The "Eyes" Have It...a tutorial

Warning this tutorial is picture heavy

But the tutorial is oh so easy!!

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Reversible Eyeglass Case

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Fabric choices: cotton (if you use cotton, it won't be too padded, but still works great), home decor, pre-quilted, canvas

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Measurements: 2 pieces of fabric cut 4" x 13.5". In the following pictures I used Moda's Maison de Noel by 3 Sisters (on the left) and Moda's Gingham Rose by 3 Sisters (on the right). I thought one for spring/summer and the darker one for fall/winter.

Directions: Place 2 strips of fabric right sides together and pin the short ends .
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Sew both shorts end together with matching thread...I used black so you could see. Remove pins as you go... trust me on this one!

Press open both seams. Sorry this is so blurry.

You will now have one continuous loop of fabric. Still with right sides together, bring the seams to the middle, match the seams and pin. At this point, in the picture below, there is a loop of brown fabric on the left and a loop of red fabric on the right with seams matching in the middle.

close-up of pinned seams.

Next, sew one continuous seam on one long side...back stitching at the beginning and the end to secure. On the other long side, sew for a few inches and back stitch to secure. Stop and leave a 2" opening. Start to sew again until you get to the end and secure with back stitch.

Close-up of the 2" opening. At this point you will turn fabric inside out. If you are using a thicker fabric or quilted fabric, you may want to leave a bigger opening.

Once the fabric is right side out, make sure your corners are poked out with something (that sounds so technical doesn't it...but you know what I mean) Press seams, making sure to iron the opening that you used to turn the fabric. You will need to either whip stitch or machine stitch the opening closed. If that side is going to be on the outside of the case, make sure you use a matching thread. The color of that brown looks so green...it really does match in person

You are almost done...just need to decide which fabric you want for the outside. I chose the red and white fabric first. All you need to do is open up the red and white fabric and shove (another technical term) the brown fabric inside. Make sure you use something pointy to push the brown fabric down into the corners.

Tah Dah...you now have a reversible eyeglass case. Isn't it the cutest thing.

And if you want the brown (even though it looks green in this picture), just pull out the brown and push in the red.

Now you are set for the fall and winter seasons.

This next series of pictures is all the same process, except I cut 2 pieces of the red fabric (Moda's Wee Play), 1 piece of the blue Wee Play and a piece of Warm and Natural batting. I wanted to make my own quilted fabric for one side of the case. I place one piece of red fabric right side down, then batting on top of that, then another red piece of red fabric right side up. I pinned it and then free motion quilted all over it. I trimmed the piece to the original 4" x 13.5" measurement. You can now follow the same directions as above and the end product will have one side quilted. This gives it a little extra cush!!

This picture below is the 2 pieces with the batting, after quilting. You will need to trim this to 4"x13.5" .

In this picture the blue fabric on the left is just fabric and the red is the quilted side.

Here I am pushing the blue fabric into the red for the lining.

Another cutie.

This seems like a long tutorial, but you can seriously make one of these eyeglass cases in 10-15 minutes. This would be great for all of you who make those adorable purses, because now you can make a matching eyeglass case too. They make great gifts and party favors. Every Christmas I have a ladies party and I love making something for everyone to take home. One year was a tissue case, this past year was a scarf and this year I'm making these.

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If you have any questions at all please free to email. These tutorials seem easy in my head, but once you have to write down every step, it may seem confusing.

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Enjoy and pass this one on to all your friends!!

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Thanks for stopping by,

~Karen~

It's Maple Syrup Time...

On our way home yesterday, we say these adorable buckets on maple trees on the grounds of a church just down the street from our home. Aren't they so cute with their little hoods to keep out the rain. This is maple syrup season. I found a link to explain making maple syrup here. Don't these pictures remind you of "Little House on the Prairie"...minus the school crossing sign in the background. If I had photo shop I could erase that bright yellow thing. If I were a true photographer, I would have positioned the sign behind the tree, but hubby was driving and we just quickly pulled over. Oh well, the maple buckets are still cute.
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I'll be posting a short tutorial tomorrow...so stayed tuned!!
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~Karen~

Went for a little drive...

Hi everyone!

