Cosmo Cricket

Free Tutorial and Pattern: Hex and Heart Coasters

Remember these cuties?

I promised a tutorial and although it's taken a little longer than I anticipated, I have it for you all today. This time around, I used our tiny polka dot pattern from Odds and Ends. They are sweet!

First, you'll need to cut your hexagons. You will need three hexagons in the print you want for the outside of your coaster and one hexagon for the heart. Then add one more cut out of batting.

I used a special guide to cut mine, but I also made a pattern for any of you that don't have this tool.



Download Hex and Heart Coasters | Free Pattern | Julie Comstock

Now you need to cut your heart out of two of your outer-print hexagons. I just made a little heart pattern out of fabric, layered up the two hexagons and cut. That way my hearts always match up perfectly. Another tip, you can have your heart fit so that the point is toward a hexagon point or toward a flat edge depending on how you fold the hexagon. I did half one direction and half the other.

Now you are going to put these two halves right sides together and sew around that heart using a tiny seam allowance (approximately 1/8"). Then clip your seams paying special attention to the points of the heart and the curves.

Turn your heart hexagon right side out and press. Use a paint brush end or something similar to turn the dip in the heart, but be careful not to poke through your fabric. Getting this little shape to turn can be tricky, but just be patient and work a little at a time, pressing as you go until it looks like this.

Now put your heart colored hexagon behind this along with your batting behind that. I prefer to do the quilting before the back layer is on because as a coaster I find that water seeps through quilting holes and onto my table. If we quilt first, we solve that problem. So, switch out your sewing machine to your walking foot and quilt around these layers.

Take your last outer hexagon and place it, right side down, on top of what you have now sewn. Stitch around the outer edge of it all using a 1/4" seam allowance and leaving an opening for turning. I really like to sew this so that all the corners will turn, it leaves only a small opening which makes turning tight, but it makes the topstitching step much easier! After sewing this, clip the corners.

Now turn it right side out and press that little opening in so that you can topstitch all the way around your soon to be finished coaster!

I like to make these assembly line style, completing each step across the whole set. It makes it quick and easy.

Obviously, I love these as coasters, but I can see lots of other fun things to make with them.

Here's a few for you to think about trying:
Coin purses
Pockets
Banners/Buntings

Have fun with it, you could easily use this same technique with lots of other shapes too.

We also have a winner to announce today. Congratulations go to Joan Fowler who said, "I love buying surprise gifts for my granddaughter. She thinks I'm sweet." Joan, send your info to julie at cosmocricket dot com and I'll see to it that some Sweet Disposition comes your way! Please write Sweet Dispostion blog winner in the subject line of your email. Thanks!
 

2WENTY- THR3E: Hex & Heart Coasters

UPDATE: FIND THE TUTORIAL & FREE PATTERN FOR THIS PROJECT HERE

All my hexes live in Texas.

I have decided that coasters are my size of quilt! I love making them. They are so cute and quick and I haven't found anyone that doesn't like to get them as gifts... or at least anyone that will tell me to my face!

Did you know that Moda has pre-cut hexes in some of their beautiful solids? I was unaware of this little fact when I cut the fabric for my coasters. I found out approximately 30 minutes after!

Oh well, live and learn right!

I was going to do a tutorial to go along with these, but Eric thinks you all can figure it out on your own. Is he right? Do you need steps? Let me know. 

The Winner of the Minis

Hi Everyone,

I'm off in 10 minutes and I'm not ready! But, the school lunches are packed.... good luck the rest of the week Eric.

Congrats go to our winner of the Mini Decks, Cynthia B who said, "Your tags look great! I'll go ahead and say good luck at the show...but I don't think you'll need it. I saw all the cool sneaks of your new lines, so I'm sure you'll have an awesome show!"

I don't really have time for anything else this morning, but I did make a cute bag I never showed on the blog. Look at it until I get you some photos from the show floor!

2WENTY-THR3E Fabric: Phillip's Pillows

With the holidays and CHA sneak peeks, I never got a chance to show you all these fun pillows I made with our 2WENTY-THR3E fabric collection.

I must confess, they were not made for Phillip, but instead named for his screw driver. In fact, I made them for a new friend who seems to be, as she put it, "my sister from another mister." We have different moms too, but we seem to have A LOT in common. So much so that it's a little bit surreal.

