Black Cat Crossing - My Day!

Trick or Treat

Smell my feet, 

Give me something good to eat!

I have certainly heard that line at least a thousand times through the years from little"trick or treaters" at my door! My version is:

Trick or Treat, 

Take a seat,

My Halloween project is now complete!

Maywood Studios came out with this great fabric called Black Cat Crossing. I ordered a fat quarter bundle from the Fat Quarter Shop and made this large wall hanging and the clothing for a doll. 

I used a few scraps along with the feature fabric.  The cat, birds, and spider (did you see him down there in the lower right hand corner?) are wool applique. 

Catrina is my Halloween witch with clothing made from the same line. She's there to keep peace among the cats and birds and to keep those pesky pumpkin smashers away! 

Here's wishing you a safe holiday! 

Be sure to visit my fellow bloggers today and go to Sew We Quilt to see the top picks. Thank you to Mdm. Samm and to Wendy, at Why Knot Kwilt. They are our wickedly wonderful cheerleaders and are not really wicked at all!

Friday, October 24

Just Let Me Quilt

Buzzing and Bumbling  (that's me!)

Thimblemouse & Spouse

krislovesfabric

Quilt Doodle Doodles

(YIKES! I am on a day with some pretty tough competition!!! Be sure to check them out! I don't think you'll be disappointed!)

Spider Web Batk Tutorial

Creepy Crawler Countdown

Look out! It's coming! Only a few more days until all those little goblins will be knocking on your door!

This little countdown wall hanging will help your children keep track of the days in the week before Halloween. (Or use it all year to keep track of other things. For example, "Each day your room is clean the spider will climb one number  away from the child. When you have kept it clean for 7 days in a row, we'll celebrate!" 
The spider web block (there are two of them here) is an easy School Glue Resist project that you can let your children help you with! Take a look before you decide you can't do it. It's EASY!

The spider web blocks in the countdown wall hanging above were just unbleached muslin when I started. Here's how you can make your own:

1. Cut your muslin about an inch larger than the block you will need. If you want a 10 1/2" block, cut it 11 1/2" so that you can trim it to size afterward. It might shrink a little in the process.  Now, using ordinary WASHABLE school glue (it comes in a blue gel or in a white that looks like regular Elmer's liquid glue, not glue stick) draw a spider web on your fabric. Keep the lid on tight enough that the flow of glue is very narrow.  Let the glue dry well.

2. Now brush on your color. I've used Setacolor Transparent Fabric Paint, but watered down acrylic will work as will any fabric dye. Let this dry. I put mine out in the sun to dry. 
After it dries, press it well with a hot iron to heat set the color.

 3. Wash the residual color and glue out of the fabric. You may need to use a nail brush or toothbrush to brush out some of the stubborn glue. After it is all out, you can squeeze out all the water and then iron the fabric dry. 

4. You've made a batik!!! You can add a border and put it in a wall hanging or quilt. I sewed tiny glass beads on my web to mimic dew. 

5. You don't have to design a spider web, you could draw anything you want with the school glue and use any color over it you want! You can be a fabric designer! Give it a try! It really is very easy. 
I have several Halloween quilt patterns available in my Craftsy store.

Can't seem to make him stand up! This is Halloween Skeleton.

 You still have time to make one, especially if you use machine applique instead of hand applique. Just click on the Craftsy button on my sidebar and it will take you there. 
Until next time....... 

Trick or Treat! My Day on the Wicked Blog Hop!

Hello there, everyone! I can't believe it's almost Halloween! Welcome to the Wicked Blog Hop! (No, not wicked as in "evil", but the more contemporary meaning - awesome, great, WOW!) I hope you finish the hop feeling inspired! (By the way, that is NOT me above! I am not that tired yet!)
My little block turned out to be a bigger project than I first planned. 
I started out with just four half-square triangle blocks, each 12 1/2" square. I made each in orange and gray.

