Quick String Project

Hello Everyone,

On Friday, I was quilting a customer's quilt and had been working since early morning. While in my studio, I kept looking at the gorgeous hand dyed selvages that Chris of Dye Candy had sent me and really wanted to do something with them. I also wanted to start a project for Stephanie's No Strings Attached Challenge. I did both!! This first picture shows the beginning.

I used the beautiful hand dyes, some Kaffe and some of the stripes from my Colors of Peru Quilt.

I really like the beginnings of this very much! So me, so colorful! But I must confess, the pattern for this was not my idea. I had taken a break from work to run some errands and made a little pit stop at the local Barnes and Noble. To my surprise the Spring issue of Quilts and More was out!

Here it is in all it's glory. So of course I had to purchase it!

Low and behold, as I was eating my lunch, I saw this cute little string project. Just perfect for my scraps! (refer back to my first photo)

Not too much longer, I had a complete little bag. I love it! Easy to make and perfect if you are just running out really quick. It fits a small wallet, cell phone, make up, or whatever you want. This is the front side.

This is the back side or maybe the front. I am not really sure. I used a variegated rayon thread to top stitch everything down to the muslin foundation. It really gives it a little sheen and I like that.

For the lining, I used a Martha Negley fabric, which I love.

I put an bright orange and hot pink tassel on the black cording, both from my stash, and it dresses it up just right.

If you are looking for a quick project or gift, this one really fits the bill and you use up your scraps too. Thanks, Stephanie, for having this challenge!

Website update, Kona Color Cards are in stock NOW! Find them by clicking here. Also, while you are on my website, check out the Recent Additions in my sidebar. Some wonderful new customer quilts have been added.

Until Next Time...

Quick String Project

What to Do With Those Fabric Panels

Hello Everyone,

Often times we, as quilters, see those beautiful fabric panels and are not quite sure how to integrate them into a quilt. This post shows just one example of how you can use a panel and not have it look like one.

One of my customers, Janet, brings me some beautiful quilts to quilt. Recently, she brought a quilt that is made up of one panel. How she used it was to cut the panel into blocks, then to put sashing in between the blocks and added two borders.

From afar, this quilt looks like a beautifully appliqued quilt. But it is not. The sashing really helps in making it look more like a pieced and appliqued quilt.

Then I added my quilting. I treated it very much like a pieced quilt. It was all custom quilted, with special motifs in each block, border, and sashing.

Each block was also stitched in the ditch to frame it up. Click on the pictures to see the detail.

Janet likes to use a muslin backing. It really shows off the quilting and the detail. So in summary, a panel doesn't have to look like a panel. The piecer has to think outside the box and the quilter needs to treat it like any other quilt.

If any of you have any great ideas or treatments for a panel, I would love to hear about them in your comments or e-mails. Don't forget to listen to my 10th podcast episode all about quilting tools and gadgets. Find it in iTunes or just click on the icon on my left side bar or you can click here.

One last item, you need to go to Lila Tueller's blog to enter the giveaway for a beautiful quilt!

Until Next Time...

What to Do With Those Fabric Panels

Thank You!!

Hello Everyone,

First, I wanted to give a big THANK YOU to Amy for hosting my giveaway!! She did a great job and I really appreciate all that she does.

Also, a big THANK YOU to all who entered!! How wonderful is that? Don't despair if you were not a winner, trust me there will be more giveaways in the future!

Now onto the winners. Congratulations to Carolyn, Karen, Claudia, and Jane!! Woo Hoo, you were the lucky recipients of the above prizes. And guess what? They are already on their way to you!! So watch for your postman, he may just want to keep them for himself.

Until Next Time...

Thank You!!

A Really Big Finish

Hello Everyone,

This is a very exciting post for me. The quilt that I am showing you was a Marti Michell BOM that I taught at our local quilt shop about 4 years ago. It is called Ramblin Rose. I really loved it and wanted to complete it that year and place it in our bedroom.

Well, it quickly became a UFO because I just could find the time to quilt this King Size quilt the way that I wanted it. When I did find the time, I got about two thirds quilted and then had to take it off my long arm to continue on customer quilts.

Two weeks ago, I got it back out, finished the quilting and applied the binding. Joy and happiness set in quickly. Hubby loves it and as you will see so does one of our cats, Rolo.

