Crafted Applique Book Tour & Giveaway

BuzzinBumble blog

Welcome to the Crafted Applique' : New Possibilities Book Tour !

There's a new book in town !   Lara Buccella,  of  Buzzin Bumble blog,  has written her first book . She has been busier {than a bee !}  for a couple of years, fine tuning her   instructions,  and creating fun applique'  projects for her new book,
  "Crafted Applique'... New Possibilites. "

Lara kindly sent me a copy of the book, and I am excited to share with you how easy and fun it is to use Lara's "Crafted Applique' " method!   ( And, there are 2 giveaways at the end of the  post!)

In the first part of the book , Lara clearly and patiently takes the reader through the steps of her applique'  method , using an ordinary craft product.  The result is applique' with clean edges, which is easier to sew on to projects!  This  applique' won't fray , even after multiple washings. ( See Dana's  Stormy Days  blog! ) Plus, smaller  appliqued details can be added.

Below , is a section of the  Cecropia Utopia applique' , from  Crafted Applique' .
See how detailed and intricate you can make this moth?  Don't you love the edges?!  Lara made this beauty!

Photo courtesy of Lara Buccella, from Crafted Applique' book
Cecropia Utopia is a pillow project in the book !

 The second part of the book has many clever and fun projects to make .... using applique', of course!! These projects are so cute and diverse!    I have fallen in love with the  gorgeous small holiday quilt ...  for Christmas !  { I will be making this quilt before Christmas, so keep checking here!}

So guess what I did after I read  drooled over the projects?  I  got  inspired to give crafted qpplique'  a try! I picked up a WIP,  which had been stalled at the  " making the applique'" stage.  

My Goal:   Try out this Crafted Applique' technique in "real life"

My Project:

 The "All in the Family" Quilt -    design from the book , Simplify With Camille Roskelley .
 I wanted to add an appliqued Mermaid in the center of the quilt.  

Combining two  excellent books!!

I had a lot of  tons of fabric left over from making a child's seahorse quilt {see here}  and  a basket for a little baby girl's nursery .  The fabric line is Spring House by Stephanie Ryan for Moda.

     
I prepared the mermaid  applique' pieces,  according to Lara's directions.  I think the hardest part  for me was pre-washing my fabrics!  Next,  I sewed them easily on to the  four white center blocks of the quilt,  with a regular straight stitch!  I matched colors to the fabrics , with my Madeira Rayon threads.

I am so thrilled with how they feel and  look!!

Miss Mermaid , swimming among the bubbles

Bubbles with nice clean edges 

I am  so happy that I added the mermaid to the quilt!!
Sew.....

What do I think about the " Crafted Applique' " book ? 
                                 It's a Home Run ! 
                                          An   A ++++   
                                                      It really  works !!

• I love Lara's writing style.   The reader gets  to see what she thinks about,   and  what she has learned, along her quilting journey.  It's informative and fun.

• The photos and instructions  in this book are extremely well written. I feel as if I have taken a class with Lara, and then been given all of her notes to take home as my own !  (I LOVE that!)

• I love how it taught me this new method, and  how it inspired me to add applique' easily to another project!  

• And, it  left me with the desire to make projects from the  "Crafted Applique' book!"  I can't wait to start my  Folk Art Christmas quilt from the book!                                                   

Want to see the rest of the quilt?

All in the Family quilt... with a mermaid  - made by Susie's Sunroom

Quilt Details:

Pattern:    All in the Family    by Camille Roskelley  ( in her  Simplify book)

Size:   60.5 "  x 60.5 "

Fabrics:   Spring House   by Stephanie Ryan for  Moda  (from my stash)

               White tonal    from my stash

Block size:  8 " finished

Mermaid Applique':  pattern (Here  , from pinterest) . I used it as a template  and          enlarged it, and used the  Crafted Applique'  preparation for applique' (for smooth edges)

Batting:   Warm and Natural  100% cotton

Quilting:  Random wavy lines

Thread:  Aurifil 50 wt.    #2024 Cream for piecing and #3320  Green (from Color Me Happy     collection) for the wavy lines on top of the quilt.  The green shows just a hint of color.

The back:    I "super sized " the  block - by  multiplying times 5 , to make a 49 " finished block

The flimsy front and back of the quilt

The finished back of the quilt-

I think this makes a really cool back for a child's quilt, don't you?

The  blocks remind me  bubbles that surround the mermaid as she swims.

Bubbles and color

The binding shows pops of  pink!

While I was writing up this post for my blog, another "little" applique project popped into my head.....

Wouldn't this be a darling little "Deluxe Pincushion"... from another fabulous book, "Sew Organized for the Busy Girl", by Heidi Staples (from FabricMutt blog)?!

