Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween!! Is everyone ready??

We’re headed to the pumpkin patch today with the kiddos class at school! Then home for dinner and trick or treating in the neighborhood. I didn’t get all the costumes made, but I did get some more bats in….

Unlike the quilt, I made these a lot more patch-worky!

But in keeping with the quilt I did insert a few little pieces from the same fabrics that I used in the quilt! I’m pretty happy with them!

 

Of course, I used my bat block pattern!

 

And for the backs I used the fabrics in the quilt! The patchwork piece I got all the little pieces from and the ghosts I used for the quilt binding! Sorry for such a short and sweet post today, but we’re off for a trick or treat kinda day! Have fun!

Halloween Baking with CVS

I’m a lucky duck (is that what I should be for Halloween??)! I recently received a great goodie box from my friends at CVS!

And included in my goodie box was the fixin’s for these fun cupcakes!! Raise the Dead Cupcakes!

The kiddo and I loved opening the box and finding all the goodies! Even though I got a bunch of baking supplies, CVS has all the Halloween essentials, from décor and candy to costumes and flashlights! And for us last minute shoppers,  CVS ExtraCare members can save 20% off on Halloween supplies!

Besides the Raise The Dead Cupcake decorating kit, other things that they have for you and your last minute baking are the cake pop mold and sticks for the cake pops, adorable bags for the cookies, lots of fun cupcake liners  and the Brains cupcake kit. The Brains kit comes with the cake batter, icing and the little cupcake wrappers!!

Did Halloween sneak up on you this year? It did in this house! So getting these great supplies from CVS was perfect! We decided to first try the Raise the Dead cupcakes!

We even stirred the batter with the fun spatula! We used the packaged cupcake liners. We did add smashed Oreos (not included in the decorating kit, but easily available at CVS) for the graveyard dirt! Crafty, huh!?

They were so yummy that not only did the kiddo eat them, the dog snuck in the kitchen and ate 4!! She is in the doghouse for sure!

Aren’t the SPPOOOKKKKYYY??? It’s not too late to get your Halloween party supplies at CVS!  CVS/pharmacy Photo Centers has close to 50 Halloween-themed templates for festive invitations, available same day. It’s not too late to invite your friends to your celebration. CVS also has baking supplies, candy, party snacks and more to help make sure you have everything you need to pull off a successful Halloween party with friends and family.

 

I have been compensated with either payment or product for this post. All opinions are my own, honest opinions!

 

 

 

Trick or Treat with UNICEF and me! Let’s help!

My family always make a point of being sure we grab an angel off the local giving tree, participating in the adopt a family at work and making sure we always get an extra gift or two to give to those kids that might not be having the super special Christmas that we have. Do I think about that at Halloween? Nope! Not until now! So when UNICEF contacted me about their Trick or Treat Program, I said yes! I’ll help spread the word!

One of UNICEF’s most notable traditions, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF began in 1950 as a way to help kids who need more than candy. Since then, children all over America have gone door-to-door on Halloween with UNICEF collection boxes and have raised more than $170 million. Adding an extra treat to this year’s campaign, actress, platinum recording artist and author Zendaya has been named the 2014 Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Spokesperson.

For the first time in its 64 year history, we don’t have to carry around the little box! I know it would be hard for my kiddo to carry it around! Now you can raise money online! I’ve set up a fundraising page for all my readers and friends and family to donate!  Click here to go to our Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF fundraising page!

What does this money go to you ask??  The money raised will help save and protect children by providing clean water, nutritious food, lifesaving vaccines and more.

$1 can provide a child with 40 days of clean, safe drinking water!

$5 can bring a hungry child back to health!

$10 can give 280 children lifesaving vaccinations!

I don’t think I ask too much from my readers, so I’m asking if we can each give a dollar or two or more, think how many kids we can help! I’ve set a goal of raising $150.00. When you’re out buying candy, maybe put one bag back and spend that $5.00 (or more) here on our fundraising page. For the kids that need clean water instead of candy!

