Hands 2 Help: Tips, Tutorials, and Tasty Things

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict challenged all the Hands 2 Help 2019 participants to share a few great ideas. Before I get to that, here’s the pieced quilt top I made to donate to Jack’s Basket! I can easily imagine a mom placing her baby on the center of the butterfly and snapping a photo because that’s what I’d do.

Butterfly Quilt
I modified the Butterfly Patch pattern by Lella Boutique to make a baby-sized quilt.

Tutorial: Self-Binding Baby Blanket

I like backing baby quilts with either Minky or double-sided fleece. Doesn’t this blanket make you want to cuddle?

teddy bear snuggled in a quilt

After making the Autumn Stars quilt with a fleece backing, I discovered a great shortcut by Jenny Doan of Missouri Star Quilt Company. I rolled my backing to the front and attempted to make mitered corners. Since the fleece is so thick, it hid the awkward folds at the corners. Now, Jenny will show you a better way!

Jenny’s updated tutorial makes this backing/binding combination easier than ever!

Tip: Magic Sizing Increases Accuracy

Last year I started spraying all my fabric with Magic Sizing and pressing it with a dry iron before cutting pieces for a quilt. The accuracy of my piecing improved dramatically! So, why didn’t I spray on the magic for my baby butterfly patch? Well, I thought I could skip it since I was basically sewing squares together. But I wish I would have taken the time. When I sewed units together, I was surprised at how much the pieces stretched under my presser foot.

Magic Sizing Tip
I tried all three of these products in one quilt to compare which one I liked better, and I prefer Magic Sizing. I just learned from a Fat Quarter Shop video that Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie Quilts also prefers it.

Tasty Treats: A Meal and a Snack

Recently a friend prepared Creamy Garlic Pesto Chicken, and this recipe from Yummly is basically the same dish. Definitely give it a try!

Tasty Chicken

And if you need a bit of chocolate to keep up your mojo, I recommend a Chocolate Mug Cake. I “bake” mine in a mini loaf pan; however, you can use a large coffee mug. Since I never owned an Easy Bake Oven, this comes close to filling that void in my childhood. 😉

Tasty Treat

Joyfully,

Tracie