Basting Day: "I'm Stuck Like Glue..."

Welcome to Basting Day!  I am a woman of the modern century  who enjoys every short cut to my projects I can muster without sacrificing quality, so I have fully embraced the spray basting process.  However, I will also walk you through the old fashion process as well, with hopefully a few tips that might help in the process.

Items to have on hand before beginning:
1.  A basting spray
2.  Breathing mask
3.  Blue painter's tape
4.  A Lint roller (clean surface of fuzz)
5.  Goo-be-gone (clean off stickiness)
6.  Empty cardboard tube or fabric bolt cardboard (makes for a smoother transfer)
7.  Batting cut one inch bigger than project
8.  Backing fabric cut 3 inches bigger than project, even if pieced together
9.  Curved safety pins (optional)

There are several ways you can go through this process.  In the picture I chose to first add my batting to my top, then after rolling it back onto the cardboard tubing I added my top/batting to the backing fabric.  You can pick up these cardboard tubes for fabric stores that sell home decor fabric--often for free.

Learn from my fail:  I would like to tell you several pitfalls to this method so that you can have a happy harmonious basting day (or at least a better one than my started out to be before I thought to use tape)!  First, you will notice that nothing is taped down. That is a very important thing to note because as you will see in the second example of basting a little bit later, this stops your backing fabric to avoid the dangers of shifting while you are adding fabric and spraying.  Secondly, the thicker the item is on the cardboard that you are applying, the slower you will need to go to smooth out the fabric and to constantly watch to make sure your application of said project is even.

I want to cover more step to Step details with the next installment,where I am going to continue by showing a step by step of how I prepare every thing before hand.  So gather your items and meet back up with me tomorrow.

In honor of Basting day (part 1) I have a video to share!  A friend showed this one to me; I love how the video interprets the song a whole different way...

SR-W50: "Occupy Sewing Room" Challenge

I cannot believe how completely tickled I am by my progress through the "Occupy Your Sewing Room" Challenge!  Neither my WIP list nor my Stash Report ever looked so good!  I did end up having to spread out my time a little bit because of my pregnancy I get quite tired these days.  My husband helped me rearrange my sewing room a little bit to make it easier to put a big comfy chair in there.

Things Finished:

1 secret project (I will show in a few weeks along with a tutorial) and...

11 burp cloths completed, 2 hour-glass pot holders (experiment w/ loop placement)

"Melting Rainbows" Wall Hanging

Christmas Colors- Wonky block pot holder

Quilt tops finished, but projects not completed:

2 quilt tops in yellow/grey/white/black should measure about 50'X 55"

Quilt top with a modern try at the pinwheel twist Should measure about 60"X 60"

So here's the much, much happier verdict this week:

Busted this Week:                  08.75 yards (not counting the quilt tops yet)

Busted from 08/01/2011:       215.50 yards
Stashed this Week:                00.00 yards
Stashed from 08/01/2011:       95.5 yards

Net Busted for 2011 (from 08/01/2011):  120.00

TGIFF6: At the End of the Rainbow...

It's Friday again!  And I finally am finished with my "Melting Rainbows" wall hanging!  I was asked by several people how I was able to add the pieces to the wall hanging.

 1.  Cut parchment paper the same size of the fabric pieces (which have already been ironed to fusible web, with the paper back still on, check out picture on this POST)
2.  Place paper cut-out roughly where you want to put the piece.
3.  Sketch roughly around the other pieces
4.  You then cut along those lines, sketch again & cut paper until it fits the area you woud like to fill.
5.  Place paper on the fabric piece, cutting along the one side first (which ever side has more items to fit the piece around).
6.  Place in the area you are wanting to fill, adjust piece just in case it does not fit correctly
7.  If the other side is open (not filled with other pieces) you can cut however you would like, be creative.
8.  When piece is as you would like, pull the backing off and iron in place.  Move onto the next piece you would like to add.