We can raise $150.00, right? Let’s give more than candy this year right here!

 

 

My Halloween Quilt and A New Quilt Pattern

Halloween is so close and I”m sitting here on the computer instead of sewing! What??? But I’m so excited to share my Halloween Quilt!

I bought this panel fabric years ago! I love it! I love the whole line by Sherri Berry. There are actually a few lines that use these characters, Trick or Treat Street, The Costume Club  and the Costume Clubhouse. Fortunately, I don’t know if any of these are still being made! Sorry!

The panel has this spider web dotted in behind the tree and that is what inspired my quilting. I started in the center and just kept going around and around and around!

As much as I love the panel and the front, I’m totally in love with the back, too! Next to the panel were these 5 masks. I think you can probably cut them out and make real masks, but I decided not to do that. They are perfect for the back!

You might have noticed the little pieces pieced in… Another print in the series is this patchwork like fabric with these adorable little images. I decided to cut them out and piece them in throughout. There’s the scaredy cat on the front and the rest are on the back.  Which one’s your favorite? I think my favorite is the super-stitches one!

And I used yet another print from the series for the binding. You might be able to make out what it is, but just in case, it’s the cute little ghost repeated over and over with fun colorful outlines.

 

Part of the reason I stalled for so long was that I’m not really a panel person. I knew I wanted to use the whole panel, but I needed to add something. Then the bat thing came to me! You know my love for paper piecing and origami inspired animals… So I made a bat pattern!

And I couldn’t add just 1! I also hand embroidered the little eyes on them inspired by the shape of the panel character eyes.

And you can get the pattern in my craftsy shop, here! This isn’t the pattern for the whole quilt. Just the bat!

I’m making some pillows now! I wonder if I”ll finish them before Halloween??? What would you make the Bat Block?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Is it spookier in black and white??

Spiders, Bats, Cats, Ghosts, Masks, Costumes! It’s Halloween! I’m keeping this one, which is a rare thing at this Bat Cave!

FrankenZombie Gift Bag

I’m bringing home a post I did for Go To Sew last year. yes, it was last year, but we still love it, so I hope you do too!! I thought about making a treat bag! A treat bag in the shape of candy corn would be cute and easy, right? Yep! But then I realized we’d never use it…

And then came the FrankenZombie Treat Bag! The kiddo has a treat bag that he loves and doesn’t want to replace. We use it every year. And then I remembered the zombie birthday party invitation that he brought home the other day!  So why not make a zombie gift bag that can then be used as a treat bag??? Oh yeah!

We got the whole family together for a design meeting! And then we got started!

The materials we used were cute Halloween fabric for the inside of the bag, green felt for the outside, random fleece and felt and yarn scraps for the embellishments, felt glue, some ribbon and cutting utensils.

Step 1- First I cut out the outside fabric. I made mine 14 inches tall by 11 inches wide.

Step 2- I found a circular item to round off the corners. Draw the circle and then cut.

Step 3- Next, I used my felt outside as a template to cut the inside fabric.

Step 4- The fun part is cutting out the scraps into zombie parts!

Step 5- Deciding what to sew and what to glue was tricky! At first the kiddo wanted to glue everything. Then glue nothing and sew everything! So I decided to sew the eyeballs, scars and mouth yarn. So I sewed those pieces down.

Step 6- Place the front and bag of the bag, right sides together. (I did add hair to the back, too!)

Step 7- Sew the inside pieces together, right sides together. And don’t forget to leave a hole!

Step 8- Turn the inside of the bag right sides out and insert into the outside of the bag.

Step 9- Don’t forget to also pin in the ribbon strap. Put this in between the inside and outside of the bag!

Step 10- Sew along the top of the bag! Then pull the bag right side out through the hole you left in the lining.

Step 11- Now glue down the pieces you have decided to glue! I glued the teeth, the nose pieces and the eyeballs! I also inserted a piece of paper inside the bag, just in case any glue went through, it wouldn’t glue the bag together! Then take that paper out once everything is dry.

