Appleton Dance

As the summer of 2011 waned, Ben began to build a winter home for the chix that had spent warm months growing  in the garage. By the end of August, he had a good start on Cluckingham Palace, as Jen named the chix crib. (Photos by AJT and BLT) Frame Right side Left side Door added Interior with added run-side entry Exterior of run-side entry Exterior with insulated nest boxes and vent window above Painted interior showing vent window Exterior closeup of nest boxes and vent window After clearing brush, and putting up a new fence, by September 19, Ben had the painted coop up on his site. The run was completed by October 19 and by November 6, Jake was an old hand wrangling chickens in the hen house. Nice job, Ben. Sweet dreams, chix.

A tinier tote (3.25-inch square) serves many uses: Ornament Gift card holder Gift bag Doll tote Party favors Placecards My friend Joy T. asked if the tiny totes  (Appleton Dance, Nov. 25, 2011) we made for shower favors could be used for Christmas ornaments and I told her the originals were a little too big for hanging on the tree. But I thought Joy's idea was great, so I sized the totes down and made some in the tinier size of 3.25-inch square. The tinier totes make cute Christmas tree ornaments. And the 3.25-square-inch tote size is perfect for presenting gift cards or other small gifts, like jewelry or candy. The small size also makes a great tote for a favorite doll. Made up in holiday colors, the tinier totes can also be used as favors and/or placecards at holiday parties. These tinier totes are very versatile! Use the following information in tandem with the Tiny Totes how-to in the Tiny Totes post   (Appleton Dance, Nov. 25, 2011) . Cutting list for ea...

I just made this for a baby shower.  I thought they turned out super-cute and can't wait to see my new nephew in them! I got the idea from this blogpost on TipJunkie .  The download file and instructions are available here as free printable from Parties by Hardie .  I hadn't used the iron-on transfers before and was really happy with how easy they were to use and how well they stood up to the wash.  One of them got a little damaged, but I think it looks cool. I gave them as a gift along with a frame with 12 windows, one for each month's picture.   Now all we need is the baby to arrive! -Alisa PS - Jenn at  Parties by Hardie  has lots more neat printables available on her  Etsy  store.  (We used some of the  Monkey Baby Shower  images at the shower and they turned out adorable!) Instructions I used these supplies: 3 sheets of   Avery T-Shirt Transfers for Inkjet Pr...

Tiny totes have a party! This pattern for a four-inch, Small Treat Tote ,  designed by Monica Solorio-Snow of  HappyZombie ,  is available free on the All People Quilt website. This Appleton Dance post describes how we made tiny totes from the free  pattern, and  gives our recommendations about making  multiples of this tote for parties and gifts. We also provide information (at the end of the post) on how to size-up the pattern to make a 10-inch tote, and a link to directions for a 16x18-inch shopper tote.  This week w e made three-dozen tiny totes for a happy event, filling the totes with colored tissue paper and individually wrapped chocolates. We added a badge with the party date printed on one side and a picture from the party theme printed on the other side. The badges were made using a purchased PDF from Jennifer Hardie's Parties by Hardie shop at Etsy .  We used a hole-punch to put a hole at the top of each badge and tied a bad...

Bridge Tallies Set of eight, reusable Bridge tallies for two-table progressive Bridge party Here is an old-fashioned item that would make a sweet gift for Bridge-playing friends. This set of eight  Bridge tallies can be reused for parties of two-table progressive Bridge. Each player writes the score for each round of play on a small tablet stapled to the inside of a decorative cover, adds up the total at the end of play, and tears the top sheet off, leaving the tally ready-to-use at the next party. These directions include a PDF illustrating the progress of Bridge play to be printed on Avery self-adhesive name tags and adhered to the inside of each tally. Materials 8 pieces felt  4 x 10 inches each, any color or combinations of colors plus trimmings and scraps of felt and/or yarn for decorating the tallies (You can get three cuts from each 10 x 12 inch felt piece if purchased as individual pieces  and so you will need three pieces for one set of Bridge ...

Fiber artist Kate G. of Brighton, Michigan created this gloriously nostalgic October wall hanging with the aid of Electric Quilt software and copyright free patterns. She created the design as a special gift for the students in her foundation piecing class. Kate has agreed to share her mini-quilt design with Appleton Dance readers. To request her mini-quilt design, and for information about her classes and artwork, contact Kate G. at mailto:quiltinkateg@yahoo.com.   For more information about foundation piecing, check the  tutorial on CM Designs, Inc . website. CM Designs, Inc. markets the Add-a-Quarter Ruler that is an indispensable piece of equipment for foundation piecing. Note: This post was corrected and updated on October 7, 2011.

My friend Virginia tried to explain foundation piecing to me years ago but I really didn't grasp the concept, and found her teeny-tiny dragonfly a mystery and a marvel. Then I signed up for Kate G's foundation piecing class at Creative Quilt Kits in Brighton, Michigan this week, and everything became clear. We made Kate's original design -- a 12x20-inch "Santa and Trees Holiday Wall Hanging" -- using her own paper foundation patterns and her very precise method of doing foundation piecing. I got another new piece of equipment -- a 6-inch Add-a-Quarter Ruler -- that we used to cut precise seam allowances for each piece of patchwork. You can watch a tutorial on the foundation piecing method on CM Designs, Inc. makers of the Add-a-Quarter Ruler at:  http://addaquarter.com/how_to.php . The first block we learned was a cute little three-inch-square six-patch using one solid piece for the tree (instead of the nine pieces for the tree in the photo above). Th...

I guess I'm slightly obsessed with this memory game, after I made the first one I kept thinking of ways to improve or extend the game. When my Aunt Susan was here in July we went to a quilt store I hadn't been to called Wendy's Simple Stitches in Howell, MI (great place!) and Aunt Sue found the perfect flannel fabric for a new & improved memory game.  The fabric is 'Jolly Jungle Labels' from The Hensley Studio.  The coordinating fabrics are great as well. Instructions are the same as those posted here  with a few improvements:  I ironed the fusible webbing onto the flannel before cutting out the animal blocks and I cut the felt squares 1/2" larger than I wanted so I could trim them after sewing on the animals to get even edges. I absolutely LOVE how these turned out with the flannel and felt.  Mom made the perfect box for the game and all that is left is to make a 'how to play' sticker and a 'handmade with love (by your Aunt A, Gra...

When Susan was here in July, we had fun making this Arrowhead block from Rotary Cutting Revolution by Anita Grossman Solomon . We took the class at The Stitchery quilt shop in Howell, MI with a great teacher, Ruth Spangler, who gave us lots of tips and led us through this intriguiging method of putting together this Arrowhead block. Susan is an accomplished quilter, but she agreed to take this beginners' class with me. I have never pieced a block before except for simple two triangle blocks, and this one has 16 pieces! We had so much fun learning how to take two eight-inch fabric squares, seam them together, and cut them to make eight units that were easy to piece into the block. In fact, the process is so much fun that it is hard to stop. I finished all sixteen of my blocks the day after the class. The following week, I sashed the blocks and added two borders to make a 54x54-inch quilt that I gave to my daughter as a thank-you gift for hosting us during our week of quiltin...