I had a ton of fun matching different ribbons with different sets of ribbon! I found some combos that stitch together beautifully and others that just don’t quite “go”. You know those….;)

Here’s a few fun photos!

love those decorative stitches!

magnetic snap!

fun closure!

love the striped bias binding! :)

After I created my quilted fabric and cut out the purse pattern, I started digging for embellishments that would work. I had decided to use burgundy with the ivory fabric, so I found some sheer burgundy ribbon that would work perfect.

One problem: it was only 1″ wide. Too narrow for the pleated satin I wanted to stitch on top of it. Solution: Stitch two pieces of ribbon together to make it wider. Perfect!

Then stitch the pleated shiny satin trim on top of the ribbon. I found this pleated trim on one of my fabric shopping trips and loved it. It turned out beautifully on the ribbon.

Then this ruffled velvet trim fit perfectly right down the center of the pleats. Stacking trim and ribbon is fun and creates a neat layered effect. I should do more of this to use up the huge stash of ribbon I now own.

I stitched the layered ribbon down the center of the cut-out pattern and then stitched the binding to the outside edge.

After I stitched the bias binding to the edge, I then encased the raw edge in it and tacked it to the inside edge by stitching in the ditch around the edge. Perfect edging!

The last step was to stitch the purse sides together and add the magnetic closure.

Add a ribbon/corded pin I found at the Houston Quilt Market one year and it’s finished! Quite stylish and unique! And every single bit of it used from my collection of stashes!

It’s at times like this that I’m so glad I have those little (or rather large!) stashes!

I pin-basted the layers together with a low-loft batting and was ready to start stitching. I really wanted to stitch with the suede side up since that was a solid and would be easier to see where I was stitching. The minkee fabric would be next to the feed dogs, but that would be ok. I raised my presser foot pressure just a little to accommodate the thicker fabrics.

Issue 1 – When stitching with suede, usually a teflon foot is needed and since I’m freehand quilting, that’s not an option. Even though my feed dogs were lowered and my foot was not exactly close to the fabric, it still tended to stick and not glide smoothly like it should for freehand quilting. Ok, raise the pressure foot pressure a little more so I have more space between the foot and the fabric. Nope! If the presser foot pressure is raised too high, the foot is higher which causes skipped stitches.

Ok, onto plan B…maybe I can sew on the minkee side and still see where I am going?! Maybe? I’ll try it. Now that was a challenge! Not only was it hard to see where I was going because of the print, but also the stitches tend to get lost in the pile of the fabric, which is just the nature of minkee fabric. It just meant I was stitching blindly. Not something I really wanted to do! Plus the suede fabric did want to hang up a little on the bed of the machine. Not too much to be much of an issue; the bigger problem was that I couldn’t see my stitches.

Back to plan A. Insert brand new needle after a 1′ section. Find the perfect balance of presser foot pressure and no skipped stitches. Sew for 10 minutes and then rest my arms/hand for 5 because manipulating those fabrics through the machine really pulls at those muscles. Go slow and keep on stitching! Finally…it was finished!

Minkee printed side

Suede solid side

It isn’t the most beautiful job of quilting I have ever done, but it did turn out fairly nice, considering all the trouble I had with quilting it. And once I finished the quilting, the binding was a breeze! And the most important thing – the little granddaughter for whom it was for and grandmother who brought the fabric to me love it!

Need some tips for sewing with minkee fabric? Look here for some helpful ideas!

This is a unique block for sure and if you would like to create a block like this of your own, be sure to sign up for the second online class of the Latte Quilt. Class starts in September with a sign-up deadline of August 22nd!

Ah, yes – Minkee!!! It’s that luxurious fabric that you just love to rub your hand over and over again! It feels so good that you can’t resist purchasing it! But reality sets in when you start to cut the fabric and stitching with it! Suddenly your great love affair with this fabric is diminishing very quickly! Not only does it create a blizzard of lint and fuzz everywhere when you start chopping it into pieces, but it moves and slides around all over the place the moment it is in your sewing machine.

What do you do with the wonderful-feeling fabric that you are beginning to hate? Here are some tips that might help you keep your sanity and renew your love of the fabric and the reason why you bought it in the first place!!

Pay attention to the nap! Minkee is a napped fabric, so the fibers will lay down in one direction and it will feel and look different. So as you are cutting, be sure your pieces are going the direction that you want them to. Just run your hand across the fabric to feel the direction of the nap.

Add more for seam allowances! If you are using a pattern that is not specifically made for minkee, then you may want to add to the seam allowance. Stitching a 1/4″ seam in minkee fabric is nearly impossible, so add extra for a 1/2″ or 3/4″ seam.

Cut out all the pieces at once! Cut out everything you need to and then wipe down your cutting mat, rotary cutter, scissors and anything else you used with the minkee with a wet paper towel to catch the extra lint. Oh, btw…this is NOT a time to have a ceiling fan on. Trust me on this – previous experience (not a good one!).

Use pins, pins and more pins! That’s right – what would we do without good ol’ straight pins?! This is where you need to use them! Pin your fabrics together so your pins are 1-2 inches apart. Yes, it does take a little more work, but it is worth it when you are stitching that seam.

Sew next to the feed dogs! If you are mixing minkee fabric with cotton fabrics, sew your seam with the minkee fabric next to the feed dogs. This will help the minkee to feed through along with the cotton.

