sizzix – Page 3

Printable Image Fabric Key Chains

February 29, 2016 by Amanda Leave a Comment

We are huge “Fan Art” people in my family! My daughter spends her days painting and drawing fan art of Star Wars and Marvel characters. I think everything we own has a Star Wars or Super Hero (or cat) on it! I created these fun keychains that you can customize to any theme! I even made one with Mufasa’s picture on it.

Supplies

Sizzix 2 1/2″ circle die

1 3/4″ paper punch

Heat n Bond Ultra

Heat n Bond EZ Print transfer sheets

white fabric

scraps of fabric

scraps of cotton batting

twill tape

key ring

Begin by designing your image on your computer. I’m not Photoshop savvy so I like to use Microsoft Power Point. You can use photos or clip art. I love buying cute clip art from Etsy! Crop them to a circle shape and size them so they will fit in the 1 3/4″ circle punch. Print a test run on plain paper to make sure they are how you want them. Then choose “Mirror or Reverse Image” in printing and select a high print quality as you would for photos. Print them on the Heat n Bond EZ print transfer sheets.

These transfer sheets are a great way to get any digital image onto fabric! I use them all the time!

Once they are printed, use the 1 3/4″ paper punch to punch out each image. With a dry, hot iron, place the image face side down on the right side of a solid white fabric. Heat set for about 10 seconds applying firm, constant pressure. Let cool completely.

Peel off the backing paper and cut around the image using pinking shears.

Cut 2 pieces of Heat n Bond Ultra slightly larger than the 2 1/2″ circle. Iron them to the wrong side of the desired fabric. Let cool.

Cut a piece of batting roughly the same size as the fabric – these are super rough cuts, no measuring required. Peel off the backing paper of both of the fabrics and press the fabric pieces onto both sides of the batting. Let cool. This makes a fabric sandwich 🙂

Run the fabric sandwich through the Sizzix Fabi using the 2 1/2″ die. It cuts a perfect circle. Since we used the Heat n Bond Ultra, the edges of the fabric won’t fray!

Cut a 2″ piece of twill tape and loop it through the key ring. Using a zig zag stitch, stitch all the way around the circle, catching the edge of the twill tape.

Turn the keychain over so the raw edge of the twill tape is on the back. Position the image on the front (add a little Spray n Bond basting spray so it doesn’t move) and straight stitch around the image.

These make great little gifts and they are fun for kids to help with!

They also make great zipper pulls for back packs!!

And who doesn’t love having their pet on their key ring!

Filed Under: FEATURED, Heat n Bond, sizzix, Therm O Web

Deco Foil Sizzix Snowflake Pillow

January 19, 2016 by Amanda Leave a Comment

Merry Christmas! I can’t believe how fast December flew by! I still have a stack of projects I was hoping to get to! There is still time to whip up this quick snowflake pillow before Christmas. I used 3 different Sizzix snowflake dies and Deco Foil in Silver and Gold – just like the song!

Gather your supplies and let’s get started!

The Hot Melt Sheets are what allow the Deco Foil to adhere to the fabric. Cut the Hot Melt Sheets the size of the Siizix die.

Use only one layer of the Hot Melt Sheets at a time. I tried cutting multiple and it cuts great but the hot melt sheets end up sticking together.

Cut (2) squares the size of your pillow. I always use 20″ pillow so I can swap pillow covers out in a jiffy. I used a heavy natural muslin. Mine is cut 20″ square. Have your cat help you position the snowflakes randomly all over the pillow front. You can also position in three rows for a linear look. Once you have the snowflakes placed just so, press them into place using a medium-hot dry iron. Let cool completely.

Don’t peel the backing paper off all the snowflakes at once. Begin in the center and peel off as you add foil to protect the adhesive from the iron. Peel off the center snowflake’s paper and place a piece of Deco Foil over. Place the pressing sheet (it comes with the Hot Melt Sheets) over the foil. USING A MEDIUM HEAT DRY IRON press for about 20 seconds. I found that if my iron was set on the cotton/linen setting it would scorch the foil. If this is your first time, test this on a piece of scrap fabric to make sure it works. Once you’ve pressed the foil let it cool completely.

Once the foil has cooled, gently peel away the foil sheet. It will leave a perfect snowflake! Continue this process.

Be mindful not to touch the iron to the completed snowflakes.

They are so shiny and pretty!! Once all the snowflakes are finished you can turn it into a pillow! I always put a zipper in my pillow back. I also added some decorative fringe. For more instructions on how to finish the pillow, you can check out this tutorial.