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I had to go on a little road trip...not bad, just 30 minutes north of home. Our high school has an all night graduation party for the graduating seniors. After the ceremony the students are bused to a location where they have food, activities, performances, shows, swimming...you name it they have it. The students are there from 10:00 pm until 5:00 am. It has been a great success in the school system for many, many years. However, the cost of this event is $24,000.00. Yes, 24 thousand dollars. Well worth it for the safety of everyone. The parent committees have several fund raisers. The one we are having in May is a major golf tournament. I am in charge of asking businesses for donations that will be raffle prizes for after the tournament...I need alot of stuff, so the pressures on. I had to go to 2 large golf stores to pick up some certificates.
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So, if you drive 30 minutes and there is a fabric store in the area, you have to stop in...right? My husband thought so too. Our car instantly becomes a quiet library for him to read the newspaper while I shop. He's such a sweety. Here are my finds for the short time I was in there. The blue and brown fabrics are so cute for a little baby boy and I needed some new star fabric. I bought some ribbon, ric rac, some notions, a hexagon ruler (5 different sizes in one) and some note pads. Hopefully, I will have something to show for all of this soon.

Be back tomorrow with some pictures of something I saw on the way home!

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Have a great day/night in your part of the world,

~Karen~

I'm "BACK" with another question...

Hi everyone!!

I have another question for you...

What do you use for the back of your quilts?

(there should be a space in here, so I'm making one with words...this is how I'm beating blogger!! All the other spaces have the word "SPACE" in them, but I changed the color to white, so you can't see it and it works...yayy spaces between paragraphs)

When I first started quilting years ago, I used fabric that was in one of the blocks of the quilt for the back. I thought it should match. I also used a flannel top sheet for a throw quilt that I made for our family room. That seems to be the family favorite, because of the softness of the flannel (in my head I think they fight over it because of the wonderful design on the front of the quilt and the fabulous quilting, but as I said, that's only in my head.)

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The past few years I have changed my thinking on the backing...I buy 100% cotton in white or muslin for the backing now. I feel that if I have to pay $8.00 - $9.00 a yard for fabric, it's going to be on the front!! Maybe because lately I have been making wall hangings, table runners and baby quilts and the backs don't seem that important...especially baby quilts where they are mostly on the floor for the baby to play on.

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Just wondering what everyone else thinks about it. I'll be "BACK" to check your answers, because everyone always comes through for me on things like this. You are all the greatest!!

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There are no pictures of the backs of my quilts, because that would be extremely boring to look at a piece of plain fabric. So I thought I would show you where my husband (I need to find a catchy name for him like everyone else) and I go for a walk in the spring through the fall. It is off the coast of southern New England. Just beautiful, isn't it?? Click on picture to enlarge.

Hope you all have a great week ahead,
~Karen~

Something Nerdy...

Hi everyone, just thought I would share a little tid bit about myself. I belong to another blog...The Great Hexagon Quilt Along. Robyn, who started the blog, has put out a question to all of the members...What do you need to sew hexagons? Well, I revealed a secret on that post. I have to quilt with a cup of tea while watching "The Walton's" on dvd. Yes, "The Walton's"...nerdy I know, but there you have it. As I said on the other post, the first step to an addiction is admitting the problem. Well, I've said it to the world. I just love the family values and all the sappy stories too. I still cry during some episodes...ok there's another revealing fact that you probably didn't need to know.

The question that Robyn asked was for sewing hexagons...my question to you is what do you "need" to quilt/sew with??

While I am talking about Robyn from The Great Hexagon Quilt Along...she is from Australia, where they have been devastated by bushfires. She is such a wonderful person, she has started Hexagons for Hope. It is a separate blog where people from all over the world can send sets of basted hexagons in little baggies and then she will distribute them to women who have been affected by the fire. You can read further on the Hexagons for Hope blog. If you have some extra time to sew a few hexagons and send them her way, I know she would greatly appreciate it. If you need help with sewing hexies, I have a tutorial on my blog here.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend,

~Karen~

Homespun and Etsy...

Hi everyone!

I hope you had a nice weekend!

Thought I would post some pictures of a quilt top I made a few months ago. It is made with all homespuns. I love all styles of fabrics from Moda, to brights, to reproductions, to homespuns...I love them all. The style of our home doesn't lend itself to some kinds of fabrics. To get out my urge to sew with all different styles, I started selling quilt tops on ebay about 4-5 years ago. I haven't put anything up for auction in a couple of years now...not sure why.

