We Love Moms :: 1 Sheep, 2 Sheep

This project may not apply to all moms, but it’s a definite winner for some, mine included. My mom has been a crocheter and a knitter since she was in her teens. Taught by her grandmother, it’s something that has been passed down from generation to generation, even to me! For as long as I can remember, my mom has collected little sheep figurines, artwork and things of the like. It’s not overpowering, but just the right amount and classy to boot. Something tells me this wall hanging would be a perfect addition. Are any of your moms yarn crafty?

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How cute are these little guys? Designer Jackie White of Jackie’s Art Quilts used our Stick-N-Washaway™, Perfect Loft™ Cluster Fiber Fill, Cheesecloth and Bamboo batting to create this unique wall hanging. We just love that she thought outside the box for ways in which to use our products.

Materials List
– Six Jelly Roll Strips
– One 13″ x 23″ rectangle of Backing Fabric
– 1/8 yard Binding Fabric
– One 5″ square Black Felt
– Four ounces Pellon® Perfect Loft™ Cluster Fiber Fill
– 1/4 yard Pellon® Stick-N-Washaway™
– 1/8 yard Pellon® Cheesecloth
– One 13″ x 23″ rectangle Legacy™ by Pellon® Bamboo Batting
– Thread

Tools List
– Hot Glue Gun & Related Supplies
– Sewing Machine & Related Supplies

For a free downloadable pdf of this pattern, visit the project page here. We’d love to see what you make, so be sure to post a photo on our Facebook page OR share with our ‘Made with Pellon®‘ flickr group!

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About Jackie:
Jackie is a quilt artist that has had her quilts juried in Canadian and American Shows. She started off in traditional quilts with her first quilt being a Trip Around the World. From that traditional quilt, Jackie made a few more bed quilts, but soon got tired of following patterns.

Jackie loves doing her own thing, not following the rules and wanted her quilts to pop. She disliked that they laid flat and that’s when her 3 dimensional work was born. She hand dyes most of her own fabric. Jackie now designs art quilts using original 3D technique that literally makes the objects stand out on the background. She has also started writing a column for the quarterly magazine for the Canadian Quilting Association. Her articles take on a humorous approach to quilting.

Jackie enjoys teaching others about her techniques and encourages them to explore their creativity.

Check out Jackie’s designer profile for more!

Spring into May Giveaway

Crafts Buds is at it again, getting us all excited with their AMAZING giveaways! To celebrate Spring, they’ve launching a brand new week-long event, featuring six HUGE prizes. Entering to win is as simple as liking a few Facebook pages, all of which are likely companies you already know and love. Sound too good to be true? It isn’t! Take a peek at all of the fabulous goodies below, head to the various Facebook pages, click ‘like’ a few times and then fill in your name;). You won’t be sorry!

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With the arrival of spring and Mother’s Day just around the corner, we want to help you celebrate with a big crafty giveaway. Enter the Spring Into May Giveaway for your chance to win one of six HUGE prize packs. The total of all prizes is valued at more than $2,200!

Janome Magnolia 7325 Sewing Machine • Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores

Fat Quarter Shop • Sew Sweetness • Aurifil • Pellon®

Coats + Clark • SewCanShe.com • Andover Fabrics

Go To Patterns • FreeSpirit Fabric • Aurifil • Imagine Gnats

Sew South (Sewing Swag) • Kindle Fire (Blogger-sponsored prize)

Craftsy

To enter the giveaway, simply “Like” all of the Facebook pages below, and fill out the Google form letting us know you did. We know you will love them just as much as we do!

Janome Sewing Machines
Craftsy
Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores
Coats & Clark
FreeSpirit Fabrics
Pellon
Aurifil Quilt Patchwork and Embroidery Threads
Andover Fabrics
Fat Quarter Shop
CraftFoxes
Craft Buds
Lindsay Sews
imagine gnats
My Go-Go Life
Ellison Lane Quilts
Sew Sweetness
Maureen Cracknell Handmade
Me Sew Crazy
The Train to Crazy
Go To Patterns
The Sewing Loft
SewCanShe.com

Make sure you only enter ONCE, because this form is shared on all of the participating sites. Duplicate entries will be deleted, and giveaway ends Friday, May 10th. Good luck!

