String Piecing Mug Rugs

I am a scrap fabric hoarder saver and this past week I took out my string fabric scraps. Strips of fabric that are larger than 3/4" and smaller than 2" are perfect for string quilts. I used some of my scraps up last year in this quilt that was made with a blocks from my online quilting friends:

Scrappy strings Baby Quilt

But I still have quite a few left and thought I'd use them for some craft sale projects. First thing I did was separate the strips by colour

Scrappy Strings ready to sew

 And on a piece of batting that was about 7"x9", I started sewing strips down, quilting as I went. The first strip goes on right side up and then the next strip right sides down on top of the first strip, lining up the edges. Sew a 1/4" seam and press open. Repeat on both sides of the first strip until the batting is covered.

Adding string scraps to batting

Trim square - I trimmed mine to 6.5"x8.5". Add backing fabric and bind as you would a normal quilt. Or if you're adventuresome, try turning your backing fabric to the front as binding.

Scrappy String Mug Rugs

And there I have some mug rugs (snack mats) that used up some of my scraps and hopefully will be great sellers at the craft sale I'm in on Saturday!

--Ann

Linking up with:
Quiltsy WIP Wednesday #34
Needle and Thread Network WIP Wednesday #63
Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday

Tutorial - Fabric Basket

A year or so ago, my friend Marie taught me how to make these unique little fabric baskets. This is a perfect project for those fat quarters that you love, but don't want to cut into little pieces for a quilt! I'm making mine today with some Halloween themed fat quarters I won from Monika at Quiltlover from her Facebook page. I hope she likes what I decided to do with her fabrics!

Fabric Basket - FOR SALE

FABRIC BASKETS
Material list:

• 2 coordinating fat quarters (Fabric A-outside, Fabric B-inside)
• 1 piece batting 12.5" square
• 4 buttons
• basic sewing supplies

This project involves hand sewing - I'm sure after making a few of these, a sewing maven could figure out a few machine short-cuts! My green fabric with the black cats is Fabric A, and my Fabric B is purple. Click on any of the pictures for a close-up!

Layer your fat quarters on top of each other on your cutting board and cut a 12.5" square - or you can cut each one separately - it's entirely up to you!

Prep for sewing by layering from bottom to top - batting, Fabric A right side up, Fabric B right side down. No worries at this point if Fabric A and B are mixed up - it will all work out in the end! Pin with 2 or 3 pins on each side to keep layers together.

Sew with 1/4" or 3/8" seam - I just line up the edge of my pressure foot with the fabric - around the entire outside edge of your layered pieces, leaving a 2-3" opening for turning. Clip corners, and trim batting close to sewn seam to reduce bulk.

Turn right side out, paying attention to the corners - we want these neat and tidy as they'll be very visible in the finished product. Hand or machine sew opening closed - I prefer hand stitching as it is less obvious in the finished basket.

Divide each side in half - put in a pin to mark the centers. And then mark halfway between center and the corners (each side will be divided into quarters).

And now, the tricky part - working with the inside of the basket up, bring the pins marking outside pins in to meet the pin in the center. Using a coordinating thread, stitch these 3 points together. Don't despair if your stitching is less than perfect - it won't be noticeable if your thread blends well with your fabrics. After the third side, you should start to see the bowl of the basket forming! We're almost done!

Now, take your fabric corners and flip over the folded edges made by the previous step. I've tacked those folded edges down as they tend to poke out with the passage of time. This is one of those times that a picture just doesn't quite cut it - you'll get it when you have your basket in front of you!

Sew the point down with a decorative button - I've used these sparkly pumpkin ones that I found in the fabric store, but would love to use these ones I found on Etsy:

Polymer Clay Pumpkin Buttons Cofanetto on Etsy

My basket is done and ready to be filled - I'm off to the grocery store to stock up on Halloween candy to fill mine.

These are great for any occasion - I've made one for my grand-daughter for her hair accessories, one in my sewing room for sewing essentials, but I'm sure you can find all kinds of uses for yours! Have fun creating!

--Ann

Linking up with Tip Junkie - (so sorry, couldn't get the button to load!)

Zucchini Salsa

I'm still putting away the last of my garden produce and with tomatoes ripening daily and zucchini lingering in my fridge, I searched online for a great salsa recipe that would use both of them up. I found a simple recipe at Food.com for zucchini salsa and canned a few jars. It's a little sweet and very mild, so if you like your salsa hot and tangy, just reduce the sugar a bit and add some hot peppers.

We had a great Thanksgiving feast with all the kids and grandkids home and when a little person asked for a story, well, how could I refuse?

Happy Thanksgiving!
--Ann

Quilt Retreat

It's been a sluggish Monday morning for me - but that's pretty normal after spending a weekend quilting with friends at a quilt retreat. From mid-afternoon Friday to mid-day Sunday, we had no responsibilities and could sew to our hearts content. I'm just sorry I didn't take more photos to share with you!

Penny's quilt in progress

 I did some sewing on my sweet grand-daughter's quilt. The layout will not be the Sudoko-style layout I showed you earlier, but I think this one will be a little calmer with a little more white through the quilt.

Plan C - pattern by Carrie Nelson

 This pattern is one that I marked off to try from Carrie Nelson's book "Schnibbles times Two". The pattern is called Plan C and this is the smaller version of the quilt. I had some coordinating fat quarters I had picked up at a quilt show earlier this year and used them rather than the 5" charm squares called for in the quilt pattern.

Triple Irish Chain - FOR SALE

This one was the triple Irish chain quilt that I have totally fallen in love with! The colours are just beautiful and the fabrics are so pretty! I sewed the binding on the quilt, thinking I would hand-stitch it to the back when I got home, but my good friend, Imogene, picked it up and finished it with her beautiful hand-stitching! Thanks so much Imogene!

Do you take your projects on the road? Or have a group of friends that you can share your hobbies with? I love the way friendships grow from shared activities!

--Ann