~ Podunk Pretties Black Friday Sale ~

Just wanted to pop in today to let you know I'm having a Black Friday Sale in my Etsy shop 

ALL WEEKEND!  

All patterns are 30% off.  PDF and Mailed.  

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~ Making a little Joy ~

With all the black I've been working with lately this little pillow was just what I needed to pull it all together. This simple and easy pillow added a big punch of color and I promise it will only take a couple of hours of your time.  

The first thing to do was find the perfect script, print it and mark the centering lines.

Well that's what I had to do.

I made things a little easier for you!  Click here for the free printable.  It's already reversed for raw edge applique and the centering marks are in place.  OH JOY!

Tape your Joy template on a light box or window. Since mine wasn't reversed it had to be flipped over.  You will NOT need to do this.

Heat and Bond Lite is my favorite fusible webbing.  I've used many different brands and find this one works best for me.  Any brand will work as long as it's Fusible..  Trace the image to the smooth paper side of the Heat and Bond Lite.

Roughly cut out the traced image and fuse it to the fabric using the instructions from the fusible webbing.  TIP:  Since this text is so swirly with some tight inner corners a good pair of scissors is a good idea but not necessary.  Kay Buckley scissors is my favorite.  They cut all the way to the tip, stay sharp, and do not need sharpening.  I use them everyday and they are still as sharp as the day I purchased them over a year ago.  I used all three pair to cut out this applique.  But I think the aqua handles pair are the most versatile of the three.  They are the Goldilocks scissors, not to big, not to small, perfect for longer cuts but small enough to fit in the tight spaces.

For the little loopy on the "J"  I used a small razor knife(circled in blue).  This was purchased at Joann's years ago.  I've looked for them several times since with no luck.  I found something similar on Amazon, if your interested click here.   Of course you could leave the little loopy area as is without trimming.

Next you'll need (1) 15" x 15" White Background fabric.  Fold in half twice and press a crease.  Line up the creases with the black lines on the printout.  

Carefully lay your JOY onto the image.  

TIP:  Moving this to the ironing table without shifting is tricky.  Slide your long 6" x 24" ruler under the white fabric.  Once it's safely on the ironing table give her a little press using the instructions from your fusible webbing.

Layer the with (1) 16" x 16" White fabric, then a layer of batting about 17" x 17".  TIP: Quilt Basting Spray was used to hold all the layers together, but pins will work also.

I stitched 4 lines on the front of the pillow to give it a little interest.  2 lines at the bottom and another two lines at the top using the same measurements pictured below. Then trim your pillow front to 14.5" x 14.5".

To finish off the pillow I used an envelope closure on the back and bound the edges as I would a quilt.   If you need help with an envelope closure back and binding you can click here for a great tutorial on both.  Two printable charts are provided for making an envelope closure and binding on several different sized pillows.

Here's my little Joy pillow nestled all snug between two trees on a blanket of snow.  She definitely added a little joy to the spare bedroom. The quilt on the bed is called Snow on the Farm.  The pattern is available in PDF and Mailed in my Etsy shop.  It's also available in my Craftsy shop as a PDF.

I've had a couple inquires about the Tree pillows.  They are blocks from my Christmas Memories Truck quilt pattern.  I just added a 2" frame around the block to make them larger.  All the items you see below are patterns in both my Etsy and Craftsy shops.  Links to both shops are at the top of the blog.

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~ Snow on the Farm quilt is Finished! ~

It's not very often that one of my own quilts makes me squeal.  Let me tell you this whole ensemble has me just giddy and dancing a jig!  My new quilt pattern Snow on the Farm will be my the last of my black and white fetish for awhile.  But I must say I think I saved the best for last.  This simple design with the popping RED....SQUEAL!!   Not only did I make the quilt but all the pillows, red shams, headboard, pictures on the wall and the greenery is fresh from the yard.

This pattern was so quick and easy because of the strip piecing.  The straight line quilting makes this quilt look like it is made from a bunch of tiny squares but trust me it is not.  I don't have that kind of patience.   The straight lines was just an easy way to quilt it without taking away from the snowflakes. 

 Maybe another one done in Red and White is just what I need to finish off this years list of quilts.  So classic and fresh! Love it!

The four huge snowflakes come together to make a nice size lap quilt measuring 71" x 71".  It would be easy to enlarge this a quilt and keep the simple design just by adding a solid border or two.

The pattern is available in both my Etsy and Craftsy shops.  Links to the shops are at the top of this page.    I no longer sell patterns.

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~ Snow on the Farm ~

Hold onto your hats, you're about to be blown away!  Yes you're at the right blog.  Nope, no one has taken over my Studio.  I'm not sure what fueled my sudden desire to work with black.  With every finished project I state "This will be the last, time to get back to my pretty bright fabrics!"  Well let me tell you, I'm as stuck on black as a cow in mud!  Why try to fight it, just roll with it until it runs it course.

The Christmas Tree blocks are from my quilt pattern Christmas Memories Truck.  And after seeing this photo my little black fetish may need a snowflake or two.  Hmmm....that little tree with the heart is inspiring also.  Oh my, I've got it bad.  

The new quilt pattern in black and white seen in the background of the first picture will be published tomorrow.  I've named it Snow on the Farm. It was delayed due to an small ice storm here in Podunk and the fact that I won't drive on ice.  The quilt pattern covers are ready at the printers but I don't like driving on ice.

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