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Stitching Shamrocks Reverse Applique Mug Rug

It's Shamrock time! Here is an easy mug rug featuring twin shamrocks to help you celebrate. Big stitch quilting with embroidery floss frames details and adds texture. Reverse applique shamrocks look complicate, but they are sew easy! Let me show you:


Cut four 6"x10" pieces, 1 each: top, fusible batting, back, green lining (this is Shamrock piece).
Iron fusible batting to back of green piece.
Trace two shamrocks onto TOP piece. [for easy quilting stencil see Cookie Cutter Quilting Trick, step 10 in Candy Corn Pillows in 3-D tutorial]
This Mary Engelbreit fabric is sew sweet :)
Score the center of shamrocks with rotary cutter so you can insert scissors and trim away inside of shamrock shape. The marked line is the stitching line, not the cutting line. Leave a generous 1/4" allowance inside shamrock.
Is this hoop upside down? Works better this way for reverse applique.

Layer "quilt sandwich" as usual, with green side of batting next to cut-away top piece. Hoop project.
    Reverse applique shamrock shapes: using thread matching top piece, blind stitch top to green/batting piece, using needle to fold 1/4" margin under stitching line. Clip curves as necessary to aid turning.
Outline quilt around shamrock with big stitches using 4 strand green embroidery floss.
When both shamrocks have been quilted, square quilt sandwich and bind with green bias strip.
Lastly, outline quilt edge in floss 1/4" inside binding with big stitches.
Congratulations! You finished :)

Half Square Triangle Stencil

Does a stencil count as a quilting tool? I'm saying yes because this stencil helps make perfect HST patches. [Half Square Triangles]

I found this stencil pack online at Connecting Threads. Stencils by Sunday Best Quiltworks, and they have a how-to video on making stencil HSTs. Stencil sets for making HST in 8 sizes.
My set of 4 stencils from Connecting Threads makes HST 1" thru 2-1/2".

pounce, sew, cut. Easy!

And addicting - seriously I could do this all day :D

I'm making 1" patches for Lover's Lane queen quilt because that is the stencil size that fits on the 1/4 yd. blue and white sampler pack cuts I have. Yes, I'm crazy. --Mom
"1" patches, are you crazy?"

Mom's Color Story

When I went to the cabbage patch to pick-up my beautiful new baby.....

Our entire little town was covered in snow.

But things didn't go well. We had to live there for an entire week. We were never allowed outside. Maybe the whole world was covered in snow. I didn't know.


When we finally got to go home...

...lilacs were blooming....

...and everywhere was purple!

Did you ever crave a color?

I could not get enough Purple.

Why only Purple? Why no need for sunshine and all the other early Spring colors?

Then I realized, of course! Purple is my precious baby's birthstone :)

Now while I like pumpkins and coffee and whatever color my latest quilt is....
I only love purple.

And my sweet baby growing strong and much too fast? Her favorite color is....
Blue

Happy Birthday, Alex  --Love, Mom

Need more purple? All these pictures -and more- are collected on our Pinterest Board.
Linky post to For the Love of...Color. Thanks for reading :)

Blue Valentine Bunting

This holiday bunting is so easy - no sewing or gluing, only two supplies:
  • felt ornaments
  • craft ribbon
By now you know my Valentine only loves blue. So when I found these blue felt hearts in the Christmas ornaments section, I had to get them.



Turns out there were 3 in the package, just enough for a sweet Valentines' Bunting.

Used the 1/4" blue craft ribbon to tie felt hearts together.


Added longer ties on the two open ends.  Wish all holiday decorating was this easy!