AnnTheBlogger : children

Ruffled Crib Quilt from Down Under

AnnTheGran — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:12:00 GMT

Every grandmother counts it a blessing when another child comes into her life. Each set of tiny hands and feet hold a special place in her heart forever. When the newest addition made his appearance to the Jenkins family it was just what Leanne needed to inspire her to expand her embroidery talents. It’s such a sweet quilt and certain to be his favorite with all those teddy bears to love.

Leanne is from Australia, and she calls this a "cot quilt", but I remember from being in Australia that what is called a cot there is what we in the North America call a crib, so I've changed it in the post title but not in Leanne's text below. For a bigger picture, click here.

Leanne's Description

I recently decided to shout myself (with a lot of help from my partner) an Embroidery Machine for my birthday in October last year. This cot quilt was my first real attempt at something other than tea towels and oven-mitts. Our newest addition to the Grandchildren was born in February this year and I decided to make the quilt for him. All the teddy bear designs were downloaded from Ann The Gran free designs archive and I would like to say that they sew out beautifully as you can see even when they are converted to ‘jef' Format.

Step-by-step description

Quilt Materials List (finished size approximately 1m x 1m (cot size)

Quilt Front Sashes, Ruffle and Backing Fabric 1.7m x 90cm
Contrasting Fabric for Embroidery
Batting 1m x 90cm
Cut six strips for inside vertical sashing to join three embroidery panels per row
Cut two longer strips for inside horizontal sashing to join all nine embroidery panels together
Cut four strips for outside border
Cut nine 9 x 9inch squares for blocks
Embroider nine panels and trim to 8inch squares
Join embroidered blocks x 3 using two of the six inside vertical sashing strips per row, then join each row of 3 embroidered panels together using the two longer strips of horizontal sashing
Finally, using the four remaining strips as a border attach to the outside of completed front cot panel
Make Ruffle (width can be varied to personal choice) using 11/2 x the diameter of the quilt, join strips together and over-lock and turn under one long edge, then gather the other long edge to make ruffle, I used my over-locker to gather the edge as well
Spray wrong side of the front panel with quilters spray adhesive and gently spread the front panel over the batting.
Using a walking foot attachment I then stitched around each embroidered panel using "stitch in ditch" technique
Attach ruffle to the front panel right sides together with the outer edge of ruffle towards the centre of the panel (I find it easier to attach ruffle first then attach the backing fabric last
Attach the backing fabric to the quilt right sides together leaving enough of an opening to turn the quilt right side out then slip stitch to close the opening to complete.

What makes this project special

I always try to make something for any new additions to the Grandchildren when they arrive, as I enjoy doing it and no matter what it is, it is always appreciated and commented on as it is used. I would rather make something myself than buy it because I think it makes the gift special and I love and enjoy my sewing and the time I spend doing so.

Skill level

In my opinion anyone could make this project with any skill level

Products

Cutting Board

Rotary Cutter

Quilters adhesive spray

Sewing Machine / Overlocker

Walking foot attachment

Embroidery Machine / Embroidery Designs

Time Investment

As I still work full-time I find it hard to give an estimate, but the teddy designs I have used in this project take between 30 minutes to 60 minutes so I guess about 10 hours max.

Why I love this project

One reason would be the fact that I have made this for my newest grandson and another would be that this is my first project that I have tackled that is a little more involved than the simpler projects I have done since I got my embroidery machine.

Send Us Your Creations

Do you have any creations that go with a great story? If so, we'd love to hear about them, and see them! If we choose to post your project, you'll get a free $25 gift certificate to use in the AnnTheGran.com online store. Click here for details on how to submit your creation.

What Would You Do?

What is your favorite theme to sew as a set or grouping of designs in the same project? Click on the Comments link to share your story.

