Man-Quilt

It Was Ugly!

Ok, individually the pieces in this charm pack weren't "all" ugly (I do like a lot of the batiks that are available now)...but together and as a charm pack, I would not have chosen it ... and I didn't. 

I received it as an extra in a swap.  See, I'm not the only one wanted to make it go away.  And I have to admit my first thought was to send it off again to someone else in a swap as an extra.  Well, I couldn't do that.

So it's been kicking around here and it's been in the back of my mind since late last Spring.  I've never considered making a quilt for my husband...it's just not something that would ever make his list of wants.  BUT, I've decided that it could make up into a nice man-quilt.  Even if he doesn't end up being the man that gets it.  We'll see.

So I've chosen a couple of fabrics to sew with the charm pack and I've decided on a design, and that's what I've been working on between Christmas projects.

And I'm thinking it's not so ugly anymore.  The blocks are going together quickly and I'm rather excited about how it's all coming together and how it's starting to look.  I have a ways to go yet.  This is about a third of the blocks that I need.

I'm happy to be working on another throw quilt again (this will be only #5 for me) rather than just small projects.  It makes for a happy mix of stitching therapy!  More progress to come later. 

I hope you are all accomplishing all the Christmas sewing projects you have on your list.  I'm finished with my Christmas sewing list ... unless I see something inspiring on some of the holiday blog hops or on your blog that I think I just have to stitch up right away!

Doing my best to make the season jolly!

Annie

To Prewash or Not

Is it personal preference to prewash fabric prior to use in a project, or is it necessary?

This question has been a topic of discussion and debate forever.  From what I've read, the answer is more personal preference.  More times than not I read so many answers informing us that quality fabrics purchased at quality quilt shops will not have a problem with fabric dyes bleeding when laundered.  If you choose to believe that, well, that is your choice.

This is a quality cut of fabric purchased at a long established quality quilt shop.  It's also the reason why I always prewash my fabrics.

I had already drained the basin a couple of times before I thought to take a photograph.  I have serious doubts that color catcher sheets would be able to save all my hard work in a project from this piece of gorgeous red fabric.  It took me half a day and over night until the dye stopped bleeding.  (Dark blues can be as much a problem as reds can be.)

It doesn't happen to every red fabric but how are you going to know when it will bleed and when it won't.  There's only two ways to find out...the hard way (washing your already completed project) or by prewashing.

I just don't think the risk is worth not prewashing fabric. So, for me, I see prewashing as necessary.

I'm off to wash some more new fabric pieces.

Happy stitching to you!

Annie

Rubber Stamping Laundry Test

I've done a Rubber Stamping
Laundry Test

I've stamped with rubber stamps on fabric for some of my small projects.  I've used StazOn ink for this technique even though it states on the ink pad that it is NOT for fabric.  It is a permanent ink and has not washed out or run when I have dampened it (usually to remove the purple air soluble ink quickly). 

The projects I have stamped on have not been ones that will ever be washed (fabric postcards) and ones that would seldom, if ever, be washed (wall hangings).  Because I've been questioned about the permanency of the ink on fabric and during laundering, I've stamped a test piece of muslin and laundered it 6 times.

This piece is my original stamping.

This piece is after the 1st washing in a regular heavy duty laundering.

This piece is after the 6th washing in regular heavy duty laundering and about three times with a good dose of stain remover added to the load.

It definitely has faded some.  Mostly with the first wash.  There isn't much noticeable difference from the first wash to the 6th wash.

 

I know that it's rather difficult to photograph all these tests on different days with a variety of lighting although I placed them always in the same place and used an on camera flash.  The facts are still visible in the stamping in any case.

For the projects that I use this technique on, I'm completely satisfied with the results that this ink is waterproof on fabric.  I wanted to know that when I mailed my fabric postcards and they got wet from rain, or what have you, that the ink wouldn't run. 

I will say that I have heard that VersaMark Ink is better on fabric.  I don't know that this is true, and I was hoping to have been able to get a pad of this ink to test it with the StazOn, but I have not found it locally yet.  However, I will find it and I will test it.

In the meantime, for me, StazOn ink works perfectly for my purposes.

Still happily stamping along,

Annie

Mug Rug Gift

My gift list sewing is shrinking!

