Sew a Kaleidoscope Dresden with Nancy's Notions

Sewing is one of my crafty loves, and quilting is my nemesis!  There has always been something too mathematical with quilting for me, and so I have always felt challenged when attempting this type of project.  I have taken classes and learned to get over my apprehension.  However, when it comes to making the Dresden deign in quilt making, I have not been very successful,  until now!

New and on sale for a limited, time is the Kaleidoscope Dresden Template and Pattern available from Nancy's Notions $9.99 instead of $17.99usd. Which I highly recommend!  This tool and the instructions have turned me into a master quilter.  Ok, that's an exaggeration...however I am confident that I can now make those once dreaded Dresden.

The Dimensional Kaleidoscope Dresden Template book, along with the clear acrylic template changes everything.  Make perfect pieces with this tool.  I can hardly believe how comfortable I find making these now.  I look forward to making all 15 variations!

The instructions are easy-to-follow in the 20-page booklet, with its many clear images and pictures.
Making each of the Dresden, or the Dimensional Kaleidoscope Dresden requires minimal fabric.  I was able to make mine with some scraps of fabrics, from pieces I got at Nancy's Notions.

 To begin all I needed to do was to make sure the fabrics I chose were ironed and squared.  I then lay the template over the fabric and cut the pieces with a rotary cutter and self-healing mat.  For my first project, I concentrated on cutting and assembling the pieces together accurately. The template and my tools made that part so easy.

Next time I will add the dimension by cutting another set of wedges, and all I have to do is fold the extra wedges, fold them and sew them between each wedge.  Easy peasy!

I chose to make pointed the ends of each wedge.  The cardboard template (included in the book) makes achieving the perfect score a piece of cake!

  I liked the idea of using fusible interfacing to attach the center to conceal the hole in the middle.   It is straightforward and quick.         

To make my circles for the center as well as the yo-yo, I traced around my homemade circle templates.  You can see one in the photo above.

Once I ironed the solid colored circle to cover the hole, I sewed a yo-yo according to the instructions in the book.  To complete the look I chose to sew on this button I had been saving for just the right project. 

With the extra smaller scraps I had left over I had just enough to make two smaller Dresden.  The template allows you to make wedges as small as one inch, and as big as 10 inches long.

To accompany the table centerpiece, I made two smaller versions that to be used as coasters.

I hope that you enjoyed reading this post and that you too will try to Dimensional Kaleidoscope Dresden to use in your home decor or quilts.  Thank you so much for stopping by.

Mod Podge a Fabric Bowl and Banner

Make your own bowls and sturdy banners out of fabric with the help of Mod Podge®.  Today, I am sharing my project which I made as part of the Designer Crafts Connection (DCC) Blog Hop, where we are honoring Mod Podge's 50 Years!  We are all celebrating this product and the company for its long-standing presence in the Arts and Crafts industry. Visit the Plaid site or more information regarding their wide range of products here.   ****Enter to win prizes, For Us and Canada only****

Did you know that Mod Podge® works with Fabrics?   Well, now you do.  I was excited to receive these products from Plaid®. the Stiffy® product was new to me, but very exciting as I had never tried it before.  I am already familiar with most of Plaid's products, and I have loved using ALL their Mod Podge® formulas over the years.

To make a fabric bowl here is what you need:

Fabric (mine is from Nancy's Notions)
"Stiffy®" Fabric Stiffener from Plaid®
Thread (optional)                                                            
Sewing machine, or Serger/Overlock (optional)

                                                                       Link to video

1.  Select a piece of fabric, cut into a square, taking into consideration the size of the bowl you would like.

2. Cut the fabric into a circle.  There are many ways to do this.  I chose to use the Fiskars® Fabric Circle cutter tool (from Nancy's Notions®).  You can achieve similar results by using any plate or circle template, a pencil and scissors.

3,  I chose to make a rolled hem edge around the circle with myAmerican Home Serger (Nancy'sNotions®).  This is optional, and similar results can be achieved with the zig zag stitch on a regular sewing machine.  You may also just use pinking shears, or leave the edges as is.

4. Soak, or coat the fabric with the "Stiffy®".  Lay the circle over a form to allow it to harden into the shape desired.  Let dry over night.

