Balzer Designs

Hexagon Pin Cushion

I am a member of the Cambridge Modern Quilt Guild.  At our Guild Meeting on  Sunday, one of the Guild Members taught us how to make a pincushion from eight hexagons.  I used some leftover scraps that another Guild Member didn't want.

It's not the most beautiful pin cushion, but I really enjoyed the process and I'd like to make another one in fabric I love.  Maybe even some hand painted fabrics?

Here are some things I liked about this project:

• This pin cushion uses up very little fabric and is perfect for leftover scraps you can't bear to throw away! 
• It's also all hand sewn, so it's perfect for taking on the go or doing in front of the TV.
• I assumed that the pin cushion would be filled with Fiber Fill or something similar.  Instead it's filled with crushed walnut shells.  Because they're heavy, the pin cushion doubles as a pattern weight.
• I was introduced to sewing clips and I immediately bought a pack of 100.  Where have they been all my life?!
• It was my first experience with English Paper Piecing and it was much easier than I thought it would be.

In case you'd like to try, I did some googling and I found this video tutorial, which looks very similar to what we were taught.  Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Paper Flower Place Cards with ScanNCut

I recently made these gorgeous paper flower place cards with my ScanNCut:

The flower, the leaves, and the "twigs" are all built-in designs from the ScanNCut DX225.  I used one of the basic shapes in CanvasWorkspace to create the flag.  I even used the ScanNCut to write the names on the tags!

If you're interested in making a similar project, here are some resources:

Two Videos on Making Flowers with ScanNCut:

Two Videos on Drawing with ScanNCut:

Thanks for stopping by!

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P.S. I am a paid spokesperson for the Brother ScanNCut.  It is a machine that I love and use.  All projects and opinions are my own.

Product Registration: https://www.brother-usa.com/registermybrother/
Brother Customer Support: https://www.brother-usa.com/support/

Applique Pillow Cover with ScanNCut

This is a quick and easy way to add beautiful custom décor to your home. And it’s a low sew project, with just a bit of decorative stitching added at the end of the project. Let the ScanNCut do the bulk of the work, cutting an intricate pattern from your favorite fabrics.

Supplies:

• ScanNCut DX
• ScanNCut Mat with High Tack Fabric Support Sheet
• Fabric with Fusible Web
• Brayer
• Pre-Made Pillow Cover
• Iron & Ironing Board
• Sewing Machine with Free Motion Foot
• Thread
• Pillow

Watch the video for the how-to:

Instructions:

Choose a design. I’m using one of the built-in designs from the ScanNCut DX 225.

Use a ScanNCut Mat with a High Tack Fabric Support Sheet on it. Place Fabric with Fusible Web onto the mat, with the fabric side down against the mat.

I left the paper on the fusible web because I’m cutting an intricate pattern.

Load the mat into the machine and cut. You may wish to change the Cut Speed Settings to a “1” because this is such an intricate pattern. Find those settings under the wrench tool on the Cut screen (just before you hit start).

Remove the fabric from the mat and if you have additional pieces to cut, go ahead and cut them in the same manner as the previous piece. If you’re working with smaller pieces of fabric, be sure to scan your fabric so that you can place the cut files onto the small pieces.

Remove the paper backing from your cut pieces of fabric.

Place each piece of fabric onto your pre-made pillow cover and iron it into place.

Repeat for each piece of your applique design.

If you wish to add some decorative stitching, use a sewing machine with a free motion foot and some colorful thread.

Put a pillow into the cover and you are done!

And here is the color variation I showed in the video:

I hope you'll give this fun and easy project a try!

Thanks for stopping by!

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P.S. I am a paid spokesperson for the Brother ScanNCut.  It is a machine that I love and use.  All projects and opinions are my own.

Product Registration: https://www.brother-usa.com/registermybrother/
Brother Customer Support: https://www.brother-usa.com/support/

ScanNCut: Draw Patterns for Hand Embroidery

You know that I love to do hand embroidery. 

How pretty is that?!  Guess where the pattern came from?  It's one of the built-in designs in my ScanNCut DX!  Check out the video tutorial for the project how-to step-by-step:

In the video, I'm using a ScanNCut DX, but you could do this technique with any ScanNCut as long as you have a Universal Pen Holder.

I hope you'll give this project a try.  It makes creating beautiful hand embroidered pieces a snap!

Thanks for stopping by!

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I will be on HSN tonight and tomorrow with the PTouch Embellish and with an exclusive ScanNCut DX bundle!

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P.S. I am a paid spokesperson for the Brother ScanNCut.  It is a machine that I love and use.  All projects and opinions are my own.

Product Registration: https://www.brother-usa.com/registermybrother/
Brother Customer Support: https://www.brother-usa.com/support/

Paint Pouring Video & 2 New Paintings

I have tried paint pouring several times.  I don't really like it.  I feel like it "wastes" a lot of paint and that nobody really has an artistic signature when they pour.  All pour paintings kind of look alike.  Nevertheless, it's super duper popular at the moment, so I put together a video tutorial on how I approach paint pouring.  I hope it's useful to you!

After staring at the poured paintings for a while, I decided that they weren't finished and so I went to town.  Here's how they turned out:

I love them!  It's amazing what you can do with a white pen! 

PS: The technique I used on the one with the flowers is the same technique I teach in my Gelli Journals class.  Both of these paintings are now listed in my shop.

Thanks for stopping by!