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!!

Channeling Wanda

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday, my friend Wanda had posted this post on her blog.  She and I have very similar tastes in fabric.  We both love Kaffe, batiks, and African fabrics.  I have been following Wanda's blog since I started blogging in 2007.  She has some of the best color and design sense that I have ever seen.  Wanda continually amazes me.  

Anyway, when I saw her blog post yesterday, I just had to play.

Since I had been playing with my African fabrics about a month ago they were still sitting near my sewing machine and were at the ready for playing.

Using Wanda's technique for "crooked" cobblestones, I set out pairing fabrics and sewing.

I was able to complete these in the course of a little over an hour.  I think that I will make some more tomorrow and then square them up to join them for a mini wall hanging.

One of the things that I love about the African fabrics is the color and design.  I just LOVE them!!  Stay tuned to see how this one grows.

If you would like to try your hand with some African fabrics, I just added new ones to the shop and they are only $7.50 per yard.  You can find them by clicking here.

Thanks, Wanda for all your inspiration!!

Until Next Time...

Channeling Wanda

Random Fun

Hello Everyone,

In my studio this weekend, I was also inspired by color too!  Here are some of the photos I took to share with you.

Just into the shop... lots of brand new African fabrics.  Some are already loaded into the online shop and I am working on getting the rest in as you are reading this.  You can find them here.

New Kaffe Fassett ribbons... just delicious... they can be found here.  Speaking of Kaffe...

I worked on my friend Justine's Kaffe quilt that she began working on eons ago and then had given to me eons ago... finally we both have it done!!

Don't you just love this quilt?  I was so glad it was done for her, that as soon as I had it off the machine, I got in the car and hand delivered it to her and she loved it.  Now she has to bind it... soon.  It is a biggie too  118" X 128".  Certainly will keep her warm!!

Until Next Time...

Random Fun

What Are You Working On Today?

Hello Everyone,

This past week I have been unable to stop my urge to create with African Fabrics!!  I dug in to my bin and just started cutting and cutting and cutting.

Glorious bright and bold colors and designs.  Scrap HEAVEN!

Then I started sewing and sewing and sewing... but I can't show you just yet, I am still sewing.

So what have you had the urge to work on lately???

P.S.  If you are in Rhode Island... please visit me!  I will be doing a workshop and lecture tomorrow at the Narragansett Bay Quilters in East Greenwich!  I would love to see you.

Until Next Time...

What Are You Working On Today?

Loving the Lemoyne Star in Two Ways

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday, I played BIG time!! I just had the urge to make a TON of Lemoyne Star blocks.  I had started some a while ago and I sooooo needed to make some more.

I love this technique in making them.  This is NOT paper pieced.  You can do it by paper piecing, but you don't have to if you don't want.

This technique is all strip pieced! Yes, no cutting of diamonds.  I am doing them in two different fabrics... Kaffe Fassett fabrics and African fabrics... you will see them further down in the post.  The Kaffe fabrics that I am using are reds and yellows... many different fabrics too!  This will be very scrappy.

I love the trimming pile, so pretty.

The strips are cut and sewed together and eventually you get this shape, then re-sew them and you get these...

Lovely Lemoynes!!  I am making many different sizes with this technique too... very cool! 

Here are my African Lemoyne stars.  I love the way the African fabric looks against the black Kona.

This technique give you perfect points too!  Gotta love that!

Here are the sizes that I made yesterday left to right in inches:

9.5, 8.5, 6.5, 4.5, and 3.5.

This one is the little mini 3.5 inch... look at those points!  I am sure you would like to know how I made these?

I have been using the Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star Ruler.  You can find it in my shop by clicking here.  

And I will be teaching this method and at a retreat in Vermont in March!  If you would like to learn it from me, just click here for the details and to register for the retreat.

It makes Lemoyne star blocks that range in size from 3" to 12" blocks.  Truly a great alternative to paper piecing and easy to do because it is all strip pieced.  

Wait until you see the quilt that will be made with these blocks.  But don't worry, there will be 2 quilts, one Kaffe and one African.

P.S.  This weekend there is a Columbus Day Sale going on in my shop, all Black and White fabrics are marked down to $7.50 per yard, Batiks to $8.50 per yard, and Australian Aboriginals to $8.50 per yard but only through Monday.

Enjoy!

Until Next Time...

Loving the Lemoyne Star in Two Ways

Fabulous Fabric Giveaway!

Hello Everyone,

Have you ever seen these beautiful fabrics?  If not, you need to and you can find them in my shop!  There aren't that many shops you can find them in... what makes them so special? 

They are African fabrics, yes African!  Not what you expected, huh?

They are from Coral Tree and are called Shweshwe.  They also come in navy blues and whites as well as black and whites!  They are all 100% cotton too... great for quilting.

Now I have peaked your interest.

You can win this lovely little bundle to give them a try.  

