Let's Get Ready to Pinwheel (Which...bonus...is also an OPAM finish for May)

Saturday the make and take project at the quilt shop was fabric pinwheels. Easy, quick and fun. I've made these out of

paper before, as you may have, but the fabric ones are fun and longer lasting. And hey, we're fabric people, right? I've had a few people ask me how to make them, so here you go.

I started with 1 yard of Heat n Bond Ultra Hold and four fat quarters, which I cut in half. I cut the fusible into 4 pieces and ironed it to one piece of each fat quarter.

Then I peeled back the paper and fused a coordinated piece of fat quarter to one that had been fused.

 Now I've got 4 pieces of double sided fabric.

Which I then cut into various sized squares. For each pinwheel you need two squares of the same double-sided fabric. I wound up with 19 pairs of squares ranging in size from 6" down to 2.5". Anything over 6" is going to be rather 'floppy', so I'd suggest you stay under that. In fact, I think 5" was an ideal size (as was 2.5").

Before you go any further, take a minute to check the fusing on your squares. If youv'e got any edges or sides that you can peel back, hit them with the iron for 2 seconds to fuse them.

At this time, sort out all you squares by size, keeping the pairs of matching squares together. Grab your pencil and ruler and measure the width of the square, divide it in half and add 1/8". Take a ruler corner to corner and draw a line from the corner to the center as long as the measurement you calculated above. For instance, if you're using a 4" square, you would measure in 2-1/8" from the corner and draw a pencil line from the corner to this point. Do this for each corner. Then carefully cut on each of those lines. (Use your scissors, it's a simple one-snip process). You can snip a couple at a time, but be sure you adjust between cuts to line those corners up. The bottom one will tend to slip during cutting.)

Lay two matching squares side by side and flip one over. Starting with the upper right hand corner,  apply a small dab of hot glue from your glue gun and fold the corner to the center of the square and hold for a second until it sticks. Note: it is very important that you are turning in the same corners of each piece.

Do the same with every other corner, bringing it to the center and gluing it down.

Now you've got two contrasting pinwheels. 

Place one on top of the other, arranging so the blades of the top wheel are placed over the spaces on the bottom wheel. Use a bead of hot glue in the center of the bottom wheel to stick them both together. If it's a bit off, as long as you're quick, and the glue hasn't dried, you can simply give one of the wheels a twist to line them up properly.

Once I had them lined up how I wanted, I just folded down the top one and applied the glue, holding the two firmly together with my thumb and forefinger.

I like to work 'production line' style, so I did all my cuts at one time, and made all my pinwheel tops before moving on.

You can use lollopop sticks, straws, or bamboo skewers, which you can usually find in the grocery store.  Apply a generous line of hot glue to the back of the pinwheel and hold the non-pointed end of the skewer in it until the glue is set.  

I saved the scraps I had left from cutting squares and cut them into appropriately sized strips to use them to cover the stick (apply a little hot glue to the edges and place it over the stick and smooth it down). Don't worry about lining up your fabric pattern, it's not critical--it's the back, and really, we aren't trying to win any contests with these, it just looks nicer to have the stick and glue covered should someone happen to inspect your backside :).

To finish them off, hot glue a button or two (stacked) to the center of the pinwheel, and you're done.

  

 

In a couple hours, you too can have a pile of fabric pinwheels. Stick them in plants, fill a vase, use the little ones on cupcakes. Make them in Christmas fabrics and use them as ornaments (omit the stick), decorate packages with them, glue one to your straw hat, glue one to a hair clip....yada, yada, yada....you get the point.

 Have fun!



Saturday's Finds

You might remember these neat little stamped metal charms I found a couple weeks ago in a shop near Jinny Beyer's?  Well, yesterday I took my neighbor to a quilt shop in Frederick and she in turn took me to this neat little once a month antique/shabby chic kind of flea market place in a barn in Buckeystown called Chartreuse and Co.

Here's a link to photos of the  merchandise offered this weekend:

http://gallery.me.com/vacrum#100584&view=grid&bgcolor=black&sel=25 

Of course, she went Friday morning and noted that by the time we got there on Saturday afternoon, a lot of good stuff was long gone, but I did find these:

which will be adorning something of mine as soon as I can figure out what. And I'll likely ask my daughter's jewelry making friend, Scarlet Robin (be sure to check out that link...her stuff is fab-o) to stamp me some sterling so I can add it to my jewelry collection.

I also picked up a couple of cute gift items (guess who they're for :) )

This one's a magnet. Love it! :

Looks like I'm going to have to take off June 17th so I can be at Chartreuse and Co. on opening day. Thanks Ann, for the enablement.

I'll be back later today to share my afternoon making fabric pinwheels. Enjoy yours!

This Weekend's Shopping...A Giveaway for May

The fabric above is the reason I went back to the shop on Saturday. I saw it while I was in my one on one Smith Street Designs lecture  and I didn't buy it. It was not a case of out of sight, out of mind, and I decided that since I was out that way on Saturday for the wedding 'tasting' that I'd swing by and satisfy my craving. I tried to find some other fabrics to go with it and in the end just decided that it was time to up my stash building from half yards to full yards (I know, I know, I fully expect to one day be buying 3-4 yards, baby steps....baby steps...) and purchased this with no specific project in mind. (Oh the horror!).

So the very helpful cutting lady gives me a sly glance and says..."did you happen to notice that we have those prints in blue as well"?

Put me down for 2 more yards.

And I had picked the print on the bottom to go with the red/butter prints above, but then I saw the maroon/gold and decided that this also had to join us (but only half yards of these...they'll more than likely be something other than a quilt.

My daughter mentioned liking paisley, so when I saw a few that went together well, the quest was on to find every paisley in the shop that might work together (fortunately, this is a rather small shop). A couple of them were half price, so I got full yards. I've now got 4 yards of paisley, so I think I can put it together somehow to make a suitable TV quilt.

I'm going to try to stay away from the fabric shops until G Street's Memorial Day sale.

When I stopped in Michaels to pick up the last of the drawer dividers, I found  a bunch of these cute, bright fabric flowers in little pots on display inside the front door. Just the happy type of display to catch your eye.

Being the quiltaholic that I am, I skipped right over most of them and my eyes locked on one that was was a stuffed flower. Light bulb moment.... PINCUSHIONS!

Don't you just love them? I do, and for that very reason, this is what is going to be May's Follower Appreciation Giveaway prize.  As always,  as long as you're a follower of this blog (and you are listed in the sidebar as one), you'll get one entry into the drawing for each comment you post during the month of May.  Good idea? Does anyone out there collect pincushions? What's your favorite?