Applique Made Easy with Slice and a Giveaway!!!

Okay, so it is no secret that I love applique.  I use it tons in my quilts, especially when it comes to adding names or words to cute baby and kiddo quilts!!  But I am not a huge fan of cutting applique out by hand. That is why I love my Slice!!!!  So, I am curious, have you heard of the Slice machine??  Well, today I will share a bit more about it, how it's used, and why I love it!!!  Then, thanks to the great folks at Slice, I will even give you a chance to win one of your own :)  So let's get to it :)

I have owned my Slice for about 4 years now and it just keeps getting better.  Slice allows you to cut applique in sizes of 2" up to 4" in 1/2" increments.  It takes out all of that horrible tracing and cutting and does the work for you.  You just select a design, size, and tell it to cut.  Simple!!   And there are so many design cards to choose from and all filled with wonderful designs.   I have over 20 design cards (I sort of collect them like stamps :) and each card always has a great alphabet (which I use the most) plus some super great images.  The card I will be using for this example is the Champion design card.

Oh, and I am so excited about this next part.  Slice has just recently come out with a super cool new type of design cards that allow you to cut little pieces of the applique and then bring it all together to create one big applique.  So fun!!  And the one I have is the Secret Garden design card from none other than our own Sandi Henderson.  Yup, it is made to go with her fabric line of the same name.  I can't wait to play with that one!!!  Watch for a project in the future :)

Here's a few projects with applique I have cut using my Slice :)  So ya, you can probably tell, I love this machine and use it a ton!!!

So, now let me show you how it works.

To start, you need to get your cutting surface tacky.  You can use the glue that comes with the slice machine but I find the Re-positionable Spray Adhesive to be much quicker and easier.  I just spray it on the surface, the same way I would if I were basting a quilt.  Now this cutting mat is the larger one used with the Hands-Free Kit, which I like because I can cut more applique without having to re-position fabric as much.  The starter kit comes with a 6" glass cutting mat.

Now while your mat is getting tacky, you can get the fabric ready.  Choose your fabric and cut it into a 12" square, (or a 5-6" if using the smaller mat)  Cut a sheet of Fusible Web to the same size as your fabric.

Press the fusible side of the web to the wrong side of the fabric.   Once it is cool, peel the paper side away from the fabric and discard.  You will see the fusible left on the wrong side of the fabric.

Now with the wrong side of the fabric down, place the fabric onto the sticky cutting mat.  Press the fabric firmly in place.  I love my brayer for this.  It just rolls everything in place and takes care of all the little bumps, and my palm doesn't get sore :)

And now the fun part.  With the design cartridge in the machine, just simply place the machine onto the mat.  Hold onto to either side of your machine and press the cut button.  Now just wait about 30 seconds and enjoy the wonderful world of Slice.  Oh, and if you have a Hands-Free-Kit, you don't even have to hold the sides, magnets do that for you :)

Once the cutting is complete, simply lift your applique out of the fabric.  The spatula makes this a little easier as you don't have to try and dig in their with your nails, it just slides right under the applique and lifts it out.   And you have it, one perfect applique, which just so happens to be the letter K :)  Now just rinse and repeat until you have all your desired applique.

Once you have all your applique, you are ready to move to the ironing board.   (Seriously, is that not the cutest applique!)  Lay the applique onto your project surface until you have it just right.  I like to use my quilting rulers to help me line up everything during this part.    

Once it is perfect, just give it a press.  The fusible web on the wrong side of the fabric will adhere it to the project surface.  Easy!!

Now just finish it up by secure stitching around all the raw edges of your applique.  I am partial to the blanket stitch but you can use a zig-zag, satin stitch, or raw edge.  Whatever your preference.

And before you know it, you have one adorable appliqued project and it was so easy and fun!!!  And if you come back tomorrow, I will show you what this little appliqued banner will be used for :)

So, That is how you use the Slice.  Really, it is so incredibly easy, and so, so, much fun!!!  You can read all about Slice and the extra little Slice goodies I showed today on the Slice Website :)  

Okay, so do you love the Slice machine???  Do you want one of your own??  Well, this could be your lucky day!!!  One reader will win their own Slice Starter Kit as well as a design card of their choice!!!  Yippee :)

So what do you have to do to enter . . .Easy!!

You have two chances to win, and please, leave a separate comment for each.  

1 - Leave a comment here of of what  Fabric Design Card  you would choose to go with your Starter Kit.  So many to choose from, have fun!!

2 - For a bonus entry, Like Slice on Facebook and the leave a comment here that you did so.  

And that's it.  Like I said, easy :)  The giveaway will close on Wednesday the 14th and I will announce a winner shortly after.  Thanks for stopping by and have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Scrap Happy Summer with Em's Scrapbag :)

This morning I am guest posting over at Emily's as part of her Scrap Happy Summer series.  Emily is such a sweetheart and a wonderful friend.  I was so excited when she asked if I would share a bit about my scraps.  I mean, who doesn't love scraps!!  And, as part of my post, there just may be a new completed scrappy quilt top ;)  You remember this Star Value Quilt Block . . . Well pop on over to see the entire quilt top made with the blocks from my wonderful Beejeeber's friends :)

Thanks again Emily for having me!!!  It is almost as much fun talking about scraps as it is playing with them.  What is your favorite thing to do with your scraps??

