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Astrid by Erin McMorris

May 23, 2013 by 5 Comments

Continuing with the Quilt Market sewing, here’s a small quilt in Astrid by Erin McMorris. If you liked Erin’s Irving Street, you will love Astrid.Astrid by Erin McMorris quiltThe colors in this collection have a very retro feel to them. If your stash needs bits of unexpected color, Astrid could be just the thing you need.230I modified this quilt pattern (which will be a free pattern available through Free Spirit in the near future) to make it a bit smaller than the pattern specifies. It goes together quickly, which was important for the up to the last minute deadline I was working with.

This collection will be in stores in July. Just enough time for you to plan a project and decide on which pieces will enhance your stash.

Filed Under: color, Disclosure, fabric, Market, quilting, quilts

Wild Child

May 19, 2013 by 8 Comments

Back in February, I started on the first batch of my assignments for Free Spirit’s Spring Market samples. Imagine my delight at being assigned to Jane Sassaman’s Wild Child collection. I’ve been waiting all this time to share that delight with you. It hasn’t been easy. But now that it’s been revealed at Market, let me show you what I got up to with this colorful, lively collection. First up, Jane’s free pattern, Prayer Rug Quilt. Available through Free Spirit’s website soon.Jane's Prayer Rug quilt with catThis one goes together easily and provides a powerful punch of color. It acted like a magnet for Stinka who tried to get in every shot. Nothing like a black cat to accent bold colors. Here’s more of the quilt.Prayer Rug Quilt This Koos pattern (Vogue 1311) sets off the large bold prints perfectly. It’s a huge bag with a fun silhouette. I quilted the pieces for the top, bottom and sides and used strong webbing for the handle. The stripes of this collection are just begging to be put to work. If you’re looking for a print that will do the heavy lifting, these stripes certainly fit the bill.Vogue 1311 Koos bag Of course, there’s another print perfectly suited for heavy lifting and that’s Jane’s harlequin diamonds. I am over the moon about these. So many things you could do with them. For the rectangular pillow, I left the print to speak for itself and softened the geometric look with a frilly, floral ruffle.Wild & Wonderful pillow 1A second pillow combines several prints and adds pom poms to the mix. I created my own “ribbon” to cover the center strip using the same print as the one on the outer sides. Both of these pillows will be available as a free pattern from Free Spirit in the near future.Wild & Wonderful Pillow 2The last of the projects I put together in this collection is this floppy shopper bag. It will also be available as a free pattern from Free Spirit. I wanted a bag to showcase large prints but  also reflect the wild child, carefree vibe. No fussing, no hard angles. It needed to be something you could easily pack away, but would also hold a lot of stuff. Perfect for taking along to the farmer’s market, the beach, a picnic, you name it.Multi-purpose sling bagYou’ll be seeing more Wild Child pop up around here over the next few months. I am certainly not done playing with this collection. I’ll be stocking up on stripes and diamonds just as soon as these show up in shops.

I hope these photos jump start your imagination. There’s nothing like pops of color and fun prints to get a new project off the ground. Thanks for sticking around and sharing my enthusiasm!

Filed Under: blog buddies, cat, color, Disclosure, fabric, house and home, Market, quilting, sassaman, sewing

Weekend Preparations

March 28, 2013 by 7 Comments

Fabric is out on the cutting table. And draped over two chairs. And hung on the quilt rack. My weekend plans are now solidified as the official start of Quilt Market sewing assignments is here. Fortunately, my “studio” has a view of the front yard where I can see things like this:Oriole BathThe orioles are so vibrant. This one was a blur of movement as he bathed in the fountain. I barely got the camera turned on to snap a few photos before he was gone.

Out back, it’s a different scene all together. It is probably a good thing my view isn’t of the back yard because I’d be tempted to take more breaks to hang out back there.lotus vineI hope your weekend plans are filled with color.  And play, plenty of creative play!

