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Progress Is Slow But Certain

April 13, 2013 by 7 Comments

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?

Filed Under: animals, cats, fabric, Market, pattern, quilting, quilts

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

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

Fruit Smoothie — A Free Pattern & Another Giveaway

February 8, 2013 by 52 Comments

Time for the February freebie and giveaway! Are you ready? It’s a jolt of color that will brighten any winter day and refresh all of you in the Southern Hemisphere.Fruit Smoothie quiltThis small quilt is Fruit Smoothie and uses two types of pre cuts. The center patchwork section is a mix of mini charm stacks and 5 inch charms. My Kaffe stash had just the perfect prints for the border, but at 2 1/2″ they’re the same size as designer roll strips.Fruit Smoothie KaffeIt’s a great project for beginners because the mixture of all those prints blends small mistakes and mismatched seams. Letting the fabric do the heavy lifting makes it look more complex than it really is. All other levels of experience will find it a fun and easy way to put some of their Kaffe stash out on display.Fruit Smoothie closeupI used several colors of Anchor pearl cotton thread to hand quilt this piece. You can see a photo of the quilted backside in the last post. And I’ve written a free pattern for you which you can access by clicking here. Or by visiting the Freebies section at any time.

Kaffe minisWestminster Fibers has given me a couple of these Kaffe and Friends mini stacks to share. Excited?! Me too. Each of these stacks comes with 250 of the 2 1/2″ squares. That’s right…250!!! Here are the details for this sweepstakes:

  1. Leave a comment on this post before the deadline to enter. Tell me anything you’d like, but I’d love to know your favorite Kaffe print.
  2. One comment per reader. Duplicate entries will be deleted.
  3. You have until 12:00 midnight Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, February 13 to enter. 
  4. International entrants are welcome.
  5. Two winners will be selected by Random Number Generator. One winner for the US and one international winner.
  6. Winners will be announced sometime before Monday, February 18th.
  7. Winners will be notified by email and will have one week to respond. If winners do not respond, a new winner will be selected by Random Number Generator and notified by email.

Good luck!

Filed Under: Coats & Clark, color, embellishments, embroidery, fabric, freebie, giveaway, Kaffe Fassett, pattern, quilting, quilts, Rowan, sewing, tutorials

Pre-Cut Project – Fresh & Easy Table Topper

January 25, 2013 by 5 Comments

It’s Friday again! It’s also time for another pre-cut project. This one is quick and easy, so whether you want instant gratification for yourself or something easy to give as a gift, look no further than this table topper.Fresh & Easy Table TopperThe Fresh & Easy Table Topper pattern is a freebie, ready for download whenever you are. I used a designer roll of Felicity Miller’s Gypsy plus Designer Solids in cream, all by Free Spirit. For the circles, I pulled out my Sizzix and their Circles #2 die. (You can easily cut these by tracing around two different sizes of round objects–like spools, small jars, etc.)Fresh & Easy Table RunnerHere are the details:

  • Measures 27″ square
  • Uses 1 Designer Roll and 5/8 yard of a solid (there will be leftover 2 1/2″ strips for your scrap bin) for the top
  • Circles are fused raw edge applique 
  • Binding is made from various strips in the Designer Roll

For the free pattern, click here or visit the Freebies section. To find out more about Felicity, click here. I had the pleasure of meeting her at Quilt Market and I can tell you, she is someone you want to get to know. Not only is she a wonderful artist, but she is a delightful person–kind and sincere. The kind of person you want to support and encourage. You can follow her blog here. She has a new collection arriving in March called Charleston Farmhouse which is sure to inspire. But more on that at a later date.

For now, grab some strips and get sewing! And Happy Friday!