I see a lot of mug rugs made for husbands and boyfriends and although I like them, I just don't envision my husband saying how cool that is and being anxious to use it.  So I had not made one for him ... yet.  And didn't really think I ever would, to be honest.

Sometimes I need to be banged up the side of my head to see what is right in front of my face!  Geezelouise how blind can I be!

My husband brought me a bag from the Harley shop and asked me if I could photocopy it in a different size so that he could trace the emblem shape.  All these years this HD icon has been laying around here and laying around there and staring at me in all the clothing and I've only just now woke up to it.

My husband's mug rug has been staring me in the face forever...now it's ready to be wrapped and tucked under the Christmas tree.

And, for once, I know for sure he is going to love it. 

Another gift crossed off the list!  Hooray again!

Happy holiday sewing to you all!

Annie

I Just Can't Help It!

I just can't stop myself...please understand it's just my ghastlie personality...

Let It Snow,

Let It Snow,

Let It Snow!

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

I just can't help it, really!

Annie

Ghastlie Blog Hop Week 2

It's the last ghastlie day of the
Ghastlie Blog Hop
I mean that in a fun way because it's been so ghastlie fun!

Final Day Line Up

ON Friday November 4th
Day 10

Mrs Nan Ghastlie

Mrs. Gmama Jane Ghastlie
Mrs Joan Ghastlie
Mrs. Nancy Ghastlie

Ms Susan Ghastlie
Madame Ghastlie

This ghastlie idea of Madame Samm's was a really fun blog hop!  The ghastlies fabric is quite unique allowing our own ghastly minds to come out of the closet and create openly and to show our ghastlie concoctions for all of blogland to see!

Have a ghastlie good day all!
Annie

Fabric Postcard Swap on Flickr

Last day to get in on the fun!

Sign-ups are now open for

the Fabric Postcard Swap group on Flickr!

http://www.flickr.com/groups/fabricpostcard/

Two themes are available to choose from or you can create a card for both themes:

Winter

and/or

Sewing Room Road Sign...

...meaning a road sign that could be found in your sewing space, related to sewing, of course.

Get your creative minds working and come join in the fun!

There are a variety of tutorials on this world wide web to help you...even I have one you can check out here.

We're going back to the swap being secret partners so it's always fun watching sneak peeks and whole cards being posted and making comments and wondering if they are the one that will come in your mailbox.

Sign-ups are open through October 30th
http://www.flickr.com/groups/fabricpostcard/

Wishing everyone a fun mail day!
Annie

Ghastlie Blog Hop Winners!

The lucky Ghastlie Blog Hop winner for Tuesday's grand prize is

Cherise

WOW Cherise, congratulations!

And the lucky winner of my Ghastlie mug rug and postcard is

tpott

Congratulations Toni!  Your winnings will be on their merry way to you this week!

Thank you to each and every one of you who visited and is visiting my blog on the blog hop.  I am having loads of trouble with Internet this morning, but you will hear from me personally to thank you for your kind and wonderful comments on my ghastlie projects.  I have almost 300 comments to respond to, I've been through about 100 of them so far.  They are so heartwarming!

Enjoy the remaining blogs with so many project ideas for these ghastlies and any other favorite fabric line you have.

Annie

Rubber Stamping on Fabric

This tutorial was created for Madame Samm's Sew We Quilt blog and I know of no other way to get this tutorial on my own blog other than re-posting it here.  So, please excuse my duplication of this post if you've already seen it.

 
 A Ghastlie Tea Party! 

Oh please, do come in...

The tea cups are paper pieced.  I fussy cut the images and fused them to the background fabric using Wonder Under. 

The images are not appliqued after the paper piecing is done...they were fused to the cup background fabric prior to the paper piecing process.  Positioning them to line up as I wanted them to was rather tricky and my seam ripper was a little busier than I liked.  But, where there's a will there's a way!...not to mention a sheer determination on my part to have my way!  My paper piecing tutorial and that fun stripe border tutorial are listed over there on the right under "Tutorials"

What I'd like to show you today is the rubber stamping on fabric.  This too was sheer determination on my part to come up with a permanent, washable solution for my desire to incorporate my rubber stamping with my sewing/quilting.

These are your supplies needed

Fabric or project you wish to stamp on

Ruler and air soluble pen (optional)

Small ruler that is thicker than standard

StazOn Ink Pad

StazOn Cleaner

Rubber Stamps

If you just plan to stamp an image, you won't need rulers.  The rulers are for stamping words in a straight line.

