Working With Black, White, Bold and Bright

Hello Everyone,

How many of you work with bright fabrics?  How many of you use them on a solid background?  How many of you use them with black and white fabrics?

I think my favorite way to use bright and bold fabrics is with black and white fabrics.... it really makes them POP!   Yesterday, I pulled a bunch of bright fabrics and black and white fabrics.  I wanted to just play.  Let me show you what I pulled.

Great prints with some Aussie and Kaffe Fassett, along with some batiks thrown in...

Black with white fabric...

White with black fabric...

Aren't they wonderful and the colors will just POP!!

Here are all the brights with more batiks and prints thrown in for good measure.

Beautiful little stack, don't you think?  So now what to make.... I have several designs drawn up and you will see them in there soon... I hope!  In the meantime, if you would like to try a small little project to try with black, white, bold and bright....

Just click here for  a FREE tutorial that I created in April, 2013 for you!  It is still available.  Many of you may have tried it before, if you haven't seen it you must go now.

Click here for the tutorial!

Oh, by the way, if you would like to get some great black and white  fabrics, just click here.

And for more black and white inspirational quilts click here.

Until Next Time...

Working With Black, White, Bold and Bright

Mountains & Plains

Hello Everyone,

You probably have been wondering if all I have been doing as of late is paper piecing?  The answer is no... I have actually been doing other things too.  I know... shocker!

Oh and there is a little surprise at the end of this post, so stick with me.

I thought you might like to see..

I designed another quilt for Quilt Magazine out of Australian Aboriginal fabrics and Kona Cotton.  I wanted to use a great variety of prints and make it more scrappy looking. 

It is a combination of strip pieced triangles for the border and half log cabin blocks for the body of the quilt.

A fun Australian print for the backing.

A leaf print for an edge to edge quilting design.

Bright and brilliant, just like I like it, but a scrap busting appeal.  I know you all have TONS of scraps right?

Here is the whole quilt. It is 60" X 60" square.  But you could really enlarge it to whatever you like... or make it smaller.

For variation, here I have done it in African fabrics....

Yes there is a stray block taking up the design wall... just ignore that one.  You can find African fabrics in my shop online by clicking here, Australian fabrics can by found here.

Now for the big reveal...

Here is the photo from the magazine.  Don't they do a great job?  I love how the quilt looks draped over the chair.

Here is their flat shot... again they do a fantastic job!  The quilt looks gorgeous!

Here is the magazine that you can find it in... As luck may have it you can find it in my online shop.

Click on the following to find:

1.  Quilt Magazine

2. Mountains & Plains Quilt Kit

3.  Australian Fabric

4.  African Fabric

Now for the surprise...

This is a FREE downloadable pattern.  You can find it by clicking..

HERE

I hope you enjoyed the tour of the Mountains & Plains!!  If you decide to make it after downloading the pattern, please send me a photo!  I would love to see your version!

Until Next Time...

Mountains & Plains

What I Am Working On....

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday was Wind It Up Wednesday at my classroom studio.  I have photos of what the other ladies were working on and will show them tomorrow.  However, I wanted to share with you what I am working on right now.

It is no secret that I love Australian Aboriginal fabrics.  The designs, color, and feel are just wonderful to the eye and to the touch.  So much that you can do the possibilities are endless. 

I started by cutting up strips.

Arranging them in pleasing orders.   Yes, that is some African fabrics that you see in the back of the photo.  I love them too!

The piles of prettiness are always inspiring to me and they were to the ladies that were with me yesterday.

Some simple designing, coupled with a....

speedy sewing machine, makes for a design that you will be seeing soon in an upcoming Quilt Magazine.  So stay tuned for the final glorious design.

If you would like some Australian fabrics you can click here, or if you prefer African you can click here.  But I will warn you they are addicting.

Until Next Time...

What I Am Working On....

Rainbow's End

Hello Everyone,

It is finally here!  My newest design, Rainbow's End, using beautiful Australian Aboriginal Fabrics from M & S Textiles.  I had a ton of fun using these bright and bold fabrics.  Something that, as many of you know, I LOVE!!!

