tastes and preferences.    I like it because you get work on something new and it’s challenging to have some parameters set….including a deadline!

My partner asked for a Needlebook with a pocket to hold a small set of scissors, so I went about designing one myself!  How can I screw up the math on something that finishes at 4.5″ x 7″ (open) and 4.5″ x 3.5″ (closed), right???  My partner also specified using navy, coral and aqua…so I incorporated a design to showcase all of those colors.

Needlebook Sketch

Needlebook Sketch

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Material Requirements:

  • Exterior Fabric (shown in Robert Kaufman IndigoChambray)
    • 1.5″ x 5″ rectangles [cut 2]
    • 2″ x 5″ rectangle [cut 1]
    • 1.25 x 2″ rectangle [cut 4]
    • Goosing Borders [sew 2]
  • Interior Fabric (shown in Cotton + SteelHatbox – Navy Desert Flower)
    • 4″ x 5″ [cut 2]
    • 4″ x 7″ [cut 1 for pocket A]
    • 4″ x 4″ [cut 1 for pocket B]
    • 2″ x 3.75″ [cut 1 for snap closure tab]
  • Accent Fabric 1 (shown in Cotton + Steel Dottie in Bluebird)
    • 2.5″ x 4″ [cut 1 for pocket A]
  • Accent Fabric 2 (shown in Cotton + SteelXOXO in Coral)
    • 2.5″ x 4″ [cut 1 for pocket B]
    • 2.75″ x 2.75″ [cut 1 for needle-landing]
  • Felt for needle-landing
    • 3″ x 3″ [cut 1]
  • Batting
    • 5″ x 8″ [cut 1]
  • KAM Snaps [2 sets]
  • 2″ Grosgrain Ribbon
  • 3/4″ Magnet

Use 1/4″ seam allowance unless noted.

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FPP Geese Close-up

FPP Geese Close-up

For the outside of the book, I used Jeli Quilts’s (surprise!) Goosing Borders and shrank the design down to 50%.  The geese are Cotton + Steel basics in Bluebird and Coral.  For the background and borders of the exterior, I used Robert Kaufman’s Chambray in Indigo. I love chambray for a clean sophisticated look and the added texture.  It’s definitely one of my go-to fabrics and always keep some in my stash.

For a nice video on Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP) click here.  I watched this to help me wrap my head around the fabric being sewn as a mirror image.  This technique takes some practice but you will quickly become addicted, like me 🙂 The finished Geese blocks should measure 2″ x 3.5″.  Attach the 1.25″ x 2″ rectangles to the short-sides of each Geese Block.  Then attach the 1.5″ x 5″ blocks to one side of each block.  Use the 2.5″ x 5′ rectangle to attach the Geese blocks together.  Quilt the exterior to the batting and trim 5″ x 7.5″.

Interior left with Pockets

Interior left with Pockets

On the inside, I chose another Cotton + Steel fabric.  This time, a navy from Hatbox by Alexia Abegg.  I decided to make two pockets – a larger one for scissors and/or a spool of thread or pen.  The smaller pocket could be used to hold floss, clips, or a spare packet of needles.  The binding helps to grip the pockets and adds some visual appeal.

Iron both pockets in half length-wise so [A] is 3.5″ x 4″ and [B} is 2″ x 2″.  Take each piece of binding and machine-bind down just like you would a quilt.  Lay Pocket [B] on top of Pocket [A] on top of 4″ x 5″ interior fabric, matching up corners at the bottom. Pin all in place.

Right above the Pocket [A], I cut a 2″ piece of grosgrain ribbon, sealed the ends, and made a loop to hold the scissor handles in place.  I am a big fan of KAM Snaps and used them with the ribbon as well as with the closure of the entire Needle-book.

Preparing Needle-landing with built-in Needle-minder

Preparing Needle-landing with built-in Needle-minder

On the right side, there needed to be a needle landing (because it wouldn’t be a needle book, otherwise, right?!?) I just used craft felt and my Gingher serrated scissors to cut out the rectangle.  But I wanted some more color, so I added the same Coral fabric on top as a nice accent.  I sewed 3-sides up with a 1/8″ seam along the Coral and slipped in a small 3/4″ magnet for a built-in needle-minder!  Then I sewed up the last side making sure the magnet was fully enclosed. With right-sides together, sew the two interior panels together to create a center seam.

Needlebook Exterior

Needlebook Exterior

To create a tab, press the fabric lengthwise in half then open.  Press each long-side to match the center fold then fold in half, matching up the short-ends.  Top stitch all around to secure.  Attach KAM Snap at this point. Pin the tab half-way on the right interior panel facing in.