I was thinking about trying my hand at Etsy. Do you think in this economy, people would be willing to spend money on quilt tops? Have you sold anything or purchased anything on Etsy yourself? I am certainly not looking to make millions selling quilt tops. It's just another way for me to do what I love...buy fabric and sew quilt tops. It's a win-win situation for me and the buyer, because she may be the one who loves to quilt, not piece...or she needs a quick gift and the first part of the job is already done for her.

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The center design of the quilt top above is called Bricks and Stepping Stones and it's a pattern from Quiltville. I had emailed Bonnie Hunter when I started the quilt top. I had asked her if I could sell quilt tops with some of her designs...she said I could use any pattern as long as I give her credit and that I don't mass produce them. I will definitely give her credit and she doesn't have to worry about the mass producing part. lol

Thanks for your help,
~Karen~

What do you do with old rotary blades...

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone in all parts of the world!!

I was rotary cutting some squares this morning and realized my blade was dull...you know when it's time to change. You keep having to make a second and third pass over the fabric, that last little piece at the end of the fabric never gets cut and then you finally realize that you need a cortisone shot in your shoulder, because you are pressing so hard to get the job done.

Well, no more. I just put a fresh blade in and I'm a cutting fool. My question to you is...What do you do with your old blades. They still cut, just not four layers of fabric. I keep mine in the plastic case that comes in one of the multi blade packs. I mark it in black ink..."USED". Why keep used blades you ask:

"Mom can you"...

• "cut this piece of post board for me, but it needs to be straight"
• "cut this stack of construction paper into 1 inch strips"
• "cut the legs off these sweat pants...I need them to be shorts. You don't have to hem though! Oh yeah, I need them for dance class now!

This list could go on, but you get the point. Save all your old blades for times like these. Buy a new rotary cutter for yourself and use the old one for the old blades for crafting only. Tie a ribbon on the handle so you know (and everyone else will know) it's only for paper and crafting.
Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the weekend!!!
~Karen~

Two Freebies and a Blogger Question...

Hi everyone...hope all is well in your part of the world.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I like to make quilt tops and then move on to make more quilt tops. These 2 sets are a perfect examples. I had extra squares of red, white and blue fabric, so I made up these sets. You may recognize the star on the left. It is a blue star banner. This is displayed by families with loved ones in the armed services. The history of these flags can be found here.
I have made 2 sets with three pieces in each. The rectangle flag is 10"x15", the square one is 10"x10" (and could be made into a pillow) and the last piece is also 10"x10", but it's a picture frame. The four corners are folded triangles which will hold a picture of your loved one.

I want to give these 2 set away to the first 2 people who leave a comment that they are interested in them. Remember they are just the tops. You or someone you know will have to finish the quilting. I hated to see these go to waste just sitting in my sewing room. Don't forget to leave an email address if I can't contact you through a blog.
Before you move on...scroll down for my blogger question. I'm desperate for an easier way!!

This is the second set of three quilt tops: the only difference is the picture frame corners are in red.

Now the blogger question...

Is it me or is creating a new post not as smooth as it should be. Why can't I type my thoughts in order and then put the photos where I want. When you insert a photo it automatically ends up at the top of the post. Then you have to drag it down where you want...and then that messes up the spacing or things disappear. This post for example...I know that I want the freebie pictures and the words to be first in the post, but I'm writing this part first because I know blogger enters from the bottom up. OH MY GOSH...is this making sense? Another thing it does... it doesn't post exactly what I've done in the posting box. Sometimes I have the right spacing from the title to the first paragraph or the right spacing between pictures and words, but when I post it, it does what it wants any way. I've had things centered in a preview post, but when I submit it, it's off to the left. I need some advice!! (I think that was what they call my first rant!! I won't do it again, I promise)

Ok, I lied, I'm adding this part... I just finished the whole post and didn't realize as I was typing away that there are huge (and I mean huge) spaces between each paragraph. I have to go back and delete the gaps. Why???

My question is...how do you create your post and insert pictures and do you have these same issues?

Thanks in advance for your help,
~Karen~

Peg Board, Curtain Rings and Clothes Pins...

I know those three things are an odd combo, but they work well in my sewing room. For my birthday last month, my in-laws asked what I wanted. What does every woman want...jewelry, clothing, flowers. Nope, not me! I wanted a Home Depot gift card. I bought this beautiful (to me it's beautiful, lol) white peg board, more hooks and a bunch of accessories. Crazy I know, but when I moved my sewing room to the basement for more space, I left my old peg board up stairs in my old sewing room. Can't live without it. If you don't like the white or the brown peg boards that they sell, you can always paint it the same as your wall color in your sewing room. Then you could frame it out with trim molding and it would look great!

Peg Board

It's so easy to find things when they are hanging up.

These are my rolls of freezer paper and heat & bond.

I also hang zip lock baggies of everything.

These are jars that just unscrew, but the caps are mounted to the peg board.
Great for little things: safety pins, needles, thimbles, beads etc.

Curtain Rings

Not just for curtains anymore!

I store everything in zip lock bags: little templates,

hexagon bags for on the go, squares for future projects etc.

I clip a curtain ring on the top of the bag and hang

it in clear view so I know where it is.

I use a curtain ring to clip an acrylic ruler that

doesn't already have a hole in it to hang up.

I also use them to display quilts.

Easy to change out new quilts

and you don't have to sew the

pocket for the rod on the back!

Clothes Pins


I buy the extra large clothes pins at Walmart (where else!)

You can print the row number with a label maker

or you could just use a permanent marker.

I use these to clip together the blocks or squares

that are waiting to be sewn into rows.

Just a few crazy things in my sewing room...

Hope you can use a few yourself!!

Until next time...

~Karen~

GFG photo update and The Underground Railroad Quilt

Hi everyone. I had a few email questions about the pin in the hole that is punched out in the freezer paper method of the Grandmother's Flower Garden. Here is a close-up of the pin. I place it inside the hole and grab just the fabric not the paper. It holds it in place if the paper isn't sticking too well, especially if I have shoved the flower in my purse and it's all wrinkled.

Oh, did I say shoved a flower in my purse...well maybe I do. Let me set the scene for you. Your in the doctor's waiting room for an hour... your lap is covered with a spool of thread, hexagons, little scissors and snips of thread everywhere... they call your name. Ahhhh!!! You scramble to gather everything and shove it in your purse, not even the little baggie that you carry your hexes around in. It's all in your purse!! You walk in and you notice that you have snips of thread hanging off the back of your pants. Lovely. I know some of you have been there...admit it.


The next few pictures are of a quilt that my daughter is starting for her graduation requirements for high school. Our state has mandated 2 required projects that must be completed to graduate. One is called PBGR, proficiency based graduation requirements. This is an electronic portfolio of work that is specially graded, then scanned into the e-portfolio to show a student is proficient in 6 major areas. This is all extra work on top of the regular school work. This years class needs 32 PBGRs.

The second requirement is a senior exhibition project. Each senior must chose a subject that they are interested in and then expand their knowledge of that subject. It consists of an 8-10 page report, a physical project to demonstrate, 16 hours with a mentor, a journal of the process and then a 10 minute speech in front of a panel of judges. This sounds like a lot and it is. I feel for the kids. I have a senior and a junior so we have to through this back to back.

Well, our oldest daughter, who has no interest in sewing, crafting or cooking has surprised us by choosing to make a quilt. It is the Underground Railroad quilt. She has already finished her paper and now we, oh I mean she has the task of making the quilt. I forgot to mention the mentor can not be a family member. She doesn't even know how to turn on the sewing machine...this is going to be a process for sure. If you have children, you know a part of you is walking across that stage at graduation. Remember all the years of cutting, glue, sewing, typing, crying, up all night or is all this just at our house!!! lol. Thankfully our girls are smarties and always do well. Our oldest has a 4.0 and has so far been excepted into 2 universities...waiting on four more letters. Never mind waiting for letters...I'm waiting for money to fall from the sky to pay for it all!!

Here's the fabric: civil war era, mostly from Windham and Andover. There are some pictures of the book and some pages inside. It is by Eleanor Burns and Sue Bouchard.

Wish us, I mean wish her luck with the quilt!!

Have a great weekend!!

~Karen~