THREE Bella Blvd Fabric Projects!

As you can tell, I haven't blogged much lately.  Honestly this pregnancy is kicking my butt and I don't have the energy to get through all I have to do in a day and do all the extras, too.  So I'll catch you up a bit in the next little while.

First up- THREE fabric projects for Bella Blvd.  I can't believe how long it's been since I've blogged, that these are not on my blog yet.  

Hexagon Puppy Park Quilt

I'm not really much of a quilter, and I've had this project on my "to do" list for a long time now, but I was surprised when I finally made it. It was really not as bad as I thought it would be.

This is what's called a "jelly roll quilt." I was given a "jelly roll" of Bella Blvd's Puppy Park fabric line, and the quilt pattern is "jelly roll compatible." Jelly rolls are packs of pre-cut fabric that include the entire fabric line. There are also "charm packs" and "layer cakes" and other types of pre-cut fabric packs. They cut your time down significantly, and are a convenient way of getting lots of patterns.

The quilt is a series of strips, cut into triangles, and then arranged into hexagons. It was a really fun one to make. I added a bit more border, so mine turned out a few inches larger than the pattern, and I used fleece on the back to make it extra cozy for movies on the couch.

Supplies:
Bella Blvd Puppy Park Fabric Jelly Roll; 6 oz thick batting; black fleece (for back); red fabric (for trim); Creative Grids Non-Slip 60 degree triangle ruler; Hexagon Garden 'Just One Jelly Roll' Pattern by Pam & Nicky Lintott/The Quilt Room

Cooking Set

This set was made using "Insul-Brite" insulated lining inside. Insul-Brite is like batting, but it's filled with pieces of metal and is used to line projects that hold hot items, such as hot pads, curling iron bags, ironing board covers, and in this case, a casserole dish caddy and oven mitt.

These projects feature the new Summer Breeze fabrics by Bella Blvd for Riley Blake Fabrics. I love the colors in this line, and the patterns are adorable. The prints I chose from the line are all turquoise, yellow, and orange. My favorite is the turquoise print on the oven mitt. I need more of that for sure!

The caddy is basically two long rectangles (36"x12" each) bound and then sewn together in the center crossed perpendicularly. The edges were rounded using a dinner plate as a guide. Sew on velcro and then straps last. The oven mitt was done using a free pattern found online (www.youcanmakethis.com).

When sewing items like this, you'll want to use a Jeans needle because you'll be sewing through 8 layers of thick materials. There is an inner and outer layer of fabric, plus the Insul-Brite, and a thick layer of pre-quilted batting inside too. I chose to sandwich all the layers and then "quilt" them using diagonal stitches before making the project to add to the durability when washed (and because it looks cute).

Supplies:
Summer Breeze cotton fabrics by Bella Blvd for Riley Blake Fabrics; 1 yard of Insul-Brite (enough for one caddy and two oven mitts); 1 yard of pre-quilted batting; White bias tape (border of caddy); Velcro (secures the caddy closed)

Pillowcase Dress

These cute pillowcase dresses are a great project for the beginning sewer. If you know the basics, and can make a pillowcase, you can probably make one of these. This one is a little more advanced because I added more layers to the bottom, and I made my own bias tape (the pink around the arms that ties) because making your own allows you to coordinate it.

Supplies:Bella Blvd Summer Breeze Fabrics for Riley Blake Fabrics; Bella Blvd's Crochet Hearts; 1" wide elastic for the neckline (about 1/2 yard- cut into two halves); Bias tape or homemade bias tape from fabric