LMS

It’s that time of year again!–Time for the  Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks blog tour. =)  This magazine is such a wealth of great block designs and I am excited to have a block featured.  It even made the cover–can you guess which one it is?

As many of you know the whole quilt/block design process is my favorite part of making a quilt–it ranks right up there with my love of fabric.  This block came to be after a fun time playing in EQ7–it combines traditional patchwork with a slightly modern spin.  The solids contribute to a modern feel–they are a mix of Moda Bella Solids and Cross Weaves, Robert Kaufman Kona Solids, and maybe a Free Spirit Solid or two).

The instructions for my block, Block #700, can be found on page 71 in the Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Volume 7  which hits stores next week.

This block is pretty cool used just by itself in a quilt–here it is in Marmalade by Bonnie and Camille for Moda:

But, it’s even niftier when used with a 2nd block–Here I’ve used a 2nd block and Folk Tale Fabric by Natalie Lymer for Lecien Fabrics.

Or this one using Avalon by Fig Tree Quilts for Moda Fabrics:

The possibilities are endless!  You can see another take on my block in the sampler, block tester, Sheryl Patton made.  It’s pictured in the Block Tester’s Gallery on page 90.  She used Lovely by Debbie Beaves for RJR fabrics and combined my block with two others to create this lovely sampler.

You can see more peeks of the blocks in the issue, visit other blogs participating in the blog hop, and enter great giveaways over on the Quiltmaker’s Blog.

Giveaway Details:

Would you like to win a copy of  the soon to hit Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks?  Just leave me a comment here & tell me about your fave type of quilt–do you prefer modern, traditional, applique?  I’ll draw a winner on Monday.

Thanks for stopping by!

Giveaway has now ended.

I get asked quite frequently for a tutorial on this little pillow which I made for a class I taught awhile back.  It’s gotten pinned and repinned quite a bit over on pinterest–especially after Joann Fabrics pinned it(how fun!).

Can’t take credit for the Daisy pillow–I received it in a round of the Pillow Talk Swap.

I’ve decided to offer the tutorial here on my blog for anyone interested in making one of their own!  It’s a super easy tutorial with tons of pictures–including all of the finishing details(binding/pillow back).  The quilting is easy to do & a perfect project for a beginning quilter.

Patchwork Pillow Tutorial

The tutorial itself doesn’t have the supplies listed so here they are:

Pillow Supplies:

25–3″ squares of assorted fabrics

1/2 yard fabric for pillow top backing and pillow backing or a 15″ square piece of muslin for pillow top back and 1/3 yard print fabric for pillow backing)

1/4 yd. fabric for binding

14″ square piece of batting

505 Spray & Fix temporary adhesive

Perle Cotton

embroidery needle (size 5)

water erasable marker

thimble (optional if preferred for quilting)–quilting can also be done without a thimble for this project

12″ pillow form

Enjoy!

Hello, Hello!–Welcome to any new folks stopping by and thank you to my faithful readers for swinging by my stop on the Sweet Celebrations Blog Hop!

I have been just itching to share more new with you about the 2nd Moda Bake Shop book coming out very soon.  Last fall, Lissa Alexander, invited me to participate in the book and of course that was a huge “yes indeed” & now I can finally share a bit more about the book.

Sweet Celebrations is a precut friendly book with projects for all of your favorite holidays.  And today, my celebration for the blog hop is Wedding!  Which is perfect because I just happen to have several wedding projects in the Sweet Celebrations Book…here’s a little peek:

I made a trio of “Love” pillows & a Wedding quilt using a.m.a.z.ing fabrics from Fig Tree’s, California Girl line of fabric.

As you can see, tons of great projects!

So, for the blog hop, Moda decided to do a little Q & A with questions from Oda May for each of the chefs.  So, without further ado..a little bit more about Little Miss Shabby.

1.  Do you prefer to celebrate with cupcakes, cake pops, or just plain old cake?  Hmmm…I gotta be honest I am not much of a cake person in general.  I can totally pass up cake at any event with no problem.  Now, the hubster is a white cake guy all the way…and let me tell you, do not mess with the wedding cake…in his eyes it is one of the key elements to a great wedding.