The result from combining these 3 books...  an
 All In the Family Mermaid Deluxe Pincushion

I knew I could  actually make the mermaid super-teensie , coming in at 2 1/4 " long x 1" wide, since I now have the Crafted Applique' Tool in my sewing tool bag!

My Mini Me Mermaid Deluxe Pincushion  on my All In the Family Mermaid Quilt  

This tiny mermaid was easy to apply... using the Crafted Applique' technique!

Was this little pincushion fun to make?   
Guess so.....   another one popped up right after the first one was finished!!

Deluxe pincushions ...a fusion of  Crafted Applique', Simplify, and Sew Organized !!

Deluxe Pincushion Details:

Patterns:   Deluxe Pincushion  by Heidi Staples (in her Sew Organized for the Busy Girl book)   AND    All in the Family block    by Camille Roskelley  ( in her  Simplify book)

I reduced the block size to 4.5  " x 4.5 "  to fit on the front pocket of the deluxe pincushion

Mermaid Applique':  pattern (Here  , from pinterest) . I used it as a template  and          reduced  it ( to  2 1/4 " long x 1" wide) , and used the  Crafted Applique'  preparation for applique' (for smooth edges)

Fabric:   scraps from Spring House by Stephanie Ryan for  Moda

Finished pincushion size:  5.5 " x 6.5 "

I made the backs scrappy !

Thank you for stopping by and seeing my  new projects using crafted applique' . 

Now.... for the GIVEAWAYS!!  Two chances to win !

****** Giveaways are now closed. ***********

Giveaway # 1:  A  'Crafted Applique'.... New Possibilities'   book
  Lara has generously given me a copy of  Crafted Applique'.... New Possibilities to give away to a lucky reader as a prize!

Giveaway #1  from Lara !

                                                             

Giveaway #2:   An 'All In the Family Mermaid'  Deluxe       Pincushion 
  A second  lucky reader will win this  'All In the Family Mermaid' Deluxe Pincushion , made by me!

Giveaway #2  from Susie's Sunroom !

For a chance to win one of the prizes...

*  Simply leave a comment for a chance to win the book   or pincushion !  *

{ If you would like a prompt:    Have you combined books for making a project ? If so... what books did you use together ? I'd love to know! }

Please - If you are a no-reply blogger, remember to leave your e-mail address so that I will have a way to contact you if you win.

The winners will be selected on June 4, 2016,  with two random prize drawings.

Winners are now chosen. The Giveaway is closed. 

If you can't wait to see if you are a winner of the book .... you can purchase the book at these sites now ! 

At:    BuzzinBumble 

        AQS Shop

        Amazon

You will also want to stop and visit the other  "powerhouse"  quilters in the Crafted Applique' Blog Hop!  Here is the calendar for the Blog Hop Book Tour!  

Crafted Appliqué: New Possibilities Blog Hop
May 1^st to June 5^th 2016

Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
1 Lara Buccella BuzzinBumble   Introduce Tour	2 Valerie Smith Pumpkin Patch Quilter	3 Dana Gaffney Stormy Days	4 Lorna McMahon Sew Fresh Quilts	5 Mary Schuberg Needled Mom	6 Heidi Kuntz Red Letter Quilts	7 Alycia Carmin Alycia Quilts
8 Amy DeCesare Amy Made That	9 Sherri McConnell A Quilting Life	10 Lara Buccella Sew Mama Sew Guest Post	11 Christina Cameli A Few Scraps	12 Melissa Corry Happy Quilting	13 Sarah Craig Confessions of a Fabric Addict	14 Soma Acharya Whims & Fancies
15 Valerie Reynolds Val’s Quilting Studio	16 Angela Pingel Cut to Pieces	17 Sandra Walker Musings of a Menopausal Melon	18 Cheryl Brickey Meadow Mist Designs	19 Judy Murphy Quilt Paradigm	20 Yvonne Fuchs Quilting Jetgirl	21 Cindy Pieters Stitchin’ at Home
22 Susie Zlogar Susie’s Sunroom	23 Connie Campbell Freemotion by the River	24 Ruth Bourke Charly & Ben’s Crafty Corner	25 Kaja Zieslar Sew Slowly	26 Ann Brooks Fret Not Yourself	27 Cynthia Brunz Quilting is More Fun Than Housework	28 Holiday
29 Holiday	30 Holiday	31 Jenn Trott-Zisserson Quarter Inch from the Edge	1 Paulette Horn The Way I Sew It	2 Sandra Jansen Studio Sew of Course	3 Christine Sherman Triangles & Squares	4 Darlene Simmons Quilt Shop Gal
5 Lara Buccella BuzzinBumble Giveaway Winners Announced!

