Monthly Archives: March 2010

Bird on a Branch Table Runner

This 20″ x 54″ appliqué table runner project is brought to you with a freeing, though foolproof, no-rules approach by the ladies of Piece O’ Cake Designs!

Click here to download the project PDF that comes complete with pattern templates for the bird and branch appliqué.

This project is an excerpt from Appliqué Outside the Lines by Becky Goldsmith & Linda Jenkins which includes 8 quilt projects that free you from the rules (and your ruler!)

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March is National Craft Month and we are celebrating by posting one project every day this month! If you are joining us late, click here to see the full list of Craft Month projects that have been posted so far.

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Technique Tuesday with Jane Dávila & Elin Waterston

Expand your artistic horizons by learning how to paint on fusible web. It’s a surface design technique that can be incorporated into any project you may be working on and will serve to art it up in a fun and experimental way.

Pellon Wonder-Under fusible web can be painted with fabric or acrylic paint and fused to fabric, adding layers of color and creating interesting texture or design elements on the fabric surface. Paint diluted with water will create a transparent effect, whereas full-strength paint will have a more opaque look. The results of this technique are somewhat unpredictable and will create an organic, imperfect effect.

Click here to download the technique sheet with instructions and how-to photographs for painting on fusible web.

This technique is an excerpt from Art Quilts at Play by Jane Dávila and Elin Waterston which includes 22 different techniques and creative design effects.

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March is National Craft Month and we are celebrating by posting one project every day this month! If you are joining us late, click here to see the full list of Craft Month projects that have been posted so far.

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Trick-or-Treat Pail

It’s not quite Halloween time yet, but if you use your imagination, I’m confident you can come up with a gazillion variations for this basic, kid-friendly project. A cute pail like this could be used to hold almost anything, from fresh-cut flowers to pens and pencils to the bits and bobs that tend to gather on your furniture’s surfaces. You might start by finding something that needs to be “contained,” then design the pail around it’s contents!

Click here to download the free, full-color project sheet, which includes this variation. Author, Sue Astroth used the pail technique to create a pirate’s spyglass. She says:

With an old kaleidoscope (I found one at a thrift shop for 25¢), a little fabric, and a cool skull medallion—you’re set!

This project is an excerpt from Super-Simple Creative Costumes by Sue Astroth, which includes tons of Easy sew and no-sew costumes from sweet to scary.

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March is National Craft Month and we are celebrating by posting one project every day this month! If you are joining us late, click here to see the full list of Craft Month projects that have been posted so far.

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Almost Woven, Super Simple Quilt

New quilters about to make their first quilt and experts looking for a quick charity quilt design alike will love this super-easy appliqué quilt. This project sheet download includes instructions for three different sizes and images of three different colorways.


This project is an excerpt from Super Simple Quilts #4 by Alex Anderson and Liz Aneloski which includes 9 appliqué projects to sew with or without a machine.

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March is National Craft Month and we are celebrating by posting one project every day this month! If you are joining us late, click here to see the full list of Craft Month projects that have been posted so far.

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Squared Away with Lutradur

Finished size: 5½ ˝ × 5½ ˝

You should know by now that Lutradur® is a fabulously versatile art material that’s described as a cross between paper and fabric. This mixed media project is all about Lutradur and incorporates painting, collaging, burning, and lacing techniques.

Read what Jenn Mason, this project’s designer had to say about working with Lutradur:

The Lutradur was a challenge to work with, because it falls somewhere between fabric and paper. I loved how the paint was absorbed but didn’t bleed, which allowed me to go crazy with my colors while still keeping a bright, unmuddied palette. The kid in me also enjoyed melting the Lutradur, and it took all my willpower to keep from watching the whole piece melt away.
—Jenn Mason, project designer

Click here to download the free project sheet, which includes instructions for the lacing and burning techniques.

This project is an excerpt from Fabulous Fabric Art with Lutradur by Lesley Riley, which includes 27 mixed media techniques and 14 projects that implement them.

