Blog posts of '2024' 'October'

These cute little ornaments are quick and easy to make. They’re perfect little extras to stuff into a greeting card or use as a package tie. They’ll fit a 100mm square sewing field and can also be used as direct embroidery.

Skill Level

Simple. Just follow the steps!

Please read through all instructions before starting your project! This project has multiple steps that must be done in a certain order.

Getting Started:

Print the worksheet. It has full instructions that will make more sense after you make just one.

What You’ll Need:

• Good quality white felt
• NOTE: this deisgn is not recommended for vinyl (too dense)
• Stabilizer: ( I tested with cutaway and washaway tearaway)
• Opalescent Mylar film
• Coordinating embroidery threads
• Ribbon for hanging (I cut mine to 5”)
• NOTE: the last stitch is a triple stitch and may not secure really thin cords well. Knotted the end of the cord will minimize the chance of it pulling out.

Instructions:

These designs are digitized to be used with Mylar behind the white areas. They can be stitched as free-standing ornaments or used as “normal” direct embroidery.

The process is similar for all designs in this set. Individualized steps can be found on the design’s worksheet.

Stitching:

• Only the last color is visible on the back if you want a matching bobbin color.
• Not all designs have placement line as the first color
• Some designs have fringed pompoms

• For direct embroidery, stitch up to the stop before the last color. The last color attaches the back to the front for a clean finish

Finishing

1. Remove from hoop and tear off stabilizer carefully right up to the design outline.
2. Carefully trim around the design taking care not to cut through the hanging loop.

You can watch a YouTube video on this project to get a good overview of the process: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWKVNQTG-74 or see all my videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/LindeeGVideos

Using embroidery designs to quilt makes it easy for anyone to create intricate designs quickly and easily. An important difference with embroidery designs is how the machine is tensioned. In normal sewing and quilting, the needle and bobbin threads are evenly balanced. This is not the case with embroidery. Here the top thread is pulled to the back and the back is likely to look rather messy—especially if your machine has automatic trimmers that pull all the thread tails to the back. To minimize this, match your bobbin thread to the top thread and choose a busy fabric for the back that blends well with your thread color. You may also wish to adjust your tensions for a more even balance.

Most quilting motifs are continuous and will only have one pair of tie-offs. Redwork designs with many distinct elements will have more tie-offs.

It’s a Girl! design collection from Lindee G Embroidery includes 12 decorative, redwork style designs for baby girls. Each design is available in 2 sizes: one for smaller hoops (approximately 85mm square) and one for 5x7” hoops (approximately 125mm square). Due to the amount of detail in these designs, I don’t recommend shrinking the smaller size. The smaller sizes have shorter stitch lengths and in some cases, some small details have been eliminated.

Additionally, there are 2 utility blocks included to assist in making this project. These utility files will require at least the next size larger hoop and are essentially a double basting line with an appliqué stop in the middle. For the larger block, you’ll need an 8x8” hoop. These utility files sews 2 rounds of basting stitches: the first for placement and the second to hold the quilt sandwich in place for stitching. You can sew it with the same thread you use for the design. This basting block is not required to make the quilt. If you can’t sew the larger designs, simply cut your blocks large enough to be hooped. Or, use the baste-in-the-hoop function if your machine has one. I created the squares to help with accurate placement and to reduce the amount of fabric needed for each block.

These instructions are for larger hoop machines. If you have a smaller sewing field, adjust accordingly.

Tips for Smaller Machines

If you have a very small sewing field (less than 100 x 100mm or 4 x 4”), you’ll need to take a slightly different approach than the one described for the sample. Make your “quilt sandwich” large enough to hoop between the rings of your hoop as shown below.

For 5 x 7” hoops, you can sew the larger versions without the utility file or the smaller designs with the utility file. When sewing the larger designs in a 5 x 7” hoop, either hoop the fabric as shown in the previous figure or use a baste-in-the hoop feature to attach the block to the stabilizer as shown later.

Please read through all the instructions before beginning this project because construction techniques vary from standard piecing techniques.

Skill Level

Basic sewing skills are required; it’s not my intention to teach you how to sew! If you’ve never pieced a quilt, and you need more instructions, please refer to a basic quilting reference.

What You’ll Learn

• How to quilt in the hoop
• How to assemble pre-quilted blocks
• How to add a ruffle to the edge of a quilt

Fabric Requirements

You will need approximately 2 1/2 yards each of two fabrics. Color 1 in the sample is a tone on tone white print on a slightly peachy beige background; color 2 is a peachy colored batik. The back side of the sample is all peach except for the outer borders, binding, and ruffle.