Filed Under: animals, color, house and home, plants

Little Pops of Color

March 26, 2013 by 12 Comments

Wondering what happened to that little stack of color over the weekend? Here’s a small peek.SB colorColorful, aren’t they?SB stripI never tire of scraps. Or small projects. Which is a good thing as my scrap stash seems to grow bigger every day.

Within a couple days, a new box of fabric with Spring Market sewing assignments will arrive on my doorstep. More lively color and fun projects lie ahead. Of course, you know what that means….time to stock up on sharp needles, new rotary cutter blades and lots and lots of coffee.

Filed Under: color, embellishments, fabric, scraps, sis boom

Bright Ideas

March 23, 2013 by 5 Comments

Looking forward to the weekend? The first weekend of Spring? (Or Fall, as the case may be.) I’ve been toying with some ideas for small projects.Sis boom ideas smallThis is the starting point–a few happy Sis Boom scraps, some white and a handful of embellishment ideas.sis boom scraps hst smallProgress is ongoing and so is the fun.

What projects are on your mind this weekend?

Filed Under: color, embellishments, embroidery, fabric, sis boom

Safari Garden – A Free Quilt Pattern

March 17, 2013 by 6 Comments

The year started off with some talk about pre cuts, if you recall. (And if you don’t, or if you hadn’t joined me yet, here’s the introductory post.) So far, I’ve given you free patterns for a couple wall hangings (Garden Geometry and Fruit Smoothie) and a table topper (Fresh & Easy) and a picnic cloth (Country Picnic). Now it’s time for something a little bigger.Zebras in the Garden

High drama carries the day with a mix of zebra and colorful prints in the blue and green range. The piecing itself is quite simple. There is no matching of seams on these tumblers. With the tumblers stacked top to bottom, the row arrangement creates a visual pattern of secondary interest without any extra work on your part.

Here are the details on the quilt:

  • Measures 43″ x 55″
  • Uses 12 fat quarters and one yard of zebra or other high contrast print for patchwork
  • Fabrics in this quilt are from Jennifer Paganelli’s Happy Land collection for Free Spirit (zebra is from her Flower Power collection)

When deciding on fabric to use for this pattern, keep two things in mind. First, use one high contrast print. I’ve used zebra but you could substitute black and white dots or checks–anything that really stands out by itself.  Second, the broader your range of prints for the non-zebra tumblers, the better. It creates all-over interest and keeps your eye moving. Pull out your scrap pile. Scraps would work beautifully in this quilt.

You can get the pdf of this free pattern by clicking here. And you’ll be able to find it easily in the future by heading to the Freebie section. If you’re not acquainted with Jennifer Paganelli yet, be sure to visit her website and blog. Jennifer lives color and beauty with every breath. And she would love to have you join her in celebrating them.

Enjoy this one!

Filed Under: color, fabrics, freebie, freebies, pattern, quilting, quilts, scraps, sis boom

Perfect Imperfections

March 7, 2013 by 13 Comments

Getting into the habit of letting go can be difficult. We hold on to so many little rules and ideas about how things must be done. In every area of our lives from the way we keep house to the way we prioritize our time, we follow these unwritten, sometimes buried rules. It can take a lot of work to become aware of them, let alone begin to decipher the Why and How before sorting through what to keep and what to let go.Perfectly Imperfect Table runnerNothing feeds our inner control freak quite like quilting. The simple geometry seems to beg for precision and nitpicking–perfect seams, perfect stitches, perfect cuts. But even with quilting, and I would like to suggest that sometimes especially with quilting, you need to let go of perfection. There are many different reasons I believe this is necessary. If you allow yourself to piece imperfectly, you won’t be afraid to tackle a new technique. Or you might begin to experience the freedom necessary to find your own voice. (Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t always do our best, but I am saying that our best and perfection are not always the same thing.) Perfectly Imperfect Table Runner2Sometimes, we need to let go and play without any rules or expectations. I had some leftover skinny scraps of differing widths. I couldn’t waste them. I wanted to play. The result is a table runner filled with color and charm. Some of the seams and points don’t match. That’s what happens when you use different sizes of scraps out of the pile. 112But I’m not hung up on the imperfections. I’m thrilled some of my smallest scraps found a home. I’m ridiculously happy with the mix of scraps and colorful big stitching. I smile every time I look at it. This is my reward for letting go.

