Pumpkin towels

Hello…with Thanksgiving fast approaching I thought it would be fun to create a few towels for this festive season. I've used a steel rule die and these dies aren't just for paper. These dies can be used to cut a multitude of surfaces like fabric, felt, paper, chip board, tissue paper, acrylic, even an aluminum can and more. 
Just think of all the possibilities.  

Supplies needed: small towels, felted wool or felt, thread, sewing machine, jute string

Optional: batting  

I purchased a few little towels from the grocery store for our project. 

Die cut the felted wool with the Pumpkin Parts Bigz Die. You could also use regular felt for the die cut pieces.

Here's a look at the die cut pumpkin parts you'll need. 

Layer all the pieces together. 

Position the layered pieces on the towel and pin in place. 

Using a zigzag stitch, stich around all the edges.

Add a little bow of Jute String to the top of the pumpkin next to the stem. 

After I worked on the first pumpkin I wondered what I could do to make the process a little easier. I decided to add the pumpkin in layers this time. Stitch the base of the pumpkin down and then the stem. 

Continue stitching the pumpkin segments over the base pumpkin. Add a little bow of Jute String next to the stem of the pumpkin. Another change I made to the second towel is that I didn't use any batting. It was easier to sew but I also liked the first pumpkin because it was a little puffier. You could also hand stitch the pumpkin with a blanket stitch. 

I think it just comes down to personal preference. I think napkins would be very festive too! 

Can't wait to display my towels at Thanksgiving! What are your plans for the holidays? We have a big crowd coming, I think it will be a table for 20…I can't wait to see everyone! 

I also have some exciting news! My daughter Ashley and her husband Kirk just had their first baby this past week! And here she is…

Clara Ann

7 lb. 1 oz. 

19 1/2" long 

She is the sweetest baby ever! 

Have a great day!

Richele

Products I used…

InLinkz.com

Eclectic Elements WINNERS are...

I hope you all had a Happy Halloween! 

We walked around the neighborhood with the grandkids. They had an awesome time collecting and eating candy. 

Here are the winners for the Faux Cathedral Window. 

Please email me your info and I'll get your prizes out on Monday! 

SusanK  October 30, 2014 at 11:02 AM

Love giveaways...especially if they involve Tim Holtz products and ideas by you! Thank you! Happy Halloween!

Dodie October 30, 2014 at 8:18 PM

I would love to win this prize! Every time I say Phoomph I giggle.

Kathy E. October 31, 2014 at 7:30 PM

The faux Cathedral Windows pillow is beautiful! I would love to create one like that and display it in my family room. This would be a great project for me to work on with my daughter.

Happy Saturday!

Richele

Eclectic Elements - Giveaway!!

Hello everyone! Now that I've unpack from my trip to Quilt Market I found some goodies in my suitcase that need a new home! 

Yippee prizes are always good and I have three of them.  

The giveaway is all about the faux Cathedral Window technique using the Tim Holtz Courtyard Frameworks die. You will love this technique.

 If you missed my post earlier this year you can find it here. 

Leave a comment by October 31st at midnight PST and I will pick three lucky winners! 

Tim and Paula are also doing a giveaway on their blogs! 

Good luck!

Have a great day!

Richele

International Quilt Market 2014 - Houston

Hello...I'm just back from Quilt Market in Houston Texas. 

I have wanted to go to Quilt Market in Houston ever since I started quilting over 30 years ago. All the new fabric releases, new machines, new products and then there was the amazing quilts. So much inspiration! I had such a great time working in the booth, meeting new friends, being inspired by all the quilts and hanging out with my dear friends Tim, Mario and Paula. 

and

 So excited...my project made the front cover of International Quilt Festival Magazine. Yippee!! It's the Floral Hexagon Tote.

 The Tim Holtz Honeycomb Frameworks die was the inspiration to create the front of the tote. So don't think your paper crafting tools are just for paper, many of them will work on fabric projects as well. All the details on how to make the beautiful tote are in the magazine! To order the magazine click here. 

Once we arrived it was time to get things set up and un-pack the crates. Here are Tim and Paula getting ready to hang the beautiful quilt.

Off to Schoolhouse for Tim's presentation on the Eclectic Elements Fabric line.

Here's Tim adding a few finishing touches to the booth. 

The Hash Browns for Breakfast quilt hanging at the back of the booth was so popular there is now a pattern. Click here for the free pattern on the Coats website. 

You can also see more projects here. 

The booth was beautiful with the signature Tim Holtz vintage feel. 

The new catalogues with lots of inspirational projects. 

The bolts of Eclectic Elements fabric. A girl can never have too much fabric! 

Here are a few projects that I made with the new fabrics. Ruffle floral pillow, star pillows and a small sewing wallet. I can't wait to make a one for myself. 

On the last day we were able to take a peek at all the beautiful quilts on display.

 But this display of the Ruby Jubilee was the most breathtaking display I have ever seen. 

Simply amazing!! 

Check out Tim and Paula's blog for their recap of the show.

Thanks for stopping by!

Richele

Trick or Treat Bags for Halloween!

Hello friends! Our project today is all about quick! If you're like me you're always looking for simple projects at the last minute. I think these would be fantastic for your child's class or for a halloween party favor. 

The dies we are using today are Movers and Shapers Dies. Movers and Shapers dies gives you the versatility to move the dies on the magnetic platform to create a shaped window where you would like it.

I set up the In the Bag Bigz die with several of the Halloween Mini icons. Some of my favorites for this project are the Mini Spider and 31, Mini Cat and Raven and the Mini Skull and Bat. 

Die cut the In the Bag Bigz die using Kraft'core cardstock and don't forget to position the Mini Halloween Spider, Bat, Cat….they will die cut at the same time! How easy is that?

Use a strong adhesive like Rangers Wonder Tape to adhere the flap of the bag. Glossy Accents is also a great adhesive for our project. 

Fold on all the score lines and adhere the flap to the bag. Assemble the bag by folding the little ends in on the sides, then fold in the other large flaps. 

Push in the tab in  to create the box bottom. 

Ink the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink on an Ink Blending Tool. Adhere a 2 3/4" x 3" piece of Kraft'Core cardstock inside the bag over the Halloween icon. 

After the bags were all together I decided to stamp a message at the bottom. Flatten the bag out then stamp with Jet Black Archival Ink using the Simple Sayings set. 

This set is great for all occasions, it even comes with a little border. 

Die cut some little tags from Kraft'core cardstock using the Tag Collection Framelits set. Love this set! So many different shapes and sizes of tags. 

To stamp a little something on our tag I used these innovative stamps. They're Mason Row Pegz Stamps available through Stampers Anonymous. Just click them together kind of like Legos to create your words.

Create a few little words like boo or eek! 

Stamp with Jet Black Archival Ink on to the tiny tag. 

Punch a small hole at the top of the bag, tie Striped Paper Sting with a bow and don't forget to include the cute little tag. 

Movers and Shapers dies are a great way to create custom projects! 

Happy Halloween! 

Thanks for stopping in!

Richele

Here's all the goodies I used! 

InLinkz.com