On the exterior panel, mark where the tab will meet and attach your other KAM Snap.  With right sides together, sew the Interior and Exterior  panels to each other leaving a 3” opening to turn. Snip corners, turn the Needlebook right-side out and press.  Top-stitch 1/8″ all around the book to close up the opening.  “Stitch in the ditch” along the center inside seam to allow the book to easily fold.

Completed Interior

Completed Interior

And….that’s it 🙂  This was a nice easy sew that you could use as a “Swap Extra”  or a stocking stuffer for a good sewing friend.  If you are not a snap person or do not have any on-hand, you can alternatively use a button and elastic cord closure or long pieces of ribbon to tie it all together.  If you looked closely at my sketch, I was initially going to add some elastic loops under the landing, but decided to omit them to keep this simple…but it’s a great idea if you want to add an additional feature.

Since I’m not a seasoned tutorial author (yet!), please let me know if you have any questions. Don’t forget to share pictures of any completed projects as well!

I’m linked up to Late Night Quilters Tips and Tutorials Tuesday.  Please visit the page to see some more great sewing and blog related pointers!

#WalkingGeeseNeedlebook #IGNeedlebookSwap #LoveYouSew

 

Hug and Stitches,

Cristy

Love You Sew

5 Easy Sewing Room Organization Ideas

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5 Easy Sewing Room Organizational Ideas

5 Easy Sewing Room Organizational Ideas

I don’t know about you, but my “sewing dungeon” (named because I’m in the basement) is always in need of some organizational help.  I’ve come to terms that my space will ALWAYS be a work-in-progress and I’m okay with that.  It’s my creative space and unfortunately, the physical cannot keep up with my mental states of art 😉  So whenever there is something out there to help me tame my chaos, I’m all ears!  Below are 5 of my personal organizational tips…from one that will require some investment to my favorite…re-purposing!

1.  Mason Jars

Use Mason Jars for clips and Safety Pins

Use Mason Jars for clips and Safety Pins

Admit it….you have a bunch of these already.  Mason Jars have been quite the decor trend these past few years and I know I’ve received them as gifts and have bought my own as part of plenty of Pinterest projects.  However, you can collect them by just eating!  Many of the pasta sauce companies have beautiful jars nowadays and you just have to clean them out.

I’m a visual person and need to see what I have.  These jars are perfect for keeping my Clover Clips and Safety Pins together.  I like being able to bring the jars wherever I want to work in the house.  The only down-side is that my hand doesn’t fit in the opening, but shaking the items out hasn’t been a deterrent for me.  You could use these for all of your notions….elastic, trim, needles , etc. and to hold your tools such as rulers, scissors, and seam rippers….endless possibilities!

2.  Binder Clips for Zippers

Binder Clips for Zippers

Binder Clips for Zippers

If you have ever worked in an office environment, these Binder Clips have come home with you once or twice…  If not, these are cheap and can be found easily wherever office supplies are sold. I used to have a home office back in my sales days and have a ton of company provided office goodies.  It’s nice to find other uses for these, other than to keep snacks fresh!

These Binder Clips are great if you have a pegboard.  I use them to clip my zippers together by color family so whenever I need one, I can easily make a selection just like a paint swatch ring.  Additionally, I use these to hang up directions/tutorials of projects I sew often.  It’s great to have them accessible right in front of me on the board.

3.  Car Organizer = Ruler and Pattern Organizer

Re-purpose a Car Organizer

Re-purpose a Car Organizer

So, I bought this Thirty-One Hang Up Activity organizer with full intentions of actually using it in my car. But it was from a local Buy-Sell-Trade Facebook group (bonus for being cheeeaap!) but required a little stitching to fix a pocket that was falling apart.  By the time I actually fixed the pocket, my boys’ legs had reached the point where they can (and will) kick anything on the back of the driver or passenger car seats.

My awesome score on the BST site was sitting in the back of the mini-van until I realized it could hold all of my “flat” sewing supplies. Yay!!! As you can see, it holds my various rulers, marking pens, patterns and even my Fold-Away station.  This would be great if you are not a pegboard person, but would like to hang some supplies close to your machine without having to take up a lot of space.  You can find a ton of similar versions of this organizer on Ebay for less.

4.  Sew an Hour Basket for Fabric Storage

Sew and Hour Basket for Fabric Storage

Sew and Hour Basket for Fabric Storage

Have you made an Hour Basket yet?!?  Kelby Sews has this great FREE pattern available here in her pattern shop.  I have made quite a few of these baskets but they have all been for gifts and not for myself…cue in the latest IG Alison Glass Mini Quilt Swap.  As part of my swap package, the lovely Kitty from The Night Quilter gifted me this awesome basket.  Not only is it absolutely gorgeous, it has pockets all around…genius!!!

