An Impromptu Day

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a wonderful 2014!!

Yesterday was a very impromptu day at the studio.  Several of the "regulars" at the studio decided to get together to sew.  Funny though... I arrived late!

I am actually starting a new project, here are my fabrics.

I did a quick pick in the morning and chose these batiks.  Not the normal color palette for me, but we shall see.  Stay tuned for the progress.

Lisa joined me to finish her Amazon Star.  And guess what?  After I left it was done!!! Man is it gorgeous!

Fran came and was working on a new bag.  She is using all coffee/toffee colors.  It is going to be gorgeous!

Nancy came to quilt a quilt top!  A great flannel quilt.

Leslie wanted to lay out her Ombre quilt on the design wall.  She really needed the design wall to have the right color placement.

Here is what she came up with... nice isn't it?  

It was very nice to do something a little unplanned.  The best part of the whole thing is being with friends!

Tomorrow I am on my way to Arizona to teach! Hope to see some of you there.

Until Next Time...

An Impromptu Day

Merry Christmas!

Hello Everyone,

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!!

Until Next Time….

Merry Christmas!

All the Units Are Complete!!!!

Hello Everyone,

Guess what?  I got all the pieces to the Feathered Star done!!! I am jumping for joy!  I have three photos to share with you to show the progression.

This one shows some of the border units up on the design wall.  A few more to go...

Only 4 more pieces left for the corners.

There it is!!!  I just love the star against the green background.  Don't you?

Now I have to join all the units together.  Right now they are just pinned up on the wall… they still have the paper on the back too!   Hopefully next time you see it, it will officially be a quilt top.

Stats on this quilt:

1.  Wall Size Feathered Star  ~ Pattern available here.

2.  Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics ~ Fabrics available here.

Until Next Time...

All the Units Are Complete!!!!

Remember This One…

Hello Everyone,

Do you remember this quilt?  

I was working on my Feathered Star a few weeks back in my classroom studio.  I had to take it and move it to my home studio and on Sunday put it up on the design wall again and began cutting the background and borders.

Here is how far I that I was able to get on Sunday….

I think the green background really makes the star say "POW"…. Don't you think?

I hope to have more up for you tomorrow.  If not, stay tuned!!

My Fat Quarter Giveaway is still going on!!! Just click here to enter.

Until Next Time…

Remember This One…

A Photo Shoot In The Snow

Hello Everyone,

On Saturday, I had the most productive sewing day and I managed to get my Bali Bed Runner complete!!! I am so excited!

Being excited about it, I decided to take the top outside for a snowy photo shoot.  My husband thought I was a little nuts, but I told him… "it is fabric, it will dry."

Without further adieu… here it is… 

I am smitten with the color scheme and am very happy that I went with the color blocking layout. I like that the hot colors are all framed with the cooler colors. Don't you?

Here it is before I cropped the photo.  You can see the snow blower tracks.  Yup, we had just finished shoveling and plowing the snow.

Had to do the side shot to see some of the left side closer...

And the right side….

Some of the pinks, my favorites!!!

And the hot oranges!

Would you like to know the stats on this quilt?  Here you go:

1.  Bali Bed Runner ~ Pattern available here.

2.  Kit with these exact fabrics ~ available here.

3.  Black and White fabrics ~ available here.

4.  Splash Bali Pops ~ available here.

Now I am working on something different!  Check it out tomorrow.

Oh and don't forget to enter my fat quarter giveaway, still going on!!!  Just click here.

Until Next Time...

A Photo Shoot In The Snow

It Was A Pieceful Day

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday, it was snowing all day here.  What does a quilter do when it snows?  Hunkers down and gets serious about some piecing!!!  Woohoo, I got to sew all day.  I didn't do any quilting, but will get back to that on Monday.  I think I will be piecing tomorrow too.

How about you?  What do you do when it snows, if it snows near you?

Let's take a peek at what I worked on… 

Remember my Bali Bed Runner?  It was time to continue piecing the curves and get this one done!  This is the first half on the ironing board.

Here is some of the rest on the design wall.  Not quite the whole thing.  So I had a little way to go. 

Here is one block.  This is a great way to make a wedding ring quilt… in blocks!

A little more… we are getting there.

My helper arrived on time to help me sew some of the rows together.

Then he decided to lay on it as he didn't want to be under any longer.

Any way, it was a productive day and my helper and I had a great time.  More photos tomorrow!  Stay tuned!!