No purchase necessary. For alternate entry, e-mail lindsay(at)craftbuds(dot)com with your full name and the subject line “May Giveaway Contest.” The sponsors will ship all prizes within 7 days of the end of the giveaway. Giveaway ends Friday, May 10th at midnight EST. Once the giveaway ends, winners will be chosen using Random.org and contacted within 24 hours by e-mail. This main contest post at CraftBuds.com will be updated with winners’ names once we’ve heard back from them. Winners will need to respond within 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen. International entries are welcome; Some giveaways open worldwide.

We Love Moms :: Cosmetics Case

Mother’s Day is May 12, just over a week away! We figured it was possible you’d be scrambling around for a few fab gift ideas and we’re here to help. Over the next week, we’ll share a handful of brand new projects, perfect for mom, plus a few fun round-ups. Are you ready to go? Grab your sewing machine/scissors/interfacing/hot glue gun/favorite fabrics and let’s get started!!

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This beauty may just be my new favorite pattern. Designer Lindsey Rhodes of LRStitched created a super cute, convenient, and easy-to-construct pattern for a cosmetics case with three clear zip pouches so that you can always find what you need. It is a must-have for any on-the-go gal, for use with travel, or even just day-to-day. I know my handbag would be far more organized if I had one of these little guys to stash inside.

Grab your favorite print (or your mom’s favorite print) and get started on this one today!

Materials List
– 1/4 yard Outside Fabric
– 1/4 yard Lining Fabric
– One Fat Quarter Bias Binding
– One Fat Quarter or scraps for Zipper Binding
– 1/4 yard 8 gauge clear vinyl
– 1 yard Pellon® 100 Vinyl Fuse®
– 1/4 yard Pellon® 987F Fusible Fleece
– Three 8″ Zippers
– Thread
– Glue Stick (optional)
– Poly-resin snaps (one per bag)

Tools List
– Sewing Machine & Related Supplies
– Rotary Cutter & Related Supplies
– Snap Press (optional)

For a free downloadable pdf of this pattern, visit the project page here.

We’d love to see what you make, so be sure to post a photo on our Facebook page OR share with our ‘Made with Pellon®‘ flickr group!

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About Lindsey:
Lindsey was born in Dallas, Texas and grew up always dabbling in something crafty. She taught herself to sew at the age of 16 after inheriting an old Singer sewing machine. Her Grandmother had written her name on the underside and that small gesture has sparked a love of sewing, quilting and pattern design. She has a special love of making handbags and finding ways to add unique finishing touches to make the project sparkle.

Lindsey now resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two small children. You can follow along in her crafty pursuits at www.lrstitched.com.

Find Lindsey Online:
Blog — Facebook — Twitter — Pinterest — Etsy

To learn more, check out Lindsey’s designer profile.

Retread Your Threads: Melly Sews

Today, we are lucky to have a guest post from the talented Melissa Mora of Melly Sews. Melissa has been working with our Stick-N-Washaway™ and came up with a great way to use it to update an old button up. It’s really an excellent lesson in how to add a new feature to something old to make it new again. Love it!! Thanks so much to Melissa for this fabulous tutorial:).

This lace pocket shirt tutorial is an easy refashion. I had a chambray shirt with an old company logo on it. The fit was great. The company, on the other hand, wasn’t a great fit. So I removed the pocket with the logo on it. But, that left some uneven fading on the shirt, so you could clearly see where the pocket had been.

I really liked the idea of adding a lace pocket to my shirt, but lace can be finicky to work with. It’s shifty and can be hard to hem. Then it came to me – Pellon® Stick-N-Washaway™ would be the perfect stabilizer, allowing me to work with the lace, but then washing out so that the pretty detail could be seen. Win!

So, I measured my pocket area, and added 1/4″ (6mm) to each side for a seam allowance.

I cut a piece of Stick-N-Washaway™ to the same size, peeled off the backing and applied it to the wrong side of my lace.