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March is National Craft Month and we are celebrating by posting one project every day this month! If you are joining us late, click here to see the full list of Craft Month projects that have been posted so far.

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Everyday Inspiration

A creative life is filled with challenges and rewards, puzzles and curiosities. This ongoing series of poems attempts to express the “Aha”s and “What if”s, the deep ponderings and casual observations of an inquiring mind trying to make sense of reality. May it serve, for you, as a bit of “Everyday Inspiration” along your own creative path.

A pet pencil
Carefully coaxed
Will write you
A very nice
Poem.

everydayinspiration

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No-Sew Fabric Flowers for Kids

Nothing brightens up a room like flowers. These are easy to make with kids and a fun way to use scraps. Make a bouquet or a table centerpiece or string them together for a flower garland or other wall decor. Use the patterns included in this PDF project download, or create new blossoms.

The download also includes the below Lily Pad or Poinsettia Centerpiece. You will make these the same as the flowers except layer the smaller flowers inside the bigger flowers. Make a lily pad or napkin base.

You will also find general directions for fast2fuse fusible interfacing in the download, complete with a list of three shortcuts that are sure to save you time!

This project is an excerpt from 100+ No-Sew fabric Crafts for Kids by Mary Link which includes oodles of projects you can do with kids and for kids, including bookmarks, coasters, mobiles, games and toys, party goods, room décor, and holiday goodies.

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March is National Craft Month and we are celebrating by posting one project every day this month! If you are joining us late, click here to see the full list of Craft Month projects that have been posted so far.

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California Poppies Quilt

Paradise is more out of reach than ever these days it seems, so why not use this project to create your own little slice right in your own home. There are plenty of options with this project—it is bordered in an oval frame and could be used as a centerpiece for a quilt, pillow, or handbag.

Click here to download the full project sheet PDF, which includes patterns for the poppies. The finished quilt is 16″ by 20″.

This project is an excerpt from Paradise Stitched—Sashiko & Appliqué Quilts by Sylvia Pippen, which includes 6 vivid quilts inspired by tropical flora and fauna.

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March is National Craft Month and we are celebrating by posting one project every day this month! If you are joining us late, click here to see the full list of Craft Month projects that have been posted so far.

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Introducing the C&T Reviewer Program

Do you love C&T Publishing books and products? Always looking for new ways to be inspired? Sign up to join the C&T Creative Troupe’s Reviewer Program and earn free eBooks. It’s just one more perk of C&T Creative Troupe membership.

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Here’s how the Book Review Program works:

  1. If you are not already a member, join the C&T Creative Troupe.
  2. Browse through the current C&T Catalog.
  3. Let us know which books that interest you. You can request one book at a time—you will receive an electronic version (not a hard copy).
  4. Enjoy the book and post your review on the book’s product page at Amazon, C&T’s website,  and at least one of the following websites: Goodreads, LibraryThing, BookSpot, Barnes & Noble, & Borders.
  5. Within two weeks of receiving the eBook, email meganw@ctpub.com with links to the reviews. Then request your next book.
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A Sneak Peek at Getting Paid to Play

It has been about a year since we launched the C&T Creative Troupe. We have been so impressed and thrilled by the excitement around the Creative Troupe and the amazing talent our troupers posses, that we have decided to add a few more incentives and rewards to it’s members. The first new feature of the Creative Troupe is the Pay for Publication Program. A program that pays Creative Troupe members to promote C&T Products in the media.

Get Paid to Play! If you are a member of the C&T Creative Troupe, you are already creating beautiful art with our books and products, why not get paid for it? If you haven’t joined the Creative Troupe yet, what are you waiting for? Become a member of our creative family today!

We have listed all the details of the program below, but the concept is simple. Get a project made with C&T products published in the media, and we will pay you.

Continue Reading…

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C&T Publishing is a group of quilters and crafters dedicated to publishing products tailored to our audience. This blog is where we break away from book schedules and marketing campaigns to focus on what drives us to be creative and how this creativity manifests itself in our every day lives.
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