Inspiration From One Blog to Another

While reading some of my favorite blogs this past weekend I saw Teresa at http://fabrictherapy.blogspot.com/ post about her current project: making Christmas hot pads for 9 X 13 baking dishes. She has made some changes to an idea she saw on a tutorial for the hot pads at Esch House Quilts http://eschhousequilts.blogspot.com/2010/11/hot-pad-tutorial.html She is strip piecing up a storm and has come up with some really cute gift ideas. I thought the hot pads were a great idea, I have not even heard of Insul-Brite, a special reflective batting by the Warm and Natural Company, that is used in the hot pads.

I have a dinner party of quilters coming up this weekend and I thought the hot pads could be used as place mats and then each guest has a little quiltie gift to take home. I like Teresa strip pieced trees, but in the end I am not the great piecer she is, my strip pieced trees are blanket stitch appliqued on the white background.

In an "Ah Ha" moment I figured out how to get a nice blanket stitch on the point of the Christmas trees - I can usually land the sewing machine needle on the point, but not always does the stitch to the left look nice and straight. But with the triangle right in front of me I realized the left side of the sewing machine foot was parallel to the other side of the tree. Viola, perfect blanket stitches on every point.

This came in handy today while I was blanket stitching my latest Roseville Album block. The center of this flower had some funny points, but lining up the left side of the foot with the center circle made the blanket stitch perfect on each point.

I finally finished my second block on Roseville album,

While ironing the finished block I noticed how pretty the back of the block looked, I am using King Tut variegated threads, it kind of gives a little tease of what an embroidered Roseville Album block might look like.

In other Santa Workshop sewing I did a fun little Barbie doll quilt and pillow for one of my co worker's four year old daughter. She is going to be getting a big doll house for Christmas and Mom was going through my scrap baskets for curtain fabric and I just had to add a little quilt for the bed. Hope you are all doing some last minute Santa sewing of your own.

Happy Holidays,

Cheri