Appleton Dance

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...

Seems that DIY Sunburst Mirrors are the hottest thing in the blogosphere these days.  I saw one at The Lettered Cottage and thought it would be perfect for my back porch.  Here's the link to their instructions. Mine is made like two separate sunbursts one on a 12" and the other on an 8" wooden ring that I then glued on top of each other.  I added a wire loop to the larger ring for hanging before I glued on the shims.  I didn't seal the final product as I'm hoping the cedar will weather to grey. Will post a pic later of the small version I made from clothespins for Mom...from inspiration at In My Own Style . I love mine, cheap and easy and kind of rustic-cool.  -Alisa

I saw this project at the Purl Bee and thought it was a great present to make for my nephew. Mine is simpler, but I think it turned out cute.  Played with Mom (a formidable opponent) and we both thought it was challenging! ;) Supplies: You'll need 8 different fabrics.  I chose colors, but these could be animal prints, cars & trucks...anything!  You'll also need felt, we used heavyweight wool felt but craft felt would work.  We used iron-on interfacing to stiffen the fabrics before sewing to the felt backing. Instructions: Cut two 2.5" squares from each of the fabrics Cut 16 2.5" squares of interfacing Cut 16 3.5" squares of felt backing Iron the interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric squares Pin the stiffened fabric squares to the center of the felt squares and stitch around the edge Iron each square Cut the felt down to the finished 3" size I didn't start with 3.5" felt squares, so mine couldn't be trimmed m...

We Cut the Tree L. Theil  ã  1984 We started cutting our own Christmas trees in 1978, the year that Ben was born. That was the year after Dad brought home a tree so dry it shed needles when you touched it. By the time we took it out of the house after the holidays, that tree was down to bare branches. The next year our neighbor said that he got fresh cut trees at a farm up the road in Zelie. It sounded like a good idea to us. My mom was real glad to stay home with the baby that year because she liked the quiet time for her and Ben. She went with us the next year, though; and we all went every year after that. Tree cutting is somewhere three boys and a girl and a mom and dad can go with very little aggravation. We didn’t need special clothes or a fat wallet. If my mom had her way we would have spent a bundle on big pine wreaths and yards and yards of pine garland. Dad always said, “Not this year.” The tree-farmer displayed the greens in the barn where he s...

Alisa gave me the most wonderful gift this holiday season -- a how-to for Appleton Dance! Felt Cup Cozy by Alisa Go to your favorite coffee shop and pickup your favorite drink and a cardboard cup holder. You'll need the cup holder for a template and you'll want refreshment during the project : ) Starbucks sells small-size giftcards that make a nice addition to the cozy if you are making it as a gift. Step 1 Pick two colors of felt and lay them out wrong sides together. I used craft felt that was 50% post-consumer plastics, but wool felt would be wonderful. Using cardboard cup holder as a template, outline the shape on the felt. Step 2 Pin felt to keep it from shifting and sew around inside of outline. I like zigzag, but any stitch would work. Cut felt along outline using straight or pinking shears. Add any additional 'quilting' or stitching. Step 3 Use your drink as a guide and pin felt cozy together. Step 4 (optional)  If you are going to make a pocket for a g...

Sometimes a pun is glorious. See Harriet Rosen's I-pod baby quilt at: http://benjaminste.in/post/1707639931/theres-a-nap-for-that-iphone-baby-quilt-by

Small tote with large outside zipped pocket I bought a cheap fabric tote at Oliver T's on Hill Road in Grand Blanc and liked it so much I wanted to replicate it for a goodie bag gift for an upcoming getaway weekend with friends. I liked carrying the tote because I could put my money and phone, etc in the large zippered outside pocket, but still had room to carry a book, and other bulky items in the pouch. I plan to add photos to the directions below, but in case experienced seamstresses want to give it a try right away, I've listed the unillustrated directions today. Photos added 11/16/10 . General instructions: Use 1/4 –inch seams. Press after every stitching. RST = Right Sides Together. WST = Wrong Sides Together Materials and equipment: Cut two outside tote shell pieces each 14 inches by 22 inches. Cut two tote lining pieces each 14 inches by 22 inches. (Stack all four pieces and cut a U-shaped piece 7-3/4 inch wide by 9-1/2 inches tall out of the top center of all four ...