Nightmare Book Pillow

I thought I'd do something a bit different today.  Instead of starting the week by sharing a greeting card I thought I'd share a new embroidery project.  

So today I'm sharing a new book pillow that I made.  Last year I found this great Nightmare Before Christmas fabric at one of my local craft stores.  And, as I so often do I purchased a yard just because I liked it.  I had no project in mind.  Nothing special at all.  I just wanted it.  

The fabric must have sat in a pile for months before I finally used it.  It wasn't until Halloween last year that I was inspired to create a Halloween tree for my husband.  Halloween is his favorite holiday, and so I made a Nightmare Before Christmas themed tree.  And what tree is complete without a tree skirt?  That's right I used a piece of this fabric to make a tree skirt for his Halloween tree.

Once complete I still had plenty of fabric leftover.  So when I saw this sketch of Sally over at Thanks for the Adventure I knew another book pillow was in order.

The verbiage I added using the Comic Strip font from Applique Corner.

Belle and Beast Reading Pillow

I thought I would try something new and create a reading (or book) pillow.  I've seen a few of these floating around in one of my Facebook groups and they're pretty awesome.  Especially if you love to read.

There are a couple different blogs I visited that have directions on how to make these.  The Polkadot Chair shared directions for an 18" square pillow. And She's Kinda Crafty shared directions for a 16" square pillow.  Since I'd never made these before I opted to start with the 16" pillow.

This was a good week to try this project too because Joann's has fabric and pillow forms on sale.  I really had no idea what fabrics I would use for my pillows.  I mean, I knew I wanted to make at least one with Harry Potter fabric and I did find some.  But I also found the very last yard available of this gorgeous Beauty and the Beast stained glass fabric.  

Once home it was time to decide what sketch I wanted to embroider on the pocket fabric.  After looking at my options I settled on a sketch of Belle and Beast Reading from Thanks4theAdventure.  The quote is one that I liked so I stitched it out using the Elias font from Applique Corner.  Sadly I did something wrong with my hooping/stabilizer because when the quoted stitched out my fabric puckered.

Overall though I love how this reading pillow turned out.  So much so that I'm thinking after I make my other 16" pillow I'll give the 18" one a try and since it's a larger pillow I'll make the study pillow covers for that one.

Too Cute To Throw Back

I found this ever so cute Whale & Hook flannel fabric at Joann's the other day and thought it would make a great addition to my burp cloth collection.  I knew I wouldn't have a problem finding a design to put on it since I have several sea life designs.  But Applique Corner released some new premier designs which included this adorable Too Cute to Throw Back applique.

Of all the different sea life designs I have, yes, including my whales and crabs, I thought this one was perfect for this fabric.  Next time I make one I might even be more bold with the fabric choice for the fish applique.  😀

Until then I think this one will be perfect for any cute baby around.  

Monogrammed Beach Hat

Before I begin today's post let me just say - I hate monograms.  I don't know why, but I am personally not a fan.

 

With that said, my daughter came to me last week and asked me to monogram my granddaughter's beach hat.  Of course I had to do it.  It was for my granddaughter. 

 

My daughter brought the hat and for a few days it sat off to the side, waiting for me to get in the mood to set up my machine for a monogram.  And then I remembered, I didn't own a single font for use with monogramming.  Sure I had couple of fonts, but as I have learned there's a difference in plain 'ol fonts and monogram fonts.

 

So off I went in search of a good monogram font.  That's when I came across the Interlaced Monogram font over at Applique Corner.  I thought it was a pretty font and would be good for use on the beach hat so I purchased it and off I went.

 

Everything was quick and easy to set up, and it stitched out fine.  I had a bit of puckering which I hate but we'll chalk this one up to a learning experience.  My daughter loved it and that's what counts in the end.  And I have a feeling this won't be the last of my monogram's.

 

Monogram - 1

 

Me - 0

Springtime Flour Sack Towels

This past weekend I was determined to begin learning my embroidery software, Embrilliance.  Shortly after purchasing it I learned how to turn my embroidery files into SVGs so that I could cut my fabric for the appliques.  However, I quickly decided that while that was cool, I didn't really like it because I was having difficulty in placing the pieces perfectly for stitching down.  Since then I haven't really played with it much.

 

This weekend I opened the software, determined to learn how to merge files and/or use fonts.  And learn how to use fonts I did.  At first I was upset because I thought I was going to have to open the file for every letter separately.  But then I accidentally learned how to import my fonts and I was so excited!

