How do I buy stuff on this site??????

Well, we will make it much easier at some point when we can have a 'store', but for now, our 'store' is hosted by etsy.  Click on a picture on the left of this blog and it will take you to that item.  When you get to that item, you will have an option to see all our other items.

Now, we don't have everything we can do on etsy because we are waiting for YOU to tell us what you want.  We do play with all kinds of ideas and put pictures of these things out there, but we want to facilitate YOUR imagination.  Look at all the shapes we can die cut under the Shapes tab at the top of the page.  Figure out how we can help you make the construction of your project easier - let us die cut the 200 green scrappy leaves you need or let us die cut the 12 large circles you need out of your fabric or just email us and tell us what you are trying to do and we will help make that easier.  Want tons of scrappy circles die cut for making yoyos?  We can do that!

We are set up to make shapes for machine and hand applique with finished or unfinished edges.  We die cut fabric, fabric with Soft Fuse adhered to the back or we die cut just the Soft Fuse.  This way you can adhere the soft fuse to the back of your fabric and make your own needle turned pieces.  As you may be able to tell, Holly and I love, love, love Soft Fuse.  It does not make your finished project stiff.  We have layered up to 4 layers of Soft Fuse on a project and you can't tell it is there.  Soft Fuse is a temporary adhesive not a permanent adhesive like Heat and Bond or Wonder Under.  Those products have their uses, but for a finished project that has that soft feel, we love Soft Fuse.

Another take on stars and their negatives. . .

Holly was at her guild in South Carolina over the weekend and look what she made!!  The SC guild makes small Teddy bear quilts for kids in the hospital.   Each child receives a bear with a special "blanky".  She used some stars and their negatives left over from her Red, White and Blue Tablerunner and made this adorable tiny Teddy Quilt!  So cute!!!

This looks like a pieced top but it isn't!!  She used a solid blue top and machine appliqued stars and their negatives on it.  She continued the stitching between the negative blocks thru the star 'block' space.  Look at the middle star on the very bottom row - notice the stitching going from the left white block over to the right white block.  Small touch but makes all the difference in fooling the eye.  What a great charity project ladies!!!!  To make this Teddy Quilt you will need 4 stars and 5 star negatives, 2 fat quarters and some binding.  Let us know what colors and how many you need and we will make up a special order just for you!

Red, White and Blue Star Tablerunner

Look what Holly just finished!  She made this darling table runner using our #142 Star inside a rectangle components.

Here's what you can do with just 8 red and 8 blue stars and their background rectangle. You supply the background and Two Star Design supplies the 16 shapes to make this table runner. Order 3 sets and make a bed runner, the latest trend in bedroom decorating.  Holly machine appliqued the stars and rectangles on a white background using a feather stitch and hand quilted the piece.  The striped binding is perfect!!

December's Wreath is here!

Two down and 10 to go!  The conception part of this series sure did go a lot faster and was a lot more fun than the labor part and bringing them to life.  But isn't that the way it is??  I am being very profound but I do have a new wreath to share with you!!  Kits will be in the etsy store soon.  And of course, if you have a favorite color wave or family of fabrics you want for your wreath - just email us!  We will make up a kit especially for you!!

November's Wreath Released

Great news!  The first of 12 12 inch blocks is ready for you to see!  November's Wreath has been designed and born.  Kits will be available shortly.

Pictures of all our shapes just listed!

So you can really see how our shapes can help make your sewing go faster, we have listed pictures of all the shapes we can die cut.  Check out the 'Shapes' tab at the top of the page and check out what you can use!!

Happy Fourth of July!!

Hope everyone is having a great 4th.  Holly has stitched up a cute tablerunner to help the kiddies celebrate the holiday.  If you would like a kit or want the instructions, just let me know and I will set you right up.  And remember to take a minute to think about all the men and women you have allowed us our freedom.  God Bless America!!

Circles!

Connecting Threads is getting me with the copius emails!  Everytime I get one I see our shapes!  I guess basic works well.  Look at what they did with circles!  So simple and sew sweet.  My sassy side sees these on that dorm bed in the fall!!

Flowery tablerunner

Connecting Threads  has done it again.  Look at this oh so very cute tablerunner in three different colors. 