So it's not July, but . . .

Here are my July Bee Blocks.  Yup, they are a week late. Le sigh, July was just one crazy, crazy month.  But I am pretty sure that my wonderful bee mates will forgive my tardiness ;)

Kris from the Beejeebers group asked for a Modern House block in grey's, lime, orange, and yellow.  I love designing so I was super excited for something that we could throw some creative flair into.  But I am no architect, and had no idea what qualifies for a "modern house".   So I googled it and quickly fell in love with this picture.  So cool!!

And I set off to design something based on this photo.  Here's what I came up with.  I think that little roof is my favorite part.  Those are 1" finished HST's.  So fun!!  I think it turned out pretty modern and I hope Kris likes it :)

And for the Bees Knees group, Trish asked us to make a Swoon block.  This is the fourth swoon block I have made and sent off.  It is such a fun block to put together.  Who knows, maybe some day I will actually make one for me :)

So now, I need to go work on my August blocks.  No more last of the month for me.  (hopefully :)

Star Surround Quilt-A-Long - Flying Geese

**  NOTE  - This post is part of a series of posts for the Star Surround Quilt-A-Long.  If you would like to join (and have a chance to win one of 4 of the $75.00 Gift Certificate grand prizes sponsored by The Intrepid Thread and Fat Quarter Shop ) you can find a list of the post links here :)  Here is the schedule

July 15th - Intro, Fabric Requirements, and Prize Announcement

July 22 - Cutting

July 29 - Half Square Triangles

Aug 5 - Flying Geese

Aug 12 - Building Block Centers

Aug 19 - Building Block Surround

Aug 26 - Piecing Top and Grand Prize Linky

Sept 16 - Star Surround Parade and Grand Prize Winners

If you have been on the fencing about  Quilting-A-Long or just found the Star Surround Quilt-A-Long for the first time, it's not to late to join in :)  You can catch up super fast.  We had lots of people join in last week and would love to have more this week :)  And, there are still a few quilt kits available from Christa Quilts in a solid same layout and The Intrepid Thread in a print scrappy to get you going quick :)  

      

Now, first off for this week, we need to pick a winner for the Half Square Triangle Assignment.   And great job to everyone on finishing that assignment, I know the trimming can get a little tiresome, so wait to stick with it and keep up.  This is a great group to quilt-a-long with :)

The Half Square Triangle  Assignment winner who gets a Pattern of their choice from Green Fairy Quilts is

#65 - Heidi!!! - Congrats :)

  

Alright, it's August!!!  Another month and a new assignment.  This weeks assignment is Flying Geese.  Now I know a lot of people don't like flying geese, but hopefully you will find this method of making them to be fun, fast, and easy. 

THIS WEEKS ASSIGNMENT  - FLYING GEESE

 The great thing about making flying geese this way is that you don't waste any fabric and you never have to sew a triangle.  Double bonus!!  So, let's get to it :)

Start by gathering all of your large Number 1/4" squares (i.e. 16" block - 5 1/4" squares, 24" block - 7 1/4" squares, 32" block - 9 1/4" squares, 40" block - 11 1/4" squares or 48" block - 13 1/4" squares) and your background Number 7/8" squares (i.e. 16" block - 2 7/8" squares, 24" block - 3 7/8" squares, 32" block - 4 7/8" squares, 40" block - 5 7/8" squares or 48" block - 6 7/8" squares).  You will have squares of your print fabrics as well as your background fabrics.  Now, for each block you have in your quilt (3) large squares all the same print and (12) background squares, paired 4 background squares to each large square.

Now you don't have to keep track of these blocks or separate them in any way.  Just have a large pile of your large squares and a large pile of your background squares and you are good to go.

Now you are ready to start making your Half Square Triangles.  To save time, I like to do each of these steps in assembly line fashion, however, most of the pictures will just show one Flying Geese unit which results in 4 Flying Geese total being worked on.

With right sides together, lay two small squares onto your large square as shown.  Using your ruler, draw a pen line diagonally from the top left corner to the bottom right corner.   (If you like, you can start by just drawing lines on the back of all your background squares, it takes a little bit but it is nice to have it done, but if you don't like doing that, just draw them on as you get to them :)

Now pin both sides of each square adjacent to that drawn line.  Make sure to put them out far enough that your presser foot won't hit them as you sew on by :)  Stitch a 1/4" seam along EITHER side of the drawn line (the black lines represent your stitching lines :)  

The easiest way to assembly line stitch is to chain stitch the 1/4" seam on the right hand side of the line first.  I just chain stitched through the entire pile and it went so fast :)

Then clip the threads between the squares.  Now, go ahead stitch the 1/4" seam on the left hand side of your sets.  And now you have some super long square snakes :)  Clip the remaining threads between the squares and make a large pile ready for cutting.

Align your ruler along the drawn center line.  Cut along the edge of the ruler creating 2 large triangles.

Press the seams up towards the 2 little triangles.

