Part 2 in the “I’m-Making-This-Up-As-I-Go-Along” Quilt!

So you have your 64 fabric squares cut out, right? Check!  Good…because I’m ready to move on with the next step and you might be, too.  Again, we’re keeping this a simple, no-stress project so we’re doing this in “baby steps”. Here’s what you’ll want to do next!

Step 1:  Take one light color square and one dark color square and set side-by-side.

Step 2:  With right sides together, place the light color square on top of the dark color square.

Step 3:  With a ruler and pencil (or disappearing ink fabric pen) draw a line from one corner to the next. I like to draw this line on the light color fabric square.

         

Step 4:  Take these 2 blocks to your sewing machine. Sew 1/4″ on each side of that drawn line.
                *Note:  Sewing a 1/4″ seam is a standard measurement in quilting and is important so that everything lines up correctly. 

Step 5:  Cut the squares apart by cutting across the line you drew.

Open those up and take a peek! You have just completed what is called a “Half Square Triangle!” Can you see why? Isn’t that cute?

Remember how I mentioned  to cut your 4×4″ squares in *even* numbers, right?  So repeat these same 5 steps with another set of 2 fabrics that are the same as you just did.  It’s like I am starting over again with the same 2 fabric squares shown above:

Repeat this process for the rest of your 4×4″ squares. 

OK, that’s all for today!  We’re taking this just a bit at a time, so keep checking back for those next steps.  Have fun!!

-Kim

A New Year…An Old Hobby…A New Quilt?

So a new year is here and as I do every year, I come up with my mental or written list of what I want to do this year. You know, the same thing goes on my list every year….lose weight, eat more veggies, run on the dreaded treadmill, create fun family experiences, organize my life, you know…same-o, same-o.  So while I still want to do those things, there’s something else I want to do.  I want to do something each week that makes me happy — spend time “making” something.  It may be something I sew, cook, bead…just something that makes me feel like I’m creating something for myself, my home, or my loved ones.  It’s a good feeling, isn’t it?

So I want to share with you my first project. Want to join me? I’d love to have some sewing buddies for this one.   It’s a simple one actually. Not too much to it. Not a whole lot of thought into what the end result will be — kind of a “make it up as you go along” kind of project. I like those projects every once in a while.  Makes me feel like I’m not going to “mess it up” because there really is no way you could go wrong. Great — a no-stress project. I like it. 

I’m not going to buy any new fabric for it either. Well, maybe at the very end, but we’ll see.  Sewing friends: Meet a portion of my stash:

I have my fabric scraps lovingly placed into color-coded bins.  I simply cannot throw away scraps. Yep, it’s crazy I know.  (I have a feeling many of you will relate!)

So going back to what it is I want to do. I’m going to make a simple QUILT.  My first love in sewing was quilting. I still love it. I’m in a local quilting group and love that I am spending time again on a hobby cultivated years ago.  One of the great things about quilting is that I can use those scraps of fabric that I can’t throw away. 

When you first walk into my home, there is a bench. You may recognize it from other photos I have taken. It’s a lonely bench that has sat there with nothing to “dress it up” for nearly 2 years.  I usually put a seasonal pillow in the corner, but somehow it gets lost.  See what I mean?

Lonely Bench:

OK, trying to dress it up a bit by placing a pillow in the corner:

What?! You can’t see the pillow? It gets LOST in a big bench?
Ya, we need a little somethin’ to help.  Oh, you want to see what the pillow is?

It’s my “must-have-a-seasonal-pillow-on-my-bench-pillow” for January. Reminds me that I need to put it in the “I Made This”  section at SWAK.  (I’ll do that after I make this post!)

Here it is:

OK, so back to this bench. I see it every day I walk into the house. I want to make something that drapes on the corner of the bench and makes me smile every time I see it. So here’s what I’m going to do:  Make something from nearly nothing! (Yes, dig into those fabric scraps!)

Now you want to know what color, right? Hmmmm…doesn’t matter. Truly.

I’m going to make this a VERY scrappy looking quilt.  I’m not going to worry about matchy-matchy stuff.

The more crazy the fabric, the better. At least for me.

But if you want to make it in a color scheme, defnitely do that.

You want to make something that makes you smile, right? 

So today I’m going to only cut squares.  (Maybe I’ll cut tomorrow, too. Maybe all week.)

Remember it’s a “no-stress” project — enjoy the journey!

I’m going to cut them into 4×4″ squares.  I’ll cut them from reds, greens, pinks, aquas…anything that I already have in the “stash.” 

OK, there’s one  thing I’m going to remember: I’m going to cut the same amount of “light” colored fabrics as I cut “dark” colored fabrics. I’m not going to stew over whether it is truly light or dark. I’m going to go with my best hunch.

