Scrappy Hats QAL Day 14

Welcome to Day 14

Whew, it's already day 14! Today we will complete the last snowman block. It's gone so fast! I hope that you have been having fun creating the scrappy hats for your snowman blocks! I've enjoyed seeing your blocks so far on facebook and Instagram.  Today's block will be the most challenging because the pieces are small but it is well worth the effort! Today we will make a star brimmed hat! It's one of my favorites in this quilt. Since this is the last hat, you can have fun and make it as scrappy as you want. I made each star out of the same fabric but you can add extra scrappiness by cutting the center block out of a different color/fabric. In the pattern I've written it for this option. So let's make some stars!

Following the directions for Hat Brim #13 cut out the pieces that you need to complete this block. I am making a red, green and pink star. I have chosen to make the stars all the same color instead of cutting the center square out of a different fabric.

To make the star I begin by make 4 flying geese blocks using rectangle B and square A. Place the square on top of the rectangle, right sides together and sew corner to corner. Trim away the excess fabric leaving a 1/4" seam allowance. Press. I like to chain sew.....

Repeat on the opposite side of the rectangle, placing the square on the rectangle, right sides together and sew corner to corner. Trim the excess fabric leaving a 1/4" seam allowance. Press. Make a total of 4 flying geese blocks for each star block.

Following the block chart in the pattern, sew the block together and press. 

Here are my three adorable star blocks for my hat brim. Sew the blocks together end to end. Press. Finish strips measures 3 1/2" x 9 1/2"

Sew the hat block to the top of the hat brim strip and then sew the snowman face onto the bottom of the hat brim strip. Press. The finished block measures 9 1/2" x 11 1/2"

~ Star Snowman Block ~

Remember the carrot and eyes are not added to the block yet!

Isn't it fun making snowman blocks! I just love them! If you feel extra ambitious, you can make extra ones for an adorable table runner to match your quilt! See you tomorrow, we will work on the carrot noses and I will talk with you about a couple of different ways that you can make them. Remember to share your block on Instagram #scrappyhatsqal @quiltdoodledesigns

Happy Quilting!
Cindy and Belvedere

You can also click on this link to purchase the instant PDF Download of the Scrappy Hats Pattern.

 

Guess Who's One!

Well, we had a special birthday over the weekend. Someone special turned one years old. Our sweet Belvedere is now one... I even baked him a birthday pup cake. My hubby just shook his head and smiled. Yes, I have turned into the crazy dog lady in my neighborhood... I admit it. Belvedere has me totally wrapped around his little paw, and he knows it.  Now I didn't have the full blown puppy birthday party with puppy party hats... so I'm not totally off the edge or lost the cheese off my cracker... I have to admit it was fun just making a homemade muffin for my big ol' sloppy basset hound. I found the recipe HERE. I did leave the vanilla out, I just didn't think Belvedere would really mind. I also cut the recipe in half. He sure loved the treat but wasn't too sure about the birthday candle.

 I also had fun this weekend making a new design that features a sweet little basset hound going on a truck ride. He's on his way to the 4th of July parade! I have two versions of this pattern, one is on a striped tea towel and the other is an adorable mini quilt. It was a fun project to whip up to decorate for the 4th of July. I'm planning on leaving mine up... it's a cute patriotic design. I just love decorating with seasonal items. So here is how I made this summertime design featuring Belvedere the basset hound...

I was super blessed with a bundle of wool from Marcus Fabrics. I thought some of the colors would be perfect for this project. You don't have to use wool for these designs, you can also use fabrics from your stash! I traced the design elements onto my Wonder Under. I've trace two of everything because I am working on two projects.

I cut all the pieces out using my applique scissors from OLFA. Let me just say, my boys better leave these scissors alone! You all know what I mean.... the last thing I want this baby to cut is some insulation or oily old twine in the garage. These scissors are super sharp and perfect for cutting applique designs.