I couldn't wait to get it on the bed and Rolo couldn't wait to hop on it and give it a test drive.

A close up of some of the custom quilting that I did in the first border. I just love it!

Rolo still test driving, just a different view.

A close up of the quilting in the blocks. A combination of flowers and feathers.

I know that the pillow shams are too light for this quilt. They are the old shams. I really will make new ones. I just felt that I had to dress up the bed a little for the photo shoot.

Cat still hasn't moved. I think he approves of the quilt and the quilting.

Don't forget to click on the pictures to see the quilting detail.

I have to say that my hubby really, really likes this quilt and is glad it is finally gracing our bed and so am I.

Don't forget to check over at Amy's for the winners of the giveaway today! Oh and one more thing, I just finished loading up NEW 1930s prints from Windham on my site. So click HERE to check them out!

Until Next Time...

A Really Big Finish

Second Set Finished

Hello Everyone,

As most of you know, I am participating in The Quilt Show's BOM Star Crazy. I am also a member of the Star Crazy Log, a blog dedicated solely to this BOM. Participants of this BOM post their progress there.

Well, when I began this undertaking, I professed that I was going to do two quilts simultaneously! I am done with my second set of stars for the first month, yay!! So without further adieu, here they are...

Unlike the first set, these have a dark background of Kona Charcoal.

Also, unlike the first set, they have bright Kaffe Fassett fabrics making up the stars.

This version although very different than the first, I love equally as much.

Nothing beats bright fabrics on a dark background.

Here are the two sets together. One soft and sweet, one bold and bright. Totally different, but they both make my heart sing.

Don't forget, there is still time to enter the giveaway. You can scroll down to the previous post and follow the instructions or just click on over to Amy's to find out the details. It is open until the 22nd! Good Luck!!

Until Next Time...

Second Set Finished

This Could Be Yours!!

Hello Everyone,

Thank you all for the lovely compliments on my Colors of Peru Quilt!! I have to say that this is definitely a favorite of mine. Keep watching, I hope to make some more progress on this soon.

Well, I can't believe that I have over 200 blog posts!! This is actually my 203rd post. How did I let the 200th get by without a giveaway??? So, I thought that I would share with my readers, customers, and friends a little something, something from my online shop. To be exact four prizes!!

First up Kona Cottons Greener Pastures Fat Quarter Bundle!!

Second up 1.5 inch Rainbow Roll of 33 Kaffe Fassett Collective Fabrics.

Third up as wonderful charm pack of Aunt Grace Authentics 1930s Repro fabrics.

And last but certainly not least, The Sassy Connie Bag Pattern by Izzy and Ivy Designs.

To enter this giveaway, just head on over to Amy@ Park City Girl! She is sponsoring this for me and has all the details. So hurry over to her site and tell her I said hello! But while you are here, I would love it if you would just say Hi!

Good luck to all of you and thank you so much for reading my blog and most of all inspiring me on a daily basis to be as creative as I can be!!

Until Next Time...

This Could Be Yours!!

On My Design Wall

Hello Everyone,

Since my last post on the Colors of Peru Quilt, many of you expressed that you couldn't wait to see what it would look like together. Although it is not all together yet, most of it is on my design wall!! So I wanted to share it all with you.

I am just loving playing with this one. Colorful and bright to cheer me up during these cold winter days.

This is all I have up right now. It is too long and skinny for me. It really needs to be wider. I have more blocks that need to go up. So I will continue adding and hope to have that done soon. Then onto piecing it together.

Hope you all enjoyed this one!

My Podcast Episode 10 is now available via iTunes and at the link on my sidebar. Lots of great tips are packed into this one. I hope you enjoy!

Don't forget this is the last day of the Share the Love sale at my online shop. Use the code love15, at checkout, for your 15% discount

Until Next Time...

On My Design Wall

Share The Love

Hello Everyone,

In honor of Valentine's Day, Canton Village Quilt Works is having one spectacular 4 Day SALE at the online shop. Read more about it below.

In honor of Valentine's day, CantonVillage Quilt Works is having a SALE! You may take 15% off your entire order from February 12 through February 15. This is only a 4 day event, so hurry on over to check out all the new fabrics, bundles, and die cuts. Use the code love15 when checking out to get your discount.

