tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51755814940602354962024-02-19T09:18:09.522-06:00Cajun Girl QuiltsJessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-30182609860211053742011-08-05T21:30:00.002-05:002011-08-05T21:38:13.790-05:00Featured on Craft GossipIf you are coming from Craft Gossip - Welcome! I am so excited they decided to feature my quilt! :) My blog has see a huge increase in views in just a few hours, so I thought I should write a quick post. If you haven't seen it, you can see the post <a href="http://quilting.craftgossip.com/first-quilt-jessica-made-a-string-x/2011/08/05/">here</a>.<br /><br />I don't have much new to report. I have just been working on quilting my <a href="http://cajungirlquilts.blogspot.com/2011/07/hollow-blocks-quilt-top.html">Hollow Blocks quilt</a>. It is really heavy, so my arms get tired pretty quickly. Not to mention how hot it gets with the close to 100 degree temperatures outside! Here is what I've been looking at for the past week or so...<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/6012885889/" title="Quilting Hollow Blocks by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6140/6012885889_0b0765cabf.jpg" alt="Quilting Hollow Blocks" height="332" width="500" /></a></center><br /><br />Also, I received my fabric, cut it up, and sent it off for the Rainbow Charm Swap at <a href="http://ellisonlane.blogspot.com/">Ellison Lane Quilts</a>.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/6013435990/" title="Swap Fabric by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6014/6013435990_54ab4ae9cf.jpg" alt="Swap Fabric" height="333" width="500" /></a></center><br /><br />I wasn't expecting the lines on the bottom one to be blue! That's ok, it's still pretty. Now I just have to wait for a beautiful assortment of charms to be sent back to me. It has been so much fun, I signed up for another one this morning at <a href="http://www.fromthebluechair.com/">From the Blue Chair</a>. The concept is similar, but this swap is going to have four parts to it. I just have to wait and see which colors I get!<br /><center><a title="from the blue chair" href="http://www.fromthebluechair.com/search/label/Color%20Wheel%20Charm%20Swap" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0_rA9L0bZNybp676ZfsCH0l1KsBfvM_lHwb9ZKwRyenu1k6Jbp-zJe3o1mn0m28Y4gBOLqynK_PvgPG0LIwnWgNd2MbcssfRey5gdzKFP0uF5NlfuZYXwrk_AybZ2WBvP7Z-TdzSeo0/s1600/Color+Wheel+button.jpg" border="0" /></a></center><a href="http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/?action=view&current=Signature.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/Signature.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-33676216917982495832011-07-22T19:36:00.005-05:002011-07-22T20:02:53.085-05:00Quilt Back and BastingThank you everyone for the kind words about my <a href="http://cajungirlquilts.blogspot.com/2011/07/hollow-blocks-quilt-top.html">quilt top</a>. I've had amazing feedback :) I took all of the strips that were left over from the top...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5965197277/" title="Color Scraps by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6127/5965197277_72ea295139.jpg" alt="Color Scraps" height="332" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />and sewed them together to make this pretty strip to go on the back.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5965198369/" title="Quilt Back by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6008/5965198369_a054e513b3.jpg" alt="Quilt Back" height="332" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />Then I was ready to baste that sucker! This is the setup I had going on.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5965199527/" title="Quilt Basting by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6023/5965199527_11c20b3783.jpg" alt="Quilt Basting" height="332" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />I clamped it down onto the dining room table and pinned away! It only took about an hour to get the whole thing done with my mom helping me. Now it's ready to be quilted!<br /><br />Since I'm approaching the end of this project, I'm thinking about joining the Garden Fence Quilt Along with <a href="http://mcintyregirl.blogspot.com/">McIntyre Girl</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpf5sfzr-ujfKXtS3TtGL3dsCfxImmJH4pYqcbEXstCAcKCjcHnN2NhVCOMJ8vQWHK0FKayc3hg9e6rfdSQ_tnw4Zx6NyvT4nBYTxeiXOps_mTg2PwsxWvZRFkkZ9hyZNLHY4K5cJJLobA/s1600/garden.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 175px; height: 175px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpf5sfzr-ujfKXtS3TtGL3dsCfxImmJH4pYqcbEXstCAcKCjcHnN2NhVCOMJ8vQWHK0FKayc3hg9e6rfdSQ_tnw4Zx6NyvT4nBYTxeiXOps_mTg2PwsxWvZRFkkZ9hyZNLHY4K5cJJLobA/s400/garden.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632343575826180850" border="0" /></a><br />I've been wanting to make this quilt anyway, and the timing is perfect! I have this Santorini Layer Cake by Lila Tueller plus some leftovers from my first quilt that I think would be perfect.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5965756518/" title="Santorini Layer Cake by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6136/5965756518_e09f58b134.jpg" alt="Santorini Layer Cake" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />It just looks like a garden, doesn't it?<br /><br /><a href="http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/?action=view&current=Signature.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/Signature.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-39624538127549437922011-07-20T14:07:00.007-05:002011-07-20T15:56:49.383-05:00Hollow Blocks Quilt TopI finished the quilt top! Yay! I got outside and took a couple of pictures just before it started to rain.