I love how this pillow looks in my sparkly living room! Supplies:

2/3 yard heavy muslin for pillow

Sizzix Snowflake Dies

Therm O Web Hot Melt Sheets

Therm O Web Deco Foil in silver and gold

2.5 yards decorative fringe

22″ zipper, optional

Filed Under: Christmas, FEATURED, Heat n Bond, pillow, sizzix, Therm O Web

Sizzix Heart Quilt

January 18, 2016 by Amanda 1 Comment

I think I love Valentine’s Day so much because it pulls me out of the “After Christmas Blues”. It’s bright, and happy! I love the simplicity of this quilt – a simple heart applique. What makes it feel special is that no two hearts are the same and the backgrounds are a variety of low volume prints. When ever I go to a quilt shop and I’m not sure what to buy, I end up purchasing charm packs. I had this “Scrumptious” charm pack by Moda tucked away and it was perfect for this project.

DIY Heart Quilt: A Cozy and Sweet Make for Valentine's Day

Heat n Bond Lite by Therm O Web is my go to for any Sizzix applique projects. I love it because it’s light weight, it fuses fast, and peels easy. Cut the Heat n Bond Lite into (25) 5″ squares.

Select 25 of your favorite squares from the charm pack.

Fuse the Heat n Bond Lite to the wrong side of each of the 25 charm squares. Let cool.

Make sure your cat helps with all the die cutting! Die cut each of the 25 squares using the Fabi heart. The squares are just big enough to cover the whole heart.

Cut a variety of low volume prints into 7″ squares. You will need 25 total. Peel off the backing paper and position the heart in the center of each of the 7″ squares. Heat set into place. Top stitch around each heart, I used light pink thread.

Lay out the blocks as desired. You could easily turn this into a table runner or add more blocks for a baby quilt or throw quilt. Sew each block together in rows using 1/4″ seams. Press each row alternately so it makes it easy to match seams. Sew the rows together and press in one direction. Quilt.

I quilted a scallop boarder around each heart to give it a “Valentine” feel. Then 1/4″ straight line seams. Add the binding and you’re done!

Filed Under: appliqué, FEATURED, quilt, sizzix, Therm O Web, tutorial, Uncategorized, Valentine's Day

12 Days of Meow-y Christmas {Day 1}

December 1, 2015 by Amanda 1 Comment

Hi, my name is Amanda and I am a crazy cat lady – there I said it!! There is something about Christmas and cats that it so much fun! Whether the cat is climbing the tree and batting ornaments around the house, clawing at the wrapping paper on the gifts, or drinking the milk for Santa, Christmas and Cats were made to go together! Each day December 1-12 we will have a Christmas Cat themed project for you to make! I say “we” because I have teamed up with some talented ladies for some feline fun! Tina from @emilyannskloset, Melissa from the Polka Dot Chair, Bev from Flamingo Toes, Tasha from a Little Sweetness, Kerri from Sew Dearly Loved, and Lucy from Lucy Blaire Handmade will be joining in the festivities!

Today I am showing you how to make these vintage inspired cat ornaments. I LOVE vintage prints especially if they involve cats. Let’s get started!

Supplies

Sizzix Mitten Die

Small Ric Rac

White fabric

Tinsel

Felt, 2 colors

Heat n Bond EZ Print Transfer Sheets

Spray n Bond

Ribbon

Bakers Twine

Begin by printing the cat images (click here to download) in REVERSE onto the Transfer Sheets.

Roughly cut out the image and place it face down onto white cotton fabric.

Place the pressing sheet over the image and press with a hot, dry iron for 20 seconds. (Read the instructions from the manufacturer just to be safe). Let cool completely and then peel off the backing paper. Cut out with scissors.

Mufasa my Kitty Helper was sleeping on the job!!! For the mittens, die cut the felt using the Sizzix mitten die.

You can die cut up to 4 at a time. You will need (2) mittens and (2) mitten tops per ornament.

Using Spray n Bond, spray the back of the kitty image and position on the top of one of the mittens. Spray the back of the small ric rac also, and position it around the kitty image. Start and stop the Ric Rac at the top of the image. The Spray n Bond keeps all the pieces firmly set so they don’t move during sewing. Sew on top of the ric rac.

Using the basting spray, spray the wrong side of one of the mittens and stick the 2 mittens together. Choose a decorative stitch and sew around the mitten. Start and stop at the top.

Spray the (2) white mitten tops with basting spray and position them on opposite sides of the mitten. Top stitch around the mitten top in white thread. Cut a piece of narrow tinsel by the yard and zig zag it along the mitten cuff.

Thread a piece of baking twine on a needle and add a loop at the top of the mitten. Hot glue a little bow at the top of the ric rac.

