Happy New Years!

Well, we can' move forward into a new year without taking a quick look back first! Although I originally made little quick slid shoes of pictures, I can't get them to load here! So instead of showing you everything I made and did, I will chose to edit it down to 9 favorites in a few different categories!

Favorite Store Moments!

This was a big year for me, with the store opening and everything that came along with that! I absolutely loved taking and teaching classes at the shop, doing my first quilting bee, having the outdoor quilt show, and being able to spend so much creative, productive time in this sunny little place I'm building! There were so many fun new things, like going to quilt market, filming for The Sewing Party, the outdoor quilt show, participating in Sewvivor, and so much more! It hasn't always been easy, but it's always been interesting, and that's way better anyway!

Favorite Quilts, 2014

Now on to the favorite results of my favorite thing to make: quilts! My records show that I made almost 30 quilts this year, if you include a few minis (which I do, because they can still take forever!) And they all had a special place in my heart, but here are my top 9! I guess I can see a bit of a theme, color wise, as they dont look especially different from each other, so maybe 2015 i branch out? That or I settle into a signature style. See more here!

Garment Makes 2014

I also explored the wide and wonderful world of garment sewing for the first time with any real success this year! From my first Briar Tee to dip my toes into knits, to the McCalls pattern I have almost successfully finished, to finally attempting button holes, I am proud of the things I tried this year! Though they weren't all successes, I am happy with the additions I have to my wardrobe, and the possibilities for what else I can learn in the coming year.

Thanks for following along on this adventure with me. Looking forward to sharing 2015 with you as well!!

xoxo
Nancy

Cloth Napkins with Mitered Corners Tutorial

[caption id="attachment_170" align="aligncenter" width="278"] Matching set using Art Gallery Fabrics in Summer Grove[/caption]

I love cloth napkins! They are reusable, and washable, and they can be made in any cotton fabric that you want to use! They make great gifts too, which is what I did for Mother's Day this year (if my own mother reads this blog frequently: stop reading or ruin the surprise!). In this case, I chose some nice brightly colored fabric for my parents to use in their gazebo this summer. I picked 4 half-yard cuts and was able to make 2 napkins from each. I started by cutting all my fabrics into 18" squares. You could do 20" as well, but then you'll need slightly over 1/2 yard, so it makes it a little trickier. For this tutorial we will be finishing the edges using mitered corners. Start by marking a right angle shape 1 3/4" in from each corner.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Clear ruler marks 1 3/4" from each side.[/caption]

Once you've done that you will want to snip a corner off. If you have a ruler with a 45 degree angle line on it, use that to mark the corner, measuring up 1". You can also mark a point 1" up from the corner on each side-- the diagonal line that connects those points will be the mark you'll follow to cut the corner off.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="292"] Marking the corner piece to snip it off[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"] After snipping, your corner now looks like this[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="302"] Fold the corner up until it meets the right angle you drew in a previous step. Finger press so it stays folded while you do the other corners.[/caption]

Repeat this process with all the corners of each napkin. Once that's done you are going to fold over each edge 1/2" , with the wrong side of the fabric facing you, and press it down.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="293"] Please excuse my horrendous ironing board cover.... it got like that after 1 week!![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="283"] Once you've folded the corners once by 1/2" your napkin will look like this.[/caption]

The next step is to fold the edges over one more time, again by 1/2". When you do this the corners should been up, forming a 45 degree angle.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="289"] Mitered corner[/caption]

Sew along the edge of the folded part, keeping the needle down to pivot at the corners.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="299"] Pi-vot![/caption]

I sewed two times around each napkin, one toward the outside edge and one towards the inside edge of the folded part of the napkin, just for some extra security.

[caption id="attachment_152" align="aligncenter" width="224"] Finished set[/caption]