Oh and don't forget to enter my fat quarter giveaway going on here.

Until Next Time...

It Was A Pieceful Day

Finally Quilting the Top!!

Hello Everyone,

The past two days I have been working on making my quilt top a quilt!  This one you may remember seeing late summer when I finished the top.  I have been hankering to get it on the long arm since then! The time has come!!! Yippee!!

First I have to piece the backing.  This is a batik I chose from our shop.  I think it is just perfect for this quilt. You will see why in a minute.  You can find this fabric by clicking here.

See… didn't I tell you, it is gorgeous isn't it?  It has all the colors of the quilt top in the backing.  The other thing that I like about it is that it is a busy back.  I like a busy back for several reasons, they are pretty and have tons of interest, but they also help hide quilting stops and starts.

Here is some of the quilting that I am doing on this quilt.  I am using Superior Magnifico.  It is poly thread and has a bit of a sheen.  I like the outcome so far.

Love the feathers.  I will be switching out the thread colors throughout the quilt to match or blend in with the fabrics on the quilt top.

I also love the "fire" like quilting in the spikes.  I will be doing that on the opposite side in the colored spikes, but matching the threads.

Right now I am working on all the black areas.  This is a very large quilt and will take me quite a while.    Slow and steady, right.

Another area of feathers.  I think they really look great on the black solid areas, don't you?

Here is the front.  See what I mean about the backing.  Isn't it perfect!!??  Now to get back to work!

Oh wait… all this quilting and sewing has tuckered out the boy!!  

Facts about the quilt:

1.  Queen Feathered Star ~ Pattern and/or kit available here.

2.  Batik backing ~ available here.

3.  Yes, the design I am using to quilt it is digitized by Judy Niemeyer and can be purchased here.

4.  Since it is going to snow all weekend, guess what I will be doing??

Oh… don't forget to enter my fabric giveaway going on now by clicking here.

Until Next Time...

Finally Quilting the Top!!

A Fat Quarter Giveaway!!

Hello Everyone,

Did you know that today is Friday the 13th?? Well it is YOUR lucky day!!  I am having a giveaway.  This one is unique… I am giving away 8 fat quarters of Shweshwe fabric from Coral Tree.  Never heard of it?? 

Well, CVQW carries them… they are 100% cotton and from Africa.  This color range are different prints in purples and pinks, but we also have indigo and black and white!!  

Never tried them?? Here is your chance...

My good friend, Alyssa at Pile O' Fabric is hosting my giveaway and I am super excited!!

If you haven't ever been to her site, you must check it out!  And while you are there see what she has in store for the beginning of 2014… a new BOM!!

If you would like to see more of these fabrics in our shop, just click here.

Anyway, for a chance to win this great fat quarter bundle, visit Alyssa and tell her I said hello!  

Click here to enter the giveaway.

Until Next Time...

A Fat Quarter Giveaway!!

Playing with Ribbons a Tutorial

Hello Everyone,

On Thursday before my good friend Victoria Findlay Wolfe arrived, I wanted to make her a little gift.  Actually, I have been wanting to make this for a while and I finally got around to it.  What I was envisioning was playing with some of the beautiful ribbons that we carry from Renaissance.  

Making sort of a crazy quilt and quilting it as I go.  Here is my process (tutorial)...

First I chose a top fabric and cut it approximately 9.5 inches square.  I cut a piece of batting slightly larger.  Also, choose a backing fabric and cut it larger than the top and the batting facing it wrong sides to the batting and top.  

I put 5 pins into it to baste it.

Then I began placing pieces of ribbon on and sewing them down on the very edge with a complimentary thread through all the layers.

Then continue to add ribbons going "around" sewing in the same manner.

Along the way, you cut the ribbon to whatever size you need.

These are the ribbons that I was working with for this project.

Here is what it looks like before you trim it down and have added all the ribbon.

Now trim it down to the size you desire.

Here is what the back looks like when done.

Love the look of this crazy piece.  Now all you need to do is add the binding.

I chose green to compliment all the red.

Then gave this little beauty to Victoria.  She loved it and said she would be hanging it in her studio.  

The great thing is that it took less than an hour to make and is a cute little mini.  I will be making another as it was sooooo much fun.

If you want to make one, just click here to see all the NEW ribbons that we have in stock.  

If you make one send me a photo!  I would love to see it.

Until Next Time...

Playing with Ribbons a Tutorial