I have layered all my pieces referring to the pattern placement on the pattern. Notice how the flag pieces over lap. (I laided the white piece first, then the red strips, blue piece and gold flag pole) I carefully ironed everything into place.

Because I am working with wool, I decided to do my stitching with Lana Wool from Aurifil. But you can you a dark brown thread too. It's up to you.

I like to machine stitch my buttonhole stitch instead of hand stitching with wool. I'm not a great hand stitcher and am still practicing. But this can certainly be a hand stitch wool project.

I embroidered Belvedere's face using Valdini 12 wt pearl cotton.

~Parade Day!~

I have ~Parade Day~ on display in my mud room off the entryway. I don't always put tea towels on display in the kitchen. I like to tuck them here and there around my home. Draped out of a basket, used as a table runner or as shown here, draped over the door of my pie safe.

I also decided to put together a mini quilt featuring the same design that is on the tea towel. I also used wool for my applique pieces but you could use fabric too. The flag design overlaps a little into the border. I think it looks cute so I left it. 

I machine appliqued around all of the pieces before I layered it with the batting and backing. 

My mini quilt is on display on a side table in my dining room. I added my basset hound salt and pepper shakers to the display for an added touch. If you look closely at my mini quilt you can see that I have quilted stars along with my meandering stitches. I also used yo-yo's for the truck's tires. I like the added dimension that the yo-yo's add to the design.

~ I Woof the USA! ~

Both designs are currently available in my Etsy shop as instant downloads. The tea towel design is called 'Parade Day' and the mini quilt is called 'I Woof the USA!'.

I hope that you enjoy these designs as much as I have making them!

Happy quilting,

Cindy and Belvedere

June's Block Done in Wool....

  

I have been enjoying working with wool for my second version of this year's BOM. I've been having Snow Much Fun! This month's block is a skiing snowman. As some of you may know, I live very close to Buck Hill Ski Resort. My boys spent a lot of time there skiing and snowboarding. I always knew winter was right around the corner as soon as the snow making machines were put in place on the slopes. When it's cold enough, snow is being made and if the wind is just right it will snow in our neighborhood on a starry night. By the time it starts getting colder, I'm ready for snow. I'm like a little kid and just can't wait! I have been known to drive by Buck Hill just to see the snow and get a taste of winter again. I know our little hill is nothing compared with the snow covered mountains out west. But I do love when it's covered with snow. After the kids would spend the day playing at Buck Hill, I would greet them at home with hot chocolate and popcorn and sometimes I would make a batch of Buck Hill Cookies for them.

Buck Hill Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

1 egg

1 cup veggie oil

2 tsp vanilla

 3 1/2 cups flour

1 cup quick oats

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp. cream of tartar

12 oz bag of chocolate chips

1 cup rice krispies

Mix sugars, egg, oil, butter and vanilla thoroughly. Stir in flour, oats, baking soda, cream of tartar, chocolate chips and rice krispies. Cover and chill the dough. Drop by teaspoons 2 inches apart onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Makes 5-6 dozen cookies. At Christmas, I usually put in red and green M&M's into the cookie dough.

Enjoy!

I thought I had taken more pictures of this month's block and the process using the wool, but I was lax.. Making the block is the same as for with the flannel quilt, I am using Primo Plaids from Marcus Fabrics and wool from my 'wool' stash.

Trace all of the applique shapes onto freezer paper and iron it onto your wool pieces. Then cut all the pieces out. 

Use a button hole stitch to machine stitch the wool pieces onto the background block. I am using 12wt Lana Wool thread from Aurifil. (color - 8087 brown) I'm using a regular 50wt in my bobbin thread. I'm using a 75/11 needle... 

I really like the combo of the wool with the Primo Plaids.   To finish these cute designs, I embellished my squares with some special buttons from Just Another Button Company. I do have these buttons available in my Etsy Shop. Pattern can be found on the Quilt Doodle Designs Website. June's block is a Free download this month only.  I will not be sewing my buttons onto my quilt top until after I have it all done and quilted. This BOM will be offered the first of every month. Like always, it's FREE for the month that the block is out, then there's a small fee if you have to play catch up to get the block. To make sure that you don't miss any of it,  join my mailing list. Not only will you get all of the BOM 2018 postings and updates, but you will also hear about all sorts of other fun quilty projects.