As for *how many* squares? Hmm….good question. Not sure the answer.

I think for today I will cut 32 squares from dark fabric and 32 squares from light fabric. This is a quilt that serves more for the cuteness factor than it is for function. 

OK, one more *must*.  Make sure that you cut “even” numbers of squares from the same fabric.  Example: I find super-cute pink fabric. I just want to make sure I cut 2 squares from that same super-cute pink fabric.  I love it so much I may want to cut 4 squares or 6 squares.  (See..*even* numbers.)

OK, I think that’s all for today. I still need to run 20 minutes on the treadmill and eat a head of broccoli.

Have fun!!  And if you’re joining in on the fun, please leave a comment and let me know.  If you have a blog, I’d love to know where to follow your “make it up as you go” quilt journey.

Oh, and I’ll post the next steps to making this super-simple, but super-cute quilt later this week. Keep checking back!

-Kim

 

And the Winners Are…

What a thrill this challenge has been! Gifts have been made for little or no money, friendships have been formed, new ideas shared, and holiday gift-giving will never be the same for any of these 50 who participated, or for those who have followed.  Through a random drawing of both participants and followers, these people have won the following:

3 participants of the “Thrifty Under Fifty” Challenge won $100 cash prizes!

Congratulations to:
Amber from Team Carla
Dawn from Team Kris
Kristina from Team Kim

 

3 people who “Followed the Fifty” won a $50 bundle package from www.YouCanMakeThis.com

Congratulations to:
Sara Childs
Jenn (Handmade Goodness)
Dana (Simple Gifts) 

 

2 people (1 participant and 1 follower) won a month subscription to www.Diddybag.com!

Congratulations to:
Autumn from Team Sherrie
Ginny (Sunflowers at Home)

 

2 people (1 participant and 1 follower) won a $25 gift certificate to www.PolarNotions.com!

Congratulations to:
Mickey from Team Lorie
Dina from Bellabrina

 

2 participants have won a $25 bundle of embroidery downloads from www.SWAKembroidery.com!

Congratulations to:
Chasley from Team Lorie
Courtney from Team Kris

Tell us about your “Twirls for Girls” experience!

There was also a number of patterns in the last month where 100% of the proceeds went directly to the Toys for Tots foundation. Those patterns included the Embellished Patchwork Twirl, Christmas Doodles, and more. I am happy to report that we were able to raise $1,014.70 for such a great cause. Thank you for your support!

If you made twirl skirts for the Toys for Tots program, we’d love to hear about your experience! You can post to our “I Made This!” section of the site and here on our blog. Let us know how many you made and where they were donated.

The mom of an eleven year old girl shared with me her experience in teaching her daughter how to make these tiny twirls to donate. With her permission, I am sharing it with you.

“I would just like to share with you something kind of tender that is taking place right now in my sewing room. In the competing age of ipods, video games, cell phones, etc, etc…. I decided to sit down yesterday with my 11-year-old daughter, Jessica to teach her some sewing skills. She has sewn a pillow once -4 straight sides and has become somewhat familiar with the sewing machine. But this was the first time they she sewed something for someone else…and I haven’t seen her beam like this in a long time.

I decided this Christmas season that I was going to teach her how to sew the simple wrap skirt for the “Twirls for Girls” campaign. I had no idea the transformation that would take place within her in such a short amount if time, as she and I sat down together and learned how to put this pattern together. I walked it through with her once and she has been on fire since.

We only were able to make 1 last night before bedtime and she could hardly wait to wake up this morning so she could start again. She’s now made 2 more and is starting on another one. She is so pleased with the results. With every skirt, you can just see her smile get bigger. She keeps talking about what little girl might open up this skirt, or that doll outfit…or “Oh, I bet she’ll love this Strawberry Shortcake fabric…” It is so fun to listen to. She then turned to me and said, “Thanks mom for teaching me how to do this.”

I believe the 2nd part of this sweet experience will happen in just a few short days when we take these items she has made to our local Toys for Tots drop-off center. If you could have been a fly on our wall last night, you would be able to hear and see such a treasured experience I had with her. With the age she is at, sometimes it is hard to figure her out. That middle-school age is a tough one and so many things are happening in their lives. I just felt that by giving her an opportunity to think of someone else would be something that could really help her find herself.”

News Flash! People are talking about the Thrifty 50!

Come and watch our video segment on yesterday’s “Good Things Utah” television program. See items that many of the “Thrifty 50″ have made and learn more about what you can make, too!

http://www.abc4.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=89908@video.ktvx.com

The El Paso Times ran a story this past Sunday about the Thrifty Fifty, too! Thank you Maria for your great article!

The “Madness of Motherhood” show just aired a podcast about YouCanMakeThis.com, and Boutique Cafe will be airing one soon, too!