I do believe they are using circles and leaves that we can cut!!!  They will sell you the fabric kit and we will be happy to cut the pieces.  Just email us, we'll make a deal for exactly what you want, pop the fabric in the mail and you don't have to cut out the pieces.  They will all be exactly the same and you can just fuse and get to sewing!!!   OR just let us put together some nifty combinations from our 'stash' and you can put them on your very own creation!  This is a very cute idea to use circles and leaves and I'm thinkin' the stems can be ric rac.  I'm just sayin'. . .

Remember, we can send you just the fusible cut out in the shapes you need (This way you can press the precut shape right on your fabric and then do turned edge applique.), just the fabric cut out OR the fusible shapes all ready to go.  It is all up to you!!!!

Fruit Baskets

I just finished the machine applique on the fruit basket wallhanging that Jan designed.  I used verigated thread and a blanket stitch.  Turn out killer, if I do say so myself!!!

Thank you, Jan.  Your design and fabric choices are fabulous!  Do you need some baskets to fill with your favorite items?  Check out our etsy store or email us for a custom order.  What fun!

What can you do with our baskets?

That was the question Holly posed to our friend Jan.  Well, Jan just went crazy!!!!  The following pictures of are the unfinished tops so you can get the idea of just how cool Jan is right away.  I'll post them when they get finished, too.  That date is tbd, of course.  Jan used our pre-cut, pre-fused baskets and used her creative talents and vast stash of fabrics, to fill and decorate them. 

She started out all soft and cuddly and sweet. Dare I say maybe even traditional!  That is so unlike her!  She put little puppies in the baskets and dog treats on the baskets and them put the whole thing on point.  Very cute!  I guess she had to justify that dog novelty fabric she bought.

And then she went kinda sassy!  And might I say, when this is finished, it needs to go in my kitchen!!!    Looks like I will be the one doing the machine applique so I think it is only fair, don't ya think?  These are so my colors!

 And then, Jan did a little something just for herself!  Jan loves Halloween and has made some of the coolest pieces on this theme.  This ones just cracks me up!!!

A basket full of noses and bones and one full of hands and then a basket on it's side with eyeballs rolling out.  What a hoot!  This is so Jan.  Now the crazy part is I went nuts trying to find the secret message that the hands were saying.  One is an 'a' and one is a 'f' and I just couldn't figure out the last one.  I called Jan to solve the puzzle for me and she didn't answer.  Sent an emergency email so I could sleep!  She didn't answer.  I didn't sleep.  Kept searching for sign language charts and prowling the internet for the solution.  When I finally talked to Jan begging for the answer, knowing she had secretly hidden initials that led to a secret message and she said, "Jeez, I just cut out some hands.  There is no hidden message!"  Well, all I can say is this is really EVIL!!!  How can she not have a hidden message!  That is the kind of woman that she is!  Guess I'll just have to let it slide this time.  She is getting old - I mean older, opps!

Man, I have the feeling I will be calling Jan all kinds of nasty names when I start machine appliqing these bones!  Wow!  Talk about fine details!

 

The eyes have it!  My land, she has them in different colors! How funny!  And might I say, where does she get her fabrics?  I have a bunch of weird stuff in my stash, but skulls???  I love it!!!

You go Jan.  We will be throwing down the gauntlet again real soon!!!!

Circle of Life

In the March/April 2006 issue of Love of Quilting, they had the instructions for a Circle of Life quilt.  VERY cute!!!

In the May/June 2010 issue of Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting, DaRonda Robinson sent in a picture of her "Circle of Life" quilt she had made from these instructions .  DaRonda choose scrappy purples for her quilt.  Very sweet!

Interested in making one of these beauties?  Talk to us about a custom order just for you!!!  We can cute circle with or without Soft Fuse!

Awareness Ribbon color meanings

We have die-cuts for yellow and pink ribbons listed right now on etsy.  Following is a list I found of what colors are for what cause.  Very interesting!  And, remember, we do custom orders!!!!