 

After figuring out how to import fonts it was time to play around with using them.  Using the Snow White sketch from Thanks4theAdventure I found a quote from Snow White that I thought would work for a kitchen towel.  The font I used on this one though was pre-loaded with my software.

 

Then I wanted to play around with this Spring Bonnet Girl applique from Stinkin' Cute Applique.  I was very excited when I saw this applique because Marjorie Ann Designs had recently released this same Spring Bonnet Girl as an SVG file and I absolutely loved her.  Now I can have fun creating little housewarming gifts by combining the two.  (If you haven't seen the card I created you can view it here.)  For this towel, I used the Oceanside font from Applique Corner to stitch out the Bible verse.

 

This was my first time stitching on flour sack towels and I think they both turned out pretty good.  What do you think?

Some Bunny Special

 

This Easter will be my granddaughter's first Easter, and we can't be more excited.    So of course being the grandma that I am I had to sit down and make an outfit for her.  I didn't want anything fancy - after all Ocean is a beach and sand baby.  (In case you couldn't tell by the name)  For that reason I wanted simple and cute.

 

Using one of the cap sleeve dress blanks from Hobby Lobby I chose to applique the dress with the Easter Bunny Applique from Stinkin' Cute Applique.   Okay, well, I didn't choose.  My daughter did.  I sent her pictures of a few different bunny designs and this was the one she settled on.

 

My daughter also loves to put headbands on Ocean.  Not the ones with the bows as big as her head, but the small, simple ones.  And they look great on her.  So with that in mind I had to make this adorable bunny ear headband I found over at the Applique Corner to go with the dress.  To ensure that the two went together I used the same fabric for the Easter basket on the dress as I did for the headband.

 

 

But wait, that's not all.  😁  I also made an Easter card that matches with her outfit.  That's right.  Marjorie Ann Designs has an SVG file titled You're Eggstra Sweet that compliments the applique.  Pretty nifty, huh?

 

The stamped sentiment on the card is from the Jaded Blossom stamp set titled Honey Bunny.

 

Yep, I just love it when my crafting passions can collide so wonderfully.....

Sitting Bunny

 

Today I have a cute bunny burp cloth that I'd like to share with you.  This one features a relatively recently released applique from the Applique Corner titled Bunny Sitting.  The one thing that I really loved about stitching this one out was that it required only three pieces of fabric.  This made the creation process faster and the cutting so much easier.  Yes, I could have used my Embrilliance software along with my Silhouette and pre-cut my fabrics, but I still need to get the hang of that.  Right now I prefer to do it all myself.

 

For this cloth I used another flannel that I picked up from JoAnn's.  It's called I Love Mommy - although it clearly also says I Love Daddy.  Initially I purchased one yard of this fabric which has yielded about 2 1/2 cloths so I need to get back there and buy some more while it's still on sale.

 

And when I go back I think I'll keep an eye out from some French Terry fabric because I'm thinking about making my own baby bibs instead of using pre-done blanks.  Hmmmmmmm

Sleepy Bear

I found this Snuggle flannel fabric in my stash the other day.  I completely forgot I had it because my current cabinet is so over packed and I can't see half of what I have.  (But that's going to change very soon.  More on that at a later date.)  My original intention was to use this fabric for a scarf liner but then I never got around to making those scarves.  In the long run that works out better for me because this fabric is perfect and much better suited for the burp cloth craze I've found myself in lately.

 

Since this fabric has little bears printed on it I thought it would make sense to use a bear applique.  So I chose the Bear Sleeping Girl Applique from Applique Corner.  She stitched out beautifully and compliments this burp cloth well.

Giraffe Heart

This past Sunday I sat down at my embroidery and sewing machines for several hours working on building my stash of baby burp cloths.  Out of the few things that I have embroidered I have found that I enjoy making the burp cloths more than anything.  And I guess that's a good thing because they sure do take a while to make.

 

From cutting the fabric, to embroidering the design, and finishing the cloth by sewing it all together takes about one and a half hours.  And that includes working on cutting or sewing together others while the current one is being embroidered.  🙂

 

A couple days ago I shared with you what pattern and batting I like to use for making these cloths, and you can find that post here.  For this burp cloth I found this great nursery print baby flannel at Joann's.  When I purchased this fabric I purchased two yards and boy am I glad that I did because I discovered this past weekend that one yard will yield three cuts.  That means I can make one cloth using the same fabric for the front and back but the second cloth will need to be backed with a solid fabric.  Now in the grand scheme of things that's not a problem and will actually provide more variety - it's just not what I had originally envisioned.

