Using Beautiful Ribbon

Renaissance Ribbons makes the most beautiful ribbons. Period! Their ribbons make everything prettier! They collaborate with fabric designers, which makes coordinating projects easy as pie. Among their designers are  Amy Butler, Tula Pink, Dena Designs, Anna Maria Horner, Sue Spargo, and my personal favorite, Bonnie Christine! Renaissance Ribbons has lots of free project ideas on their website, including a pretty Pull Out Box made from Bonnie's ribbon collection.

I thought I’d share a little inspiration that might whet your appetite to grab up a little bit of this silkiness and beautify your next project! We’ll begin with my newest, favorite project (which is always what I’ve just finished making)! Seriously, this is a very sweet wallet, the Diva Frame Wallet from Jessica VanDenburgh of Sew Many Creations. She also markets the hardware, which was surprisingly easy to work with. You’ll find both items on my shopping page. This wallet, made from Bonnie Christine’s fabric, is trimmed in one of her ribbons. She currently has 11 ribbons that coordinate with all of her fabric lines. By the way, Bonnie and I are counterparts today; she's posting about ribbon today, too! (The wallet below: a surprise for Bonnie!)

Think she'll like it?

Here are a few more ideas, and a delightful book by Elaine Schmidt, overflowing with captivating ribbon projects. You can download our pattern for The Perfect Whatever Bag, pictured below, free! What would you like to do with beautiful ribbon?

Thanks for visiting! Let's go make our world a little prettier! God bless,

Maxie

How to Match Fabric Patterns in Seams

Many times a seam is required to make strips or borders long enough for our quilting projects. When using a patterned fabric, sometimes those seams are less than attractive, and if I know it's there, my eye falls right to it before it sees anything else! Here's a little tip to make those seams invisible! I use this technique almost every time I have to sew patterned fabric together. (I have a video planned to show you how to piece a quilt back with an invisible seam!)

Sometimes we can get away with a diagonal seam to camouflage the join, but not so with this fabric.

I cut the two strips shown above in the same place from the yardage. (meaning that I used the same rows of bugs for each strip. Doing this ensures that I can find a spot in the pattern repeat where the bugs will line up exactly.) Make a nice, straight cut across the fabric at the end of one of the strips.

Using a spray starch alternative (Flatter is my favorite; plant based, no toxic stuff in my fabric), press the edge that you just cut to the wrong side of the fabric.

Look closely at the spot the stylus is pointing to...I've lined up the bugs perfectly by finding where that pressed edge matched the pattern in the strip I want to attach it to. The next step is to use a fine line of basting glue to hold the edges together. I've not pictured this step, but lift up the top folded edge and place the glue just on the underside edge of the fold. Use only a very thin line of glue. Carefully replace it and press it with the iron to dry the glue.

Here's a look at the two strips glued together, with the top strip flipped back so that you can see the nice crease that pressing has made.

Take the strips to the sewing machine and stitch them together, right in the crease. Trim the excess fabric away, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance.

Done.

Thanks for visiting!

Friday's Feature

Today is Friday. My objective for this space is to share a new technique and a featured item each week with you. Modeled after a fun weekly event that I offered at my Quilt Shop for several years, Tuesday will be for Tuesday's Technique. Fridays will be for Friday's Feature...so today I want to share one of my favorite products with you! When applicable, the item will be added to my shopping page for your convenience. Sign up for email updates (right) and you'll always be up-to-date!

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Ah...Aurifil Threads! A favorite of quilters everywhere, this Italian thread is smooth as butter and always consistent. Although the company makes several different  weights and types of thread, my personal favorite is the 50wt cotton. This weight is marketed for both hand and machine work, and comes in a full spectrum of colors. It's wonderful for piecing, quilting, applique´, embroidery and more! Aurifil collaborates with fabric designers and quilters to create color collections. Pictured above is my daughter's collection, Sweet as Honey, which Aurifil released last year. My suggestion is that you consider picking a collection that appeals to you and you'll find yourself using every color in it! I've added a 4 spool collection of basic colors by Edyta Sitar to my shopping page.

Thanks for visiting today!

The Alation Quilt Video

Hello! Today I'm writing about another quilt that my daughter, Bonnie Christine, and I designed. This quilt was another brainchild of Bonnie's. Now, I have to tell you how Bonnie and I usually work together when we're designing quilts, or any sewing project, for that matter. First, Bonnie says, "Mom, here's what I have in mind for this fabric!". I respond, "Bonnie, I don't think that's even possible!" Then, with both of us determined to prevail for quilters everywhere, we triumph. Ok, maybe it's not all that glorious, but it sure feels good to work together and see a project come to fruition! Such was the case with Alation, a beautiful butterfly quilt designed for her fabrics, Winged, which centers around things with wings. (You can see more projects made from these fabrics here.) The foolproof technique for making this quilt is super easy and great for beginners. In fact, I encourage you to enlist the help of your children and grandchildren as you begin to build the butterfly wings. As always, you'll find related notions and kits in both colorways for sale on my shopping page. I hope you enjoy this video tutorial! If you like it, please share and leave me a comment!

Maxie Makes the Sentimentalities Quilt!

Hello! I have a fun quilt to share with you today. This is a quilt that my daughter, Bonnie Christine, and I designed for her fabric line, Reminisce, for Art Gallery Fabrics. The original concept was Bonnie's, and I have to admit that I was a wee bit daunted at the idea of drafting the pattern. I turned, dubiously, to my EQ7 software for help. The result made me love EQ7 more deeply than ever! Another great tool that made this quilt a breeze to make is Marilyn Doheny's 24" 9º ruler. I'll show you just how easy it is to use in the video below, and you'll find the ruler, along with several other featured favorite products on my shopping page. You'll see the quilt made in Bonnie's Sweet as Honey fabrics as well, and, I have kits available in both fabric lines shown! You'll also  find lots of tips and techniques that will help you in many other quilting and sewing applications, so grab a cut of tea and enjoy! Be sure to share if you like it, and leave me a comment; I'd love to hear from you!

Here are a few photos of both versions used in the video. While Reminisce is a softer, pastel palette of florals, Sweet as Honey offers more intensity and whimsey with beehives, bees and deer. I had so much fun quilting it on my Handi Quilter Avante´, and I was so blessed to win 1st place for machine quilting!

Thanks for visiting today! Happy sewing, and God bless!