Introducing T.N.T. Thursday!!!!

Welcome to the Inaugural post of Trying New Things aka TNT Thrusday!!!  I am so excited!!!

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So what is TNT Thursday??  We'll lets back up just a bit.  A few weeks ago I attended the Sewing Summit and the main thing I gleaned from it was to keep trying new things.  You know, push out of your comfort zone and find out what you can do.  I was so excited I decided to make a goal to really try and consitenly push myself to try new things in my little hobby world.  So with that goal in mind . . . I decided to make a weekly link up for extra motivation for me and to help motivate you all out there :)

And that is how TNT came to be!!  TNT stands for Trying New Things.  (I wasn't really digging this name but when I figured out that the initials were TNT I decided that I could get to like the name better because I absolutely loved TNT, it just sounds so intriguing. )  It will be here each and every Thursday (hopefully earlier in the future ) for you to link up your post on the New Try of that week :)

Now, let me stress, this doesn't have to be anything big and please don't feel like you can't post if it isn't quilt related.  I would love to get the entire hand sewing / crafty / quilting / crochet / embroidery / ect, ect. ect. industry represented here :)  So whatever it is that you tried new just link it up :)

My TNT Thursday!!!!

We'll this week I really had to stretch myself.  I tried expanding my quilting blogging skills by adding a Linky to this blog so that I can do TNT going forward.  You wouldn't think it would be that hard, it is pretty straight forward, but of course, I still struggled. (Hence the reason this post is up later than I would have liked ;)  However, I persevered and now we have a wonderful linky powered by Linked In with pictures and everything!!  Yippee Skippee!!!!

SO  . . . That's mine, (see I told you it didn't have to be anything big) now you can share yours.  What is one new thing you tried this week.  Blog about it and then link it up :) Oh, and like all great linky parties please remember the following two things.
     1 - Show some comment love to your fellow linkers.  We all like extra encouragment and a bit of praise for tackling new things.
     2 -  Link your post back to my blog somehow.  You can use the awesome button above that was created by my wonderful blog designer, Becca!!  (just FYI . . . She does free-lance work on the side if you are need of a little blog makeover and her prices are really great :)

Enjoying the Moments

So I wondered what to post about this morning. I haven't been at my sewing machine to much so I don't have anything to show today.  I mean, I still have a stack of WIP,  but no work on the WIP to show.  Mostly, because I have been enjoying the moments with this little one.  My how time flies.  She will be 4 weeks old tomorrow.  So rather than blather on about nothing, I think I will just end here so I can go lay her down and watch her sleep peacefully :)

Oh, quick side note before I am off,  Remember the Trying New Things linky idea . . . Well, I will be back tomorrow with the announcement of TNT Thursdays :)  I am so excited!!  I think they are gonna be great :)

Freezer Paper Printing Tutorial

How do you print on fabric??  I assumed that as soon as I posted this picture of my name tag for the Sewing Summit that I would get people writing me that exact question.  And since I figured that question would come up, I actually remembered to take pictures of the process while I was making this name tag :)  Yippee Skippee!!  So without further ado . . . I give you the Freezer Paper Printing Tutorial.

Start by cutting an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of freezer paper and a  8 1/2" x 11" piece of fabric that you want to print on.  (It is probably best to use light colors here as I don't know how well the printing would show up on dark colors ;)  

Lay the freezer paper onto the fabric with the shiny side down (you know, the side that feels more slippery and less like paper.)      Press your little freezer paper sandwich.  It only takes a few seconds to adhere the freezer paper to the fabric.

Now just leave the freezer paper adhered to the fabric.  See how it is stiff now.  You can now feed it into the paper tray of your printer and it is ready to be printed on.  It just feeds through as one sheet :)

So get your desired design that you want to print all ready on your computer.  I like to put a box around whatever I am printing as it makes it easier to cut it out :)

When your design is all done you are ready to print.  In your printing advanced options you should be able to change the intensity of your printing.  I like to make the intensity darker since the printing on the material is not normally as dark as paper.

Once the design has printed give it a few seconds to make sure it is dry so it doesn't smear.  Then just peel the fabric away from the freezer paper.  (It will just come right off :)

Cut out your design.  Now just heat set your printed piece.  (note . . heat setting will help to prevent the ink from running in the case that it gets wet, however, this is not a perfect water-proof process.  Certain ink colors and inks can still run even after being heat set.  So if you are wanting to do this in something that will need to be washed I would suggest experimenting with the colors first before sewing it into something :)

Now just take your printed design and sew it into your project!!  Wha-La!!  Easy and affordable Printing on Fabric :)  Enjoy!!!

*** EDIT***  There were some wonderful tips left in the comments so I wanted to add them to make sure everyone saw them.  Thanks to Jessica Jo and NancyinSTL for their wonderful helps!!