BLACK – symbol of mourning, melanoma, and gang prevention

BLUE – symbol of drunk driving, child abuse, Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), the victims of hurricane Katrina, dystonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), alopecia, Education, Epstein-Barr Virus, Save the Music, colon cancer, colorectal cancer, and anti-tobacco - particularly anti-second hand smoke, I Love Clear Air/ILCA Campaign

BROWN – symbol anti-tobacco as well as colon cancer and colorectal cancer

BURGUNDY – symbol of brain aneurysm, Cesarean section (worn upside down), headaches, hemangioma, vascular malformation, hospice care, multiple myeloma, William’s syndrome, Thrombophilia, Antiphospholid Antibody Syndrome, and adults with disabilities

DARK BLUE – symbol of arthritis, child abuse prevention, victim’s rights, free speech, water quality, and water safety
GOLD – symbol for childhood cancer

GREEN –symbol of childhood depression, missing children, open records for adoptees, environmental concerns, kidney cancer, tissue/organ donation, homeopathy, and worker and driving safety

GREY – symbol of diabetes, asthma, and brain cancer

LAVENDER - symbol for general cancer awareness. It can also be a symbol for epilepsy, and Rett Syndrome
LIGHT BLUE – symbol of childhood cancer, prostate cancer, Trisomy 18, and scleroderma

ORANGE – symbol of leukemia, hunger, cultural diversity, humane treatment of animals, and self-injury awareness

PEARL – symbol for emphysema, lung cancer, mesothelioma, and multiple sclerosis

PERIWINKLE – symbol of eating disorders and pulmonary hypertension

PINK – commonly associated with breast cancer, but this ribbon is also a symbol for birth parents, and childhood cancer awareness

PURPLE – symbol of pancreatic cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid cancer, domestic violence, ADD, Alzheimer’s, religious tolerance, animal abuse, the victims of 9/11 including the police and firefighters, Crohn’s disease and colitis, cystic fibrosis, lupus, leiomyosarcoma, and fibromyalgia

RED – commonly associated with the fight against AIDS and HIV. Additionally, this ribbon is also a symbol for heart disease, stroke, substance abuse, MADD, DARE, Epidermolysis Bullosa, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy

SILVER –symbol for children with disabilities, Parkinson’s disease, and mental illnesses such as severe depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders

TEAL – symbol for ovarian, cervical, and uterine cancers as well as sexual assault, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and tsunami victims

WHITE – symbol of innocence, victims of terrorism, violence against women, peace, right to life, bone cancer, adoptees, and retinal blastoma

YELLOW – commonly used to support our troops, but it is also a symbol for MIA/POW, suicide prevention, adoptive parents, amber alerts, bladder cancer, spina bifida, endometriosis, and a general symbol for hope. A yellow ribbon with a heart is used to represent the survivors left behind after a suicide

...now I've said my ABC's, tell me what you think of me!

Just listed a set of upper case alphabet letters on etsy.  These are in the Bow Tie font (2 1/2" tall).  We have the upper case, lower case, numbers and punctuation.  We can die-cut these in any combination, in any fabric, with or without Soft Fuse or just the Soft Fuse itself.  We love custom orders!!!

think about adding phrases to your quilts or wall hangings.  And check out the wallhanging kits we already have listed, too!

Oh My Stars!

In red, white and blue at that!  Just listed a couple sets of really cute die-cut, fusible cotton star components.  They would look great in that Petal Pusher tablerunner!  Just think, you would be ahead of schedule for that great 4th of July project!!!

YoYos

Yes, if you are a yoyo person, we can die cut circles and you can gather to your hearts content!  Our die cut equipment cuts a perfect circle every time!  We have several sizes of circles so we can die-cut just what you need!

AQS Paducah was terrific!

Our minds are reeling!  We have lots of great ideas we just need to put on paper and share with you guys and thanks to Stacy Michell of Shades Textiles, we will soon have a great need product for you guys who like to do finished edge applique by machine or hand.  It is wonderful!  She is brilliant!!  Maybe she is just plain magic!!  Thanks you Stacy, I haven't slept for two nights planning this all out!!!

Why Soft Fuse?

We exclusively use Soft Fuse fusible on all our die-cuts (Unless you order them without it for some reason) and think it is the best fusible on the market for machine applique.  There are lots of iron on fusibles on the market but many of them leave a stiff, hard, feel to the applique and tend to gum up and dull the needle as the machine applique is being done.  You will never know that Soft Fuse is on the back of your applique.  And you can layer 3 or 4 layers or more and get the same results.  This stuff is fabulous.  Find out more about it from the importer here.  If you want to trace and cut out your own appliques, you can purchase Soft Fuse from us, too!  Check out the etsy store!

Rick Rack tip

Just had a great idea!  How about using rick rack for the stems in the Bloomin' Hearts block.  We provide a 1/2" green stem in our packs of components but it would look great with rick rack, don't ya think?

