My Sneaky Secret for Fantastic Patterns and Designs!

One day I was looking at a pair of outrageously expensive new jeans that my ten year old daughter managed to tear a hole in on her first day of wear. I was thinking to myself hmmm...what can I do to fix this hole and not only make it wearable but maybe even a little better?   I,  being a quilter with a fabric stash of insane proportions, decided to patch and embellish the jeans with a cute little french poodle fabric. After I finished, it was cute but it needed just one final touch I could not figure out. 

In one of my many trips to the craft store a week later I found my answer on accident: a sizzix diecut in the shape of the Eiffel Tower. I simply punched out the diecut and used it as a pattern by tracing around it with a fabric marker directly unto the jeans. I then stitched the outline and voila...eiffel tower silloutes.  It looked so great that my mind wondered in what other ways I could put them to use. Then I realized I had hit the pattern mother load. Sizzix diecuts are super cheap per piece (only a few cents) and come in almost every shape imaginable. They make fantastic applique patterns for placemats, pillows, quilts, individual quilt blocks and anything else you want to applique. They also make FANTASTIC quilting stencils! They have been invaluable to me. The designs are so plentiful people are always like.......WOW how in the world did you do that?? When this happens just smile graciously and let them assume you are a genius.  

-Hope this is a helpful to you as it has been to me! If you did find this of interest, please be sure to vote below. Be sure to also check out my items on sale from time to time. I always love feedback on any work I do! Thanks & God Bless!

Holly