Now it's like starting over and we repeat all the same steps, just on smaller and more units.  Take 2 more little squares and align them on your two stitched pieces as follows with right sides together.  Once again, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the little squares from corner to corner. (unless you did all of the drawing lines at the start, then you can just lay them in place :) 

Now pin each piece far enough to leave room for the presser foot, then once again, stitch a 1/4" seam along EITHER side of the drawn diagonal line.  (Remember to chain stitch all the left and then all the right sides :)

Clip your threads and then using your ruler aligned along the drawn line cut your 2 pieces in half to create 4 pieces.  And this is where your four flying geese come from.

Press your seams up to match the other seam.  Lastly, trim off the little dog ear corners at either side and the top of your unit.

And you are done!!!  Perfectly precise flying geese blocks without throwing away any scraps and without sewing a single triangle.  Fabulous!!  

 For those of you that are new to this method of No Waste Flying Geese,  I wrote a previous tutorial on  No Waste Flying Geese that also goes over the math of making them so you can make any size Flying Geese you like.  Thought you might like it :)

 And that's it!!  Here is my Flock of geese all ready to fly away :)  12 Geese total per block for a grand total of 108 geese for me.  So now it's your turn, get your Geese made and your assignment is complete!!!  And then you can enter to win the weekly prize :)

The Weekly Prize is sponsored by The Rustic Rooster Quilt Shop and a huge thanks goes out to them for their support of the Star Surround Quilt-A-Long.

This weeks  prize is 2 charm packs of Basic Grey's newest Christmas line Aspen Frost.  I love this line, it is just fantastic and oh so cheery.  And with the holiday's coming I know you can find a project for these :)

    

So what do you have to do for a chance to win these 2 charm packs?  Simple . . . Just link up your Flock of Flying Geese at the end of this post :)  You can link to a blog post or a flickr picture, or whatever.  Just make sure to link up by next Monday morning as I will be announcing a winner in next weeks post :)

If you don't get your Flying Geese done by next week you can still link it up :) (just not in time for the prize :) The linky will remain open until the end of the Quilt-A-Long.  So if your out of town, or just had a busy week, no worries!!!  Just link up when you can :)

And don't forget to add your Flock to the Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long Flickr group!!!  I can't wait to see them all ;)

So let's get sewing!!!  And if you have questions, don't hesitate to email me at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com.  Have a Happy Quilting Day!!

The Way The Crow Flies - A New Finish and Pattern!!!

I am so excited to share my newest finish and pattern with you.  I have had this concept sketched up for months and now it is finally finished and ready to share.  So , here it is . . . The Way The Crow Flies, my newest pattern!!   It is available at both my Craftsy and Etsy shops and since it is brand new, I listed it on Sale!!!!  But we will get to that in a minute, first I want to tell you a bit more :)

Oh my goodness, I am just so excited with how this turned out.  I just love it!!!   When I first saw Simply Style from V and Co. I knew I wanted to make a pattern with it.  Something to sort of match my Simply by Design pattern I created using her first line Simply Color.  So I played for a while and came up with a rainbow of "chunky" geese and decided to call them crows.  Don't you love how they are flying all this way and that way :)

And a bit about the pattern.  It is suitable for beginners and up.  The cutting doesn't require a template, just a long ruler ;)  The pattern even includes a coloring page so you can plan the color layout that suits you.  And of course, there are endless color options to play with :)

And like all my other patterns, it comes with size options!!!!  The Way The Crow Flies has options for a Baby, Twin, Queen, and King size quilt.  All are the same layout, just different size "Crows".  The quilt I made is the Picnic size :)  

Now of course, you don't have to use Simply Style to create this quilt, this would be a great quilt for busting some of those larger scraps you have.  Fat Quarters and Eighths work great and give you lots of variety!!  But if you did want to make one just like mine . . . you can find all of the  Simply Style yardage at The Intrepid Thread,   Fat Quarter Shop,   and  Southern Fabrics.

And just a little quilting detail.  This is the second quilt I have done on the new long arm.  I still have a lot of practice to go until I get feeling super comfortable, but I am happy with how it turned out.  I did "organic" lines echoing the triangles (there organic because I couldn't keep them straight, memo to me, buy a ruler.)  Around the Triangles, I did swirls in coordinating colors.  And oh my goodness, changing thread colors is a little more complex on the long arm then on my domestic machine :)

And that just about wraps it up.  I hope you like The Way The Crow Flies as much as I do.   I think each new pattern becomes my new favorite.  And I can't believe this is my 8th.  Hoolay!!  Thank you to all of you great readers for your constant support of me and my quilting dreams.  You really are a huge part of all of this!!!

So, before I sign off, I will leave you with one more link to the patterns.  As mentioned, I have listed them on sale for $5.00.  They will be $5.00 until next weekend (or when I remember to change the listing) and then be listed for the original price of $8.50.   So, if you would like The Way The Crow Flies pattern, get it soon while you can save a few dollars ;)  They can be found in my Craftsy Shop as well as my Etsy Shop.

Thank you again, and as always, have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Linking this happy, happy finish  to Amanda's and Sarah's