Happy Quilting!

Cindy and Belvedere

May's Block in Wool! Snow Much Fun

  

I have been enjoying working with wool for my second version of this year's BOM. I've been having Snow Much Fun! This month's block is an adorable snowman with his dog. Not just any dog, but a hound dog like my sweet puppy Belvedere.

Let me tell you a little about Belvedere. He's a sweetheart, an adorable Basset Hound. I've never had a Basset before so he is very different then any dog I've ever had. He rules his own world and we are at his beckon call. He will only sit if there is a treat involved. But not just any treat, one that he really likes. I have also learned that Basset Hounds do things in their own sweet time. This is driving me crazy.... I mean c-r-a-z-y! Belvedere will bark to announce that he needs to go outside. I get a one bark notice, if I ignore it, he will take things into his own 'paws' and do his business in the dining room and then commence to the living room to nap. Arrrgggg.... one bark..... so I have learned to jump to it and take him outside.... but that's not where the story ends. Once outside... he becomes sidetracked and he will spend f-o-r-e-v-e-r smelling around, eating sticks, eating the hedge, barking at the neighbors cat, barking at where he thinks the neighbors cat is, watching cars drive by ....this continues on for a good 15-20 minutes until he remembers, 'oh yeah... I need to go potty'. Bring him in too soon and he will head right straight for the dining room and then off to the couch for naptime. There is no rushing him. It's good that I work from home... he is my little... not so little puppy... so you see since my world revolves around this sweet puppy, I just had to include a hound on the quilt.

Belvedere and I

(He's 8 months old in this picture)

I thought I had taken more pictures of this month's block and the process using the wool, but I was lax.. Making the block is the same as for with the flannel quilt, I am using Primo Plaids from Marcus Fabrics and wool from my 'wool' stash.

Trace all of the applique shapes onto freezer paper and iron it onto your wool pieces. Then cut all the pieces out. Use a button hole stitch to machine stitch the wool pieces onto the background block. I am using 12wt Lana Wool thread from Aurifil. (color - 8087 brown) I'm using a regular 50wt in my bobbin thread. I'm using a 75/11 needle... 

I really like the combo of the wool with the Primo Plaids.   To finish these cute designs, I embellished my squares with some special buttons from Just Another Button Company. I do have these buttons available in my Etsy Shop. Pattern can be found on the Quilt Doodle Designs Website. May's block is a Free download this month only.  I will not be sewing my buttons onto my quilt top until after I have it all done and quilted. This BOM will be offered the first of every month. Like always, it's FREE for the month that the block is out, then there's a small fee if you have to play catch up to get the block. To make sure that you don't miss any of it,  join my mailing list. Not only will you get all of the BOM 2018 postings and updates, but you will also hear about all sorts of other fun quilty goodness too!

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Happy Quilting!

Cindy and Belvedere

Snow Much Fun in Wool, April's Block

  

I have been enjoying working with wool for my second version of this year's BOM. I've been having Snow Much Fun! This month's block is an adorable snowman with his camper. Since it's a winter quilt I had to decorate the camper with a Christmas wreath and Christmas lights. I have been machine stitching my wool applique with Lana wool from Aurifil. I have loved the combo of the wool with the Primo Plaids from Marcus Fabrics. It's going to be such a cozy quilt. It'll be a fun quilt to put out next winter.

I have also altered how I am doing the 'snowball' blocks on this version of the quilt.

Instead of piecing the block as shown, I am starting out with a 14 1/2" cream block and then adding 5 1/4" green blocks to the corners, right sides together, then sewing corner to corner to form the triangles on each corner of the block. I then trim the excess.

Trace all of the applique shapes onto freezer paper and iron it onto your wool pieces. Then cut all the pieces out.

