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cricut maker review...

"with the right tools, anyone can be a maker!" -cricut

my friends at cricut invited me to their make-a-thon event back in early august and while i assumed they would launching a new product, i had no clue how big it would be! three new products, including the maker!

in my opinion, the maker is unlike any craft machine on the market. featuring a brand new adaptive tool system, the maker cuts with a force 10x greater than previous cricut machines. with these updates you can cut so much more, including fabric without stabilizer. say whaaaaaa?

that's right, the maker will cut tons of fabric as well as leather and balsa wood.

the maker also comes equipped with a rotary blade, a new feature that made this quilter giddy. the rotary blade uses a gear system that will give you precision cuts each and every time. cricut also updated their mats to include a fabric mat to use with the rotary blade. it comes in two sizes 12'' x 24'' and 12'' square.

cricut also developed a washable fabric marker (which you can purchase separately) that will mark your fabric. it's the perfect accessory to the updated cricut design space which includes make-it-now digital projects from riley blake designs and simplicity.

cricut design space, for those of you new to the magical world of cricut is a free, easy-to-learn design program that allows you to design your own projects. it's also cloud-based so you can work on your designs and create new ones from your mobile devices, even offline. at first, i thought it was a bit intimidating, but once you learn the shortcuts, you'll be making in no time!

the design of the cricut maker is new too! there's extra storage for all your tools. they even redesigned the tool compartments making one more shallow, perfect for blades and smaller tools. they also removed the smart dial. from design space you can now select the material, blade, and cutting pressure.

the addition of the docking slot is perfect for your mobile devices. there's also a USB port where you can charge your mobile devices and/or connect your bright pad (details on the bright pad below). you can binge watch your favorite shows while cutting out your latest projects. so rad!

i'm obsessed with the new sewing kit. scissors, a leather thimble, pins, the most adorable pin cushion, and so much more, it's the perfect starter kit, especially for those new to sewing.

cricut also introduced the easy press with it's ceramic-coated 9'' x 9'' heat plate. with the exact tempature you need, this little guy has the speed of a heat press with the convenience of an iron.

they also introduced the bright pad. with it's slim profile and adjustable LED lights, this little guy let's you view every detail and is perfect for foundation paper piecing. i've had mine for a couple of months and it's awesome, especially while foundation paper piecing in the evening.

i can't wait to continue to explore the cricut maker. the possibilities are endless. i think this machine will change the way we look at fabric and creating. in the photos above you can see a mini quilt i've been working on. i love that it cuts through seams like a dream. i also love the make-it-now projects including the quilts from my friends at riley blake designs. i've been able to cut squares, triangles, and half-hexagons with the cricut maker and while it might not be as fast as cutting them yourself, they are precise.

the cricut maker would make a great addition to your craft room. if you're interested in seeing the cricut maker in action, please visit circut's website. you can also do a simple google search and find lots of great blog posts, including free projects and downloads. what will you make today?

cut, sew, repeat...

the tattooed quilter

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

cricut sewing...

there's a party, a cricut sewing party and you're invited to tropic it like it's hot!

i was recently invited to participate in cricut's all things sewing campaign and of course i couldn't say no! i'll admit, i was a bit nervous when the machine arrived, but trust me when i say, this machine is so rad and very user friendly! i now want to make all-the-things!

speaking of awesome things, isn't this the most perfect mini quilt to celebrate summer?  and it's super-duper easy to make!

here's what you need:

  • cricut explore air 2
  • cricut's iron on lite in white and black
  • cricut toolkit, most importantly the weeding tool
  • iron
  • pressing cloth (i used a small piece of fabric)
  • tropic like it's hot icons (download them for FREE here)
  • 1 fat quarter in pink (i used Confetti Cottons Rose)
  • 1 fat quarter in white (i used Confetti Cottons Riley White)
  • 1 yard in black (i used Confetti Cottons Riley Black)
  • thread for piecing and quilting
  •  22'' x 22'' piece of batting
  • sewing essentials

here's how to make the mini quilt top:

cut your fabric:

  1. from the pink fat quarter, cut (4) 5 1/2'' x 10 1/2'' rectangles
  2. from the white fat quarter, cut (1) 10 1/2'' x 10 1/2'' square
  3. from the 1 yard black, cut (4) 5 1/2'' x 5  1/2'' squares

join your quilt top together (use a 1/4'' seam allowance):

  1. join (1) black square to the left and right side of (1) pink rectangle.
  2. press the seams to the black square.
  3. repeat step 1 and 2 for the bottom row of the mini quilt.
  4. join (1) pink to the left and right side of (1) white square
  5. press the seams to the pink rectangle.
  6. join the top row to the middle row.
  7. press the seams to the white square.
  8. repeat steps 6 and 7 for the bottom row.
  9. layer batting and backing to the quilt top.
  10. quilt as desired, leaving room to add the iron on icons.
  11. add binding.

here's how to add the iron on icons:

cutting your iron on icons:

  1. open up cricut design space.
  2. upload the tropic like it's hot icons (you can download them here).
  3. insert the icons into cricut design space.
  4. make sure you change the size of your icons to fit within the finished black squares.
  5. you can insert all four of the icons fitting on one sheet of iron on.
  6. after your happy with the placement, click the "make it" button.
  7. make sure you switch to "mirror" in the left hand corner.
  8. place the iron on onto the sticky mat, shiny side down.
  9. following the instructions on the screen, load the sticky mat into the machine.
  10. remember to turn the dial to iron on.
  11. once the "c" starts blinking, you're ready to go! go cricut go!
  12. when the machine is finished, remove the sticky mat from the machine.
  13. weed away the negative iron on away from the icons using your handy tools.
  14. following the directions, iron on the icons onto the black squares.
  15. repeat for the tropic like it's hot text.
  16. ta-da! your all done! isn't it summer-rific!?

i hope you like this summer themed mini quilt as much as i enjoyed making it. the sky's the limit with cricut. the colors of iron on are fantastic and you can make so many awesome fabric related projects, including, but not limited to, adding a fun text to the back of a basic hoodie!

check out these other fantastic sewists from week two and the fabulous projects they made! you can also enter to win your very own cricut explore air two!

cut, sew, repeat...

the tattooed quilter

I was invited to participate in the Cricut Party Blogger Program Kickoff.  

This experience is based strictly on my opinion.  Others may have a different opinion or experience with the product listed above.  I was provided the sample free of charge by the company or PR agency and I have given my honest opinion.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

sew cherry 2...

have you been following lori holt's sew cherry 2 sew-along? if not, it's not too late. you can download the pattern here and follow along, making each block, from lori's blog here.  these blocks are so much fun to make. lori's finished quilt features her sew cherry 2 fabric collection for riley blake designs. isn't it delicious?

i haven't met lori in real life (yet!), but i love everything she does. she started her company, bee in my bonnet in the early 90's and hasn't stopped since. she currently has 4 fabric collections and 3 on the way for riley blake designs. her attention to detail and sweet prints melt my heart. i also love her nostalgic view that inspires her work. it feels like home.

in order to complete lori's sew cherry 2 blocks, you'll need her "pie wedge" and a set of her "fruit salad" templates. and if you haven't already, run, jump, and skip to buy her cutting mats and rulers. they're ahhmazing!

i knew i wanted to mix things up a bit and create something in my graphic, bold style. i started curating fabric from my favorite collections:  creative rockstar by rad and happy and when skies are grey from simple simon and co. with a little sprinkle of hashtag and swiss dots, it became the perfect recipe for a dresden, don't you think?

making the dresden block is really easy, especially with lori's fool proof instructions. the hard part--deciding if you want to make a mini from your block or an entire quilt. of course, i made a mini. i machine quilted my mini before adding the dresden. i then added the dresden following her instructions. easy peasy, lemon squeezy (see what i did there? haha!).

next you need to add the fruit to the center of your dresden. using lori's "fruit salad" templates is a piece of cake. you simple follow her instructions and you'll be making your own fruit salad in no time. i added a little face to my lemon, making him extra sour. he's so cute! that personality! i love it.

i hope you'll follow along and make your own version. dresden blocks, while traditional, can be made modern too! i'm excited to see what you make!

cut, sew, repeat...

the tattooed quilter