And here’s a blog you’ll want to check out.  I met Leighann of “Your Homebased Mom” at a conference this past September. Not only is she extremely talented, but she is the kind of person that you could become the best of friends with instantly. She recently made the flowered headbands and blogged about it here. Once you’re at her blog, you’re going to love what you see. Don’t miss making her homemade hot fudge sauce.  I had to bring dessert to a recent party, and decided to give that a try, along with peppermint ice cream and brownies. It was a hit, to say the least, and was the easiest, but most yummy thing to make. It won’t be  the last thing I make from her collection of amazing recipes.  Cooking has never been my most favorite thing to do, but her recipes make me want to give the whole cooking thing another “go!” (And I might actually have fun with it, too!)

Thrifty Under Fifty — Team Kris Reporting!

If you are new to the www.YouCanMakeThis.com blog, then let me give you a quick run-down on what you’ll find.  We are in the middle of a “Thrifty Under Fifty” challenge where www.YouCanMakeThis.com has challenged 50 people to MAKE their Christmas gifts for under $50! That’s right! We wanted to see what could be done, how many could be made, and the creative spirit that exists when putting your mind to a challenge.  49 women and 1 man have worked for 2 weeks in making their lists, checking them twice, trying to figure out how to  create not just gifts…but BEAUTIFUL gifts that they knew their families and friends would cherish.

Each day a “Team Leader” (I’m one of five!) has reported in on their team’s weekly progress. The results are pretty amazing!  You’ll also find step-by-step instructions and patterns used in many of these projects at our site: www.YouCanMakeThis.com.   

If you are looking for some unique DIY ideas for your Teen or Tween, we’ve got some fun ones here on the blog.  Learn how to make clocks from old CD’s, magnet boards, frames and more. You can find them beginning here: http://ycmt.wordpress.com/2008/12/09/7-simple-steps-for-making-your-tweenteen-gifts/ 

So…now it’s time for the Team Kris report! Here’s some highlights of what was accomplished this week!

Here’s what you’re looking at!
1 – Tradition rules! Christmas PJ’s are always a hit! Kris made these with the “Easy-Fit” Pants and a Mouse embroidery design.

2 – Picture frames for the entire fam! Courtney was inspired by the tween ideas found here.

3 – Boys ties made in their favorite fabrics! Now what little boy wouldn’t want a Sponge Bob tie?!? Way to go, Melissa!

4 – Tis the season for baking goodies! Heather loved using her grandmother’s 30 year old mixer and having her children by her side engaged in the process. These are memories that will last for a long time.

5 – Rachel made “Duet” aprons made for mother and daughter. Won’t they have fun together in the kitchen?

6 – Who will love this set more? The grandmother who loves to play pretend with her grandchildren, or the grandkids who love to play pretend with grandma?  Kris made 2 “Duet” aprons, 3 chef hats (made from the free pattern at YouCanMakeThis.com), cinnamon roll “felt food”, and in-the-works is a child-written, personalized cookbook.

7 – Crystal made this great crayon-roll using 2 placemats — very cool! And what a breeze to clean up, too!

8 – Dawn has been busy putting together felt boards and felt stories for her family. The possibilities are endless with this kind of idea.

9 – Inspired by the A-line Dress, Alison created this darling Christmas outfit for her sweetheart.

10 – Gorgeous! Keri put together these personalized tiles using 6×6 tiles, her favorite photos, Mod Podge, and a Dremel tool. This unique look is sure to impress!

11 – Heather was also inspired by the Tween gift ideas and made this clipboard for her daughter to clip all of her drawings to and to use as a writing board in the car. Great idea Heather!

12 – Courtney knew just what her sewing-sister could use — an apron to hold all of her sewing tools! Talk about handy!

13 – Nikki created a word collage using words that were important to her and the person who would soon be receiving the gift.

With less than 24 hours to go before our self-created deadline, we’re still working to keep as many gifts as we can to under $50. It has been a thrill to be a part of this process!

Team Sherrie’s Secret Weapon REVEALED!

I know you have all been on pins and needles waiting to hear what our secret weapon is.

Now

the

wait

is

over.

It’s LOVE.

As a group we decided that not only could we bless the lives of our friends and families this season, we could bless the lives of those in need.  We each chose a program/charity that was close and dear to our hearts and decided that we would donate what we could.     Here are just a few of the places we are donating:

Becky:

” Project Linus-  Some days I feel overly blessed with fabric and feel the need to do something good with it. Now I really want to do all of them. Maybe this is something we can do all year since our time is running shorter by the day.”

Monica- Blankies for Primary Children’s Hospital.

Leigh Ann:

“I will be donating two small flannel blankets to Project Linus – providing security through blankets. Their mission is two-fold – this is taken from their website:

First, it is our mission to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.”

