If you love bunnies

It’s bunny week at Bunny Hill!

If you love bunnies this week is for you! You’ll find a bunny or two in each of my posts.  It’s spring and bunnies are everywhere so I can’t help myself!  They fill the catalogs and the stores.  What’s a bunny lover to do?

Saturday a little package arrived that completely overwhelmed me with the thoughtfulness of the gift.  DJ LeVan sent me a little Steiff bunny!  Just look at her!  Isn’t she the sweetest thing ever?  And if you don’t know DJ LeVan, well I don’t either, but she’s a kindred spirit for sure!  I “met” her when she placed and order with Bunny Hill and I helped her with her order.  I’ve collected bunnies for years and this is my first Steiff bunny! Thank you DJ!

Want to make something with bunnies?

If you like the brown Chelsea Manor fabric you’ll love making this little bunny picture.  It’s so easy!  It has the Chelsea Sutton seal of approval.  She’s partial to the brown fabric so she’s very excited. 

I found this little frame at Home Goods.  They have so many to choose from, but I had something in mind when I choose the pink one!  It has a 3” x 3” opening that’s perfect for a the Chelsea Manor bunny! 

Here’s how I made it:

1. From the Chelsea Manor large bunny print, fussy cut the bunny fabric 2” larger than your frame opening. For the 3” x 3” frame, I cut my fabric 5” x 5”.  Center the bunny before you cut, and draw the cutting lines onto the fabric with a pencil.  (Tip: Use the glass from the frame to preview how your picture will look.)
2. Cut a piece of flannel or batting the same size as the fabric. 
3. Lay the fabric, right side up, on top of the flannel/batting.  Center both on top of the frame back, and bring to back as shown in picture below.  Pin to hold in place.
4. Double thread a needle, and stitch from side to side until fabric is secure; stitch from one side to the other, tie off and bring the next two sides to top.  Stitch from side to side again, trimming fabric under corners to reduce thickness.
5. Insert into frame and enjoy!

You’ll want to make one of these bunny pictures to go with the new pattern coming soon from Bunny Hill!  It’s called “Uptown Baby” and it’s the simplest baby quilt ever!  I’ve added a pink flange and a soft pink border to frame the brown bunnies from Chelsea Manor.  You can make this is a weekend!  Picture + quilt = perfect gift!  In pink and brown what uptown baby wouldn’t love this? Have a little boy?  Make it in brown and blue! 

More to come soon.  We’re busy, busy getting ready for market! 

Hugs,

Anne

Quilting the Bunnies

Oh those bunnies, those redwork bunnies.  How on earth do you quilt a redwork quilt?  Would have been so much easier to have a little framed picture or a pillow, but an actual quilt?  Takes a brave soul, and calls for a bit of daring.  After all didn’t we just spend hours doing that embroidery?  Oh my!

The answer for me was cross hatching.   I love the simplicity of cross hatching and while researching what had been done before, I realized I had a vintage redwork quilt right here at Bunny Hill!  Sure enough, it was cross-hatched (by hand) right through the embroidery. 

 

 

The Japanese cross-hatch many of their embroidered quilts.  Just look at the one in the photo below!  Isn’t it beautiful?

So, I decided to have the bunnies cross hatched.   The perfect solution would be to hand quilt, but of course time doesn’t allow that.   So I had Kristine quilt right through the bunnies.  Most of the stitches disappear into the embroidery.

It’s a personal choice this thing we call quilting.  If it’s not for a judged show then don’t worry, and quilt as you like.  Remember, if you decide to quilt around the little embroideries and not inside, they will poof up. 

Do some research yourself.  You may find some quilting you just love!  These bunnies were made for love.  They’ll be happy with whatever you decide! 

Hugs,

Anne

Rabbits Prefer Embroidery

Did you know that Rabbits LOVE embroidery! Here at Bunny Hill we know it’s true. We have lots of little bunny blocks to prove it!

Rabbits Prefer Embroidery will begin shipping this week! You can start embroidering your own bunnies before the fabric, Chelsea Manor, arrives in a few weeks.

We’ve got lots of new things coming for Chelsea Manor that I think you will love! Here’s a sneak peek of one…

So much is going on at the Bunny Hill studio I can hardly keep up! This is going to be a busy week!

I’ll show you how we quilted our newest quilt this week and give you a close-up of the quilting.

Block 3 of A Tisket, A Tasket is ready to go and coming your way on Thursday! I’ve put a little surprise in the basket that I hope you’ll like!

I’ll show you how to do the basket handle using a 1/4” bias maker. It’s so easy and you’ll get a perfect handle EVERY time.

Have a great week everyone and save some time for embroidery and appliqué!

Hugs,

Embroidery 101, Part One

“Rabbits Prefer Embroidery” is back from the quilter! Now its binding time, and then off to the photographer. Before too long we will have a new pattern available!

If you’re new to embroidery, I’ll share a few tips with you over the next few posts. I hope to get you started on the road to embroidery heaven. Yes, there is such a place… you’ll find it in front of the TV every evening. Just sit down, relax, and embroider away on your favorite project.