1 - The freezer paper can be used many many many times over!
2 - This is a good way to transfer embroidery designs, as long as they are small enough to fit through your machine.
3 - Choose fabric with a high thread count to ensure better printing.
4 - Treat the fabric first with Bubble Jet to make it colorfast.
5 - Cut fabric and paper slightly larger than 8.5" x 11" just before ironing the fabric to the freezer paper, then cut the fabric stuck to the freezer paper to 8.5" x 11". This will help prevent the fabric from peeling back and jamming up in the printer.

Fat Quarter Shop Sponsored Giveaway!!!

So the Fat Quarter Shop, in a word, AMAZING!!!!  Whatever you are looking for, you have a pretty good chance at finding it here.  They have pre-cuts, yardage, patterns, quilt kits, block of the month, bloggers choice bundles, ect. ect. ect.  Their selection is enormous!!  So you can imagine, it was difficult to pick a few of my current favorite offerings.  

But of course, after some major enjoyable surfing, I was able to narrow down some of my particular favorites.  Here they are, my current wish basket at the Fat Quarter Shop

Talk about the ultimate Stash Builder.  Oh how I would love to find this Primatex Basics Bounty of Basics Fat Quarter Box under my Christmas Tree this year.

And it is totally time to start stocking up the Christmas Fabrics and I am so in love with Countdown to Christmas by Sweetwater.  Fat Quarter Shop has an entire Christmas Shop within the shop.  So Awesome!!!!

I love these Designer Select Fat Quarter Bundles.  They are so much fun!!!  And I am so in love with Ruby so this particular designer Fat Quarter just jumps out at me!!

And maybe you are in love with Ruby as well and would like a chance to win some :)  Up for grabs today are 4 Ruby Charm Packs!!!  There will be 2 winners that will each receive 2 charm packs.  (Which just might coincide perfectly with my new Moda Bake Shop tutorial that will be released on the 27th of this month, Yippee Skippee :)  

You have three chance to win, and please, leave a separate comment for each (for a total of 3 comments max :) If you leave one saying I did it all, Mr. Random.Org will only count it for one. 

1. Do any one of the following at Happy Quilting and leave one comment that you did at least one of the following.  Be a follower of Happy Quilting and/or follow Happy Quilting on Facebook and/or Follow Happy Quilting on Twitter and/or list Happy Quilting on your Blogroll :)
2. Do any one of the following at The Fat Quarter Shop and leave one comment that you did at least one of the following.  Follow The Jolly Jabber Blog, which is the Fat Quarter Shops Blog  (which always has amazing giveaways) and/or Sign up for the Fat Quarter Shop Newsletter (go to link and then enter email at the top of the page) and/or visit the Fat Quarter Shop and leave me a link of what you totally can't live without :)
3. Alert the Media - Post on facebook, twitter, or your blog about this giveaway.  Leave a comment saying where you wrote and a link :)  Like above, you can do more than one post but it will only get you one entry :)  

And that sums it up.  Thank you so much to the Fat Quarter Shop and Kimberly for sponsoring this giveaway.   You folks are so amazing!!!  You will have until Oct 20th to enter and I will announce a winner on the morning of the 21st :)  Happy Quilting to you all and good luck!!!

100 Quilts for Kids!!!

Today is the second link up for the 100 Quilts for kids.  I have been wanting to participate in this wonderful charity function since I first heard about it.  I figured I had the two strip quilts completed over a year ago and the blocks of the last quilt done earlier this year (poor abandoned projects) that would work perfect for "Kid Quilts", as they are so bright and cheery.  I figured with having a good portion of the work done and only needing to assemble the one quilt and then quilt and bind them all that I would finish in plenty of time.    

But of course, as life gets busy,  I was still adding the bindings on in the Sewing Room at the Sewing Summit in between classes.  (Which is why the pictures are horrible, as I took them on the hotel floor).   But now worries, they got done and delivered to Kate.  (And I have to say, handing them over in person had the huge added bonus to get to meet Kate, she is every bit as wonderful as you would expect from reading her blog, so sweet!!!!)   Yippee Skippee for Quilting for Kids!!  Isn't it just amazing how you do these types of things to bless others but you feel so great afterwards that you are practically blessing yourself at the same time!!  I just love that feeling :)

So here they are :)  A cute stripped boy quilt.  I just love all of the bright colors and the cute patterns :)  It is totally all boy!!!

I quilted some stars and loops on the large stripes, meandering on the medium stripes, and loopies on the small stripes.  I had so much fun quilting these!!!  (even though I was going so fast last minute that I did turn my backing under and didn't realize it until I was attaching the binding,  oops :)

And this is the girl version of the stripes.  My daughter just loves this quilt so I am hoping it will make another little girl equally happy.

And a huge accomplishment for me, I finally got over my fear of feathers and gave them a whirl.  I think they turned out pretty decent for my first attempt :)

And last, but not least, my abandoned Block-A-Palooza blocks.  I love the way this turned out, which is funny, because I was not digging the individual blocks.  It is just so fun and bright and I love the stripey border print I found to go with it.  It just ties it all in so well :)

And here it is all together :)  And if this makes you feel all warm and maybe you get the sudden urge to go donate some quilts you have finished for children in your community, then wonderful!!!  You have 2 more days to link up :)