The black background is two pieces of Kona solid black fabric spray-basted with a layer of Warm & Natural cotton batting between.  I cannot tell you how to go through this process sanely with pin-basting since every can shift around and cause possible bubbles so I spray-baste.  It was finished off with zig-zagging around each piece and then a little FMQ on the outside edges, then bound with a black print with grey pebbles.

I postponed my "Occupy Sewing Room" challenge to do all day tomorrow (I wasn't feeling well so crafting did not go long today).  You should click on the button on the right side to find out all about it.  I will post what I accomplish on Sunday.  Also we have announced the winner & the name of our little girl:  "Ziona Katriel"  You can find out more about what that means reading my Husband's POST!

Don't forget to also check out the link for Giveaway Day.  I may be busy checking other links, but I am also giving some things away!

My Friend Katie also has some great Christmas giveaways on her blog, Shades of Grey, go check it out!

I am linking up this week to:
TGIFF being hosted by M-R at Quilt Matters
& Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

WIP: Double-rainbow Edition...

Have you seen the youtube video where the man is exclaiming over a rainbow he is filming?  Well, it's what comes to mind this week as I labor over  one of my last three remaining "must do before baby girl is born" list of WIP's.  I will show you the picture a little bit later, but first, I started cutting and pinning burp cloths from the flannel that I purchase over the shameful weekend (see Monday's post).  I will be making making bibs to go with them and I have plans to make a flannel baby blanket for the either the Youth group fundraiser or the Parish school fundraiser for next year.

 And now for a little "double-rainbow" action!  This is sort of like "bottled rainbows" meets organic sunshine (meaning rainbows got a little melted, maybe?).  This is to be a wall-hanging that someone sort of asked me to make.  I believe the words, "colorful" and "modern" might have come up in the conversation and I might have taken it a little far.  It's kind of a fun project though.  I just have to work in the rest of the blues & purples.  Then we have a whole lot of zig-zagging to get done and the usual binding fun; I think I have a fun black print I am going to use for that.  I am praying that this one gets done before Friday so I can mail off my last two packages!

And finally my favorite WIP that is still on-going for another 8-15 weeks (depending if she comes early, on-time or late).  I love those little lips; as soon as I saw this ultrasound picture my first thought was she looks just like my MIL!  I am so happy about that because my husband looks just like his mother too (I have the best MIL in the world)!  I ended up out a little too long on black Friday and we started having some contractions, so though not on official bed rest, my project numbers will be greatly reduced in the coming weeks.  I am so happy that next week I will post more about the lap quilt I am working on to give away for the Baby name contest (over on my husband's blog).

So my WIP's this week are:

New projects -11

In process - 33
In planning- 9

Finishes - 5

I am linking up with:

TGIFF4: "Santa Claus is Coming To Town..."

Welcome to Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday (TGIFF); I hope you will stay for some cocoa and a little bit of merry making!  As promised here is my recipe for making one's own Cocoa mix.  I love to change the recipe up a little bit and give out as part of a gift, perhaps with a mug or this year I am giving it with the "mug rugs"  I made last week.

Rich Cocoa Mix

1 cup milk powder 

1 cup powdered coffee creamer 

1 cup sugar 

½ cup cocoa powder 

Mix well and store in a labeled container. 

(For international equivalencies it is a 2:2:2:1 ratio) 

NOTE: A hot cocoa mix is not the same as a "drinking chocolate mix" and therefore cannot be augmented to make it into one.  I have had several questions concerning that from my overseas visitors!  I did a little research and tried to augment but it doesn't work out...sorry. 12/02/2011

Variations: 

Peppermint: add 8 finely crushed peppermint lollies to a batch of mix 

Vanilla: add 5 tsp. vanilla powder to a batch of mix 

Cinnamon: add 4 tsp. cinnamon to a batch of mix

Special flavors:  You can used flavored coffee creamers to give it your personal touche. 

