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

Christmas in June

The Folk Art Christmas Quilt

I just love it when I can make something early for the Christmas holidays! It doesn't happen every year.  But this year, I saw a  small Christmas quilt that I fell in love with instantly!  It is the  "Folk Art Christmas" quilt, from the book, "Crafted Applique'... New Possibilites,"  by Lara Buccella.

Folk Art Christmas quilt
by Lara @ BuzzinBumble

                                                         
Lara Buccella, the  extremely talented quilter and designer at BuzzinBumble blog, has her first book published now, and I was so thrilled (and lucky) to be a part of her book tour this past month.  (You can see my book tour post HERE.)  
                                                      

The book can be purchased
at BuzzinBumble {here}

                                                       
Normally, I would shy away from making a quilt with all of this intricate applique'  as the main cornerstone of the design.  But,  I had new confidence, having used Lara's crafted applique' technique a few weeks before , and  I dove into making the Folk Art Quilt with excitement!!

I was happy that I  washed and starched the  fabrics a few days in advance of my "getting down to the nitty gritty" of pattern tracing and cutting applique' shapes out.  The process turned out to be quite enjoyable for me!    And the pieces were easy to cut out, with no fraying edges, using my small scissors and teensie thread cutting scissors for those round berries and thin stems.

Lara's directions are clear  and thorough. I felt like she was sitting beside me at the table, showing me the steps along the way in a private class!  

This is my quilt... as it hangs in my living room ... in June!!  

Folk Art Christmas quilt      made by Susies' Sunroom

I really loved the quilted background that Lara has on her quilt, and so I decided to try to quilt a little on  mine.   I used a chalk pouncer to outline some hearts from a stencil.  

It is far from perfect, but seems to add the texture in the negative space that I was looking for.

The quilting ... close up.  And, you can see the thin gold striping
in the fabric

I like using the white tone- on- tone fabric, for the applique'.  It reminds me of  powdery snow! 

I really LOVE these doves!  Lara drew this part of the design , way back in high school!

The Folk Art Christmas Quilt:

Pattern:   By Lara Buccella, in the book "Crafted Applique'... New Possibilities"
Size:   18 " x 27 "
Fabric:     Striped Christmas fabric  from JoAnn Fabrics   from my stash!!
               I used the same fabric on the back and for the binding, as Lara had done on hers
               White Tonal fabric    from my stash  

Batting:   Warm & Natural 100% cotton (scraps)
Stitching:  Straight stitch , outlining the applique'  shapes
Quilting:  I used my walking foot and Guterman thread.  The hearts were marked with chalk, with a pouncer and stencil.
For Hanging:  2 upper corner pockets, to hold a small dowel rod


Here are some more photos :

Folk Art Christmas on my pencil Christmas Tree

Yes, we still have our little pencil Christmas Tree up in our dining room.  It's in the corner, so you have to sort of "look for it" to see it!  My husband and I like it so much, we decided to keep it up year long.  I only have a Star of Bethlehem hanging on it now.  

Note to self:   I need to make a Christmas tree skirt for it, AND a year-round tree skirt!  

I also wanted to share with you a little tip: 

                    Using Crafted Applique' to make a Patch

I used the Crafted Applique' technique to make some patches for a tote bag purse.
My SIL showed me her beloved  (and well used) tote bag, where the bottom corner edges were fraying.

See the bare spot?

I prepared a patch.

The patch... hmmm  looks like it can work!

I sewed the patch on by hand, as it was not possible to use my machine at the corner, on this lined tote bag.  I didn't have to turn the raw edges under, using Crafted Applique' technique !  Yay!

You can see my  handsewn stitches, in the light.  (My thread was lighter than the fabric)
But the patch bent nicely and shaped-up ,like a corner

It went so well, that I decided to patch the other corner of her tote bag, as it was beginning to fray as well.

Here are both corners, front and back .... repaired and ready to go for more use!

 You know how good it feels to make something for another person when they just love it?  Well, my SIL really loves this "simplified" Bow Tucks Tote bag, and my mother asked me to bring along my Folk Art Christmas mini quilt.  She asked if I could " leave it at her house until Christmas , "  because it reminds her of living with her grandmother, who was Pennsylvania Dutch.   { She has only seen a tiny picture of it on her little cell phone, so far. }  I  will be making a second Folk Art Christmas quilt soon... for our house!  LOL 

I'm off to my sewing room!

Linking up at:   Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt Story  and 
                          Let's Bee Social  @ Sew Fresh Quilts  and
                        Crafted Applique" Sightings @  Buzzin Bumble