See you around at the blog hop!!

I'm off to my sewing room!

Linking up at:  Let's Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts  and
                    Fabric Frenzy Friday @  Fort Worth Fabric Studio  and
                    Can I Get a Whoop Whoop!  @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict  and
                     TGIFF @ Crazy Dutch Bird Quilts

Up ,Up and Away!

Keeping Busy in March

I have been "sew"  busy and  happy this month , sewing away on my machines... making projects for some sweet little children.

Want to see what I have made?

The Bon Voyage Bag            pattern by Geta Grama at 
                                                                         Geta's Quilting Studio (here)

I was so excited when I found this fabric with the sky and clouds, and hot air balloons," In Motion"   from Elizabeth's Studio.  The little boy I am mking this for loves balloons and anything that flies in the sky!  And I could use bright primary colors for accents. ( I found it at the fabulous Over The Rainbow fabric store.  They have a wonderful selection of fabrics!)

The bag - Bon Voyage  18 " wide at top  with a zipper closure
                                  21-22 "  wide at bottom  
                                  15" tall without straps
                                  5 " deep
   

Bon Voyage Bag  {here}  pattern by Geta Grama    

             Did you notice that  big outer zippered pocket , in the above photo?

Inside the bag...  There are 4  big pockets!   

              This bag can hold a lot..... you can see what I was able to place in this bag in my past blog post HERE.     

The quilting-  some vertical wavy lines

This bag is fun to make, and has clear and detailed directions.  Geta is such a talented designer!


The Paris Traveler's Bag     pattern by Fig Tree & Co. (Joanna Figueroa)
                                                                              at Fig Tree Quilts  (here)

The bag-   approx. 23" x 15" x 9 "  

How fun this bag turned out, with the bright colors and multi-colored balloons!

The handles are long, and totally adjustable for length

This Paris Traveler's Bag also has a 24 " zipper closure across the top.  Perfect for "stuffing" your travel items!  And two big outside pockets (between the handles )

I just love  bright yellow zippers, don't you?

Apparently, these little bunnies think they are going along for the trip, too!

I know that my sister, Amy, from Amy Made That! , will recognize these adorable bunnies.
She made them for my kids years ago!!!  They are still precious to me!!


The bags are ready for fun trips this summer... to Grandma and Grandpa's house and maybe the beach!!

"No, you two are staying here with me!"

Book Nook Pillow Set     - pillow  patterns by Heidi Staples  at Fabric Mutt
                                       in her  Sew Organized for the Busy Girl book   
     - bunny,  a free pattern template by Sewing Mama RaeAnna  here

I put together some favorite items , for a gift for  Eden.  Eden is the beautiful granddaughter of my friend, Lara, at BuzzinBumble Blog. 

I found this adorable "Guess How Much I Love You" fabric, by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram  for  Clothworks, at Connecting Threads. (here)       I added some dotted blue flannel to my order, with thoughts of making a little stuffed bunny .  


First, I made the large Book Nook Pillow ,  directly from the book.    This is a 26" x 26" pillow.  (Notice  below,  that the pillow is as tall as my little nightstand dresser!  26" is truly taller  "in person" than it looks on paper!! LOL )  This pillow is so fun to make!!  And, there are sooo many fun projects to make from Heidi's book!  It is a real gem.

My full size Book Nook pillow, with the coordinating book to go inside the pocket

Who knew that this larger pillow is addictive to make, too?

Before I knew it, I  downsized the Book Nook pillow....to fit a 12" x 16" pillow.  

Apparently, this adorable pillow design multiplies like bunnies!!

For those with "sharp eyes" .... yes that is is Deluxe Pincushion in the set above.  
I just had to make a little pincushion, for Lara ,with some of the scraps.  It weighs in 
at 5.5 " x 6.5 ".  

So, I am keeping the huge pillow for our "family" down the road...

and I sent these bunny goodies to " little cupcake"  Eden....

For Eden ... and Lolli

See the back side in the photos below?  I added a covered zipper (like Amy Made That! taught me) on the back of the pillow....

***  By the way, Lara has her first book coming out on April 19 .... Crafted Applique'... New Possibilities  ( available here). I can't wait to learn some new techniques from her.
You 'll want to check out her blog if you aren't a follower yet.  BuzzinBumble   ***

Stay tuned to see what else I have been making!

I'm off to my sewing room!

Linking up at:  Sew Cute Tuesday @ Blossom Heart Quilts    and
                       Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt Story    and
                      Let's Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts