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Candy Bar Bouquet

By on 04/25/2016 in Uncategorized

My cute neighbors recently got married. I collected a good amount of donations from all the other neighbors to give the happy couple a gift. What I decided to give them was a candy bar bouquet filled with other good things like gift cards and cash.  It was so easy to make and my neighbors loved the gift!  This really would make a great wedding gift, teacher gift, birthday gift, or a gift for any other holiday too.

Bouquet

 

Teacher-Gift

Here is what you need to put this gift together:

  • vase or bucket
  • kabob sticks
  • tape
  • tissue paper
  • foam block
  • treats
  • gift cards
  • cash
  • ribbon
  • card

Wedding-Gift

First, take your foam block and put the tissue around it.  I tried to make it so that the tissue was taller in the back, shorter in the front.

Gift-Idea

Then, tape all your goodies onto sticks.  I used kabob sticks and some shorter caramel apple sticks.  It was nice to have 2 different heights to work with.  We also taped some candy as high as we could on the stick and some lower on the stick.  This helped give us a variety of height as well.

Candy Bar

Arrange all your goodies like a bouquet of flowers.  I started with the m&m’s in the middle and then added things behind them and in front of them.  I also tried to keep it symmetrical.  Finish it off with a ribbon around the vase and a card.

This bouquet contains $140 in gift cards and $80 in cash, plus the treats, but this would be so easy to make bigger or smaller.   Bigger – more candy, bigger vase, more gift cards, more money.  Smaller – less candy, smaller vase or bucket, less gift cards, less cash.  You can adjust this to any size that would work perfect for you and your budget.

You might also enjoy our Candy Bar Letter ideas.

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Quilt Backing Ideas

By on 04/13/2016 in Holly, Quilting

My favorite challenge lately when making quilts is to add some fun character to the backing.  No more plain boring backs on your quilts!  Here are a few new quilt backing ideas for you to consider.

Quilt-Back2

This is the quilt backing for my Flowering Snowball Quilt.

Buying 4-5 yards of fabric for the backing of a quilt can add up fast.  Here are some ideas of how you can piece your quilt backing to use up scraps and not have to buy more fabric.  Let start with the traditional way to piece the backing fabric of your quilt.  Using fabric that is purchased 42-44 inches wide, these are your options:

QuiltBacks5edit

Using the same fabric for the whole back, you would need anywhere from 3.5 to 5 yards (or even more!) depending on the size of your quilt.   To  create a fun pieced back to your quilt, I just buy one length of fabric (the length of your quilt, approx. 2 yards) and then use scraps to fill in the rest of the needed width.  Here are a few ideas of how to do this:

QuiltBacks3color-edit

Now that I’ve got you thinking, I thought you could come up with some of your own ideas.  Here is a blank sheet of pretend little quilts for you to doodle on and come up with your own backing patterns.

QuiltBacks2edit

Download Quilt Backing Planner Printable

I have a few more quilts in the works with fun backings on them, I can’t wait to show your more!

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Green Table Runner

By on 02/27/2016 in Holidays, Holly, Sewing, St. Patricks Day

It’s time to pull out all your green scraps and put them to good use!  The other day I whipped up this green table runner that will be perfect for St. Patrick’s Day.  Finished size is 21.5 X 21.5 inches. Each clover block measures 9 inches unfinished.

Green Table Runner2

It’s a simple little 4 patch quilt block pattern.  I used my scraps, so I didn’t do anything fancy, just cut the squares and sew them together.

Supplies needed:

  • green scraps of fabric
  • 1/3 yard white fabric
  • 2/3 yard backing fabric (or scraps)
  • 1/4 yard binding fabric
  • batting

Green Table Topper

Cutting:

  • 36 – 2.5 X 2.5 inch green squares
  • 12 – 2.5 X 2.5 inch white squares
  • 2  – 1 inch strips WOF of white for clover block sashing
  • 2 – 2  inch strips WOF of white for sashing in between the blocks

There are 2 ways to make the little diagonal clover stem.  It is probably easiest to cut squares:

  • 8 – 4 1/8 inch squares of white
  • 4 – 4 5/8 inch squares of green

OR 

  • 4 – 4.5 inch squares of white, then cut in half on the diagonal
  • 4 – 6 3/4 inch X 1 1/4 inch strip of green

If you want to stick with squares, mark your diagonal lines on all your white squares.  Line up the white square in the corner of the green square and sew down your pencil line.  Trim and press seam.  Repeat on opposite corner.  Then, square up your block to measure 4.5 inches square.

Clover Quilt Block

If you choose to just cut strips of green (this way will have less fabric waste), you just need to line up your diagonal seams, which can be tricky.  I had to unpick a time or two to get them to line up right.  After it’s sewn together, be sure to square up your block to measure 4.5 inches square.

Add your 1 inch sashing in between your clover pieces.  Now it’s the fun part.  Deciding how to put your blocks together.  Here are a few ideas I was playing with.

st patricks day decor

This time I decided to make a square table topper.  Add your 2 inch sashing in between the blocks and you are ready to quilt, bind, wash, and love!  I used some green and white scraps to create my backing.  I choose to do straight line quilting about 3/4 of an inch apart.  I just love how it turned out!  Enjoy!

green decor

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