Draw your lines with a standard ruler and air soluble pen.

Place the small thicker ruler along your drawn line and be sure to hold it in place until your letters for that line are all stamped.  When stamping the letters, keep the wood against the ruler. 

Unless you have an absolutely perfectly spaced set of letter/number stamps, they will most likely look a bit wonky - which is exactly what I like about this process.  Although spacing of the letters takes practice and most likely will be wonkily spaced, at least they will all be lined up along the bottom edge.  

I normally wait until the purple lines disappear before I work with the stamped area with an iron.  Depending on your fabric, the heat from the iron can set your disappearing ink into the fabric which makes it harder to remove but not impossible...yes, I know this from experience.  But, if you're in a hurry to get to working with it, just dip a small paintbrush in water and hurry the disappearing along quickly.  Remember, the StazOn ink is permanent, it dries quickly and is washable so the water will not disturb your stamping...yes, I know this from experience as well.

This particular alphabet set of rubber stamps I found at Michael's in their $1 bins. What a bargain! I like the mix of upper and lower case letters.

There's no limit to what and where you can stamp on your projects.  It's a wonderful alternative to the times you are limited to where an image or words are placed on your project when you have to use an ink jet printer.

I'll be watching for your projects using this technique. 

Happy stamping everyone!
   

Ghastlie Inspiration Projects

Welcome to this Ghastlie Blog Hop

Madame Samm one day said, "let's have a Ghastlie Blog Hop" (or something like that), so here we are, doing just that!  How fun!

My project ideas started with this Ghastlie Tea Party

Which is right now currently serving up a tutorial over at Sew We Quilt.  I'm over there giving away all my little secrets for rubber stamping on fabric.  It's quite easy and extremely fun...check it out when you're finished here.  You can find my paper piecing tutorial and this fun border stripe tutorial over there on the right side of my blog listed under Tutorials.

I can't really even take credit for this next project.  In my tutorial  for that fun stripe border I showed how I use one of my mug rugs as an ironing pad while I do small paper pieced projects using my "iron on a stick" for pressing the seams.  Madame Samm honed right in on that!  So this ghastlie ironing pad (larger than a mug rug) is for right next to your sewing machine for those mini pressing jobs...well, soon it will be right next to Samm's machine for her mini pressing jobs.

Next, is a mug rug for your mug and snack.  Somehow I've ended up with an extra mug rug so, when you make comments here today and you mention you'd like to have this mug rug,

you will have a chance to win this ghastlie mug rug...and I doubt that it will travel alone.  In fact, it will travel with this ghastlie postcard of the Ghastlie Knitters.

And here is finally my quite involved Ghastlie project that is still a work in progress.  I've no clue what possessed me to create this tedious applique monster.  Yes, every letter is individually cut and raw edge appliqued to the background.  It had to be done, I'd already decided.  All the while stitching I kept wondering what I was punishing myself for.

Each character was cut from the orange background fabric and fused to that fun thin line black and white fabric and again, raw edge appliqued. 
It's a 36" circle and intended as a table mat.  I suppose it could be placed on the floor as well, but I don't at the moment have a floor that nobody walks on.  This is not the design that I started out with.  That one didn't work out.  So, this one is still evolving...there will yet be some bats and pumpkins for color and maybe another bird, and after that...well, who knows at this point.  I just keep plugging along with it.

The ghastlies are not necessarily a Halloween themed fabric, but that's how they always play out in my mind.  They live amongst us every day, but they really fit in during our Halloween fun.

Now don't forget if you leave a comment here for me, I will draw one name to send over to Madame Samm to enter in today's grand prize drawing on her blog and I'll draw another name as the winner of my Ghastlie mug rug and postcard.

I'd love it if you'd add yourself to my collage of followers at the top of my blog...you'd look so cool up there!

Here is today's ghastlie line up of blogs to hop:

                          Mrs. Annie Ghastlie (You are here) 

Mrs Doris Ghastlie

Mrs Brandie Ghastlie

Ms. Alidiza Ghastlie

Mrs. JudyC Ghastlie

Have a ghastlie good time on this Ghastlie Blog Hop!
Thank you so much for visiting today.