I have been tackling some Christmas themed WIP's week in the hopes of clearing up my list!  These two simple runners are finished off with stars and meandering stitches on the outside sashing. 
I am so happy how both tumbler quilts turned out!  I thought the quilts looked kind of plain when I was finished with making the top; I thought about adding some appliqued flowers or something.  So I decided to try FMQ a sort of flower design on the girl one and Meandering stitch for the boy quilt.  I had several firsts for these quilts: 1) first time using such a contrasting color for binding, 2) first time using a different color bobbin thread than top thread to attach binding, and 3) First time machine stitching binding onto a baby quilt. And most importantly last time I will ever FMQ with Sulky thread (If I can get away with it)!

 So finishes for this week:
1.  Christmas Table Runner 1
2.  Christmas Table Runner 2
3.  Fall into Fall mini quilt 1
4.  Fall into Fall mini quilt 2
5.  Pink/peach/green Tumbler baby quilt
6.  Yellow/green/Blues Tumbler Baby quilt


New projects (since last Friday)- 1

In process - 22 (took projects off list I haven't started)

Finishes (Since last Friday)- 6

Be sure to link up your finished projects and visit the other blog links, leaving merry little comments along the way!  Please include a link and/or button for TGIFF! (It's just over there on the right hand side) so your visitors can see other fantastic finishes.  Be sure to check back at TGIFF Central for the link party host/hostess next week!  

WIP: "The Flight of The Bumble Bee..."

I am trying so hard not to tear into the new fabrics I spoke about on Monday to get working on Nugette's quilt (don't forget to check out her naming contest).  Plus I still have a few more Christmas presents to try to get done by Friday's TGIFF linky party!  The picture in the upper left hand corner starts off today's WIP list with the Ticker Tape Wall hanging a new addition for this week!  My belly and I are getting the background spray basted in preparation (with a mask, don't you worry),  I added a few pins just in case.  I did add my baby bump, we call her "Nugette," to my WIP list on my side bar this week, she has been counted in my numbers since I started, but someone pointed out she should be on the list!

I have 12 more Christmas Projects that I started this past Saturday, but I was able to finish 9 of them on Monday evening Post, but now I need to get them gift wrapped with the Hot chocolate mix that I make-up every year for gifts (and personal consumption of course!).  I am gifting them in tea tins and then plan to wrap the whole bundle in plastic & ribbons.  [I plan to share the recipe for the hot Chocolate mix next Friday when I am hosting my first TGIFF linky party!]

I do have 4 more "Mug rugs" to complete.  I only have one left to do for Christmas and then the other three I plan to use as prizes for my baby shower or maybe as birthday gifts this spring, I really haven't made up my mind yet!

I also started another 6 baby bibs, some of which I plan to give for Christmas, some are for the Spring Baby Boom (I have 7 friends due within 3-4 weeks of myself!) which I intend to pair with a burp cloth for a little set.  Since almost all the babies are little girls or supposed to be, I pulled out Tula Pink's Spirit fabric from my Moda scrap bag collection.  A friend walked into my craft room the other day and exclaimed over my large bundle of bias tape, which is what I like to use on my bibs that tie;  I made it.  Yes, I was crazy, and spent many hours when we were back home in the Alaskan winter evenings cutting and ironing strips to make a million yards of bias tape!  I have to say in part it was so worth it because in the 3 years we have lived here I have only run out of one of my bundles, the green one of course!

I also found more UFO-WIP's from some storage boxes which has grossly inflated my WIP count!

So my WIP's this week are:

New projects -22 (Since last Wednesday)

In process - 42 (Found a few more in boxes, sigh)

Finishes - 16 (Since last Wednesday)

For another happy little finish, we have for your viewing pleasure a nice little blue table-topper I made for one for one of the end tables in my living room (I hate to dust)!  I have plans to make a second one to match for the other table.  I know I said I wasn't going to make anymore items for our household, we have plans to move in 6 months, but I have plans to bring these end tables with us!  Plus it was already started so I was trying to get it off my WIP count (that's my story and I'm sticking to it).

Linking up at these places this week: