Wild Child

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!

English Paper Piecing In The Heat

A heat wave rolled through this weekend. I don’t know what it is about paper piecing and hot days, but they do seem to go together. My octagon pieces with wedges arrived on Friday and I couldn’t wait to get started. Surprise, surprise–they’re just as addicting as hexagons.octagons and wedgesThese measure about 9 inches from side to side.  Just one more and I’ll have enough to put together a large pillow cover. Some hand quilting with pearl cotton will complement this nicely.

The weather should drop 10-15 degrees tomorrow. At which point, I can get back to some sewing that requires pressing and ironing. In the meantime, I’m enjoying some EPP under the fans with plenty of iced coffee at my side.

Bijoux by Bari J. Launch Party!

Welcome! This is day three of a fun filled launch party for Bari J.’s Bijoux and I’m delighted to be your hostess.bijoux vignette--agf photo

Photo by Art Gallery Fabrics, used with permission

Bari sent me a few fat quarters so I could get acquainted with Bijoux. The luscious brown and vibrant magenta paired with mustard and hints of purple and green….incredible. Bari has described her inspirations and given the back story for this collection. Here’s a quote from her blog:

“Bijoux is my vision of a woman who is very much a free spirit. She travels around in her vintage caravan collecting things that she loves and that inspire her. She’s an artist. And a loner. I envision her as an unusually tall woman with long streaming blond hair. She wears turquoise bracelets, boho skirts and beat up cowboy boots. I see her in dancing barefoot in the desert at night with the stars lighting her way. She’s a rocker. She’s a gypsy. She loves life. Bijoux means little jewels in French, and it is also the name of my main character. This fabric collection is bits and pieces of her life… as she is bits and pieces of me.”

After spending some time with Bijoux, it’s clear that she is indeed a free spirit and lover of life. She knows how to enjoy down time with a favorite drink and a good book. No matter where her travels take her, she expands her world. So it was only appropriate that I make a coffee sleeve and a Kindle cover. The yellow organza ribbon and the corseted sleeve go perfectly with the Bijoux attitude. (Both of these free little patterns can be found in my Freebie section.)Bijoux accessoriesBut that wasn’t enough. I love the stitching lines Bari has put into the design and had to highlight it with this pin cushion. (It too can be found in the Freebie section.)bijoux pin cushionWith more time and yardage, I think I’ll be adding a new maxi dress to my closet. If you haven’t held Art Gallery Fabrics between your fingers, they have a wonderful hand to them. I don’t know how Pat does it, but they’re very special. Similar to a voile from Free Spirit but at a quilting cotton price. My favorite maxi dress pattern will look stunning in Divine Gypsy in Rosewood, don’t you think? I think it has the Bijoux vibe down pat.mccalls maxi dressBijoux is in shops now so don’t wait too long to put your project list together. I think this collection will go quickly. For the Bijoux video and more of Bari’s great photos, click here. She has Bijoux printables here. A lot to drool over and plenty of ideas to spark your creativity.

To celebrate this beautiful collection Art Gallery Fabrics will be giving one lucky winner 10 Fat Quarters from the Bijoux collection. Here’s all you need to do for a chance to be that lucky person:

  1. Leave a comment on this post before the deadline to enter.
  2. One comment per reader. Duplicate entries will be deleted.
  3. You have until 6:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on Saturday, May 11, 2013 to enter. 
  4. International entrants are welcome.
  5. Winner will be selected by Random Number Generator the weekend of May 11-12, 2013.
  6. Winner will be notified by email and will have until May 13, 2103 to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected by Random Number Generator and notified by email.

Good luck! Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to make a stop at all the other blogs involved in the launch party.

UPDATED: This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for your visit!

Spring Flowers

When the Pride of Madeira blooms, we know it’s Spring. The front yard fills with birds, bees and sphinx moths. bee on pride of madeiraI love having a view of this magnificent plant out the front windows. Which is a good thing, since so much of my time lately has been spent sewing near these windows. I just said “yes” to more sewing, so I’ll be spending even more time here in the next two to three weeks.pride of madeiraThere will be a slight break in the sewing action this weekend. We’re heading to the plant nursery today for some new plants for the back yard. A segue from colorful fabric to colorful plants. I’m good with that.

In the meantime, online fabric stores are having sales and you might want to do a little Spring stash building. Check out these shops:

  •  Quilt Home – selections of Amy Butler, Valori Wells, Tanya Whelan, Denyse Schmidt, Erin Mc Morris, Jenean Morrison, Dena Designs, Anna Maria Horner and many more.
  • Fabric.com – too many to name
  • Missiouri Quilt Co. – nice selection of pre cuts in their sale section today

These are just a few on my radar. Now is a good time to find some deals as shops are making room for new inventory.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Stuff On The Back Burner

Usually, the arrival of Quilt Market sewing assignments means putting a project aside until the craziness abates. This year, there are multiple projects waiting for my attention. None of them on a deadline, thank goodness.Big scrapsI’m finding it especially difficult to tear myself away from this one. I assembled 3″ strips from all the Free Spirit and Rowan designers in my stash. Big enough to see the gorgeous prints and decide which elements to incorporate. They’re sitting on that proverbial back burner, bubbling away.

If you had this little stack of fabrics, what would you do with it? I’d love to hear how this stack inspires you.

Progress Is Slow But Certain

Nothing is quite as satisfying as a cat approved quilt. Here, Petey gives us his stamp of approval for the picnic quilt in Jenean’s Beechwood Park.

Fireworks quilt with PeteyYou may recall the dress done in the purple colorway which I posted here. The red/white/blue colorway is just as amazing and perfect for a summer picnic quilt. It feels a bit patriotic but without any specificity. Americans, Aussie, Brits, Kiwis….the list is lengthy. (Check wikipedia for a list of all countries with red, white and blue in their flags.)

The free pattern will be available for download through Free Spirit at some point in the near future, but definitely after Spring Quilt Market next month. It’s easy to put this dramatic piece together. The drama comes from letting the fabric do the heavy lifting. A little fussy cutting gives it structure without having to put a lot of effort into piecing. For example, see the corner square in the dark blue to the right of Petey’s front paw in the above photo? The directionality of the fussy cut piece makes up for a pieced square.

photog helpersIt’s a full weekend of sewing assignments for me. Threads litter the floor and coffee is in constant supply.

What’s up for your weekend?

A Peek at Progress

Things are happening here at Casa P. Weeds are thriving. Flowers are blooming. And my little furry friends are reminding me to take a break from sewing to sit outside and enjoy it.Blue ColumbineI love the fairytale quality of columbines. In the past they’ve never done well. This time I planted them in a whiskey barrel with lavender and they seem to be happy. The gorgeous purple hue of this blue one goes with the purples I’ve been sewing. Jenean Morrison’s new collection is called Beechwood Park and the purple colorway is stunning. On her FB and Twitter, she shared a peek of the dress I made for the Market booth. So, since the cat is out of the bag, here’s one of the projects I made this week.Beechwood Park dressThe pattern is New Look 6799. I think it makes a great statement for a large print, while providing interesting detail for a smaller coordinating print. In this instance, it let’s the fabric shine brightly.

I’ve spent a little time this weekend on the next free pattern. Look for the post this week. I think you’re going to like it–a trio of mini quilts.

Time for me to get back to work. The next box arrives tomorrow!

Little Pops of Color

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.

Bright Ideas

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?

A Few Things

The hour lost to Daylight Savings Time is really haunting me. I love the fact that it’s lighter longer, but the change always seems overwhelmingly difficult to adjust to. (Did you know that there are more heart attacks in the week following a time change? Strange, but true. More accidents and injuries as well. Just Google it and see what I mean.)Orange NasturtiumsI’m still working on finishing some deadline projects. And expecting a few more to come my way. I haven’t had as much time to do the “just for fun” sewing I was hoping to in March. But that’s life. And I’m happy to be doing them, nonetheless. The “just for fun” stuff will happen eventually. In the meantime, I’d like to share a couple links for you to check out. Rag WreathThis rag wreath is for St. Patrick’s Day with it’s glitter shamrocks, but you could substitute other floral picks for a Spring theme and keep it up for a few months. Or change up the fabrics for any occasion you wish. You can find my instructions for this at Free Spirit’s blog. (These fabrics are from Jenean Morrison‘s two most recent collections for Free Spirit.)

For a bit of color from Guatemala, check out Linda’s post over at Dragon Threads. Her recent trip to Guatemala was filled with textiles and gorgeous color. My imagination has spent hours and hours and hours in Guatemala. I’ve read stacks of books about the place and its history. These photos just confirm what I already “knew” about the vibrancy of the Mayan culture and its art.

(If you’re wondering why my fascination with Guatemala…here’s a lesser known fact about me: I wrote a first draft of a thriller/adventure novel set in Guatemala. My second Nanowrimo experience. The draft, quite literally, went up in smoke. Which is a long story in itself. Yes, there’s a storyteller hidden inside this seamstress/sewist/quilter/designer. But you might have guessed that already.)