Hang on your vintage tree!!! These are so fun and easy to make! They would be purrrrfect tied on top of a gift, tied on a plate of cookies, or simply tucked into a Christmas card 🙂

Filed Under: Christmas, FEATURED, Heat n Bond, Meowy Christmas, sizzix, Therm O Web

Sizzix Applique Anchor Ornaments

November 16, 2015 by Amanda 1 Comment

My Sizzix Applique Anchor Ornaments project is over at the Sizzix blog today! Sizzix has introduced an ANCHOR DIE!!!! My mind has been blown! Think of all the amazing projects we can make now! Pillows, quilts, skirts, shirts, bags, table runners, and the list goes on and on! I love the idea of nautical and Christmas intertwined. I cam up with this fun little ornament – you can hang on a tree or on a hook. It would make the perfect gift for your ocean loving friends!!

Mufasa’s favorite sewing projects involve the Sizzix machine!

Hop on over for the instructions. Wouldn’t these be cute tied on packages!!!

Filed Under: nautical, sizzix, Therm O Web

Sizzix Quilted Deco Foil Pumpkin Pillow

October 28, 2015 by Amanda Leave a Comment

I am in love with gold polka dot pumpkins! I created a smaller version of this pillow on the Therm O Web blog. This version is a 20″ pillow and it’s actually quilted! Have you used Deco Foils before? They are a great way to add a little pop and pizzaz to a project. To get perfect polka dots I used my Sizzix Fabi and a circle die. Of course I needed a little help from Mufasa who is totally obsessed with the Sizzix Fabi!

Using the Fabi you can cut circles in a snap! I used the Therm O Web Hot Melt Sheets and die cut them.

Draw a pumpkin on a white piece of fabric using a disappearing ink pen. Position the circles all over the pumpkin including partially off the edge of the pumpkin. You can use this pumpkin pattern, I enlarged it a bit so it fit the 20″ pillow. Press using medium heat. Let cool completely. Peel off papers.Cut the Deco Foil into squares that are slightly larger than the circles. Place on top of each hot melt circle. Cover with a pressing paper and press for about 15-25 seconds using medium heat. If I use the highest heat setting it singes the foil.

Let cool completely.

Carefully peel off excess foil leaving gold circles! Yes! It’s magical!!!

Cut the pumpkin out. Cut the stem out.

Cut (2) natural linen/cotton squares for the pillow. Using Spray n Bond basting spray, adhere the pumpkin and stem to the square.

Using more basting spray, baste the square onto a piece of batting.

Sew around the stem and the pumpking 3 times in dark brown thread. Add some swirly vines. Then have some fun with the quilting! I added detail to the pumpkin. I also quilted wavy lines in the background. I really like how it turned out.

To finish the pumpkin, add a zipper in the back 20″ square. Baste in trim, and sew the pillow using 1/2″ seams.

Mufasa needs to be a Sizzix model 🙂

Filed Under: FEATURED, Halloween, Heat n Bond, pillow, sizzix, Therm O Web

Kids Can Sew! Sizzix Doll Quilt

September 30, 2015 by Amanda Leave a Comment

I love getting my girls involved in sewing! In fact among the requirements for leaving home to go to college are: 1. you must be able to bake a pie from scratch 2. you must be able to successfully make the family roll recipe 3. you must be able to construct a quilt start to finish by yourself! I’m proud of my teenage daughter as she has mastered all of these skills. Sally is 7 and we are beginning to sew on the machine. She LOVES it! I like projects that she can do most of the work; this one is perfect!

I love using the Sizzix for cutting because she is too young to use the rotary cutter. This way, she gets to “cut” out her quilt. She choose all the fabrics and the Sizzix die. The triangle worked great because it was easy for her to follow.

Once she had chosen all the fabrics, I ironed Heat n Bond Lite to the wrong side of the triangle fabric. Then I let Sally loose with the Sizzix Fabi.

I cut a piece of white fabric the size she wanted. She positioned the triangles and I pressed them in place.

She sat at the machine and I had her practice sewing 1/4″ seams along the triangles. If she messed up, not to worry, the triangles would be fine. This was such good experience. She got to where she could start and stop and lift the presser foot and cut the thread all by herself!

Once all the triangles were stitched around, I used Spary n Bond to baste the quilt together. This allowed for easy quilting and no messing with pins! I wanted her to do all the quilting. I put the walking foot on and showed her how the machine can “sew by itself” and all she needed to do was steer the fabric, not push or pull it. Once she saw how fun this was she was off! I encouraged her to do random lines all over. I love how it turned out!

Mufasa was quite a helper, he slept the entire time behind the sewing machine!I let her sew the binding on, and I helped with the corners. I then let her use the binding clips and clip the binding all the way around. Finally we got out the needle and thread and did some hand sewing. She did pretty good. I helped with the hand binding so we could finish sometime this year!