Filed Under: blog buddies, fabrics, freebie, freebies, house and home, Market, pattern, quilting, sewing, tutorials

Little Changes Make A Huge Difference

January 13, 2013 by 7 Comments

It isn’t always easy to visualize how simple changes in fabric choices will alter the look of a pattern. Let’s look at the quilt block for the Garden Geometry quilt in the last post. Not that exciting on paper. But oh the drama it can provide! We saw it work its magic with Amy & David’s fabrics. Now let’s see what happens if we choose different fabrics. Garden Geo in SassamanHere it is done in Jane Sassaman fabrics. I’ve used two of Jane’s dots–black on white and white on black–to provide an even starker contrast for the light and dark sections. Instead of the patchwork of color for sections 2 and 5, I substituted a large bold print from Jane’s Hothouse Garden collection (one of my all time favorite Sassaman collections). Sashing and corner squares frame the four blocks and provide the perfect top for a pillow cover. But you could easily make this your block and start building a quilt.

Don’t be afraid to go a little crazy with your fabrics. If you stay true to the basic principles, you’ll get a grand result. Most importantly, keep the contrast on the high side. If the contrast is too low, you’ll lose the movement and end up with something that confuses your eye instead of leading it.

If you make a project with this block, please send a picture. I would love to see your interpretation! I’m so thrilled by all the commenters  who are eager to start sewing their own Garden Geometry quilt. Seriously….thrilled!

Filed Under: blog buddies, color, fabric, fabrics, pattern, sassaman

Garden Geometry — A New Free Quilt Pattern & A Chance To Win

January 8, 2013 by 116 Comments

Garden Geometry tabletopReady to kick off the new year in a big way? There’s nothing like a punch of pattern, color and design to get your creative energy flowing. We’re going to start the pre-cut series of projects with a very special piece. It utilizes 2 1/2″ squares, aka mini charms, in an unusual way. It’s name is Garden Geometry.Garden Geometry QuiltYou may remember this post. It happened in a deliciously serendipitous way. Several Parson Gray’s Seven Wonders fat quarters sat on my table waiting for attention. It wasn’t until that particular morning, and those numerous cups of coffee, that everything clicked. And you know me, when it clicks, it clicks dramatically. I knew immediately that my Amy Butler scrap stash had to come out to join in the fun. 

My favorite thing about this piece is how it represents these two incredible artists and their very different design aesthetics. Whenever I get to work with fabrics designed by my friends and people who inspire me, an additional bit of magic happens. In this case, doubly so. Can’t you just see Amy’s flower beds soaking up Dave’s wind and rain? I’m quite smitten with the way these prints all work together. Dave’s fabrics make for an interesting play of movement–the dark and light colors, the wavy lines in the design, the alternating placement. And Amy’s prints get a chance to play with each other across numerous collections while providing the perfect balance to all the gray and blue.351The details on the project are simple:

  • Measures 35 inches square
  • Blocks are foundation pieced and finish at 8 inches
  • Patchwork strips are pieced first and then treated as one unit for block assembly
  • Hand quilted with big stitches using Anchor threads 

I’m so excited about this project. And I want you to share my excitement! I’ve written a pattern so you can make one of your very own Garden Geometry wall hangings. It requires a basic understanding of foundation piecing, although I do provide a quick run through if you need a refresher. There are many videos and guides available online if you want to learn. The block is an easy beginner block, so don’t fret. You can find the free pdf pattern here as well as the “Freebies” section. Garden Geometry SwagTo take that excitement level up a notch or two, I’m giving away some fabric! One lucky commenter will receive a stack of 128 mini charms (2 1/2″ squares) of Amy Butler prints along with one yard each of the two Parson Gray prints pictured above. It’s all the fabric required for the quilt blocks! I pulled from my Amy Butler scrap stash to cut the squares so it contains prints from at least five of her past collections of quilting cottons. Free Spirit is generously providing the Parson Gray yardage. Sound like fun?! I thought so too.

Here are the details of the Sweepstakes:

  1. Leave a comment on this post before the deadline to enter. Tell me anything you’d like, there’s no magic comment.
  2. One comment per reader. Duplicate entries will be deleted.
  3. You have until 12:00 midnight Pacific Standard Time on Friday, January 18 to enter. 
  4. International entrants are welcome.
  5. Winner will be selected by Random Number Generator the weekend of January 19-20.
  6. Winner will be notified by email and will have one week to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected by Random Number Generator and notified by email.