To make the Banner here is what you need:
Pieces of denim
Pieces of print fabric
Pieces of a solid and contrasting colored fabric
Mod Podge® Decoupage Tracing Templates by Plaid®
Mod Podge® Matte by Plaid®
Mod Podge® Decoupage Brushes (Plaid®)
6 metal eyelets
Kitchen string

1. Place the scallop banner piece from the Mod Podge® Decoupage Tracing Templates.

2.  Place the letter Mod Podge® Decoupage Tracing Templates over the solid color fabric, and repeat.

3.  Measure rectangular pieces that will fit onto the denim pieces.

4.  Adhere the solid letters to the print pieces by brushing some Matte Mod Podge® to both fabrics, and stick together.

5.  Adhere the rectangles to each Denim Banner piece.

6.  Set two metal eyelets per banner.

7.  String the kitchen twine through the eyelets. Hang to decorate.

Remember to check out all of the beautiful and creative projects made by this most talented group.
Let us know what you will "Mod Podge"? Thank you so much for stopping by.

                                   

SNAP Conference 2017

Over a week ago I attended SNAP, a busy and fun conference for Bloggers  I had a great time seeing my old friends, making new ones, and learning new things.

Fellow AFCI Designer and SNAP attendee Cindy deRosier has such a great post on the conference here (http://www.cindyderosier.com/2017/04/snap-conference-2017-overview.html).  Check it out!

I arrived at SNAP one day before the event began, as I had a better choice of flights.  I was able to fly from Ottawa to Toronto, Canada with only a two-hour layover before my next flight to Salt Lake City.

My welcome at the Little America Hotel was pleasant as per last year, and I had a lovely room.  The next day the sun was shining after the night's rain, and I took a nice walk around the area.  I was so pleased to notice all the lovely flowers in the gardens, the green grass, and the trees full of leaves.  After all, Ottawa had just come out of winter, and we were all starving for that spring sunshine!

At noon I met up with fellow Cricut Bloggers/Brand Ambassadors to help with the booth's set up.  I got the noble task of unpacking and plugging all the shiny new Cricut machines.  Afterward,  I sewed, and sewed, and sewed hundreds of paper diamond banners for the backdrop of the booth (Thanks to Baby Lock and Nancy's Notions).  I still see those paper die cuts in my sleep!!!  LOL.

Later that evening, there was a Get Together of the Utah Sewing Bloggers at the Maker Space just outside Salt Lake City.   The event was organized by
Kimberly Parrett Coffin  from http://sweetredpoppy.com,  and sponsored by:

 Cricut™ and Canon were also there with fun Make n Takes.

There were refreshments, too many treats, gift bags, and prizes.  One of those prizes was won by yours truly!

I see my trip to SNAP as my second most expensive marketing investment after attending Creativation.  However, two years in a row,  I have personally found the return to be greater.  Each event is unique, and I cannot compare them adequately, AFCI events are more Trade and Industry concentrated, while SNAP is about Bloggers and Digital Content Creators.  SNAP is also, about Creative Entrepreneurs and Lifestyle Influencers (Cooking, Creating, Party Planning).

I attended "The Secrets of successful Brand Relationships" with Whitney Curtis of Home Depot, Cooper Monroe of Motherhood, and Karen Nolan of Lego.

Later I brushed up on my crochet skills with Bethany Dearden.  The next day I learned "How to Sew a Rag Quilt" with Nicole Schneider from Nancy's Notions.  I also won a New Serger from Baby Lock!
I enjoyed the first quilting class so much I attended the "T-shirts Quilts Made Easy" with Donna Parker also from Nancy's Notions.  On the last day I attended two more sewing classes: "Sewing Doll Clothes with Quick-Trace Templates", and "Turn Doodle Sketches Into Works of Art."

In between learning sessions I met with all of the sponsors as I visited their booths and participated in all their projects, or Make n Takes.

The sponsors of Snap included: Rust-Oleum, Spellbinders, Wagner, LEGO,Fresh Books, Darice, Canon, DecoArt, FloraCraft, Sherwin Williams, Cricut, Adobe, Nancy's Notions', Plaid, Polaroid, savings.com, Silhouette, Simplicity, Sizzix, The Motherhood, thermoweb, Kraft, Charmed, Cents of Style, DMC, Zaycon, adThrive, Michaels, Ryobi Nation, Expressions Vinyl, Get Away Today, Close tomyHeart, Oriental Trading, Swig, Amy Robinson, Timeless Treasures, Authentic Denim, OLFA, Wilmington Batiks, Ontrend, Lindt, Tailor, Clover.

I hope to share more projects that were influenced by all that  I learned while at SNAP in the future.  Stay tuned to my Blog and YouTube, for more.  Thanks for stopping by.
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