• 12 - 8 x 8” squares for back (color 2)
• 12 - 8 x 8” squares for front (color 1)
• 12 - 8 x 8” squares of fusible fleece (be sure to choose one with a water soluble glue so your quilt will be soft)
• 3” wide strips for sashing (you will need sashing strips for BOTH sides of your quilt; sashing strips will be folded in half lengthwise
• 8 - 6 3/4” long (or height of your block) for front (color 2)
• 8 - 6 3/4” long (or height of your block) for back (color 2)
• 3 at width of your assembled rows for front (color 2)
• 3 at width of your assembled rows for back (color 2)
• Outer borders: 3” wide strips, 1 set for front and 1 for back. These are not folded. I used color 1 for the back and color 2 for the front.
• Ruffle: 5” wide, length depends on desired fullness of ruffle (color 1)
• Optional binding: bias strips 1 1/2” wide, 1 set for front (color 2) and one for the back (color 1) [See note under Finishing before cutting; these are not required if you use the easier method.

Supplies

• Batting—Choose one that is not too lofty; I used a fusible one for quilts.
• Wash-Away stabilizer
• TESA (KK2000 or similar temporary embroidery spray adhesive)
• Construction thread
• Embroidery thread
• Appropriate needles
• Rotary cutter and ruler

Preparation

• Cut and prepare your blocks. Make a “quilt sandwich” by layering the backing fabric (face down), a layer of batting, and a layer of top fabric (face up), and press together according to package instructions to fuse. If you aren’t using fusible batting, lightly mist backs of fabric with TESA and smooth over batting.
• Wind several bobbins with matching embroidery thread.

Embroidering

For each block, you will be sewing the appropriate utility block file followed by the embroidery design. You may wish to combine these in software or at the machine or just load each file as required.

• Hoop a piece of wash-away backing.
• Load the larger square utility file (lgs01126) and sew color 1, which will stitch a placement guide on the stabilizer.
• Lightly mist the back of your quilt sandwich with TESA and smooth into place over the basting guides. The block will extend beyond the basting lines approximately 1/2”.
• Sew the next color stop to attach the block to the stabilizer.
• Load the decorative design and sew. For this quilt, I used designs lgs01113 - lgs01124.
• When the design is finished, remove from hoop and trim off excess stabilizer.
• Continue embroidering all the blocks

Make a Label

It’s always a good idea to attach a label to your quilt. Labels can be simple or fancy. On this quilt, I just used a lettering program to stitch the quilt name, my name, and the date. This label is sewn into the binding and hand stitched along turned under edges. Sometimes I embroider the label right onto the backing of the quilt.

Trim Blocks

Using the basting line as a guide, trim and square up your blocks to the same size (mine were 6 3/4” square) with the rotary cutter and ruler. Your blocks must all be the same size.

When all your blocks are embroidered, arrange them in a pleasing way into four rows of 3 blocks.

Sashing

Sashing is applied to the right hand edge of the blocks in the left and center columns of your quilt. Please note the seam allowances are 1/2” rather than the standard 1/4”. I chose to fold the strips in half for two reasons:

• It’s quicker because you won’t have to fold and press under the raw edge.
• It provides a slightly thicker cover over the butted seams of the batting.

The downside is that it uses slightly more fabric, although not much on these rather narrow strips. Also, if you don’t attach the raw edges straight, you won’t be able to adjust on the second side.

1. Trim the 3” wide sashing strips to the height of your blocks. Fold each strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press lightly.
2. Apply one sashing strip to the front and a second to the back aligning raw edges. Sew together using a 1/2” seam. Press the sashing open on both side
3. Apply sashing to the right edges of all blocks except the right-most one in the row.

Create Rows

To sew blocks together into rows, butt the raw edges together on adjacent blocks. Pin the sashing down and top stitch from the front using any stitch of your choice. I used a blind hem stitch (#1-35 on the Baby Lock Ellisimo). I widened the stitch to 4.0 and shortened the length to 1.4. I used the same thread as used for the embroidery. Topstitch the other side of the sashing to match.

Attach Rows

Using the same technique you used to apply sashing to the individual blocks, sew the rows together to form the center of your quilt.

Add the Borders

1. Cut strips of batting the height of the sides and 1/4” narrower than the width of your side borders. Butt the raw edges of the batting border to the raw edges of the batting on the quilt sides. Using a multi-step zig-zag (#1-13) set to the widest width (7mm), attach the two strips together.