Now that my lace was acting like regular fabric, it was easy to baste my edges to the wrong side of the fabric and hem the top edge of the pocket. I did the top and bottom, then the sides.

Now all that was left to do was to pin the stabilized lace pocket onto my shirt and topstitch it into place.

Then I threw the whole thing in the wash. The Stick-N-Washaway™ magically disappeared, leaving only the pretty lace detail to see.

Retread your Threads: Woven T-Shirt Cuff Bracelet

Today’s post is bittersweet… It’s sweet because we LOVE these guest posts from Jenelle and adore what she creates with reclaimed materials + Pellon® products. It’s bitter because it’s our last week of the Retread Your Threads series and we’re a little sad to see it go! We hope you enjoy this last project from Jenelle and encourage you to visit her at TrashN2Tees for more projects & inspiration.

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Spring has finally sprung, and I’ve been trying to find some quick and easy ways to inject a splash of funk & color to my wardrobe. Today’s project, the woven t-shirt cuff bracelet, will do just that. It can be modified in a few different ways so I encourage you to experiment with it and have fun. Be sure to share your upcycled designs with us using hashtag #retreadyourthreads we’ll be featuring your projects right here later this week!

Materials Needed: 
Tshirt scrap
Pellon® 805 Wonder-Under®
Rotary Cutter & Ruler
Thread & Needle (or Sewing Machine)
Optional: Button or snaps for closure

It’s been a pleasure to join Pellon® for Earth Month and I’m grateful for the opportunity to not only educate you about textile and clothing waste but also inspire you to find creative ways to reuse, re-purpose, and recreate with clothing through the Retread Your Threads series. I believe that all waste has value and would love for you to join me in my movement to change the way we consume and create. Find out how by visiting me at www.trashn2tees.com and www.createchangemovement.com  Have you learned something new, been inspired to upcycle something old, or have a juicy question? Leave a comment below and let’s continue this conversation.

Previous Posts:
Cornhole DIY by Pellon®
Denim Cylinder Sleeve by TrashN2Tees
Triangle Tee by Pellon®
T-Shirt Trays by TrashN2Tees
T-Shirt Pendants by TrashN2Tees
Reclaimed Scraps with Pellon® by The Sewing Loft

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Thanks so much Jenelle! We’ve adored having you as a guest poster this month! Can’t wait to see all of the new projects you come up with throughout the year

About Jenelle: (in her words)
Hi! I’m Jenelle. Though these days I am most frequently referred to as Mommy, I used to hold such titles as President, Waitress, College Student, Mud Bog Racer, and I even donned a big furry cat suit in high school as Suzy Stateliner- the school mascot! Between crushing cars with Monster Jam trucks, judging silly dance contests, and those other less fun household chores… I rescue clothing and textiles from our landfills. I’ve been called a recycling and repurposing revolutionary. I am here to not only encourage and inspire you to consume less and recycle more but to transform discarded materials into wearable, practical, fun, personalized and stylish works of art. When we find creative ways to repurpose what we no longer need we can inject color, texture, personality, and wonder into our lives and communities. You can find out more about my commitment by visiting  www.trashn2tees.com.

Find Jenelle online: Website :: Blog :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Instagram :: Pinterest :: Etsy

Retread Your Threads: The Sewing Loft

We absolutely adore seeing all of these fabulous ways in which to reuse old clothes, fabric scraps and more! Continuing with our Retread your Threads series, we’re excited to introduce you to Heather Valentine of The Sewing Loft. She’s been known to reuse a thing or two and has done a wonderful job with pulling together a variety of tutorials for you to check out. Don’t forget to check out her blog. It’s an excellent source for sewing tutorials, reviews, patterns and is truly just a fun online destination! Take it away, Heather!

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Hello Pellon® Readers, Heather here from The Sewing Loft.

When Erin asked me to share some of my creative process related to reclaiming, I was all in. Truth be told, I am a scrapper at heart. I feel like I am always savoring the very last bit of amazingness when it comes to fabrics. And I do mean EVERY last bit! That’s with no discrimination regarding age, style or fabric blend. If the fabric speaks to me, I save everything, especially vintage!