Framed Letters for a Personalized Nursery

atgadmin — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:29:00 GMT

For Diane Brown, embroidery started as a hobby to get away from all the stress of her job as a bank compliance officer. It didn’t take long, however, for her obsession to blossom into a new career. For a number of years she has been working behind the scenes in the development of software and embroidery designs that are fun and easy-to use. Creating embroidery software learning tools and fun projects that inspire creativity is her specialty. “Embroidery should always, always be fun” is Diane’s motto.

Using embroidery to make whole rooms come to life has become a real passion for Diane. Themed nurseries are her favorite, although she loves creating comfortable accessories for every room in the house. These simple framed letters were inspired by some very expensive accents but were a fraction of the cost. They were fun to make and they match the nursery to a T.

Diane's Description
I gasped when my daughter showed me some stamped, framed jumbo letters in a very popular magazine and said she would love to have them for the new baby’s nursery. But the price was astronomical. So, we used AnnTheGran’s Jumbo Alphabet, scraps from the nursery quilt, hand cut mats from cardstock and some simple white frames from the local discount store.

Step-by-step
1. Cut 4 8”X10” rectangles from fabrics of your choice. Spray starch your fabric if desired as this will help give you a professional finish.
2. Hoop fabric with a heavy weight stabilizer (tearaway or cut away should work fine). To be sure it is centered fold the fabric in half and finger crease both vertically and horizontially.
3. Choose threads that contrast with the fabric. Just a tip: I always use the same color thread in my bobbin as in the top when I do any type of lettering. Embroider the letters that you need. Cut the stabilizer even with the edges of the fabric.
4. Cut a piece of cardboard the size you want your mat opening to be. Use this as a template for cutting your mats. You can use precut mats if you like.
5. Place the mat face down on your work surface. Center the letter in the opening and glue the fabric front to the mat back. I left the stabilizer on and glued the edges of it down to the fabric as well.
6. Place the matted letters in the frame.
7. Note: If you have software you can resize these letters to 6” tall and then for all but the widest letters they fit perfectly in a 5X7 mat or frame.

What makes this project special?
I love being a grandmother and being able to make things that are loved by my daughters. It is fun to see a whole room take shape and know that there is no one else with one just like it.

Skill Level
Beginner

Products
My embroidery machine
AnnTheGran Jumbo Alphabet
Stabilize It! heavy cut-away stabilizer
embroidery thread
fabric

Time Investment
Two to three hours once all the supplies were gathered.

Why You Love This Project
It was for Anna – my precious new baby granddaughter.

Send Us Your Creations
Do you have any creations that go with a great story? If so, I'd love to hear about them, and see them! If I choose to post your project, you'll get a free $25 gift certificate to use in the AnnTheGran.com online store. Click here for details on how to submit your creation.

What Would You Do?
Diane's passion is room decor, particularly themed nurseries. Do you have a particular passion or specialty at which you excel? Click on the Comments link to tell us your area of expertise.

Charity Project - Star Bunting with Polar Fleece Blanket

atgadmin — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 21:57:00 GMT

Every child is precious but sometimes the families of certain little ones face unique challenges. The charity FHCS (Faith Hope & Charity Stitches) has a very special way of sharing their love of sewing and embrodiery. The tiny buntings and quilts they make are a wonderful gift to those babies, keeping them warm all winter long. Karen Munro and the FHCS show us how they serve others, making a difference in the world around them.

Karen's Description
This project is a star bunting, with matching polar fleece blanket, - made from a commercial pattern ~ 9965 Simplicity ~ and embellished with embroidery designs from Ann The Gran. Using polar fleece that we buy on sale - we cut out the pattern and stitch it up. We make as many of these as possible as soon as it gets cold and continue making them through early spring.