2. Stitch side border strips (unfolded) to the sides, one on top and one on bottom, right sides together, using 1/2” seam allowance. Press open over the batting.

3. Add the top and bottom batting strips and borders in the same method

4. Square up and trim off excess batting

Finishing

At this point, you can simply topstitch the side borders to match the sashing and bind in a traditional manner, or you can round off the corners, add a ruffle, and then topstitch.

When I made this quilt, the ruffle idea occurred to me after I had finished and topstitched the entire quilt and was ready to put on the binding. I had never attached a ruffle to a quilt done this way so my brilliant idea was to attach binding strips to the ruffle and then attach the binding in a typical manner. This proved to be quite a challenge since you must ease the curves to keep the quilt flat. After two less-than-satisfactory attempts of attaching by machine, I applied the entire binding by hand while I watched TV or listened to audio books. Knowing that most of you would rather not take this approach, I consulted my expert quilting friend, Jeanette Smith, who in turn consulted her expert quilting friend. Jeanette found an easier option in her extensive library and that’s what I’ll explain here. Note that it won’t look exactly like the sample but it will save you a lot of time!

1. Round off the corners of your quilt using a plate or similar object as a template. I used the border seams as starting and ending points for the curve.

2. Piece 5 or more 5” wide strips of color 1 end to end, then fold and press in half lengthwise.

3. Gather along raw edges. I used a ruffle attachment. Experiment with the different adjustments on your ruffler as well as varying stitch lengths to create the desired fullness. Gather enough fabric to encircle your quilt.

Although I don’t use it often, I love my ruffler attachment. It makes quick work of creating long ruffles evenly. Rather than gathering, it creates small pleats, which you can control by setting a lever on the foot itself and by controlling stitch length. While it looks like quite a complicated attachment, it is easy to use.

4. Measure out the edge of the quilt to determine how long to make the ruffle. Trim ruffle to size and sew raw ends together using 1/4” seam. The gathering on the ruffle adds a bit of fudge factor since you can easily redistribute some fullness as you near the end of attaching it to the quilt.

How I Did It

After gathering, I attached the binding strips to the gathered edge of the ruffle using 3/8” seam allowance (color 2 on front, color 1 on back), pressed the strips towards the seam and trimmed the seam allowances to 1/2”. I then hand basted the ruffle seam allowance to the outer edge of the quilt, (final top stitching on side borders was done prior), turned under a quarter inch seam allowance on the binding on the front and back and hand-stitched each side individually. If you’re not a fan of hand work, try the following finishing method, which skips the binding strips altogether.

Easier Method

1. Attach the ruffle to the edge of the quilt matching raw edges sewing the ruffle to the front of the quilt through the front and batting layers only using 1/4” seam. Press open.
2. On the back of the quilt, turn the back edges of the borders over the raw seam tucking under 1/4” and hand stitch in place. Or, use one of the no-sew methods of fusing the edge, if desired.
3. Top stitch the side borders to match the sashing.

You will need to wash the quilt to remove all the washaway stabilizer and the adhesive in the batting if you used fusible batting.

Be sure that all the TESA has dissipated before wetting your quilt. To force dissipate, press with a dry iron.

This lovely lace angel is a masterpiece of creativity and with a little bit of time, you can easily make one for yourself! The angel is approximately 8.5” tall and will stand without support or grace the top of your Christmas tree.

Supplies

• Designs
• Minimum 13x180mm (5x7”) sewing field
• Embroidery thread (I prefer Rayon for lace but polyester, cotton, or even metallics can be used)
• Wash-Away stabilizer (non-woven fiber based)
• TESA (temporary embroidery spray adhesive, I prefer KK2000)
• Double-stick embroidery tape
• Sewing machine, hand needle and thread, or glue for final assembly
• Twist ties
• Styrofoam cone wrapped with plastic wrap (I trimmed off the top and bottom sections)
• Wire cookie cooling rack

Please read all instructions before beginning

The Designs

You’ll notice this lace angel differs from many of the free-standing lace designs widely available on the internet these days. Those designs are often created by laying down a mesh of fill stitches as a fabric substitute and then stitching satin elements over the top. Such designs are quicker to digitize but they don’t capture the elegance of the old time hand punched lace. This angel more closely reproduces that old-style look.