There is new Essex Cotton/Linen Blends that are fabulous for any quilting project. Lots of new Kona Cotton Solid bundles and yardage. Wonderful 1930s reproduction fabrics and a brand new kit featured inQuilt Magazine! Lots of new Kaffe, Brandon, Philip, and Martha. Don't forget to check out the wonderful Izzy and Ivy Designs Patterns!

You never know what Valentine treat you might find in the shop. So don't forget to share the love and forward this onto a friend!

Hope you have tons of fun and the sweetest Valentine's Day ever!!

Until Next Time...

Share The Love

Wanna Trade??

Hello Everyone,

I bet you all know that I am a big lover of Kaffe Fassett. You know that I carry his fabrics in my shop. I have mostly all his books, with the exception of one!

I do not have the above pictured book. It is on loan from our local library and I really, really want this book. Unfortunately, it is out of print. ACK!! So I was wondering if any of you Kaffe loving quilters might have this book and might be willing to part with it??? I would be willing to do a trade with you! So if you are, leave a comment or e-mail me privately and we'll talk!!

Thank you all for considering this proposal. Next post will be back to our regular scheduled programming!

Until Next Time...

Wanna Trade??

Sweet Baby Dreams

Hello Everyone,

I have to say that this month I am just tickled pink!! I am excited because my shop is featured as the exclusive shop to kit this wonderful quilt below. It can be found in Quilt Magazine. The quilt is called Sweet Baby Dreams and is just that, sweet! It features 1930s reproduction fabrics from the Storybook VII line from Windham Fabrics.

Here is the quilt, designed by Karen Bennett. I just love pinwheels.

Here is the fabric that you can find in the kit. It includes 15 different 1930s fabrics, Kona Cotton Banana, and Kona Cotton Asparagus for the binding. Gorgeous right?

Here is the magazine. You can find it in my online shop or on your newsstands. I love this magazine because it has many wonderful quilt projects, but also has a column by Kaffe Fassett every month.

Here is the ad saying that I am the quilt shop that has the kit!! So exciting! If you want one for yourself, don't delay, they are too sweet to pass up. It would make a terrific gift for the 1930s lover or for that newest arrival in the family.

And the other bit of exciting news is, that I placed my first advertisement in this magazine!! Here it is, what do you think? I made the ad all by my little self. I think those Apple One to One classes are paying off. Because I never could do this before I had my Mac.

Thanks for sharing my excitement! Hope to see lots of this quilt out there in blog land.

Until Next Time...

Sweet Baby Dreams

An Angel From Panama

Hello Everyone,

Like many of you, I follow many different blogs. But there is one I have been following for sometime now. Carol from Panama, has a blog called Postcards from Panama. If you haven't seen it, you must go visit her. She is a very talented lady and it really shows in the work she does.

Well, she also started reading my blog and also exploring my website. She had e-mailed me on several occasions and expressed how much she liked the longarm quilting that I do for my customers. She asked if I would like to quilt her Angels quilt that she has been working on.

I was thrilled. This quilt is just so bright, beautiful, and whimsical. You know the saying, "photos just don't do it justice". Well that was definitely true in this case. When the quilt arrived in my hands, it was breathtaking. It is a pattern from Mary Lou Weidman, another great quilter with a fantastic blog, go check it out.

Any way, here is where I stop talking and let you see the quilt and the quilting.

This is one of the Angels on the quilt. Carol requested some specific types of quilting and I think I filled her requests. It definitely needed to be quilted in a whimsical manner and I believe that I have achieved that. I love the hair and the cheeks on this one.

The heart of course is just darling. But you can see the inner border was done with a wonderful loop/ribbon effect.

This is another favorite angel. Crazy hair and halo.

You may or may not be able to see, but I quilted angels in a row on the outer borders. Click on the picture to enlarge.

Here is the entire quilt in all its glory! When it arrived back in Panama, from its long journey from the states, Carol wrote to me telling me she was thrilled. I am pleased and was really honored to work on this quilt. Thanks, Carol for the wonderful opportunity you gave me!

For more quilting inspiration, please go check out my gallery by clicking HERE. Enjoy!!

Until Next Time...

*** EDIT-- You really need to go over to Carol's blog. She has many more photos of this quilt and they were taken in natural light. Unfortunately, the day that I took my photos it was overcast here. Enjoy! ***

An Angel From Panama