Since we are so similar I knew she would love these and she did. It really made my day to get her reaction. Don't you just love when someone appreciates something you've made?

Cinnamon Stick Christmas Tree Ornaments

I got some huge cinnamon sticks that smell absolutely wonderful. They were very pretty just placed in a vase, but they are fun for crafting too.

Tie them with strips of fabric to make festive trees that will have your whole house smelling like Christmas! I think these would be really cute tied onto gifts as well and it's a great way to use up scraps.

 

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks = LOVE

Happy 100 Block Day, USA Election Day and Thanksgiving Month! I think we should combine these events and be really grateful that we won't have to watch 100's of blocks of election advertising anymore.

Instead, let's get a peek at a super cute and easy block that has nothing to do with politics.

I am not one of those really talented, corner-matching quilters and so I was sure to make my block nearly fool proof. (I say nearly because whenever I'm involved all bets are off!) If you are a beginning quilter or seamstress, this is a great project to start with.

As you can see, it's actually four smaller blocks made into one larger block. This means you can have tons of fun rearranging the individual units. Instead of a square, you could arrange the letters in a row for a cute table runner or wall hanging. Here's what I plan to do with the pattern and our new 2WENTY-THR3E fabrics. 

For neighborhood holiday gifts, I let the individual units stand all alone. I am making them into these cute coaster sets out of our Dear Mr. Claus fabrics.

I think when they are bundled up and paired with some home-made chai latte mix they will be well appreciated!

If you would like to get your hands on the pattern and instructions for this block, leave us a comment. We'll choose a random winner to receive a free issue of the 100 Blocks Magazine. Our winner will be announced Wednesday morning. Best of luck everyone.

Now I must run. I have something to do today and if you change one of the letters in my block, you'll know just what it is.




 

Tutorials: Split Leaf Flower & Ruffled Leaf Flower

Sometimes I'm asked why I make things. Why I spend so much time making a card, a tag, a garland, a scrapbook especially when it's probably cheaper to just buy it already done.

All I can say is this.... Making things makes me happy. It gives me a reason to get out of bed and clean up my house. It gives me satisfaction as an accomplishment that my children won't undo. It gets my brain working and my creative juices flowing. And that my friends is the real point when it's all said and done. We joke that crafting is cheaper than therapy, but it's not really a joke, is it?

Besides, a handmade card or tag, a gift designed specifically for the recipient or a scrapbook containing my voice and personality can't be bought at the store... 

(Used in the above project: Art Angel Mini Deck, Art Angel Stamps, Wooden Buttons in Natural and 2" Gluber.)

On that note I had some leaves left over from my garland and I am not one to let a good scrap go to waste! I made the above flower with my paper leftovers and was so happy that I decided to teach you all how to make your own. 

You can easily follow the picture tutorial, but in a nutshell here's what I did.

1. Cut petals in half, then make a cut to split them open stopping 1/4-1/2 inch from the tip.
2. Fold the right side of the lower half over the left side to make the petal cup.
3. Fold a pleat in the center of the petal.
4. Stick to Gluber.
5. Repeat until all the Gluber is covered.
6. Peel and stick to your awesome project.


For my fabric leftovers, I created this "ruffled leaf flower" by overlapping the leaves slightly as I gathered them through the center making a chain. When they were all strung together and ruffly, I folded them in half and brought the ends together, pulling my thread tight. A canvas brad in the center is perfect with these coffee dyed fabrics! 

Have a happy Friday, a wonderful weekend and a great autumn season..... and, make something beautiful today!

Coffee Stained Paper & Fabric Garland

Before I get to anything more than a few handmade Christmas gifts and cards, I do have to decorate for Thanksgiving. It's one of my favorite holidays. Not because of the food, but because of family, togetherness, movies and PUZZLES! (I secretly love puzzles even though everyone I know hates them. I think it's because of the brand Ravensburger and my Aunt Carol sending them to us, the Ravenberg family.)

I want my home to be cozy for the holiday and so yesterday I decided to jump aboard the garland/bunting bandwagon and make something festive. I have a huge box of fabric scraps from 2WENTY-THR3E and so I started with those, but I also had some of the fun Art Angel tags that remind me of my blessing that I wanted to include.