Playing with shapes

Holly and I have become fascinated with the complex shapes that we can make out of simple shapes.  That is what started this whole design journey - and you can go along, too!  Look at these intricate designs out of the simplest of shapes.

Look at what Holly did with hearts and circles.  I especially like the pink star of hearts that make a star in the center.  I just love secondary shapes.  And the cornflower, half a circle and elongated hearts, is really a knock-out.

 

The raindrop and feather shape make some really cool petals.  That cornflower shape is calling to me again and the 6 pointed star for the flower centers is very nice.

 

You add a few leaves and I'll be darned if it doesn't look like Baltimore Album designs. I might just get around to doing one of those (OK, a wallhanging size, maybe. . .) since I don't have to cut out all the shapes.  That is the part that boggs me down.  

You can see how we got pretty excited.  Everywhere we go, we see shapes!!!  Don't ya just love the raindrops inside the hearts?  This is reminding me of Colorforms that I used to play with the kiddies.  I always did enjoy them just a bit more that the kids did!!! 

Downy Quilts for Comfort

We now have hearts that you can use to make a Downy Heart Quilt for donation to a children's hospital!  Go to downy, download the pattern and let us cut out the hearts for you!  This is a great charity idea!  Holly and I have made lots of donation quilts thru our quilt guild.  It is great to see this getting national attention!!!  Check out the hearts pack in our etsy store!

More double Dippin'

You can, of course, applique your fusibles block by block and before you ever think about quilting, but we like to machine applique the fusible components and quilt the design at the same time. My favorite method is a machine blanket stitch along the edges of the die cuts and when you do this after layering your batting and backing, I think it gives you a better finished project, is easier to guide as you sew and gives a pleasing design on the back of your project. Look closely at the stitching on our Bloomin' Heart block. This was appliqued thru the die cut, the background fabric, the batting and the backing.

Double Dippin'

Just saw the simplest tip on a Fons and Porter quilting show! When you use the die-cut fusibles and peel off the paper on the back, keep that paper pattern for quilting designs. So, when you are making a Bloomin' Heart block, save those peeled off papers! Then you can lay them out on your finished block and mark where you want your quilting lines. VERY SMART! I love it!!! Good idea there girls!!!

Petal Pushers

The June 2010 issue of American Patshwork & Quilting is just chocked full of ideas for kits.  My favorite one, today, is 'Petal Pushers' starting on page 82.

This is the cutest tablerunner I have seen in a while.  Maybe it just screams spring and I need to hear that.  And I will have petals for it in the etsy store in a bit!  How cute!  My mind is just racing!  How about this simple design with red, white and blue stars, or red and pink hearts.  I just love the machine quilting too!  And the binding is fabulous, too!  Oh, my!!!!  Check out their site at www.allpeoplequilt.com

Bloomin Hearts

We have just listed an original Two Star Design component kit - Bloomin' Hearts - in our Etsy store.  This packet is so versatile.  The basic component kit added to your 16 1/2" x 16 1/2" background gets you this:

I made this sample and if I was doing it again, I'd cut away the stems under the center yellow flowers.  I'm just sayin'. . .  Holly smushed her sample together a bit and got it all on a 12 x 12 background.

Now, if you arrange the components a bit differently on 2 12 1/2" x 12 1/2" background blocks, you get this:

This would make a beautiful quilt!!!!  Has lots of white space for some very cool quilting.  So, 6 kits gets you a 12 block quilt!  And, of course, you get a discount for buying more than one kit at a time!!

Some of the previous designs used raindrop shapes for leaves instead of the leaf shape.  If you like that design element, just holler and we will make you kit with raindrop leaves!! And Jan assembled this kit by putting one flower in one corner of each 12 inch block and let the small yellow flower unite them all in one corner.  Very cool!

 

Holly and Jan taught this block in Japan this past January.  Even with less than stellar abilities to speak Japanese, quilting is the universal language!

 

These Japanese ladies have such incredible skills!  Look at the quilting on this piece!

 

 

Holly designed Bloomin' Hearts after completing this beautiful quilt.  Each block has a different red and a different green.  How beautiful!!  We can also cut out the scalloped border for you!  Yes, we are just that good!

Pink and Yellow Ribbon Shapes

We have just listed some great ribbon shapes in the Etsy store. If you need quantities, just us know and we will offer you a volume discount!!