Supplies & Basics:

1. Embroidery floss or pearl cotton; there are so many wonderful choices on the market! Pick and choose from some or all! DMC, Valdani, Weeks Dye Works, and Lecien just to name a few.
2. Small sharp scissors
3. Embroidery needles of assorted sizes
4. Embroidery hoop: size 5 is all purpose
5. Backing
6. Pigma pen, water erasable marker or fabric pencil

Embroidery Floss:

Hold the skein of floss in one hand and shake the floss to release the cut end. Pull this end of the floss and cut off about 18 to 20”of floss .

Now separate the strands of floss, one thread at a time. Grab one strand of floss and pull it up, straightening the remaining floss as you pull. Repeat for the number of threads you need. Do not try to pull off two or three threads at one time. Oh what a mess you’ll have!

Embroidery Needles:

Embroidery needles have a larger eye than regular sewing needles. The smaller the number the larger the eye (and the longer the needle).

I prefer a short needle for stitching and use a size 10 for most of my work. The short needle gives me more control and makes it easier to sew tiny stitches. If I’m using a pearl cotton or more than two strands of floss I’ll switch to a size 6, 7, or 8 embroidery needle.

Markers: What’s up with all these?

Pigma Permanent Pen, size 01, makes a fine line that is easy to cover with stitching. It’s the pen most embroidery patterns call for. But keep in mind that the pen mark is permanent. If you make a mistake, or go out of the line, you can’t go back and change it.

Clover water erasable pen; Such a bad rap this marker has, but I use it to mark a lot of my embroidery. The secret to using this pen? Use only the Clover eraser pen to remove the marks and not water.

Fabric pencil; fabric pencils glide easily over the fabric and do not “grab” the fabric like a regular pencil. Most fabric pencils can be erased with a fabric pencil eraser. I suggest not trying to use water to erase the marks, as most products claim you can. I found the results disappointing.

Backing Stabilizer:

Backing hides the thread tails and gives the embroidery more stability. It is not a necessity, but most embroidery patterns call for it. I choose from two types depending on the look I want;

Lightweight fusible interfacing; Gives the embroidery fabric more stability and makes it easier to get an even tension. Cut the interfacing the same size as the background fabric. Trace design onto the background fabric and then iron the interfacing to wrong side of the background.

Lightweight flannel; gives the embroidery a slightly softer look. It’s the backing I used for “Rabbits Prefer Embroidery”. Treat the backing and embroidery fabric as one when you are piecing together your quilt as shown in the photo below.

Hoop:

To hoop or not to hoop! No groaning allowed. Remember, hoops have been around for YEARS and do have a purpose! Hoops keep the fabric taunt and make it easier to control the tension. The thinner the background fabric the more necessary the hoop becomes. A simple 5” plastic hoop will probably be all you need.

When I use a flannel backing I only use a hoop when I come to an area where I need a lot of control.

Are you ready to do some stitching? I’ll be back with a few tips on that too!

Hugs,

Oh pleeeease!

Chelsea was really excited when she saw my new fabric line arrive. She LOVES the UPS man AND she's feeling kind of cool about fabric named after her. I mean after all, doesn't Chelsea Manor sound a bit important and a little regal?

But when I tied her new ABC bow from my Chelsea Manor fabric on her neck all she could say was "oh pleeeeease"!

After Nancy and I carried all these bolts up to the studio, and tore open a few of them, I knew I was in love with the fabric and Chelsea knew she was in trouble.

We took out the embroidered bunny blocks and tomorrow Nancy and I will start cutting fabric and sewing together my new quilt. Chelsea Manor and Rabbits Prefer Redwork are coming to life! I just can't wait to share this fabric with you!

Nancy and I kept looking at the fabric and looking at Chelsea and who knows what we'll make next?

Does she look a little worried? TEE HEE!

If I can tear myself away from this fabric I'll be back with another post soon! Maybe we'll have a giveaway before too long!

Right about now Bitsy is really glad her name isn't Chelsea.

Hugs,

Creating a Quilt

I'm so excited because I'm waiting for this man in the brown truck...

...to deliver a package from New York. It looks just like this and I've been tracking it for several days. It arrives here on Wednesday as long as it doesn't snow in Arizona!

I'll give you a little hint as to what's inside the box...it's red, cream and brown, it has some bunnies on it and it means I'll be able to sew up a storm! It's the advance yardage of my "Chelsea Manor" fabric from Henry Glass Fabrics! Finally I'll be able to finish up my next pattern called "Rabbits Prefer Embroidery!

As I wait for my fabric to arrive, I've put together a little presentation to show you how this all began...how "Rabbits Prefer Embroidery" and Chelsea Manor got their start...

Here's what to do; turn up your sound (it has music), set your computer to full screen for best viewing, and click on play. I've made a little slide show for you! When it finishes playing just hit the escape tab on your keyboard and you can "x" out. You'll see the quilt I'll be sewing together this week! A new pattern coming very soon from Bunny Hill Designs!

You can make a smile box creation too! Just click on this link to get started! http://www.smilebox.com/

Hugs all!