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5958335871/" title="Hollow Blocks Quilt Top by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6133/5958335871_f3153952a2.jpg" alt="Hollow Blocks Quilt Top" height="332" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5958337497/" title="Hollow Blocks Close Up by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6012/5958337497_da0c7b66da.jpg" alt="Hollow Blocks Close Up" height="332" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />It's queen sized - 90" x 96" (theoretically). It took one Kona classics jelly roll, one Kona brights jelly roll, and 6 yards of Kona natural. That should be approximately 80 different colors! I also used a little bit of orange dots from Summer SOng bu Riley Blake. I did a decorative stitch in orange thread to match the back which is going to be orange with a strip of the remaining color scraps. The binding is going to be more strips from the jelly rolls which I had set aside.<br /><br />I was inspired by <a href="http://www.littlemissshabby.com/2011/05/flea-market-fancy-quilt-full-reveal/">this quilt</a> which is based off of <a href="http://www.unitednotions.com/fp_natures-notebook.pdf">this pattern</a>. I made my own paper piecing pattern which you can get <a href="http://cajungirlquilts.blogspot.com/2011/06/paper-piecing-patterns.html">here</a>.<br /><br />And since it's Wednesday, I thought I'd add this to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced! This is my first time, so I hope I'm doing it right!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://freshlypieced.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1109/5159705972_49be14a673_m.jpg" alt="WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced" height="150" width="150" /></a><br /></div><br /><a href="http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/?action=view&current=Signature.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/Signature.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-50199286934354924542011-07-18T13:05:00.007-05:002011-07-20T16:18:00.184-05:00My First SwapOn a whim, I signed up for the Rainbow Charm Swap at <a href="http://ellisonlane.blogspot.com/">Ellison Lane Quilts</a>. I've never done a swap before, but it is so fun! There are 56 members, we each get assigned one of eight colors, and you have to buy one yard of two different patterns in your color. Then you cut each one into 56 charms, mail them on over, and get back 112 lovely charms in all shades of the rainbow! We have a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/1692888@N24/">Flickr group</a>, and you're supposed to post your fabric picks on there so there are no duplicates. It is so exciting see what everyone else picked and what I'm going to be getting! My color was red. I had great ideas of what to get for every color except red. It's not a color I usually go for. I'm not even sure I have a single piece of red fabric. I played around with the <a href="http://www.hawthornethreads.com/fabric/colors/by_grid">color grid at Hawthorne Threads</a>, and came up with these...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5948662371/" title="Tiles in garnet by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6003/5948662371_7c7f9b8451.jpg" alt="Tiles in garnet" height="300" width="300" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Manufacturer: Robert Kaufman<br />Designer: Robert Kaufman House Designer<br />Collection: Metro Living<br />Print Name: Tiles in Garnet<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5948621391/" title="Free as a Bird by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6009/5948621391_1e74fc7619.jpg" alt="Free as a Bird" height="300" width="300" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Manufacturer: Cloud 9<br />Designer: Heather Moore<br />Collection: Cut Out & Keep<br />Print Name: Free as a Bird in Crimson<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ellisonlane.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Rainbow Charm Swap" src="http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l623/ellisonlanequilts/DSCN1838-1.jpg" /></a><br /></div><br /><a href="http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/?action=view&current=Signature.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/Signature.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-73783498835862602402011-07-15T19:38:00.001-05:002011-07-15T19:41:16.053-05:00Fabric Friday40% off Summersault by Erin McMorris? Yes, please! This has been one of my favorite lines for a while now, so when that sale came up, how could I resist? I got a half yard of each of the green and blue prints. Most of the prints are bigger than I was expecting. It always amazes me how beautiful fabric is in person when I'm used to looking at it on the internet!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5941160599/" title="Summersault by Erin McMorris by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6004/5941160599_f4a60a13df.jpg" alt="Summersault by Erin McMorris" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5941722518/" title="Summersault by Erin McMorris by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6141/5941722518_d921755d6f.jpg" alt="Summersault by Erin McMorris" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />I'm getting closer and closer to being done with my quilt top. It should be finished this weekend!<br /><br /><a href="http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/?action=view&current=Signature.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/Signature.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-57892664641123410192011-07-12T18:30:00.006-05:002011-07-12T18:45:31.057-05:00Almost DoneI wanted to show y'all the decorative stitch I decided on.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5931486601/" title="Decorative Stitches by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6003/5931486601_86df9472d5.jpg" alt="Decorative Stitches" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />It's not as pretty as the one I showed last time, but I still like it. I couldn't get the other one to look even. I think the scalloped border adds a little fun to a quilt full of squares and rectangles. I am really close to having all of the pieces for the top done. I think I'll have a finished quilt top to show you in the next couple of days. And for the back...