This basket is great for holding all kinds of odds and ends, but I am using mine to hold my beautiful Alison Glass collection.  The finished dimensions are perfect for fat quarters.  As pictured, I have 27 fat quarters and 15 half-yards….ALL in there!  I plan on make a few completely in my favorite designers to hold their respective fabrics (don’t worry you know I will share pics.)

Although this organization idea takes up some fabric and some time, it is great for scraps….which is less evasive on the wallet. Check out #hourbasket on Instagram for ideas on how to design your own!

5. Use Mini-Bolts for Fabric Storage

Before and After making Mini Bolts

Before and After making Mini Bolts

Did you know that Paper Pieces, the supplier of all kinds of English Paper Piecing (EPP) templates, also has a division called Polar Notions?  Well, they have these great heavy duty plastic organizers  (11-3/4″ x 7-1/2″) that can help you create these sweet mini-bolts.  If you have a lot of yardage like me, the original size is for you.  You can take  typical 42-44″ width fabric and fold it into fourths which will be the optimal size to wrap around these boards.

I happen to buy a 50-pack of these guys when Polar Notions was having a ridiculous 50% off sale….so I would suggest either subscribing to their website newsletter and/or following them on Instagram @polarnotions to learn about their sales.

As you can see, my original stash was in pretty poor shape.  And then after, my fabric is just SO pretty.  I can easily see every fabric and not have to run into another incident of  I-gotta-tear-apart-my-whole-dungeon-to-find-this-one-particular-fabric-I-KNOW-I-have 🙂 You know you’ve been there!  I hope this will keep my fabric less wrinkled as well.  I make fabric pulls for my Etsy shop customers all the time and it will be nice to pull smooth fabric going forward.

The only down-side of these boards is that I ran out…a little too quickly.  A 50-pack was not enough…sad to come to the realization that I have a serious fabric addiction…but don’t tell my husband!  He already has seen my full bolt collection increase! Yikes!

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I hope these ideas help you keep your space organized….or maybe you are already a sewing cyborg clean freak?!?  Only a myth, I’d say…

What has been the most unusual re-purpose of an item for your sewing space?  I’d love to know!

 

Keepin’ it (somewhat) clean,

Cristy

 

*I have not been compensated for use and/or mention any of any items in this post.  All opinions are my own.

I’m a 2015 New Quilt Blogger

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Yay! I’m participating in the 2015 New Quilt Blogger Group.  As you all know, this blog is quite new and I’m navigating in uneasy waters…  I consider myself to be semi-tech savvy, but there is just so much out there that it’s hard to keep up.  My brain is keyed on new fabric and sewing patterns, not widgets or coding!  Can I get an “Amen?!?”

2015 New Quilt Bloggers Group

 

However, I know if I want to help you, I have to help myself 😉  I already have installed a Bloglovin button on the sidebar and on the footer to better help you subscribe to the blog!  In the next few weeks, I hope to learn quite a bit to improve your reader experience!  Don’t worry, you know I will share all the good stuff I learn while in this group 🙂

 

Wish me luck!

Cristy

Instagram Giveaway for 500+ Followers

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There ARE some perks to following my different social media outlets…different Giveaways!!!

I have hit the 500 Follower milestone and I really can’t believe it!  It took me awhile to jump on the Instagram band-wagon…mainly because I ran out of memory on my old phone.  Pictures of my kids were WAY more important than any other ones and of course, I couldn’t delete any of my babies 🙂  But after receiving an amazing birthday present (thanks hubs!) in the form of a new smartphone with a ton of extra memory….I revved up my account. I am truly humbled that this many people want to follow my sewing, my life and put up with my ramblings.  But I am honored and hope to add a little life to your feed and inspire some fun sewing projects!  Thank you…thank you..thank you!!!

Head on over to Instagram and follow me @loveyousew_ if you are not already and “LIKE” the photo that you see above, plus tag a friend 🙂 One entry per person please.

I’m gearing up to giveaway a brand new Omnigrid® Tote-size FoldAway™ Portable Cutting and Pressing Station! This is an 8.75″ x 11.75″ (22.2cm x 29.8cm) folded gem. It has a black canvas outside cover and Velcro-closure to keep everything together.

It is my favorite tool for Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP) so I don’t have to keep getting up to trim or press my fabric. I keep it to the right of my sewing machine and it allows me to keep my projects moving! I love this size as it is slightly larger than a sheet of paper and travels very nicely, as needed.

Giveaway will be open until June 5, 2015 8pm EST and a random winner will be announced then.

>>Edited>> The contest is now over and winner was announced on Instagram.

***This is not endorsed by Omnigrid® or by Instagram. Open to US and international parties. If you are outside the U.S., you are agreeing to pay your own shipping minus $5.50USD and any associated insurance, tariffs, customs costs etc.

 

Enjoy!

Cristy

Love You Sew