And the winner is .....

Sorry I forgot to do the pillowcase draw yesterday. So without further ado...the winner is #4 - Margo!! Watch your mail. I hope to mail it out tomorrow.

Pillowcase tutorial and giveaway

I can't believe it has been so long since I blogged. I promised a tutorial for my pillowcases, so here goes:
Fabric requirements
3/4 yd - cut 27x41 body of the pillowcase
1/8 yd - cut 3x41 trim (doesn't have to be exactly 3")
1/4 yd - cut 9x41 cuff (doesn't have to be exactly 9")


Fold fabric for body of the pillowcase in half, rights sides together, begin sewing from the raw edge to the fold. I like to sew mine on the serger but they can be done on a sewing machine but you might want to zigzag the edges or cut them with pinking shears or a pinking rotary blade.

Next sew the long raw edge of the body of the pillowcase, fold the cuff and trim in half, right sides together and sew the short seams.

Turn all right sides out. Fold cuff and trim in half, matching raw edges, press.

Layer like photo, matching seams.


Pin onto bottom of pillowcase body. You won't be able to see the trim piece when sewing but it should be between the body and the cuff so that you will be sewing through all pieces.

Press and now you have a beautiful or fun pillowcase. I don't usually wash my fabrics before making the pillowcase but do wash them before using.

OK, for the giveaway is this pillowcase. It is made with a very soft and silky feeling 65% bamboo and 35% cotton fabric. Comment on this post before Monday night and I will do the drawing on Tuesday.

Swaps, pillowcases, quilts

Light med dark values

Med value with black, grey and brown additives

My preferred way to mount a color wheel

Make a shade gradation

Half step 50% gradation

I can't believe it has been over a week since I last blogged. I have been busy mounting the many dyeing swaps that I have participated in-I have mounted about 150 color wheels, 70+ gradations and a few misc type swaps, like make a shade where you add black, brown or grey, etc.

I have also cut out a lot of pillowcases, a few purses (3 or 4 I think) and quilts (including my Montana quilt and the teal and brown shadowed squares). I am one that likes to do assembly line stuff sometimes and really like to cut a lot of projects out at one time and then sew without having to stop and cut the next project so I am set for a while now. When I was a teenager my mom and I would spend an entire weekend cutting out pants and tops for her once we knew a pattern fit and she liked it, cutting out 2 or 3 at a time, to save time and then would pin the steps and when I was finished with one, all of the ones we had cut out would be finished.

In a few days I plan to do a tutorial on the way I do my pillowcases and will do a giveaway on the one that I use for the tutorial, so watch this space.

On Saturday I will be going to the quilt show in Melbourne and will be meeting Ellen Lindner in person (I took her Instant Art Quilt class online) and taking my IAQ for her to see and get some ideas for quilting. I can't wait. She is doing a talk entitled "Increase Your Fiber with Raw Edge Appliqué".