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5931487527/" title="Orange Quilt Back by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6004/5931487527_00b0bf2b10.jpg" alt="Orange Quilt Back" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />Orange!! The jelly rolls didn't have much orange in them, and I already used some of the orange polka dot fabric, so I figured I would just go with it! I'm going to incorporate a row of color strips into it too.<br /><br />I've been looking for more vintage sheets, and all I've been able to find is this one pillowcase.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5931484849/" title="Vintage Pillow Case by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6029/5931484849_fc4646854b.jpg" alt="Vintage Pillow Case" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />I love the pink flowers in the bottom right corner of the picture!<br /><br /><a href="http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/?action=view&current=Signature.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/Signature.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-33125912851651862412011-07-09T22:03:00.005-05:002011-07-10T21:33:35.972-05:00It's Just Fabric!I'm the kind of person that likes to save things. I don't know why, but if I get something I really like, I almost feel afraid to use it. I was thinking about my hollow blocks quilt, and I thought that some little pieces of orange dot fabric would look so cute randomly placed around the quilt. I had the perfect piece of fabric, but no! It goes with THAT line of fabric. What if I need it later? Then I told myself that it was just fabric, and if I want to, I should just use it! So I did...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5920242813/" title="Orange Dots by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6146/5920242813_2fb92effbf.jpg" alt="Orange Dots" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />I like it! I think it gives your eyes somewhere to go. I'm especially excited to put a couple of little pieces into the binding. I feel like I've made a major breakthrough today :) Guess we'll have to see if I can make myself do something with the Kate Spain Central Park fabric that I've been hoarding...<br /><br />Also, I'm planning on adding a decorative stitch along the edge of these strips in the natural part. I started to today with rainbow variegated thread (another one of those things I was saving), but I thought it looked too busy, so I took it out. Plus it was a lot harder to control than on my test piece yesterday. Now I'm thinking of doing it in whatever solid color I choose to do the back in.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5920290049/" title="Test Stitches by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6148/5920290049_f9f3cc8a3f.jpg" alt="Test Stitches" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />In other dot news, I got the Denyse Schmidt blue dots fabric today that I ordered from Etsy for a VERY reasonable price (cheaper than I would have been able to order it from Joann's website)! I really, really wanted this one to go with the others I bought last weekend.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5920807674/" title="DS Blue Dots by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6135/5920807674_d5fd397b0f.jpg" alt="DS Blue Dots" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /><br /></div><a href="http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/?action=view&current=Signature.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/Signature.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-7370438634432182972011-07-06T16:18:00.005-05:002011-07-06T16:28:36.467-05:00Hollow Blocks + StripsSo I've been putting together all of those hollow blocks (as I've come to call them). Today I made one set of strips to go in between the blocks. I love the way it turned out! There are going to be five of these total. I wish I would have made these wider with maybe only one row of blocks. I think I would have liked more color and less of the Kona natural. That's ok though! I'm going to use every last bit of color from two jelly rolls.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5909624045/" title="Color Blocks + Strips by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5276/5909624045_c6451f9c0f.jpg" alt="Color Blocks + Strips" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5910180782/" title="Color Blocks + Strips by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6006/5910180782_aa2b78ef08.jpg" alt="Color Blocks + Strips" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />Not bad for my first attempt at free handed piecing. Everything seems all nice and straight. One thing about the jelly rolls that I'm not too crazy about is they have way more blues and greens than any other color. There is probably more blue than all of the other colors put together. They need more pink, purple, and orange! It's been really hard to arrange the colors to look random without a ton of blues and greens all bunched together.<br /><a href="http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/?action=view&current=Signature.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/Signature.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-86297397078066537282011-07-04T21:34:00.008-05:002011-07-04T22:06:55.224-05:00DS FabricHmm, what is this?