 

The applique for this burp cloth is from the Applique Corner and it is called Giraffe Heart.  (Imagine that - lol)  I bought this design for Valentine's Day but never really found anything to make with it.  But I thought this design would be perfect for a baby girl burp cloth.  And I really love how the yellow and pink pop against that grey flannel background.  I was a little afraid of the design getting lost but it turned out beautifully.

Sending Love - Onesie Style

Today I have a fun baby onesie that I'd like to share with you.  I saw this wonderful Bird Balloons file over at the Applique Corner and knew that it would make the most adorable shirt.

When I laid this design out for cutting I felt like the balloon strings were too thin so I enlarged those a bit to give them more substance.  I had thought about using a glitter HTV for one of the balloons but since I used foil for one I thought that would be a bit over kill and stuck with just the foil.  Plus I wasn't sure how the white accent would sit on top of the glitter as I've heard mixed reviews.

The Love Script HTV is from the Vinyl Corner - actually that's where most of my HTV for this project came from.  (The foil HTV is from Vinyl Spectrum.)  Our local Sewing Corner folks own the Applique Corner and Vinyl Corner.  It's like a one stop shop and not only do they have wonderful products and prices to match but the customer service is phenomenal.  Yep, I am one happy girl since they've come to town.  🙋

Surfer Babe

I've had my Silhouette Cameo for a couple of years now, and while I've heard that you can cut fabric with it I've not tried it.  Until now.  I came across this wonderful tutorial over at the Silhouette School on how to cut fabric and it was a real game changer. 

 

I immediately turned to Amazon and ordered the Terial Magic and fabric blade combo.  I was super excited because we have Amazon Prime and that meant my order would be here in a couple days.  But nope, for whatever reason this purchase didn't qualify and it took about a week to arrive.  That was okay though because it gave me time to place with my new embroidery software - Embrillance.

 

Using the Embrillance software I can open the applique design, run the stitch program so I can see which ones are the tack down stitches and then hit a couple of buttons to turn those into a cut file for my Silhouette software.

 

For my first attempt with all of this I decided to make a cute little dress for my granddaughter.  As you can imagine with the name Ocean, her mom and dad are lovers of anything to do with the water.  They spend as much time as they can at the beach and they both love getting out there on their surfboards or paddle boards.  So when I saw this cute Surfer Babe file over at Applique Corner I had to snatch it up.

 

Pretty cute don't 'cha think?

Collegiate Football Bib

I know, I know.  College football is over for the year.  But NFL has another few days left.  However, I'm not much of a NFL fan - not since my high school days when I used to pull for the Washington Redskins.  Joe Theismann and John Riggins were my guys back then......up until the awful injury that ended Theismann's career.  The year after that it just wasn't the same and then my life took a different direction and there just wasn't time for much football.  These days though I make time for football. 

 

So this weekend I thought I'd have a little fun and play around with this Football truck applique design I found at the Applique Corner.  I found some bib blanks at Hobby Lobby and picked them up to play with and thought this design would be perfect for the gray bib.  Using a couple different Alabama print designs I cut and piece together my applique. 

 

A while back when my hubby was piecing together one of the Auburn designs we had purchased he decided that he wanted a 'fabric' that was more true to a football.  So we went in search of such fabric and found this great upholstery type leather on clearance at Joann's.  It makes for a great football and I love the added texture that it brings to the design.

 

I'm still learning this silly machine and I had some mishaps along the way with this design.  T-shirt fabric is also new to me as this is only the second thing I've stitched on t-shirt material.  And I'm not going to lie.  I got frustrated stitching out the two garments (I'll share the other one tomorrow).  So much so I put the machine away.  But like any other craft, there's always a learning curve.  For now I just need to be patient and I learn this one.....

Collegiate Mixer Towels

Kitchen towels seem to be my go to for embroidery/applique lately.  If I'm sitting at my machine chances are I'm creating a new towel.  I'm not really sure why that is.  Maybe I'm just more comfortable with possibly messing up a towel than I am anything else. 

 

When I found this mixer design over at the Applique Corner though I had to make a towel.  I mean this isn't a design that you put on a shirt after all.

 

 

To make it even more fun, it's a design where a variety of fabrics would work great so I thought why not play with making collegiate towels.  It's just a matter of changing out the thread colors to match and that's easy.  The design does all the hard work for me.

 

 

The down side is that the local fabric shop only had Alabama, Auburn and LSU fabrics.  When I talked to the ladies though they said that they'd be getting more, they just weren't sure when.  So you can bet I'll be back soon checking to see if they're in so I can get some others made.

