Elephants

Sometimes you just need a nudge to get blogging again.  Mary over at "Making Scrap Quilts from Stash" just did that for me.   She posted about considering the purchase of a die cutting machine to make a quilt she had created a pattern for, and also other projects she could use it for. Mary does so many wonderful quilts, I'm sure she would make good use of one.  When I saw her   Elephant quilt,  I   mentioned I had a die cutting machine, but hadn't used it much, so I would love to cut out some elephants on it from her pattern.

 I had not touched my Brother Scan n' Cut 550 since my first project. So, this is my second inspiration to use the machine.  Here is my first. The Little Bird zippered bag. It's a freebie on the Brother Scan n' Cut website. I did it months ago, soon after I bought the machine.

The blue fabric for the bird is the die cut. The satin stitch around the bird and the embroideries were completed on the embroidery machine. This is a all done in the embroidery hoop at the machine, except for the fabric die cutting. Even the zipper is inserted in the hoop.

For the elephants I needed to learn to duplicate, and also reverse Mary's elephant drawing. Having not done this before, I was a bit hesitant. But, as you know,  and I've said here, if I buy something I really want to use it. Not just let it collect dust in the sewing room, or I need to sell it.  I have felt a bit neglectful of the Scan n' Cut machine and a bit guilty that I had bought it, but only used it once.  Mary's cute quilt really inspired me!

This morning bright and early with a firm resolve,  I decided that I would embrace the learning curve and  do or "die" (pun intended) and cut out the elephants for the quilt.  I say "learning curve" but, really if you watch all the dozens of You Tube tutorials for the Scan n' Cut, you can overcome some of the "curve" on your own.  And of course, as always, learning to use a new gadget, you have to use it. Not just once, but often to get the best of it.

I'm so pleased with the Scan n' Cut! Really, I surprised myself! Once I prepped all the fabrics and applied Heat n' Bond Lite to the fabrics, I was ready to roll!

Here are my Elephants! It took me about 30 minutes or less to cut them out with the Scan n' Cut!

I even learned how to reverse them right on the machine screen!

Baby steps, but I'm learning.  What fun!