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5903099419/" title="DS Fabric by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5120/5903099419_5ff77589fe.jpg" alt="DS Fabric" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />Yes, my very own Denyse Schmidt fabric! Or just a really nice place to sit according to Ziggy :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5903659418/" title="DS Fabric by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6034/5903659418_5151d8d04a.jpg" alt="DS Fabric" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />I realize there's probably tons of pictures of this fabric out there, but I bet none of them have a cute little chinchilla sitting on top :) I drove an hour away to Beaumont, Texas to go to my nearest Joann Fabrics and was so pleased to see that they had so many of the prints! I got 7 (all of the green prints they had), and I left probably about another 7 behind (mostly the red and dark blue ones). I got them for $6.99 a yard plus an extra 10% off my total purchase. The only print they didn't have that I really wanted to get was the blue dots print.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5903102995/" title="DS Fabric by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6022/5903102995_76aa34d940.jpg" alt="DS Fabric" height="500" width="332" /></a><br /></div><br />I've also been working on free motion quilting the fabric I picked out for one of my <a href="http://cajungirlquilts.blogspot.com/2011/06/099-patterns.html">Simplicity patterns</a>. I'm just following the design of the print. I thought this would be a little different than the typical diagonal quilting. Plus I think I can save fabric if I'm not having to worry about keeping the quilting in all the same direction. I'm thinking that I am going to have to use different color threads because I'm not liking how the white is standing out on the orange and green.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5903104823/" title="DSC_0230 copy by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5076/5903104823_2ddbd1d98a.jpg" alt="DSC_0230 copy" height="332" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />Happy 4th of July!<br /><br /><a href="http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/?action=view&current=Signature.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/Signature.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-18073521082127408362011-06-30T17:33:00.005-05:002011-06-30T17:47:35.096-05:00144 Blocks<p>Finally something quilt related! I finished making the hollow block squares for my solid colors quilt today.<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5889282438/" title="Hollow Blocks by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5310/5889282438_fc829dd94d.jpg" alt="Hollow Blocks" height="333" width="500" /></a></div><p>That's 144 blocks made out of 36 different colors! I got kind of bored and tired of making these blocks, so I did some highly scientific number crunching and completely redesigned the quilt!<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5888717737/" title="Number Crunching by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5075/5888717737_5edd309cc0.jpg" alt="Number Crunching" height="332" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5889288222/" title="Number Crunching by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5040/5889288222_06f73d9c84.jpg" alt="Number Crunching" height="332" width="500" /></a><br /></div><p>(Don't worry, I normally draw much better than this!) I'm going to alternate two rows of hollow blocks with three rows of these color strips and have a strip of Kona natural in between.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5889285440/" title="Color Strips by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6043/5889285440_6075a1820b.jpg" alt="Color Strips" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></p><p> It's kind of hard to describe, but it makes sense in my head. I'll probably cut the strips into 12 inch long pieces. I'm going to piece together the leftover scraps and use them in the back of the quilt along with a pretty solid color (maybe like aqua blue).<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5889283858/" title="Color Scraps by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5183/5889283858_fd20043eff.jpg" alt="Color Scraps" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></p><p>Time to start piecing the blocks together!<br /><img style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/F9E7A9A95B77674FE23576E18F3F03B0.png" align="left" /><br /></p>Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-11395156682819868922011-06-27T16:22:00.003-05:002011-06-27T16:32:02.770-05:00Embroidery Finished<p>I finished my little embroidery project. It took a lot longer than I thought. I'm probably going to incorporate it into a little zippy pouch. I used a pattern from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Doodle-Stitching-Collection-Embroidery-Designs/dp/1600595812/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1309210037&sr=8-2">Doodle Stitching</a> by Aimee Ray. It's a very cute book and all of the designs come on a CD so you can make them whatever size you want and print as many as you want.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5878737756/" title="Embroidered Tree by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5024/5878737756_a07f43ba32.jpg" alt="Embroidered Tree" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5878739868/" title="Embroidered Tree by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6043/5878739868_20901950ca.jpg" alt="Embroidered Tree" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><p><img style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/F9E7A9A95B77674FE23576E18F3F03B0.png" align="left" /><br /></p>Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-43142390565855515692011-06-25T18:40:00.009-05:002011-06-25T20:10:08.574-05:00PrettiesI did a little shopping today...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5870630287/" title="Top Drawer Fabric by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5275/5870630287_a80395f0ce.jpg" alt="Top Drawer Fabric" height="332" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />I love this fabric more than any other fabric I've ever seen! That includes all of the fancy schmancy designer fabric out there! I want to sleep in this fabric and wear it and decorate with it... I think this is what I'm going to use to make one of the bags from <a href="http://cajungirlquilts.blogspot.com/2011/06/099-patterns.html">the patterns</a> I bought the other day. That way I can look at it every day :) The reason I went there in the first place was to buy some thread...