Reclaimed Scraps with Pellon®

To keep my smaller scraps in line, I store them in a metal basket until they start to get unruly. For me, that’s when the magic happens. One of my favorite things to do is create scrap fabric yardage from leftover bits. My “fabric blend” of choice is reclaimed men’s buttoned down shirts mixed with brightly colored printed cottons. The mixture can create the most amazing patterns.

The possibilities are limitless. To give you more inspiration and fun ideas to reclaim your creativity through fabric and Pellon®, I have created a quick rounded up with a sampling of a few favorites.

[Projects, clockwise from top left: Elbow Patches, Peacock Pillow, Travel Sewing Kit, Gold Glitter Polka Dot Sweater, T-Shirt Pendant Necklace, Gift Card Holders, Patched Pocket Panel, Hand Sewn Travel Checkers]

They range from simple board games to hand-made accessories. These are easy to make and eye-catching projects that combine both new and reclaimed materials.

For more ideas to reclaim your creativity through scrap fabric and Pellon® can be found on the Retread Your Threads Pinterest board. And by all means, don’t stop there! If you have a fun way to reclaim your scraps we want to hear from you! Please share your ideas, tips and tricks with us in the comment section below or join the conversation on Twitter using #retreadyourthreads hashtags.

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Thanks so much Heather! We’ll have more tutorials coming soon, rolling into our final week of Earth Month, so stay tuned!

About Heather:
Heather is an outgoing, creative dreamer that loves to stitch!  After 20 plus years designing for others in the apparel industry, she decided to jump ship and follow her own creative voice.

She blogs at The Sewing Loft and creates tutorial style patterns.  She likes to think of the blog as more of a community, a place to share ideas, tips and techniques used during the creative process.

Find Heather online:
Blog — Facebook — Twitter — Pinterest — Etsy — Instagram — Flickr

AQS QuiltWeek™ — Paducah 2013

It’s that time of year again… time for the Quilters to take over Paducah! That’s right, it’s QuiltWeek™ in Paducah, KY, a time when the city comes alive with creativity… when thousands of quilters and educators will arrive, all because the AQS Quilt Show & Contest is in town. Carloads of quilting buddies will be motoring across Kentucky, stopping at quilt shops along the way. Residents will share their homes with return visitors and tourists will swarm, sampling the local food and shopping the quaint downtown shops. The National Quilt Museum will be filled with folks eager to see top winners from past years. Caryl Bryer Fallert’s Studio, The Bryer Patch, will be lit up with visitors. BBQ and lemonade will be served under tents on the grounds while golf carts and buses transport giddy quilters from one event to the next. It’s truly a magical week for the quilting community, one not to be missed!

[image from AQS]

Festivies kick off tonight with the awards dinner and we can’t wait to get a peek at some of this year’s winning quilts. You can see a list of the semi-finalists right here. Legacy™ by Pellon®’s sponsored category is Small Quilts, Handquilted. Good luck to all involved!!

Legacy™ by Pellon® can be found in the main Convention Center at booth 1204. Our batting expert extraordinaire, Darlene Christopherson, will be there to answer all of your questions. Looking to drive home with some rolls of batting? Legacy™ by Pellon® will have 48″ boards, 30 yard rolls, 96″ boards (who wouldn’t want to own ‘the whole 9 yards’??) and more.

[images by Darlene Christopherson -- L: Legacy™ Batting Rolls ready to be taken into the convention center. R: Outside the National Quilting Museum]

AQS – Paducah
April 24 – 27, 2013
Paducah Expo Center
415 Park Avenue, Paducah, KY 42001

Schedule:
Wednesday :: Thursday :: Friday :: Saturday

Show Info:
Reigstration
Place to Eat at the Show
Getting Around
Photography Policy
Sanctioned Events
Vendor List

Local Destinations & Info:
All About Paducah
The National Quilting Museum
Hancocks of Paducah
The Bryer Patch
Paducah Tourism Info
Local Quilting and Fabric Shops

What are the attendees pinning?
Paducah on Pinterest

[image from Far Outliers from Paducah's Men in Quilts]