    I sewed the four blocks together......

 and then the fun began! I drew off a witch face and feet and made an applique of them. I placed the face "peeking" over the center of one square, and the feet poking out from the center of the opposite square. (I think I might make a quilt of squares of Halloween fabrics with the little witch at the top right hand corner, peeking over the edge. I think that would be funny! Maybe by next Halloween I'll have it to show you!)

Before embroidering features....

...or sewing down.

After embroidery. (and a little acrylic paint on her nails!)

 I ended up adding the appliqued Trick or Treat words and adding borders to the four squares. I then quilted and bound it. It's big enough for cuddling a child in or for draping over the Halloween party table (or how about the Breakfast table?).

(By popular demand, I am putting together kits for this little lap quilt/tablecloth. It is 43" x 43". The kit will have very similar, but different fabrics and will include fabrics for the top only. $49.Hair and pattern  IS included. If you want to pre-order one, please contact me HERE )

Would you like a little giveaway? Just comment below for one chance to win and follow on my sidebar for another (or let me know you already follow). I'll choose a winner this week and announce it on Monday, October 29. What will you win? I'll send you a free PDF pattern of your choice from my Craftsy store.

Thank you to Mdm. Samm and Wendy for hosting and cheering us on! You can go to Wendy's blog for a master list of blogs on the hop. Be sure and visit these other blogs today to see what they have to offer. You won't be disappointed!

 Terrifying Tuesday,

23rd of October

Sew Mollie Sue, Quilt Much?

Sew Incredibly Crazy

Hill Valley Quilter

Fignie - A Geekie Crafty Life

Hot Pink Peonies

Jane's Quilting

Sew Me Something Good

You're here!  Buzzing And Bumbling

Polkadot Classic

Piece Peace

Selina Quilts

Pigtales And Quilts

Halloween Witch Project

I'm still in California with my grandkids and we are working on all types of projects. My granddaughter saw a Halloween centerpiece that she thought was a lot of fun. It was a witch doll made of muslin. It was pretty simple with a flat face and not much detail. I convinced her that SHE could make one even better herself. (This post in not intended to be a tutorial, but will show you the general method she used in making her doll.)

We bought muslin and some yarn for hair and repurposed an old Halloween scarf to use as a dress for the doll. The felt was a piece she had already.

 I helped her draw off the pattern pieces. We drew the face in profile so that we could have a 3-dimensional nose and chin. There is a seam down the center of the face. (The back of the head also has a seam down the center, making four pattern pieces for the head.)

She had made an elongated neck on the body and stuffed it in an opening she cut in the back of the head, then sewed it on. It was stuffed VERY firmly so that the neck could support the weight of the head.

Next, arms and legs were sewn on. (If you look closely you can see where she has penciled in the features.)

She painted the legs to look like stockings and shoes. Acrylic craft paint was used for this. She also drew the face lightly in pencil and then painted the features, complete with a wart on the side of her nose! I didn't get a picture of adding hair or painting features, but the hair is just yarn. We wound it around a book until it was thick enough and removed it, sewed a seam down the middle (we put a piece of paper underneath, but a scrap of muslin might be better so that the yarn has something to be sewn to). We clipped the loops at the ends of the hair and hand sewed it to her head. The clothing and hat I cut out and let her sew.

Here's my sweet girl with her Halloween witch all finished and two months early! Can you tell how proud she is of her creation? I saw her several times just holding it and admiring what she had done! AND.....it's MUCH cuter than the one in the store!!!

Until next time......

Jack O Lantern Gift Container Tutorial

Do you need a little gift for a teacher, a neighbor, a grandchild? 

This little Jack O Lantern  is quickly and easily made and can be filled with any small gifts or candy.

1. You need a plastic container. Mine held 7 oz. of marshmallow creme.

2. Punch holes in the bottom around the edge.

3. Wrap polyester batting around the middle, using narrower and narrower strips so that the middle will be thicker than the ends. You are building up a "pumpkin" shape.

4. Cut a strip of orange fabric 2" longer than the HEIGHT of the container, and long enough to wrap around it, leaving enough to sew a seam. Sew it into a tube by sewing the ends together.