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5870631641/" title="Rainbow Gutermann Thread by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3049/5870631641_a70539d679.jpg" alt="Rainbow Gutermann Thread" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />Pretty, colorful thread to go with the little zippy pouches I'm going to make with these...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5871191218/" title="Rainbow Handbag Zippers by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5261/5871191218_3533452f77.jpg" alt="Rainbow Handbag Zippers" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />Handbag zippers I ordered online that came in yesterday! I like the longer zipper pulls on these. So many pretty supplies :) I've been working on my color blocks quilt and some embroidery that I'm hoping to finish soon so I can actually put a picture of something I've made! Oh ok, here is a WIP picture...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5870721391/" title="Embroidery WIP by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5263/5870721391_feb9329403.jpg" alt="Embroidery WIP" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />Not crafty related, but I also ordered this shower curtain from Anthropologie to use in my apartment I'm going to get after I finish nursing school. It's so beautiful, it makes me want to cry...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRbKE_ue2fgs1vjktQUHaRYqRzKlbvwKxB6IF0ygXnAm1ChsITUXsDuZeMyUg9s7rTDAjkxyMz94QfStkqW6bvfsPHEgD_tAQB8jZ_2p2SXavvwUEUrqSjgJSLAGNpmXeUhQHTo0WnPwk/s1600/993372_067_b.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRbKE_ue2fgs1vjktQUHaRYqRzKlbvwKxB6IF0ygXnAm1ChsITUXsDuZeMyUg9s7rTDAjkxyMz94QfStkqW6bvfsPHEgD_tAQB8jZ_2p2SXavvwUEUrqSjgJSLAGNpmXeUhQHTo0WnPwk/s400/993372_067_b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622307979990120786" border="0" /></a><img style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/F9E7A9A95B77674FE23576E18F3F03B0.png" align="left" />Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-50693666125711180092011-06-23T20:33:00.013-05:002011-07-21T12:57:40.341-05:00Free Paper Piecing PatternsI spend a lot of time making these patterns, so I thought I would offer them for others to benefit from and use. If you do use them, I'd love to see what you make! Click each picture, then right click to save...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TxnspqiOzf_q5WtqJu9ZO3L2tLBx4uVNOPkA26nO5pFMtG3bCGOMPLhHZiRDtQ09CVYvMb1ZT_UzzKck389iYs_4q_ZmKiINoJilpBmGgUxFlui-c_XFAcRuRKohrR41WzisQ9KLDOMD/s1600/6in+String+X.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TxnspqiOzf_q5WtqJu9ZO3L2tLBx4uVNOPkA26nO5pFMtG3bCGOMPLhHZiRDtQ09CVYvMb1ZT_UzzKck389iYs_4q_ZmKiINoJilpBmGgUxFlui-c_XFAcRuRKohrR41WzisQ9KLDOMD/s400/6in+String+X.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621604149675392802" border="0" /></a>This is the one used in <a href="http://cajungirlquilts.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-first-quilt-is-finished.html">this quilt</a>.<p style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEu9NxTOdyyzHNaOnu4fu2fgKre_mjzGFDYs50E2ZeWVcNRwHe8UYT0sVwX1qIBgaGn46d5L8ISfbCjT23UuYa5aQXh5kujUpd6tsSdBzQ2uYK4db48DHP7pQzsPztZO72VKt0U5bK0-QU/s1600/5in+Hollow+Block+A.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEu9NxTOdyyzHNaOnu4fu2fgKre_mjzGFDYs50E2ZeWVcNRwHe8UYT0sVwX1qIBgaGn46d5L8ISfbCjT23UuYa5aQXh5kujUpd6tsSdBzQ2uYK4db48DHP7pQzsPztZO72VKt0U5bK0-QU/s400/5in+Hollow+Block+A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621603975680496354" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZiF1vx-7fX_SpVAbSoN90TuIpIMgRO2dcBPlYzAeAUxSxqJCF2CfAD5ODrtHfKu24L-p7GbadUiIL5Zx9xyEKB__b4hh3ITN__hW6RW-Br0UYEbVqFFQsNT0_aUxBxoh1DiBffRrqyH7/s1600/5in+Hollow+Block+B.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZiF1vx-7fX_SpVAbSoN90TuIpIMgRO2dcBPlYzAeAUxSxqJCF2CfAD5ODrtHfKu24L-p7GbadUiIL5Zx9xyEKB__b4hh3ITN__hW6RW-Br0UYEbVqFFQsNT0_aUxBxoh1DiBffRrqyH7/s400/5in+Hollow+Block+B.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621603758827530498" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">These were used in <a href="http://cajungirlquilts.blogspot.com/2011/06/color-blocks-update.html">this quilt</a>.<br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXK3f9VOSq2U4p-WcoseTTvVnn-Egsdk9EqNPvqPQoa63Z8kmUQgN0SsrU2sp2yjv_ry1rk9Ifkpugst5Q1kqX1yRZKVpZnkKhuAMURj_N54Ibzr4siaP_G45WbSqGewsDGSjq5a4Clyt-/s1600/7in+Hollow+Block.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXK3f9VOSq2U4p-WcoseTTvVnn-Egsdk9EqNPvqPQoa63Z8kmUQgN0SsrU2sp2yjv_ry1rk9Ifkpugst5Q1kqX1yRZKVpZnkKhuAMURj_N54Ibzr4siaP_G45WbSqGewsDGSjq5a4Clyt-/s400/7in+Hollow+Block.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621603483978234594" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumHiPiL7tYXq9C5zlpHp6mZEai6KJtlbWFJbW44DSFl7VajH8iunOy223WsoDQd-h2FtBvMqbsWJoqkhdSdQzDQQsreBOau4l_Mvscq8dp9ojwDA9Ay6UkoBPiqoSGreKQ8TWslsPocwf/s1600/6in+Arc.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumHiPiL7tYXq9C5zlpHp6mZEai6KJtlbWFJbW44DSFl7VajH8iunOy223WsoDQd-h2FtBvMqbsWJoqkhdSdQzDQQsreBOau4l_Mvscq8dp9ojwDA9Ay6UkoBPiqoSGreKQ8TWslsPocwf/s400/6in+Arc.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621603235033676370" border="0" /></a>I haven't had time to use these yet!<br /><br />Let me know if you have any questions! It seems like Flickr won't let you download the original size unless I upgrade to Pro. I'm not ready to do this yet, but if people are interested in my patterns, I would consider upgrading. Save the large size, paste it in Word, Powerpoint, Photoshop, etc., then change the size to the appropriate original size. I also use legal sized paper and print two per page to save paper.<br /><br />I found this excellent <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uaW26igygE">Youtube video</a> that explains how to do paper piecing.