Don’t let the open, airy look deceive you! This project is high stitch count—well over 200,000 total stitches depending on how you choose to make her. On the other hand, she has no jumps, no trims, and is sewn in only one color. So while the machine time is long, your interaction is minimal until assembly time. Plan on this as a two day project: one day to embroider, overnight to dry, and a little time the following day to assemble.

There are several versions of this design. If you have a machine with a 200x300 sewing field, you’ll be able to sew the design in two pieces:

• Skirt (200x300 hoop) [lgp00102]
• Wings and head (200x200 hoop) [lgp00101]

If you have a 130x180mm sewing field, you’ll have the following:

• Head (fits 100x100mm hoop) [lgp00103]
• Left wing (mirror for the right wing) [lgp00104]
• Interlocking skirt panel [lgp00105]
• Left skirt panel [lgp00106]
• Inside skirt panel [lgp00107]
• Right skirt panel [lgp00108]

I’ve provided two ways to create the skirt for these smaller sewing fields, which I’ll cover in a bit.

General Instructions

The quality of your lace depends heavily on proper hooping and machine tensions. If the thread tensions are too tight, the stitches will be pulled more and sections may not align properly, underlay may be exposed, and your design may fall apart in areas when the stabilizer is removed. You can also experience these problems if the stabilizer slips in the hoop.

Sometimes there are just a few errant stitches hanging out and these can be trimmed away with small thread snips.

For optimum results, hoop two layers of wash-away in the hoop. Make sure both layers are smooth, taut and fully gripped between the rings of the hoop.

Do not use a film type water soluble stabilizer. These stabilizers—even the very heavy ones—will perforate during stitching causing a loss of stability!</p<>

For added security and slippage prevention, I used duct tape on the bottom side. Cut long strips of tape and rip them in half lengthwise. Tape along the edges of the stabilizer and wrap over the hoop. Use the smallest hoop that will accommodate each design. Slippage and push/ pull problems are the greatest in the largest designs and in larger hoops (no matter the design size).

Test your process by sewing the interlocking skirt panel in a 5x7 hoop. Rinse and dry and check for exposed underlay or any places that are not holding together. I have noticed that on some machines, the underlay is exposed on inner curves only in one area of the curve, say from 1:00 to 3:00 position. If the design is mirrored, and the underlay is still exposed in the 1-3 o’clock position. This would indicate a machine issue.

After sewing, cut away stabilizer close to the design and then rinse out excess stabilizer in warm water. Simply rinse until you don’t see any stabilizer remaining, the extra remaining stabilizer will help your angel keep her girlish figure.

Lay out wet lace on a thick towel and roll towel to soak up excess moisture. Do not wring the lace. I let my lace dry flat until just slight damp before shaping. Refer to shaping and assembly further on.

Sewing Instructions

Machines with 200x300mm sewing fields

Sew the skirt design in a 200x300 hoop and the wings and head design in a 200x200 hoop. It is particularly critical to hoop and stabilize securely for the skirt!

If you want to adjust the angle or placement of the wings, you may want to use the separate pieces designed for the smaller sewing field.

Machines with 130x180mm (5x7”) sewing fields

The easiest sewing method is to simply sew five of the interlocking panels. A second advantage is that this allows you to sew more manageable pieces and if you goof one up, you haven’t messed up the entire skirt. This is also a good way to get a multi-colored skirt, if desired.

This was my original method and while it requires no multi-piece alignment during sewing, it is a little harder to assemble and results in a higher stitch count project. Furthermore, the interlocking connector buttons make the angel bulkier.

The second method is to sew the multi-piece skirt. Here you’ll sew the left skirt panel first and trim away stabilizer closely. Next, load the inside skirt panel and sew to the applique stop. Align the first panel along the left side matching the connector stitches. Hold the first piece in place with double stick embroidery tape outside the range of the needle. You may wish to hold the connectors in place with a light mist of TESA.

When the second panel is finished, you’ll repeat the process. Ultimately you will sew one left panel, three center panels, and finally the right panel. This process requires patience and attention to detail!

The wings and head are all sewn individually and are assembled afterwards.]

You may find that you get significantly better results with the smaller pieces in smaller hoops than sewing the full size pieces in a large hoop. There is less distortion when sewing the smaller pieces. The trade off is your time. Only you can decide what works best for you.

Shaping & Assembly

Before your angel dries into a stiff flat form, do a little shaping. Refer to the full-size versions to see how the pieces should look if you’ve sewn them in smaller segments.