Good luck!

Filed Under: Amy Butler, color, creativity, Disclosure, fabrics, giveaway, Parson Gray, pattern, quilting, quilts, Rowan, scraps

Pretty As You Please Clutch

December 1, 2012 by 4 Comments

Pretty As You Please ClutchI couldn’t resist making another clutch. This time denim adds stability instead of burlap and a pleated strip of Amy Butler’s Dancing Paisleys from her Soul Blossoms collection adds the punch of color.  Pretty As You Please Clutch interiorI added a nostalgic touch to the clutch lining with some green gingham. It’s a happy little surprise on the inside.Pretty As You Please Clutch closeupThe addition of a fancy brooch takes this little clutch to another level of fun. It’s the juxtaposition of fancy and functional that really makes it work.

And guess what? Now you can make your own clutch! I finished writing the pattern and put it up in the Etsy shop. Click here for the listing. My patterns are all pdf files and I try to get them emailed to you within 24 hours. Sometimes, you’ll get lucky and have it in five minutes if I’m sitting at the computer when you place your order. 

This is such an easy project to make. You could have a small stack of these whipped up in a weekend, if you were so inclined. (They’d make great gifts if you can part with one.) As with all of my patterns, I keep it simple so you can put your stamp on it through fabric choices, embellishments, etc. Possibilities are endless!

Filed Under: Amy Butler, bag, color, embellishments, fabric, pattern, shop

Lovely Laminates

November 20, 2012 by 7 Comments

garment bag laminateWondering what to do with all the gorgeous laminates that keep coming out? Stumped for something besides a diaper bag or tablecloth? Wishing there was something both fun and practical to make that doesn’t require as much patience as a raincoat? I’ve got something for you. You probably guessed that already, smart readers that you are.

This incredibly easy garment bag is just the thing. I’ve left off topstitching and edgestitching but you could certainly add those if you chose. (Just remember that the more times the fabric gets punctured by needles, or pins, it loses some of the water resistance. Because liquids can seep through those little holes quite easily.) You could also add trim such as crocheted lace or rick rack around the horizontal seam lines. Or even add trim along the sides of the zipper.

You can carry this garment bag folded as well because there’s an elastic loop at the bottom to put over the hanger. Handy, isn’t it?garment bag laminate foldedI hope you’ll be inspired to make some of these. I think they’d make a great gift for the holidays. Or a great way to take clothes with you as you head out for Thanksgiving travels.  Click here for the free pattern. Or visit the Freebies section.

Filed Under: clothing, color, embellishments, fabric, freebie, laminate, pattern, sis boom, tutorials

Lap of Luxury Small Quilt–Free Pattern

August 11, 2012 by 7 Comments

If you’re a regular reader, you know I believe in letting the fabric do the heavy lifting for you. Using the designs of a fabric print to create the movement and balance can turn a boring layout into something fun and exciting. The key is utilizing the right portion of the fabric’s design. Like this little lap quilt which incorporates the two prints from Super Fly by Jennifer Paganelli.Lap of Luxury Quilt in Super FlyIsolating the curving design elements in the Jane print is the key to making this super simple pattern work its magic. You’ll find the free pattern on Free Spirit’s blog here. Check out page three for the diagram showing you precisely how to cut the design elements needed.Lap of Luxury Quilt backThe back is just as pretty as the front and pulls in a print from Jennifer’s Crazy Love collection. These two collections are meant to be together so mix them with abandon.  It goes together in no time at all, so if you’re in need of a quick gift this is just the thing. Adding length and more vertical rows easily increases this to a bigger quilt, perfect for someone heading off to college. Just remember to increase the yardage amounts for larger sizes.

Filed Under: color, fabric, freebie, house and home, pattern, sis boom, tutorials
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