<br /><img style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/F9E7A9A95B77674FE23576E18F3F03B0.png" align="left" />Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-35073020450106833712011-06-20T15:06:00.003-05:002011-06-20T15:08:18.898-05:00Vintage Sheets<p>I've been wanting to start collecting vintage sheets to use in quilts. Today I went to Goodwill and got these two sheets - the blue one for $2.99 and the pink one for $1.99.<br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5853602145/" title="Vintage Sheets? by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2728/5853602145_08b1bf7a46.jpg" alt="Vintage Sheets?" height="332" width="500" /></a></p> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5853601341/" title="Vintage Sheets? by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3294/5853601341_013ca4dc5f.jpg" alt="Vintage Sheets?" height="334" width="500" /></a></div> <p>I don't know how to tell if they are actually vintage, but the patterns fit with what I'm looking for. I'm going to research this online. Here is what the tags look like. The blue one says Penneys on the back in an old looking font. I love how soft they are! I plan to keep looking for more.<br /></p> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5853602967/" title="Vintage Sheet Tags by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2684/5853602967_b5e92a5645.jpg" alt="Vintage Sheet Tags" height="332" width="500" /></a></div><p><img style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/F9E7A9A95B77674FE23576E18F3F03B0.png" align="left" /><br /></p>Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-65762402633624634782011-06-20T14:44:00.006-05:002011-06-20T14:58:07.663-05:00$0.99 Patterns<p>I posted about the Weekender bag last week. I found a Simplicity pattern for a cute duffel bag online, and I thought that may be a better place to start experimenting with patterns. "Who sells patterns?," I wondered. Hobby Lobby probably, so I checked their weekly ad, and I couldn't believe it said that Simplicity patterns were on sale for 99 cents! So off I went to Hobby Lobby this morning and picked up 3 sets of patterns. That's 15 different projects for only $3. They actually had all 3 that I picked out on their website to get. It probably helps that I went on Monday morning. I imagine these will get picked through quite a bit. I didn't know how much these cost regularly, but the price code on two one of them was $15.95 and one was $16.95!<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5853603743/" title="Simplicity Patterns by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/5853603743_6d2a668d3d.jpg" alt="Simplicity Patterns" height="334" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />One of them looks strikingly similar to my current purse of choice. I don't think that's a coincidence. Can't wait to try making this bag in fabric of my choice!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5854157098/" title="Simplicity Pattern = Vera Bradley? by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5316/5854157098_f1d3f0a1a5.jpg" alt="Simplicity Pattern = Vera Bradley?" height="334" width="500" /></a><br /></div><p><img style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/F9E7A9A95B77674FE23576E18F3F03B0.png" align="left" /><br /></p>Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-28900203987279809332011-06-16T15:02:00.008-05:002011-06-16T15:15:54.366-05:00RufflesI love, love, love <a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?itemdescription=true&itemCount=80&startValue=1&selectedProductColor=&sortby=&id=17645029&parentid=A_FURN_BEDDING_DUVETS&sortProperties=+subCategoryPosition,+product.marketingPriority&navCount=15&navAction=poppushpush&color=&pushId=A_FURN_BEDDING_DUVETS&popId=A_DEC_BEDDING&prepushId=&selectedProductSize=&isSoldOut=">this quilt</a> from Urban Outfitters!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDKmna-1cv9jO3JQ0YbMLkRJB8US2kui0zaB_F-y2L8KtdfIb6weV3AqHKVAZARAU1-O_jMKTQLu7lV9wdtGoZU3KP0OoLD63O1zcTGJmFLupq7Z5Nqdrz-oq9PH_O5ThuLpVrAL5aBojo/s1600/Tuxedo+Quilt+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDKmna-1cv9jO3JQ0YbMLkRJB8US2kui0zaB_F-y2L8KtdfIb6weV3AqHKVAZARAU1-O_jMKTQLu7lV9wdtGoZU3KP0OoLD63O1zcTGJmFLupq7Z5Nqdrz-oq9PH_O5ThuLpVrAL5aBojo/s400/Tuxedo+Quilt+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618912891668018802" border="0" /></a>Not the color so much as the ruffles. I must learn how to make ruffles and incorporate them into a quilt! Maybe my pajama quilt? It's going to have rows like this, so it may be perfect.<br /><img style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/F9E7A9A95B77674FE23576E18F3F03B0.png" align="left" />Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-79435224556704199912011-06-15T17:42:00.004-05:002011-06-15T17:49:41.151-05:00Another Gathered Clutch<p>I had one zipper left, so I made one more gathered clutch. I love making these because they are so fast, and the possibilities are endless! This one went even smoother than the last one. The yellow band with brown borders was inspired by <a href="http://tlcstitches.blogspot.com/2010/07/faux-piped-binding-tutorial.html">this tutorial</a> for faux piped binding. I can't wait to try out this technique on a quilt!</p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5837143745/" title="Gathered Clutch by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3084/5837143745_b88b3d9297.jpg" alt="Gathered Clutch" height="333" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5837693444/" title="Gathered Clutch by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3145/5837693444_dd8ff65371.jpg" alt="Gathered Clutch" height="334" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />Do I keep it for myself or give it away?