When was the last time you gave yourself permission to be imperfect? Don’t be afraid. Just let go and play.

Filed Under: Amy Butler, color, fabric, Parson Gray, quilting, quilts, Rowan, scraps

More Stacks

March 3, 2013 by 4 Comments

The stacks of fabric waiting to be sewn into projects just keep growing. Some of the stacks themselves grow larger. New stacks seem to appear overnight. AMH fabric stackAmy Butler stackSis Boom piecesWith stacks like these, who can complain?

Filed Under: Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, color, fabrics, sewing, sis boom

One of the Stacks

February 24, 2013 by 5 Comments

Charleston Farmhouse FQsThe sewing area is filled with stacks of projects waiting for completion. This is one of them. Felicity sent some Charleston Farmhouse for a Melissa P touch. It’s transformation is well underway and I hope to have a reveal for you, complete with pattern, by the end of this month. It all started with some small cuts.Charleston Farmhouse cutI love the pops of yellows and oranges amid the grays. They keep it lively. I have a couple small things to add, which means I better get off the computer and start sewing. Just wanted to share a glimpse of what’s going on here at Casa P.

What color combinations are in your stacks? I know I’m not the only on with stacks of projects waiting for attention. 

Filed Under: blog buddies, color, Disclosure, fabrics, quilting, sewing

Grandpa’s Toolbox Makes The Cover

February 22, 2013 by 7 Comments

Generation Q’s February/March issue is out! And that quilt on the cover…it’s a Melissa P. original called Grandpa’s Toolbox.GenQ cover issue 4The pattern to make the quilt is found in the magazine, which you can purchase directly from Generation Q if it is unavailable at your local quilt shop.Grandpa's Toolbox on trailer1I thought you might be interested in the story behind this little quilt–where the idea came from, how I chose fabrics, and that sort of thing. It started with a simple thought–using hexagons to do something masculine, something as different from Grandma’s Flower Garden as I could get. I knew I wanted Parson Gray prints to solidify that masculine edge. While I was cutting out the hexies, I realized the gray hexies reminded me of nuts and bolts. That thought led me to memories of my father’s toolboxes. 

I was always intrigued by the things my father had in the garage, in his truck and anywhere else he might find a place to stash them. I liked the way toolboxes had trays for the small stuff. It seemed pretty cool that he had little cubbie holes and compartments for different parts. You could open the lid, remove the tray and find all sorts of odd little bits, some of them brightly colored and some not. Naturally, the uses for all these things were not nearly as interesting as the colors and shapes. 

And those colors made their way into this quilt. The blue and red of a Craftsman screwdriver set, the yellow of a Stanley tool handle, the bright colors of wire nuts (yellow, red, green, gray and blue)–it’s all there in simple geometry. The addition of some of Amy’s Cameo prints was almost a no-brainer. (Search Google Images for all of those and you’ll see what I mean.) The black strips running through the darker hexies are representative of the handles on the toolbox trays. For me, the quilt is a top down view into a place filled with memories.

By the time I sat down to sew the pieces together by hand, I knew I’d accomplished my goal. There’s nothing Grandmother’s Flower Garden about this piece. (Not that I don’t appreciate the Grandmother’s Flower Garden pattern. I do. My second attempt at quilting was a failed GFG. But that’s a long story from a long time ago.) The best thing though, it makes me think of my father and grandfather and all the happy memories I have of each of them. 

Filed Under: Amy Butler, color, fabrics, family, magazine, Parson Gray, pattern, quilting, quilts, Rowan, sewing
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