It’s the perfect size for her American Girl dolls and she is thrilled that she made it herself! Do you sew with your kids? Sally is excited to begin a new project!

Filed Under: appliqué, FEATURED, Heat n Bond, sizzix, Therm O Web

Sizzix Natural Wonder Bunny Mini Quilt

August 1, 2015 by Amanda Leave a Comment

I love to give handmade gifts, especially quilts. My friend recently lost her bunny to a hawk. I know how much it hurts to loose a beloved pet. I wanted to make her something to show her I really cared so I created this bunny mini quilt. She totally LOVED it!!

This little quilt features sawtooth blocks and appliqué. The fabrics are from Blend Fabrics Natural Wonder fabric line. I love that there are bunnies in the theme fabric. The colors are soft and natural. The bunny and hearts are cut with Sizzix dies. Do you want to make one? Here’s how!!

1/4″ seams used throughout

Begin by making (6) Sawtooth Star blocks.

For each block cut the following measurements:
Draw a diagonal line on the back of each of the 2″ x 2″ star points squares. Position the 2″ x 2″ square a 2″ x 3.5″ background rectangle right sides together. Sew along the diagonal line as pictured below:

Trim leaving 1/4″ seam allowance and press toward the dark. Repeat the process on the other side of the background rectangle including trimming and pressing.

Lay the star block out like this:

Sew the pieces together in rows, and then the rows together. Press seams open. The finished sawtooth block is 6.5″

Sew the sashing strips creating (2) Star Sets. Press the seams toward the sashing.

Cut the strips for the quilt following the cutting guide:

Bunny Applique

Iron Heat n Bond Lite to the back of the floral print fabric (Deco Park Gray). Using the Sizzix Fabi and the Bunny Die, cut out two bunnies that face each other. Using the hearts die, cut the larger heart out of coordinating fabric.

Peel off the backing paper and press the bunnies and heart onto the white fabric, centering. Outline stitch two times in dark gray or taupe thread. Sew the strips together as shown in the picture. Press seams and quilt as desired.

I quilted loop de loos and 4-petal clover flowers in an all-over design.

Make sure your #kittyquilter #kittyhelper approves of the finished quilt before you wrap it up!

Supplies:

Sizzix Fabi

Sizzix Bunny Die

Sizzix Heart Die

Heat n Bond Lite or Featherweight fusible applique

1/4 yard each of the patterned fabrics from Blend Natural Wonder line

1/3 yard white solid fabric

1 yard backing

1/3 yard binding

cotton batting

Filed Under: appliqué, Blend Fabrics, FEATURED, Heat n Bond, sizzix, Therm O Web

Fun With Sizzix Dresses

July 28, 2015 by Amanda Leave a Comment

Today we are playing with the Sizzix Fabi and having lots of summer fun! I used this dress die to create a nautical inspired quilt block.

To create this block, I used the pennant die to cut the banner.

I trimmed it down slightly to make them smaller. The dress is cut from navy dots and the sash from red and white stripe. I used Heat n Bond Lite on the back of the dress and the pennants to adhere to the white 8.5″ square. I drew an anchor on the Heat n Bond Lite and appliquéd it to the dress, adding small ric rac accents. I stitched around all the pieces. Seriously, can I get this dress in my size!!!!!

I am sending the dress block to Sizzix and they are sewing an entire quilt with dress blocks that designers create! I can’t wait to see everyone’s block!!

Sizzix also makes a little girl dress die. I let Sally, my 7 year old, have at it with a box of paper, this Dress Die, and the Fabi. She had hours and hours of fun designing her own fashions.

We used miniature clothespins to display all of her creations!

I love that the Sizzix machines are simple to use. My children and I love creating together 🙂

Filed Under: Heat n Bond, sizzix, Therm O Web

Birthday Cat-Cake Towel Tutorial

July 3, 2015 by Amanda Leave a Comment

It’s my birthday today! To celebrate I made this fun appliqué towel with cat cupcakes – or Cat Cakes as I call them! I bought this toweling by the yard. It comes in lots of colors and styles.

To make this towel you need:

1 towel or 1 yard toweling

6 charm squares for cats and cakes, I used Day Sail by Moda

3 scraps for candles

Heat n Bond Lite cut into 5″ squares

I used the Sizzix cat head and the Sizzix cupcake bottom to create the Cat-Cakes.Iron the Heat n Bond Lite to the wrong side of the charm squares and run it through the Sizzix Fabi. Make sure to position the fabric over the desired shape. I cut out all 3 at once!

Peel off the backing paper and position the Cat Cakes on the bottom of the towel. Press to set in place. Sew around each shape 2 times with navy thread.