Wash the cotton fabric! If you are using cottons and minkee, be sure to pre-wash your cotton fabrics. Minkee does not shrink, but cotton will, so if you wash the entire project after it’s complete, your cotton pieces could end up smaller than the minkee ones.

Lengthen your stitch length! Since this is a napped fabric with some bulk to it, it’s a good idea to lengthen your stitch. I usually sew with a stitch length of 3-4 mm. If I’m top stitching on Hankie Blankie Pets, I use a stitch length of 4. Make a test stitch to see what works on the minkee fabric you are using.

Use a walking foot! Put on that walking foot and put it to good use! This will be your greatest help in sewing minkee fabric. The walking foot will help to feed the top layer while the feed dogs feed the bottom layer through the machine, creating an easy-to-stitch seam.

Serge the edges! If the minkee lint is seemingly out of control, serge the edges or stitch a zigzag stitch on your machine. This will help to control the lint and fuzz that flies around as you are working with the fabric.

Stabilizer topping is a must! If you are embroidering on minkee fabric (Yes, you can do that!), you need to use a clear water soluble or heat soluble topping to keep the stitches from sinking into the pile fabric. Lightly pin a piece of clear topping to the right side of the fabric after it is in the hoop.

Do not hoop minkee fabric! You will create a hoop mark or burn if you try hooping minkee fabric to embroider on it. Hoop the stabilizer (tearaway if the design is not too dense or cutaway for dense designs), spray it with 505 Spray Adhesive and the stick the minkee fabric to the stabilizer.

Make your binding wider! If you are using a binding with minkee fabric, make it wider to account for the lush fabric pile. Instead of 2″ or 2 1/2″ wide, try a 3″ wide binding.

Only use steam! You do not want to press or iron minkee fabric to compact the lush pile it holds. Either use steam or gently press with a press cloth over the minkee.

What can you do with minkee fabric? The options are limitless, but I love to create Hankie Blankie Pets with this luxurious fabric! They are so sweet and perfect to give as gifts and little ones love the feel of these little animals. I usually personalize it with a name on the front corner. Here’s just a few I’ve stitched:

Just look at those floppy puppy ears!

Cute little pink kitty whiskers!

These are so soft and cuddly!

On the three pets above, I used the original pet pattern here, but also take a peek at the New Friends pattern and At the Zoo pattern for other cute pet variations!

Can’t find minkee fabric in your local area? Try here!

Not only do they have quality garment fabrics such as sheers, satins, silks, rayons and polys, but also a huge home dec section. Finding garment fabrics or home dec fabrics in my area is quite a challenge, so I’m always on the look-out for some fun fabric shops. Many times they buy fabric in bulk quantities and always have sale racks of garment fabric and home dec pieces, so that is most certainly a great section to check with each visit.

I did have a specific goal in mind for shopping at Denver Fabrics this time. Usually I just go because I love looking and walk out with several pieces I just can’t resist taking home. But I had curtains for our main bathroom we painted on my mind. I needed a light sage/lime green color and really wanted something in a stripe with green and gold colors. I knew I was being picky and was counting on nixing the stripe and just finding a solid green, because finding exactly what I was imagining probably was not going to happen.

But guess what?? Joanna spotted the stripe that was perfect! Just what I had in mind. And to make it even better, is was on the sale rack. So instead of $22 a yard, it was only $7. Can’t get any better than that, right? And for home dec fabric! I wanted to bring out more of the green, so I found a green sold that blends well with the stripe and matches the green color of towels.

I even have the type of valance I want to stitch. There are horizontal blinds on the window, so all I need is something at the top to cover the top of the blinds. This is what I had in mind, using the stripe in front and the green back behind. I like the layering effect it gives. Although I will make my points the same degree for the stripe and solid. I think.

But while I was browsing online,  I found these two which I like as well. So I may change my mind before I actually start on the valance. Imagine that – changing my mind! ;)

images from www.fashionwindowtreatments.com and www.windowtreatmentcenter.com

To create the bowl shape and edges you satin stitch the raw edge of the fused fabric and timtex. I used a variegated rayon embroidery thread in fall colors and it just adds to the fall theme along with the embroidered leaves on each turned down corner.

Then I found a caramel-smelling candle and the same scented potpourri and combines those two in the bowl! Perfect!!

I’ve put this on the table every year for the last couple of years and have never lit the candle until now. Amazingly the scent of the candle and potpourri is still evident even when the candle isn’t lit; even after several years!

You can see close-up photos here with details on the embroidery and quilting.

One thing I love doing is embroidered baby receiving blankets! They are quick and easy and make such a great personalized gift! Here is a pink blanket I stitched a couple weeks ago for someone who needed a gift for a new little one.

It is 1 1/4 yards of pink flannel where the edges have been roll hemmed on a serger. The design is from OESD and one of my favorite embroidery packs with cute baby designs! Add lettering to the design in my computer software, send it to the machine and stitch it! Simple and so sweet!

Like to make your own receiving blanket? See this article for my simple directions and see here for other blanket ideas! Have a blanket that has a flaw? See my flawed blanket that turned out so cute when I was finished!

the jacket & skirt front

the jacket back & bustle

detail of roses on front skirt