<br /><p><img style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/F9E7A9A95B77674FE23576E18F3F03B0.png" align="left" /><br /></p>Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-32621543126886003752011-06-15T13:19:00.003-05:002011-06-15T13:24:50.218-05:00Color Blocks Update<p>I'm up to 10 colors! I'm trying to decide if I want to sew some little flowers or something in the middle of each block. I've got some rainbow variegated thread that I've been saving which I think would be perfect for this project. I just have to figure out how and where to use it.</p><center><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5836415133/" title="Color Blocks Update by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3214/5836415133_56c2b99ed6.jpg" alt="Color Blocks Update" height="334" width="500" /></a></div><p><img style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/F9E7A9A95B77674FE23576E18F3F03B0.png" align="left" /><br /></p><br /></center>Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-80870813298815211772011-06-14T15:14:00.000-05:002011-06-14T22:17:56.251-05:00Weekender BagSo, I definitely have Amy Butler's Weekender Bag on my mind. I think this is so cute! Everyone says how difficult it is, but I think I'd still like to try to make it. And no better time than the summer, right? :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/images/patterns/wtb_pattern_cover_med.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 297px;" src="http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/images/patterns/wtb_pattern_cover_med.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />You have to use heavyweight home decor fabric. I've been looking at options, and I think I'd like to use this as the main fabric...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fabric.com/Webdata/Product/5ed8050f-a35a-40fd-bda6-f1bbe87d8842/Images/Medium_CN-383.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 251px;" src="http://www.fabric.com/Webdata/Product/5ed8050f-a35a-40fd-bda6-f1bbe87d8842/Images/Medium_CN-383.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br />And this as the accent fabric...<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fabric.com/Webdata/Product/5ce9db78-ec91-4376-8129-1411dd0fc6e2/Images/Medium_CN-386.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 251px;" src="http://www.fabric.com/Webdata/Product/5ce9db78-ec91-4376-8129-1411dd0fc6e2/Images/Medium_CN-386.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>They are from Amy Butler's Love home decor fabric line. I'm hesitant though because that's a lot of money to spend if it's just going to turn out to be a disaster.<br /><img style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/F9E7A9A95B77674FE23576E18F3F03B0.png" align="left" />Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-35793033460106044192011-06-13T17:37:00.001-05:002011-06-14T22:20:46.278-05:00Gathered Clutch<p>Today, I made a gathered clutch using <a href="http://www.noodle-head.com/2010/04/gathered-clutch-tutorial.html">this tutorial</a> by Noodlehead. I love the way it turned out! Notice the top corners this time. I followed her directions, and they turned out perfectly! I also made the seam allowance a little bigger on the liner, and it lays much nicer inside the bag too. The tutorial says to cut a 13"x5.5" piece for the front. I wasn't sure what to expect, so I actually cut a 15"x6.5" piece so that I could square it up after doing the gathering. I think if I wouldn't have done this, the finished piece wouldn't have been big enough because I only had to trim about 1/4" off each side. I think I would do this again in the future. Something else I would do would be to make the lining a little bit bigger, and then trim it after sewing the zipper on and making that top stitch. Mine shifted a little bit in the process. I used quilt batting instead of interfacing. I can't wait to make more of these in different colors!</p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5830646216/" title="Gathered Clutch by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3604/5830646216_60d3986821.jpg" alt="Gathered Clutch" height="334" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5830095001/" title="Gathered Clutch by CajunGirlQuilts, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3092/5830095001_c277f4e77f.jpg" alt="Gathered Clutch" height="334" width="500" /></a><br /></div><p><img style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/F9E7A9A95B77674FE23576E18F3F03B0.png" align="left" /><br /></p>Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-24337250813316580272011-06-09T20:46:00.000-05:002011-06-14T22:21:45.344-05:00Zippered Bag<p>Today I ventured into the world of zippers to make this cute little bag. I used <a href="http://flossieteacakes.blogspot.com/2009/05/lined-zippered-pouch-make-up-bag.html">this tutorial</a> by Flossie Teacakes except I used little mini quilts for the outside. It was really pretty easy. The hardest part was decided which fabrics to use. I just love the diamond quilting I did on the sides. I drew the design on the backside (which you can't see once finished) and followed the lines. I think I'm going to try making another that is a little wider to try to debulk the top corners some and make it lay a little flatter.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5817036584/" title="DSC_0167 by JManuel121481, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2049/5817036584_aacf955be8.jpg" alt="DSC_0167" height="334" width="500" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5816468233/" title="DSC_0163 by JManuel121481, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2311/5816468233_059daf60e5.jpg" alt="DSC_0163" height="334" width="500" /></a></div><p><img style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/F9E7A9A95B77674FE23576E18F3F03B0.png" align="left" /><br /></p>Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-29120016597517016502011-06-08T13:06:00.000-05:002011-06-14T22:22:21.811-05:00Pajama Quilt<p>This is a little side project I'm working on. I've been cutting up old pajama pants and shorts to make into a quilt. I think it will be soft and snuggly when it's finished. I'm cutting them into 5 inch strips. I'm planning on just doing a simple brick pattern where they are all the same height but are varying widths. It is a little tedious cutting the strips, but I think it will go fast sewing them together. I can't decide whether I want to incorporate the pockets into it.