When I got the colors together, they weren't exactly as coordinating as I thought they might be. Never fear, a little dying with coffee mutes everything down making a warm and welcoming vintage effect.

To coffee stain your paper and fabric, put it in a dish (not metal) and pour your coffee over the top. I just re-used the grounds from my morning cup to make the dye. The paper will soak up the liquid quickly, so pull each piece out, crumple it a little and set is aside. Once all the paper has been crumpled, do the same with the fabric as soon as it's dark enough for your taste.

Then, take all your materials, put them back in your dish and pop them in the microwave for a speed drying session. I microwaved mine for 5 minutes turning and testing for dryness after each minute.

After they are dried, they will be AWESOME!

All you have to do now is stitch everything together. For those of you that have yet to try this, can I suggest using a zig-zag stitch over a heavy weight thread for added strength between your garland cuties. 

It only takes a few minutes to put these together and they are popular for a reason..... they are super cute!

Congratulations go to Margie Visnick who said, "Thanks for the freebie!! Love CC!" Margie send your info to me, julie at cosmocricket dot com and I'll make sure you get your goodies. Thanks for playing everyone... we're almost to Friday! YEAH!!!!

Quilt Market: 2TWENTY-THR3E, Glamping and Bull Riding

My favorite color is MODA! That is the theme of the Moda booth this year and they went all out.

(I designed the above quilt and Lissa Alexander of Moda had it made. I love it!)

Our little corner of the woods was next to Mary Jane's line Glamping.

(Sorry for the blurry cell phone photos!)

(This quilt was designed and made by my wonderful and talented sister Emily Bailey of Aunt Em's Quilts.)

So, we Glamped out for a bit. Afterall, the skirt I made fit right in. I told Eric that I would sew him a shirt for the next market, but he declined my offer..... can you even believe that?!?! I think he would look smashing in an orange, camera-print oxford.



While walking the floor we found another quilt I designe and Lissa had made. This one you'll be able to make yourself soon. It will be published in an upcoming issue of Quilts and More magazine.

But the real fun always happens in the last few hours of the Moda party! Welcome to Texas Eric and Julie!!!
 
My video looks like slow motion compared to Eric's. The bull controller-man was nice to us girls, but I swear it felt like I was moving so fast. Partway through I got this great idea to throw Eric my hat, but I learned the hard way that one should not get creative while riding a mechanical bull!
 


 

23 Reasons to win 2TWENTY-THR3E Fabric

Quilt Market isn't for a couple weeks, but we are giving away some of our soon-to-be-released 2TWENTY-THR3E fabric today!

Here's 23 reasons to try winning this fabric:
1. It won't be in stores for months.
2. It looks great even before it's sewn into anything.
3. You can never have enough fabric.
4. You can use the money you would have spent on buying it for laser hair removal.... or whatever.
5. Your friends will be really nice to you if you win.
6. This fabric may be just the thing to get you off Pinterest.
7. It would totally justify buying a new camera to match.
8. Just think of the bags!
9. It would make your day and a really cute quilt.
10. You would have a reason to use/buy that new sewing machine.
11. It would prove you are a lucky person.
12. If your hubby complained about more fabric, you could tell him that he married a WINNER!
13. It would make you smile.
14. It is the cheapest way to feed your addiction.
15. Getting fabric in the mail is so much better than getting bills.
16. If you support O'bama, you could say that everyone deserves a chance at not-yet-released fabric, not just the 1% (designers).
17. If you support Romney, you could say that trickle-down-fabric really does work.
18. If you're undecided, you could say, "I'll cut this free fabric down the middle."
19. Hand-drawn cameras... do we need to say more? Uh, I guess we actually do need to say a few more.
20. It would make you happy.
21. It will be easy to enter... much easier than writing this list. Whose idea was this anyway?!?!?
22. You may be able to win over your mother-in-law. If you share, that is.
23. You'll be able to say, "Not tonight honey, I have new fabric!"

I took a photo from the huge box of goodies that Moda sent me. I will cut off a fun set to send to one lucky winner. 

All you have to do to enter is leave me one comment telling me why you should be the winner. Be creative, be funny, be smart. Why you ask? Will it help you win? No, but I read every comment and I like entertaining stuff!

We will pick our random winner tomorrow morning. Best of luck everyone!