2.  Do your pets/kids/spouse help or hinder your creative process? Help for sure!–well, maybe not so much the pets…although she does make for cute photo ops(can you spot her?):

My daughter, Chloe was 100% the inspiration for this pillow:

after she showed me this adorable little water color painting she made:

3.  If you could have a quilt shop spree, which items would you snag off the shelf?  I’m going to go with future items because it always seems like I am waiting on a fabric line to come out.  So, I would snag some Honey Honey by Kate Spain(I’ve seen a couple prints in person and they are fabulous!):

And, I’m also itching to see Bonnie & Camille’s next line of fabric after Marmalade.  I actually had a dream about it last night(seriously, I’m not the only one who dreams about fabric, right?).  It was an aqua, brown, orange line–they were going a more boyish route.  And it had the same tree fabric in the line as Just Wing It by Momo for Moda.  Craziness, right!?!

4.  What have you gained from the online quilting/sewing world?  What a vibrant community first of all!  I think the main thing I have learned is to just go for it, dive in & have fun…you can do it.  Too often, I think we sell ourselves and our skills short.

5.  What is your favorite part of quilting – fabric selection, piecing, quilting, binding, and why?  Definitely fabric selection…I love putting together stacks of fabric…I mean, seriously…

Bella by Lotta Jansdotter for Windham Fabrics

I actually began purchasing fabric before I ever touched a sewing machine or knew how to sew.

Now, as part of this blog hop, each chef was asked to share a recipe with you that corresponds to their assigned celebration.  Well, if you remember my celebration was wedding…and when we think wedding, we all think cake!  Well, as we learned earlier, I am soooo not a cake eater, however…I have a favorite cake…and it is one that is requested often to be made by my mom…it’s an old family recipe for Oatmeal Cake.  Just thinking about the ooey gooey delight that is this cake, makes me want some. =)

There you have it–a little bit of fluff about Little Miss Shabby–and now on to some more fun…

It’s Giveaway Time!

To enter to win a copy of Sweet Celebrations and a Moda Fat 8th Bundle, just leave me a comment.

Comments are now Closed.

(*Note: Only entrants with U.S addresses are eligible to win the actual book.  Winners with addresses outside the U.S. will win the e-book version).

You have from now until October 14 to leave a comment–winners will be announced on October 19.

Be sure to hop along to all of the other chefs’ blogs on the Blog Hop to enter to win a copy of the Sweet Celebrations book and some fantastic fabric.  You will be able to collect all of the yummy recipes on your hop as well. =)  A complete list of participating blogs is listed here.

I have been waiting for almost a year to be able to share some exciting news with you all.  First off, Moda Bake Shop has a new book coming out in October, which is pretty exciting news by itself.  Secondly, I was asked to contribute to the book!  I had so much fun last fall–designing and working with Moda Fabrics to create some pretty cool patterns.

While I can’t share with you just yet the projects that I made, I can tell you that I got to work with California Girl by Fig Tree Quilts.

And, I can also tell you that one of my projects just might be pictured in this promo shot of the book:

Hmmm….I think that might be a rather large hint. =p 

I’ve got a couple other projects in the book using California Girl as well–it’s such a great line of fabric.  I do love me some Fig Tree!  I mean seriously:

Those are all projects I have made using various Fig Tree lines of fabric…Yes indeed, love Fig Tree!

I’ll be talking more about this book in the upcoming months and sharing my projects as we get closer to the release date.  I’m sure that Lissa has all sorts of things in the works for the launch of this book!–so stay tuned!

Make sure to pop on over to Cindy’s blog today for the 2nd installment of the Fusion Blanket Crochet Along.  I loved reading Cindy’s blog post this morning and she echoed so many of my thoughts.  Cindy is so on the same page as me right now–I totally could have written the same post!  I’m certainly no crochet genius & she’s provided some great resources to help us all along.

I am happy to report that I have been drafted into the ranks of those busily preparing for quilt market. =)  No, not my own line of patterns…yet…but, I have designed a couple quilts for P&B Textiles which will be at quilt market this year…how fun!  That lovely stack of Color Weave fabrics arrived yesterday courtesy of P&B, and has since been whipped into a quilt top.

This little number was bound this past weekend and will soon be on it’s way to one of my new favorite magazines.  Oh how I love Bonnie and Camille’s Vintage Modern line of fabric….so fabulous!  And did you all see this:

Yes, indeed…it’s Bonnie & Camille’s line of fabric which will be debuting at quilt market in just a couple weeks.  It’ll be available for purchase this fall….I’m pretty sure I can’t wait that long…doesn’t someone going to quilt market want to take pity and pick some up for me…. =)

I’ve also added just a couple more items to my Etsy shop:

In between all of my other projects, one of my number one priorities is planning a 7 year birthday party for this gal:

May is totally going to zip on by!

