Farmhouse Vintage Ornaments and Tree Skirt with AccuQuilt....

...AccuQuilt released 2 Christmas dies this year--the GO! TreeSkirt Wedge and the GO! Ornaments Medley. Read on to find out how I used them to add some Farmhouse charm to my holiday decor.

I used pages from a vintage book to die cut 6 shapes from each ornament design. Fold each die cut in half vertically. 

Apply a bit of double stick tape to one side of folded ornament. Stack another folded matching ornament on top and repeat until all 6 ornaments are stacked. 

Open stacked ornament and place a length of double stick tape along center crack. Place a folded length of baker's twine on centered tape. Place another small length of double stick tape to one side of ornament body. Fold ornament together along center crack encasing the baker's twine in the center fold to create the hanging loop.

Use a small paint brush to apply a thin layer of glue to edges of one ornament. Swish ornament into a pile of glitter. Make a huge mess--but oh so rewarding to play with glitter!! Repeat until all edges are coated with glitter--and your workspace.

Display your new handmade vintage book paper ornaments and ENJOY!!!!

Next up, the tree skirt. For 8 years, I have used just a length of linen fabric to wrap around the base of our tree. It did the job fine--but when AccuQuilt released the tree skirt die--I thought--hey let's see if it works to make it out of burlap!! 

The shapes die cut beautifully!! Once again though--a giant mess was made in my studio!! Seems to be a theme with these designs. Oh well, sometimes a bit of mess is needed for something beautiful to be made!

I used a narrow zig zag to sew an approximate 1/2" seam. This larger seam allowance than the pattern calls for is because the burlap weave is quite loose and ravels easily. Press seams open. Then secure seam down with the same narrow zig zag. Follow die pacackaging pattern to make the tree skirt top. I chose not to use a backing, so just folded over the inner and outer edge once and secured hems with the same narrow zig zag stitch. Quite an easy sew--just once again--super messy with the burlap. Trim all the excess threads off and tree skirt is finished.

I just love the finished project. The skirt really does lay flat--but I have it gathered quite small at the top because I don't have a large area around the base of the tree as it is next to the basement steps. 

I hope you have enjoyed learning to think outside the die--and use new mediums to make something special!!

Have a Blessed Christmas Season!!!

Twist and Turn in Sunshine Garden....

Twist & Turn Quilts by Cinzia White published by C&T Publishing is landing in stores this month. I have joined with a group of exciting original designers to bring you more ideas on how to meld different designs to make your own original quilt. These innovative designers are showing you a variety of their own circle designs using the latest fabrics to highlight the versatility of Cinzia’s Twist & Turn Quilts. 

Cinzia is an Australian designer who has been quilting for over 30 years. She has had designs in many Australian and American quilt magazine, created award winning quilts and taught her design process all over Australia. She creates quilts not intended to be finished quickly, but to enjoy the process!! I am honored that she reached out to me to participate in her blog hop.

Cinzia choose--Soul Search--one of my newest quilt patterns designed using fabrics from my 2nd Signature Fabric collection--Sunshine Garden with Island Batik. You can find the pattern HERE.

How delightful is this mash up of Cinzias' Twist and Turn with my Soul Search block in Sunshine Garden?!?!? I think that adding some of the vines, berries and butterflys to this would make a stunning design.

There is such movement and flow going on here--just like how a butterfly looks for landing platforms to feed. Really beautiful!!!

You can see all the other designers Twist and Turn at the links below!! 

Thursday 25th   Monika Henry from https://www.pennyspoolquilts.com/blogs/blog/twist-turn-blog-hop 

Friday 26th Tammy Silvers of https://www.tamarinis.com/ 

Saturday 27th Swan Sheridan from https://www.swanamity.com/ 

Sunday 28th Laura Piland from https://www.sliceofpiquilts.com/2023/05/twist-turn.html 

Monday 29th Robin Koehler from https://nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com/ 

Tuesday 30th Terri Vanden Bosch from http://www.lizardcreekquilting.com/ 

Wednesday 31st Cinzia White from https://www.facebook.com/groups/cinziawhitedesigns/ 

Several designers are offering an e-book giveaway of this scrap busting, enjoy the moment and all the things book. Comment here or on my Lizard Creek Quilting Facebook post for an opportunity.

"Butterflies add another dimension to the garden, for they are like dream flowers--childhood dreams--which have broken loose from their stalks and escaped into the sunshine." --Miriam Rothschild

A love like GNOME other....

 

....February is Machine Embroidery month--along with cold and snow here in Iowa--great time to try something new!!!

As an AccuQuilt GoGetter, I have the opportunity to try new things and encourage you to try them too!! Just ask my sewing friends--encouraging others to go outside their boundries and try new things is what I do--LOL!!! Even though I have worked with numerous AccuQuilt applique dies, I had never used machine embroidery with them. There are free downloadable files on the website for most dies, PLUS there are for purchase ones using the dies with a little extra pizzaz added to them. I chose one of the for purchase designs to work with for this project. Embroidery designs are 15% off for the month of February. Check them out HERE.

Here are some tips I learned from doing this project:

Terri's Tip #1--ALWAYS do a test sew. I thought I had my fabric and thread choices down pretty good--but wow did they not show up good on the fabric I was going to use!! The fabric is a cotton jersey. I used a jersey needle.

Terri's Tip #2--back the light colored fabrics with a fusible interfacing of some sort to prevent the show through of other colors.

Terri's Tip #3--try cutting different mediums with the applique dies. This is a Kimberbell glitter. Heat Transfer Vinyl or HTV is another term for it. It cuts super easy. Has a fusible back and a shiny protective film over the glitter. Just pay attention when cutting if shape is directional. And remember to take the shiny film off before embroidering.

Terri's Tip #4--I did not put fusible web on the back of my applique shapes--GASP--I know right?!? The embroidery design suggested using a glue stick to apply a bit of glue to shape backs--so I tried it--and it worked!!! I wanted the finished design to stay soft.

Isn't he just such a happy little gnome?!?!? The embroidery design was made by V-Stitch using the GO! Gnome and GO! Cookie Decoration dies.

After doing the embroidery, I finished cutting out the front pattern piece. 

Added some lettering cut with the Silhoutte Cameo. SVG file for just the lettering can be found HERE.  The tshirt pattern is a free raglan found HERE. Don't those fabrics from Island Batik just make the design sing--love the swirling dots in the beard--it's called Almond. Ask for them in your local quilt shop!!

Ta-Dah!!! The finished project!!!! Love all the details about it!! I might just be wearing it every day this month!! Don't forget to check out the machine embroidery designs HERE --where you can find the adorable gnome!!

" If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13