You’ll notice the skirt is designed so that it bells out slightly a little ways below the neck. The openings near the top allow the wings and head to fit into the body/skirt section. I found it easiest to form the skirt around a cut-off styrofoam cone. Interlock the connectors on the skirt back (connector will be on the inside of the skirt). Although the connectors are floppy and difficult to keep connected when damp, they will be quite sturdy when dry. I looped twist ties through the upper sections to shape the skirt as it dried.

If you sewed the individual interlocking panels, it will be easier to form the skirt when the sections have dried. Then, interlock the connectors, slip it over the cone, and if shaping is necessary, mist with a water bottle until damp enough to form. Pins are also helpful for shaping and can be pushed easily into the styrofoam.

If you find you are fighting with the connectors in the upper section of the skirt, just cut them off to match the full size skirt and hand sew. Alternatively, you can glue the connectors along the neck edge.

If you sewed skirt as one piece, once it is dry, the middle three upper sections can be sewn together. Leave the end segments open at the top to attach the wings. You can sew the segments together by abutting the edges and hand stitching or machine multi-step zigzag. I found it easier to do this stitching by hand.

The head on the smaller version is attached to a “shoulder.” The wings are attached to the front side of the shoulder ends on the front and behind the hair on the angel. This design is to allow more support for the head to keep it from flopping over. These pieces can be attached with glue, hand stitches, or on the sewing machine. Before attaching, do a little fitting on your skirt piece to make sure you like the shape and placement.

The wings and head are set into the space between the first and second skirt panels on the left (as you look at the angel) and the fourth and fifth panels on the right. You may be able to just leave these panels open or you may need to add a few hand stitches to keep your angel together. If you can avoid the stitches, it will make it much easier to store your angel since she’ll unfold to almost flat. For the sample shown on the first page, I simply set the wings into place— probably not a smart thing if I leave it within kitty reach!

Other Notes:

Although I sewed my angel in a traditional white, she would look lovely in other colors as well. I do not recommend trying to scale these designs to fit smaller sewing fields.

Looking for a small wallhanging project you can update each month? How about this quilted and pieced in-the-hoop calendar block?

I designed this calendar block to just ft my max square stitching area on my machine and to work with the 175mm blocks from some recently digitized sets, Halloween Scenes 1 and Halloween Scenes 2. I’m just wrapping up a few more sets that will also work for Thanksgiving and winter months (snowmen) that are similarly designed.

I haven’t found suitable designs for every month yet but do have November and December plus a couple of spring blocks. Of course, you can work in any design you choose simply by inserting it after color 5.

For October, I chose the multi-color Kitten and Pumpkins design from Halloween Scenes 1. There are two sets of Halloween scenes that will work perfectly for this project.

Each set has 10 designs in multi-color and 10 as single color and each one of those is available in multiple sizes. I used the 175mm version so I could stitch the month name onto the attached borders without rehooping.

I stitched through the batting but not the backing for this project. It fnishes out at about 12” square. The center is stitched frst, then the side borders are pieced on and embroidered, and fnally the top and bottom borders are pieced on and embroidered.

I foated all the pieces onto hooped stabilizer. I chose to color in the center embroidery with InkTense colored pencils for additional interest.

SKILL LEVEL

Basic embroidery and customizing skills. If you’re working with one of the calendar blanks to create your own version, you’ll need to know how to combine designs by inserting a design after a specifc color change.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Suitable fabrics for blocks, pre-washed and pressed (Tip: If fabrics are especially soft, starching can reduce distortion when stitching. Rotary cutter, quilting ruler and mat
• Stabilizer: I used Sulky Soft ‘n Sheer. Other suitable choices are washaway backing and washaway tearaway.
• Appliqué tacking iron
• An embroidery machine with a minimum sewing feld of 11½” x 9¾” for the blocks
• Suitable embroidery threads and sewing threads
• Optional: InkTense colored pencils or other media for coloring

WHAT’S INCLUDED WITH THE COLLECTION

• Twelve ITH “calendar blanks” digitized for piecing in the hoop (preset for each month)
• One block with a ready-made design already inserted (Halloween block for October)
• 12 “month name” designs
• This instructional PDF

SUPPLIES

I worked from various fat quarters in my fabric stash. The measurements listed below are for the calendar block designs in this set; adjust accordingly for how the sizes you’ll be using and the hoop(s) you’ll be using if they vary.