5. Put the tube over the batting covered container. Leave an inch at the top and an inch at the bottom.

6. Gather the top and bottom edges. (Do not cover the holds at the bottom. If they will be covered, wait and gather the bottom later.)

7. Run a line of glue at the top of the inside of the container. Turn the gathered edge over the rim and clip it in place over the glue. Let it dry. I used a "tacky" glue. When dry, remove the clothespins.

8. Using a strong thread or yarn, make a few anchoring stitches into the fabric and through the batting, then go through the hole, grab the needle inside the container, and pull it up and over the top, around the outside and into the hole again. repeat this a couple of times in the same place and pull tightly to leave an indention on the outside. This forms the "pumpkin ridges". If your thread is long enough, you can move on to the next hole. When your thread is too short to go around again, anchor it at the bottom. Do this all the way around.

9. Here is a view of the thread coming through the holes and up the sides of the inside of the container.

10. Cut a circle of felt to fit the bottom of your container and large enough to hide the raw edges of the gathered tube. Sew the felt in place by hand.

11. Line the inside with felt. (I cut a strip to go around the edge and a separate circle to fit in the bottom. Use the tacky glue to glue in place.

12. Cut little black felt Jack O Lantern features and glue in place. (You could sew them if you wanted.)

Fill with goodies and present your gift! You could add a little handle if you wanted to. You could also place another plastic container just like the one you used inside the top of this one and fill it with flowers. 

Use your imagination, but have fun!  

Easy 3-D Starburst Tutorial

I'm using bandanas (97 cents each at Walmart) to show you a very easy technique that gives you a starburst at each intersection of your blocks. Mine will be a Halloween Tablecloth when finished, but you can use this technique for quilts also.

1. Trim the rolled edges off your bandanas. You will also want to trim them all to the same size, as they will probably not be exactly square.

2. Cut 4 squares for each intersection in your tablecloth center.  I cut my squares 5", but if you want larger "starbursts", cut them bigger. I used fabric from my stash for this. Fold each in half diagonally and press.

3. Fold each in half diagonally again and press. You have made prairie points.

4. Pin the raw edges of a prairie point at the edge of your bandana. You can place it closer to the end if you want your points to come together. I planned on an applique circle over mine, so I left a little space. I have placed the open end of the prairie point toward the center of what will be the starburst.( If you place the open end to the outside of the starburst center, you will reverse the direction of each "ray" of the starburst. You may prefer this! It would look more like a flower petal.) 

5. Pin the second bandana over this, right sides together, and sew a 1/4" seam, catching the prairie point in the seam. Press the seams open.

6. Turn over and catch the open side of the prairie point with your finger and......

7. ....flatten so that the folded edge runs down the center. Press well. I use a little spray starch to help it stay in place. You may choose to leave this 3-D, but you can also stitch it down so that it stays flat.

8. Repeat for the two ends perpendicular to the seam you have just sewn. Make sure you place the open end of the prairie points toward the center, unless you have chosen to do the opposite.

9. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the side you will sew to this. (Pay attention to the colors if you want alternating blocks.) Place right sides together, lining up your seams. Sew a 1/4" seam. Press seams open and flatten the starburst. Press well.

10. In this photo you can see how I've left a space between the ends of my star points. You can make them meet by placing the prairie points closer to the end of each square. You can also see how by placing the open end of each prairie point away from the center, you can make the long points meet in the middle instead of the short points. This is a matter of choice.

11. I chose to applique a circle in the center. You could use a button here. If you brought your points together, you may choose to not put anything in the center.

12. If making this as a tablecloth, sew as many blocks together as you need for the size you want, then add a border all the way around. Mine is not sewn yet, but you can see the look I'm going for! I can even buy some extra bandanas to use as napkins! Since I have turquoise Fiesta dinner plates, I think they will look great with my choices. A few pumpkins as a centerpiece and I'm all set!

That's all there is to it! Make as many blocks as you want and as big as you want. Remember that you don't have to use bandanas for this and that it doesn't have to be a tablecloth. This is a great technique for a quilt also!