Use a button hole stitch to machine stitch the wool pieces onto the background block. I am using 12wt Lana Wool thread from Aurifil. (color - 8087 brown) I'm using a regular 50wt in my bobbin thread. I'm using a 75/11 needle... 

Camping Snowman

April's Block

For this version of the quilt, I am using Primo Plaid flannels from Marcus Fabrics and for the applique pieces, I really like the combo of the wool with the Primo Plaids.   To finish these cute designs, I embellished my squares with some special buttons from Just Another Button Company. I do have these buttons available in my Etsy Shop. Pattern can be found on the Quilt Doodle Designs Website. April's block is a Free download this month only.  I will not be sewing my buttons onto my quilt top until after I have it all done and quilted. This BOM will be offered the first of every month. Like always, it's FREE for the month that the block is out, then there's a small fee if you have to play catch up to get the block. To make sure that you don't miss any of it,  join my mailing list. Not only will you get all of the BOM 2018 postings and updates, but you will also hear about all sorts of other fun quilty goodness too!

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Cindy and Belvedere

Working With Wool is Snow Much Fun!

I have discovered that working with wool is so much fun! As promised I have this month's block to show you all done in wool. I have been collecting wool here and there over the last couple of years. Many of you have heard me whine about my wonky stitches. Well I have learned that you can machine applique wool! Now this is a game changer for me. I don't know why I haven't discovered this sooner! I'm an instant gratification type of girl so machine appliqueing with wool is soooo awesome! Now don't get me wrong, I do love hand stitching... but I don't always have the time. For me to get a ka-zillion things done design wise and for market I need to speed up the process a bit. I'm in love with the thought of being able to machine applique wool blocks in an afternoon instead of taking days to get around to it. I am in awe with the purists out there that stitch by hand. I wish I had more time to be one of you.... but sometimes a quilter needs a little extra help. That would be me.... one of those people....

I am using 12wt Lana Wool thread from Aurifil. (color - 8087 brown) I'm using a regular 50wt in my bobbin thread. I'm using a 75/11 needle...

This thread is a total game changer for me...

I first tested out stitching by making this little sample bumblebee.

I wasn't really sure if my machine would like to stitch with this... so before stitching this month's block I wanted to make sure my machine wouldn't choke and upchuck with stitching. Lucy, has been known to be very finicky...

To begin with, I've traced all of my applique pieces onto freezer paper. (The shiny side is on the back)

I then iron on the freezer paper onto my wool pieces, (shiny side down) grouping together items that will be using the same color. I then cut all the pieces out. I peel the wax paper off before placing it on my background fabric.

I'm using a larger blanket stitch then I would normally use for machine applique. Play around with it on some scrap fabric and wool and see what you prefer. I like a 3.5 width and a 3 length.

Here I am stitching the tree in place.

I have been positioning my wool pieces onto my block following the placement on the pattern. I haven't been gluing them in place or anything. I've been just pinning my sections in place, layering as I go. It's a little different then using heat n bond. This method is working for me... I stich slowly. Machine stitching slowly goes a whole lot faster then stitching by hand. LOL

~Bird Watching Snowmen~

For this version of the quilt, I am using Primo Plaid flannels from Marcus Fabrics and for the applique pieces, I am rummaging thru my wool stash.  To finish this cute design, I embellished my square with some special buttons from Just Another Button Company. I do have these buttons available in my Etsy Shop. Pattern can be found on the Quilt Doodle Designs Website. It's a Free download this month only.  I will not be sewing my buttons onto my quilt top until after I have it all done and quilted.This BOM will be offered the first of every month. Like always, it's FREE for the month that the block is out, then there's a small fee if you have to play catch up to get the block. To make sure that you don't miss any of it,  join my mailing list. Not only will you get all of the BOM 2018 postings and updates, but you will also hear about all sorts of other fun quilty goodness too!

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Happy Quilting!

Cindy and Belvedere

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