• Batting: 14” square (I used Floriani’s Quilter Select)
• Fusible Fleece: 14” square, optional (I used Pellon Fusible Fleece)
• Center block: 8” square (I used white Kona Cotton)
• Sashing: 2 strips 2¾” x 8” (Sides) + 2 strips ) 2¾” x 13” (top & bottom)
• Backing: 13” square
• Binding: I cut mine on the bias at 2¼” wide.

SETTING UP THE DESIGN

If you’re stitching this bonus October Halloween block, just load the design to your machine.

Otherwise, use one of the 12 calendar block “blanks,” which includes the basic ITH steps for each month and insert the design of your choice after color #5, which can be done either in software or at your machine. The center area is designed for a 175mm square design.

The month names are also included separately in case you have a smaller hoop and are unable to do the project in the hoop. You’re on your own for working that out.

WHY AREN’T THERE DESIGNS FOR EVERY MONTH?

This set is designed to make it easy for you to select your own monthly designs. Not everyone celebrates the same holidays and while we in the northern hemisphere experience winter in December, my Aussie friends are enjoying summer.

Another reason there aren’t designs for every month is I haven’t found artwork for every month yet. I will be posting similarly styled designs as I fnd them and get them done. In the meantime, you’re able to create your own calendar blocks with your own designs.

HOW TO SEW

Start by hooping the stabilizer. I used Sulky Soft ‘n Sheer. Other good choices would be washaway fber or wash-away tear-away. Because I’m using a large hoop and my stabilizer is thin, I used duct tape on the back to prevent slippage between the rings.

I foated the batting for this project because I didn’t have enough to hoop all the away around. Hooping would have made the top and bottom month names easier to stitch.

The first color sews the placement guide for the center area. Use any color for this step; it will be covered by batting and won’t be visible. You can use the same color for the frst 5 color changes if it works with your center block fabric.

Center the batting over this guide. I layered on a piece of fusible feece, fusible side up on top of that. Sew the tack down stitch.

Layer the center fabric so that it extends evenly on all sides of the tack down stitch and press lightly to tack it to the fusible feece. Sew the second tack-down stitch.

When I was testing this design, I found it easier to accurately place the center block in a separate step rather than with the batting.

Sew the central design.

Attach the Side Borders

Using the tack-down stitches as a reference, align your side borders right side down making sure they extend beyond the tack-down stitches about ¼”.

Sew the side seams. Trim seam allowances if needed, fip the borders open, fnger press the seam and then press in place to tack to fusible feece. Pins can also help secure the side borders. Stitch the month names for the side borders.

Attach the Top and Bottom Borders

Repeat the process to add the top and borders. Make sure the borders extend to the outer edges of the side borders. Stitch in place, trim seams if needed, press open, stitch month names.

Remove from the hoop. Square up the block and trim borders to size. Mine are trimmed to 2¼”.

COLORING THE CENTER AREA (OPTIONAL)

One of the reasons I love redwork and color line designs is that I can embellish them with other media. For this project, I used InkTense colored pencils. I’ve tried a variety of media and these are by far the easiest, no mess, and most permanent media I’ve found that still leaves the fabric soft.

I lightly colored in areas and then used clear aloe vera gel thinned with water to a bit thinner than egg whites to blend and activate the ink in these pencils. The aloe vera will prevent the water from wicking into other areas causing the ink to bleed. When dry, the color is permanent.

Do apply the liquid carefully, brushing by area. If you get sloppy, colors can run together. Colors can be blended until they are set after drying.

FINISHING

I chose a fall print for the back, created a label using Adine Script, added a sleeve for a hanging rod, and fnished with a bias binding. Most quilters know how to do these things. If you don’t, do a search on YouTube for video step-by-steps.

EXTRA TIPS

If you don’t have a large enough hoop to complete the full project, hoop your center fabric, batting, and stabilizer and manually attach the borders. You’ll need to rehoop for the month names. You may need to cut your stabilizer and batting larger to allow for adequate hooping area for the month names.

USING OTHER DESIGNS

Another good choice for a monthly calendar project are the Birth Month Flowers of the Year. These designs come in filled, appliqué, and redwork versions and while optimized for a 200mm square sewing feld, these designs have been split and can be multi-hooped using a minimum 5x7” hoop. Just use the month names to create your own version.

SUMMARY

Projects don’t have to be elaborate. Yes, you could make a huge king-size quilt but small individual blocks like these are easy to turn into a seasonal mini-wallhanging or pillow covers.

Also, small projects like these make it easy to experiment with different media and techniques without a large investment in fabric, supplies, and time