Step 12- Sew the lining hole closed.

Step 12- And topstitch!

Step 14- Then get ready for some monster trick or treating!

Or use it as a gift bag!  I love how the tissue paper looks like hair!

 

I thought it was going to be kinda small, but once we added goodies, the size seemed to be just right! What kind of treat bags do your kids use? Do they have a special one? Happy Trick or Treating!!

 

And the My Own Fringemaker Winner is…..

Just in time for Halloween and costume sewing, one lucky reader is about to get their VERY Own Fringemaker!

 

 

I do have another tutorial to share, but I cracked my laptop screen, so I’m a bit behind! And keep your fingers crossed, I’m going to repair it myself! So stay tuned for more tutorials and my apology for not being able to share more today!

Now to what you’re waiting for… The Winner is….

And here’s my traditional drum rolllllllll……

Comment #41!

via Random.org

Yea! Nesta!! You’re the Winner!

We can’t wait to see the dance skirts!! And thanks again to My Own Fringemaker for the awesome giveaway!

And if you didn’t win, don’t fret! Remember, Debi has a HUGE sale going on just for you!

50% OFF!!!

HUGE!!! Just click here! 

Lion Mask Tutorial with My Own Fringemaker

There are all sorts of projects to do with the My Own Fringemaker, but in the spirit of Halloween I’m thinking of costumes! Like maybe a Lion costume…..

 

I was going to make a lion stuffie. Maybe I still will, because our neighbors are having a baby any day now! Anyway, I’ll keep you posted on that! I’ve been wanting to do something lion since I found out about the My Own Fringemaker! Register to win a Fringemaker here!

And if you’ve been around here for long, you know I like masks! Especially masks! We’ve done the Mr. Fox and the Arctic Fox and now it’s the Lion. Ready to make your own?

You’ll need a fringemaker (register to win here, or buy it here), yarn, felt, 14,5″ elastic, the pattern, pipe cleaners, and cutting materials. For the felt I used four colors, cream, orange, yellow and a brownish yellow.

Cut out all your pieces.

 

Sew the elastic to the back piece of the mask.

Make the mane! Start by tying off the yarn on the Fringmaker in a knot. Wind the yarn around and around and around! With this one I used 2 kinds of yarn, you don’t have to. Then sew down the middle. I just sewed down once since I knew the yarn would be sewn in the mask. And lastly, Remove the mane from the Fringemaker!

Position the main on the back mask and pin it in place.

Place the front of the mask in place and the chin/cheeks piece and the middle piece on top and sew around the edges. This part isn’t super easy, so go slow so that everything stays aligned.

Embellish! Add the inside of the ear and the nose. These pieces could be glued on, but I sewed mine on. And sew down the chin and the middle pieces. Then add the wiskers. Cut a little slit in the cheeks, insert the whiskers and then sew down on top of the whiskers.

Cut out the eyes and sew around the edges.

And your done! Find a sweet kid for the mask!

You’ve got a lion! What mask would you make with the My Own Fringemaker?

Don’t forget to register to win here!

I have been compensated with either payment or product for this post. All opinions are my own, honest opinions!

 

4th Quarter Finish -a- Long List

Well, last quarter I finished 2 things on my Finish-a-Long List. I’m hoping to finish more than 2 this time around! Here’s to the 4th Quarter Finish-a-Long with The Littlest Thistle…

I like having a list of things to do! Well, I mean, I like making lists. Some days I wish I didn’t have a list!

And I totally missed the deadline on the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild’s Modern Metallic challenge, but I still want to do it! This one was on my last list, but it’s still not a top priority. We’ll see!

I did start this gnome quilt right before my machine took it’s nosedive. And it was on last quarter list. It wouldn’t take much to finish, so I’m hoping to get it done this time!

I really want to finish my husbands quilt…. And I’m still trying!

The other two at the top of my list are tree quilt I started about 4 years ago and a memory quilt… Oh, yeah and there’s the teacher totes…

What are you going to finish this time around?