<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5812151101/" title="DSC_0157 by JManuel121481, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3406/5812151101_598103e2b9.jpg" alt="DSC_0157" height="334" width="500" /></a></p><p>Gutermann seems to be the thread of choice for many bloggers out there. I went to our local Hancock Fabric store last night to pick up some zippers for another project and I was suprised to see Gutermann threads sitting right there across from the zippers! I bought one to match my Kona natural fabric in my color blocks quilt, so I'll see how it works out. I'm pretty impressed that it is 800 yards long too. That means it should last a while.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5812166575/" title="DSC_0160 by JManuel121481, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3644/5812166575_b5358333f5.jpg" alt="DSC_0160" height="334" width="500" /></a></p><img style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/manuelja/F9E7A9A95B77674FE23576E18F3F03B0.png" align="left" />Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-76480578168993630072011-06-06T13:30:00.000-05:002011-06-14T22:22:58.135-05:00Rainbow Jelly RollsI got some fat quarter bundles and jelly rolls for Christmas, but I hadn't really had time to do anything with them.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5805476534/" title="Pretty copy by JManuel121481, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/5805476534_ab62c9d589.jpg" alt="Pretty copy" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />I was admiring <a href="http://www.littlemissshabby.com/2011/05/flea-market-fancy-quilt-full-reveal/">this quilt</a> the other day, and inspiration struck in the middle of the night! What I love about the quilt is the bright, rainbow of colors. So I thought this would be a good way to display my rainbow jelly rolls. It is based off of <a href="http://www.unitednotions.com/fp_natures-notebook.pdf">this free pattern</a>. I'm going to go with 5 inch squares, and I made my own pattern to paper piece the blocks because I'm still not confident in my ability to sew a straight line ;-) I can get 4 squares out of each color with a little 1 inch strip left over. I'm thinking I can use the scraps to make some kind of border or in the binding. I've done 3 colors so far. The background is Kona Natural.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5804984929/" title="DSC_0147 copy by JManuel121481, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5273/5804984929_b3f2db32f4.jpg" alt="DSC_0147 copy" height="334" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />JessicaJessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-22148141793260579942011-06-06T12:19:00.000-05:002011-06-14T22:23:25.766-05:00Quilt AlaskaI recently returned from an Alaskan cruise, and look what I found in Skagway!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5805435578/" title="DSC_0660 rounded by JManuel121481, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3649/5805435578_8a3dc8e680.jpg" alt="DSC_0660 rounded" height="500" width="332" /></a></span><br /></div><br />Most of the fabric wasn't really my style, but I did buy a half yard bundle of Journeys by Kathy Davis - really pretty :) When I got home, I even ordered some more online to go with that one orange print. I ordered 5 half yards from <a href="http://www.banberryplace.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=13_81_179">Banberry Place</a>, and they have free shipping!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5805436914/" title="DSC_0144 rounded by JManuel121481, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2489/5805436914_0d5d26171c.jpg" alt="DSC_0144 rounded" height="334" width="500" /></a></span><br /></div><br />Now what am I going to do with these?<br /><br />Jessica<br /><br />UPDATE: I just checked the mail, and they're here!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5805739804/" title="DSC_0155 copy by JManuel121481, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/5805739804_044fd69d4b.jpg" alt="DSC_0155 copy" height="332" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />What a lovely collection :)Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5175581494060235496.post-88621453189311339472011-06-06T11:58:00.001-05:002011-06-14T22:23:50.520-05:00My first quilt is finished!I finished quilting my quilt and added white binding. I used a Kona jelly roll and <a href="http://www.redpepperquilts.com/2009/11/binding-tutorial.html">this tutorial</a>. I wasn't too fond of the quilting process, but kind of enjoyed putting the binding on - making it look all nice and finished :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5805432416/" title="DSC_0846_2 rounded by JManuel121481, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5195/5805432416_0a72dffbb9.jpg" alt="DSC_0846_2 rounded" height="332" width="500" /></a><br /></div><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5805433460/" title="DSC_0850_2 rounded by JManuel121481, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2455/5805433460_d77c44c1b5.jpg" alt="DSC_0850_2 rounded" height="332" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />And here it is proudly displayed on my bed...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52677569@N04/5805434490/" title="DSC_0870_2 rounded by JManuel121481, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2468/5805434490_d13674b8b1.jpg" alt="DSC_0870_2 rounded" height="332" width="500" /></a></span><br /></div><br />Now on to the next one!<br /><img style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/192/F9E7A9A95B77674FE23576E18F3F03B0.png" align="left" />Jessica Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503433465383036398noreply@blogger.com3