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11-05-2014

Tips for sewing with Flannel!

Flannel Blog Tour

Do you ever sew with Flannel? or maybe feel a little lost at what to make with it or how to handle it?

I have a great list of FREE PROJECT IDEAS and some FLANNEL SEWING TIPS for you today!

The Riley Blake Designs, Flannel Blog Tour has just finished up and and boy did they have some awesome project ideas!

Here is an updated list so you guys can check out all these FREE tutorials:

9/5 Riley Blake Designs – Flannel Play Dress

9/9 Quiltscapes – Pajama Pants & Pillow

9/12 Fishsticks Designs – Reversible Button Bibs

9/19 The Stitching Scientist – Toddler Nightgown

9/23 Sassy Quilter – Patchwork Dog Bed

9/26 Simple Simon & Co. – Flannel Pajamas

9/30 Fabric Mutt – Seat Cushion

10/3 Just Let Me Quilt – Nightgown & Quilted Cape

10/7 Jedi Craft Girl – Baby Blanket & Burpers

10/10 Rose and Odin – Christmas Pillowcase

10/14 Sew We Quilt – Newborn Nightgown

10/17 Haberdashery Fun – HST Baby Blanket

10/21 Leigh Laurel Studios – Personalized Pet Bed

10/24 Riley Blake Designs – Chenille Baby Blanket & Pillow

10/28 Flannel Queen – City Gym Shorts in Flannel

10/31 Lucy Blaire – The Cora Dress

11/4 Riley Blake Designs Final Post + Giveaway

Riley Blake makes tons of cute flannel…just look at these yummy bundles!

You can see their entire flannel selection HERE.

Tips for using Flannel!!!

1. Use fresh needles and rotary blades. Flannel is a tougher fabric and keeping things extra sharp will make it easier to work with.

2. Pre-Wash! Flannel has a loose weave….which makes it so snuggly and soft, but this also means a lot more shrinkage than your regular quilting cottons. Pre-washing will tighten it up a little bit too which makes it easier to cut.

3. Use a spray starch. This will add a little stiffness to your fabric and make it easier to cut and piece.

4. Use bigger stitches when piecing and quilting. It will lay flatter and smoother.

5. Press seams open. Flannel is a much thicker fabric so the seams can get a bit bulky! Pressing open and not using a pattern with too intricate of a piecing design will help you keep the bulk down.

6. Clean your machine A LOT! Flannel makes a lot of lint so you are going to have to clean it more frequently to keep your machine from drowning in the dust:)

I am not a flannel master, but these few tips will get you well on your way. So check it out and give one of these projects a try!

Craftsy

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09-23-2014

Flannel Dog Bed Tutorial

Flannel Blog Tour

Dog Bed

Today is my stop on Riley Blake Designs Flannel Blog Tour and I have a super quick and easy Dog Bed Tutorial to share with you!

If you are like me and you have little pups around your sewing room, you know they love to lay on any quilty thing they can find! So when Riley Blake asked what I wanted to make for the Flannel Blog Tour I knew right away my pups would love to snuggle up on something flannel. So some cuddly doggy beds of their very own were in the works!

I used Riley Blake Designs “Oh Boy” by Lori Whitlock, 100% cotton flannel in Boy Swirls.

What you will need:

1/4 yd. Boy Swirls Aqua Flannel

1/4 yd. Boy Swirls Orange Flannel

1 yd. Boy Swirls Gray Flannel

1 standard size bed pillow( you can get the really cheap ones at Target, 2 for $7.)

 

Dog Bed

Cut 5 – 5.5″  Orange Flannel squares.

Cut 5 – 5.5″ Aqua Flannel squares.

Cut 10 – 5.5″ Gray Flannel squares.

Use the layout above to begin assembling your dog bed top.

Dog Bed

Piece your rows together, pressing each row in the alternating directions.

Dog Bed

Then join your rows together. Your seams should nest together helping you to keep things lined up!

Dog Bed

Cut 1 – 20.5″ x 25.5″ rectangle for the backing of your dog bed in the Gray Flannel.

Lay the backing and top right sides together an pin along all four sides. Sew a 1/4″ seam around the sides, leaving one side mostly open to insert the pillow later.

Dog Bed

On the side you leave open…..stitch just an inch or two past the corner and backstitch. This will keep the corner from trying to tear open while squeezing the pillow in.

Dog Bed

Insert your pillow. These inexpensive pillows are not so great for us people, but perfect for the dog bed. That way when they get a little funky you don’t feel bad tossing them!

Dog Bed

Fold the edges in and pin in place so you can stitch the opening closed. You can hand stitch this closed or use your machine. It is a bit of a squeeze getting this under the needle, but is pretty quick. Since it IS just a dog bed I wasn’t too worried if it got a little wonky, so I did it on my machine!

Dog Bed

Presto! Done……Hey, I’m thinking this makes pretty cool people pillows too:)

Dog Bed

Gus-Gus approved! …..I actually had to force my little pups to get on this thing, lol! Turns out yelling at them for even coming near most of my projects has made them a little fearful. Such a mean mommy I am:) Sorry pups. FYI… I have 2 pups, Gus-Gus and Little O, they are part dachshund and part jack russell terrier.

Don’t forget to enter this weeks Sassy Saturday Giveaway HERE!

(giveawayends Thurs. 9/25 midnight/EST)

If you want to know what other fun things you can do with flannel…

Make sure you check out all the other stops on the Flannel Tour!

September 5th through October 23rd
9/5 Julia @ Riley Blake Designs
9/9 Deonn @ Quiltscapes
9/12 Bonnie @ Fishsticks Designs
9/23 Paula @ The Sassy Quilter
9/26 Liz @ Simple Simon & Co.
9/30 Heidi @ Fabric Mutt
10/3 Carol @ Just Let Me Quilt
10/7 Amanda @ Jedi Craft Girl
10/10 Rose @ Rose and Odin
10/14 Samm @ Sew We Quilt
10/17 Marni @ Haberdashery Fun
10/21 Karin @ Leigh Laurel Studios
10/24 Lindsay @ The Cottage Mama
10/28 Sara @ Flannel Queen
10/31 Lucy @ Lucy Blaire

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06-05-2014

Riley Blake Quilted Cottons Blog Tour!

Riley Blake Designs

Today is the official start of Riley Blake Designs Quilted Cotton Blog Tour and I am so excited to get to participate in this one!

This blog tour is featuring Riley Blake’s Double Sided Quilted Cottons. Each stop on the tour will show you a fabulous project you can make with these super fun double sided prints.

Take a look at a few….

Riley Blake Double Sided Quilted Mustache White

Riley Blake Double Sided Quilted Medium Chevron Red

Riley Blake Double Sided Quilted Glasses Off White

Totally adorable!

Here is the schedule so you can follow along with all the quilty goodness:)

6/5 – Jedi Craft Girl

6/10 – Nancy Zieman

6/12 – The Sassy Quilter

6/17 – Just Let Me Quilt

6/19 – Simple Simon & Co.

6/24 – Haberdashery Fun

6/26 – Sew We Quilt

7/1 – Jina Barney Designz

7/3 – Leigh Laurel Studios

7/8 – Riley Blake Designs

Make sure you visit on June 12th for my stop because I have a quick and easy project you are going to love!

Keep it Sassy

You can find and follow TheSassyQuilter  on Facebook, Pinterest, Bloglovin’, Instagram, Twitter or by email updates(form on right sidebar)!

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