Step-by-step Description
Choose pattern pieces - smooth them out and lay them onto the polar fleeces fabric. Cut two pieces for the hooded top, one piece for the tassel, two fronts and one back. We also often cut a polar fleece piece of the same color to make into a blanket to match the bunting. The pattern calls for a 14 inch zipper but we buy them as inexpensively as possible and that often means buying longer ones and cutting them to size. The zipper is the first sewing operation. Leave the zipper it's full length until after installation. right sides tog. stitch front to back - keeping that long zipper tail free. Zig-zag or serge zipper tail to prevent unraveling. Stitch hood pieces tog. with tassel inserted into seam allowance. Turn back raw edge of hood facing and encase elastic to gently gather hood around babies little face. Stitch hood to body. Choose a baby-themed embroidery pattern and work the embroidery to front of bunting and a copy to that little blanket to match.

What Makes This Project Special
We have cold winters here in northern Ohio and the babies we send these buntings to often do not have parents that can afford store bought snow suits in newborn sizes. I personally have made these as gifts to grand children but for the charity we make as many as we can and send them along to babies all winter. The babies don't know we made them and the parents or care takers are grateful for the gifts. The thought of helping a young mom keep her child safely warm ~ warms my heart!

Skill Level
The bunting itself is fairly easy - the instructions for a hooded jacket could be used as easily using buttons or snaps instead of a zipper. This makes the project even easier. I think most sewing enthusiasts that can operate an embroidery machine would find this very easy.

Products
I used the "baby keys" embroidery found at Ann The Gran, polar fleece, standard threads to stitch, my serger,1/4 inch elastic in the hood, a standard 14 inch nylon zipper, colored threads for the embroidery, wash away - or soluble stabilizer for the embroidery work. I sew out embroidery on a little Brother sewing machine that serves me well.This project is just one of several from our charity group. We use embroidery on blankets, quilts, burial layettes and all sorts of items for the babies and children.

Time Investment
Because this is usually a group effort - cutting, stitching , embroidery work - I can only guess that in two hours it could be completed.

Why I Love This Project
The softness and detail attained quickly by adding the embroidery to the polar fleece. Knowing that an infant in Northern Ohio will be cuddled up snuggly this winter and looking cute at the same time - now that's precious!

Send Us Your Creations
Do you have any creations that go with a great story? If so, I'd love to hear about them, and see them! If I choose to post your project, you'll get a free $25 gift certificate to use in the AnnTheGran.com online store. Click here for details on how to submit your creation.

What Would You Do?
I know that many of our readers love to share their craft toward the service for others. What do you with your love of creating to help those less fortunate? Click on the Comments link to share your story.

Simple Baby Quilt for Cold Northern Winters

atgadmin — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 08:33:00 GMT

Creating keepsakes for loved ones is such a joy for those who love to sew. With her simple blankets, Sue Kerlin shows us how she continues her love of giving to family even when life is too full for intricate details.

Sue's Description:
I picked this pattern of baby quilt because I am not a detail quilter. I was sent a picture of a quilt with "outside seams" and thought it looked easy enough. The effect it gives the quilt is inviting, warm, cozy and so soft, just perfect for a "northern winter" baby. I have sewn for years, but working full time and sewing, I have lost interest in real "detailed" items. In my book, this is a "simple" quilt.

Step-by-step:
I used blue and white checkered flannel for the squares that I embroidered, and a blue cloud flannel for the strips between. The small squares are a solid light blue. The larger squares are 10 inches and the stripes between are 5 inch by 10 inch pieces. The small squares are 5X5. You can determine the size of blocks by what size you want your blanket. I embroidered the larger blocks, using mostly patterns I got from AnnTheGran web site. To assemble, I used a 5/8th inch seam toward the front of each piece. After it was completely put together, I attached it to a fleece back that I also embroidered with name, date of birth, weight, and length. I also sent my love and signed the blanket with embroidery. Each of the little blocks are also tied to the fleece with doubled yarn knots with one inch pieces left. This holds it really solid for washing. On the front reversed seams, I clipped them about every inch. Each time it is washed, it becomes fuzzier and softer.