All you need to to is to visit my friends Heather and Megan over at Quilt Story to enter!

While you are there say hello for me.

If you just can't wait to give these a try, click here to shop and see the other colors!  But for now...

Click here to enter the giveaway!

Best of luck!

Until Next Time...

Fabulous Fabric Giveaway!

Serengeti Serenade Revisited

Hello Everyone,

It has been a long time since I spoke of this quilt.  The last post I did was in November, you can click here to read it.  There is a bit of a backstory about the quilt.  Since November, I quilted, bound, and gifted it to my hubby for Christmas.  So it is time to show you the finished quilt.

It was a beautiful day on Saturday, so I took it outside for a photo shoot.  But not until after I de-furred it from the cats laying all over it... black fabric and cat fur don't really mix well.

A close up of some of the African fabrics that I have collected along the way.  I just love how scrappy and colorful it turned out. 

The quilting I did was an African leaf design.  I thought this went well with the theme of the quilt.  I chose an edge to edge design as the fabrics were so busy you may lose some of the quilting.  Also, since this quilt is getting used, putting my blood, sweat and tears into a custom job wasn't going to work.

I pieced the backing, but you really can see the quilting here on this black section.  Ooooo... looks like I missed some stray fur.

Here it is... Serengeti Serenade.  My husband loves it and so do I!  If you come to the quilt show in November you will see it hanging there.  You can also enter a quilt in the show, if you like.  Just click here for more information and to download an entry form.

Do you collect interesting fabrics?  What kinds?  

My "interesting" fabrics categories are African, Silk, hand dyes, and black and whites.  But as you know, I have tons of others in my stash and shop.  

Until Next Time...

Serengeti Serenade Revisited

Serengeti Serenade... The Story Behind The Quilt

Hello Everyone,

Many of you have seen this little preview of the quilt that I made on my recent retreat.  So I thought I would give you a little background.  

This is truly an African quilt from my heart.  Let's start from the beginning.  In January, 2005 my husband, my brother and three friends went to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.  It was a dream of his and a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Here they are at the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.  My husband is on the far right in the black.  My brother is holding the American flag.  He fulfilled a dream he had.  It was exciting and difficult all at the same time.

Here is their view from above the clouds.  Simply magnificent!  I admire him and everyone who went.

Following the week long summit adventure they went on a safari.  Another opportunity of a lifetime.  Of course, I had to share some wonderful kitty photos with you.

Don't you just love a mama and her cubs?

 How beautiful is this mama lion?

So what does this have to do with fabric and a quilt?  When my husband left he asked if there was anything that I would like him to bring back from his trip?  Of course I said fabric.

He brought these two pieces of fabric home for me.  About a total of 6 yards.  I was ecstatic! Then began my journey of collecting authentic African fabric for the next six years.  My intention was to collect enough fabric to make a quilt for my husband to commemorate his trip to Tanzania.

In the process, I fell in love with the fabric.  I always had a particular design in mind, but then my issue of McCall's Quilting Jan, 2011 came and this pattern captured my eye.

It is all done with 2.5 inch strips and in batiks, but I thought "WOW, wouldn't that look great in the African fabrics?"  Just perfect!

This became the year of the African Quilt!

When I went on retreat last week, the cutting and sewing began.

And the smiles got bigger.  Lots of love went into the making of this quilt from the first day that my husband brought me home those two lovely fabrics straight from Tanzania.

I used one of the fabrics, the yellow and black, for the four highlighted pieces in the borders.  I also used strips of both of the fabrics throughout the quilt.  The larger pieces that were left of the fabrics my husband gave to me, will become part of the backing.

Let me introduce you to Serengeti Serenade...

 I will be quilting this over the next few weeks and giving this to my husband for Christmas.  I hope that he loves it as much as I do and that will remind him of his trip to Africa.

I am so glad that my husband doesn't read my blog, so if you know him... shhhh!  Don't tell him about his gift... Thanks!

Until Next Time...

Serengeti Serenade... The Story Behind The Quilt

On The Fourth Day...

Hello Everyone,

Here it is, I finished my African Quilt on fourth day!!

And I love it!!

 Maria is getting close to finishing her Christmas Tree Skirt.

Carol came with a top already complete.  I think that might qualify as cheating?

Shirley, our massage therapist who is also a quilter, finished this quilt top!

Sue gave a demo on creating snowflake ornaments.

 Justine is getting closer to finishing her forest!

Sharon and Betsy are working on their Strip Tease Quilts.

Poppy is making this fabulous sampler.

Betsy's strip tease quilt... Although that is Joan helping make the arrangement.

Kathy finished this fabulous snowman... as tall as her.

Tons more photos here on Flickr.

Also, we are having a SALE at the shop, but only through tomorrow.  Check out the details by clicking here.

Come back tomorrow for more updates on the retreat!

Until Next Time...

On The Fourth Day...