Valentine Butterfly

Since receiving a heat press for Christmas I have really enjoyed doctoring up baby onesies.  It is after all easier to apply vinyl to a onesie than it is to embroider it.  🙂

 

Today's design is no different.  In fact it was a bit more fun in that it provided my first glimpse at layering heat transfer vinyl (HTV).  This past weekend my husband and I stopped into our local sewing store - The Sewing Corner - to talk to them about sewing machines since my 20+ year old Babylock is on its last legs.  While there we checked out their selection of HTV and I picked up some glitter as well as this beautiful Love Script.  I already had one design in mind when I saw this but then when I was going through the selection of SVG files at the Applique Corner I found this beautiful Valentine's Day Butterfly and had to use it for this design as well. 

 

I love how the colors worked together and the printed HTV gives the finished project a little something extra.  Needless to say, it's bye bye boring onesies from here on out.

Tiger Baby Dress

My husband is a HUGE Auburn fan so it's no surprise that he wants to buy Auburn clothes for our grandbaby.  But since he bought me a new embroidery machine last month he's been playing with it as much as I have.  Now that's a surprise. 

Today I share with you a little dress that my husband appliqued for our granddaughter.  We found the dress at Hobby Lobby this past week.  Who knew they had baby dresses there?  I mean we knew they had onesies and that's what we were looking for when we found these.  Needless to say we picked up a few in different colors and sizes.

 

The Tiger Baby Girl with Football is from Applique Corner.  They have a wide variety of appliques to offer so if you do embroidery/applique and you haven't checked them out yet you should.

 

The fabric is one of several collegiate prints we picked up in the Applique Collegiate Bundle #1 from TJ's Fabrics.  (I was so excited when I found that the Sewing Center had opened up just down from where I work. Needless to say, that's where the bulk of my purchases are now made.  You can't beat the prices, quality and definitely not the customer service!)

 

The one thing we did not have was a fabric suitable for the football.  So I was again surprised when hubby was adamant that we go off in search for some fabric.  Now this was a Sunday afternoon and that meant that Hobby Lobby and the Sewing Center were both closed.  That left Joann's.  Luckily we found some vinyl upholstery fabric on the red tag rack that was perfect.  And since it was tagged at $9 a yard we bought a yard. 

 

With all fabrics needed now in hand, hubby whipped up this little dress and I could not be more proud.  He did such a wonderful job that I forsee us fighting over who's going to get to use the embroidery machine.  LOL

Have Yourself....

 

I decided to sit down with my new embroidery machine and try my hand at towel embroidery.  So starting small I decided to use a blank bar mop style towel and stitch out a fun Christmas design.

 

This design is from the Applique Corner and is called Have Yourself a Merry Christmas Embroidery Design.  For a short time it's on sale with a lot of other great designs.

 

I went with the 6 x 10 design which is over 21,000 stitches.  After attending a stabilizer class with Debbie Homer-Hofhines I learned what stabilizers to use with different fabrics.  I also learned that the number of stitches determines the number of layers of stabilizers needed to support the project.  With that being said, I hooped some Perfect Stick stabilizer and then placed my towel center on the hoop.  I then added a layer of Heat n Gone topping on the top of my towel and floated a piece of tear away stabilizer underneath. 

 

Of course I still have a lot to learn but for now I love the way this stitched out and I can't wait to play with some others.  After all, practice makes perfect.  Lol

Sea Themed Applique

Much to my surprise my hubby upgraded my embroidery machine last week.  I mean I knew it was going to happen but I didn't expect to walk home with one in hand last week. 

 

After letting it sit for several days because I was too intimidated to even play with it I finally got brave and he and I sat down together one night and played.  We decided to start with something that if we messed up, we messed up - no big deal.  So we purchased a pack of receiving blankets from Walmart and chose a couple of appliques we wanted to use and got down to business.

 

 

 

My hubby chose the Whale Boy Big Eyes and I chose the crawfish which is a freebie that comes with the Big Eyes Sea Creature set from Applique Corner.  I was amazed at how easy it was to applique.  Okay, not "easy" but it was not as difficult as I imagined either.  Now that we've played and have a feel for the process we need to work on sizing and placement.

 

 

And then there's the having to pay attention and make sure that the fabric is 'square' and/or centered in the frame so that our projects don't come out crooked.  That's what happened when I did this Anchor Banner applique.  I thought I had it straight but something happened because it's slightly off.

 

Needless to say, we'll also be taking classes - yes, my hubby is doing this crafting venture with me every step of the way.  This weekend we'll be attending one to learn more about what stabilizers to use and when and all that sort of stuff.  I'm really excited to delve more into this side of crafting.....