What makes this project special:
This was first made for my 3rd granddaughter, then for my first grandson. The granddaughter's theme was ducks, so I used them in the pieces between the embroidered blocks and ducks for some of the designs on the blocks. My grandson's theme was wild animals, so I changed the block size and did his a bit different and it was a little easier to do. It is so nice to have ultrasounds and know ahead of time what designs can be used. Notice the little boy with the side-ways hat is on both. That design fits the way their daddy looked when he was growing up, I am so glad we found it. I made different blankets for the first 2 granddaughters, but I liked the look of this so much that I made a full sized one out of denim and patterns that my 15 year old granddaughter could relate to for Christmas last year. The blocks of it were denim with flannel cat fabric between since she was called "kitten" by her uncle when she was little.

Skill level:
This is VERY simple. Centering the design in the middle is so easy, I folded it in quarters and chalked a dot for the middle. I then lined my embroidery hoop so the dot was in the center of it. Assembly is also easy. If you can sew a straight line, you can make the quilt, and I find it very relaxing to do.

Products:
I have a Brother PE-150, a small embroidery machine. I never thought I would use it as much as I have, but find it fun and a nice way to personalize things. I work full time, but hide out and play often in my special room.

Time Invested:
I have no idea. Each block took at least an hour, but while they are stitching, I also did other things with my regular machine, so time flew by. It was fun watching the different designs progress.

Why I love this project:
It was fun, not stressful at all and is a great keepsake for my grandbabies. They will always know I stitched it with love. The free patterns available at AnnTheGran.com are wonderful. If I would have had to pay for all of the designs I used, I simply could not have afforded to do it.

Send Us Your Creations
Do you have any creations that go with a great story? If so, we'd love to hear about them, and see them! If we choose to post your project, you'll get a free $25 gift certificate to use in the AnnTheGran.com online store. Click here for details on how to submit your creation.

What Would You Do?
Sue has found fun ways to keep on sewing even when life consists of a full time job and growing family. Click on the Comments link to tell us about your favorite stress free project or past-time.

A Little Treasure - Should I Or Shouldn't I?

atgadmin — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 08:35:00 GMT

Hi, Folks,

I'm in a bit of a quandary. When I set up this blog, I made it clear to the team here who help me get this to you that I really wanted the blog to focus on projects contributed by the AnnTheGran community. So far, you've all been great with that, and we've seen some great stuff and heard some wonderful stories. What I absolutely didn't want was for this to be was a place to try to sell you more stuff. Everyone has to make a living, so I have AnnTheGran.com to help me pay my bills, and I figure you'll tolerate a few harmless links to my site from here, but I wanted to make very sure that I never crossed the line.

I was contacted the other day by the fine people at Gaballi, whom I've known in one capacity or another for a quite a long time. If I didn't really like the gals who run the place, I wouldn't have even considered it, but I figured, as most of this particular group of products isn't stuff I sell on my site, and if I actually like it, I could justify letting you know about it. I'm counting on you to let me know if I'm crossing the line here (use the Comments link below).

In fact, I'm quite excited to share this little treasure with you. The gals at Gaballi actually offer 6 different product lines, 4 of which are embroiderable, and one of which I sell on AnnTheGran.com. Apparently, they are clearing out some of their inventory. Anyway, they called me and wondered if all my ladies (and a few gents too!) would be interested in a WHOLESALE DISCOUNT on all their products. That's 40% off the retail price of everything in their store. So I replied, "I don't know, I'll ask them!"

So, now I'm asking you. Are you interested? If so, take a browse through their site by clicking here. The way I figure it, your embroidery can add the finishing touch to many of their
products for your family, friends and loved ones, so it could be a great source for holiday shopping and gift giving. I also feel obliged to tell you, because it's the kind of person I am, that I will receive a small commission if you order anything. There are no minimum orders and no sign-up is required. Just be sure to enter the coupon code GRAN in the shopping cart when you check out and the 40% discount will be calculated automatically!

And keep sending me those projects! Click here for details on how to submit your creation.