The February 2012 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting arrived in my mailbox last week & I’ve gotta admit to being quite excited to see it in my mailbox….because:

My quilt, “Butterscotch Squares” is in this issue! =)  Designed and pieced by me–and hand quilted by my mom.  I have wanted to to be published in AP&Q for quite some time–one of those bucket list things & last spring I decided to do something about that—I figured it doesn’t hurt to try!  And lo and behold, I about peed my pants when I heard back that they liked my design and wanted to publish it. =)

Butterscotch Squares features both piecing and applique.  I used Moda Bella Solids for the pieced portion of the quilt and a variety of Fig Tree Quilts fabrics for the appliqued petals.  I also think this quilt would be amazing made using white/charcoal and a variety of scrappy brights for the applique!

Happy Tuesday!

Dead Simple Quilt Along Fabrics

I hope you aren’t tired of seeing this stack of fabrics!  I just got some coordinating Perle Cotton and I think this quilt is going to look amazing hand quilted something like this:

Fabulous, no?

Strawberry Fields Pillow

So, the name of the game around here seems to be deadlines.  I have a number of different things going on right now that are hogging up my time…in a good way of course.  But one piece of exciting news is that I am going to be teaching a few classes at a local fabric shop.  The first series of classes, Pillow Talk, will be kicking off September 19.  I’ll be teaching the basics of piecing, hand quilting, & finishing a pillow like the one above.  I have never viewed myself as a teacher so I have been preparing quite a bit…hopefully I’ll be over prepared.

There are 3 pillow classes scheduled before Christmas so, there has been some pillow making going on over here.  I’m hoping all goes well–I’ve gotta admit to some nerves even though it’ll be just a small class.

I am very excited to be sharing another fun quilt with you all, over on Moda Bake Shop.  This quilt is made using Fig Tree Quilts wonderful line of fabric Strawberry Fields–it’s no secret I am a huge fan of this fabric line.

My mom and I had a fun time hand quilting this one as well–as always using Finca Perle Cotton #8. 

And….Leah from Burgundy Buttons is offering a Framed In quilt Kit!  Look how cute!

Be sure to pop on over to MBS if you’d like to make a Framed In quilt of your own.  You can also see how easy it is to change up the layout to make two more completely different looks.

I have also designed a 2nd quilt pattern designed to use up most of the extra fabrics you will have left over after making your Framed In quilt with the addition of two solids.  Regular readers of my blog will remember this sneak peek:

And, now, the finished quilt….Picture Frames:

Picture Frames Quilt

This quilt will use up the extra fabrics wonderfully and is also super layer cake friendly if you are using a different line of fabric.  The pattern is available below in pdf format.

Picture Frames Quilt Pattern

I hope that you enjoy both of these quilts!  I had such a great time designing them for you all!! =)

I decided that I wanted to make a scrappy sort of block for May in the do. Good Stitches bee.  I was playing around this morning and came up with the block above–it’s a pretty simple block & I have to think it is probably some kind of Irish Chain.  I love the scrappiness it affords and it looks great in a quilt.

And even cooler when the blocks are set on point.

I use this super helpful Corner Triangle Guide  to figure out the outside corner triangles and setting triangles when placing blocks on point.  So, for the quilt above, since the quilt blocks are 12″ finished, for the 4 corner triangles you would cut 2 squares 9  3/8″ cut once diagonally.  For the setting triangles you would cut 3 squares 18  1/4″ and cut them diagonally twice for a total of 12 triangles–you would only need 10 of them. 

You can also make this block super scrappy by using smaller squares–the print squares on this block finish at 1″ as opposed to the 2″ finished print squares above.

And the super scrappy quilt:

And on point

The triangles for this quilt would remain the same as the on point quilt above since the blocks all finish at the same size, 12 inches.

Block details:

This block requires:

(20) 2  1/2″ print squares

&

4 solid squares 4  1/2″

This block requires:

(80) 1  1/2″ print squares

&

4 solid squares 4  1/2″

Remember to stop back tomorrow for Day One of my Week Long Giveaway Birthday Week!! =)