Second, it is our mission to provide a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and groups in local communities, for the benefit of children.”

Sherrie- Blankies for NICU in Logan.

Crissie:

“I will be making blankets for SHARE, a pregnancy and newborn loss organization, so that they can donate them to the appropriate places. If you don’t have a charity in mind or feel overwhelmed by your gift list like me, please consider these tiny little blankets. Here is their website:”

http://www.nationalshareoffice.com/

Autumn- Blankies for Jonathan’s Place

Molly:

“My DD, Amelie, nearly died last Dec 25/26 when she had a horrible reaction to getting the flu, even after getting a flu shot. It was a horrible and scary time for us. She was in the ICU for several days and was given several small Christmas presents that had been donated for kids in the hospital over the holidays. Those gifts really helped to brighten her time there. She still insists on having her “hospital blanket” and her purple soft bear, especially when she’s not feeling well. We had already talked about making at least a small donation to the hospital. They told us they are really in need of things for the 52 babies in intensive care and things for the older kids.”

We hope this will be a contagious thought.  We were inspired by YCMT’s Twirls for Girls as well as our own experiences with these amazing organizations.  What can you give back this season to those who have blessed your life?

Got gifts? Team Sherrie checking in!

Hey Bloggers!

We got gifts, yes we do….We got gifts how ’bout you?

It has been a crazy week as usual for Team Sherrie.   Lots of projects, not enough time is our theme for this week. We have managed though, to make more!  How each of these women have done it, I’m not sure.  I think I have a team of Wonder women.

Everyone’s situation is unique and touching yet through each of their trials and challenges have managed to create some amazing gifts for those they love.

Sherrie

Team Lorie: Working it Out Under $50

I admit that, when we began this challenge, I thought it was all about beating the other teams.  The competitive side of me took over, and I took on the persona of a Schwarzenegger-esque, big talker with a furrow on my brow and my shoulders hunched for the battle.  I was almost immediately humbled by something much greater than the power of talk–it was the power of creativity that had me cornered from almost the first day.

The members of Team Lorie began work immediately, and within days had a number of projects done.  More–those projects ran the gamut from beautifully stamped tiles and embroidered handbags, to name pillows and stuffed toys.  Each time I went out to one of our member’s blogs and saw photos of the work they were doing–I caught myself saying, “Oh! How awesome is that?” 

Not only are these projects beautiful, creative, and made with such love and consideration for their intended recipients, they are a reflection of the great potential we hold outside the daily grind.  These gifts are important.  They will be remembered.  They were made, not in the comforts of big studios with unlimited resources and a pick of the best materials and supplies on the market–quite the contrary!  These were made by women who have day jobs, who have sick children, who have large families to care for, who have loads of laundry and dishes in the sink, and far more to do than can be done in a day.  And behind each of these gifts is the gift of kind and thoughtful intention. 

So, beyond the muscle, and even beyond the $50, is value well beyond what we ever imagined this challenge to have brought. 

Thank you to each and every member of the Thrifty Under $50 challenge, and most especially to the members of Team Lorie.  We’re in the home stretch!

Lorie

Team Carla Update

Team Carla is your source for quality entertainment, news, and information. Check out our Programming Line-up:

ACTION ADVENTURE – Amber (aka Lady Dragonfly) is knocking out gifts left and right! Be on the lookout for ferocious monsters, sharks, and dinosaurs! Rated PG (brief nudity).

HOME AND GARDEN - Mellissa delights us with a charming garden party. She has so many beautiful projects in bloom!

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING - Teresa introduces the audience to a rare but beautiful species of Ladybug classified as Hippodamia zipperflipperdus.

FOOD – See what’s cooking in Carrie’s kitchen! She’s got lots of yummy gift ideas to please even the pickiest of palates!

OUTDOOR – Laura shows us warm winter gear for outings in the snow.

ROMANCE – Tom (aka Tom Selleck) takes us on trip back to 1984 and shares his beautiful wedding story. Happy Anniversary, Tom and Angie!!!

SPORTS – All bowling, all the time at the CarlaC arena.

DRAMA – Our heroine Jen is in a crafting conundrum. Should she make a template? Should she cut? Should she sew? Whatever will she do???

HOLIDAY SPECIALS – Monica hosts a spectacular series of holiday favorites! Her beautiful advent stocking garland provides treat after treat.

MYSTERY – Jennifer has chosen the fabric, and revealed whom she is sewing for. Questions still burn… What will she make?  How much will it cost?  And what happened to those spaghetti noodles?

NEWS – Krista has been giving us updates on her doll-making efforts.  Due to technical difficulties with the station camera, no pictures are available at this time.  Stay tuned!