Best Wishes,

Ann

Race Car Themed Quilt for "Big Boy Bed"

atgadmin — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 08:58:00 GMT

Every child's first birthday is exciting and every mother wants to create great memories of the event. This race car themed quilt was created by Gina Martinez to complete her son's graduation to a "Big Boy Bed" and give him a special birthday memory to cherish for years to come.

General Description
Hi, my name is Gena Martinez and I'm a Work at Home mom who makes diapers and slings and has just discovered the joy of quilting! For my son's first birthday, his daddy and I got him a race car bed. I made him a fun, personalized quilt to cover it! I love the way the quilt makes the car bed look complete - almost like the hood of his new race car!

Step-by-step Description
I quilted together squares of Disney's "Cars" printed fabric and some yellow race car fabric. I chose a nice piece of faux Suede for the back/top. I cut a circle out of checkered flag material. I printed a #1 out to trace and I cut the #1 out of the yellow race car material.

I appliqued the #1 (It was his first birthday) onto the checkered flag circle and then the circle on to the Faux Suede. In the bottom left corner I embroidered his name and the year.

I added batting and attached the 2 pieces and tacked around the circle to complete my quilt and the perfect compliment to his new toddler bed!

What Makes This Project Special?
This project was very special to me because it was a neat way to commemorate my baby boy's first year. Hopefully he will always have this #1 quilt as a reminder of his first big day and his first big boy bed!

Skill Level
This is only my second quilt, so I'd say a beginner would be able to tackle this project.

Products
Fabric, thread, sewing machine, embroidery machine, batting

Time Investment
8-ish hours

Why I Love This Project
I love the way it looks and he loves the way the material feels! All of our party guests wanted to know where I had his blanket made!

Send Us Your Creations
Do you have any creations that go with a great story? If so, we'd love to hear about them, and see them! If we choose to post your project, you'll get a free $25 gift certificate to use in the AnnTheGran.com online store. Click here for details on how to submit your creation.

What Would You Do?
Gina personalized her quilt with a name and date. We would love to hear your favorite way to record the when, where and who of quilts and other heirloom gifts that you create. Click on the Comments link to share your stories.

Blown Away By Baby Blankets

atgadmin — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 09:27:00 GMT

This project was submitted by Kim Yunkun. I chose to post this one because it is simple but beautiful and any level of embroiderer can do it. Not everyone is an expert, but everyone can share the sense of pride that we all feel when we've accomplished something. Sometimes, when we've been doing it for a while, we forget that every project is an accomplishment.

Kim's Description
I buy these blankets from Charles Craft (usually online but occasionally you can find them in a fabric store.) They are called Rainbow Baby Blankets and are 30 inches by 36 inches with light blue, pink and light yellow lines crisscrossing on them. The corners are plain white and are 6.5 X 6.5 inches.

Step-by-Step description
To make these blankets is very simple. Choose embroidery with a baby theme. I try to make all the pictures have the same theme. I use a 100mm X100mm hoop or the 130mm X 180mm (5X7) hoop. The designs I have been using lately are by Sew Many Designs and even have included their font for the name which I place on the lower right corner.

What makes this project special
The absolute joy that the new parents have when they see the blankets make these so special. We all know the time we put into our embroidery and it feels so good when you give these away and the recipient is speechless.

Skill level
As long as you can center a design in the corner squares and you can embroider you can make these blankets. The blankets are extremely easy to embroider and I have been doing them for at least 5 years. In that time I have never messed one up and had to grab another to complete the project.

Products
I used embroidery designs from Sew Many Designs. I use the Husqvarna Viking SE machine and use the 100X 100 hoop or the 130X180 (5X7) hoop. The blankets are by Charles Craft and are called Rainbow Baby Blankets.

Time Investment
You can finish a blanket in one to three hours, depending on which embroidery you choose. The Sew Many Designs embroidery are appliqué and require more time for fabric placement but the results are so worth it.