Let's take a little peek..

Here is a close up.  The colors are bold and bright.  For the quilting I chose to do pebbles for texture.  This is such a busy quilt the quilting is hardly noticeable.  But I love the texture!

The sashing helps for the division of the blocks.  This design uses 2.5 inch strips so you can easily make this quilt from your stash if you prefer.

The backing was also from the same collection and was used on the front of the quilt as well. 

Beautiful, just like a rainbow, right??

The whole quilt.  But the best part is it is published, just out now in the current issue of Simple Quilts and Sewing.  You, too, can have this pattern or if you like a kit from my shop!

The magazine is available for purchase here.

Photos from the magazine...

  

Love it on the bed!

A great flat shot of the quilt.  

If you would like to make it in the exact same fabrics you can purchase the kits in my shop by clicking here.  I can guarantee you won't be disappointed!  And, it will put a little sunshine at your Rainbow's End!!

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

Until Next Time...

Rainbow's End

Aussie Fabric Giveaway

 Hello Everyone,

This is a very unique giveaway... I have never given away Australian Aboriginal fabrics before!

Here is your chance to try out these wonderful fabrics from M & S Textiles.

This bundle consists of bright and bold fabrics.  There are 12 Fat Quarters to be won!!

These fabrics will make any stash proud.  You can find the yardage by clicking here.  We continually stock Australian Fabric and the collections are always changing.

If you would like to enter to win these fabrics, you must visit my friend Rita at Red Pepper Quilts.  Rita has a fabulous blog and is a very talented designer and quilt maker.

Click here to enter the giveaway!

Good luck!!

Until Next Time...

Aussie Fabric Giveaway

Scenes From Saturday Sewing

Hello Everyone,

As many of you have heard by now, the news in CT on Friday was totally devastating.  I spent much of the day unable to focus and cried countless times.  The local news here in CT has been covering the story 24/7, so when I awoke on Saturday I turned it on again.  By midday, I had to turn it off.  I am heartbroken over the loss of life.  

I needed a distraction so I took to sewing...

I went into my studio and just began.

Then my little helper, Mr. Pavi, came for a visit and had to check my stitches to make sure that I was doing it correctly.

Hmmm... Looks good, maybe I will just sit on it for now.

Well, I know it is not yet a quilt, but looks darn close... so I think I will lay on it for awhile.  Of course, he was further hindering my progress.  But I totally enjoyed his company.

He then decided to move to the back of the machine, which was definitely easier for me as far as sewing was concerned.

Here he is totally bored to tears and utterly relaxed!!  Ahhhh... the life of a cat.

Back to sewing and inspecting what I was doing... seems okay, so he thinks...

he will now lay down again.

All in all it was an enjoyable day sewing and it really did take my mind off the happenings of the day before.  I enjoyed my kitty's company and he stayed with me all day.  He must have known that I was feeling blue.  

Please keep sending your prayers and thoughts for the families in Newtown.  

Until Next Time...

Scenes From Saturday Sewing

Weekend Musings....

Hello Everyone,

This weekend was a good one.  I was able to get a bunch accomplished at home and had a date night and movie with the hubs.  We haven't been to a movie in a long time.  We really wanted to see Lincoln, but couldn't get in so we saw Flight.  This was a good movie too.  

If anyone saw Lincoln, please let me know your review, I think I feel another date night coming up!!

I also did some quilty stuff too.

I cut some bright 2.5 inch squares and these were the remnants.  Pretty aren't they.  I think they would look great fused to a base and then just quilted like crazy, don't you?

Then I cut up and played with Australian Aboriginals, can't wait to show you this design!

Also spent some time peeling off papers off of some of my Judy Niemeyer projects.  

This one is done!

Then on Sunday, my boys were snugly all day...

...here on the bed...

...on the shopping bags after a trip to the grocery store...

...and on the kitty condo!  They really love each other and are best buddies!!

I hope you all had a great weekend, I did!

Until Next Time...

Weekend Musings....