Introducing My Own Fringemaker and a Giveaway!

Have you seen the My Own Fringemaker?

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to learn all about My Own Fringemaker! Debi contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in reviewing her Made In America crafting product! At first I was like, well… fringe? I don’t really do fringe… Then I woke up! A new crafty product? Um, oh, yeah!!

So she sent me one and I’ve had a lot of fun with it! And I’m not even a ‘fringey’ person! This is the product! As she calls it, it’s an Embellishing System! Totally!  It consists of the base with flip up panels (which makes for nice storage since they flip down.), the 2 bars and the two ends, one of which has a handle.

It’s super simple to use! You just tie on some yarn… The bars are adjustable to make different lengths of fringe!

Then spin… And spin and spin….

Then you remove the bars and the end pieces and sew down the center. You can sew tight to a bar or down the center depending on the finished fringe you are looking for!

Remember how I said I wasn’t a real fringe person? I don’t see myself putting traditional fringe on too many things. But how about a kids costume? Let’s say maybe a cat tail? My first project was a bundle of cat tails for a friends birthday party!!

I’ll tell you soon how I made the tails! The possibilities of the My Own Fringemaker are endless! Really! If you’re more into traditional fringe projects or going crazy and making all sorts of things!

Stay tuned this week for more projects I’ve made!

So are you ready to get one for your next crafty products? I have some special news!!! Debi is giving away one My Own Fringemaker to one lucky reader! And if you can’t wait, She’s offering my readers a HUGE discount! 50% Off!!! She told me that and I said WHAT???? That’s awesome!

Ready to WIN? You have Four ways to enter! And come back and leave a separate comment on this post for each entry!

1. Visit My Own Fringemaker and let us know your favorite project! What do you want to make first? Leave one comment. (one entry)

2. ‘Like’ Debi’s My Own Fringemaker Facebook Page. Leave one comment. (one entry)

3. My blog followers get an extra entry. Click on the links to the right to follow. Leave one comment. (one entry)

4. Share the giveaway on your own social media, like FB, Instagram, your blog, twitter…. Leave one comment. (one entry)

That’s 4 possible entries! You must comment on this post to win. Open to US readers only. Product ships UPS, so no PO Boxes please. The giveaway will close on October 19th at 11 p.m. PST, and we’ll choose one winner using Random.org.

And another extra! The winner will receive 2 skeins of yarn after you post your first project on the My Own Fringemaker Facebook page!

Leave comments below to win your own!!!

May do.Good Stitches Quilt

Yes, I’m soooo behind on the May quilt. We are supposed to finish our quilts two months after our month, so this was supposed to be finished in July….

My group hasn’t tried to oust me yet, so my new goal is NOT take over our alloted time on my next one. I think I can…. I think I can… I think I can….

This quilt is one I designed myself. I know that there are other similar blocks out there, but this one I actually made up myself. It’s a paper piecing pattern and I’ll get it ready with the pattern here shortly!

I asked each group member to make 2 blocks. So all of the two colored blocks the members made. Then I cut and pieced all the large hexagons. Have you tried this? It’s easier then it seems!

For the quilting I randomly picked a hexagon, and started quilting in the ditch around that one. Then I randomly picked a width, about 1.5 inches and just kept going out from there. Round and round and Round we went. Originally I had planned on starting with one, then moving to another and another. But I liked it just coming from the one, so I went with it!

For the binding I chose to go with the same yellows as the background. I don’t know why, but I love the bindings to kinda disappear in most of my quilts.

A couple of the blocks were a little too small to use on the front, but I couldn’t not use them. And I think they made a perfect back piece!

All of our quilts go to My Very Own Blanket, an organization to get foster kids a blanket of their own!

I hope my group can forgive me for being a slacker with getting this one done!

AND…. This is my second finish in my third quarter finish along. I had five projects that I wanted to finish… I only finished 2. But 2 is better than none, right?