Why I love this project
This is the same answer as what makes this project special. I make these baby blankets for everyone I know who has just had a baby. They are for everyone from friends, co-workers, family and church members. Everyone that receives one is totally blown away with them and I am as proud as I can be. The reaction of the new parents to these blankets is unbelievable and makes me the proudest embroiderer going.

Send Us Your Creations
Do you have any creations that go with a great story? If so, we'd love to hear about them, and see them! If we choose to post your project, you'll get a free $25 gift certificate to use in the AnnTheGran.com online store. Click here for details on how to submit your creation.

What Would You Do?
Kim found a simple formula that she's used many time on many projects, to great effect. Do you have a "formula", a combination of items or techniques you've used time and again that still produces great results? Click on the Comments link to let us in on your "secret recipe".

Cool Pirate Costume for Halloween - Thanks Grandma!

atgadmin — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 09:30:00 GMT

This embroidery-laden project was sent in by Barbara Schaffer, and I chose it for this week because it's a wonderful example of how a grandma can still be cool with a 10-year-old boy! Forget the old idea of Grandma knitting a sweater they'll never wear; with all that we have at our disposal now, we can take anything in our minds and create something limited only by our imaginations. I'll let Barbara take it from here!

General Description
This is the pirate costume that I made for my grandson. . . pants, shirt, vest and booty bag with a total of 13 embroideries I didn't have a pattern for it so I designed my own but a purchased pattern should be available at your local fabric store. It is also possible to use the child's own clothing and just apply the embroidery.

Step-by-step description
First I cut out all of the garment pattern pieces. I stabilized and hooped each piece to embroider a mummy and skeleton on the front of the pant legs. I embroidered a ship on the right sleeve and then the transformed pirate ship on the left sleeve. The shirt pocket got a jolly roger, the cuffs and collar got skulls. The vest has a parrot on the front. The center back has a large pirate with my grandson's initial "C". There are more skulls at the waist back. The booty bag has another skull. When the embroidery was complete I assembled the garments.

What makes this project special?
I'm just a beginner and I feel a lot more comfortable with my machine now. This project really allowed me to practice my skills over and over again because there are so many embroideries involved. I gained new self confidence in my abilities. The WOW! factor has been big.

Skill level
I think that this project could be completed by any skill level. The flat pattern pieces were easy to position and hoop. I knew that if I made a mistake I would be able to discard that piece and cut another to replace it before I sewed the garment together (that really took the stress away). I took my time and enjoyed the learning process. The most difficult part was designing the costume from scratch. I measured some of his clothes to get the proportions right, a slim size 10.

[Note from Ann]:
Barbara did a great job with her placement on the pattern pieces. If you are using a pre-sewn garment you can still easily acheive exact placement without stress using the Perfect Placement Kit. And for no hoop lines when sewing on napped fabrics like Barbara's Pirate costume I recommend the Magna Hoop.

Products
My machine is a Pfaff 2140 with the 5 x 7 hoop. I don't have a smaller hoop but a smaller hoop would be useful with the smaller designs if you have one. I used almost every pirate theme design that I could find in my stash. I used cut-away stabilizer and polyester embroidery thread because it is more durable for children's clothing that is washed often.

Time investment
I completed the costume in about a week because I made the clothing as well as the actual 13 embroideries.

Why I love This Project
My grandson was so surprised when I gave him this costume. He can't stop smiling. He says,"Grandma, you are awesome!" that's a real compliment from a 10 year old. I can't stop smiling either!

Send Us Your Creations
Do you have any creations that go with a great story? If so, we'd love to hear about them, and see them! If we choose to post your project, you'll get a free $25 gift certificate to use in the AnnTheGran.com online store. Click here for details on how to submit your creation.

What Would You Do?
Using a variety of themed embroideries from various sources, Barbara created a complete look that gave just the right impact to her project. How do you find all the designs for a theme in your library? Click on the Comments link to give us your ideas.